I was sitting quietly
just outside the city
beneath a starry sky,
contemplating all that is
in this strange 3d life
and enjoying a cool night.

Knowing that once
the night ate the day.
Then the sun ascended
in an orange expanding blaze,
reaching out to touch the blackness,
allowing the dark streaks
to sneak away.

I was slightly blinded;
Dry eyes sore and blurry
from the light a shining
as people hustled by.
It was a change you see
from my normal
nightly duties
of guarding empty factories.

Even so,
I still know
they are both
great places
to ponder the briefness
of our human existence.

Short dark hair under
a dogeared baseball cap
tipped my way
a perfect smile on your face
crisp  white pocketed T-shirt
dark blue Levi jeans  
worn all-weather Chippewa boots
rugged, young and handsome
holding a stop sign for children
best crossing guard ever.

Cherie Nolan  © 2016

Lips kiss carefully
leaving me craving for
the carvings dug deep
within your undeveloped brain

I found carnations
pink as your Italian cheeks
left on my dusty dashboard
in the midst of summer
when I climbed back in heels over head
after the jeep flipped over

There they lay
limp and lonely
telling me stories stuck within their thin throats
and warning with their petals pointed towards the sun

but I’m bleeding nostalgically from my nose
licking the beet red bath from my upper lip
speaking with no teeth left
salty says my tongue but
I see bubbled blotches of someone
I used to call “baby”

Maybe I taste the bittersweet bouquet of
stale rain after all,
Maybe I can hear the clouds gaining weight
when I listen close

You are a solider,
The war of my life is at a cease,
Its the stillest moment I've ever lived,
Because you are my solider,
You are a protector,
The wreck of others is trashed,
You know the right words to say,
Fixed my heart when it's mashed,
For that I adore you,
Aegis,
You absorb the bad,
Dispense the good,
You are knocked down,
You get back up and walk,
You are hurt,
You are pain,
You are love,
You are joy,
You're my Aegis,
Many try to mock,
Many try to ruin,
Many tried to fix,
Aegis
God walks in your walk,
God shines in your smile,
God moves in your spirit,
God talks through your voice,
Aegis,
If you want to see the beauty,
I'd advise you to look closer,
It's not what you think it is,
It's what I see, I'm a boaster,
I am proud,
I have pride,
I have the greatest mother Alive,
And I just want the world to know you're beautiful,
Go ahead,
Seek and you shall find,
It's not in the weight,
Or the size of your behind,
You'll find it in the bathroom,
On an item that reflects,
My Aegis look in the mirror,
And tell me what you see,
When you see yourself,
Smile and let your light gleam !

Once upon a time in the days of old
There lived a very ugly troll
But her heart was made of gold

Her body was round and lumpy
Her brow furrowed and grumpy
She always stood all slumpy

She was abandoned as soon as she was born
For her mother had looked upon her with scorn
For with beauty she was not adorned

She was wrapped in a towel and placed under a bridge
Right up there on that little ridge
She was nothing then but a little smidge

The forest creatures insteed of eating her up
Raised her as a cub
They even shared with her their grub

The wolf taught of graces
The vultures, patience
The skunk, fragrances

The mouse taught of need
The crow, greed
The fox, speed

She lived in an ugly house of mud
Just like her the outside was a dud
But wow the inside of that hut could warm your blood

Late one night came a knock on her door
It was a knight in shining armor complete with sword
Battle weary, and badly gourd

She took him in and sewed up he's wounds
He looked longingly in her eyes, she thought loved had bloomed
But in reality she unknowingly sealed her doom

For he had seen her heart of gold
Please excuse me, this is where the tale turns cold
For this knight was not so nice, he had a heart of mold

Late that same darkened night
He unsheathed his sharpest knife
And plunged in the troll's chest just right

With a wailing mournful cry
Right there in her hut she would die
In that fleeting moment that sparkle left her eye

That knight cut out that gloden heart
It was so huge he had to put it on a cart
He didn't feel bad, what an ugly troll was he's only thought

The animals came to see what was that screaming sound
The wolfs smelled around
Nose to the ground
Off to hunt that evil knight down

The vultures did what they do, and ate her remains
The crows joined in and did the same
The mice and the fox just ran around all insane

The moral to this story is an ugly body can hold a heart of gold
But this world is very, very cold
So be very careful with your heart and to who it is you show

colors bright
catch the light
metal cools
silver rules
silk square
beauty there
twirling
swirling
breezy air
without a care
singing swish
make a wish
music fun
hope we won
rhythm beat
in your feet
hear the drum
don’t be glum
hot hot sun
hair in a bun
perform to the sky
planes passing by

fall arrives
whole new lives
more people join
fees paid by coin
things begin
teach to spin
friendships new
new show too
trouble’s coming now
stop it how
drama starts
breaking hearts
for you it’s no longer fun
but you are not the only one
did I mention
much team tension
you will see
no unity
you’re too late
all this hate
he’s a snitch
she’s a *****
wanna quit
more than a bit
you survived? how?
well at least it’s over now

I let my guard down
and showed him my skin
full of freckles
I let him connect the dots
creating constellations
each with a story
that he narrated

I let my guard down
and showed him my flaws
galactic bruises
thanks to my clumsiness
and let him float in each one
marveling at the purple and blue

I let my guard down
and showed him my bashfulness
as it colored my pale cheeks red
and imprinted goosebumps
everywhere...

I let my guard down
and showed him the ways
I like to sin..
having my fuzz stand in salutation

I let my guard down
and showed him the other side of me
the one basks in the nature of things
naked, bursting with energy of the sun
emitting sultry rays that
brighten his eyes in astonishment

I let my guard down
and showed him
myself
full fledged
imperfection
put together in a beautiful way

I let my guard down
and showed him how my piercing eyes
move waves of emotions
in his gut

I let my guard down
and waited to see
how he will
enjoy such
a mystery
feeding
my kind of
curiosity

chin up, dressed up, show up
remember that single is enough
and double is somehow too much

always put my guard high;
love myself first, then give others
some of my love, just some of it

keep in mind that falling in love
only makes me weak
and weakness ruined my smile
so I have decided to fall for me

yes, people are nice but hey
it doesn't mean I have to
give them the key to my castle
cause I am mature enough
to use my brain more than
my worn out heart

and I only need myself
inside my heart