A broken dream of girl,
I've been cowering for years,
the edges of my fear sharp
and threatening to impale me.
In the darkest depths of this ache,
"safe" became a haven,
a habit, a hurt--
the ground shifted beneath me,
life grew wild around my feet,
but I chose not to budge or change.
I stagnated, a pond devoid of ripples--
a lightless, lifeless set of hopes
without the proper words to lift me.
Somewhere between safe and happy,
I lost my balance and forgot myself
and when the axis reached the apex,
I pulled you down with me.
Broken shell of boy,
I hope you understand--
I'll apologize for hurting you
but I refuse to throw myself away agai
i am scared today--
a wisp of a string of a feather
fluttering in winds
too strong for me
am i doing right this time,
or running once more?
what if all i've ever done
has been wrong?
there's a fine line between
'I know you're hurting' forgiveness
and 'that bitter's too much to choke down'--
and I've been toeing it for weeks,
umbrella held aloft,
ballet flats like petals on the wire,
just wishing for everything to
stop
and let me float a minute.
there's a fine thread between
'I understand and have let it go'
and 'I just can't move past it this time'--
and you're getting awfully close
to pushing me over the edge,
fingertips splayed and knuckles bunched
against th
Morning blows cold across this
"too big for just one person" abyss,
the space you used to occupy empty
save the weight of wakeful silences
and the heft of harsh words.
With a sigh, I tie down the memories
and try to save face,
staving this starving sadness--
a trial and error attempt
at scraping you from the lining of my veins.
I remind myself this is best for us both
and try to paint over the places
your bitterness has bitten.
One day soon, I will stretch myself out
and move on without all the ache.
Today, my heart is swimming in salt water
and the glass shards of all our years.
drifting me draining me by betwixtthepages, literature
Literature
drifting me draining me
today, i am a drainpipe--
emotional baggage leaking
like rain following the tendrils
of greasy hair, slopes of
bony cheeks
my coworker tells me i
am shrinking into nothing;
i am too biased to know
if the space of my waistband
is healthy
or concerning
customers tell me
they like the flowers i thread
through my hair;
i smile but don't tell them
the vibrant colors are supposed
to represent the happy
i can't seem to find
my mom tells me i
will get used to living alone,
it just takes time;
i don't argue anymore,
though i'm screaming, a bird
trapped in ribbone cages,
how much i hate it
my grandma says that this
was the best decision for me,
tha
sleepy sparrow, sing by betwixtthepages, literature
Literature
sleepy sparrow, sing
sleepy sparrow,
take wing:
a squawk, a hop, and a blip
from the starting point
of your life
blue skies wait for no bird
stuck in the midst of preening;
no, no, listen:
the clouds taunt you
soft and sure of themselves,
hard and harsh in their ideas of you
let them warble
what they may,
pay dipping beaks no mind
let go the bough of fear,
sparrow sweet
unlace the vines that bind
and soar
and swoop
and sing
this emotional abyss
is an alligator--
fierce teeth biting deep,
sloped scales slipping silent
down the trails of soft cheeks,
hope hurtling hurt
down veined highways ... ...
there is an answer in the pain
for those strong enough to seek it
but I am spineless, flickering--
a thought caught
between the right and the wrong
of quiet epiphanies
Unknown alley, city like fairy-lights
sparking at the backs of your eyes.
Garbage under the soles of my shoes,
the squelch a distant lullaby.
We talk career paths,
mutual acquaintances,
dreams of life in the fast lane...
but we never touch
the things we left unsaid.
Unnamed,
the burning in my veins;
like the alley around us,
it's been bricked up.
Walled off.
Ignored.
Toes,
Antarctic and trapped
under layers of winter,
beg to be taken
between knobby knees
and sweaty thighs,
warmed like your breath
on my neck in the night.
Breathe on me once more;
the fear shaking your soul
is fleeting
and I promise that altar
will look less like a monster
from the other side of our vows
and the exchanging
of rings.