Singin' the Straightjacket Blues

By Andrew S. Bailey

This book is a collection of poems compiled over the past few years. It is like a collage of emotions mingled together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664168558

Book preview

All Through The Night

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Up in arms all through the night, entangled beside the candlelight.

Holding each other so tight that the effort requires our might.

Up in arms all through the night, entangled beside the candlelight,

gazing up at a moon so white that leaves but first puts up a fight.

Filling up on each other as the wax continues to melt,

and it transcends every other feeling that I’ve felt.

Up all night in bed sharing a bottle of wine as the wheel endlessly turns,

within our hearts lies something that simultaneously soothes and burns.

Baptism By Fire

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Knives were lying on the kitchen table,

but as of then, I was not yet able

to ensure that they serve their purpose.

Then, unwelcome thoughts began to surface

and light shone in through the ghastly cracks in the door.

Suddenly, my vision was doubled and I start seeing more.

But still I didn’t have the nerve to confess or a single reason to suppress.

As I now burn cold with red hot desire,

baptize me with not holy water but fire.

Do not extinguish me no matter how loud I scream,

because all in all, this is only a terrible dream.

My split bleeding heart fluttered as I heard the words the reverend uttered

as softly as a butterfly lands in a curious child’s hands.

Some patterns are boring and askew, but for this one my interest grew

as quickly as those airplanes gracefully and gloriously flew

through clouds in a sky that was sparkling blue.

At times, it becomes so difficult to stay in between the lines,

and it seems that around every corner waits landmines,

yet all you actually have to do is recognize the signs.

For quite some time I’ve been searching within

for a virtue that lurks somewhere beneath the skin.

I wouldn’t put an ounce of faith in a god that doesn’t believe in