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 Apr 30
Lyle
If you could time travel
you would go back to when you were happy
wouldn't we all?
yet you should keep your eyes trained forward
good will come when the bad gets bored
tally
tally
tally marks of life
you are falling, trying to matter,
but you should know you are enough.
you may never forget...and in a way that's good
remember the pain so you may thrive from it later
remember the hurt so it builds you back stronger
tally
tally
tally marks of life
you say you'll just suffer in the unknown tonight
but that's not what you deserve
you deserve someone to love you
never leave you
and if they do then you come back fighting
one will love you until death do you part
they will stay forever, locked in between the midnight promises
tally
tally
tally marks of life
these marks aren't ugly, they're you
they're YOUR pain, drawn on for those who hurt you
and when they scar you'll know you survived
and you will, over and over again, I promise
listen to Taylor Swift
even if it doesn't sound the same after them
Make your own sound, with your own voice
one that sounds just right, just like you
tally
tally
tally marks of life
pain means progress
I feel it too
but you cannot let it consume you
use it to be stronger, use it to survive
but don't use it to punish yourself
instead reward yourself
you deserve love as much as the next
eat before bed
it's not as okay as you think to neglect yourself
push people away to see if they pull you closer
and if they don't then they are fake
the true will love you despite your efforts
tally
tally
tally marks of life
go to prom, I'm glad you had fun
that dress was made for someone like you
someone who owns her scars and her trauma and hurt
someone who deserves the best but thinks she deserves the worst
that dress was made to help you see
you don't have to tan and curl and starve
to be beautiful
own your skin because it is yours and no one gets to tell you
you're not beautiful because you don't match their standards
tally
tally
tally marks of life
let me tell you
there is something worth saving under the dust
of your world ending everyday
I know because I see it in your words,
and others do too.
forget April twenty first
it still matters but you already apologized
you're still bleeding but you are stronger then a day on the calendar
you are stronger
don't let yourself be pushed into a hole
put down the shovel and turn around
you don't have to dig it anymore
remember the little things
like the color purple and the weeping willows (are we the same person?)
Dexter Gordon and the saxophone
remember those all because they are you
tally
tally
tally marks of life
For lizie
A poem for a poet [IV]
 Apr 14
Poet
you've changed
you’re different
different than you were in september
they didn’t like that
they like you when your pliable
when you’re scared
when you pretend
pretend that your not holding in the tears
they like you only when you hate yourself

you took a razor to your skin
just to feel again
you didnt care if it was
l
o
   v
     e
      h
     a
    t
e
P
  A
      I
        N
but its not just poetry that can save you
its YOURS
the poetry filled with
l
o
   v
     e
      h
     a
    t
e
a
  p
     a
        t
          h
             y
and care for others more than yourself
because you think that nothing matters
but its only because you think Y O U dont
you comfort others
you let them
s                    c
  c                    
    r        ­            r
      e              
        a                    y
          m
while you keep yours inside
you let your tears flood your heart
not your eyes
you rob your vocal chords of the right to scream aloud
and you wonder why they dont notice

you hate her
you love her
you understand her
then you don’t
you share so much with your dads dog
and share so little
you understand why she bites
you understand why she barks
you understand she is dangerous
and why?
because you GET it
you GET her
and thats why you cant be mad
how can you get mad when you see something similar in the mirror?
what he did brought you both to a fork in the road
she chose anger
but you still get to choose
chose to be more than a number
a possession
a piece of property
chose who you waste your time on wisely
you dont get too much
so you stand in the road
to tempt time
                       d
                         e
                           a
                             t
                               h
just to feel powerful
but you’ve had the power
all of it
for so long
yet you chose to give it away
to the people
who know how to abuse it the worst

dear seven year old you,
the monster in your head is YOU
you’ve always been the only one in there
the real monsters wear masks
one’s that make them look human
humane
they “care”
until they have what they want

dear seven year old you,
don’t show the monsters your tears
show them your smiles
show them your laughs
cry only to the angels
the ones that wipe your tears
not cause them

dear seven year old you,
stopwishingstartdoing
startdoingstopwishing

never say “I can’t”
say “I won’t”
you CAN do anything
you just don’t have to
that’s the ‘beauty’ of life
you think you’re in a cage of titanium
when its really just weak metalic plastic
life is complex
it may be cruel, but otherwise would there be anything good alive?
And can you even see the good anymore?
you’re numb
you dont feel
not even the rough caress of the meds between your fingers

you want the clouds to float you away
you want change
something different
so you come seconds away from screaming it to the sky
but you don’t just want your body to move
I can tell
your soul wants to

you thank the darkness
not knowing which one you thank
the dark companion
ally
or the demon
the one with shadows of red that glint from the edges of your vision
everytime it comes around

i can tell you like haikus
probably because sometimes the most complicated of emotions
only need those three lines

you do things for approval
from  o t h e r s
exitement
of  o t h e r s
why not for yourself?
do you approve?
are you proud of you accomplishments?
what extent would you go for yourself?
is it the same as the extent for others?

