“Ding!” my phone screen lit up.
A few seconds later… “Ding!”
Instagram notifications of the newest posts from my peers pop up incessantly.

It has become ubiquitous to see other teenage girls posting “glamorous” pictures of themselves online,
Dolling up with makeup, accessories, and fancy clothes revealing their bodyline
“Wow you look so pretty”, such comments are seen under these posts frequently,
I can’t help but sometimes wonder: Is it worth seeking this validation that they receive?

Some peers wish to pursue popularity from their physical appearances,
I admire their confidence but to me, this is quite foreign
In a constellation of stars, each star tries its best to stand out among the crowd,
Similarly, most people want their physical attractiveness to be eulogized out loud

“Am I weird for not following such trends?” is something I occasionally ponder about,
I tell myself to take a step back and reflect- should I be doing this just for clout?
Why am I so different from the rest- being pococurante about such “popularity”?
Is not seeking validation and recognition from others about our worth an aberrancy?

Personally, I just hope that people will see the true, realest me;
I am confident in my own skin and appearance- I don’t need others’ validation and decree
I am learning to not compel myself to fit into and follow what is “trendy”,
But instead, work towards being me and who God wants me to be

21/11/2021

As the months' pass,
And years go by,
Let us all show our thanks,
To the One who provides

Let us all bless,
His almighty name
So to His goodness,
Our lips will proclaim

He has blessed us,
With mercy and grace,
With hope and strength,
To stay faithful in this race

He has blessed us,
With His merciful and everlasting love,
With His promises,
That we’ll be with Him above

He has blessed us with redemption,
Through Jesus’ blood, we embrace,
For the forgiveness of sin,
Through the richness of His grace

He has blessed us,
With every spiritual blessing,
In the heavenly places in Christ,
So into Him, we’ll keep on pressing
He has blessed us,
With all we could ever need,
Blessed with His word,
Our hunger it can feed!

--
Psalm 103:1-2
“Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits”
Psalm 34:1
“I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth”
Ephesians 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

--

-‘Pit-a-patter’-

Raindrops fall on the window pane before it slowly plummets,
Falling into a large, brittle, glass-made bucket
The water level in the bucket rises slowly but inconsistently,
The bucket never overflows— instead it waits for the raindrops fervently  

Your texts are inconsistent and you are slow to reply,
Each word is collected inside my heart to see what you imply
Our conversations and memories slowly build up inside my heart,
My heart is never full— it longs for more of you to impart

-‘Whoosh’-

A strong gust of wind blows by and the rain stops,
Objects picked up by the wind hits against the bucket nonstop
Each hit leaves a mark on the bucket like a merciless, sharp dagger,
The pressure builds up—the brittle glass bucket eventually shatters

Uncertainties and problems start coming our way nonstop,
Carrying along our insecurities and worries- we no longer talk
You start to waver, telling me your feelings for me are dying,
Each word pierces through my fragile heart which falls apart— I start crying

The broken pieces of the glass bucket are scattered all over the street,
Even within each piece, scratches are all over it- although many but discreet
The damaged bucket is replete and can no longer collect the falling rain,
The water it collected previously is released and spills all over the floor like paint

My heart shatters into a million tiny pieces with each piece lost and forlorn,
Even within each piece, scars are all over it— inconspicuous but not gone
All our shared memories that I collected earnestly is tainted in a second,
“Just forget everything, leave it all behind” is what you beckoned

The broken pieces of my heart are impossible to mend,
Your smile, your words, your presence causes my heart to rend
No matter how much I try, the pieces do not fit together like it did before,
Are you the glue? Should I walk towards or away from you? I don’t what to do anymore
----
12am
1/12/21
——————
METAPHORS USED:

1. Raindrops —> Texts, Conversations
2. Water in the bucket —> Memories, shared experiences, dreams and hopes
3. Bucket —> Heart
4. Wind —> Uncertainties, problems, temptations
5. Objects carried along by the wind —> Insecurities, worries
6. Scratches —> Scars

The righteous and blameless Saviour alone carried the cross,
For someone so unworthy and wretched like me, You paid the cost
Through redemption in Your Son, we are justified freely by Your grace
With new eternal life, may we seek Your face

You lovingly sent Your Son to die on the cross of Calvary for me,
Now that salvation is complete, forever I’m free!
My chains are gone, my debt is paid;
Through the cross, new hope for me is laid

My soul rejoices because Calvary covers it all,
Despite my sin and shame, You still gave Your call
You are merciful and faithful to save,
Nothing can ever separate us from Your love and grace!

Come, let us confess our sins and ask for forgiveness,
The faithful One will cleanse us from all righteousness
In Your light, we see light;
For in You, is the fountain of life!

