TheCourtRose

my fingers against the glass the cool against heated skin sunlight filtering through nails even better when it's raining out hand slides down, parallel to raindrops feeling lonely but not alone, exactly just listening an internal, rolling soundtrack something aware of itself, and very quiet to insert inside this moment instead of cutting across perpendicular a song as soft as fingers against glass or a tentative first kiss

Used to the burden of heavy weight, it is a strange time to have naked fingers and an empty hand Time now to sort through the deck of anger and bitter disappointment Never allowed the luxury before Plunging ahead, always building dignity and identity with blood embedded nails A shaky house of cards An old way of life Now, silence is not fear but necessity A matter of balance Had so many heavier things on the one side, but now swinging freely No need to bluff Wanting to pile bones and tip the scale again; wanting to walk hand-in-hand with familiar ghosts; needing to be burdened There is no guide to deal with uneasy equilibrium Naked fingers sort and deal, shuffling the new deck

Even a Sandman Dreams 1 The devil has a reality show but no one can tell me the name Everyone will say it's good though (No one wants to give the Prince of Darkness a bad rating) One old biddy says- It's okay. But an hour too long. She's still so close to her death that formaldehyde clings to her fingertips She sold her soul a long time ago, anyway for a pair of silver knitting needles I hope she'll knit me a scarf for my day in hell I hear the farther down you go, the colder it gets, but Dante always was a bit of a drama queen (Never appreciated the sunflower dreams I sent on Tuesdays) Don't think I actually auditioned, but all the big wigs are here and my memory gets shoddy after the last Inquisition No one wanted to dream then, just in case of nightmares Can't blame them, it's nothing personal Even a Sandman dreams 2 But I've been here before The wild-eyed Woman Under the Porch can't remember a

Rule #1. Don’t talk about Anti-Angst. Rule #2. Don’t talk about Anti-Angst. Rule #3. Go ahead and feed the mother**cking ducks. Rule #4. Schadenfreude: It worked for the Germans. It can work for you too. Rule #5. Dio officially made rainbows METAL. Enjoy. Rule #6. Roller skating under a disco ball increases endorphin production. Rule #7. Noli nothis permittere te terere. Rule #8. Cartoons are preventative care. Rule #9. Sing like you’re in the shower and everyone has earplugs. Life’s short. Rule #10. Odin invented mead AND poetry. Utilize both.

The batteries in my apple clock have run out Not sure when it happened until I noticed that 10:53 is permanently twice a day My electric toothbrush is dying, sputtering, and spinning slowly There's a basket of batteries somewhere but I can't find it amongst the piles of bills and newspapers "Recession Over: So Much Better Than Last Year" Last year I could afford my electronic toothbrush and my choices weren't narrowed down between a stick of deodorant or more mascara and only eating the incredible edible egg The price-tag of my underused education swings idly from boots I can't afford I'm afraid it might be a winter full of sandals Now I understand being too tired to go to work, because not having good work exhausts you, needing to go to the doctor, but feeling bad makes it hard to get up I'm not sure who writes the newspapers right now, but I'm sure I don't like them I'm getting awfully tired of 10:53

a stranger's skin, unwelcome hips but hindsights later- maybe not as awkward all teeth and bones and eyebrows hair tomboy short but now it grows, grows chestnut and honey locks past her shoulders down her rounded hips grow and grow make a rope build a ladder find a way out of the tower climb your way through the dark don't wait don't hesitate time to be large take up places in the universe decorate the braid with wild things use your hair to lure them forth make a lasso for your dreams learn to save yourself, my girl no one is coming for you move and stretch in your skin always your skin with or without foresight- grow all hair and skin and universe

On September 14th France became the first European country to nationally ban all face covering veils, including the niqab traditionally worn by women practicing the Islamic faith. "...France now joins Iran and Saudi Arabia as countries that tell its police force to use their time to inspect women’s garments," (Dr. John R. Bowen, the Dunbar-Van Cleve Professor in Arts & Sciences). Really. Really?! So, let me get this straight. France is now forcing women to expose their faces in public, when it goes against their cultural doctrine and faith. Can we say violation of religious freedom ten times fast? Let me make myself very, very clear. I do not want to be a part of a religion whose conservative extremists believe that women are the root and/or seed of temptation in the world and therefore should be covered up and subjugated. Neither do I want to be a part of a religion whose conservative right-wingers believe anyone from the Middle East is a terrorist and an infidel. I

the corner of Madison and Michigan a saxophone player underneath scaffolding "There she is!" as I walk by I want to believe we know each other saxophone gliding over my ears, melting on my shoulder blades the glint of an orange butterfly in traffic my breath catches, but she makes it to the other side where the violinist is standing in the shadow of an art museum, he plays the push of pedestrians and mad rush on sidewalks music and art and public places- like peanutbutter and bread and honey orange wings float by, skipping on the sound of strings notes drench the air around me melody flitting close to my lips, fitting closer than skin a full-throated soprano calls from the park ahead a city teeming with music here I am recognizable everywhere, anywhere orange wings carry me across the street a butterfly finding her way through the traffic