Capitalization (or lack thereof) is intentional.
This was about an ex who decided that the best way to get rid of me would be to ignore me until I broke up with him. Thanks a bunch -- I would have preferred it if you'd just been honest, hun.
unimportant
check your phone, will you?
nothing there –
that’s okay!
turn it off
turn it on
it might be something silly.
wait for it, alright?
just wait
it’ll buzz
give it a sec,
you know technology
something’ll come in a minute.
flip it open,
maybe you missed it –
nope!
that’s okay,
He’ll text in a minute
He loves you, you know…
-Carlin
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Slow
Finally, a poem that isn't sad, and wasn't prompted by much of anything except a beautiful line someone sent me on Facebook!
The line was, "The birds go flying at the speed of sound." I hadn't heard Coldplay's song with that lyric, so I decided to write a poem around that line. I learned of its origin before I put the line in, though, so while that was my inspiration, this poem is entirely my own.
Slow
Breathe deeply
Move slowly
Pick yourself up off the ground.
Watch the people scurry past
Live your secret life
Never lie.
Truth shall be sacred
Revere silence
An ephemeral life is waste.
So stand
Breathe in
Stand witness to the world.
Watch time go by
At the speed of song
Live without regret
See yourself belong.
-Carlin
The line was, "The birds go flying at the speed of sound." I hadn't heard Coldplay's song with that lyric, so I decided to write a poem around that line. I learned of its origin before I put the line in, though, so while that was my inspiration, this poem is entirely my own.
Slow
Breathe deeply
Move slowly
Pick yourself up off the ground.
Watch the people scurry past
Live your secret life
Never lie.
Truth shall be sacred
Revere silence
An ephemeral life is waste.
So stand
Breathe in
Stand witness to the world.
Watch time go by
At the speed of song
Live without regret
See yourself belong.
-Carlin
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
For You
This is an almost-villanelle... I made the second repeating line into two lines, instead of one longer lines, because it made more poetic sense to do that, so... As far as I'm concerned, I wrote a villanelle.
I wrote a poem about a girl in my Art class -- she has downs, and she's absolutely sweet and loving, but... she has downs. She has no friends, so I've been trying to be nice to her. Sometimes it's really hard to understand what she says, maybe because of the swollen tongue thing... Anyway, I invited her to go ice skating with me and some of my friends, and I called her to tell her what time we were going. When she called me back, it turned out she couldn't go... She sounded so absolutely crushed, like she was two inches away from crying... It was heart-breaking, it really was. But -- this is for her. She will never read it, of course... but I titled it "For You" anyway.
For You
My heart breaks for you, my dearest
For your tiny face, smiling trust
Some would call it a curse – but no.
You are blessed.
I’ve heard them, impatient, as you protest
Heard every reprimand, however just
My heart breaks for you, my dearest.
I’ve seen you eat alone, but not depressed
I know that you’re glad for the meanest of crusts
Some would call it a curse – but no.
You are blessed.
Your eyes tilt up, as all could attest
And none could deny you are robust
My heart breaks for you, my dearest.
Many fear you, for this gift you’ve possessed
Since the day you were born – some look with disgust
Some would call it a curse – but no.
You are blessed.
For I see, through it all, not a soul you detest
And your sunshining light is beauty – it must!
My heart breaks for you, my dearest;
For some would call it a curse – but no.
You are blessed.
-Carlin
I wrote a poem about a girl in my Art class -- she has downs, and she's absolutely sweet and loving, but... she has downs. She has no friends, so I've been trying to be nice to her. Sometimes it's really hard to understand what she says, maybe because of the swollen tongue thing... Anyway, I invited her to go ice skating with me and some of my friends, and I called her to tell her what time we were going. When she called me back, it turned out she couldn't go... She sounded so absolutely crushed, like she was two inches away from crying... It was heart-breaking, it really was. But -- this is for her. She will never read it, of course... but I titled it "For You" anyway.
For You
My heart breaks for you, my dearest
For your tiny face, smiling trust
Some would call it a curse – but no.
You are blessed.
I’ve heard them, impatient, as you protest
Heard every reprimand, however just
My heart breaks for you, my dearest.
I’ve seen you eat alone, but not depressed
I know that you’re glad for the meanest of crusts
Some would call it a curse – but no.
You are blessed.
Your eyes tilt up, as all could attest
And none could deny you are robust
My heart breaks for you, my dearest.
Many fear you, for this gift you’ve possessed
Since the day you were born – some look with disgust
Some would call it a curse – but no.
You are blessed.
For I see, through it all, not a soul you detest
And your sunshining light is beauty – it must!
My heart breaks for you, my dearest;
For some would call it a curse – but no.
You are blessed.
-Carlin
Monday, April 13, 2009
A Woman of Titles
Please don't steal my work.
I was thinking about dreadlocks, and how cool they are, but then again how much I wouldn't enjoy having them. Dreadlocks lead to thinking about Jack Sparrow's dreads, at which point I tangent-ed to pirate queens.
Then, of course, I wanted to write a poem-ballad about a Pirate Queen. This wasn't nearly what I was envisioning at the time, but still cool, or at least I think so.
Woman of Titles
The Ugliest Daughter
that’s what they said,
she had plain brown hair and a thin smile, flat chest
she pulled off wings of insects
and punched the bullies back.
