Virginia Rose

Two lovers did plant this beauteous thing

This Virginia Rose

And cherish it they did until it was grown

This Virginia Rose

Plucked from its bed of well-known soil

This Virginia Rose

Did root new nourishing ground

This Virginia Rose

And a lover itself it soon became

This Virginia Rose

A poor fool it is though clever too

This Virginia Rose

It longs for a flower that is not more than a weed

This Virginia Rose

Still it doth bloom in scent and scene

This Virginia Rose

In hopes that rain drenched thistle will take note of

This Virginia Rose

Wind blows weeds with dying roots

From poor Virginia Rose

Thistles know they are not deserving

Of sweet Virginia Rose

Though it droops its lonely head

Longing for Virginia Rose

It grows melancholic for its shame

Denied to Virginia Rose

Growing strong and proud, still naïve

This Virginia Rose

A thistle dances in its dreams

This Virginia Rose

Undeserving he will love her still

This Virginia Rose

If only if only his heart’s solemn cry

This Virginia Rose

No garden of God nor work of man

Could house Virginia Rose

Thistles know it and it does not

Brilliant Virginia Rose

Alas the laws unspoken but known

Are torn by Virginia Rose

Two flowers meet and soon lovers become

Of thistle, Virginia Rose

Two lovers plant a new beauteous thing

Shame could never quash the truth

Nor deny what is deserved by all

And so on he will love his thistled bride

Good man, Virginia Rose

And May We Love

May we love someone good enough to love as we deserve.

May we flee from fear and shame and show what riches we know.

May we but wander once till we find our home, our refuge.

May rest be found wherein we shall never desire to leave.

May we never sing alone but may we find our heart’s harmony.

May beauty and joy be found even in our heart’s most troublesome times.

May we find love that teaches us to love better.

May we give our all and receive it too.

May we find You in all we do and in all who we know.

May we prepare for that which You have made for us.

May we never be alone in this world.

May we know our skill and use it well.

May victory be our only song.

May we be renewed in life and renewed in spirit.

May we find holy provisions and blessed desires.

May we find our match if we are given one.

May we be prepared for all You may ask of us:

No test nor trial nor temptation nor trouble be too much through which we cannot persevere.

May we fall beautifully in love in Your name

May we heal. May we hope.

May we see. May we rest.

May we grow.

May we move on. May we rejoice.

May we be wise.

May we forgive. May we understand.

May we be brave enough to love and not know why.

May we represent. May we do the worthwhile. May we forget.

May we be worth our inheritance. May we live.

May we flourish. May we shatter.

May we lead.

May we be free.

May we never see each other again.

I Want To Tell The World Of You

I want to tell the world of you.

To shout your name from mountains,

Whisper it in secret corners of the universe.

I want to tell the world of you.

To speak of your goodness amongst friends,

To have it bring down the harshest enemies.

I want to tell the world of you.

To show the poor your riches,

And the proud your modest emotion.

I want to tell the world of you.

For those who’ve never heard it- your song,

The sweetest tenor that could banish birds.

I want to tell the world of you.

Let those who are low rise above with you

With your strength humbly untold.

I want to tell the world of you.

I must tell the world of you.

But what of you do I truly know?

I want to tell the world of you

But cannot find the proper words.

I want to tell the world of you

Though no words yet exist that can.

I want to tell the world of you.

But how can I write of what I do not know?

I Long for Winter

I long for winter when the cold is all I feel.

I long for winter when my love is no longer near.

I long for winter when my heart may beat again.

I long for winters past before I even knew your name.

What Means Love?

Meaning is lost when words are too oft repeated.

And yet I say them again:

I love you,

I love you.

Only who?

No Better Cure of Love

I saw a statue carved of pure gold

And watched it slowly melt from its mold.

A king wore a crown made of jewels and stone

Into oblivion I saw his soul be thrown.

A lover stood before me his heart in abduction

A boy in tears stood in destruction.

No better cure of love than love itself.

What are we if we have not our health?

But the past came knocking on your door last night-

Suddenly what we’re feeling just isn’t right.

