Submit your work, meet writers and drop the ads. Become a member
Nadia Jun 2019
Don’t lie to Nevada Baylor
It's a waste of your time
On a magic alternate earth
She's a truthseeker prime
Head of the family business
And a private investigator
When Houston is in danger
She’s tasked to find the perpetrator

One hundred fifty years ago
The Osirus virus gave
Magic talents to some people,
Mostly the rich and the brave
The virus was discontinued
Due to unpleasant results
And to keep power with Houses
- Think families plus cults

The dynastic Houses feud for
More than money and fame
They breed for powerful talents
To bring their Houses acclaim
Some powers are obvious
But some are understated
Then there are people who can’t
Control how they’ve mutated

The Baylor family is insignificant
Not of the Houses elite
Their talents are powerful
But they need to be discreet
They don’t want to play
Dangerous House games
Yet Nevada finds herself battling
to save Houston from flames

Read for adventure and romance
For banter and magic powers
Stay for the family chemistry
I could read Baylors for many hours
The whole series is fantastic
The audiobook narrator is great
If you’re into urban fantasy
Go ahead, one-click, don’t wait
Review in rhyme of a book I love
Nadia Sep 2019
Rhyming Review - Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan

Introverts unite
(separately, of course),
This book is for you,
Jessica Pan is your force

For a year she denied
Her introverted tendencies
She e-dated for friends
Gave up shy dependencies

She tried stand up comedy
She spoke at the Moth
She signed up for improv
Things that make shy ppl froth

Her anxieties could have come
Straight out of my own head
You could try extroverting
Or watch Jessica try it instead

You will learn new tricks
While you frown and cringe
Or snicker sympathetically
Through your reading binge
This book was awesome!!! I listened to it while my podcast app was glitching and I am so glad I did.
Nadia May 2019
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

If tomorrow is a big day with many things to do, here is your warning:
Read this book before bed and you’ll be reading it well into the morning

Esme, or My, is kind and clever, endlessly loyal and terrible at deceit
Khai is a complicated genius, steadfast and achingly, unknowingly sweet

Esme is determined to find a better life for the family she temporarily left behind
Khai is earning future freedom from set ups his mom can’t help but mastermind

A few scenes might make you blush - brilliant and perfect for this story
Bring lots of tissues, no reading on transit - this book is an absolute glory
I never remember to review books before all of the details are long forgotten (sadly it does not take long) so I'm making an effort. Bonus, it's more fun to review with a poem
Nadia Jun 2019
Book Review Poetry - The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

Feminist queer historical romance
How could I not give it a chance
Science and art plus love as needed
This daring book sweetly succeeded
This ebook just became available at the library. Refreshing, fun read.

Anyone else have a #RhymingReview?
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.
Nadia Aug 2019
Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

The walkers didn’t choose their fate,
Leaving their homes to mindlessly advance;
The shepherds following in their wake
Chose to give flock survival a fighting chance

The greatest minds can’t figure out why,
What’s wrong or where they are going;
The world is unraveling in plain sight,
Diseases of mind, body and politics growing

Black Swan knows the truth of it all
But should you trust an artificial intelligence?
The world is dying, this isn’t a false alarm
Survival requires action more than elegance

When civility is gone and kindness is far,
When the options are dire and more dire,
People's lives are defined by who they are
When everything has been thrown in the fire

The stories are visceral and the lives distinct;
Unyielding hope rails against relentless despair
Disparate pieces of humanity lithely linked
In a brilliant, dystopic, grimly amusing affair

NCL August 2019
This book was long and satisfying. Well worth every secound of the hypochondria it invoked
Nadia Aug 2019
Rhyming Review - The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi

An amusing adventure in outer space,
Watching an alternate human race
Scheme for power and fight to survive
- They need each other to stay alive

Travelling space through the flow,
The shoals are the only way to go;
Except the shoals are fading out
And vital connections are now in doubt

Grayland II, in their resplendency
As Emperox of the Interdependency,
Is responsible for billions of souls
And must prepare them for shifting shoals

Her many foes would seize the throne
Fortunately Grayland's not all alone
Her friends, while clever number few;
Time is running out, can they pull through?


