Don't live in a narrative
The result is only more heartbreak
When you realize the story's not true

The universe is this silver clockwork
Behind secured glass,
All flint stock cogs, cylinders; spring-
loaded coils doused in gas.
It rocks on its boilerplate, breaching peace;
smokes, coughs atop copper gear
nicking souls between;
itching with pistons, pendulums swinging
heaven from ****; bearings
running offtrack with Gravity.

I peer in with my telescope 'cause
I don't have a key.

Tired but unable to sleep
Restless but unable to scream

Longing for a phantom raw throat
Brimming lungs gasping for release
To pour into the open air

And her mouth was as dry as a wick
Ready for the roaring flame to be struck

They say the silence is deafening
But she believed it was awakening

Like a flickering candle in an empty room
Silence is one eye open one eye shut
Lying in wait to be called upon

Tempting mistress she was
Silence was absolute

But when it dims and billows out
Lungs collapse and the match is struck
Tender girl with broken pride
Cries out for the worlds to collide

Jealous
Of the oxygene in your veins
Of the always invited breath of air
Of the sunlight spark in your eyes
Of the wind that moves your hair

Desire
To be close as the cloth
To be loyal as your shadow
To be the reflecting mirror
To be your movements follow

I wish I wasn’t like this

I over analyze anything and everything

like the words I use
and the words you use

and the words you don’t

Somewhere between the mountains and the rivers of today I fell out
Landed on my keister
As usual

Face up
Searching for Heavenly Creatures

That's just what happened

I want to get back to my surprise at having
mountains and rivers
in my day.

This is a new landscape
In my mind

Evoking peace

Thank you now I will have them tomorrow too



Copyright@2018 Dennis Willis

Pop a bubble, bubbles pop
Bubble up, bubbles stop

teardrops on my sleeve
begging to see you again
you've forgotten me

You fell to the bottom of the sea,
You expected me to save you.
I told you I couldn’t.
Sometimes you do everything for someone and it's still not enough.
I didn't want to drown trying to save you because I knew,
That we would have both ended up dead.
At the bottom of the sea.

she says its because shes hurt
she doesn't know what to do
who to turn to
everyone has left her
let her down

no one knows the true trials
she has persevered through
no one feels the ache in her heart
a longing for touch
love

she feels lost
broken-hearted
loss of spirit

i will revive her
i break my back
picking all of her pieces up
taking her into my arms
she will be relieved of all sadness

i will give her the love
she never sought possible

you said I'll be your first and last

and you end up being my forever first,

and I'm never your last.

When I was little
I was scared
Scared of the monsters living under my bed
I used to hide, under my blanket
Under my blanket, I was safe
The monsters couldn’t reach me under my blanket

My parents used to say
The monsters would go away
I would grow up and that then they would leave

But I grew up
And the monsters didn’t leave
Turns out my monsters, grew with me
Now instead of under my bed
The monsters live inside my head

So I hide, under my blanket
Where I think I am safe
Wondering if after all this time
My blanket can still keep the monsters at bay

it’s a beautiful thing
this day and age
with bubbling permafrost
with drug-resistance
with obesity treatments
with technological advancements
with scientific discoveries
with silent wars
with blue lava
with bleeding glaciers
with divorce
with sensitivity
with my generation
of people believing
this new generation
is completely and
utterly clueless as a
common occurrence

but let’s think about
what these kids are
into nowadays.

let’s think about who
invented these inane
things for the kids.

my generation of people.

so the kids of today are
the ones who are ******
for liking the things
that we’ve created?

I’m sorry but we have to
be the ones who are obtuse
for believing such things,
oblivious for not
realizing them and
showing the world
we have
little or no imagination
anymore.

the generation before us
has lied to us and
thought us to lie
to the generation
after.

whether it’s the gods
or holidays
or what not.

the youth of the today
are autonomous.
they can not take
responsibility for
their actions nor do
they understand and
just go along
with the trends,
much like,
all the generations
before them
but we need a scapegoat
to cover up our own
farce implementations.

the truth of the matter is..
we’re all a little vacuous
in our own way
especially the ones with
an answer for everything.
living in an imperfect world
where there’s always room
for improvement
nothing for us
or against us
wrapped up in our
congratulatory
self-contradictory
and illogical theories
and as useless as
exploding appendix.

the lost generation
the interbellum generation
the silent generation
the baby boomers
generation x
the millennials

a strong admixture
of imbecility and
self-assurance
filled with belief
and unawareness
to a senseless world

like hate
like blame
like gossip
like jealousy
like being offended
like being impressive
like the punk rock dream
like hospital waiting rooms
like fundraisers and charity events
like your co-worker to the right and
the left of you
and their families
and their families before
them

our greatest creation
our strongest aide

to deconstruct

our souls will probably wind up in the same cemetery.
two plots away.
too far to roll in my grave and see you.
just barely out of touch.
close,
but never quite close enough.

