Oh, Lord, Give me Strength where I have none
Help me find my inner peace among the many conflicts that may arise.
Oh, Lord, show me the way
Help me be my beloved's guiding light in the face of darkness and turmoil.
Help me heal her broken heart.
Oh, Lord, help me accept what is to be.
And, if, I can no longer be my beloved's shinning light,
Then Oh, My Lord, I pray to thee, that, I may become a beam of hope for her to see.
Please, take my hand and help me guide my love into the light, where she should be.
Have mercy on us for we are in need.
My beloved is tired.
Her bones ache.
She is in agony.
She is in pain.
She needs to rest.
She needs to sleep.
Oh, Lord, I pray to thee, to cuddle my love till eternity.
No more suffering, no more pain.
Just let her be and go to thee
I ask and pray that her spirit may rest in peace with you forever more.

By

Mayra Castillo

The light dapples in
Throwing odd shadows
On the plastic surrounding me.
Like a strange sunset put there
To taunt my eyes

Each droplet of water
Is another arrow
Shooting new spikes of pain
Through my body

Hundreds
Thousands
Millions of drops
Per second
Splash onto my skin.
1,000
2,000

I could have avoided the pain
I could have stopped this
Not going to the beach
Not going on that walk

But oh, I would not take it back.

Not one second.
Every
Happy
Minute was another
Happy
Memory

To add to my collection
And even
As I lay here
Rivulets of water
Washing down my red skin
I am making another.

You tease me
Like some cruel trickster
Happiness
Dripping down my back

Turned to cruel
Twisted
Pain
Running up my spine like a knife.

Oh, blissful pain
Would that I could feel
You to your full relevance

Instead, you trip over me
Leaving pain in your wake.

Like a torture machine.

This feels so bad
But so good.
Once the water is freed
From the contraption shooting it
Like a pistol in my heart
Onto my skin
It rebels against its maker
And trickles delightfully across me, sending delightful shivers
Into me
Only to betray me again.

Oh, sweet treasure
Would that your painful side were invisible
So
I
Could sleep
Once
Again.

Tossed into the muddy reservoir of bad choices.
You are the words coming back to haunt me.
You are those voices.
I am all the times you thought you knew better;
I am the constant reminders.
I am the torn up love-letter.

The unread magazines that hide your drawings.
The bitter, black coffee
that picks me up in the mornings.
The way the sun comes out earlier this time of year;
And how the rain comes and hides, and obscures
the tears.
The hello's and goodbye's,
forced
and insincere.
And the voice that whispers:
"It's alright,
have no fear."
And the other voice that whispers other things
I'd rather not hear.

I am all the decisions you wish you hadn't made.
You are every note,
out of tune
or misplayed.
You are the soundless symphony;
the forgotten serenade.

You are the one I haven't met yet.
The rising of the moon
and the falling of the sun set.

I am the poems never read,
and the songs never sang.
I am door never opened;
the telephone that never rang.

We were the story never told,
and the feelings never shared.
The ones that didn't live to ever grow old.
The empty box, written with the words
"Handle with care."

Swag is for boys
That's what I liked then
But, just have to say
Class is for men.

I like my men
With bits of respect
Now, I gotta say
"Swag's" a defect

When I marry
Instead of some swag
I want some class
Sewn into my man.

Who are you
To text me
Call me
Message me

Get my hopes up

Thinking it's him
Him

I fell in love with that
Calm smile
Happy
And content

I fell in love with those
Long
Smooth fingers
Intertwining with my own
And my heart

I fell in love with
Long talks over the internet
Tight hugs when I see you again

I fell in love with
His eyes
Bright
And dark
Knowing
And innocent

I fell in love with him
*And I hate myself for it.

Lord, I renew my vows
I feel you with me now
So reachy heart in me
And plunge me in the sea.