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Dec 2023 · 816
Minefield
Amanda Kay Burke Dec 2023
You treat me like minefield
Challenging to navigate
Wrong step will cause me to explode
You take caution with your gait
Got pocketfuls of problems
Neither can seem to fix
Each door we try to open
Leads to wall of bricks
You keep telling me think positively
Optimism is the key to success
When the half-full glass topples over
Still makes the same size mess
Got a fence built between bodies
Separating flaws we don't wish to see
Compatability questionable
Cannot be who you want me to be
Your expectations of me skyscrapers
So high I will never reach the top
To scale distance I'd need to sprout wings
I won't fly because I'm scared of the drop
Good enough worry is not what I am
Painting your colors dark grey
Overhead clouds pour rain and we're drowning
Wouldn't blame you if you decided not to stay
I am fragile like a bomb not fragile like a flower
Dec 2023 · 1.5k
Morning Mind
Amanda Kay Burke Dec 2023
The first thought emerging in morning mind:
"World blind to suffering"
Is winding road going where I desire?
Question I'm reluctantly uttering
It's hard not to wake up on the wrong side of the bed when the world is such a terrible place these days
Dec 2023 · 594
Bigger
Amanda Kay Burke Dec 2023
The universe is not as big as it seems
It is bigger
A quote by yours truly
Dec 2023 · 1.0k
"A Setback"
Amanda Kay Burke Dec 2023
"A setback" is understating

World completely fallen to pieces
It has disintegrated entirely

Opportunity to make new one

Spectacular comeback?
OR
Extraordinary letdown?
I can look at it either way
Nov 2023 · 105
My Only Choice
Amanda Kay Burke Nov 2023
I need to stop hurting every day
Feel like I've lost who I am
How can I insist I'm okay?
Too long spent living a sham

You're not there each second with me
Fall apart when you're not around
How I act like I'm happy
In your absence break down

I cannot smell your scent when you're gone
Touch
Hear your voice
Have to stand up and be strong
That's my only choice
Nov 2023 · 1.2k
The Most Beautiful Lie
Amanda Kay Burke Nov 2023
The most beautiful lie I ever heard in my entire life

Can I keep hearing again and again?

Inside mind
Waiting in the very back
Teasing all day

Forgot place it originated from
Patiently rested there so long

Where am I with no trace of these words?

Now I am forcefully facing the truth

Calling friend in my time of need

Just crying out to deaf ears

No one listens

They take advantage of what I am missing

Pretty flowers have wilted and died

Butterflies in tummy flew off

Ripping the band-aid off as fast as I could

You strode into life without my permission

So I wonder why it hurts this much to watch you walk out of it

I've never felt whole as I did the moment you murmured those three perfect words

So scary thinking back how many emotions I experienced
You shared none of them

Me
And myself alone felt gravity pulling towards you faster than a magnet springs toward metal

Keeping tears as trophies to put up for show in your mental display case

Waiting for me to topple so you could catch me in your net
A specimen shown off
To use

Everything ruined with the shattering realization that when you said
"I love you"
Were merely lying

It all was a lie
Spilled water on paper so deciphering my smudged handwriting felt like putting together clues to a mystery
Nov 2023 · 409
From The Beginning
Amanda Kay Burke Nov 2023
Okay will someone please enlighten me on why I'm so ****** up?

Let's go over it from the beginning

Because I am baffled..
Barely a poem haha
Nov 2023 · 548
Hooked
Amanda Kay Burke Nov 2023
Who used to stay up late talking?
You were drunk and had no one else to listen

Love the invisible fishing line that hooked me directly through my gills even still to this day

You caught me without using a single piece of bait
Written 4-29-20
Nov 2023 · 579
Be Amazing
Amanda Kay Burke Nov 2023
Be the most amazing person that you can be
Who you've always tried to be like
You can inch towards goals little by little
Moving forward like wheels on a bike
Encouraging all the ways I know how
Sure it's not what energy you need
Sorry you feel pressured or pushed
I just cannot help but want you to succeed
It ***** when you want what's best for someone but they don't want that themselves
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
Live as if flying
Good things are coming your way
Goals within your grasp
Taking an optimistic approach for once
Oct 2023 · 805
Concrete Crown (Senyrū)
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
Heavy hangs the head
Crown created with cement
Fragile face fades
Heavy is the head who wears the crown...
Oct 2023 · 357
I Need To Grow Up
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
Someone told me once
"You need to grow up"
It's as kids that we have all the fun...
Forever a child at heart
Oct 2023 · 1.0k
Special
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
It's special when I am with you

Special because you are there with me
Not because something is done to make our time together different than when I am with anyone else