NCL 2019
Expressing my appreciation of books through poetry. Thoroughly enjoyed this 2nd book in the Interdependency series - maybe you will too :)
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
Nadia May 2019
Say goodbye to that life
To the person you used to be
The darkness doesn't need you anymore

Channel the feelings keeping you down
Helplessness, sadness, shame
Turn it to anger
It is your fuel
Now you can light the flame

You are a Phoenix
This isn't your end
This is a new beginning
Out of the ashes
Of the life you despise  
With freedom
With joy
You rise
Nadia Jun 2019
Hey guys
How's it going?
Beautiful day!
What's that you're eating?
Oh, you're not planning to stay?
You can leave your pack here
This bench is totally safe
No need to zip it up
There’s no time to waste
Go on, go play
I’m just hanging out
Enjoying the day
Check out this friendly crow smile
Now, off you go
Have fun for a while
And thank you in advance...


NCL 2019
Nadia May 2019
I am feeling anxious and unable to participate socially right now.

I acknowledge you and will get back to you when I am able.

Peace and love.
Sometimes I need a short break from the world. I always come back.
Nadia Sep 2019
With each passing breeze
Dry leaves rustle,
Taking turns to fall
Swirling, lazily to the ground


NCL September 2019
Nadia Jul 2019
Wiggle out the worries
Until the sky is full of furies,
The what ifs and might be’s
Swirling on a tight breeze

Tease out all the tension
Into the third dimension
Gather all the strands
Braided into supple bands

Navigate the nerves
Know their subtle curves
Tie each to a tension line
Watch the cords intertwine

Into a net, thrown in the air
Capture all the worries there
Pull the strings, cinch the net
What a fine price you'll get

NCL July 2019
#mh
Nadia May 2019
She eats words seasoned with moonbeams
When she goes she leaves behind dreams
Where she dances time no longer exists
She’ll steal all your stories off into the mists

From her sparkly toes to the tips of her wings
To her voice sweetly trilling as she softly sings
To see her is to love her with all of your soul
To love her is to let her devour you whole

Good night, sleep cozy, dream of falling in love
Dream of dragon pirates plaguing the stars above
Dream of heists, of adventures, of running away
Of anything, everything, except that you’re prey


NCL May 2019
Nadia May 2019
Don't make it political
It's not about teams
Don't make it personal
These aren't your dreams

Don't legislate rules
You wouldn't follow
Don't prescribe medicine
You'd never swallow

Don't stack the deck
We can see what you're doing
Don't trample on rights
Trouble is brewing

If you haven't had struggles
Of a particular variety
It's not your decision
Don't push your own piety

When lives are at stake
When safety is in doubt
When children are damaged
It's past time to shout

Is it your choice to make?
Are you an expert in the field?
Judgements are dangerous
Weapons to wield

Survival isn’t a game
This isn’t fair play
If you want to feel superior
Find another way

It’s easy to say that
You’d make better choices
When you aren’t one
Of the many lost voices

It’s easy to criticize
Or mindlessly follow
Unless you are helping
Your judgements are hollow

Don’t close your eyes
You can’t avoid this atrocity
Action is needed
To end the hypocrisy

You don’t need to start big
Every act carries weight
Find your chances to help
Make a vow to break hate
more wasted words
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
Nadia May 2019
Feeling bad
Feeling Ill
Tried to get moving
Lost the will

Tried to be useful
Couldn’t do it
Tried to meet the day
Slept right through it

Feeling guilty
But mostly relieved
Everyone was fine
While I underachieved

Feeling better
Seized the sunrise
Amassing check marks
For the big prize
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
Nadia May 2019
Shouldn't be in public
Not fit for company
Won't remember names
Might interrupt, awkwardly
Failed attempts at humour
You must hate me
Failed attempts at flattery
Please don't hate me
Didn't mean to say that
Small talk breakdown
Why am I still talking
Self sabotage takedown
Why am I still here
I'm the absolute worst
This shouldn't be so painful
I wish I wasn't cursed

