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172 · Jan 2021
Arms Length
Dal90 Jan 2021
I always want what I can’t have even if it results in me falling apart
So it’s hardly surprising to hear
That I knew it was a problem falling into your arms
And when I call you rarely answer
You read my messages but “forget” to reply
Yet somehow you have the ability to mollify when you finally get back around to me
Just to say, if you’re interested in my mental state
I’d rather say it’s “all good” than die a slow death in your impervious pity
I suppose it’s true, I should really admit
That maybe I should relax sometimes
Take a note straight from my sphincter
Rather than sit on this unstable fence
When I should be exploiting my naive impulse to wanderlust
I’m satisfied collecting splinters like a housebound spinster
Who fears their best days are behind them
And like them
I’m just waiting, waiting, waiting
For you to let me down easy
Because evidently all my dreams are supposed to rust
Grind down insufferably at laggard speed on its journey to dust
If I’m lucky that is
Otherwise I’m happy enough drifting along in this platonic state
Thinking of unbelievable excuses to why I’ve lost so much weight
As long as I might one day end up with you
And to your credit
You string me along impressively like a regimental echelon
Winding on for miles just like my satiating desire
Too much of you and it leaves me sick
Not enough and I fall to bits
And worse of all, don’t you just know it?
It’s written all across your face
Right at the point you call me irresponsible ‘cause I scuff up my jeans
Like it’s somehow a direct metaphor for my life
Meaning of course
I’m doomed to break your heart in clear sight and watch it tear at the seams
When the reality is you’re more likely to break whatever spirit there’s left in me
How ironic
You’ve now had a great epiphany of an outcome that has long been predestined
Like a knock-off psychic you’re coming off dangerously indecisive
And just like them
You still haven’t figured out a way to lie to me
I’ve always had a knack of siphoning unnecessary excess
Ever since my temporal lobe long sussed out your frontal lobe
It’s obvious you don’t agree with a single word that drips out of your mouth
Although it must be hard
Trying to keep me at arm’s length when you’re in bed with your spouse
The one you proclaimed over and over to be so desperate to leave
And like a fool I was easily persuaded to believe
Whilst I was falling head first into your trap called “Love”
How ridiculously predictable that was
143 · Oct 2021
We'll be just fine
Dal90 Oct 2021
I’m the kind of person who reads the terms and conditions before ticking the box
I’m well aware it’s mostly unnecessary
But the one day I don’t I know I’ll be in store for a shock
And when that happens
I’ll be sure to get whiplash from the backlash of ruining everything again
But I’ll offset that by sitting back on the beach
Staring into the oceans wide open door
With the overriding feeling of joyous relief that it’ll all be over soon
Probably by the time the tide washes over my feet
Despite the uncomfortable nature of knowing it’ll break your heart to watch me succumb to it all
The taste of salty water will never taste more apt
Becoming the much needed remedy to the wounds that’ll heal and turn into a full bloom
Maybe while you wait, you can download another meaningless app
Designed to make life easier
But is far more likely to induce a stress related heart attack
If you’re lucky though
You can end up existing on a life support machine in a cashless society
The lack of energy required is deliciously appealing to me
But I’d be understanding if that fate wasn’t what you dreamt of
Most girls envisage their wedding days
Not what age they’ll take up a rarely seen spare hospital bed
And there it is, that funny feeling
Of turning every eventuality into a morbid vacation to a deathly destination
All because it ironically makes me smile
I say to you it’s just harmless fun but when everything is said and done
I know you don’t believe me
You’re much more switched on than I’ve ever given you credit for
And with that hit of reality
My vulnerability heightens causing my chest to relentlessly tighten
As the consequences of trying to manipulate you one final time
Have become far too overwhelming to ignore
I guess that’s why I always end up coming back to you
A cynic would call it guilt but the romantic in me can’t walk away from what we’ve built
I know I make mistakes
I know what I say sometimes is hard to take
But I hope you believe me when I say this time
While we’re standing together in blissful silence on the shore
Taking pretty pictures of the sunset by the specifically placed trap door
That you’re the only person I ever want to call “mine”
And if you don’t see straight through me
We’ll be just fine
Dal90 Feb 2021
Woke up feeling angry at the world
Woke up feeling broke
Like my heads been for a spin in a microwave until ping
It miraculously stopped just as it was about to cave
But if you press your wretched hands against my neck I’m sure to pop
Go on, I’m pleading for you to finish me off
Wait… is this what it’s like to feel dead?
Room spinning, never winning, forever sinning
If so I need to make a call to make sense of it all
‘111' dial
I’m positive I’ve got a brutal hangover but maybe it’s that Corona
What harm am I doing by checking?
It’s not like the NHS is on life support
Errrrrrrm oh yeah I remember
Like terminal cancer it ain’t got much longer
It’s the equivalent of the health minister twiddling his thumbs while Rome burns
Only seeing fit to patch up a 6 inch laceration with a plaster
Save the stitches for later when there’s a proper disaster
Like when WIFI goes down for an hour or the fridge is free of milk
It’s even more intensified in a pandemic
When we’re all too scared to leave our houses
That’s a proper crises
Unless there’s a chance of ***
Then every resistant thought heads straight for the bin with whatever remains of your morality
‘Rolling eyes emoji’, ‘hands in front of my eyes emoji’
You get the picture
Because communication rarely involves words these days
A meaningless glance at your screen can tell you everything that they really mean
No hiding place or time to get lost in space
Waiting for a written response that you’ll inevitably take out of context
Sometimes I really hate the internet
Unless I need to use Google
Contact my bank
Buy food and clothes
****, I’m ****** useless without it
My contradictory existence circles around my tired head like an uncontrollable vortex
Once I realised life without this drug is an unrealistic prospect
No matter how much damage it’s propelled upon me
There’s more pain waiting along the road
if I have to give you up there’s a real chance I’ll swiftly implode
That’s a real addiction isn’t it?
Like a lumberjack with his ****** exe struggling to see the wood for the trees
I’m struggling to acknowledge the difference between fact and fiction
For all I know I could be a best seller
Or a gutter press journalist silenced with an interdiction
Even in aeroplane mode I attack with such bedevilment
Scrambling around in the shadows trying desperately to be heard
With the deplorable aim to stay relevant
I’d even put on a mask of distraction and act with impure benevolence
If the ends justify the means
One day they will, I’m sure of it
135 · Jan 2021
Hello 2021 (good luck)
Dal90 Jan 2021
With trepidation I say
Hello 2021
I hope you’ve brought your ‘A game’
It’ll take some effort to better last year’s fun
So don’t think about setting Australia on fire
And if we’re dealing in favours
Leave behind that global pandemic
And those backward white supremacists with their guns
Then I reckon we’ll be on to a winner
We’ve already done ourselves a favour by removing the supposed leader of the free world
With a shockingly legal election that relieved the unbearable tension
For now at least
There’s one less person in power who’s a glorified sinner
Even though he’s still somehow revered by millions
Who’ll now have to operate as postillions
Now the “coachman” is as elusive as Ghislaine Maxwell
Nahhh, I shouldn’t be silly
If I think about it I really should become a Palaeontologist
Because I’ve got one hell of a big bone to pick
There’s more problems at play than millionaire paedophiles
Even Harry and Megan leaving the monarchy pales into insignificance
Despite the global shock
Ringing out like the independent chimes of the Liberty Bell in ‘Philly’
Because down in the abandoned streets that I frequent
The dark truth runs a little thicker
Leaving the “real people” rightfully embitter
Did Tashan Danial deserve to only pre-exist?
As knife crime continues to be unaddressed
But what reason is there for these senseless deaths?
Unless those in power are fine with their child growing up as a potential killer?
No, I didn’t think so
And if it is here’s your time to confess
To the continuous incompetent acts of negligence
But even if you looked straight into my eyes
Still, I wouldn’t believe you
Still, I wouldn’t believe you’d know what to do
To turn around the fortunes of a generation trying to survive in unforeseen circumstances
With limited chances
That stems directly from your lack of attention, empathy, opportunity, and hope
But nothing’s changed
You, the Government, still have the means to make it right
Even Taylor and Em had time in a year to release 2 albums apiece
So surely you can up the work ethic
Improve support, funding and increase numbers in the Police
Not by figures, but by actual bodies
And while we're talking about bodies
That’s without mentioning the years of maltreatment of the NHS
Instead you’re all sat at your computers being utterly pathetic
Straight up useless
With more delays than the next James Bond
The only attribute you covet is the ability to cower and abscond
And wait for Marcus Rashford to tackle poverty like he’s got his boots on at Wembley
When the reality is It’s your responsibility
Not his
So take inspiration in 2020’s various acts of tenderness
Rather than solely relying on it in a poverty stricken crises
Because truthfully
You’re operating like you’re unannealed
Far from a position of strength or courage
Unfortunately, there’s thousands of people out there just like you who are failing us
Yet there’s only one Kevin Sinfield
****, what a shame
Because although this new year might be different
The challenges remain unremitting and the same
If anything they’re emerging on the horizon even more ferocious
So take the initiative
And make this year one to remember for the right reasons
Rather than headlines of ongoing intentional malfeasance
Where facts get magically erased and replaced
Hmm has Prince Andrew spoke to the FBI yet?
I guess I’m asking too much in that case
Wait
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a coup de grâce?
But don’t ask Jeffrey Epstein about that if you’re looking for an answer
Well, unless you exhume him like a necromancer
Although If you had that power I’d use it for better purposes
To end discrimination and perfect vaccine formulas
On first impressions
I did have you down as a doctorate in witch-doctoring
Because it’s hard to tell where the lies end and where the truth begins
When all we can do is hope for the best
I suppose that’s the point of your potion explosion
Providing the fixated audience with a mass distraction
In our newly affirmed state of vulnerability and despondency
That we’re so desperate to fight ourselves out of
If we’re given a chance to leave our houses that is..
That would be nice
Dal90 Oct 2021
When I look around this room
I realise once and for all I’ve been left behind
Where smirky faces circle around the desolate places
That more often than not occupy my mind
But I refuse to believe everybody here’s happy
Fake smiles and instant denials can only get you so far
That’s why I refuse to lose my integrity
By living a life someone else would like to map out for me
Shuffling between selfies with friendly enemies
And video calls with people I don’t recognise as family
I know I’m only invited to be kept involved
As they know deep down
At a moment’s notice I could easily lose myself to the world
Never to be seen again
Leaving a mystery that’ll forever go unsolved
Unless I fall in line onto the palm of your hand
After sliding delicately around your little finger
Conveniently and subserviently
In the hope I can coax you out of taking control of me
Even if it plays out in my mind like a futile fantasy
Where the finale always results in me being forgiven
For the atrocities I’ve yet to carry out
The one’s I’ve been planning for a lifetime
Or at least since my enlightened teenage premonition
Took a hold and became the only friend of mine
Ever since that moment I stopped getting nervous
And ended the search for love and desperate gratification
From people who only recognise beauty on the surface
As they are built so shallow and self-absorbed
That witnessing the death of my soul right in front of them
Would leave them unequivocally unperturbed
Most sane people would find that thought a little scary
So maybe I’m broken but truthfully I’m not sure
But don’t pretend you can try and fix me
I think even the notion is a little premature
Before I’ve even faced up to the reality of the situation
Although I’ll admit
I’ve been existing in a cloud of anxiety masquerading as deluded irony
Just to avoid this inevitable confrontation of my pent up frustration
That’s been growing from the day I first lay my eyes on you
And there it is
The much lauded truth
So are you happy you finally got that out of me?
Because your face suggests you were expecting this to go a little differently
