Undisguised

As I stand, torn and broken
Naked and exposed
My most intimate out
For all the world to see
A darkened past brought out
And buried secrets exhumed
The sun fades into the shadows
And the rain turns to acid
My most precious burned to ash
Prized possessions turned to rust

Shall I feel fear?
Or wonder in amazement?
Vestiges of fiery rage
Set alight in the abyss
Snake up my vents
And implode in my heart
Now an empty pit of nothingness
Craving for loss and regret

A gaunt face stares back at me
Sunken eyes against a backdrop
Of sullen cheeks, tight lips
Holding back the words of my freedom
I stand handcuffed to a mirror
Forced to look back at the horror
That disgusting reflection
That hides behind lipstick and mascara
Once more rears its ugly head
When the golden threads are stripped down

Lacuna Pause

I need my space, I gotta be me
I wanna think and I wanna see
I need to be one, don’t want to be two
I’m not claustrophobic though
But don’t crowd my space
Take a step back and let me be
So I can take a deep breath
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…
Till I feel a storm in my lungs
And the sun burns my face
Keep silent for a while
Make your absence tangible
Then maybe I’ll miss you
But maybe this ain’t true
I wanna figure out
Who’s standing in my mirror every morning?
Then maybe I’ll know
Who walks beside you in the evening
I need to be sure
That you’re not just
My flavour of the week
Because if I don’t love me
Then I don’t think I have enough love
Left over for you

I need my space, I gotta be me
I wanna think and I wanna see
I need to be one, don’t want to be two
I’m not claustrophobic though
But don’t crowd my space
Take a step back and let me be
So I can take a deep breath
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…
Till I feel a storm in my lungs
And the sun burns my face
Keep silent for a while
Make your absence tangible
Then maybe I’ll miss you
But maybe this ain’t true
I wanna figure out
Who’s standing in my mirror every morning?
Then maybe I’ll know
Who walks beside you in the evening
I need to be sure
That you’re not just
My flavour of the week
Because if I don’t love me
Then I don’t think I have enough love
Left over for you

My Immortal

I don’t want to live each day
As though it were my last
I don’t want to think that tomorrow
These breathes may be my last
Instead I forcefully embrace the immortal
As if I were promised a lifetime
And then some
As though I have all the time in the world
To stop and smell the rose a little longer
Even pull out the thorns
And present it to a lover
I’ll pause the clock and rush no more
So I can let my laughter linger
I refuse to see myself under the coroner’s sheet
So I can smile at the stranger in the street
In the hope we’ll be friends next time we meet
See the wonders of the world
And maybe make a few more of our mould

Broken

Is it you, is it me?
Is it us, or is it we?
Is it the times I cried?
Or the times you lied?
Is it what the neighbours said?
Or the animosity bred?
Is it the time we spent shouting?
Or all the badmouthing?
A broken nose here
A strange new scent there
Is it the negative silence?
That was masked as resilience?
Shall we blame the in-laws?
Or our obviously glaring flaws?
Is it because I refused to dance?
That we shan’t get a second chance?
Or is it because with all that’s mentioned above
Much like an ill-fitting glove
We failed to protect our love?