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Brett Palmero Dec 2016
New Mazdas flying overhead
The air is clean and clear
Worries of pollution dead
This world is full of cheer
A world for us to thrive
What a time to be alive

On the ground we bled
Around us is only fear
Nuclear waste where we tread
Death in our atmosphere
Why did the missiles arrive?
What a time to be alive

The sidewalk moves me along
To my new job downtown
Birds chirping their song
To the cities bustling sound
Around only clean cars drive
What a time to be alive

All our decisions were wrong
Our wars ruptured the ground
Left are only the strong
Even so life is barely found
It's been this way since I was five
What a time to be alive

The day ends as I go to dinner
The people around me joyful
And all we have to consider
Is how we to make our bellies full
Into our meal we dive
What a time to be alive

Every day we grow thinner
The dirt I have to eat is awful
Punishments for us as sinners
Humans, the environment culls
For the earth that died
What a time to be alive

I leave the table, answer my phone
My wife asks when I'll be back
Broken is the cleaning drone
I tell her, "After dinner with Jack"
Thankful for my beautiful bride
What a time to be alive

At first I believed I was alone
But in the darkness I hear a crack
All I imagine is my tombstone
As my death waits in the black
No where for me to hide
What a time to be alive

The night ends, and I pay
I walk home and think
About how it got this way
No more is hate's stink
All that's left is love's order
A world of hope and wonder

The night ends, and I pray
No more living at the brink
Why does it have to stay
A place of darkness' ink
Where all that's left are monsters
A world of misery and terror
A poem for a contest about what I think 2050 will be like. It's about two possible extremes of the future. One of a perfect society where there is no pollution and all we have to worry about is how we'll fill our next day with happiness. The other future is one of nuclear fallout where our wars tore the earth apart and all we do is rot. Each stanza switches between the two worlds.
99
Brett Palmero Oct 2016
99
We can't be perfect
No matter what
At least one aspect
Won't make the cut
Maybe it's all a sign
Can't be 100, so be 99

Life, a list of chores
It's not going to be easy
But it's always yours
You'll start to feel crazy
When it's not all fine
Can't be 100, so be 99

The last percent
Can't be attained
Because it's an accent
Rather than feel stained
Call it mine
Can't be 100, so be 99
Brett Palmero Jun 2016
I feel my heart beating again
The world is collapsing
There's no way out but drown
Until I realized there is an up to this down

I feel something changing,
Something writhing
It's my soul black and dead
Ignited anew by a flame instead

Changing as I change
Feeling as I feel
I am no longer the leaf
Destined to fall

There is purpose to my growth
Reason to my being
I am one of many sisters, brothers
Surrounded by others

Not held down
But kept up
They are not the similar current
So I accept something different

I am the sun
Ready to shine
Upon the leaves
That kept me so safe
A follow up to before. I can never thank my friends enough for the love and reason they bring to my life.
Brett Palmero Oct 2016
All I want is to be happy
For everyone to feel okay
But that's not the reality
The outlook looking grey

What does it mean
If life is so worthless
To escape the machine
We start to lose purpose

If people are willing
To just throw it all away
Because it's not fulfilling
Then why should I stay?

I am answered quickly
They come running
Knocking on my door already
Making sure the sun is shining

It's dark outside
The sky a work of art
I can no longer hide
As people warm my heart
Haley
Brett Palmero Apr 2017
If you're someone's friend
You do what you can

If you love someone
You do all you can

and then some...
It's the extra, the then some that separates love from kinship.
Brett Palmero Nov 2017
Even though
The night may be dark
You just need to weather it
Till the sun rises again

But sometimes
This is difficult
To see the light
Without it being there

To have faith
That it will get better
When you can only see
The black darkness

You may wonder
If there really is
A light at the end
A release after agony

But you have to
Keep going still
Despite the trials
Through the hardship

Because the only ones
Who stay in darkness
Are those who give up
And succumb to the abyss

All it takes
Is one step
After the other
To find the light

*Of another day
Brett Palmero Jun 2016
I can feel my heart beating
I am ready for it to stop
But there's a feeling inside
Telling me just wait, I'm not done

This feeling is life, in of itself
Why do I live? For who?
If a dew drop were to fall
The other droplets would droop
But only for a moment
Then go back to normal, as if none the less

