Poems by Tiffany Harris

A Peace Breaker’s Plot


There’s always someone lurking about

Trying to discover what secrets are out.

Not even concerned for her neighbor’s welfare;

But eager to know is there anything to spare.



Is there a drop of wine, a piece of cheesecake,

Perhaps some steak, or some gossip for my plate?

How about some bread or a drink from your fountain?

With just a little bit, she could urn a molehill into a mountain!



Don’t you fret none- your secrets safe with me!

Just give me the biggest apple from your apple tree!

Now leaving full with a wicked grin,

All secrets are out; they were too much to hold in!



If it is peace, my child, that you are pursuing,

Never let you left hand know what your right hand is doing.



Written by,

Tiffany Harris


*This poem, above, was written in Hempstead, New York in 1993. Published once, without pay in a local Bank’s periodical located in Hicksville, New York.





Why Didn’t You Come Home Last Night


Why didn’t you come home last night?

I wondered; I worried were you alright!

Why didn’t you come home last night?

Were you out on the street hustling?

Were you chasing the street lights?



Did you mean to cause me pain?

My heart’s all enflamed!

Tears bursting from my eyes,

The anguish so great now, I wish I could die!

Could it be from the argument we had 3 nights ago?

I said that I forgave you, but you didn’t hear me tho’!



Why didn’t you come home last night?

Had you found love in another one’s eyes?

Were you curious about the woman on the corner?

Her heart filled with lies!

Probably festering with AIDS. What?

That should be no surprise.



Now you can’t come home tonight;

For you have met your plight!

Your things are all packed on the front, under the porch light.



Why didn’t I come home last night?

You may ask yourself.

It doesn’t matter now!

For all I care, you can go to HELL!

Written by Tiffany Harris


*This poem was written in 2006 in Eastside Knoxville, TN






Where I Stand


Where I stand, right now, I feel I stand alone…

Broken down and on my own.

My father, I cannot call for help.

I am 35, I must fend for myself.

My children, they cannot rescue me,

For I am the parent and must provide for their needs.

My husband who is suppose to be my rock,

Has idolized one and cannot stop.

This pain I feel is too great to be

The very essence of what is meant for me!

It’s not the vision that I see!

This just cannot be my destiny.

Yet, I’ve written this check and it has bounced.

And I must pay the penalty. Yes, every ounce.



Written by Tiffany Harris



* This poem was written in Alcoa, TN, in the month of December of 2006 while staying in home for battered women.







Journal Entry on 10/11/06

Today marks a day of pure, raw anger. I am angry with myself for having been fooled, once again, in giving my heart to unworthiness. I was not looking for fault yet it appeared, and appeared once too many. I was willing to sacrifice better judgment, all in the name of love, to hold to what I revered as special and dear. How special and dear can it be if it causes me so much pain? How meant is it, if it is destroying me, my accomplishments, my esteem, little by little like a carver chiseling away at his wooden masterpiece.

Is this truly my destiny? I ask this because this behavioral pattern seems to follow me from relationship to relationship, as if the moment I begin to love, another being, an imp if you will, takes over my loved ones body to break my heart beyond repair. I give so much, but when it seems I need someone, no one is there for me. A life of despair is what mine has been. When will the chain reaction stop?

I must learn to untwine the ropes of love as I have twined them, when I know it is no good for me. Life is love, and life is what you make of it; but is that true for love? You can make love as you will, but it takes two. If the other person isn’t making love with you, you’re in it by yourself. If you’re in it by yourself, cut the rope that ties you to the dead weight so that you can escape drowning. Because, if you know how to swim, you will find yourself in the sea of love again.

Written by Tiffany Harris



*This journal entry was written on the Eastside of Knoxville, TN.