Desert Rose

Desert rose that blooms in heat

Where one would think nothing grows.

Desert rose whose beauty is beat

By nothing mankind knows.

Desert rose that looks on me

As if my beauty might compare.

Desert rose can you not see

Only you take such sweet care.

Desert rose what lies within

More beauty I know not.

Desert rose what a time it’s been

God willing it shan’t be forgot.

Desert rose I think I love you.

Though you ask of me; who?

Three Flowers

I planted a flower that seemed it would never die,

And on it grew into a garden wherein I would hide.

But a year’s time hence it was plucked and gone.

Within the wind it flew and sang a mournful song.

I found a blossom blooming in the desert’s despair,

And it seemed as if perhaps this pain was no longer there.

But I soon saw the gardeners come, all fighting for this flower.

So I simply stood beside and watched it drown under the shower.

Alas within the soaking rain there came one last bloom.

The largest of all and most beautiful, too, glowing like the moon.

But this time it was I who left for greener grasses called,

And my three loves now wither to dust; never should have love been called.

A Life Sentence for A Rose

I loved you once and betrayed it all-

All for a blood-red rose.

I loved you once, was wild and free,

Now to prison must I go.

I loved you once and slipped one night

All for a withered rose.

I loved you once and fell one morn.

Now into pieces do I go.

I loved you once and destroyed it all-

All for a thorny rose.

I loved you once was fair and kind,

Now into madness I go.

I loved you once and broke it apart

All for a cursed rose.

I loved you once and that was all,

Now into nothing I go.

I loved you once and ruined you-

All for some damn rose.

I loved you once and ruined myself.

A life sentence to serve

All for a blood-red rose.

Calling Crows

The crows were but silent until you left,

Now they play the mournful pain I know, too, how to sing.

It is a tune I’ve heard before,

But it is supposed to be mere legend, never life.

Yet this ache doth prove the tales be true-

Ever more cruel in the reality of day.

Harsher still in night’s hollow call.

Whence I was but twenty you had taken my heart

And by sweet twenty-one had given it back.

You built a fortress not to keep me out

But to see how I desired you.

Yet the bigger tragedy than that of my time wasted wondering,

Be that upon battle’s end and entering your castle

I find another woman doth rule in it already.

Lord will me to be as brave as she,

If Heaven willing a new love doth come to me.

The Empty Court

Alone with only thoughts,

a queen upon her throne.

His mind his only friend,

a king upon his throne.

No guard but the door,

a prince awaits his chance.

A lock without a key,

the princess longing more.

But what does any of it matter,

with no subjects to judge?

A Season

Grow a flower in winter -

Cover summer in sparkling frost -

Autumn leaves in spring -

Soft flowers in the cool -

A strange thing of beauty

told it is so

yet so rare allowed to happen as such.

I Lie Awake

I lie awake in fear of sleep

For I only dream of you.

And when I wake I cry, for I know

Dreams do not come true.

Yet when I lay awake I wish

If only I could sleep.

For when I am awake I only think-

How close our love was to real.

But you kissed me like you meant it

Then let me walk away.

You never even called after me,

Nor chased me down to stay.

Though I suppose I too am at fault,

For you didn’t know I wanted you.

But to be fair you must realize:

I didn’t know myself.

If Only If Only

If only if only,

My heart’s solemn cry,

Your damn heart was as in love as I.

If only if only,

My heart’s lonely call,

Would I still stand this proud and tall?

If only if only,

My heart’s broken call,

You had been like me and enjoyed the fall.

If only if only,

My spirit’s bitter song,

Your love had stayed when it came along.

If only if only,

My spirit’s pained sound,

Your mind and heart had ever come around.

If only if only,

My spirit’s sweet prayer,

You had never met such a woman as her.

If only if only,

My soul’s one desire.

After so long still nothing snuffs this fire.

If only if only,

My soul’s final trial,

Never will I be fooled again by such guile.

If only if only,

My soul’s last want,

The ghost of our love would cease this haunt.

And Yet

I know Tarshish doesn’t exist

And yet I sail to it.

I forgot the currents that lead to love

And yet I leave the shore.

