The trees stand before me,
Like a crowd of men,
A jury of wooden minds,
Facing me again.

Unknowing of the consequences,
Of my actions’ reply,
These trees are the gates,
To the forest’s eye.

A whole journey ahead,
And I shall trek on,
I shall take the chance,
Before it is gone.

Take that chance,
Take that risk,
Just believe me,
It shan’t be brisk.

I feel the most beautiful
After a warm shower
It has created a smile
From a previous glower

My once natural curls
Straighten out long
My hair cascades
And my makeup is gone

But I feel this is the body
In which I belong
Because anything else
Would just feel wrong

Whether I was crying
Or sitting to contemplate
I look in the mirror
And I see a clean slate

After a shower
It all washes away
The goods and the bads
Ups and downs of the day

When I finish soaking
I stare for a while
I think about how much
I truly love my smile

I watch my eyes glaze over
I see my deep brown hair
I wonder what is happening
Beneath my own dark stare

When I look in the mirror
After I have showered
I feel more like myself
Where another is towered

Everyone needs a helping hand,
To band as one,
To fight not run,
To have some fun,
And to help lift the tonne.

A hand to hold,
When it's getting cold,
When you need to be told,
That you are the gold.

It'll be there for you,
When you're feeling blue,
To give you something to do,
And something to look forward to,
But you've no clue,
As to why they stay with you.

As to why they help you through,
Your life that is a devilish stew,
But they make you feel as good as new,
Get you out of that horrid zoo,
Make you want to get back with the crew,
All because of this hand, who knew?

The questions grew and grew,
The theories starting to brew,
Why was this hand helping you?

Well, that's easy,
Because they care,
So, if you ever need a helping hand,
Know that there's at least one in this land.

“Alice, Alice,
Where are you?”
I’m dizzy, I’m dizzy,
Stuck in a cloud of blue.

My vision is blurred,
My mind is scattered,
Where’s the White Rabbit?
Where’s the Mad Hatter?

The Queen of Hearts,
Should’ve yelled by now,
“Chop off her head!”
Or make me bow.

I’m so confused,
And lost in this land,
Where is my dream?
Where is Wonderland?

Where is Twiddle-Dee?
Where is Twiddle-Dum?
Where’s the Blue Catterpillar,
Getting drunk on ***?

The Cheshire Cat,
Must appear soon,
I can’t be left alone,
This can’t be my doom.

I can’t feel my feet,
I can’t feel my hands,
I don’t know where I am,
Where is Wonderland?

This isn’t meant to be a poem,
Just a story about me,
A thing that happens often,
A thing not many people see.

Yet, it’s turning into one,
A poem, no doubt,
I don’t exactly control it,
But here’s what the story’s about.

I’m going through a time,
That life just seems bad,
My guardians tell me I have ‘insight’,
But all I feel is sad.

There doesn’t seem to be happiness,
And some people around me know,
But most are oblivious,
So I try put on a show.

I know that a friend is reading this,
And to this friend, I say hi,
I know that you know,
But it still feels like a lie.

When I need someone,
No one’s there,
Life seems to hate me,
It seems unfair.

But that’s not the case,
Or at least I hope,
Because there’s always a way out,
It’s like my safety rope.

So, to my friend, and anyone else,
I’m just here to say hi,
It wasn’t much of a story,
But now I say goodbye.

Blinded by the dark,
A light, nowhere near,
Able to hide my sorrow,
And my escaped tear.

The absence of light,
Is comforting, and not,
But is it really gone,
Or had we just forgot?

All the lights in our world,
Shine with utmost pride,
But in this room of darkness,
The light dares not stride.

I wonder if it's there,
Watching me intently,
Wiping away my tear,
Caressing the dark, gently.

I'm calling out for help,
A light in the distance,
I know you're there, please,
I know of your existence.

So please, reveal yourself,
In this room with only me,
Because you are all the light,
That we just cannot see.

Do you ever get a sense,
Of overwhelming fear,
Sadness and anger,
As they whisper in your ear.

You don't know how to cope,
So you push people away,
That have done nothing,
But you want them to stay.

It doesn't make much sense,
But as it's almost midnight,
I can't help but cry,
As I sit alone and write.

Sometimes I wonder if it's me you care about
Or my looks
My hair
My body
My waist
My chest
My eyes

You know not of my mind
Not of my talent
Not of my life
And not of my heart

So tell me
Sir
Why you think you own it

It's always

****
Cute
Gorgeous
Beautiful
Pretty
Adorable

And never

Sweet
Loving
Generous
Wise
Caring
Intelligent

It's always

What's your bra size?
What are you wearing?
Are you *****?

