Who is wiser?
The one who sees the strengths
Or scans for weaknesses?

Why must you stifle me
Why must you stifle my fire.
I never asked you to cool me down
I don’t need to “chill”.

What I really need is to BURN

I want to know what you want me to do
So I can do the opposite.

Prejudice and pride
Something we want to hide
Yet it will still show itself

Who knew
One word
Could be so heavy?

Call me cold
Call me selfish
Call me mean
Call me a liar
But I’m bold
I am cherished
I am keen
No one dares
To deny her.

Good things must end too quickly
And bad things must prolong themselves.

It’s hard to see the light when you are blind.

They say
IGNORANCE IS BLISS
And it’s true
But wouldn’t you
Want to know the world
Around you?

Perhaps
It’s because
CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT.
And bliss
Is so much better
Than being curious.

The last part
Was a lie
Because while
IGNORANCE IS BLISS
And CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT
Satisfaction of his discovery
Brought the
Inquisitive cat back.

The spirit of freedom
Is in all of our souls
Even when
We feel trapped.

The spirit of freedom
Like a heart beating
On the iron bars of your ribs,
Fights to keep its liberty.
Fights to keep it humility
Fights to keep its humanity
Fights to be free.

If you are a pristine crystal surface
I am rough wood covered in shattered glass
Which doesn’t have a purpose,
Hurts people, and looks like trash.

You lied.

I feel smeared
Like a cloud
Or gel pen ink.

S      M            E         A        R         E          D

If lies are burdens
I should be squashed
And flattened by now.

I stitch and I craft
I glue and I press
I stretch and I stress

But I’m still unfinished
A messed up masterpiece.

What do I wonder
What do I see
What do I stutter
What do I breath.

I though I knew so
But I did not
Ordinariness
Every day is the same.

It’s unfortunate
That you cannot understand
What has disfigured
This kindred spirit of yours.

I am not content
Because you won’t accept me
And you are unsheathing a
Poison licked sword of hate.

Isn’t it exhausting
To always be afraid?
No wonder I am always tired.

I’m a paper girl
Rip me up and paste me together.
Dress me up in pretty crayon dresses
Add new pieces of me,
Take me apart.

Rain is interesting.
It seems to evoke
More feelings than-
I don’t know, something that kinda pokes
You, and prods too,
Because the uncomforted
Think the less, feel the more,
Which leads to ideas galore.

Rain really is very interesting
Rain can make a person sing.
It can make the same person cry
Or scream
Or shout
Or whimper
Or sigh.

Rain is an interesting creature to witness-
Holds feelings of anger, sadness, and success.

For me,
Days don’t exist.
They blur
Into long stretches of time instead:
Boring
Not boring
Happy
Sad
Painful
Monotonous
Angry.
I don’t measure time in days
Or months
Or even years.
Time for me
Is measured in emotion.

I don’t want
People to gravitate
Towards me
Like moths to a fire
Like light to a black hole.

I want people to come to me
Because I am happy
And they are too.

Forever lost.
We are not
Rescuable.
I believe we are
Doomed eternal.
I can’t let myself admit we are
Salvageable.
It is apparent we are
Sentenced to death.
We cannot be
Hopeful for life.
Forever and always
Convicted and cursed.
We are not
Emboldened and sanguine.

I hate your easy smile
And your piercing, deep, eyes.
I hate the way you look at me
Like I am your whole world.

I hate your steadfastness
And your dependability
I hate your easy humor
And your unwavering loyalty.

I hate how you won’t leave me
How you always stand by my side.
I hate you because I love you,
And I can’t run away this time.

Sometimes
I feel like everything
I say
Is held against me.

I wonder
Why you wonder
I don’t say anything
Anymore.

I can’t
Tell you anything
Anymore.

The sunset shines so stunningly
These pretty pinks so ennobling
A colorful chromatic symphony
Ending so freaking quickly
Fading into night.

What a weakness it is
To be
Undefeated.

Those who have never failed
Never consider it an option.

I forgot how to love.
Now I am mistaking things
For what they aren’t.

My life
Is a plane
On downward trajectory.
I’m going somewhere
Down there.
I don’t wanna crash&burn.
But right now,
I’m crash&burningout.
Help me
Because I don’t think
I can pull up
In time.

Help me
Cuz I need you

I need to write an essay
But this is so much better
My words are very messy
Much more fit for poems
Not for assignments this semester!

Over and over again
I write the same things
I rant
I weep
I dance
I cheer.

Different words used
But the theme is the same
Pain
And meaningless things.

When I’m gone
******* a balloon
Fill it up with helium.
When I leave,
String purple yarn into the balloon
Walk outside
Wipe your tears
And let your fears
Float away.

I cling to the future
To deal with the now,
But I have to be here,
But it hurts to be here.

I find that the only way to survive
Is to tell myself and others
What we want to hear.
I don’t know if it’s driving
Me insane or sane.

Truly
Do you understand
It’s crazy how you withstand
All of that pain
And yet you’re still there
For me.

Your quiet strength
Supersedes
Loud and showy bravado
Thank you
For you are a gentle warrior.

People may be dying right now
People may be crying right now
People may be hurting right now
But at least it’s sunny out today!

Have you ever
Felt like crying
And then involuntarily
Make a joke about your life
To make others feel better?

I though I was supposed to have choices.
But you still don’t let me.
You tell me I can object.
But I can’t.
Not really.
So I am instead objecting here.
It doesn’t matter.
You can’t see me anyway.

What are you afraid of?
Why do you flinch at the sight of me?
What if I told you I love you?
Would you be afraid?
No, you would say it back.
Right?
But you wouldn’t.
You don’t.
But you wish you did.
I wish you did.

Dogs are way better than people
That is a well-known fact!
But people smell way better than doggies,
But people still lack tact!

Why do people lie
Why do they always deny
That they did something wrong-
No one will actually play along.

If the definition of normal is
usual, typical, or expected
What if what’s typical
Is people being weird
Does that make weirdness
No longer weird
And instead normal?

My brain hurts.

Who do you think you are
To just waltz straight into my heart?!

Who do you think I am
An innocent little lamb?!

How dare you look at me!
When there is so little to see.

Freedom
Is more than being able to be
But to be able to express
Freedom of thought
It’s what our founding fathers sought
The freedom to speak
And say what is needed
Without getting persecuted.

What a world it is
When children in grade school
Don’t have freedom.

Wake up...
                                                           ­              I know you’re there...
                                            Malia...
   ­                     WAKE UP...
                                                           Please...
      I miss you...
                                                          ­                      Are you here...?
                              Come back....
          
                                                       People need you...
            I need you...

My mayfly
Please don’t fly away
Stay
Please don’t leave me today.

My mayfly
Please do try
To keep in one place
Sorry I’m intense
Because, dang it, I’m a mess

I am not poetic,
I am not pretty.
You want to hide my chaos,
I refuse to be neat and sit still.

I know you want my fake,
But I care about my real,
I don’t want to hate,
I just want to feel.

You want me to be charming,
Instead I’m rather alarming,
If I’m such a disappointment,
Change your expectations.

There is a God
But he ain’t showing himself
Why is he letting his “great power”
Rot on the shelf?

My faith is waning
My awe is fading
It’s too loud
Too big of a crowd
Looking for peace
But that hasn’t happened.

Where the frick did you go?
Why did you leave
When I needed you the most?
If you’re really there
Show yourself
Come back.

I’m swimming with sharks
Leaving me in the dark
They try and limit
My limitless art
Don’t even start
Because these blood-red words
Come from swimming with sharks.