Chains Broken
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Dolls

Stronger than they think,
But he's afraid to touch.
He doesn't want to hurt her;
So he puts her on a shelf, like a china doll,
Admiring her beauty, praising her virtues
Saying he does it for her--
To protect her--
So she won't be hurt,
But it hurts.

She knows he's the real doll,
Putting himself out of reach on the shelf.
He doesn't want to be touched,
Afraid of being broken again.
He thinks he's too fragile,
Made delicate by his past.

She jumps off her shelf
Reaching out for him;
He cries out in pain and fear.

But they bled
And did not shatter.
--~}@{~--


Too Late

Bide your time,
Her mind said, wait
Just a little longer,
But it was too late to hesitate.

The note had been written,
Placing the blame;
It told all the heartache,
And was signed with her name.

The stage had been set,
Everything was taken care of,
She made sure she had no friends
Who, for her, held any love.

With this action she would win
All the wars and fights,
Forever lose the "little girl,"
And end the tear-filled nights.

The barrel pressed against her head,
The trigger was set in motion.
It's too late to go back now,
No time left for hesitation.
--~}@{~--


Fear Love

How can I fear love--
That which I've so longed for?
I tremble at the thought of it,
Shrink from it in dread,
For now that I have found it
I wish that love were dead.

Why do I fear love--
Excepting the way it might change me?
Love does strange things to people,
And it may turn who I am
Into someone I am not
And would, in my right mind, damn.

Where should I fear love
More, in myself or in you?
I notice your love for me
Proclaimed so very boldly,
Which causes me to contemplate
The love for you growing within me.

What should I have to fear in love--
So simple and innocent?
People are the ones
Who complicate it beyond belief.
Love should not be something
From which to seek relief.

When will I fear love--
At its hasty birth or belated death?
Love often comes unanticipated
With no time to give ear to qualms,
But when love is leaving
Is the time one needs those soothing balms.

Who can fear while in love,
And, if there is fear, can it be true love?
In my indecision one thought remains unclouded:
My Love, I cannot fear when you are near;
No more easily can I doubt myself, and so
My love I will not fear.
--~}@{~--


Memeories Awakened

Memories awakened from a time so long ago
Engulf you in a stormy sea and toss you to and fro.
Faces return from the forgotten past
And remind you of times that ended far too fast.

Long before, you parted and went your separate ways
With tears streaming down your faces, you said your sad good-byes.
You lingered by the road and watched them fade from view;
You did not know how to go on again and begin your life anew.

Everything you saw or did reminded you of them,
When you closed your eyes their voices filled your head;
But gradually your life went on and their faces faded away,
And only when you tried to recall would remembrance of them stay.

But, now they're back, and you're happy that they're here,
And the words of greeting that you share, to your eye bring a joyful tear.
But when you talk together, you painfully realize,
The times you shared are in the past,
And you'll never have those times again,
But your memories forever will last
When your time with them has reached an end.
Understanding finally comes and unbidden tears flood your eyes.
--~}@{~--


'Till Death

A broken man sits huddled in a darkened corner,
Knees pulled up under his chin;
His head is buried in his trembling arms,
Sobbing like a child lost in the rain.

Every light in the room is broken,
Electrical cords are exposed to the air,
Pieces of furniture lie strewn across the room
That was usually treated with such care.

His wife's body is crumpled up on the kitchen floor,
A halo of blood circles her lifeless frame.
A knife is buried deep in her chest;
The unveiled terror on her face could make a man go insane.

What had he done? Where did he go wrong?
She said she was leaving, he couldn't change her mind.
He followed her to the kitchen, begging her to stay;
Never, no never, would he let her leave him behind.

He grabbed a knife and blocked the doorway,
Gave her another chance and one last breath.
He recalled the vows she dismissed: 'Till death do we part;
As he swore he would, he loved her to death.
--~}@{~--


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