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589 · Jul 2019
Secret
Valerie Jul 2019
Your bite marks linger under my skin
I’m awash in a crimson hue
I try to exhale but can’t catch my breath
A secret between me and you
319 · Jul 2019
Worthy
Valerie Jul 2019
My incessant need for reassurance
Is all but lost on you
I seek affirmation again and again
And you simply smile

Not a deluge of flattery and praise
But a perpetual misting of kindness
Softly enveloping me
In the warmth of your sincerity

My worth no longer dependent
You don’t dare to claim it
Instead, with silent encouragement
You stand by my side
learning to be content with the lack of compliments and the excess kindness.
279 · Jul 2019
It's Time
Valerie Jul 2019
You, my sister, are strong
You are worthy and gifted and kind
You my sister, are going places
Don’t fear what you’ll leave behind

Just think of all that is still to come
There’s so much you have yet to see
And imagine the future that’s waiting
It’s time.  Let your spirit run free
leaving an abusive relationship
266 · Jul 2019
Good Girl
Valerie Jul 2019
Put on the face you want to see
Don’t bother with anything real
Making a scene does nothing for me
So I’ll continue to fake what I feel

I don’t need the extra attention
I can stand here on my own
I don’t need to kneel before you
I can do this all alone.

Maybe if broke all the rules
Or called you out of your name
Or demanded your attention
And threatened to quit this game

But instead I stand here quietly
Submissive, as I’m supposed to be
And tell you that I’ll wait around
While Daddy handles his Baby

Craving the care you show her
As I smile and nod my head
And tell you that I understand
Why she gets your time instead

Put on the face you want to see
It doesn’t matter if it’s real
Be a good girl, don’t make a scene
Pretending I’m fine with this deal
a **** love triangle.
230 · Jul 2019
When I'm Gone
Valerie Jul 2019
When my days are over and my breath has gone
Will it really matter that I loved so wrong?
Will you dwell on the failures I seemed to repeat.
And recount the times where life had me beat?

When my skin and my bones are all that remain
Will you wish I had lived a life more mundane?
Will you look at my photos and feel sorry for me
Since I wasn’t the person you hoped I would be?

Will it matter that my body didn’t fit in your form,
My skin stretched and scarred, beat up by the storm?
Will you care that I burdened my poor, heavy heart,
As I beat myself up for not looking the part?

Will you think back and wonder why again and again,
I was the right kind of girl for the wrong kind of men?
Will you rehash the stories where I couldn’t be strong,
Or will you try to remember why I hurt for so long?

Please just try to remember, as you remember me
That I wasn’t as strong as I hoped I’d be
And I wasn’t the person that I could have been
But I woke up each morning and I tried to again.
215 · Aug 2019
Freedom Pizza
Valerie Aug 2019
It’s difficult to bite your tongue
When the truth deserves to escape
The lies flowing forth so freely
Leave me shocked, mouth agape

I know it shouldn’t matter, now
It’s not my problem anymore
He’ll tell his story how he sees fit
Just as he’s always done before

He’s the victim, I’m the cause
If not for me, he’d be doing just fine
I’m a horrible, wretch of a woman
And he’s a ray of ******* sunshine

So I’ll keep my lips closed as I listen
And I’ll fight back the tears as I read
My soul demands vindication
But instead, I will calmly concede

He knows the truth, just like I do
And his stories are his alone to tell
He’ll play the role of the victim
And with pity, I’ll wish him well
my ex started a blog...
197 · Jul 2019
Rain, Rain
Valerie Jul 2019
Rain rain, come again,
Bathe me in your dew
Fill my ears with echoes
Cover me in blues

Drip your rainy drops
On my hot, defeated skin
Cool all my frustrations
Bursting from within

Light the world around me
I need to feel your roar
Give me all you’ve got
And leave me wanting more

Sing my tired soul to sleep
But please leave in the night
So I can wake up in the morning
And pretend that I’m alright
183 · Jul 2019
So Cold
Valerie Jul 2019
My heart is dead… or at least the part that once loved you
You sit there, crying, begging, hoping, pleading, praying
And I laugh, as I remember a song lyric, and it sings itself through my memory
                  "I'm so cold, I'm so cold, I'm so cold, I'm so cold…"

And you watch me, as I giggle, and sing the song aloud
What happened to the girl that once was
Innocent, open-hearted, ever-trusting.
She's gone now… maybe for ever
It seems like an eternity already.
                "I've got an icebox where my heart used to be…."

This woman sitting here now, head back, staring at the ceiling
Waiting for you to wipe the snot from your mustache
She is bitter, and stronger, and wiser, and harder
Just remember who put the fire out.
Who froze my soul
So cold
So cold
So god ****** cold
Can someone please get me a ******* jacket........
183 · Jul 2019
Stop
Valerie Jul 2019
Breath, blink, bite, swallow.
No one wants to see you wallow.

