Caitlin Kent-Halliday invites readers on a journey through the depths of the human soul, exploring the myriad emotions and experiences that define our existence...
Kiss the Rose
‘Kiss the rose,’ he said,
but as my lips touched the woven thread, they bled.
Thorns dug deep into my skin; he wore a devil’s grin.
Learning to swallow my pride; believe me, I’ve tried to fight,
but you crawl back to him.
You watched but never cared,
as I cried upon the blood–stained armchair.
You’re telling me you’re lonely,
and you never meant to hurt me;
well, then why did you leave me?
Why did you leave me?
I’m tired of taking all the blame.
Those stupid words, stay the same;
I know you’ll never change.
Listen
Listen,
before you drift
off into another dimension
because the invention
of the thoughts in our heads,
will surely shred us to the bone.
Listen,
you do not possess a heart of stone;
you have shown
it’s possible to find our way,
in this mess, we call home.
Listen,
before the annual gloam settles upon us,
cut loose from the fear of tomorrow.
Look forward and seldom back at a world gone,
blind, bleak,
and oh, so black.
Conversation Mouse Traps
Mouse traps are laced through every conversation I have.
A light-hearted question has just been asked,
by this person I’m only just getting to know.
I have been caught.
I contemplate lying
to avoid turning this light-hearted conversation heavy,
causing it to fall to the floor.
I know this escape would only be temporary
I cannot hide from my reality forever;
but right now changing my narrative
would make my life easier.
I dread the awkward silence
and avoidance of eye contact,
that often follows exposing the truth.
It feels wrong to lie;
but this conversation is on the brink
of going deeper then feels comfortable
with someone I barely know.
I should have stayed inside
or when I tell the truth,
I wish I’d lied.
Brain Fog
My mind has gone blank; there’s a million things
I could be doing,
a thousand things I should be doing,
but my soul feels dead.
Sending messages feels hard; the words aren’t forming,
I am falling
into a pit of numbness,
I don’t know when I’ll get out.
When my body functions,
it feels wrong, forced, and unnatural;
I walk around like a corpse,
put on red lipstick
and a smile when needed.