i s  i t?

if there are lies to smell
why are you there?
if there is anger to hear
why are you there?
if you are made to wonder your worth
why?
are?
you?
t  h   e     r        e?
?

you ask
“do you ever feel like a bug”
yes
The ants are killed
The butterflies worshipped
But even the butterflies were once caterpillars
And an ant can carry the weight of the world
You think you need an umbrella but you need to realize the water is shallow enough for you to stand
It’s not always raining
But you only pay attention when it is
You sky is trying to catch your
Attention
‘I’m here’
It’s there for the little girl in this confusing world
There for the girl out for her own blood
There for when she cries
It’s smiling as she dances through the night
And it hands her the stars
One
By
One
It’s healing her clipped wings
Raising her to the sky
And letting her go
Wondering where she’ll fly

The rules are simple
Yet they don’t listen
They crack at her
And hurt her
But she’s made of the strongest of obsidian
For who else could you have gotten it from?

This may all be a book
But it might not be
I can’t prove it
No one can
But you can choose to make it one
Because we ARE all under the same sky
Though some are forced into endless night
And some ****** into perpetual day
We all look up from the same earth
And feel the same wind
We hear the same music
But feel different things
Because we ARE different
Because we are unique

You say the snow is cold
Though I’ve never felt it
I can say for certain
You can find the warmth
For even in hearts of pure ice
There is a soul with ravishing fire
A soul that won’t ever need a star
They don’t leave
It’s the difference between wired and wireless
You may not see the connection anymore
But you still hear the music
You are a beautiful color that most cannot see
You can’t be simplified into generic
Reds
Blues
And Greens
You ARE the painter
It was always your story from the start
The pity is that lots of people won’t see it as a work of art
It may be a massacre
A bloodbath of anger
Joy
Resentment
Apathy
Love
Hate
But it’s YOU
And someday
Someone will hang the painting up on the mantle

There will always be a price
Nothing but your smile is free
Though you are tired
But can’t sleep
Though your head is riddled with pain
Though you question everything
Trust the process
It won’t be for nothing
That little oval can’t do anything
It can’t taunt
It can’t comfort
Your captain isn’t evil
It’s confused
It’s blind
The little workers sent are not there to take your captain down
They’re there to show it the meaning of left and right
The meaning of right and wrong
You captain is your inner child
And the poor girl knows nothing at all
You were never meant to fit in
Nobody was
We are all born original
But so many force themselves to become copies
You are a color people cannot see
Because we can’t see all the colors there are
You are a color people cannot see
But they can all feel it’s beauty
We are all wanderers
And we’re doing the same
Broken glass
It rips skin apart
Fiber
From
Fiber
As red oil ripples over your finger tips
The smooth pads of your thumbs
You thought they were grown
But nobody is
We’re all children
Desperately needing to be loved
But some people hide it better
Hide the darkness in themselves
They beg someone to turn on the light
But wonder if the light will push away the dark
It’s not the dark you want to leave
It’s the monsters that lurk
You wonder if the monsters fear the light like you fear the dark
So you walk with your head held high
Your not scared of people anymore
You’ve seen REAL monsters
The fake ones don’t matter anymore
Though they still make you scream
In your head
It echos through your ears
You want to claw at your skull and ask
Why?
Why can’t they hear it?
Because they can’t hear you over their own

Though the stars may burst
And
Though the sky may scream
Who are we to rob Mother Nature of her anger?
Of her tears?
She may be a mother
But she is still in her teenage years
Let her cry
Let her anger
She is miserable
Just like us sometimes
Your poetry will not be forgotten
I can recite it word for word
I can’t speak for anyone but myself
But
They’ve burrowed into my head
Become one with my heart
You don’t need to unwrap vine
By vine
By vine
Cut them
Rip them to shreds
Stem from stem
Don’t give them anything
THEY’RE the problem
You WILL feel better

