Beauty overlooking envy
“Look at me” he whispers, shouts, screams—
But all anyone ever sees is themselves, and are we so impressed?
What is a reflection? A gauge of outer beauty that only matters when one is looking.
What happens if I close my eyes?
What happens if I go blind?
Does your beauty stay?
Or does it fade like the sun below the horizon?
Does your beauty hold the same weight when everything looks the same?
Like black, like empty, like nothing.
Only brittle to the touch and sharp enough to cut—
Oh Narcissus, I could build a garden to your vanity
And still you would be unsatisfied.
“Look at me” you would still whisper, shout, scream—
Of all things of beauty upon which I could lay my gaze
I think I will choose these flowers over your garden any day.
Oppressed
Trapped in the cages you built around me
I am a strong woman but you seek to belittle me
And every word I speak is an attack on your character
Do you think me spiteful, hateful?
Or do you fear the truth you might find in my words?
I have tried to speak with a gentle voice—
And you did not hear me.
I have tried to shout with power—
And you shout louder to drown me out.
Now I roar with the breath of a dragon—
And suddenly I am dangerous indeed.
Chipping away at the chinks in your armor—
You are vulnerable now—
But your pride scrambles to shield the flesh exposed.
Witch, you call me.
Ungrateful, because you have given me everything.
I do not deny the things you have given—
Wonderful and bountiful indeed—
And for them, I am eternally grateful.
But respect cannot be bought
Nor can love or submission
Every day I grow stronger and I say:
I dare you to dismiss me again.
Some Kind of Poetry
And it was some kind of poetry
That spilled from my heart before
Jumbled and messy
Like back when I was four
Or perhaps that was fourteen
All the world before me
Always using someone else’s wings
Mine too broken and dirty
Lift me up, lay me down to sleep
For these forgotten words I weep
They were songs and poems
Fairytale and stories
That my heart dreamt while sleeping
And my hands wrote while daydreaming
And oh, as I remember them
Soft and sweet like a lullaby
Maybe something even better
Than my mother’s voice at bedtime
They were my words
They were my hopes
They were my soul
Pretty and ugly
And bare and full
They were some kind of poetry
That’s all I remember now
Rhythms and steps—that a younger me had found—
That the me of today—all grown up and proud—
Can never know, can never sing
Again aloud
It’s Not A Love Song
[Chorus]
I wrote a song about you
It’s not a love song
It doesn’t paint you true
But nobody will know that
[Verse 1]
I think I could have been kinder
But I could have been colder
When I was trying to love you
I cut myself on your shoulders
And I remember kissing collarbones
And counting all your freckles
And I remember kissing pictures
And counting all our smiles
[Pre-Chorus]
It’s not love if it was just pretend
That’s why this doesn’t count as giving in
[Chorus]
I wrote a song about you
It’s not a love song
It doesn’t paint you true
But nobody will know that
[Verse 2]
Your hand in my back pocket
That’s where you said you’d leave it
And I, walked away feeling high
But then you removed it
And I got to thinking
Maybe that was just another lie
[Pre-Chorus]
It’s not love if it was just pretend
That’s why this doesn’t count as giving in
[Chorus]
I wrote a song about you
It’s not a love song
It doesn’t paint you true
But nobody will know that
[Verse 3]
So now we’re worse than strangers
Cause we never knew better
I’m not the one who did you wrong
You broke my heart first
So don’t hate me
Cause I dragged yours through the dirt
Maybe I was too insecure
Always thinking of you
Thinking of her
[Pre-Chorus]
Maybe it’s love cause it wasn’t pretend
So maybe I was wrong and now I’m giving in
[Chorus]
I wrote a song about you
It’s not a love song
It doesn’t paint us true
But nobody will know that
But nobody will know that
[Outro]
Oh this song’s for you
And everybody knows that
She Is A Wonder
She is not what he imagined:
A universe of stars trying to hide behind the sun.
He paints her
With a body made of stars and hair colored twilight,
she peaks from behind a burning sun, eyes shining with the Milky Way.
She is a galaxy inside a girl.
And she is a wonder.