If a leaf is meant to eventually fall
It's journey meaningless
Why should I grow
I wrote this before I had meaningful people in my life. Now that I have some I was able to write an after that will come later.
Brett Palmero Dec 2016
If I'm not proud of who I am
If I lost all my self worth
If I am a part of the program
If I ever curse my own birth

Then I change who I am
Then I make my own worth
Then I write the program
Then I cherish life given by birth

I will become someone
Who makes others proud
So when the day is done
I will say my name loud

And acknowledge my existence
As a part of this world
Even if I live only for an instance
*It was a life worth being told
Kate
Brett Palmero Jun 2016
Blue was the sky above
The wind, warm and gentle
Clouds white in flight like a dove
A day to feel sentimental
There is a sudden, shocked outcry
Black rainbow across the sky

After the rain there should be colour
From the sun’s awakening light
But the sky turns red, beginning to suffer
An arch of darkness caused this blight
Clouds fade away, no longer to fly
Black rainbow across the sky

The onlookers can't look away
Raptured by the darkness that has spread
Despite their fear and dismay
They continue to look at the rainbow, dead
A grim scene plays out above on high
Black rainbow across the sky

The day they all wanted and waited for
Has disappeared before their eyes
The arch above them, out like a sore
Reaches end to end, it no longer tries
To spread out more and continue to dye
Black rainbow across the sky

Now stands two pillars of black
And a red sky for all to see
But nothing else came from the attack
The day was normal, over was the spree
But people were still mad, wanting to cry
Black rainbow across the sky

Really nothing was wrong at all
It was a simple change of scenery
But people can't handle change, big or small
They hated the idea of a kink in their machinery
It's hard to be yourself, to think, and to defy
To be the black rainbow across the sky
Brett Palmero May 2017
Inhale
Exhale
One step
After the other

Inhale
Exhale
One moment
At a time

Inhale
Exhale
One day
And then another

Inhale
Exhale
Fail now
But keep trying

Inhale
Exhale
Wake up
And seize the day

Inhale
Exhale
Keep Breathing
And keep going
I dunno lol
Brett Palmero May 2016
Hundreds of battles until now
A broken and cracked sword
Fought, protected with all its might
Slaying enemies left and right

Is it time for a new one?
It’s just a tool, used to ****
Why would it matter, replaced?
Broken is a word sided with distaste

A blade now dull, sharpness gone
A hilt now scrap and crack
A warrior needing to move on
A need for a weapon on his back

He goes in search of new
What he finds is not his
Only the sword now broken
Is of his character, his token

Desperate he goes back
To the sword that broke
He knows it can be repaired
Their journey, not done being shared

A new blade sharp, steady
A hilt new but familiar
A duo back in the fight already
A sky lining now silver
Broken fixed renewed friendship
Brett Palmero Nov 2016
Someone asked me how I am
And I said I was okay
But that's part of my program
Actually the world looked gray
It's not always sad and bleak
Happiness is here and real
But okay is the answer they seek
No matter how I feel
This idea of always lying
Is what makes us move on
Our truth we are defying
We put on this disguise
Only truth is that we are defined by lies
Brett Palmero Jan 2017
Can I move the way I used to?
Can I love the way I want to?
Can I live the way I love to?

Yes I can

But will I?
Something about actually doing what you can. Sounded cool in my head.
Brett Palmero Apr 2017
Everyone falls down
But it's their choice
To go without a sound
Or have heard their voice

As friends it's our choice
To listen and help them
So we can later rejoice
That we saved a friend

But there are some
Who fall too far into the brink
To darkness they succumb
And we can't do anything

**but watch
Isaac / Kate
Brett Palmero May 2016
Together they march
Towards a battle of theirs
Some ready and strong
Others feeling like it's wrong

Here comes the enemy
Swords out, bows drawn
The clash begins, metal rings
Now death the angel sings

What started the fighting?
Is it our fault or theirs?
Why spill brother’s blood
And then lay sisters in the mud

A sword in the ground
A mother’s love now sorrow
An arrow through the head
A father’s pride let go

We fight and **** without cause
Playing as God’s executioner
****** not justified
Life and love denied

We’re all the same
Born to live and prosper
It’s all a fight for survival
A **** deadman’s carnival

