by Elsha Hawk
Not Myself
Poetry From the other Side of Me
Copyright 2010 ElshaHawk
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Table of Contents
You Had A bad Day
Size Matters
Sunny Day
Where Poets Come From
State of the Union
Soul Mate
Friends: Not the TV Show
I Believe
Ode to Peaches
Ruthie May
You Said
Behind the Door
Ignite Jealousy in the Halls
Wilted Flower
Revenge
Favorites and Fears in One Song
Shower Scene
Missile
One Hit Wonder
However
Hostile
Not Myself
Giving Up and Letting Go
Little Brother
The Place Between Asleep and Awake
Missed Opportunity
You Had A Bad Day
your alarm clock went off and your body said “sleep”
your coffee spilled all over your feet
your shirt was buttoned one button off
your dog chewed on one of your crocs
your great idea went up in smoke
your muse slept in and never woke
your lunch was stale and still half frozen
your lotto numbers weren’t chosen
your movie date was postponed
your battery died on your cell phone
your dinner burned a charcoal black
your athlete’s foot is coming back
your ebay auction never sold
your enemy was just paroled
your mail was all ‘return to sender’
your heart is ready to surrender
your head hit the pillow, finally
your nightmare stung you like a bee
your sheets are soaked through with sweat
your day hasn’t gotten better yet
your clock strikes midnight, all is calm
your new day starts, a soothing balm
Size Matters
If I were taller..
I could reach the second shelf in the cabinets
I could dunk a basketball
I could write at the top of the chalkboard
I could hoist a child on my shoulders for a better view
I could shop in the Misses section
I could drive all models of vehicles comfortably
But I’d have a good view of the dirt on top of the fridge
I’d have to duck under low door frames
And people would always ask me to get things down
I would miss being able to rescue a terrified kid from the McDonald’s Playland
I would miss reaching into small spaces
I would miss climbing onto the roof of the van to strap down luggage
I couldn’t rest my head on my hubby’s chest near his heart
I couldn’t fit in the tent with my kids
I couldn’t grow anymore anyway, so I guess,
I’ll stay short
Sunny Day
Do you remember
Chasing the clouds away?
All we really needed
Was a sun-ny day!
You and I
We’re the best of friends
You and I
Know where the sun lives!
We ran and ran
Sang loud and long
We found the sun
There all along!
Do you remember
Chasing the clouds away?
All we really needed
Was a sun-ny day!
You and I
Were never alone
You and I
Vanilla ice cream cones!
We grew and grew
Fought and made up
We loved and lost
In time we forgot
Do you remember
Chasing the clouds away?
All we really needed
Was a sun-ny day!
You and I
We’re the best of friends
You and I
Know where the sun lives!
Do you remember
Chasing the clouds away?
All we really needed
Was a sun-ny day!
Where Poets Come From
Behind the gossamer curtain
Beneath the azure veil
You’ll find a quiet beauty
In exquisite detail
You’ll hold your breath to gaze upon it
You’ll take in the scents with your eyes
The scene beheld is beyond words
Sweet music touches the skies
Poetry is wild here
Growing hither and thither
There inside this hollowed ground
A single flower withers
The dried petals wisk away
And a tear is shed for its loss
That single drop ingredient
Births a poet from the moss
State of the Union
What’s up with people?
Don’t know how to play nice
Whining to the boss
‘Bout your petty price
How you don’t like so and so
So you want them canned
Fired
Expelled
Cuz the World
Revolves Around You
It’s a frickin’ pissin’ contest
You want to always be right
You give no examples
No reasons for his plight
Fired
Expelled
Cuz the World
Revolves Around You
Corporate america
Is not based on work
Not based on Ability
Nor skillz like a clerk
It’s a popularity contest
Impress, Dressed the Best
And you’ll excell
But do what you’re told and you’re
Fired
Expelled
’Cuz the World
Revolves Around Them
Soul Mate
You know what T-shirt I like best
My favorite color too
And when I cry silently
You know exactly what to do
You know when it’s my birthday
The right amount of fuss to make
You feel so happy for me
Every triumphal step I take
When I’m being stupid
You’re not afraid to tell me
When I’m working through it
You guide me very gently
At times when I break down
You try to calm the storm
Time changes things outside
But together, anywhere is home
It’s not the feelings I show outside
But the ones behind the eyes
That really matter to a soul mate
Connected by strong ties
You know when to push me
You know when to pull
I needed you for so long
To make my heart feel full
Sometimes I take you for granted
Forgetting about times gone
Before my heart was content
Before you brought the dawn
So this is a reminder to me
To make each day with you
A picture perfect H
allmark moment
Before our time is through
I could never love another
The same as I do you
Who could know me as well?
