Not Until I'm Happy
Not Until I'm Happy
Date: February 24,2009
I have no moon or stars with which to dazzle…
Except those that radiate from my heart
I've no silken pillows for you to lay your head
Though I've offered the downy comfort of my breast
And I've no riches to awe or impress the crowds
But I've a treasure trove of affection just for you
I have no motives, no schemes, no candy coating
And I offered only what my heart could carry
Yet, it seems that the shelter of my arms
Has granted you no comfort
As you perceive them as a weapon that binds
And the soft urgency of my kiss
Did not taste sweet, or full of promise
Rather it fell bitter and cold upon your lips
And in my simplicity, I failed to understand this undoing
As my dreams are limpid, my voice honest and sincere
And my songs have always revealed the passion of my heart
So, try as I might I cannot fathom the emptiness inside of you
Or understand the hardness of your lonely soul
For the love I offered was gentle and pliable
I did not come to steal your breath, your happiness, your life
I wanted only to share with you the passion that warms me
As I believed in my heart, that we are kindred spirits and burned of the same fire
And not once, have I held my needs above yours
For I've stood on the outside, season after season
Shivering in the snow, while others snuggled warm by the fire
But the truth rings as I stand now to face a new direction
You have flown, my little bird, so very very far away
Never again to nest in the bosom of my love
I'm left scanning the horizon through shards of glass
Searching for the last vestiges of the fire that once was
For I long to believe that the flames were no delusion
But in the perfect stillness, I know the time has come to move forward
So I'll tarry no more, instead, I'll gather the scattered pieces of my heart
And I'll find the strength to mend what is broken
I'll leave this shore behind me
And search no more for a fleeting glance at the fishes
The warmth of the flame, the rainbows end
I'll simply move on
My spirit is too precious a gift, to lie shattered within the confines of sorrow
I yearn to live again, to breathe again, to soak up the sunshine…
So, I'll cast off this shroud of heartache and lie naked in fields of clover
You see, I won't give up on life and living
I'll persevere, until my soul has healed and I am happy
************************************ *********
Copyright © 2009 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Broken Branches
Broken Branches
Date: January 24,2011
I've tasted sweet o'hungry lips
And felt thy warm embrace
Though now blinded from my sight
In dreams I know thy grace
Whilst nevermore shall honey sweet
Melt soft against my tongue
It's locked away in melodies
Of all the songs we've sung
So, if I'm cursed to see no more
Beyond these clouds of pain
I'll stand and face the bitter force
And languish in the rain
As bending heart and broken branch
Trap grief beneath my breast
For deep inside the cardinals cage
The passion's laid to rest
But, never was a song as sweet
Nor shined on me as bright
As all the windswept lullabies
That whispered in the night
I close my eyes, to feel again
The fire upon my lips
And in the magic of the flight
I still can taste your kiss
So, I'll not weep for all that's lost
Or hope to find once more
The passion of our yesteryears
Was swept beyond my shore
Life will bring another day
The sun will rise again
And I'll not mend my broken dreams
By searching in the sand
I've tasted sweet o'hungry lips
My soul still wears the stain
In silence I will walk in strife
Until the heartache wanes
************************************ *********
Copyright © 201 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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Of Love and Parting
Of Love And Parting
Date: April 2,2010
For too long,
I have slept in the shadows of the truth
Forever hopeful for a path to the light
For years, I've felt the bitter sting
And suffered the cold hand of disappointment
So, take the breathless whispers,
The laughter, the honey-fused kisses…
I've drank too much bad water
It's left me broken… my spirit torn
I no longer wish to bathe in the well of heartache
Its love me tenderly, sweetheart…or set me free
There is no middle ground, no half measure
There is only my heart…the tender longing of my soul…
And the endless love I feel for you
So, if these gifts disappoint…
If I've failed to live up to your pride or fancy
Then please leave it be, moreover…leave me be
I don't need lustful banter, without the fire of passion
Or a stone cold heart offering but sorrow
The once coveted whispers, fall deaf upon my ears
And the night winds do little to soften the soul of a non-believer
Yesterday's flattery creeps like a slow poison
Leaving me overwrought and uneasy
While the renderings of today rain down on me, bitter and raw
My flesh has grown cold in the want for your touch
And my heart….hard… without the balm of love
Endless promises have offered only a vast emptiness
And have served to drive the cleave but deeper
Severing the vessel of my long held faith
We've ventured far on the wings of my desire…
Only to find ourselves at the end of our journey
Saddened to part…not as friends or as lovers
But as strangers, two ships, adrift on a lonely sea
