Some days the wind blows
and bends yonder willow
  Its roots hold sway
  perched high upon
  steep sea cliff walls
No gale could affix
a bow to such a limber
heartwood backbone
  Wind arched echoes
  undulate to and fro
  alike a gentle restoration;
  a resilience unrenowned

It looks as if it takes
the skies weight so lightly,
while the rising waves
gather an unhallowed chill
fomenting untamed
at the heart of the prevailing
       westerly swell

A human tends to lean rigidity
right up to the yonder most edge,
a thin line threshold
        a step away  ―
pushed by a moment's gravity;
a blind jump over a cliff
into an unfathomable deep ocean
       far beyond
       a forgiving
       willow's bend


Jesse Stillwater ... 09  May  2018

From the cracks in the sidewalks
of old weather beaten tracks
With gravel roads full of grime and dust
Near dilapidated walls
Where days old refuse has accumulated
And the air lacks it's unique fresh scent
You find a way to thrive and shine
And your smile grows wide
As the sun sails by
Even though you won't be able to change your spot
This forgotten decrepit place
Will be your home throughout your life
Yet you don't seem to mind at all
For you've carved your happiness here
A happiness that seems to last
Even when you're surrounded by grey crumbling life
Day in and day out
You've found a reason to breathe and boom
you're unperturbed by what's around
And that's the reason your beauty sparkles
Way more than those who grow in perfectly manicured lawns

the sound of
    scritching and
                 scratching
  creaking and cracking
                          hounds me
                   even if it is merely
                          echoes of thought
                      in the examination hall
where you promised that I would not
                                                                ­ fal
                                                             ­       ter

the sound of
  squeaking and
               scratching
  clicking and clacking
                    surrounds me
                   even if it is surely
                     bellows of ambition
                    between the office walls
where you promised that I would not
                                                                ­fal
                                                             ­      ter


                                                           ­        as I
                                                               stand
                                                      at the edge
             where the whistling wind beckons
                   me to the chattering city below
                        I promise you that I will not

                                                            ­               fall

Some things in life
You just have to
Fight alone.
I need help to
Get away from
These dry bones.

It's not help
That I want
All I want is for
Someone to listen
Someone to be there.

Don't you see?
My vanity is
Driving me to insanity.
My peace is
Being shattered into pieces.

I'm broken and bound
Chained down
Silent, no sound.
Held back
Mind tight
Body torn
No slack.

Piles of stress
Negative overflow
Strength relying
More or less
Clutch or kick
You're an amateur
You ain't a pro.

Angels and demons
All around me.
Darkness surrounds me.
Happiness astounds me.
My life's killing me.

I saw all hours
Day and night.
You kept me up,
Brought me up to fight.

Worked me and worked me
'Till I fell
Then dragged me up
And gave me hell.

From a child
You dragged me down.
Told me to fight back -
To win the crown.

Made me build my walls
Like you, impregnable.
You took me to town
And showed me around
And said
GO CONQUER IT ALL!

You told me to ignore
The tears on my face.
Get up and fight on;
Spit the blood you taste.

Broken bones are trophies,
Bruises are victory.
Wear them proud
Among the crowd
LOOK HOW STRONG YOU WILL BE.

I cant be broken apart anymore
I am indestructible

You broke me to make me
You shook me to shape me
And it paid off
I'm indestructible.

I'M INDESTRUCTIBLE.

The world is full of
           Inequality

No matter where you look
No matter what they say
The world is full of
           Inequality

It’s said that fire can destroy anything
           if it burns hot enough
           if it burns long enough
even if that anything is as tenacious as steel
because steel melts
and it can be bent to my will

I am fire
I will burn
I can bend the world to my will

The world that’s full of Inequality

Because I am a woman
Because I am resilient
And no one will tell me otherwise.

My heart cries out in silent echoes to you
An oscillation through the sea of longing I am drowning in.
I look up at the bright sunlight peering through the indigo water
A siren of hope from the grounded woman that I am
I sink deeper and deeper
My lungs running out of air
Suffocating in regrets of missing you
I weep,
My salty tears getting lost in salty waters
Migrating with the currents ahead.

I saw a sliver of you earlier,
Swimming by the shore
It glistened with hues of sapphire and emerald.
Mesmerized by a radiant memory,
I dove into nostalgia,
Letting the refreshing water
Wash away my hostility for a moment.
The sun kissed me deeply,
The water’s fingers running through my hair,
And with this, I got carried away
Swimming further and further in;

Now, stuck in a whirlpool of disappointment
I look at my bleak surroundings
I look at where I could be if I let myself drown in my own sorrows
And so I cling to the rope of a nearby anchor
A mirage of my dreams and goals ashore.
I emerge to the surface
Breathing again
Reality caresses my face
Filling my lungs more wisely
Than the breath his memory yielded in a kiss