And never

What are your interests?
Tell me about yourself?
Who is your role model?

It's always
The trap I fall into

And never
The arms that welcome me

You know when little kids
Come up to you and ask
"Can you please help me?
It's too much of a task!"

Well, usually they made mistakes,
Or had a minor incident
And I find myself in that same boat
What a coincidence

But my situation is unlike theirs
Where they may have lost a crayon
No, mine is to do with a girl
A challenge I must take on

She's quick and smart and talented
And she knows her way around
But my minor incident
Isn't very profound

See, this girl is all I want
All I could ever dream
And her smile makes me blush
To the world, I want to scream

My minor incident
Makes me want to twirl
Because, it was falling—
Falling for this girl

Another love poem,
All the roses,
And the 'I love you's,
The 'I wish you were mine's,
And the sweet messages behind.

Another love poem,
With you as the sun,
To my cloudy sky,
With you as the life,
To my lifeless body.

Another love poem,
All the foolishness,
Of letting you go,
And all the hoping,
That you haven't forgotten.

Another love poem,
Why did you leave me,
Why did you choose her over me,
Was I destined for loneliness,
Or is it just my luck?

Another love poem,
With you as the dove,
Leaving my cage of a heart,
With you as the water,
Running away from my stream.

Another love poem,
And I can't promise you,
It's going to be the last one,
Because it's not.

Because love is so wide,
And so complicated,
That one poem doesn't cut it,
Ten poems don't cut it,
It's continuous.

Another love poem,
That's really,
All we need.

Getting a call,
At an untimely hour,
Of untimely news,
Causing you to cower.

Receiving news,
Of an 'accident', so called,
Sitting, listening, waiting,
Sat, listened, bawled.

A loved one involved,
A head on crash,
All hopes and wishes,
Put aside to trash.

News, not the good kind,
Not good at all,
And this was entirely thanks,
To that untimely call.

Three small words are a promise
But the words ‘I promise’, are more.
My heart leapt from my chest to my throat
And slowly withered and tore.

I chundered all my emotions
And retched up all my care,
But my fears never left me
While your distance left me bare.

You made a promise twice,
Words not two, or three, but five.
“I love you, I promise”, you promised,
Your language ate me alive.

I succumbed to your sweet song,
Your innocent, droplet eyes.
But little did I know then,
Your words were my demise.

I met a girl,
When I was three,
My best friend,
She was soon to be.

We met by a pool,
She was older than I,
We were inseparable,
I can't lie.

But few years ago,
She moved away,
Across the globe,
She couldn't stay.

I still love her,
She's still my best friend,
And no way on Earth,
Is this close to the end.

Could have been me,
All I can see,
Is a land of free,
Or so we believe.

I don't care for power,
Turning faces of sour,
Into those that devour,
All traces of a coward.

Of all the shame,
It's all the same,
The day came,
To know my name.

It's a fogging haze,
No, not a phase,
I seek thy praise,
Glory set ablaze.

When I look into your eyes,
I see blazing stars that shine,
When I look into your eyes,
I'm lucky that you're mine.

When I look into your eyes,
When I see you shed a tear,
I realise my darkest thoughts,
I realise my fears.

In the right corner
You have a quiet ear
To listen to your woes
Don't talk, only hear

In the left corner
An opinion, so loud
Wishing to share
Words, deep and proud

The fight always ends
Only to restart
In three, two, one
Feelings depart

Reason is thrown out
It's all in the ring
Ear vs opinion
Where no one will win.

It's all for nothing
Just listen to their woes
Cry at midnight
When nobody knows

Every action that I take;
Every move that I make;
Every smile that I fake;
Things I do for my own sake.

It feels as if it's all for waste,
Like I don't deserve my given place
In the arms of another embrace;
In front of people I now have to face.

Every movement of my own
Is another friendship I have thrown.
More disappointment they have shown,
Stripping my esteem to its bare bone.

It feels like all I do is try
And yet relations around me die.
It feels like they were all a lie
To keep me from asking 'Why?'

Why am I not good enough?
Why am I not as strong or tough?
Why do I fall for their bluff
And end up lost off the cuff?

Why am I how I act?
It's not as easy as 'It's a fact',
I feel as if I'm being attacked
By my own heart, ever so cracked.

Sometimes I can't help but think,
What if I'm left on this brink?
On the edge of swim or sink?
No one around to fix my link.