Each running headlong to the point of no return
The fire has dwindled and burns low on the horizon
The night's have grown silent, no longer echoing soft your name
And while moonlit skies sparkle bright with bittersweet longing
The occasional shooting star streaks forth to remind me
Of a fire that burned fierce but died too soon
We've come to the end of this chapter
A crusade fraught with love, with passion…and with loss
Yet my history book would be flawed, imperfect without it
This passage, forever sacred to my heart is burned deep into memory
And as I lift the quill to pen the verses of a new tomorrow
I'll accept today's heartache as a lesson learned
********************************** ***********
Copyright © 2010 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Pulling Out The Shards
Pulling Out The Shards
Date: May 23,2011
I covet his sweet hungry lips
Cling fast to the fire
I can't forsake the memories
The need of him…desire
I yearn to revel in the heat
Embrace it long and tight
I can't put out the eager flames
That warm me through the night
I know it's wrong to hanker on
In envy of such prize
But I can't train my rambling heart
Or tame my wandering eye
I hear him on the whispering winds
And taste him in the rain
He fulfills such simple joys
A need…I can't explain
I'll never touch his shielded soul
My heart deterred no less
For midnight dreams keep burning bright
And never let it rest
Still I go, in blinding snow
And lay down with the knife
To cut myself, time and again
Forever clinging tight
Fate has dealt a losing hand
But still I hold it fast
And stand each day in bitter rain
That falls like broken glass
I rise each morn, in spite of pain
In search of his regard
And end each day, the same old way
Still pulling out the shards
*********************************************
Copyright © 2011 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Love It or Leave It
Love It Or Leave It
Date: February 2,2011
Come to me forever, love
Or entice me, nevermore
There is no in-between, my dear
The ocean meets the shore
I forsake the useless drivel
If barren of your desire
And decline the bone dry kisses
From lips devoid of fire
I shan't extend a tender hand
When thy heart in greed must hide
Nor will I lie beneath your weight
When my heart is denied
I'll ignore the whispering winds
When smoke obscures my view
And nevermore to search in vain
For stars that shine of you
My breath will cease to speak thy name
Yet inked upon the rhyme
Is passion flaming from the heart
That burns of love sublime
I'll offer firm resistance
To hold my wolves at bay
And turn with a conviction
That flattery cannot sway
I'll beg not for affection
Or pout when you decline
I'll simply turn my heart away
And leave the fire behind
So come to me forever, love
Or free me from this snare
A decade of indecisiveness
Is more than what is fair
************************************* ********
Copyright © 2011 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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To You, To You
To You, To You
Date: March 13,2011
I give my heart, my soul, my world
To you, to you, to you
All of me, my everything
I give to you, to you
Whispers blowing in the wind
The skies of striking blue
All the fire that burns in me
I give to you, to you
The passion of my tender heart
Burns fast, and fierce and true
All the flames that I embrace
I give to you, to you
I give my words, my song, my verse
To you, to you, to you
All the magic of my dreams
I give to you, to you
Take my voice, my thoughts, my sighs
I give them all to you
Please harbor safe, my precious dove
This love I give to you
************************************** *******
Copyright © 2011 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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I Understand 'Fantasy
Will there ever be a place in your heart
Or is this thing, just fire and sparks
A burn that's held me, decades long
How can it flame, and still be wrong
If not for love, then just for spite
I'll hold on with my dying might
You cannot rip this love from me
I'll hold it tight, you wait and see
Midnight finds you in the burn
Sleep won't come, you toss and turn
Up at two, you still can't sleep
You fry the wires, ‘stead counting sheep
I'm not angry, won't make demands
I've simply failed to understand
What keeps you coming back for more
When you don't understand what a heart is for
Countless times, I've tried to break free
But your iron clad grips gotta hold on me
Why not just let me slip away
No debt is due, no price to pay
What keeps you tied to my life
When my whispers cut you like a knife
I guess its luck that you can't bleed
Or feel the grief you've given me
No tenderness, no promises made
Why carry on this masquerade
Take off your mask and face the truth
My heart's the only one you use
Baby, I can love, without your songs
I've loved you for so very long
But I understand this fantasy
And that's all this love will ever be
*************************************** ******
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Flash and Flame
Flash and Flame
Date: January 17,2012
I’d rather live in this distress
No thoughts revealed or dreams confessed
I’d rather sing in broken rhyme
Than dare reverse the hands of time
No other life could hold as dear
As the fleeting moments when he is near
