He promised her
Unending Joy
Gave her dreams of happiness
A world unknown to her
He left her only with darkness
He Promised her
Endless Love
Made her feel like she could float
On thin air alone
He left and she forgot how to fly
He Promised her
The World
And when she was with him she was
Infinite.
Him and Her against the world
He left and the world crumbled
He promised
            And promised
                       And promised
And she believed him
But
She learnt that his heart was as empty
As the promises he had bled.

                                                          ­  M.D

Please  
I'll put my mask on of "happiness."
When you see me put this mask on,
Pull it off and ask me what's wrong.

If I lie to you,
Which I probably will,
Slap me.

When I slap you back,
Pull my hand back,
And wrestle me to the ground,
Force the truth out of me,
Then console me with hugs and kisses
As the tears begin to fall.

I think of your poems when I'm in a crowd.
I memorize your lines and recite them out loud
into a sea of unsuspecting faces,
so that they fall in love with words, like I did yours;
strung together by the wisdom of your golden graces.

I want to bask in the glory of sharing your story,
and celebrate tonight in honor of you.
If I make your poetry a part of my life,
can I become a part of yours too?

I will tell you of their laughter and smiles.
How they wept, danced, rejoiced -
how the whole crowd went wild.

I want you to hear of their praises because I think you're divine.
I'll spend the rest of my days writing odes of thanks.
Forever indebted to you and your kind
for letting your words become mine.

When I was two
I was told
What to do.
When to sleep,
When to eat,
Sometimes
When to pooh.
That's okay,
In fact, it's cool,
I was two,
Not yet in school.
I can't dismiss
That life of bliss.

When I turned six
I started school;
For sixteen years
I followed rules.
I got Qualified,
I got Certified,
I got Bone Fide,
I shoulda been Beatified.
I did what I was told.
I was sold.

I enjoyed
Middle-class life,
Rising early,
Then late at night.
Worked for the man
As best I can;
Reaped rewards,
Came out unscarred
Because I was
A rules vanguard.

I'm older now,
There's no rules,
So don't tell me
What to do.
But, there's one thing
I'll tell you.

Success isn't measured
In cars and homes
(there's some success in chromosomes),
Just follow rules
To your advantage;
You're not weak,
It shows your courage.
Secure the best
For your life's voyage.

Now,
That I'm sixty-two,
Say what you want,
I'm deaf to you.