Grave

I always imagine
How I’ll see you tomorrow
And always you see
Nothing of my sorrow
Just what I show
Which you’ll never know
Isn’t six feet
Of my dwelling below

Closed

My mind cannot be read
Nor can tears that went unshed
Be wiped away
There is only what you say
In all its destructive glory
And all the words you bury
Are your burden alone.

Mother

I’ve been afraid to act with joy
But that never bothered you
You have lived with others’ bitterness
And done the best that you could do

You have laughed at what was funny
Even if only to you
And persevered when others, envious,
Hated when such smiles grew

You have lived a life of sorrow
And pretended that you never knew
I pray that I’ll remember this
And take my strength from you.

***

Happy Mother’s Day.

Selkie

She’d been alone for all she’d known
And so to spy him by the sea
With his broken heart beside, unsewn
Struck her own so tenderly

She ached to come up from the foam
And ached the more that he could see
No more a seal without a home
But a beautiful selkie

Instead, she only watched him go
And her sadness filled the sea
But the ending would be always so
And a binding would not make her free

Some Scars

I’ve watched you leave so often
My heart’s become like steel
Yet underneath, the wound still bleeds;
Some scars never heal.

I Remember

I still remember what it was
To be held in your arms
A warmth I’d never known
A worth I’d never been ascribed

I still remember what it was
To look into your eyes
A cleverness I rose to meet
A calm that overcame surprise

I still remember what it was
To sit there side by side
A glance into your soul
A chance to listen and confide

I will remember what it was
Long after you’ve forgotten
A beautiful memory
A web you have me caught in

Pretense

Can I fit into the little box?
Can I be what I believe I must?
Can I just discard the thoughts:
The greed, the pride, the anger, lust?

Can I cut off inconveniences
And still say that I am whole
Or will I, in my running, find
That I can’t outrun them all?

In Sheep’s Clothing

“Be wary of devils, little angel;
Watch out for the thorns.
There are always those who will try and show you hell;
Manipulators who will use you for their own needs and nothing more.

Don’t let them take your innocence;
Don’t let them bend your principles.
Be careful of the hypocrites
Who care not for your precious soul!”

But I am not an angel;
I am, for sure, a rose.
There’s a place Down There I know quite well…
And the best manipulation is the one where no one knows.

Yearn

I wonder if you can understand,
That I kill pieces of myself
Just to prove I can;
Just to see if you can bring them back again.

I wonder if you can understand,
That when I said what I said
I wasn’t saying “go away,”
I was saying “come back another day.”

I wonder if you can understand,
That I’ll hide beneath every rock
Just to see how many you’re willing to turn;
And if you aren’t at all — then you’ll never get to see how much I yearn.

Thin Disguise

My weak disguise is wearing thin;
I wonder what we’ll find within?
If what’s there is worth setting free;
And if what I sometimes was will someday be.