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 967° 
Marc Morais
I keep my love
in a locket of want—
a looped-back verse
with no clear track.

She is stitched in air
not flesh or fame—
a flare in the fog
too good to claim—
but I'm going to give it my all.

I read her smile
like open psalms misread—
each word devoured
each silence said—
sinking in deep.

She is a holy myth—
a touch I missed
a ghost in gloss
a good girl I can’t resist.

I bow to things
that never came
but not her—
I’ll light her shrine
I’ll sign my name.

She doesn’t knock
she doesn’t call.
She’s always in me
making me kneel fast—
I want her all.

This white crow I call
rapture in cathedral dresses—
just her—
and my devout heartbeat.
 481° 
Nina
In
Telling you I miss you
won’t make me miss you less
but my god how much I just
want to tell you
that I miss you
when I breathe in
when I breathe out
 445° 
Maryann I
The sun barely rises,
casting a soft glow across the table,
the air thick with the scent of syrup,
a warm, comforting embrace.
On my plate, the pancakes—
fluffy, golden stacks,
like little clouds kissed by the earth,
drizzled with dark, rich chocolate,
a bittersweet sweetness
clinging to the edges like memories.
Whipped cream swirls like soft cotton,
cascading in graceful heaps,
while strawberries, red as a fleeting sunset,
sit nestled atop like the last bloom
before winter’s breath.

A sip of hot chocolate,
dark and creamy,
curling steam rising like the breath of life,
whipped cream crowned with syrup,
a spoonful of warmth
that holds the promise of comfort,
a taste of home in every drop.

Each bite is a surrender,
the world softening,
blurring, fading with every chew.
The sweetness, the richness,
mingling with the faintest hint of finality—
my last meal, my last taste
of earth’s tender gifts.

As I eat, I watch the room,
the last sunrise casting long shadows,
its golden light touching things
that once held so much meaning—
a chair, a book, a photograph.
And I wonder if this moment,
this simple breakfast,
will be the last I ever know,
and if it’s enough
to carry me through
the final breath.

 413° 
Malcolm
I don’t cry anymore
the salt ran dry.
I don’t look up
the sky stopped looking back.
I don’t believe
in believing.

Where are you now,
God of broken pages?
That book
full of thunder,
full of fire,
full of once.

Where are the miracles
when we need them
more than ever?
Silence
—louder than prayer.

You’ve
forsaken me
in my heart,
forsaken me
in my mind,
forsaken me
in my...

Why?
Copyright Malcolm Gladwin
April 2025
Forsaken me
 322° 
Kaiden
Sometimes i wonder:
Do bullies hurt too?
I hurt a person,
And immediately knew
That it feels worse than to be hurt,
Yet they do it anyway
With all of those mean words
They have to say.
One selfish act,
A comment or two,
But they never felt worse
Than hurting you.
I accidentally hurt my best friend yesterday. He had a really bad day, i didn't know about it, i and this one person made a comment about him in our discord server, not really knowing that it would hurt him. I apologized but he didn't respond yet. (also, if you can read this somehow, i'm really ******* sorry)
 233° 
Rin
The sun has risen,
can you hear?
the songs of the morning birds.

Life begins to wake,
the gentle breeze,
blows softly against the trees.
A lovely view awaits.

The orange sky,
the feeling of life!
a beautiful sunrise it is.
:D
 224° 
DENNY R ALLISON
Let me queue,
    you, into a great,
       decorating style.
A bedroom, where,
  you're eyes, close
     and reopen, to
         a smile.
To my grandmother it was a picture of Jesus, rescuing two children from a storm. My mother said it was pictures, of me and my sister. For me, it is pictures of places, my wife, and I have been fortunate enough to visit together. I hope you have, or soon, find yours.
 173° 
nivek
a managed avalanche
silent thunder
mindscape lightening

a trickle waterfall
misty forest
back to the sea.
 140° 
Elo
tawny leaf-littered
autumn's cold chill
amber sun, filtered
one tree, one hill

smoky-water rains
water scented earth
heart-loss pains
worms unearth'd

bristled seeds drift
sunset winds, rest
fluff and dust admidst
a heaving chest

sun-warmth falter
cloud coats gold
body upon an altar
everything turns cold
 130° 
Debbie
Within a single day's blink.
Fuschia buds blossom
an exquisitely pale pink.
Impatient branches wear
their now exotic veil.
The leaves felt ******
throbbing in the gale.
Wind ruffled petals,
Glisten with dew.
The stagnant empty winter
is now a voluptuous floral view.
The naked pink will call to you.
The blossoms on my crabapple tree.
 121° 
Barbara R Maxwell
Kindness

