Promises
When did it change from love to hate
The loathing you feel is etched on your face
Your hurtful words leave invisible scars
And piercing wounds deep in my heart
We stood together, our vows were made
The promises that we’d take to the grave
The promises you so easily shed
When you found a new lover to take to our bed
But you won’t leave me for this other wife
To release me from this hellish life
Instead you remain here by my side
For all eternity I’ll be your bride
And live with the loathing etched on your face
But when did you change from love to hate
A Photograph Is Not a Memory
Stand there
left a bit
right a bit
no, move forward
yes there, that’s it
Boom!
Bright white flash illuminating
making green grass greener
white clouds, pure as fresh snowfall
billowing puffs in a clear blue sky
And you stand statuesque
forcing happiness into a smile fixed on your face
your shoulders slumped, arms folded
Life unfolds around you
unnoticed as you face the camera
A heron glides over the pond
lands at the edge watching
ducks with their tails in the air
and dragonflies dancing by
their gossamer wings glistening
in the glowing midday sun
A single moment in time
Boom!
… and it’s gone
as bright white flash illuminates
and time moves on
Do We Bleed?
Do we bleed in crimson light
lies that smother and hold us tight?
With colours that surround our soul
dull our sun turn earth to coal?
Do we see the world anew
a life that leads to brighter hues?
When summer rain falls from the clouds
rinsing blood from off our hands?
Do we bleed then, once again
with lies that hide the truth from men?
About Karen Horsley
Karen Horsley was born in Somerset and now lives in Cheshire with her husband and their two sons. Following diagnosis with breast cancer in 2014, she began writing poetry as a way of expressing her emotions and to provide a release for her fears. Karen quickly found success with her writing and her debut collection of poetry, Kaleidoscopic Beauty, was published in June 2018.
Karen is a featured poet in Voice of Eve - Issue 1 and has been published in anthologies from nOthing BOOKS and Forward Poetry. She has recently been appointed resident poet in a local magazine.
I am the Stars in the Sky, Karen’s second collection of poetry (published in November 2018), and Kaleidoscopic Beauty are available on Amazon.
You can find Karen at BlueSkyDays365.com or on Twitter @HorsleyPoet.