Same Person / Personal Space

Personal Space by Ashlee Craft

(from A Thousand Cranes, Volume 7)

walking tall with my
shoulders back & my chin lifted
no, no more do I cower hiding behind false bricks & pretending that I am not there
no more do I hide inside myself too afraid to speak at all
no more do I complacently go along with what I am told & never question it
no more do I take the words of others as gospel
or think that just because someone thinks I should do something, that I should
or that I have to go along with it
& never belong to anyone but me
no more am I am afraid to speak up for myself

don’t let them push you around
two people told me this in the same week
& I took it to heart that time when I finally said no
& learned to take my life back
from the hands of others to whom they thought it had been given
don’t let them push you around
stand up for yourself
stand up for yourself
stand up to all those who try to repress you
or keep you where you don’t want to be
or make you uncomfortable
or bring you down in any way
or make you feel like you’re not worth it

no more shall I avert my eyes & look down
as if I am hiding
no more shall I hunch my shoulders
as if I am invisible
no more shall I let others push me around
as if I am not worthy of respect
I am a different person now
& no one pushes me around
no one tells me what I should be
no one brings me down
no one makes me afraid
no one makes me feel invisible
no one stops me

Stars & Owls

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Stars & Owls // Ashlee Craft

Devon & Jones Women’s Savile Patterned Dress Shirt in Multi Cabana Stripe // shorts from T. J. Maxx // star earrings from Claire’s // purple earrings from Wal-Mart // Just Be… High Top Tennis Shoes // eye shadow from L. A. Colors // purple eyeliner from Claire’s // white rubber watch from Wal-Mart // gold bangle bracelets from Wal-Mart // owl socks from Amazon.com // owl ring from eBay

Stars & Owls // Ashlee Craft

Stars & Owls // Ashlee Craft

 

Yellow T-Rex Outing

you stood with your back to the wind & the rain
& lied to the clouds about where you thought you belonged
in a cage, you said
but I knew you were wrong
& that your only true home could be the wind & the sky & the wild nature outside the door
that no cage could ever contain you

Yellow T-Rex Outing // Ashlee Craft

Yellow sleeveless shirt by Just Be… // skirt brand unknown // tights by No Boundaries // combat boots by Faded Glory // gel nail polish by L. A. Colors in Rockin’ It // sparkly hair bow from a dollar store // t-rex earrings from eBay // gold facial glitter on cheeks by Wet ‘N Wild // yellow eye shadow by Modeso

Yellow T-Rex Outing // Ashlee Craft

Yellow T-Rex Outing // Ashlee Craft

Yellow T-Rex Outing // Ashlee Craft

Yellow T-Rex Outing // Ashlee Craft

 

& the sky is still waiting to hear the sound
of the bird who is finally learning to fly

Yellow T-Rex Outing // Ashlee Craft

Yellow T-Rex Outing // Ashlee Craft

Yellow T-Rex Outing // Ashlee Craft

 

Pineapple Girl

Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft

Pineapple shirt by No Boundaries // shorts by Gap // Op high top shoes // pink bow on shirt from Claire’s // pineapple earrings from Claire’s // bracelet from Wal-Mart // L. A. Colors eye shadow // lipstick L. A. Colors in Coral Sheen // glitter lip gloss by L. A. Colors in Fuschia // Claire’s pink eyeliner brushed onto ends of lashes // brows colored with e.l.f. cosmetics coffee eyeliner pencil

Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft

Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft

Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft

Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft

Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft

Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft

Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft

Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft

Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft

Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft
Pineapple Girl // Ashlee Craft

 

blackberry flowers

Blackberry Flowers - Ashlee Craft // ashleecraft.com

forgotten / I saw you standing off to the side

trying to pretend that you couldn’t see the sun / flowers
along the side of the trail, you walked so far ahead of me
I had to squint into the sun to see you / it was how you wanted it
to be; running away, like you always did / you stopped
& bent down to look at the flowers

I approached you slowly / a shadow from the trees above us
reflected down onto you, all I saw was your fragile & shatterable self
confidence was hanging by a thread & I felt a greater sense of pity
& a greater sense of nurturing towards you than I previously knew
then fear made sense to me / you were afraid of losing me to the wind & the storms
& yet I was afraid of losing you to the night & the words
of everyone who tried to bring you down

you sat there still & silent / looking towards the flowers
but not at them / “I’m sorry.” I told you
the breeze blew & the flowers trembled, then the breeze came to a close
& the sunlight fell still & rested upon the petals
“it’s all going to be okay.” I said gently to you “everything is going to be fine.”

the beams of stars

Palmettos by Ashlee Craft // ashleecraft.com


singularity happenstance replicated patterns on wood silk nonsensical rants over cups of coffee / I walk everywhere with you & we physically don’t go anywhere but mentally we are everything reaching out into the void of space across the endless miles between us & touching each others’ souls / & it is in this space, this emptiness, this nothingness that I find I am able to be myself, to see myself reflected in the beams of stars, & it is all there, & all beautiful, & I can hold it in the palm of my hands & do nothing, & the star beams of light keep flooding out into the wilderness, & illuminating everything radiant & so beautiful, & I am knowing that it is there, & right to be there, & star beams are branching out from my hands & traveling the miles or maybe its only a few feet between us & the star beams are branching out & they find you there, the light is reaching from my hands into yours, & so that even when we are far from each other, we see the same sun & live in the same minutes & seconds & hours, & this is how we find each other