my heart still beats with music
flying with a broken wing
has never stopped me,
the wing will heal;
and my heart still beats
with music—

so let's give the psalm some
rhythm and a lot of
soul,

let the chorus be a melody
the world has never heard before;

i am a weird girl dancing
to the beat of my own
drum—

i am not a song you've ever
heard before or will ever hear
again so make sure you listen when I'm singing to you,

because if you make me feel
small and insignificant;

then I'll keep my crow song to
myself and join the rest of
the misfit crows with my inky
black wings.
-linda m. crate

where my magic is understood
dragons in flight, freed from
the tethers of anyone's need
are so beautiful to watch;

but there's a part of me that
also wants to escape
on the back of one into another
realm where i am warmly
accepted and loved
where my magic is understood—

some forgotten princess
which is suddenly remembered,

pulled away from a reality where
she doesn't feel known
or appreciated;

ever since i was a little girl i thought
perhaps if i were good enough
my father would come find me
and take me home—

sometimes he was a prince
or a king,
but usually he was a vampire.
-linda m. crate

no night sky without darkness
memories are occasionally
a tragedy,
i think my mom thinks i want
to be sad sometimes;

but i don’t really choose to be—

sometimes my brain takes a
trip to memory lane,
and all i can think of are the things
which hurt me;

there’s love and light in my life
but those echoes seem too soft

in comparison with all the hurt i
have either have had to face
or overcome—

memories last forever,
the impact of words and deeds
matters;
and i will not apologize for the way
i process things—

there would be no night sky
without a bit of darkness,
but i won’t let the darkness swallow
all of my light.
-linda m. crate