Be a little kinder today
Offer more patience
Give a little more
Love a little deeper
Smile a little bigger
Hug once more
Appreciate what you have
Let those feelings lift the world out of darkness
Keep the faith
Kindness has power
Believe
 118° 
Lyle
some people's footsteps are loud
they want everyone to know that they have entered
or perhaps they have no reason to hide
They strike the ground first with their heel
you can always hear them approach

but mine?
my footsteps are silent
I glide across without a sound
no one needs to know that I am here
I have reason to hide
I tread first with the pads of my feet
you will never hear me approach
 118° 
Maryann I
I’m tired of loving like a dog—
all wide-eyed loyalty, waiting,
tail wagging for a love that lingers
just out of reach.

Tired of chasing footsteps
that never turn back,
of curling at your feet
only to be kicked away.

I fetch your affection,
drop it at your feet,
but you throw it further
each time.

I was born with teeth,
with a growl in my throat,
yet I soften myself
to fit in your hands.

No more.

Let me love like the wind—
wild, unchained,
touching only those
who welcome the storm.
 115° 
rae
There are marionette strings sewed into nine places: to each leg, hand, shoulder, and ear, and at the base of my spine. I’m completely and utterly entangled. Each tug of the strings tears at my flesh and nerves. I’m in agony, each wave of pain leaving me more helpless. My cries for the torment to end fall on deaf ears. I try to fake a better feeling by clinging to a fantasy that offers a brief escape.
 114° 
Monique
Prayer, I recognize your power
Yet I feel so unworthy.
I kneel & open my mouth
...yet nothing comes out.
I'm on my way to the mountain
...but with nothing to say.
 114° 
Hugo Pierce
I don't love you
But I love you so much
I am trying
 113° 
Wasil
Eyes from the sahara
As the world grafts onto my twin
A cloak of the untrue
We sip from the same water
Yet the fluid differs

Eyes from the eclipse
As blindness molds my phantom
Left stained by the garden of grants
Pressed from the same fruit
Yet not the same flavour

Eyes from the cataract
As the lens distorts myself
Suspended upon the bridge of ephemera
Blessed with the whole
Yet shifting beyond their gaze
 110° 
Soul Searching
I’m standing here, outside your door

Tell me what’s behind your secret war

Take my hand, guide me through your storm

Lead me to the place where we’re reborn


Don’t cry, love me till the morning light

Make this moment feel like it’s all right

Tell me I won’t have to leave tonight

Pretend we’re safe from the world’s sharp bite


Hold me close, don’t let this slip away

Keep me here, in the silence we’ll stay

Forget the time, forget the coming day

In your heart, I’ll find a place to lay
 100° 
Friends for Dinner
I've never been great at video games
And yet, I enjoy their structured frames
As seasons do shift, so do tactics change
While golden-most roads are, too, rearranged

~

With each Season's pass, so do our moves alter
Both on the screen and in worlds writ larger
What once served well, in time, will falter
Thus change, itself, is the only path offered

~

Regardless of want, the world does not wait
The pendulum swings, between love and hate
And it currently seems that the latter's at gate
So, please, think ahead of your future win-state
It'd be a waste to next wake in an earth inlaid crate
It was all loud the entire week
Kept myself busy through the riot
Kept in touch with all my friends
But we didn't really speak
Didn't spend a minute by myself
And didn't want to think
Then I finaly sat down with me
Lit a cigarette didn't see didn't hear
And I was impressed by it
Even the frogs went quiet
 99° 
Rich Hues
A little lipstick
On the lips,
A little blusher
On the nose,
When my mother
Goes out shopping
I like to
Wear her clothes.
 98° 
Arthur Vaso
I have flown here
to whisper sweet words
from beyond

the silent voice
blinded by love
and the fluttering of wings

her voice soft and sweet
reciting prose and verse
from old stories of lore

veiled in this mist of heartbreak
no longer yearning for the light
the bells toll, loud and deep into the night

years before, bone and blood
waiting for the false promises of spring
now the seasons just sad recollections

time to leave
fly back among the stars
and fade away
 96° 
Poet
/_\
I used to draw on my arm all the time
Nothing big or elaborate
Just a triangle
One triangle
Then I wouldn’t hear the end of it
Everyone complaining
Ink poisoning
Future punk
What’s next, a motorcycle?
So I stopped
I stopped drawing that little triangle on my wrist
Right above my pulse point
But with it
I
Stopped
L I v I n g.
A triangle was supposed to be the strongest shape
It was supposed to make me strong
But I wasn’t even strong enough
To let it stay
Just a small note I didn’t think would be obvious if I didn’t say anything the “I v I” in “l I v I n g“ is supposed to make it look like the ‘v’ is trapped by the two ‘I’s
 94° 
Asuka
The flower needs rest,
so winter tucks it beneath the earth,
letting it sleep until spring.

