Encourage (10/30/15)

Either build them up or let them go,
Just don't knock them down.
Be the hand they hold on to,
Not the one who watches them drown.
In this world of darkness and hate,
Be a light that shines through it all.
Stand up tall, don't turn your back,
Encourage them when they fall.
Be right there to pick them up,
And stand them on their feet.
Hold their hand, embolden them,
Never let them go down in defeat.

TLA 10/9/15-10/30/15

Lonely (a Sonnet) (10/30/15)

It is nights like these that I remember,
That I'm utterly and fully alone.
It's a few days away from November,
And here I am still living on my own.
I waited far too many years for you,
But cannot bring myself to trust again.
You'll never know all that you put me through,
Any more now than you ever did then.
Loneliness is a soul crushing feeling,
That I learned to hide behind a smile.
I'm spending my time always concealing,
Just how lonely I have been all the while.
And you, you never bothered to recall,
You left me lonely that night in late fall.

TLA 10/30/15

Give a Damn (10/30/15

I am not perfect,
Nor will I ever be,
I'm tired of pretending,
It's time that you see ME.
Keep your unkind words,
I don't want them here,
If you can't encourage,
I'd prefer you not come near.
I have spent too much time,
Trying much too hard,
Pleasing those who don't deserve,
My respect or my regard.
It's more than time that you accept,
That this is who I am,
Accept me or not; it doesn't matter,
Because I no longer give a damn.

TLA 10/30/15

Consideration (10/27/15)

You have your beliefs,
And I have mine,
They can be separate,
They don't have to align.
All I ask for,
Is a little respect,
Even when you think,
That I'm incorrect.
Just be civil,
And not hateful to me,
No need for fighting,
No need to agree.
We'll be okay,
With no altercation,
We'll get along,
With a little consideration.

TLA 8/7/15-10/27/15

Mine (10/27/15)

Yes, they try to say that you are not mine,
But you have been mine from the very start.
Who are these people who try and define,
The love I feel in the depth of my heart?
The moment I first held you in my arms,
Wrapped in a blanket, standing in the cold,
Looking up at me, smiling, with your charms,
More precious to me than a pot of gold.
But they took you away and tell you lies,
It takes everything I have to keep calm,
And I hope and pray that you realize,
No matter the lies, I am always mom.
Keep the faith because I am always here,
Keep the faith because your freedom is near.

TLA 6/13/15-10/27/15

Monster Within (10/25/15)

You talk of God,
While you cloak your sins,
Passing judgement,
With lies that you spin.
You wear your mask,
Which covers the hate,
That you camouflage,
As long as it's straight.
But sometimes it slips,
And the real you is seen,
The hate, the violence,
And the things in between.
You don't fool all,
Because some of us know,
You talk of God,
But it's all just for show.
Someday you'll fall,
And all will be plain,
The monster within,
Is what will remain.

TLA 2/24/15-10/25/15

Can't Let it Go (10/25/15)

Why can't I just let it go,
It was so many years ago,
But I had never felt so low,
That night you went and struck the blow.
I felt it then, I feel it now,
I thought it would be okay somehow,
But I still don't understand just how,
Beginning to end you could disavow.
You left me there, no answers clear,
And I've waited for you, year after year,
For you to somehow reappear,
And tell me what I've been waiting to hear.
There was nothing more for me to say,
And I've heard no word to this day,
You have always stayed away,
And refused to ever meet me halfway.

TLA 4/11/13-10/25/15

Outside (10/25/15)

Always on the outside,
Always looking in,
Never on the inside,
Always asking "when"?
When is it my turn,
When do I get my chance,
To come in off the sidelines,
When do I get to advance?
Advance to the next step,
Where I am looking out,
Never looking in again,
Can I ever take that route?

TLA 2/27/13-10/25/15

Control (10/25/15)

How dare you think,
You have any control,
I severed that string,
From your blackened soul.
When your lies started slipping,
And you couldn't keep them straight,
I showed you the door,
Your eyes blazing with hate.
How dare I not believe,
All the lies that you spew,
Believe everything you say,
And take everything as true.
But all that ended,
When your mask began to crack,
The control you held is over,
And you'll never get it back.

TLA 10/25/15

Issues (10/22/15)

You have issues way beyond mine,
You're trying to fill a void,
And in the process you're hurting them all,
Until they're completely destroyed.
You plow right through,
An emotional attack,
You leave them in ruins,
And you never look back.
You just move on to the next,
But you can never fill that hole,
The place where all your issues dwell,
One day it will take its toll.
The perfection that you are seeking,
You're never going to find,
Your issues aren't going to leave you,
Until you've left them behind.

TLA 4/06-10/22/15

Your Voice (10/21/15)

Zip your lip, keep it quiet, never say a word.
Shut your mouth, don't make a sound, never to be heard.

This is what they tell you,
To keep you in your place,
But you need to make a stand, 
Somehow, some way, some place.

Never let them make you feel,
Like you don't have a voice,
Shout it loud from mountain tops,
It's always been your choice.