To put simply
Each moment with you is a moment worth remembering
Written sometime in 2020
Oct 2023 · 860
Love Is Crazy
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
Love is crazy

Long lonely nights
Short stories told back and forth on a landline until the battery on the handset dies

We try forgetting days that haunt us like restless ghosts but they linger like the adhesive left when you peel the sticker off the back of a lighter..
It's the little things that stick with us the most
Oct 2023 · 968
God's Mistakes
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
Demons are God's mistakes

Angels that could not quite make the cut
I am an atheist but I like to use a little artistic liberty from time to time when wrting
Oct 2023 · 434
Reinvent Yourself (Senyrū)
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
Never be frightened
To reinvent character
One part at a time
Never be afraid to reinvent yourself
Oct 2023 · 757
Hearts On Fire (Senyrū)
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
And I tried my best
Page lit up with blazing words
Hearts fire explained
You are so hot my heart is on fire 🚒
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
Laughing so loudly
Breath short and scarce afterwards
Making jokes to share
Laughter truly is the best medicine
Oct 2023 · 2.8k
Words Are Flowers (Senyru)
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
Your words are flowers
Blooming in interactions
Early blossoms grow
Written 3-9-20
Oct 2023 · 97
Love You Longer
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
Deep in heart there will forever be a place
Existing only to hold the image of your face
I've tried but no words fingers could write
Accurately describe your beauty and light
There always will be a piece of you inside of me
Every time I look into a mirror that's what I see
Through glass familiar lines echo out your name
Traces of you distinctly formed in the woman I became
I speculate upwards to the sky
Wondering where you are
For a brief second heaven doesn’t seem so far
Yearning to go back to when my story was new
I could do things different and change the way I treated you
You spent many years watching me play and grow
Sweating in sun
Shivering in snow
You wore out bones making sure I had it all
Bending backwards to my every beck and call
I'd climb tree branches all the way to the top
Until you witnessed me up there and your heart would drop
Then yell for me to get down
Concerned as hell
I would roll my eyes and comply although I rarely ever fell
I was too youthful to appreciate how much you cared
To comprehend the importance of each memory shared
I recall how you stayed up until dawn
Sewing costumes
Stifling every yawn
Or helping craft projects for school
Hosting sleepovers so I could feel cool
On picture day you would wake up early and curl my hair
Pick out a matching outfit to wear
You stood up for me no matter what
If asked you would be there no ifs, ands, or buts
Like in 6th grade when teacher wanted me to change my shirt in class
The words depicted had (in his opinion) "too much sass"
You and dad drove down and gave him a piece of your minds
He admitted defeat by rules dress code defined
I'll never forget feeling of invincibility
Regardless of situation never failed to put your faith in me
As a teenager began to fued and fight
Didn't value your verdict because I believed I was right
Didn't understand the reason for your overprotective ways
Where you came from
Positive you were out to make me miserable by not letting me have fun
But now I am older I see the picture all too clear
Decisions were based not on my character; but fear
And I'm grateful you loved me enough to insist on saying no
Instead of letting run wild anywhere I wanted to go
It took a decade to forgive you and grow wise
Should have listened sooner so I would have realized
That family is a blessing
Cherish and hold near
Because you never expect someone to disappear
I am guilty of not clutching you tighter while I could
Thanks to you I've lived a life with so much good
You were the best mother in the world
Should have informed you of that more
I keep wishing for everything to be like before
If you viewed me now I know you'd want me to be stronger
I will miss you for an eternity Mom
And love you even longer
I wrote this and read it aloud at my mom's celebration of life on Sunday
Amanda Kay Burke Oct 2023
What's family mean?
Bottles holding hearts hostage
Won't hold our love back
Written 3-8-20
Sep 2023 · 185
Feel Less Alone
Amanda Kay Burke Sep 2023
It's hard waking up every day without you near
What would you say if you were still here?
With darkness comes hope for brighter new day
Search horizons for light your death took away
The shadow absence casts freezes to the bone
But love my heart holds for you makes me feel less alone
Amanda Kay Burke Sep 2023
The door opens to world beyond
Say one final goodbye
We wish our time lasted longer
Your turn to be lifted into the sky
Always aware you were an angel
Now you have finally got wings to fly
About my mom
Amanda Kay Burke Sep 2023
The sound of your voice haunts my dreams
And the wind whispers your name
Calling out to me in the coldest night
A reminder that nothing will again be the same
Sep 2023 · 1.8k
Temporarily Grey
Amanda Kay Burke Sep 2023
In dark moments of life it may be hard
Finding love for your existence each day
Behind every sorrow is meaning
All clouds will eventually drift away
Skies of blue are waiting around new corners
This time only will be temporarily grey
Everything is temporary. Pain, joy, peace, confusion, excitement, and even grief are all simply passing emotions that overall are a mere blip on the entirety of our timelines
Sep 2023 · 888
Celebration Of Life
Amanda Kay Burke Sep 2023
Your journey has come to an end
Mourning for a soul no longer here
Love slowly will help wounds mend
In heart presence will never disappear
Trying to write a poem for the program for my mom's celebration of life
Sep 2023 · 726
Anonymous (Senyrū)
Amanda Kay Burke Sep 2023
Stay anonymous
I won't ever be famous
Because all of this
I don't do it for the glory but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be famous for my words...
Amanda Kay Burke Sep 2023
You can't craft honor
Character a clear birthmark
Darkness a defect
I think you can pretend but ultimately we are either born with it and are naturally inclined to do the right thing or without it and are forever doomed to replicate those who are. Sometimes they are successful but most of them fail miserably.
Sep 2023 · 1.0k
PDA (Senyrū)
Amanda Kay Burke Sep 2023
They think we are gross
"Why don't you two get a room?"
I love PDA
What can I say?
I'm not ashamed
Sep 2023 · 881
We Are Paper (Senyrū)
Amanda Kay Burke Sep 2023
One billion stories
With thousands of pages filled
Are we but paper?
Everything is temporary
Sep 2023 · 883
Losing Battle (Senyrū)
Amanda Kay Burke Sep 2023
I lose last battle
Your attention awarded
To somebody else
Never make someone a priority when you are only an option
Aug 2023 · 667
Are We There Yet? (Haiku)
Amanda Kay Burke Aug 2023
We're finally here
Driving long miles tired
Arriving safely
About long road trips
Aug 2023 · 660
Inferior Life (Haiku)
Amanda Kay Burke Aug 2023
Inferior lives
You and I know it is true
Outcasts together
Better to be outcasts together than outcasts alone
Aug 2023 · 670
Hard To Bear (Haiku)
Amanda Kay Burke Aug 2023
Is it hard to take?
Caring for one so little
Who craves you so much
I know I gave the world
Aug 2023 · 1.1k
Broken Brain
Amanda Kay Burke Aug 2023
The world suddenly becomes blurrier
Like presence begins slipping away
I'm guessing effects are shifting sides
Took one hit too many today