I lost the way to find my heart

And yet I make for the sea.

I know no treasure waits for me

And yet I seek the map.

I forget the way jewels can gleam

And yet I know their beauty.

I lost the price of life for you

And yet I long for you now.

I know the legend is but a myth

And yet I learn its lies.

I forgot the song you sang to me

And yet I sing it still.

I lost it all to gain in you

And yet I feel nothing at all.

I know Tarshish doesn’t exist

And yet I sail to it.

Athazagoraphobia

I wrote you a poem,

but alas,

I forgot the words.

Perhaps I will write

a better one later.

Useless Hope

Whether by curious fate,

Or grand design,

I find if I write of a man he should never be mine.

So here I write in useless hope

I shall get over you all, or regret what I wrote.

The Lonely Flower of the Sea

The lonely flower of the sea

Tries in vain to bloom.

But she’s been planted too many places,

And forgotten how to grow alone.

For the time it takes to revive-

By then the gardener gives up.

The Innocence of Winnie Foster and Other Such Dreamers

Slight warmth in hope of daylight.

Fall air outside, full daylight, cold and bright.

Sad outside, cold and bright, the death of joy.

Outside the cabin, never inside:

the tree emanates this color always, no matter the season.

When one is alive but doesn’t appear to be,

So much used yet never really noted, just like the aged.

Once young and beautiful and vibrant, now darkens with age and unuse.

I really loved…

Why did I bring it?

What was my plan for it?

Was there even a plan?

For all the scenes, what does it even look like?
Why did I bring this at all?

The Blue

Olives grew across a flawless tree,

Strong and tall as the mountains,

Yet you said my eyes were beautiful.

Galaxies swirl in twin universes

As I sail into the sky.

Yet you think my eyes are beautiful.

The jewels of the cave shine and sparkle,

Lighting the world with joy.

Yet you believe my eyes are beautiful.

Few hearts as true and caring as you

Are present in the world.

Yet you feel my eyes are beautiful.

A man amongst boys, still foolish enough

To fall in love with me.

Yet you called my eyes beautiful.

But fool you are not for soon you see

How undeserving of you I can be.

And I cried the blue from my eyes.

The Long Dream

From away the purple sea,

Across a deep and full ocean,

A sailor darkens the sun

And the world became a little brighter.

Through a velvet curtain

A thin strength awakens something better.

A rare creature is birthed amidst

Demons and monsters and the slow,

Long crush of death.

There is life now.

‘tis young and sweet,

Pleasant over a bursting layer

Of brilliance.

A bud breaks through winter earth.

It will bloom soon,

Blossom late,

And flourish.

Anger is a Secondary Emotion

I try to crush the world within my hands

and beneath my feet

I’ve broken spirits and broken skin

Sometimes mine sometimes my kin

sometimes people I don’t even know

I slam life against the wall and inside my head

but only when it tries to drown me

When it covers me in shame and pain and fear and salt

I close the truth into darkness and concoct a storm

I send forth thunder and lightening

the rain comes whether I command it or not

The storms rage for hours, for years, for seconds

even when it’s not there, it’s waiting in the clouds

and the clouds never disappear

I rip and tear and shred the rules

Eat the remains then spit the words back out

I choke on truth and shatter the mirrors

Pulling ripping slapping and stinging

Screaming until there’s no scream left

Until I’m sore and tired and scared

So scared

Anger is a secondary emotion.

A Sailor Out of Southampton

You promised me and I promised you.

I broke mine soon but so did you.

Alas I have met my match in you,

A sailor out of Southampton.

What Good Is Art

You called me art

But I am the kind of art that sits in a basement

Perhaps an attic

A dusty place that is in the house

Still wanted, still cherished, but forgot

I will stain in the rain and fade in the sun

My frame will crack and my ink will never dry

For though I am but a painted being I will cry and cry and cry

You will not hear my sobs

You will ignore my heaving breaths

You called me art

But I am the kind of art that is placed under a sheet

Kept safe but not too safe

And only thought on when there is nothing else to see

You lift the sheet and smile

Sweet memories across your face

A fond feeling in your eyes

If I’m lucky there’s a flutter in your heart

Then you shall place the sheet across me once more

And return to your sweet now

Whoever she is this time

You called me art

But what good is art

How Dare You

You dare love me like this?

