Thoughts In The Night Time

How I wish there was an off switch the moment my head graced the pillow with its presence

But instead, I am left with a bombardment of thoughts and questions 

Things I am not prepared to answer 

Questions, I am still afraid to truly ask 

I wish there was an off switch

Synchronized with the lights 

So when I dimmed the room for relaxation, my mind grew foggy along with it 

Take The Armor Off Babe

She carries that shield as though the armor upon her chest may give way from multiple defenses

Crossbow in hand to ward off those that approach from enemy lines 

Daggers at the ready because sometimes they say to keep your friends close but your enemies closer

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She spent so long trying to keep the dangers away, she forgot she also wasn’t letting love penetrate her skin.  

She didn’t realize that leaving the bandages on her wounds for too long were allowing them to fester

Trapping the insidious 

Killing all she thought she was protecting 

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So, take the armor off babe

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Let your heart breathe 

Take some weight off of your shoulders hun

I know that you have felt heavy for some time now 

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Take the armor off babe 

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Feel some sun on that skin

Start some healing from within

Feel his touch 

Because you need it just as much as he 

Soak in his love 

Because you both deserve for you to

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Take off the armor babe

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You are okay

I Promise you

This Is How I Want to Remember Her

writing prompt from FANDANGOS FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE #FFFC

This was how I wanted to remember her.  Even though, at so and so years old, wanting to run off and play.  Freezing for a dozen pictures sounded more like torture than a distant memory that I would cherish.  A memory that I coddle like Teeny the tiny hamster, perched upon my palms.  A moment that I prepared to lunge and grab if it came too close to scurrying away.  I hope that the eye rolls and the whining, while she squinted to get the picture just right translated in some way to “I Love You’s”.  I hope that all the groans and rushing off to someone else translated in some way to “I never want to lose you” and that she knew that I loved her with all my heart.  

As the years passed by, the squinting progressed into an honest inability to see.  Her fingers no longer had the dexterity to push the buttons on that darn camera.  It was too late to teach her to use a smart phone and standing long enough to herd us all together for a picture was practically an impossible feat.  

In less time than I realized, I became the one that wanted to capture every moment together.  I was the one that pushed her to smile for my camera, who recorded all of our adventures, even if it only took place in the comfort of our living room.  

In less time than I realized, the circle of life had made its complete circle.  I was making jokes and tricks to try and get her to eat as much nourishment as possible.  I was changing her soiled clothing.  I was comforting her when she was having a tantrum.  

I loved her even more then.  In all those moments, I realized how unconditional love can really be.  How much of the extra means nothing, when you are focused on the happiness and well being of the people you hold dear.  

But, this  is how I really want to remember her.  Chasing us around to capture a glimpse of our happiness.  The love in her effort.   The care in her intent.  Squinting to get the picture just right.  Standing strong for all of us to remember.  

Sunday Spoken Word : And Her Name Is…

original post: And Her Name Is…

Again, it’s impossible to get anyone to understand what anxiety feels like, when you don’t suffer from it yourself. This is my struggle with anxiety, with the evil whispers that anxiety likes to speak on a daily basis and the fight to keep my anxiety under control.

The One That Got Away

She was always “the one that got away” 

The one that loved until her heart bled dry

The one that gave and gave

Until even her capillaries collapsed from being hollow 

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She was always the one that held on too long 

Until her calloused hands gave way 

Until her knees buckled from the weight 

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She was always the one that felt a hand reach out for her

As soon as she was just out of reach 

The one that heard her name being called from the tree tops 

As she ventured out of the city 

The one that saw fireworks spelling out her name 

As she rode her own self out into the sunset 

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Because she never needed anyone to take her on that bike 

She never depended on anyone to keep her warm 

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She was a fire all on her own 

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She may have been directionally challenged

But give her the tools and by God she will find herself exactly where she needed to be 

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She was always “the one that got away” 

Because the men in her life didn’t know whether to fan her fire 

Or deprive her of the oxygen to shine 

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The men in her life were either terrified that beside her, 

She would either burn much brighter 

Or push them to ignite their own 

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And neither option ever felt right for them at the time

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She was always “the one that got away” 

Because once she decided she was done 

She was never turning back

She was never refueling her heart for the same drive 

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And the men in her life thought that 

She would always be there to pick them up when they fell

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In every love story, she was never replaceable

Her fire burned a different shade of bright 

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In every love story, 

The new, the next, and the right after 

Sat dim in comparison to her

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In every love story, 

They looked for her

They cried for her

They feened for her 

They hungered for every bit of love she fed them

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Because you never know what you have lost

Until it’s really gone

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You never know what you have lost 

Until you tasted and nothing tastes as sweet 

Until you have hugged and no one is as warm 

Until you have tried and realized that no one else 

Compares 

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And you fear you will see her hand in hand 

With someone that appreciates her 

With someone that loves her 

With someone that is ready to fan her fire 

And ignite his own

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Because that is exactly who she needs

When a fire shines that bright 

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A man who wants to feed her fire

Not because she needs him to

Not because she will wither away without him 

But because he is fueled by her beauty 

He shines just as bright without her

But glows with her by his side 

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When fire meets fire 

She is no longer “the one that got away”

He is no longer the hands that got burned by her flame

They are no longer fires at either end waiting 

For who will survive without oxygen the longest 

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Because their flame shines brighter with them together 

Their fire brightens the pathway forward 

Their fire pushes the darkness away from their souls 

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She is no longer “the one that got away” because 

She is shining

She is loving 

She is HERE 

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Neversilencethemadness.com 

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#bloggerstyle #blogger #poetry #poemsofinstagram #poetrylovers #poet #spokenword 

Sunday Spoken Word : When You Think You See Me…

ORIGINAL POST: WHEN YOU THINK YOU SEE ME….

My attempt at doing the impossible, getting people that don’t have anxiety or panic attacks, to understand what it may feel like. Especially since so many people that suffer with anxiety have the capability to appear completely fine, while they struggle within.

She Wanted it So Badly, She Decided She Didn’t Want it at All 

She thought she knew what she wanted 

She thought that it was all planned out and laid out in front of her

The hopeless romantic in her, told her that she would fall in love 

She would get the ring, she would get married, have the babies, live in the beautiful home with her family and her dogs

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One broken heart after another 

She began to retreat a little bit further

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Maybe it was the amount of times her heart broke 

Maybe it was a defense mechanism building a wall around that heart 

Maybe time made her begin to lose patience

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But she began to feel as though

Maybe she didn’t want that dream anymore 

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Maybe that dream was never meant for her 

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It was an endless disappointment every time she fell in love without bearing the fruit of the future

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It was an expectation that she was exhausted from wanting to fulfill 

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She wanted it so badly, she decided she didn’t want it at all

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I mean, what was it all really? 

Besides money on a finger, besides signatures on a paper 

Maybe there were more cons than pros anyway 

It’s not like any of it meant promises wouldn’t be broken on a future day 

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Maybe she had just become jaded 

Maybe fear had taken over 

That maybe vows meant nothing to her future lover 

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Either way

She couldn’t tell if it was frustration or sadness 

Desperation or fear 

whatever it was 

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She wanted it so badly, she decided 

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She really didn’t want any of it, anymore

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Neversilencethemadness.com 

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#bloggerstyle #blogger #poetry #poemsofinstagram #poetrylovers #poet #spokenword 

WEDNESDAY: Work Up the Courage To Do Something You’re Afraid Of

I was struggling here lol but ….. Love the song .. so .. eh… here it is …

All I ask – Adele

There are so many things in this life that I’d love to do, but feel so shy to do, scared to do, timid to do. Little by little I have broken through small hurdles.. and today, I wanna try to jump over another one. 

