Reading Between the Lines {A Poem}

There’s more to me than what meets your critical eyes

There’s more to me than the picture in your sheltered mind

There’s so much more than the stereotype you invented

There’s more than that rumor that’s been cemented.

If only you’d learn to read between the lines.

Only then can you read this story that’s so intertwined

Only then will you understand why I’m this way

Only then will you know why I don’t want to stay

Only then will you stop judging me by the things I see

And all the books I love to read

Only then will you know me for the life I lead.  

The Necklace #2 {A Poem}

When my wishes didn’t come true

and my plans all fell through,

When the ones I loved the most

started treating me like a ghost

and their pride became a scheme,

When my only escape was to daydream

And I was tempted to just be reckless

Only then did I see the necklace.

Change {A Poem}

I have my writing friends

Who have been with me since the start

Who were the spark of inspiration

That began my love of pens and fonts.

I have my welcoming friends

Whose pride matches my own,

Who made me feel at home

In a place that was far from comfort.

I have my colorful friends

Who I always took for granted

Who let me be myself

And showed me how to be independant.

I used to have it really easy

I used to be as happy as I could be.

It’s sad how quickly things changed

And how little prepared I was.

Poinsettia {A Poem}

The poinsettia
It lived
Far longer than we expected.
They said it was my loving, seven-year-old hands
That did that bit of holiday magic.

The poinsettia
It would have lived longer
If we had taken it with us
Or stayed to care for it.
But, we couldn't.

The poinsettia
We left it behind
And a recent discovery is
I left my magical, loving touch
With it.

Puzzle Pieces {A Poem}

My life is a puzzle:
Every piece is needed
And each one is different.
My immediate family is the big picture,
For our bond couldn’t be stronger.
My Irish relatives are the edges,
For they shaped me into who I am.
My Italian relatives are the bursts of color
For they have put the excitement in my life.
And my friends, both far-away and near,
Are the details that are sometimes overlooked
But without them, everything would fall apart.

The Necklace {A Poem}

The necklace

Sat unnoticed on a shelf.

Its four words

And charming appearance

Were sadly overlooked.

There was a day

That was destined to be great.

It wasn’t.

I was in tears of insecurity

Only then did I see the necklace.

My Name {A Poem}

It was your loud ways,

The love that showed

In everything you’d say,

It was your Irish side,

The faith was here to stay

That made me choose a name

That would remind me of you.

Timing {A Poem}

It seems no matter where I go

My timing is never right.

Your friendships were made so long ago

That is it much too late for me.

It’s not your fault

Nor is it mine.

This is just the way it is

To change it would be out of line.

So please don’t resent me

For being happy elsewhere

In a place where timing doesn’t matter

And so I am not late there.

Lily {A Poem}

There is a girl named Lily
Whose friends seemed so perfect
Until she chose to be honest.

Although they still love her and she loves them
Lily knows all too well that things will never be the same
Just because she wanted to be a friend.

Now she is torn between
The friends who call her by name
And the friends who no longer see her as 'Lily'.

Change of Heart {A Poem}

There was a night that was meant to be fun

And my stubborn heart chose that night

To let my deepest feelings run loose.

Though unclear at the time, it made sense eventually.

A ton of little things happened that night

All of which triggered anger within me

My emotions built up until finally

It tore down the wall that surrounded my heart.

It started when we picked teams

In a way that reminded me of home.

The next thing was a pang of jealousy

As a friend left for a louder group.

After that it was a best friend’s ignorance

Next, a friend’s hurtful remark

And that was when I reached my boiling point,

Then, one friend’s kindness brought me back.

There were five friends who helped me

Two asked if I was okay, two consoled me as I cried

And the other offered to listen if I needed to talk.

They were the ones who changed my heart.

Looking back I can see easily the night’s importance

For it made me realize,I was living in a possible future

Paying way too much attention to the past

And failing to live in the moment.

To A Special Someone {A Poem}

This is a poem to someone very special
Whose heart is bigger than most
And who is the strongest person
That I am proud to know.

This is to the one who remained faithful
Who always prayed and thanked God
And woke up with a smile every day.
This is to the one I have tried to imitate.

This is to the one who told me I was pretty
The only one that I actually believed
Who will be only ever be thought of fondly.
This is to the one who will never truly be gone.

An Answer {A Poem}

I prayed for a rose

To tell me it would all be okay.

The very next day

You wore a pretty dress

In a lovely rose print.

The Therapist {A Poem}

We sit in the newly cleaned room with the TV playing
Laughing at the wit and at the child, who is saying
In his own words how happy he is..
And then there is a knock, knock on the door
And with that knock, knock on the door
The room and the child both go silent, and to myself
I say, “It’s going to be okay.”

I remain sitting, but soon feel like I’m in the way
So I go upstairs, and begin to write, but find
That my mind is gone, and instead I hear what they say
About the child’s exercises. It hurts to hear, but what hurts more
Is when I hear the thump, thump, of someone coming upstairs
Because when I hear the thump, thump, I know they’re not for me, and
So again I tell myself, “It’s going to be okay.”

When the therapist leaves, I put away the writing
In which I failed to finish. My hands shake, inviting
Tears to my eyes that I quickly wipe away.
Downstairs I hear laughing, laughing of my family
And I join them, and we are laughing, laughing together
Because the child is doing well, says the therapist, and now
I say to myself, “It is okay.”

Understand {A Poem}

My heart and pro-con list both say

That this is the right way.

But my indecisive mind sees the good in both lands

So how can I expect you to understand?

Know that you made me a Keystone

With love that said I wasn't alone

And friendships I knew would never fail.

Try to understand, you’ve heard the tales,

I feel great pain in leaving.

The wonders of homeschooling will always amaze me

You were so much better than I expected you to be

You made the Buckeye state feel like a home

But understand, listen to this poem,

This choice was never yours to make.

I won’t leave bitter, I won’t come mourning

And I just hope you won’t think I went without warning

Pennsylvania is the keystone of our happiness,

Just remember, even through this darkness,

My heart will always belong to both my home states.

An Old Poem {A Poem}

There are poems I wrote as a kid

About puppies, dreams and other things

That now sit in an old and dusty box

On a high and forgotten shelf.

These poems, they sit there

Waiting to be remembered and read

But that day is still a ways away

And so the poems sit, gathering dust by the day.

I fear that I am a poem

One of fun times and many laughs

That will soon sit in a dusty box

The box that is labeled “PA.”

Cardinal {A Poem}

The red feathers of the cardinal

Are not often seen

Therefore the sight is exciting

And causes one to feel happy.

What if we saw cardinals every day?

The sight would no longer be a novelty

The color red would soon annoy

And that can never go smoothly.

I fear that I am a cardinal

Once a joy and now a pain

By coming to stay am I only ruining

The friendships that were once everlasting?

Rumors {A Poem}

It’s crazy how fast word can spread

Even crazier what people hear instead

And incredibly sad when they don’t hear you

And instead go on, believing what is not true.

Things were never set in stone

I told one person as to not be alone

And she told just one more

Who told many, leaving out the words “We aren’t sure.”

What was then a relief is now an agony

I find myself looking at the past longingly

Wishing for the friendship we once had

And thinking how you have made me sad.

I wish that you would stop saying

That I lied to you about staying.

I promise that is not what I said

That is just how the rumors spread.

If you listen to me, you will know

That it was never certain when I will go.

I fear if you do not hear what I have to say

Bitterness and loneliness is how I will go away.