poem

I Am in Control by Claire Ockner

shakerwrites ,

I am in control, at least that’s what I tell myself

I control these words,

I control the steadiness of my breath,

I control what I say, what I do,

And when I do it.

 

I control what I think, don’t I?

Or do you — the part of me that is not me,

The part I can’t control.

Breathe in, breathe out

I am in control.

 

They’re just busy, I say

No, they’re dead, you reply

And then I spiral and spiral

And it just won’t stop —

Breathe in, breathe out

I am in control.

 

I keep you safe, you tell me

All you do is hold me back

From everything, absolutely everything.

Breathe in, breathe out

I am in control.

 

You are gone, for now

I’m sure you’ll come back, though

Today is mine, and mine only

I am in control.

I Want to Write a Poem by Astrid Braun

shakerwrites , , , , , ,

Image result for poetry writing

I want to write a poem

But I can’t sort out my thoughts

Or feelings in a way that will

Flow and satisfy

 

Today is one such that

My body reflects the lethargy

Present in my mind, the swirling pool

Of emotions caused by nothing

 

I like to solve Sudokus

Eyes scanning, pen at the ready

Focusing on anything but the problems

That have no answer and no origin

 

It focuses me, in a way little else can,

A relief from constant introspection

My bad habit in excess

And my savior in uncertainty

Two Years Later by Claire Ockner

shakerwrites , ,

it is that time of year again,

the day is almost here –

the one that stained my calendar

and cost me all my years.

 

the pages turn, the months unfold,

each seeming like the last –

but all are stained by that cursed date,

that makes the present past.

 

twenty-four pages ripped,

but each feels like the first –

two years, or minutes, I’m unsure,

since the day that my world burst.

 

two years your head’s been made of stone, 

two years my heart has froze –

And still it feels like minutes since

our world was overthrown.