Cleopatra (poem)

I lost the love of my life.

It's a soothing thought at least,

to believe that it's over,

that that's my part in the story.

It removes the uncertainty,

so I no longer can wonder

if I'll ever love again.

No, this is certain.

I've already memorized my lines,

learned how to stare wistfully

off in the distance as if she was there,

made a playlist titled “one love”.

I've learned to keep pictures with me,

and return to places we'd been

to try and relive those precious moments,

write her name time and time again in my journal.

But I've fooled myself too many times

to fall for this sweet lie of mine.

As much as I want to believe,

it all feels empty.

-Zero

Inspired by "Cleopatra" by the Lumineers

How I do it (poem)

She asks me how I do it,

and I try to explain

how my mind is dangerously fictional,

wrapped in constant stories,

so much I get lost in them.

I try to explain that writing

is the only good use of them,

how since I can't escape,

I might as well tell them,

hoping that changing the characters saves me.

So rejoice that you are not so bad

that you write love stories

where they will never happen,

taking the slightest thing to mean so much,

when so often it is meaningless.

-Zero

I walk along the train tracks (poem)

I walk along the train tracks

after the first snowfall,

the white specks barely covering

the leaves blown by the passing train,

now held down, frozen in place,

on the rocks on the left and right,

to watch the train chug along.

-Zero