i & the universe know

you couldn't respect my boundaries

so you're no longer in my life,

if someone asks you not to do something

respect that;

 

i don't owe you explanations

or closure—

 

just because you miss me

doesn't mean i feel the same,

i loved you once;

 

and you abused my trust and my friendship

left me to water the plants of the garden

of our friendship alone then only started missing me

when the flowers began to wither and die

 

so i let that garden become overgrown with weeds—

 

i am wild and fierce,

told you that since i was a kid;

funny how a childhood friend doesn't

know who i am

despite spending all that time with me

 

almost as if you were in it for the things

i could do for you rather than because you

cared about me,

feel free to tell them i'm a villain

i and the universe know how good i was to you.

-linda m. crate

​

 

no better sanctuary than nature

there is a softness

in the trees

a delicate melody

singing in the wildflowers

 

magic dances in the light

that falls upon me

when i'm dancing through the

creek or walking through trees and once

there were even red capped mushrooms

with their freckled white spots,

 

and no one can tell me

there is any better sanctuary than

nature;

 

she has never demanded my vulnerability

and loves me even for my fierce wilds—

 

she accepts and loves me for who i am,

and i love her in turn because she always

brings me peace in a world that gives

more nightmares than it does dreams.

-linda m. crate

 

 

adventure & promise

crows follow me,

and butterflies seek

me out;

 

i am a magic

few understand

 

although they do tell me

that i am destined for

great things—

 

so i have hope even on dark days

that light will be found again,

 

and i am not scared because the

future is littered with the promise

of jewels that i have yet to dream;

 

and i close my eyes knowing

that adventure and promise is around every corner.

-linda m. crate

 

​

Linda M. Crate (she/her) is a Pennsylvanian writer. Her works have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies both online and in print. She is the author of three micro-poetry collections, seven poetry chapbooks, three full-length poetry collections, and the novel Phoenix Tears (Czykmate Books, June 2018). She can be found on Instagram and Twitter.