Revision: Of All the Things

Of all the people in my life that would hurt me,
I never thought you’d be one.
Of all those that would let me down,
To you, I always wanted to run.
Of all the heartbreak I would have to endure
I thought it was you I could trust.
Of all the things that could have been done,
Our relationship has been turned to dust.

I want you back, daddy.

Walls

A heart,

Soft and tender,

Needs to be protected.

Something sturdy and dependable

To keep out the swords

That threaten to

Cut it.

So, we build walls.

Strong, unmovable; brick

By brick they go up surrounding

Our precious, breakable cargo.

We decide who will enter

Into the sacred inner

Courts.

Those who we

Deem unworthy, will never

Touch our mold-able centers for love.

By doing this, however, we also

Run the great risk of

Keeping out

Everyone.

Parasite

The Ichneumon Wasp,

A small creature,

Lays it’s eggs on the back

Of an unsuspecting

Caterpillar.

With life-blood pumping

Through it’s veins,

The caterpillar continues on

Day by day, living.

Not knowing that a dangerous

Monster is born on it’s back.

The wasp larvae burrow

Into the body of the caterpillar

And eat it, from the inside.

It grows bigger and

Hungrier every single day.

If you were to look,

Observing the caterpillar,

Nothing would seem wrong.

For they go about life,

Concealing the deadly truth.

Until one day,

The caterpillar is eaten alive

By the parasite

Living in its bones.

Revision: Relation

I.

She lived among the fairy girls

Dancing and prancing

Nary a care in the world.

II.

Young lovers caught her eye

Using and abusing,

And left her, battered and empty.

III.

A handsome prince went to her door

Knocking and beating,

Begging for her delicate hand.

IV.

But fantasy turned to nightmare

Sneaking and lying

Her prince was a fraud, and inside she was dying.

V.

Long nights turned to cloudy days

Sighing and crying

As five little beings laughed and played.

VI.

Older now, her children gone,

Loving and breaking,

She’d finally had enough of him.

VII.

And now she lives among her fairy friends.

Revision: Numb

I feel numb.

Is my heart even beating?

Faintly now, 

Thump-thump 

My fingertips are cold,

The blood barely gliding 

Through the smallest cell.

Take my hand, dear,

And warm me up.

Villanelle draft 1

A clock ticks loudly, I sit quietly

The passage of time a worrisome thing to some

My bones grow older, my mind swims warily

Memories swarm, good and bad, carelessly

That one time I did something, haunts for days to come

A clock ticks loudly, I sit quietly

Why must they come now, so endlessly?

I messed up, I own it: what I did was dumb

My bones grow older, my mind swims warily

I let you in, despite my anxiety

You let me down, turn'd me in. Never again. I'm numb.

A clock ticks loudly, I sit quietly.

Tick-tock. I wait for you to show, finally.

Confrontation; an easy thing to shrink from 

My bones grow older, my mind swims warily.

You were someone I thought I could trust entirely

A life-long friend I now know I can abstain from.

A clock ticks loudly, I sit quietly

My bones grow older, my mind swims warily.

Narrative, Draft 2: Russian Roulette

Metal glistens in my hand,

Like the sparkle of the sun

Reflecting off a car at dusk.

My shoulders are heavy

With the weight of the world.

I know this is the solution

To all my problems.

The answer is light,

Compared to the burden

Tied tight to my back,

And overwhelming my mind.

They scream at me not to,

As I spin the chamber -

Clicking as it turns.

As the waves of the ocean

After a storm, I am calm.

Clicking and screaming

Fall on dead ears

As I pull the trigger back.

First Draft of a Sonnet: Dreams of a Child

When I was young it was my dream to get married.
I drew a picture of myself walking down the aisle.
My groom is tall and handsome, smiling when I'm gliding.
Mom dabs her eyes and dad beams while holding my hand.
We dance all night, locked tight in each other's arms.
I dream the night with no end, the moon shining bright.
We leave to fly to distant lands; my life begins anew.
But those were only dreams from the mind of a child.
I grew up, as children do, when a man broke me.
Love ever lasting was something I gave up belief in
When my best friend kissed and lied to me again.
Last year I found him! My true prince charming.
And now, my childish dreams may come true soon.

Narrative: Russian Roulette

"Tonight..."
I whisper to myself,
Gliding my fingers
Across smooth metal.

Anticipation grows
Wasting the day.
Little do they know,
It could be my last.

Time has come
I pull out the gun.
I know a fun game,
Who wants to play?

The chamber clicks
As it spins round.
Beads of sweat make
Their way from pores.

"Don't do it! Please!"
They're shouting.
But, I'm done,
I'm ready to go.

The chamber locks.
Shouting embraces
My ears as I pull back
And