History gets distorted in memory
Parts are trimmed
Parts are spliced
So, it doesn’t reveal
The true picture
You take what you have of it
Play it in slow motion
Over and again
Between the sips of soda
And popcorn
A new movie is born
A fantasy

when were you going to tell me?
how did you think I would feel? did you even think?
you took what you wanted & locked me out,

making me say sorry so i could come back in,
expecting me to make amends.

I love him
I tell myself
I know that
We will be together forever
I don’t believe that
We could be separated
My thoughts tell me that
He’s the love of my life
Sometimes my heart lies and says
I could live an eternity
Without him
Like my friends say
“We’re perfect for each other”
And you can’t tell me
He’s not the one.

Now read from bottom to top.

Lick my lips
Cradle my face
Gaze into my eyes
And tell me I'm safe

i dread the day you learn
for the first time that
you can't just love all
the darkness in me away

and no matter how much
you care i will still toss
and turn at night and scars
might still appear on my skin

i dread the day you realize
that you can't cure me
and sometimes all you can do
is stand next to me and
hold my hand through fog
pouring out of my ears so black
and thick we can't even see
each other's faces

i dread the days i can't
get out of bed
the days you want to
take me out and all
i can manage is a prettified
shell of myself

i dread the day you learn
that sometimes no matter
how hard i try i still can't
pull myself together

the day you learn that
there isn't an answer
you can give that will
save me from my fears

you aren't the first person
who has tried to love the
darkness inside away
my family and friends
have given it their all
but someday you too will learn
that if love could
cure mental illness
the world would be
a much better place

I know I won't get to all
but ******, I'm gonna try
thumb up to every comment
up until the day I die

I can't react to every line and word
but ****** I can try
thumbs up to ever poet/poetess
maybe no one has, to cry

I'm just a singularity
but ****** all too ****
we, as a community
stand up, and hear the yell

I'm not you, and you're not me
but when you see thumbs down
chime in with words and thumbs
chase the trolls, outta HP town

Paint me a picture
Of your skin
Does it bronze beneath the sun?
Or sizzle and blush
Like your cheeks
When you’re in love?
Is it soft to the touch
Like when your palms graze
The smooth surface of water?
Or rough around the edges
Like your favorite book
And its lovingly worn corners?
Does it melt in the heat
Like sweet syrupy treats
Dripping through your fingers?
Or does it welcome the winter
With wide open arms
As if greeting a lover?
Paint me a picture
Of your skin

we do not write poetry
we write mirrors
which are held up
to curious faces
who read
looking for their
own reflections

Brain, brain go away
Don't want to listen one more day
Already lonely and afraid
Feel insecure and full of shame

Brain, brain don't act this way
You're always angry; Filled with hate
You know we're joined; Can't separate
You're punching yourself in the face

Brain, brain what can I say
To make it so you see things straight
Don't know how much more I can take
Of constant warring and debate

Brain, brain it's getting late
This journey's not some endless race
Life's flying by and at this pace
Forget a win; Not gonna place

Brain, brain let's medicate
I'll feed you drugs and we'll sedate
The only way to mitigate
Discrepancies we generate

Brain, brain we sadly waste
This outcome feels like it was fate
But never was there a sealed date
Fulfilling what we self-create

Brain, brain so much we faced
Success so close could almost taste
Instead our tail we always chased
We'll die alone sad and disgraced

And so, I firmly stand my ground
from millions of voices, I cannot seize a single sound.
I wonder: why am I still here?
Is it to justify my fears?

Be gone, I say to my thoughts tonight
I am tired of winning and losing, and to do what is wrong and what is right …
The one I need by my side, where are you, my angel?
Come to me, return my sight!

Yet, your voice is the only one, I cannot hear…
I've searched for aeons, but you're never near.
Save me, I pray to you,
because I don’t know what else, I must do …

My soul is gone now, turned to the side of darkness
The last things falling, are my feelings of sadness …
Where are you? Tell me please!
I am tired of crying – these are the last of my tears.

Goodbye my love, wherever you might be
I will love you forever, as you have never loved me.

It’s done,
I’m done.
My friend stopped talking to me
My pride is gone
I am done.
Everything I took pride on.
I confided in.
Has murdered me.
It’s done
I’m done
Goodbye

last year's worn out sweater
and birthday gift cards frame the scene
four eyes dejected marbles

but did you even notice that my hair is
different today?