I spill ink crow tarot tracks
across a page trying to
write lemons into lemonade,
but there’s nothing pretty
in a journal of bruises.
Among sticks and stones,
broken bones, and vinegared potions
of all’s sunny in hell my Gothic Care Bear
muses keep quoting Stephen King,
“The Devil’s voice is sweet to hear.”
My verses are cruel, yet somehow delightful.
I can be the beast in beautiful, knife in a heart
when my humor is the syrup of sharp teeth.
I don’t play well with faux anything.
I get more thrills in celebrating Halloween
than a sugar-coated Valentine’s Day
filled with undying confessions of love
shopped from a grocery store aisle.
Any way you shuffle me I will always rise with black feathers.
Isn’t it good to be honest?
©Susie Clevenger 2024
Shay's Word Garden Word List ~ Full Dark, No Stars
I LOVE this! "I dont play well with faux anything" and, especially, "Any way you shuffle me, I will always rise with black feathers." Superb.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your ending question, I find that indeed it is. After all, there is such a thing as toxic positivity, too. I love the grittiness of this, the scorn for Valentines Day fakery, and from a strictly poetic POV, I love that second stanza in its entirety. So well written and on point, Susie. You write true.
ReplyDeleteSusie you definitely write true to your experience and heart and that is one of the many reasons your poetry is so wonderfully magnificent. I especially love the first stanza and I love the question you close it with!
ReplyDelete"Any way you shuffle me I will always rise with black feathers.
ReplyDeleteIsn’t it good to be honest?"
What a great line!
I love the atmospheric imagery and the end with a question - really captures the spirit of the prompt - Jae
ReplyDelete"I can be the beast in beautiful, knife in a heart
ReplyDeletewhen my humor is the syrup of sharp teeth." Oooh! Well penned!