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Etta James Oct 2010
you toil
and tear
and hurt people
in who-know's-where


you seem so surprised
when complications arise


you create so many problems
a tangled mess
and who wants to play hero?
let me guess
Copyrighted by author
Etta James Oct 2010
Trying
to reach you
foamy waves draw us apart
and you aren't here right now
but you are still in my heart

Can't say the words
you want to hear
because i've been there before
Babe, i'll stand by you
even when it starts to pour

Yes it will be hard
But babe be brave
For me, baby, try
to not be swallowed up in the wave
Copyrighted by author
Etta James Oct 2010
it seems so innocent at first

the first stitch is slowly- ever so slowly- tearing
you tell yourself it’s just a little unstitching

It’s fine

but then the sensation continues,
down your vertebrae, exposing tender flesh
you recognize it
but you hold back
because it’s too embarrassing to speak of
thinking it will ruin your friendship
but you don’t realize
your friendship is already being ruined

by the time you can do anything about it

It’s gone

fabric is torn beyond recognition
never to be sewn the exact same way as before

and sure, there will be others


but the worst part is knowing that that person doesn’t have a ripped seam running down their heart.
Copyrighted by author.
Etta James May 2010
by all means
go forth and
proclaim to the streets
in a high voice
what an asset you are
to the world

show them how to do things your way
er, the right way

remind us of all the good deeds
you have accomplished
for we are certainly liable
to forget

and lastly
conclude by giving us  list of
all the virtues that you posses

and i will add
that modesty is not one of them
Copyrighted by author.
Etta James Apr 2010
...he loves me....
...he loves me not....
...he loves me....
...he loves me not...

sitting in a flower patch
wondering about you



and every fallen petal
every turn of daisy
is as different as the seasons

winter encased everything in white
the whiteness blinds emotion
it frosts the heart

and spring came all too late
the sun melted away the ice
and left me in a flood of emotions
i had carefully frozen

i was blind in the brightness
of that soft frozen world
but spring has come
and i can see



i ponder in the flower patch

...he loves me....
...he loves me not....
Copyrighted by author.
Etta James Apr 2010
some people will take emotion
and shove it into the pockets of their jeans
for ‘safe keeping’
to stay until most convenient

i am not one of those people
if i ever catch a good emotion whizzing by
-which i do fairly often-
i’ll grab hold of it and let it
carry me away
to some distant land
i’ve never been
and probably will never see again

so when i caught you in the air
it was thrilling
just imagine
all the places you took me
in only a few moments and
even if it didn’t last long
i will always remember the journey,
and adventure,
excitement,
you gave me

and there isn't a big enough pocket in the world
that can contain that
Copyrighted by author
Etta James Feb 2010
Love

is self-inflicted pain

those with broken hearts

must be insane

Gambling

every delicate possession

Dignity, Pride, a fragile Heart

tied in one love confession

It’s a gamble

I’m not willing to take

No, not when

My heart’s at stake

No, not me

I won’t get my hopes flushed

Because love is suicide

and I don’t want my heart crushed
Copyrighted by author
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