No one, Soul Mate, but you.
Friends: Not the TVShow
Friends
Not the TV show
The people you know
Who care about you
And your life
Friends
Who love you anyway
Fight for you any day
Who argue with you
And take offense
Friends
Who come back and say
They still love you anyway
And your friendship grows
Much deeper
Friends
May live near or far
Would take boat, train, or car
To see that you have
A good day
Friends
More valuable than gems
Worth more than the world of men
Because they love you
As you do them
I Believe
I believe in rainy days that soak in deep to nourish at the root
I believe in rainbows of paper butterflies swaying above my head in childish glee
I believe in ice cream sundaes that melt fast in the sun leaving sticky puddles of joy
I believe in harmonies that make angels weep for their beauty
I believe in vanilla and lavender bubble baths of pure silent bliss
Ode to Peaches
Peaches
soft and fuzzy
yellow mixed with orange
Peaches
when underripe
are hard and bitter
Peaches
when overripe
are soft and messy
Peaches
when just right
are sweet and juicy
running down your chin
drops of succulent bliss
round, full, fruits waiting
for you to bite in
Ruthie May
“I’m too tired to write today,”
Said Ruthie May to her teacher.
“I was up all night,
Mom and Dad had a fight!
Dad had a lesson to teach her!”
“I hid under the covers and cried.
Dad found me and said I was dreamin’.
He tucked me in,
covers up to my chin,
But I stayed awake through the screamin’.
“They argued and fought all night.
They broke dishes and threw chairs.
But I was okay,
My room’s far away,
I just listened under my teddy bears.”
Ruthie May walked to the school nurse.
She laid down on a thick foam cot.
They woke her for lunch,
On pizza she did munch,
Then by the counselor she was sought.
Her story went into a report.
She begged her Mom and Dad not to know.
Then went back to class,
With a written hall pass,
And gathered her work to go home.
That night red and blue lights danced
Across her wall as she quietly stared.
A cop carried her out.
Silent tears began to spout.
Ruthie May pretended not be scared.
You Said
You said my eyes were like diamonds;
I smelled alluring
You said my first date was also yours;
I looked ravishing
You said you’d only kissed once before;
I was your soul mate
You said you’d never look at any other;
I was all you needed
You know what?
I’m so glad you speak truthfully!
You are my best friend;
Always will be!
Behind the Door
I’d passed this wall
A million times
As I wandered in the dark
Never before
Had I noticed this door
The crack below lit with light
I pushed upon it
See if it would budge
Still unsure if I wanted to go
The door swung
Too easily it seemed
Too good to be true as well
I knew at once
This was my home
Where I was meant to be
Ignite Jealousy in the Halls
“That’s when I saw them, her arm wrapped around his waist and a smirk of pure sass thrown back over her shoulder, daring the school to challenge her conquest of the King.”
Wilted Flower
Robbed of moisture, the flower droops.
Light petals once soft and pliable are now brittle and dry.
The bright color long faded to dark hues of its former glory.
Gravity pulls the weighty head down and tugs petals loose from the stem.
The flower is spent.
Dry crumbly flakes fall like tears, forgotten memories of days past.
Such a short existence,
fleeting beauty,
gone before its time,
plucked,
fragrant,
then spoiled.
What does the flower think of itself?
Is it proud to have given itself for a cause?
