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287 · Jun 2019
I Would Give You the World
Nadia Jun 2019
I would give you the world,
I would give you the stars
Stealing each one from
this big, bad universe of ours
I would destroy all the monsters
who dare bother you
For you, my children,
there’s nothing I wouldn’t do

I would sell my soul,
with absolutely no hesitation
If it guaranteed you a lifetime
free from devastation
There’s no line I wouldn’t cross
if you needed saving
When you need me, there’s no
danger I won’t be braving

I would give you the answers
so you wouldn’t struggle
If you had too much going on
I would help you juggle
I would hold people back
if it meant you would win
When it comes to my children
there’s no shame to sin

I would find all the shortcuts,
unlock all the doors
For anyone who wronged you,
I would settle the scores
I would pluck out the eyes
of ill fates seeking you
With your happiness at stake,
the things I would do...

I would steal from a baby,
I would cuss out the Queen
If I’m doing it for you,
it can’t be obscene
If you need another chance,
I will shatter Time
Even if it breaks the universe,
I’d do it for mine

NCL 2019
281 · Oct 2019
Diversion
Nadia Oct 2019
If the clown is a-clowning,
then pay them no mind;
Now is the time to look around
and behind the spectacle
to find the real performance
And the true mastermind
277 · Jun 2019
Next Time
Nadia Jun 2019
The words weren’t coming
They just weren’t there
I did try to find them
I looked everywhere

The words weren't coming
No answer to my plea
Nothing was working
Though I fought valiantly

I had to surrender
So I napped instead
When I awoke they
Clambered out of my head

I have no time for writing
No time to break rhyme
But if I leave them right now
Will they be there next time?

NCL 2019
Nadia Jul 2019
The Lemon Sister By Jill Shalvis

The Lemon sisters used the be close
They shared everything
But people grow up and grow apart
And lives quickly unstring

An accident left Brooke damaged
With more than visible scars
She left everyone she loved behind
To hide in the city of stars

Mindy, the control freak, is burnt out
But really, can you blame her?
She’s got the - three kids, a shop
And husband who’s a doc - disclaimer

Mindy and Brooke need each other
To face challenges holding them back
Add in second chances at romances
Laughter, healing and a clown attack

This book is an amusing ride
Through living with ghosts of the past
And mending complicated relationships
To find happiness that can last
it's more fun to review books with a poem. If you're into romance, this one is a sure bet.
273 · Apr 2019
Girls
Nadia Apr 2019
You will be told how to be less
Except they won’t say it that way
They will tell you to
Play nice
Compromise
Make space
Make sure everyone is alright
And don’t make a scene

They will tell you to be
Pretty and cute
Kind and sweet
And smart
But don't show off
Or get big ideas

They will tell you to be
Popular and likeable
But modest and prim

They will tell you to be
So many claustrophobic impossible things

They are wrong
They don’t get to decide
Who you are
Or how you are

You are allowed to exist
If the space they leave
Isn’t the right size or shape
Give yourself permission
Take what you need
Be what you need

Give yourself permission
Be strong and smart
Play rough or messy
Show off
Have big ideas
Disagree
Be extreme
Or complicated
Or any of the things
You want to be

Protect yourself
Even when it means
You have to make a scene
Yell, argue or even scream
Please don't be afraid
Or do be afraid
But do it anyway

Next time they tell you
How to be
You are allowed to
Ignore them

NCL April 2019
Nadia Sep 2019
The things we don't talk about catch
In my hair, invisible webs strung
between here and there, and people
and places we've known and been;

The things we don't talk about, words
we'd choke to speak, the stories we
Keep inside, afraid of what else
might leak if we let go, when we let go

The things we don’t talk about, float
In the air; dust motes of thoughts
And we try not to stare or meet their
Eyes; yes, we try - sometimes we fail

The things we don't talk about live
in the spaces between; in between
intention and outcome, in that viscous
place between hope and dreams;

The simple truth, I’m afraid,
With all the things we can’t say,
We talk so much anyway, but we
Don’t talk about much these days


NCL September 2019
264 · Aug 2019
Ripples
Nadia Aug 2019
Looking out into the lake, he is
all shoulder blades and despair,
he wants to do it, he needs to do it
but he just can't make it out there

the water is cold, the rocks are sharp,
the lake weeds pull and wander;
it's not a long swim, not for him, yet
he can only let opportunity squander

