When they cry
I provide comfort

When they scream
I tell them they have the right

But they don’t notice it in me
For my tears flood my heart
And my screams are silent

I have some hard battles
I just keep them inside and quiet

yes, I'm a poet
and I'm proud of it too
but reality sinks in letting me wallow in self-pity
I'll always be the poet
never a poem
I'll write about their eyes
their laugh
their perfect imperfections
but no one will capture my laugh
my smile
my beautiful flaws
I will always be a poet
but never a poem
I will write about beauty and grace
about love and heartache
but no one will turn me into a poem
I am stuck giving people words
and never getting any in return

Give me back
all the things I
left behind
the friendships
I never formed
the hatred
the hunger
the love I threw
away blindly
the sleepless
lonely nights
tormented by
the fear of god
give me back all
the days I spent
dreaming in
restless desire
give me back
my strength
my birth
my mothers
warm smile …
Clay.M

Sometimes I sit and wait
for morning, maybe it will
be different this time,
maybe the sun will refuse to rise,
maybe if I fall asleep I will
miss the continual darkness,
maybe if I close my eyes
for just a moment
the world won’t seem so sad …
Clay.M