So I guess I should apologise for that too
121 · Oct 2021
Do my best
Dal90 Oct 2021
This town’s downfall has been so sad to see
I’ve never felt more detached from the place that gave birth to me
Maybe I just miss the same old faces I used to know
Maybe it’s resentment for secretly always wanting to go
And being left to swim around in the sea of a failed dream
With nothing but my own thoughts to keep me company
Chewing over futile semantics is a simple waste of energy
But I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t my new favourite hobby
I’m so full of excuses
I think by now even you can see the reoccurring pattern
When I let people in I’m just looking for a salvation
Because I refuse to find the required strength from within
But tonight
I’ll do my best to prove all the doubters wrong
Even if I have to come face to face with things that make me want to die
Overcoming those obstacles, I know
Is the only way that I will once again feel alive
119 · Oct 2021
It gets me down
Dal90 Oct 2021
It gets me down
It gets me down
When I see your tears welling up like raindrops forming in the skies
You claim to be a fan of constructive criticism
But when it appears right in front of your eyes
You take it to heart like it’s said with vile derision
Yet I’ve always liked that side of you
It let’s me know you care more than you’d liked to show
A bit like me too
I think we’re both consumed by anger after a lifetime of neglect
I guess that’s why whenever we’re side by side they say I’m the spit of you
Or words close to that effect
But for some reason I can’t see it
I think it’s my brains way of tricking me for my own protection
A deflection tactic designed to manipulate my mind
Because it knows how much I miss doing the things we used to do
And with a clear mindset
A well thought out introspection
I struggle to understand why I turned my back
And recklessly abandoned you with a lack of understanding
I think it’s only then
When you lose someone you thought you’d be there with at the end
You learn and grow to become the person you’re supposed to be
Up until then I’ll admit I was just pretending
Winging it completely and simply waiting for the day of ultimate humiliation
As that, a cold hard desolation
Was the only certainty I had incoming to my life
I’d be a bare faced liar if I told you I never saw it coming
But despite the brutal agony of being one body light
I’m certain I’m all the better for it tonight
I suppose that’s why I’ve developed a new found faux confidence
Everything I say is said with assertion and sincerity
At least I have since I stopped letting my insecurities take a hold of me
Yet all that goes out of the window
When I’m confronted with the prospect of having a conversation with you
I know it’s frustrating
I’ve even considered substance abuse and becoming a new age recluse
But I can’t seem to shake these chains loose
So you might as well take it as a compliment
And hold the position of acquiesce that you’ll always rev up this charged up nervousness
That only appears when you come into view
Whether that’s at a distance or when we’re in the same room
So unlike when I catch myself in the mirror
Where the aging process accelerates with every passing day
I can’t see this feeling ever changing
And with every encounter that notion gets a little clearer
Yeah
It gets me down
It gets me down
109 · Feb 2021
Oblation
Dal90 Feb 2021
I always wanted a love that never fades
That special love that would always remain
But lately it feels live I've been wasting my energy
Longing for something that's constantly out of reach
Coiled into a position of permanent agony
It kind of reminds me of the time I kneeled down for you at your feet
Was it last chance saloon or an attempt at a 'Divine Liturgy'?
Whatever I wanted it to be
The results proved to be a failure of an unprecedented nature
Looking up to see your eyes of dissatisfaction was the final clarification
I blame it on all the times I mimed during hymns at church
I guess if I believed in a God, this would be Karma taking aim right into the depths of my heart
I can hear them laughing in the distance
As they take great delight in punishing this tyrant with a devastating scourge
Maybe I got it wrong
When I said I didn't believe
Maybe I got it wrong
When I said I'd never been in need
Maybe I got it wrong
... It feels like I've been saying that with increased regularity over the years
The worse thing about it is
I'm actually starting to believe it
With my backbone weakening from the weight of expectancy
I can feel my mind on the verge of collapse through entropy
But I'm not too bashful to admit
I've suffered with one too many aberrations
So if I want to find salvation behind the door
And I do desperately
You'd be the one holding the key
You'd be the one who could save me
That's why I'm offering myself up as an oblation
To remove every dark facet ingrained inveterately
100 · Feb 2021
Insomnia
Dal90 Feb 2021
Every day starts the exact same way
Beep, Beep, Beep
I get out from my slumber, look into the mirror and think
“I really don’t recognise you”
It’s kind of worrying this dissent has become a daily event
But I just brush it off and put it down to a lack of sleep
And think again
“Why do I wake up so early on my days off?”
I tell myself it’s to maintain a routine
When in fact I’m just scared to face what lies in my dreams
More specifically
Those eyes sat at the edge of my bed
Bedevilled with evil intentions with more cutting edge than a nuclear warhead
Trying to burn a hole straight through the back of my skull
Like it’s their sole aspiration to perform a tracheostomy style operation on my brain
But instead of giving me life they’re fixated in taking it away
Maybe I’m being paranoid
Maybe I shouldn’t even have the cheek to complain
But I’m beginning to feel like I’m developing dyspnoea
At a rate more common than my daily ipomoea
And with each passing second I can feel my rose coloured cheeks dwindling to grey
Much like the death of a summer sunrise
Once it realises it should be the usual leaden Manchester day
And if all else fails
The thang like teeth that hang like daggering icicles
Will masticate whatever’s left of me before I wake
Always before I wake
That’s where I operate in a mythical world state somewhere in Roubaix
I bet you thought I’d have more imagination than that
But with its rough terrain and cobbled streets
I find myself falling over multiple times with my two left feet
So I can’t find the time to relocate
All because of those demons that circle at rapid speed
Although, I believe they only exist to encourage me to secede
From the mundane reality I’ve found myself running away from
Honestly
When I’m asleep, I wish I were awake
When I’m awake, I wish I were asleep
And much like a secret that’s so desperately hard to keep
I find myself consistently on edge, moments away from blurting out the truth
But I just can’t find the way to open up to you
And admit that I need some help
Not outwardly anyway
So that’s why I socially distance inwardly
To avoid the moment I’m susceptible to the impending threat of waylay
Because I don’t think I’ll ever be in a position to save myself
85 · Jan 2021
Insomnia
Dal90 Jan 2021
Every day starts the exact same way
Beep, Beep, Beep
I get out from my slumber, look into the mirror and think
“I really don’t recognise you”
It’s kind of worrying this dissent has become a daily event
But I just brush it off and put it down to a lack of sleep
And think again
“Why do I wake up so early on my days off?”
I tell myself it’s to maintain a routine
When in fact I’m just scared to face what lies in my dreams
More specifically
Those eyes sat at the edge of my bed
Bedevilled with evil intentions with more cutting edge than a nuclear warhead
Trying to burn a hole straight through the back of my skull
Like it’s their sole aspiration to perform a tracheostomy style operation on my brain
But instead of giving me life they’re fixated in taking it away
Maybe I’m being paranoid
Maybe I shouldn’t even have the cheek to complain
But I’m beginning to feel like I’m developing dyspnoea
At a rate more common than my daily ipomoea
And with each passing second I can feel my rose coloured cheeks dwindling to grey
Much like the death of a summer sunrise
Once it realises it should be the usual leaden Manchester day
And if all else fails
The thang like teeth that hang like daggering icicles
Will masticate whatever’s left of me before I wake
Always before I wake
That’s where I operate in a mythical world state somewhere in Roubaix
I bet you thought I’d have more imagination than that
But with its rough terrain and cobbled streets
I find myself falling over multiple times with my two left feet
So I can’t find the time to relocate
All because of those demons that circle at rapid speed
Although, I believe they only exist to encourage me to secede
From the mundane reality I’ve found myself running away from
Honestly
When I’m asleep, I wish I were awake
When I’m awake, I wish I were asleep
And much like a secret that’s so desperately hard to keep
I find myself consistently on edge, moments away from blurting out the truth
But I just can’t find the way to open up to you
Not outwardly anyway
So that’s why I socially distance inwardly
To avoid the moment I’m susceptible to the impending threat of waylay
Because I don’t think I’m in a position to save myself
85 · Feb 2021
I Would Do Anything
Dal90 Feb 2021
I would do anything to lift the gloom
Then maybe you could find the strength to leave your room
To see everything that’s worthwhile
From the admiration of your closest friends
To the mischievous smile of your only child
I’d honestly much rather go blind than watch you carry on in so much pain
With merciless intensity it deserves it’s only special name
Afterall, you once craved being the centre of attention
Back when you had unbounded energy and so much love to give
But now you appear to be scared of your own shadow
Let alone think of any positives to fight your way through and live
Maybe if you could stop and take a breath
Then you wouldn’t get so upset?
However the look on your face suggest I should mind my own business
But it’s so hard to keep my nose out as a decade long witness
To the manic way you like to operate
So come on, what happened?
Now you’re the kind of person who takes breaks from watching Netflix on your tablet
Only to replace it by sticking your face up against your laptop
Not due to any pressing engagements
But because you’re afraid of spending time alone with your thoughts
You say they’re too intelligent for you
In that self-deprecating style you’ve become accustomed to
Confessing they always find a way to twist and turn your conscious into knots
I suppose that explains your new found addiction to psilocybin
It’s plain cruel
Just how much fun your mind has playing tricks on you
All for the sadistic joy of seeing you cry as you succumb to the unrelenting pressure of grief
I’m actually surprised it still allows you to recognise me
If only for a fleeting moment before you’re overcome with uncertainty
That’s the moment where I can’t help but fall to bits
Realising we’re far removed from those halcyon days where we’d only reminisce
I know it’s hard
Especially when your inner monologue starts to dishearten
But I need you to do me a favour and try to take your medicine
Because I think it’s your last shot of achieving some much needed pain relief
Although, it’s clear you remain unpersuaded
You’re not even trying to hide it
The rings that surround your eyes have inconceivably darkened
And the stare you’re given me is nothing short of terrifying
Like you’re getting lost in another one of your frequent hallucinations
Where the spirit inside transcends into another outer body experience
All in a mish mash of broken contradictions
So it’s no wonder you come across heavily jaded
Ever since you became overwhelmed by the crippling sense of vacuity
But just like the task at hand you feel totally incapable of passing life’s grand test
That’s why you feel the need to self-sabotage on purpose
Something you’re quite good actually
So good, I’d call you the queen of casuistry
I just need you to know I’m not here acting from a position that’s self-seeking
I would do it all for you, I would do anything
80 · Sep 2020
Silver lining (20/20)
Dal90 Sep 2020
Maybe thus far I could be accused of drifting through life
In first gear from 1990 to 2020
I think 30 years of that act is more than plenty
But now the world’s got uglier than just the British weather
Nobody’s on the streets
‘Cause they’re too busy buying loungewear
For the daily chore of sitting around thinking of new hobbies to take up
I’ve never seen so many dance routines
And **** model houses built from plasticine
By people who haven’t used their hands for good
Since scraping ice cream straight out of the tub
But you won’t find me doing anything like that
Or taking part in daily video calls to friends I’ve previously given up
I didn’t care about them then so why should I make the effort now?
Is it empathy or pity?
Compassion or selfishness?
Because when it goes to **** you don’t want to be found on your own
Regretting the time you ghosted them for no good reason
Apart from the fact you didn’t like them at all
But you’re not going to admit that to them now
In an existence of blurry contradictions
Where you’re not even sure what day it is
But all the same
It doesn’t stop you fighting passionately for things you didn’t give a **** about last year
All from the comfort of your armchair
Which I’m sure makes it easier for you from there
Or maybe I’m just being a little cynical
