Poems

Some Day

Nothing

Mine

Memories of You

Lost

Infected

Don't Worry

Big Talker

Ice Skates and Baseball

Floating

Play

Group Poem

Her Place

Sisters Only Spot

Above me [incomplete]

Above me [incomplete]

[incomplete, August 15, 2006]

You’re so far above me my neck strains to see

That face of yours constructed in perfect harmony

My arms dare not reach to be in your embrace

My lips dare not try to find yours for a taste

Your perfection gives rise to my stutters and shakes

Your presence…just watching you…all I can take

I’m so undeserving of someone like you

Yet still I dream on, if only you knew

Every moment with you, every minute and hour

I’d graciously go back in time to devour

Just a fan among fans, competing was rough

I still can’t believe I was worthy enough

For the kisses I stole, for the smiles and laughs

For making my heart beat a million times fast

But I take what I can and I took all you spared

Convincing myself there was no way you cared

But a kiss on the forehead, a squeeze on my knee

Made your indifferences so hard to believe

Your hand was all mine and you spoke in my ear

Whispering things that I needed to hear

Now miles apart still I wonder, what if?

An angel could swoop down to give me a lift

Sisters Only Spot

The sand was soft beneath our toes

Walking along the beach

The sun was poking its head from a cloud

It seemed just out of reach

As the sun emerged from horizon lines

We knew the day would be hot

But still we kept on strolling along

To a “sisters only” spot

We reached a place where the sand was smooth

Untouched by human feet

We knew we’d reached our paradise

A “sisters only” retreat

The grass blew gently in the breeze

The smell of the lake in the air

The peacefulness of the morning dew

Only two sisters could share

Spreading our towels upon the ground

Our make believe house we played

Together for hours in our little world

Alone but never afraid

Later that day we splashed in the waves

Jumping like dolphins so high

We played and screeched to our heart’s content

Just my sister and I

Then we were builders in compact sand

Constructing those castles galore

Turtles and gators and tunnels we made

Along Lake Huron’s shore

Under umbrellas we rested to eat

Chips always moist and sandy

But soon we were off to our digging again

Our buckets and shovels quite handy

We played away the afternoon

Our imaginations ran wild

We played all the old games and made up our own

Perfect for every child

As the sun departed from horizon lines

We knew that the day would soon end

So packing up shovels and buckets and tools

We headed back up to our tent

The sun bid farewell and soon it was gone

The wind blew it off with a gust

We crowded around the fire of warmth

It smoked up ashes and dust

Along with our family we watched the sun set

Hot dogs and burgers were cooking

Daddy was careful to keep the kids safe

A watchful eye always looking

We all ate a feast of wonderful food

Every bite we adored

Then telling jokes and stories to boot

We made ourselves yummy s’mores

Our eyes soon got droopy and voices were hushed

We knew it was time for bed

We crawled in our sleeping bags inside our tent

Happy and always well fed

Soon as our heads hit the pillow those nights

My sister and I never slept

We always shared secrets and laughed at our jokes

Secrets we’ve always kept.

Many years later, adults at the beach

We view life a bit differently

But still we build castles and lay in our spot

Best friends we’ll always be.

Group Poem

I wrote this for a class in college at the University of Michigan - I assigned 4 different people to read the different lines. Each person purposely looked like the stereotype described (sorority girl, engineer, hippie and black person). Bold text is read by all. LS&Play refers to LSA (Literature, Science and the Arts) and was deemed by Engineers at Michigan to be not a serious field. At the end, someone switched the lights on. 

It’s great to be human, man

We always remain

Quintessentially ourselves

Ourselves.

So look at us

Here we are, being ourselves

Or something like it.

Look at us.

What do you see?

Well, I’m clearly a Jew

Yeah, check out her shoes.

She’s sporting the UGGs!

And she looks like a bug

She’s living in a material world

And she’s a sorority girl.

Oh, one of those

I know just what you mean

Like, oh, my God…

It’s not Halloween.

Ok, so you caught me

She really is Greek

But I don’t screw a guy every day of the week

And we live in Michigan

It’s twenty below

My UGs keep my feet warm

And keep out the snow

And why do you care

If she wears funky shoes

Is it hurting you?

No

So enough with abuse

If UGGs make her happy

Then UGGs she will wear

She’s not telling you to

So why do you care?

At least she has a social life

Yeah, man, you’re an engineer

Her nose is always in a book

She’s never had a beer

Dilbert is my hero

She’s addicted to caffeine

Her eyes can stare for hours

At the same computer screen

She’s not that bad for dating

It looks good on resumes

Besides, she’s got the stamina

She’s up the whole night anyway

She could integrate a chicken

Find derivatives of rain

She has no life!

She won’t get drunk

She clearly enjoys pain

But maybe she’s just smarter

And is smartness such a crime?

She’s creating metric systems

While I’m making stupid rhymes

Classes without math are

From silly L S & Play

But engineers are changing things

They fix things every day.

