Sarah B. Poetry

It’s official!!!
I’m being published in the Timberline Review by Willamette Writers!!
🎉
I was thinking about this though and at first I was surprised they chose the poem they did. But now I am so glad. I sent in 3 poems on very different topics - one on chronic pain, one on ancestral inheritance, and one on sexual assault.
And they chose the one about sexual assault.
It kind of just reassured me about how important it is to write about the issues closest to your heart, no matter how “poetic” or “pretty” they are. Write what matters to you and it will show through. ✍🏼💕

Yay!!! I was accepted in another anthology!!
Keep an eye out, it’ll be out this year!

(Hi, I know I haven’t been posting here like ever but I’m going to try and change that!)

Another astrology inspired poem today!
I wrote this one last week inspired by the prompt, “I think the Universe is trying to tell me something” by and also inspired by a tweet I saw a little over a year ago by an astrologer on Twitter. made a comparison between the moon and the bouncing ball in sing a longs and it just made perfect sense to me. Changed the way I looked at the moon in astrology.

“Planetary Sing-A-Long”

I think the Universe is trying to tell me something.
The Sun is taking aim at my soul,
readying its bow.
Mercury is reading aloud to me,
mentally exploring the world.
Venus is throwing me a party,
lavishly drunk on romance.
Mars is screaming loudly at me,
going off the rails.
Jupiter is giving me fine illusions,
psychedelic philosophies.
Saturn is simply freezing me out,
an icy storm stalling the world.
Uranus is causing me chaos,
a bull in a china shop.
Neptune is sucking my energy,
water down the drain.
Pluto is scheming and plotting against me,
a devilish villain in the shadows.
And the moon is dancing round and round,
serenading me in this planetary sing-a-long.

I wrote this last night after listening to the new Libra episode of with and and feeling TOTALLY called out. 🥺😭
I love being a libra most of the time but damn… really telling it how it is!!

I struggle a LOT with my self worth and sense of self. (Libra being where the sun is in fall, that makes sense…) I’m trying to get better about it, but it seems like I’m always putting so much weight on what others think of me or what they say, when I should be more concerned about what I think of myself.

I’ve been working on doing some self love journaling to help me regain that sense of individuality and having pride in who I am. So far I think it’s helping a bit!! 😣🙏🏻

Any other Libra folks out there relate to this???

“People Pleasing Is An Obsession”

I’m a Libra lady and I’m a people pleaser,
it seems like I don’t care,
but I’ll call it what it is, I’m an attention seeker,
always need to play fair,
and maybe you don’t know the things that I don’t show
but your words always deliver the fatal blow.

I can feel myself disintegrating in the sink,
leave the water running,
I care too much about what you think,
these doubts are flooding,
overflowing in my mind, until I cannot find
a single shred of myself in the mess left behind.

I wrote this yesterday and feel like it just embodies the spirit of autumn in my mind. 🍂🍁
Here’s a fall poem for ya.

“A Fall Poem”

Inching toward the fog and frosty tempers,
rainy nights and sweater weather,
I’m breathing in the smell of dying leaves,
petrichor in the autumn breeze.

Fallen acorns crackle and pop as I walk,
through mazes of apple and corn on a stalk.
The moon shines brightly during longer nights
for the hunting owls on their midnight flights.

Birds and butterflies journey from the north
while my body and yours cuddle for warmth,
falling asleep with Bob Ross on TV,
whispering wind through happy little trees.

Sparkling cider and pumpkin pie kisses,
Orion shoots stars to grant our wishes.
Maple colored sunsets earlier each day,
wasn’t it Frost who said “nothing gold can stay?”

I packed this poem with October prompts! 💀🖤

It’s a little dark, but hey, tis the season for darkness.

Prompts used:

The scariest image in my head is…
I look in the mirror and see a ghost



Dark nights filled with frights
Dancing with demonspoetry


Seance with all my lost memoriespoetry


Deep in my bones



Midnight in a hotel rooms


Good girl



Graveyard of memoriespoetry


Skeletons and secrets



“Dearly Departed”

I look in the mirror and see a ghost,
an apparition of my younger self,
phantom flashbacks of my past
echoing in my hollow skull.
October is always dark nights
filled with frights and candle light,
holding a seance with all my lost memories,
retrieving what fragments I can through the veil.

