tear down the ivy wallpaper,

scratch up the carpet.

rip apart the old sofa,

break old picture frames.

go out where your trike used to rest

and take a sledge hammer to the weak concrete.

yank the garden archway out of the dry soil,

kick up old decorative stones.

if the old woman to the left comes out afraid,

tell her to go back inside and watch television.

if the family to the right wander over

tell them to take their son back to bed.

some might call the police,

and that's just fine

because the pain tied to this house

is uncomparable to a charge with vandilism.

Here he comes! He's running around fast as the speed of light!

Kipper takes on the world as any other puppy would.

He has a blue and gold coat that resembles a sunny day

and the spirit to go right along with it.

Never get him mistaken with just any foolish puppy,

he is so much more than a cute face stumbling over his own paws.

Though domesticated and small, sometimes still afraid,

he is a protector with an unwavering love for his little pack.

Kipper has always been a good listener, and at least I know

that whenever I need a furry friend to hug in times of need,

I can just give him a little whistle and hear him coming.

I'd know the bark of a dear friend anywhere.

Marty is a man from space that walks the Earth.

He earned his shape shifting ability from the cosmos,

and he uses it to his advantage.

His friends know him as a loyal dog.

He is mans best friend and can be easily excitable.

The world is bright and the sun is warm.

On his own he is a deer

wandering aimlessly through the forest,

wary about what coud happen next.

He is a ghost on his lonely nights,

where not even he knows where he'll end up.

Luckily he always finds where he belongs again.

The stars watch over him and remind him what he's made of.

Marty was made from moonlight and tasked with a job he's done well.

He makes everyone feel at ease and a little less alone.

I am ivory-skinned with a yellow spirit.

I am a quiet person, calm and seemingly simple.

Yet my heart is full of joy and optimism.

It is always a summer day with friends inside of my soul.

My eyes and hair are brown like the earth.

I am one with the outdoors and I stand on stable ground.

I've been told that I am a source of safety.

I am comforting and reliable, a home away from home.

Some days I feel more like the color black.

I always associated it with bad days and dark moments.

But there's also power in it.

I have overcome more than I believe.

I have earned my striped of color.

I feel like a bumble bee off to help lonely flowers.

Laura had a knack for spreading peace,

It came naturally to her.

She didn't even know she was doing it sometimes,

But the palm branch she carried acted as a weapon.

On she flew, with angelic wings and a smile of sunshine.

Her hair sweet as chocolate, her eyes ever so welcoming.

Even doves were enchanted by her grace,

Humans by her crystal heart that reflected all things cheerful.

Fairytales say that angels live in heaven, and birds live in nests.

Laura? She chose neither.

You can find her anywhere that attracts the fae

Sunbathing on treetops and singing to wild cats.

Back in my childhood days I would dream of when my time would come. My mother would brush my hair and tell me about her blossoming ceremony. Family and only the closest of friends would gather outdoors and shower their loved one in fresh spring water, unearthing their first personal foliage. Flowers would sprout from anywhere sunlight could reach. Heads, faces, arms, legs, shoulders, hands, feet, sometimes even ribs and backs! It was all so fascinating to me back then and I used to crave the gardenias that my mother had on her thighs and the azaleas on her chest. I would braid her hair and color pictures of flowers and run in the grass barefoot.

When my time came, I was a late teen. I invited two of my friends to attend my ceremony and I fell to my knees upon being showered in cool water. My first blossoms were peach daffodils, a linear patch going down my left leg. Later, in my twenties, I received purple calla lillies that framed the back of my head as they sprouted. My thirties brought me two beautiful children and the same gardenias that my mother had on my stomach.

My mother fell ill in my mid-thirties and her flowers wilted three months later. My tears grew pink carnations that flooded my cheecks like freckles and her grave grew mossy. I still think about her when I look down, and it brings me solace that we shared blooms.

I look to the future, excited for my childrens first ceremonies. Excited to see what kind of people they become and how their flowers reflect their experiences just as mine have. My daffodils, marked as a renewal from when I had finally found myself and was comfortable in my own skin. My lillies, ever so vibrant and captivating, shown the passion I felt for my partner that I was already certain I’d grow old with. Gardenias that represented strength grew clustered on my stomach after I finally welcomed my beautiful children when we were told there was a low chance that they would make it. The carnations upon my face, I firmly believe were my mothers parting gift to me. We still are unsure of how we came to grow these natural beauties, but I know my mother gave them to me. I always get asked how this could be, and I tell them that the pink carnation carries the meaning of a mother’s undying love. I carry her with me everywhere and all that I ever hope people see now when they look at my face is just that. A flower that will never truly wilt even after I am gone.

Love.

I wish I had a car.

So that I can escape when everything becomes too much.

I wish I had a job to help pay for the cars expenses,

And to buy the things I want 

So I do not look like a beggar to the ones I love most.

I wish I didn’t have this anxiety 

Eating away at me till there’s nothing left except nausea

I wish I was more social and had more friends 

So that I can rely on someone that’s not me 

I wish I could tell someone my deepest darkest secrets and have them not judge me for them

I wish I still had my childhood

I wish that it was not taken from me forcefully by some teenage boy who I thought he knew what he was doing. 

Being the small six year old that’s I was,  I followed his lead. 

But in the end,

I just wish I was happy.