Never Say Never
Words
by Amanda Stuart
They are written
They are spoken
We think them and deny them
Taken down and swallowed for control
Screamed with passion
Whispered with regret
Filled with sadness and joy
Most powerful when believed
Empty with lies
Flashed in our minds
Beaten into our hearts
Used to help
Used to hurt
Judging us
Pleading us
Loving us
Forgetting us
Leaving us alone, without them who are we?
They are written
They are spoken
We live for them
We die for them
Everywhere we see them - Every where they are heard
We run and hide, and we search for more
Our life breath
Our words
I Said I'd Never Give My Heart Away Again
by Chris Patterson
It came out of the box
bright and shiny
smudgeless,
impenetrable,
unbreakable,
irreplaceable.
You held it, casually
in one hand while
the other reached
for its best friend.
Smudged now, darkness
accented the bright spots
that shone on the shadows,
chasing them out of the closet.
You thrilled to be lit up there
but weren't ready to leave
the cover of darkness.
You put it in the corner,
dusted off only on
certain occasions.
It's not practical.
Could be extravagant,
unusual or unique
this gift of my heart.
Tiny, hairline fractures
spider web across its
deep, red veneer.
That's how you found it,
like an Easter egg,
hidden in plain sight.
You placed it with reverence
on a satin pillow.
But glancing attentions replaced
the dedicated polish.
Now, restless in its shine,
it donned striking armor.
Catching your eye,
Damsel in Distress.
It brought you,
safely and securely
to the highest tower.
There, you could finally
turn your attentions to the prince
and let fall,
from that high wall the heart
strong enough to take you
there, its unbreakable armor
crushed and cracked.
Caution guided it
to you, bird of a feather.
Settled down in a soft,
familiar comforter,
untouched and insulated.
Still impenetrable,
that challenged you into
curious examination.
Soft caresses against
its hard, scarred lines.
From the inside, you
brightly shined it up
like brand new,
just out of the box.
Too bright,
too electrically charged
to be practical.
A beacon for all the world to see.
That created the dark wave
of fear to come crashing in.
This smashing, grinding force
of ignorance leaving pieces
of it strewn across the sand.
Fragments, reflecting sunlight
await collection by a patient,
curious beachcomber.
Who will put it back together,
box it up and preserve it
amongst the pictures of
memories.
A treasured gift,
given one more time
for posterity.
Never Say Never
by dyvan
Children believe and see
all fantasy and mystery
conjure dragon from shadows
hear conversation of the trees
each sound outside a monster
beneath their bed a bone-filled den
for creature evil and beguiling
parents should never have let in.
"Leave the lights on, daddy
the brightness hurts their eyes
makes them sheath their claws
forces them away
for in the shadows they lurk
stomachs rumbling for a feed
when I lie in bed I hear them
preparing to come for me"
You can quell your terror
as a parent always must
assure them there is no dragon
beneath the bed is just toys and dust
yet parents once children were
still note the changing face of moon
always lock the windows tight
leave lights burning bright
and never, say you never
lie alone without a torch at night.
The Shifting Certainty
by dyvan
Never say never
never cease to see
chances, advances, sweet opportunity.
if we ever say never
sealing eyes dead tight
defiantly stating never again
might gain a new enemy
and lose an old friend.
Never say never
in good times or sad
for circumstances change
a different world than we had
more wealth or less
idle stability or frantic tortured duress
how under such regimes
might alter our dreams
our nevers reshape as daily maybes
hypocrites fresh we'll appear
if we ever say never my dear.
Never say never
never again
see life as a track
ourselves as a train
each moment a station
and if never would now
at the next station or three
the "never" a slain albatross be
tethered and bobbled by the "never" sung song
unable to address shifting certainties wrong.
If Only My Heart Could Hold a Pen
If only my heart could hold a pen
then my hand would not have to be
a secretary
who knows no shorthand
and does not spell well
the truth
my heart rapidly dictates.