Category: poetry

dancing around
pulling that string
that will unravel it all
setting off fireworks
brighter than any 4^th of July
before burning it all
to the ground
causing a rebirth
or a redeath
either, better
than just dancing around

Tori Burris Inkley
4/18/24

Around me
Surround me
I fear that they’ve found me
Out

Out
And about
I’ll try a new route
Today

Today
Only play
At the edge of the fray
With you

With you
Dressed in blue
Who can’t see the true
Me

Me
Can’t you see
With my thoughts running free
Now

Not now

Not now

Not now

Tori Burris Inkley
4/17/24

Middle, middle
Thumbs to twiddle
How can life be such a riddle?

Yes, I’m stuck there
And to be fair
It’s just because I truly care

Can’t pick a side
Not that I’ve tried
Instead I’ve listened, sometimes cried

Guess it’s my fate
There’s no debate
And yes, I know, my life is great

Middle, middle
Thumbs to twiddle
While I try to solve this riddle.

Tori Burris Inkley
4/15/24

I thought we had a good thing going
I tried my best, uncertain, naïve
I gave you what I thought you needed,
Unbleached, all-purpose care
I gave you love and fed you, even in the wee hours.
And still you felt enclosed, trapped,
Confined behind glass
I tried to stir things up,
Keep you warm,
Allow you to rise to your full potential.
Where was that bubbly personality I’d been promised?
I backed off so you could rest
I discarded anything that wasn’t needed
And again, gave you your space.
I was told you’d come around in a week, maybe two.
You hung on, turning inward,
Not allowing me to see your real growth
Until late one night,
As I slumbered upstairs,
You found your truth, your purpose, your ability to grow.
When I awoke the next morning
I found, after the wanting, the hoping, the nurturing,
You were simply too much.
So, I cut you back down to size and started over
Filled with the fear that I may have to discard you altogether.
Maybe this relationship just wasn’t meant to be.

Tori Burris Inkley
4/13/24

Upside down
Or downside up
Snorting milk
Or farting pup
Monkeys on a tire swing
Football owners wearing bling*

Knock knock jokes
Told by kids
Shaken sodas
Exploding lids
Blooper reels including falls
Silent giggles when mom says balls

Jump scare pranks
With snoring dads
Dancing grandmas
On ipads
Animal park surprises from giraffes
All these things are good for laughs.

Tori Burris Inkley
4/12/24
(*IYKYK… Google “Woody Johnson bling”)

The scent of buttermilk pie
sneaking through the crack under my bedroom door
Hands, dry and coarse,
gripping the wheel of the riding mower and off he goes
Banjos singing into the night as adults dance in squares
and children run under the star splattered sky
Heat from the wood stove overpowering the room
until I have to sneak to crack a window
Another set of hands, dry and coarse,
diggin holes in the dirt before she plants the spring petunias
The crackle of okra cooking in an iron skillet
instantly making my mouth water
Fish frying in the wash house on a Friday night
while ketchup and tartar sauce sit at the ready
Faint sounds of “Get ‘im”, “Take ‘im down”, “Umph!”
making me laugh as Rick Flair wins again
Sweat tea and collard greens
and fatback floating in a pot of pinto beans
and somewhere, someone humming Amazing Grace… 

Tori Burris Inkley
4/11/24

Is a sunny day better than a rainy one?
Or a warm one better than cold?

Is a first date better than no date at all?
Or a new friend better than old?

Are roses better than daffodils?
Or parsley better than thyme?

Are apples better than tangerines?
Or lemons better than limes?

Who is it that decides the scale
that ranks one above another?
And does that scale apply to all,
Placing sister over brother?

And what’s the difference between better and best?
Is it large or very small?
And if something proves to be neither of those,
is it worth our time at all?

In my youth I strived for best,
as “only better” wouldn’t do.
But as I’ve aged, I’ve realized
it’s more about the view.

For what was better 10 years ago,
today may be the best.
Suppose the opposite’s also true
depending on the test.

So when I close my eyes tonight
and find my way to sleep,
I will rest most peacefully
knowing there’s no score to keep.

Tori Burris Inkley
4/10/24 

How’s it go again?

He loves me…
He loves me not?

Forget forget-me-nots
When my stomach was in knots
As I stomached all the thoughts
of will he stay or will he go.
What once was just for show
now lifts me high and sinks me low

Yes my heart continues growing
Even while we’re blow by blowing 
and I know what I now know…
There’s only stay; there is no go.

No need for any flowers
We’ve spent way too many hours
living in our ivory towers.
Where others’ love quickly sours
In thunderous screams and tear-filled showers
We’ve developed superpowers. 

Fighting demons so nearby
Holding close just he and I
Knowing days and years gone by
When we almost didn’t try

Our story may be long
Yet we’re here and going strong
Tangled in both right and wrong
Laughing as we go along

Clouds dance with rainbows
when you’re with the one you chose
Shoving off and pulling close
Not easy work, heaven knows.

Tori Burris Inkley
4/9/24