The Con Artist [Poetry]

You make an art
out of attraction.
Luring lady moths
to you like a fervid flame
to burn their wings
and scorch their hearts horridly.
You break through
the security of ribcages
to steal slow-beating hearts
only to shatter them
when trying to tug
your hands through the bars.
A con artist
who has mastered attraction,
still making an art
of love lasting.

© 2014 | Jazelle Handoush

The Simplicity of Me [Poetry]

Don't paint me
as a hero or a damsel;
don't make me out helpless
or something special
in your mind.
Don't pretend I'm my scars
make me a warrior
or see them as picture
me weak.
Don't conjure up a story
based on my skin or personality.
Just don't pretend you know me.
See me as a woman,
a man,
a person,
fighting for something.
Fighting for happiness,
a chance beyond loneliness,
or the simplicity of a smile,
but don't look at me and see
any more or less than I could possibly be.

© 2014 | Jazelle Handoush

The Career You Qualify For [Six Word Story]

Heartbreakers destroy
from the inside out.

(c) 2014 | Jazelle Handoush

The Midnight Mistress [Poetry]

You're the dark side of the moon;
both a mystery and a muse.
With a crescent smile upon your lips
And stars in your eyes that sparkle
Eons out of reach.
So much left unseen
Of your midnight-cloaked being
Yet knowing there's still stone
On the other side
Leaves me a blind moth
Forced to find a flickering flame;
An uncontrolled attraction
As my body takes the lead
Waiting for an eclipse
To leave me breathless,
To shift the dark side into sight
And answer with inspiration.

© 2014 | Jazelle Handoush

So Much More [Six Word Story]

I won't be
just another memory.

© 2014 | Jazelle Handoush

You're Not Excused [Poetic Pieces]

'Because I love you' 
isn't a reason.
It's an excuse.

© 2014 | Jazelle Handoush

Your Galactic Gaze [Poetic Prose]

You know every time I look at you, I lose myself just a little bit more? As though your gaze holds an entire galaxy just for me. And when the black hole in your pupil threatens to pull me in, I want to let go and allow the suffocation to start. Have you drown me in the daydream of what we could be.

It would be easier, sinking into the stars I find in your eyes and make meals from the constellations, the distinct taste of Bellatrix tickling my tongue. We could cuddle in the Big Dipper, just dive in and drift off, counting planets as they pass. You would pleasure me with quick kisses that sprinkle stardust against my skin, making each spot you’ve marked shine for all to see. Loosen the asteroid belt that separates our sins and I’ll pull you in. And when comets collide, the sky will streak with the story of you and I.

But only for tonight, star-crossed lover. My heart is only in this retrograde spin for a single night. And while I’d gladly spend it drowning in the black hole of your galactic gaze, suffocating in a love story that suddenly makes sense, I can’t stay. So show the sky all the ways celestials shatter stars, and when I’m out of your orbit again, I’ll watch. I’ll touch the stardust tattoos you’ve stained me with, lick my lips with lust for Bellatrix, and tighten the asteroid belt I wear as a reminder:

Star-crossed lovers only love one star ever.

© 2014 | Jazelle Handoush

You Can't Hide [Poetry]

We used to build forts and hide beneath blankets
as though thin fabric was enough to block out the world.
We'd stick to the shadows and watch the silhouettes
that walked passed, pretending they didn't notice the fortress,
when truly they saw our attempts to escape reality childish.
They knew of the impossibility, because instead of pillow forts,
they curled into the blankets on their beds and wept,
desperate to escape the world when they
couldn't even escape themselves.
We saw monsters under the bed and banished them
by wielding flashlights, allowing night lights to stand guard
beside our beds, unaware that our solitude fed the monsters,
not fear. They pretended they weren't afraid of the dark only
because they knew of the monsters that thrived in the light.
So when the sun came up, and we felt secure, safe,
the adults would open their eyes and sigh,
wishing they could build a fort
and hide.

© 2014 | Jazelle Handoush

The Endless Masquerade [Six Word Story]

Your mask
has faded to skin.

© 2014 | Jazelle Handoush

Heart Highs and Lows [Poetry]

The only difference between
falling in love and falling apart
is the type of high 
we find ourselves on.

© 2014 | Jazelle Handoush