All my life, I have loved singing. I would sing karaoke through the night, as long as I thought no one could hear me. As soon as I heard a door creak, my throat would close, and I couldn’t get a note out. I would say, the only person that has heard me sing at the top of my lungs is my partner. Thank goodness, 🙏 he allows me to sing through all the road trips, through all the cleaning days without judging me, without complaining that I’m an ear sore 😝. 

He make me feel so comfortable to be my 100% true self. Open, vulnerable, raw. I am in no way, a great singer lol, but I love to sing, I love listening to the passions in others’ voices and I wish that for myself. My partner encourages me to love myself and my passions, he is super supportive with the things I do end up trying. 

Anyway… Here I am, working up the courage to do something I’m afraid of. I still feel shy recording myself singing, I’m terrified to make it public lol. But …. why not… live my life, love myself, and stop holding back.

Sunday Spoken Word: Broken Pieces

original poem : BROKEN PIECES

Sometimes, we feel like we have been through so much in our life that we broken.

Sometimes, we meet that person that wants to be there to hold your hand while you heal

and sometimes, I think we worry that those burdens are just way too much for our loved ones to hold on to with you and in reality, it isn’t anyone else’s responsibility to heal you.

but sometimes we meet that person that wants to hold your hand while you heal despite the difficulties, despite tears, because they love you.

Her First Love Story

He listened to her intently as the tears fell from her cheeks 

He stared at her bewildered as she gasped for breaths between words 

Had he known that his choices at the precipice of her love would break her even 20 years into the future, he might have chosen differently

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But would he really? 

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As she lay, curled into the blanket, limbs writhing from the pain radiating from her heart, from the memories of her past, he stood there, mouth gaping wide 

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How could he have been so careless? 

How could he take her gentle soul and defame it ? 

How could he take all the love she gave him and set it down as if it wasn’t the most precious gift she could have offered? 

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“Your love traumatized me” she wailed

“I gave you every part of me” she groaned

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As she doubled over in pain, in weakness, in horror

There was nothing he could do but place a hand on her shoulder for comfort

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She was right 

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Every way that he had fractured her heart initiated the deep cracks that still find themselves way too difficult to heal 

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No matter what she did to smooth out the edges, fill in the holes

No matter what man came to her with love and praise and affection 

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She was never able to satiate the ache her heart felt 

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His words echoed in every future relationship 

His doubt and hesitation manifested into her fear for the future 

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And with each failed love story, she felt increasingly defeated 

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A little more hopeless 

A little more helpless 

A little more pessimistic 

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But his love story, their love story 

Will always be the love story that broke her

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Their love story will always be the one that started it all 

Their love story will always be the one that took her gentle soul, her innocent love, and her forgiving heart and crushed it, demolished it, tarnished it

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He wished with every fiber of his being that he could rewrite their love story

That he could erase the pain 

That he could heal her broken parts 

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But a love story cannot be rewritten, it cannot be unwritten

She just has to find a way to give herself the happy ending that she knows she deserves on her own

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Neversilencethemadness.com 

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#bloggerstyle #blogger #poetry #poemsofinstagram #poetrylovers #poet #spokenword 

WEDNESDAY: Work Up the Courage To Do Something You’re Afraid Of

I Found a Boy- Adele

There are so many things in this life that I’d love to do, but feel so shy to do, scared to do, timid to do. Little by little I have broken through small hurdles.. and today, I wanna try to jump over another one. 

All my life, I have loved singing. I would sing karaoke through the night, as long as I thought no one could hear me. As soon as I heard a door creak, my throat would close, and I couldn’t get a note out. I would say, the only person that has heard me sing at the top of my lungs is my partner. Thank goodness, 🙏 he allows me to sing through all the road trips, through all the cleaning days without judging me, without complaining that I’m an ear sore 😝. 

He make me feel so comfortable to be my 100% true self. Open, vulnerable, raw. I am in no way, a great singer lol, but I love to sing, I love listening to the passions in others’ voices and I wish that for myself. My partner encourages me to love myself and my passions, he is super supportive with the things I do end up trying. 

Anyway… Here I am, working up the courage to do something I’m afraid of. I still feel shy recording myself singing, I’m terrified to make it public lol. But …. why not… live my life, love myself, and stop holding back.

Sunday Spoken Word : I May Be Nothing But a Stranger

original poem : I May Be Nothing But a Stranger

People cross our paths every day whether it’s a lasting relationship, first and only impression, or a person meant to change our route and walk away. We never know what someone else is going through. The least we can offer anyone in this world, is compassion. We need to have love, spread love, give love, to be able to be someone that is capable of receiving love in return.

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time 

He swam to her

They locked arms 

And she grew 

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She grew 

She grew 

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She surprised her makers with a hello 

She wasn’t planned and

They didn’t know how to take the news 

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She was fighter 

She lived through the doctors visits

Her heart beat for her another day 

So excited for life 

She left her home a month early 

Her landlord, not a word to say

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She was loved, she knew 

But unwanted, she felt 

Each morning she feared the ridicule 

Each night she shuffled the cards she was dealt 

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Every moment that she had a breath to take

She feared the choices that she would ultimately have to make 

To stand up for the person she knew she was 

To stand up to the people who were suppose to show her love 

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She met him

They locked arms 

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She grew 

She grew 

She grew 

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He took her away from home 

Saved her 

But broke her too 

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With him 

She began to learn what it meant to be herself 

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Wanting to be loved 

But he reinforced the doubt she felt

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It imprinted on her 

Like the skin she lives in 

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Penetrated her mind 

Inhabited the dreams she slept with 

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She lived her life onward 

Pushed through 

Defeated 

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She made sure 

It was never a man she needed 

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She poured out her heart 

Giving all her love 

To those she cared for 

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From those she loved 

She never expected more 

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She wondered sometimes 

Why the journey 

Played out the way it did 

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Why one survived 

And the other one didn’t 

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She questioned sometimes 

Her purpose 

Her place in this time

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She wondered 

When the chaos would end 

She wondered

When peace would take over her life 

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The question remains 

And she may not ever know 

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But for the first time 

Since she was a little girl

She saw the treasure waiting for her

At the end of the rainbow 

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Neversilencethemadness.com 

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#bloggerstyle #blogger #poetry #poemsofinstagram #poetrylovers #photgraphy 

SUNDAY SPOKEN WORD: Dimples, Deep as the Oceans

Just a poem about a woman who lost her son in one of the most unimaginable heartbreaking ways and the way that she still smiles toward the world and tries to carry on with her life. We never know the hurt that is going on within someone else. So, let’s all please be kind, love, allow yourself to be loved, and ask for the help when you need it. ❤️

original poem : Dimples, Deep as the Oceans

He Made You Believe

When his lips touched yours 

All the wailing cries from every heartbreak 

Were sucked out of your body 

Like a cleansing of your soul

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When your fingers touched, 

Every tear you cried became the fuel for a better tomorrow 

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When you handed him you heart, he buffed out all the imperfections 

Left by the men that couldn’t handle you 

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And he gave it back nearly perfect 

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He made you believe that you were his forever 

He made you believe that he was yours too 

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The happiness in your smile makes me believe 

That you thought he would never leave you 

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He spoke to you of all the ways 

And all the ways 

And all the ways 

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He spoke to you of the future 

And all the days 

And the way he would stay. 

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He held your hand and you thought

“This warmth could survive me through a winter storm”

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You wouldn’t imagine life without him anymore 

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Yes, he made you believe 

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That it was you and him forever 

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You couldn’t have known that it would be your last December 

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When he walked away so suddenly, your heart was ripped entirely from your chest

He promised you so much more

He handed you so much less

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He made you believe you were his forever

He made you believe he was yours too

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Then you were stuck in the sidelines as he rode away with her to get away from you

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As he rode into the sunset with his new love between his arms

You were deserted, deflated, embarrassed, appalled

Because the one you loved so quickly

Never really loved you at all

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Neversilencethemadness.com 

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#bloggerstyle #blogger #poetry #poemsofinstagram #poetrylovers #poet 

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WEDNESDAY: Work Up the Courage To Do Something You’re Afraid Of

There are so many things in this life that I’d love to do, but feel so shy to do, scared to do, timid to do. Little by little I have broken through small hurdles.. and today, I wanna try to jump over another one.