At least you’ve got some smarts in you

I’m black, I don’t know shit

She eats a lot of chicken

And does drugs, you wanna hit?

She loves her hip-hop music

She commits a lot of crime

Her father and her brother

And her son, have all done time

But black

Is not whack

And I don’t

Like just rap

At least it’s a way

To express what you may

People just don’t understand what I say

She is soo deep

She must read lots of books

Man, life is bait, and we’re just the hook

Look at her cracked out, dreamy face

She’s thinking so hard that her head’s up in space

All she does is philosophize

She smokes weed all the time

And thinks she is wise

She strums her guitar

Loves the bids and the bees

We’re all connected, man

So she says to a tree

She sits at the coffeehouse

Contemplating worth

Decides that life is beautiful

Declaring

Man, PEACE ON EARTH

But hey, that’s just her style

If she wants to talk to plants

No one has the right

To put an ending to her rants                 

So next time you read

Something you just don’t get

Read it again-

It might be legit

Perhaps Jenny Knox favors asses

A lot

So what if she’s different

And smokes lots of pot?

If poetry causes you

Stress and confusion

It doesn’t mean you should just

Jump to conclusions

She’s being herself

And we all should agree

Assuming

Makes an ASS

Out of

U

And ME

You are in life’s waiting room

While you’re waiting

Lighten up.

Be so light that you float

Above the world, the only thing saving you

The stability of a car handle

Be so light that you

Feel you’re in a dream

Hey man, is this a dream?

The kid had said

Just turn on the light

The man says

Then you’ll know

Turn on the lights!  

He had said

Lighten up.

The light switch is functional

So we aren’t in a dream

This is reality

Reality? you say

Man, Hollywood’s reality is just a series of layers

A holy moment, and then

Then the awareness of the holy moment

The lights will turn off, but why

Would you want them to?

Lighten up.

Her Place

As tears stream down her sunburnt face

She wonders if she’ll find her place

It wasn’t home; that much is sure

“Far away” just seemed the cure

Now twenty-three, still drifting ‘round

Still destinations remain unfound

Dozens of faces, dozens of beers

Dozens of phone calls, dozens of “cheers!”

Yet one single moment, alone in her room

Reminds her that settlement—destiny—looms

She counts on one hand the people that care

The ones that have truly, always been there

She thinks of some phone calls: sobbing and tears

Followed by total annihilation of fears

Suddenly, she wipes off her tears with a sleeve

And smiling, rises; she fully believes

That without a doubt, no worries, no haste

Some day—somehow—she’ll find her place

Some Day

[2005]

Some Day

The other day I saw you

Before you could see me

I tried averting contact

But eyes are made to see

And mine, it seems, are made to look

In yours for when I tried

To look away I found myself

Completely mesmerized

Then you, you saw me seeing you

We stood there, in a daze

Our eyes were locked, we had no key

A never-ending gaze

I asked you without speaking

If we could just forget

Of yesterday, for just today

And put aside regret

I studied hard your visage

And then I walked away

Your eyes had told me maybe

Maybe, love, some day.

Nothing

[2005]

Nothing

It's not like I doodle your name in a heart

It's not like the sound of your voice makes me start

It's not like I cry in my pillow at night

Telling myself that you’re not worth the fight

Telling myself, yeah, I'll be alright

Squeezing the bear that you gave me so tight

Trying so hard with all of my might

Telling myself, yeah, I'll be alright

You're nothing to me

I'm proud to say

You're nothing to me

So just go away

You're nothing to me

You're nothing at all

So don’t even catch me

The next time I fall

It's not like your pictures are still on my wall

It's not like I think of you- ever- at all

It's not like I kept all those theatre stubs

It's not like I miss all those kisses and hugs

Did you hear when I said you mean nothing to me?

Initials mean nothing when carved in a tree

It's not like I cringe when I see you with her

You're nothing to me and I know it for sure

It's not like these words that I've said are untrue

It's more like I'm deeply…still…so in love with you

1/31/05

Mine

[2005]

Mine

I’m thinking about you all the time

And I’m so glad that you're all mine

Your warm gentle smile the taste of your kiss

The butterflies I get whenever we kiss

The look in your eyes that makes me just melt

The feelings you give me that I've never felt

The look on your face when you're happy or sad

Even your temper whenever you're mad

Those soft loving words that you whisper to me

Those three special words you say so gently

Those little surprises that show how you care

Assuring me that you will always be there

If someone were ever to take you away

I don’t think that I could live one more day

I wish I could be with you all of the time

But I’m happy just knowing your living.... and mine

Memories of You

[2005]

Memories of You

Well I, I wasn't expecting this pain

Emotions embarrassed; completely ashamed

As the words "I love you" escaped from your lips

I remembered the taste of your undying kiss

But those words that you said, those special three

For the very first time, they weren't to me

And now, I don't know what I am to do

I can't seem to stop me from thinking of you

I've been here without you, been doing just fine

I thought I was fine that you’re no longer mine

But as tears gently flow from my sleepless eyes

I finally start to realize

Too little, too late, it's always the case

And never again will I feel your embrace

I'll always remember the looks that we shared

I'll never forget us- "the perfect pair"

