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Oct 2010 · 1.8k
Hypocrite
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
Oct 2010 · 1.1k
For My Brother
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
Oct 2010 · 1.2k
Ripped at the Seams
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.
May 2010 · 1.1k
poor modest soul
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.
Apr 2010 · 1.1k
in a flower patch
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.
Apr 2010 · 1.0k
jean pocket
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
Feb 2010 · 3.0k
Suicide
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
Feb 2010 · 1.8k
Temper Tantrum
Etta James Feb 2010
I felt the fury rippling inside

Trying to contain it was like holding back the tide

To unleash the wrath, the fury, the power,

to see my enemies beg on their knees and cower

I wanted it more than anything

No, right now I wanted it more than everything

I was tired of bottling it up

Tired of acting and playing the grown-up

I was through with being “mature”

Being myself I would much rather prefer

Than putting on a show

And trying to be someone I don’t know

If I added just one more thing to my load

I was sure I was going to explode

Nothing could stop me- I was going to blow

And I didn’t care what the destruction would look like tomorrow
Copyrighted by author
Feb 2010 · 1.4k
Illumination
Etta James Feb 2010
See the boys flock around her

the winning smile, the sunlit hair

Shouldn't I be envious

Treated like a goddess

true beauty from above

Aren't I envious

Dreamy face

perfect body

I should be envious

And I'm not

For I'd rather live my entire life as a distant illuminating flicker

than to glow like a thousand stars for a moment

and burn out the wick
Copyrighted by author
Feb 2010 · 1.1k
The Dilemma
Etta James Feb 2010
It’s like peeling back the curtains

It’s like dusting off an old trophy

It’s like opening a sealed trunk

You’re pulling at the very fabric of my existence

And I like being discovered

Especially by you

And then I wonder if it is meant to be

If you’ll like me when that’s all there is

The curtains drawn

No mystery

No suspense

Just

Plain

Unchanging

Old

All my secrets told

Nothing else to see

Plain Old Me

And I can’t allow that

So I shut up

Like slamming close a book

Like a rubber band snapping in place

To back before

When you didn’t know me

When you didn’t care to know me

When I couldn’t get hurt

Safe in dull ignorance

A door- less enclosed space

And windows to taunt

Force me to see what could have been

Trapped in my own security

Willingly enchained

And yet longing for what I gave up

Trapped in an internal circle

of misery

Is that what love is?

A choice between two awful extremes

Forced to pick my poison

And somehow through all the heartbreaks and heartaches

I choose love every time
Copyrighted by author
Feb 2010 · 1.2k
Too Disproportional for You
Etta James Feb 2010
I’m too short

No I’m too tall

My nose is too wide

My eyes are too small

My cheekbones are too high

My lips are too thin

Yet it’s not about looks

It’s what’s within?

Well I don’t believe that

I’m not stupid

If I looked differently

I wouldn’t need Cupid

Alas you only can realize

That I look remotely cute

Is right before I dive

In my swimsuit

But even then

You want it all

And my forehead’s much too high

And my eyes too small
Copyrighted by author
Feb 2010 · 1.1k
I'll Be There
Etta James Feb 2010
When the rain’s pourin’ down and you’re soaking wet

I’ll be there with an umbrella

When everyone close deserts you

I’ll be there by your side

When you’re inside a burning building

I’ll be there with a garden hose

When you feel the mountain crumbling at your feet

I’ll be there with a bridge

When you’re lost

I’ll be there with a map

And when all else fails

I’ll be there with a llama
Copyrighted by author

— The End —