All my life, I have loved singing. I would sing karaoke through the night, as long as I thought no one could hear me. As soon as I heard a door creak, my throat would close, and I couldn’t get a note out. I would say, the only person that has heard me sing at the top of my lungs is my partner. Thank goodness, 🙏 he allows me to sing through all the road trips, through all the cleaning days without judging me, without complaining that I’m an ear sore 😝.

He makes me feel so comfortable to be my 100% true self. Open, vulnerable, raw. I am in no way, a great singer lol, but I love to sing, I love listening to the passions in others’ voices and I wish that for myself. My partner encourages me to love myself and my passions, he is super supportive with the things I do end up trying.

Anyway… Here I am, working up the courage to do something I’m afraid of. I still feel shy recording myself singing, I’m terrified to make it public lol. But …. why not… live my life, love myself, and stop holding back.

killing me softly

SUNDAY SPOKEN WORD: Rediscovery

I wrote this poem back in 2016, after moving to LA from Northern California. I came here for Nursing School and I made the move all alone. I walked away from a long term relationship because he wasn’t ready to make the move with me and that left me feeling very confused. I was proud of myself for making the move, for my future, for my well being. I was excited because I was beginning this new chapter of my life filled with growth and it was a road I knew without a doubt that I wanted to take, but walking away from someone that I had spent the last 6 years with in the same breath, was heartbreaking. The first year or two in LA was a time for rediscovery. I was learning how to live my life for myself and not having to worry about another persons needs. For the first time in my life, I was only needing to care about what I wanted and what I needed. But I was left with insecurities that ran deep into my childhood and were reinforced by a relationship that didn’t work. That’s when I found my passion in dancing again and I realized within those years how much dancing filled me with happiness, and confidence. It took time before I was able to slowly break free from some of the constraints I had within myself, but I owe all of it to music, dance, and a special someone that never gave up on me. In the moments that I was at my lowest, I had someone new in my life that never let me feel the insecurities that weighed me down. When I didn’t have the confidence to shake the thoughts off, he was there to remind me of how amazing he thought I was. Eventually, I began to believe it.

It’s amazingly true, that positive affirmations can change your mindset and change your life. Even when I struggled to believe ALL the things, he pushed me to say them over and over again. He made me believe them, and eventually I rediscovered the love that I had for myself.

I still struggle on a daily with insecurities, with anxiety. I still question myself and have doubts. I still keep myself in a bubble and shy away from things that I enjoy because of my own fears of letting loose. But I work on it every day as well. I have a supportive partner that encourages me to love myself and reminds me of all my potential. Every day, I hope to rediscover more about myself, love more about myself, and break away from the bubble I keep myself in. Every day is a new chance for change and growth that I hope to continue for the rest of my life.

original poem : Rediscovery

I KNOW YOU LOVE HIM

I know your heart aches for him hun

But he is no longer yours to love 

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I’m sorry that he rode past you in the sunset 

I’m sorry that he made you feel as though you weren’t enough

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He took the little pieces of your broken heart, sewed them back together 

Just to take that seam apart 

His bare hands with a ripper

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I know you love him babe

But his heart belongs to someone else

He took his heart 

Placed it in her hands

The cards that he holds

Are the cards that he’s been dealt 

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You need to let him go, love

His hands are no longer the hands for you to grasp when you are afraid 

Because when she becomes lonely 

her body is where his hands lay 

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women move on when they are ready 

Not a second too soon, not a moment too late

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But hun, you cannot fight what is fate 

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There is so much more to life, love

You will find the one that wants you near 

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But he is not the one you are searching for 

The love of your life, is not him, my dear

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Neversilencethemadness.com 

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#bloggerstyle #blogger #poetry #poemsofinstagram #poetrylovers #poet 

SUNDAY SPOKEN WORD: Don’t Lift Me Up to Drop me

I’ve always LOVED listening to spoken word. Some really amazing poets have made me cry my eyes out with their beautiful words and the way that they convey those emotions in spoken word. I have been shy my entire life and things that I am passionate about are things that I find difficult to be open and vulnerable in. I decided to start recording my poems starting from the first one I have posted here on my blog.

I have always been super uncomfortable on camera especially on video, but I want to start breaking out of my little shy bubble and trying different things for my own self growth and self love.

This is my first time recording a poem like this, so please be gentle. One day I hope to be able to not be so shy and perform my poetry with the emotions that I feel with them…. until then… here I go…..

original poem : Don’t lift me up to drop me

MY GRANDMA’S LAST GOODBYE

A lot happened in the short amount of time between when my grandma got sick and when I lost her. The timeline is something that I feel like I will forever hold dear. In my last full conversation with my grandmother, she spontaneously called my sister and I on video chat and she talked to us while I was on my way to work. She spoke of all the things she normally mentioned, we said our goodbyes, we told her we loved her and that we would talk to her later.

The thing that I thought was odd about that goodbye, was that she asked me to call her on my break. She never asked me to call her that quickly. She would usually say something to the effect of “call me later, talk to you soon” but she never told me to call her on my lunch break. I didn’t think too much of it, but the next time I was able to really talk to her, she was on oxygen. We spoke for a moment, she was able to talk to me, but I could tell it was hard for her to speak for very long, so I told her to rest and that I would call her again soon. She gained her wings a few days after that.

I fight tears typing this memory of my last moments with my Grandma because, like everyone I know that has lost a loved one, we wish we had more time, we wish the phone call was longer, we wish we could have visited one last time. I know that I called my grandma often, I know that I always made sure I told her how much I loved her, and how much I missed her, but I wish I could have done more.

She helped raise me my entire life. My memories of her are all good ones; rocking me on her legs when I was sick, hanging out with me at the mall. She would always stop at McDonald’s and get a fish filet with fries and no salt with a Diet Coke. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized it was never called a fish filet, and that it was called “filet of fish”. She would walk me to the library as a kid and feed my love of books. We would go to random stores and she would ask me to pick something out that I wanted, and I was always browsing book stores for my next favorite read. We would sing karaoke together as my Grandpa would say we were out of tune 😂. I would help her with her little yard sales and packing her balikbayan boxes.

My Grandma held one of the biggest parts of my heart and losing her was something I feared for forever.

ANYWAY

The point of my post was not to reminisce about my Grandma, but to tell you about a dream I had after she passed away.

Whatever your spiritual or religious beliefs are, I have to say, there is definitely a common thread between people that have lost loved ones, and then dreaming of their loved ones saying goodbye.

A few days after losing my Grandma, I had a dream. I was being driven by someone on the backroad of somewhere. It was evening it seemed like. looked like a storm was coming but it wasn’t raining yet. I was thinking that I needed to find my Grandma because I knew she was leaving and I needed to see her before she left. I ended up catching her going in the opposite direction as I was on the road, and we flipped a U-turn and met up with my Grandma in some garage. We both got out of the car and hugged each other super tight. We were both crying and I was telling her

“I don’t want you to go home yet, I don’t want you to go”

and my Grandma replied “I have to go”

It was then that I woke up and I was balling my eyes out. The rest of that day was a hard day. But I knew that she was telling me goodbye. She was giving my soul a last hug from her. She was letting me know that everything was going to be okay.

I heard somewhere that when we lose loved ones, we are so saddened by that loss, we are sad for them. The reality is, when our loved ones gain their wings, they are at peace. They are surrounded by their lost loved ones. They are happy. The reason why we are so saddened is because we are sad for the moments we won’t have with them, the moments we will miss them, the moments we want them to have with us.

