Unfinished

_{I am no truly fleshed out thought heart still changing in the chill air growing like hair and grass only to be trimmed on certain occasions- pruned like bonsai trees and topiaries, much fonder of the former I like the way they twist and turn as the world does, churn as my stomach when I am away from physical reassurance, head meets chest is the most lovely of ways, loveliest of days when I can see the shooting stars at night pretending that their briefest light will ignite a spark between two human beings and the only thing I am sure of is this- the only way to make this better is-}

Words

_{I am through with words,
cumbersome and hard to say,
hard to think of and explain.
So I will speak in common tongues-
body language,
furtive glances,
and other things.
It may be difficult to hear at first,
but I believe
that no meaning
can be truly lost
(even in translation);
With time and practice,
conversation
will come easily,
and then we shall be
truly free.}

Obstreperous

_{It is home I feel caged,
free when I am away
and timed in every action.
It is the oppressiveness of childhood,
memories like blankets
smothering me, sheets of sunshine
and unforgotten glories.
This is no excuse, I understand,
for the edge in my voice
when you try (civilized) conversation,
But neither is there excuse
for your actions,
however unknowingly struck-
For words are sharp,
and I bleed often in the confine
of the room I once called mine.
So I will try my best to leave
as soon as I see
a window of opportunity,
and you will no object directly-
I’ll be leaving again soon, anyways.}

City/ Amy

_{She is a saint of cement,
All sharp edges and concrete,
Smooth lines and waves of heat.
Her home was close to mine,
Her heart was next to mine,
Our fingers intertwined
Long ago.
She is still a saint of cement,
Cracked and cold beneath our feet,
Nature pushing up from beneath.
With construction she is smoothing,
Her ruggedness so soothing
To me,
And when the time comes to say goodbye
My saint will not cry
Anymore}


They both end in why
and love~<3

Name

_{I am no word smith, and your name is no jewel-
Still, I find that your single syllable
Hits my mark
And resounds, ringing,
Shining on the tip of my tongue.
It is nothing like bubblegum
Or a peppermint
to make my breath fresh,
But I feel clean when we speak.
There is no stressed character
Or unique quality in the vibration,
Except that it is yours,
And nothing stirs my recognition
So much as the thoughts and memories tied to it.
So I will treasure your name,
In my way,
And breathe it aloud before I sleep-
What rose could sound as sweet?}

Teacher

_{Their enlightenment delights me
And I am not ashamed
To give a name
To the one thing I long to be-
Teacher,
Sometimes preacher;
Molder of minds
And futures.}


A rather romantic view on the whole matter, but the world needs more teachers who actually want to be teachers.

Long-Distance

_{his voice cracked
across the empty static
like a whip,
hitting me deepest at my core,
creating tremors of response-
my shoulders shook with laughter
and I loathed
to let him go.}

For a certain person I know, whose name starts with an M and ends with an Ark and will probably never read this. Which is a good thing, in the current scheme.

Childhood Friend

_{It would have been okay to say, “No,”
(I know)
But the thought of being alone
Was startling.
Honestly,
Though I am guilty of hypocrisy,
I was glad of her presence,
Warming my heart
In ways I cannot understand,
Thus unknown to man.
We traveled back in time,
Playing games of childhood
And releasing our worries through words.
I did not mind the tradition
Of separation-
Individual blankets, but sharing the bed.}

Communicate

_{I would communicate,
But for the words I am choked by.
At this rate,
I will never use my true voice again,
Only the autopilot of pleasantries
Devoid of any subtleties
Or unchecked emotion.
There is no rhyme or rhythm to my speech,
But of my heartbeat there is plenty.
So ignore this forked and twisted tongue,
Hold your head
Close to my chest
And wrap your stethoscope arms around me,
Enjoy the sound of what I feel
But cannot say.
Good day.}

Shay

<sub>6 lines, 5 beats per

We huddled in groups,
our shoulders shaking.
“Look,” a classmate said,
pointing to the sky
with a trembling hand,
“God is crying too.”


7 lines, 8 beats per

The chapel was filled with mourners,
some silently shaking, others
screaming heart-wrenching sobs, broken.
Someone near the front was singing,
"His Eye Is On The Sparrow," and
I sang it softly to myself
as I walked through the rain outside.</sub>

A classmate of mine, a senior that graduated last year, died last Sunday.
Please pray for eveyone dealing with her loss.

Vacation

<sub>18 lines, 7 beats per

fade me into shades of brown
and turn my world upside down
wake me up late afternoon
forget that school's starting soon
later, when we peel away
flaking skin, then we will say
entirely nothing at all
about the impending fall
and all its consequences
just sitting on our fences
so very indecisive
when we want to choose to live
in the memory of heat
just forget reality
so we ignore these thoughts and
keep walking on, hand in hand
remembering that summer
can only come once a year.</sub>

I meant to make that one a tad shorter, really. But then I just kept going, and going, and going...

