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 845° 
Jay Jelly
Asunder
Birds of prey
Hard headed
Gravity
Incomplete story
In need of my
Sweet salvation
I can’t walk
On water
Wishful thinking
Out loud
Ringing the bell
Twelve rounds are up
Spiraling out
Of control
My crutch can’t withstand
The pressure
Like a stick of dynamite
Exploding daily
Fountain of youth
I’ll pass
I’d never wanna relive
All the unbearable moments here
I’ll never drink from the cup
Because I’ve seen more
Then enough of all this
So called life
For a thousand lifetimes in vain
Dead weight free falling
Into flames
Like a bomb
Falling from the sky
Catastrophic damage up next
Would you shield me from
Thee explosion
Before I fall  
To my demise  
Parachute open up your
Door to me eternally yours
I will be forever in your debt
 690° 
Let et Scar
Memories, that is all I have left,
Candid memories ever fleeting day by day,
I tried to preserve them,
Keep them sweet like marmalade,
I try to keep them,
I don't want them to fade,
But with time the corners curl up like a photograph,
And with time nothing is tangible only digital,
It's hard to hold on to things you can't feel in your hands,
It's hard to see them,
When it's not everyday,
Memories, that is all I have left,
I try to keep them..
Fresh like that pine tree freshener that swings from my car mirror,
I try to hold onto the ring of your laughter,
I try to remember the tenderness in your eyes when you gazed upon mine,
Now just a memory fading with time,
They are just memories sweeping in and out with the tides,
I try to keep pictures the only snapshots left of our former lives,
I try to look at them and imagine them come to life,
But these memories with time are fading like the colors in my hair,
All these memories bittersweet like the tattoos I bare,
They are beautiful but they sting with the air,
All these memories I keep them trapped locked in a box
 600° 
TOD HOWARD HAWKS
I feel the heartache of humanity.
I cry with starving children,
I hold them til they die.
Brown and black and broken
people, lying in forgotten places,
winding winds blowing through
my heart, tears soaking my soul,
darkness falling into my arms,
bitter, not better, tastes
of hopeless people,
their gardens lost in sandy hills,
killing, not caring, no hope in the sky,
dying by the millions, my friends
saying goodbye, my friends
saying goodbye.

TOD HOWARD HAWKS
 491° 
Left Foot Poet
“We’ve engineered the world for comfort and ease. Most people rarely step outside of their comfort zones these days—we’re living progressively soft, sterile, temperature-controlled, overfed, under-challenged, safety-netted lives1. And it’s slowly limiting the degree to which we experience our, as the poet Mary Oliver put it, “one wild and precious life.””
Michael Easter, Substack

<>><<>

five months have expired
from when this notion
1st caught my notice
but fallow lay,
unattended, unremarked
unforgiving

of my ignorance and inattention

but it freshly, rightly,
core challenges me

guilty of the underbelly softness
so well described,
I
choose to scribe,
wrestle with angel and devil,
two~on~one human,
and yet, still a
fair fight

"wild and precious!"

how rarely we employ these
adjectives,
that conjure the edginess of an
existence

lest you think,
that we are here to implore, urge,
skydiving, remote wilderness trekking, or other physical states
that set adrenaline on fire,
I am not
afterthat for them

oh, my
wild and precious
is far more treacherous and enthralling

what I beg you to embrace is
no farther than
nubs, knobs and stubbled nibs of your fingers,
the taste buds flowering invisible
on the wily, twisty tongue,
the  tiny-vibrating little hairs of your nostril,
two extra large  eggy pupils of your two eyes,
here lies danger,
your customized throbbing throbbing your drumming,
leadings
access to the garden of
The truly wild and precious,

the poems you will scribe,
from the safety of your captains chair,,
Throwing caution to the wind compose and depose yourself with bitter questioning,
For which the answered answers must be truly be
wild and precious

  cyan sighs,
oaken cries,
furious colorless invasive tears,
steely stabbing personal truths,

yes those wild ones,
in your. chest close held,
spill them like cold coffee,
surrender the precious, and
inward confess your
shame, gains  and the relit
that you are not merely
wild and precious
but a sea borne sailor,
a navy voyaging to
to where
danger enthralls
enlivens!
Commenced Feb 9 2025
Completed June 19 3025
 440° 
Scarlet McCall
A night at the Museum,
and we're dressed to ****.
The mood is gleeful–
and the people, chill.
All court the kings and queens of shill.

