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330 · Oct 2024
Aggressive Either Way
Kalliope Oct 2024
Passive aggressive, can't be too firm,
This anger inside me I've carried since birth.
I say what I mean but then laugh at the end
You don't think I'm serious, and my mind starts to bend.
Can't be too forward,
Sarcasm my favorite weapon, maybe if I said it straight I wouldn't always end up mad again.

Aggressively passive, I've given up hope, no point in giving a **** when you're taken as a joke.
Why argue my point when you're blind to my mind?
I get better and better at keeping the anger inside.
Go with the flow is too gentle a phrase, for the ***** I don't give the more that I age.
People will come and those people will go, no longer will I cry and let my soul feel hope.
And I'm ****** if I do
Definitely ****** if I don't,
But I can handle being ******
Simply because I won't
327 · Jul 2024
Lighter Fluid
Kalliope Jul 2024
When the spark is gone
And just a candle burns
I can't promise I'll be around

See the wax it melts,
So painfully slow
But the sparkler,
Knows how to put on a show

The wax could warm me,
And make me feel whole,
Scented with safety and patience

But the fireworks?
They make my heart race,
And for a second it's my only focus

And I know what they'll say
You can relight a candle,
A sparkler's a one time thing

But that won't stop me,
From fighting for the spark
Even if it keeps me on my knees
All good things come to an end
So they say
Or do I end all good things?
326 · Apr 2018
I Didn't Love You
Kalliope Apr 2018
I can't remember your name but I remember how wrong it felt to let you inside me
322 · Apr 2018
Shut Out
Kalliope Apr 2018
When you wouldn't hear my words
I tried to show you with my actions,
You just stopped looking at me.
Open your eyes please
313 · Dec 2024
Thin Ice
Kalliope Dec 2024
Everything is blue,
There's no air left in my lungs,
The weight has crept out of my soul,
It's seeped into my bones,
Now I'm sinking faster,
There's nothing near to grasp,
I don't have it in me to make a life saving decision fast
But I knew summer was coming,
And everything's melting quick,
Maybe this is the downfall,
That makes everything in my brain click
311 · Aug 2024
Backwards
Kalliope Aug 2024
I grab a brush,
Just to ruin the painting

And with my pen,
I'll disrupt the flow

When I open my mouth,
I butcher the chorus

And I only spew facts,
Everyone already knows

A walking disaster,
Filled with good intent

Busting through walls,
Instead of being let in

Happy to be here,
Not knowing when to leave

Mistake after mistake,
Never stopping to just breathe
I wouldn't hold my hand either
Kalliope Apr 2018
I tried to disappear a few times,
You always found me.
I don't know if that makes me
Love or hate you.
310 · Oct 2024
Caregiver
Kalliope Oct 2024
Only worth what I can give, never allowed to be seen,
I tend their wounds and clean their rooms, but no one's concerned about me.
Money to borrow, chores to be done, tears to be wiped, words to be sung.
And I like to do it, but I'm all worn out
I can't keep on giving when I'm left out.
But I'm talked over, my words not worth your ears,
And my hands are unseen, unless alleviating others fears.
I've asked for help, and patience, and time, but I'm told that's life and I should step back in line.
If your cup was empty I'd give you half,
But I've filled so many cups,
And no one's filled mine back
310 · Apr 2018
Toxic
Kalliope Apr 2018
Our good days were good but our bad days were **** near catastrophic.
307 · Jan 2019
No Vacancy
Kalliope Jan 2019
With an open palm
And out stretched arm
You grasp my hand
But once again you take no weight
Intertwine your fingers with mine
Make my heart skip beats
Just long enough to transfer
Your demons
They play well with mine
I've got no space
I'm filled to the max
I take them anyway
With my heart in cracks
You're never here for me
But I can't tell you no
306 · Sep 2024
What's Today Again?
Kalliope Sep 2024
Yesterday's here again
Tomorrow never comes
I lay around and daydream about old love
Yesterday seduces me
Day after day
Soon I'll see the future
But probably not til the grave
Yesterday loves me
And has a grasp on me so tight
I'd give Tomorrow a chance
But it doesn't feel right
Yesterday is unfinished
A story untold
An ending I'll rewrite
Until I'm grey and old
But tomorrow could love me
It's trying it's best
It's waiting so patiently
For me to put Yesterday to rest.
But Yesterday was certain
Tomorrow is new
Yesterday was comfort
And Today?
Well it's blue
306 · Jun 1
Snippets #4
Kalliope Jun 1
What's the price on sanity these days?
Could I doordash it?
noon
306 · Apr 2018
Menthols are Lonely
Kalliope Apr 2018
Whenever I flip my lucky cigarette
I always wish for you.
You don't like the smell of them.
305 · Oct 2024
Mr. December
Kalliope Oct 2024
One man today, another man tomorrow
To have been mixed up with you
Gave me everlasting sorrow
For the time that I spent and the tears that I wept
Always making sure your heart and house were well kept
The mean you that I hated, the goofy you that I loved
I'm not sure how the two coincide or if you were ever in love
Compassion for you I still carry but the anger never goes away, I wonder if I'll ever heal from you, this pain likes to stay.
And I picked you apart,
Incessantly studied your brain,
But all of my effort was made in vain
303 · Oct 2018
Conscience Whispers
Kalliope Oct 2018
I'm stuck in my head
Can't get out of bed
You leave me on read
You don't care what I said

