Posted in art, Music, poetry

This Heart that Beats

I wish I knew how to write myself a love letter, wish my arms could wrap around my heart, cradle the weight in my palms and breathe the electricity of the beat, feel the strum of my guitar beneath my fingers, let fly the fear held captive in unbroken tears, and trust that I am beautiful, write that I am beautiful that it doesn’t matter that he couldn’t see it and he couldn’t see it and he couldn’t see it.  I love that I don’t want to pretend that I don’t miss him, heart zipped up, mended as if it had never cracked. I’m mismatched, stitched by time, how some days it disappears and others feel like years, losing moments to old emotions, the fool caught in yesterday,  picking at old scabs.   I wish I could forgive the girl that fell. I want to tell her that I love her and that she should never regret the size of her own heart, her capacity to admire, her courage to feel, her strength to invite him to see her art, even if he couldn’t see it, and he couldn’t see it, and he couldn’t see it.  I want to write myself a love letter, sing my worth, guitar in hand and trust that I am beautiful.   —Leanne Rebecca

I ran out of time today to do everything that I wanted to do. I need to remember that it doesn’t make me a failure, but that my life is full.

Tonight I’m listening to acoustic Sleeping with Sirens and Grizfolk. I want to lose myself in the lyrics like I did yesterday at Warped Tour, closing my eyes and feeling the music of each band, letting it grab hold of my soul and claim a part of me, even for just a second.

I discovered a band called Onward Etc. If there’s one thing you’ll take away from this blog post, it’s to listen to them and find your own poem in their lyrics.

Good night loves.

–Leanne Rebecca

Posted in art, poetry, writing

Almost

Almost  The day before Thanksgiving— department store shopping— orange and red and green and gold— trees of candy gift sets— sales associates handing out perfume samples— a scream— the grating of the escalator— an 8 year old boy laying across the handrail, clinging— two women prying his body from over the edge— the pause of breathing— the kid enveloped in arms— my mother’s tears as she stood.

Today is the day that Facebook feeds are cluttered with lists. We pick out five or six things we’re thankful for like family, friends, food, faith, etc. I’m not going to do that here. While I am thankful for my parents and my cat and my guitar and my favorite restaurant, today I want to reflect on something a little different.

Lately I’ve been working on loving myself and loving my own company, finding happiness in times of solitude. I went through a period where I lost my admiration for myself and so today, on Thanksgiving, I am thankful for me. I’m thankful for my strength to fight. I’m thankful for my individuality and my love for writing. I’m thankful that I know exactly who I am and I’m thankful that I love her. I am thankful that I am alive.

I pray that you never lose sight of yourself.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

–Leanne Rebecca

Posted in art, Music, poetry, twenty one pilots, writing

Clear

ClearConfidence is a weird thing–how it can come and go–how it presents itself at the strangest times–how it fails at crucial moments–and how it’s a bit abstract. I feel the most confident when I’m in front of a notebook with headphones in, rocking out to my favorite music. I’m not trying to hide behind the headphones, but rather enjoying the bliss of my favorite songs in my ears. If you’ve visited She’s in Prison before, you know that music permeates almost all of my poetry, especially that of Twenty One Pilots. I’ve been feeling a little disconnected to them lately since I retired the Josh Dun Poetry Corner and I also haven’t been to a show since October. Regardless, today’s poem is inspired and named after their song “Clear.” Take a look at all my TOP titled archives and give a listen to their version of “Clear” below.

Happy Saturday! Hit me up on Twitter folks 🙂

 

Posted in art, Music, poetry, writing

In Return

In ReturnWhen I started She’s in Prison almost a year ago, I promised myself that I’d be transparent in my writing. I vowed to share the tough stuff, even if it hurt or I felt exposed or uncomfortable. This is one of those poems, which may be a surprise because I recognize that the message is simple. I struggled in writing it, I admit. I don’t see the point in putting up a front that I’m uber confident in each and every one of my pieces. Truth is, I’m not, which I like even better. The words you see above are inspired by emotions I’m working through in this moment and I don’t feel I’ve been able to capture them fully. But as I was listening to “I Got You” by Leona Lewis, I knew I had to try.