There's nothing left without a chain
That binds you to keeping sane,
And people around will just feign
Every relationship again and again.

Why, on these people, do I depend?
When it seems like everyone plays pretend.
I wish somehow a message will send
Telling me that it's not the end.

I don't want to be their burden
I don't want to be their strife
I don't want to be their battle
I want to be light in their life

fluttering wings in morning sun
handsome bugs filled with beauty
a myriad of lustrous peculiarity

The hardest thing I had to do was tell you to count to ten.
We sat in your car
And you sobbed and begged
To stop the inevitable
There was nothing I could’ve said

This wasn’t goodbye
This was see you soon
This wasn’t the end
Because we both knew
We’d always look up
Under the same moon

The tables had turned
Because my tears ran dry
Yours came in tidal waves
But I couldn’t cry

Our time came to a close
The chapter was ending
But I couldn’t let your heart break
Not while it was mending

I softened the blow
Bubble wrap on barbed wire
Like dropping a bucket
Onto a bushfire

The hardest thing I had to do
Was tell you to count to ten
But only when eyes were closed
Could you begin

I gave you a final kiss
My hands left your touch
And if I’m being honest
I don’t remember much

You started to count

I couldn’t break down

I got to the door

I couldn’t fall to the floor

I watched you leave

I couldn’t breathe

I sat alone

I lost my home

I boarded the plane

But it wasn’t the same

It wasn’t the end

It wasn’t the end

It wasn’t the end

One two three four five six seven eight nine ten




I walked away

But your eyes were closed

I sit in my cabin,
Mountain top view,
Staring at the valley,
With not much else to do.

I look at passing flocks,
Floundering in the breeze,
Worrying about their lives,
While I'm worried about my keys.

The juxtaposition of us,
A scene like no other,
I see a bird learning,
How to fly from her mother.

I sit in my cabin,
Watching wildlife go by,
Wishing I were that free,
But all I manage is a sigh.

Sparklers go off,
Light emitted,
A birthday princess,
In a dress well-fitted.

Party pipes ring,
Filling one with sound,
Leaving no one behind,
No unsmiling face around.

Knife brought out,
To cut the cake,
The very first slice,
For the princess's take.
___

Sparklers go off,
Fire everywhere,
Nothing can help,
Can only stand and stare.

Party pipes ring,
Like a siren's sound,
Hearing a shot,
And a thud to the ground.

Knife brought out,
No cake in sight,
Blood's decoration,
Is that of the night.

Christmas is near,
Summer is here,
Mozzies we fear,
Presents appear.

Bring out the thongs,
And barbecue tongs,
Where Santa belongs,
With our Chrissy songs.

Bondi is packed,
Beer bottles cracked,
Pressies are now packed,
Those, Santa has sacked.

But Australia is burning,
Our stomachs are churning,
A lot we aren't learning,
From how this year's turning.

This is our New Year,
We may shed a tear,
As we live in fear,
As Christmas comes near.

Stacking upon each other,
A coil of pythons stand,
Tails holding their weight,
Holding hand in hand.

The pythons work their hardest,
Prancing on their prey,
Yearning a sweet defeat,
But there is more at play.

A master of disguise,
A master of deception,
One will stop at nothing,
These pythons no exception.

The coil of pythons stand,
Holding each other strong,
A war to attempt success,
For a place where they belong.

Red,
Loving, sweet,
Blood,
Dead and beat.

Yellow,
Warm, gentle,
Police tape,
Accidental.

Green,
Nature, growth,
Cannabis,
Under oath.

Blue,
Loyal, calm,
Pills,
Rest in my palm.

White,
Peaceful, pure,
Moribund,
No known cure.

The needle spins,
Round and round,
I'm lost out here,
Never to be found.

The compass never lies,
The needle never stops,
The trail twists and turns,
The door always swaps.

Left is a passage,
But nothing seems right,
Straight ahead is a trail,
Backwards is a fight.

The needle spins,
Out of control,
I chose this journey,
I must take the toll.

Water is of the little,
Rain is rather scant,
Dehydration of the people,
And death comes to our plants.

Drought now lives among us,
Down here in Australia's lair,
Water restrictions are higher,
And no one seems to care.

Who cares about our water?
Or how we waste it all?
They won't care until it's gone,
When there's no water left to fall.

Australians need to know,
Of the dangers we may face,
Because if we fail to understand,
We may no longer have this place.

I need him,
Dead or alive,
I need him.

He needs me,
Dead or alive,
He needs me.

