Poems in Soul Ink Vol 1

BEAUTIFUL STRANGER

So beautiful was that stranger

I didn’t notice what he stole

Until my dreams fled out the door

And into the winter snow

I followed his hunched shoulders

His fists hidden in his pockets

My dreams flittered out of reach

Just above his head

He sat upon a park bench

Wrapped deep in layers thick

My dreams were still his hostage

Though he didn’t seem to notice

The quirk of his mouth, a light behind those eyes

Beautiful was that stranger who I felt as though I knew

And in that instant as he looked at me, I was sure

He would be keeping my dreams after all

BEAUTIFUL THINGS

The world is full of beautiful things

Things you can find anywhere and everywhere

The smile of a loved one

The morning buzz right before sunrise

The clouds filling an otherwise empty sky

A bee finding a flower

Sunlight glinting off sleek rivers

The migration of birds at midday

The moon when its broad daylight

A child learning to ride a bike

The world is full of beautiful things

Things you can find anywhere and everywhere

I just hope one day I love myself enough to find it in the mirror too

BOY LEFT BEHIND

She loved me like the knight in shining armour

Like the prince of a mighty castle

Or the captain of a great ship

But when the ship came into port

When the crown was left behind

And the sword lain down

She loved me a little less

She searched for her knight prince captain

Because the boy left behind was not nearly enough

To fill her pretty daydreams and paintings of us

CRAYON MOON

The time I spent under the crayon moon

with you, those were the best

nights of my life

lying on our backs

we talked to the stars

and listened for a reply

they sang down at us with music

that didn’t match the night

and we danced anyway

EDGES

His ragged edges butted against mine

Together, we scraped out music

Shattered glass on shattered glass

He was just like me and I like him

Trying to get closer

But cutting into skin

People held their ears

They told us

too many broken edges

But despite our haunted music and our cuts

We were happy

Because together we became more than broken edges

HER

I loved the danger in her smile

Enough to ignore the lie behind her eyes

When she toasted to the heavens

I swear I heard hell move

We lay in grass fields

A fleeting sensation here and gone

She held me close and stroked my hair

Whispered sweet nothings in my ear

I loved her so deeply

I didn’t see the truth

I was alone

Long before she left

I HOPE HE KNOWS

My brother has never been a fan of his birthday

he never wanted a party

and we almost always went camping instead

Which is a fine thing to do

But I worry about the reason that he needed to get away

Is it the same reason that he can’t take a compliment

that he compares himself to everyone else

that he retreats when he needs connection the most

I worry because birthdays are about showing someone

how glad you are they are alive

how grateful you are they exist

Yet he hides away

Maybe he’s scared they won’t care

Maybe he’s scared they will

Whatever the reason, I worry

Because I’m grateful that he exists

I don’t know what I’d do if he didn’t

I hope he knows that

THE TASTE OF IMPOSSIBLE

I learnt to fly in snow-capped mountains

With frozen wings

And icicles resting on my lashes

I learnt to swim in breathing volcanos

With molten water

And lava running through my veins

I learnt to live in a world of problems

With unanswered questions

And the taste of impossible on my lips

THINGS I'VE BEEN FEELING LATELY

Sometimes, I feel this feeling

It’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t felt it

But the best way I can put it into words is

That sometimes I feel everything and nothing all at once

This morning, I woke up, and I knew as I often do that I don’t think I’ll ever be in love

I’ve never felt that way about someone before, maybe I’m not built to

If I told other people I know what they’d say, ‘you just haven’t met the right person’

And maybe they’re right

Maybe there’s a soul mate out there that I haven’t met or won’t meet

Or maybe there’s no one out there for me

Or maybe I’m not wired that way

It’s interesting because I want to fall in love and I want to get married and I want all of those things or at least I think I do

But when I think about all those things, if I really deeply think about it

The whole idea seems out of reach as if there’s an invisible layer between me and it, an entire lifetime before I could ever have it within my reach

I don’t know

Maybe I’m just being melodramatic

Or maybe there’s a ring of truth in my ramblings

YOU ARE NOT NOTHING

Don’t let the world tell you that you should be nothing

It lies

It wants to take away your power and make you feel small

It wants to quieten your voice and make you feel guilty

For the sounds that fill a room and the space you deserve to take up

Never apologise for either

IF YOU LOVE HER

When I see you, the world stands still

My heart flutters in my chest

And my brain turns to mush

I loved you first from a distance

And then right up close

We got whisked up into a daydream

Moving faster than anyone could keep up

A small slice of happiness

Until I realised

When you see her, the world stands still

Your heart flutters in your chest

And your brain turns to mush

If you love her like I love you

Then I beg you

Leave me

As much as I love you

Being someone’s second choice,

Their commiseration prize

I can’t live like that

PASSIONATELY FROM AFAR

I love deeply, passionately

and from afar

Too often I’ve fallen for those on a screen or written in a book

never for someone made of flesh and bone that is close enough to touch

so I know how it feels to be in love

but it often scares me that maybe I don’t

And maybe I won’t

Poems in Soul Ink Vol 1 by Rhiannon Bird

All poems published in Soul ink Vol 1