A burnt-out frustrated figure who shouldn’t be so critical
Of someone I have very little in common with anymore
Ever since that coincidental “epiphany” hit you right between the eyes
During a period where you’ve got more time on your hands
Than a prisoner serving life
But I’m sure it’s just a phase, no matter what you tell yourself
It might last a month or two
But you’ll soon be back craving the many ways you can escape the house
And a formerly unimaginably route back to work to
Because although it might seem it, now more so than ever
Life doesn’t just exist online
The nuances of interactions, no matter how socially distanced
Far outweighs a WhatsApp conversation consisting solely of gifs
And one word replies from people who refuse to make the effort
Maybe after a year of this,
We’ll all appreciate each other more
And we’ll find the necessary means to be accepting of everybody
Although, I’m not going to hold my breath
I have faith that there is at least a chance
That a silver lining can be found at the end of 20/20
Or whenever else it might care to show itself
79 · Feb 2021
This City
Dal90 Feb 2021
Take a bite and tell me how it tastes
Would you describe it as a fever dream
Or brag about the experience on Instagram to all of your mates?
Your face immediately turns at the suggestion a more forceful shade of red
Saying that, it always did in a packed room full of testosterone and dread
Maybe I’m sick for thinking it
But I never have regrets over anything I’ve said
Just fateful memories in the past I wish I could correct
You look at me like I’m not sick, just a little crazy
But I get the feeling you’re cut out of the same tattered cloth
So if you’re the radiant flame does that make me the lumpen moth?
Because I feel like I’m constantly flying straight into the heat of battle
All while my overheating heart threatens to beat out of my chest
In a frantic state of panic I ask the barman for a ‘Metropolis’
And try my best to act nonchalant during an awkward passing with a long lost confidant
It’s obviously a false front to suggest to you that I’m fine
As you’ve probably already figured out
Looking on with little subtlety while concurrently ordering a ‘Mind Eraser’
How ironic
A drink perfectly named to headline a night of impending shame
As I struggle to coherently operate in the thickness of an unshiftable smog that engulfs me
It’s proving to be nothing short of problematic
But all you can say is “you’ll be fine, babe”
Without any significant evidence you’re statement is purely axiomatic
So all I can bring myself to do in response is shrug my hunched shoulders
And look down at my feet before making my way outside
Thinking nothing can hurt me if I avoid eye contact the same way I avoid the truth
Then you threaten to bring me back around
With your soft fingers, whilst holding an unlit cigarette
Treading a fine line along the back of my gelid hands
So cold I look up and notice you flinch before you take the plunge
By securing my trembling hands in a vehement clinch
With sickening guilt I notice the desperation forming in your sorry looking eyes
Before you say to me, no shout, over boisterous shrieking in the smoking area
“Come on darling let’s get out of here
I know a Premier Inn around the corner”
it’s hardly the Ritz but your proposed comfort might curtail the rate in which I’m falling to bits
And an unlikely miracle could ensue
As I achieve a momentary state of happiness, whatever that is
Before tomorrow inevitably comes forcefully in with all its misplaced swagger
Deleting all the positive work of tonight’s endeavours
By knocking a potentially new found sense of hope out of me
Leaving me feeling so very unclever
As yet again I’ll be reduced to trying to find my way out of this monotonous cycle
With only you and my unbearable ‘black dog’ as company
Deep down you must know
No matter how many times we have **** with each other out of pity
There’s nothing about this relationship that’s sustainable
All the same I want to thank you for trying and at least acknowledging me
Nothing will ever change but you’re not to blame
There’s just no salvation to be found in this city
76 · Sep 2020
Exception to the rule
Dal90 Sep 2020
I swear I’m not angry, believe it or not  
It’s just my face
God knows what you’re thinking as you watch me mope around your place
Looking dazed and confused
You could say I’ve been sleepwalking
With a self-deprecating mind set I often find myself destined to lose
It turns out
I was wasting my time wishing for things I thought I loved
Whilst knowing all along they would never be enough to satisfy me wholeheartedly
There’s no doubt that now’s the time to take my leave
I can no longer wait for the “perfect opportunity” if it means I’m existing in total obscurity
The roads I’m leaving behind are darker than the ones that are yet to come
Although those streets will be warped in memories
It won’t distract me from what’s waiting under the stifling heat of a midday sun
Far from those grey leaden skies that burdened me for so long
What was once my home turf quickly became a total disaster
Infiltrated with cruel hearts with ‘go nowhere’ attitudes
Swarming around my head incessantly like awkward fits of laughter
From the classic school yard bully who’s ruined another poor child’s day
But in truth
They’re only programmed to act in a petulant way
Because they’ve been ignored all their life and not taught how to be nice
It might sound basic and dumb to some who fail to see how two wrongs don’t make a right
The kind of individual who carries on as they please in a pandemic
Refusing to see the contradiction in their acts of irrational desperation
Only acknowledging death statistics once they’re highlighted by Billie Eilish
Or any celebrity who looks a little bit stylish
Because evidently that’s the only requirement to be taken seriously
Scientists, doctors, and politicians are just collateral damage to the cause
In fairness, who’s going to take much notice
Of the middle-aged white man in a suit and tie
Telling you you’re all going to die if you carry on as you are
When the leader of the free world’s more interested in taken shots at environmentalists
And banning 'Tik Tok' for “security reasons”
Than unprovoked gun crime and the entire state of California going up in flames for no good reason…
According to him that is
Yet again another act of pure stupidity fuels a government decision
The confusion resonates like a prophesy in any religion
Take your pick, it’s all nonsense to me
Leading to communal diversity and total irrelevancy
From the major issues we’re facing today that aren’t being addressed
Let’s get real, this is one big ******* mess  
When the easy option of ignoring issues of such significance because it might cost popularity in an election contest is taken
In the blind hope the pain is fleeting, and in the long run all will be forgotten
But life simply doesn’t work out that way
Even if there’s always one exception to the rule
I don’t think it’ll be you
72 · Dec 2020
An ode to 2020
Dal90 Dec 2020
Good riddance 2020
A year that’s now over but in truth barely began
In character form I’d liken it to the bogeyman
One step out the door and one step back
Not only do I always forget my keys
I’ve now got to remember my mask
And to steer clear of that dastardly pest known as human contact
Even if it means I trip and fall
Face first into another hour long scroll session on my phone
To remind myself there’s a world out there somewhere
To help myself feel as if I’m not alone
The only problem is my attention span is nonexist….
****, I’ve lost my train of thought
I’m sure it’ll come to me if I continue to be persistent
And change my mindset from reticence
Which clouds my every move
Because if I’m truthful cynicism has taken control
And I feel obliged to reprove everybody in a position of authority
With a cerebral intelligence that’s so small
It’s quite ironic how they act like they know it all
In a situation where delay can quite literally equal death
Never has “better late than ever” been so poorly applied
At least it covers up the crippling debt and manifesto of lies
But never will they be held to account
With dilly dallying mixed with inconsistent death toll tallying
The GMB boycott was tantamount to an admission of guilt
But that’s what you get living in the house that Boris built
Yet he has the cheek to wonder why he’s so often ignored
I wouldn’t even trust him at the end of a bungee chord
If I was jumping off a 6 foot wall
Never again
Will I take for granted another trip to the pub
Even the fetor of **** and pork scratchings
Has me eager to gather up the masses
In search of a past time I once easily forgot
But would now go down as an instant classic
Instead
I have to deal with video calls and WhatsApp conversations
That consist solely of Gifs from American sitcoms
Nothing really said, nothing ever learnt
The stench of disaster as prominent as a lingering snake palm
As another minute of my life is wasted
In a poor attempt to stay mentally alert
Before another craving for alcohol washes over me
Stronger than a wave roiling in the Tasman sea
But rarely do I have the strength to ride it out
Because I’ve found downing an 8 quid bottle of Cabernet
Is a sure fire way to make it through the day
So Good riddance 2020, you were truly one of a kind
All that’s left is to say cheers
While I’m still in the mood to be kind
70 · Jan 2021
Writer's Block
Dal90 Jan 2021
They say in the midst of a writer’s block
You should just talk about what you know
But what I know can be written on a postage note
I’m not interested in finding the antidote
Or getting lost in space
But my mind has been on a constant wander
A distance so far it could rival the Parsec at this rate
And to tell you the truth
Your constant chirping in my ear has spread to become a pain in my neck
Not life threatening for now
Although I’m feeling awfully close to becoming a victim by garotte
Which I’m sure is a form of strangulation the last time I checked
“Hahaha”
You look and laugh at me like I’m telling a throwaway joke
But your lack of concern only does its best to provoke
The rising resentment that is building up inside of me
You should really know better
When I’m in a vulnerable state of mind I lose the motivation to be kind
So I might as well tell you
Your apparent interest in me appears to be an act that’s unfeigned
To maintain relations because you thought we were destined to be aligned
But I’m firmly locked into a self-induced tunnel vision
That leaves the chances of us colliding an almost certainty
When I have to deal with the barrage of words
That are propelled from your tongue that’s laced in acerbity
And even with that said
Your face surprisingly lacks any hint of emotion
Like a glaring case of uniformity has overtaken you expressions
Apart from a small hint of ******* at this long overdue confrontation
As if you’ve been longing for this for quite some time
Maybe I got you wrong
Maybe you never loved me all along
And a small part of me is upset at that despite the fact I’ve long wished we had never met
In a rare case of prophecy you say I’m just trying to save face
And I’ve got more front than a double decker bus
Like one day you’ll expect me to yearn for a reconciliation between the two of us
I suppose if there was any doubt
It’s clear to see you’ve been struck with a heavy dose of delusion
Like you and Mr Psychosis during those heavy days in a purple haze
Have formed a potent collusion
That’s left you on the cliff edge totally wired for sound
… get it?
Who am I kidding? Your aura has shifted to despondency
So vivid and obvious
I’d be surprised if you could keep your eyes open let alone take part in colloquy
But I’d like to take the opportunity to thank you one last time
Because you’ve broken my writer’s block
Without you causing my head to meltdown
I’d be still sat here staring at the dilatory hands going around the clock
66 · Feb 2021
The Traps
Dal90 Feb 2021
I don’t like lying
The sensation feels as dense as lead
Like the batteries have been removed
Not because they’re dead but due to the cowardice to tell the truth
In the hope everything will be better when I pop them back in
A tactic I try whenever my laptop decides it wants to spend the evening frozen
I’ll admit it’s an easy option
When my head’s filled to the brim with various energy drinks
Thinking wrongly it can correct how I’m supposed to think
Instead they just keep me awake but surprisingly it always works
Well, until the day it doesn’t
Don’t worry though it’s no skin off my back
I’ll just put that down to the fact we’re confined to the unpredictable outcomes of fate
And I’ll never shake that feeling
Because I understand everything that’s loved eventually snaps
It’s just unknown when I’ll be exposed to the inevitable traps of grief
That lay hauntingly in situ
The ones that are designed to be hard to detect
To novices like me who spend a lifetime trying to connect unsuccessfully
But if somehow I sidestep them and stumble upon a serendipitous encounter
In a moment accompanied by a rousing leitmotif
I’ll know I’m only moments away from an uncomfortable meeting with the dark depression
The old but frequent enemy I’ve fought so hard to keep at bay
And with hearing this for the very first time
I’d be fully understanding if your instinct were to turn your back and run way
I can see the blind panic that’s arrived in your eyes
With a clarity so pure it could be eidetic
And that’s before you find out I’m totally non-functioning without taking Tricyclic
A glue like substance that’s so far prevented me from falling apart
But to my surprise you find the courage to say…

