UNNECESSARY GRATITUDE

*Inspired by my friend's harrowing experience with a police officer during a traffic stop, which she thankfully survived.*

I should not have to thank you 

for not killing me

 

Physically or mentally

 

Your grace 

when it comes to my well-being

my being

should not cause me 

to praise dance

should not make 

other women envious 

as if I have a monopoly

on that level of luck

When I call my girls 

to express relief 

about the tragedy 

I narrowly survived that day 

I should not 

be talking about you

When our glances connect

I should not 

have to devise

an impromptu escape plan

should not regret discontinuing 

lessons at the shooting range

should not be trying to discern

which of my keys 

will effectively 

mutilate your eyeball

When you say my name

it should not sound like 

Five-0 on bullhorn

creak of rusty prison doors

a funeral hymn

or dirt being shoveled 

onto my casket

When I say your name

your response should give

favorite soul-soothing 

old-school slow jam 

that sparks canyon-wide grin

It should not

be giving Candyman

Your touch should be

73-degree beach breeze

tracing love notes in cursive

across my skin 

not

concussions

roadmap-trail bruises

and crushed-ice bones

I should not have to appreciate 

that your Incredible Hulk

did not choose

violence today

But please

dispense these morsels

of gratitude to him quickly

I hope they're enough

to keep him tame

I already know

I wouldn't like him

when he's angry

©2025 Charlene E. Green

From my upcoming book

Check My Documents 

FRESH HELL

In the wake of your exit

my cells have undergone 

wrenching transmutation

vexed at your unapproved absence

upchucking agony

quivering with dread

paralyzed as I stare

at the blinking walk sign

Because where am I going

without you?

Always been here

wisdom-feeding me thru

thousand-puzzle-piece lessons

too foreign for me to translate

your inner griot 

IV-dripping me healed

love potion surfing your tongue 

insight in every splash against my mind

quenching my thirst for your knowledge 

Google could NEVER

How will I triumph 

without you?

In the midnight of your gone

I realize my task is to now 

create my own walk

have confidence that 

my internal compass exists 

is as trustworthy as 

the one in you I've been borrowing 

these steps I've taken

have merely been my soles

mimicking your path

your GPS thru life

my main coordinates 

I need to get oriented fast 

cuz directing myself feels like 

roaming the Everglades 

at 2 a.m.

with my eyes dilated

Where will I end up

without you?

Your life 

was my favorite season

a fifth one

called Nurture

where the fruits

of your labor

hung low enough

on your branches

for me to reach

sink my teeth into

their pharmaceutic flesh

slurp their various juices 

equal parts sweet and tart

cuz sometimes

the support you get

ain't the flavor you expect 

but it's always 

the kind you need

to keep your level-up strong

and 

the way you 

provided warm breezes

on my cold-hearted days

shifting my perspective 

so I could see love clearly

saved me time and again 

How will I thrive 

without you?

I have never been good with numbers

but I'm positive that having you

zeroed out of this equation 

has left a negative balance 

in my heart

from losing access

to the spiritual currency

you used to let me withdraw from

when I struggled

to invest in me

the same amount of faith

you always did

and 

everyone knows

lack of self-trust

is the price you pay 

for co-dependency

which is liable

to bankrupt your sanity

So here I am

with 

none of you

more me than I know

how to count on right now

an ache so deep 

in the forest of my bones

that it inhibits me from

calculating the blessings I have

cuz your body in my presence

is no longer one of them

and 

a small deposit of hope

that in due time

this hell will decline

I will see 

the full scope of my worth

utilize the guidance

you left me with

and cash in on the happiness 

I've always owed myself

Listen to audio here:

https://www.reverbnation.com/hustlediva/song/34899421-fresh-hell

©2025 Charlene E. Green

From my upcoming book

Check My Documents

OTHER DUTIES AS REQUIRED

When a woman tells you

she's tired

she does not need you

to suggest

that she rest more

as if when she rises

there will be less

for her to champion

A woman's body may be

still with slumber

but her spirit

is always on the clock

covering every neglected post

Simultaneously cleaning up

and enduring

trauma

sometimes freshly spilled

most times unhealed

hers and the world's

always the world's first

She'd love to "do her"

but she's consumed with

being the question

and the answer

sunshine and nourishment

cup half empty

flickering pilot light

the problem

when she takes too long

delivering the solution

When a woman tells you

she's tired

what she really means

is lean in

to your prowess

instead of piling

all your weight

onto her scales

forcing her off balance

toppling her to the floor

to her knees

in tears

and prayer

Your shift

begins now

Gather supplies

revisit the free training

she provides you daily

show her you understand

the assignment

and get 

to work

©2025 Charlene E. Green

From my upcoming book

Check My Documents