OctPoWriMo 31 - A Rainbow Star

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

They taught me I was broken, flawed,

And so I lived my life a fraud.

I hid the truth so deep inside,

Even from myself I’d hide.

You came and broke my chains, got rid of the facade.

I dreamed of being strange and weird,

And yet I constantly appeared

So ordinary, normal, drab.

My friends were cool and different, fab;

Devoid of colour, I was grey and dull and drear.

The door began to swing ajar,

And deep inside a rainbow star

Expelled the shadows, dim and grey,

Welcomed in the light so gay,

Revealed the colours in my soul so bright and clear.

 

OctPoWriMo 30 - I Am Me

I am holy

I am weird

I am mighty

I am queer

I am your sister, your lover, your friend

I am strong enough to bend

I am quiet

I am fierce

I am contrary and diverse

I am pious

I am free

I am no one else

I am me

 

OctPoWriMo 29 - As An Alien

I wander as an alien

I study and I mimic you

Pretending to be human too

I drop the mask now and again

Although I fear you’ll think me queer

I want to live outside my den

To see the sun and sky so blue

I wander as an alien

 

OctPoWriMo 28 - Which Path to Take?

Now I must choose which path I want to take:

Can I be fake and part of me refuse?

Will I embrace the whole of who I am?

They’ll say I’m damned no matter what the case.

For me to be myself I must be true

To all of who I am: I must be free.

But do they need to know the inner part

Inside my heart, the corners where I bleed?

I’ve dithered here at crossroads for so long:

What’s right or wrong? I can’t control my fear;

I can’t decide what I should or say.

Is there a way they won’t be horrified?

If only I could see the future now,

I would know how to end this quandary.

 

OctPoWriMo 27 - All is Magic

The rain that falls upon the thirsty ground;

The wind that dances with the grass and trees;

The sun and moon and stars that twinkle ‘round;

The reverence that brings me to my knees;

The ferns of frost painted upon the leaves;

The peace and stillness in the dead of night;

The words upon the page that set me free;

The power that was birthed in me to write;

That I am me ne’er ceases to astound;

It all is magic, mighty and profound.

 

OctPoWriMo 26 - Weird

I have always revelled in the weird,

The uncanny never feared,

Peculiar and queer

I revere:

Odd.

On the surface, my life has appeared

Normal, but beneath it’s clear

I am strange and weird.

I’m sincere:

Flawed.

My Creator has not disappeared;

Fingerprints are very clear,

In likeness so near;

He is weird:

God.

OctPoWriMo 25 - The Chaos Reigns

Who are you to tell me what to feel?

I will not kneel no matter what you do.

You won’t subdue me for my spine is steel:

I must be real and stand for what is true,

For I cannot be anyone but me,

And you can’t see the secrets in my thoughts.

No matter what my heart is always free;

I have the key to open and to shut.

I broke the chains that kept my discord tied,

And now inside my heart the chaos reigns,

And in my veins the disarray presides:

The mess provides a greater part of gains.

 

OctPoWriMo 24 - Ready to Soar

One day I’ll spread my wings and fly away,

But not today for I am not yet free.

I will be me and leave behind the grey,

Over the rainbow and across the sea.

I see ahead a door and I will go

Through it and show just who I am to all,

And if I fall You’ll catch me, that I know,

And I will grow and realize Your call.

Although I dread the condemnation and

Fear I’ll be banned from church and family,

I must be free so I must take a stand,

And so I’ve planned for I know You’re with me,

For You have said You’ll not leave or forsake,

And if they break my heart, You will restore.

Fling wide the door; I’m ready to awake.

Your hand I’ll take; together we will soar.

Now I will shed the filthy rags of fear:

The way is clear; I must leave my hideout,

And I will shout of how You kept me near.

You made me queer and now I must come out.

 

OctPoWriMo 23 - I Still Believe in Magic

I dreamed of magic as a child;

I wanted wizards to be real;

I wished that I could do a spell,

And that the world was free and wild.

As I grew

I learned that facts

Aren’t always truth,

But I still believe

In freedom

And magic.

And though the colours oft go dull,

And life is sometimes but a trial,

Still I will always be beguiled,

And magic will always appeal.

Behind the clouds,

The rainbow waits,

The sun is always there:

A silver lining,

A pot of gold,

And magic.

Je crois toujours à la magie

et j'en croirai à tout jamais.

OctPoWriMo 22 - SURPRISE-An Acrostic

Show me something new:

Upset and set askew

Reality for me.

Pervert the expectation;

Reach above your station:

It will set you free.

Shine, and I will too,

Eager to break through.

OctPoWriMo 21 - Sweet

How sweet are Your words to my taste,

Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 119:103

I found the honey in the tomb

And it was sweet.

I took it home

And shared it ‘round

And it was sweet.

You mixed it with a bitter drug

And called it great.

You built a shrine and locked it up

To keep the lepers out.

But honey doesn’t spoil

And, beneath the acrid bane,

It is sweet.

You’ve tried to keep it to yourself;

You walled it off to keep it safe;

But it was not meant to be hoarded.

Fling wide the gates,

Break down the walls,

And share with all.

It is sweet.