Inspiration: Romans 3:24, 1 John 1:9, Psalms 36

My friends say I'm perfect,
But they don't know what’s behind the grades
The “pretty”, “hardworking”, “talented” me,
A lot more is going inside then what you see

No one except God knows who I truly am,
Well, I’ll tell you who I am
I'm a girl who wants to be wild and crazy like a normal kid,
But can't because I'm expected to be a perfect little kid

I remember when I used to be an outgoing girl,
But for now, I hide in my shell
I used to like to hang out with friends,
But soon, that had to end

“Your cousins got straight A1s for their exams”,
“Your cousins got perfect scores for their A-levels”
My other family members raised the bars of expectations,
Little did I know, that had to be my expectations too

I wonder how long more I can keep up with this pace,
With all the pressure around me surface
I just want to live, humble and true,
Lord, please help me live my life for You

My friends say I'm perfect,
But they don't know what’s behind the grades
The “pretty”, “hardworking”, “talented” me,
A lot more is going inside then what you see

No one except God knows who I truly am,
Well, I’ll tell you who I am
I'm a girl who wants to be wild and crazy like a normal kid,
But can't because I'm expected to be a perfect little kid

I remember when I used to be an outgoing girl,
But for now I hide in my she’ll
I used to like hang out with friends,
But soon, that had to end

“Your cousins got straight A1s for their exams”,
“Your cousins got perfect scores for their A levels”
My other family members raised the bars of expectations,
Little did I know, that had to be my expectations too

I wonder how long more I can keep up with this pace,
With all the pressure around me surface
I just want to live, humble and true,
Lord please help me live my life for You

I shiver,
Goosebumps appear.
My hands quiver,
My eyes tear.

I talk to you with so much eager,
But you sound like a stranger
I tell you how hurt I am,
But all you reply me is with a “****”

A “****”.

No apology,
No empathy
No remorse
No sympathy

Hurt me intentionally,
Yet it’s “justified” because I hurt you more
Saying it nonchalantly with so much indifference coldly,
This is so painful, it hurts me right through the core

You seem like a completely different person,
It feels like I don’t know who you are anymore
It feels like I’m talking to a completely cold stranger,
It’s like I don’t know what I want anymore

God gave each of us a special family
that we can call our own.
A family that loves us for who we are,
so we would never feel alone.

They may not like everything we do
or everything we say,
but the beautiful thing about "family"
is that they love us anyway.

Sometimes we feel rejected
by people who do not care,
but our hearts are warmed when remembering
that our family is always there!

So hug them a little more often,
for sometimes we hurt the ones we love.
And tell them how much you love them,
for they were sent to you from above.

Edited version :)
@J.Z.F.

My heart is now in so much pain.
My tears are falling like pouring rain.

I can no longer sleep a full night.
I can no longer fight.

We broke each other's hearts.
We were torn apart.

We are no longer together.
What happened to forever?

No one can save me from the dark's might.
This time there will be no light.
I'm not going to fight.

There's no reason to.
When I did fight, it was for you.

I know I never did show how I felt.
Just believe me,
every time I saw you,
my heart would melt.

Just know...
I loved you then,
I love you still.
I promise
I always will.

I don't know why
we had to say our goodbyes...
but I'll love you till the day I die.

My heart is broken,
but I still have hope.

One day
we might get back together.
Maybe next time will be forever.

written by:
© Bri

I want to run, I want to hide
From all the pain he caused inside
I want to scream, I want to cry
Why can't I just tell him goodbye

I want to move on; I can't let go
I love him more than he'll ever know
Memories come, when I'm alone
Thinking about all the things that I've been told
I want to start over, I want to be free
But this pain and memories just won't leave me

"If I am stressing you out, then you should just forget about me,"
How could you think it's so easy?
He hurt me bad, the pain is deep;
From all the promises he couldn't keep
All the things I heard him say,
Are in my head and just won't fade

How can I forget him, leave him behind?
Erase the memories from my mind?
He doesn't love me, and he never will
He will never care about how I feel

I want you to know
something I'm trying to hide
the way that I love you
is stuck bottled up inside.

I want to tell you
exactly how I feel
and that my feelings
are completely real.

I want to tell you
that I truly do
love you with all that I am
this is the truth.

I hide this feeling
only because I know
you don't feel the same
and I can't let you go.

I don't tell you this
for many reasons
but mainly because
my friendship with you
is too important
to ruined by three words...


original by © Alexus Brinkley

Please tell me something,
and do not lie.
Is something fading
between you and I ?

I've noticed changes
in the recent past
and waited patiently,
hoping it wouldn't last.