Our ****** deeds are whitewashed clean.
Our grievous crimes are left unseen–
sanitized versions on the tv screen.

But our steps were tracked with care
by one who could no longer bear
the growing horror, the scenes from there.
The cry of anguish, the dead-eyed stare.

Now the blood drips on our shoes.
Our deaths headline the evening news.
Yet still, the truth has only views
on internet sites with volunteer crews.

When there is no other way
Desperation will have its day
If you really want to see what's going on in Gaza, you have to go to sites such as Reddit and look at the World news subreddits. Then you'll understand.
 428° 
S
-
Constantly
chasing
a
high
that
no
longer
feels
good
 358° 
Nobody
kid
i wish i could go back in time
and see my younger self
and warn him
that it would only get worse
im relapsing with depression again. i miss how it used to be
 316° 
lyla
i have a sadness lurking in me
the base of every poem i write
the core of my love
as i give myself papercuts
from your letters
and your poems
and i sit quietly
in the shadow
of your starlight.
 265° 
Damocles
Do you want to see the sunrise over the sky
Like tangerine orange splashed against a sea of peach and lilac?
Well I know a place where we can watch the moon flirt with the daylight
Just take my hand, and I’ll guide you through a wonderland

Where we can see the stars,
Bloom from the verdant stems
Pink and white spread wide,
And we can touch the petals of its points
Feel the dew drops hydrate your fingertips
Once we go through the thick of this

Watch the peonies open their bloom
Fluffy maroon and white beds for bees
As they sit so beautifully,
Ants resting on the eaves of leaves
Pleased by their workmanship to please
Eager eyes in your gasping maw
So surprised, to see this in awe
Well I surmise, you’ll love the way that the colors gleam.

Here where dahlias dance
To the very brisk of a morning breeze
Perfect symmetry blossomed in telemetry
We can count the layers, lost in a labyrinth
Amazed by the scent carried by a zephyr
Ticking the senses, and yet there’s more to the journey
As hydrangeas in blue and pink flourish,
Bush cover for arboreal critters,
Grasping seed and nuts to scurry off into the umbra.

But nothing brings me clarity
Nothing screams sincerity
Quite like the tea leaf rarity,
Of the conclave of peach colors swirling
Timeless in a capsule of a lover’s first gift
A painted, watercolor masterpiece,
Pink layers over yellow, and white,
Shades of coral and purple highlight the light
It’s in this decadence I could eat the petals
And in recompense maybe I’ll bloom as pretty too
As we end our morning glory
Under the thorn-capped bushel
Of roses, ala peach swirls.
Peach Swirl roses are just stunning to look at. I wanted to write something fun and hopeful, about the love of nature and how I feel every morning walking through my flower portion of my garden.
 203° 
Maddy
Soft Rock Music
Old and New
No social media
Fan or Air conditioning on
Cold drinks standng by in great Thermos
Phones silenced
Hugs that go into the night
Amazing and loving moments
Easy and gentle
 192° 
Hot Fire
You picked me like a flower
harmless, beautiful and trusting.

said I was special.

then tossed me aside for another.

Was betrayal always part
of your touch?
short ig, didn't rlly cooked
 189° 
Caroline Shank
Reunion

One bright day, in the middle
Of July two great loves
Got up

to Fight.

There were no more

Kisses.

One Great Love waited
while the other
Spit on his hands
      And went back to work.

It's the heat that makes me

Crazy.

I am fertilized with the
salt of years.  


I

Sadness has

Accomplish

So long ago a time.

That time has scratched

you

like a tattoo

onto the outline of my
body..

I remain in my old age

Yours to do
With me some
things

Where there is little time
for hand candy

Or

Tears.


Caroline Shank


,
wish i wrote like you guys, wish it were more direct.



it has been noted as abstract, yet i cannot see that.



he wanted a garden, this one. we  looked

at other houses, he wanted this one.



with

a garden as seed for the future.



when he died i let it grow and hid here. now

i tidy , grow seeds for the future.
 180° 
JRF
You
You

I love you
Forever and always

I try so hard
To understand.  

Sometimes we are so aligned
and other times so maligned.

You have hurt me
So many times

These last few years
But I forgive
I give you

hell and
Another chance
To come back to me
To come back

To love.

