The Poetry Marathon

Eyes to see more than they should,
A mouth to be misunderstood,
Ears to hear both truth and lies,
A mind to always wonder why,
Two hands to hold and write and sew,
Two legs to take me where I go,
Lungs to breathe and gasp and thrive,
A heart to know that I’m alive.

I woke to the smell of burning. The scent wafting through my hazy sleep riddled mind, pulling me from the land of dreams into the cold reality of the early morning.

I woke to the smell of burning. Escaping from the nest of sheets my hand reached for yours and found nothing but the cold side of an empty bed.

I woke to the smell of burning. The hallway light stung my eyes, stumbling and blind I lurched towards the lingering smoke.

I woke to the smell of burning. And there within the kitchen with an apron and a smile, you held up those blackened pancakes like they were the finest thing you had ever created.

Five years old, “Who do you want to be?”

A pilot and a diver and a sailor on the sea.

Ten years old, “Who do you want to be?”

A teacher and an artist and a kind mother to three.

Fifteen years old, “Who do you want to be?”

A doctor and a lawyer with a bachelors degree.

Twenty years old, “Who do you want to be?”

A person who remembers what it’s like to be happy.

He bought her favourite sweater,
It was red and very loud,
Said it was so I could find her,
If she lost me in a crowd,
It wasn’t very fancy,
Just a pull-over-the-head,
But you’d never seen a person,
Look so wonderful in red,
For me it was a beacon,
A sign that things would be okay,
And I’d bury my face in it,
Until the world had gone away,
Then on the day she found out,
She picked me up early from class,
And we drove and drove forever,
Watching the world go streaming past,
And I didn’t understand,
What all the tears and screams were for,
But I saw that bright red sweater,
Laying crumpled on the floor,
That one discarded item,
Said more than her words could say,
She wore it so she wouldn’t lose me,
But it was her I lost that day.

The words he spoke were fairy floss,
Their taste so sugary sweet,
You’d swear if it was possible,
They’d be all you’d ever eat,
But the thing with wads of fairy floss,
Is they’re always quick to melt,
Until you’re sticky with the memories,
Of the love you swore you felt,
And suddenly you see the truth,
You crave it less and less,
For a little sugar’s always nice,
But it isn’t worth the mess.

I held onto the afternoon,
My fingers tinged light pink,
With fear of what was coming soon,
For night brings time to think.

But like the dawn turns into day,
The day turns into night,
Lost and lonely on my way,
I held the fading light.

And as the sun sank lower still,
I felt the thoughts emerge,
Filling me with icy chill,
As fear and fact converge.

The darkness now consuming stains my mind a shade of black,
And though the sun is coming I know I’m never going back.

Compound eyes and sticky legs,
You buzz around their head,
You see it coming from afar,
One swat and now you’re dead.

I scream my name out to the canyon walls. At least, I believe it’s my name. It’s been 2 months 3 weeks and 5 days since anyone said it.

But it’s not like I’m counting.

It bounces from the rust-red rock and twists its way through the night air, startling a flock of birds from the trees and getting lost between the sound of their squawks and flapping wings.

Even they can’t stand to hear its jagged sound.

Night seems darker when you’re in it alone. Like the light of another human being can scare aware the looming presence of the nightmares hidden around each bend.

But the nightmares come.
They always come.
And I’m the only one left alive to come for.

I hugged against the stone cold bricks,
As lanterns lit my way,
The darkness in the corners,
Had never seen the light of day,
My steps rung out beneath me,
Bouncing free from wall to wall,
But still I dared continue down,
The endless castle hall,
I heard the world above me,
Heard the town-folk come and go,
Not knowing that a secret,
Was escaping far below,
Then like a light tsunami,
Sunlight flooded through my eyes,
A message I had made it,
Safely to the to the other side,
These people wouldn’t miss me,
Not one small soul would give a damn,
So I gathered up my last resolve,
And to the hills I ran.

Tall and strong and graceful,
Whispering gently in the breeze,
Nothing to be scared of,
Not a person you should please,
Tall and strong and grateful,
Teach me your most inspiring ways,
Send my roots down through the earth,
And teach me how to sway.