I give everything
I can give you,
but what's given back
seems long overdue.

You say nothing is wrong
and you are just fine,
acting as if
the problem is mine.

Something is different,
not like it was before.
I'm doing my best,
trying to restore

The way we showed love
to one another
without crowding you
or trying to smother.

I just need to know
if one thing is true.
Do you still love me
as much as you used to?

The problems of life are near, disguised in every tear
How I long to overcome, this emptiness of fear
All the problems get in my way,
And sometimes I wonder, how will I go through the day?

When I was down, discouraged and weak,
He spoke to me, tenderly and sweet;
"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid;
For I am with you, even as the trials await."

When the problems got so great,
When I could barely face the day,
I felt His comforting presence around me,
As I heard Him say lovingly:

"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid;
For the peace I leave with you, no one can take away."

Inspiration: John 14:27

You are my sun bright
You are the daylight
Hiding the shadows of my mind

The memories that flew away came back again
Bringing back much heart pain
So why does it rain,
It feels just the same
As if I'll be on my own-
Without you

So I'm thinkin' about the memories through this song,
It helps me forget about everything that went wrong

Ecstatic moments feel painful now;
Even all the memories, even the longing,
Gets back to me now

I just looked at you, turned around and cried,
I wanted to find a place where I could hide

© 2017-2018 Poemsexpressionswords_truth. All Rights Reserved.

Day by day,
Miles apart,
I hold him close
In my heart.
My heart likes him here,
But my mind wants him to disappear.
So confused but so in love,
Looking at the stars above,
Remembering what we had,
And what could have been,
When we were in love,
And how we were friends.
He was like family to me,
I trusted him with all my heart,
But in a million pieces
He shattered it apart.
I only asked for one more chance,
Just to get it right,
But he turned me away,
And bid me good night.
Now, these tears are here to stay,
Streaming down my face,
Wondering why he would turn me away,
And now we don't talk anymore.
That's so true,
So why am I still in love with you?

Original:
© Chantel Johnson

"You'd lose your mind trying to understand mine"

"I'ver learnt that trust is like glass. Once broken, no matter how you put it back together, you can still see the cracks."

"I still get sad about everything that happened. Every now and then it just hits me. Sometimes it takes days for me to get over it..."

As each day passes I hate myself more
Why does it seem like I’m always in the wrong?
“Know your place”, “you forgot your place” has become an axiom in my head,
I cannot help but think that I’m such a burden, inferior, useless, and shouldn’t live instead

I hate myself so much, everything is my fault no matter what I do
My character is criticised every single time,  the shadows on the wall chiding me for being such a fool
My heart’s so pain, I can’t breathe
With every breath, the more I hate me

The shadows haunt me, criticising every part of me
I need to change my entire self, the more wrong in myself I see
I hate every inch of myself, I don’t deserve to live
Why is it so painful to be criticised continuously, staying positive while taking all these in is a myth

The light casts on the shadows, bringing much happiness into my life,
My heart is full of joy during these times, the sadness and hatred becomes a lie
But when the shadows form and haunt me around at times,
I’m trapped - hatred for myself and depression hides in my cry  

“You’re weak and immature so you cry easily” was what I was told,
Weakness and immaturity adds on to my list - of the lowest lows
I can’t stop crying and wanting to self-harm, am I weak?
Or maybe those words has caused me to fail to accept any part of me

The shadows overwhelm me and engulf my sleep,
“You’re undeserving of anything”, is all the shadows have bestowed upon me
I always feel like I’m at fault even though I’ve tried, why is this so?
My character is questioned - I hate every part of my soul

I can’t help but wonder to myself…

Is the day that my tears dry,
Also the day that I die?

Teach me, Lord,
What I don't know.
Show me which way
And where to go.
Alone I stumble,
Alone I fall,
But your gentle voice
Leads through it all.
Take my hand,
Light my way,
Be my beacon
Night and day.
I am weak
And sometimes so low,
But you give me strength
And make me whole.
Teach me, Lord and Father.
Your child has become new.
Empty me of myself
So I can live for you


Original version: © Heather Flood

© Sarah


You made me feel like I was flying,
Like no matter who said what you would be there to pull me back into the clouds,
Like I was something special,
You were the first person to ever make me feel this way,
Then when I realized it was all just an illusion,
The fun ended and I hit the concrete with a cold, hard, awakening,
You left me stranded to die alone,
You left me there to cry myself to sleep at night,
It hurt so much to hear you say I was just a toy,
Something you could play with,
Someone who you wanted to wallow in your misery with you,
You ruined me,
I am no longer the girl with the bright eyes or beautiful smile,
I am now the girl drowning in her tears,
Who can barely breathe at the simple thought of what we had,
The girl who deep down, is slowly dying,
The worst thing is that you can never know,
You will forever more think of me as the girl you threw to the side and didn't hurt,
I am so much more that you can never see,
I will forever be, the girl you ruined...