I am sure that our loved ones are sad to leave our physical world. but once they gain their wings, they can be with us always. They will be with us in all those moments, they are beside us when we need them most.

Maybe you don’t believe in the afterlife. Maybe you don’t believe in spirits or them being able to visit after death. But for me, I find comfort in knowing my Grandma reached out to me. She gave me a hug before she left. We cried together, we said goodbye. And she waits in heaven with Grandpa and her siblings, for the day that we are all together again.

For anyone that knew my during all my prerequisites in college, this EXACTLY what I looked like on the couch studying. Every single day.

I LET HER SLEEP BECAUSE I KNOW…

I let her sleep because I know .. 

when she’s awake her thoughts are a minefield 

Speckled with all the moments that make her heart explode with sadness 

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.

.

When she is caught dreaming 

I let her enjoy those minutes

.

.

.

Because I know that the second she is awake 

She is bombarded with a laundry list that she alone has made urgent

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.

.

I let her sleep because for a few short breaths

Her brows are unfurled 

Her face, peaceful 

And as soon as that is interrupted 

The worry and anxiety creep in 

.

.

.

Every “what if” is a scenario that has happened

All possibilities become fact 

Intervened by the rational parts of her mind 

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.

.

Her psyche 

A sword fight 

With no real winner 

While she sits in the audience preparing for which 

Long lost friend she will have to have to put to rest first 

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.

.

Her body 

Ready to fight 

Her legs ready for flight 

Adrenaline coursing through her veins 

To save her from the unknown monster 

She’s struggling with that day 

.

.

.

You see… 

.

.

.

I let her sleep because I love her 

I let her sleep because there is only so much I can do to save her 

There is only so much I can do to protect her 

.

.

.

And when I see her peaceful,

Even for just a moment,

I could never take that from her

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Neversilencethemadness.com 

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#bloggerstyle #blogger #poetry #poemsofinstagram #poetrylovers

WHEN DEATH CAME KNOCKING

I understand why she wanted

To walk away from this world

Why, when death started knocking

She opened the door and let him in

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.

.

She was tired of all the moments that her heart broke

She was tired  of mustering  all her strength to put it back together

She was tired of the endless fear 

The chipping away of her plaster encased heart

And the fragile contents within

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.

.

When death came knocking 

She smiled and opened the door 

“I’ve been waiting for you” she said 

“Take me, death.  I have grown impatient”

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.

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What torture this life has been

The never ending strive for better

For happiness 

For success 

For love 

For acceptance 

For laughs 

And hugs 

And tender fingertips 

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.

.

Passionate kisses were never so hard to find

.

.

.

And 

A man that would throw her heart around 

Was always around the corner

.

.

.

But when morning comes

And the truth invades

She wished that she could not exist 

She wished that she could tear through the temporary comfort that softened her fall 

She wished she could rip through her own skin 

Make herself inside out 

Bleed until she slept an endless nap 

She wanted to break faces 

Hear her echoed screams 

Burn a house down to its bones

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.

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Why was life so difficult?

.

.

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Why was happiness a foreign language,

That surfaced so few and far between?

.

.

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She wanted it all to stop 

Her worry 

Her beating heart 

Her fear 

Her tears 

.

.

.

And then death came knocking at her door 

She smiled her own mischievous smile 

And said .. 

“Take me”

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Neversilencethemadness.com 

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#bloggerstyle #blogger #poetry #poemsofinstagram #poetrylovers

The Crimson Petal and the White

This book had been on my shelf for years now. I’ve meant to read it, and started it a few times. It wasn’t for lack lack on interest that I didn’t read it, I just found myself too busy to dive into an 800+ page book. Based in 1870s London, it is about a 19 year old whore working her way up in society. I can’t wait to finally get to finish it. Anyone what wants to read along with me… I’d love to Have you 💋

*fun fact : this was the book Emily Gilmore mentions in an episode of Gilmore Girls lol

I Will Dance With You Forever, My Love

When the music starts 

I know where my feet will take me 

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When the music ends

I know whose hands will lead me forward 

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You are my strength 

When my body feels weak 

.

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I am your warmth 

When your body feels cold 

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.

I will dance with you forever 

My love 

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.

My fingers will always be there to interlace

With yours 

.

.

Like puzzle pieces created to fit 

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Your hands on my waist 

Your hands on my hips 

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“When you dip, I dip, we dip” 

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.

I will dance with you forever 

My Love 

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As long as the music plays 

My feet will dance their way towards you 

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But when the music ends 

And all is eerily calm 

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When the room is empty 

And all is gone 

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We will create the music to drive us 

We will find the melody to take us home

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Neversilencethemadness.com 

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#bloggerstyle #blogger #poetry #poemsofinstagram #poetrylovers #poet 

POT PIES REMIND ME OF MY MOTHER

As I sit here on my lunch break at work tonight

I dig into the first pot pie I’ve had in years 

Daydream of my childhood 

When my mom would make pot pies for dinner 

When we had blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream for a treat 

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I didn’t know then

What a simple pot pie would mean to me now 

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.

I didn’t know before

The warmth of this pot pie 

Would also bring warmth to my heart 

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Remembrance of the family I lost

The time we had together 

The aroma of laughter 

And a stomach full of stability and peace 

.

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Pot pies, apparently remind me of my mother 

Of the days when she was my mommy 

Of the long evenings playing in the backyard 

Of the living room workouts 

Of the halloween costumes that she would make from scratch

Of the movie dates 

Of karate class

When she would cheer me on from the side lines hoping I would eventually throw a punch

Of the leotards for gymnastics 

Of the cartwheels I couldn’t do

Of the long sushi lunch

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It all reminds me of her

Of my little hand in hers 

Of our chubby fingers 

And our chubby toes 

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Laughing about the little things that only her and I know

.

.

Pot pies remind me a lot of my mother 

.

.

When she would call us in for dinner 

Dance her way around 

With hugs strong enough to smother

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When she would sit us all down 

Sing her way to the freezer

And then surprise us with dessert

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Neversilencethemadness.com 

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#bloggerstyle #blogger #poetry #poemsofinstagram #poetrylovers

Most Days

Most days 

I do the things I Love 

I seek out the things that make me happy 

I love the people around me that I hold dear 

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Most days 

I dance because I love the music 

I sing because I love the words 

I cry because I feel the passion 

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Most days 

I live my life 

Go from point A to point B 

Grateful for the day I have been given 

Hopeful for tomorrow 

Learning from the memory of my past 

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Most days 

I inhale the beauty that this world places before me 

I exhale the impossibles 

And I get myself to tomorrow 

.

.

But ….. 

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.

Some days 

I miss the comfort of being able to call you any time of the day 

To hear your voice 

To vent insecurities 

To remind ourselves that we are queens 

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Some days 

I really miss the road trips 

The Cuddles 

And hearing your laughter 

I miss the way your hand held mine 

The way your laughter turned your face red 

And I could barely catch a glimpse of your eyes 

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Some days 

I fear that I will never be able to laugh again 

That I will forever only be able to giggle 

That I will only have enough happiness in me to smile 

.

.

Some days 

I fear that I will never be whole 

Because you are no longer with me 

There will always be a veil of sadness 

There will always be a piece missing 

.

.

Most days, mother

I tell myself that everything happens for a reason 

I find comfort in knowing that you are happy and at peace 

Free of the stress and struggle that the physical world hands us 

.

.

But some days, mother 

My heart breaks from your absence 

My heart aches for the future we will not have together 

For the grandchildren you will not meet 

For the dances we will not dance

Songs we will not sing 

The unfinished dreams that you held in your pocket 

That never got to see the light of day 

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Some days, mother 

I miss you so terribly

I cannot believe that you are not here with me 

But I get myself together

Wipe the tears 

And I make it to tomorrow 

Love Made Them Foolish, Nonsensical Lunatics 

He was foolish 

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.

He reeked of inexperience 

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Lacked the emotional wherewithal to create something worth while 

.

