The day is long in its nothing
I sit with a head wide open

The ants torment
the remains of
a little girl in the kitchen

The feathers fall along the trail

The pit is deep and so is the
longing

can't fight the moonlight
can't fight this feeling
tell me i'm all right
show me the meaning

can't find my feet
push comes a-shoving
routine deceit
they stand for nothing

can't buy my love
get me a beer
hearts split in half
so loud and clear

you want me back
i want you forward
i'm worth a pack
when i get cornered

you toe the line
i flout conventions
you live a lie
i'm fifth dimension

i light it up
you put it out
i shan't give up
you always doubt

when i is you
and you is me
we realise
what we can be

go tell the bees
that i am gone
not on my knees
but proud and strong

from sea i shine
from hills i ring
the world is mine
of love i sing

can't fight the moonlight
can't fight this feeling
can't hold me back
coz i'm a-healing

Your words are flung against
my heart.  In what little esteem
you hold me.  Wraith of
my poetry you know not the
soul invested in the words.

All critics are not so smart.
Your God driven determination
to divest from what I write
the soul behind the
runes, that lives.  

Back, my literary whip
snaps and I drive you
into the intellectual corner
from where you write your
own expert poetry, driven
by the analytics that serve
you.

I will write my doggerel
that, to you, are the scraps
of an unaccomplished
life.

Caroline Shank
2.13.2023

My autocrat of a
cat
sat on the pedestal
and watched me type.
His eyes, slits, like
slivers of emeralds.

He took a paw,
licked it, and
washed his despot face.
He owned me.
I did whatever he
wanted.
He sauntered off,
then turned and
watched , as I
took liberty with
truth, for the
sake of
imagination and creation.

I dreamed last
night that he could
talk.
He just said two words.
"Beautiful lies."

Fasten seat belt while seated.
Life vest under your seat
Put your mask properly fitted
Take off only when you drink or eat

Oxygen masks drop
In case of emergency
Put your vest on
But inflation-free.

Be mindful of the exits
Which could be behind you.
Enjoy the flight.
Just safety reminders for you.

But,
For those of you
who has no clue
Love is not found on February 14
Love is found in John 3:16.
It’s in every single breath
you’ve taken.
You should be grateful that
It is free!