My mirror is observant
Always seeing what I don’t
My mirror is curious
Begging for another glimpse
My mirror shows no facades or masks alike
My mirror is more honest than a watery reflection
For the ripples do make all the difference
It speaks to me, like a critic some days
Telling me to change
Change my hair my clothes my attitude
Just my mirror, I swear
It lusts for me, other times however
Like a pubescent boy with a dirty magazine
Just my mirror, I swear
My mirror tells stories of how I have grown
I ignore these subtle histories, it marvels in them
Just my mirror, I swear
My mirror has a crack in the corner
Spider-webbed from the outside in
Like a chisel to a slab of marble
So delicate yet robust
Take a metal rod to the outside
Splinters its way to the center
Just my mirror, I swear
My mirror can shatter if dropped by the right hand
Unable to expose truths again
So, I do not trust my mirror in anyone’s hands
Just my mirror, I swear
I’d like to say I’m honest
But I never did
Just my mirror, I swear.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
My Best Friend
Not sure how a tiny little mask is to keep her safe
From contagious people throughout the day
That still make her sick, inflict emotional pain
By the stares and everything that they say
She brushes it off,
“They just don’t understand,
It’s not their fault”
To go home to sleep next to bottled O2
Body sipping life through a nasal tube
Spending hours stitching quilt after quilt
As her father, I suspect, cries with grief and guilt
He did not do anything wrong, I wish he’d see
He still gave her life, gave her the chance to be
Her skin is pale, some say she looks like she’s dying
But I know the woman beneath, continues fighting
Through blood work, bone marrow tests, tears
Vitamins, pills, special shakes, and a secret fear
We were laying bed, late at night, she confessed
“Kayla, I don’t know if I want to get better”
She continued, as knots formed in my chest
“If I get better, I will be like everyone else”
I closed my eyes during the last part, afraid
“I want to be special”
I choked back sobs, as this woman revealed
She would rather die, than to be ordinary
I could never imagine how that must feel
Crushing that she believed her identity
Was the scientific name for her disease
I marveled in her vivaciousness, vitality
And all she could think was
“if I get better, I won’t be me”
She is twenty-five with a pendulum swinging
Much faster than those in their eighties
There are so many things I wish she knew
The wind in hair on a dewy days run
The salty kiss from a nervous first love
Fingers, hands, lips, coo’s, cries of a little one
That will look up one day and call her Momma
A few weeks ago, she took me aside
I knew it was important for she started to cry
My best friend explained to me the reason why
She only had a few quilts to go,
Before everyone had something that she’d sewn
“A piece of me” is what she’d said “just in case”
“Just in case” drove me into a schizo craze
Paranoia kicking down my door
Fear welled up inside my core
She had always been the confident one
The woman with all the hope in the world
I never expected she would come undone
Still to this day my thoughts just swirl
I am not ready for her to give in
I am not ready to lose my best friend
The doctors called this week to tell her they had a cure
I was the first she called
Bounce in her words, giggles in her throat, hope was here
But they don’t think she can survive the procedure
Back to square one
I still have an aunt, that has been my best friend
Since I was too tiny to remember just when
It is possible she won’t be a here to see me a bride
Or worse spend her forever with a man at her side
But she is here now and I hold her tight
As my best friend continues her fight for life
From contagious people throughout the day
That still make her sick, inflict emotional pain
By the stares and everything that they say
She brushes it off,
“They just don’t understand,
It’s not their fault”
To go home to sleep next to bottled O2
Body sipping life through a nasal tube
Spending hours stitching quilt after quilt
As her father, I suspect, cries with grief and guilt
He did not do anything wrong, I wish he’d see
He still gave her life, gave her the chance to be
Her skin is pale, some say she looks like she’s dying
But I know the woman beneath, continues fighting
Through blood work, bone marrow tests, tears
Vitamins, pills, special shakes, and a secret fear
We were laying bed, late at night, she confessed
“Kayla, I don’t know if I want to get better”
She continued, as knots formed in my chest
“If I get better, I will be like everyone else”
I closed my eyes during the last part, afraid
“I want to be special”
I choked back sobs, as this woman revealed
She would rather die, than to be ordinary
I could never imagine how that must feel
Crushing that she believed her identity
Was the scientific name for her disease
I marveled in her vivaciousness, vitality
And all she could think was
“if I get better, I won’t be me”
She is twenty-five with a pendulum swinging
Much faster than those in their eighties
There are so many things I wish she knew
The wind in hair on a dewy days run
The salty kiss from a nervous first love