Just one last kiss, that's all that I ask

I'll put on a smile- my happy mask

Please-one more kiss-I promise you, dear

That after that kiss, I'll disappear

But always I'll know that when our lips united

The world stopped revolving, and sparks were ignited

I'll gracefully bow myself out of your way

I'll sprout myself wings and fly far away

However the pictures I cannot destroy

A fairy tale formed of a girl and a boy

A girl and a boy, who so long ago

Were barely completing the greeting "hello"

Awkward and shy they held hands in the halls

Wrote notes to each other and waited for calls

Many years later, their hands still connected

A lifetime of memories they had collected

Moments created cannot be replaced

With each passing moment they're fading away

I wish I could bottle up moments with you

Or feelings we shared, so vibrant and new

On days when I feel like I just can't go on

I'd tip back that bottle until it's all gone

Drunk off your kiss I would much rather be

High on your love for the world to see

But now my lamenting will come to an end

And my achy breaky heart- I need to mend

2/2/05

Lost

[2006: summer semester at University of Virginia, Charlottesville]

Blind to ambition, deaf for pursuit

Senseless in direction, can’t seem to move

Twirling my hair still I feel like a child

Yet burst from my shell I’m uncontrolled, wild

Suitcases empty, my things all in place

I’ve left them all wondering, gone with no trace

These books stacked before me remain still unread

I can’t squeeze more bullshit into my head

Staring at me from the walls of my room

Are people in pictures, their presence, it looms

The smiles, the dresses, the caps and the gowns

Kodak’s reality never has frowns

I’m running, I’m running, away from it all

Hoping and praying that I might not fall

“Desperation” she cries, as she falls to her knees

By now she is begging him, begging him please

She puts on more make-up, hoping to mask

Innocence, mirrors, she knows it won’t last

So she switches the light and absorbing her sheets

Escapes to a world where she need not compete

There are no imperfections and smiles so fake

From her fantasy land she would rather not wake

Infected

[2006]

Infected

Our eyes were connected

My heart unprotected

And somehow I knew

I would end up infected

For once I surrendered

I let myself go

And now you are gone

And I’ve nothing to show

I had up my bubble

It guarded me, too

It helped to protect me

From people like you

You knocked on my bubble

At first I was strong

I knew that inside it

Was where I belonged

I knew of the love

Some people depict

I knew of the pain

They really inflict

But you took offense

To my hesitation

You wanted my trust

And my admiration

You were good, I admit

You seemed so sincere

You told me the things

I wanted to hear

The way that your hand

Always held onto mine

Sent millions of shivers

Along my spine

You fed me your bullshit

In one giant cup

And boy, was I thirsty

I drank it all up

The way that you looked at me

Melted my bubble

I never suspected

That you would be trouble

Now fully exposed

I had no protection

And slowly you started

To shoot your injection

Just like a virus

You spread and you spread

All of your nonsense

Went straight to my head

It took me a while

To see you were flawed

That you were a phony

A fake and a fraud

When soon I discerned

Your intentions so cruel

I knew you had won

And I made a fool

So up went my bubble

Now stronger than ever

And virus protection

I’ll use forever.

Don't Worry

[22 May, 2005]

Don't Worry

Don't worry; I'm happy with how things turned out

I'm not even sure what I'm crying about

It’s not like you hurt me, it’s not like you lied

It’s not like you tossed me right off to the side

Don't worry; I'm actually happy for us

You told me you loved me, but what's the big fuss?

I'm sick of those phone calls that lasted for hours

I hated it when you sent dozens of flowers

Don't worry; I won't miss you, even one bit

You're just an addiction that I have to quit

From now on I'll just have to start counting sheep

'Cuz the sound of your voice always put me to sleep

But hey, its okay, I really don't mind

That you broke my heart, don't worry, I'm fine.

5/22/05

Big Talker

[2006]

Hey big talker, shut your mouth

I’ve figured what you’re all about

Your lips form words I like to hear

Professing promises loud and clear

Oh, like a roll how you buttered me up

Talking your talk, strutting your stuff

Those words kept on pouring; they hardly relented

Babbling blubberings, you simply pretended

To mean what you said, oh such veracity!

To believe in such bullshit, nay, the fool is me.

Your eyes gave no hint of your lips’ misconceptions

In fact, they seemed to enjoy the deception

Winking and twinkling with gazes sincere

My eyes had no choice but with yours to adhere

Those eyes and those lips worked together, you see

Conspiring ways of deceiving me

So you gazed, and you talked

And you talked, and you gazed

Lost in that look, I was listening, dazed

But you must have blinked, for I unlocked my eyes

And discerned in your words all the horrible lies

Now blind to your eyesight, deaf to your voice

The darkness and silence, I’ll always rejoice.