She watched him play
Toy with the girls’ emotions
And she remembered
All those days that she, too
Believed all the twisted lies

And there was an ache in her
Spilling out from her heart
Because she had so wanted
All those lies to be true
She'd loved him so deeply

She had assumed, erronously
That he loved her back
That things were different
With her and him than others
That she was special to him 

But as she watched him
Go through lover after lover
She realized they all thought
That they were special to him
But none of them were 

And as she watched him
She knew that he was losing
Because he didn't love
And he'd forgotten how it felt
To be honestly in love

Redness tainted her cheeks
He thought she was nervous
He couldn’t read her mind
That her blush was guilt

A hint of shame and unrest
At the thoughts that flowed
That hit her mind like a bullet
When she spotted him there

She'd never felt such feelings
And the disgust that filled her
The desire to harm him so
Startled her into unrest

And while she wouldn't act
Wouldn't follow the desires through
She was still embarrassed
She could think such things

So maybe innocence was more
More than she had realized
It was being pure in deed
Despite your first instinct

~Grace Marshall, poem "Despite Your Instinct"
(*Photo from Pixabay)

He was stealing her heart
One sugar-coated lie at a time
And she was unwittingly falling
Into the depths of despair

Her friends tried to warn her
Her family told her to run
But each discouraging word
Drove her further into his arms

Now looking back at it all
She wished she'd listened
But don't they always afterward
When they wake up broken

~Grace Marshall, poem "Unwittingly Falling"
(*Photo from Pixabay)

There was a rush in her heart
A flush upon her cheeks
A surge that shot through her
As his hand clasped hers

It was a new, fresh love
And it sent tingles across her skin
She hoped this would last
That this was only the beginning

~Grace Marshall, poem "A New, Fresh Love"

(Photo from Pixabay)

She didn’t find peace with crowds
Or in mind-numbing activities
Or sitting restfully by herself
She found it wrapped in his arms

She'd tried so hard, so many times
And it had all seemed futile
She'd looked so far for comfort
And it had eluded her again and again

And then he was suddenly there
And she didn't know it at first
But she couldn't win until she stopped
 Stopped trying and stopped fighting

~Grace Marshall "Finding Peace"
(*Photo from Pixabay)

She knew she'd grow each day

She learned every session

Was she the trainer or student

Perhaps they each were both

A flick of an ear, a whinny

An unexpected response, a nuzzle

Teaching patience and love

Helping to increase understanding

~Grace Marshall, From Poem "Trainer or Student"
(*photo from Pixabay)

She had an effervescent smile

As she walked away, one step at a time

She told herself she was right

She would find it, and make it

But as she glanced toward the sky

The starlight felt cold and unfeeling

As if it was mocking her choices

Declaring it would ever elude her grasp

~Grace Marshall

(Picture from Pixabay)

Though I know I can’t

Though friends are scant

They’d be better without me

But they just can’t see

So I continue onward

Just spiraling downward

As the melody overtakes me

And I simply continue to be

~Grace Marshall

From "It Began With The First"

(Picture from Pixabay)

I can’t believe

That you’d sacrifice

I thought you’d leave

When your love

Was put to the test

You stayed

You are the best

You were willing

To give so much

For worthless me

My heart you did touch

~Grace Marshall
"Don't Let Me Go"