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179 · Apr 2018
i'm slipping...
saige Apr 2018
so bad.
too bad,
so sad.
179 · Mar 2018
underheard and overlooked
saige Mar 2018
so, with his hands tied
he raised hers
since there were alphabets of questions
in the words which she spoke
and the ones that she didn't.
saige May 2018
after a firefight
skies sprinkle shrapnel
dust kicks at rubble
(am i still alive?)
like a sunrise
the burn, the glow
of what grenades
left behind
(alive, alive!)
'tis a sunset
the orange wilting
the blood lingering
the night roars
ears ring, a victory
(a warning)
seems like everytime
i dance with dying
i am reborn
fresh and floored
and for a sip i can
swallow the world
178 · Apr 2018
you took it too far
saige Apr 2018
so i broke my key
trying to slash your tires
we love in spirals
177 · Apr 2018
past the point
saige Apr 2018
i know your history
is more
terror-ridden
than most of our
worst nightmares
but, must i understand?
to sit beside you in the red clay to
snake my arms around you to
catch your hair in the cracks of my lips
as the hurricanes
crash over all you've
been
and
seen, all those
colors within your
eyelids
it's dark back there
i'd imagine
but **** it all,
i know your future
must be brighter than
this

(and i will hold you
'til it is)
176 · Mar 2018
Teensy
saige Mar 2018
Here I am
Powerless
As my teenage dream
Comes to an end
Pulse quickens
Eyes damp
Just like waking
From a nightmare
Here in the twilight
I declare
If I must chronicle myself
In accordance to calendars
That teenage dream
Can be crossed off
For as of now
It is over
This
Is where I really start
176 · Mar 2018
sibling snippet 2
saige Mar 2018
often i long for
the years we were kids
because all folks would ask was,
"aw, are y'all twins?"
oh, we were tickled
but nope
just brother and sister

now, that we've grown up
yet haven't grown apart
everywhere we go it's,
"aw, are y'all boyfriend and girlfriend?"

oh, brother!
we must be destined to laugh
174 · Mar 2018
eyes and lava lamps
saige Mar 2018
her bangs shed like ash
vesuvius rejected
molten aqua gaze
haiku
173 · May 2018
somehow
saige May 2018
i knew
my ******-up life would
catch up
to me someday
i just hate
that you
the only good part of it
are here to witness
172 · Apr 2018
kids of cripple creek
saige Apr 2018
let's wade upstream
sure, you can follow me
i'm heading into sunset
around the dams
and up the falls, and
muddy water runs deep
in these veins, after all, and
ahoy, a nest!
amid pine needles
and gatorade bottles
sits pretty mother goose
hissing like a serpent
so, take off! for the shore!
like helpless little children
let's race downstream
171 · May 2018
equal steeple people
saige May 2018
i recall the night you
shrugged and said
(whilst drinking on the roof of a
baptist church
which was, the closest either of us
will ever get to heaven)
"we're just the crackheads of
hollywood
without the fame and
without the drugs and
we can't afford to die at
twenty-seven
so we go crazy on the dime
and that's all right
because life sure likes
to take its time
draining the stars
from our eyes..."
saige Mar 2018
right thumb up
left one tucked to flip the bird
when the wheels and the rain
just kept driving on

old parking lot
classic trucks and leather puddles
couple ramblers stretching tales
and taking shots

empty asphalt
payphone a quarter mile down
where some sucker in a stetson
was playing slots

no one watching
only god and maybe satan
and well,
they don't seem to catch much these days
(yet alone nights)

so i ran
like a manic bandit
for my ******* life
rampant imagination
169 · Apr 2018
sticks
saige Apr 2018
dance with me
don't wait for the
sun to come back
or the sleet to
cease fire
life is now
and our love
is fervent
don't you see?
hands to hips and
heads to chests and
heart to heart
and this is how
our love is
fervent
168 · May 2018
roMEo
saige May 2018
~·~
i want lingerie
i want pearls
of sweat
i want ladybug luck
i want butterflies
i want a night
in shining
amor
~·~
167 · Apr 2018
Crunch
saige Apr 2018
Gulley washers, sink holes
I believe there is a rainbow
On another shore

Dead leaves
Up to these ankles
And green ones
Over my face
I believe there is a break
On some other shore

Although
I can't see it
And I've never been so
sure
167 · Apr 2018
friend to foe
saige Apr 2018
those eyes have always been the only
map
through the minefield of your
mind
the rush, the feathered touch of
another brush with
"run for your life!"

(i shouldn't be so
surprised)
167 · Apr 2018
Clueless
saige Apr 2018
"Somebody loves you." Brutally honest and achingly heartfelt, although her words reeked with cliché.