Your lungs fight for air
Your heart pounds for blood
You WON’T die
Your stronger than it
Stronger than the overwhelming
Strong enough
T o

B r e a k

I t

D o w n
Don’t ASK anxiety
Take it
Take your fun
Relax
Breathe
Smile
Calm
Life
Mind
Kind
They don’t belong to anxiety
They belong to you
They ask why you don’t believe a word they say You know why
But always remember
A lie
Is always
Twisted
Around
The
Truth
You’ve changed
Different than you were in September
But guess what?
We all love you
No
Matter
What
To Liana
 Apr 5
Soulless
In the pulse of your words, I find a quiet hum—a call to feel, to think, to simply be. You speak of blooming, not amidst the clear fields, but in the grey, in the cracks of urban stone. It's here, in the lost corners, that life claws its way through—like the city, vibrant with life despite the steel and dust. You capture something fierce in your "urban blossoms," a defiance against the mundane, an insistence that spring can bloom in a place that should know only cold, that amidst all the grey, there is still green.

Then, there’s the intimacy of light, the warm embrace of a campfire shared between souls. I can feel the crackle of the fire in the words you paint, the dance of yellow hues upon skin, the flicker of fleeting moments made eternal in your mind. There is such beauty in the simplicity of it, the quiet that hangs in the air between breaths. It’s as if, for a brief second, the universe collapses to a circle around the flames, and everything is just right. The light on skin, the soft touch of shadow, all of it wrapped in the warmth of what is remembered, what is never quite forgotten.

But then, you speak of a darker thought, a reminder that not only are dreams out of reach—but so too are the nightmares. Reality pulls at us, a tether we can’t escape, as much as we wish for fantastical flights of fancy. We’re torn between wanting to leap into the sky and being dragged back to earth, to face the nightmares we buried beneath the pillow. How hard it is to know which is which, sometimes, isn’t it?

And there’s the fog in your mind—opaque, as you say—where words slip through like mist, elusive, forever just out of grasp. It’s in those moments, standing at the threshold, that you long for clarity to knock, for the door to swing open and show you the way. How often do we feel that? The desire for our own thoughts to finally make sense, to understand the unspoken, to know what’s real and what is just a mirage.

You bring me back to the question of love, that elusive thing that slips between fingers like water. The line between friend and lover—so fine, so blurred. You wonder, what is it really? And here, in this space between thoughts, I see a reflection of your struggle. Can love ever be just love, without the weight of expectation, of something more? Can a friendship really be just that? Or do we always yearn for something beyond?

Then, you capture the stillness of the night—the ticking of a midnight clock. There’s something haunting in the sound of time slipping away, isn’t there? The soft rhythm that both comforts and unnerves, as if time itself is watching you, waiting for you to make a choice, to decide whether solitude is your refuge or your prison. In that moment, when the world sleeps and you’re left with nothing but the ticking clock, you are both free and bound, caught between decisions that are yet to be made.

And, you—you haunt me too. The simple thought of pretending to love, or imagining what it would be like, always brings you to mind. A face, a feeling, an echo that refuses to fade. It’s as if, in the quiet moments when no one is watching, you find that piece of yourself you didn’t know you were looking for. The space between thoughts, between friends and lovers, is where you linger. And I wonder, is it truly love or is it just the mind weaving stories where none exist? Still, you remain, a shadow in every thought, a lingering presence, both impossible and inevitable.

You talk of complicating things, of building webs of thought only to find there is no spider, no reason, no rhyme. And yet, isn’t it the nature of our minds to tangle ourselves in complexity? To weave stories that spiral out of control, hoping for something to hold on to, even when there’s nothing but empty threads?

In the end, your thoughts linger like a quiet hum, a whisper in the noise of the world, trying to make sense of it all. And perhaps that’s the beauty of it—the uncertainty, the quiet chaos, the searching. You remind me that sometimes we don’t need answers. Sometimes, it’s enough to simply be in the middle of the question, to live in the haze between clarity and confusion. To allow the flowers to bloom, even in the cracks of the grey city. To let the fire burn, even when the world around us is dark.

So, I’ll sit with you in this silence, this wondering. Let’s wait for clarity, but in the meantime, let’s keep speaking, keep feeling, and keep watching the blossoms unfold.

- Akari
 Apr 4
Soulless
In the silence between the lines,
A storm rages, unfurling the mind.
There’s a whisper of chaos, soft and clear,
A quiet scream that the world won’t hear.