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But the look in his eyes said he wanted to try 

.

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The passion in his lips said inexperience in one doesn’t mean inexperience in all 

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He was an ASININE excuse for a partner 

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But as a lover, he was a 5 star vacation of a lifetime 

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He begged to prove he was more than face value 

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Climbed mountains to show he was more than skin deep 

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Ripped open his heart to prove to her that there was even a heart to see 

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She was foolish

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She reeked of a woman with too much experience but a heart too big that none of it mattered

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She lacked the emotional wherewithal to stand by her word 

.

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But the look in her eyes said she wanted to try 

.

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The ache in her heart meant she still had enough of one in there for one more heartbreak 

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But she was willing to put that piece of her heart in his hands and trust him not to crush it

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She was an ASININE excuse for a partner 

.

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Because she was all-in with one foot out of the door at every moment

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But as a lover, she was a 5 star vacation of a lifetime 

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.

She begged to prove that she was more than just broken pieces 

.

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She climbed mountains to show that the glue holding her together was strong enough to carry them both 

.

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Ripped open her heart to prove to him that there was enough in there to keep on loving

.

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They were an ASININE excuse for partners 

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Love made them foolish, nonsensical lunatics 

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But as lovers they were a 5 star vacation of a lifetime 

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And at the end of that lifetime, who wouldn’t choose to live it as such?

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In what love story, are there lovers that aren’t foolish, that haven’t lost their senses? 

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In what scenario does love not make you both a little crazy for each other? 

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I truly do not know, but if you ask them, they will tell you…. 

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It is going to be hard, but most things Worth having usually are

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True love, knocks us a little off our senses 

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But at the end of every day you just have to say

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I choose you 

Response to NEVER SILENCE THE MADNESS POETRY PROMPT “ASININE”

The Universe is an IMPLACABLE Thing

With every twist and turn

The world tried to tear them apart 

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Whispers that linger 

Cuts that sting deep

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The unforgiving movement 

That made one nauseated while they sleep

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Photographs 

Pyrography etched into ones mind 

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Memories

The reality that there is never really time 

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But the universe is an implacable thing 

With it’s mind made up 

There is no real twisting and turning 

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Every bump in the road 

Every detour 

Every kink in the path 

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What is meant to be 

Will be 

And the universe will handle that 

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She is adamant, relentless 

She is unforgiving when she knows what she wants 

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The universe doesn’t care which way the world tries to turn 

She will spin it backwards and forwards 

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She will linger

She will haunt

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She drowns out the whispers 

Blows on the cuts 

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Navigates through the moments 

When we all get a little lost 

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She is an implacable thing 

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.

And in the end 

She always gets what she wants.   

Response to Never Silence The Madness Poetry Prompt “implacable”

NEVER SILENCE THE MADNESS POETRY PROMPT “Asinine” 

A few months ago, I started a book club, on FB called NEVER SILENCE THE MAD READER. As I was reading this particular book, our first book of the club, I realized it had so many large words that I had to look up. This was a very discouraging realization because in high school, I had so much pride in myself for being an avid reader. As an adult, I didn’t get the chance to read as much, but I didn’t think my vocabulary was as limited as it was. By the end of the first book, I chalked it up to the book itself. I mean, it was called “Special Topics in Calamity physics”, what else was I going to expect? 

LOL a bunch of hard words….. 

turns out…. It wasn’t the book, because come Decembers book, and I’m still writing down a long list of words I do not know hahaha 

Anyway, I decided to write poems for each word to help me ingrain the definition into my mind. I thought it would help expand my apparently minuscule pool of vernacular. Once I started doing this, I thought, hey! why not start a poetry group and post poetry prompts, I’m already “prompting” myself, I’ll just share it, and others can join if they want to. 

I started a poetry group on FB called NEVER SILENCE THE MAD POET and I began posting my word of the week or poetry prompts. I recently decided, I’ll try sharing it on here as well and 🙏 would love it if anyone would like to participate and tag their ping backs to #NSTMPP

This weeks poetry prompt will be the word “Asinine” 

according to Merriam-webster:

1: extremely or utterly foolish or silly an asinine excuse

2: of, relating to, or resembling an ass

pingback to #NSTMPP 

I’d love to read your work. 

My 2020 Reading List

First, I want to say that, I have always loved reading. In high school I was always walking around with a book in my hand. A lot of times, I wasn’t paying attention in class because I was busy getting whisked away in another land. Falling in love with the characters in these books. As I got older, I found it harder and harder to read for pleasure. I was always busy studying and reading a textbook. This year is probably the year that I’ve read the most since high school and I am so proud of myself lol. I have “traveled” to New Orleans, Nigeria, New Salem. I have been shocked by family secrets, rooted for the underdog, and felt empowered by women and their magic. I have never done book reviews, so this will be a really rough summery of the books I’ve read this year, but I do hope to do this more often. So here it goes…..

IRON LACE

by Emilie Richards

This book weaves together two different generations, two different lifetimes, two different stories. We are introduced to our central character, Phillip Benedict. He’s a journalist that resides in Los Angeles, if you can call a studio with a hotplate, ‘residing’. He comes to New Orleans to visit his mother, a pretty well known Jazz singer in those parts. He has somewhat of a relationship with a beautiful woman named Belinda, but it is pretty obvious that commitment within many things aspects of his life is a difficult thing. Aurore Gerritsen, seeks out Phillip to get him to write her life story for her. She chose him for reasons that will eventually be revealed. She begins her story before she is even able to walk, and it already involved a love triangle, illegitimate children, and murder. It takes the entire book to unwind all of the lives that have been twisted together, all of the loss and the hurt. But in the end, there is relief that the truth is out there and hope that a family once torn apart, can be one day united.

I actually read this book in HS and loved it back then. I decided to reread it before I read the sequel. It is crazy how different you interpret things or how much more you understand from the characters, once you are an adult. I loved this book because it starts off with the drama and then builds the story around it. I love that the overall theme of this story is to take away segregation and unite as a family, no matter what the color of your skin is. There is a lot of history in this story about the riots and war on color at that time. Also, there is an undertone of coming up from nothing to being someone successful, none of which is determined by the amount of money that you make. One of the major loves, in my opinion is Aurore and Rafe. They did a lot to hurt each other, but underneath it all, it was misunderstandings and secrets that broke them. They really loved each other and it kills me even now, to think of how their story ended. There really is a lot more depth here than I am able to speak on. There is racism and sexism and clear segregation of society. It is a lot to unpack, but I did enjoy the book then and I enjoyed it again this year.

Rising Tides

by Emile Richards

Rising Tides begins with the death of Aurore Gerritsen and the reading of her will. She left specific rules to be carried out, everyone listed in the will must stay to hear the entire will over the course of four days and stay together at her summer house in Louisiana or else they will not receive their share. During these four days, more secrets are revealed, relationships patched, marriages broken.

We see Phillip Benedict again, as well as his mother Nicky and her partner. Aurora’s son with his wife and daughter were there although, he really didn’t want to be. I don’t have too much to say about book. I loved it because it was a continuation of Iron Lace, but I wasn’t as emotionally invested as I was in Iron Lace. We get a deeper dive into Nicky’s life after her and Clarence ran away for safety, her struggle coming up in the world and her struggle with love. We get introduced to Dawn, Aurore’s granddaughter and learn of their love for each other and her strained relationship with her dad and bond with her uncle. It is an eye opening story in relation to history, being able to see from our character’s eyes, the hardships they faced with racism and segregation, the war, and the underground ways people were trying to fight for their freedoms. It was a dangerous time to put your foot down and stand your ground. I loved being able to close the circle from Aurore’s life, but I think my heart will always belong to her and Rafe.

