VISIONS
by hvwbiky
In the visions which come to my inner being
I step cautiously
Not for fear of self harm
But for fear of treading on another's heart
For too long I have walked in my own sandals
Caring not if my footprints were left on someone's soul
Now I care
Now I let down my shield
Now I open the window to myself
Now I say come into me
I am here and open to you.
LIFE
by Kim Charette
aka Zoozappy
Life, never constant
Always changing.
Feelings, never the same.
transforming with life.
Life, realizations, epiphanies
in big and small moments.
Actions, never thought out
ultimately changing the course of life.
Life, free
Yet so confining
Learning, as we experience it
Seeing, as we live it.
NIGHT ON THE TOWN
by Claudia J. Laird Broker
aka Grif
She wakes to the afternoon sunshine
Recalling the things that he said
When he came home last night from a night on the town
And dragged her right out of the bed.
In a daze, she sees that the room's not her own
And sees the thin tubes and steel bands,
Her eyes travel down to the cast on her leg
And the burn marks that adorn both her hands.
As the mem'ries creep back and the teardrops leak out,
She remembers him punching her face,
Before shoving her arm through a window glass
And ripping and scratching her flesh.
He'd shouted at her, "Where's my supper?"
And slapped at her face when she said,
"It's there on a plate in the oven, my love,
Where it's been since you phoned me from Red's."
She'd barely noticed the blood on her lip
As she picked herself up from the floor,
And asked him again for the thousandth time
"Honey, what did you do that to me for?"
"You're stupid and fat, you ugly old cow,
You deserved what you got, and more.
Now get yourself up and cook me some food
Else I'll shove your fat ass out the door."
Then vaguely, she remembers the sirens
And the neighbors all standing about,
As policemen put cuffs on her lover
And escort him right out the house.
Now he's in jail and she has some relief
But she still thinks that it all is her fault.
Next week he'll get out and will call her to say
That he's sorry and loves her, no doubt.
So why did she feel so responsible
For the way that her life had turned out?
Didn't he tell her that she was to blame
For his beatings day in and day out?
She thinks about what her life would be like
Without this rude man in her face
And shrinks from the prospect of living alone
A lonely dumb woman, disgraced.
The terror she feels about living alone
Is much more than she can withstand.
But can it be worse than the life that she lives
In fear of the hate at his hands?
Too tired to think, too weary to cry,
She closes her eyes to the light.
The pain pill kicks in and she dozes in peace
And she sleeps with sweet dreams through the night.
Next morning comes, a detective arrives
And he asks if she's ready to sign
The paper to take her tormentor away
From her house for the very last time.
She picks up the pen and she pauses,
"If I sign this, what happens to him?"
"He'll be ordered to stay far away from you now,
And these are the wages of sin."
For a moment she falters and weakens,
Then remembers the dream that she had
Where she lives in a garden without any fear,
And she signs on the line with strong hand.
UNHEARD CRIES
by ZooKpr
The woman next door is crying,
Although she never says a word:
She's locked up in the bathroom,
Where her cries will go unheard:
Tomorrow he'll let her out,
Once he remembers what took place:
He was drunk and didn't mean to,
But left the proof upon her face:
She swears one day she will leave him
But he will kill her if she tries:
Together until, death do them part,
A life of un-heard cries:
One night the pain was hard to take,
The beating was so severe:
She knew her screams were all in vain,
For no one else could hear:
The bodies were found in the bedroom,
The gun found in her hand:
The way the house was in a mess,
They knew this wasn't planned:
Domestic violence happens every day,
Someone lives and someone dies:
Two lives were taken on that day.,
Another victim of un-heard cries.
Untitled
by Bo (Delores)
"When I hold your hands
I feel we could brave this Earth together
when you smile at me in that downward glance
I am weak
and When I hold your essence so true
I know I could be your mountain..."
and as the Jazz played on
they embraced as one Soul
dancing into the sultry redness of the Hall
enveloped in the Shadows
the Mystery is built around their movement
She knew then
She would never see Him again
and He will never think of Her
THE DANCE
by Neandertal2
he gets frustrated when
the dance is too complicated;
he prefers shoes without laces.
I add to his frustration by
devising intricate steps
that resemble rose petals.
"That's not even funny...
the use of flowers is not
in the ground rules,"
he says.
"This isn't serious," I muse;
knowing he's broken all
the rules long before this
particular battle.
He tries the two-step before
a mirror improvising with
tennis shoes or perhaps galoshes.
I admire his persistence
as I walk across the ceiling;
using a step he's not seen before.
"BROKEN PROMISES"
by LAoW
In my higher attempts at suicide,
I remember all the times that I have died.
I blame myself, but know I tried
To stay complete and by his side.
I cannot condone this peaceful sleep,
The hill I climb grows too steep.
My tongue is tied, I'm in too deep,
I pray the Lord, my soul to keep.
I bow my head and begin to cry.
My wings are broke, I refuse to fly.
People look, but walk on by.
I am dead, but one more lie.
My final word flows gently down,
Crosses cheek and kisses frown.
Even cold can touch the clown
Without a word or remember'd sound.
I call to him to set me free.
Mortal world, let me be.
I'll pay the price, a modest fee.
Sometime soon, remember me.
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