Anai

My faithful shadow,
taken to soon.
Fur black as midnight,
and eyes of spring.

Sweet and protective,
though a thing
of superstition.
Shunned by some
but loved by me.

She’s still watching,
always faithful,
still by my side.

Kim Sealock
2/4/19

Tilt-A-Whirl

Stomach twist,
I feel sick,
head whirls, and
I am taken on a ride.

Colors blur,
everything spins,
“Enjoy the ride.”
the voice echos.

Faking fine
comes natural,
as I am torn
apart inside.

Stomach is
being ripped
to shreds.

Lungs are being
squeezed
until no
breath escapes.

Dizzy drunk
from spinning
like kids
on a playground.

The ride isn’t over.

“Keep it together.”

“Control must be won.”

Kim Sealock
10-18-19

Do As I Say!

“Do as I say,
Not as I do!”

It’s the new philosophy of the world.

People publicly shame
while committing the same.

Caught!

“Do as I say,
Not as I do!”

Mistakes make us human,
though we are shunned
by our neighbors, our families, people we considered friends.

Cause we did as they do
And not as they say.

Honesty is the best policy,
though we are taught to lie
between fake smiles.

“Do as I say,
Not as I do!”

Some watch and judge,
though a higher power
tells them not to.

“Do as I say,
Not as I do!”

A parent teaches
the New Generation,
though they fall into the same.

It’s the new philosophy of the world.

“Do as I say,
Not as I do!”

Kim Sealock
1/7/19

Still Here

I only hear you
when I’m sleeping.

A whisper.
A laugh.
The light of a smile,
between dreaming consciousness.

That is where you exist,
in my heart,
and in an oak box
under a stone
that labels you to rest.

Yet here you are,
calming my ever-critical mind,
chanting me into serenity.

Grasping yet letting go,
whispering farewell.

Kim Sealock
1/4/19

Jammed

Ink? Check.
Paper? Check.
What the hell?

Cartridges jiggled,
unplugged and plugged in again.
Blank pages cover the floor
while it munches on another.

Sitting cross-legged,
Deadline fast approaching.

Give up?
Never!
One final attempt,
unplugged, plugged,
jammed paper ripped from the throat.
Cancel print,
readjust paper,
realign cartridges.

Threaten to take it apart,
screwdriver in hand.

Reprint.
Shuuuuuu, shu, shu, shu.
Kecick.
Shu, shu, shu, shu.
Ink stains paper,
with twenty minutes to spare.
Scare tactics work.

Kim Sealock
8/26/18