Deep in my bones I know
the scariest image in my head
is midnight in a hotel room
dancing with demons in disguise,
moaning like the wind,
“good girl.”
Skeletons and secrets rest eternally
in this graveyard of memories.

I’ve finally broken through my writers block!!! (I hope) 😳

This poem just kind of came out this morning and I’m pretty satisfied with it. I’ve only written scraps for weeks now so it was a pleasant surprise to wake up and feel kind of inspired. Fingers crossed I can keep it up! 😣

I’ve said this many times before and will continue to say it, but trauma leaves a mark. It isn’t like a bruise that fades, more like a scar that heals but never fully disappears. Sometimes I feel like damaged goods, a lot of the time actually, and it baffles me to think that someone wants ME. Like, actually ME. What a weird concept.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this poem 💕 likes, shares and saves are all appreciated!!

“Flawed Fruit”

I wonder if he sees the subtle scars
intertwined with the ink on my thighs.
When his fingers trace my tattoo,
I wonder if he senses the damage I’m trying to disguise.

Bruises on my cheek left by other men,
dissolved quietly into my skin,
but they’ve left their mark on my memory,
residual pain echoes within.

I’m still in disbelief at times
that he picked me from the tree,
flawed fruit, battered and blemished,
I wonder if I taste as sweet.

I had a good talk last night with this new guy I’ve been seeing.

I told him about some of the harassment and abuse I’ve dealt with and how some friends still defend these abusive men with the excuse “oh but he’s my friend, he wouldn’t do that”…

And this guy believed me. It’s not every day that happens. A looooot of “friends” of mine are still friends with some of the men who have abused/assaulted me. They refuse to believe my side of the story. They defend these gross reptilian men. But it makes me wonder - what am I to them then?? Are we even friends?? It makes me feel like I’m on some tiered system and I’m at a lower level of friendship than these abusive guys. Like bro code overpowers my friendship. And it’s not a fun feeling.

Anyway, it felt really good to finally be heard and believed when it comes to this behavior. 💕

So here’s a poem about these “friends” who don’t seem to believe the truth.

“Some Men Are Snakes And They Hide In Broad Daylight”

I’m tired of these reptilian men
hiding under rocks
disguised as your friends,
and when I tell you the truth,
you deny and defend
their so-called “honor,”
insisting on their innocence.
He sunk his fangs into my neck,
make no mistake, he had intent,
but it doesn’t matter to you,
covering your ears to my lament,
ignoring my wounds
unless there’s proof I can document.
Does my memory count?
Is my voice enough evidence?
Don’t you trust me at all?
Or is our friendship pretend?

☠️ Toxicity was all he knew ☠️

I wrote this poem last night about a crush I had in high school. He was the whole toxic package. Ci******es? Check. Inner demon struggles? Check. Playing with girls hearts? Check.

I’m glad it never went any further than a crush though. He’s left enough dents in my heart even so. I still think about him once in a while though. Even after all the teenage drama we managed to stay friends.

I used one of my own prompts in this one, “an outlaw on the run” from my September prompt list.

“He Lived On Toxicity”

He always reminded me of an outlaw,
on the run from something,
some inner demon
he’d been fighting off for years.
I fell for those wild ocean eyes
when I was fifteen,
guitar strapped to his back,
key on a chain around his neck,
and a cigarette hanging from his lips.
He was too young to smoke,
but he did it anyway,
unafraid of the law or death.
I never saw him eat,
only ever consuming
caffeine and ni****ne.
If it was toxic, he was all over it.
I think that’s all he knew.

I was so inspired by the poems by and .olah.poetry that I saw after **kisdowns - I had to try my own!

Let me know what you think in the comments, be sure to follow for more poems 💕

“How To Say My Name”

Like you’re summoning a spirit,
a séance at our tombstone
in another woman’s bed.

Like summer is over,
the bitter cold
returns to bite.

Like a sigh of wonder
after the meteors stop
slinging excitement across the sky.

Like you’re out of breath,
gasping, begging for more,
inhale me desperately.

Like the caffeine is wearing off,
you’re crashing
quickly.

Like the hint of the end,
watching the credits roll
slowly.

Like reading the acknowledgements page
in the back of a book,
and you’re not in it.

