Every silence weighs,another final nail driven.He hammers on each dayknowing he let me walk away.The walls are corpse cold and the air smells of flagging rot.I won’t live in the crypt ofwhatever this wasor was not.-Melissa Donley
Goodbye
Your Self Sabotage Is Showing. Again.
Your self sabotage is showing. Again.Giving what you get,you are scrappy as hell.Someone saw to that, butthat’s not an enemy you’ve cornered there.It’s you.Aren’t you tired?Bloodied and raw.It’s time to clean the wounds.Last call.Others are waiting for your space.I’m leaving. Can you live with this?-Melissa Donley
Rearview Mirror
Skipping stonesI see your nervous ticsAgain I wrote you offPracticed parlor tricksHands in your pocketsYeah, you like my shoesNever understood“Anything for you”Give me that lookIn the rearview mirrorSay my nameYou say it so tenderHaven’t thought straightSince the moment I met youTried everythingTo forget youI have to go nowDon’t look in […]
Pink Frosting
Bridge threads waft from your lips,Another lure whipping my gray matterInto brilliant pink frostingIn the well of my skull.After the highComes the crash and confusion.The realization that You’ll never know the depth of my flavor.The first smile,an anchor point,Dividing timeInto a Before, then an After,Is a free sliceServed to all.I […]
I Wish Me the Best
It was hard for me to give up on the idea that we could be friends. Silly of me to give you a grace you were accustomed to, but never earned. It hurt to bear witness to the unbothered mask you wore and the steady, rehearsed bass in your voice. […]
22 Down
I don’t make the A team. Or B.I am a 3rd string alternate,A standby,On-callIf needed.22 seconds of play time each season,Take my uniform.It’s not me, it’s you.-Melissa Donley
Truth in the Elevator
The last time we spoke, we didn’t.You planted a cold stone gardenwhen my soul needed a kiss of the sun.I thought the world of you …This is my floor.-Melissa Donley
Heart Race
He hung the moon, balloonbursting in my face, no spacein a heart racefor timid lowercase,attract, don’t chase,Poise and Grace,suffocate on faith,his crumbs emaciate,the bread doesn’t rise,he failed to activate,HoldUpHoldUpWait,he won’t initiate,he forgot to equatein this world I did create,I already ownthe whole damn place.-Melissa Donley