HIDDEN TRUTH

Your innocent words press heavily
Upon the nerve you hit

The sting of the truth you are unaware
That you have thrown in my face 
Cuts me deep—
But what can I say? 
The truth is the truth....

Funny how a moment of idle chatter and fun
Can suddenly turn into a life-altering epiphany
For one who has so many lessons to learn
Old habits to break
And inner work to tend to

Distracted and disturbed by the sound
Of your voice ringing in my head
Waking me to the error of my ways
Yet shaming me of them, too
Makes my heart feel weighted
Leaves my eyes blurred with tears
But makes me glad you said so
Cuz the bitter dose of reality you fed me
Clearly my life must have sought

Because pressing at the forefront of my brain
Were those same mashed thoughts—
I held them of myself—
But I just said they were mashed—
By excuses, by fear
By a million erroneous beliefs 
That make my head spin
Make me dizzy
Make me damn near insane
And in the end
Debilitate and paralyze me...
I can barely move

It’s hard to breathe when your mind
Is enslaved by the devil’s voice
And your hip is numb and sunken into
The permanent concave imprint
Left in the middle of the bed
Where you lie...
Spiritually dead
Not even enough hope 
To fit underneath a fingernail

Hope
Such a small word
With even bigger meaning
And sometimes I have none

Right now
I can clearly see
The value you will have in my life
Because true friends speak the truths we hide
And force us to grow
Change
And be better
And better I will be 
Because of you

©2005 Charlene E. Green
From Me to You ... Through Mine Eyes: Visual Expressions
www.hustledivaspeaks.com

RISE (A PROCLAMATION)

Broken women

never let being disassembled

stop them 

from superheroing

They know the value

of their severed parts

keep them swept in a neat pile

within reach at all times

aware that their thorny jagged

is the ammunition required

to slash barriers

shred red tape

burst bubbles

dismember egos

poke holes in sexist theories

and cut through bullshit

from dawn to dusk

Broken women 

know their crumble is mighty
a potpourri of coveted gems

they know

that even when fragmented

the best parts of them—

the most craved

the most essential—

are alive and energized

can still be spotted

amid the debris

and extracted bit by bit
to self-medicate and reboot

then gathered purposefully onto their fingertips

and disbursed evenly

among the deserving

fed to the needy

used to mend hearts

repress wild temperaments

sedate lives

and butcher the path

of every rogue

attempting to thieve the peace

of those they love

Broken women

don't quell their ascent

delay their shine

hinder their grind

or stifle their smiles

cuz of a little 

disarray

They have no shame

in their altered state

cuz they know triumph

resides there

and they will forage 

the wreckage in their souls 

to showcase it

to teach those who haven’t figured out

how to be successful

at surmounting this life

while using the pieces

of their frayed spirits

as weapons
and moxie

on the way to the top

You ain't heard ... ?

winning 

is how they repair themselves

slaying 

is how they stunt

smoothing the trail for others

in spite of their mangle

is the secret to their glow

broken 

is just another word

for immortal

strength training

at its best

a temporary obstacle course 

they make their bitch

daily

a setup

for the greatest wizardry

you'll ever see 

Copyright 2016

Charlene E. Green

 

SHED

shed

like excess mental weight

the pounds

of their cruelty

the way they glare

and you silently agree

criticism

from people

not wearin' your skin

but callin' foul

for the way you

look in it

carry it

behave in it

shed

  

like dank clothes

the rubble

from your storms of persecution

sidestep
the ominous pond

of disapproval

puddled at your feet

like burdensome debt

shed

your subscriptions

to fear

loathing

discontent

of your life

your body

perceived

lack-ofs

shoulda-alreadies

shouldn'ta-dones

wanna-but-can'ts

shed 

the you

you adopted

and grew

fed lies to

based on their view

their spew

the you 

you scorn

cuz you think
what they shout

is gospel

and now what you are

is pawn
lurching to their slanderous cadence

not champion

of your magnitude

peep
how your arms
flit erratically
legs jerk
how you
beat and kick yourself to shame
with their commentary
parrot the script they write for you
to their delight

this isn't really  the role
you intend to keep playing
in your movie
is it?
you're the star
so get busy
rewriting

 

start a health-phrase diet

double portions 

daily

for your emaciated

self-reverence

gorge on them

get fat

on a superior assessment

of yourself

feast unapologetically

on mouthfuls
of your own delicious story
of a you
you look at proudly
smile at
celebrate and respect
can't get enough of
flaws and all
and say
"Damn, it's great to be me!"

then toss up
the middle-finger deuces
and shed
all the whole and partial
fucks you give
about the people
whose only desire
was to make sure
you never
gave a single fuck
about yourself

©2015 Charlene E. Green

 

THE LIFE-CHALLENGE SERIES: TRUTHFULLY SPEAKING ...

This post is now available at http://honorthespirit.blogspot.com/2015/02/truthfully-speaking.html

THE LIFE-CHALLENGE SERIES: PRACTICE MAKES YOU A WINNER

This post is now available at http://honorthespirit.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-life-challenge-series-practice.html

THIS WAY TO TRANSFORMATION

This post is now available at http://honorthespirit.blogspot.com/2015/01/this-way-to-transformation.html

NAPOWRIMO 1/30: SORRY

I will not apologize
for doin' me
tendin' to my business
havin' my own back
at a moment's notice
no regard for whether you
like
understand
approve
or not

won't feel "some kinda way"
cuz you're uncomfortable
with the pace of my life
the depth and length
of my challenges
my perceptions
how I embrace
what's on my plate

this
is my meal
and I'll season it
how I damn well please
it's supposed to be
to my liking
not
yours

if I feel I can benefit
from some of your flavoring
then I'll ask
for two shakes
but rest assured
I'll be monitoring them
to make sure
you only throw in two
cuz
I know how you can be
give you the chance
to spice things up
and start "accidentally"
tossin' in extra dashes
of all the substances
that upset my stomach
you know
the usual suspects:
judgment
sarcasm
ridicule
and dismissal
when what I invited
you to add
were
wisdom
and encouragement

two
shakes

but since you sometimes
don't know how to act
and forget who's head chef
in my world
then please believe
I won't be sorry
when I shut you down
mid-sprinkle
and tell you
the kitchen
is closed


Copyright 2014
Charlene E. Green

Sonnet #12 for February

LEMON LAW

I love the lemonade you make of life’s

Lemons, turning bitter-tasting trials sweet

You acknowledge that you’ll encounter strife

Mentally prepared to endure the heat

Honest with self when frustrations are high

But refuse to drown in pity and woes

Instead push shoulders back, lift head to sky

Pray for some sugar to balance tart blows

Firm faith always on hand to pull you through

Blocking out haters’ negativity

Anticipating peace, victories new

Keep eyes on prize is your proclivity

You’re expert on laws of how to create

Perfect drink to ensure praiseworthy fate

Copyright 2014

Charlene E. Green

Sonnet #8 for February

DO YOU

Sometimes all that’s needed is sunny day

To let soothing rays burn clouds from cold heart

Life’s filled with so much confusion and gray

Steal away moments to garner fresh start

Have you ever dared play hooky on life

Packed mental bags and checked out for a while

Purposely left behind all of your strife

So that fresh perspective you can compile?

Can’t wait for your boss, lover, fam, or friends

To give permission to tend to your needs

Have your back first or control of life ends

Pencil-in putting self first with good deeds

You are in charge of loving yourself best

When you do, for peace you’ll no longer quest

Copyright 2014

Charlene E. Green