Then, she appears, quickly closing in,
a hero swooping up sad, lanky limbs,
draping him over strong shoulders,
to brave the elements til off he swims

She watches him race away, as he will
over and again for years to come,
until he is grown and her strength
remains in him - the grace he came from
264 · May 2019
Incredible
Nadia May 2019
At the bottom of the Mariana Trench
Scientists have found plastic waste
Isn’t it amazing, aren’t we incredible,
Humankind will never be erased
Look at all the wonders we pollute
The natural reserves we can deplete
Giving our earth a one finger salute
No other species can possibly compete
264 · Aug 2019
I remember
Nadia Aug 2019
I remember the sun kissing our
neon zinc-ed faces, heating tiny cubes
of red track until the rubber,
warm to the touch, clung to resting
palms and thighs.

I remember the smell of watermelon,
hot dogs and gatorade mingling with
the acrid smoke of the starter’s pistol
and the feral horde of butterflies
fighting in my stomach each time
the gun would blast.

I remember ghosts of friends from
back then sharing laughs as
we warmed up, muscles strong,
nerves tight, bravado bared to all.

I remember his folding chair,
right there at the end of every race,  
rain or shine, he showed up, coaxing
tired bones out of his favourite
recliner and into his giant, blue
oldsmobile, the interior littered
with cigarette holes and
werthers candies; he showed up
with pride, without fail.

I remember overhearing the boys
talk about the old man smoking
by the finish line, how gross it was
and why was he even there anyway,
and I remember shame taking root
and spreading: I knew the old man
was there for me.

I remember the day I stopped running
through the ribbon, straight to that
striped chair, to that time bowed man,
with his precisely combed white hair,
wearing ironed jeans, wrinkles
and a smile that could charm anyone.

I remember his funeral, not long after,
sitting in a room stained with
dust, tears and time arrested;
shame and sadness lodged heavy in
my throat as I wished for just one
more chance to say I love you.
I went to my first poetry workshop today. This came out of nowhere; I didn't even realize the baggage I've been hauling around for years.
263 · Apr 2019
We Know Stubborn
Nadia Apr 2019
Relentless, committed
No reconsideration
Burnt bridges be ******

NCL April 2019
261 · Oct 2019
Mad Hope
Nadia Oct 2019
It’s ok to be mad
You’re right to be worried
Don’t tamp down that fury
Don’t talk yourself down
You don’t have to turn around
or be quiet
You can stand your ground
You don’t have to
stay behind
There's no need to
watch it burn

There is hope
in mad -
Awareness of
a better way -
Demand it



NCL October 2019
257 · Sep 2019
A Beginning
Nadia Sep 2019
The autumn canvass
Blurs beneath busy feet
A chorus of umbrellas waltz
Along the bustling street

Cars splash through puddles
Spray crescendos joyously
It was then that their eyes met
Across a city sidewalk symphony



NCL September 2019
257 · Jun 2019
For the love of PB
Nadia Jun 2019
Almond Butter, you would have tricked me. It is not you I seek but the contraband comforts of another, my love Peanut Butter. Our sordid affair, a shameful deceit - I hide it away but the lure is too complete to ignore. I can’t desist, I won’t make empty promises; I will accept the warm embrace of no other.

NCL 2019
254 · Jun 2019
Small Victories
Nadia Jun 2019
Rumpled, colourful layers
Tower haphazardly
Abandoned chaos
Waiting for moments to spare
When harmony can be pursued in
Precisely folded pieces
Properly placed
Rejoice for order reclaimed
Until disorder inexorably returns
254 · Aug 2019
One Fine Day
Nadia Aug 2019
Fixed with wings
We were made to fly
For one fine day
To command the sky
The wings won't last
They fade away
But we'll always have
This one fine day

Like birds we swoop
And then we soar
For this one fine day
There's nothing more
Than napping on clouds
And roaming the skies
Nibbling stolen pieces
Of departed sunrise

Breathing in sunshine
Chasing rainbow treasures
Riding the breeze
The ultimate pleasures
When the time comes
Our wings fade away
Leaving one sparkly feather
To remember this fine day

