-N.Henry

See a passion for literature come to life

[nealacw]

Mirror mirror

I miss the woman I was. She was carefree and selfless, Completely unbothered if her hair was a mess Yet her confidence soared like an eagle And her favorite pass-time was meeting new people.

I miss the woman I was. She greeted everyone with genuine smiles, With compassion and love bursting through her eyes. She had a charisma that could make an angry man laugh, Wisdom and knowledge were her finest crafts.

But she is no more. Now I care and I worry, And my confidence has long left me. My smile and eyes reverberate my sorrow, For my grey hairs and feeble body remind me that there might not be a tomorrow.

-n.henry

[nealacw]

Between the lines.

I am beautiful. She tells herself as she wears layers of makeup, That cover the tiredness below her eyes from her day job. I am beautiful. She tells herself after evaluating every aspect of her body, Because they do not resemble what is showcased as beauty. I am beauitful. She tells herself after she weighs herself every week, Since gaining as little as one pound is enough to make her lose sleep. I am beautiful. She tells herself as she writes this poem, Hoping that the lines would allow her to disguise herself through them. N.Henry

[nealacw]

Silenced

Now my voice is gone , who is going to speak for me? -N.Henry

[nealacw]

It's all I know

In a committed relationship but still experiencing unrequited love. The stains on my neck , though I want them to be hickeys are from your chokes and coughs. However, I still stay. There's no 'baby I love you' or 'hunny how was your day' Stupid, foolish , I hate you are the words I hear so often I'm convinced they're my names. However, I still stay. -N.Henry

[nealacw]

Hope for Dementia

Hey.

I wanted to tell you this for quite a while, My heart dances and sings whenever you smile.

Hey.

Dearest love come join me, In my quest to unlock life's most desired fantasies.

Hey.

Why aren't you answering me ? I only wish to shower you with affection and loyalty.

Hey.

Oh Mary, I miss you greatly, And sometimes I wish that it was you taking care of me.

. -N.Henry

[nealacw]

Conflicted woman

And maybe, just maybe , one day, I’d be able to wear something short and sway, My womanly hips from to side to side , With bursting confidence, sass and pride.

Unfortunately today is not that day, For if I do so I’ll be harassed or body shamed The ads bombard me with “beauty” and being “sexy” My religion conflicting teaches me modesty.

-N.Henry

[nealacw]

In Plain Sight

You see her everyday as the outcast

The girl whose always late to class

The one never dresses well enough

And though she’s hurt she pretends she’s tough.

You stare , you smirk , you call her names

You cease every opportunity to degrade her name

You address her as ‘ugly’ and the 'poor girl’

You act like menaces threatening her broken world.

But maybe if you looked a little deeper

You’ll see that what you’re calling 'ugly’ is the doings of her father

Who beats and bruises her whenever he’s drunk

In other words, every day of every month.

The clothes she wears are all she can find

To conceal the marks that are left behind

And some of them are her own doing

Since she is convinced that she is worth nothing.

-N.Henry

[nealacw]

Battered

My journey into the world, Was not your typical boy meets girl, My mother did scream at the top of her lungs, But because she was being forced to the ground.

-N.henry

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Epigraph of an elderly couple

We use to dance together, We use to sing to each other, We use to be a team, We use to be a lover’s dream.

-N. Henry

[nealacw]

Lethal Escape

I sit and smile my pains away, Hoping that tomorrow would be a better day, As cliché as that may seem, Sometimes I wish my reality was a dream. So I escape into a land of unreal, To disguise the problems that I want to conceal, Little did I know it was doing me more harm, It's becoming more evident by the carvings on my hand. -N.henry

[nealacw]

Behavioural feedback

You are beautiful. Everyday you look disappointingly at the mirror, Staring into your face of terror, Telling yourself that you’ll never be good enough, And escape to loads of makeup.

You are beautiful. You think that by the less clothes you wear, A boy would consider you beautiful and dear To his heart, so you throw on tight mini skirts, Which bring lustful men and hormonal boys to lurk.

You are beautiful. You do not need validation from a man, You do not need assurance from the touch of his hands, You do not need to unzip your pants.

You are beatiful.

-N.Henry

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Aborted

Maybe one day I can see the world, As for now I’m just a dead girl; Sorry I wasn’t good enough.

-N.Henry

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Wishful thinking

And yet above all this I find myself reminiscing on the kiss That you placed on my lips Solidifying our sinful relationship

Yes? No? Maybe , but if so You will become my forever love Though the skies may rain above

-N.Henry

[nealacw]

Anamoly

So this is what it feels like ? Damn. I like someone who could care less about me. I was excited, anxious, jolly at first and now I cannot fathom a feeling that Is worst than this. Okay, I’m exaggerating but, Damn. But I have so much to offer. I’m even a believer and sometimes an over achiever but I’m understanding and patient… I guess not everyone can appreciate the finer things in life.

- N.Henry

[nealacw]

Thoughts of a girl ..

Fight the temptation, fight it.

Self control, self control, that's right,

fight it.

I want to be pure but i'm not sure,

Of how to say no in this situation.

It’s not that he’s a temptation but,

Part of me is a bit curious to know how it feels.

Should I tell him to stop? I could, but i also could not...

-N.Henry

[nealacw]

To: Frank From: Frank

Frank, It's not you it's me, Okay it's you. I don't know what else to do, I just can't see myself loving you. Frank, Hey don't feel bad. I mean, I enjoyed all the times we've had, But I don't want to lead you down a lonely path. Frank, Please, don't cry. Friends ? No I don't want to try, But trust me you'll surely get by. Frank, I lied, I do love you. I love you more than my heart ever knew, But I am tired of you bruising me black and blue. Frank, I just want you to be honest with me. Tell me how you really feel, Just for my sake, please. "End of messages" Redialing Voice-mail "You have five saved messages" Presses play, "Frank, It's not you it's me..." -N.Henry

[nealacw]

"Me- The Generalized Other"

“You are stupid”. At the early age of 7 she learned that she wouldn’t make it. In class she was always last to catch on even if the teacher repeated the work slowly.

One on one time should have made her just fine but there was nothing that showed any certainty, that she was. “Duncey head girl” the students would tease for they were sure that her grades would never increase, and she, herself started believing so too.

“You are a waste”, the words that slapped her in her face at the age of 13. By this time she was only seen as a burden. Her parents hope that she would at least find a job one day but they did not expect much; they too had given up on her.

And now she was sure. She locked her door to her room, stared herself in the face and conclusively said, “I am a waste!…I am stupid…I am foolish. I am a disappointment” And so she carried about herself thinking she was never worth much. Her potential was completely shut off by everyone for she did not believe she had any. Consequently, she greeted age 20 cluelessly, without a direction. Ambition was a word she once heard someone use in an election.

By age 25 she was tired of living life aimlessly. Tired of pretending to shamelessly give her body to men, tired of thinking about the stupid mistakes she made and will make again. And one night she cried herself to sleep thinking, “Why? Why couldn’t they believe in me? I was just a child…not one day did somebody hold me and say it’s alright , you will do better…….I don’t want to he the stupid girl anymore”

The next morning they found her body lying on the floor, no heartbeat. A few days later when the article reached the front page of the newspaper and people held it up closer to get a look at her face, they would still say, “You are stupid”.

-N.Henry