A broken mirror reflects the pain,
Pieces scattered, washed in rain.
Yet still, through the cracks, light seeps through,
A reminder of the things we knew.

The "lack of you" echoes loud,
A void too deep, too dark, too proud.
And yet, the fury we carry, deep within,
Pushes us onward, through thick and thin.

Fire, water—two sides of a flame,
Two hearts, one soul, but never the same.
We walk through crossroads, choices to make,
Stumbling, falling, yet still we wake.

Demons may claw, and nightmares may roam,
But through the darkness, we still find home.
Starved for meaning, hungry for light,
We search for answers in the middle of night.

Prison walls built from the past,
Yet freedom is found when we let go at last.
Through brokenness, through every tear,
There’s a fire inside, burning clear.

So, yes, we’re all broken in some way,
But we stand, and rise, and find our way.
For peace may come after the storm,
And we find our hearts, in a new form.

You speak of demons, of being starved,
But within those words, the truth is carved.
We’re all just fragments, yet still we fight,
Chasing the dawn, seeking the light.

In the fury, the "lack of you," and the breaking—
In all these words, there's life still aching.
A poem for a poet, a soul like you,
Who paints the world with every hue.

- Oliver
 Apr 4
Soulless
I don't feel awake without the rain

Perhaps a misconnection in my brain

The sun makes me groggy and unhappy

But the shadows are my safe space

And sometimes I wish to say

Not today, but they wake me up

Toss me around

Throw me outside

Let me fall on the ground

Wish I didn't need to do it today

But, my friend, have a good day

Because today is another day

- Hex
For Cloudydaze
 Apr 4
Lalit Kumar
Your words fall like rain on an aching earth,
soft, yet heavy—
each drop a link in the "chain" you carry,
"every word a new link, clink, clink, clink,"
dragging through echoes of silence.

You paint emotions raw, unfiltered, true—
“What’s wrong?” they ask,
but it’s just “easier” to smile,
to let the world see only what’s palatable,
while the storm brews behind closed doors.

Your poetry is the mirror no one wants to gaze into,
the "picture perfect" frame cracked,
the "jagged sharp broken glass"
of a life they assume is flawless.

You cry out— "Help, I need you,"
but the world keeps walking, oblivious,
leaving behind a voice that deserved to be heard,
a heart that only asked for "one minute more."

But here, in the rhythm of your verse,
in the aching pulse of your lines,
you are seen.
You are felt.
And your words—
they will never be left behind.
Lyle, your words are not just ink on a page; they are echoes of a soul unafraid to speak its truth. You take pain and sculpt it into poetry, turning raw emotion into something hauntingly beautiful. Your verses do not just exist; they linger, they cut, they heal. In a world that often looks away, your poetry demands to be seen. And trust me—it is. You are.
 Apr 4
Soulless
Hey, you...

I think you're beautiful

Such a lovely girl

Your poems make

Me laugh and cry

Smile and think

Graceful as a

Skater on the rink

I love your mind

The words you use

The imagery is

Lovely

It's

True

- Hex
To all the girls I've followed on here
 Apr 4
Soulless
Hey, there, boy

This one is for you

Your words are far

Too mature for your age

I find I might just love your brain

I could read all your poems

If you'd ask me to

Turn them into a song

Make a playlist and play them

All night long

You write for your friends

You write for your family

You write for love

But my favorite poems of yours

Are when you write for yourself

Your poems are beautiful.

