Once upon a time
A young girl was broken
She went on with her life
The horrors left unspoken

As she grew into a woman
Something wasn't right
She lacked sweet disposition
Always ready to fight

No one knew of her sorrows
No one knew of her lies
No one made it all better
They ignored all her cries

So she was made into a monster
And she found her prey
Now she was predator
Now she dealt the pain

No heroes are fighting
For our Princess
Instead the cycle repeats
And that's how the sad story ends.

You are beautiful
Like the spring time
Your scent a floral breeze

In anger like the summer
Your hurtful words blazing
Burn the heart of me

At times you are autumn
Your eyes reflecting calmness
Full of wisdom and peace

But mostly you are winter
Quiet, cold, and distant
A frozen land, that's lost to me

A poem by my niece Layla.  She's 10 now and this was a school assignment.  Her topic was Hot air balloon.

                             Look down
                       From way up high
                 The atmosphere crumbles
              Like picnic baskets in the sky
                               Floating

I LIKE TO SAY YOUR NAME

I like to say
your name

when you're
not here

turn you
into sound

conjure you out of
thin air

so that you appear
before me

dressed in sound
only

memory sketching in
the rest of you

as if sound
was just an outline

and love
colours you in

adding the voice last
so I can hear you say.

"Hello you..!"
and there you are

as present
as present

can be.

I like to say
your name

when you're
not there.

If you close your eyes tight
The tears take longer to fall

Breathe deep
Inhale.....exhale

There....the pain was never there at all

As night fades to dawn
Day breaks and the world carries on

When the sun lays his weary head to rest
Mother moon rises, to take a breath

Even as the stars dim away
And ready the skies for another day

Through it all, this much remains true....
My love for you