Often we assume we have understood the fullness of God’s profundity
When in fact, only a smidgen of His glory is what we see
Although the full glory of God is something we cannot fully comprehend,
Through His word, little by little He helps us to understand

The glory of the Lord is revealed through His inexhaustible provision,
This can be seen from how He constantly provided for Israel from its inception
God lovingly provides us with many things to meet our physical needs
But beyond that, He gives His word to meet the spiritual needs of those who seek

The glory of God is revealed through His power and protection,
An example is how He went before the Israelites and gave them direction
His glory is also revealed through His promises and His presence,
If only we would use our senses to see and listen with reverence  

God provides us with senses to catch glimpses of His immeasurable glory,
From sight to hearing He helps us to behold His glory personally
The gift of senses is to be used to recognise God beyond the external appearances,
For only when our spiritual senses are awakened can we sense His presence

Our challenge is to recognise the presence of God and His glory,
To constantly seek and serve the Lord with humility
Let us be encouraged to sing, declare and proclaim the glory of the Lord,
And strive to be faithful believers and servants of God!

Inspiration: Exodus 14:19-20, Exodus 19:16-18, Ezekiel 1:28, Psalm 27:8, 1 Chronicles 16:10-29

Often we assume we have understood the fullness of God’s profundity
When in fact, only a smidgen of His glory is what we perceive
Although the full glory of God is something we cannot fully comprehend,
Through His word, little by little He helps us to understand

The glory of the Lord is revealed through His inexhaustible provision,
This can be seen from how He constantly provided for Israel from its inception
God lovingly provides us with many things to meet our physical needs
But beyond that, He gives His word to meet the spiritual needs of those who seek

The glory of God is revealed through His power and protection,
An example is how He went before the Israelites and gave them direction
His glory is also revealed through His promises and His presence,
If only we would use our senses to see and listen with reverence  

God provides us with senses to catch glimpses of His immeasurable glory,
From sight to hearing He helps us to behold His glory personally
The gift of senses is to be used to recognise God beyond the external appearances,
For only when our spiritual senses are awakened can we sense His presence

Our challenge is to recognise the presence of God and His glory,
To constantly seek and serve the Lord with humility
Let us be encouraged to sing, declare and proclaim the glory of the Lord,
And strive to be faithful believers and servants of God!

Inspiration: Exodus 14:19-20, Exodus 19:16-18, Ezekiel 1:28, Psalm 27:8, 1 Chronicles 16:10-29

© Elende Wharton


"I love you."
Those three words didn't mean a thing.
I thought we were meant to be,
But I guess it was just a fling.
There's a wall around my heart, stopping me from crying,
But there's something inside of me
That feels like it's dying.
You were everything I needed, cared for.
I chose you, but now my heart is sore.
You will never realize that you were my best friend too,
But believe me when I say this,
I really did love you.

It’s 2am and I’m wide awake,
I can’t stop thinking about what you said
Our past memories keep overwhelming me,
I ask myself: why didn’t I realise how much you meant to me?

Tears start rolling down my cheek,
I feel so guilty, so small and weak  
“Why couldn’t I just accept your love and stay?”,
This question has been haunting me everyday

I scroll through our past messages tentatively,
Realising how you had waited for me so patiently
Even after numerous night falls,
Why didn’t I ever give you a call?

I realised that maybe I was too selfish,
You were just right there- why didn’t I cherish?
“I will be here for you” was what you said,
Why didn’t I ever say this to you instead?

A crushing sensation pierces through my heart,
It seems as if my entire world is falling apart
“I deserve this, you went through this too”,
I will willingly suffer pain and sorrow just for you

It is selfish for me to say that I want you back,
I have always loved you- it just took time for me to realise that
It’s too late, you seem to have already moved on;
What else can I do, but to pretend to put on a strong front?