I can't feel love
Not even heaven above
Your hearts I will shove
I'm someone to dispose of

It's all good and well
My hopes have all fell
My soul I will sell
I'm going to hell
Some deals are made to stop pain
301 · Aug 2024
Twisted Neck
Kalliope Aug 2024
And still I look back
On the bad days
The ones with the fights
And the yelling
Cant forget the tears

And still I look back
On the good days
The ones with the love
And the affection
Can't forget the feeling

And still I look back
Before I met you
And my heart wasn't broken
Can't forget how you changed me

And still I look back
But do you?
Do you think a brace would force me to live in the present?
300 · Mar 27
Summer Days
Kalliope Mar 27
You asked me to jump in the river,
Last I was here I nearly drowned,
You assure me it's safe, like a dip in the lake
But I just stand here and stare at the ground
You're tugging and pulling and teasing and mocking, it's all such good fun for you
But Im stuck in a daze, reliving the ways the current swirled and looped
You're starting to get impatient, we're hand in hand,
My feet stuck firm in the sand
You're disappointed I couldn't follow through
I'm disappointed too
Once an avid aquatic, till that river turned me neurotic
I'd love nothing more than to be at ease swimming with you
293 · Apr 2018
Flawed Dreamer
Kalliope Apr 2018
I broke my own heart dreaming I could deserve someone as perfect as you are.
291 · Apr 2018
Unsolved Mysteries
Kalliope Apr 2018
I never fully understood why you felt the need to beat me into submission when I'd already surrendered myself to you after you said you loved me.
291 · Apr 23
No Call Back
Kalliope Apr 23
She'll nail the audition, she always does
She even gets the lead more often than not,
But like clock work, her performance declines with each rehearsal
She can't hit the notes,
Her costume begins fitting funny,
Don't get me started on her choreography,
But she'll pursue, until she's booed
Off the stage on opening night.

And this is her curse,
She'll nail the first verse,
And have seemingly no control as she gets worse
Why does every director leave her wondering if there's something wrong with her?
Kalliope Apr 2018
I fell in love with love long before I ever fell in love with you.
289 · Jul 19
Snippets #24
Kalliope Jul 19
Every bump is part of the ride

It'd probably be smoother

If I stop running red lights
Long morning roadtrips quite quickly turn introspective
289 · Apr 2018
Awakening
Kalliope Apr 2018
I was familiar with rough hands but I'll never forget how gentle she was when she touched me
278 · Aug 2024
Deja Vu
Kalliope Aug 2024
Familiar but distant
Different yet the same
I can't believe you still have that t-shirt,
What's made you come around again?
Time has aged your face
But your eyes haven't changed
And I can't look away
271 · May 9
Stages of She
Kalliope May 9
Once I was a caterpillar,
Curious but often naive,
Observing from the ground,
Waiting for my time to leave.

Then I was a luna moth,
Silhouette whispering to the moon,
Drawn to the heat and fleeting warmth,
Of men who did what they wanted to do.

When I was a black widow,
A man eater they'd say,
I lived recklessly in my villian era,
Until my empathy got in the way.

