Ben Palomino

Mar 2019

E. E. Cummings

Humanity i love you
because you would rather black the boots of
success than enquire whose soul dangles from his
watch-chain which would be embarrassing for both

parties and because you
unflinchingly applaud all
songs containing the words country home and
mother when sung at the old howard

Humanity i love you because
when you’re hard up you pawn your
intelligence to buy a drink and when
you’re flush pride keeps

you from the pawn shop and
because you are continually committing
nuisances but more
especially in your own house

Humanity i love you because you
are perpetually putting the secret of
life in your pants and forgetting
it’s there and sitting down

on it
and because you are
forever making poems in the lap
of death Humanity

i hate you

Ben Palomino Mar 2019

A lurking thought

I have been writing poems
For almost 2 years
Something I thought I'd never do

Each poem I craft
Starts from a thought
Then a mediocre draft
Each one resembling
A chain from the past

A pain, a thought, a longing
Yet I feel I'm always missing something
A road block from improvement

I read the poems other write
With such amazement and envy

What is it I'm missing
To see the world
You see?

Ben Palomino Mar 2019

Classmate

I miss the color
Of your presence,
Such a unique shade
Of sky

Ben Palomino Jan 2019

Masks

When my masks are tired
They wear me.
These faces can only be worn for so long before
Even they grow self conscious
Of what the world thinks.
My masks wear me because they know I care about nothing
Which allows them solitude from judgment.
Solitude from the human ego.
Once they have recovered
Our roles will once again switch
And I can feel familiar within
                    “Society”
                           Is
                        Why
                            I
                       Wear
                      These
                      Masks

Nov 2018

Alex B

Someone stole my color

Someone stole my color
And threw it to the wind
Scattered like ashes
I don’t know if I’ll ever find it

Someone stole my color
From the face I know so well
I saw it in the cotton candy clouds
And the teal ocean swell

Someone stole my color
I guess that’s where it went
The world looks so much brighter
Like something heaven-sent

Someone stole my color
And that’s what no one knows
Depression isn’t black
It’s the color of a rose

It’s the light orange in a sunset
And the yellow of a peach
Light blue, my favorite color
So simply out of reach

Purple like my favorite eyeshadow
No, lavender, I’d guess you’d say
And my favorite music artist
Although he has passed away

Someone stole my color
Now everything’s too bright
I suppose sometimes darkness
Isn’t the opposite of light

Someone stole my color
So I’ll wear grey and black
As if in mourning
Until I get it back

Ben Palomino Oct 2018

The sheep and Death

My dear miss guided sheep
I see you wonder blindly
Through the path of dying roots
The darkness you hid form for so long
Now takes to you

I hear you scream
Pleading to see the way back,
My curious eyes loom over you
As I try to fathom why you don’t submit yourself
To the end

Willingly I shall approach you
For I am the light that will guide you to the place
You are meant to be,
Now take hold of my decaying hand
So we may walk this path of darkness together

My dear miss guided sheep
Let me restore your sight
And unhinge your chains from obedience
Your judgment will now forever be
Of your own free will,
But I order you to embrace my light
So I may taint your purity

Ben Palomino Oct 2018

God

O sweet child
How your eyes glistened like the sun,
Your heart radiating
With kindness and compassion,
Yet here you lay
Broken
Trampled by the world and its ways.
I do not pity you
But know that
I love you.
I could pick you up and mend your wounds
But I shall not..
Instead I will throw you to the wolves
And guide you to survival
I am not your friend
I am not your savior
I am your father
Do not forget me.

Inspiration seems to elude me so here is another one I wrote awhile back.