A Beautiful Poem

I found this lovely piece and I thought I'd share. 

The Tallest Man on Earth

The nurse staff asked

“What happened to him?”

I answered, silently,

Is it anyone’s fault when an evergreen falls?

Careful sheets and lilac flowers and orange rinds too,

Cover you.

What did I do to

The man in the moon?

Nothing-I whisper-nothing.

And all I can think of is

Lying facedown on the bed

With one eye open

Next to the lilac flowers

Listening to you tell the fable

Of you, the tallest man on earth.

You left me there,

Waiting, naked.

Next time, I’ll introduce myself—

“Hello, it’s so nice to meet you, my name is Scapegoat”

The Salt

The salt-sea

Breeze and the

Sea-salt spice

Make up most of the summer.

I watched a little red buoy hoist himself up up and up

Into the waves.

Tumble, tumble, head over toes,

Only to start the climb again.

His little journey

Is never-ever-ending.

I think I hear him calling

Over the rumble of the ride.

Nothing smells quite like

The sea-salted breeze

Or the faint, far off

Linger of a

Long-dead crab.

And how can I do anything

But lay like a stone,

While my skin starts to

Darken and my lips

Start to sting,

Until I can feel them crackling under my tongue.

Until I dissolve into the sea-salt waves.

Until I am the sea salt too.

Rewrite

We are both aware of how

The story ends—

The prince leaves the fox,

And that’s all there is.

We’ve read it,

And loved it,

And held it in esteem—

Despite knowing the fact

That all things come to an end.

Through all of the late nights,

Both in transit and here,

We kept trying to define

What drew us so near.

Dancing to January,

And prancing through graveyards,

Lifting our voices

And drinking Hopelandic.

You asked how to tame me

And I didn’t answer—

But you made it happen,

Which both scared me and thrilled me.

There’s so much that’s happened

And so much held suspended,

I need all your fear as I

Navigate this ending.

I want this, I want you,

But not the way it has been.

We need something more

To remain more than friends.

I’ve loved you,

I’ve loved you,

And I’ve loved you

Some more.

But where did that get us?

To this impasse on the floor.

Wake yourself up

And be ready to fight me.

We’re not coming back to this

Place where we’re swaying.

We’ve both been good at

Sweating the small stuff,

But let’s not forget

What got us here in the first place.

You saw a wild fox,

And you wanted to tame her.

She resisted at first,

But then the changes were subtle.

You used to shout from your

Windows to the wind.

At the thought that this

Fox could be falling for you.

The fox loves the prince,

And the story unfolds,

But let’s look for a minute at the

Less often told.

The prince leaves the fox

After finally taming.

The fox is quite brave,

But can’t keep from wailing.

I have a question,

For my little prince.

Are we telling a story?

Or writing our own?

Do we let someone else

Write the end of this tale?

We must decide now

Whether to stay or to bail. 

I Just Can't

Everything, is going to pieces.

That’s right,

I said it—

I can’t be an adult,

To whomever that pleases.

I’m up all night worried

And I’m sick all day trying.

And where’s the money coming from for

All the clothes that I’m buying?

School’s hard

And life’s hard

And right now I’m a mess.

And could someone please tell me,

“Do I look fat in this dress?”

Grocery bills kill me

And my feet hurt all day.

I already have three jobs,

With two more on the way.

I want to eat healthy but

I’m not rolling in money,

And let’s not forget,

I have to feed my bunny.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

They all ask smugly.

“Why yes”, I reply,

“And he’s not even ugly!”

“So marriage, maybe?”

To which I have no answer,

So I smile ‘til they ask,

“And babies, soon after?”

I know that the world’s full of

Hunger, and riots.

But I’m just stuck here trying

To stick to this diet.

The Wi-Fi is a joke

In this dark, dusty apartment.

But even worse, let’s not

Talk about that stain in the carpet.

I walk to work,

And I walk to school too.

So shouldn’t I not have

To exercise too?

I almost miss the days

When my mom was the boss.

That woman knows everything,

And I’m at a loss.

Google gets me through things

And mom’s knowledge does too.

But their advice contradicts!

How should I know what to do?

I can bake any cake

But I can’t seem to cook rice.

I screw up so much

I could even ruin ice.

But speaking of ice,

I had ice cream for dinner.

It hurt my poor tummy,

But did I learn my lesson?

No! Of course not.

I had ice cream again.

My whole night will be

Spent curled up pain.

Did I mention the breakdowns?

Lots of screaming and crying.

And cussing, and punching.

You’d think I was dying!

But they can’t happen whenever,

Or at the drop of a hat.

I schedule them now,

Cause no one wants to see that.

Some friends are getting married

And others are single.

But that won’t stop any of them from

Trying to make you mingle.

You’ll protest and point out

That you’re happily taken.

But they want you at all parties

And events in the making.

Being an adult is

As hard as it seems.

