West Virginia Poem
By Chris Schwartz
Staring down into a valley
A hundred acres of paradise
She struggles to light her cigarette
And wonders if it’s too late
To circumcise
The pain that she’s been through
Or if she can begin again
In hopes of all that’s new.
She wants to grab it
She wants to make it all their own
She knows she’s found something
So special, but not her own.
She sees paradise
He sees his dream…
That just keeps crashing…
To the ground.
He owns the world
Keeps his gifts a secret
She keeps her world
A secret
Because the world
Would own her
If they knew.
Damn,the Devil or the Gods
Could have come
20 years sooner.
She would have been
Much sharper
At sorting the deck.
Russian Roulette.
So, I am stuckin this moment
Choosing to live
For as long as I can
Or to die.
It’s a catch twenty-two.
Live in the moment
Or die,
Unsatisfied.
Or die
Because you live in the moment
Still unsatisfied.
The dog rests on the porch,
The creek whispers
While the birds chirp
All that we long to hear.
The sunset fades
In the valley
It took so long for us to clear.
I’ve found my heaven
Though it won’t be enough
Dreamers never settle.
And love’s not enough.
Damned if they didn’t die
Trying.