Fingers, hands, lips, coo’s, cries of a little one
That will look up one day and call her Momma
A few weeks ago, she took me aside
I knew it was important for she started to cry
My best friend explained to me the reason why
She only had a few quilts to go,
Before everyone had something that she’d sewn
“A piece of me” is what she’d said “just in case”
“Just in case” drove me into a schizo craze
Paranoia kicking down my door
Fear welled up inside my core
She had always been the confident one
The woman with all the hope in the world
I never expected she would come undone
Still to this day my thoughts just swirl
I am not ready for her to give in
I am not ready to lose my best friend
The doctors called this week to tell her they had a cure
I was the first she called
Bounce in her words, giggles in her throat, hope was here
But they don’t think she can survive the procedure
Back to square one
I still have an aunt, that has been my best friend
Since I was too tiny to remember just when
It is possible she won’t be a here to see me a bride
Or worse spend her forever with a man at her side
But she is here now and I hold her tight
As my best friend continues her fight for life
Dream Before Dreaming
Remarkable build, deep green eyes
Hard to ignore a man as such
His gaze, layered, still tells no lies
He moves in closer, toes to touch
His arm pulls her in from behind
Eyes still locked, never falter
Fingertips gently move up the spine
Head lowers as he whispers
Into her lips, “I love you, valentine”
A tear seeps from her bloodshot eye
A prayer releases between sobs
“please don’t let me wake this time”
Hard to ignore a man as such
His gaze, layered, still tells no lies
He moves in closer, toes to touch
His arm pulls her in from behind
Eyes still locked, never falter
Fingertips gently move up the spine
Head lowers as he whispers
Into her lips, “I love you, valentine”
A tear seeps from her bloodshot eye
A prayer releases between sobs
“please don’t let me wake this time”
The Right Use
The stink of cigars is only faded by the stench of manure
The banter of a seasoned farmer and his neighbor
They do not know I can hear every word they bequeath
Or perhaps they do, but know I cannot speak
They pick at me as if I am not here and alive
Seeding stories in the other man’s empty mind
Small talk of a love affair weeds in and out
But the meaningful words lie in tales of dirt and cows
Out of earshot from the wives, they linger
Pull at me, leaves fall between their fingers
My extremities are crushed beneath their feet
But I feel nothing
The sun wraps me in a blanket, but does not smother
Feeding me as a mother
Caring for me as a lover
I must show my gratitude somehow, some way
To her children, I gave
The gift of another day
A husk protects the gift of life from injury
Delicacy is a luxury
Shield a necessity
But I am not a shield for conversation
I serve as preservation
The banter of a seasoned farmer and his neighbor
They do not know I can hear every word they bequeath
Or perhaps they do, but know I cannot speak
They pick at me as if I am not here and alive
Seeding stories in the other man’s empty mind
Small talk of a love affair weeds in and out
But the meaningful words lie in tales of dirt and cows
Out of earshot from the wives, they linger
Pull at me, leaves fall between their fingers
My extremities are crushed beneath their feet
But I feel nothing
The sun wraps me in a blanket, but does not smother
Feeding me as a mother
Caring for me as a lover
I must show my gratitude somehow, some way
To her children, I gave
The gift of another day
A husk protects the gift of life from injury
Delicacy is a luxury
Shield a necessity
But I am not a shield for conversation
I serve as preservation
Life Does Not Hault
brome grasses inch their way underneath her petticoat
they catch onto her stockings and snap off
a few moments this goes unnoticed
soon the tingle, the pricking
makes her tug at her ankles
she walks on
her small feet are bound by small leather soles
she had always hated being bound by souls
but the stickers are much too fierce to go at alone
she must fend off the urge to liberate her toes
she walks on
they be covered, her toes, to her thankfulness
so she must not be reminded of their captivity
the blue fabric floats through the grasses
and grazes across her small leather soles
she remembered sewing this dress of blue
a few summers back it had looked enchanting
with so many hours out in the grasses
it lost its vibrancy but gained history
she walks on
not far off a buzz brings her out of her reverie
she knows better not to fret over a family of bees
simply performing tasks and chores, as is she
she carried two metal buckets, handles that swing
so close she could now see the picket fence
that splintered fence had been a pride and joy
her daddy and eldest brother hammered it out
in the pouring rain, they did, cows running free
she walks on
she looks forward to these treks, time to herself
time to walk, to think, to savor the day
matters to her none, there is work to be done
work is the small price of living life
she walks on
a low moan of a cow echoes a squeal of a calf
life lesson that momma cow must be teaching
she feels herself quake, slows her walking to stand.