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

by Marisha Pessl

This one really had my mind going in circles, in a good way and in an eye opening way. This was the first book in my book club and I felt so bad because I feared the title would scare people away. I always prefaced the introduction with ‘it’s a murder mystery, it’s not what it sounds like’. The book itself is structured very interestingly; each chapter is a name of a book, and I started to panic that I needed to have read these books to get some inside joke, but that panic faded away after the first few chapters. We meet Blue Van Meer and right off the bat, she’t extremely intelligent, well rounded. She narrates this story citing multiple works of literature which also made me panic that I had to read this also or at least look up what these books were, but no need to fear, it is not that serious. I felt like I was getting slapped in the face and reminded that my vocabulary is definitely not up to par. Which, in reality was a good thing because it made me step up my game and work on it. I did have to look up a lot of words while reading this book, but that was MY fault and not the fault of the book itself. Well, we learn right away that Blue has not lived a normal life. She has suffered loss, which I think her emotions seemed kind of detached from, and we are told, that she suffers more as the book goes on. She lived a very nomadic life with her father, changing schools very often, never really living in a place that she could really call HOME. She was already accustomed to not getting too attached to her friends at school. She does eventually become friends with a group at her new school called the BLUEBLOODS, mostly because her teacher Hannah Schneider invited her into it. I don’t want to say too much and spoil the storyline, but for me, the book felt very drawn out for most if it. Events happened that made you question everything, and then all of a sudden, you are rushed within a few chapters with information that came from almost nowhere. It’s like in the movies where they do a sudden reveal, and then go back and show you clips from certain parts of the movie, and it makes you go “ooooh”.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I with that the big reveal was more than the rush of information in the end that we have to piece together, but I guess that is how most mystery plots go. I really wanted more for Blue, and I expected more from her father, but the rest is left to our imagination to hope.

The Girl with The Louding Voice

by Abi Dare

The main character of this story is Adunni, a 14 year old girl, facing the reality of her life in Nigeria. She lost her mom a while back, and is now finding herself being married off for money. She is the girl with the “louding voice” because she doesn’t want to just accept the marriage and bare children, she wants an education, she wants independence. This is a great story on women empowerment and fighting with every bone in your body for your dreams. Adunni gets away from her husband who is trying to force her to have his baby, he is abusive and she fears for her life. She finds herself an escape, where she is again in another abusive household, practically working as a servant to survive. She becomes friends with another woman there that has the same values as she does and wants her to succeed. She helps Adunni out the situation she is in and we are then left to dream of the great things that Adunni will undoubtedly accomplish.

This is a very straightforward story of a girl that is willing to fight for her dreams, even with the world is against her. With an eye opening look at culture in certain areas of Nigeria.

The Once and Future Witches

by Alix E. Harrow

Another book about women empowerment. This book is centered around 3 sisters during a time where magic had become a thing of the past. Magic was more like whispers in the darkness, rather than the powerful being that it was. From beginning to end, this story is all about growth between these sisters. Growth in their bond, growth in themselves as women. There are a lot of underlying themes of needing to burst through confinement, push through being held down and to accept and love who you are. There is love, loss, battles. One of my favorite books of 2020 probably.

So, for my first book review post, I’d like to apologize for it lol . It had been a long time since I read some of them, and I have never written book reviews before, but I was proud of what I read in 2020 and I wanted to share. I’m hoping to improve my future book reviews and not rush it like I did with this.

It is what it is lol ……

let’s see what 2021 gives me….

NEVER SILENCE THE MADNESS POETRY PROMPT “IMPLACABLE” 

A few months ago, I started a book club, on FB called NEVER SILENCE THE MAD READER. As I was reading this particular book, our first book of the club, I realized it had so many large words that I had to look up. This was a very discouraging realization because in high school, I had so much pride in myself for being an avid reader. As an adult, I didn’t get the chance to read as much, but I didn’t think my vocabulary was as limited as it was. By the end of the first book, I chalked it up to the book itself. I mean, it was called “Special Topics in Calamity physics”, what else was I going to expect? 

LOL a bunch of hard words….. 

turns out…. It wasn’t the book, because come Decembers book, and I’m still writing down a long list of words I do not know hahaha 

Anyway, I decided to write poems for each word to help me engrain the definition into my mind. I thought it would help expand my apparently minuscule pool of vernacular. Once I started doing this, I thought, hey! why not start a poetry group and post poetry prompts, I’m already “prompting” myself, I’ll just share it, and others can join if they want to. 

I started a poetry group on FB called NEVER SILENCE THE MAD POET and I began posting my word of the week or poetry prompts. I recently decided, I’ll try sharing it on here as well and 🙏 would love it if anyone would like to participate and tag their ping backs to #NSTMPP

This weeks poetry prompt will be the word “IMPLACABLE” 

according to Merriam-Webster dictionary :

not placable not capable of being appeased, significantly changed, or mitigated an implacable enemy

1. used to describe (someone who has) strong opinions or feelings that are impossible to change

pingback to #NSTMPP 

I’d love to read your work. 

She Wondered if He Ever Spoke of Her Like That

All she wanted was to feel his finger tips 

She wanted to hear songs about their future

She wanted see the score wrap around their bodies as he spoke of all the ways he loved her 

She wanted nothing more than to be aroused by the tales of his day

The plans that he’s made 

The blueprint of his life that had her etched into every corner 

She wanted to feel his lips between hers 

Electricity 

Magnetism 

Fire 

She hungered for him 

Not only his skin 

And his kisses 

Or the way that he looked at her 

She hungered for his mind and his strength 

His vulnerability 

His passion 

His erudite rant on all the things she once knew nothing of 

Or even cared to know 

Watching his wheels turn as he spoke of all the things he loved 

The details of every manufacturer, the rational for every dip and turn 

The intricacies of every click and clack 

The admiration of the beauty and the perfection 

She wondered, 

if he ever spoke of her like that 

Response to #NSTMPP “ERUDITE”

The Petals of the Rose I Am Born

I am defeated 

Wilted 

The petals of the rose I am born 

Pathetic 

In the way she lacks to stand 

The spine 

Her fibers once full of hydration 

Cannot bear to hold her up 

She is thirsty 

Days she went without satisfying the quench 

Days she needed to replenish 

But she lay there wilted 

Not saying a word 

Breaking 

Falling apart 

Pliable 

For the inability to fight back 

I call defeat 

I throw in the towel 

I raise my white flag 

I have nothing left in me 

To fight for what my heart longed for 

You win, my love 

Forgive me

I do not have the strength anymore 

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab

A few months ago, I started a book club in Facebook called NEVER SILENCE THE MAD READER. I decided I’d extend it to my blog and post the books, just in case anyone would like to join along. Feel free to join the FB group to participate in the discussions, but I will also post the discussions here in the comments ( I think that is how I will do this anyway, still figuring it out ).

For January we are going to read The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab. January 1 lands on a Friday, so what better day than to just start there.

week 1 : part 1+2

week 2 : part 3+4

week 3 : part 5

week 4 : part 6+7

My goal will be to post the discussion questions by that Friday after reading.

I’m excited to read with all of you 💋

You Saw a Pretty Thing and You Wanted to Break it

You Saw a Pretty Thing and You Wanted to Break it

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Porcelain made 

Fragile written on it 

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You peered Into the windows 

And you felt the warmth 

Radiating from the hearth 

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.

You sought comfort 

In the man you thought you deserved 

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.

.

As you felt around the doors and windows

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.

.

Checked the hinges 

Checked the boards 

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.

You saw a hidden crack beneath the floor 

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.

.

You seeped your way in 

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.

.

Not carefully 

.

.

Not  quietly 

.

.

You seeped in flooding  

You broke through the crack entirely 

.

.

You tried to warm your hands upon the open fire 

.

.

You burned yourself 

.

.

Fighting for the one thing that you desired

.

.

You saw a pretty thing 

And you wanted to destroy it 

.

.

You took that porcelain made home 

And you dropped it 

.

.

