Spring is here? It’s hard to tell
No changing seasons where I live
Just hot and humid, a living hell
Spring is here? It’s hard to tell
Endless summer leaves my joy felled
Drowning my sorrows with Zinfandel
(lamenting)
Spring is here? It’s hard to tell
No changing seasons where I live*

Kelly Rose
© March 23, 2017

Words have power
They can reveal
our desires
They can be weapons
that tear another down
They can bring joy
and lift another's spirit
They can be used
to form laws
and bring justice
They can spread love
build empires
bring forth destruction
So choose your words wisely
Words have power

Why is it so easy
to hate myself
then love myself?

Lessons in self love
were lacking
whereas lessons
in hurting myself
were bountiful

Better to hurt yourself
than others,
Yes, that was the motto
I grew up with

A lesson well learned
I have become an Artiste
in the lesson of self hatred

One lesson I pray to unlearn
but fear it is too ingrained

Alone at midnight
Beneath the cold stars
The warmth of the sun
Seems so far away
Suffocating deep within
Unheard screams echo
Trying to break those cold chains
That bind my heart
Not knowing how to unravel
Its stifling pattern
Frozen
Living on the precipice
Fearful of the fall
Hopeful to take flight

Kelly Rose
November 16, 2015

The poem on the Statute of Liberty

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Emma Lazarus (November 2, 1883)

Cento of the Poetry of Gutter Punk

Could you…take me as I am?

Feel the tremble of the parchment
I close my eyes
In the shadows of the Spruce
They weep like the willows
Walk on by as you’ve done before
Into the darkness
As my madness wept in black tears
A bleeding soul, fractured light
I slice the silver from my blade
****, ****, ****, life
And this ******* masquerade
Could you…take me as I am?
Eyes closed wide to the focus
On the sight
In the witching of night
‘Neath the misted sky
Walk with me through the dancing shadows
Could you…take me as I am?
The woe was seeded deep,
Deep in poetry
I tasted your tears
As they dripped and mixed with mine
Could you…take me as I am?
Silent steps through forlorn sands
That even in darkness we can love again
Could you…take me as I am?
Shadows don’t leave, they stay
Never, can you touch what I have
See what I have seen
Could you…take me as I am?

Kelly Rose
© April 12, 2017

This is a collage of brilliant lines from poems of Gutter Punk, whose poetry always touches something deep within me.

Funny, how like
A freak she felt
Not knowing if she knew
How to love
How to give
From outside appearances
She was seen as
Quite nice –
How often deceiving
One’s appearances can be
As she lost herself
Behind a façade
Only ever seeing the
Ugliness
She hears the
Endless scream
Of her soul
No longer can she
Feel that pain
Lost, she no longer
Knows herself
She only sees
The façade
Though, deep down
She knows there must be more
She does not know how
To strip herself
Of her mask
And sorrow infuses
Her body and soul
As she seeks
A way out of the
Chains of her
Self deceit

Kelly Rose
December 27, 2015

Rarely do I see myself...
As only the broken, damaged
     pieces seem to draw my attention

Is it any wonder that you
     take my breath away
You accept my
     broken, damaged pieces
And that is a wonder

But the greatest gift
     the greatest wonder
You have ever given me
     is looking at me in such a way
That now I too can see the
     pieces of me that are whole

Now I too know that
     I am more than the sum
     of those poor broken, damaged pieces

My only hope
     is that I return the gift

She thought she found love
Joy filled her heart and soul
Her heart once held beauty
But now it has withered and died
Betrayal left its rancid seed
She loved a god, who took her as his bride
They sanctified their love in
A temple of the goddess Athena
Furious, Athena’s wrath fell upon her
She sought help from her beloved Poseidon
He smiled and walked away
Her heart slowly turned to stone
Where once glamorous tresses hung
Now poisonous vipers gleamed
So filled with bitter rage
Just one look from her transforms
One to stone
A love betrayed
Her heart now unfeeling stone
It is a monster that she has become
As betrayal’s rancid seed grows
Her soul silently weeps
As she seeks those who betray love
And turns them to stone
With one glance
Her tale has become myth
But still she exists
Even if only to be found
Within the hearts of those
Whose love has been betrayed

Medusa’s Legacy

Kelly Rose
December 8, 2015

Someone You May Know

I know what’s going on, don’t play the fool
Hiding behind your oh so charming smile
You may deceive others with your smooth guile
But I know you are rotten and so cruel
Conning your way through life, you’re such a tool
When you are found out, all will agree you are vile
I know what’s going on, don’t play the fool
Hiding behind your oh so charming smile
A stranger you are to just laws and rules
Instead, your lifestyle leaves me most hostile
What a wretch, a fiend; you are such a ghoul
I know what’s going on, don’t play the fool
Hiding behind your oh so charming smile

Kelly Rose
© January 13, 2017

Laid Bare – Winning battles or losing wars?

