January 2016 Winner of the Goodreads Poetry Contest We will always be here, you said. This town and you and the rusty moon Under the browned trees and the night sky. The permanence, a brick house, Built to withstand earthquakes and silent explosions. Inside I am never the same. It's a smack in the face... Continue Reading →
Red Rocks
Where are you already? I've been waiting for years Since you left the car at Red Rocks No admission for you. Only me. I thought you would find me again. You always did. Climbing fences and forging a new path. But you didn't show up, and a part of me stayed. Sleeping in a row... Continue Reading →
Can I Get an Amen for Making Amends?
I dreamed of a love I thought I had forgotten. He showed me his open hands and I fell into his arms. Like water without a pot, I could not be contained. When we started walking backwards, it seemed like a fun kind of game at first, a new perspective on the shape of things... Continue Reading →
Side-Eyed in Starbucks
A shadow walked through the branded lady's door. Dismantled and disfigured, Heavy beard and zipped-up coat on a summer day In a line of blue badges, He spotted the woman from his past. Venti green iced tea in her hand, Heartbeat strong and unfazed, No longer the girl pregnant with possibility. So easily disarmed and... Continue Reading →
What’s Buried Inside You and Me
Sleepless, Under eye circled gruffness. Emotions unconfessed Misdirected hurt suppressed. The darkness I've seen in men. The shadow leads, Anger feeds Hard, fast breathing Strained neck seething. The sorrow I've seen in men. Whether joy or pain, The intensity is the same, Withheld when awake, But the snore, a roar. I mistake the darkness of... Continue Reading →
What Comes After the End of Wanting?
Ever since I can remember, I've had a crush on someone. Some scruffy-haired blonde boy, the quiet kind tall guy, the bad boy, the good guy with a girlfriend, the drummer, the alcoholic, the electrician, the chef, the poet--there's always been a place for these dreamy, hope-filled feelings to land. Whether we dated or not,... Continue Reading →
My Dream of Boyfriends Past (Or Why I Think I Should Date a Hawk)
Last week, my friend accidentally locked her keys and her purse inside her house. I helped her break in by adopting the familiar cheerleader forward knee bend pose. She put her foot on my thigh and 1-2-3 she was inside the window. When I was younger, I remember climbing out my bedroom window after an... Continue Reading →
I Was Blinded by Something That I Thought Was Love
"Our sensory organs love to lead us astray, and eyes are the most deceptive of all. We rely too heavily upon them. We believe that we see the world around us, and yet it is only the surface that we perceive. We must learn to divine the true nature of things, their substance, and the... Continue Reading →
When to Say Yes and When to Say No
Somewhere along the way I got confused about when to say yes and when to say no. When to affirm and when to negate. When to accept and when to refuse. When to allow and when to deny. Maybe it was because I didn't know what I wanted. Maybe it was because I didn't really... Continue Reading →
Who Put the ‘Tude in Gratitude?
During my first few years of college, I worked at a record store, an art supply store and later a book store. I listened to Throwing Muses on the bus, painted expressionistic portraits of friends and wrote poetry in coffee shops while smoking cigarettes. I wore red lipstick and black eyeliner. My hair was wild and... Continue Reading →