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Never Silence The Madness Poetry Prompt “ERUDITE”

A few months ago, I started a book club, on FB called NEVER SILENCE THE MAD READER. As I was reading this particular book, our first book of the club, I realized it had so many large words that I had to look up. This was a very discouraging realization because in high school, I had so much pride in myself for being an avid reader. As an adult, I didn’t get the chance to read as much, but I didn’t think my vocabulary was as limited as it was. By the end of the first book, I chalked it up to the book itself. I mean, it was called “Special Topics in Calamity physics”, what else was I going to expect?

LOL a bunch of hard words…..

turns out…. It wasn’t the book, because come Decembers book, and I’m still writing down a long list of words I do not know hahaha

Anyway, I decided to write poems for each word to help me engrain the definition into my mind. I thought it would help expand my apparently minuscule pool of vernacular. Once I started doing this, I thought, hey! why not start a poetry group and post poetry prompts, I’m already “prompting” myself, I’ll just share it, and others can join if they want to.

I started a poetry group on FB called NEVER SILENCE THE MAD POET and I began posting my word of the week or poetry prompts. I recently decided, I’ll try sharing it on here as well and 🙏 would love it if anyone would like to participate and tag their ping backs to #NSTMPP

This weeks poetry prompt will be the word “ERUDITE

according to dictionary.com it is an adjective meaning “characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly: an erudite professor; an erudite commentary.

pingback to #NSTMPP

I’d love to read your work.

Hollow Smiles

I watched you glow as he fed you 

Abdomen engorged 

Promises; candy coated words 

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He fattened you up 

Rosie cheeked 

Arms stuffed full of flower petals 

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Honey vibrato 

To ingratiate himself with your pitter patter heart 

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He molded himself into every dream you ever wished for 

He decapitated every monster you ever lived  with 

.

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He woke you from your nightmare 

And he gave you something to live for 

.

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Why then, do you start to feel like something is still missing? 

Like promises are empty 

Smiles hollow 

.

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Why then, is there no warmth between your fingertips 

Or fire in your soul ?

.

.

In the end, 

You do not know 

.

.

In the end, 

You have to let the the dream of him go 

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#NSTMPP

NEVERSILENCETHEMADNESS POETRY PROMPT

I Can’t Unsee It Now

I looked out into the world

And I saw it

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.

.

We are all main characters in our own books 

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.

I couldn’t unsee what I had seen 

All of us walking around with pages and chapters 

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With bookmarks to save the important parts 

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With spines and bindings 

Pristine 

Or stained with living 

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I can’t unsee it now 

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The way our lives play out 

Like the chapters in a book 

Like stories to be told 

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With love and heartbreak 

With turmoil 

And body aches 

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I saw the words written on everyones face

“He had a rough past, and now he’s struggling to reach his future” 

“Her heart has just been broken, but she fought on for her daughter”

“He said goodbye to his dad not knowing it would be the last time he hugged him” 

“ She just found her soulmate, but she really didn’t know it” 

.

.

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I can’t unsee it now 

.

.

.

The way we are all main characters in our own books 

Trilogies 

From childhood 

To Throughout our lives 

To our THE END. 

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It’s become an obsession 

.

.

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Because I just want to read them all 

Every word 

Every chapter 

To feel the bookmarked 

To soak in every reason why 

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I want to flip through your lurid pages

Because you are a book I want to read 

.

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And I can’t unsee it now

Adieu

She told him

.

.

“I want nothing 

I am ninety-one

Please let me go” 

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He looked at her solemnly 

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“Don’t make me do this, 

No” 

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She took his hand and said 

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“I lost the greatest love of my life ten years ago

And I have loved every day that I have been alive, 

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But I miss him so much, 

I’m ready to be back by his side” 

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With tears falling from his face 

He held on because it’s all he knew how to do 

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And  she left this earth so peacefully 

With a node and a whisper 

“Sweet dreams,  baby

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-adieu” 

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Emergency Room War Zone

As I walk through the threshold 

I am assaulted by the sight 

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The smells pummel through me 

The energy as dark as night 

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Screams heard from every corner 

Howls of despair 

the wailing of fear 

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A man crying over limbs

that should still be there 

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A woman succumbing to the 

Fevers that took her 

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The God made Angels 

Frantically trying to do better 

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The Calibanesque  picture before me 

Grotesque 

Mutilated 

Disfigured 

.

.

Is a vision that I would never have been

able to manufacture 

I Hope You Are Dancing In Your Sleep

I ran to him

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.

“Are you okay?” 

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his expression brightened up like the sun 

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“I want to go dancing” 

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He smiles 

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And I laugh to join the fun 

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Tomorrow I heard you are no longer speaking 

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Your breath was taken from you 

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I hope you are dancing in your sleep 

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And my heart sinks knowing 

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That those were probably the last words 

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You will ever say to me 

I Saw The Way You Looked At Him

I saw the way you looked at him

-Enamored 

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Like he was the one that broke the mould

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you loved him 

With appreciation 

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He was Midas 

And you wanted to live surrounded by his gold 

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I saw the way he looked at you 

-Enamored 

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He gazed downward upon you 

Like a fragile chick he wanted to nurture 

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He fed you

kept you warm

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He nestled you on his lap 

Cursed all the fears away in rapture 

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But he dare not touch you 

He dare not lose you 

Although it broke his heart in every way 

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He hurt himself 

For every moment he wanted you to stay 

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One morning you woke

He fawned over you adoringly 

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You saw that your touch brought mountains 

oceans to rooftops of glory 

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You shunned your own fears 

You kept yourself warm 

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You no longer needed him to keep you safe from the storm 

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You made your own palace 

With walls deep 

And walls strong 

.

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And you told him 

“I’m sorry

I do not love you anymore” 

Who Are We?

As the stars turn above us, 

Your head upon my chest.

Your skin pressed against mine

Our bodies made to rest

.

.

I lose the line between who we are 

Because 

Who are you ?

And who is she ?

As the stars turn above us 

Is it really important? 

The “who are we?”

.

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You are the missing piece 

That was unknowingly broken off of my soul 

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I was the missing piece 

that made your body whole 

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You are the part of me 

That I didn’t know I needed 

.

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I was the part of you 

That you needed to believe in 

.

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As the stars turn above us 

And we wonder 

“Who are we?” 

.

.

Just know that we are two bodies 

Who are just 

Meant to be 

.

.

She Loved Until She Lost Herself

She loved until she lost herself

She gave until she was empty

She hung on until her fingers bled

And her hourglass was hungry

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She was an inveterate long time lover

each chapter in her life

sewn together neatly between each love

.

.

Never knowing how to say goodbye

Never knowing when enough was enough

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The Bridge Between Our Souls

When our hands touch 

I am awakened 

.

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Our fingertips 

The bridge between our souls 

.

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Blood flowing

Vibrating with electricity 

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Tantalizing 

Brewing ,

A potion that cannot be undone 

.

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Because I want you more today than yesterday 

And I know I’ll still want you more when the day is done 

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When our lips touch 

A fire ignites within me 

.

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One that only you  know how to put out

.

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I am set ablaze 

Willingly 

.

.

How could you ever have any doubt ?

.

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This body is yours forever 

Because it is mine 

And I put it into your hands 

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To extinguish this fire you set ablaze inside me 

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.

I am your woman

.

.

you are my man 

.

Where Were You ?

They asked you for help

.

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With their silent eyes 

They called for you 

In their muted tears 

They screamed for you to see them 

.

.

Where were you, then? 

.

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Making choices for “their best interests” 

Not caring when they told you

They felt helpless

.

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I’m sorry children

You had no advocate 

.

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I’m sorry your short life 

Had so much sadness In it 

.

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Where were you?

When their silent tears 

Flooded the streets

.

