Tornado Watch, guess I wasn’t watching close enough
The wind chills me to the core,
Because you don’t live there anymore,
The veins in my heart are freezing,
‘Cause they’re no longer pumping for our screaming,
Like a tornado you swept me up,
Swinging me wildly amongst the chaos,
The wind whipping the hair about my face,
I remember how you used to play with it that way,
My screams drowned out in your noise,
My body wracked with sobs that won’t come out,
Every second felt like hours but then you left,
And I dropped on the ground broken and spent,
Wounds gaping open like my mouth,
Trying to find the words to say – but they won’t come out,
Bruises blossoming in places where
Your mouth used to find sole company,
Bones aching in ways that remind me
Of our synchronized moments of harmony,
Before your storm swept in and stole the life
Out of me
--
Reckless and brave, but mostly young
We were reckless,
We were young,
We were barely eighteen,
Still a little green
And so unafraid of the world.
We took a drive
To that old spot,
And pulled over
So things got hot.
Devilish grins
Hiding under full lashes
And fresh skin,
Hands exploring places
That we’d been told about
But had yet to visit.
I took a deep breath
And let you in.
We were reckless,
We were young,
But mostly just in love
--
They deserve better, and you need to stop telling them they don’t
They said
“You deserve better”
Like that was
Easy
To realize
They said
“You’re too pretty to be sad”
But what, dare I ask,
Connects appearance
With feelings?
They said
“But you have a nice smile”
And I cried for all
The people who lost theirs
Because of society
Because of brokenness
Because the last light
Blew out
Because they weren’t told
What they were desperate to hear
And they deserve better than that
--
I’m a stained glass window missing the entire spectrum of colours
Tall trees on either side,
Encroaching on us in the dark,
I lean in, needing your warmth,
Needing the reassurance of your body,
I whisper come closer
And you do as I ask,
Saving my life from that first night
I wish I could thank you
But my voice disappeared in the
Depths of the forest,
I spent a lot of time wondering
Where I left that piece of me,
And I’ve finally realized
It had to have been that night,
Because ever since –
I’ve been filling that emptiness
With you.
--
Talented With Flames
I put on that sweater
From all those weeks ago,
The mild smokiness drifts
Up from it, reminding me
Of the fire you built.
You always were good at that,
Creating flames,
Warming me up,
Burning what was left behind.
--
Words We Need to Say More Often (and less)
I miss you
I’m sorry
I messed up
I forgive you
I can’t do this anymore
I love you
--
My trophy case is empty and so is my pride
My greatest fear
Is, and always will be,
That of mediocrity.
I have yet to see brilliance
And average in the same instance,
As brilliance always outshines average
And there is no shame in
Being average,
But there is no glory there either.
--
Perfectly (in rhyme and in world)
If we lived in a perfect world where everyone fit perfectly,
Wouldn’t you wonder who each one of us would be?
Probably someone else,
That was just like everybody else.
Someone you wished you knew,
That knew every answer or every clue?
Questions would no longer be asked,
Races wouldn’t be timed, we’re all too fast.
There would be no need to compete,
No one would have anyone to beat.
We’d all be the same,
Walking around, acting lame.
Do you know how boring that would be?
Everyone around, acting like me?
Wouldn’t that scare you? Give you the creeps?
You’re stuck in a body like everyone else, for keeps.
Everyone knew the same things as you,
You’d miss the different and the diversity, too.
It’s a good thing we don’t live perfectly,
Because, how much fun would that be?
--
Spilled milk, spilled tears
I’ve spent too long
Crying over spilled milk
And broken boys –
So if you need saving,
You knocked on the wrong door
--
Reverence
I screamed my silence at you,
You breathed words at me,
Where is your reverence?
I wondered.
You replied,
“I’m looking at it”
--
It’s the reason for my frost-bitten hands
Nostalgia chills me to the bone,
Seeps into my flesh,
Permeates through my muscles,
The muscles that are already sore
From running through my memories
And despite the wear that the past
Has evidently created on my body
I cannot walk away from it –
Not just yet
--
Reflections
I tend to forget what my face looks like,
Bear no remembrance of who others see,
Looking in a mirror is all I can do to help
And then it’s like familiarizing
Myself with an old friend,
Oh, yes, I remember you now,
Brown hair,
Blue eyes,
Hopeful smile,
I’ve seen you before once or twice,
Haven’t I?
--