But you can’t just complain,

Aren’t you living the dream?

I miss childhood days

When napping was encouraged.

Napping, oh napping,

Why did I think you were worthless?

Heating, and electric,

Water bills and more.

Groceries and rent,

And hidden fees galore.

Schoolwork and work-work,

And finding time to be sane.

When it all blows up on me,

There’s no one else to blame.

At the end of the day

After not a single win,

I’ll just call my mom,

And ask to move back in.

To the Moon

will I ever be ready?

when it comes down to the day

the hour

the minute

the second

will I be ready?

I’ve always tried to tell myself, yes.

yes I will be ready

yes I am ready

yes of course without a doubt

there’s no hesitation

no fear

no moment of precipicity and balancing action.

I’ve been ready from the start.

but, am I ready,

little one?

am I ready to be expanded

and consumed

and frightened by the unknown sounds and creaks that will keep me awake through the night through the day through your cries and your coos through the echoes of a not-so-lonely life?

if only. If only.

I could wake up and hold the world

in my arms and

comfort the world when it cries

and kiss the world to assuage fears

and love the world so it knows me best.

you. You are the world and the moon and the stars

and the rocking of the earth as it tilts into me.

you will always be my world,

even now,

before we’ve met,

and before we have even gotten the chance to meet.

“Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, ‘I love you right up to the moon—and back’”.

Names

Divine—

You take my heart and pluck

Me forward to my knees

Where I've fallen so many times

Before.

Peace bringer—

Within my own walls

Of both heart and mind

And in the world as well you

Calm the seas.

Friend—

Like a listening ear

Ready to know my secrets,

You lift me by my arms

In your own.

Prince—

Even the stars

And the sun and the moon

And the very air we breathe

Worship you.

Brother—

It has been far too long

Since I have said your name.

Remind me though, that

You’re still

There.

The View from Here

I was raised up

From the dust of a hazy summer flame

And a false prince

And a childhood romance

And a dark suitor

With green eyes and a crooked smile.

Fingerprints have made their way

Down my heart

And my hands—

My hands that were only

There to guide out of

Fear

And to reach out in love

And then to cry out

With words

I had never said before.

High above,

Above it all,

By the edges of the sea

Under a moon kiss

You followed the lead of those before.

I’m a statue

And I’m a crime.

I raise my

My eyes—

One eye,

Both eyes

To look forth from my pedestal above.

I've been here before.

I know I've been here before.

But you've seen the scars,

You've seen the bent back

And the twisted hands,

And you want me there.

More of me.

Either your standards are low,

Or I’m better than I thought.

Saturday Morning Showers

I

Saturday morning showers

Are my favorite.

With not a care in

The world

At only nine years old

I already used

Showers to

Contemplate.

II

Plinking and dropping

All over my

Hair and my

Face and my

Eyes and my

Teeth.

Water, water, everywhere.

I’m much too happy

To ever care

If the hot water runs into my face

Or if the water turns cold

For even one split second.

Because I secretly like

The cool, clear streams for just that one moment

Pouring down and down and down

Enough to make me shiver

But not enough for me

To cry.

But only in a Saturday morning

Shower.

III

I always complain

About showering at night.

Mornings are better.

IV

The air is

Always too cold

After a long

Saturday shower.

There are goosebumps everywhere

When I step out.

I quickly run,

Light-footed

With towels galore

Wrapped tightly so

As not to sneak a peek.

And land myself in a still and shivering pile right on the carpet in the living room in the sunspot of sunlight as it slips through the pulled back curtains and the dingy glass window so that I can warm myself like a cat because even cats need baths every once in a while when they get themselves all slippery and slick with the mud of a brand-new day.

V

I have to move

From my sunspot

So that mama

Can vacuum.

She puts on some old

Synthesized music

And begins to dance,

Swaying her hips back and forth

To the time.

Her hips no longer slim

Like a youth

But widened.

A badge of honor

For birthing four

Screaming and

Laughing

Babies

Into a world

Of Saturday morning showers

And lilac trees

And dead-end streets

With blackberries to pick and

Thorns to scratch.

She always cleans on Saturdays.

Snip Snip Snip

You set to work, like a painter at an easel, or a cellist with his instrument—and I the work of art.

Hours pass, me posing, both of us reading

The world slipping by in an endless tunnel of

Your walls and my heart.

This large and looming circle of love with your name written on it,

And the minuscule square you expect me to work with.

A snip snip snip here,

And a snip snip snip there.

I cut down my circle of love to fit inside the square.

The changes are gradual, but the

Possibilities are endless.

I close my eyes in an effort to stem

The terrifying thought that I am less than a person

To you.

Each limb has been redrawn on drafting sheets, with pattern pieces

Cut to fit my oddly shaped person.

And on the assembly line I go—

You charge it up,

Cutting me out as I move through the stages of production.

Snip snip snip here.

