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The Fire, the Flood

You’re the headless horseman running on half a heart You shouldn’t know where to go but you just do And you’d lose your head if it wasn’t attached to you Lost puzzle pieces, collecting dust, waiting to be found Awakened eardrums crawling out of tunnels for a single sound Of calls of distress to let you know you’re the temptress A real social justice warrior is busy putting their money where their mouth is But you break more rules than silences I’m playing the 90s hits but I’m not reaching nirvana I put my organs up for auction just to see how much I’m worth to you It’s something in the way that you worship me But this affliction will kill me faster than any addiction And that’s why I left without saying goodbye One car garages with more storage than your hippocampus I got her letters of despair but I was too desperate at the time to receive her We are our own worst critics But you’re too misogynistic to believe her And that’s why I left without saying goodbye And the only temptation was to leave you on a cliffhanger Will I disappear in a cloud of smoke, or will I spawn for a two person party later? Manipulating me into a choice, and acting like you’re doing me a favor I’ll let this one slide, but my strike tally is out-pacing the paper Curl yourself into a shell a snuggle up into the barrel The smell of smoke will mask the perfume that's inhabited my apparel I’m thinking of leaving, while you’re weaving your cynicism into a rope that couldn’t be tighter around you Who needs a smoking gun when I have the proof in the form of friction wounds? But you wouldn’t leave me blackened, to the cops you’re just a bolt from the blue You wouldn’t plant the seed when you hate seeing things outgrow you And I spent energy I didn’t have and had to steal with tweezers to pinch my skin into oblivion to prove to myself that this is real Just to attempt to understand you And you would hound me about not taking a hint But self proclaimed “Sherlock” couldn’t catch a clue And that’s why I left without saying goodbye A war against hope is a war that can’t be won, Icarus might have fell but his faith rests within the sun It's a full time job, reading my list of takers who should be shunned You break more rules than silences, but darling this is where you draw the line? I know you offered to write me a poem, but I know you can’t even rhyme But say the word this time No, I’m begging you to say it Say the word this time! You said you digress, but I think you meant regress Or you mean the jealousy you so subtly repress? Ignoring my texts just like my calls of distress To my hero in an orange dress Well I’m throwing you to the flood I’m no therapist, but these recurring flashbacks are wars that can’t be won Maybe now you can see why I left without saying goodbye Let’s be real, it’s a cesspool And I didn’t say you were fool’s gold but you’re definitely a fool Even Indiana jones would’ve turned back if all he found was a chipped and colorless jewel

Copyright © | Year Posted 2023




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Date: 1/11/2024 7:07:00 AM
Congratulations on your winning work. Way to go. Thank you for sharing it with us. I like the line about one car garages with more storage than.....Sara K
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Matthew Bailey
Date: 1/12/2024 7:44:00 AM
Yes, I love that line too. Thank you for the kind words!
Date: 1/10/2024 11:37:00 AM
This was really creative and I love your imagination here.. Congratulations on your placement in the contest..
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Matthew Bailey
Date: 1/10/2024 12:27:00 PM
Thank you for the kind words and 2nd place medal!

Book: Reflection on the Important Things