opposites attract
we are just broken magnets
cold, polarized hearts

knocks on your door
hey, have you eaten
silence answers me
empty of feeling
i stand for a moment
maybe a moment too long
strike a match of conversations
eye contact too strong
he wandered down the hall
looks like he’s waiting too
my hips on the wall
smirk as if he knew
what was on my mind
look deep inside and would not find
for my thoughts were shallow
temporary tinges, restraint on the hinges
a shuffled playlist on down low
can you hear me now?

today I went to the store and listened for you
a hummingbird’s silent reverie
I put the music box back on the shelf
it wasn’t quite right so I reached for the ballerina
the sound of her dancing in my imagination
it still wasn’t you but I wanted to love it

her wish list
consists of 2 items:

pink lemonade
and the boy
down the street
selling it

her childhood calls
she forgets to pick up

he has closed up shop
for the day

she will try again tomorrow

i am losing sleep over nothing
he says let's step back
he is full of ****
yet all i do is write about it

the stars glistened that night
glimmered when you called me beautiful
pulsed when you smiled at me
disappeared when you broke our gaze
so the lake reflected only the streetlights
and couldn’t pick up the stars

they fell with every minute that passed
every minute lost in the night
every minute less i would spend with you
every minute you weren’t holding me

and the stars never shined so bright
and the sky never hung so heavy

than they did the night you sang to me

just escalator idiots
who use nouns as adjectives

he cried uncle far before she gave him the option
they were married within the month

they called them little Spartans,
the way they pushed and shoved
as the sound of the lunch bell
the way they shown off their weapons,
some of metal and some of paper
the weaker-willed soldiers gave up
their possessions no longer their own
as the 1st graders stole their heart-
shaped kindergarten sandwiches

i haven’t ever loved
and from the looks of
poetry, love *****

globe lanterns
christmas lights
Shakespeare Andy Wharhol
billiards to the brim

tinsel
sandwich boards
microwaves
dust-covered couches
empty trash cans

lonely children

if only the silence that fell
when shock filled the room
would fall upon insolence
like the sword it once was

if i was a leaf
you’d be the grass
i’d fall into you
by gravity

it’s out of my control

he is naked on the pier
the water ceased to hit him
the shore no longer freezing
just frozen on the pier, numb

the rolling hills keep teasing
the eager squirrels at the bases
they think they’ve made it to the top
when the next hill puts them in their places

the days have grown long
but not quite long enough
it’s a thing you notice once
forgetfulness catches up

i have a problem
i wish it was a secret
my tears betray me
and my heartbeats battle
my composure suffers
slow and grueling death
i wield only my ideas
sharp as a steel sword
and a broken shield
change has no time for remorse

he stands, looking down upon her
she hides her eyes, as to appear stronger
they have betrayed her for the last time
he has betrayed her for the final time
she has given in for the last time
never again will he stand over her

the power of words
can be overlooked
by heathens and saints
and creatures of habit
they wrestle with weak worries
and stab the strong in the back
they forget the power
and that “this too shall pass”

i’m tired of sweet nothings
and prince charmings in dreams
i’m tired of the carousels
and the prince i’ll never meet

I like spending time with people I like
Given, sometimes these people are imaginary
But once in a while I’ll sit
Circular,
Now and then surrounded by friends
Excaliburs and *** on the beach,
I’ve never had *** on the beach, I say
I’ll take *** in the shower, though, you say
We laugh.
We share our O-faces and laugh,
because my Adam’s apple is embarrassed
and you’re missing your fedora.

words are weapons
it’s a sad truth
but so are shovels
and gravediggers need words too
the world doesn’t stop beating
children awake to the light
i sit here and listen
to your mood music
and i forget again

he sings about fixing me
i never knew there was a problem

she is surprised by their incredulity
- i hope you’re not upset
they smile and share maybes
broken promises in the making

hello old friend
we meet again
how are you?
tired.
me too.
i don’t know how to say this, but…
this should be goodbye?
i’m afraid so. i have to go.
i should have known better.
please, don’t be upset.
i should have known you’d leave me.
it’s just…
good things have to end for better things to come along

shut me out and
shut me in
the words you say are here
my friend
i wish you well in times of joy
but hell comes only when ignored

you should never trust a woman
believe me, I’ve seen the things
they are capable of, they trust
and let trust, only to be broken
they are forgiving yet never forgiven
they don’t learn from mistakes
but instead wait
they wait for proof of humanity
and stand frozen in stone and patience
but forgive me for
my hasty generalization

he wants to fly
just as high as she does
he quivers in fear of
the grunts and stares
but he stands stoic
an amalgam of the men
they told him
he had to be

i am a billboard
of my problems
my joys and worries
plastered as great
wooden spectacles

if you have ever told yourself
that everything happens for a reason
you’re wrong
and if you have ever been
betrayed, you know everyone is
full of ****
anyway

she’s smiling but
her mouth is frozen that way
after years of misconception
and one swift blow
a knife to the throat

i keep counting my blessings
but they don’t seem to add up

the bell always rings
at the worst moment
when you’ve finally found
the last piece of your courage,
the missing puzzle
pieces of your smile fall in line
then scatter as the brass hum
takes him and his untouched pencil
straight out the door

i don’t like people anymore
they make me think too much
and smile when i don’t want to
i’d rather waste away alone
with a cup of coffee and
some overrated novel.

he forgot the bitter cold
that came after the sun
he forgot we lived in a desert

i heard the scream escape
behind the cabinet door
a ghost of a woman remained
convulsing from lost love

gentle flickers of light
they remained fireflies
in the starry night
forgetting who was human
and who was right

i find it baffling how easily
people believe what they hear
yet are so unwilling to listen

to the truth

you’re a star
he’s a star
i’m a star too
nothing is random
we just pretend
they love us

“if i ask nicely,
will you like me?”
said the young girl
to her mirror.

the ones who complain are fine,
it’s the silent ones we should worry about.

she spills her coffee
when reaching for her newspaper

she trips over a stiletto
when searching for a lost earring

she burns her fingers
when testing a batch of cookies

she can’t seem to do a single thing right.

with each step they trample
the confidence of the women
astounding to onlookers
yet incredibly dim on the inside
they are creatures of privilege
with each step they spit
on the unfortunate they pity
with their smugness
they think they are the truth

i wonder sometimes about
how convincing i am
when i tell a bold-faced lie
i’ve never been bold enough

if we could travel the world together
i don’t think we would
we could be anywhere we wanted
and together would be enough

your smile is a lot less convincing
after your heartless slurs
you say you’re getting better
but you’re absent like remorse

i try to be happy
and make others happy
but there aren’t enough
hours in a day
to do both

i smile at strangers
because they don’t
know if i’m pretending
or not
i smile at strangers
because maybe i
think happiness is
contagious

he would be a constant hiccup
if hiccups were lovely
a shocking smile in the hallways
he is a hiccup,
showing up at the worst times
threatening to ruin you
making your heart beat fast
a reminder that you’re still alive
whether you like it or not

**** they say
comes naturally
a movement of the hips
a movement of the lips
the timbre of the voice
you can’t just train that
**** they say
is no talent
is a breathtaking gasp
the heart double-dutching
bounce, bounce
**** they say
is a gift