I never truly belonged to myself—
not even once
—ever since I met her.
I was hers to claim;
completely and painfully hers.
I began to disintegrate when
she no longer cared for me.
Every part of me she once traced
with her finger has crumbled.
Only her touch can mold me back together.

She wanted me to stay
with the living, and I obeyed.
I have the scars to prove it.
Look, darling, I am bleeding
and bumping full of life and desire.
Ask for me and you shall find me,
alive, hungry, and waiting for you.
Though it is my true wish to leave,
I will not disobey her command.
I am awaiting my punishment,
or reward for staying even after she left.
I wonder what my punishment would be
when she knows that I almost fell for another.
That I was someone else’s reason for staying.
That their breathing changed
the closer I got to their hungry flesh.
Even the deepest part of hell knows
that I still long for her impossible commands.
My knees are bleeding,
but I keep pleading for her words to posses me.

Done with exams
Done with tests
Degree accorded
Headwear in the air
But why do I struggle to be happy
I just did it daddy

Gown all day
Hood in the wrong position
Party rest of the day
Sunday stuffed with meat
Aunties are glad for me
I just did it mummy

Lecturers glad am finally gone
Chancellor with his vice
Certificate colorful
Time to commit a felony
But why do I struggle to be happy
For me and my achievement

The parrots
fly
in the boundless
sky
They
will return
to their nests
at dusk
Home sweet
Home!
Their names
are
Heer
Ranjha
Layla
Qays
Shirin
Farhad
Romeo
Juliet
Trist­an
Isolde
Their pupils
are crystalline
Their resplendent
feathers
are iridescent
They gather
the honey
of love

I want to shed my leafs
like a tree in autumn
so in spring I can renew
my life and move forward.

I want to shed the tears
and all the damaged years
you left behind.

I want to be free from your
in caged memories you left
inside my dreams and waking
mind. So I can enjoy my sailing
ship's and windows felled with
candles and waining dreams
that dream of me as I set
like the sun releasing beams
of poetry as the seasons change.

I fade into orange, yellow
and white until I am black
sky's sprinkled with stars.

I want to be free from your
anxiety and depression.

Release me from your *******
so I can be the person I am
meant to be.

Set me free into the Gothic realms
of my poetic life. Where I thrive
upon creativity.

©️ By Amanda Shelton

I fought for want of will
Lay beaten and ******
for what turned out to be nil

So I go as all mankind must do
Descending into the dark of night

I labored for want of will
But heavy now are  my steps
I have no more to instill

Let me pass beyond the gate
To the green pastures beside still waters of the lake

Mrs Solomon taught us in science of the sun ,moon , stars and reflection.She said just as the moon shines by reflecting light from the sun we too don't t become dim by making others shine .Afterwards she gave each of us blank paper and as we were waiting for instructions what do with it she said “the sky is a clean slate write your dreams on it ."

Next was the arts class and she gave us woods and beams and told us to make toy houses .And when we were done as she passed by she said “children do not make people your homes.People are rivers ever changing ,ever flowing, they will run down with everything you put inside them."

In the English class Mrs Solomon taught that, No ,is a complete statement.That sometimes when somebody says no they don't need to explain ,add or reduct .

In the religious studies class Liz your crush asked Mrs Solomon “What is your religion ?" upon which she answered “love " and then She interjected “I mean where do you worship ? " And Mrs Solomon replied “the world" and we all gave a holy grin .

And lastly came the maths class and she made the maths looks easy,she taught us;A strange subject is maths but it should not give you pats .Maths is full of calculation and you will have to know multiplication .There are sums of tricks and you will get a zero if they don't stick.Have the formula right and with you maths will be popular.

And before the evening bell rang she also took questions on how to dance in the rain ,how to smile in the storm and how to find beauty in the ugly.