“I’d take your cancer and digest it whole
Paralyse myself from the neck down
If it meant you wouldn’t leave me all alone
It might sound selfish and maybe a little morbid
But what life will there be left for me?
If all my loves and dreams have been thwarted
Like a mindless kick to the stomach
Any sense of future prosperity would be aborted
Before, I only saw life in black and white
Like I existed solely in somebody else’s shadow
Until the day I met you
Where I drowned in the colour that flowed from your soul”

Wearing a tear and a faint smile I find myself finally catching my breath
Like the weight of a ten tonne truck has been lifted from my neck
Never before have I received empathy as sincere
Your radiance emanates like a first edition in a book store
Somewhat neglected and fragile but undeniably beautiful and pure
And I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you here
Making sure I never relapse, making sure I avoid the traps
65 · May 2020
I Won't Change
Dal90 May 2020
If you want the truth
Even if I always wanted to,
There are things that I’ve never been able to explain to you
How sordid treachery lurked in the shadows of my subconscious
Giving me the creeps whenever I fall asleep
My ugly minds balancing on a wire
Like a drunk acrobat showing off to a baying crowd
His antics cause everyone to gasp
Even though they all knew he was going to die
It would be a shame if such stupidity wasn’t allowed
Don’t you agree?! or maybe I’m more unhinged than I thought
To think a thing like that

