TIME

 

Wasted, she had squandered the priceless commodity called time.

She frantically scooped what she had left.

She struggled to fill up her basket of life to no avail.

The sands of time slipped through her fingers and vanished into nothingness.

She mourned and groaned, regretting her wasted opportunities.

“I wish I had wisely managed this treasure that numbered my days,” she mused.

 

IN THE RED!

 

I hate it here!

I keep looking over my shoulders.

My eyes dart to, and fro, my stomach is in knots.

I walk in a fog of fear.

I am worried that my nemesis will pounce on me.

I can feel it peering at me, sneering and jeering.

It knows full well the incapacitating power it has on me.

How do I break free from this fiery furnace of uncertainty, shame, and fear of lack?

My bank account groans and looks at me helplessly, showing me the shackles of debt that imprison it.

 

AUTUMN

 

She looked outside entranced.

The leaves swayed sensually as the wind caressed them.

Their crimson, golden, and chocolate hues mesmerized her.

The trees were aflame with autumn colours.

She sighed a deep melancholy sound that reluctantly crept out of her weary soul.

 

DOLOROUS

 

It was thick, sticky, clogging, clinging, and slimy.

It slithered and smeared itself all over her heart.

She tried to yank it off to no avail.

It had taken a life of its own.

The three-headed monster, “fear, grief, misery,” terrorized her soul.

It permeated every pore of her bewildered mind.

She slowly suffocated as the quicksand of depression sucked her in.

The more she panicked and thrashed around, the faster she sank into the abyss of despair.

 

CAST-OFF

 

She hunches over, grabbing her chest.

She wants to yank her heart out and throw it away.

She longs to replace it with a piece of hard, cold, unfeeling stone.

Only that way would her soul stop bleeding.

The knife of indifference, disdain, and abuse has lacerated her.

 

BOSOM BUDDY

 

I needed a friend today.

I was starving for your undivided attention.

I yearned to be comforted today.

I was thirsting for acceptance.

 

You shared your heart, unapologetically.

I saw your struggles as you pulled open the curtain that veiled your heart.

Your sweet spirit resonated with me.

Your empathy is a healing balm for my soul.

 

Your listening ear uplifted me.

Your understanding words washed over me.

They watered my arid heart.

They nourished my barren life.

 

I look on now, weak, wounded, but joyful and healing.

I take a step forward, determined yet shaky.

I am moving on, trusting that the best is yet to come.

Thank you, dearest friend, for helping me have faith in life again.

  

 

JOLTED

 

She staggered and held fast to the railing to keep herself from falling.

She couldn’t believe what she had witnessed.

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” she kept mumbling to herself.

She looked around desperately, face haggard, her eyes darting to and fro. 

She wanted to escape from the morbid reality that had flung itself upon her. 

 

REFLECTION

 

What have I done with my life thus far?

What have I accomplished in these past years of my existence?

Have I squandered this precious commodity, or have I invested it?

If I did invest it, what are my returns?

Is what I gained worthwhile?

Do my achievements hit the mark?

Do they reflect who I am at my core?

 

LIBERATED

 

I am scared stiff.

I am anxious for real!

I second guess myself, still.

Dread makes my brain reel.

No more hiding behind these masks!

The thick veneer away, I did peel.

Finally, my soul rested stilly.

 

INSECURE

 

I stand tall.

I speak eloquently.

I stride purposefully.

I command attention.

I am cultured and in the know.

Yet, deep inside, I am trembling and falling apart.

 

REAL DEAL!

 

Help!

Get me out of here!

I am stuck in my head.

 

I want out.

I want to breathe.

I want to stretch and live out loud.

 

I want to thrive being me.

I want to be the real me, not an imposter.

I am tired of being a two-faced people pleaser.

 

The gale of fickle opinions blows me around.

I run about trying to capture their fleeting attention.

I am exhausted and out of breath, grasping after the wind.

 

Yes!

I want out.

I want to come home to myself.

 

I am imperfect.

I am flawed and weak.

I lack in many aspects.

 

Yet, it is such a wonderful thing to come back to myself.

May the real deal, the authentic me, please stand up.

It is time for you to take over the show.

