the scars within feel like

like braille made mute,

hiding from the the face

of my younger ghosts,

each echoing thin beneath

the callous,

like time standing still

for a moment or two

every time I catch breath,

and I'm chasing it all again,

trying to heal the mend,

aching to rebreak bone

in an attempt to taste my innocence,

but wounds that snake beneath sight,

are harder to heal,

and I become the firefly

that ruins the safety

of darkness,

with attempts.

to fly.

and my light,

looks like sins

against the moon.

She’s born of grace

She’s born of lust

A lovely face

I’d love to trust

Her face to hold

Her lips to kiss

Her heart to know

Her shape to miss

There was a void in my life

A vacant hole

Meant for her

Shaped like her soul

That void is filled

The world is sweet

Now that I’ve found her

My life’s complete

BANG.

She heard from the other room, the air cold and crisp.

Her window was open, she closed it.

"Boo" he said.

She turned.

No one was there.

Oh, I was so excited! Ten small children were about to arrive for my ninth birthday party. It was a good day but I never expected the sorrow this day would bring.

Mom and I had made little egg salad sandwiches, cutting off the crusts and arranging them on a platter. I stuck my finger in the dip and licked them clean. It was perfect and I thought the day would be perfect also. Two ice cream cakes were rolled in jelly roll fashion and were in the freezer. Balloons and party favors were ready.

One hour before the excitement would begin, I heard my mother crying in the driveway. Rushing outside, I saw a car with a gentleman standing before his open trunk. Before I could be stopped, I peeked into the trunk only to find my beloved Dalmatian dog lying lifeless and bloody. With stricken eyes, the stranger told us how the dog had run out in front of his car. I was horrified. Running inside crying, I threw myself down on my bed and sobbed until my whole body shook. My Dad, a quiet and gentle man, took one look at me and left the house. I had no idea where he was going but I knew I would never feel the same about birthday parties.

Just before my party was to begin, I heard my Dad calling me from downstairs. Red eyed and teary, I went downstairs to see him holding a brand new Dalmatian puppy, who was quivering and shaking and crawled under a chair. I was overjoyed when I saw the puppy as were all my friends now arriving for my party. The little dog didn’t come out from under the chair until my party was over but he became a huge part of my life. I will never forget the compassion shown by my father. I have no idea where he got the puppy but I knew that my father’s love would keep me warm and embraced for as long as he lived.

Dad passed away several years ago but there is such a big space in my heart for him. My Dad was not a touchy feely person but he showed his love to me in so many ways. I will always remember his sweet half smile and the curl on his forehead which always hung down, no matter how many times he slicked it back. I can still close my eyes and see the tenderness radiating from his face. I just wish he were still here.

Depression

is having a heart

that constantly pumps sadness

through your veins

and desperately wanting

that heart to stop.

Follow my instagram @authortravisliebert and subscribe to my mailing list through the link in my bio to receive access to my upcoming poetry collection immediately upon its release

Writing is like shouting

Into the void

The void is dark

The void is scary

But shout loud

And shout clear

And soon enough

Someone will hear

Click the link in my bio and sign up to receive access to a free ebook copy of my poetry collection as soon as it's published. And don't forget to follow @genjipoetry on instagram for more :)

I remember that foul morning

When they interrupted class

And in a voice replete with mourning

Said you were never coming back

I stood out in the hallway

And watched our English teacher cry

We ate in silence that day

We never thought you’d die

It always is so horrid

The passing of a youth

So depressing, sad, and morbid

A cruel and somber truth

I can’t believe you’re gone

You’ve left wounds I’ll never mend

But I’ll bear my scars and continue on

Rest in peace my friend

-Genji

Vincent van Gogh

You genius of the Netherlands

With broken mind yet steady hand

Doing everything he can

To let the whole world know

The love you have despite your woe

And how you wished they’d love you so

A love that you would never know

So haunted by your pain and strife

In that wretched field you took your life

Those people who ignored your cries

Now dress in black and dry their eyes

They only love you once you’ve died

Dear Author of my book,

My tale you tell,

with words you weave,

My past you sew

while I yet grieve,

my soul forlorn

and torn apart

while I mourn

you bare my heart

to those who read

you write my soul

for those who need

to hear my cry

to taste my tears

to feel my pain

lest they forget theirs.

And so I pray you, author mine,

if sorrow and woe be my design

then I wish to make of them a gift

for those who hear my story,

to lighten the load and heal the rift,

to unburden the weary,

to motivate the broken,

to unbind and make free,

to give hope and give peace,

to strengthen and to embolden...

Sharpen your pencil

write with new fervor,

make my agonies excruciating

and my heart fill with suffering

but in the end leave me not

to rot in my despair.

Write into my tired soul

the tiniest of flames

to consume the bitterness

and make me whole

and fill my heart with hope again.

-Your Character