NCL May 2019
Nadia Oct 2019
Clearly unstable
Lacking decency and grasp
on reality
Nadia Jun 2019
Some poems seize love effortlessly… the little ones, inconsequential, cheery and bright, the ones that take flight without much incentive; at times more homage than inventive; the ones sweet and light, easy to chew, they make you feel good before passing right through; they won’t get under your skin, they won’t make you itch; they won’t make any waves but they hope to bewitch…

Some poems are harder to love... the difficult ones, different and new; the ones that were hard to consume, bitter, broken or tough to get through; the ugly ones that might be true; the ones that demanded blood, that broke hearts and poured salt in open wounds; they won’t lift you up, they won’t dry your tears; far too sincere, they feed on your fears… they’re hard to love, like, let out or let go, but sometimes those are the poems we need to know

NCL June 2019
Nadia Aug 2019
Sometimes the words flow with abandon
And I sit back and watch them go
Riotous rivulets, joyful jets and
cheery currents collect until
I gather up the bounty

Sometimes the words flow with abandon
But sometimes they don’t
Or they won’t
Or they pretend
And what collects is garbage
Better out than swirling
Around in my head
I guess

NCL August 2019
Nadia Aug 2019
Splashing at the pool
Anyone nearby could sense
The spark of joy that blazed inside
The one they chose to hide
Behind loose layers
From head to feet

Even erased from view
She didn’t disappear
- Did they want her to?

Over and over she jumped in
Exulting with each splash and spray
Clearly the light that flared within
Could not be smothered by their fear
May she ever burn bright and
her joy ignite many more sparks
Boldly, brilliantly illuminating
A better tomorrow

NCL August 2019
Nadia May 2019
Tweet tweet
My little sweet
The sun has beat
Winter to defeat
For now we greet
Spring upon a nesting seat
Old friends fresh we meet
Upon the cherry blossomed street
Nadia Oct 2019
I hope you don't mind
I've gone offline
to infuse myself
with adamantium

Sticks and stones haven't
yet broken these bones
but rampant selfishness
and greed just might
Found this in my drafts. Peace and love to all the peeps who find themselves overwhelmed by the world
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
Nadia Aug 2019
Her voice, sweeter than buttercream
- Salty words won’t pucker her song,
Honey bees follow her adoringly -
The kindest person ever to come along

Her legs, thick with gorgeous muscle
- A tornado couldn't knock her down,
Tree trunks turn green with jealousy -
She's the strongest person in town

Her eyes, alight with warm welcome
- a blackout wouldn't dim her glow,
Lesser stars shrink away in envy -
She's the friendliest person to know

She’ll protect anyone who needs it,
Forgive the most egregious slight
Faced with anger, she won't feed it
Full of grace, she’s everything right

Sadly, he won’t go the way of Earl
But who wouldn’t cheer his self-demise
He who siphoned power, stifled song
And stole the laughter from her eyes

Somehow, she’s still tornado strong
The bees know she’ll sing once more
Her trust might need a little time but
When she’s ready, glowing, she’ll soar

NCL August 2019
Nadia Sep 2019
If you are willing to brave
the drunken wasps, the thorns,
and sneaky little spiders,
you can find
dark, juicy blackberries
In the most unlikely places


NCL August 2019
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
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
Nadia Aug 2019
I hope you enjoy
My heart served on that platter
Take a slice or a few
It doesn’t matter
Add a topping, maybe two
Do what you need to do
I don’t mind
As long as you don't
Leave any crumbs behind

