kissed by Rainbows
prisms of light fall through
water bottles forming
little rainbows
on the floor,
and i cannot help but smile;
pretty little things
and these ones weren’t
caused by rain or storms
because i don’t always like
the rain—
sometimes she is kind,
and sometimes she grates
my nerves and i don’t want to
hear her thunder or see bolts
flashing through the sky;
there are times i just want to
be kissed by rainbows
without having to taste the storm.
-linda m. crate
My Gran’s Words
my gran
once said i was
the rainbow
of her life,
and my heart swelled
with joy and i felt
happy tears spill out of me;
it is always hard for me
to decide which color is best
for i love them all:
red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, indigo, and violet;
and other colors that aren’t
included like black, brown,
pink, and purple—
so many shades and so many memories
associated with each one,
and so all have a special place in
my heart just like my
gran’s words.
-linda m. crate
Castle in the Sky
some people of dream
of falling from the sky,
but i dream of rising
to meet the sunset,
and the moon;
i want wings to fly—
when i dream of falling
it is into the sea,
washing away every yesterday
that tore through the sinew
of my most tender bones;
giving me cleansing and healing
so i can rise once more
with wings of the phoenix—
everybody’s different,
and one day you will see a
castle in the sky;
just know it is me and all
of my fox, crow, and raven friends
basking in the paradise of light
and all of her flowers, trees, and creeks.
-linda m. crate
The World I Want
i want a softer world,
a kinder world, a safer one;
where people can be who
they truly are without fear of
being discriminated against,
hated, hate-crimed, or killed—
where the earth is lush and green
full enough with food, clean water,
and paradise for
everyone,
where greed isn’t the currency
and causes no more problems in the universe;
where i can wear my rainbow heart
proudly with all of my pride
and no one would blink if i were married
to a man or a woman or both or neither—
a place where dreams came true,
nightmares were rare;
and justice was served for everyone.
-linda m. crate
You Want to Crush Us
why are the poor
the ones people want to
make the villains?
is it such a crime
to want to live,
and want to live a rich life?
who simply wants to exist?
each of us wants to live!
and to live a good
life, a happy life, a life where
dreams come true and miracles
are something we can still
believe in;
and goodness doesn’t seem like
it is in such short supply—
they say rich people worked
hard for what they have,
maybe some have; but we know
others have exploited and hurt
people for profit so why is that
okay but someone needing help
to feed themselves and their family
is such a terrible thing?
you want to crush us like insects
just because we dare complain
about living in a world which
could be fairer and kinder to us all.
-linda m. crate
Linda M. Crate (she/her) is a Pennsylvanian writer whose poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have been published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. She has twelve published chapbooks the latest being: Searching Stained Glass Windows For An Answer (Alien Buddha Publishing, December 2022). She is also the author of the novella Mates (Alien Buddha Publishing, March 2022). Her debut book of photography Songs of the Creek (Alien Buddha Publishing, April 2023) was recently published.