Slept on my dreams far too long
Changed the way perception blooms
Erased gleam one high at a time
Painted me as dark as the shadows in my room

Or just chiseled away my armor
It's so hard to accept the face beneath the mask
Where has the old me disappeared to?
The question in my chest I am too scared to  
ask
I wish I wouldn't have let t ruin my life and transform me into a complete stranger
Aug 2023 · 1.0k
Tempting Fate
Amanda Kay Burke Aug 2023
She was spiraling downward at an alarming rate
Couldn't be reasoned with (though many tried)
She ignored concern
Tempting fate
Behaving as if she had already died
Aug 2023 · 1.2k
My Word
Amanda Kay Burke Aug 2023
Giving my word that this time I will change
Promise kept for once indeed is something strange
Read lips when I say to you "Help me stay strong"
Painting your flaws red will always feel wrong
The way to reach goals is to grow to rely
On each other til the storm passes us by
It's learning to trust without question or concern
In rain until this painful period is adjurned
Waiting for strength to flood limbs
Clear each cloud away that dims
To dance on fingertips so near
Keep looking but it never reappears
Written 4/17/20
Jul 2023 · 1.1k
Roller-Coaster Ride
Amanda Kay Burke Jul 2023
Ripped emotions grip tight
On a roller-coaster riding
Show you my ups and downs
Darker side not hiding

Sometimes drops are slight
When my disposition is sweet
But don't dare to push the wrong button
Or I'll have you flying out of your seat

Although I may appear normal
Never doubt what is underneath skin
Past my grinning surface chaos is clear
Throughout thoughts is perversity prowling within