Selkie

_{Did the sea call her by name? Waves wholly washing away her shame, a hoard of secrets shared in whispers on the shore, promises of distant lands- warmer waters, softer sands, places that she's never dreamed before. broken lights like mirrors ride, a thousandbeams fragmented by the ancient tricks of wind and distance- takes her to another place; she sinks without resistance}

A selkie is a mythological being thing that goes from seal to human, typically just in the way of shedding their seal skin & putting it back on. Not was I was thinking of when I wrote this, but it works... I think.

Thrift Shopping

_{rows of rainbows,
color coded
mountais of mark-downs
("Prices so low, you can't resist!")
Later at home, sore wrists
sensitive fintertips
flicking stapled tags away
exclaiming over money saved-
all these brand names
so inexpensive
later, silently pensive
memories of wanting,
not getting
watching you mother,
not letting
her buy what we don't need
constantly
wondering,
"How much are these?"}

I honestly didn't know how to wrap it up. I could've gone on and on, you know, but I wanted to make it somewhat short.

Flip Flop Fantastic

_{Flip flop fantastic
rubber band elastic
emotions
force me through the motions
but what I think
is never what I do
and I never said, "I love you."
so give me one last embrace
arsenic and lace
were never so refined
you could never see inside my mind
and I can't see through yours
opportunities are open doors
that are letting in the heat
so I stare at my feet
and turn away
another chance, another day
but with these
flip flop fantastic
rubber band elastic emotions
I never know when just the motions
just won't be enough
your skin's so smooth
but these choices are tough
and what I think has never been what I do
and I never said, "I love you."
so give me one last embrace
as I memorize your face
and walk away
(maybe another day)
and though it's never done or said
these things will crowd my head
but you see, I have these
flip flop fantastic
rubber band elastic emotions
and though I force myself through the motions
you should know
before I go
that what I think is never what I've gone to do
and I've never said, "I love you."}


It sounds better when you say it out loud, like one big paragraph. I love the way it moves around my mouth~<3 Anyway, I wrote this a while ago, after reading this, a poem that Kylie Wilson (fellow MVA-er) wrote.
_{She draws, she writes, she sings- she does everything!}

Insomnia

_{Sometimes, when I can't sleep at night, I lay on my back and think of when you slept beside me, your breath stirring the rapid heartbeat inside me. I remember those few golden summer days, flying by in a reckless haze of teenage joy and pheremones. Now I'm sleeping all alone, since I never worked up the courage to say what we both know; I thought it would happen on its own. Of course, I was wrong. And because it's been so long, I just sigh and turn back on my side, wishing that I could always live in that night. And as I slowly slip into sleep, I start to dream that you dreamt of me.
"Goodnight."}

Now I've gone and done it, haven't I? Angsty teenage love, when will it end? ... When I'm not a teenager. Then it'll just be angsty love.

Sunlight

_{"Another English assignment," she whined,
eyes squinting into the sun's harsh light.
"Maybe I'll go blind," she sighed,
"so I won't have to write."
I opened my mouth to agree,
but then she interrupted me,
"Hopefully,"
(here she smiled,)
"I won't so I can."
I was struck dumb by her contradiction,
and in the manner of my tradition
remained silent,
letting my thoughts run on autopilot.
In the end, she didn't go blind,
and she did have to write.
That night,
I dreamt of sunlight.}


I don't care what anyone thinks, the ending fits and I'm sticking to it. Just a little roundabout is all... I know I'm going to reuse the subject sunlight more than once, so I figure I should just give a quick warning to anyone who actually bothers to read this. Don't look at me like that, sunlight is one of the easiest things for me to write about now that I've decided to forego emo-esque poems. So nyah.

Rhyming

_{"You don't rhyme,"
he whined,
eyes narrowing to a glaring line.
"I don't try,"
I sighed,
crossing my arms against the white lie.}

I like it~<3

Sleep

_{like a bar of lead
attached to my eyelids
heavy , thick, weighing me down
pressed against my face
like a down blanket
almost suffocating
widening my mouth to gulp in more air
slowly, drifting
to sleep}

I wish.

Being an insomniac sucks.

Thursday

_{"Thursday," she explained to me,
"is just an in-between day.
Wednesday is the center date,
and Friday's just before the
weekend." I wondered briefly
what had inspired her words, but
she continued before I
could ask. "That's why I really
like Thursday. You've never heard
it complain before, have you?"
Then she turned and looked at me,
straight into my eyes, smiling.
All I could do was agree.}

I like this one, however simple it may be.
And yes, I know today is Friday.

Tanning

_{spread out facing towards the sun
darkening like solar panels
painted in shades of black and brown
for the sake of modern beauty}

Don't know what I'm trying to get at, since I tan as well. Then again, I'm tan all year round.