literature – Dayna Lang

On Soulmates

I used to think That there was one great love And that if we only held on We needn’t suffer. That if I was patient And forgiving And sacrificial – Love could last forever. I needed to believe that Through the cosmos There was some special bond. Undestroyable. But then I found you And sawContinue reading “On Soulmates”

Closet Shelves

I sit in the room where it happened And I stare down the wall No photos left No paintings Just holes in the dry wall. I stare at empty closet shelves And try to wrack my brain There must be more To say or do There has to be a way. I wrote and wroteContinue reading “Closet Shelves”

Under-steeped and Selfish.

I am selfish in my bitterness. I am dark and under-steeped. The things I found to hold In my hands. They stick like Pine sap on a sandy beach. I just want to get down. I want to wipe my bark palms On ill-fitting jeans. But the sap stays with me. And it’s all IContinue reading “Under-steeped and Selfish.”

I want to put you into paper

I want to put you into paper to keep you here, in this space – Out of my brain And into my life. I want to postpone your ending – To glue you to pulp with pen So memories remain Static and still – Fragile and delicate, Like the signature on a will. I wantContinue reading “I want to put you into paper”

My Own Eulogy

Can I write my own eulogy? About how kind I tried to be, Failing and flailing Always re-arranging. I want to say how I cried And of often I dried off Around trees and streams In old sunlight beams. I was often too sorry. I was often over worried. Too sore to smile well, HidingContinue reading “My Own Eulogy”

The Wreckage

I’m in the wreckage And all it can do Is hurt me. I will go through And I’ll keep going. The world doesn’t stop spinning For one family’s shit. I am already diving – Finding treasure in the pit. It is glowing.

Heartbreak Smells Like Flowers

A screw can’t come lose Because I’m not a machine. But I always wake up tired – Headaches when You smile – Now I’m Scared I might get fired. Late for work – Inconsistent hours. This is what it’s like When heartbreak Smells like flowers.

Planted a Forest

If I am strong it is because of you. If I am kind it is because of you. If I strive to find equality in relationships – If I demand my worth, It is because of you. I am your daughter. You are the woman who First taught me how to Love. How to work.Continue reading “Planted a Forest”

Perfection

There is a voice inside my head – A voice all my own; Telling me the things it hates About itself. It lists my breasts, my hips, my thighs. It lists the crinkles beneath my eyes When I disguise my frown. It lists my arms, my knuckles, my nose. It lists the things I doContinue reading “Perfection”

I thought I saw you in the stars last night.

I thought I saw you in the stars last night. I called your name; But then I remembered You’re not coming home; And stars lie. They trick our eyes; But I still like seeing you In the night sky.