I wish I had a killing arrow,
and a whim in the breeze
for every shattered hello
and a dying wish of please.

Rocky stairs that crumble,
like your apple pie humbles
I wish I had a blow of a kiss
for every moment that I miss.

Driven by red
riding hood,
wheels of eternity run
hot and cold
along the tracks
in her arm.

Around the bend
there are jigsaw
pieces of a puzzle,
scattered as destinations
once towns and villages,
now fodder for
the migrant beginner.

According to fable,
there's a wolf at the door,
home is no longer
a worthwhile rendezvous,
but a trap of origin.

Misery is a train ride,
a stray fantasy,
lingering in the wilderness
of her fractured mind.

She sells her gold bracelets,
for she needs
the dark coal,
she seeks
its deep freeze.

She can then
be many things
along the journey,
just never
a connection,
never a permanent signal.

I’ll cry tomorrow
Today I have things to get done
Too many errands to run
Tears can’t unload this washing machine
Regret won’t make a ***** house clean
Self-pity doesn’t get the kids fed
Falling apart won’t get them to bed
If you have something to say
Just please hold off for today
I have too much to do
To spend time worrying about you
So if it’s my heart you plan to break
Break it tomorrow
Not now, not today
I’ll cry tomorrow

© 2025 Joan Zaruba. All rights reserved.

"It's" all in your head
nature angel's and demon's
the entire staff

have a drink or light a spliff

get my drift
cRaFt
"It's" your draft

you touched my cheek
as the sun melted into its grave
and I swear the clouds wept,
bleeding copper and violet

your voice—
a frayed lullaby
threading through
my breaking

the world
slowed to an ache
and in that hush,
even the wind knelt

you smiled
like it wouldn’t be the last
but I saw the sky
forget how to breathe.

I dont understand my habit
In collecting my best shiny pennies
In heaping genuine bundles
Just to throw them in the bottomless fountain
Where they will sink, become useless, and rust.

What do I keep wishing for?
Your attention? Your admiration?
I must be one of the billions of banks
You ignore and use on a daily
I should have deactivated your account by now.

Sometimes I feel like the human race
Trying so persistently to touch the stars
I build ships and recruit the public
I guess what makes me different and dumb
Is hoping the stars will touch me back.

I am a slave built with emotion
Here to serve your every need
I have been hungry for so long
That I lick your crumbs off the ground
As if it's a meal I am sharing at your table.

I fantasize of the day
You finally give me flowers
I will smile, and hold your bundle of roses
Pretending as if I dont stand behind
My entire uprooted garden.

steady, steady
the waters billow.

time has come
for me to let down my sails.

drifting away
in search of myself.

where i got lost —
i cannot say.

but the tempest is calmed
and to the waters i must go.