away from this

Baby girl,

I read that you wanted to run 

away from this, away from him

never me, never us

Go ahead and run baby girl

run as far from here

away from him, away from this 

Baby girl,

it broke my heart to hear you cry

sitting far from our crumbling house

our poor aching house 

we hear its moans in the middle of night

it interrupts our conversations

with its whispers of fright 

walls with holes so deep we want to crawl in

to escape this, to escape him 

Crawl in and weep for years and years 

then crawl back out to ask,

“Is it over yet?”

but no one is there to answer back 

the house is empty 

all that’s left is the fear

that fear could live for a million years

when she be

 

When she be coming for me

in the wee hours of the morn

it’ll be the same as

when I had no breath

the moment I was born

 

When she be coming for me

wearing her soft gown of white

riding the tails of wind

in the blackest part of night

 

She be coming for me

the dreams foretold

left me hiding scared

under a blanket

with arms scarred up and old

 

She’ll leave the door open

as if in a trance

the zephyr will try to usher her back

I’ll whisper for one more chance

 

When she be coming for me

I’ll hear the gale swoosh down the hall

sound so deafening

you won’t even hear my call

 

When she be coming for me

her hair still wet with dew

kindness shining bright as stars

her eyes the palest hue

 

She be coming for me as

old man Winter blows in the snow

the floorboards will creak and crack

I’ll witness the last of my tears

before I have to go

 

When she be coming for me

in the wee hours of the morn

off and away I’ll be

and

when we meet again

dear one 

we’ll just have to

wait and see

 

 

that night

i hate it that i made that sound

when my flesh was torn

and thrown on the ground

i saw my skin flapping

my blood begging to stay

i took a look

and

you were running away

 

 

sadness

step in the pool of green

without a shiver or wince

play with the garnet baubles 

at my fingertips

hold my breath

let the slime ooze down into my ears

till I can’t hear,

till I’m numb,

till I no longer feel sick

let the lily pad roots tangle and bind me up

play with me until they’re bored

then release me

till I’m no longer stuck 

swimming,

swimming,

in this ivy muck

look up to the heavens

and grin at the sun

who’s 

blinding yet hiding

from me

behind ivory angel’s wings

I step out of the water

for now, 

that was enough

blonde woman in ER

Milky veiled eyes,

heavy in a trance.

Her tongue flipped 

Portuguese and Italian.

When she was angry,

she broke the foreign dance;

spoke a startling line of English.

“What’s your name?!“

to the doctor she spat.

Next glance I took

she was wearing a mask,

passed out cold.

No more vexed phrases

in Portuguese and Italian

to be told.

right now

Do you remember that glass 

shattered on the floor?

The one I told you about last week?

A week has gone by, 

and now I’ve become her.

The one who’s broken, 

The one who’s scarred,

The one who’s screaming 

for her son 

to come back to her.