The internal struggle
Between –
I am worth while
And utter despair

Wondering what is the point of …
Well, of me
Feeling life’s passion one day
Death’s embrace the next
Feeling the tether between
The two stretched
To the point of no return
Wondering where I’ll be when it snaps
In passion’s bed
Or death’s pit

Today, a gentle breeze
Caresses me
And life’s light shimmers before me

If only…
If only this inner struggle would end

Kelly Rose
© March 7, 2018

From the madness of my soul

For years they shared similar
Goals and dreams
Then a crossroads
Upon the horizon
Brought them to a halt
Choices were made
And paths diverged
Once united, now divided
Though moments
Shine with laughter and joy
Swiftly, storm clouds
Of disdain and contempt
Can color the air
As choices made are ridiculed
A delicate balance exists
That teeters rhythmically
One minute, camaraderie prevails
Stirring feelings of love
The next moment, despair rules
Planting seeds of rage
How I miss the one,
But hate the other…

Kelly Rose
© December 29, 2016

Making me believe I was unworthy
This was the most unkindest cut of all
Wanting to please, I gladly take the fall
Shamed to the core, I feel deeply *****
Seeking self-acceptance, I take love’s journey
I cling to the shadows, feeling most appalled
Making me believe I was unworthy
This was the most unkindest cut of all
Can I forgive and show myself mercy?
And not hit my head against the hard wall?
I long for the light, still I feel *****
Making me believe I was unworthy
This was the most unkindest cut of all

Kelly Rose
© March 1, 2018

Not good enough
How often did she feel
Not good enough?
Always trying to fit in
Be normal
But what is normal?
Stifled by her fears
She could not change
Now, she's done with that
She’s not normal
Never will be
It’s too late for that
No, it’s time to
Face her fear
And just be

Kelly Rose
January 18, 2018

Your belief in me
Gave me the courage to
Believe in myself
You always give me the
Priceless gift of acceptance
I have no words
For the love and gratefulness
That I feel for having you in my life
Except…
I love you and thank you.

Kelly Rose
© June 29, 2017

Shrouded in shadows
Comfortable in the misty fog
Her soul quivers
Yearning for light
To bless its grace upon her form
Fear of pain boldly strikes
Her soul slips easily back
Within its comfortable mist
Hiding on the fringe
Secretly hoping to
Feel the caress of light’s grace

Kelly Rose
© January 12, 2017

Loneliness
My odd companion
Is a hard habit to break

Kelly Rose
December 31, 2015

Parents, be kind to your kids, I beg you
Harsh words spoken only scars the heart deep
Finding fault daily twists and taints one’s view
Lacking self-esteem, in silence they weep
Echoes rage within, words are useless now
Poison slowly spreads, seeping dark and deep
A tattoo beats out – you’re worthless, a vow
What the parent sows, the child now reaps
A lifelong struggle for self-love ensues
Medicine to cope with depression’s call
Sanity slips, leaving only the blues
She yearns for self-love, but ends up short; falls
Parents, be kind to your kids, I beg you
So life is light and hope is always renewed.

Kelly Rose
© August 12, 2017

In the blush of youth
It is easy to believe
In fairy tales
That a knight in
Shining armor
Will rescue one
From all their sorrows

In the Autumn of life
One finds that love
Is not always about
Happy endings
Love must come from within
Not from without

Self-love if often
Difficult…
I miss the love that
Is right in front of me
If I do not love myself
I end up rejecting the
Gift of love

Love tries to welcome me
And sometimes…
Sometimes
Love seeps in
Coloring my world in
Many beautiful hues
And I find acceptance

A beautiful gift is before me
For the taking
If only…
If only I would embrace
This precious gift everyday

Kelly Rose
© December 22, 2016

Music, he sweetly plays
Enticing
Seducing
Young love
Accepting tribute
As Eros’ notes
Float
Inciting all
To revel in
Such sweet emotion

Kelly Rose
© April 1, 2017

Song in my heart
Has been lost
Now I live in
Joyless angst
Silence can be a weapon
Leaking toxicity
Flavoring my life
In violent hues
Of anger and resentment
A tear moistens my cheek

Kelly Rose
© May 23, 2017

With the cooling
of Summer days
I reflect upon
a mother's pain
at having to say
goodbye.