That Insufferable Girl
that’s what the teacher called her
she never came back to school
one day when he switched her
for nothing,
what the prettier girls were doing anyway.
Whore
that’s what he called her,
when he dragged her to her papa’s barn
and she said no
when he tried to hitch her skirts
Bitter Little Thing
that’s what her sister told her
when one told the other he wasn’t good enough
one was dark haired
one light, like honey
one was sweet, and the other
never wanted marriage
That One
what they called her in the next town over,
till she left
Demoness
what they called her in that town by the seaside,
till sea raiders struck and her gun saved more women
from rape than any of their husbands did
Ma’am
after that pirate night, the townsfolk said this
to her face, but
Demoness
behind her back, whispered with fear
as if she might hear.
she did, but deception rankled her more
Boy
that’s what they called her
with her short hair and breeches
on that ship she hired onto
the one that was attacked, later,
too much later for it to be her fault,
somewhere off the coast of Florida
Prisoner
she was one of them, till
they found out she was useless for ransom,
with hardly a name
she told them she had escaped to sea
and had no reason not to join.
truth or not, they swore her on.
Scurvy Dog
the Cap’n of the pirates called her this, along with everyone.
anyone who wasn’t swabbing the deck,
or tying those knots
nearly fast enough
or if they were
Mutinous Bitch
after she rallied the Scurvy Dogs
and took control of the ship,
but before she had him walk the plank,
that’s what the Cap’n called her,
and seamen never learn to swim.
they hadn’t realized she was female
and once they did, they tried to revolt again
That Damn Bitch
that’s what they whispered
behind her back, or
grumbled, when she gave them fifteen lashes
for saying it to her face
The Sea Ogress
the merchant vessels reported she left no one alive
ground their bones to make her bread
they said she was a witch,
and enchanted her sailors to follow a woman
Pirate Queen
this is how they remembered her
once she was killed
in battle. no one said she ever ran away
not even her enemies,
nor the one who killed her
Princess of Thieves
that was her name, in the ballads
and stories
the poems of romance
where she became beautiful,
though strong was what she’d always been
where the cruel, hard life of a pirate
became the stuff of fables
-Carlin
I absolutely LOVE criticism. If there are any awkward lines, or a stanza that just has something *wrong* with it, please tell me. I'd love to improve, not just have people cringe-ingly tell me I'm amazing. Thanks for reading!
I was thinking about dreadlocks, and how cool they are, but then again how much I wouldn't enjoy having them. Dreadlocks lead to thinking about Jack Sparrow's dreads, at which point I tangent-ed to pirate queens.
Then, of course, I wanted to write a poem-ballad about a Pirate Queen. This wasn't nearly what I was envisioning at the time, but still cool, or at least I think so.
Woman of Titles
The Ugliest Daughter
that’s what they said,
she had plain brown hair and a thin smile, flat chest
she pulled off wings of insects
and punched the bullies back.
That Insufferable Girl
that’s what the teacher called her
she never came back to school
one day when he switched her
for nothing,
what the prettier girls were doing anyway.
Whore
that’s what he called her,
when he dragged her to her papa’s barn
and she said no
when he tried to hitch her skirts
Bitter Little Thing
that’s what her sister told her
when one told the other he wasn’t good enough
one was dark haired
one light, like honey
one was sweet, and the other
never wanted marriage
That One
what they called her in the next town over,
till she left
Demoness
what they called her in that town by the seaside,
till sea raiders struck and her gun saved more women
from rape than any of their husbands did
Ma’am
after that pirate night, the townsfolk said this
to her face, but
Demoness
behind her back, whispered with fear
as if she might hear.
she did, but deception rankled her more
Boy
that’s what they called her
with her short hair and breeches
on that ship she hired onto
the one that was attacked, later,
too much later for it to be her fault,
somewhere off the coast of Florida
Prisoner
she was one of them, till
they found out she was useless for ransom,
with hardly a name
she told them she had escaped to sea
and had no reason not to join.
truth or not, they swore her on.
Scurvy Dog
the Cap’n of the pirates called her this, along with everyone.
anyone who wasn’t swabbing the deck,
or tying those knots
nearly fast enough
or if they were
Mutinous Bitch
after she rallied the Scurvy Dogs
and took control of the ship,
but before she had him walk the plank,
that’s what the Cap’n called her,
and seamen never learn to swim.
they hadn’t realized she was female
and once they did, they tried to revolt again
That Damn Bitch
that’s what they whispered
behind her back, or
grumbled, when she gave them fifteen lashes
for saying it to her face
The Sea Ogress
the merchant vessels reported she left no one alive
ground their bones to make her bread
they said she was a witch,
and enchanted her sailors to follow a woman
Pirate Queen
this is how they remembered her
once she was killed
in battle. no one said she ever ran away
not even her enemies,
nor the one who killed her
Princess of Thieves
that was her name, in the ballads
and stories
the poems of romance
where she became beautiful,
though strong was what she’d always been
where the cruel, hard life of a pirate
became the stuff of fables
-Carlin
I absolutely LOVE criticism. If there are any awkward lines, or a stanza that just has something *wrong* with it, please tell me. I'd love to improve, not just have people cringe-ingly tell me I'm amazing. Thanks for reading!
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