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desire has no mercy
like a red morning light
tickling your feet
it has me transparent
it has me transformed
into roar, thunder, wave
or quicksand in your hands
till the air in between
is fully charged,
radioactive
and insane
Like dark rain splashing across my skies,
These foaters blur my aging eyes.
And the ears aren't any better, see,
My hearing depends on a battery.
At times my tongue trips on your name;
At times the wrong word slips from my brain.
I find hairs where they don't belong,
And crepe skin hanging lose and long.
There's brown spots on my once clear skin,
This aging thing is the real sin.
I creak, I rattle, I leak and prattle,
Cause no one listens when I speak.
But,
Remember this.
I taught you how to use a spoon,
Sang good-night songs in your room.
Tucked you in, made you safe,
Made your home your go to place.
I sat you on your bicycle seat,
And ran behind you down the street.
I walked you to and from your schools,
Shared with you my secret rules.
And when the time comes that I'm gone,
You'll remember I wasn't all that wrong.
to be honest,
i used to resent you.
i used to see you as the one who took him,
my boy, the one i loved,
the one i bled for.

but i see now.
he doesn’t care,
and neither of us were safe.
you fell under the same spell,
and i wish with all my heart
you never feel the way i do.

i have nothing but care for you.
please, guard yourself.
don’t let him drag you
into the same darkness.
A marvelous beast is the giraffe,
Whose neck seems to stretch by the half.
He nibbles the trees,
While swaying with ease,
And makes other creatures just laugh.
1 September 2025
The Giraffe 🦒
Copyright Malcolm Gladwin
you didn’t ask for it,
you didn’t do anything wrong.
he whispered promises,
said he’d leave her for you,
and then vanished.

he’s a disease,
charming, convincing,
but leaving ruin in his wake.
you got pulled in,
just like the rest of us.

i want you to know
you are not the cause,
you are not the fault.
he takes what he wants
and leaves others to stitch themselves back together.

stay gentle with yourself,
because the wound is his doing,
not yours.
i didn’t deserve this.
he whispered lies,
and left me hollow,
a version of myself
i barely recognize.

two years of carrying ghosts
i didn’t choose,
of stitching wounds that reopen
every time i think i’m safe.

i am frayed,
i am exhausted,
i am still here,
but barely.
the pieces of me
are scattered,
and no one will come
to gather them.
I know he's gone
passed through the window
we left open for him
when I visit now
the house is colder
for the loss of a
time traveller
who took the soul
out of this place
for me to move on
not mourn
the loss of my childhood
start living for tomorrow
not stuck in yesterday
The Devil Is A Liar

      I know sometimes I sound like
A preacher when I talk
And I know sometimes I don’t stay
On the line when I walk

I’m only human and perfection
Is an impossible goal to reach
But there’s lessons I learn and
It’s those lessons I try to teach

I’ve listened to the whispers
I’ve given into the temptation
I’ve seen my own destiny
On the path of Damnation

There’s only one Truth
And I’ve opened my eyes
I’ve been blessed with the power
To see through the disguise

I know now that I’ll spend eternity
In Heaven and not walking through Fire
Because the Devil has been exposed
And The Devil Is A Liar

Written By:Charles Kean
08/31/2025
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