I’m sick of ***** footing around
Those stupid little games you make me play
Trying to avoid every trap you set
Only to inevitable fall short of the mark
A stunning definition of a burning contradiction
Who the **** plays ‘Snakes and ladders’ in the dark?!
And there it is
I can’t stand the way you look at me
You’ve got more front than a double decker bus
Trying to make me take the blame for the both of us
But that’s me done
This is the beginning of the end
I’m not changing my mind, I’m not willing to pretend

I can’t see the world, that people want me to see
I can’t be the man that, you’ve always pressured me to be
I’m not changing
I won’t change no
I don’t want you to fix me
We’re not the same
And I’m more than okay with that
64 · May 2020
I Am Yours Now
Dal90 May 2020
Please don’t be offended if I get lost in your eyes
I’ve been rendered motionless
'Cause I fear this might be the last time
And I can’t waste this opportunity, my beauty
I am yours now
I am yours now

I want to paint your nails red
And lay my head on your chest
So I can match your failing breath
Until I feel nothing no more, but don’t worry
I am yours now
I am yours now

I’ll sing tender words in your sleep
If it helps to bring you peace
For you mean so much more to me
Than I’ve led you to believe
I am yours now
I am yours now

Somehow you still smell of cigarettes
You’ve not had one for days
But the scent is so entrenched that I can’t forget
All the nights you’d drag me outside for a crafty smoke
Scared that I’d find somewhere else to go
So I guess this is the right time to say
I wouldn’t have spent my time with anyone else but you

I am yours now
I am yours
I am yours
I am yours now
Dal90 May 2020
If I had a camera I’d take a picture
Of your most wonderous feature
I’ve never seen you with a smile quite like this before
So I hope my memory doesn’t fail me
Because I don’t want to forget this moment
With us washed up on the shore
Where your hand found the time to find mine
And your laugh was so outrageous
As soon as I heard it float out of your mouth
I began to laugh
You always thought I was *******
But it must’ve been contagious
Because it’s the most pleasant thing about you
The thing I couldn’t live without
And even though there’s no one else around
You do your best to come off as shy
Diverting your eyes away from mine
The ones I’d use my last wish to drown in
If I had the chance to look at what I’d be missing
If I was unfortunate enough to lose
The most beautiful thing I’d ever lost and found
62 · Dec 2020
Deliverance
Dal90 Dec 2020
I’ve been online all night
Venting but rarely contemplating the need to take a breath
And think about how precious time is
Instead you’ve riled me up
You’ve grown more suspicious to me than a Beirut explosion
The ramifications should be on a mass scale
But the consequences are like a ripple in the Pacific Ocean
Insisting “your ****” is fire
But you’re completely evil, straight up deceitful
Wait a sec
How’s that offshore account?
The one you said I should be quiet about
One of the many secrets I learnt
Since the days when you were living hand to mouth
Shhhhh, oh sorry
I must be leakier than the Panama lakes
But unlike Justin no one’s going to find out the truth
So what have you go to lose?
You’re in a position opposite to Tony Blair on the stand
Offering up lies by the mouthful
So strong I think I’ve developed dysgeusia
But I’m not part of the lap it up council
My one aim is to watch you get cancelled
Not like a Fawlty Towers joke or a Winston Churchill statue
More akin to scraping gum off the bottom of my shoe
As ruthless as Netflix axing it’s number one arrival
Even if it’s presence has a startling Glow
Life lesson
You have to make tough decisions in order to achieve ones survival
And that means getting rid of any trace of poison
Despite the scintilla affect you had on me
That resulted in my fleeting acts of jocundity
The concoction more often than not was noisome
Since I’ve learnt
Not all that glitters is gold and everything rusts eventually
But I can’t wallow in an unhealthy state of bitterness
That this social media obsession has given me
It’s all white noise like a night on the sauce
Let’s call this katzenjammer
Now I’m face to face with my worst nightmares
It’s time to show courage
Step back to look forward in total belligerence
Time travelling into the Georgia wilderness in 1972 if I have to
That’s where I’ll find the rising shoots of deliverance
Dal90 May 2020
Years of unsent love letters
About how she gets me high and makes my heart flutter
She told me for the first time tonight
That she liked the look of me
When I was stood at the bar in a suit and tie
Trying to play it cool so casually
Professing when she walked over
That I’ve always been this camera shy
But the only thing I was scared of was,
Getting close to her

It’s final orders so I guess we have to leave
The last thing I want
While she’s taken the time to confide in me
Where she falls asleep on my shoulder
Only seconds after she cried
Over a boy who couldn’t treat her right
And in that moment, yeah
I nearly died
Wondering if this was everything I’d been hoping for
All my life

No offence but all offence at the same time
Why have I spent so long trying to make you mine?
Because you’ve always taken me for granted
And I know I’m more deserving
But every first and last thought I have
Always comes back to you...
More fool me

Protecting ourselves from the pouring rain
I’m so nervous I begin to laugh
If you knew me better
You’d know I always do that
And it might look like I’m not paying attention
Whilst I stare into space
But I’m just thinking for a second
About how you might taste
And If I make a move,
Would you kiss me back?
Or tell me I’ll never be right for you
And I don’t know if I want to risk all that

No offence but all offence at the same time
Why have I spent so long trying to make you mine?
Because you’ve always taken me for granted
And I know I’m more deserving
But every first and last thought I have
Always comes back to you
..
Sometimes the ones you love, cause the most pain
61 · Sep 2020
The common fool
Dal90 Sep 2020
You only ever talk to me when you think I need to get my **** together
It's kind of sweet but patronising coming from someone who's mentally still a child
Come on
You spend all day taking photos of the cats that infiltrate your flat
And trying to come up with witty content for your twitter profile
All the while
Ignoring the world that's right outside your window
Maybe I'm not much different to you
Indulging in ones self is a distraction born out of building fascination to feel like I belong somewhere
Because they lied, from my first breath to my last
If they thought the test of living here on earth is one I'd pass
I guess that's why I'm making it all up as I go along
Stumbling through in isolation until I unwittingly meet the act of subjugation
Where they'll finally get to me
With their out of date views on what it is the younger generation are meant to do
Inevitably
I'll succumb
I'll play dumb
Just like the common fool
Just like you
60 · Jun 2020
Longing
Dal90 Jun 2020
The more you neglect me
And the relationship we once had
The more I longer
Look back a little fonder
Revelling in all the good whilst ignoring the bad
And my God
There was a lot of that
But in this moment it doesn’t matter
My brains in full scatter mode
Lonely and feeling sorry for myself
With nowhere left for me to go

I wished you ran away with me
I gave you an out before you ****** me about
But you still expect me to wait around
For the moment you have a change of heart
Not concerned about all this pain
That comes to surface when I see your name
When you blow up my phone
Sharp piercing noises occur
Even more annoying than the drone that echoes out of your mouth
But stupidly enough after saying all that
I’ll always long for you
59 · May 2020
What If?
Dal90 May 2020
What if you died and took away all of your power?
‘Cause I’ve only just started to live
And I think that’s only because of you
Sheltered from the very beginning
You opened my eyes and now I’m listening
Telling me things that I’ve always wanted to know
My values have reversed and you’re complicit
****, I hope you know how much I’ll miss this
But where do I turn if I have to let you go?

Pour more fuel on the fire
My hearts burning with desire
I’m still hanging on to you for dear life
Holding onto those memories and wasted nights
Even though the pain hurts so much
It lets me know what I feel is still real
Waiting anxiously for the time you fall asleep
Hoping the moment never comes, but if it does
Know you’ll spend every second dreaming of me

It’s not too late to change your mind
Our love might be far away
But we’re forever entwined
Hold my hand
Can you feel it? can you feel it?
Please tell me,
That you can still feel this?
Then maybe I’ll find the strength to carry on
59 · May 2020
Justice for Floyd
Dal90 May 2020
We need justice for Floyd
After all these years
How can there still be this vast void?
If anything it’s grown wider and more volatile than ever
We can’t let this **** happen again and again
It’s racism pure and simple
No other name but the same old pain
As sad is it seems
It’s tearing humanity apart at the seams
And we need to fight back
And we need to force change
Let’s celebrate individuality and difference
Rather than covering up acts of police brutality and mindless indifference
What a world that would be to live in
Not walking the streets looking over our shoulders
With every thought drenched in the paranoid
I hope one day I will be lucky enough to see it
RIP George
We need justice for Floyd
59 · Sep 2020
What do I know?
Dal90 Sep 2020
Nobody can tell me the internet isn’t anything but anxiety-inducing
Scrolling for days hunting for the many ways
To be vital, to be liked, to be followed, to be adored
By the faceless masses that you wouldn’t look at twice in the street
And isn’t that the key?
To find self-freedom and the confidence to be
Anything you want to be without all those despising eyes
Castigating and spreading lies that they don’t have to answer for
And where’s the justice in that?
But equally
Why does it affect us so much? Why does it get under our skin
If we really know it doesn’t mean a thing
It shouldn’t force us to change our very core
The deep-rooted feelings we’ve so far successfully believed in
Because in the long run
People respect honesty and truth
Even if it means we end up living in a conflicted dystopian world
It’s better than a self-created unsustainable make-believe ******* fantasy
And yeah,
I’m well aware that sounds crazy
But I’m here to tell you
It’s fine to spend hours in aeroplane mode
In the aim to find salvation in time spent alone  
I honestly believe the world would be in a better place if we all lived that way
But what do I know?
Of course
I know nothing at all
58 · May 2020
Don't Get Me Wrong
Dal90 May 2020
Holding hands is a beautiful thing
When you’re not sneaking off on a treachery binge
You’ve been two timed, and I’ve been ****** over
Does it make it okay that we did it to each other?
Call it quits? press pause and rewind a little bit?
Just so we can make the same mistakes all over again

Why am I so comfortable,
Lying on the floor next to you in total silence?
I’ve never had this experience with anyone before
Looking into your eyes, I can feel your breath on my lips
I’ve tasted deceit before but nothing as sweet as this
Just promise me when you break my heart, this time,
You’ll,
Break,
It,
Slow.

