Poetry
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With relief, I see the sunriseShe granted me This one last day. Yesterday she rose Tomorrow, who knows?A rockHurtling through space She drags us alongPumping life into usFor just one more day. I trust her with my lifeAnd then she burns me. I look to the tree to protect me,All this oxygen they grant meThe…
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Does the sting of my stabbing pen slice open your weeping wounds?Do the nails holding you together rattlewhen you read there’s a hammer lodged in my head? The ghastly stank of young pain whiffs Its putrid fragrance up your scrolling face,Too much for you to tolerate. Beat those nails in. Lock the oozing agony away,Cement…
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Peering over the mountain ledge. A crisp silence sat on snowy banks. When the engines turned off and the helmets came undone,that’s where his truest smile was found. No happier could he have been than when he’d reached the highest human peaks. When I lay him down to rest, I will cling to the image…
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sat on the side of her white tile bathtub,mouth open widein went the soap acid on my tongue. what had I said? I can’t remember now. but that rancid taste, her steaming angry face imprinted forever in my mind. it’s just odd it happened twice . in that haunted red house. first when I…
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Little boy blue haunted before his eyes reached over the counter view. Gentle green eyes grew into pitch black orbs. Throwing punches by day.Shedding silent tears at night. He fled those trailer park days, lightning fast cars carried him away.Ignoring haunted shadows wrapping around his tongue like a knife. Look at him now, that smiling…
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Looking out my apartment window, I see the blue sky has hidden away. What a peculiar August day,Out my front door, the breeze sends me back inside for a small sweater. By noon, the rains are roaring No rays of golden sun. It’s been so long since we had a day like today. Thunder roars,…
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Bubbles running to the surface. Light blurry from above. Rainbows shimmer up the walls. I beg to see just one more rainbowPlastered across the rippling sky. One more chance to find my lot in life. Underneath the ocean’s surface The quiet lets my thoughts swim near,And way down there, my mind becomes clear.Holding my breath…
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Wet brushThick paper Green countersDryer tumblingShe’s looking out the Mudroom window My wide eyes are memorized Her wet brush gliding along the special paper.a Lily I swore was aliveBut somehow barely thereHer hand so steady Unlike mine Art jumping off the page Radiating life Every table set,Out of a magazine,Understood how to make the colors…
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The panic bunny kicks my chest. Will it explode? I’m reminded again today That even I will die. Eyes transfixed on the cloud, walking by,silently, I beg her to tell me her secret. This life, How do I keep it? My foolish mind pleaded. Grappling with the universe. A puffy smile looks down at me,…
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Let the warmth soak in chilled bones. Arise after the sun, it already got the worm. Walking slowly the day drags on. Watch each minute tick across the clock. The light shines bright from high in the sky, These dog days we beg to prolong. All is well. Famine is not near. Winter is at…
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Dad, I don’t want to look at you today. I don’t want to think about the hoots and hollers of pure joy when we sat atop those snowy mountains. When all the stress crinkles in your forehead melted away. No, I don’t want to think about those days. They make me wonder too much about…
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If gene reproduction is the whole point Why does my soul yearn to proclaim an endless cacophony of wants I can’t discern? If the only point is to pass life along, why am I consumed with these racing thoughts? Life is so simple. Consciousness is so complex. How can I hold the weight of all…
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Running away when they Never invited me to stay. White walls with hollow smileshanging so polite. I’ll never forget the dread in her eyes. From pretending this is all she ever dreamed of being. As though New York City never crossed her mind. As if she didn’t know she was always smarter than him. I…
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What if the sun led us astray? She hurtles through space, carrying us on her back. Does she know how we depend on her each moment of forever. When she sends out the flares that swamp our magnetic fields, is it to say she knows we’ve set ourselves ablaze? All she has brought to life,…
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When all is said and doneWhat will my life have become? Will It be the anger I hold? Will they gather around my casket and list all the things I hated? I should hope that list is quite short. I’ll keep my fingers crossed as I lay, that they say I never stopped pointing at…
