I Tell It Like It Is
I Tell It Like It Is
Date: October 15,2012
Again I wake in this retched place
Where the devil glares with grimaced face
Reading my heart, stripping it bare
Savoring the scent of the secrets there
I'm slipping and sliding, the ice too thin
Carefully creeping, lest I fall in
I'm holding on tight with a white knuckle grip
Knowing he waits, for the moment I slip
And just as before, the first time I fell
He stood at the ready, casting a spell
Quick as a wink, he swiftly swooped in
Leading me down his pathway of sin
Dashing and daring, he's handsome and strong
He tied me in strings; then led me along
His clutch was so quick, I had nowhere to run
From the cold calculation, he fancies as fun
He baits a fine trap, with flattery and fawn
Seeking the weak to use as his pawn
Once I was trapped, caught in his snare
I was twisting and turning, gasping for air
He's a devil disguised, with eyes of deep blue
But nothing he says is faithful or true
So ladies beware, he's cold as a snake
And the treasure he offers, is gaudy and fake
But this time I stand strong, I'm adept to his game
Won't be fooled by his charms or bullied by shame
I'm squaring my shoulders, I'm calling his bluff
A lesson hard learned, and enough is enough
I say…bring it on you sly devil, this time you'll be beat
I'm wise to the tricks of a liar, a cheat
You can't take my heart, I've locked it away
Now…I am the slayer and you are the prey
So stare if you must, you'll have no affect
The passion in me, you can't resurrect
Your whispers fall dead, like leaves on a grave
You'll have none of me, or the homage you crave
May you lie there twisting, kicking up dust
With your mind full of soot and your heart full of rust
I've broken the chains that have long held me down
I picked up the mirror and turned it around
So, just look at yourself, you're sordid, unclean
There's nothing to you, behind the smokescreen
Smoke and mirrors together is a dangerous pair
They'll make you believe in what's really not there
The laugh is on you, cause I've learned your game
And the favor you seek, you'll never reclaim
I'm no more the victim, of your wretched deceit
And the armor I wear, you'll never defeat
*********************************** **********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Walk On By
Date: November 11,2011
Something made me turn my head
I looked for me, it’s you instead
I’m stepping out to shed the pain
I’m trying to find myself again
No one can do it, no one but me
One day at a time, until I am free
Untie the strings, unchain my heart
Snuff the fire that haunts the dark
Hold me close, it’s never you
Too busy painting shades of blue
Singing songs to lure your prey
Submission but a breath away
Whispered promises, burn like fire
Who’s the cheat and who’s the liar
White knuckled grip holding tight
While plunging deep the rusty knife
No need to fret; put up a fuss
There’s only you, and never us
Take, take, take…to glut your need
My spirit drowning in the greed
An anguished soul hung out to dry
Can’t be consoled, no need to cry
I’ll face the slate and wash it clean
Then learn to walk the path again
A hairline fracture of my mind
Opens to another time
When I was young, and still naïve
But I knew then what to believe
My eager heart, was tricked by time
Believing life would clear the mind
Illusions of some transformation
That frees you of your reservations
But you have failed to let it go
A decade long has shown me so
You’ll always sit upon a throne
Smiling down and tossing stones
No more beneath your cold deceit
No more a place to wipe your feet
You turned away, nose to the sky
This time it’s me, who passed you by
******************************************* **
Copyright © 2011 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Will Rise
I Will Rise / DRAFT
Date: June 27,2012
We have lost the warmth of flames
Stifled by the silence of our secrets
As quietly as we came to touch
We let go the hand that held us
No one knew the flutters of my heart
Or discerned the fever of my desires
Only for you, I spoke in whispers
Only for you, your secrets kept
But as the sun rose on our history
I was burned by the flames of disdain
And as I searched for you, spoke your name aloud
I was answered by the lips of a stranger
I stood brave as the sun melted away before my eyes
Numbing me in the heartbreak of resignation
My hopes dashed as I laid down our whispers
Freeing them to dissolve into your shadow
I am still reeling in bittersweet confusion
Struggling to see the light beyond the clouds
