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Jeremy Betts Jan 2024
We are all hiding something aren't we?
Let's be fair
From the moment we wake and look in that mirror
We rush to change what we first see there
All we do is spin our little lies
**** in that gut,
Color that hair,
Twist off that wedding ring,
Pretend to not care
And why not?
What's the penalty?
What are the consequences, really?
All is forgiven when you start usin' the phrase
"I'm only human"
But what if the cruel hand of fate twists you into something different then what you've been?
Into that undesirable other
Who, if anyone, will forgive you then?

©2024
Jeremy Betts Jun 3
I don't mean to tile a question
But that's where I'm at
...
I don't know any further than that

©2025
Jeremy Betts Jan 2024
What do you do when you don't feel safe in your own head?
Uncomfortable in your own skin, afraid of the demons under your bed
And all the monsters that have been locked away out back in the woodshed
Waiting for the day I said would never come is now right around the bend
It'll be here any moment, why pretend?
I worry more about what was left unsaid
Cautious of the where we're being misled to, not the when
I try not to fear what I can not comprehend
Really couldn't tell you if this is a life I'd recommend
Can't possibly know until the end
So come around again and ask me then

©2024
Jeremy Betts Mar 21
What is that doing here?
It reminds me to remember a particular fear
How peculiarly sincere
But I have enough of that
So take it all the way back
It never fails to stick if and when I wander near

I've said it before
Both coming in and walking out the door
My vocal cords ring sore
You feed me Okay's
Say, "to hell with past days"
No more tears moped up off a shared floor

I've heard many things
So many things said many ways by many human beings
It's gone beyond repeating
Lost my sense of real
What's a partnerships appeal?
Even good beginnings befall painful endings

Keep the goodby
Trade it for another "never again" lie
And a slice of American pie
Words hold little truth
Slippery, not unlike a noose
That no one this time will be able to untie

©2025
Jeremy Betts Nov 2024
The more I try
The more I fail
A cattywampus scale
Creating this personalized
Dollar general designer hell
A fiery well
I'm always drawn back to
In a spell
And I keep mindlessly pushing
Circling like a carousel
Why pray tell?
I couldn't tell
But I'll tell you what,
If you know someone buying souls
I'd be willing to sell
If they pay well

©2024
Jeremy Betts Oct 2024
From the lonely side of the window
I watch you go
Your image distorted by the heavy rain
Or is that a downpour of liquid pain?
Either way and regardless you fade away
But I don't want to look away
Not interested in picking up the pieces this time
Back in this pit, I don't have it in me to climb
So familiar with heartache and heart break
I start to think that this love shiit is fake
It's okay, I feel right at home with painfully numb
My mistake was the lie I told myself,
That this day would never come

©2024
Jeremy Betts Oct 2024
Lose lose
Or win win
I'll die on the hill
Of what could have been

©2024
Jeremy Betts Oct 2024
I don't want to die
But every night
I wish to not wake up
I wish to no longer fight

©2024
Jeremy Betts Sep 2022
The hardest battles fought are against the chaos found within the rubble of the broken.
Any continuation of this experimentation on the human condition hangs on the theory that an upcomin' breath will allow itself to be taken
Gift or not, presently present solely due to the repeat of a heart beat, reminded constantly it's never a given
Many a complication with said blood pumpin' mechanism ribcaged in, to many components either broken or straight missin'
Naturally raisin' an interesting question, does life support support life or allow it to get one last minute jab in
Seems it's a personalization and ******* of the punishment fitted for the crime of lyin' about livin'
Seein' right through the Facebook filter projection, doom sets in without the monitor screens protection
Actin' like spoiled, undisciplined children, often throwin' a tantrum cause we're all on the spectrum
All of us? Yes, everyone.
A nonsensical state of frantic desperation overrides conviction, dignity the next to leave the station
No thought put into what's bein' said even, flippantly askin' for more calendar pages to be added in on the back end
Wildly missin' the irony of spendin' life in line for the next death bed to open, prayin' the priest is well spoken
Choosin' then to allow the soulless prayers to begin, hopin' to pull the wool over the eyes of the creator of all creation
He's up there laughin' and judgin' from heaven, he ain't sendin' help because it's entertainment first, then maybe fit in a lesson
Feels like bein' held in a hostage like situation through a self inflicted condition with a loved ones permission
Ignorin' the DNR written up to eliminate confusion and limit any guessin' 'bout what the dead is thinkin'
Wishin' they'd let go, knowin' they won't though, love can make the right decision impossible to determine
It was always a bogus mission, there's never been no mention of direction much less any talks about a realistic destination
An unorthodoxed tug 'o war, doin' both the pushin' and pullin', can't recall witnessin' a win, I only recognize losin'
The matrix is glitchin', the vale finally lifted as nightmares come to fruition, crowdin' an already distorted vision
Depraved of nutrition, lose sight of ones self in the fog of sleep deprivation
IT'S THE SLEEP THAT LETS THEN IN
In a never endin' hesitation, becomin' one with the comman background vegitation
A threat of slippin' into a comma is beginnin' to look like my very real and inevitable conclusion
The Illusion is crackin' and the illustration behind the fusade is to heavy for some to take in
And if I'm not mistaken it will only worsen for here and we're only here cause you took for granted what will now be taken
WHAT WHERE WE THINKIN'?