It’s for the entertainment
For ourselves and each other
To spill the blood of humans
And all for one’s amusement

A leader lamenting his defeat
A catastrophe begins to commence
A ruler grinning and laughing
A body unknown, life worthless
Brett Palmero Nov 2016
I don't know where to go

Trapped in this thread
My entire life is here
My soul fills with dread
And all I feel is fear

I never saw this coming
Flying high with no care
In my way I saw nothing
Invisible was this snare

A silk so smooth
A soul that can't move
A strung up person
A life that can't worsen

Then I see those eyes
Eyes of a predator below
I look to the skies
Looking for God's glow

But he is not there
And I have nothing
Below fangs bare
I prepare for my ending

A life frozen in time
A beast that can't climb
A cage is life's sling
A web the only thing

That keeps us from the monsters below
Is your cage keeping you in, or is it keeping them out?
Brett Palmero Sep 2016
Politics
Gross and painful
To watch and see
That one will be powerful
Making us want to flee

People
Smart yet ignorant
To listen and hear
That they make the difference
Making us want to disappear

Progress
A gift and a curse
To feel time pass
That it might get worse
Making us want to pass

Us*
Alone and scared
To fall and bleed
That we may never be spared
As we watch the corrupt lead
Not necessarily how I feel, but those around me feel this way. We don't want to be afraid of the future.
Brett Palmero Dec 2018
Since when did I lose my complain card?
My wow my work paid off card
My ******* that was tough card
My I am so tired from all these notes card
My I need to study for 3 tests and do 2 projects card
My I am proud of what I can do and how hard I worked card
Complaining is considered arrogance for me. I sometimes need to use it to vent too. Just because it makes sense to me in the end, doesn't mean I didn't have it any easier.
Brett Palmero Nov 2017
What happened to
The days where
We could make
A mistake

What happened to
The actions that
We could make
Without consequence

What happened to
The mistakes that
We could make
And move on from

What happened to
The people that
We could make
Happy without trying

What happened to
The consequences
We didn't make
Follow us

What happened to
The past that
We could keep
In the past
Brett Palmero Sep 2017
It's begins when one person
Treads across the ice
To get where they need to
But when others follow
The cracks begin to show
Then hidden by the falling snow

As more use this easier path
The cracks continue to form
But once one crosses
They could not care less
For those after them
Or for the cracks to come

Then one cracks is too many
And one falls in, then two
Then all begin to fall
And become lost in the depths
Of greed and desire
Because the other path was harder

Now all those who try to cross
Are stuck with nowhere to go
Because the path of hard work
Was lost to the snow
Temporary are the short cuts
Permanent are determination and guts
Brett Palmero Aug 2016
Speak my mind like I'm preaching
People listen because they can follow
I speak loud and true as if teaching
Their faults and insecurities need to go
My voice revealing a new path to travel
They realize they're not alone in the fight
Hearts beating, life's woes to unravel
Taking surer steps as if given new sight
Unknown to them I keep my struggle
Deaf to my own life changing advice
All my problems and pain, I juggle
Preach without practice, stuck in a vice
I wish I could make my own choice
To wake up and listen to my voice
Brett Palmero Nov 2016
Death is the end
And it scares us
But it's also our friend
Something we can trust

Life is so wild and bold
Potential everywhere
But it's the same old same old
It begins to lose its flare

But it never lasts
A set amount of time
It goes by so fast
This end a crime

We fear when life concludes
And we can't feel anymore
Negative are our attitudes
About death's door

So we fight back
And live life to the fullest
Our happiness an attack
The love we feel our bullet

Against death we fight
But that's what he desires
For us to be bright
Before he puts out our fires
Brett Palmero Oct 2017
Your inner demons
They want to tempt you
Into being the only thing
That can hurt you

They want you to fall
A pit that has
No bottom
And no light

They want you to choose
A path that has
No right way
And no sky

They want you to destroy
A pillar that is
Made of motivation
And determination

They want you to become
The only thing that can hurt
You're own worst enemy
You without love

Without hope
Without morals
Without dreams

So become you
With dedication
And loyalty
Your own ally
Brett Palmero May 2016
Sky clean as glass
Night draws near
Here comes the ball of gas
Shining bright and clear
Yet above it feels so confining
Dying star keep shining