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Dry and burnt Thirst for the river Just out of reach Lick cracked lips,Do you know you’re thirsty today? Stare at the pavement watching the waves juggle Your restless mind. What will you find today that hasn’t already been found tomorrow? Wandering through brown once green leaves, listening for the crumbles of dying things. Gasping…
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Churning eats the bottom of my stomach. My feet drag across the carpet floor. Denial rots a top my teeth. Don’t check the phone,they still haven’t called. A disappointment I grow weary of feeling. Shaking it off, I exit the shower. Would I even answer if they rang?Wiping away the morning of mourning. Onward, with…
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Did they know I was drowning?He told me we weren’t actually related His words are leeches inside my brainSucking the belonging out of my head They were sharksI was a birdNot really their sisterJust barley their daughterHanging by thread Laced round my neck Trying to show themI could swim
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What makes the pain go away? When I lay my father down to rest, I won’t be concerned with the worst of his crimes. Yet, for years, his sins kept me awake each night. And still, his choices keep me away.Am I sad for all he’s done, or am I sad for all that I’ve…
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I do not chase a life Free from pain I pursue knowing it will be okayI chase the knowledge That no pain is too big For me to endureBecause I have grown the strength to withstand the raging storms.
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Splash here Splosh there I used to see my friends everyday this time of year. Wandering around Lost but thrilled. Older now, Wondering when the Thrill was lost. The days are hot Those friends are gone. New ones are here. When was the moment Everything changed?
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My eyes squint, lips quiver. Don’t look at me.The flood gates open, Goop slides out my nose. The churning stops my breakfast from going down I rev my engine, I’m on the run Get away from me I cover my mouth,bile’s about to blow Brown locks whip wet pink cheeks,The ache of hearts incinerated sets…
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He told me we weren’t actually related His words are leeches inside my headSucking the belonging out of my head They were sharksI was a birdNot really his sisterJust barely their daughterHanging by thread Laced round my neck Trying to show themI could swim
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Sweat drips off my beak The dreams returned to me Holding him in my arms He’s elected for his last breath. He mutters he’s sorry And then he is gone. I carry him to his grave, a single daffodil, I lay His one human life is now done. No more sunrises, no more chances for…
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What happens after my last breath? I ask myself for the thousandth time. Hair prickles, Palms sweat. I chew the end off my thumb nail. Stomach churns, I don’t know. What will it feel like? The beat of thumping in my chest growing louder, A concert just for me. I close my eyes tight All…
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For months the blood drained out of the tiny holes Where feathers once rested. I was certain the bleeding would never stop. I could see no path forward. They had destroyed me, What was the use? One day I found a small vile, at first I felt it no use then after a while, I…
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My first few flights since the time I fled, I wasn’t quite sure why it hurt inside. I was supposed to feel free I was supposed to feel alive. Weak kneed and wobbly eyed It became clear to me. I’d spent my whole life trying not to drown in that cage, I’d never learned how…
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Walked in circles colored with my blood. Dug a crimson rut. Clueless to the way the ground was lowering beneath me. Looking right,Looking left, Looking down, Looking up,All those birds, Flying above me. I wanted to be up there. At the time, I hadn’t noticed A door not far away, I’d been too busy begging…
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Taking flight never felt so hard.Looking down, my feathers were gone. I can see it now,The way they laughed at me Each time I’d jumped from caged windows trying to fly. Dad scooped me off the pavement again andshoved me back on stage,“Sing lizzybird, sing”I opened my beakAnd let out a scream.What a marvelous sound…
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Time spent hopping around, blood trickling out. Searching for feathers other may have dropped. If I found enough, I could jab them in my sides and make new wings of mine. Every fallen feather I found was just as blood as my own. I reached my resolve, and I’d have to figure out how to…
Healing Birds Fly Again 