Daring to Dream

She sings me sweet lullabies

In my dreams

My dreams are big

The world is small 

If we were young

We would skip

Down the yellow brick road

But we are grown

Old and weary

Speak for yourself

She giggles

Tumbling over the rainbow

We have travelled 

Seen the world

But all we want

Is home

A safe place

One without pain

And suffering 

Words give us comfort

Stories to tell

Songs to sing

We do not know 

What is real

And what is not

We close our eyes

Wish for sleep

If we were brave

We would dare to dream.

The Peach

Our lips are sticky

From the peaches 

And oranges

The scars are frozen

On our skin 

Like ice

They will never disappear

We have a tendency to watch

The sky

It is as if the earth

Knows we are crumbling 

Everything we do

Is to make ourselves

Feel numb

We lick the juices

From the corner 

Of our mouth 

We know everything 

And nothing

We hope for a sweeter life

A coppice full of peaches.

Downstream

We have been screaming

Before we even entered

The womb

Everything is flowing

Downstream

Like blood

Like the pins we used

To stick in our flesh

After the burns

And cuts 

The slices of skin

We could not love 

The small seeds of love

No one planted

For us

Tiny eggs of being

We could never grasp 

We chose to be a rose

She giggles 

At the rhyme 

We lie on our back

And dream

Lost in our thoughts

And our being

One day we will wake up

And it will feel 

Like the best dream 

We could have floated in

A happy trip

Downstream. 

Rhyme and Reason

We hold each other

In the night time 

Sway like a cigarette

Floating in the breeze 

We dream in black and white

Have tea in colour

We are not Jae or Julie

We are lost

Looking for answers

Holding each other

Tight

Lost souls

Little girls

Wanting to be women

We like dancing

Moving

The clickety clack

Of the train wheels

Sends us to sleep

We love to sleep

It makes us happy 

There is no rhyme or reason

To being awake 

Perhaps we will visit 

The desert

Or take shelter

Under the apple tree

It really doesn't matter

As long as we have

Each other. 

Drag

We are winding the clock

Looking in the mirror

To find mother

She sings to us

Like a gentle breeze

A sweet kiss

Upon our cheek

She held us

Like the boys we were 

I comb my hair

And brush my teeth

My face is not what

It used to be

The doors creak

We take a drag of

The cigarette

We do not care

Who holds us

As long as we can sway

We are safe

Safe as the man 

Who wore drag

A sweet river of thought

Tender kisses

All will be well

She whispers

I take a deep breath in 

Like the branches of 

A tree

We become. 

Woman

The wind crosses our face

We are searching 

Scanning the earth

For treasures

I will never be a woman

Just like you

My little cricket

I will stay young forever

We whisper and giggle

Like the girls we both are

Fragile as blackbirds 

Flying in the night 

Meek in the presence of beauty

Born of the same creed

Time is moving on

Like a flame in our head

That was the song

My mother sang

She never grew up either.

Father

Hatter sits at the table

We are all a little crazy

She giggles

High on life

Did you have a father

She asks

No

I reply

That is why I 

Hold on to you

We are both fatherless

Hanging on 

To the 10th of June

Daddy will come

Hide behind the trees

Take a picture of us 

Put his hand on his head

And bow to the moon

How do you know what 

Is real

Because I saw the sky

I whisper 

There are no pictures left

Of me

When I was small

I am glad you have 

His pictures

To keep you warm. 

Pink Waves

We take a moment 

To clatter our flesh

We hit our head

To stop the dreams

We see in black and white

But dream in 

Pink waves

It is all geometry 

And chance

We shake

Like arrows

Piercing the sky

Perhaps it will happen

Today

We pick wild names

Lower our voice

To a scream

It is all a repeat

A bad dream

Nightmares

She whispers

And we laugh

If we did not laugh

We would cry

Riding the pink wave.

Stories

We whisper our story

Under our breath

They run in our mind

Like a daisy chain 

At first they were a threat

Now they are our roots

Buried deep

Like a strong tree

Steady and strong

In the earth 

They hold us to the ground

Let our eyes

Look up at the stars 

I cannot imagine

Being apart from her

We share everything 

Roads travelled

Happiness feigned

We will run all night

Follow our dreams

Like a magical story

She giggles. 

Twins

The moon hides

Our face

We are wearing dungarees 

Poppies in the field 

All we want to do 

Is sleep

We curl up

In a tight orange ball

We wrap pearls

Around our feet 

To remember

We are twins

Gemini 

June will soon pass

Our head is on fire

It is all so surreal 

Alice laughs

We will drink water

Until the fat 

Fades away

We are sisters 

That we will never

Forget

We smile

Our birthday 

Has come 

And gone

We survived. 

Deportation

We look at ourselves

In the window pane

Our face

Our mind

It is all asprawl 

We have been deported 

From our soul

We see patterns 

In the wallpaper

On the floor

We place a plant

In the sunlight

It is a peace lily

It makes us feel loved

Perhaps we lost our wings

She whispers

As we fall to the ground 

We turn off the lights

Noise

Brightness

It scares us

Makes us want to leave 

Perhaps the building 

Will fall down

Perhaps we wouldn't mind

We do not believe in the divine

But we know our prayers

Are heard

And we can stay at home.  

Distraught

It makes us distraught 

That we are banished 

From the powder

We have stolen

Played felons 

All of it

A slithery

Trip

Our thoughts

Unfold like a piece of string

Little miss unravels it

Playing and happy

There are pinpricks

On my face and arms

Bruises on my knees

I put a lid

On my thoughts

Without them

I feel lonely

Yet with every passing day

The cool breeze

Calms us

Chills our mind

Comforts our body. 

Just Because

Just because we have

Clocks in our

Eyes

Does not mean 

We do not feel 

We hear the voices

Turn the dial

Listen to the story

Look up to the skies

And pray

When we walked

We saw a pink rose

Lying in the cemetery gutter

We wonder

How we will 

Be remembered

If we will be at all 

We dream in sepia

White dresses 

Flowing underneath

The eagle's wings

We like the sound

Of the ticking clock

It reminds us of being 

Young

Having tics and gestures

Being soothed

By the repetition

Rocking

And biting our tongues

We close our eyes

Feel our dreams

Hope for light

Hope for peace

Just because 

For the moment

We are free.

Eating

We take a deep breath

Gaze out of the window

We can taste the light

We chew it

Piece by piece

Like ice

It makes us calm

We are back in the room

Lying in our bed

We remember everything

Eat more chips

The truck

The bridge 

The day we lost 

Our minds

It is in the very marrow

Of our being

Like a glazier

On our skin

A membrane 

We drink fluids

Eating makes us cold

I am glad Alice is 

My guide

It is all just a story

And one day 

We will find the end.