You dare to bring me upon these waters, then throw me to the mermaids?

The sirens call my name

Again and again in our voice

A voice of beginning

Of love, of newness, of ecstasy

life, truth, knowledge

You show me the world

Then pull it from my feet

I stood upon solid ground so long

I know not how to walk on water

I left the earth for a watery grave

The sky would not have me

And still I drown.

My Pain Made a Friend Today

It is the same old pain for the same old love and my same old foolishness

But now it knows

It knows it is here to stay

It knows I will not get to love again

And so it settles in

My bones absorb the twisting knife,

My gut devours the poison and my mind

My mind knows my idiocy and yet

My soul still whispers “what if”

My pain knows there is no more “what if”

It busies itself soaking into every part of me

but the dumbest part of me still says “what if”

I have tried to throw “what if” away

I have shown it the truth

Shown it the rejection that you put upon me

But it gasps for air once more and moans “what if”

Now That I Know My Demons

Sometimes there is one,

sometimes it seems like there are thousands.

Usually it’s five or six

working in shifts around the clock.

I can never tell when one comes and another goes;

They’re all the same either way.

Except for three.

I met them-

I met my demons face to face today.

Ocran was introduced first,

He’s the worst one.

I know him now.

He has a name

and a few friends.

But when he sits inside my brain scratching lies

it doesn’t hurt so much.

The wounds become scars a bit faster.

Daman I had met very young

though I didn’t know him until now.

We talk sometimes.

He screams and cries,

but I no longer do the same in return.

Not all the time,

at least.

I no longer have to wait for him to be done,

no longer have to watch him destroy me.

Cath was introduced last.

He comes the least often.

Hardly at all, really.

When he does it’s monstrous.

But now he’s a little smaller

and next he’ll be smaller still

All of my demons terrify me-

but these three a bit less so.

Halfway

I fall in love so many times.

day after day,

again and again,

that I have lost count.

I fall in love every day-

Usually with you.

But every day I let him walk away because what if

You?

I pass by the love of my life

because I refuse to believe they are not you.

And I refuse to accept that I am not yours,

that I am not her,

whoever she is.

Are you with her right now-

do you know you are?

Is your world a fantasy or mine?

Is the love the truth or the lie?

Depression Nap

Rain streaks down my windowpane and I think I’m supposed to be sad.

Thunder churns and my chest is empty, should it not be heavy?

The lightning says hello and awaits my greeting in return. It shall not come.

I am cold and I am warm, or something in between?

My heart leaps not for this perfect day.

My body lies in wait. Should it not be a deep echo of the storm?

I bleed grey.

Soon there will be no color at all.

Rain streaks down my windowpane and I think I’m supposed to be sad.

I pull the covers over me, and long to be blue again.

The Light Hangs Heavy

I built a world of grey sun and mist

A ship upon a sea of grass that docks on the precipice of sanity

She shakes and rocks with the waves of gloom

Made of pearls and gold

Night falls and never sets, the darkness always waiting

The light hangs heavy

A creature slithers along beside

Underneath, above, behind

Keeping watch, keeping time

My enemy, my protector, a grace with very sharp teeth

She works best in the blue of a dangerous moon

Sleek and smooth amongst my bumps and bruises

The light hangs heavy

I have seen a thousand kingdoms and yet they are all the same

A million different people

None recall my name

Whatever name I tell them, it is forgot before I sail away

My fame precedes my vessel, the lies that I keep

The light hangs heavy

But All

I went to write you a love song but all that I penned was pain.

I went to sing you a love song but all I sang was hurt.

I went to play you a love song but all that I played was death.

I went to write you a love song but all that I penned was pain.

The Many Deaths of a Foolish Woman

I awoke in a grave of my own shame,

Covered in the dirt of my scandalous soul.

My coffin is cracked with age and worn with scratching-

I have been here a very, very long time

And still I think I can claw my way out.

How many times can one person die?

I sink again in a sea of my worry.