I dodge your calls with the best intentions
Yet your acrobatic antenna always picks up my reception
Performing summersaults around my diversion tactics
Always results in me crawling back to your bed

Don’t get me wrong though
This isn’t love that has me gravitating to you
For a young dog you’ve got old tricks
Taking me for a half-wit, dip ****
Sorry to burst your bubble
I’m just a sucker for relentless punishment
Your clichéd complexity fuelled by a relentless toxicity
Is the perfect combination for someone who’s got nothing going on in their life,
Like me

We’re both young
With undoubted class and style
Weighed down by naivety
Unfilled ambitions and alluring debauchery
Even if the end results in us being stung
You’ll always be my cure for incessant boredom
And I’ll be yours
But I’m okay with that…
How,
About,
You?!
57 · May 2020
In My Dreams
Dal90 May 2020
In my dreams she greets my submissive guise
Her eyes sparkle like an ocean flower
And I’d drown to the depths if it meant she’d devour me
Feverishly, until the very end
Looking at the way you tease with your tongue
You’d send Mr Whippy around the bend
Performing acrobatic acts around your little finger
Helter-Skelter from your thighs right down to your feet
My lack of self-worth to someone like you is a real treat
But that’s no one’s fault but mine
..
She smiles when I’m going out of my mind
Like she’s got something sweet stuck in her teeth
A flying saucer or some strawberry lace
Floating from star to star in outer space
But I can’t explain why
Her ***** accent somehow really gets me in the mood
Every word she speaks so bitter and sour
But I couldn’t care less
It’s happy hour and I’m ready to fire at rapid speed
If I’m given half a chance, of course
57 · May 2020
Let them know
Dal90 May 2020
My priorities couldn’t be more skewed
Ignoring my girlfriend but waiting on a message
From someone I have to pay to see ****
For just a few seconds of gratification
I’d hardly say that’s justification
For acting like a silly entitled ****

To use our failing relationship as an excuse
Is poor form but I can’t blame myself
When my necks bound for your noose
You look me up and down like I’m crazy
But my brain makes me who I am
So how can I control that part of me?

We all have secrets but mine are worse than most
Did I look stupid protesting my innocence,
Whilst burning my mouth on some cheese on toast?
I know the answer,
That question was just for me
I already know I’ve failed to win you back so miserably

Go on
You can laugh at me now
Share it with all your friends
Let them know what a ******* I am
Go on
Tell your mum she was right
She can now hate me for an actual reason
Let her know what a ******* I am
57 · May 2020
21st century casualty
Dal90 May 2020
I’ve never seen such a woman propping up a bar like this
Red dress in deep distress
Suspended around your neck anchored by the weight of regret
That somehow you can’t ignore or shift
Like the track marks along your arm
You’ve never told a lie, but you’ll also never admit
That you love to revel in all the things you’ve ever done wrong
And there’s dirt,
Hidden way down beneath your tongue
That you’re only willing to share with someone like me

Watered down dreams, 24 hours 7 days a week
Surrounded by groping hands and a scenery that’s so bleak
No wonder you’re a self-deprecating 21st century casualty
Trying to conform to the normality of a ******-up reality
That isn’t fair for boys and girls like us
Don’t you agree?!
Dal90 May 2020
It looks from afar,
Or across this empty room to be exact
That you’re drowning in a pool of sorrow
Your desperation for subversion has worn thin
Since your lust for life got ****** straight into a black hole
Watching on as you have a crafty indoor smoke
You’ve got your feet up on the table
Basking in the daggers you’re receiving from the waitress
Make-up dripping down your face and your confused eyes buried in the floor
You couldn’t care less, in fact
It doesn’t look like you really care about anything anymore
Is it safe to say you’ve given up?

I can see you scrolling through your phone
Are you thinking about calling me? Or more likely
Submerging yourself in someone else’s make-believe news feed
Love, happiness, and greed
It’s all ******* but you can’t help soaking it up
If it helps fuel the validity to the previous night’s depravity
But I can’t fail to recognise
You’re so docile and I imagine, fragile to the touch
Maybe it’s ‘cause the butterflies that once fluttered have since died
And I’ll admit
Your deceit was almost impressive
So blissfully unaware of my presence
You didn’t once take your eyes off him
But I can still see myself, one day, going back for a girl like you
Slap bang in the middle of a midlife crises perhaps
Let’s call it 2042

Unfortunately
I miss the way you were with me
But I can’t think of a single thing I like about you now
You’ve made a fool of me one too many times
Combined with your incessant screaming
And your ****** up lies
That you blamed on my miscommunication
In a state of wild desperation
‘cause I caught you out
When I thought, stupidly
That you were mine
54 · Jun 2020
Hope
Dal90 Jun 2020
Why do we fight so hard to find happiness?
Or a love so unpredictably fierce,
when it inevitably ends
it only brings suffering and a hunt for self-forgiveness?
Although we aren’t stupid enough to not know it
We’re all naïve enough to give it one more go
With just one aim
To find that special thing we all feel we’re destined for
And block out the blackness in the distance
Some say it’s the definition of madness
But a part of me believes it’s the definition of life itself
Curiosity mixed with hopelessness
An uncontrollable fascination to find “the next great thing”
That brings us momentary satisfaction
Even a sense of fulfilment and gratification
But ultimately it’s never quite enough to sustain us
So the question is,
Why bother at all?
Is the thrill of the chase too enticing too waste?
Because the ends never justify the means
Or so it seems to a person so cynical
Drenched in thoughts consumed by the need to be critical
It’s true
Time is draining every last ounce of positivity out of me
But here I am, sat here with you
Hoping you’re the one to breed new life inside of me
.. that would be nice
Dal90 May 2020
You’ve been trying to brush over my excuses
The same way I’ve been papering over the cracks
So it’s about time I talk in facts
I never loved you in a way that I really should
Maybe I felt like I didn’t need to try
So I just told you everything that you wanted me to say
In a way that only someone like I could
And begged you wouldn’t figure out it was all a lie
But now I’m left treading water
And the thought of hurting you is getting harder
Even if it is the right thing to do
I’ve grown so cowardly
So I just leave it all up to you
And hope you’ll be the one to finally say it’s over

It’s not the first time you’ll catch me looking absent minded
But something about this time’s so different
Stopping the inevitable has proved too difficult
And now I know when we fall apart
We’ve got to do it in the dark
So no one can see the result of all the things I did to you
Every solution creates another problem
Every answer creates another question
And I’m afraid of the time
When there’s no more answers left to find
You’ll realise this was all a rouse
Two people faking their feelings
To avoid the void of emptiness
Just using each other as a “thing” to do