I think I'll try again as a hermit,
Not very brave but tired of bleeding,
I traverse through this sand,
Longing for a shell that won't demand meaning.
You'd call this an easy retreat,
I call it surviving what's left of me.
271 · May 15
The Long After
Kalliope May 15
My feet move forward but my mind stays stuck,
I walked this road alone before, I tried to stop picturing you with me, no luck.
Though I know you're long gone, I still see you peripherally,
A shadow seeped into the corner of every memory.

Everyone I've ever loved has a home in me,
I let go in body, but in spirit you're weaved.
A tasty snack, an even better smell,
You're in my air, in this breeze, embodying a perfect  nostalgic hell.

I have new goals, new friends, new skills
From time to time I still think of our thrills,
Sometimes it's quiet reflection, sometimes its tearful and loud,
It's wild how I can still find you in once familiar sounds.

I can't bring you back but how I wish I could, if I could do it all differently believe that I would,
If I found you now would the spark remain the same?
Souls are so fragile, and who knows what time has changed.
I watched an anime recently Frieren: Beyond Jounery's End,
And it just really struck a cord with my soul
269 · Apr 20
Forty Three Patients
Kalliope Apr 20
Forty three patients, forty three lives, all counting on me under a license thats mine,
There's medicine to pass and treatments to be done, I'm trying to be fast but I am only one,
Her blood pressures low but his blood pressure is high, bed 36 is in so much pain now that they've begun to cry,
I don't mean to be so in and out, I want to take my time and ease your doubts,
a listening ear,
a reassuring touch,
But its hard to manage when corporate doesn't care about patient care so much,
To me you are person, to them you are dollar signs, I want to hear about the life you've lived but if I don't chart we'll be fined,
I'm trying so hard to get everything done, I want to be there for you,
But if I fall behind on this paperwork, they'll just replace me with someone new.
So I'll brush your hair and bring your favorite snack, after I pass all these pills I'll try to come back,
I want to take the time to listen to you
While I can't chat for 45 minutes, even when I'd really like to, I remember which pudding you prefer your medicine in, and your sons and daughters names too
I know what time you'll likely be in bed, and the time you'd like to get dressed, I know it's not enough, and I know you get depressed,
But I hope you can feel I care for you
It's long term care, it is their HOME
And they should feel cared about
Even when they're alone
267 · Jan 15
Life Map
Kalliope Jan 15
If I go to the left I miss out on the right,
And I'll never know what's right for me.
But I sit and feel doom, and plead with the moon to illuminate what I need to see.

The path was a fork, cut black and white
A simple 50/50 decision.
But under moon light, it's more than I thought, with unpaved paths through the grass that have risen.

A beautiful maze, all of these ways I could get to my destination,
But each road I turn too, the next one I yearn for, so I'm stuck here in purgatory station.
I don't want to be one thing,
I want to be all,
A mother, a lover, a friend, successful
But I can't shake the feeling,
That choosing a path
Puts one of my dreams to an end
266 · Sep 2024
27 Temporal Lane
Kalliope Sep 2024
I day dream you know,
Of better days and other ways conversations should have went. I say words with passion that will never leave my lips, spend money I'll never make, experience a life I'll never live, all from my head. I've built the same house since I was 14 looking out rainy windows, so real I can smell the fresh coat of paint on the living room walls. I've planned the same wedding since I was 16 at midnight staring up at my ceiling, so real I can feel the tears on my cheek while reciting my vows. But I'm 26 and I'm scared of failure so I don't try, the fear so real I can feel myself daydreaming my life away.
And everything goes right in my head
And I don't make mistakes
My front door's painted red
And I succeed at every risk I take
264 · Jun 2
It's Dark in Here
Kalliope Jun 2
A vivid imagination
is good for the soul
It makes you funny,
makes you feel whole
Ideas on ideas
minute after minute,
Make believe so real
you feel like you're in it
Until the negative thoughts consume the plot
Imagining the worst, more often than not
260 · Jun 4
Ms Dismissed
Kalliope Jun 4
They always think I'm dumb
That I don't understand,
I don't know what I'm talking about- I don't have a plan
I ask questions if I don't have a clue, so why is it assumed I don't know what to do?
I'm educated, I always got good grades
Why does everyone treat me like I live in a daze?
They double check me- every word that leaves my mouth, I'm never met with equal standing only others doubts
I can't vent or rant or cry or ramble
I'm only met with lectures on why my life's in shambles
All I needed was a compassionate ear
I should have long ago realized I'd never find it here
259 · Jun 14
Grey Petals
Kalliope Jun 14
He sent me flowers

I told him I loved you

I could have just said thank you
A bouquet doesn't bloom just because it's given
255 · Apr 22
Three
Kalliope Apr 22
Three years a mother
                       Look at you so tall!