NCL August 2019
Nadia Sep 2019
Tell me what to do
So I can do the opposite

Tell me what I want
So I know I don’t want it

Tell me what to say
I’ll find my voice another way

Tell me what’s right for me
I’ll find out what left for me

I don’t know what I like
Until I know what I don’t like

Tell me what to think
What to drink, what to wear

Tell me that I don't care,
That I can’t spare the time

Tell me what I don’t need
And where not to go

Tell me what I don’t want -
I really need to know


NCL September 2019
Nadia Aug 2019
When it was all too much
And we needed someplace safe
To escape our failures and mistakes
The best place to cry
Was the sixth floor women's washroom

The stalls were large enough
To hold most afflictions of misery
The walls muffled the echoes
Giving privacy in a moment of distress
And the flourescent lights held back respectfully

Someone had set up a small basket
For anyone who needed refreshing
And then as women do
The offerings of comfort collected
And in this sterile place over time
Women made a safe and beautiful space
To recover until they were ready
To face the world again
Nadia Apr 2019
The Cat is in the box
The box is too small
She sleeps by the fire
Caring not at all

NCL April 2019
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
Nadia Apr 2019
The Cat was sleeping on the chair
Beneath the table, that is where
She woke to find herself entrapped
She circled twice and then, unflapped,
Stretched through a tiny gap and
Like a slinky, or sleight of hand
Slow at first and then quite fleet
She descended indiscreet
Streaking off to cat-knows-where
Not two minutes passed out there
When she returned swift and steady
Jumped up, peered out, cat ninja ready

NCL 2019
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
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
Nadia May 2019
He lies so much, that when he tells you the truth,
You don't believe him, not without proof and even then...
Megalomaniac would be an improvement.

His life is expensive but his taste is cheap.
He treats people poorly and he never loses sleep.
It’s kind of amazing. And also enraging.

He lives his life as if it's one big reality show.
It’s not a good one but that's a fact he’ll never know.
He’ll never see the truth, they won’t let him.

He thinks he deserves more than the rest of us,
As if we’re subhuman and he’s the best of us.
Like his family, he’s morally bankrupt.

He’d steal from a baby, no ifs and no maybe,
It’s far from the worst he’s done.
It’s subliminal.
He’s not just a criminal.

Deep in his soul, he’s raving mad or he’s just truly bad.
Regardless, it’s dangerous. Someone should stop him.
Why don’t they stop him?

He doesn’t respect boundaries but he claims to like walls.
He really likes walls, not so much for protocols.
It’s utter *******. He's completely unfit.
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
Nadia Jun 2019
I caught a fruit fly
In my DIY flytrap
It’s circling around
Taking its last lap

I should feel proud
My effort succeeded
I mostly feel sad
My effort was needed

I caught a fruit fly
You can see it right there
Oh it’s looking at us
That hardly seems fair

Death is taking too long
I should release it outside
I wish this was over
My guilt can’t abide

No doubt it’s for the best
Health and safety are first
No more flies in my kitchen
Flies are the worst

Except I’m watching it die
Or waiting, anyhow
Yes, that sounds terrible
So who’s the worst now?

It’s walking on the glass
The creepy fly show
Why am I feeling so bad
Wait- where’d that fly go?!

I’m making a new flytrap
With plenty of tape
A flytrap so secure
No more flies can escape

NCL 2019
Nadia Oct 2019
Neighbourhood bash
In a flash
We dashed
We splashed
Garbage thrashed
and cached
We conquered trash
To earn our sash
See you at the rehash
Try
Nadia Nov 2019
Try
I want to believe
That we are all
Trying our best
But sometimes
I wonder
If some people
Couldn’t try
Quite a bit harder
Nadia Dec 2019
Twas the last day of school
before a long winter break
Not a student was learning,
they were all munching on cake

The children had tidied,
supplies all snug in their places
With candy cane smiles
lighting up their sweet faces

The artwork was stowed
in their backpacks with care
In the hope that they'd bring
holiday cheer home to share

When outside the portable
there arose such a clatter
Ms. G sprang from the party
to see what was the matter

The class followed her out,
filling up the whole porch
And right out in front of them,
near as a bright as a torch