Loosing her daughter
to the deep dark depths
of the underworld
Demeter's tears and
sorrow forever changed
the weather into four differing seasons

Though I feel a mother's loss
I am so thankful
for Hades' Love
So Blinded was he
to True Love's call
He stole Persephone
for his own

Lost in despair
at the loss of her daughter
Winter ruled the realm
Feeling the bitterness
of Demeter's pain
the gods did come together
and a bargain was made

Three months of the year
would Persephone live with
her love, beneath the world
The other nine months
returned she will be
to her Mother's love

All four seasons
do I cherish
and isn't it strange
that without Hades
having fallen in Love
we might only know
unrelenting sameness
One season of never change....

Lost in contemplation
on this most
beautiful Autumn day
I marvel at how Love
gave us this wondrous gift
of beauty and
four seasons always changing

Betrayal’s scars leech life’s colors
Tears sting the eye, but nary a
Drop will fall
Forgiveness paints with hope’s brush
Torn between tears and hope
Longing for an explosion of color
A battle reigns deep within
Yearning for the road less traveled
A road of dreams fulfilled
But the lure of the dark road overwhelms
Still, I fight to take that road less traveled
Yearning for the unknown
I battle the bleak comfort of the known

Kelly Rose
© December 29, 2017

Another sleepless night
I wander about trying
To “find myself”
Slowly the sun rises
Revealing the mists of time
And for a moment
Clarity strikes
And I know

Kelly Rose
© February 8, 2018

I yearn to travel that
Road less travelled
To March to the beat
Of my own drum
Instead,
I walk the lonely path
Letting self-sorrow
Drown me in a sea of darkness
Closing my eyes to life
Living in a numbed limbo
Without hope, without joy
Gasping to feel the light
I pray for, I beg for
The courage to live my life

Kelly Rose
© May 23, 2017

Words
     Rendered
           meaningless
Spoken softly
Or harshly
No longer do they
       M
       a k
       e
         se..nse
What infuses meaning?
Fact?
Emotion?
Words
        Fall
             O
           f
              f
Leaving the sentence bare
No longer understood
In this mad crazy world

Words
       Rendered
             Meaningless

Kelly Rose
© January 26, 2017

Stagnant waters trapped
Her with its stillness
Its toxic fumes
Colored her thoughts and deeds
Caught and imprisoned
Within the odious waters
She waged a battle
To fight her way out
So tired, was she, of the
Poisonous waters
Now, she seeks still waters
That run deep
Protecting her passions
Feeding her heart and soul
Through its ripples
And fragrant light

Kelly Rose
© June 29, 2017

If I had a grain of sand
for every tear drop
you made me shed
for every time you
yelled because of your unhappiness
I would have enough grains of sand
to fill an entire beach
no wonder I hate sand

"I am not going to be the person
I am expected to be anymore"

I heard this thought and was
kind of blown away
Making me question
all sorts of things
like....

Who do I expect me to be?
Who do others expect me to be?
Am I
   daughter
      wife
         lover
Do I even care?
What do these labels even mean?
Why can I not label me Friend?
Is there anything expected of
    an acquaintance?
I am trying on new labels
    Poet
       Writer
Whatever the label
   poet, daughter, wife; maybe even friend
These masks sit uncomfortably upon me
And
What of the unspoken and often unseen labels
     Broken
          Weird
              Crazy
Do these fit me any better? --
I don't think I have ever been
The person others expected,
Certainly not myself

How extraordinary!
"I am not going to be the person
I am expected to be anymore"

The future lies before me unwritten
Blank pages begging to be stained with ink
Ink only spills through action, not thinking
The future is unknown, fear springs unbidden
Words choke, action stalls, I’m unforgiven
Dreams plague me then vanish in a blink
The future lies before me unwritten
Blank pages begging to be stained with ink
Daring to take risks, words flow, now written
My tale stains the pages in vivid ink
Life thrives, dreams come true and now I’m smitten
The future lies before me unwritten
Blank pages begging to be stained with ink

Kelly Rose
© December 28, 2017

Dark Moments...
Sometimes I desire
the pain that
hurts sooo good
Illicit pleasure
runs through me
Intoxicated from it's
forbidden taste
I fear...
I'm too easily seduced