I’m annoyed. I wrote this poem last night when I saw a post from my local news outlet about a woman out running in rural Idaho who was being followed by a car. She ended up calling her family to come get her after the car passed her twice and she saw it parked up ahead on her way back to her car. She got home safe.
But that’s not why I’m mad. I’m mad because of the Facebook comment I saw on the article. (Swipe for screenshot)
This woman wasn’t murdered or assaulted, she made it home safely. But unfortunately, not all women do. Some meet violent ends when they leave the house simply wanting to go for a run. Some are kidnapped, abused…
I’m tired of being the prey in a predatory world. I’m tired of men thinking STALKING is appropriate behavior and “nothing bad actually happened.” She’s scared bro. She’s being followed. That’s bad. That’s NOT okay.

Update: I just checked new comments on the article and they’re equally as disgusting. Men just don’t seem to get it…

Anyway, here’s a poem about it. Stay safe out there. 💕

“Define Bad”

Would you rather read a story
with a violent ending?
Would you rather read the headline
containing a woman’s murder?
Just because we deal with bad behavior every day
doesn’t make it okay
for men to stalk us like prey,
and then simply laugh and say
that “nothing bad actually happened.”

I love writing poems inspired by tarot readings. (Swipe for poem)
These cards came up and I immediately looked at the imagery and symbolism and knew what to write. It just came out. It was easy.
If you have access to a tarot deck, I highly recommend using it for writing inspiration here and there when you’re in a slump!!

Anyway… here’s my poem.

“Burn With Me”

Sparks are flying,
I can feel the passion
in your fingers on my skin.
Your touch feels like a golden sunrise
illuminating the landscape of my body.

The wind whispers,
“it’s time,” but you hesitate,
resisting the push with caution.
These winds could start a wildfire,
you seem unsure of burning with me.

Just a cutesy short poem today. I just scribbled this out this morning. It’s amazing when the planets seem to align and the timing is just perfect. 💕🥰

“You’re A Blessing”

How did I get so lucky
to have Venus descend
on the moment we met?
With Jupiter gazing down on us,
the night of our first date,
bestowing beautiful blessings
raining from the sky
like shooting stars.
I wonder if you made a wish.

I originally was going to wait until Monday to share this but I couldn’t wait. 🙈
This one was inspired by a few wonderful adaptations of this idea that I’ve been seeing floating around of “you’re in his DMs but” by .poet - .poetry - and - 💕💕💕
Just a cutesy poem for you all cuz I’m totally twitterpated over a guy and he’s super sweet… 💕🥰 you know who you are.

“You’re In His DMs But”

I’m the one he texts all night
and the moment he wakes up in the morning.
I’m on his mind every day,
he calls me beautiful and gorgeous and cute.
He wears me like a precious gemstone
over his heart with pride.
He introduced me to his parents
and one of his best friends
on only our second date.
He holds my hand in public,
kisses me in the plaza,
embraces me for the moon and stars to see.
I write poems and songs for him
and he is happy to hear them,
my little acts of devotion.
I play his band’s new single
on my drive to work,
learning each word like a prayer.
I share their music videos like a groupie,
he’s saving me a ticket to his next live gig,
I’ll be kissing him backstage at the show
before he goes on stage and rocks my world.

I wrote this short poem during Leo season while thinking of a particular Leo friend I’ve always admired. I’ve always loved Leo energy and the bravery and strength they seem to radiate. But astrologically speaking, the sun rises in all of our charts. 🌞 We all have our own strength. It’s just a matter of tapping into it.

“Courage”

I’ve always admired her courage.
I thought it was just because she was a Leo,
she was simply born that way.
But now I realize that the sun rises in all of us.

Just a quick list poem I wrote this morning while looking at Facebook’s “people you may know” list… none of them are people I would consider friends.

“F Is For Friends”

A handful of acquaintances from high school.
A guy I used to make out with in secret.
A friend’s older brother who I’ve met maybe once.
My ex’s dad who I’ve actually met once.
A neighbor from around the corner.
A girl I used to take the bus to school with.
A friend’s mom, entirely a stranger.
Some familiar faces I’ve seen around town.
A man who r***d me in college, zero mutual friends.
A guy who assaulted me in high school,
we have 14 mutual friends
who don’t believe me.

New poem, who dis?? 😜 just wrote this one last night.
Do you ever find yourself just waiting to dive into the real topics??? Like when I get to know someone, I want to know it all. Not just what their favorite foods are, I wanna know why. I wanna know what events in their life had a major impact in shaping who they are today. And I hope they wanna learn those things about me as well! 🥰
I used two of my September prompts in this one, “cut me open, reveal my secrets like an autopsy” and “learn to decipher my code” 💕
So here it is!!