There is no meaning
To stay alive and lit
Why do I keep seeking
When there is no real fit
I feel the need to begin dying
Dying star keep shining

I can’t give light
As my strength goes
I give into sadness’ blight
And discover all my woes
The glow starts falling
Dying star keep shining

My body is all that’s left
Those around me scream
But I can’t help but be deaf
To those who dream
My life is ending
Dying star keep shining

This is meant to be
For all those who grow
To run and to flee
From their own show
Yet here I can’t stop smiling
Dying star keep shining

I continue this descent
Into darkness and pain
Am I ready for this torment?
I have nothing left to gain
But I can’t stop dreaming
Dying star keep shining

I see the stars around
They fall as one together
Here they come to surround
They are warm and soft as feather
I am almost done falling
Dying star keep shining

We begin the last couple miles
Till the surface and us collides
Those around me continue their smiles
Ready to be my guides
I die but keep believing
Dying star keep living
Brett Palmero Oct 2016
I have too many regrets
In my mind they rage
These feelings I want to forget
Put me inside a cage

The past catches up
And rips apart the future
My feelings pileup
And I can't stop the torture

Then I open my eyes
The dawn is here
Beautiful is the sunrise
I never want it to disappear
Brett Palmero Aug 2017
I don't have to live in my dreams
When I can make them a reality

All it takes
Is getting up

And telling yourself
I choose to be happy
Brett Palmero Jun 2016
Life is a cycle we follow, a dream
We fall asleep and wake as dust
Living lucidly, flowing down a stream
Our love for life revealed as lust
Life’s dream is nothing and painful
Why do we continue this circle?

Anything that goes up must come down
Like a bird we fly and relish freedom
But eventually we fall, our pain without sound
Like that we’re gone, a predicted outcome
If we all must wake up, life mortal
Why do we continue this circle?

Like a dream we have no control
We are dictated in body and mind
Falling down into an infinite hole
Here we live as if deaf and blind
Helpless like a flipped turtle
Why do we continue this circle?

This dream is a nightmare, I fear
But it doesn’t have to be if we choose
What happens is yours to commandeer
Take life by the reigns, there is nothing to lose
Death is but a stage to life eternal
So take your life and forge it’s cycle
Brett Palmero Jan 2019
Not everyone can sail safely
Some are knocked off
Into the wave's savagery
To the thunder, their scream lost
They panic as the safe land
Is lost to the drowning man

As he is thrown under
He can't believe his fate
All his dreams torn asunder
Wishing the world would wait
He tries to grab what he can
But quickly drowning is the man

Before all is lost to him
He sees someone on the boat
Reaching he pulls them in
Now both struggle to keep afloat
All because he couldn't stand
Being the only drowning man
Oof kinda dark on this one. Such is life though
Brett Palmero Jun 2016
I can’t help but drown on land
Weighed down by the little things
The negativity that’s insignificant as sand
Its voices pulling on my mind with strings
I continue to fall deeper under the water
No chance of coming back
One small comment and I fall further
The inky darkness of pain almost black
All the support and praise washed away
By one perspective as naive as mine
To dwell on this makes life grey
It hurts and pains, but I say I’m fine
When really I can barely stand up
Yet I refuse to say no, to give up
I don't even know. It sounded kinda cool
Brett Palmero Mar 2019
There have been times
When the morning is bleak
World riddled with crimes
People silenced, unable to speak

Release from slumber
And the sun is gone
The clouds covering under
The grey, a somber song

Wake up from darkness
To friends and family bickering
Their love and words in contrast
So much it's sickening

Pushed out of my sleep
I have to immediately toil
Else I am sunk too deep
Choked by school's coil

Yet every morning
I feel like I can do anything
Not held down by worrying
Because your love, it sings

Like the birds chirping
Beautiful as the flowers
Blooming, Spring is coming
Wonderful is the world

As long as you're here
Kate
Brett Palmero Apr 2017
If someone asked me,
What's the best part
About falling in love?