Put me into a locked padded cell
To completely lose my mind
Uncontrollable mood swings are not what I choose
Sanity snaps leaving reality behind
Written back when my mental state was not nearly as stable as it is now... Not that it is 100% stable now but so much better in comparison
Jul 2023 · 181
Miss You Too Much
Amanda Kay Burke Jul 2023
All my days are bad ones without you
Look to the sky like "what should I do?!"
The way I'm living would surely evoke a frown
In grave probably rolling completely upside-down
Thinking back when problems were few and so small
Universe seemed so frightening but you weren't scared at all
But presently I realize you kept your fears hid
Type of bravery that is heroic to a kid
I would forfeit anything to rewind time to those days
Hate that you are gone at least the memory stays
Found how to love myself by looking through your eyes
Reflection in the mirror today I don't even recognize
A lot would do differently if I had a second chance to change
Take all the hurtful words and for compliments exchange
Steal all the ways I treated you so ******* bad
Erase decisions that in the end made your soul feel sad
Now you are not here to view me turn my life around
Kills me to know I lost the opportunity to make you proud
But I still try because it's what you deserve
To make up for always getting on your last nerve
And if somehow watching me from afar
Hope you discovered how beautiful you truly are
And that you meant the world to me and so much more
In your absence it is difficult to remember what's worth breathing for
You were essential to daily routine
I loathe to myself for not telling you how much to me you mean
It was obvious I loved you because I told you almost every day
I never voiced APPRECIATION until you passed away
Now it is too late to express my gratitude
Last impression of me is my bratty attitude
You just wanted to spend hours with me but I had none to spare
After the amount you'd sacrificed I was too selfish to care
Yet never held against me my inconsideration
Unconditionally showering with adoration
I wish I regretted while you were still alive
So I apologized for all the attention I deprived
Now my neglect and unfairness haunt like a ghost
Ashamed I behaved childishly towards the one I cherish most
I assumed there would be time to rectify my actions later
Guess that is the consequence of being a procrastinator
And oh what heart wrenching lesson I have learned
By your generosity that forever will go unreturned
This remorse anchoring me to mistakes does weigh a ton
Shackles reminder of the ******-up **** I've done
I yearn for you to witness the sincerity when I speak
Whispering "I am sorry" for tears I caused to roll down your cheek
Presently dreams are only location sight is blessed by your face
Even there it's clear I am nothing but a disgrace
You once tamed insecurities like animals so wild
In the corner of my mind they sit piled
I'm working to scrape by without help from your hand
How could toes possibly walk when I am hardly able to stand?
Your guidance is vital to navigate road
Arms lack the strength to carry heavy load
But you taught not to quit even when things get hard
What doesn't **** will make me stronger although it may also leave me scarred
So in your honor will continue dragging along my feet
For success strive when it'd be simpler to admit defeat
Because I desire to be courageous like you were and confident too
It was as if a light switched on the instant you stepped in the room
You were one of a kind
Impossible to replace
No distraction capable of filling the empty space
But I will eventually acclimate to life void of your touch
Though at this moment all I can focus on is how I miss you too much
Jul 2023 · 1.5k
November
Amanda Kay Burke Jul 2023
November arrives on schedule
Comes in to visit each year
Whispers goodnight with stillness
Rustling one can hardly hear

I only see her four weeks
In heart time is of no concern
World to her is a routine on repeat
Myself know I have just a turn
Written you guessed it; 11/2/18 haha
Jul 2023 · 1.8k
Traces Of You
Amanda Kay Burke Jul 2023
I cannot escape memories
Absence haunts all I do
When eyes close your face is what mind sees
Every place I go there are traces of you
No matter where I go or what I do I feel you there
Jul 2023 · 1.7k
Holding Broken Pieces
Amanda Kay Burke Jul 2023
Holding broken pieces of past in the palms of my outstretched hands
Reasons evade me
I sit here struggling to understand
The edges dig deep
Causing tender skin to seep scarlet drops
Taking Tylenol to pummel pain until it finally stops
I'm ready to give up life and dive headfirst into my grave
It is difficult for me but I must admit my soul is far too gone to save
The devil stole it from my bones and doesn't plan on giving it back
Without it polished surface falters and slowly begins to crack
Just a glimpse into my depressing life
Jul 2023 · 437
Motor Mouth
Amanda Kay Burke Jul 2023
She's starting the motor on her mouth
Revving it up a little bit
Engine-powered phrases spin out
Accelerating with each word lips spit
Wish I was as great at rapping as I am at writing
Jul 2023 · 1.5k
Forgotten Spark
Amanda Kay Burke Jul 2023
Why did you choose to abandon me?
You were 'the one'
I guess I was not
Extinguished flame of everything we could be
All I am is a spark you forgot
And all you are is a smoldering ember that refuses to burn out
Jul 2023 · 277
Let There Be
Amanda Kay Burke Jul 2023
Let there be lasting love
Let there be luminous light
Seeds of bliss will surely grow upright
Jul 2023 · 755
The Older I Get
Amanda Kay Burke Jul 2023
The older I've gotten
Older I feel
More reality barely rearranges
All pain accumulates
Nothing but hand of time changes
Feel older and more tired each and every unhappy day
Jul 2023 · 1.1k
The Sad State Of The World
Amanda Kay Burke Jul 2023
The saddest thing is state of this world
In eerie indoctrinated paralyzation
Beautiful globe that once triumphantly twirled
Now in serious need of proper navigation
What has society become? :/
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