©2022
Jeremy Betts May 2024
Wether recorded digitally or with a pen
With or without hitting send
Questioning the subject matter, real or pretend?
They're all just thoughts that don't bend
The only ones I have over and over again
Not even hinting at an end

©2024
Jeremy Betts May 2024
...I hear ya, I do
I just don't find what's been said to be true
But if I take a look through your view
And in lue of the downward spiral conducted by the waves of blue that I've now seen you go through
I want to go ahead and attempt something new
What do you say we put aside debate and simply conversate for a few
A little bit of back and forth like birds of a feather seem to do
Why don't you choose a neutral venue
And I'll collect the short guest list of me, myself and I plus you

©2024
Jeremy Betts Sep 2024
You want to fight?
Alright
Let me get your gloves
And tie my hands behind my back
Because there's no point in a counter attack
You don't care
That's fact
Every word i say to you is just thin air
Arguing that all your low blows are fair
And your violence twords me?
It's all acceptable crazy
And my "FUUCK YOU!" retort is blasphemy
i have to accept your every issue
Acknowledge what you have and are currently going through
And for the most part i do
But when it comes to anything to do with me
All of a sudden you can't see
What happened to "we"?
Conveniently disappearing quickly
Replaced with a lowly "me"
This isn't a reality that i want to live anymore
So this time when i paddle out i'll sink the ore
There'll be no more attempts to return to shore

©2024
Jeremy Betts Jun 2024
Who knows
How many more of those
Devastating blows
From life's twisted episodes
I can take
Before I get exposed
And everybody knows
This smile's a fake,
Adorned like over warn costumes on Broadway shows

©2024
Jeremy Betts Feb 2024
You thought I was falling apart before
But at that point I still had my feet on the floor
Now, I don't even see the ground anymore
No clues on what I'm in store for
For now or for forever more
Did I drift or swim out far to far from the shore?
I'm far further than a metaphor can illustrate, further than ever before
Memories so distant they've been redesignated as basic lore
What more can you do when you've lost your core
And it was you who held open the door...
...once more

©2024
Jeremy Betts Jun 2023
Not to many have resisted the risk
Hold tightly and lose control through the same clenched fist
Pray for there to be but dread that last kiss
How many have been hurt who weren't on a list
Who gets hit with every miss
Can't run from this
I must confess,
Take a minute here to be honest
I don't know if I can say it's worth the risk

©2023
Jeremy Betts Jan 2024
If I gave you all my air
Along with every single moment I could spare
If I exposed my everything, choosing both truth and dare
And encouraged you to take more than your fare share
If I were to wear my heart on my sleeve and allow you to rip and tear
If I gave you an entire life, without a care
Offered to carry both of our crosses to bare
While letting you name the time and place and going straight there
No argument here, I swear
If I submit before warfare and declare you ringmaster
If I kept the days I don't tell you exactly what you want to hear rare
And was able to turn a blind eye to every extracurricular love affair
Cause, ya know, buyer beware
If I pretend I'm not fully aware that you rather not be here
That you just take joy in being the puppeteer
If I could manage all that would you even care?
...could I ever consider it sincere?

©2024
Jeremy Betts Feb 2024
Stabbed in the back
I never bled
Heart ripped out
Not one cracked rib

Contorted and twisted trying to fit a mold
Almost did but didn't break
Absorbed every physical blow
Not a single bruise did it make

Took in each syllable of every verbal assault
Still I stand tall
Blamed for trust and abandonment red flags forged by others
Still couldn't crush my spirit at all

Opened up and bared it all just to have it used as ammunition
Refused to clam up completely
Kicked repeatedly when down
Tried to prove it's deserved, couldn't convince me

PSYCH!!
HAPPY NATIONAL OPPOSITE DAY!

©2024
Jeremy Betts Aug 2024
Am I drunk on the thought of you,
Or drunk trying to erase it?
Let's face it
We can probably trace it
Back to a certain night or two
After a couple shots turned into that plus a few
And pinpoint hindsight warnings of why we shouldn't have chased it
"Why did we decide to continue?"
While standing in the midst of it
Neither of us knew
No wait, that's bull $hit
Mixed with cow poo
So much more than not a good fit
Too dysfunctional to keep it basic
Far too broken,
Or stubborn,
To replace it
The end was nearer than the beginning of this reckless trek
Like some kind of voodoo hex preformed in a parents basement,
A bad magic trick
Or joke gone cosmic
We knew it
Because we saw it
Even enjoyed living it for a hole second
Go collect your winnings if you bet we couldn't
Because we couldn't,
We blew it
Though the end was nothing new
It barley brought any blue
But still we pretended we had no clue
Of course that isn't true
It was coming right for us, and quick
Tried to sneak around it,
Then tried dodging it,
There was no jumping out of the way last minute
We never had a chance and had to admit it
We weren't equipped to brace for it
Now we get to pay for it
But these days, who can afford it?

