Ignorant; not a care in the world (~)

Holy socks drag on cracked sidewalks
She had a pink shirt,

Or what seemed like it was once pink
She wore a smile & talked to her friend
I never saw him, but I’m sure he’s nice
I swear, her jeans never came with holes,
She’s too young to sport that fashion
Her face was the moon, not the cheesy one,
but pale & distant
Her hair, matted and knotty like dad’s unused
twine ball sitting in his toolbox
Did she have a brother?
Where was he?
I’m sure that unclothed Barbie in her hand needed a Ken

                                                (~)

Recline­d with their hands dangling over ashtrays,
where the only entity in their mind calling for their attention
is a liver-punching depressant.
Where eyes open for another hit,
and close to the cries of their children
Tonka trucks make snow angels in ash covered carpets,
Walls inhale secondhand sadness; stained with the tears of neglect,
Unmade beds and unfolded clothes shower their unpaid apartment,
Eviction notices pinned to the fridge with
crayon drawings of “daddy”,
Her request for another beer echoes the empty room
& it crosses her mind

“where the **** is she?”

A perspective clouded
By false belief
Hope that is shrouded
By grief
A haven that is crowded
By the unfeeling
A person that is doubted
By a scar that is healing
A promise for what's ahead
By a man whose words are dead
And a child who has been hurt
But still believes

There is a thousand way
They can show their love,
Getting up before you,
And baking-
Every dish dripping
In your favorite flavor.

There is a thousand way
They will let you know
You are not alone
27 missed calls,
Breathing properly only
When they see you at the front porch

There is a thousand way
To let you know,
How you are the family
They have
And the family they want

There is a thousand way to know,
You have made a place in his heart,
A message at dawn,
Asking if you are alright,
He will go to any length
To protect you.

But you tend,
Not to see
Love in these little thing,
You want grand gestures
Poems written about
The knots in your hair


And some may
Do exactly that
But that does not mean
Their love is superior
To the love that is only spoken
Between two hearts

Yes,
There is a thousand way to show love,
You only have to notice,
And not be blinded by your expectations
To feel them all.