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Sitting in your toasty home 

Cuddled safely beneath the sheets

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How Dare You

I have  been through a war 

Bullets flying pass my face 

Tip toeing around the grenades 

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I lived through the smoke 

bounded by chains

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I have been through it all

Fighting for equality 

Fighting for freedom 

Fighting for life 

.

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I’ve lived through the protests 

I marched for theirs 

Like I would march for mine

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how dare you

The years, the memories, the knowledge

.

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You knocked me down

 Cracked them out of me 

.

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I watched from right above you

As my body went limp 

If my brothers from war 

Could have seen what you did 

.

.

Because we lived through the bullets

We tip toed over the grenades 

But all of your hate

is what took me to my grave 

.

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I Saw The Hate In Your Eyes

I saw the hate in your eyes 

It was clear as day 

.

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The disregard for a life 

That you will soon take away 

.

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No cries from the helpless

Found its way into your soul? 

.

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No tears from the defenseless 

Made you want to make a different call? 

.

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I saw the hate in your eyes that day 

What disregard you have 

For a life you will soon take away 

.

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We Were Meant For Different Loves

What we meant to each other 

Was something much larger than us 

.

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It was hopes 

And dreams 

.

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It was goals 

And love 

.

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It was fear 

And disappointment 

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It was longing 

It was loss 

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I will always remember the way your body felt 

When I rested my head upon your chest 

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The way your arms wrapped around me 

The way you carried me to bed 

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.

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I will remember how your fingertips 

Electrified mine 

looking up at you 

Getting lost in your eyes 

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I will remember feeling like a piece of me was floating away 

When I had to leave your side 

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What we meant to each other once 

Was something much more than love 

.

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But we were star crossed lovers 

we were cut from different cloths

.

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We were children from different time zones 

meant to be together, we were not 

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Our souls were meant for different paths 

And sadly

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we were meant for different loves 

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Back To A Time

sifting through a box of old things

Book after book

pamphlet after pamphlet 

treatise on anxiety and depression 

.

.

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I am brought back to a time 

when our lives were dictated by school bells 

And seating charts 

.

.

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Where one rumor 

Became our entire world 

And one heartbreak 

Was announced through 

The speaker hung walls 

.

.

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ages ago

An entire world away 

.

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I pack it back up 

to look back at another day 

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Weekly prompt @ NSTMP

I Can’t Be Mad At You

I can’t be mad at you

You stole my heart 

You tricked me 

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I can’t be mad at you 

I walked toward you with a veil over my eyes 

You led me blindly 

You robbed me 

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.

And I let you 

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How can I be mad at you ?

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You thief 

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Burglar

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Pirate 

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Swindler 

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You stole my heart 

Right from my chest 

.

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.

And I liked it

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#FOWC “thief”

You Are No Longer Mine

I read somewhere 

That you were no longer mine 

.

.

That you finally opened up your heart 

And honestly, It was about time

.

.

I read somewhere 

That you no longer belonged to me

.

.

That our memories 

Are no longer cherished 

It’s not my heart that holds your key 

.

.

I never expected you to wait forever 

To hide away 

And pine for my love 

.

.

But I read somewhere 

That you are finally  happy and moved on

.

.

My heart paused a little 

It broke for a moment 

As I remembered what we lost 

.

.

But I always knew that our love 

Was gone 

When I walked away

I knew the cost  

That Could Be Me

I saw her scars 

Evidence of a life 

Where great just wasn’t good enough

Where She was always just one nip away from perfect 

One tuck away from perfection 

One stitch away from happiness 

I saw  her eyes of desperation 

As she picked at things I could not see 

Although I was happy to oblige 

I wondered where in her life she was during each scar 

I wondered about the painful recovery 

I wondered about the broken heart 

Or the healed one 

I wondered if she was finally close to happy 

I felt sadness for her

But only because that could be me 

One nip away from happiness 

One tuck away from perfection 

One stitch away from perfect 

My heart broke for her

But only because that could be me

My Hope Is that You Also Love Me For The Changes I Bring

I hear the “pitter-patter” 

Of the rain outside

Not long ago

The sun 

Stared with an intensity

Of a loyal wife 

Who has laid eyes on her husband 

Being a tad less than that

How labile this world is 

I curse it

But then I see a reflection of myself 

For I am the sun

Who sets smiles upon faces 

Encourages hope

And freedom 

And laughter 

too fierce at times 

For I will burn you

I will make you seek shelter

I will make you want for less 

Tomorrow I will be the rain

Who steals the hope away 

From a better day

Who brings sadness

And grey 

But also 

I will bring the chill 

That leads to cuddles 

I will bring hot chocolate

And fluffy blankets 

I will bring kisses 

And fingers to hug yours 

How labile my emotions tend to be 

Like the world changing

Outside of my window 

As I love the to and fro of the sea

 My hope is that you also love me 

For the changes I bring 

Soaked In The Salty Air

It smelled of musty air

Saturated in salt

Surrounded by unparalleled darkness

I knew blindly that there was an ocean beside me 

Filled with life  

Housing a world we barely have knowledge of 

I catch a glimpse 

Like a flashlight 

Offering a gift 

The waves crash upon each other 

Beautifully dangerous 

Unabashedly uncaring 

I’m overwhelmed with 

The realization of nature 

It’s strength

It’s determination 

It’s reluctance to be bothered by my presence 

Within the darkness

The ocean, my neighbor

An entire world at my feet

Soaked in the Salty air 

I am energized and fueled by Mother Earth

I am belittled and humbled by her 

And I am thankful 

At The End Of a Very Dark Road

How ominous

this random solitary toaster at the end of a very dark road

causing me to hesitate 

Forebodingly 

It stares at me

Daring me 

To come into the darkness 

I cannot look away

I cannot take a step

As if a coyote were in it’s place 

How ominous 

This solitary toaster

Sitting at the end of a very dark road 

In its silence

It haunts me 

When The Anxiety Hits Me

It’s hard to explain really.

It’s a wave of distrust in the people that I love the most.
It’s a moment of suspicion that grew from the seed of the most mundane moment.

Sometimes, it’s the inability to be truly happy.
Sometimes, it’s a sadness that has no reason.

It’s being afraid that one wrong glance can make someone hate you.
It’s worrying that one missed call means that you are no longer loved.

I wish that I could describe it to you in a way that you could read and simultaneously feel, just to understand what a person with anxiety goes through.

Sometimes, behind the silence and the smile, there is an entire hurricane going on inside. At times, it is in the mind. At times, it is in the heart. In the worst moments, it is in both.

It can feel like being short of breath accompanied by the ability to breathe.
It can feel like being tachycardic, but a glance at your heart rate tells you that you are just fine.
It can feel like you are in “fight or flight” mode for hours on end with nothing to fight and nothing to run from.

It can be days of negativity and anger when all you want is to feel love.

I catch glimpses of her sometimes ….. 


The girl behind the anxiety.  


Usually it’s within a candid photograph or mistaken video.


I see her laugh


-minus the  insecurities
-minus the doubt
-minus the worry
-minus the fear 
-minus the overthinking 


And she is beautiful. 


I don’t want you to read this and think… 

Less of me 

Worry for me 

Sadness for me 

Annoyance toward me 

Because the way that I see it…

People that go through this world battling anxiety and still 

-get up every morning 

-want to be the best version of themselves

-have hope for the present and future

-want to spread love and happiness 

-go to work in stressful challenging environments

-encourage and uplift

-LOVE 

Are some of the strongest and most compassionate people that I have ever met.

We go through this world with love and understanding, with empathy and hope.  Even though our moments can be harder to get through than some.  

We can comprehend your hurt, but we can also be your rock, because we have already faced a million thunderstorms within us and we know how to stand strong.  

I guess what I am trying to say, is that I am PROUD of the woman I am.  I am thankful for the  things that have made me become that woman I am today.

But I also catch glimpses of the girl behind the Anxiety sometimes.


AND SHE IS BEAUTIFUL