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 Aug 27 Olivia Williams
alia
Im glad they buy this version of me,
the polished one,
the smiling one,
the one who fits neatly
into the outline of “fine.”

They believe it so easily.
Why wouldn’t they?
It’s brighter,
lighter,
easier to hold
than the truth.

The truth is,
the real me was shelved
along time ago,
left to collect dust in the dark.

Now I wake each morning,
slip on this costume
like it’s second skin,
play the part until curtain call,
and no one notices
that behind the mask
my face is still wet
from last night’s crying.
Clear water serenely waves
                towards the shore
In your hands you hold a book
                filled with Mystical secrets
and as the sun goes down,
                         you read on
as the sky quietly turns
                            from pink to crimson
                     over the calming blue sea...
Rushing waterfalls
                  gush forth
                  from a tall silent mountain
         the outpour
                                     of water
right into the open mouth of the sea.
You sit on the sand, lifting your hands
                       to heaven,
folding your legs
             into a Padmasana position of wisdom
You get that feeling that you have finally,  
                   arrived !
Wrapped in morning frost
In time, love frozen amidst
Drift near warm season
staring into the abyss, i heard some voices gentle
so i wandered into the forest, to follow those voices
followed the stairs that led
                                          deeper
            ­                                         and
                                                           deeper

but my investigation brought me to a halt
the voices turned into screams and screams into howls
and suddenly the dark clouds obscured my eyes

saw a mammoth wall painted  in murals
in red, with memories and faces of people
a sudden pour of rain brought them to life
and they began to chase me to tear me
                                                              ­ piece
                                                           ­             by
                                                 ­                            piece

in the disbelief i closed my eyes
to make sense of what i had just seen
the light was ahead but far from the reach
suddenly all echoes disappeared in the haze

stuck in a maze,
a cycle of repetitive events
wish it was just a flicker
but this feeling is chained around my neck
Written on- December 21, 2024; 10:02 am
This poem is based on one visual i once saw in my head and i tried to put that scene into words to explain how it looks like being haunted by memories who are long gone from your life. This is me visualizing my that image in form of words.
It is on my tongue—
a feeling
palatable,
aerodynamic transition,
palpable.

Redesigning for flight,
for movement through resistance,
for letting go of drag.

Whereas my muscles would tense up,
a few inches from the ground—
now I’ve learned that to clip one’s wings
is to stay anchored, be shackled down.

Not that being grounded
isn’t a form of comfort, safety, or security—
but there’s a shift that comes
from renegotiating the terms
you’ve set with your own mind.

It’s a daunting challenge,
yet a necessary one.

Because I want to see the world,
not from behind a pane of glass,
but with wind in my lungs
and wonder in my chest.

And I want to fall in love—
falling into bed with you,
multiple strings attached,
and still feel like the luckiest person alive.

To do that,
I am taking flight
in ways I could not have foreseen
as a child.
Written in chorus with the poets of HelloPoetry—this flight is ours.
She raised her glass
to a space of fragrance
gifts of perfumers and chefs
bees for our banquet.

"Tonight we dance."

Her glass rose
and so did theirs.

"Outside this stained window
lose specs forced to shake
water flushed from the sky
as if migration made it light.

Zeus and Thor collude
against our dinner feast
abhorred by its stature
green isn't color that fits.

Nevertheless,
tonight we dance."

And her glass rose again
with them cheering it.

"Youth flee their lessons
burdened with pesky
and serious concerns
long past their tender.

For what of their guardian,
exhausted will she manage?
the pilling of warnings?
of crossroad endings?

Regardless,
tonight We dance."

And her glass rose again,
they're lost at her turn.

"Broken close their eyes
to their fate and its price
they planned for luck solely
but got struck instead.

Their doctors prescribed
but held was their fund
for useless is the mallet
to the insurance wallet.

Anyway,
tonight WE dance."

And her glass rose again
but gone was their wit.

"Looking-in hands implore,
forsaken howl at our spoils
like wolfs without a den
or a pack to take them in.

They'll surrender to the rain
and recoil to any found dent
of this majestic construction
to remind'em where they stand.

All the more reason,
TONIGHT WE DANCE!
Because we can!"
And she gulps the wine.

Slowly the stunned room,
in its palpable gloom,
was silently emptied.
The extravagants gone.

"Good, only I remain,
let it linger just the same
in their spoiled brains.
For we alone hold the chains."
~
August 2025
HP Poet: Nick Moore
Age: 50+
Country: UK


Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Nick. Please tell us about your background?

Nick Moore: "I was born in Knutsford Cheshire; my parents split up when I was 7, so me and my mother moved to the North of England, this affected me greatly, influencing many poems. I didn't like school very much, finding it too restrictive, going straight into work at 16, into the university of life (a well-used saying at the time) working with adults with a learning disability for many years. I moved to Cornwall 10 years ago, never missing a day on the beach."


Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?

Nick Moore: "Since 2011. I was in a band for a while, around the age of 20, writing songs, when I felt some of the songs seemed like they could pass as poems. My daughter was born a few years later, she sparked something in me, that just had to be expressed; the first poem I wrote was about her, what a child sees."


Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).

Nick Moore: "Just about anything: philosophy, science, comedy, music, people, nature; but I have to let the idea grow in my mind, it's there in the background, and when it's ready, it will make itself known."


Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?

Nick Moore: "As a child, I was fascinated with the lyrics to songs, certain ones really spoke to me; for example Daniel by Elton John, the emotion in those words really got to me, so poetry was inevitably going to come into my life; so for me, it's a way of expressing thoughts and feelings that are hard to just bring up in a conversation."


Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?

Nick Moore: "Mark Bolan, was the first poetry I read, think the book was called Warlock of Love? Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, Edgar Allan Poe, W.B. Yeats, C.S. Lewis and the many poets on Hello poetry."


Question 6: What other interests do you have?

Nick Moore: "Growing my own food, reading, surfing (not very good), listening to music, watching films from the silent era to recent ones, and walking my dog."


Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Nick, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in this Spotlight series!”

Nick Moore: "Thanks again."




Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Nick better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez

We will post Spotlight #31 in September!

~
i have decided that since i personally write a lot that i dont end up liking, that i would make an account where i share my thought process behind all my "bad" poems. the ones that dont flow, or make any sense whatsoever.

i want to work on how i view my own writing but i also want to improve my writing. i want to have this as an escape whenever i feel down but i also would like to be able to write well when im bored or even for schooling.

i take constructive criticism and i want to hear your thoughts and opinions about my own thoughts and poems. and my second account allows for that.

im aiming to be more vulnerable on there and i will not edit the pieces before they're uploaded.

because life is messy and my writing is allowed to be. no ones writing is perfect. theres always going to be something you can do to make it flow better. atleast in my opinion.

so im hoping this all makes sense and that my second account can be a helpful place in a way.
- mysterie
I know who you are.
You stare back In my mirror.
Then you tear me down.
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