Timidly, I let my feet touch the ground
With hesitation, I embrace the day

Your words are like acid in my open wounds
Don’t you see them?
lines of shame
veins to drain the evil within
mirrors of toughened tissue
that had no other choice
jagged attempts

you pour into me
sugar sweet, now bitter
it stings
stop hurting me
my heart
aches
i hate you

don't leave me

some moments can only be described as
"aha" paired with a deep sigh of relief
or
"hmph" followed by a whimper of distress

precious memories of time that
can only seem to be reciprocated
with a guttural noise

"mmmmm" as she falls into
the arms of another who loves her

"aaeehhhhh" as ice water
satisfies thirst by the noon July sun

moans in childbirth,
yelps of fear,
grunts of rage,
whines between tears

swoosh as the end draws near

words run
they leave
just like everyone else
and yet,
I ponder
with words:
wordless beauty

incessant confusion
left wondering
waiting for love
looking, lacking
physically present,
emotionally absent
arithmetic prison
reputation upheld
in front of
jealous outsiders
searching for substitutes
held in the arms of another
irreparable only if unwilling

even so,
we dance

sensitive extreme
third degree feeling
raw; infantile;
pathetic;
it hurts to breathe
it hurts to be

life burns
like the noon sun on my white skin
like barefoot patters on the rooftop

but you,

your contact is a cool sizzle
your touch is a drop of water on the hot stove
your hand on my back
soothes the swirling, spinning
chaotic tangles of thoughts

I'm a puzzle
& you're the missing piece

Please, Mrs. front row goer,
You needn't explain yourself to me
good deeds don't replace the creed,
and excuses fall dead on my ears

mother of a mother
needed or needing to be needed?
RSV, stay away, OK, but
recognized servitude?

unempathetic to your need
for validated humility,
leaving the listener unsettled
sit and be sermonized

There's a way to be good again
Look to the rugged cross,
the empty tomb,
our Risen King

feathr'y
flowy
fluffy
flouncy
floating in her feath'ry, flowy tutu
layered pink, fluffy, flouncy; sous-sous