Snip snip snip there.

One night I fall asleep with your words

Painted on the inside of my eyes

And I awake with the sun,

Unblinking—

Because my eyes no longer blink.

They’re just open.

Painted bright and painted happy

On the flat face of a paper doll

Arms not meant to move

And heart not meant to beat

And blood not meant to flow

And eyes not meant to cry

And a smile as permanent as

A mountain.

I can feel the flutter of the paper birds as their wings move me up

And up and up and up.

Towards the sun where my new wings will melt

And the ocean will catch my gently

Dropping paper

Body.

Snip snip snip

Snip snip snip.

I was too human for you.

O Nymphet

O fighting Nymphet!

Your passion is still burning

And on your knees I fell.

I’m glancing into broken mirrors

Where nymphets cast their spell.

O lovely Nymphet!

Lights of twisted solitude

Are the background to my gain,

And all you see is my stone face

Because you’ll just ignore the pain.

O angry Nymphet!

Be scared! Be sad! Be your old-fashioned

Dreams! Be the fear of being right!

Sweet girl onstage, take a bow and stay,

For he is running from your sight.

O broken Nymphet!

Not enough, and not too far,

You’re falling short of him.

She mesmerized his wandering gaze,

And now she dances on his whim.

O drunken Nymphet!

O the web is real and the bond is tight,

And you’ve surveyed all you thought you could.

The race is won, and you’ve waved the flag,

Just like everyone knew you would.

O precocious Nymphet—

You’re the fire and light of nobody’s world,

So lean your chest towards me.

The heart of this, is your saddest gasp—

There is nothing left to see.

O graceful Nymphet.

I look at you with your eyes here

But I’m drowning in the rush.

Good luck, sweet girl, for it’s all a blur—

And sometimes, the world is too much.

My Funeral

I’m the one who’s here to mourn—

And you seem like you’re fine.

Though all these thoughts have held me down

You and I have reached sublime.

We’re humans, and we feel the world,

It dances round our toes

With leaps and twists and grand jetés—

Emotion is what we chose.

You’re unwelcome here, near my crying face,

Because my heart can’t take the weight.

You’ll keep your place and make them laugh,

But I’ve never believed in fate.

I’ve seen it all, and I held back—

The world is not for me.

I’m ready to hold all it is to my heart,

And maybe that can make me see.

The mask I wear is a child’s game,

Indulgent of my fears—

I’ve got my love, I’ve got my shame,

And I’ll smile for all the mirrors.

The right is earned, so privilege it is—

To don my shattered face,

I’m here to mourn, at this funeral,

So leave—this is my place.

An Ode to the Lost Boy

If I never see your face again,

I’m not sure what I’ll do.

Your timidity to smile at me

Was charming to a fault.

Each word you spoke gave me

A spark of something to be learned—

And then again I felt so young

When glancing at your gaze.

I sat right there at the info desk,

Hoping the second shoe would drop.

It didn’t though, and you made me laugh—

With your charming, witty smile.

Romance is my aim in life

And you fit every qualm of mine.

I hope I did the same for you

When you walked into my life.

But then you walked right out again

With a child upon your shoulders.

You smiled back and I held my tongue

When I should have shouted out!

O sweet boy, with a thimble kiss—

Let’s fly to Neverland—just us!

We’ll swim all day and we’ll scream all night

While the lost boys take our gold.

So take me away to Neverland,

You stranger, you fiend, you friend.

I’m waiting here, so patiently,

While you figure out our end.

O stranger who I want to meet,

I saw your face and fell.

Come back to me, and take me home

To the place we both want to go.

(Inspired by the stranger I met at work today. Let's just get married, okay?)

To Everyone Else (Again)

Here's a fun little print of the last lines of the poem "To Everyone Else"

Hope you enjoy! Feel free to use it anywhere you like

Love, Sarai

Let's Be the Naked

I want to know what makes you,

You.

Here’s a bone

Here’s a breath

Here’s the mighty sinew!

Let’s be the naked,

Be the brave, and the bold.

I’ll see all the fears that

Have made you feel old.

Shed all convention,

Let the loving flag fly!

All the world is your stage

When you’re learning to cry.

Let’s be the naked,

Be the bold, be the brave.

You’ve given so much,

Now it’s our turn to save.

I’ll see each old scar

And I’ll know of the new.

I’m finding out now

What a friend ought to do.

When you’re fighting for air

At the edge of a boat

Standing like you’re not scared,

When I know that you’ll jump.

Let’s be the naked!

Be the scared and the ready!

I’ll see all I see,

I don’t care if it’s messy.

Let’s be the naked!

Don’t you cover in shame!

For all the reasons you’re scared,

It’s not you who’s to blame.

Let’s not cover up

All that you have to share.

Let’s be the naked;

Let’s be real, if you dare.

Let’s be the naked.

Just be brave, just be bold.