NCL August 2019
253 · Sep 2019
Summer is not sad to go
Nadia Sep 2019
Summer is tired after hosting a season of parties
   She doesn’t want to pick up your empty glasses anymore
      Or take the scraps to the compost

Summer thinks barbecues are overrated
   And if she sees one more hot dog, well...
      She might have to let the wasps get her revenge

Summer is weary of politely ignoring all the skin exposed
   Not that she’s shaming any bodies
      She just can’t wait for sweaters and shoes that cover toes

Summer is done cleaning all the beach towels
    And sweeping up the sand
       that appears every time she leaves the room

Summer will always love blackberries and peaches
    But she thinks it's time for apples and pears,
        Early sunsets and pumpkin spice everywhere

Summer is not sad to go, but it’s early yet
  Still warm, maybe one last gathering will do
      Just a small, friendly goodbye barbecue...


NCL August 2019
250 · Sep 2019
The End?
Nadia Sep 2019
When the ships finally left,
massive cities escaping to the stars
in solitary flights,

One remained behind,
hidden away, waiting,
in case she changed her mind.


NCL September 2019
248 · Apr 2019
Girls #2
Nadia Apr 2019
You may be told to be less
Or that you are less
And should accept less
Because you don't need more
They want you to think
You don't deserve more

They are wrong

You deserve everything
You are not less
You never were

You are infinite things

Next time they tell you
How to be less
Don’t listen

NCL 2019
247 · Oct 2019
Fall
Nadia Oct 2019
let go
twirl
and twirl
and twirl

flutter, tip, tumble

whirling
swirling
floating
flying

spin, spin, spin

dive down
veer up
slide over
dive in

softly settle, dream



NCL October 2019
237 · Aug 2019
Parties and Teams
Nadia Aug 2019
You are being distracted with parties
and teams while the distribution of
power is not what it seems.
But let’s fight about teams;
wear their colours proudly, spout
their talking points,
unverified, loudly

Meanwhile, positions are bought
and positions are sold
- But don’t worry about that,
you don’t want to be told the details,
they’re complicated and boring.
Instead, check out the new player
everyone is adoring.
Isn't he cute,
isn't he smart?
Show support
with your wallet, not with your heart.

Unseen, decisions are made
preserving power and wealth,
ignoring bold new ideas and
community health - but really,
you should know, my team is better
than yours,
just look at them go:
look at them argue, look at them
pose
- wait, don’t look at those
things going on in the shadows

Come on, join our team - I mean,
join the fans. We’re all in this
together, we’re all part of the plans

- as long you’re not different; but hey,
be one of us, don’t worry about them;
don’t think about incredible minds
discarded to maintain status quo
for corrupt family lines.

Our team has brand new merch!
Check it out at these ridiculous prices;
get your uniform, be part of our herd,
sync your values and devices, swear
allegiance to our team,
it’s more
than just words.

It's all fair game when it's parties
and teams.
You want us to win
and follow our dreams.They need
your support, they need you
to cheer,
and when we need
them, they’ll…. pretend not to hear...
236 · May 2019
Glory Day
Nadia May 2019
Oh glorious sun
Shining down on me
Hello marvelous birds
Sing your joyful melody
Cotton candy skies
Don't mind if I do
It's not every day
The sun is shining for you

Why, hi butterfly
What fabulous wings
Keep on buzzing little bees
We all know what that brings
Is the air extra sweet?
Are we floating around?
On charmed days like this
Why stay on the ground?

What a beautiful world
What a gorgeous day
I’m drinking in sunshine
While wandering astray
I’m passing out smiles
Take one, they’re free
When it’s your lucky day
I hope you’ll have one for me
227 · Oct 2019
Stories
Nadia Oct 2019
She’s got stories buried inside her
Tho you’d never guess it at a glance
Hidden behind pleasant smiles
Under neatly normal clothes
Wild, wonderful tales nobody knows
If only they’d give her a chance
224 · Sep 2019
There is a poem for that
Nadia Sep 2019
Words to hold the lonely, to embrace
the mourners and their memories;

Comfort for love unrequited; heartening
For a heart cracked, collapsed or broken;

For the days when you’re sick, wallowing
In mountains of tissues, guilt-free self-pity;

Depth for the shallow yearning to be deep,
Camaraderie for company loved by misery;

