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When I asked him why he said such cruel words,
He told me he did it out of love.

When I asked him why he threw things,
He told me he did it out of love.

When I asked why he threw a bottle at me,
He told me he did it out of love.

When I asked him why he hit me,
He told me he did it for my own good.

When I asked him why he forced me,
He told me to get out of his sight.

When I asked him why he choked me,
He told me to die.

I guess the answer isn't always
*because I love you.
Did you think this was going to be a romantic poem? Looks can deceive.
 Dec 2014 Kailey Brown
silas
what would it be like
to feel the very flesh of another
against your own
their lips warm and pressing
eyes closed, hearts as one?
those who feel deaf, perpetual loneliness
can never know, will never.
seeming like you've received everything
you've ever wanted,
only having the opportunity
to share that sentiment
with another

s.b.//
publishing a lot of works this week
he told me
he wanted to be
the one I wrote
my poems about.

*i told him to
keep breaking me
and he is all i would ever
write about.
I'm sorry
That you're sorry
You're just so unapologetic,
Why can't you see that I'm being romantic.
Now
Stop.
Listen,
I'm full of insecurities
But nothing you can do will cure me of this disease.
And I'm sorry
That you're sorry
I bring this on myself,
Leave me alone, like a book on a shelf.
I'll,
Collect some dust,
and watch you from afar
Maybe one day
Someone will see me for more than they are.
Cold mornings like this I wish I  could roll over your head on my shoulder
I wish I was warm again
feeling these sheets and your skin
and I wish you were the coffee that burned my lips because
I'm cold again
The branches are empty
and so are my hands
 Dec 2014 Kailey Brown
Sammie
ten months
ten months wasted on a soul who
couldn’t care less if my last breath was drained
praying for forgiveness or speaking their name
ten months spent with a being who
would rather be the cause of tears streaming down my face
than shed one themselves


from the beginning i was warned.
but the caution signs and police tape that wrapped around your chest wasn’t enough to keep me out,
i had to see for myself.
it was only then that i knew, first hand, what it meant to be held captive.
i walked through fields of glass, tiptoed through bushels of thorns
and swam through eel infested canals
to keep your anger at bay,
but one misstep, one slip, or a breath taken too late
and i’d awaken the beast that lurked inside.


forty years ago a robbery took place in stockholm, sweden
and for six days four people were held hostage in a bank vault,
later rescued with no hatred held.
through threats they grew compassion,
through desperation they found trust,
and ultimately the kidnapped formed a bond with their captors.
there were no physical cuffs that tied me to you,
but the emotional torment you put me through
somehow didn’t compare to the drunken night
i stumbled through your doorway
only to find myself face-first on the ground, choking on my own vile.
apologies bound by spit were silenced by the washcloth you
ran down my spine, your eyes radiated nothing but love.
you haven’t looked at me the same ever since.

but for a while i didn’t care
because i could forget the bad to only see the good
and i could deal with falling asleep to the howls of my own sorrow,
strung along by the hope that tomorrow you would douse the burning bridges,
but the flames grew too high for me to handle,
and i decided it was time i run through the ring of fire to safety
because i’d rather suffer a small burn than be engulfed in your blaze.


take this how you will but just know
this is not an ode to my sadness,
to the heartbreak you put me through.
this is my way of saying that after i scoured through the barren lands known as your heart, i’ve finally made my way out.
this is my way of saying that after ten forsaken months,
i am free.
written by me from the perspective of a dear friend who just got out of an emotionally abusive relationship. we spent today writing songs about her ex-lover and i decided to write this spoken word piece.
I can't begin to describe the feeling I get
when you trace your name on my skin.
She paused from our kiss
Took a breath.
And I opened my eyes.
I saw her,
Taking it all in as she held my face
She quivered.
I smiled,
That's when I knew
She was enough.
The dimly lit doorway

into a place where you only

spend five minutes and five bucks

the place between lost

and I’m willing to lose it all

the highway, a tongue

and this, just a taste bud

the simple reward of sweet

combined with the punishing truth

that this is the last stop before the end

this is where I find

what I’m looking for
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