I'd say to them
It's the part when
Someone catches you
Kate
Brett Palmero May 2016
I hear something’s wrong
Whispered into my ears
Like a malevolent song
My heart caught by its lures
All around I see trees
Down go falling leaves

I hop from the ground
Wind whistling through
But I am caught by the sound
Of the darkness’ coup
Pain and disease
Down go falling leaves

Where does this lead?
A path not taken by most
But one I must heed
If I want to run from this ghost
The voice cuts and cleaves
Down go falling leaves

I arrive to see light
A clearing so clean
It can cleanse this blight
The darkness not seen
It's time for new beliefs
Down go falling leaves

A new song begins
One of clarity and calm
I hope for the sins
To be healed and gone
Music that weaves
Down go falling leaves

The notes start play
No longer sad and corrupt
I see a new day
A song saying Wake Up
My broken soul it relieves
Down go the falling leaves
Brett Palmero Oct 2016
Pushed off the cliff
I begin to fall
Beginning to drift
Waiting for the angel's call

The world rushes past me
As I begin to descend
Wind screaming wildly
Maybe this is my end

This dive is killer
My demise stalling
All of life is just filler
To hide the endless falling

The ground never hits
Realizing this isn't dying
I gain bliss
As I begin flying
Belle
Brett Palmero Sep 2018
INCOMING!!!

Here comes the words
Right and left, they're swinging
Each truth you deserve
Even if your ears are ringing

Break ups, break downs
Each one hurting more
Never ending rounds
But giving up ain't yo core

Verse and verse
Line after line
You wanna go in reverse
But you don't lack spine

Each word leaving its impact
Eloquent and poisonous
No time to react
Until its pointless

Why is this spit fire
So bright and strong
Each full of desire
So much I wanna prove wrong

Here I come back
Can't see my passion
As my counter attack
Turns you to ashes
Learning about JayZ right now. I think his lines are real fire, so I had to put that emotion into words.
Brett Palmero Jun 2017
Fire woken by the spark
Burns gentle and true
Ashes falling, leaving mark
Away the old, in the new

Bright is this flame
That rages into the night
Though we all die the same
A fire does not go without fight

The fuel for such passion
Is not found alone
Rather with friends of compassion
With whom we find ourselves at home
Fly
Brett Palmero Sep 2017
Fly
Everyday
It seems to me
That people complain
That's it's not fair
People can be happy
Effortlessly

That there are those
Who go full days
Without being sad
Or depressed
Because they
Have no reason to be

That they don't have a voice
In their heads
That says to them
"You are sad now"
That they can just smile
And live without trial

But in the end
You feel it
And dread the day
Wanting to fall
And never get up
So you just drop

And then you see
A hand reaching out
You are scared to take it
Because it might drop you
But if you never fall
How will you learn to fly?
Reflecting what it felt to be depressed a long time ago. Now if I get that feeling, it disperses as quickly as it comes.
Brett Palmero May 2016
Down the river the canoe floats
Under a clear sun and cool breeze
All the details the girl notes
Drawing the scene before her with ease
The fish swim under below
Let our journey follow the flow

Down the river approaches
A fork, a decision, a choice
The fear of it encroaches
But the driver hears a voice
“It doesn’t matter left or right we go”
Let our journey follow the flow

The fork comes faster and closer
Driver scared, can’t continue calm
A decision made now or never
Yet the artist continued to draw a palm
Don’t be filled with fear and woe
Let our journey follow the flow

And so they went left
The current pushing them this way
Poor driver still feeling stressed
The artist stood up, admired the day
For her art was done, quite the show
Let our journey follow the flow
Brett Palmero Nov 2016
When I look back
My life is in two
Joy, I never lack
Despair never new

Times I'd rather keep
Moments I want to last
Yet I can't sleep
Over pains of the past

So I choose to forget
The times that were misery
Ones I always regret
Better left to a mystery

And all that's left
Is what defines me
The parts that are best
Are what I choose to be
Sarah / Gazzaniga
Brett Palmero May 2017
My body spins
As it enters a battle
One where no one wins
Each swing a struggle

The swords clang and clatter
While we fight and scream
Glory or pain, it doesn't matter
It's all hazy, like a dream

As the battle goes on
Reason is lost in this fight
In this war all there is,
Is an enemy in sight

So why do we shed blood
And hurt others without cause
Push them into the mud
And **** without pause?

