-Poetry-

Archery
-----------------
The Indian princess
Stepped a gentle foot
Of a deep golden hue
Onto the dewy ground.
The grasses bowed their heads
In respect of her majesty.
With the precision of a hawk
Plummeting towards its kill
She pulled back her handmade bow
And shot it across the clearing.
A plastic rocket flew into the air
Dancing with the wind
And landed ten feet away.
My friends and I
Rushed to pick it up
So we could continue
Our game of cowboys
And Indians.

Distractions
-----------------------
I lock the door
And try to block out
The voices downstairs.
I shut the windows
And try to block out
The evening sunset.
I close my mind
To the noisy thoughts
Chattering in my head.
Finally, I can write.
I look around
Searching for inspiration.
I listen
For some sound of encouragement.
I think
But suddenly there is nothing.
I stare at the blinking cursor
And write nothing.
Oh, well.
At least I am free of
Distractions.

Dream
-----------
You can wish
Upon every shooting star
In the greater
Milky Way galaxy.
You can pray
To every God out there
High above our heads
In many glorious Heavens.
You can plead
Every single day
At 11:11 or 12:34
Like clockwork.
And I bet you ten pence
My dreams will come true
Faster than yours.

Eyelash
-------------
Your gaze met with mine
Every wish upon an eyelash
Was suddenly worth it.

Footprints
------------------
I rub a circle
Into the fog
On my bedroom
Window.
Outside,
Mother Nature
Has scribbled
Over Earth
With a white
Crayola crayon.
Two sets
Of footprints
Have broken
The perfection.

Habit
----------
You sit there all day long
And chew, chew, chew
At that index fingernail.
You chew
During math class.
You chew
During science class.
But whenever you see Jeanne
The prettiest girl in school
You put your hands behind your back
And cover your face with
Long, honey-colored hair.

Individual
---------------
I sink into an ocean
Of powdered sugar.
Each individual
Glittering flake
Melting to water
On my tongue.

Pity
-------
A couple
Dressed in black
Walk past me.
They do not stop.
They do not cry.
They do not mourn.
They walk by
Quickly, with
Their heads down.

Please
------------
Please accept this
Ornate stained-glass
Heart in shards
I know that it looks
Beyond repair
But it might be
Worth something
If you could fix it up
For me.
When you are
Finished
Wrap it
In bubble-wrap
And ship it far away
Where it will
Never be harmed again.
It would give
Me great relief
To know that it is safe
In good hands.

Words
-----------
I love you.
Your words
Scatter in the air
Like an exhale
On a winter's morning.
They are gone forever.
Just words
Worthless
Until you mean
What you say.
I'll never know
Whether your words
Were worth anything
At all.