I said to him
I'm sorry
I don't know what it's like to love
And be loved
I hope you understand
He nodded
And left
And took his heart with him
And today I stand
With my heart in my hand
And I hold it out to you
*I don't know what it's like to be loved
Do you ?

It was the fierceness in the way she snatched her heart from his hands
and whispered to it, soft lullabies "never again, never again"
he looked broken and malicious in the exact way she craved and her hands got tighter and tighter until what was between them before was not so anymore
She unclenched her fists and dust slipped between those slim little piano fingers
when she looked up he was already walking away

Don't love your food less because you want him to love you more. When he holds your hipbones in his hands, he is not holding your heart.

2. Delicate flowers can't survive on water alone. Don't drop yourself into a skinny vase until you wither. You deserve so much more.

3. Don't confine yourself to the scars on your thighs; you are more than that.

4. If you feel insignificant, sketch stars on your skin. Do not count them. You have created a universe on your body. As you live, planets are born. Stars implode. You are so powerful.

5. When your eyes scan your reflection for flaws, know that you will always find them. This does not make you terrible. The stripes on your hips are there because you are alive and your universe is expanding.

6. When your best friend is admitted to hospital, reassure her. Tell her she is beautiful. When she does not believe you, hold her quietly.

7. When you are admitted to hospital, let Mom cry. When she tells you you're beautiful, try to believe her. Let her hold you quietly.

8. Do not hand onto his words. You mean so much more than "******."

9. Do not count the calories you eat. Count the smiles and the tears and every time the sun lights your face. Do not count the calories you eat.

10. By the time you write this, you will have made a decision. Reading this, I know it seems like the road to hell never ends. But when you get to write this poem, you know that it does.

Because you turn around and walk away.

tonight i will replace
draining my blood
and the sight of the dark, intriguing, red liquid,
being wrenched from my body with the familiar of wine.
I've never been one to like the taste,
so **** and untastful,
but it's as if my taste buds have changed and the recipe was switched fore I've never tasted anything sweeter.

(a.b)

Hair dark like the night
Skin as pale as the moon
Eyes deep like the ocean
Lips that make you swoon

Feet graceful like a doe
Voice soft as the breeze
She is all I'll ever know
She is all I'll never see

Stories abound
about such things,
strange sightings,
miracles &
traditional tales
tell about
the power of the lizard.

It's been noted
the earliest cave dwellers
handpainted pictures
of the creature.
But to date,
nobody has ever
lived to give
an eyewitness account,
they've all ended up dead.
Which leaves one to ask,
"Do you believe in Godzilla?"
And if they say, "No!",
you have to wonder
about their faith.

so

maybe it’s hard

once you’ve heard and seen pearls,

When the refreshing waves have

moved you far

and the sights are no longer there,

Think again

© Copyright David Bosworth March 2014