King in the Cage (a poem)

King in the Cage

Started April 8th, 2011

Finished April 20th, 2011

The whistle blows

And my team breaks

Positioning themselves

I jog alone

To the end of the field

Into the cage

A solitary monument

That I must guard

Without yield

The game is nigh

The ball; the Prize

Tossed high

The players; the Pieces

They surge forward

A wave of bodies

Crashing across the field; the Board.

Caretaker (a poem, dedication)

Caretaker

Written April 18th, 2011

His body is scarred and battered

From a life of hard work and toil

He doesn’t complain; the pain, it never mattered

So long as the table had bread, milk, and potatoes in the foil.

Shadow Wings (a poem)

Shadow Wings

Written April 16th, 2011

The sun slips down below

The moon is on the rise

Stars appear, one by one

Twinkling from way up high

As darkness fall, shadows take wing

Filling up the sky

Built for the night

Silent in flight

Speaking in echoes

With sensitive ears to see

What their eyes can’t

Children of the dark

The House on the Hill (a poem)

The House on the Hill

Written April 13th, 2011

There is a house atop a hill

Lonely on the outskirts of town

The windows cracked, the shadows still

The vines crawl

And the grass is tall

Nature is claiming it back; running it down

Forget You (a poem)

Forget You

Written April 12th, 2011

I hear your name

And it rings sourly in my ears

I tense up and stare at the ground

I’ll never look at you the same

The veil has been lifted from my eyes

And now I know what is true

I pity the next fool to fall for you

Ladies, look before you leap

He’s the prettiest damn thing

Easy on the eyes and smooth on the talk

He’ll make you want to sing

But he’s wearing the devil’s mask

He made me walk the fool’s walk

Now I’m frozen; no love left

And he still has my favorite book

I Am Not Afraid (a novel) Chapter One

Began writing on April 9th, 2011

Chapter One

First Visit

           

The first time I saw him, I was nine years old.

            My sister had had a bad dream, and asked me to come sleep with her. Our parents were gone for the weekend, and out brother’s girlfriend had come over at eight and they hadn’t come out of his room since.

            I was only two years older than her, but I guess when you’re scared any kind of company is better than none.

            She had come into my room at about midnight, shaking me awake. I had followed her blearily into her room, crawled under the covers, and promptly fell asleep again.

            I woke up at three a.m., and to this day I can’t really remember why. There was no loud noise, no bad dream, and no sudden movements. I just opened my eyes and there he was, standing at the foot of the bed.

Ode to the Pencil

Ode to the Pencil

Written April 6th, 2011

Pencil

A bridge between

My thoughts

And tangible paper

As my dreams get bigger

You get smaller

I'll wear you down

Right to the nub

And you won't complain

For that is your purpose.



When Tragedy Strikes (a poem)

When Tragedy Strikes

When tragedy strikes

There often is no warning

The soft sand on which you walk

Glittering with reflected sunlight

In a single step becomes sharp rocks

Beneath your soft and vulnerable feet

This is for a Friend (a poem, dedication)

This is For a Friend <3

Written April 3rd, 2011

This is for a friend

Who means the world to me <3

Who I never get to see :(

This is for a friend

Who knows how to make me smile :)

Who appreciates my style :D

Universe (a poem)

Universe

Written April 3rd, 2011

I sit here on this earth

Held down by gravity

Looking up at the Universe

Suspended over this world.

The stars above are sprinkled

Across the face of night

From down here I look up

Wondering if they are looking back.

Strangers (thoughts)

Strangers

Written April 2nd, 2011

     Funny how the world works.

     Before I lived with my dad, and only visited him on the weekends, I didn't know she even existed.

     After I moved and lived with him all the time, I got enrolled in the local school. That's where I met her, a fellow student.

     We hit it off almost instantly, and now here I am at a sleepover at her house, awake and trying not to make too much noise as she continues to drift in and out of sleep.

     Dad lives in a different house now, one town over form her. But our towns have a joint school.

     So here I am, just up the street from our old house, in her bed, writing. All those years when I came to visit Dad on the weekends, my best friend was just up the street! And I had no clue!

Opposites Attract (a poem)

Opposites Attract

Written April 1st, 2011

Pristine white

Neat, orderly

Blue lines across

Pink lines down

Perfect, untouched

Pure

Inviting, tempting

Night black

Shapely curves

Sharp lines

Uneven, random

No perfect repetitions

Messy

Creative, meaningful

Pen tip presses

On smooth white paper

What was previously

Empty

Pristine

Is now

Filled

Charmingly askew

This neat page; my messy scrawl

A perfect pair.



Hiding From the Storm (a poem)

Hiding From the Storm

Written March 31st, 2011

The rain is falling outside

Pattering softly on my window

Playing the soft tune

Of a lullaby

On my roof

We are hiding from the storm

Tucked safely in each other’s arms

Keeping the cold away

Separated from this harsh world

By the blankets around us

Nothing can hurt us

Him and I

While we’re surrounded

By this love

Seasons of the Heart (a poem)

Seasons of the Heart

Written March 30th, 2011

My lips are cold

My heart is dead

Winter has its hold

In my soul, in my head

He left me here

On my own

Abandoned in this frozen tundra

A sea of white and ice

Three Roads (a poem)

Three Roads

March 29th, 2011

I see three roads before me

One I will have to take

And knowing the habits of fate

They'll each be rocky

And the decision will be hard to make

Big Brother (a poem)

Big Brother

Written March 23rd, 2011

I grew up an only child
Among adults, coinciding in their world
I followed their example
Reading and writing preferred over play
I liked to learn new vocabulary
Instead of playing with dolls all day

I often wished on lonely days
Hanging upside-down off the couch
To amuse myself
With only T.V. for company
That I had a brother.
Perhaps a little one would be nice
To look after like the adults looked after me
But a big one would also suffice
He would play with me and protect me

The Monster in My Memory (a poem)

The Monster in My Memory

Written March 21st, 2011

I remember you

The face carved into my mind

Forever

I know it won't fade

A persistent stain

I remember us

How you kissed me

Held me

Your hands burning my skin

You said you loved me

I had never had anything like you

I was starved for love

Clinging to you

You were life, breath in my lungs

Elusive (a poem)

Elusive

Written March 21st, 2011

I see it there

Shimmering before me

An iridescent wisp in the air

I have to be quick to snatch it

Before it goes away

Scattered by a tiny breeze of distraction

It won't stay

Put Me to Sleep (a poem)

Put Me to Sleep

Written March 20th, 2011

Put me to sleep

Let me fall down to the sheets

Face down in the pillow

Please don't wake me

Leave me here

In this blissful coma

I don't want to wake up

Barefoot Day (a poem)

Barefoot Day

Written March 20th, 2011

The robins have taken wing
The squirrels come out to play
The black birds begin to sing
Today is the day

The sun shines down on the grass
All the snow melted away
Nearly dead, but free at last
Today is the day