Bitter Words 

Night weeps black
across a tearstained sky
with words that slide along the 
sharpened edge 
of a double sided sword
penetrating walls,
like poltergeists,
to pierce my sleep
with shards as sharp as nails
and place a few more spikes 
into the coffin
that once entombed my heart

And in the morning
the sugar coated lines I’m fed
leave a bitter taste 
as they trickle down my throat
but all that’s left is just a shell,
like a clam that’s lost its pearl
in the tempest,
and so it matters not
for the pawns have all been played,
and leaving just a shadow 
of her former self,
the queen
has left the game.


august 2006
Janet Reid






Awarded by Poetic Constellations





Awarded by Poetic Constellations ~ Stephanie