 

PETRIFIED

 

Fear tore across the room in her pursuit.

Dread rushed into her soul.

Worry buffeted her mind from one thought to another.

Anxiety punched her and brought her reeling to her knees.

DISCONTENT

 

I want, crave, long for what you have.

I am green with envy.

Jealousy rots my bones.

I am completely mesmerized by the greener pastures beyond my reach.

I am blind to the treasure I hold in my hand.

 

BELOVED

 

She looked across at the couple.

She watched them silently.

She longed for the happiness she witnessed.

She quietly wept.

Standing alone, she yearned for the warm embrace of love and friendship.

She was deeply insecure, craving for acceptance.

She was privy to the empathy of faithful companionship.

She had starved herself of affection. 

She thirsted for a healthy relationship.

She finally realized she could enjoy her journey.

She knew it was time to let go and grow through her pain.

Now, she had a goal to love, accept, enjoy, respect, cherish, and take care of herself.

 

SHOE STORY

 

The clouds are gathering.

They are heavy and dark.

The storm is brewing.

The wind is howling, lightning flashes and thunder rolls.

 

Bring in the shoes!

The storm is raging.

Shut all the windows.

The rain is pelting, pouring.

 

The shoes were left alone.

Forgotten, forsaken, they were.

They are all wet, cold, and drenched.

Caught in the storm, they were with neither shelter nor solace.

 

The storm is over now.

The sun chases away the dark clouds.

The light, puffy, white cotton clouds come out of hiding.

They happily waltz across the blue sky.

 

The shoes are left alone to dry up and warm themselves.

The storm had injected them with cold dampness. 

The hot rays of the sun are soothing and warm.

They tightly hug the soaked shoes. 

 

The shoes are thirsty.

The sun shines high and robust.

The hot golden rays scorch the shoes. 

Parched, they stick out their tongues, begging for a little moisture to get them to another day.

 

RANCOROUS

 

I am mad at you.

The anger I feel towards you is burning my insides.

This rage is eroding my serenity.

I am tense, restless, edgy, and irritable.

I am rancorous.

I am on the verge of erupting.

I am about to spew molten lava and sulphurous words upon your unsuspecting soul.

 

CHERISHED

 

You said you are sorry; I forgave you.

I keep my distance now, for I am nursing my wounds.

You flung your frustration and wrath at me.

It wasn’t physically abusive; neither was it vulgar.

It was violent, nonetheless.

I felt loathed, disdained, and disregarded by you.

 

I would lie to say that it shook me.

It didn’t, because our interaction has a sense of déjà vu about it.

I am sad and heartbroken.

The pain is more profound now.

I am tired.

My soul is lonely.

 

I have made up my mind.

I will not wait for you or anybody else to cherish me.

I guess that has been my biggest mistake.

I have always waited for others to make me happy.

I longed for someone to make me feel whole and accepted.

I have needed people’s approval and validation.

 

Enough is enough.

I am turning to myself to get what I need.

I don’t have it all together, but I am OK with me.

Though I falter and fall, I still get back on my feet.

My goal now is to be kind to myself, to love, and make me happy.

It is my responsibility.

 

I have no control over your actions and reactions.

I cannot do anything about other’s opinions of me.

So, I will love myself.

I will cherish me.

I will enjoy myself as I am.

I have made up my mind to take care of myself.

 

 

 

FOCUSED

 

I am afraid.

I know the path I should follow.

It excites me.

It terrifies me.

It is different from what I have done before.

I am alone, face to face with myself.

My countenance is bare.

I have no mask on.

It is a solitary road.

Few walk with me.

Yet, this time around, I will not falter.

I will keep my lane.

I have locked into my purpose.

 

INFERNO

 

Fire, fire!

Exploding, scorching, consuming everything in its wake.

Sight blinded, ears stopped, soul, seared.

Mind reeling from the conflagration. 

The explosion of uncontrolled anger and misplaced rage has laid my life to waste.

 

PINING AWAY

 

Am I still appealing?

Do I make your heart skip a beat?

If not, where did our love wither and dry out?

When did the flames of passion die down to cold ashes?

Do tell me, how do we revive our moribund relationship?