I slither I slide,
Basking in the sun, I’m warm and dry.
Sleeping in the sun, I shed my skin,
My skin is soft.
My scales are like stars,
They are like shining shards.
Something is loud, it’s a mouse.
I’m as quiet as a crocodile,
I used my lifestyle.
I swallow that mouse,
Now I’m delighted.
As I enjoy my meal,
I shake to a sudden feel.
It is the trotting of the cattle.
The cattle were declaring battle;
I knew I had to rattle.
They knew I had my venom,
I knew they were going to bolt,
And it resulted in no fail.
Month: January 2023
Halos
i was your god
i was your angel
million eyed and
winging but you
held me to the ground
and in stealing my
wings fashioned
yourself a halo of
my blood
i was your fallen
i was your villain
thousand teared and
vengeful but you
silenced my screaming breath
and in stealing my
voice fashioned
yourself a sword
of my pain
i am your ruin
i am your doomsday
flashing feathers and
terrifying but you
can’t kill me anymore
and in hurting
me fashioned yourself
the noose from
which you hang
Delilah
On the large bed
the dog lies down,
licks her paws, yawns;
scratches her ear;
flips over,
big inhale, exhale,
closes her eyes
and droops her mouth open.
I Started with it All
–I Started With it All–
Here I’m stopped and I wonder about things
Riding my bike
Wondering why
Is this just another mystery
It’s so entertaining
I ride past memories with old friends
from the past
They moved, never saw them again
So I…
started over
I read my writing over
And I
just can’t explain
The nostalgia, how insane
I read all of the the kind letters you gave
I looked at all the drawings you drew
I remembered all of you,
Oh, how much fun
we used to have together
But I
just can’t explain
Are you mad at me for something now?
This is so insane
I wrote to you,
hide and seek with them
Played board games with her
sleepover with Jaylen, too
And now you’re all gone
so I wrote a song
Don’t know what else to do
now that you’re gone, It’s true
Oh
I started with it all
Poured my ideas onto pages, oh
But now I’ve read
it all
Now I’m stuck still sitting here, ‘cause I
started with it all
Poured my ideas onto pages, oh
But now that I’ve read
it all
I’m stuck sitting here, memories fading, no
(Music)
Tear at the pages of past
I don’t know if I can last
Feeling like I was abandoned by some friends,
and I know some never said goodbye
And now I sit here, shy
Reading all the letters I was writing, until he stopped writing back
I think that I’m loosing my grip
Are you mad at me for something?
I’ll never forget the past
(Music)
I wrote to you,
hide and seek with them
Played board games with her
sleepover with Jaylen
And now you’re all gone
so I wrote a song
Don’t know what else to do
now that you’re all gone
I started with it all
Poured my ideas onto pages, oh
But now I’ve read
it all
just last year,
Now I’m stuck sitting here
Just be real, just try,
‘cause some of you
never said goodbye
Guess that you just forgot that life
But I
just can’t explain it right
Oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I know three of you got step families
But after that
nothing was the same to me
I
just can’t explain it
Just last year, I’m stuck sitting here
in this neighborhood we played in
Watching time turn tables
And not wanting it to
But while all of you left, I stayed
Here
My bike parked in front of the park
Down the street that changed so much
Feels like I just stayed in the same tree
And let the cold seep slowly in front of me,
I wasn’t ready for that change
Why can’t life stay the same?
(music)
How, just how insane
this is
Just write back,
just text back
Just say something at all
Just throw anything
so I don’t have to sigh and
recall
that
I started with it all…
Poured my ideas on to pages, oh
But now I’ve read
it all
just last year, stuck sitting here for ages… oh
(Music slows to a closing)
Tastes Like Rain
after George Ella Lyon
I am from playing cards
From pots and pans to forks and knives
I am from the garden,
Full of mud and grass
(It tastes like rain.)
From the big plum tree
To the milkweed by the porch
From the roots
So deep in the earth,
We forget they’re even there
I am from no shoes in the house,
And a radio tune with music playing loud,
Humming songs I know by the first note
I am from the dinner table
With tile floors
And plants climbing the walls
From Jess and Josh,
Countless late nights
Laughing at jokes I didn’t understand,
And watching shows I didn’t know the name of
I am from karma,
Which will always come back to get you
A pair of sharp teeth
That are sure to leave a scar
Old Farm Friend of Mine
The golden strands are prickly
The spotted fur is soft
The goat is mighty sullen
I like my horse a lot
The swing can go quite high
And when my energy is low,
I jump on, grab hold
and let the swing go
I walk under hot blazes of light
As my red hair tumbles, burns bright
And when I ride
I’m not alone
Teddy, my horse
is with me
The wind blows between my hair, and
I’m riding pretty swiftly
Except that he’s just walking
We’re going around the ring
But I don’t mind, I suppose
I love my company!
And the cats, ever so beautiful
They hid from me at first
But really, they just shouldn’t
I’ve known them since weeks after their birth!
I pick one up, on my lap he goes
He’s soft and very young
I sit on the porch swing that isn’t mine
and watch the little kids play and cry
It feels like all day, I always think
It feels I’ve been here so long
And later, it’s finally time to go home
Until next time, farm I rome
And horses I have known since young
Plus roosters and their evening drum
Goodbye cats who meow and hide
Goodbye farm dog who runs behind
Goodbye funny guy who calls me
“Jillington!”
Goodbye little boy who wrestles with his friend
Goodbye nice person who’s friends with Kim
Goodbye dirty goats
And waddling ducks
Goodbye captured lizard…
and good luck
Goodbye old farm friend of mine
My heart is yours, and yours mine
I’ll be back
A Poem Should Be
A should be anything
A poem should be free
A poem should be you
A poem should be me
A poem is outside the lines
A poem is outside the box
A poem is throughout the world
gathering our thoughts
My Dog
He runs around jumping
As i grab the leash
I start laughing
When i struggle to put the collar on
I open the dog with a smile on my face
Ready to have a race
I began running as i pick up speed
Then see my dog step on a weed
He stops running and starts to whine
I look over and see him limping
I grab his paw and pulled out a splinter
Oh what things the world brings this winter
World Against One
World against one
Take your time
But don’t take too long
They’re moving on
Now it’s time
You’re rushing
Almost ripped the pages
and sat there for ages
Get in the car
Drive south
Don’t know where you’re going
Sometimes, it’s okay not knowing
But don’t go too fast
and don’t go too slow
There’s so much you know
and do not know
So turn around
Drive upside down
and reach the other side
The circle’s big, and you, too small
There’s just nowhere to hide
in this world against one
Who I Am
I am a writer,
a dancer, a fighter
I lift people up with my heart
and not just my pencil
I jump through hoops of happiness
and juggle bricks of sadness
Some days,
on those days
It happens
But I write about it
Dance about it
Fight about it
Because that’s who I am
I am a writer,
a dancer, a fighter
I lift people up with my heart
and not just my dancing
I toss bricks of emotions on paper
And spin hula hoops made of sand around possibilities
until I get there, until I make a five year long goal
come true
I listen to people reading their stories
and I put their voices together, plus mine
to make one