For the days when you are filled with joy
And want to share it with the world,

An escape, a diversion or submersion,
Appreciation of nature’s glory and tragedy;

Words for the brave and for those who
Need a little help finding their capes;

An outlet for those cupid’s arrow struck
And space to celebrate every kind of love;

For the times when you are helpless
And you would give anything to help,

For the nights when you can't sleep
Because the silence is too loud;

For any feeling, any time, for everything,
no matter how common or obscure

You never need to feel alone, someone has
been there before and left you a poem
Thank you to everyone out there for all of your poems
217 · Jun 2019
Grow
Nadia Jun 2019
We have a flower!
A cute, scraggly, little flower
Delicate, white petals unfurling
Over a yellow-dusted center
Future strawberry
Hope
Our little garden
Might yield some
This
Year
210 · May 2019
Release
Nadia May 2019
That desperate breath
A prayer you made to yourself
For control over your own body
To bolster crumbling emotional walls

That futile breath
An attempt to restrain unexpected tears
To pretend nothing is wrong
To delay the inevitable break down

That disgraceful breath
Air rushing in, too strong, too fast
Raggedly, filling frozen lungs
Nowhere to go, impossible to stay

That savage breath
Fails stupendously, resoundingly
Releasing half of a gasping sob
And the last remnants of control

That vital breath
Too weak for a disguise
Strong enough to break you open
When you thought you needed to hide
208 · Jun 2019
Finders Keepers
Nadia Jun 2019
When you say
the words of another
in your own mind,
you might be surprised to find
where they resonate;
how the words equate
when they reflect your history,
becoming something new,
for only you, to relate
- to embrace or reject -
this is now your mess,
best get on with it....
207 · Jul 2019
Nostalgia
Nadia Jul 2019
It doesn't hold up
Not like I remember
Every few years I try again
To see if it tastes the same
It never tastes the same
But maybe some day
I can feel that way again

NCL July 2019
205 · Jun 2019
We Have Hope
Nadia Jun 2019
When we arrived, young, blinded by stars in our eyes and endless city lights multiplied in the skies and in our hearts, we had hope.

Time passed without permission, marked by changing city landscapes as seasons raced by, and our love flourished, claiming the heartbeat of the city for its own; believing the promises of the ocean and the mountains and nature invading urban spaces. Our family grew, by one, and then two; seasons of eternal showers imprinting their cadence on our souls, we felt hope.

Now, the city that we love cannot love us back - it was laundered and sold by leaders less truthful than bold - we can't afford to grow old together here. We are drowning, struggling to stay afloat in a city owned by distant millionaires. Some days, it can be hard to find hope.

Before it's too late, I think we should go; leave behind these beautiful mountains, take the city skylines etched on our bones, and find a new place to watch our love grow. We still have dreams - our hope can't be sold - we’ll take them on the road with the memories we hold, when we go. We have hope.

NCL 2019
204 · Aug 2019
Freedom was
Nadia Aug 2019
Flying down hills on our bikes
Wind in our lemon streaked hair
Whooping through
Lips slicked with cherry smackers

We imagined the glamourous
Lives we would lead some day
The world was ours
For the summer
202 · Jul 2019
too late?
Nadia Jul 2019
embrace Love,
starve Hate;
save yourself
- it's too late
for me

I’ve danced
with Jealousy,
passed Judgement
self-indulgently,
chased Favour,
stolen Thunder

- it’s a wonder
I’m still around
to harbour Ill Will
but I’ve found
that all of these distill
eventually into Rage
- it feels like Freedom
but it’s just another cage

embrace Love,
starve Hate;
save yourself
it's never too late
201 · Jun 2019
Zoom
Nadia Jun 2019
When you’re running downhill
with a course to beat
or a place to be,
when you don’t have time
to fight gravity,
you let go, giving in
to joyous velocity...

Lean into the incline,
falling forward into time;
catch yourself strategically,
again and again,
on soft ankles and soft knees...

Watch your steps,
watch your speed;
take what you can handle,
not necessarily what you need...

If you can, if it feels right,
lean forward even more,
feel the adrenaline roar...

You are a force to be seen,
feel the world rushing by
your calculated careen...