“Solve Me”

I want you to slice into me.
Cut me open, reveal my secrets
like an autopsy.
I’m a dilemma of a dead girl
and I need you to solve
this murder mystery.

Learn to decipher my code.
Read through a decade of
scribbles and symbols.
My poetry is the Rosetta Stone,
I’m an open book waiting
for your eager eyes.

To the man who stood too close to me in the rest stop McDonald’s yesterday evening when he had plenty of other standing options in the room… 🖕🏼 for making me super uncomfortable and putting me in a bad mood.

Men don’t ever seem to realize how much space they take up in a room.

“Standing Too Close To The Sun”

You could’ve chosen to stand anywhere,
but you stood right in front of me,
blocking my vision, closing me off,
in the claustrophobic corner of this
already-cramped rest stop McDonald’s.

I sidestepped twice
to give room for your forcefield
of all-consuming maleness.
And twice, you eclipsed me,
turning me to shadows,
while your oblivious solar flares
burned my pale lunar skin as you passed.

Men are always the biggest,
brightest star in their solar system.
But only the moon recognizes
the tyranny of their blazing beams.
The sun takes up so much space,
ignorant and unaware
of its destructive role,
incinerating any celestial bodies
within arms reach.

I saw an eagle flying down by the river this morning as I was having my coffee! It was such a magical moment.
Just a quick poem about birds today, cuz it seems I’m surrounded by them out here in the forest 🌲🌲🌲

“Birdwatching”

What a nice surprise
when the eagle flies
through the golden glow,
gliding solo.

As the cranky Steller’s jay
lets out a throaty bray,
and the hummingbirds sip
nectar from flowers’ lips.

A murder of crows
lurk in the forest shadows
while the sparrows feed
on bugs and birdseed.

The life of a bird
must be filled with wonder,
with the freedom to fly,
a creature of the skies.

✨ (Swipe for poem!) ✨
Liminal spaces have always been fascinating to me. They feel magical. The space between one thing and another, the waiting period, the before/after transition.
This bench sits right in between the line of trees at the border of the orchard and the forest. It’s right between a patch of a dried grassy pathway and the overgrown shrubs of the forest. It’s also right along the driveway from the gate to the house. It’s the ultimate liminal space on this property. And while I didn’t write this poem on this bench, I was thinking of it!

So here’s a poem on liminality.

“Liminal Spaces”

I live in a state of liminality
bordering the threshold of reality,
lonely in limbo, unsettling uncertainty,
building tension in emptiness, lacking security.

Getting stuck as you open your mouth to speak,
before the words even leave your cheek.
As pen touches the page and begins to write,
a poem is born as thoughts take flight.

Waiting to let our eyes adjust,
from light to dark, day to dusk.
The stillness between each falling star,
darkness of space that stretches out far.

The moment of the solar return,
when the fire catches, begins to burn.
Before the plan falls into action,
while love develops from excitement and passion.

After picking a flower but before it’s dried,
when a lifted veil reveals the brand new bride.
Wedding rings exchanged, she becomes a wife,
committing to love for the rest of her life.

Hiding in the doorway during an earthquake,
or the mystical time between sleep and awake.
On the fringe of the future ahead,
the past is simply an unraveled thread.

This poem was inspired by the prompt “I have a tendency to burn and yearn” by 💕
Hope you enjoy this short little one!

“Tendencies”

I have a tendency
to burn and yearn,
as my heart goes ablaze like a flame
for men who don’t deserve it.

I have a tendency
to sigh and cry,
as my heart swells like the sea
for men who haven’t earned it.

I have a tendency
to pine and shine,
as my heart glitters like gold
for men who want to transform it.

I have a tendency
to bite and fight,
as my heart growls like an animal
for men who would disarm it.

I wrote this poem a little over a month ago and realized I never shared it even though I totally intended to!! 😅

This poem was created using the titles of songs on the Top 40 hits list from the year I graduated high school. I’d love to see other people try doing this as well!! It’s super easy to Google “top 40 of” (insert year of choice) and then get going with a poem!

This one also kind of goes along the lines of the prompt “write a poem using only song titles” by .poetry

Anyway, here it is, enjoy! Try to count the songs you know/recognize 😝

“Top 40 Of My Heart In 2013”

There were so many blurred lines,
it never felt like getting lucky,
wake me up please,
don’t let me go,
don’t sing la la la and plug your ears,
like you can’t hear me roar.