Please put me out,
Please put me out,
Please put me out of my misery
Maybe then we could both move on
And remember what it was like to be happy
I think I’d like that… wouldn't you?
54 · May 2020
You're Not Her
Dal90 May 2020
Sometimes I worry about being too clever for my own good
Even in my default mode of plain stupid
Acting useless when in fact I’m 100% faultless
Hellbent on achieving the ultimate diversion
In the aim to throw all stalking eyes off the scent
Of who I truly am, how I truly feel
But that doesn’t seem to matter now I’ve decided that we’re so different
..
Sometimes I worry about being too picky for my own good
I must be if mothers always demanding answers
Please don’t look so disenchanted, I promise
It’s nothing personal I’m just incredibly flawed
In the face of daily pressure to be adored
I guess, I like to revel in my own sweet loneliness
But that shouldn’t matter now ‘cause it’s clear that we’re so different
..
Don’t you think, yet another night in my company has turned sour?
The waiter was rude and if you look up, the filthy skies don’t half reflect the mood
Darkening at a rate much quicker than seconds in a sordid hour
I know it’s a longshot, but you must admit
I’ve got narcissistic tendencies?
The ones you can’t seem to articulate when put on the spot
But funnily enough
You’re convinced you can wrap your mind around all my issues
And one day be that person who can fix me
How predictably wonderful of you
..
There you go again
With nothing left to lose
Apart from what’s left of your declining dignity
Begging me to stay,
"please stay, stay, stay"
Even though I shouldn’t
When you look me up and down that way
I find your desperation too enticing to refuse
..
Drinking to forget what a coward I am
Only to find the same problem rears its ugly head when I wake
Don’t you know after such a ******,
It’s hard to control all the rattle and shakes?
When I have images of you and her circulating around my mind
Immorality and ***,
Flashing red like warning sign special affects
Causing mass panic in my hollow think tank
But still hoping in there will be some answers to find
Only to fall miserably short of the mark
..
When you eventually find out
I need you to know,
I’m sorry for all the things that I’ve done and said
I’m sorry
But I just couldn’t find a way to tell you
That I’ve been falling for somebody else instead
53 · Sep 2020
I can only see the truth
Dal90 Sep 2020
I can only see the truth
In the near distance
And I bathe in the fire of its certainty
I prefer the immediate pain of it
Rather than stewing in a melting *** of ‘what ifs’
A death by a thousand cuts is fun for no one
Don’t you agree?
Or would you be weighed down by the burden,
Of living life without the liberty of hope?
It doesn’t mean ambition has to be quashed
It doesn’t mean vision has to be vague
Or your spirit has to dwindle like a glorious rainbow fading to beige
It’s just a reminder you don’t have to plough on
Senseless and directionless
Like a hamster outside of the wheel
Blinded by the darkness of a vast space
In what was once described as the ‘golden age’
Before it all went to ****
Before everything got so real
As we dreamt life would mean more to us than this
Now all that’s left is to look around for someone to blame
In the name of achieving a clear conscious
Because who really wants to take responsibility?
To act by choice with sincerity and an overwhelming sense of morality
When in reality
All we ever want is to be free
And to get away with as much as we can
Like having one more drink before the pain in your liver reaches breaking point
If you’re lucky you’ll wake up face down in a gutter
Rather than face up in a hospital bed
Fighting for your life because there’s nothing else to do
Because we both know If you had the option, you wouldn’t bother
If you had the option, you’d be out getting slaughtered
In a ****** old ****** or in front of your daughter
It’s all the same to you
For someone so pitiful with bewildering behaviour
Who only calls his kids once a month, and when you do
It’s just to ask for that one last special favour
Knowing the answer you’ll get every time is the same
Yes, anything you ask dad
Yes, anything just for you
And who in that hopeless position gives up the chance to be aided and abetted?
Because it’s easier to ignore the lessons you’re supposed to learn today
In the hope they won’t return tomorrow
But they always do
Scrutiny is always one step away from coming for you
And I can say for a fact nothing is more certain in life
Because, well
I can only see the truth
52 · Jun 2020
Love is...
Dal90 Jun 2020
Love is…
Not needing a reason
Or any justification to why you feel it
Because it’s importance Is only for you
Not your friends
Not your family
They can’t feel the things that you do
They can’t influence the way your heart moves
Not to its truest form
Because you can’t fake love
You can’t fake your truth
Because real love is not ever lying to yourself
Or forcing it to please others
It’s about allowing yourself to drown in it
Submerge your entire being so you can absorb it’s passion
All that is good and great
Because if you don’t it’ll be too late
And love might have moved on to someone else
Someone more open minded and spontaneous
Because real love is worth fighting for
It doesn’t wait around for the nervous and cautious
It’s about seizing the opportunity
With self-assurance and clarity
Because although love is difficult
Heart breaking and mind bending
You wouldn’t change it for the world
Because love is…
Everything
51 · Jun 2020
Safety in you
Dal90 Jun 2020
Soft like butter
Warm but hotter
I can feel the tide wash over me
Pulling me to the surface
Closer to where you lay at my feet
Without a sound, so discrete
Looking at each other so affectionately

Righting my wrongs
Hidden away for so long
I’m now comfortable in my own skin
It’s only taken three decades
To summon the strength from within
With your guidance and light
Lifting me up to your haven of spirituality

I didn’t want safety in numbers
I only wanted safety in you
In our own special place
Off the face of the earth
Forever secluded without a trace
51 · May 2020
Down To Me
Dal90 May 2020
I go out night after night
With a front that suggests everything’s alright
But in reality
I’m parading around the shadows of my shame
Rambling about football tactics and the rise in taxes
To strangers who don’t even know my name
Dying in the face of an altercation turned so bleak
Only to fall back into your arms
‘Cause you’re the only love I’ve never ****** up
Look how I’ve grown so fragile, how I’ve become so weak
Tonight, tonight, tonight

I know how you feel
I don’t need to hear the words of a protest song
You make it perfectly clear by the faces that you make
And the tears you tried your best to hide
But here I am, lost and confused
Suffocating in the mess of another happy mistake gone wrong
Still professing a youthful innocence
Clouded by the significance of my shortcomings
Don’t hide your eyes from mine
I’m not the boy you wanted to raise, I know
Tonight, tonight, tonight

You look burnt out, frail and so forlorn
I guess I finally did it this time
Be honest
You haven’t stopped smoking since the day I was born
Your mental health has gone downhill and now I think about it
I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat
Racking your brains for another excuse to put my mind at ease
But selfishly I’ve always known
The way you are is solely down to me

I’m opening up to you,
For your benefit not mine
It’s so you can understand the way that I’m feeling
And how maybe
You can tell me one day it’ll all turn out just fine?”
‘Cause you’re the only person that matters
Without you I have no home
I’m just skin and bones,
Lacking substance without your guidance
My mind goes walkabout too when I feel alone
So I just lay down
Making sure I’m not a hinderance to anyone else
I think that’s my own little gift to the world
You can have that one for free
51 · Jun 2020
Let Me Go
Dal90 Jun 2020
Tomorrow could be the first day of the rest of our lives
Tomorrow could be our future
If I could just figure out why
You’d want to wake up next to me
Because you’re yet to recognise
How the juxtaposition of our lives is incredible
We’re forever entwined
But you’re happy and I am miserable
Maybe it’s because I’ve learnt to accept
We’re not unbreakable
And without you in my life to save me
I’ll always be vulnerable
So like a fool I’m going to give up on you
Because what’s the point,
In holding onto something that’s not going to last?
I guess it proves I lied when I said I’d always be there
But I promise you it was unintentional
I honestly swear
Because if you want the truth
I believe that unlike me you deserve to be happy
But that won’t happy until you learn to let me go
Please
I need you to let me go
51 · May 2020
On my mind
Dal90 May 2020
Is life any better without having you around?
Lately it’s been playing on my mind
Feeling the walls close in
And the clouds darken above
I can only assume it’s not
And without you what have I got?
Broken promises and neglected memories
I can’t bear to recollect
In the aim to protect myself
From losing my head entirely

I wonder how low my elecy bill would be
If I didn’t have the TV on all the time for some company
Even if it rarely works
It’s the price I pay to stop myself feeling lonely
Sometimes

I used to get hard just by our communications
Now I struggle since I learned about your reputation
It’s not your fault I suppose
We all do things we regret in a state of desperation
Sometimes

We thought we were right for each other
Convincing ourselves we weren’t just friends but lovers
Was it wishful thinking,
Or pure naivety,
Believing there could be a happy ending?
And now we don’t even talk
Which is ironic
Cause your only hobby is staring at your phone
Is that what helps you from feeling alone?
Maybe you and I are similar after all
51 · May 2020
Hari-Kari
Dal90 May 2020
The grass is always greener
That’s why I tore you apart
Copy and pasted the things I liked
Discarded the rest
Then put them into someone better
Until I realised my lack of hindsight
Accentuated the one glaring downside
The grass is never greener is it?!
I’ll learn for next time, I swear

As soon as my head hits the pillow, I burst into tears
Recalling the moment you walked away from me the first time
And brought to life my greatest fears
I was scared you were going to do the same again
That’s why I got in first, without taking the time to think
And now I have to live by another stupid mistake

Can you please give me one more chance,
To right the wrongs I’ve been living for so long?
I can change, I can change, I can change
I’m done telling all those lies
The ones that put your mind at ease but never fully satisfied
Please say something? like you believe me?
Please say something? like you still love me?
And then, maybe, we can go from there?

