High School

Hiding behind the house
Hiding in the closet
Hiding in the bathroom

It was dark behind the house
It was hot in the closet
It was lonely in the bathroom

Fear was behind the house
Fear was in the closet
Fear was in the bathroom

She hid until those places could hide her no more

Defining Myself II

They gave me a white girls name
To me it always sounded so plain
Nothing one would remember
When I sign it, I give it some flare
When I say it, I say it so one will remember

Defining Myself

They are building the new church next door. My friends and I watch while we make mud pies. We'll have to go inside soon as not to get too dark. I'm excited about the church. It's the first thing I've ever seen built from the ground up.

The walls hold everything from the smell of hymnals and perfume to the sounds of clapping hands and tambourines. The fat lady sure can sing! Oh, the hats and the pearls! The women with soft skin!

My family eventually moves. I'm much older now, but the church is still on the corner. In the kitchen making pies for Easter--they taste like my mothers--I call her for the holiday. All she can talk about is Jesus. We hang up. I finish my pie for after church tomorrow.

The Washing Out

All the pots are full. The Water came down thinking the ground was on fire. It fell with purpose. The earth responded releasing steam--and still smolders from last nights incident. Neighbors watch these scenes through the parted blinds. The ritual of the pots is one of their favorites. She pours the water over the porch. No one knows it's to wash away his scent.

The Sorting Out

The Water will wash away the stains
Its the sorting out that's difficult
Determining the truth from fiction
Drawing the dividing lines
Storing away the scenes

When the water is muddy
The guilt doesn't come clean

When the water is muddy
The truth lies at the bottom

When the water is muddy
The words sound thick

When the water is muddy
The relevant crosses the undetermined

Bathed in the light of promise
but at night comes the shadows,
noon the piercing darts--
on the dew of the morning
rest the Words of Life.

Pleading Insanity

The room was an escape from the world. One foot outside of the door and the weight returned. There on the door was her name. It seemed as if it belonged to someone she once knew. The nap was long and a relief from the spinning world.

Light of the Morning

With the morning comes lightness even when the weight is still present. A shifting in the mind has seemingly taken place. Over in the night when dreams come like visions. The clothes were unrecognizable and so was the dialogue.

Spam & Squid Sandwich

The unexpected came dressed in normal clothes. The shoes were a different story. The wine bottles were covered with dust and the bread was molded. The voices sounded as if the distance was far from the origin. Worn out and stressed the caravan undressed and stayed until the intentions were revealed. Alliances had been made and sealed with a blood oath.

The intent was to bring two lovers together. Those who were foolish enough to have believed there is such an entity. Those who measure their sanity on the freshness of a spam and squid sandwich.

Anxiety II

she's an infirmity
of the soul
she's silent
she's insecure
she's afraid
she's lonely
she's faithless
she's weak
she's old
she's anxious