I’d rather bear this life of pain
Than never taste his lips again
No other soul could sing to me
Those scalding thoughts in reverie
I’d rather wait with heart ablaze
Than fall forever from his gaze
No other flesh can hold as true
The flame that burns me through and through
I’d rather die in a dark abyss
Than be denied his hungry kiss
He won me with his flash and flame
My heart forever, his to tame
************************************* ********
Copyright © 2011 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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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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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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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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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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Just Stones
From the moment the blue jay spied
My stolen breath could only sigh
And then the clever cunning fox
Made den upon my store of rocks
In the valley wet with dreams
He offered up, sweet cake and cream
Spiced with ginger, steeped in fire
He fed my heart his wild desires
I grew to crave his wind-burned face
Etched with time and lined with grace
His hills and valleys, I explored
I sought the flames beyond the shore
My heart soon nailed to his command
A view ny mind can't comprehend
My legs are strong, my back is straight
I’d never bend to such a fate
Beside his tempest shores, I wept
Uncertain where the fire was kept
I searched for fuel to feed my rage
My heart obsessed, my passion caged
Once trapped inside his secret lair
I woke to find he wasn’t there
Outside there blows a violent storm
Inside...just stones to keep me warm
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Sacrifice Of Honey
A Sacrifice of Honey
Date: August 30,2011
There was a raging fountain
Gushing sticky sweet
A menagerie of flavors
Dripping at your feet
A need but for a moment
To stop and taste the wine
There were no poison apples
Just honey sweet, benign
Cast off the pleas and whispers
And quick to turn a cheek
When all it took was passion
To keep the honey sweet
Fire it seems, is fickle
It can't be bought or sold
Denied the flames of passion
It turns from hot to cold
Love laid upon the altar
Left as a dying flame
A sacrifice of honey
Was paid to play your game
************************************* ********
Copyright © 2011 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Kiss Of Fire
When your ruby red lips
move across mine
it’s like tasting a very fine wine
and ignites the flames of passion.
Raising that kiss of fire
that arouses passions deep.
That kiss of fire
that devours our soul.
That kiss of fire
that makes us whole.
That kiss of fire
that warms the coldest night.
That kiss of fire
that ignites our loves light.
That kiss of fire.
21 February 2009
poem by David Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Guess You Never Knew
I Guess You Never Knew
Date: August 12,2012
Just who do you think you are
Should I thank you for these scars
What do you think you offer me?
I'm sorry sweets…I just don't see
It seems to me your gift is pain
Winter clouds of cold hard rain
Nothing warm to soothe my skin
The fire never reached within
I tried and tried, for just a spark
A glint to warm my hungry heart
But all that flamed was my desires
The fire was mine, but never ours
A simple touch, a soothing word
But what I got was cold and blurred
I gave my best, my soul still yearns
Across the page, my heartache burns
I don't know who you think you are
Starting fires and stealing hearts
Biting more than you can chew
Then pretending that, you never knew
************************************* ********
Copyright © 2012 Leria Hawkins, All Rights Reserved
poem by Leria Hawkins
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Circling, Circling
Circling, Circling…
Date: December 5,2012
Circling back to scene of the crime
Laying it down, repeating the rhyme
Like falling falling, torn from the sky
Still fanning the flame that passed me by
Cloud nine floating just above my head
I keep reaching for the stars instead
It's a grand illusion that can never be
I've blocked it out, I refuse to see
I'm burned up, burned out, I can't admit
Cause I've held too long to call it quits
A fire still burns deep inside
If only a spark, could turn the tide
So I circle back to the scene of the crime
Singing my songs, repeating the rhyme
Beating the drum for all that its worth
Waiting for wishes to move heaven and earth
Cloud nine's waiting for me to grab hold
With a silver lining, that shines like gold
If I'd just let go of the other side
I'd finally be free of my injured pride
I'm burned up, burned out, I can't admit
My heart's refused to consider it
There's just no way that the fire would lie
Could it really be, has the passion died?
I keep circling, circling the scene of the crime
Looking past the grit, ignoring the grime
Breaking promises to the looking glass
Pretending my pain is a thing of the past
************************************* ********
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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