Once dubbed 'number two,' a label, a haunting echo, a constant reminder,
From a third year’s Scrabble match that left me second best, the genesis of a nickname I hated.

The bitter taste of second place, a memory stark,
A reminder of striving, of yearning, yet falling short.
Averse to the shadow of 'not quite,' 'almost there, but...'

It's funny how being second haunted me,
Always striving to escape my past and secrets.
I've hidden the truth about my family,
A split that's more than what the world knows, I’ve always been ‘the secret child’
A narrative whispered, diluted, for ears unacquainted.
Universe never seize to mock me with it.

Contemplating the roads I could have paved better,
Guarding what was precious, fortifying with fervor,
I’m here , pondering the 'what ifs' and 'maybes,'
A lament for the present, with heavy eyes and teary-eyes. Regrets linger for not trying harder.

Three years invested, hopes were shattered,
I don't blame you for trying to rebuild, giving it another try.
Instead, I blame fate, the ‘Universe’ A relentless orchestrator, marking me perennially 'two,'
Even when love briefly eased the burden.

Now, in the quiet of night, in sorrow's embrace I write,
Words once sweet now tinged with pain,.
I've been through a rollercoaster of emotions,

For days now, you’ve witnessed my descent and ascent, I blamed you, I tried being strong, became a wreck, got drunk to prove a point, isolated , sought validation from internet, found myself overwhelmed by the attention and tried to convince everyone ‘I’m fine’,  I felt numb.
Right now I’m just a shattered soul seeking solace in poetry’s embrace.
Every emotion, a verse, every thought, a line inscribed, writing seems to be my only solace.

To the boy I loved and wanted to give it all to, I’m thinking of you and I just want you to always be happy, being second doesn’t mean I can’t still be your number one cheerleader.
We always thought alike and wanted the same things; I do not wish to hate you as you don’t want it too.
I want to keep you as much as you want to do with me ,
Let's move past this, erase the awkwardness,
Let not animosity tarnish what affection once graced,
I hope we can salvage our friendship soon.

I’ve died many times before,
and nobody knows

I’ve fought and struggled,
hurt and bleed to death over and over

but the sad thing is,

when I die,
people will think it's the first time.

I think I deserve this,

I’ve always covered myself
with a blanket of fear,
that way,
I don’t fall in love with you

I was protecting myself
from getting hurt when this thing
between us goes sour,
I didn’t think about your feelings too.

Classic me, always selfish

Here I am now, loving you and
you’re slipping away from me.
I don’t want to lose you, but
maybe it’s time I became selfless
and just let you go.

I deserve this ache in my heart.

this silence between us,
is like an egg,
the answers we seek is inside,
but we're just too scared to break it.

I didn't think
you'd return back to me
but you did.

You shouldn't have,
because now, you're
just a familiar stranger.

I neither hate nor love you.

Two days of
silence,
turned to years,
and
just like that
we became strangers.

Poetry is like painting,
the way artists gives life to a blank canvas,
beautifying the world with colours.
Is the same way writers give life to a blank page,
making the world beautiful with words.

We need
A world where women
are not objectified
but are instead dignified

Because a world without women
would be a wasteland

If there was no war,
I don't think "peace" would have been a word.

Shower me with some reckless love
Let me drown in endless ecstasy.

From sparks
to flames
and flares
Then to a blazing fire
That's how dreams are
You tame it
lest it becomes an inferno
and consumes everything

I still make two cups of tea every morning
I still help you to run the bath
I still pick out a tie for you
I still ask Charlie to make breakfast for two
I still change the channel to your favorite sport channel every morning
I still receive your daily paper and I still think it's weird that you read those
I still go out to the Dunes hoping to meet you waiting
I still turn on the night light by your side of the bed just the way you do
I still make room for you on the bed hoping you'd get in when you get back from work late

Your sister came by the other day
She drank the second tea
She thanked me for running her a bath
She asked me to donate your stuffs to charity
She ate the breakfast I asked Charlie to make just how you like
She changed the sports channels to watch the morning news
She cancelled your paper subscription
She made us eat at another restaurant
She slept on your side of the bed with me and switched off the light on her side

Your sister says they care about me
and needed me to move on

I don't think life and love ends in death...well mine didn't
I wait each day for you to walk in, say you missed your flight and took a different one
that there was no network that's why you haven't called
or that you were kidnapped or something
Just so you can end my grief
This grief is the only thing stronger than my love for you.

Sometimes, when it rains
I wonder,
"do clouds,
feel broken too?"

The world has gone crazy,
everyone in the society
questions my spirituality,
They want to know about my financial ability,
my ethnicity and nationality,
my physical capability,
my intellectual capacity,
and my sexuality,
but never about my mental and emotional stability .

The light I
seek is here
within me, if
only I see the switch.

Hope is a mirage,
to those lost,
in this desert
called life.

Some friends are like ice cream on a hot summer day, so sweet yet they give you brain freeze.

Dear me,
Don't just sit
Rise, and pursue greatness.

Don't just watch
Go after what you want.

Don't just exist
Strive and start living.

Don't just dream
Work hard and aim for success.

Don't get tired
Keep hiking until you get to the peak.

Hope is what keeps us alive,
the tinniest ray can save.
A life without hope,
Is like being in a dark room.
You lose balance,
And sense of directions
Even your steps are slow.
So, Hope is light
Endeavor to keep it burning.
©humble_edward

My life is nothing
Without God,
In it.

My life needed light,
With words.
That's why I write.

I've always hated roses
Maybe because they're
So flawless compared to my messed up life
Very beautiful compared to my scared skin
It's amazing scent compared to my rotten soul
But a part of me loves roses
Because it has thorns just like me
We both hurt unsuspecting people

Love is the only thing that can quench this blazing fire of hatred in the world.

Don't lose yourself to sorrow
Embrace joy and live for a better tomorrow

In dreams,
There are no limits,
Until reality knocks.