Because it's not about us
Or the enemies in the fray
It's about those who trust
That we'll return safely one day
Inspired by the game For Honor created by Ubisoft
Brett Palmero Nov 2016
The skin I have is dark
And that's all most see
I walk around with a mark
That says I can never just be
I feel like a different breed
My freedom never guaranteed

People are born different
Their love may be unique
Sadly some aren't considerate
And treat them like a freak
They think they're some ****
My freedom never guaranteed

I started with nothing
Poverty knocking at my door
If I were to wish for something
It wouldn't be to have more
But to never have to need
My freedom never guarenteed

All of this makes me different
Yet it makes me who I am
I'd rather a societal aberrant
Than part of a program
To be free is to concede
So I'd rather be me than be freed
Tyree / Belle
I've only dealt with race discrimination. Poverty and ****** discrimination are beyond me, so I hope I accurately represented them.
Brett Palmero Sep 2016
I'm miles away
And can't focus
Girl I love every day
Dealing with life's circus

I wait for the time
When we can hold each other
Making you leave a crime
Keeping us from one another

When our eyes meet
And our noses touch
The moment so sweet
******* it, I love you so much
AHHHHH struggle
Brett Palmero Nov 2016
Throughout my life
I've tried to be the best
No matter the strife
I was to be above rest
Now it's gotten tough
Good enough isn't good enough

I forgot how I felt
The grade was all I saw
To see my name spelt
For others to yell "Hurrah!"
But really I'm in a handcuff
Good enough isn't good enough

Trapped by expectations
I was under infinite stress
Recently I've had a revelation
I'd rather be happy, not the best
To be happy is good enough
Because life is short, gone in a puff
My family motto has always been "good enough isn't good enough, only the best is". Recently I've realized I'd rather be happy than the best. Usually I end up being good enough anyways, and the only person that deserves to be happy in my life is me.
Brett Palmero Jan 2018
They ask me why I don't write anymore
I say I don't feel it anymore
They ask what don't I feel
I said it's sadness I don't feel

They are confused now
I say it's ok now
They are confused still
I say nothing still

They say, "Write happy poems"
I think about happy poems
They say, "Cmon, try"
I think why try?

They think it's easy
I wish it was easy
They think happiness is simple
I think, "It's not that simple"
Brett Palmero Nov 2016
This world is sad
We have fallen so far
The people feeling had
About to take on a scar
One that will brand us
A mark in history
Where we lost trust
In each other bitterly
There is love yes
But the hate is so loud
Our morals it will stress
Yet people feel proud
Want to get rid of this hate
But alas we are too late
Brett Palmero May 2016
Lights on well past midnight
Yet the library continues its work
Odd yet normal of a sight
To see the girl reading with a smirk
She acts like she knows life’s records
A meaning hidden in the words

More time passes, she keeps skimming
Soaking in all the mysteries to be had
Lives and knowledge all brimming
No matter if it was happy or sad
The higher meaning she heads towards
A meaning hidden in the words

Using one life to live multiple others
She can’t stop flipping the pages
All the feelings and stories hers
Seeing life’s multiple stages
Not as simple as three thirds
A meaning hidden in the words

The book is closed and put back
A smile of satisfaction on her face
As much as she knows she lacks
But that’s ok for she has grace
Knowing all the she wants undeterred
The meaning hidden in the words
Books reality mystery words
Brett Palmero Oct 2016
My heart cries out
For the people around me
I want to scream and shout
So they come home safely

I feel overbearing
But if I'm not
All will be staring
At the person I forgot

The stress is tiring
Most of me is wound
Yet I can't help smiling
When they're back safe and sound

The feeling of caring
Is something I hold dear
Nothing ever comparing
To having friends near
Ali
Brett Palmero Sep 2016
Sometimes you'll just be running
Life's path smooth and solid
Then you see a wall oncoming
Have to slow down and stop before it

It looms over, you casting a shadow
Going through is impossible
If you can keep going, you don't know
Can I overcome this obstacle?

If I were to scale, I'd fall
It endlessly spans left to right
Maybe this is the end to all
Over is my life's fight

But instead of looking at the height
I should look to either side
To see those with me in this blight
I gain hope I thought had died

Hands grabbing and pulling
Together we begin to scale
We find a view most fulfilling
At the top, ready to continue our tale
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