He sighed through a smile, shrugging off any sign of pain. But because it was her he was facing, he failed.

"I doubt it."

"I don't."

Blind as he was, their eyes met anyhow so he could overlook the love, and languish, in her gaze. A hundredth time over.

"Well, see you later."

But she knew he never really would.
166 · May 2018
I can't here
saige May 2018
"On the phone
you sounded like you
really needed someone."

empty eyes, a shade we designed
puff of a chuckle, i wince, you don't
even sigh

"I've been trying
to sound like that
my whole life."
166 · May 2018
tree bark sweethearts
saige May 2018
your name, our love
etched into my brain
no
for 'twas what
chiseled me away
165 · Mar 2018
sibling snippet 4
saige Mar 2018
i shush you again
but the corners of my mouth
turn up in response to
that happy grin that's
flashing across
the roof of the car at me.
in most of the county
the sun is setting
but here on the
dusty edge of a switchback mountain road
the world is aglow
in your smile.
165 · May 2018
Stay Afloat
saige May 2018
I'm weeping on the sidewalk
Broken bottles in barefeet
Headlights zip around me
Like swarms of stinging bees
I pray you won't come searching
I am where I'm meant to dream
Whilst you ride a ferris wheel
Beside the sparkling sea
165 · Apr 2018
sibling snippet 7
saige Apr 2018
we met
tiptoeing down our hallway
the one wallpapered with photographs of
faces we never knew
but would rather not forget
i smiled at you, you nodded at me
pick guards shone through
the quiet house
i let you lead
the way out

a guitar a piece
a dozen strings between us
except, nothing was between us
not then, not when
we wailed our darkest hours
away
like alley cats at first
slinking past the back door,
how it swelled through the seasons
how you pried it with that chisel
while i kept watch
because it was late
and mama loved to
tap her foot along, but she never did
understand the needs of musicians,
how
every blue moon or so,
the starless skies called us home
to serenade them
and how homemade melodies
were maps to our
hedonisms

how we couldn't sleep until we
clung to those mahogany curves and
lullabied ourselves into dreams and beyond
and how sometimes,
playing solo in our lamplit rooms
was like scratching an inch from the itch
for, we were weaved in the same womb
raised to unravel without eachother
surely mothers understand this

so we
swung our barefeet
off the concrete stoop
as cashmere moonlight
rode on wisps of fog
spread and swept across the yard
that seemed endless barely yesterday
where the treehouse crumbled
a decade prior
where the shingles on the barn
caved in for the final time
where our beloved dog
returned to dust
where our childhoods died
the songs don't
songs played before we breathed
in the atmosphere
songs that will play once we leave it,
as well
they must

til morning,
my fingers followed yours
reverse order of our
younger days
your harmonies ellicited chills
made my voice quiver through the indigo around us
and my subconscious
time capsule of lyrics
made for no fretting, nothing but serenity

sincerity
soared beneath the pines on the
back porch
one more whispered tune
too deep for two fools like us, but
i strummed like dad, you sang like him
then, it was time to sneak in
before the dew warped
the cheap wood of our old
instruments

and,
before dawn broke
mama was awake
ear pressed against the back door
took us by surprise
those stars dripping from
her hazel eyes
that lady loved to listen
there was a particular rhythm
which blossomed all along
a trinity of heartbeats
synchronised a moment
and that, will always be my favorite
song
165 · Jan 2018
Match and Mix
saige Jan 2018
She wore her heart on her sleeve
But kept an ace underneath
Just in case

She wore out the word "always"
The "look at mes", "I'm sorrys"
And "oh somedays"

She wore countless shades of rouge
From her cheekbones to her shoes
All drying up so well,
All here yet never there

She wore in the pair of lips
That filled her face with bliss
Like a beacon through the mist
The eighth sea's pokered siren

She wore seashells in her knees
The eve she washed ashore
Crept to flag a ship
That might sink her back to more

Heart bleeding from her sleeve
Cards stacked against beneath
Scarlet nails and blistered feet
Enough to make one think she-
Closed her eyes to dress