Head back, eyes wide.
No one cares to see you cry

A single drop runs down your cheek
Stop it now. You’re not unique.

It doesn’t matter why you’re here
Or if you want to disappear

Stupid girl, just wipe your face
**** it up. Disgrace.
183 · Jul 2019
Tall
Valerie Jul 2019
i was thinking…

that it'd be really nice to stand

next to someone really tall..

who, if i leaned against them

i wouldn't make them fall

down...

at all
170 · Dec 2019
On My Own?
Valerie Dec 2019
Yes, I can do this all on my own
But really, why would I want to?
Being capable of independence
Doesn’t mean that I don’t need you, too.

Yes, I can navigate life’s intricacies
Schedules are kind of my jam
But I’d be happy to share my calendar
So we can work on a master plan

Yes, I’m a kick *** mama
No matter the problem, I find a way
But it’d be nice if I knew you’d be there
At the end of those really tough days

Yes, I’m mastering my confidence
And as much as I’d like to say
That I don’t need your validation
It’d still be nice to hear anyway.

Yes, I can handle the hard times
I always somehow pull through
But it sure would seem less scary
If I were facing my hurdles with you
to stay, or not to stay.... that is the question.
169 · Jul 2019
Please Don't
Valerie Jul 2019
Please don’t ask me how I feel
Don’t ask if I’m okay
I’ll only tell you what you want
And need for me to say

Don’t ask me for a smile
When I can only frown
Don’t offer me well wishes
When all I feel is down

Don’t tell me funny jokes
Off color punch lines looming
I’m too far gone for laughing
My sadness all consuming

I’ll give you what you want
Fake happiness for now
And pretend that I’m okay
Believe me, I know how

But for each false smile I give
Each time I say I’m fine
My soul cracks just a little
My heart breaks one more time
162 · Jul 2019
No Matter
Valerie Jul 2019
You said I’d be around for a while
So what if they didn’t like it.
So what if they didn’t like me.
You said you admired my strength.

You loved how I tried so hard.
You loved my tattoos and my style.
You told me I was a good mom.
You didn’t care about my history.

You didn’t want a nice Jewish girl.
You wanted someone fun.
Someone adventurous.
Someone care-free and open.

You looked at me differently.
Made me believe that you saw me.
And wanted to take care of me.
You said you saw past my past.

You said you’d keep me safe
And appreciate me for who I am.
But that was all *******, right?
You were just keeping me around.

Long enough to give you a baby.
And support your career.
And introduce you to real life.
And real experiences.

You kept me around, all right.
Long enough to ruin my credit.
And demolish my self worth
And wrap me in your sticky web.

So tangled that I couldn’t escape.
Trapped, until you were ready.
And then you cut the silky string.
And watched me tumble to the ground.

Fighting, the whole way down.
And you kicked me a little.
And laughed as I struggled.
And called me a ***** and a liar.

And you said I'm a bad mother.
Just like they wanted all along.
Once a mama’s boy, always one.
I'm sure she's so very proud of you.

I wonder if you feel better than me now.
Me with my tattoos and my stories.
You, ******* on your mommy’s ***.
Jerking off in your childhood bedroom.

Me, a single parent once again
Now with two failed marriages.
Comforting a teenager who hates you
And a two year old who shares your blood.

You, a thirty nine year old man
With nothing better to do
Than to try to make me miserable.
Little did you know, you were my misery.

Thank you for setting me free.
I wrote this after my husband and I split.  It's a bit harsh, but divorce will do that to ya.
162 · Jul 2019
Change
Valerie Jul 2019
Living in a cardboard jungle
Holding out hope for better days
Paper plates and greasy food
First grade drama club plays

Watching the pounds pack back on
As I sit on the couch in a haze
Wondering if this is going to change us
Wandering through my cardboard maze

Boxes on top of boxes
Everything ready to move
Silence then yelling then nothing
There’s nothing for me to prove

As he cries for the things he’s losing
I hold my first born, rocking him tight
Holding back tears of my own
Telling myself that I did what’s right

Squeezing through recycled tunnels
Doing what needs to be done
Living with the bare necessities
Until we finally get to move on

Here’s to a better life for us all
No drafty windows and no creaky floors
No secrets or worries or frustration
Just communication and open doors

A new school and new friends for my baby
A new home for our new family
A new start, and a new way of living
And hopefully, a brand new me.
161 · Jul 2019
Hostel
Valerie Jul 2019
Wandering through this hostel, it was never quite my home
Different rooms, different people, different stories
How is it that their circumstances became my life…
Is it worth my time, my effort, my happiness… my sanity

Walking through the faux wood doorway, photos on the walls
Distant memories of what it was to laugh… and to love
Broken glass on the floor, the frames long ago shattered…
Much like our dreams of happily ever after.