Celebrate when
you’ve conquered the incline,
taking acquired momentum
and stolen time;
thank the universe
for the thrill of speed sublime
and then,
on to the next challenge...
189 · Jul 2019
Sweet Dreams
Nadia Jul 2019
Sleeping in the same bed,
Yet a million miles apart;
Meet me in the middle
If I still have your heart

We can whisper softly,
In echo of our early days;
Hold me close, my love,
We’ll set this bed ablaze

Forget about the chores
Forget about our spawn ;)
Not forever, just for now,
The world will spin on

Hold me close, my love
My skin still craves your touch;
We’ll explore anew together
Until we’ve had too much

Sleeping in the same bed
In a home we built of dreams
My heart is yours as ever
And it’s bursting at the seams

NCL July 2019
188 · May 2019
Everything we do is wrong
Nadia May 2019
Everything we do is wrong
There’s no win to be found
We’re polluting the air,
The oceans, the ground
Our bags are a problem
and our coffee cups ****
The clothes that we wear
Show we don’t give a ****
About the environment
Or the next generations
This single use planet
Has too many temptations
187 · Jun 2019
Invisibles
Nadia Jun 2019
I pass without effort
No one would know
I’m not even hiding
It just doesn’t show

Privileges unclaimed
For prices unpaid
If judgements are coming
I won’t make the grade

Is it fair to claim rights
I haven’t fully earned?
Can I still raise a flag
When I haven’t been burned?

If I haven’t lived the life
May I still sing the song?
Even though I’m unseen
I do yearn to belong

Regardless I will cheer
And fight the good fight
Because everyone deserves
To live their life in the light

NCL 2019
180 · Jul 2019
Even Though
Nadia Jul 2019
Gave myself a pep talk,
Half-hearted, it fell on
Firmly skeptical ears

Both I and myself, we knew
Myself had no intention
Of following through

Yet somehow here I am;
Not with boasts or swagger,
Not with any shade of confidence

Resigned and willing,
Doggedly, pleasantly persisting,
I am here against my own bad sense
180 · May 2019
Know Me
Nadia May 2019
Even after all this time
Impossible as it seems
You don’t know
The colour of my dreams

You don’t know me
Marrow deep
But why should you know
All the secrets I keep

You don’t know
What my heart can't admit
Or the darkness inside
I can't talk about it

You don't know
The stories i tell
The things that i do
When i'm feeling unwell

You do know how i like
To sing while I clean
And when I'm anxious
I can be kind of mean

You do know I'm always
Getting lost in my mind
Plotting and planning
And dreaming combined

That should suffice
You do know me quite well
But if you want to share
Love, please do tell

NCL May 2019
177 · May 2019
Blue
Nadia May 2019
Baby girl Blue
What happened to you?
Once bold and vibrant
Now you’re subdued
Back in the day
When your laugh was loud
Wearing high, high heels
You would peacock so proud

Those eyes, intense and demanding
In my memories
Blue, you are still outstanding
Full of verve, full of zing
You kick the *** of most anything
Full of colours, full of sound
You’re the lightning, not the ground

Blue, I wish there was another way
Another place, another day
He didn't deserve you
Absorbed your colours
Chained your flare
When I look at you, Blue
It's hard to see
The goddess in there
But I know you can sparkle
And I’d give anything to see you shine
Let me cut the chains
Free your wings
If you're still in there
Show me a sign
175 · May 2019
Fighting Chaos
Nadia May 2019
If I am spinning past
Removing the old and broken
While organizing mayhem
Take care!

If I am whirling about
A mad cyclone imposing order
Finding things that- I can’t even...
Run!

If I am asking questions
Of objects or empty rooms
Assigning motives and guilt
Watch out!

I am fighting chaos
It's easier than giving in
170 · Jun 2019
Fifteen Chasing Love
Nadia Jun 2019
You are fifteen, feeling unloved and unseen; aching for wild romance as curated on screen. It's not your fault, you’ve been told it's your right - you deserve love at first sight, swept away by a jedi knight, with your ample hair shining rainbow bright - of course reason takes flight when confronted with the fantasy of love.

Although you should know, over your lifetime, again and again, love will come or love will grow. It may take time before it shows, it’s never owed and hard to sow but you will find love or love will find you.

At times you will curse love - when it comes for you it won’t be denied; you can try to save your pride, set love aside, maybe chase it away with truth or with lies, but you can never hide. Love won’t let you be rid of it at your own will; you can say that you're out but still it will pull you in until love is fulfilled or love is killed....

