PLACESIN MYMIND
by marielle miller
There is a loud place in my mind where the bad things live, Where the sky cries through smog and night
And water runs thick and muddy.
A place where everything long-gone and terrible settles down, The smoke from their fireplaces clogging my eyes.
There is a quiet place in my mind where the good things work, Diligently toiling away in their little factories, Churning out hope and rainbows
And all the things that make me smile.
I wish they would speak up.
There is a rich place in my mind where praise lives, Where the streets are paved with gold
And everyone gets a free set of jewel-encrusted robes. It makes it hard to get much done And the roads are slippery.
There is a twisty place in my mind where questions go, Winding their way through mazes and puzzles, Contorting and evolving
Until they finally reach the front of my brain
And I start to ponder them.
There is a strange place in my mind where ideas come from.
No one really knows how one thing leads to another,
But now I’m plotting things behind my blithe smile.
I imagine there’s a lab where these ideas are made, Beautiful and impossible.
There is a locked place in my mind where dreams hide,
Hushed conversations I could understand once.
Now all I can see are the silvery wisps that slip under the door
Carrying visions of what’s inside.
It’s a sleepover I’m not invited to.
There is an overflowing place in my mind where words are stored,
Some fitting neatly in their boxes, some held down with straps, Some spilling from their crates onto the floor
With a swirl of packing peanuts. They do come in handy.
There are a million and one other places in my mind, Some dark, some bright, some magical and some mundane. They’re all marked on a map when you get there, Flowing away from the “You Are Here” mark
In a maze of hope or horrors, whichever you decide.
I hope one day I can explore every nook and cranny
Inside this crazy city I call my mind.
But for now, I’m happy to settle down
And invite all my thoughts and feelings to a cozy tea party
Under the stars.