I Write
I write because
If I did not
I would cease to exist
I could not breathe
Writing is life to me
Words, beautiful words
Terrible words
Wise words
Foolish words
Words can change the world
Use with responsibility.
There’s Maybe a Light
I pluck a wilderness
To match the warm darkness.
I snuggle into a ball,
Feeling the cold begin to touch my head.
I squint,
There’s maybe a light,
Maybe a light.
Make me a light.
Tiny Alice
For a moment I could be Alice in Wonderland,
but I am a little afraid of falling in the rabbit hole
and of shrinking moments after only to remain
stuck in the smallest room in the world!
But mushrooms are so good that I would taste one
even if the result was turning into Peter Pan!
But what child doesn’t dream once of becoming
the eternal Peter or Clara from the Nutcracker?
So I will remain stuck for a few hours
if the result is gaining knowledge!
I like exploring and discovering new things,
that’s why I’m eager to have tea and meet the bad queen!
The secret
I vaulted your secret
I carried your pain
I held onto it
I wore its shame
I hugged the one who hurt you
My love for you both the same
Your secret is our secret
until its not one day.
Silence the Silence
Screaming sirens silence the silence
salient surveyors
survivors spinning still
but stillness isn’t comfort
when it’s the center of the vortex
one of
natures erasers of the permanence of man
Run!
Hold her close and R U N !
You waited a bit too long Honey, best get in here quick!
no need for the crying. We know
you’re the new girl here
It was a hard decision, the babe was only two, in months and not a minute more.
Oklahoma, home-a the tilt-a-whirl flying circus death defying deity dependent
Bible-school and bible-belt
spare the rod spoil the bastard
alone in the storm with a baby in your arms
Run!
skirt ripped off
the trailer
and no one to trust at all.
Run!
you can make it. Don’t drop the baby. Don’t squish the baby. Don’t lose the baby.
Baby. Baby! Babeeee mine.
Eight by eight and six foot under, a bare bulb burning holes in the too dark darkness as it swings with the surges of the wind throwing shadows on the faces of the mass of huddled mass. Bulk of strangers. Come on down. You’re out of time. Hand the baby over.
The wind is screaming, the baby shrieking. You’re out of time. Sweaty hands around you, a ragdoll in their arms.
The door slams shut above you, the lock is slid in place.
Time passes without measure.
You cannot see a face.
Hour 6: Snake and Mouse
Snake and Mouse
Eyelid slide, shutter click
Bristle of fur, whisker twitch
A furious beat, a tiny heart
A drum, a time piece, with no escapement.
All the while, scales of gold
Moving, articulated, slow
A calculation, a maneuver
Black-eyed, dead-eyed, taught.
Inevitable darkness falls,
A being’s true nature calls
contraction, constriction,
A gentle slide to oblivion.
Cinquain #1
Anger –
jagged heat.
roll, tear, burst!
leaving me small.
Fury
Hour 5
A red brick facade, a stately double door
Curios adorning the walls, crystal chandeliers shining down
The warm glow from the fireplace with armchairs completing the look
The open, inviting kitchen where meals are cooked with love
The cozy library in the corner with a hundred books lining the wall
The laughter of kids emanating from the playroom above
My hand caresses the furniture I set out in loving detail
I promise myself this will be my home someday
Be Careful
Poem 6
Be Careful
By: Ashley L Powers
Be careful what you pray for
Prayed to God to feel loved by a man like you
He placed you in my life
And what did you do?
You destroyed me
So God replaced you
In return gave me a miniature version that carries the same name as you
God that was a petty move
I guess next time I’ll be a little more thorough when I talk to you
The Yellow Fleck
Hour 2
I made the wish
I said the prayer
“Find a way to spare her”
I knew the path
I saw the future
“There won’t be a way”
I saw one miracle
I needed one more
“Be prepared to lose her”
But when I saw your yellow fleck
in my daughter’s eyes:
Magic