It doesn't matter,
Dead or alive,
It really doesn't.

Dead,
I'll have him,
Dead.

Alive,
The same,
Alive.

It makes no difference,
I just need him,
Dead or alive.

Dearest Australia,
How much you make me weep,
As we drown in sorrow,
Ash from the sky, knee-deep.

We wait for the war,
Against climates to end,
But we cry for help,
No longer able to pretend.

Our sweetest, dearest country,
A place we would call home,
Has become unsafe for families,
Unsafe to call our own.

We cannot keep the children,
Worry and stress-free,
So please help us Aussies out,
Please, Australia, help me.

There are so many things,
About our country we cherish,
But we just sit and watch,
As the flames engulf, as we perish.

Dearest Australia,
I need your support,
So help a mate out,
At Macquarie's Port.

The only people that fear death
are those that have not lived
satisfactory lives.

Half of wreckless,
Half of greedy,
Half of anger,
Half of needy.

Half a God,
Other, mortal,
A gateway for two,
For worlds, I'm a portal.

Don't know who I am,
Useless, I've always felt,
Blood is shed among them,
As currency, death is dealt.

Here I am,
Away from home,
Surrounded,
But on my own.

I'll live out here,
Until it's time,
To go back home,
To what is mine.

It's my duty,
My obligation,
To be here for,
This relocation.

It feels like years,
This is my void,
But here I am,
I was deployed.

What is shared,
Is to cherish,
Not to disregard,
Not meant to perish.

Love is a thing,
So delicate, fragile,
Distributed willingly,
Confirmed with a smile.

To give out this love,
Is a simple process,
Something achieved,
Simply needed to confess.

Your job is not difficult,
Just be you, so cute,
And I promise that my love,
To you, I will distribute.

The same gender,
Holding hands,
Is not a painting,
Don't stare at it.

A person who wants to be,
The opposite of what they are,
Is not a vegetable,
Don't spit at it.

A person who loves,
And accepts all,
Is not a helpless kid,
Don't bully it.

These are people,
And their feelings,
Are like plates made of China.
Don't break it.

The walls that whisper while I walk
Seemingly pressing closer
Soon to be caving in on me
Soon to be whispering my cries

I'm called on in a class
A sea of heads turn towards me
Like seagulls staring at a struggling squid
Ready to swoop and snack on their afternoon meal

I open my mouth but nothing comes out
No answer to the question that I've already forgotten
No way to take the spotlight off of me
No way to escape

They call it shy, I call it wanting no one to look my way
Wanting nothing to be wanted from me
Wanting to not need to "speak up"
Or "voice my opinions", or "be more social"

They call it anxiety, I call it the monster that tugs at my vocal chords
The monster that feeds off my silence
That hisses at social gatherings
And pounces at excuses to leave

This monster is my downfall
But I don't have to submit
I don't have to bow down or worship
I can choose to fight it

People will not stand to judge me
For battling my own wretched beast
And it seems that if they do
They have one of their own at least.

A strange sight to see
I will admit
But why not come and watch
Just come and sit

You may be wondering,
How is this fair?
What will be next?
A basketball bear?

I gotta be honest
It'll be a hard match to follow
Because nothing else beats
An elephant playing water polo

my life feels like a movie
  with you as the main character

i want to see the end credits roll
    just so this is the moment
         that the audience

   r e m e m b e r s .

The eyes are the windows,
To which, you have the key,
If you search far enough,
You will find honesty.

The eyes are the colours,
That bring this world its life,
Showing all the sadness,
And memories of strife.

The eyes are a painting,
A form of true art,
And beneath the surface,
The eyes show me your heart.

People tell me everything and I say nothing.


Late night talks filled with secrets and
  bittersweet  sorrow.

The stars tell me their stories,
and I tell them    nothing     of it.

The moon whispers
   words of
       worried
           regret,
never once asking mine.

I hear the sky’s gossip and thoughts of
    wilful      sadness,
and the wind chimes in with the
    sound     of      anguish.


But I am okay.


      This is the façade I’ve grown into.


Sometimes I wish for an ear,
          to listen to what I hear,
     to keep what I want kept,
  to no longer be the Keeper.


But I am okay.

A little twinkle on my wall
A little sparkle in the night
What could that possible be
Except for a fairylight

When we talked about home
There were two things you required
A room for all your plants
And all the fairylights you desired

They're quaint and cute
And I couldn't agree more
A house is so much better
With lights framing the door

They're not the brightest,
Nor are they the best
But they bring us both some joy
And we can forget the rest

When a house becomes a home
You think about it and smile
Because now home seems far away
When it's only really a mile

I know something our house needs
And yes, it'll stop all the fights
Because how can you ever be mad
When you're surrounded by fairylights?

