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 1820° 
Rick
she disappeared into the shadows of the night,
skimming through the uproarious parties
like stone across the lake
until she sunk into
the gruesome arms
of another man
behind my sleeping back.

and there he was, pounding away
like some big dumb animal
at something I held sacred
as if bonds were meant to be broken
and boundaries were made permeable

and there she was,
taking it,
loving it,
enjoying it,
doing it to spite me
and knowing it would hurt.

and there I was, the last to know
in the dark circles of whispering
secrecy

it’s the all-too-familiar cycle
of passion and appetite;

swallowed by the underbelly of lust and
tormented by the foretaste of my presence

I can’t blame them,
I can’t blame myself,
it’s only nature
taking
its course.

and I can’t say this is written
about anyone specifically,

when it happened

far too many times.
 961° 
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.
 454° 
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
 452° 
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.

 308° 
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)
 290° 
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
 215° 
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
 152° 
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.
 148° 
malinkee
Pain stirs flesh awake,
Springlight wakes the sleeping earth.
Cold sighs, life fades past.
 147° 
Aaron Beedle
We are children of stars, all of us each,
if you look way back far beyond memory's reach.
Past fire and lightning, spirit and beast,
our atoms return, and stars we complete.
This is a small section from one of my favourite poems I wrote, called Ozone. I'm posting this as an experiment, as I'm noticing the shortest poems get significantly more attention and engagement than ones over roughly 60 words or so.

It's interesting thinking about the parallels between social media and this website. I came here thinking engagement would be more evenly spread, however it seems there are very dominant trends; poems about love and sorry are far more popular. Anything taking more than 15 seconds to digest seems to engage significantly fewer people. Poems that people can comment on and share relatable experiences seem to do much better, while those sharing less common perspectives seem to go largely unnoticed.

Still, I shall press on! Lack of popularity is no more a sign of inadequacy than being willing to easily give up on something. I'm enjoying writing and sharing my poems for now.
 136° 
nivek
a managed avalanche
silent thunder
mindscape lightening

a trickle waterfall
misty forest
back to the sea.
 118° 
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
 116° 
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.
 109° 
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
 109° 
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.
 107° 
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
 104° 
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
 97° 
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.
 95° 
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° 
Hugo Pierce
I don't love you
But I love you so much
I am trying
 94° 
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.
 93° 
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.
 90° 
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
My God,
My Lord,
My All,
Friends,
Knowledge,
Relations,
Wealth
Everything,
God All,
My All,
Lord All.
SPS
 85° 
Lost Indeed
I touched you, and you moved away—
That hurt more than I'm comfortable to say.
You smiled when I asked for a kiss,
But you turned your back, and the moment missed.

I'm in so much need of a hug today,
But you're tired, and I'm ashamed to ask.
To expose my heart at the brink of decay—
I really need your warmth... it's cold out here, and the wind blows fast.
 83° 
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.
 78° 
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.
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
 76° 
Raghav Goswami
Last night-
wailing. Sobbing so deep,

It was dry, after a while.
 75° 
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 ©️
 74° 
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
 72° 
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.
 71° 
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
 69° 
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.
 67° 
Kyle Dal Santo
Am I really a good person?
I have a moral voice, but is it mine?
Was it forced upon me or given as a gift?
Am I just Objectively good and emotionally bad?
Or the other way around?
Was it simply the song I grew up hearing in my head and never forgot?
Was I simply brain washed into being moral?
Am I really that moral or have I just been around it my whole life?
Or - was no one around me truly moral and I was the opposite?
Is that why I've never understood their morals?
What if I'm so good at lying to myself that I don't even know it?
What if I die, and my soul is the bad part of me?
 66° 
Antonia
the most selfless act of all?


letting go.


fear holds tight, it clings
love lets go
to love is not to need, to love is not to own, to possess, to demand, to expect
to love is letting go of all of that, of all of you and your expectations

when will we learn to love without demanding love in return?
 66° 
badwords
Step by step,
no louder than breath—
I walk beside
what isn’t mine to name.

No banners,
no blueprints,
just this sound
of stone learning softness.

You open a window.
I keep the door unlatched.

Let fear finish its echo.
Let the dark chants drift.

Not all ruin is ending.
Some of it
is soil.
 65° 
JP
What ultimate poem
does.....
it will create a pain
of......more like hearing
"a death of a beautiful woman"
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