Verbal Warfare

The argument sprang from my mouth

Before I had the reasoning

So here I am looking at you

Looking for the solution

For I knew you were a sinking ship

Before I kissed you

Before I took you home

Yet I still pulled you in and asked for more

This argument has no reason

But to you push away

To pull back up my walls

I see you as all hands and teeth

Nothing more than an outline

I wish I could forget your name

You should have been courteous enough

To never tell me your name

I will use this as the reason

To make you go away

I am good at this

Finding these arguments in the small details

And watching you leave

Knowing you would never make the effort

To fight for your spot in my bed

Or struggle to see me

And know all the pain

That has made me treat every affair as a war

I am determined to win

Springtime

In the springtime

I remember my age

Feel the lines etched in my skin

Observe the gray in my hair

Experiences are my shadows

The future within the lingering light

 

In the springtime

I remember my voice

Pack away the secrets tucked in my back pocket

Rewrite my story for the year

Words are my friends

The sentences lingering upon my tongue

 

In the springtime

I remember my heart

Test the cracks and fractures

Stitch up the pain with careful hands

Remember how it beats slowly within my chest

Lovers are brief sparks

Each kiss a stolen breath

 

In the springtime

I remember my age

Welcome each line and every gray hair

Listen to my voice and all its whispers

Find my heart once again

And remember to live

Twist and Turn

Bend me

Force me

To twist and turn

Within your words

And I will stand here

Unable to move

Caught in the meaning

Lost in your touch

I will accept your lies tonight

If you accept my pain tomorrow

So bend me

Force me

To twist and turn

Within your rules

We will play your game

For tonight

Come tomorrow

I will still be standing

Leaving you

Twisting and turning

Leaping Forward

Leaping forward

These words

Stealing moments

Like glances

Sharp teeth and double meanings

They coat my skin

And I still feel your fingers

Prying me apart

Until I am bouncing forward

Trying to move away

Each sentence glaring from your mouth

Trapping me in the corner

You like leaving me caged

Breathless

For you enjoy me begging

This is a game

You use me as the board

As you gradually move along me

Leaping forward are these words

Each one flying away free

I feel myself slipping away

Into the night

Knowing I will be forgotten

Before your glance leaves my mouth

Small

It was a Spring night

Standing outside

Watching the tree pollen

Floating by like bubbles

Flittering in the night sky

I felt so small

Looking up at all the stars

Almost forgot what they looked like

Feel myself caving in and hoping

That maybe I will see a shooting star

So I can wish for a minute

That I was twenty again and seeing the world

All brand new and shiny

Chasing after shadows without worrying about falling

Without worrying about getting lost

So lost on this Spring night

Looking up, wishing for a moment

That the first star I see tonight

Is the brightest, and will grant me my wish

Or at least provide me guidance

To find my way home

Maternal

A mother’s love

Layered within each word

Opening up within

The light of her gaze

Beauty within her smile

She builds a portrait

With her hands

Small faces bloom

With laughter

Dancing around her feet

She is raising her own superheroes

Because they all wish

To wear her cape someday

Daisies

Every Mother’s Day

She bought daisies

They were her grandmother’s favorite

So she kept it as a middle name

She missed her the most at brunch

They would sneak in a deck of cards

And play goldfish for hours

While the waiters eyed them

She always wanted to be like her

Headstrong and witty

Spending hours walking with her at the local gardens

Discussing her life

She misses her grandmother more these days

The advice without consequences

The comfort found in a smile

Missed being able to hold her hand

On Mother’s Day

She bought daisies

They reminded her of her grandmother’s smile

Mother

Simple warmth

Of a smile

Security in

An embrace

Her name

Gives relief

Always there

To be by your side

Knows exactly

What to say

A simple role

With the greatest

Reward

So remember

Today

To simply say

Thank you.

Mother’s Morning

Morning carried in on little giggles

Tiny hands cold and pressed upon back

Cuddling close, until asking if they can watch cartoons

And what is for breakfast

Stumbling out, you trip over the morning

In the shape of misplaced toys

That have been pooled by the side of your bed

And you knew they had waited

Let you sleep for a moment until curiosity brought them knocking

And you found yourself with bony knees

I love you delivered in a series of slobbering kisses

And you want to growl, but that smile and bright eye look

Gets you every time, so you shuffle forward

With one eye open and the other in mutiny

Stubbing your toe at least five times

Before figuring out how to open the cabinet door

Mix a few things together in hopes it makes scrambled egg omelet concoction

Throw in some bacon, because everyone likes bacon

Throw it on a plate, and they are at the table before you can say breakfast

You watch them eat, smiling as you take a few bites of what’s left in the pan

Enjoying the thank you and love you in between bites

Realizing this is the moment you are going to remember

And they will secretly appreciate

Single Mom

I am the sole provider

The sole guardian

I will be in charge of fighting the night

And welcoming the morning

In my child’s eyes

I learned early, I was standing alone

Grasping their hand

I will march forward in the day

I will be my own army

My own leader

Charge at the barricades

And build our castle

In my child’s eyes

I know now, I can stand alone

Standing strong with them

I will gather up their dreams

I will be me own creator

My own force of nature

I will rule the hurricanes and storms

And bring out the sun

In my child’s eyes

I am a single mother, standing alone

But, in the shadows of all the women before me

Each their own warrior, and queen

Beautiful forces of natures

That held their children’s hands

And showed them how to march forward

One step at a time

With head held high