Summary Of Us

Let's meet, you said
And it was the beginning of the end.

You Can't Keep People

 

There was a time

I was afraid to lose you

But you can’t keep people

It doesn’t work that way

Rescue

At night

Alone in the dark

I knew who I was
And who I had once been

I knew I’d gotten lost –

Was still lost –

But if I lay very still

And very quiet

I could feel the strength of the girl I used to be

And in those moments

I knew she was coming back for me

Living In The Gray

Twenty for dinner
The guests’ young and old
Bring a bottle of red
And let the conversation unfold
We all agree the world is a horrible mess
We’ve all played a part
Yet we’re afraid to confess

Do you take a two-minute shower
Or a deep soak in the tub
Would you have an abortion
Or condemn someone who did
Do you get a new Prius every two years
Or drive an ancient gas guzzling Humvee
And whatever you choose
Do you think you’re better than me

The soup is served cold
But temperaments run hot
What the young boy believes
Grandfather clearly does not

By dessert there is shouting from both of the groups
Their points more important – both feeling progressive
Then a young voice states quietly, well that may be so
But isn’t it regressive to be so blatantly dismissive

She lowers her gaze
And takes a sip of her water
She clears her throat to speak
She’s the prodigal daughter

Life is too complex
To operate in black and white
And should we limit our options
To being defined – Left or Right
Not one singular Identity should steal center stage
Because not one of us is more important at the end of the day
It’s not always about winning and getting our way
Unity and tolerance are about being able to live in the gray

Sadly, what she said
Might have been true
But one of the camps
Shouted over her, their point of view.

As published in MOON http://moonmagazine.org/lynn-b-green-live-gray-2018-08-04/

Little Bits

 

See, it doesn’t really matter what you say

I’ve got a piece of you I’m never giving back

And that pretty little thing you have now

She can’t have it either

That’s when I wondered how much of me

Had been chipped off
Given away

Years of me, maybe

Bundled up and stuffed away so no one else

Could have who I used to be

Tonight

Tonight I will be thinking about you

The Sacrificial Altar

 

He will swallow you up

For his hunger is rabid

He wants your every secret and every failure

He wants to know what brings you to your knees

And what you need to survive

He wants to know your prayers

So he can play God

He will offer a hiding place

A place to lay

And you will feel safe

His dark eyes, sullen and brooding

Will stare you down and bore into you

You’ll be ruined and saved

You will be lost and known

You will quake

For the pull will be magnificent

You will give him what he asks for

Until there is nothing left

Then you will see

You are a shadow

Walking behind one who feels glorious

You will wipe away tears

Because you won't want to let go

But you will

Cured

And you chose to believe
You could save me

That years of damage

Might fall away

Brokenness cured

By beautiful words 

        

Refuge

 

There is a box

Hidden

But never forgotten

Cloistered in my heart

If you ever love me

The right way

You will get to look inside

And in the looking

You will decide

To love me less

Or not at all

For there are secrets

Bound in ugliness

Broken promises

Cruelty

Waste

Squandered love

Two people living as one

In the light

And in the dark
Hiding

Deep below

Danger, Danger

He touched my soul for God's sake
I never let anyone touch that.

Live In The Gray

 

Twenty for dinner

The guests’ young and old

Bring a bottle of red

And let the conversation unfold

We all agree the world is a horrible mess

We’ve all played a part

Yet we’re afraid to confess

Do you take a two-minute shower

Or a deep soak in the tub

Would you have an abortion

Or condemn someone who did

Do you get a new Prius every two years

Or drive an ancient gas guzzling Humvee

And whatever you choose

Do you think you’re better than me

The soup is served cold

But temperaments run hot

What the young boy believes

Grandfather clearly does not

By dessert there is shouting from both of the groups

Their points more important – both feeling progressive

Then a young voice states quietly, well that may be so

But isn’t it regressive to be so blatantly dismissive

She lowers her gaze

And takes a sip of her water

She clears her throat to speak

She’s the prodigal daughter

Life is too complex

To operate in black and white

And should we limit our options

To being defined – Left or Right

Not one singular Identity should steal center stage

Because not one of us is more important at the end of the day

It’s not always about winning and getting our way

Unity and tolerance are about being able to live in the gray

Sadly, what she said

Might have been true

But one of the camps

Shouted over her, their point of view

One Evolving Moment

Yesterday no longer exists

And tomorrow will never arrive
The only place you can be is here

Time is an illusion

It will steal what is

The breath and beat that is now

The only pure form of experience

The only true point of existence

This moment
It is for you to embrace

Make of it what you will

For as the wind blows

And the river flows

It will cease
It will be replaced

Reborn with another chance

To be present

No longer a victim

Of what was

Or the impending void

But a vital happening

Of who you are

In this one evolving moment

It's Okay

 

Sun every day makes a desert

Be careful with those smiles

The ones you hide behind

Tears can heal you

Just like the storm that comes in

And washes everything clean.

To Know The Worst

 

I need to know what its like

To stand in the dark with you

Before I can know if I want

To stand in the light with you

Demons

You know someone

By how they live with their demons

Everything else they do

Is just getting by.

I'm Coming Back For You

 

At night

Alone in the dark

I knew who I was and who I had once been

I knew I’d gotten lost –

Was still lost –

But if I lay very still

And very quiet

I could feel the strength of the girl I used to be

And in those moments

I knew she was coming back for me

The Real You

 

I don’t know

It seems there must be

A much more honest way

For you to get what you want

You tell all these girls

They are the one -

The answer to your dreams

You wine and dine them

Sweep them off their feet

And you promise them

All the pretty things

Just like you know they would

(For how could they resist)

They fall for you

And even though you rationalize

Everyone got what they wanted

It’s a lie

I watch you do this over and over

And wonder if you ever question

How things could be if

You just stop hiding

And be yourself

They don’t need your empty words

They don’t want to fall in love

With an illusion

You are enough

The real you

I’ve seen you

You are good enough

Honestly

Stolen Peace

I couldn't think
My mind wouldn't settle
You spoke every given thought
Your personality so loud
So evasive
It didn't leave room
For mine

And I understand
You shouldn't have to compromise
To accommodate me
I wasn't asking you to be less
Or become smaller
I was asking you 
To make space for both of us.

Worried

 


While he was asleep
Every breath was ragged and swollen
It seemed his dreams
Were competing with life.

D

I liked your face

I was drawn to your eyes

Because they were kind and soft

We talked about our days

Our first kiss was quick and light

Barely a whisper

Before you turned and walked away

The sparks came later
When I thought about it in the dark

Like A Bug

I don't think you did it on purpose
But you crushed me
And for the first time
I thought about all the bugs
I'd squashed 
Never giving them a second thought
Just knowing I had to get rid of them

That's when I realized
You were afraid of me
Afraid of how I made you feel
Afraid that we were so far into this thing
You wouldn't be able to find your way out
And it wasn't that you didn't care about me
You just cared about yourself more.

Love Anyway

I feel all broken today
I want to hide away
Where no one can reach me
Where I'll be safe
But then you told me I should meet with you 
And I felt a little less broken
- Flirtyburtie

"Don’t be afraid to fall in love
It’s the only thing that matters in life
The only thing – do you understand what I’m telling you
You just fall in love with as many things as possible."
Kelly Cantor – Country Strong

    

History

 















You and I missed a chance
Surely we wouldn't do that again.

Blue Sea Cafe

 

My brother’s café

Looks out over the sea

It makes my whole body ache

In a slow throb

That hurts and haunts in an exquisite way

I miss it even when I’m there

Because I know I’ll have to leave.