Life wore her backwards,
Inside out and backwards
And still,
She wore it best.
163 · Mar 2018
to serve u.s. right
saige Mar 2018
bet these cowboy boots
suit you better than
the combat pair you spent
three years marching in
so don't you even
think about running
this isn't the jungle, buddy
just another tobacco field
and those aren't bombs
only fireworks
and they're up there
for you

since you shed that
olive outfit
i've spent every moment
trying to remember you
trying to relearn you
dying to relieve you from
whatever keeps you gone
and out here on the porch
crumpled between the
rusted water heater
busted rototiller
and every broken lightbulb
awaiting the dump
rocking like a lullaby
before the nightmare comes

and i know
you haven't closed those pretty eyes
in months
but buddy,
i'll be right here
when you wake up
my only sibling is considering joining the marine corps come summertime. reflecting on how fortunate my little brother is to have the choice to stay home or enlist, it was put on my heart to write a poem from the perspective of a girl who's brother was not given that choice, but was drafted into the vietnam war. the result is this scratch-on-the-surface tribute to young soliders who returned in ruins from a war they did not choose to fight in, and the pain behind their hopeful (but ultimately helpless) kin.
163 · Apr 2018
new ton
saige Apr 2018
(what goes)
she loved so freely
she loved to survive
she often held her breath
at the awe of romanticizing
suffocation
human nature choked the life
out of love
the world took her breath
(up)
and earth died to return it
both art and age attempted cpr
the scholars couldn't phase her
neither could the sages
but the scotch and the stars
opened gates that led to
emergency operations
(must come)
so her heart could swap places with
her lungs
now she breathes too freely
she forgets she's loving
and that all hearts are still beating
hers
(down)
163 · Mar 2018
Tomorrow's Salesman
saige Mar 2018
Would you like windows with your
time machine?
Do you want to watch dimensions flip
at lightspeed?
Could I interest you in glasses made from quicksand?
They're guaranteed to see everything
faster than you could forget!
162 · Mar 2018
plie releve
saige Mar 2018
i did not leave a note
the walls wore the writing
and i climbed those walls
cut the chandelier
light crashed like confetti
you looked stunning in it
i found some in my hair
a million mornings after

take my breath
hold it for ransom in
a music box
i may live again, once i give
you the last note
162 · Jan 2018
hit the ground
saige Jan 2018
Even the wind
Was dying down
And I've already said it all
Without a sound
So take my hand
Look into my eyes
Together we can blow away
The sands of time

They said be brave
You've got to fight
But I'm so tired of being scared
Out of my mind
They said be strong
It's not too late
It wasn't long ago
I believed the words they'd say

****, we climbed so high
But even the brighest stars
Fall from the sky

So we're falling now

I just hope
That I can learn to fly
Before we hit the ground
.
161 · Mar 2018
sibling snippet 1
saige Mar 2018
moths and pinecones
oil pans and barefeet
and we weren't drunk
we were only young
dancing in the driveway
in a lantern's spotlight
to heart and soul
and auld lang syne
and i'm sailing away
one of these nights
160 · Apr 2018
Giddy Little Girl
saige Apr 2018
She runs too fast
So mom doesn't like her
She jumps too much
So dad doesn't, either
Because freedom means
Muddy floors
And bath times mean
Another world war
But affection
Is really all she lives for
And dang, do I love her
Even if
Walking this dog is like
Riding a bull
(I want to hold on forever)
saige Mar 2018
fame won't follow art
they said
yet
by coloring beyond lines
he drew attention
157 · Mar 2018
eve of the score
saige Mar 2018
If we want to stay alive,
we get old.
And if we want to stay young,
we get over getting old.
156 · Mar 2018
magic carpet
saige Mar 2018
but counting footsteps
adds up to nothing
if they're not yours
still, i'd rather pace this floor
another hundred times more
than to wonder where you've
wandered
tonight
156 · May 2018
Marley Jane
saige May 2018
Yellow is my favorite color!
she exclaims
As of today? because
this is news to me
Nah, maybe last week
i mean, it's the color of sunshine!
and smiley faces
and golden retrievers and-
Bananas, i have to add
because she's peeling one
even though it's hard to tell
since it matches her tank top
so astoundingly well
Exactly! she smiles
nothing yellow there
only white, now that the braces are off
anyhow,
while she rambles on
and offers some fruit to a chipmunk
i pick a dandelion
one that hasn't wilted
into wishes yet
and she flashes that piano key grin
when i present her with the **** and
she sticks the thing behind her ear
just like a pencil
pretty little ears that haven't been
pierced
thank you! it's perfect!
and she flings her arms around my neck
just to prove it
then she parades away
straight for the sidewalk
bright flowery dot
bopping around in her curls
and as of today,
yellow will always be
my favorite shade of everything
155 · Apr 2018
lunar reflection
saige Apr 2018
dearest
pink phlox moon
glow through that
sugar maple
as say
a heart behind a
ribcage

branches
be the bones
the breeze, the blood
walloping, weltering
starry leaves
the breaks
that leak
l i g h t