I let the water soothe my aching heart,

Seeping into my bones until I weighed too much to swim.

I poured myself down the drain.

How many times can one person drown?

I tasted joy for a moment before it caught in my throat.

I believed in the love you put in my mouth until I suffocate on lies

And I wonder if they were yours or mine.

I cannot breathe for fear of feeling.

How many times can one person choke?

I salted my skin with my tears until my eyes shone like the jewel I long for.

I painted my face with another girl and prayed she was better than I.

I filled myself with so many moments I hoped they would push you out,

But they only make me long for you more

How many times can one person die?

July Had Best Not Dare

December brought you to me,

But not I to you

December brought you along,

But not upon my ship

January left you lonely,

But I faired quite well

January left you remembering,

But I had all forgotten

February neared you to me,

But I thought not of it

February’s length your blessing,

But it left me cursed

March brought you to me,

And I stood beside

March brought you along,

And my curse no longer resides

April sent for me

And I left you as you left me

April calls your name

But I know not why

May can’t help but wonder

May still on my mind

June can’t help but wander

June is an oddly long time

July I swear to you

I’d best be left alone

Romulus and Remus

Marble and gold rise from the hills

that run with blood and war

Silk and grace walk royal halls

filled with death and fear

Crowns and jewels reign in glory

where empires go to die

Beauty graces the ruler and his life

Here amidst the empire’s splendor

lives a creature impatient to kill

One beast to feed and one beast to feast

Empires are born and empires devoured

in the elegant palace made of bone and blood

Prowling down darkened halls

he could pounce from any shadow

Perched in a dim corner of the banquet

licking his jowls during festivals

He lays beside the pool swatting at flies

until he can dig his claws into something more

He’ll roam the gardens unseen and unnoticed

He thrives off being recognized too late

Some days he patrols the palace walls

watching every move made within and without

He may be somewhere different every day

but every day he is there

Emperors know he exists only when there is no escape

When they see him some swear he has wings

and flies over them with claws outstretched
Some feel him breathing down their backs

always right behind

keeping step

Some see him lurking in the darkness

creeping beside like the shadows themselves

They never have long enough to determine what he is

He consumes them before they can scream

Little by little or all in one swallow

the beast will always win

Marble and gold once rose from these hills

that are stained with blood and war

Silk and grace walked royal halls

filled with death and fear

Crowns and jewels reign in dull glory

where empires went to die

Beauty graces the ruler and his life

Here amidst the splendorous ruins

lives the ghost of a beast who still hungers

Empires were born and empires devoured

in the ruins where the beast still stalks

I Would Write of a Night With a Man

I would write of a night with a man

When music was played just for us.

I would write of a night with a man

When the drinks only made us brave.

I would write of a night with a man

When I felt something I’d never known possible.

I would write of a night with a man

When I made memories I’ll think back on for years.

I would write of a night with a man,

But all I have to write of

Is a night with you.

I Would It Were Just A Kiss

I would it were just a kiss

But lo I am bound now to you

I would it were just a kiss

But a kiss became days I fear will stretch to years

I would it were just a kiss

And you being gone would mean not love

But you are gone

And I am in love

To Live in a World

Oh to live in a world where love does not exist

To live in a world not tarnished with feeling

To live in a world where we merely persist

To live in a world where hearts do not need healing

Oh to live in a world without hearts that care

To live in a world where we don’t waste time trying

To live in a world where love wouldn’t dare

To live in a world with simply living and dying

Oh to live in a world where getting by is enough

To live in a world without fear of falling

To live in a world where hearts can be tough

To live in a world where hearts don’t come calling

Oh to live in a world where I never met you

To live in a world where lies can be true

Strawberry Fields

I lay naked and alone and dream of strawberry fields.

I lay naked and alone and long for something real.

I lay naked and alone and wish it weren’t so.

I lay naked and alone and hope against all hope.

I cry broken and afraid and dream of strawberry fields.

I cry broken and afraid that nothing will be revealed.

I cry broken and afraid that something more is coming.

I cry broken and afraid that only I will see the loving.

I run angry and ashamed and dream of strawberry fields.

