I Found Our Yesterdays

We fit

on small window

sills and bond like Siamese

twins wrapped in red blankets,

and my birth marks

resemble your eyes. You told

me if I feel over the edge

you’d catch me by my hair

and thread a new layer of skin over us,

To protect our delicate organs. Stretch your arm

over my head and hug

me with your love like mama’s

warm milk.

Trust me with your favor

and I will continue to give you life

on a silver platter, patted and rounded

to perfection.

I can see God smiling

At your widened eyes and catfish

smile. Remember when we wished

that we lived in Jerusalem

so we could stop the people

from hurting Jesus, your freckles

were light brown and have grown

to match your red hair? Chucky Cheese

was in style and we wanted to ride

our bikes on the backs of city buses, chase

after the cars and stop for McDonalds

on the way.

The surgeon table was cold

and your back lay

flat against mine and your breathing

caught up to the rhythm of the music

that was playing in our mind. You cried

until sleep hit and you were knocked out.

I was alone in the ring. You left

me to fight our battle. You lost

and when I woke you were gone and the nurses

smile through their white masks.

I felt a draft on my back.

-Cynthia Green

-I Found Our Yesterdays is featured in A Little More Personal.

Theme for English 281

I am a dream

in the shape of a butterfly.

My wings are light as yogurt and hover

above my delicate body

in an attempt to effortlessly capture small

gasps of air for myself. I breathe

these small bubbles and pop

each one with the tip of my fingers

allowing little droplets of oxygen

and water to fall unto my face. In the spring

time the sky flickers from black to white

and I sometimes take a mental picture

of the shapes in the sky

and allow my mind to create a scene

fit for a movie theatre.

These are the moments that tend

to last the longest and leave

me with the greatest relief. In my mind

I hover like a butterfly

and see all that has made me who I am.

-Cynthia Green

-Theme For English 281 is featured in A Little More Personal.

Benjamins and Cracked Wine Bottles

I imagined you to look perfect;

almost as if you were a peach

without a bruise,

a cushion of perfection.

I imagined your skin not to contain a flaw

and your germs to be cleaner

than the average person.

You were supposed to be my thin olive oil.

Each olive squeezed delicately.

You came to me in a cracked wine bottle

at a black tie party. Your feet

appeared as ripped Benjamins

with the words "almost perfect"

written over them. I expected

you to know how to make me laugh,

or at least chuckle when your lips moved

in an attempt to waken your vocal chords;

a voice like that of chunky milk.

Not yet smooth enough to pour in my cup.

Your voice was a bravado sound of

boiled water on a stove top in an old pot,

an old black pot, which reminds me,

I never got to hear your side of the story.

-Cynthia Green

-I Benjamin's Found Our Yesterdays is featured in A Little More Personal.

The Renegade

When my eyes close

I hear sirens and ambulances.

When my eyes close

the sky is navy blue with no stars in sight.

When my eyes close

I hear my mother screaming in tears.

When my eyes close

gunshots are echoed internally

and rip through my thoughts.

When my eyes close

my brother’s body wasn’t done fighting.

-Cynthia Green

-The Renegade is featured in A Little More Personal.

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