madswirl : poetry of Ashley Brianne Combs

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No Looking Back

Take a real good look at me,
Wonder, and judge, and assume,
Figuring me out isn’t that easy,
I have battle scars, and wounds.

Try and see right through me,
There is nothing I have to prove,
You don’t know who I am,
But I definitely do.

I am a sister, and a daughter,
A partner, and a friend,
I have a path I am following,
And only I choose where it ends.

I will get out of here,
I will stay on track,
And when I get where I am going,
There will be no looking back.

- Ashley Brianne Combs

(featured in the poetry forum 09.25.10)

Leaving

Her eyes are red, her glasses fogged,
She stands behind the counter.
A tissue clenched in her right hand,
Her fears and worries surround her.
Years of hurt and sorrow,
Are scribbled on her face.
The lines that usually form a smile,
Turn down in disgust and disgrace.
She lowers her eyes,
A tear hits the floor,
Her own personal way of grieving.
I ask, “Mom, what’s wrong?”
And she says, “Baby, we’re leaving.”

- Ashley Brianne Combs

(featured in the poetry forum 07.23.10)

Before I Can Move Forward

Before I can move forward, I need to see you smile.
I need to feel your calloused hands.
I need the real you, for a while.

Before I can move forward, I long to sit and chat.
I don’t want your eyes to be bloodshot.
I miss everything, but that.

Before I can move forward, I cannot forget.
The way you used to tuck me in,
Watching your dangling cigarette.

Before I can move forward, your face I must memorize.
It’s been so long since I’ve seen you Daddy.
Are you ready to apologize?

- Ashley Brianne Combs

(featured in the poetry forum 05.13.10)

Little Ballerina

She is tiny, yet explosive,
When she’s in the right attire,
Her motions paint a picture,
Her passion burns like fire,
She leaps across the stage,
Which could be anywhere at all,
And at her highest point,
She’s still the smallest of them all.

Following behind the others,
She adds her own touch,
Bending, spinning, stretching,
She could never move too much,
Sometimes when no one’s watching,
She pretends to be a swan,
Gliding across the waters,
Queen of her own pond.

And when her day is over,
As she packs away her shoes,
In her mind, she’s still dancing,
To all of her favorite tunes,
She hears Beethoven and Bach,
And her toes take their point and stance,
Little ballerina,
I hope you always dance.

- Ashley Brianne Combs

(featured in the poetry forum 03.16.10)

A bit about Ashley: Ashley Brianne Combs was born and raised in a small town called Hazard, KY. Growing up around a writing mother made Ashley curious about poetry and started her out at a young age. Living in the Appalachian mountains means Ashley gains a lot of her inspiration from nature. She loves to write about the smallest things and make her readers see them from a new and different perspective. At the age of ten, Ashley had a poem published in A Celebration of Young Poets: Appalachia - Spring 2004. This made Ashley crave to be published more and get her writing out into the world. She wants to touch others with her creations. In 2009, at the age of 15, Ashley was published in a local magazine called Kudzu on the first page, and this made her drive forward and crave more. She wants to see her name in print as much as she possibly can. Now at the age of 16, almost 17, Ashley is striving to succeed in the writing world. She displays her writing on a website called inkpop, and of course here at Mad Swirl. As long as she is breathing, Ashley will keep writing!