i never liked you.

simple, but also smug.

you stand tall and defiant
believing in your beauty
even when i and others, surely
joke that you’re the weed of roses

no one wants you in a bouquet.

you don’t scream “love” to anyone.

or “thank you”, or “i’m sorry”.

maybe that’s why i never liked you.

you were always more sure
of yourself than I was,
you were never afraid to rise

you grew tall and strong,
keeping your secret beauty
closed inside your bud

and by the time you have opened
yourself to the world
you’ve already been enjoyed… Read the rest

when i wake up i just lay there and wait
for you, for you to roll toward me and
stretch out your arm so i can roll into you

and while i’m waiting, yes, sometimes
i watch you sleep, don’t be surprised,
there are songs about doing this
we played them to each other
once upon another time

and i think it’s just wondrous
the way your eyelashes shine
in the morning light, and your face
looks so peaceful and sweet

i think you’d be surprised
to know how much i really love you,
i think you’d be kinder, too

it’s okay to get out of bed early, you don’t have to worry anymore
about missing out on cuddles and special time together, he’s here,
and from what you can see (the photos, the driver’s license, the
clothes in the closet) you should probably believe he will stay.
don’t worry so much about being left alone, not any time soon, and
not any more than any other woman would worry about 
the man she loves walking out the door in the morning and 
not coming back through at night. don’t be scared,
just believe he is here to love you.… Read the rest

I see myself sitting poolside, my pool boy in his tiny shorts skimming the cool blue water, and I ring a bell for someone to come bring me another iced tea. It’s so Gatsby. Though I am nowhere near the glitz, and nobody knows my name, don’t underestimate me. I’ll publish five books a year and be a millionaire before I’m done with this life.

Today’s poetry prompt words were: poolside, underestimate, and five.

_{Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash}

The fight’s gone out of me, taken flight.
You’re here but not here, you’re there and gone.
I’m left empty, and why not? I deserve it.

Today’s poetry prompt words were: empty, flight, and why not?

_{Photo by Adil Sattarov on Unsplash}