The Poetry Marathon

Hour 9

** What am I? **

You wake up from no sleep,
or even a dead sleep from alarm.
Exhausted you slide out of bed.
Start your shower.
Go into the kitchen,
Take the spoon dip it in the silky shell shaped brownish things and let them grind and start its process like every other morning.
You take your hot shower.
Get dressed.
Come back into the kitchen,
Mixing the ingredients in this delicious drink.
You sit at the table staring off into space until you finish this magical thing,
That’s supposed to give you energy.
Some people it makes them fall asleep, some people it gives them energy.
And this is something people all around the world make every single day.
And then drink it because its good.
And gives energy.
Some, people think its insipid.
Like me.
I have no intention for it.
But, other people do.
What am I?

~April Sue Kraniak~

Hour 8

**Cinderella (Dark Twist) **

Imagine you grew up
Playing Cinderella.
Daddy was the king.
Mommy was the queen.
The two mean girls at school are the evil step sisters.

Now, imagine.
Daddy barely knows you cry your eyes out to fall asleep at night.
Because the evil step sisters.
Mommy is still queen but knows nothing.

Instead of cleaning the house on the night of the ball.
You are bawling your eyes out.
Making more cuts that will turn into scars.

Instead of finding prince charming you found
your best friends which are a piece of metal,
your pen and paper, and hoodies.
No, ball gowns and no glass slippers.
Just hoodies and jeans.

Instead of marrying prince charming,
you leave the note on the bed,
Mom finds the note and screams for daddy.
You never went to the ball,
You never met prince charming,
You never married him,
Daddy never walked you down the isle.
You will be forever missed.
Even by those evil ‘step sisters’
Prince charming was the boy in your class who loved you deeply.
You would have found out sooner or later.
But, now we will never know.
We love you Cinderella.

~April Sue Kraniak~

Hour 7

Sarah,

Please?…
I read those
Dull, dark,
frightful words.
You have to stop doing this to me.
Do, your realize what you do to me?

My heart
dies & comes back.
Tears roll down my face.
They dry up.
As more and more come.
Stinging.
Burning.
More and more flood out.

Please?
Stop, hurting me like this.
I can’t loose you.
Ever.
Please?
Stop hurting me like this?
Its all I’m asking.
Please?
It hurts me more than you notice.

You have to stop doing this to her.
So, she’ll stop doing this to me.
Just, stop okay?
It hurts my heart worse,
than anything…
Please, stop?

Yours truly,
April.

~April Sue Kraniak~

Only A Dream

“Only A Dream”

Dreams of waterfalls, sunshine,

Rainbows, and lush green fields with colors abound,

A breathtakingly beautiful landscape.

I am most assuredly dreaming.

If so leave me be,

Do not wake me,

Let me roll around in the fields, stare at the sky,

Find silly shapes in the clouds,

Poof!

It is gone, I woke up,

It was only a dream.

I Held My Breath (24)

The dark waters rose.

I had to slip into them.

I held my breath.

A Distinct Lack of Anywhere (23)

Here

There

Nowhere

I am nowhere else but inside myself.

It cannot be be otherwise.

You see, there is a distinct lack

Of anywhere anyone could be.

After Leaving Her (22)

What would they say,

Those from the coffin ship days,

To know that we hurtled through one night,

Eight miles above the ocean,

And came back to Ireland

After leaving her?

Touching Down (21)

Touchdown

This is Ireland

Again

I am in no shape to greet her

I think she knows me well by now,

And knows I need a moment alone.

 

Mist (20)

The eyes need rest

From seeing.

The mind from thinking.

I want to fall into the mist of nothing.

Whoosh.

What is the sound of this buffering mist?

Let It Be New (19)

The hands of the clock spin wildly.

I have nothing to say anymore.

I am tired of this voice.

If I have to have one at all,

Let it be new.