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I don't think about you day and night.
I don't want to write a million tiny poems about you.
You don't haunt my dreams and
You're not beautiful.
I think I may love you.
It Was So Much More
It was more than slavery
It was our bondage to them
They wanted us wrapped around
their finger
In the palm of their hand
But we bit that hand
And that makes us vicious,
A monster to be put down
We made mistakes, but so did they
And we will never die
Breaking Ten
We piled the stones high, lit a fire, said a prayer,
Chanted and bowed and laughed at the stupidity
Of it all
Drank in the summer air, dizzied by
It all
One is living for the moment
Two is the altar we built
Three is the anger we shouted
Four is this night
Five was taken care of long ago
Six - we paused here - we had killed her inside,
Though she still walked and breathed
Seven is the joy and fear we knew
Eight is the pack of powdered donuts
Lying on the altar
Nine is where we were supposed to be
Ten is… what is ten?
I don't yet know
A hole in my heart
I sit down and cry
As they dance around the fire
Soon they join, and we caterwaul into the night,
All contorted faces and streams of tears on our cheeks
And we are forgiven.
Cup of Tea
It's not my cup of tea, I said.
Really then? said he. Whose is it?
How should I know?
Then which one is yours?
I thought for a moment.
It's sweet, said I.
It tastes like bedtime and thunderstorms
And a thousand nights in that place I called home
Like an African sunset and a good old book,
All musky leather and memories
And I've been searching for it for far too long
Islands Inside Of Me
Sometimes I feel
As though there are islands inside me
And all I have to do is go inside myself
If I wish to be free
There I am creator, legend, queen and saint
And everything's changeable, colorful
Like fresh wet paint
I feel the wind against my face
And smell the deep sweet smell
Water running under my hand
Ripples where petals fell
Sometimes I feel the islands are too big
To keep within my heart
But I have no way to share them
Where would I even start?
I've been on a journey to find a way to share
This place no one else knows, this place where
I can escape and rest in peace
Where I'm always in control
There, I'm always needed
When the day takes its toll
But it's too big for music, words or pictures
It's too big for my heart, and it's too big for yours
Maybe one day I'll find someone to share
This weight with me
With all its joys and all its pains and what it
Means to be free