Three years a juggler
                        Be careful don't fall!

A mother, a lover, a nurse, a friend
                        Go on now baby let's hear you count to ten!

A sometimes yes to the invite
                           Poor baby has the flu!

An often last minute cancelation
                           The sitter has something else to do!

I feel so tired, exhausted, and lonely
                           Wake up little baby let's get dressed for the day!

Not welcome in spaces where once I was praised
                            Come on goofy girl we've got a busy day!

But I can be a mother and love you just the same
                            Good job my baby you said your own name!
A woman, a lover, a nurse, a friend
Im all these things at once,
So why did adding mother complicate it for you in the end?
254 · Jul 17
Family Table
Kalliope Jul 17
Sitting at this table,
My sisters in their place,
My brother at the top,
With a baby by his waist.

We’re mostly parents now,
With our kids in tow,
But when I look at your faces,
I see the little kids I used to know.

We all have our own lives,
Of our own creation,
No longer just play pretend
On some summer vacation.

A brand new generation,
Being raised by us,
They’re little and young and free,
And I love them all so much.

Even when I don’t see them,
Or weather cancels our plans,
Being a sister, a mother, an aunt-
The best roles I could ever land.

And we’ll sit here at this table,
Loud, chaotic, and such,
Often I’m sad, honestly mad,
But in this moment, life has given me so much.
We don't play hide n seek anymore, or hideway to sneak smoke ****, but hearing all the children laugh and play- for now, what more could I need?
253 · May 2024
Blue Roses are Forever
Kalliope May 2024
I found a seashell next to your picture today.
I'm not sure how it got out of its jar
I'd like to think you moved it there.
That was your way of letting me know everything's okay
And that it's been a while since I talked to you last
249 · Dec 2024
Fist to Cheek
Kalliope Dec 2024
I'll fight you to the death
Over every trivial detail
About things we can't unsay
Moments years have passed

I'll fight you till I bleed
If it means you won't leave

I'll fight you every day
For the months yet to come
Even tho you'll never be my home again

Its still contact
No matter where it lands
And bleed I did, all over your floor
But I've cleaned it up, I'm not your problem anymore
245 · Aug 2024
Rot
Kalliope Aug 2024
Rot
There's an ache in my chest
That travels through my bones
I can't get any rest
I feel so alone

I feel like I could split open
Even bleed out on the floor
Would my eyes finally close then
Not feeling this pain anymore

I know it'll go away
I've felt this before
But it brings me so much shame
When I can't get off of the floor
I'll feel nothing next week
Until the cycle repeats
240 · Apr 2018
Nice
Kalliope Apr 2018
A word used only to be polite.
You don't love her if you think she's "nice"
239 · May 29
Just a Moment
Kalliope May 29
If I sit here just long enough,
maybe I'll forget

Just for a minute

If I let the sun kiss my face and the breeze cool my skin,
maybe I can pretend

Just for a minute

If I focus on the birds and my little girls laugh,
if I could just be present

Just for a minute
For sixty seconds, I just want to feel secure.
For sixty seconds, I want to be sure
that I’m allowed a good life,
and I don’t have to be the one who ruins it.
239 · Jun 16
New Mantras
Kalliope Jun 16
The worst they can say is no
The worst that can happen is I'm wrong
The worst that can happen,
isn't the worst at all
The world will still turn,
the sun will still shine,
the moon will still listen when
I'm not feeling fine
I can move on or learn something new,
I don't have to fear the unknown,
I can be me-
not what's wanted from you
And every day it gets easier to breathe
236 · Apr 2018
My Mistake
Kalliope Apr 2018
I've always been in love with who I hoped you could be, not who you are.
235 · Jun 5
Just Girls
Kalliope Jun 5
To the girls who grew up too fast,
now women who cling to hopes of magic,
I'd like to propose a toast and raise a glass-
the reality we escape from is tragic.

