Tori Dreamer

There was a Mini Me
Just as tiny as could be
Who loved to sing and dance and entertain

One day the Mini Me
Couldn’t find an ounce of glee
And she wept, because she never would complain

That’s when the Mini Me
Understood she wasn’t free
And she worried that one day she’d go insane

And so, the Mini Me,
Resolved to find the key,
Buckled down and began to use her brain

And when the Mini Me
Realized she should just be
She promised to never settle or refrain

Then lo, the Mini Me
Underwent a growing spree
And was never known as Mini Me again

Tori Burris Inkley
4/10/26

Buds scream from the trees
and flowers fight to be released from earth
as temps rise and dip, rise and dip.
Spring is here, but not here.

Soft light cuts the dark
and coffee promises to work its wonders
as eyes open and shut, open and shut.
Morning is here, but not here.

Gliding through the room
and catching her reflection staring back
as thoughts come and go, come and go.
She is here, but not here.

Voices cry in fear
and masked enforcers gladly strike again
as people appear and disappear, appear and disappear.
Justice is here, but not here.

Here, but not here…

Tori Burris Inkley
4/9/26

I hear them coming,
Twirling
Swirling
All around the world is whirling
All the while the plan unfurling
Mankind’s fabric needs some burling
Hate and slander always hurling
Gold replaces all the sterling
Those nearby continue curling

And now we what…
Wait?

Tori Burris Inkley
4/8/26

Morning light appears
With all its promise
Its joy
Its surplus of possibility

And for a few brief hours
You hold its promise
Relish its joy
Embrace its possibility

And then the wait begins…
For the quiet
The release
The darkness

Evening time arrives
And you hold its quiet
Relish its release
Embrace its darkness

And then the wait begins…

Tori Burris Inkley
4/7/26

It washes over me again before the sun opens her eyes.
The downpour is torrential
and no amount of planning could’ve prepared me.

Whether it rains softly
or in buckets,
these showers are unwelcome.

I try to float
To wait it out
To sink into my own rhythm 

This bath is neither hot nor cold
No warmth or chill
Just here… and heavy

Tori Burris Inkley
4/6/26

A mother’s arms
wrapped tightly around this little body
Tears subside and eventually morph
into the rhythmic breathing of a child
once again at peace

As she places him gently on his bed
Her own tears fall unannounced
She sits for a moment
Crying silently
Knowing his safety won’t always lie in her hands

Tori Burris Inkley
4/5/26

I stare into her face
and wonder if we’re still friends
We’ve known each other a lifetime
Grown up together
Laughed and cried together
But sometimes when I lean in
and I look into her eyes
I barely recognize her as someone I was ever close to

Tethered together always on this journey
But are we still friends?
We’re older (I refuse to say “old”)
Hair is grey
Face is lined from years of laughing
… and crying

I can’t escape her
and I so try to love her
But are we still friends?
And does she feel the same?
Does she recognize me?
Or even want to see me anymore?

We still spend time together each day
Although the moments are brief
Sandwiched between obligations and exhaustion
We used to sit together for hours
Smiling, laughing, thinking about our future
We would role play
and put on makeup
Brush hair
and practice being “grown up”
… until we were

And now I wonder as I look at her
Are we still friends?

Tori Burris Inkley
4/4/26

Windows
Doors
Homes
         … to spring

Hearts
Minds
Eyes
         … to humanity

Tori Burris Inkley
4/3/26

Fasting 
Blasting
Hurried
Scurried
Just no time for being worried

Sprinting
Printing 
Typing
Piping
Can’t stop now, I’m over-hyping

Running
Gunning
Pacing
Racing
Quickly please, no need for tracing

Writing
Fighting
Ranking
Planking
In a rush, forget the thanking

Beating
Fleeting
Shopping
Hopping
Day is done, and now I’m dropping

Tori Burris Inkley
4/2/26

Do you ever grow weary of always being “on”?
Always shining bright?
Always bringing warmth to others?

Do you ever wish you could play at night?
Dance under the stars?
Laugh with friends by the glow of a fire?

Do you ever want to close your eyes?
Just take a break?
Sleep on pillows as soft as clouds?

Or have you accepted your fate?
Your past, present, future
Painted on that glow
That we see each day…
Unless the clouds decide to hold you prisoner

Tori Burris Inkley
4/1/26