"Red Lipstick Sells Best In Times Of War"

poem based on a painting by Emma Knight

Make the boys forget 

they may run into a  

rainstorm of bullets 

the next time out.

Red Lipstick Sells Best In Times Of War
by Emma Knight

  

Make them forget  

some won’t come back  

whole and some  

won’t come back at all. 

  

So wear that deep red 

on your lips, the right amount  

of mascara, and smile 

as warmly as you can. 

  

Give them a moment 

to forget about the  

no-man’s land and 

the hell of battle. 

  

Let them know  

there will be an ending, 

that they can come home 

to kiss your red lips.

I Can't See You

I can’t see you and I

realize it’s best for me

to stop trying. You

are an elusive sort and
it’s not for the right reasons.

I know you have much to say

but you try to be so damn

abstract, thinking a video

of a lake or a picture of

your shadow is saying something.

I can’t see you and now I

know I never have.  The signs,

they were there from the start,

the moment you threw up

that roadblock the night I asked

all those questions about you.

I only wanted to know you a

little better but there you were

in a defensive posture saying,

“Don’t get any closer.”

I tried to be your friend and I

know others who have tried

just as much as I, but you

keep running away, always

finding some sort of crossroads.

Did it really exist or did you

redraw the road map to

give yourself an exit plan,

a way out so someone

could never get in.

I’m tired of the chase, tired

of walking through mazes and

all around empty streets hoping

you would show your face for

more than a second.  Others

have done the same and gone on

with their lives.  I hope you can

realize that guarding whatever it is

you are will lead to a lonely place

where no one bothers to see you.

Finish

The end of the road 

comes closer in sight and I, 

weary of  trekking, 

try to find one last 

push from within in order 

to finish strong, to  

cross the line not with 

a weakened stumble but a  

strong final stride to show 

the world and myself  

that the last steps 

were just as powerful as 

the first. 

Out of Nowhere

Running on fumes but 

somehow I keep finding words, 

at times feeling like I'm 

plucking them out of my ass. 

But it's enough to merge together 

another piece to send out 

to the world and whether or not 

they understand it  

doesn't really matter right now. 

I'm at a need to say something 

and even if I pull it  

out of nowhere, it still 

is something I need to say.

Talking To Ray

What could you see? 

I know you were blind 

but your music says to me 

your imagination wasn't as dark 

as the shades you wore. 

What did you imagine 

when your hands danced 

across those piano keys, 

when you harmonized 

with the backup singers? 

Did you draw out 

your own images of 

what was going on 

to let you see 

what you really couldn't?  I just wonder 

the way you moved 

millions with your songs 

if I could close my eyes 

and see the world differently. 

Soul Singer

Pay attention. 

The notes I play 

may move your hips 

and nod your head 

but I'm trying  

to tell you something. 

There's pain in these lyrics. 

Ain't nothing pretty 

about where I came from 

and what I've been through. 

Life's been hard and all 

I can do is sing about it, 

let the aches and pains, 

the tears and heartbreak, 

let it all out, 

tell my story and turn it 

into a groovy tune so 

you all can dance the night away 

and I shine in the spotlight. 

But nights on stage don't 

solve all the problems that 

torment my soul.  So while 

you're enjoying yourself, just 

take a moment to pay attention. 

Spring

April morning feels 

more like October, a chill 

in the air before 

the sun, but anything is 

better than our winter. 

Days upon days of 

cold blasts that not even the 

oldest of the old 

had seen in their lifetimes, 

our city bundled up  in 

layers and layers 

of clothing, hoping this spell 

would break and break soon. 

It finally did and now 

we can enjoy what spring brings.

Burden

Holding on to your 

feelings hurt, carrying the 

weighted burden of 

dishonesty in your soul 

like Atlas carried the world, 

forever tethered 

on your back, stuck in a pose 

hurtful to your 

existence.  But you don't know 

any other way to be. 

But one day, you let 

it all go, finally in 

a random moment 

you let it all out, you dropped 

the burden and found freedom.

Spring Ball

As the leaves begin 

to sprout on bare branches, 

the sound of pads colliding 

echo through the campus. 

Football is a game of fall 

but position are open in spring. 

Players have graduated on 

and those returning are  

getting ready for another year, 

wanting to place their mark 

on a successful upcoming season. 

Redshirts have waited a full year 

to be on the field and now 

finally get their chance  

to be in the playing mix. 

Coaches want to know who 

will step up and earn a place 

on top of the depth charts 

before the sessions end. 

Everything ends with the 

Spring Game when fans 

make their trek to the stadium 

as if the season opener 

was tomorrow.  The new year 

is months away and all 

are eager for it to arrive.