You dictate to me
as you want me to be,
you strap me down,
and then you frown
if I break free,
to be who I want to be!
Yes, I do not fit
I won’t stand or sit,
as you try to school,
dominate and rule
defining me to be!
what you desire to see.
How can you desire,
to light a specific fire
quelling other flames within me?
Oh, what expectation
and determination
to snuff out the me in me!
Deciding for me
to be or not to be!
how can you ever
make me want, what you prefer?
Copyright © by Crystal David John
(Published in my book titled 'Trails of Thought,' which is available on Amazon)
demons lurk in shadows dark
hidden and furiously silent
their presence oozing at clairvoyants
soothsayer pauses in her reading to listen
juggling the genuineness and the risk of mistake
was this message from angels or demons?
she calls upon her ancestors for clarity
the message stops while the demons laugh
intimidated by her parentage, they disappear
I saw this little boy
When he looked at me he was scared
I am scarred; you made me this way little boy
He ran away
Now I am looking into an empty mirror
Where did I go
A small blue kite was afraid to
fly high in the windy, blue sky.
His friend the gentle breeze
gave him a big, encouraging
push.
Soon, the kite was dancing
proudly above the tallest
trees in the park.
Are you scared?
Don't be afraid.
There is nothing here to scare you.
I will be there with you.
I will become a shield to protect you,
even if I am scared,
even if I sense an unseen presence in the darkness.
When I am with you,
you become my power.
You become my strength.
Just being with you is enough for me.
It gives me the courage to stand my ground.
With my eyes open,
I will watch over you.
If you are scared,
I will embrace you with both arms open.
Don't be afraid.
The Glen is silent, almost to a deadly halt.
You can hear your own breath and your heart beating in your chest.
It’s eerie and you’re feeling afraid.
You don’t know why?
The haar is closing in and dulling any sound even more.
You start to panic and go to turn on your heel.
As you pace yourself to move you look behind you and hear the most awful noise.
“Mum, I’ve lost my shoe in the bog!”
i’ll close my eyes
and pretend snow falls on my eyelids
the snow will melt as i cry
and i will lie and say it’s just the snow
he’ll look me in the eye and say
i know all your secrets
i’ll watch as he tells everyone
i’ll watch as he embarrasses me
i feel the pain in my heart
a sick feeling in my stomach
i will battle with my flesh
i will tear and tug and cut and pick
i will bleed and sob and hurt and get sick
it will only last for a few seconds
because that’s all i will ever mean to anyone
none of them can look me in the eye and say they love me
none of them can look me in the eye and say they’re sorry
i will continuously let them stomp on me
continuously let them hurt me
as long as i can be apart of everyone’s story
Scared, Yet Unbroken
Scared I'll be the burden that they name,
Scared my laugh will call them to complain;
Scared they'll put my heart aside as blame,
Label me "unwanted" in their frame.
Scared my life will slip to average size,
Scared to dim beneath another's eyes;
Scared to marry only to economize,
Scared my worth will fold into disguise.
Scared to mother in a life of small designs,
Scared our days will tally like thin lines;
Scared the future's gate with quiet signs
Will close on dreams and file them under "fine."
But listen, fear is not my final song,
I am more fierce than what they think is wrong;
I will shape my name, I will stand my strong,
I will claim a place where I belong.
Not just a woman boxed to fit their plan
not merely measured by a nameless man;
I am a storm and I am also land:
owned by no one, steady where I stand.
So keep your judgments I will keep my flame;
turn your "burden" shouting into my name.
I will not vanish; I will not be tame
I will live loud, exact, and boldly claim.
Darkness makes it hard to see the light,
Deception makes it hard to trust good intentions.
I tried so many things with confidence,
Like a fearless bull,
You wonder where I found the audacity,
You wish you could be me
And make all your fears vanish.
Only if you knew,
I am as scared as you are.
Every night I fight demons unseen,
Wrestling with forces above, seeking clarity.
I wake up stronger, seemingly unbothered.
You marvel at how perfect I appear,
But I am not as perfect as I seem.
I am mortal, far from perfection,
A reflection of my own creation.
My competitive fire unsettles mediocrity.
I chased knowledge and ignored companionship;
Now knowledge flows,
And companionship feels alien.
You are scared of making cynical choices,
You ponder being the one or being alone
Seeking peace in chaos
And wondering how I figured it out.
Come here,
Only if you knew;
I am just as scared as you.
It hurt to laugh today
my ribs are sore
it made me stop
and stare
What is it now?
what caused that!
I am falling apart
simple stuff
Is it a heart condition?
my cancers back?
pleurisy?
ribs inflamed?
what the hell
One more thing
on the pile of
one more things
I don't want to deal with
or even think
But its all happening
even if I don't want it to
sore and hurt
I can breath
so its not likely lungs
I don't know
a medical mystery
for the doctor to figure out
Getting old
is not for the meek..
One more thing
on the pile of
one more things
I don't want to deal with
or even think
But it's all happening
even if I don't want it to
sore and hurt
I can breath
so its not likely lungs
I don't know
a medical mystery
for the doctor to figure out
Getting old
is not for the meek..
in the graveyard on Halloween night
you are apt to see a scary sight
this evening a graveyard troll came by
he walked right past me and gave a “hi”.
It’s not Halloween, I thought, not feeling brave.
Where had he come from? was it that grave?
I said hi, he said, giving me a weird lopsided evil look.
I screamed, ran down the hill and fell into a cold wet brook.
to anyone who came to his porch, friendly scarecrow gave a friendly hi
he’s so sweet! he’s a peach! he’s wonderful, an amazing guy!
in actuality, he was plotting their demise, for people he despised.
He gave them a happy wink, keeping his evilness disguised.
i love her.
That's the bottom line.
nothing else matters
as long as i can call her mine.
I thought id never be happy,
thought id never find love
i didn't think that i deserved it
but we fit like a glove
I'm scared to lose her
she means so much to me
what do i do if she leaves
i don't know who id be
As scary as love is,
there is no better feeling.
When I'm with her,
the sun never stops gleaming.
she had been walled in by those who thought they knew her
retaining her dignity, she scoffed at their measly efforts
no one expected her to rally,
but she literally bounced out of their blockade
their efforts to disturb and perturb her propelled her forward
to do what she does best
she melted their negativity with her positive attitude
frightening them even more now
why must i hear?
Take my ears.
For i don't wish to hear the voice of fears.
Why must i see?
Take my eyes.
For i don't wish to see the thoughts of thee.
Am i long forgotten now?
Do i not exist in your flurry of rage?
The begotten cries of tears.
And all those petty ways in which you'd ignore my beaten-
Senseless soul.
For i cry too,
You are not the only one,
You are not alone in this place
I wish i could call home.
Its lonesome here,
And yet ignorance is bliss.
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.