"I posted a poem,
So don't scroll past,
Read, like, but please,
Make it fast."

"I'm yearning for approval,
The attention of you,
Just write a nice comment,
What more am I to do?"

I've gone through the effort,
But don't give me my fame,
Because asking for your love,
Just isn't the same.

No matter what religion,
Or what race,
Or what name,
Or what face.

Through all the torture,
Through all the hate,
In the end we all,
Meet the same fate.

A blanket,
Full of stars,
Hides the world,
And it’s scars.

Doused in the dark,
Free of the light,
Is the arrival,
Of the night.

My greatest fear,
Is at it’s best,
Until my demise,
It will not rest.

You haven’t a clue,
What lies in the dark,
Perturbation and dismay,
Have already left their mark.

A fear so terrible,
A fear so great,
A fear of mine,
A fear to date.

My fear of the dark,
Of a void of emptiness,
A fear too embarrassing,
To want to confess.

Maybe it’s not the dark,
Or rather the unknown,
Or maybe it’s the fear,
Of always feeling alone.

Stained of red,
Blood of them,
Secrets,
Lay upon their stem.

Stained of red,
Lost souls roam,
Some merciless hearts,
Made of stone.

Stained of red,
A leaf is grown,
Though there is no way,
To take back what as shown.

Stained of red,
A protection, a shield,
They hide what was done,
Something one man could not wield.

Stained of red,
In the fields they cover,
Men all lay,
A son, uncle and brother.

Stained of red,
They hide the war,
They now bring peace,
They are the core.

Stained of red,
These poppies stand,
In Flanders fields,
Hand in hand.

Why do I push people away?
Lie to those closest to me?
**** everything up in the end?
So blind to what others see?

I become a mindless
Fiend whimpering in fear.
Why is this only now
Becoming crystal clear?

Fire! Fire!
They all scream,
It's past the forest,
It's over the stream.

Run! Run!
They all cower,
Letting in the flame,
Giving it the power.

Hide! Hide!
They all duck,
Losing all faith,
When reality struck.

Help! Help!
They all shout,
Throwing up their arms,
Flailing about.

Stop! Stop!
They all plead,
They want to be safe,
They want to be freed.

Yes! Yes!
They all yell,
As the fire recedes,
Without deaths’ bell.

Gone! Gone!
They all chant,
As they circle the camp,
And their wish was grant.

My eyes water,
Smoke grasps my breath,
A steady hold,
Expecting my death.

Fire, smoke, ash,
Winds passing them along,
Roaring, blazing fire,
Singing it's ****** song.

No bush nor grass,
Is any longer safe,
It yearns our surrender,
To steal and end our faith.

We can't defend forever,
We'll run out of supplies,
Please save us before our end,
Before the fire cries.

Flanders Fields,
Where dead men lie,
And mothers mourn,
And children cry.

Flanders Fields,
Where living men sigh,
Reading mates' names,
Their friend, an ally.

Flanders Fields,
Where land is dry,
In mid-summer,
Of early July.

Flanders Fields,
Where children spry,
Asking themselves,
They were gone, why?

Flanders Fields,
Where dead men lie,
And mothers mourn,
And children cry.

Sometimes I forget
Not everyone knows I'm a poet.

That's okay because sometimes
I forget too

I forget the weight that words have on my chest
I forget the feeling of my fingers moving freely across my keyboard
A million thoughts clouding my mind until one materialises through written word
I forget the freedom of writing

I sometimes even forget the meaning of a poet.

What is a poet?

An artist?
A lover?
A fighter?
A hater?
A cynic?
A critic?
A human?

Human.

Poetry is art
Humans create art
Art makes us human

It's funny how that works
Because poetry is like a therapist
Some will never set foot in their office
Others will have scheduled appointments weekly

Me?
I forget Dr. Writing exists until my life turns to shards
While I smell the daisies, she hears nothing of me
While I break down in pieces, she is all I know

Now I greet Dr. Writing as an old friend
I greet her with open arms and open heart

And yet sometimes I forget I am even a client of hers


Today someone didn't know I was a poet
And this shocked me
I thought it was obvious
I thought poetry was all I could speak of
I thought poetry was all I could speak.

And yet
I was shocked

Because up until I had been reminded
I had forgotten that I was a poet.