The Queen
When I'm without you
my world is a galaxy
where I am not a star
but a meteorite
It is a cold room
where I do not turn heads
when I walk in
but draw blank stares
from the crowd
A dark stage
where I play
a palace maid
instead of the empress
Then when I'm with you
I become the queen
of your universe
illumined
by the light of your gaze
Passing Marilyn Monroe's Grave
I was once unimpressed
by the flip of your white skirt
in the wind.
A lark I was,
happy in my own brown,
ordinary ways.
Then I saw something
in your gunmetal blue eyes,
and I stopped singing.
I stopped soaring, too,
my wings now carrying
a new weight.
The longer I stared
at your face,
the darker
the grey sky became.
The Heart
The heart is a strange vessel
white, porcelain
falling easily
over corners and edges
slippery surfaces
shaken by telekinesis
shattering to pieces
The heart
dragging the weight
of its sad self
picks up its own fragments
making a mosaic
on the mantle of a fireplace
like broken seashells
The heart
made more beautiful
by each trauma
cracks
jagged sides
and all
I Could Never Talk to You
(from a line by Sylvia Plath)
An illusionist of light,
you cool yourself
in shadows,
like cats and possums.
I cringe at your grin,
your yellow canines,
the thought of your breath
upon my skin.
There is no warmth
in your bloodshot eyes,
just hunger
for the flesh of prey.
Beast, beast, beast,
sporting a clean-cut,
perfectly ironed shirt
and trousers.
I'd rather throw steaks
at a ravenous dog
than confide in you.
Jackie Chou has published two collections of poems, Finding My Heart in Love and Loss and The Sorceress. Her work has also appeared recently in The Ekphrastic Review and Synchronized Chaos.
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