Time, so cruel, has stolen my sighs
Revealing to me, a treasure, no more than fool's gold
I held my breath for you, sang to open fields of silence
I stood alone on the shore to watch you play in the distance
Creeping close, in the veil of secrecy, to speak to you in whispers
My heart hopeful for a chance to understand
But as I stood eye to eye with my undoing
I saw the truth that I refused for a decade long
Dispassionate eyes drilled cold and hard into my soul
I found no lover, no ally, no friend
Your refuse was my treasure, sweetheart
Your plaything…my heart
Though I bleed, I refuse to sink beneath the stones of my sorrow
And I will not allow shallow waters to drown me
I will make my way to the shore, and stand on my own two feet
I will find my voice, my passion, amid the debris
I will gather my fire, and I will sing again…
I will sing again…
*********************************** *****************
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sharks Teeth
Sharks Teeth
Date: February 21,2012
You gathered me in shadows
Spurned me in the light
At noon, your teeth sharpened
At dusk, you're taking sight
Caught between the crosshairs
A victim…aye, the prey
My heart, an easy target
A simple lot to slay
A meal of easy pickings
Like rabbit in a snare
Your rage is fired upon me
A shot to burn the air
A moment then it's over
Your motives met the mark
You feast upon your victory
Circling like a shark
************************************ *********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sipping Secrets
Sipping Secrets
Date: February 5,2012
I inhaled the splendor of his song
Drank the secrets capped with foam
Reveled in a fleeting breeze
To sip the nectar of his tease
I harbored hope, when there was none
Joined the games, just for fun
But soon I felt, trapped and tied
Prisoner to the fire inside
Forever hard to let it go
While warming by the golden glow
My heart is prone to giving in
Lured by passion to his sin
A bad boy dressed in stainless steel
Never allowed to see or feel
Living by another's creed
Still trying to find what he believes
The nights so cold, they froze my soul
Tied me to his whipping pole
And fire alone just seems to chill
With nothing more to haunt or thrill
So many seasons pass me by
But I won't fret, or waste a cry
Mistakes I've made are all my own
I've always known where I belong
The passion warms, while it last
A moment's fun, in the past
I know ahead, the dawn awaits
But, still the sun…won't see me break
I'll keep the whispers of his song
All the memories, I still own
No one can take my dreams away
They'll see me through the shades of gray
************************************* ********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Cannot Go, I Cannot Stay
I Cannot Go, I Cannot Stay
Date: July 10,2012
I cannot go
I cannot stay
So cruel a heart
To feel this way
Chained and rusted
To the fence
Too tired to stand
In its defense
The vine is twisted
My soul's at risk
A pull so strong
It can't resist
The drumming sound
Of every beat
Has passion spilling
In the ink
Back and forth
The trapeze flies
A rainbow blurring
In my eyes
Set on dreams
Out of reach
Never finding
A moment's peace
Love and hate
Between the lines
Each are looking
For the signs
So cruel a heart
To feel this way
I cannot go
I cannot stay
************************************* ********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Who's Skin Is It Anyway?
Who's Skin Is It Anyway?
Date: April 20,2012
Who suggest you…shall I point to
When you've plugged into my dreams
To suck marrow straight from my bones
Leaving me dried and salted on the shore
And who carries the finger
For the thorny path of red-yellow memories
Where the treasure trove is looted
Bearing the calamity of soot and fool's gold
And when razors cut fresh gashes on my soul
Bleeding my heart in hollow whispers of night
Who bears the tongue, sharpened and cold
Laying steel across my soft professes of love
I need to know…whose skin is it anyway?
Who hides in shame the passion of a fire burning
And who, my love…siphons victories from midnight chatter
Tiptoeing through life for fear of discovery
Can you tell me? Who… my pet?
Who sullies those nights of sweet confection?
Who whispers insincere taunts and slurs of degradation
But returns to the till, time and again
To sample the burning thrill of denial
Who is it my love? I beg to know…
For it is surely not I!
I will not deny my heart's desires…I will not pretend!
As I know…'I' am the fire you crave! ! !
