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- JP DeVille Nov 2023
Because at the end of the chapter,
It wasn't what I did that I regret,
but the things I didn't do.
- JP DeVille Nov 2023
I never published my poems,
I never did get that promotion,
I never finished that model car,
I never completed that assignment,
I never hung that painting,
I never approached her,
I never spoke up when I should've,
I never learned to play the piano,
I never sang in a band,
I never picked up Italian,
I never fixed that window,
I never watched the entire trilogy,
I never told him I would miss him,
I never apologized,
I never pulled that trigger,
I never did shut my mouth,
I never liked Bob Dylan,
I never understood Cohen,
I never danced tango,
I never finished that bottle,
I never put it down,
I never became a nurse,
I never won at poker,
I never did half of the things I wanted to do,
and I will never finish this poem.
- JP DeVille Oct 2023
War
The skies fell upon us all
Falling stars made of brimstone
The shots resounded in my ears
Drums striking in unison

We are the blood of our fathers
And the tears of our mothers
We are the remnants of insurgents
And the echoes of patriots
We are the foot steps on the beaches
And the tree that was once planted

Every country's forefathers
Every martyred priest
Every hidden rebel
Every act of bravery

What
Was once a symbol of terror
Was once treasonous
Was once unspeakable
Was once nothing more
Than a voice that rose
Amongst many others
And screamed no more

No more will we be persecuted
No more will our children
And their children
Die

I went forth and picked up a gun
Loading 12 bullets in the magazine
Recoiled one in the chamber
But pocketed one round for me

I searched for the enemy
In the cover of darkness
hiding beneath an olive tree
I pulled my finger towards me

The muzzle flash of light
Revealed his face
My brother lied dead on the ground
I have nothing now

War is a child playing in the sand
Governments are a magnifying glass
We are ants in search of shelter
- JP DeVille May 2023
No te culpo por lo que pasó entre nosotros.
Nuestro amor náufrago se había quedado varado en momentos vacíos.
Como páginas rasgadas en libros que compramos y nunca leímos,
los colocamos tan alto en libreros ahora cubiertos de polvo.
Las mismas canciones tristes suenan una y otra vez en el fondo de mis pensamientos,
pero no hay un acorde secreto que levante y encienda el fuego que una vez ardió tan brillantemente.
Llegó el invierno y con el se llevó el calor de tu cuerpo,
la luz de mis ojos,
el sabor de tus labios,
el mismo aliento de mis pulmones,
y hasta el sonido que produce tu boca cuando me dices
"Te amo."
Las estaciones cambiaron,
y la primavera llegó sin sus flores de cerezo.
Los barcos que contenían nuestras esperanzas zarparon,
mientras todavía estábamos a kilómetros de darnos cuenta de lo lejos que estábamos.
No queda nada,
mas que el silencio ensordecedor de nosotros,
cara a cara,
sin nada que decir,
Solo el recuerdo de nuestro amor caído,
lo que una vez fue, lo que pudo haber sido.
Tú y yo, no más.
- JP DeVille May 2023
I don't blame you for what happened between us.
Our castaway love had become stranded in empty moments
that like torn pages in books, we bought in garage sells,
but never read, and placed so highly upon bookshelves,
Now covered in dust.
The same sad songs play over and over in the back of my thoughts,
but there's no secret chord that will lift up and ignite the fire that once burned so brightly.
Winter came and with her she took the warmth of your body,
the light in my eyes,
the taste of your lips,
the very breath from my lungs,
and the memory of the sound your mouth makes when you'd tell me
"I love you."
The seasons changed,
and spring came without her cherry blossoms.
The vessels that contained our hopes sailed away,
while we were still miles from realizing how far apart we were.
There's nothing left,
but the deafening silence of us,
face to face,
with nothing left to say,
just the memory of our fallen love,
what once was, what could've been.
you and I, no more.
- JP DeVille Apr 2023
I'm still standing,
I'm still breathing,
My heart is beating,
My soul is tired,
Each breath is agony,
Each night is longer,
This may be the end,
This may be the beginning.
If I don't wake tomorrow,
If I cause anyone sorrow,
Forgive my Lord my sins,
Forget me not my next of kin,
Life is a falling leaf,
Death is a hurricane,
I'm an outcast in troubled waters.
- JP DeVille Mar 2023
The shimmering glimmer of your eyes glow like light houses
And I'm a captain lost at sea
Captivated by the splendor of your brightness
I fail to see the rocks that await me on your shores
And as I sink so effortlessly into your depths
I breathe for the last time wanting nothing more than to drown in your waters
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