The party had been over for a month
And the balloons remained.
Lifeless, lying on the floor;
Half filled,
And half as bright as they once were.
As she cut each, old balloon
Covered in dust and crumbs,
She felt her Mother’s breath leave each rubber covering
As she pricked the latex with an overused, dull scissor.
The air did not escape quickly,
As the original material was stretched out,
But long and labored was each balloon’s
Last exhale.

Invincible-young,
Running through the pages
Like the book will never end.
Muscles never sore,
Chest never tight,
With breathless, lightheadedness.
Free like a beast from his cage,
On a warm spring day,
For the first time in a decade.
Sprinting till the crowd is in sight,
Embraced and lifted on their shoulders,
Welcomed to the next stage,
Grown, we now must be.

Given everything
Since her first day in the womb,
She never had to work for anything.
Beauty, brains.
When she performed,
Folks gathered
Regardless of the venue.
One day she lost control,
And that’s when she realized she had nothing.
Worked for nothing.
Presented with gifts of gold, and silver,
She barely wrote her fans a simple card in return.
Motivation,
A fleeting word,
Retired from her vocabulary.
I hope she finds it again,
Because I quite fancy her.

Sleeping on the floor
Same clothes on.
Night before,
How many juices of the gods did you imbibe?
Still feeling its heroic effects.
Night filled with swirling, incomplete memories
Shared by your soldiers at your side.
Some may say we fight too hard,
And too often.
We say we fight because we are obligated,
And, to guard our youth
For one more week.

I don’t know what it meant then,
And I don’t know what it means now,
But in that moment,
He wanted to kiss me;
And I did not oppose.

The Crowd’s all laughing
Wrapped around the bar
Smiling big, throwing heads back
Like it’s their first drink.
One more shot-
C’mon, someone will cover you.
Drive away, glistening eyes.
Smirks to the night sky
Spin me round, till I forget my name.
Thursday night,
I’d like to dedicate you to the freezing cold
And your amicable stars.

The love cantor sings in streets and bars.
She sends her voice to foreign stars.
And when a couple falls in love,
Her heart strings get a little tug.
For she sings of affection and bliss,
Her only prayer is for a kiss.
One of truth, forever a hand,
She searches for love in such a man.