a diamond, cold, hard,

her smile doesn't reach her eyes

except for the boy-

wild, rambunctious, curly-haired

sweetly naughty, full of life

for him, sunshine, warmth

endless fun, boundless joy, love,

unconditional

hope where once there was despair

dreams of a bright tomorrow

She came to me then,

brown skin under warm heaven.

"Not much longer now,"

She whispered. Eyes a deeper

brown. "Soon, we will be free. Yes."

We ran in moonlight.

There are only stars to see

us. Limbs pushing north.

Once there, we will never sleep

with whips cracking in nightmares

Underneath cold sun

Grackles call, trill, together.

Hidden, here's human

Unbelonging to birdcalls

Stands alone, listening, chilled.

Splashing mallards hide

Under wings, unbothered by

Eyes, searching for yet

More music, metaphorical

Warmth no sun provides, birds do.

Those young leaves unfurl,

Shaking off the melting snows,

Lost in morning mists.

Though they may not see ahead,

They surge and, in sunlight, grow.

I am that white snow.

Shaken off, and left melting.

My wetted eyes watch.

And the young leaves do not see,

That there are two mists for me.

Emotional scars

that remain hidden from view

and don’t fade away,

can serve as a reminder

of battles both won and lost.

Which is the reason

you should celebrate these wounds

unabashedly.

They prove beyond any doubt

that you can endure all things.

Once upon a time.

There was a time i once knew.

Now I don't know Jack.

I think that was his real name.

He lived his days in a box.

Cardboard,and judged.

Handle with care.Feeble soul.

Once it held a bed.

Thermal packing.His quilt box.

So conveniently swindled.

Seems impossible

to persuade you to see me

when I don’t, either,

and you exude confidence

and style that I sorely lack

But then your book dropped,

and while some fawned over you

I was there to retrieve it,

return the volume, and feel

the warmth of your gaze on mine

My passion for you,

Insurmountable high tides,

You're my sun and moon,

My mornings and afternoons,

Can't spell lonesome without me

Your eyes like emeralds,

Touch so exhilarating,

Stronger than Iron,

Resilience I've never seen,

How am I worthy of you?

Systolic pumping

Explodes each carefree moment

To distribute life

With a beat here and one there

To my parts everywhere

.

I am flush with life

One stroke at a time, in time

Until the final

Feeds my brain its farewell

And resignation as well

It's admirable

to see all these blades of grass

as just blades of grass

and not army battalions

armoring for their homeland

It's honorable

to hear all these words of thought

as just words of thought

and not riot battle-cries

rioting in the conscious

03.31.2025

Double Tanka challenge @Mariah