2004
some older stuff...
I love the way he walks with his head up
He’s cocky in a way that says he’s not
I love the noise his shoes make on the floor
They’re squeaking but they’re singing even more
The writing on the walls will tell our tale
How we erased those stinging words away
And held each other close under the storm
To break away from what they call “the norm”
He is my wild troublemaker boy
The words no longer make a bit of sense
They trickle in my ears and out again
And I am left lying on the cold floor
Wondering how we ever won this war
I love the way he walks with his head up
He’s cocky in a way that says he’s not
His pants are wrapped tightly around his legs
The pins that stick out just add to the mess
He is the one who goes against the grain
His name is something strong and he gives me
A kiss that tells me all I need to know
His voice is gentle, but it is spoken
Like he has seen the very worst of men
I know deep down he could have more than this
He could have more than me - a girl with strength
But why does he choose me, a girl with smiles
And nothing more to give than poetic lines
If he only knew he could have the world
But I never want him to leave me here
I know it’s difficult to fight the stares
And break away from everything we know
To be with one we love who’ll help us grow
I love the way he walks with his head up
He’s cocky in a way that says he’s not
He’s different in a way that is the same
But better cause he gets back up again
He is my wild troublemaker boy
---
Not knowing
Happily dancing up the stairs
Till you fall and laugh yourself to sleep
And now it’s all gone
Night is for fake smiles and fake eyelashes
Stripping and kissing and trying to cure it all with whispering names
You write it down and beg yourself not to forget
This could be the one
This could be it
You cry while you open it again the next day
I wrote this?
I must be crazy
It hurts
Not knowing
Breaking heels and hoping
He won’t notice you’re too tall or too fat or too dark
Or that you think too much, not even about him
But it makes it better when you hear the paper crumple
And the lead of the pencil breaks and you have to write lighter
Until you can afford to buy some more
Write it on the walls
Write it in the air
Write it on my heart
While you play with my hair
While you make me laugh
To warm me up
For another poem… another idea
This is for writing, not for love
---
I’ll give you a crash-course in being romantic
A cure for when the words come out wrong
For now I’m the ventriloquist and you are my dummy
But not for long, no, not for long
I teach Making Girls Swoon 101
And you sit there holding a pen
Writing down phrases to make her heart faint
And keep you from wanting to run
I’ll teach you the dos and don’ts of love
I’ll show you how to tie the score
With the guy with the roses and the winning smile
Your words will make her fall to the floor
That’s what friends do, right? They teach you to win
They show you how to make your life right
But why do I always have to be the teacher
Instead of the person you practice on each night
I’ll give you a crash-course in being romantic
A cure for when the words come out wrong
For now I’m the ventriloquist and you are my dummy
But not for long, no, not for long
I’ll teach you the dos and don’ts of love
I’ll show you how to tie the score
With the guy with the roses and the winning smile
Your words will make her fall to the floor
Maybe I will be the girl
I hope I will be that girl
---
You’re no artist
But you take the cake for trying
You can rhyme in time, in lines
And make it seem like it took talent
It didn’t
You know the formula
The way to make tears erupt
But do you know what it means
When you write a poem about someone else’s love?
I love the way he walks with his head up
He’s cocky in a way that says he’s not
I love the noise his shoes make on the floor
They’re squeaking but they’re singing even more
The writing on the walls will tell our tale
How we erased those stinging words away
And held each other close under the storm
To break away from what they call “the norm”
He is my wild troublemaker boy
The words no longer make a bit of sense
They trickle in my ears and out again
And I am left lying on the cold floor
Wondering how we ever won this war
I love the way he walks with his head up
He’s cocky in a way that says he’s not
His pants are wrapped tightly around his legs
The pins that stick out just add to the mess
He is the one who goes against the grain
His name is something strong and he gives me
A kiss that tells me all I need to know
His voice is gentle, but it is spoken
Like he has seen the very worst of men
I know deep down he could have more than this
He could have more than me - a girl with strength
But why does he choose me, a girl with smiles
And nothing more to give than poetic lines
If he only knew he could have the world
But I never want him to leave me here
I know it’s difficult to fight the stares
And break away from everything we know
To be with one we love who’ll help us grow
I love the way he walks with his head up
He’s cocky in a way that says he’s not
He’s different in a way that is the same
But better cause he gets back up again
He is my wild troublemaker boy
---
Not knowing
Happily dancing up the stairs
Till you fall and laugh yourself to sleep
And now it’s all gone
Night is for fake smiles and fake eyelashes
Stripping and kissing and trying to cure it all with whispering names
You write it down and beg yourself not to forget
This could be the one
This could be it
You cry while you open it again the next day
I wrote this?
I must be crazy
It hurts
Not knowing
Breaking heels and hoping
He won’t notice you’re too tall or too fat or too dark
Or that you think too much, not even about him
But it makes it better when you hear the paper crumple
And the lead of the pencil breaks and you have to write lighter
Until you can afford to buy some more
Write it on the walls
Write it in the air
Write it on my heart
While you play with my hair
While you make me laugh
To warm me up
For another poem… another idea
This is for writing, not for love
---
I’ll give you a crash-course in being romantic
A cure for when the words come out wrong
For now I’m the ventriloquist and you are my dummy
But not for long, no, not for long
I teach Making Girls Swoon 101
And you sit there holding a pen
Writing down phrases to make her heart faint
And keep you from wanting to run
I’ll teach you the dos and don’ts of love
I’ll show you how to tie the score
With the guy with the roses and the winning smile
Your words will make her fall to the floor
That’s what friends do, right? They teach you to win
They show you how to make your life right
But why do I always have to be the teacher
Instead of the person you practice on each night
I’ll give you a crash-course in being romantic
A cure for when the words come out wrong
For now I’m the ventriloquist and you are my dummy
But not for long, no, not for long
I’ll teach you the dos and don’ts of love
I’ll show you how to tie the score
With the guy with the roses and the winning smile
Your words will make her fall to the floor
Maybe I will be the girl
I hope I will be that girl
---
You’re no artist
But you take the cake for trying
You can rhyme in time, in lines
And make it seem like it took talent
It didn’t
You know the formula
The way to make tears erupt
But do you know what it means
When you write a poem about someone else’s love?