And I’ll keep doing it
until you find your way

Back to me.
 159° 
Her
i met you almost
two years ago
i hurt you
while scrambling
through my own pain
trying to find my way
through a dark maze
with a haze of ache

you got caught
in my rage of
a crossfire
i realized
i actually liked someone
trusted them so easily

i was angry
someone actually
made me laugh
made me smile

the hurricane
was a category five
you took shelter
far away from me
my tears dripping
from the sky

two years after
the hurricane
we are just recovering
there is life again
there is growth
there is laughter
there is happiness
there is light


there is a second chance
 142° 
Nick Moore
It took a beard
Of bees,
To bring me
On my knees

Many stings,
To hear the
Bells ring

The honey of love
To soothe
The pain.
arresting
imprisoning
releasing

repeat cycle and rinse
convince yourself
everything will be
as everything should be,
then
lock yourself in
sit on it
and spin.
Try
Countless tries
Failure always fails to make me cry
Swallow my pride, let you bring the lies
You fail to understand I already understand
Myself deep inside
I can't afford to carry your remorse
 116° 
Katie Stenner
someone told me I can't be broken because we were never we.
you were never mine,
I was never yours.

I payed so much attention to what we could be
over what we were,
and now we're nothing.

its like we never laughed together
played together
sang together
or just simply sat together.

we had a together but we were never together.
we had something but now we're nothing.
we were never we.

I hurt.
not because the pain of your absence,
but the pain of what could have been.
another late night poem
 115° 
Nolan Bucsis
The matter said to the math,
I change,
and so do you.

As the ego said to the spirit,
My will shapes your tint,
I control,
You obey.

Anatman?
No self?

No,
Self,
Is supreme.

Nix,
The demon buddha,
Of Naraka.

When the Assura,
Ascended over virtue,
By virtue,
Of existing.

Reality is not light and transcendent,
It is vile ugly truth,
I am I?

Well,
Certainly not me.
 93° 
LiesBeneath
Best way to think outside a box
Is to be inside it

Not a special box
Just box wiht no gaps
no windows
no light
The perfect box


Cuz the one, who is truly blind
Is the only, one who’s canvas is not blinded, from outside light
 88° 
apricot
GIR
You let the wrong people love you
when you cry you need my comfort
I drop everything to come over
Don't bite your lip or grit your teeth
Just count to ten and try to breath
The perfect one for you is me
its so hard liking a straight girl you can't have. :(
 74° 
ebonymarie93
Therapy never works
Freeversing is cathartic
And better than screaming into the abyss
If someone can relate and feel less alone to what I express/write
Then I too feel less alone
More understood
Instead of misunderstood
For a change
If that makes sense
 72° 
Ted
Godly Eyes : Part 3 of 10

My dreams,
are followed
by nightmares,
after realms
of silently
the peace,
is swallowed
Mark is bared,
And believed
is my fantasy
of  consciously
the stale bread,
the memories
My refusion,
How they taught
not my belief,
shaken salt
into the sea
negatively,
It needed
none of thirst,
scars bleeding
and the wisdom
to come is worse,
A blister bursts.
Oh me, oh fear,
into the ocean,
and rusted gears
and now and here,
a gravely near,
a stuck machine,
of water bubbles,
near buried
of such tunnels.
Gotta work on this, I think I almost have it clicked.
 71° 
Rubén Darío
Cómo era el instante, dígalo la musa
que las dichas trae, que las penas lleva:
la tristeza pasa, velada y confusa;
la alegría, rosas y azahares nieva.
Era en un amable nido de soltero,
de risas y versos, de placer sonoro;
era un inspirado cada caballero,
de sueños azules y vino de oro.
Un rubio decía frases sentenciosas:
negando y amando las musas eternas
un bruno decía versos como rosas,
dos sonantes rimas y palabras tiernas.
Los tapices rojos, de doradas listas,
cubrían panoplias de pinturas y armas,
que hablaban de bellas pasadas conquistas,
amantes coloquios y dulces alarmas.
El verso de fuego de D'Annunzio era
como un son divino que en las saturnales
guiara las manchadas pieles de pantera
a fiestas soberbias y amores triunfales.
E iban con manchadas pieles de pantera,
con tirsos de flores y copas paganas
las almas de aquellos jóvenes que viera
Venus en su templo con palmas hermanas.
Venus, la celeste reina que adivina
en las almas vivas alegrías francas,
y que les confía, por gracia divina,
sus abejas de oro, sus palomas blancas.
Y aquellos amantes de la eterna Dea,
a la dulce música de la regia rima
oyen el mensaje de la vasta Idea
por el compañero que recita y mima.
Y sobre sus frentes, que acaricia el lauro,
Abril pone amable su beso sonoro,
y llevan gozosos, sátiro y centauro,
la alegría noble del vino de oro.
 70° 
Blue Sapphire
If humans had no emotions,

poetry wouldn't have existed.
 69° 
TOD HOWARD HAWKS
A thousand poems,
a million kisses,
laughter lands in
open eyes,
sighs I hear
in lovers' rooms.
sooner will
the sun be fading,
a lifetime
of hidden hopes
buried in
hillside grasses.