The sun needs rest,
so the clouds and rain embrace it,
shielding its warmth for another day.
Take care, breathe easy, and give yourself the rest you deserve. Rest well, recharge, and remember, like the moon, even brilliance needs the night to shine again.

— A gentle reminder that even nature pauses to gather strength.
 87° 
David P Carroll
A little turtle as
Cute as can be and he
Winked at me and he
Sailed away on a lilly
Pond of bright blue and
With a flip of his tail
He sailed away under the
Sky so blue and he
Slipped neath a leaf unseen
As the lilies danced gently
In the perfect view.
Little Turtle 🐢
 87° 
hannah
It is all-encompassing —
The ocean.
Its depths crush your soul,
Its shallows gently rock.


It will swallow you whole,
Keep you cold,
Release you when the sun is up.
 87° 
Yumi
Bewitching like the Higanbana,
She rocks her hips around
Like the blossoms that sway
As the gush kisses them.
She chants her tune,
Inundating the scene with her melody,
Dragging me into the deepness
of tranquility and isolation.
She looks at me
With her hypnotic eyes,
Pulling me further
Towards her with no effort.
She beams at me,
And the whole world sinks
Underneath her feet,
Like the cigarette stub
That i put out every night.
She looks so serene,
Yet she haunts me dreadfully.
My God,
My Lord,
My All,
Friends,
Knowledge,
Relations,
Wealth
Everything,
God All,
My All,
Lord All.
SPS
 84° 
Marc Morais
A stone
cannot be broken
but bent inside—
its fault lines
only strain
in harsh weather.

It does not
try to lift
or roll away—
just taught
to keep
its hurt
under hard gray
quiet.

It will stay
where it fell—
move only
if you kick it
or push it
away—
feeling nothing
but your hurt.

What bleeds
in you
only makes me
a stronger
boulder—
don’t hurt
just be calm
and come lean
against me.
 80° 
Raghav Goswami
Last night-
wailing. Sobbing so deep,

It was dry, after a while.
 78° 
Kayla Eve
Boundless in my heart,
limitless in my desire.

Reach to me,
I’ll hold you.

I’ll walk through fire,
rock the boat,
make waves,
break chains,
cross lanes,
go insane.

Forever is scant,
I want more.
Copyright Kayla van Zyl, April 2025 ©️
 76° 
Salmabanu Hatim
My colleagues and family expect me to act young,
My mind is okay with it
But my body refuses,
It says,"Act your age."
3/4/2025
 76° 
Will
I am slipped in the demon end
of god's wiry hair,


pulled and plucked at;
made a nuisance of,
made a thorn in the
crystal eye of this



new Allmighty
There's a guy
I don't have a crush
But care about him a lot
Look up to him a lot

But I know
That I'll always care about him more
Than he'll ever
Care about me
 74° 
Skyler M
You love him as I love you,
You hurt as I was hurt too,
You move on as I lay inert,
Apologies if I seem curt.

Really, what else could I want?
Gave us everything we wanted,
Still I remain just as haunted,
Feels like a self-inflicted taunt.

You love him as I love you,
You hurt as I was hurt too,
You move on as I lay inert,
Apologies if I seem curt.

Even so- with a white whale,
I hate to leave it incomplete,
Face meet the street, eat concrete,
It’s only right I don’t bite- just exhale.

Searched the turquoise in between,
Wispy cirrus clouds of tender gold,
Filter light through a sentient fold,
It’s all sublime, simply serene.

You love him as I love you,
You hurt as I was hurt too,
You move on as I lay inert,
Apologies if I seem curt.
 74° 
alison
I
wish to
make you proud,
but its never going to
be completed because I'll never-
ill never ever be enough, will I?
well... answer the question.
 73° 
Asuka
I kiss the air between us, a breeze that lingers,
tracing soft patterns on your skin.
A tiny scar catches my eye—
a story I wish I'd been part of,
and suddenly, I want to protect every piece of you.

I study you like poetry written in touch,
my lips trailing every verse.
I am yours, entirely, undeniably—
and, darling, you have exquisite taste.
 72° 
JP
What ultimate poem
does.....
it will create a pain
of......more like hearing
"a death of a beautiful woman"
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