Seven Sonnets

Kaylee Allen 2026

can I ask you a question?

Can I ask you a question on your dreams?
What is the sweetest fiction you'll pursue?
If you lose it, will you rip at the seams?
If you achieve it, then what will you do?
Can I ask you a question on your fears?
Have they yet wronged you? Have they left a mark?
Does the thought make you shed a thousand tears?
Or is it a mere whisper in the dark?
Can I ask you about your love apart?
Do you believe in falling or in peace?
Is it a roller coaster of the heart?
Or golden flames that flicker but don't cease?
Dreams, fears, and love create a conscious mind
Explore you thoughts, and tell me what you find

the secret lake

the lily sits atop the water's gleam
the early morning scent is fresh and sharp
though morning glory fades into a dream
the songbirds rival the most lovely harp
although the tranquil aura calms the mind
it's frozen, and the silence is profound
the everlasting quiet helps you find
the thing within you that is deeply bound
the calm and hope are simply lies right here
to fall into the torment of one's soul
you can't suppress your deepest, haunting fear
a blessing in disguise that takes its toll
have you seen this place sometime in your sleep?
the wisdom there is something you will keep

idealist

Am I too much of an idealist still?
Naïveté from childhood carries on
I much prefer belief in hope until
My fragile heart breaks for those who are gone
To want more has become cliché to us
When many feel the horror of today
We keep our heads down and don't make a fuss
If we forget, will it all go away?
Resisting throws us in the scorching flames
Acknowledge issues and you'll feel the wound
No one wants to play their fierce, twisted games
But we leave those who need us all marooned
I leave these words; fight for what you believe
I'd rather be naïve than disbelieve

treading water

I'm treading water in the deep blue sea
When I go under waves, I swallow salt
I gasp for air before I fall beneath
Caught in a storm, although it's no one's fault
I'm old enough to know when I don't know
But I'm too young to know when I was wrong
I feel it in my bones when I must go
No time to rest, just to swim for oh so long
My expectations for myself are high
But floating where I am, I feel so low
I once believed that someday I would fly
But now I'm not so sure I'll ever go
Right is left, here is there, and up is down
And yet, I'm still determined not to drown

ode to words

There's something simply sacred ‘bout this book
If secrets spoke, they'd scream and shout my name
But when they're hidden in a written nook
They whisper when asked and act very tame
Astounding color is found in the words
Though monochrome ink lacks a shocking hue
Poetic language soars like singing birds
Look inside and then decide what's true
Remind myself that no words can be wrong
Perfection is a myth, a distant dream
Reciting this is what gets me along
And maybe I can boost my self-esteem
I write what I learned so I don't forget
The perfect words contain the truth of it

speadsheet

Am I transparent to him, like a ghost?
Why does he shield himself from my embrace?
The boys I know seem to prefer to boast
A poker game where you must bluff an ace
Because this shallow game is all he knows
He treats me like a spreadsheet or a list
Now he can't tell apart my highs and lows
He doesn't know the detail that he's missed
The subtle clues and hints I've dropped around
We only ever talk about the small
My own distaste for it is so profound
I felt the spark, true, but didn't fall
I wonder if, when we're both grown, he'll see
Indeed, I don't give out my heart for free

leave shit behind

The soulless rhymes of gossip spread by you
I'm jealous of the way you seem to fit
Lies are rewarded, but never what's true
When being kind just never quite cuts it
I'm bitter, I know, to lose someone new
But god, if only you'd been there and tried
You promised and then didn't follow through
You didn't even try to see my side
Mixed signals were all I sent and received
Like looking through opaque foggy glass
You tore up all that I said or believed
Now neither of us smile when we pass
When will I learn to leave shit behind?
When will I learn to trust and just be kind?