Come back next Sunday for more poetry inspired by songs on my playlist. Also, don’t forget to hit the follow button on the left and hit me up on Twitter too!

Posted in art, Josh Dun Poetry Corner, Music, poetry, twenty one pilots, writing

Indebted

IndebtedLast April I started the Josh Dun Poetry Corner purely for the fun of showcasing my admiration for the band Twenty One Pilots on my own creative platform. The Corner started after I sent Josh a poem via Twitter. I never expected he’d not only read the poem, but respond. Elated, I wrote another poem as a thank you to my favorite drummer for acknowledging my words, and again, I sent it to him. I felt shocked when he responded to that one too.

A few days after Josh and I exchanged tweets, I ran into Twenty One Pilots in my hometown, a random happenstance that prompted me to reveal my identity as the poet to one of my biggest idols. We chatted briefly, a conversation now burned in my memory, and parted ways, back to our separate worlds.

The next week, I took a chance and sent another poem, and miraculously, Josh responded again! And thus, the Josh Dun Poetry Corner was born.

I’ve loved feeling connected with my favorite band and interacting with some of their other fans. The Corner has allowed me to lament my fandom each and every week, all the while growing as a person and perpetuating my admiration for their music. So it’s with a heavy heart that I announce that this edition of the Josh Dun Poetry Corner is the last. I will continue to rock out to TOP and will obviously continue to write poetry inspired by music. Thank you to everyone that’s supported me along this road and thank you to Josh and Tyler for being awesome.

As of now I’m pondering ideas for my new Sunday series on She’s in Prison, so stay tuned for the BIG REVEAL next week!

–Leanne Rebecca

Posted in art, Josh Dun Poetry Corner, Music, poetry, twenty one pilots, writing

Transformation

TransformationToday’s Josh Dun Poetry Corner is a year in review. In looking back at the self that discovered my now favorite band Twenty One Pilots, I feel surprised at the transformation of identity that I’ve undergone as a result of their music. I’m not the same girl anymore, and I’m proud of how far I’ve grown with the help of all those around me, including those talented TOP boys, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun.

Take a peak at the archives of the Josh Dun Poetry Corner and check back next Sunday for a new edition!

Posted in art, Music, poetry, twenty one pilots, writing

Anathema

AnathemaToday’s poem is part of my regular Saturday series of poetry inspired by the titles of songs by Twenty One Pilots. “Anathema” is probably one of their lesser known tracks, but still so worthy of commendation and admiration. Give a listen below and check out the archives of my other TOP inspired poetry in the ole archives

Posted in art, Music, poetry, twenty one pilots, writing

The Pantaloon

Last night I went to my 5th twenty one pilots concert in less than a year. They added one of my favorite songs to their set, an older one from a few years ago. Experiencing the song in person reinforced my admiration for the story behind the lyrics and the brilliance of the musicality. It’s a track I’ve listened to at least a thousand times and I never expected to hear it live. Long story short, it made choosing tonight’s poem simple, since Saturdays are conveniently my ‘twenty one pilots titled poetry‘ days. I present to you, my version of “The Pantaloon:”The PantaloonAs always, check out the twenty one pilots version too!

 

Posted in Josh Dun Poetry Corner, Music, poetry, twenty one pilots, writing

Serenity

SerenityToday is day 7 of Heart Week on She’s in Prison. This morning I walked in the St. Louis Congenital Heart Walk in memory of my sister that died from a CHD as well as in honor of friends that have fought and are still fighting for their lives. I felt utterly blessed to volunteer side by side with my family, friends, and an entire community that has been impacted by CHD. Somehow it feels right that this last post is also a Josh Dun Poetry Corner poem because the music of twenty one pilots has touched my heart in a way I can barely describe with a metaphor. Thank you to everyone that has shown their support over the past 7 days!