poem – The Pages of the Story

The View From Up Here

View looking out through a window screen. There are several trees in front of a black and white house. Ivy is growing on the trees and some of them are starting to grow their own leaves.
On the windowsill are four succulents (if you pay attention to my instagram, these are Geralt, Ophelia/Octavia, Richard, and Constantine, only Geralt is not a cactus). Between the plants are small shells and pieces of quartz.

The view from up here is slowly changing in this little world
I’ve been here for weeks and the trees are turning green
My eyes are tired from too many things observed
In all this chaos the quiet was lost, it would seem

And yet when I breathe in through the open window
I can forget the rest, if only for a moment
I keep hearing that the only way to feel peace is to let go
But how can you let go in this climate?

There are five windows in my house:
One to the driveway
One in the kitchen
One to the rooftops
One to the world
And this one, to the trees.
This window is my favorite.
It’s quiet.
You can hear the birds singing today,
They have arrived for spring.

Spring

Did you forget spring was here?
I did, for a while.
I can’t see any flowers from up here,
But at least now the trees are starting to turn green.

The view into everything is bleak,
But the view from up here is nice at least.

-Tori Lynn

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Serendipity

Tori (the author) clinging onto her husband’s (Johnny) back as he carries her over the sand at orchard beach in the Bronx. The sun is setting over the water, the sky is pink. They are both wearing coats and hats. Both are grinning and looking away from the camera in opposite directions. — Orchard Beach – December 2018

I could’ve missed you in a thousand ways

Before we met

My mind was whirring in a thousand directions

The way we met

It easily could have never happened

Or when we met

We could’ve been premature and fallen apart or missed our chance

But how we met

We were thrown together in chaos

And after we met

I knew you’d be in my life, in some way, forever

Since we’ve met

You’ve been my sweet serendipity

I’m so glad we met

Bursting

Everything is building up, it would seem.

I am bursting at the seams.

My breath is short.

My fingers are tapping.

My heart is racing.

Why am I bursting?

It would be nice to know.

It seems as if I am always fighting against the flow.

Ants in My Heart

Perhaps it’s because that milestone is closer,

Perhaps it’s because the environment is different,

Perhaps it’s because I’ve always felt like a piece in the wrong puzzle,

But every now and then I get ants in my heart,

They make me want to drop everything

and run.

Exploding Stars

I understand now why stars explode

I too am tired, but I long to explode

To change the universe and be done

All at once

Mature

I remember when I looked at the world with starry eyes

But now I can barely see the stars in the sky

The world is growing darker

Is feeling this cold what it means to mature?

The world around continues to smolder

Is this what they mean by getting older?

Fly Home

I’m flying home

Home is not where it once was

But I’m trying now

To hone in on what it means

The mountains peak out from under the clouds

And my mind is stirring round and round

I’m flying home

But home is not where it used to be

Breathe in the Summer Sun

Summer is here

and I’ve never felt so free.

Learn to let go

and learn to be.

-Tori Lynn