My beautiful crimson sofa, turned into a bed.
The bed of a 60 year old alcoholic who I call dad
Tables converted to dressers, pill bottles litter the rug…
No longer a place to live, but a place to slowly die

An empty sink, an empty wine bottle, an empty fridge
What does it matter to cook a meal that won’t be eaten
Fast food wrappers fill the trash, among the cheap beer cans
Much like the stench of burnt coffee fills my nose

A ***** bathroom, for ***** boys, with whom I share this space
Toilet seat always raised, **** stains lining the bowl
Beard hair, toothpaste, razors… that dingy ring around the tub
A garbage full of used tissues, the floor littered with clothes

A closed door that leads to a black room, with black walls
Black metal, gory video clips from youtube, hateful faces flashing
Food wrappers litter the floor, along with knives and guns
Hatred and pain seep from the keyhole as I avert my eyes

To the trains and plains comforter, a dreamcatcher hangs nearby
Action heros, matchbox cars, an unmade bed, overtaken by imagination
The 13 inch t.v. switching between Disney and an old Gamecube
The smell of a sweaty mohawk, and a feeling of unabashed loved

Until finally I can retreat into hiding, to a bed with a story or two
Clothes to be folded, empty wine glasses, ******* on the bedside table.
I shy from the mirror that hangs on the wall, and drift off slowly to sleep
Drowning myself in forgetfulness, wishing it were that easy… to forget
149 · Jul 2019
A Chance
Valerie Jul 2019
Tell me how you feel
About your life
About me
Reassure me
Remind me
Just tell me how you feel

Hold me close to your heart
When you need it
And when I do
Squeeze me
Comfort me
Just hold me close to your heart

Give this thing a chance
You’re broken
I’m guarded
It’s too soon
And so perfect
Just give this thing a chance
148 · Jul 2019
I Wish
Valerie Jul 2019
I wish I was someone else
Less damaged, more composed
I wish I was all consuming
Head turning, inspiring prose

I know what I really am
Walls up, too hard to climb
I know what I have to offer
Probably not worth your time

I put on the face of indifference
Less chance to be hurt that way
I put on a smile to hide the pain
The truth will just scare you away

I hate what I see in the mirror
And I can’t seem to let that go
I hate what I feel when I’m lonely
Though I try to put on the show

I wish I had what the others have
Maybe things wouldn’t be so hard
I wish I had made different choices
So my soul didn’t bear these scars

I will never be the girl of your dreams
I’m made up of nightmares and fear
I will never be all that you wanted
Please don’t bother,
                     just move on my dear.
140 · Jul 2019
Funny
Valerie Jul 2019
Funny how everyone has advice
Unsolicited
Suggestions on how to live my life
Laden with judgment

Walk for just one day in my shoes
And then maybe I’d listen
…But probably not
Because one day couldn’t begin to depict

To show you the turmoil I’ve endured
The physical and emotional hardship
The obstacles I’ve overcome
…And the ones I haven’t

You’ll never know how I think
Or why I make the choices I do
You can’t comprehend my reasoning
….Or my intent

And as you look down at me
With your sideways glances and stares
And I look up at you
Not giving a ****

Just remember that you don’t live my life
You don’t walk the path I do
And unless you’re looking to bear my burden
Step off

Because I don’t have time
For your suggestions
Masked as pity and good intention
Delivered with “love”

Your feigned love is *******
With its exceptions
Love me for who I am
Or leave me the **** alone
139 · Jul 2019
Untitled
Valerie Jul 2019
My house is clean
My bed is made
My dishes are done
My bills are paid

My babies are happy
As I sing them a song
And give them the love
They deserved all along

My soul is at peace
My mind doesn’t wonder
My spirits are lifted
From the weight I was under

My story’s ongoing
My heart on the mend
Let’s start this adventure
Not even close to the end
85 · Jan 2020
Tell Me
Valerie Jan 2020
Tell me that I’m beautiful, even when I don’t agree
My ugliness far deeper than what others see in me

Tell me that I’m worthy, that I’m just enough for you
Even when my heart is heavy and my mood is only blue

Show me that you’re here to stay, not going anywhere
Even when my burdens seem too difficult to share

Shower me with kindness, bathe me in your light
My flowers have all withered in the darkness of the night

Remind me that I’m strong, and that I’ll be okay
Be the one who tells me all the things I cannot say

— The End —