Open wide, let it out, shout it loud and clear.
Don't be quiet, turn it up, shout so they can hear.

TLA 4/26/14-10/21/15

Out of My Head (10/21/15)

Get out of my head; I don't want you there,
I have lived with you there for far too long,
Bringing me nothing but pain and despair,
Reliving each moment, knowing it's wrong.
"You must let it go," I say to myself,
"You have lived too long reliving the past,
Just wrap it up and put it on the shelf,
Now just walk away and walk away fast."
But the songs come on and the songs will play,
Reminding me of the days when you were here,
Haunting my mind with why you couldn't stay,
And going through it all year after year.
So please, I beg you, get out of my head,
Please let me finally move on ahead.

TLA 3/18/15-10/21/15

The Leap (10/21/15)

Always too scared to take the leap,
Always afraid it will get too deep.
Back away; go run and hide,
Tried to stay, oh yes, I've tried.
I tell myself it's all okay,
Then I turn and run away.
Perhaps one day the tide will turn,
And I can finally return,
To a normal life that is worthwhile,
Back to the point where I can smile.

TLA 10/21/15

Under the Mask (10/20/15)

That which was me was torn apart,
I lost who I was, right from the start.
I should have run, that night long ago,
I didn't know then, but, oh, now I know.
That my life was spiraling, going down,
Running on empty, then he came around.
He made me promises I needed to hear,
Not knowing then that he was never sincere.
The real him was hiding just under the mask,
I wasn't aware of the right questions to ask.
So right then and there I fell for it all,
Though it didn't take long for his mask to fall.
The lies, the cheating, the daily abuse,
"Words don't leave bruises," was my ready excuse.
But I finally woke up and realized the wrong,
I had stayed in the nightmare for far, far too long.
So I woke up one morning and walked out the door,
And I found the strength I had never had before.
I'm gathering my pieces day after day,
Never again will I give them away.

TLA 9/26/15-10/20/15

The Wall (10/19/15)

There's a wall that can't be broken through,
That hides the world and impedes my view.
It's a hundred feet tall and made of stone,
The fault of construction entirely my own.
I've built it there to protect my soul,
To try and take back a little control.
I've built the wall to hide inside,
Attempting to heal my shattered pride.
Picking up the pieces that were scattered about,
Sweeping them up and throwing them out.
Then little by little, pull down that wall,
And one day watch what's left of it fall.
At long last I will earn my release,
I'll finally be healed and survive in one piece.

TLA 8/5/15-10/19/15

Unkind (10/18/15)

They were unkind words from an unkind heart,
The words that burn to the depth of your soul,
You missed all the signs right from the start,
Not understanding his need to control.
The words beat you down like never before,
In your life you had never felt so small,
The first time you should have ran for the door,
But you just didn't understand it all.
And you thought if you could just stop doing,
Everything he didn't want you do do,
But the hateful words, they just kept spewing,
And you realized the problem wasn't you.
Then you had enough and you said goodbye,
And then his hateful words did not apply.

TLA 10/18/15

Sorrow (10/18/15)

All the years have crept on in,
And left me lonely once again,
Reaching out for just one friend,
But always lonely in the end.
People come and people go,
They come in fast, they come in slow,
Most just say a quick, "Hello,"
And most just left so long ago.
So here I'm lonely year after year,
No one is ever quite sincere,
And soon they, too, just disappear,
They go away and leave me here.
So here I sit in loneliness and sorrow,
Wanting nothing more than just to borrow,
Some friendship so I don't have to wallow,
In my pain of my lonely tomorrow.

TLA 7/16/08-10/18/15

Nerve (10/18/15)

My stomach hurts,
My head is pounding,
The nerve of some,
Is just astounding.
You give your all,
They take and take,
They never give,
It's your mistake.
They lay the blame,
They lie and cheat,
And lay their sins,
Down at your feet.
Then anger comes,
When you won't agree,
To cloak their sins,
To set them free.
Then that's the time,
You know you're through,
That's the time,
To rescue you.

TLA 9/10/08-10/18/15

Then There Was You (10/18/15)

And then there was you,
The one I couldn't keep,
The one who turned and walked away,
The one I fell for deep.
And then there was you,
The one I've waited for,
To walk back in to my life,
Just like you did before.
And then there was you,
Who has been gone for 18 years,
And never gave a second thought,
While I was drowning in my tears.
And then there was you,
Who broke my heart so deep and true,
It shattered in a million pieces,
Yes, it all was you.

TLA 10/18/15

Broken (10/18/15)

He was the perfect man,
Or so it might seem,
But he took every ounce,
Of her self esteem.
Her stripped her down,
And laid her bare,
Used her up,
Then he left her there.
He left her broken,
Where she had once been whole,
With a burned up heart,
And a torn up soul.
He left her with a mind,
Torn down and abused,
From his unkind words,
Leaving her battered and bruised.
Then he walks away,
With no words spoken,
Leaves her alone 
Tired and broken.

TLA 10/18/15