Leave me tattered at some thrift shop,
just give me a reason to exist,
I’ve been counting stars
and searching for myself in mirrors,
but all I see is the reflection of Pompeii.

I’ve been waiting all night,
but I can’t hold us forever,
won’t you love me again,
make my heart beat, burn red,
when you were my man,
I knew you were trouble,
you’d scream and shout,
but I love it.

Dear darling,
remember when they played “Ho Hey”
and we cried wishing he could stay,
graduation brought on a summertime sadness,
one way or another, it found me feeling hopeless.

Talk dirty to me, you say,
you be the monster,
I could be the one for you,
but we can’t stop the silence,
white noise between our lips,
radioactive skin.

Hold on, we’re going home,
I need your love right now,
you want to bang bang in the backseat?
Or maybe somewhere only we know?
I need you, I say,
but you always play hard to get.

What about us,
weren’t we wild?
Back in the days of the other side?
Drinking from the bottle, thirsty for life.

Another trauma poem. I was reading Know My Name, the incredible memoir by and her words are just so beautifully threaded together, they’ve been inspiring several poems for me.
I’ve also been hearing of recent shark attacks in the area and thinking of the saying “there are plenty of fish in the sea”… yeah, but how many of these fish are out for blood?

“I Live In Shark Infested Waters”

There are plenty of fish in the sea
but how many are evil, predatory
sharks with jaws of bloodied teeth,
stained red, ravenous for girls like me?

Hunting these waters, searching for prey,
you’d think we’d be safe in this shallow bay,
even when approached by a harmless display,
the smile of a shark is made to betray.

They bite and tear at my tender flesh,
devouring my body under my dress,
leaving my life a dismembered mess,
do you think sharks care if I didn’t say “yes”?

Did you know I’m also a singer-songwriter? Have you heard my latest song yet??
🔥
If not, head on over to the SoundCloud link in my LinkTr.ee and give it a listen, it’s called “The Arsonist”
🔥🔥🔥
I just recently met a new friend who produces music and we’ve been recording a few of my songs. I never thought I’d be back in a studio so this is extremely exciting to me!!
🔥🔥🔥
I’m really thankful and happy to be getting back into my music, so please let me know what you think! 💕🌞

Dating is weird. Crushes are weird. And exciting and scary all at once.
But sometimes you just got to be brave and take your chances. It could pay off.
💕
Volcano Girl is now available on Amazon and other online booksellers! Get yourself a copy and be sure to leave a review!
🌋

Just wanted to show off these two bookish beauties because I’m so proud!
🙈💕
I’ve been published now in an anthology by called 365 Days Of COVID, as well as in my own book, Volcano Girl. Soon I’m going to be featured in another anthology by 📖💕
It’s still a little mind blowing to me that I’m a published poet now.
It’s weird but exciting!
I went into this whole poetry Instagram community just looking for a place to post my writing for fun. I had no idea it would be the source of new friendships and eventually inspire me to publish a book of my own!
📖
Find both of these collections on Amazon and other online book retailers!
🌋

Just a little poem I threw together for this morning!
✨🪐
I used a couple prompts for this one:
“The astronaut” by
“In space, tears don’t fall” by
✨🪐
I’m actually pretty happy with this one? Idk how I feel. 😅
What do you think?

“I Just Need Some Space”

I departed the Earth’s atmosphere after leaving his house,
became an astronaut and waved goodbye to this town.
Droplets of salty tears emerged from my eyes on the way up,
I did my best to catch them as they fell into my half-empty cup.
But with just enough distance, with just enough space,
the tears stopped dropping at such an alarming pace.
I continued to cry but they slowed to a halt
Nobody had told me that in space, tears don’t fall.
They simply accumulate in your eyes,
blurring previously solid lines.

Happy April 1!! To kick off I have a poem I wrote using one of my prompts for this month, “the ruins of Pompeii.” ✍🏼💔

Hope you enjoy!

“The Ruins Of Pompeii”

The eruption lasted two days.

Vicious Vesuvius rained tears of pumice rock,
molten magma core breaking under pressure.
Suffocating in plumes of smoke,
waves of heat burned up my body.
My heart remains, the ruins of Pompeii
preserved in ash and rock.
Archaeologists of future centuries
will discover it, still warm and beating,
studying its survival through
the volcanic crisis that was our destruction.