I’ll admit
I should’ve taken mum’s advice
She said you were wife material but that was immaterial
To someone who likes to Hara-kiri just for the fun of it
Watching on as you permeate the emphasis
Of how I cut you in two and crumbled to bits
How ironic
50 · Sep 2020
Is this all a joke?
Dal90 Sep 2020
You expect everything I say to be profound
Said with deep meaning and thoughtfulness
But I’m sorry my dear I’m just hear to speak my mind
And if you know what’s good for you
You won’t sit around complaining
Just let life unfold, from dreads of grey to glistening gold
Although, I can’t guarantee what shade you’ll get from me

Beautiful faces don’t have to worry about personality
They can get away without being intelligent or funny
I wish my looks were enough to make me desirable
But unlike them I have to put in the effort
To get by day to day to make sure my talent doesn’t go the same way
As your increasingly declining form of morality
Straight down a black hole never to return again

The men that run the world are the ones you never see
Profiting in their hand-made suffering
But do you really think they care about all the fatalities
While they’re performing inhumane atrocities?
And if you spied on them for one evening
It wouldn’t surprise me if they went to sleep in a suit and tie
Not giving a **** about the how and why
If the winning ends vindicate the indefensible means

Holy smokes, is this all a joke?
That heaven only allows in the fascinating and wealthy
Because if that’s the case I’m sure to be in trouble
Even if it’s a place made up by bored fantasists
The thought alone still makes me restless
I’m just a common fool who’s forever spinning around
And I’ll only come back down if you admit this is all lie
49 · May 2020
(You're not) here with me
Dal90 May 2020
One more bill through the door and I’ll fall to bits
Counting my shrapnel is a serious business
That’s why I’ve got the Test Match on the wireless
I want no distractions
Apart from the girl next door shouting at her kids
A sound I find strangely soothing
As she fumbles around for any loose change
Hoping it’ll see her through to next month’s benefits
A tale of the obscene has become a somewhat depressing routine
Is this the reality of a life all grown up?
‘Cause I never dreamt it would turn out like this

Winter crept up and is now in full swing
And I get the feeling, although time is slipping by
Sometimes like it’ll never end
The long nights have taken control
Miles away from the stifling heat of a drawn-out summer
Sliding down the icy path of subjugated avenue
The streetlights are faulty
But the flickering light somehow enhances the view
Of a stylish couple in love, gazing skywards under the moon
I bet, they’re fantasising about life in outer space
Creating a civilisation in isolation might be hard
But it could be a sure-fire hit
And if anything, it can’t be any worse than a life like this
Without you

Cold sweat, deep regret
I can’t sleep without waking up in the middle of the night
Since the day you disappeared and left me to pick up the pieces
Forbidden thoughts of you and I have circulated around my mind
****, it keeps on happening all the time
And I don’t think it’ll ever stop
..
I hate the way you used to look at me
I hate the way you still make me feel
It’s true that I took you for granted
That’s why I’ve been trying so hard to forget you
‘Cause I was just fine living my life
With nothing going on in my head
But now you’re all that I think about
A bittersweet memory I can never forget
49 · May 2020
It shouldn't be like this
Dal90 May 2020
I wake up alone and I always feel *****
Wondering when I’ll next feel alright
I pick up my phone to see when you were last online
And realise you’ve been talking to everyone else
whilst ignoring me for quite some time

I guess you think this is one big game
And you can have me whenever you want
Not arsed about all the pain you caused from before
You then have the nerve to tell me we’re both the same
And there’s nothing special about me anymore

I never rolled my eyes before I met you
At least no one pointed it out quite like you do
And now I’m self conscious and scared to be myself
That’s why I stare into space so emotionless
Hoping I don’t find a way to offend you for just one night
It shouldn’t be like this, should it?

I make mistakes because I’m human
And worry about the consequences later
But I can already tell that you’re fuming
Your nose is all scrunched up
And your fists are clenched
I used to find that cute
Until you kicked a hole in my garden fence
That was just ****** up
No matter how many excuses you scream in my face
I don’t like the taste
Isn’t it better if we just go our separate ways?

And to think
I spent so many nights
Conspiring of ways to make you mine
(What a waste, what a waste of time that was)
47 · May 2020
(Time to be) Honest
Dal90 May 2020
I feel so uptight,
Nothing’s wrong but something’s not quite right, like
I’m petrified to get out of bed
Weighed down by earnest conflictions
The regretful missteps that are trapped inside my head
And I’m afraid that feeling won’t ever go away

Tell me, Emily
Is happiness a destination?
Or a person I’ve not been fortunate enough to meet?
‘Cause even if the entity is contrived,
Something I can never envisage or control
I think I’d like to believe in it someday
Just so I can begin to make sense of it all

Am I wasting time,
Looking for meaning and purpose?
Am I wasting time,
Looking for a divine intervention?
I’m deliriously serious
Worn out but curious
Am I wasting time? Don’t lie to me, Emily
Am I wasting time?
I’d like to think you’d be the one person to tell me
46 · May 2020
Alexa, do you love me?
Dal90 May 2020
I spent the whole night in their presence
Talking loudly and laughing like nobody was watching
You should’ve seen me
I even pressed my lips against theirs
And it almost seemed genuine
Almost, a scene akin to a happy family
I guess you could say it was “job done” in that respect
Putting off the inevitable for another day
But I promise you I wasn’t even there
Not emotionally anyway
That’s why I indulge in addiction to convey my unwavering conviction
When all I really do is think about the sound of your breathing pattern
And whispering in your ear,
All the words I’ve been too afraid to say for far too long, cause
You know you make me nervous, but in a good way

I can feel you in my head, it’s aching,
Alarm bells play 24/7, it’s ringing
And that’s why I’m always on edge and weak
But I find comfort in the fact when I see your face
The butterflies will always flutter
To make me know this is what I really want
‘cause the thrill of the chase has always been contagious
But that’s the problem
I think that thrill will always be a part of me
And it will always be
The one thing that makes me dangerous
Who’s to say I won’t do the same to you?
Who’s to say I won’t always feel incomplete?
‘cause, you know
I think I only really feel alive when I’m acting discrete
Floating around in the shadows of happiness
And when I end up there, unintentionally
It does nothing for me

Alexa, do you love me?
I already know the answer, you don’t have the capability
But I think you’re the only "person" I have left
I think you can tell by my requests, I’ve changed
And my mood can be best described as bereft
Although it’s hard to accept
‘cause I love to love, maybe too much
But since when has that been a bad thing?
Since when was that never enough?
Come on fragile pretence, come a little closer
At least for a second
I know I’m being pathetic but you’re always sympathetic
So let me revel in this never-ending cycle of trust
Without that, what’s the point?
Without a moment’s notice I won’t hesitate to finish us
But that’s what I love about you
You never threaten to fail me, and that’s the only certainty in my life
Dal90 May 2020
I don’t want your hugs
I want you to sit in silence
So obediently
Out of sight but in my mind’s eye
Not out of pity
But down to your duty
All because I find your aura comforting
Not even the slightest bit distracting
Which helps bring me peace
No longer gasping for air, on my knees
Struggling to breathe
But it’s not enough
As I already know when you go
at the point when this is all over
I’ll realise this isn’t love
And this isn’t what I’d hoped for
But I’ll be man enough to admit
I’ve strung you along and taken you for granted
And without you I’d be climbing up the walls
But I need to fight my own battles
And convince myself to take some chances
At the cost of giving you up?
Well, time will tell
If the decisions I’ve made have been worth it
Or if the pain I’ve self-inflicted will be deserving
45 · Sep 2020
Medicine
Dal90 Sep 2020
Stumbling into the weekend with your **** out
You’ve got a constant pain in your liver
And a daily pressure to deliver for the pervert lurking in the shadows
He’s strangely dressed for a man of his age
With a mouth invaded by pulsating ulcers
Longing to take you into the back of his van
He doesn’t even have to be lucky
Because you’ll allow it immediately, and who’d blame you?
Each word pure filth
Either side of the inaudible mumbling under his breath
If he were a “person of interest” to the police it wouldn’t be a surprise to me
All in the aid of living for a night you’ll soon forget
Is it worth the impending regret when you wake?
Fumbling about for an excuse the same way you make another costly mistake
Because if there’s one thing I do know
It’s that there’s nothing more constant than the changing of the seasons
And there’s evil in each and every one of us
It’s true because I read it on the internet
So even if you don’t believe it trust me one day you’ll see it
In time
Probably after you inhale that gram of coke on your nightstand
That’s if you wake up in your bed and not his
Although I understand temptation is a disease for the weak
In the hope it’ll bring temporary happiness in a world so bleak
Of 24/7 darkness and pure exhaustion
With seemingly nothing to live for
Your eyes tell a story of a desperation and a realisation
Life isn’t anything like you once naively dreamt it would be
But maybe your life hasn’t started yet
And all of this is just a sordid prequel to the triumphant sequel that is your happily ever after
Because I know
You still have childhood love letters you’re afraid to bin
Believing that they still mean something
Like you’re the same desirable person as you were back then
Scared to death if they disappear
You’ll have nothing to give you hope
And your sorry ending will become all too clear
Leaving you with no other option but to accept your predetermined fate of disaster
How sad it is,
That you think like that
How sad it is
That I know you’ll prove me right and that this might be the last time
But I’ve got nothing left to give to someone who doesn’t want to be saved
Now you’re on the brink of being dead again
And that’s the saddest thing of all
Because I think I could’ve been your medicine
45 · May 2020
A serenade of love?..
Dal90 May 2020
Extra strong toothpaste
To dilute the taste of my lies
Can’t you see from my eyes
A million tears have been summoned from my heart
Day after day the pulse has weakened
But you still don’t notice me falling apart
And how I’ve conjured up sordid thoughts in my brain
From the absurd to the insane
Some would describe my perseverance as inane
But even when I lose, I refuse to complain
Just as long as you give me another chance
To do this slow dance all over again

The aroma of cigarettes and cheap perfume
Drift from your mouth and cold bedroom
Dancing along the waves your fingers tread
Up and down my yielding body of woe
Your awkward laughter sends shivers
From my head down to my toes
Drowning in a puddle of woes
A serenade of love? A serenade of love?
I’ve never felt more uncomfortable
Than you’re making me feel tonight
And my mums walked in on the two of us
So what does that tell you?
Take your time, I’ve got all night….
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