How long...

How long must you wait for someone to notice
who you are
what you are
where you are
before you realise they will not ever
know you
really know you
how long must you stand behind shade
skirts
partitions
like a small child—
cower
hide
before you are noticed for what you can offer
can do
can be
how long before your time is up
the boat has left the dock
the breeze blows the other way
your life has passed you by
and you have aged—
grey hair
no hair
no memory
how long before you stand up for you
have a voice that is loud
proud
strong
believing in yourself
your self worth
your talents
your values
your life
how long...

I will not

I will not run anymore
I will stand firm
hold my own
speak my mind
tell you where we stand
I will not hide anymore
I am strong
come full circle
to this point that I wish to be
I will not listen
to the songs
of yesterday
the songs
so out of tune
hurting my ears
making no sense
melody
tune
non existent
I will not talk
to you anymore
for all I want to say has been said
wasted breath
I know that now
I will not look at you anymore
your beauty blinds me
superficial beauty that barely runs skin dip
cosmetically enhanced
highlighted
retouched
covered up beauty
I will not
I will
not
I
will
not

Tarred

You can take a journey
on a road you've never travelled
take with you all things you may need
and even those you won't—

set out on a road
tarred
rough
and strewn with rocks
gravel
dust
blinding paths

all things—
many things

that will make your journey bumpy
along the way you'll meet
greet
characters
the likes you never thought so—
take heart
open mind
listen
laugh
it's all about the journey
the travels

the road that leads you
to the future
an undiscovered part of you
just waiting

Pandora's box

Fashioned from the soil
the first woman—
adorned with beauty
and deception
laden with a gift—
Epimetheus beware
inquisitive by nature
it was all too much—
evil
illness released
only hope
our only hope—
embedded in a wall of stone
tarnished
inscribed
in a small crevice
the last hope
encapsulated
human nature
what we have left

 

I used to know you

I used to know you
once, long ago
we'd sit and chat
about the world
sing songs
so out of tune, we'd scare the birds
play dress-ups in your grandmother's clothes
we'd laugh as the smell of camphor
would fill our noses
and make us cough—
I used to know you
quite a long way back
we'd dance in the kitchen
while you're mother made us
deliciously sticky sweet treats
which we would eat, until bellies full
we'd lay on the grass outside
watch the clouds
shapes we thought
and laugh until the tears would roll
down
down
our cheeks
and we could not breathe
I used to know you...

The freedom of being

The freedom of being a child
a reckless abandonment
shrieking—
with excitement
with trepidation
swinging high
on a playground swing
feet in the air—
watch me Mummy, I can touch the sky
daring,
daring to let go—
just with one hand
one finger poised
slightly crooked—
I’ve done it Mummy
I touched a cloud
did you see me Mummy
a toothless grin
bottle youth
this is the best time
no thought for tomorrow
stay here
stay as long as you can—
suspended in this time
until it is no more

What am I?

I am light
I am shade
I am the in-between
that comes
at sunrise
sunset
I am your agony
your pain
I am your salvation
your damnation
the one that will bring you down
I am your all
your only
your nothing
your refuse—
tossed aside
like rot
I am your threat
your comfort
I hold you close
embraced
I am your solitude
your escape—
I am