©2024
Jeremy Betts Dec 2023
~••~••~••~
You
Attack my every thought
You're
Another voice in my head that taunts
You'll
Label me an idiot savant
Not a debutant to this type of rot
~••~••~••~
I
Have nothing you would want
I've
Suffered through a ghoulish plot
I'll
Do things that you should not
Feel fear haunt every thought
~••~••~••~

©2023
Jeremy Betts Apr 2024
...being a beacon for darkness
...being a deacon of evil
...seeing no evil regardless
...seeing honesty as a hurtle
...restating unholy responses
...restating there'll be no upheaval
...ruling with no conscience
...ruling different for different people
...playing your god against us
...playing yourself in the process
...knowing none of it is real
...knowing if it is your going to hell

©2024
Jeremy Betts Apr 2024
I see you
I know you don't think so,
but it's true
I see what you are being put through
I see you doing whatever it is you have too just to continue
I've seen the levels of doubt and anxiety you've been pushed to
I see you've lost faith in player two
I see you crack but not break,
Though I notice you running out of glue
And I see the struggles accrue,
With everything I do and don't do
Every time I tell you I've failed you
Your eyes tell me you already knew
This is nothing new
You don't deserve this much blue

©2024
Jeremy Betts Sep 2024
I've heard I can have anything,
Do anything,
Be anything,
If I'm willing to sacrifice everything
But here's the thing,
I have nothing to give
So nothing is what I'll be getting

©2024
Jeremy Betts Feb 2024
It's a long shot but I have to hold out hope
That someone, somewhere out there is rooting for the loser 'cause I'm running out of rope
And at the end of that rope is no place to find a future
Spoiler
You'll only ever find the end there
I know I'm not going to win, will never be of note
There's never been anyone at the end cause I'm not worth sticking around for through thick and thin...
...I know
I'm the one making that almost impossible
My minds a riddle, my past is a hurtle
Im the worst one man show showman
I don't choose to be alone
I try to build a home
But I can't afford land that's not sand
So my foundation can never be as strong as I hope I am
As competent as I need to be to be the man I want to be
It's sad to know that man will never be seen...
...fade to black...
...end scene.

©2024
Jeremy Betts Jan 22
You know how I know
That's a bullshiit apology?
Because you're not sorry
You're just sorry
Sorry,
Not sorry
But the difference is
Whenever I am
Mine aren't empty

©2025
Jeremy Betts Aug 2024
You're heartless and cold
Leaving my heart a mess
You pieced out your soul
Mine fell prey to your emptiness
Was it your plan to let go?
I wonder as I struggle with the process
I believed in what I was sold
You bragged like this was a side quest
I didn't notice I was enrolled
In your narcissistic contest
You were waiting for me to fold
Ready for another conquest
You reveled in my fall
You mocked my best
I gave you my all
You left me the rest

©2024
Jeremy Betts Dec 2023
Let's look at religion
A barley arguable opinion
An iffy position to hold on a poorly written legend
Playing pretend, a doctrine based in fiction

It's a belief
It can be helpful with grief
It can offer something resembling relief
But there's no being above or beneath

It's only a story
Meant for guiding, not setting morality
A children's book with adult vocabulary
Not to be taken seriously once you've learn about the tooth fairy

This is ridiculous
This fictitious alpha and omega business
An impossible for anyone to follow syllabus
Why haven't we moved on from the preposterous?

If it helps...fine
Use it, let it consume all YOUR time
I'm tired of having to remind YOUR kind
That's YOUR truth, NOT mine

©2023
Jeremy Betts Aug 2024
How wrong can one living entity be?
If I were to prove the possibility of constantly,
Alongside the concept of completely
If I were to say to you it's daily, weekly, monthly, yearly
And remind of the times it's happens a couple minutes early
If I were to let you see,
Let you watch it play out in me,
Would you keep questioning me?
Would you finally let me be?
Just leave me to wallow in this myriad of pity
Allowing me to then get back to tripping over my own two feet for at least the rest of my eternity
I'm okay with it, really

©2024
Jeremy Betts May 2024
I don't want to fuuck around
I rather not find out
I don't want to hear I'm not doing what I need too
But if I don't I might never win a bout
This isn't a warning or challenge
I don't want to prove what I'm about
I've gone toe to toe with life all my life
I wouldn't mind a little mid season drought

©2024
Jeremy Betts May 2024
Me against myself against I,
I am not alright
This darkness can not be conquered by light
I keep my feelings bottled tight, out of sight
Why do I hide?
Me against myself against I,
But who is right?
All I gotta do is make it through another night
No time to address it, I don't wanna fight
That's why I hide

©2023
Jeremy Betts May 2024
I don't deserve her
She deserves better
Didn't know you could experience a record skip with a paperback chapter
Forever risking this status of together

©2024

— The End —