Whether your vision is a knight or prince,
or even a jester at times,
I want you to know I feel less alone,
drinking tea and reading your rhymes.

To the ones who whisper to stars at night,
who still make wishes when clocks strike eleven- eleven,
we may not have fairytales etched in gold,
but we scribble our own versions of heaven.

To the ones who carry too much weight,
and still find time to dream,
here’s to healing in fragments and poems,
and patching our hearts at the seams.
Therapy is expensive
Poetry is priceless
234 · May 2
Boxes and Bags
Kalliope May 2
Ill pack up your things,
Toss them in the yard,
Your clothes and my rings,
I'll throw them so ******* far

You don't have to worry,
They'll be back in their places tomorrow,
I'll make you breakfast I'm sorry,
I know better than to act on my sorrow

The comings days will be fine,
A few weeks of apologetic bliss,
I know you'll keep crossing my boundary line,
But **** I crave your venomous kiss
I can't blame you when I won't let you leave,
I always crawl back with my heart weeping at my sleeve

I know that you won't but I hope that there's change,
Hopelessly sticking around I know growth is in your range
233 · May 26
Mauve Days
Kalliope May 26
My days are all purple,
Not yellow, not green,
But a lavender, orchid, and lilac
shaded screen
My vision ever tainted
With visions of you
231 · Apr 15
Is it Poetic Though?
Kalliope Apr 15
When the days are long and the laughter is loud, I never remember to write it all down.

I can't write the happy thoughts,
The good days,
The calm.

I only feel poetic when everything goes wrong
When I put the pain on paper
It's like saving it for later
Removing the feelings from my brain
Until I can reread it when I feel sane
230 · Jun 17
Snippets #16
Kalliope Jun 17
You'd think I'd learned my lesson,

So many years ago,

To never add anything new,

I've never let anything go.
1830 now
1830 tomorrow
1830 forever
225 · Jul 11
Snippets #23
Kalliope Jul 11
Someone asked if I know you today

Which was odd

I said no

I only once knew you
And I wish I never knew at all
223 · Jun 10
Chasing Yesterday
Kalliope Jun 10
I was in it, then I wasn’t.
Days flew by, dragging as they passed.
Now, I’ll never get that time back.

At sixteen, I wished on stars for this age.
Now, I’d trade the world just to rewind.
Funny—how I lived for the future,
And now the past knots me ******* blind.

Rewriting days that came and went,
Haunted by words I never said.
I try to face forward, but my neck won’t budge—
Staring at my failures instead.

I’ve tried to live in the present,
Tried to make it feel like home.
But one foot’s anxiously in the future,
The other mourns the past all alone.

The past calls for my soul and my bones,
Every time I sneak back, it drags me down,
Reliving moments that leave my future more dull.

Everyone that cares is here in the now,
But I never stay for long—
I'm always time-jumping,
My fixation on past failures dragging me along.

The time-traveling woman—
Trying to perfect love,
never accepting what is,
Always trying to fix what was.
If I broke my time machine,
                          Do you think I'd stay put?
222 · Nov 2024
Suburbia
Kalliope Nov 2024
Maybe it's time to go,
But I don't know how to leave.
There's always something to say, you never just let me be,
This house raised me with anger but also made me, me.
How can I walk away when it's all I've ever seen?
The children here I protected, the adults I witnessed fall
I can't relive this past anymore, I'm almost 30 after all.
This room holds so many memories, there's secrets in these walls.
How can some place be so comforting, yet keep my life on pause?
There's hatred in the air, masked by family dinners and decor, nothing can be out of place, you may only cry behind closed doors.
To feel sadness is to show weakness, and these people are out for blood, I've learned survival all these years, but sometimes I let the feelings flood.
Use your hands to be helpful, and your mouth only to smile, don't show your cracks, the answers no so don't ask or be prepared to be shunned for awhile.
As a child I was treated too grown,
As an adult I've been treated like a child,
What an interesting mix of generational trauma,
No wonder at times I went wild.

But now I have a daughter
I dont want to raise her madly
I want her to grow happy
And not walk this earth so sadly
221 · Jun 2
Snippets #6
Kalliope Jun 2
I'd have to **** part of myself to live the life my mother wants
And the worst part is she really
believes that's best
It's 8 am and I'm searching for comfort
Just to be treated like disappointment
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