TOD HOWARD HAWKS
 66° 
Tom D
I remember myself
as a child
Busted out of my house
untamed and wild
Nary a care for fear
Couldn’t be bothered with loathing
Breathlessly waiting
for what the next moment would bring
Happy with
just about everything
 65° 
bleedingink
we are all made of stars
cast down from the heavens
and turned into
a form we can recognize.

perhaps
we are not all made for a life
on this planet
and should have stayed with the stars.

maybe that is why
some of us look for a way
back to the stars
because we were not made
for this.
 63° 
Bard
I could have been saved a...
.long
..long
...long
Time ago

But now it's time to go
And I know what to do
Do
D
..do
It comes back to you
To you
..you
 61° 
Jeremy Betts
There's no love
And there's no hate
But what is left for me to feel
Is too complicated to calculate
Impossible to translate
In this present state
A mind entwined
A jumbled mess
Shrouded in a new darkness
Nights turn sleepless
As I become a man possessed
By the hopeless

©2025
One day
You will notice me
And everything
Or nothing could be
Either way
It’d still be sweet
You’re missing out on
Just as much as me
 60° 
Ted
I need to uproot that tree,
the weeds are burning fire,
and there's this belief,
and barbed red cold wire.

And passion's aghast the wall,
whose fist is fighting for,
and bricks are smashed
in like wild demolition.

And a grain is worthy,
of only one poured glass,
and I bet its filthy
unlike this lovely lass.

Demons are salty spice,
contains shaky rice,
a pack of mi goreng
eases pain of dark sing.

A lover lies in my bed,
savoury and the wine,
like freshly baked bread
and a scent so fine.
 58° 
B
I’ll flush the blood
Down the drain
So the only known
Will be in my brain
It doesn’t hurt
To run my fingers
Down the lines
Of red like wines
I love the pain
But I know that
The know of it
Will make me splat
The sun lingers today
Not rushing off  not in a hurry to fall behind the hills
It pauses
as if the sky is holding its breath
And we feel it too
Something still Something ancient
The light stretches longer than it should
casting soft gold on things we almost forgot to notice
the curve of a leaf
the quiet rhythm of our own pulse
a bird crossing the silence like a thought we hadnt had yet
People gather or dont
Some light fires, some sit alone.
But all of us
somewhere in the quiet
feel the turning
Not a celebration, exactly
More like a recognition
That the world moves in circles
and sometimes
were lucky enough to feel the moment it shifts!
 57° 
M Ignacio
There are places within the shadows,
That rain cannot touch,
Where sound, save but for the faintest of mumbles,
Knows not either but the fractured
Affliction of itself turned inwards.
These are the knots that wrap their rage
Around distant memory,
A place where there,
But in God,
Heavy thunder dwells.
 57° 
Kalliope
I cradle hurricanes in my ribcage
while words swirl around my head.
I try to catch the good ones-
but mostly, I wish I was dead.

I do everything too much-
the joy, the sorrow, the dread.
Yet somehow, I’m never enough-
what a curious truth to be force fed.

If I laugh, it’s always too loud;
my mouth too sharp to make anyone proud.
Crying is a dangerous game,
I could sob away a city, drown in the blame.

My rage leaves no survivors,
as if I line people up on personal pyres.
When I vent, they hear preaching-
a sermon no one wants, a fear of my leeching.

I don’t love, I dissect-
obsessively search for the trap I expect.
I can’t just leave; I burn it all down-
the bubbly, funny girl wears a permanent frown.

I do too much and my inner child feels seen,
She's acting out, we aren't this mean
I just get scared when the vibe is off, and ruining the mood makes the blow more soft.

Despite the chaos I still crave love, an equal partner, wearing fireproof gloves.
If I weather your storms, could you handle mine?
Storm chasers have never been easy to find.
 56° 
Kim Seul
I mapped the stars,
named each light,
built a world
from a wish too bright.

But the sky turned grey,
and time moved on,
my perfect paths
already gone.
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