Rudolph, nose blazing red
through the dark Vancouver rain,
Behind him the reindeer
pulling Santa’s sleigh like a train

Santa jumped out spritely,
red hat bouncing with glee
He waved at the group and
boomed out, "Hello there Ms. G,"

“And Division 14,
all of you good girls and boys.
We’re rehearsing our run
to practice delivering toys”

The reindeer pranced all round,
putting on a fine show
Santa offered his hand and said,
“Come on Ms. G, let’s go,”

“We’ll drop you in Mexico
before we head back,”
Ms. G happily agreed, asking
“do you have time for a snack?”

The class joyfully welcomed
the jolly crew to the party
They delighted in the games
and the food, eating hearty

Too soon it was time
for the guests of honour to go
Santa sprang to his sleigh and
exclaimed, “**, **, **,”

"Now, Rudoph and Dasher!
Dancer, Prancer and *****!
Now, Comet! on, Cupid!
On, Donner on Blitzen!

“To the top of the portable
then over the school
To Mexico we go,
to Ms. G’s holiday by the pool.”

And off the sleigh flew
with Ms. G safely strapped in,
Her pink toque a-bobbing,
her face all a-grin

They heard him exclaim,
ere he drove out of sight—
"Happy Holidays to all,
and to all a good night!"
Wrote a little rhyme for little one's teacher holiday card after twas the night before xmas
Nadia May 2019
Sometimes I stop and read twice
My head wasn’t in the right place
And I was rushing by
With no consideration of rhythm
Or particularly wonderful sounds
Taking no time
To make pictures behind eyes
Or try on borrowed feelings
Until everything comes alive

Sometimes I stop and read twice
Appreciating beauty
Or a clever turn of pen
Tasting every syllable
Feeling every beat
Wilfully losing time and place
Sometimes once is not enough space
To really live
Nadia Sep 2019
Myriad miniature migraines
Bounce off the waves
To zip by
Gleefully stabbing
At my eyes


NCL September 2019
Nadia Sep 2019
You have never gone after
what you really wanted.
Sure, at the last moment, you
have desperately leaped out
and tried to grab on to something
as it went by. That doesn’t count;
you never stood a chance,
you never put all of your heart
and soul on the line, to humbly and
doggedly pursue anything at all.

Maybe you’ve never needed
anything, but I think that’s a lie
and you know it. You might say
that you needed it too much,
so much so that even the thought
of failing is too painful to endure.
You froze that feeling out, called it
impractical, unreasonable,
unnecessary. Those were lies
as well. You can hide behind the lies
but they will never feed your soul.

There is something you need.
Something you want down to
the very spark of your being,
something that will fill you up
with the life force of the universe
and set you ablaze to hang
in the heavens, among the stars.

You can continue failing through
inaction, hoping your passion
will atrophy, and it might, but that
inner you, the you that wants so
many things for you, it will atrophy
too, until you are a husk
of a person. There is nothing
sadder than a person who
used to have fire within their soul.

You can choose to smother yourself
or you can choose to go for it,
to coax that spark to flame and feed
the fire until it blazes forward carrying
you along. You can choose.

NCL September 2019
Nadia May 2019
Don’t trust these people
Who promise to be trustworthy
If they are not disappointed
In themselves
When they fall short

Don’t trust these people
Who pretend to be
Just like you
When they hold you down
To elevate themselves

Don’t trust these people
Who treat others with cruelty
Or disregard suffering
They will never take responsibility
For the consequences
Of their actions or omissions

Don't trust these people
Who rely on appearances
Instead of humanity
They burn too brightly
Stealing air
From those around them

Find the people who spread
Tolerance and compassion
The people who
Look for solutions
When they see problems
Who do the right thing
Even when it is hard or unpopular

Find the people who
Make the world a better place
A funnier, happier, or easier place
Trust these people
Who catch light and
Reflect positive energy back out
Into the universe around them
Next page