her mother. oh how she missed that woman's eyes
that woman's touch, a voice that healed all
but soon milk will fill the buckets with clanky handles
and thoughts of her mother will subside
so she must walk on
they catch onto her stockings and snap off
a few moments this goes unnoticed
soon the tingle, the pricking
makes her tug at her ankles
she walks on
her small feet are bound by small leather soles
she had always hated being bound by souls
but the stickers are much too fierce to go at alone
she must fend off the urge to liberate her toes
she walks on
they be covered, her toes, to her thankfulness
so she must not be reminded of their captivity
the blue fabric floats through the grasses
and grazes across her small leather soles
she remembered sewing this dress of blue
a few summers back it had looked enchanting
with so many hours out in the grasses
it lost its vibrancy but gained history
she walks on
not far off a buzz brings her out of her reverie
she knows better not to fret over a family of bees
simply performing tasks and chores, as is she
she carried two metal buckets, handles that swing
so close she could now see the picket fence
that splintered fence had been a pride and joy
her daddy and eldest brother hammered it out
in the pouring rain, they did, cows running free
she walks on
she looks forward to these treks, time to herself
time to walk, to think, to savor the day
matters to her none, there is work to be done
work is the small price of living life
she walks on
a low moan of a cow echoes a squeal of a calf
life lesson that momma cow must be teaching
she feels herself quake, slows her walking to stand.
her mother. oh how she missed that woman's eyes
that woman's touch, a voice that healed all
but soon milk will fill the buckets with clanky handles
and thoughts of her mother will subside
so she must walk on
Broken Hearted
Watching your soul hang on a clothes line
Drenched in an end
Lays there sloppy and soaked with tears
What once was strong, sags
Colorless fluids of life water the dirt below
Seeds into weeds
Sun brightens, evaporates the sorrow
But dries too much
Stiff, brittle, still hanging on a clothes line
Wait for a daring hand
When one shows, dried soul becomes straw
Grow arms, legs, a head
Always praying for farmer and his wife
Bring this monster in
“Gepetto? Blue Fairy? How long must I linger
These pins do crucify”
Yellow brick never led to anywhere real
Straw, the soul remains
Drenched in an end
Lays there sloppy and soaked with tears
What once was strong, sags
Colorless fluids of life water the dirt below
Seeds into weeds
Sun brightens, evaporates the sorrow
But dries too much
Stiff, brittle, still hanging on a clothes line
Wait for a daring hand
When one shows, dried soul becomes straw
Grow arms, legs, a head
Always praying for farmer and his wife
Bring this monster in
“Gepetto? Blue Fairy? How long must I linger
These pins do crucify”
Yellow brick never led to anywhere real
Straw, the soul remains
No Cat Lady
I refuse to be the cat lady. And I do not mean the lady with 14 cats, and a bird. I mean, I do not want to be the lady that has a blog about cats. I doubt it would develop from an obsession, lack of other interests, or needing something to say. I have only allowed one person to read my prior posts (the whopping 3?), so I do not think I need something to share with others. I am in constant conquest, so cats could not sustain my ravenous mind. And lets face it, cats are not obsession worthy. I do think if I am not cautious, however, my blogs could become monotonous, dry, and overly abstract or explicit. I am sure with posting this, I am simply proving myself correct, unfortunately. But at 228 AM, I have little expectation of me. This used to be the only time in a day I could decipher some of what I think. Lately, with the lack of writing, reading, expressing, and earlier sleep cycle, at 228 AM my deciphering comes down to "blah." If I could picture my mind right now, I would describe it as a mixture of playdo, ribbon, and porridge. In some areas, my brain is firm but malleable, in a twisted up fashion, along the paths of ribbons. In others, formless, nearly mushy. Some time in the hopefully near future, I shall try to write down the paths of these ribbons, the somewhat comprehensible neurotransmitter firing sequences, within the playdo and porridge. Complete thoughts, punctuation, and clarity should not be anticipated. In an utter change of direction, I am going to sleep now (now being in about 3-5 minutes). However, I thought I would leave you with an off topic blurb I scribbled out a few days back. I hope you enjoy it a fraction of how much I did writing it. But if not, eh, ink blots never have the same impact on two different people.
In the belly of the beast. I have been swallowed and now reside with the eroded and juices of others like me. We slosh in the darkness. Hope for redemption is mere noise, now. Acids eat away layers of flesh: denial, desire, anger, gloom, desperation. When your world is soaked and slippery with deceit, what is there to cling to? The only sticky slime bubbles up, encompassing you in a macabre blanket, dissolving what flesh is left. Slime is the beast’s collector, providing the sustenance. I can feel it, his ache to claim my soul, to feed the beast. The acids are inevitable, but slime is escapable when standing tall in the one layer of flesh remaining.
In the belly of the beast. I have been swallowed and now reside with the eroded and juices of others like me. We slosh in the darkness. Hope for redemption is mere noise, now. Acids eat away layers of flesh: denial, desire, anger, gloom, desperation. When your world is soaked and slippery with deceit, what is there to cling to? The only sticky slime bubbles up, encompassing you in a macabre blanket, dissolving what flesh is left. Slime is the beast’s collector, providing the sustenance. I can feel it, his ache to claim my soul, to feed the beast. The acids are inevitable, but slime is escapable when standing tall in the one layer of flesh remaining.
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