A young girl, aged no more than ten,
recently orphaned in an unjust war,
on tiptoe, reaching up to a crevice
to tuck in her crumbled prayer.
She had been taught that God by any name,
Allah or Elohim, would answer all prayers.
Hoping that God’s heavenly scales
would favour her unselfish plea
against those that may wish her kind ill,
she reached the crevice and tucked in her prayer.
No one noticed her hijab slip or heard the wall wail.
I want to crawl inside a crevice
Live behind the walls
Hide deep with the darkness
No sun or light at all
I want noone to see me
They can't know where I am
I need to breathe, be alone
They're drowning me again
My tired mind keeps racing
The thoughts won't stop, won't yield
They're rampant, big, explosive
An active brain mine field
So I'm looking for a refuge
Somewhere that I can hide
Cocoon inside a secret place
To recover, to survive
robin mother nest
on the corner of my house
two baby birds rest
quietly chirping
daddy-bird comes to release
the mom gets some food
7/11/23
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2023©
Recognition of an aberration
in the tenderness of embrace proffered
signals a subtle yet clear evasion
of love by the manner it’s been offered
and thus entwinement of two souls deferred.
The one who holds back love has a closed heart
since ego urgings have yet to depart
but the observer too must share the blame
in having chosen to passively part,
thus failing to rise above this mind game.
26-September-2022
The one who proclaimed his love for her
For some time had been drifting away.
But she often longed for what they were,
Sometimes unable to keep the tears at bay.
There were days she'd felt the urge to run,
To let her feet carry her as far as they could,
To be with all of it just completely done
But she knew within that she never would.
And nights she'd laid awake in the dark,
Watching over him as beside her he slept.
On her heart his distance had left a mark,
The months passed as the crevice crept.
There lay no true blame to the wall
Which they'd each added stones to build
When with cancer the end began to call
And her body was slowly being killed.
Of being a burden she often fretted
And often fought to hide her sorrows.
To not say something later regretted
For her unknown number of tomorrows.
She'd craved a lover with the breath
That would spark the fire in her soul.
Now her mind wandered into the depth
Of the loneliness that was taking its toll.
a unique soul speaks to me
and i respond
i am one with here
ears do not exist when our mouths speak
we take a walk until forever stops
listening is glistening
we are each other's Spotlight Blessing
we feel lighter as a direct result
soon it will be time to go
we decide to become defiant and say no
continuance is like body surfing on the most perfect, billowy cloud
we are the gold at the end of the other's rainbow, and for that we are ThankFull
In a darkened crevice..
In a darkened crevice
Between rugged rocks
We sometimes find
An emerging voice..
Light and shadow
With fragile connection
Seem to claim the
Story of difference..
And if we stay with
The story..as we depart
Walking away from the
Crevice..we may be
Hailed to return..
Return to an inner place
Which dissolves the
Difference..and reveals
The Beauty we missed
As we walked away...
Between A Crevice
By Valerie D. Staton
Between a crevice
I spy a city that thrives;
Trucks meander North
Pedestrians move, along
sidewalks the color of sand
To a point of trust.
There is no such barrier as insecurity.
In over one hundred pictures you are free to do as you please.
Intuition doesn't lie.
A sudden sensation that strikes out the blue.
Theres no need for passwords or indiscreet glances.
A rare case trust comes into question.
A certain closure that adjusts to a overwhelming thought.
A sudden reach or pull confirms this serious accusation.
Things change.
A subtle glance to remember the way things use to be.
In over one hundred different pictures I witnessed your body language begin to change.
In over one hundred different ways you hid pieces of yourself behind a password.
In a world where we are free to do as we please.
You decided to hide yourself.
Second guessing that truth would never find the light.
Appearing against the phone of a random stranger.
Another secret.
A light to peek through the crevice
crevice in a heart
silent volcano intends
unseen glacier does
The jester cradles the dove
As orders from Gaia shove
Demanding denial of love
He witnesses her slow dance
With fools unwilling to chance
Their grit to aid her advance
Mutely, he struggles to bend
To boost her faith to ascend
Here at the threshold of end
Even those jokers can see
What she proves destined to be
Despite their menacing glee
Yet the proud clown strokes his bird
To calm her savage heart's word
With farce and wit most absurd
Loud giggles force him to cry
Shaving time until she'll fly
Hope fate's discord won't deny
One lone feather drifts in hand
As he collapses to sand
A lonely smile cut in land
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