It’s too late, maybe your heart is somewhere else
You didn’t wish me on my birthday- I can infer from it by myself
We both made mistakes, but you tried to make up for it;
I did too, but maybe, I was the cause of our second split

You’ll never read this, but I want you to know,
I have always had feelings for you- it just didn’t show
I have always been terrible at texting and directly expressing my feelings;
My ‘pococurante’ over messages might have been what was misleading

There are so many things that I want to tell you,
One of it is that it takes a lot not to call you
If me contacting you brings you pain in any way,
Even if it means suffering on my own- I won’t do so; I’ll act like everything is okay

You are the kindest, most selfless and sweetest guy I know,  
Don’t let my mistakes affect you and become your shadow
You bring a ray of light and comfort to the people around you,
I hope one day, you’ll find someone who is like this too

“We’ll see what happens four years down the road” was what you said,
Four years have passed- what have we become instead?
From being friends, to lovers, to friends, back to being strangers;
Will this cycle repeat? Or is it too late for us

Every time I walk past you or see you from afar,
My heart beats crazily fast, it just adds on to my scars
It’s too late for me to apologise and reconcile, isn’t it,
My finger hovers above the ‘send’ button… should I click?

28/11/21
2am

CHRISTmas isn’t just about glittering decorations,
Or simply celebrating it as a tradition
It isn’t just about the delectable food and drinks,
Nor about the world, as many people think

CHRISTmas is about rejoicing in the birth of our wonderful Saviour-
Jesus Christ, who was sent down from heaven lovingly by the Father
It is about delighting with great joy because of the Father’s great love for us,
His greatest gift of eternal life, none other gifts can surpass!

CHRISTmas is about giving, and for showing that we care,
For honouring the Lord Jesus Christ, with the gifts of love we share
A frequent lesson we learn from the Bible is to give wholeheartedly to others who have less,
Our love for the Lord Jesus Christ, through the gifts, we want to express

This CHRISTmas, instead of simply decorating christmas trees,
Let the light of Jesus in us, be what others see
As we shop, give, fellowship and enjoy the CHRISTmas season,
Let us keep in mind the important truth- the Lord Jesus is the reason!

The Years have passed by,
In the blink of an eye,
Moments of sadness,
And joy have flown by.

People I loved,
Have come and have gone,
But the world never stopped,
And we all carried on.

Life wasn't easy,
And the struggles were there,
Filled with times that it mattered,
Times I just didn't care.

And now as I grow older,
It's become very clear,
Things I once found important,
Were not why I was here.

And how many things,
That I managed to buy,
Were never what made me,
Feel better inside.

And the worries and fears,
That plagued me each day,
In the end of it all,
Would just fade away.

But how much I reached out,
To others when needed,
Would be the true measure,
Of how I succeeded.

And how much I shared,
Of my soul and my heart,
Would ultimately be,
What set me apart.

And what's really important,
Is my opinion of me,
And whether or not,
I'm the best I can be.

And how much more kindness,
And love I can show,
Before the Lord tells me,
It's my time to go.


© Pat A. Fleming

A new year begins, with hectic schedules every day,
Anxieties overwhelm us- in school; work; in every possible way
Often we tend to focus solely on the challenging and stressful circumstances,
Forgetting the power and the promises of God, which can help us
Our doubts and tough circumstances may come from the powers and principalities of the evil world,
The spiritual war we face each and every day- between spirit and flesh; we may feel we are in a whirl
The evil one tries to make us doubt God’s love and provision during the trying times;
To counter it, we must have our eyes fixed on Christ to be comforted that His love is sublime
When we come before God to acknowledge our weaknesses and inability to stand by our own strength,
Through His mercy, we are beholden to His love and grace which comforts our soul when we get tense
When countless worries come, we must render these known to God in prayer;
His comforting presence reminds us that He cares and that He shall take away all our doubts and fears

Challenges and anxieties from the world can afflict a believer and cause him to go astray,
But if we exercise our faith through prayer, God will help make these anxieties go away
“My child, for all those times when you were full of anxiety and fear,
It was I, who pulled you through; I’ve always been near.”
Inspiration: Psalm 94:18-19

A new year begins, with hectic schedules every day,
Anxieties overwhelm us- in school; work; in every possible way
Often we tend to focus solely on the challenging and stressful circumstances,
Forgetting the power and the capabilities of God, who can help us

Our doubts and tough circumstances are the results of the the powers and principalities of the evil world,
The spiritual war we face each and every day- between spirit and flesh; it is real
The evil one tries to make us doubt God’s love and provision during the trying times;
To counter it, we must have our eyes fixed on Christ, to be comforted in times of strife

When we come before God to acknowledge our weaknesses and inability to stand by our own strength,
Through His mercy, we are beholden to His love and grace which loosens our soul when we get tense
When countless worries come, we must render these known to God in prayer;
His comforting presence, peace and renewed strength in us shall take away all our doubts and fears

Challenges and anxieties from the world can afflict a believer and cause him to go astray,
But if we exercise our faith through prayer, God will help make these anxieties go away
“My child, for all those times when you were full of anxiety and fear,
It was I, who pulled you through; I have always been near.”

Inspiration: Psalm 94:18-19