 

OctPoWriMo 20 - Happy Feet

Image by Ελευθέριος Μπέτσης from Pixabay

I miss the fashion and effect,

I miss the way they looked perfect,

But I don’t miss the aching pain.

I miss how fancy I would feel

In a pair of dazzling heels,

But I will not wear them again.

My feet are happier in flats,

And flats can have just as much sass,

And so, from heels I will abstain.

 

OctPoWriMo 19 - No Opiate

I saw a prophet on the street:

His head was bowed in base defeat.

He had no home and naught to eat,

While pastors lie and steal and cheat,

And gratify our itching ears;

They pander for the cash and cheers.

And then the roar of masses strong

Drowns out the gentle tender song

Of Love. The rough and angry throng

Are but a clanging, strident gong.

True love is patient; love is kind;

But sometimes love is hard to find.

Religion is no opiate—

It is a cancer breeding hate.

The Church had promise to be great,

But then we closed and locked the gate.

To love is all we’re called to do—

Instead we fight o’er what is true.

The sweetness of the Word is lost;

The grace and welcome we have tossed.

We must return now to the Cross,

And burn away our filthy dross,

Our rags and rubbish, and the mould,

So all remains is purest gold.

 

OctPoWriMo 18 - Like a River

Like a river, ever flowing,
Smoothing down the edges,
Wearing off the corners,
The more I write about my pain,
The more it dulls and fades.

OctPoWriMo 17 - Kicking Up My Fancy's Heels

A dancer? Me? Not at all.

Being quiet is my style.

Chasing thrills is not for me.

Dance is graceful, I am not.

Every day I’d love to be

Found alone and peaceful,

Gathering my thoughts,

Hatching plots.

I am happiest creating,

Journeying within my mind,

Kicking up my fancy’s heels.

Leave me to

My own devices and I don’t

Need a lot:

Only pen and

Paper and a

Quiet

Room, and I’ll create a

Spectacle like you’ve never seen.

Triumph over struggle,

Untangling a puzzle,

Visiting fantastic

Worlds of magic and

Xenomorphs and

Zombies.

 

OctPoWriMo 16 - Paint the Rainbow

Photo by Tony Ross on Unsplash

Sunrise, sunset, weeping eyes—

Will you paint the roses red for me?

Paint the midnight rainbow bright—

Change it all and set me free.

Ignite a fire in my soul,

Turn light to dark and dark to light,

Change it all and set me free,

Paint the midnight rainbow bright.

Nothing gold can stay they say,

But still I say, love is the key.

Paint the midnight rainbow bright—

Change it all and set me free.

A sprout becomes a bud, then blooms,

Creating green out of sunlight.

Change it all and set me free—

Paint the midnight rainbow bright.

Sit beside the peaceful stream,

Dive into the deep blue sea,

Paint the midnight rainbow bright,

Change it all and set me free.

Violets are blue? But no.

Turn right to wrong and wrong to right,

Change it all and set me free,

Paint the midnight rainbow bright.

OctPoWriMo 15 - So Wrong

I thought I knew the truth,

But I was oh so wrong.

I didn’t have a clue.

I thought I knew the truth,

But then I saw anew,

And I learned I am strong.

I thought I knew the truth,

But I was oh so wrong.

 

OctPoWriMo 14 - A Butterfly

Who am I?

What is true?

I am a butterfly.

Learning to fly,

I will break through.

Who am I?

I reach for the sky,

Expand my view,

I am a butterfly.

I know why

I never knew

Who am I.

A worm was I,

But then I grew:

I am a butterfly.

I say goodbye

To that worldview.

Who am I?

I am a butterfly.

Image by Couleur from Pixabay

 

OctPoWriMo 13 - I Was Caged

I didn’t know I was caged,

Bound by tradition and fear.

For years inside I stayed,

Unaware I was queer.

Bound by tradition and fear,

I trusted they were right,

Unaware I was queer,

I thought the dark was light.

I trusted they were right:

It was all I knew.

I thought the dark was light;

I thought the sham was true.

It was all I knew;

I couldn’t see to see;

I thought the sham was true

Until I’d broken free.

I couldn’t see to see;

I didn’t know I was caged.

Until I’d broken free

For years inside I stayed.

 

OctPoWriMo 12 - Life Was Wild

Innocent, free, and playful back then—

Sometimes I miss who I was

When I was a child and life was wild:

No bills, no job, no goals, and no cause.

In the forest outside of my home

I explored and made up tales,

And life was wild when I was a child

On five acres of bush with no trails.

I read every book I could access,

Feeding imagination,

When I was a child and life was wild,

And everything was inspiration.

 

OctPoWriMo 11 - I Have Nothing

How do I write about inspiration?

I am not inspired,

Not today.

I’m tired and drained and out of sorts—

I have nothing.

 

OctPoWriMo 10 - My Rainbow

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

I was born with a rainbow inside me but I didn’t know.

It lay dormant for years then it quietly began to glow.

I began to meet others with rainbows and they were so proud;

They faced up to hate and they stood for themselves—they were unbowed.

I yearned to be one of them, radiating colours so bright.

The rainbow inside me began to intensify her light;

Gradually, then suddenly, she appeared, to my delight,

And I stepped out the door and I finally could let it go,

And I learned and I sang for the first time my soul song aloud,

And I opened the wings of my rainbow and then I took flight.