I run angry and ashamed and long for sleep’s sweet feel.

I run angry and ashamed and wish I weren’t covered in wounds.

I run angry and ashamed and hope I’ll be waking soon.

I pray bleeding and confused and dream of strawberry fields.

I pray bleeding and confused that only I saw the appeal.

I pray bleeding and confused that I do not as I am asked.

I pray bleeding and confused that with such an honor a sinner is tasked.

I lay naked and alone and wonder why it must be.

I cry broken and afraid that you will never know me.

I run angry and ashamed that I hate what I must do.

I pray bleeding and confused that I can do right by you.

I lay naked and alone and dream of strawberry fields.
I lay naked and alone and dream of-

Though Love We Shall Never

The floorboards creak aloud the secrets that we keep.

Alas I think tonight not of him yet still I do not sleep,

For now my mind is all on you though love we shall never share.

The clock ticks mockery telling me how late I lie awake.

For once my thoughts are not of him yet here I do not rest,

For now my mind is all on you though love we shall never know.

The door handle is silent as the grave where possibility now lies.

Finally I do not dwell on him yet tonight I still lack slumber,

For now my mind is all on you though love we shall never have.

The lamp extinguishes along with any hope my foolishness once had.

For the first time he is not with me yet why do I not doze,

For now my mind is all on you though love we shall never feel.

The owl’s song tries to sing but all I hear is sorrow.

For though I do not toss with him I do not lie in peace,

For now my mind is all on you though love we shall never share.

[UNTITLED]

Am I petty am I vain am I just too much to name

Am I pathetic am I a too cold are my asks too much too bold

Am I beyond what is possible are my vices simply unstoppable

Could it be it will never be is it you and you and you or is it me

Id like to think it will pass but slowly my hope cracks like glass

My dreams once seemed so plain

Now I see they are made of silly pain

Some fairytale has written my sad end

A cruel fate my heart can't comprehend

Summer

I shan't compare thee to a summer day

For summers are not for lovers

But you may be my biting and frozen winter

You may be the warmth of a fellow heart in snow covered hills

You may be the rest of a still and icy morn

You may be the whisper of a bloom in the frosted forest

You may be the gold of the sun upon the deep twilight stars

You may be the silence of the snowflakes

upon my lashes

You may be the slumber of a creature long

thought monster

You may be the wind that pulls me into truth

You may be the kiss of a soul upon the cold

dark sea

I shan't compare the to a summer day

There is far more life in the dead of winter

Desperate Prayers

I asked God to prove he exists,

Lo he sent himself to me as a yellow butterfly

The joy was full and life had color again

But I forgot to ask if he is kind,

I forgot to ask if he is good,

I forgot to ask if he is here

I forgot to ask if he cares

I forgot to ask if he remembers us at all

I asked God to prove he exists, not how

Before Possible

There is no wine lest we crush the grapes

One cannot properly plant until the soil is upturned

Should you require the oil, the olive must be pressed

The promised land cannot be reached by way of no deserts

If you desire honey, you must be kind to the stinging bees

The trees are felled so they might build a home

To examine the beauty of a snowflake, the cold must be endured

Stones into sand must be ground

The canyon is carved from the crushing glacier

Before sacrifice is given, a ram must be slaughtered

No butterfly soars without dissolving the caterpillar

Until the wound itches, it does not heal

If it does not heal

The scar cannot fade

Candlelight Service

This candle has already been burned

This wick has how many times before been lit

This wax has on how many hands dripped

This taper has how many pulses felt, how many heartbeats gently rhythmed

This candle how many sermons has seen

This wick has how many whispered prayers heard

This wax has how many stories been witness to in part

This taper has how may tears caught, of what hearts did shed them?

This flame has how many times burned

How many Christmases in my hand do I now hold

Poetry by Taflin

I planted a flower that seemed it would never die,

A Life Sentence for A Rose

Athazagoraphobia

The Lonely Flower of the Sea

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The Long Dream

​

Anger is a Secondary Emotion

​

How Dare You

Now That I Know My Demons

Depression Nap

Romulus and Remus

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