into

l i f e
that make
midnight
outshine
sunday
oh moon
i'm sorry you're stuck
spinning in circles
but god are you
b e a u t i f u l
154 · Apr 2018
ragpicker's dream
saige Apr 2018
dirt roads are where i
come alive
another starless night
in a pick-up through
timbuktu

drive, drive, drive
mom's dad's truck
now it's only dad's
so if i have a kid
this ram will be his
mom's dad's truck
times two

drive, drive, drive
my bed is empty
another sleepless night
through timbertop ridge

no licence
no ****, sherlock
i'm all over the place
still, i keep her between
the ditches
dodge potholes and
blow backwood smoke
east of me, in the rear view

cassette tape, brakelights
window low and heartbreak high and
someday
a dirt roads is where i'd
like to die
just like grandpa did
154 · May 2018
veritas
saige May 2018
restrain me
i stole a key
from the night shift
poor lady quit
on the spot
i reckon it's not
everyday you watch
a kid
make a noose
from a sock
154 · Mar 2018
grandma
saige Mar 2018
she was one of those people who
rode her bike wherever she went
and wore butterflies in her hair
and ate everything with chopsticks
and laughed more than she talked
and shouted, "oh my stars!"
when heaven knows what she really meant
you know, one of them
154 · Mar 2018
if it hurts...
saige Mar 2018
chase pretty colors
make galaxies from bruises
the truth ain't worth dirt
153 · May 2018
Flower Girl
saige May 2018
you came, you saw, you cousin of mine
i welcomed you in, it'd been a long time
(and we had another good, long time)

waiting for you to quit going on about
dance recitals and tablet games and
going broke at age ten and
loving cheese but hating macaroni and
running suicides at school and
drawing mannequins and eyeballs and
playing hot cross buns on the recorder and
showing off tuxedo kitty pictures and
mickey mouse impressions and
how sugar-ridden you like your sweet tea and
how many fairy hairs you can have and
how many cookies your troop sold and
how many more selfies we can take before you have to go back home and-

what the hell is wrong with me?
next time i see you, it's unlikely i'll be
lucky enough to receive a "what's up"
because you'll probably be a teen
drooling over boys on your screen and
flat ironing your hair and
snapping photos of yourself and
dancing on broadway or
winning project runway or-

maybe i've got some growing up to do
before you beat me to it
saige Apr 2018
the woods, alone
is where she'd love to
dree
so please
don't touch her while she's
romanticizing
a death sentence
saige May 2018
did you sign it?
did they buy it
didn't drive you mad?
did you give it all you had
and will you ever
get it back?
152 · May 2018
little cousin
saige May 2018
creamy hair
peachy cheeks
you're pretty as
i used to be
149 · Apr 2018
tearstained sepia
saige Apr 2018
if only
my eyes were blue
i'd be
shining through these photographs
too

but i'm struck again
by your
bright eyes
they're the kind of sights
we can't take
lightly
*** i don't have to
look twice to
see
i'm really missing
something

oh, if only
149 · May 2018
lucky
saige May 2018
if i look at the moon
with tears in my
eyes and i
squint
the world squishes
into
kaleidoscopes
and i know
i can learn
to live
through this
148 · Jan 2018
Lost at Sea
saige Jan 2018
I was nothing if not distraught
Russet and frail, my youth streamed lies
He was anything but a loss

Brown splishing eyes and chaos caught
Tight in the tipsy bows I plied
I was nothing, if not distraught

Wrecked as we were, while I forgot
Heart in his throat, I made it mine
He was anything but a loss.

Beckon me back, claim me as frost
Slight, on the brink of stolen tides
I am nothing if not distraught.

Weak as I stood, I still cannot
Lean on the love who fleetes with prime
He was anything but a loss.

Black preened his eyes, n' I just watched
Lacking water, we sunk in pride
I was nothing if not distraught.
He was all, all I ever I lost.
148 · Mar 2018
twinkle, twinkle
saige Mar 2018
i'll belt our wedding bells
in a "head's up" to the cosmos
i love constellations
i want to be an astronaut
but i'll kick the stars to the curb
if they ever align against us
146 · May 2018
when you sculpt
saige May 2018
weeks without
winking
won't sleep til she's
perfect...
you said
and
(you're still screaming)
146 · Mar 2018
who knows why
saige Mar 2018
Life happens
fast
and it doesn't happen
fair
and most nights, it's a struggle staying happy when you're wounded by the hurt around the world
144 · Apr 2018
my blues are gold
saige Apr 2018
"the world isn't made to
understand
the way you're wired."

so i
let them wonder
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