***************************************** ****
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Chat With My Heart
A Chat With My Heart
Date: January 19,2012
I sat down lonely on the floor
Turned the key
Unlocked the door
I let the passion flood my view
I hoped some light
Would filter through
I asked my heart
To seek what's real
To dig down deep to what it feels
I begged to know the reasons why
It clings like life, to alibies
And while chained to my attention
I had to know if it's pretension
To understand why it defends
And acts so blind, that it pretends
Yet, no matter what I say
A heart should never
Act this way
It's stubborn to my dying breath
I still don't know the answers yet
************************************** *******
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Indelible Word
The Indelible Word
Date: March 29,2012
I'll travel into tomorrow
With two poems in my pocket
And a cold beer in my hand
Knowing, as I've always known
That you cannot love
Yet, I cling fast to keep my muse alive
It is not "you" that I love so doggedly
It is the pain of your denial that wrings my heart
And drives me to your door time and time again
Groveling for words that scorch my soul
It is not your lips, your hair, your taste
That fuels the passion trapped within
It is merely your indifference that sends me frantic
To the inbox for one more insult
One more chance to fire up the furnace and fling venom across the lines
Love was never in the cards for us
Lust…definitely was, but never love…even in the simplest form
You are far too hard, and I, too wary for such as that
You enjoy the cold steel of the blade and I…the cut
Both gleaning a selfish pleasure from the pain
So remember my dear, with your final smear
You cannot scar me; or bleed me out beneath your shame
Never, will I break…beyond the retaliation of words
Where I will have the last laugh…the final indelible verse
With your secrets spilt to the world
************************************ *********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Burn Baby Burn
Burn Baby Burn
Date: January 15,2012
I’m burning myself in the midday sun
While shielding my soul
And pretending to run
Yet, I’m still holding on
When I should let go
It’s a strange paradox
So hot, yet so cold
I’m lost in the chant of a cold winter rain
And yet I keep listening
Though it’s causing me pain
I keep holding my breath
While waiting to see
If my life will move on
And where it’ll take me
I’m so tied to emotions
That I try to forget
But, try as I might
I’m forsaken as yet
Why do I still cling
To this cold barren dream
When it’s full of illusions
And cruel heartless schemes
I search for my muse
In the wind and the rain
But my hands are left empty
And my soul is left drained
Seems I can’t turn the page
With this hole in my heart
It just doesn’t make sense
I still hide in the dark
I keep asking myself
My question the same
Why keep rolling the dice
When I’m losing the game
Why do I continue
To offer my heart
When I know that it’s useless
There’s no fire in the spark
************************************ *********
Copyright © 2011 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Deeper Shade Of Gray
A Deeper Shade Of Gray
Date: January 12,2012
With every piece you take away
I paint a deeper shade of gray
Someday the canvas will be filled
My voice unheard, my passion stilled
Locked away in caverns deep
The embers glow, in twilight sleep
Never once to breathe the air
Nor dream to life, what isn’t there
The flames are stifled by abuse
Though I fight, there is no use
Too many days, I’ve wondered why
To chase so hard, what you deny
But I won’t plead or beg of you
I made a vow, I’ll keep it true
And when you look into my eyes
What you’ll see, is clear and dry
Cause, I see through the flattery
Falling snow cannot touch me
You shut me out, and left me cold
I’ll find some other hand to hold
My emotions, you picked apart
Came picking, picking at my heart
Until I had no more to give
Your hurtful games, I won’t relive
As, I know there is no magic here
Behind the cunning puppeteer
And hidden in the songs you sing
Are candied words, wrapped in strings
I’ll stand no more, filled with doubt
I’ve locked it down, won’t let it out
And in those deepening shades of gray
My fond desire fades away…
************************************ *********
Copyright © 2011 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Let's Just Try
Let's Just Try
Date: September 19,2012
I'm trying to forgive the hurt
For all you've said and done
I'm trying hard to understand
Though my heart tells me to run
I'm trying hard to find a way
To lay down the grief and doubt
I'm trying hard, so very hard
To chase the demons out
I'm trying still, to turn a cheek
To forget the bitter blows
I'm trying now, with all my might