But you are fifteen, feeling unloved and unseen, and I want you to know, as I wish I had known, love is a wildcard. When you want love too bad, you’ll try way too hard, you’ll lose your perspective, settling for pyrite stars who find you easy to discard; no matter how much you stay on guard, you’ll end up disappointed and scarred...

And that is ok, you will learn and you will burn; you will get stronger and smarter, you’ll know when to give up and when to try harder. You’ll discover your awesome self - and that is a true gift - when you know what makes you happy, what gives you a lift, what helps you grow, what makes you crazy; someday you’ll know you are loved
167 · May 2019
Escape
Nadia May 2019
I love words. I want to eat them. Devour them. Binge on them and hoard each delicious morsel. I will sneak them and steal them. Find them abandoned in ordinary places and take them in.

I want to live these words, these stories. Fly on the wings of dragons. Be the dragon. I want to absorb the words and feel them. Break my heart, shatter it. Slowly sink into loneliness and despair. Find hope and embrace her. I want to fall in love a million times, a million different ways.

I want to be, if only temporarily, a million different people. I am a princess. I am a knight. I am a super hero swooping in wingless flight. I am a phoenix exploding from my ashes. I am a general directing spaceship clashes.

Feel my fury, feel my compassion, feel these feelings I can't action. Until it is tim,e once again, to be regular everyday me.
166 · Aug 2019
Into the Tornado
Nadia Aug 2019
Into the tornado,
   blasted and tossed;
In rapturous throes
   of adventure and chaos;
In the name of curiousity,
   of needing to know;
Of going to places
   you weren't supposed to go,
Biting off mountains
   more than you can chew;
And doing the things
   you weren't supposed to do

When you emerge,
   battered and bruised
You may not have conquered
   but you sure didn't lose
You met every challenge,
   you tried every slide
And while you were at it,
   you had a great ride
Now heading home,
   wielding thunder and lightning,
The journey may not be safe
   but it sure is exciting

Off into the tornado,
   jumping into the great abyss
Find a spaceship to hitchhike
   - hurry don’t miss
Your chance to discover,
   your time to explore
To find that mystical
   wardrobe or secret door,
Arches uncanny,
   magical bottle or stone;
Go on, get in there,
   maybe there’s a throne...
Feeling a little Seussian.

Above inspired after reading Sue Huff's Storms https://hellopoetry.com/poem/3288679/storms/
165 · May 2019
For you
Nadia May 2019
I strip myself bare, exposing every weakness, every secret I hold dear. You don’t notice.

I break myself down; I am countless pieces that won't fit back together again. You didn't hear my call.

I bleed for you; it isn't enough. It's never enough. I will always give you more than I can afford to lose.
160 · Apr 2019
Poetry was
Nadia Apr 2019
Poetry was
Something she did
When she was young
Playing with rhyme and reason
and honesty
Scribbling words and feelings
On scraps of paper
Absently scattered throughout her world

As she grew
The fragments collected
In piles, boxes, drawers
She wasn’t proud or ashamed of them,
They were nothing,
Just bits and pieces
Of a person she used to be

Poetry is
Something she never
Planned to continue
There was no point really
But when the words take over
Escaping in a raw and rushed form
Pieces of her bleeding onto pages
She can't help but let them go
Maybe someday she’ll stop

NCL April 2019
158 · Jun 2019
Shrinking
Nadia Jun 2019
Holding in
Constantly ******* in
Shrinking down, to the side
Taking up less space
Less air
Using less words

I am not less
Not am I less
Not less i am
Less not am I
Less i am not

Token body
Token face
Token voice
Token space
Token rights
Token grace
Token people
Token place

We are not 2 sides of a coin
Nor 6 sides of a cube
We are infinity
149 · May 2019
Bubbles
Nadia May 2019
Our bubbles danced, dipped and dodged
Over the field of wildflowers
Wondrous, magic, rainbow orbs
We could chase and pop them for hours

We like our bubbles massive
Hopelessly trundling around
We like our bubbles tiny
Spinning circles as they surround

She hunts them through the park
She races across the field
I guard the bubble potion
With the bubble wand I wield

We stay until we’re tired
Or the bubbles are all done
Then leave the park contently
After bubble magic fun
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