Or does it feel its life was wasted and cut short?
Gravity pulls the weighty head down and tugs petals loose from the stem.
The flower is spent.
Revenge
Locked and loaded
Cradled in my arm
No time for apologies
Only your harm
You stole my girl
Took her in my own bed
Steel cold and hard
Pointing at your head
No time for words
Trigger finger itchin’
Hear her scream
See your body twitchin’
Brains on her face
Blood on the covers
Revenge is sweet
Breaking up two lovers
Favorites and Fears in One Song
Gables on houses
Gazeboes in gardens
White calla lilies
And long picket fences
Rainbow like scales on saltwater fish
These are a few of my favorite things!
When the tires pop,
When the wasps sting
When a twister comes,
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad!
Post-it note papers
Comp’sition book pages
Pen and ink doodles
For more inspiration
Dolphins that swim with the moon on their fins
These are a few of my favorite things!
When my stuff breaks
When I cough and ache
When I’m feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feeeeel sooooo baaaad!
Shower Scene
Rush of water full of noise
cascading, ricocheting, refracting
Wisps of vapor curling high
Blurring, obscuring, enveloping
Fresh clean scent of Ivory soap
Wafting, invigorating, enticing
Single translucent shower curtain
revealing, concealing, alluring
Sharp intake of breath escapes
unnoticed, uninhibited, desired
Missile
I waited in the darkness
Still
Quiet
I felt a rumbling
Awake
Light
I was born into the cruel world
Flying
Fast
I have a singular purpose
Controlled
<
br /> Directed
I aim for my goal, unwavering.
Target
Impact
I feel nothing as I leave this world
Heat
Explosion
And my short existence has made an impact
Justified
Satisfied
Though others may hate my life, not understanding, it was mine to live.
One Hit Wonder
Never gonna be another one hit wonder
Gonna tear the world records all asunder
Gonna tear the roof up off this place
Gonna hear my name shouted out from space
Others may think they got the groove
But only one writer comes up smooth
Swift with the talkin
Quick with the walkin
Climbing up charts
Winning up hearts
You boys so nasty with the bellyache’n
Give’n me fits and start my headache’n
I’m gonna tromp and tread
Climbing over your head
On my way up outta down here
Cleaner air up in the atmosphere
Moving to the top
I just can’t stop
Never gonna be another one hit wonder
Gonna tear the world records all asunder
Gonna tear the roof up off this place
Gonna hear my name shouted out from space
All this bellyache’n won’t get you there
Clear my headache’n up above your stare
Lookin’ down at you from my throne on high
No pity for the fools who bicker and cry
Zap with lightning
Thunder frightening
Kissin’ Zeus, sharing with Hera
Olympus grooves to Elsha’s flare-a PEACE
However
I put on a show, however no one sees.
A third of the earth is land, however two thirds sea.
I wear a sundress, however it might rain.
The soul is cloudy, however the body feels no pain.
I carry an umbrella, however the sun’s bright.
I wear clothes, however my heart’s naked in broad daylight.
The world goes round, however time is a line.
I love you, however you can’t be mine.
Odd is a feeling, however temporary.
Cold despises hot, however they are married.
A quandry, however a simple answer would do.
The mystery is solved, however I haven’t a clue.
You feel love, however it breaks your heart.
They will come back, however they must depart.
Chickens come first, however, so do eggs.
Life hatches plans, however death sucks them away.
The world goes round, however time is a line.
I love you, however you can’t be mine.
Hostile
I think I’m going to explode.
I’ve got to get out of here, right now.
The environment is making me claustrophobic. I can’t breathe.
I am so upset I just want to scream.
But I can’t.
I’m trapped in this tiny space.
There is so much me and it’s all crammed in.
I can’t even move.
The anger is going to kill me, boiling over.
I desire so much to get out of this sarcophagus, this tomb, this shell.
To be a locust, oh how I wish I were.
Surrounded by people who don’t care, who don’t even know.
How I feel.
I feel everything and I want out, NOW.