To rise above the snow
I'm really trying to accept your faults
And understand mine too
I'm really trying to make things right
We've still so much to do
I'm trying, trying to be strong
To bear the crippling weight
Trying hard to make a change
I hope it's not too late
I'll keep on trying, yes I will
As long as you try too
Because for me, it's worth the strife
To keep on loving you
********************************** ***********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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How To Train A Snake
How To Train A Snake
Date: August 22,2012
Teach me not to suffer, dear
To rise up from the fall
Teach me to feel the sunshine
And to understand the call
Teach my heart, to be as stone
Numbed against the sting
Teach me how to shed my skin
And never feel a thing
Teach me how to carry on
To close the open doors
Teach me to darken every page
And never yearn for more
Teach me all, you know so well
To search for prey, as you
Teach me how to slither by
Still smiling when I'm through
********************************** ***********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Anatomy Of A Player
Anatomy of a Player
Date: April 19,2012
He walks a path, yet opts to shy
Turns away his yearning eye
Steals by night, the sighing breath
Feigning innocence at the theft
Looting dreams, and hoarding fire
Bottles up the fond desires
Then makes haste to overwrite
The whispers of her futile plight
A heartless beast, wearing skin
Malice cloaked beneath a grin
Killing time, by spewing flames
Born of the lust that fuels the game
Baits the hook for prey to taunt
Into dreams, his whispers haunt
Spinning webs of cool deceit
Leaving naught in his retreat
Every move is calculated
To keep his needy head inflated
Bleeding secrets from her soul
Just to fill the empty holes
Thirsty for his choice of wine
All but the best, he will decline
Too many fishes in the seas
Too many flowers left to tease
A rabid hungry, heart of greed
Hoes a row for planting seed
But once the field is cultivated
He walks away, his rage deflated
So many souls he leaves to grieve
Tears of loss brushed off his sleeve
Not an ounce of pity for the weak
He just shrugs and turns a cheek
************************************ *********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Man! ...What A Bonehead!
Man…What A Bonehead!
Date: September 11,2012
Now…who's the idiot?
Finally, you've come to know what I've always known
You finally realize…with so much time gone by
And "too" much water under the bridge
What caused the rage in your soul
You played a tired song for year upon year
So fierce and hard you were…talking like a man on fire
Always goading the innocent…stirring the honey pot
Until the bees swarmed up, and you were stung
How predictable…you ran off and hid like a frightened child
Holding tight, the apron stings
You stood there coughing, sputtering…but unable to rewind the song
Or dislodge the slime caught in your throat
Oh, but you savored the flavor to the last drop
Testing, testing…always testing the waters
Until you fell through the ice and drowned yourself
And now you lay there, dead as the proverbial doornail
Holding tight, the limp memories of your desires
And wondering why you threw it all away
************************************* ********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Stay Here Forever
Stay Here Forever
Date: November 18,2012
I will remember you in soft pink dreams
Savoring you like honey; sweet, warm flavors on my tongue
And I'll taste the fullness of your fiery lips melting on mine
To the depths of my soul, I'll thrill to the songs of your feathered touch
And with each midnight turning, I'll lay twisting, yearning
Trembling as you steal my breath to keep as your own
Never leave me, my love…to battle the nights alone
Never, ever cease to spread your wings
To shield me from life's cruel clutch
Live! Scream your songs forever into my consciousness, my memories
For if you fade, I will cease to breathe
If you turn your eyes away, my essence will fail to be
I will relive you in my heart, my darling, my dancing ember
As you rage in me, a sea of flame scorching my soul
So lustful is your whispered intent, my love, so wanton your hunger
I listen, stone silent, straining to hear the urgent call of your desires
For I long for the perfect rhythm of your fevered sighs
Rewinding in slow sweet agony, the precious heat of your flesh on mine
Never turn from me, never my love, never
Do not break the bond that holds my heart in chains
For you are the key, the makings of my weakness, my fire
And I will perish in cold oblivion without your favor
Never leave me stranded, to shiver in the desert of dark despair
Stay with me forever, stay here…forever captured in my heart.
*********************************** **********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Ode To My Gumption (Or Lack Thereof)
Ode To My Gumption (Or Lack Thereof)
Date: January 20,2012
I’ve written more prose, rhyme and drivel than I care to think
I’ve sang trite ballads of love and loss
Lamented of how you tore me from the sky
Then discarded me like a well smoked butt
And in between
I baked casseroles filled with our passions
Flambéed them with fire and tidbits of doubt
I slathered on oils of flattery, some sweetened, some spiced
Then dressed myself in finery to parade
On the thin ice of yesteryear’s dreams
I’ve stood in blizzards, decades long
Knocking on the door, but knowing damn well
I’d never be asked inside
I’ve sat down time and again, trying to pull my teeth
Scraping my innards dry in hopes of understanding
The words to the simplest songs
And, time and again, I’ve come up empty
“Dryer than a popcorn fart”, my grand maw would say
I’ve let the seasons roll on and over me
Cold, like winter rain
Never once putting my foot down
To dropkick the ball back into my court
Crazy, how love jacks the brain
Most of the time it seems a damn sight more torment
Than pleasure
Yet I’ve chased it like a dog for a bone
In hindsight, I have to ask
Where the hell did I leave my gumption?
Perhaps tied out in the rain, while I blubbered on of a broken heart
After all these years, one thing’s for certain
I could darn sure use some now and then
************************************* ********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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You Rang?
You Rang?
Date: July 5,2012
I see that you have called
Again, you have called
Perhaps in some sad belief
That you cannot be denied
I've heard it said
"You get what you give in this life"
And I believe it to be true
Perhaps…you should too!
I see that you have called
Sporting the same old howl
With conceit that does not interest me
You are brass, and nerve, and pride
Your ego grates my peace of mind
Like nails against a chalkboard
It's the incessant squall of vanity
That wears thin my patience
I see that you have called
But fall silent when looked upon
Like a frightened child, you hide your face in shadows
For fear of being seen
There's no need to pass this way again
There's no shoulder on which to rest
No ear to listen
And there is no heart to bruise or break
I see that you have called
With any luck, may it be your last
As it will go unanswered
It will be ignored…
********************************* ************
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Death Must Be Like Dying
Death Must Be Like Dying
Date: March 30,2012
Death must be like dying
A slow swirl circling the drain
Allowing a final release…
Cutting loose the fire I've savored
The passion I've held tight to my heaving breast
It sure feels like dying, whispers steal my dying breathe
Letting go what I've touched and cherished as my own
I've laid down the promise of twilight
Exhausted from the load
I can't climb from this prison anymore
Or stand to see my soul beaten down again, again
God knows I've tried…tried so hard
To release the beast that burdens me
It clings like cancer to my soul
Heavy…like sacks of sand or wet cement
I tremble beneath the weight
Wondering, wondering…
Who can say the truth of this place
Admit the defeat, lay down the stone
Then rise to fly again…
*********************************** **********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams
Date: August 11,2012
Do not suffer as I sleep
When ‘cross my lips, a stillness creeps
As I will pass this way again
I have not died, I'm here my friend
Whispers of a passing breeze
Will bring to life sweet memories
And butterflies that softly land
Will be as I, to kiss your hand
Sweet as berries from the vine
You'll recall these lips of mine
I have not gone away in death
I did not breathe my final breath
Deep in your heart I shall remain
A joyful spark, an endless flame
So do not grieve when I have gone
I would not leave your heart alone
Spare the tears and sad goodbyes
As, I'll be here, when you close your eyes
************************************* ********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Thread Lightly As You Go
Thread Lightly As You Go
Date: February 26,2012
Tread lightly on my heart, sweetheart
Speak soft, and gently go
For locked behind the walls of steel
The pain of sorrow grows
Locked within a rusty cage
A dream in pieces lies
Like diamonds of a moonlit night
Torn from the midnight skies
Whilst round and round, the whispers
Float gentle in the gloom
Just memories in a garden
Where once our passion bloomed
Time has laid to rest, my love
The blooming of my heart
In cold and lifeless slumber
It perished in the dark
Tread lightly, love…tread lightly
So fragile is the glass
Tis fraught with many fractures
And wounds of seasons past
The wind outside is ruthless
The days…so long and cold
A thief of bright tomorrow's
Stepped in to steal our gold
Like a puzzle left unfinished
A poem without an end
My passion's loosed and fraying
No soul to help it mend
Thread lightly, dear…thread lightly
Speak soft, and gently go
Leave only care and mercy
To tend the seeds you sowed
************************************ *********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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