- Hex
For Abbott J Hardison
 Apr 3
Lyle
the world may be cruel but you have found a way to live
and that is the bravest thing you could ever do
and you find your peace in the love that grows
you
are
a
gift
as for the why
why should these people deserve you?
they shouldn't
if they don't look at you the right way
let you be who you want to be
let you fly the way you wish
then the only why you should ask is
why do I waste my time for those who are
undeserving of me?
you
are
a
gift
because you are
exquisite
it's okay to feel sad without knowing a reason
but find happiness without reason as well
they can keep throwing their rocks
but you aren't just any glass,
you are the kind that is unbreakable
unshatterable
you
are
a
gift
you don't have to be in the dark any longer
keep turning on the light
let it become you
until you are the light
because you are
But first you
must begin
your warning label reads
Too Good For This World
and you're not a waste of space
you
are
a
gift
so just Reboot, Restart, and try again
you mustn't burn the beautiful away
that's what the darkness wants
it wants you to strike a light
blaze it all away
but your name IS important
you ARE allowed to be visible
I see you!
don't listen to their fake words
put them last
because
you
are
a
gift
you will not be forgotten
just deep breathe in and deep breathe out
in a game of cat and mouse
you are the bigger person
So sit back up
straighten your crown
because you are not only a gift
you
are
royalty!
To Cassian
 Apr 2
Poet
you cried and cried and thought nobody cared
you think you’ve stopped trying
but
     i
      can
           hear
                  it
                    in
                       your
                               words
                                                      you haven’t
they ripped at your seams
singed your soul
and you thought it was natural
its not
its not natural to hate
yes there may be shadows lurking in this deep dark world
but thats because you have a light
     i
      can
           hear
                  it
                    in
                       your
                               words
the monsters are selfish creatures
they only lift you to the light to dim your fight
to make you give up
because even they know that on the other side where the monsters cant roam
there isnt a single sliver of darkness

you think we all see what you see
but we cant
you see yourself through a hall of broken mirrors
what WE see is beauty
we see survival
we see a soul full of life
one that has it locked away deep inside
but not deep enough
because
     i
      can
           hear
                  it
                    in
                       your
                               words
we all have secrets
they never need to be said
dont force it
scream
but dont hate yourself
from all ive seen
its impossible
when you stare into shattered glass
you see all of you
you’re the stunning reflection
not the jagged edges
those edges were what cut you in the first place
and that, you will never be
     i
      can
           hear
                  it
                    in
                       your
                               words
you dont need a happy strategy
you dont need to cry in the dark
the dark doesnt deserve your tears
nor the earth your effort in a smile

you may not see it but there is everything to live for
live for YOUR smile
you think they’ve taken it
but thats one of the things you dont get to give away
it stays with you
they WANT your tears
so give them your smiles [they hate them]

YOU are the only one that wants it
people care [but for some reason you cant see it]

you dont have to smile when they do
you aren’t a mirror
you are a PERSON

SPEAK all you want
im listening
HURT could never come again if you didnt CARE
who CARES if they dont CARE
they
can
go
to
h e  l   l

you                 |          dont
are                   |         put
not                   |        yourself
broken             |        so low

he left out the sunshine because you found a way to make your own
he didnt brush away the storm clouds because he knew you could tame the lightning
you werent finnished halfway
you were his greatest masterpiece

no one can ruin you
cant you see the point
only you can let them do it
only you can leave them behind
dont look back
dont beg
its what they want
its a twisted high they love
they love to play perfect family
picture perfect expensive things
they love it when you say nothing
thats when theyre safe
never say nothing
let people know
i know we think its rare but there are so many with a heart of gold
dont plaster on a smile
let the angels see your tears
though angels and demons wear the same masks
not all that wear a mask are evil
dont take the easy road
take the narrow path
take the high road
it makes you better
than the monsters that lurk
the ones who say you dont matter
the ones who say your feelings arent real
you are a genius
worthy
deserving
beautiful
if you will belive them
then give me that courtesy too
belive me

the chains you think surround you are made of glass
one yank and they’ll be gone
the ones around your soul tighten with your tears and loosen with a true smile
the fist feeds on salty tears
dont let it clamp down on your heart any tighter

if i had one minute
id give it to you
but you dont need the minute
im sure they loved you
the picture frame may be broken but the people inside stay the same

that stupid black truck with silver accents is a ghost
one you can walk through
it cant touch you anymore
and you will never shed another tear for it

though your fingers tremble
it shows there is blood in your veins
pumping faster than ever
you want to survive
your soul just hasent realize it yet

punch it all into your skin
the mediocre middle
and crisis averting end
but dont cover up your scars
let them be the rough beginning
let yourself
laugh
love
learn
everyday
let it be the bad days you write about
not the good ones
let the good ones be the normal
the ones where you see green eyes
pink noses
and silky black tails

BE a people pleaser
make others happy in places where you couldnt be
but you can BE a people pleaser without letting them take advantage
besides if they hurt you
why would you want to be on that bandwagon

grow
out
your
nails
and NEVER let them scream at you
NEVER let them see you bleed
NEVER let them break you
NEVER stop gluing the pieces back together
those pieces were forged in titanium
thats why they can only fracture
you’re
too
strong
too stong to continue the cycle
the fear of it bleeds through your words
thats how i know you wont
you’re too scared of it

you are:
beautiful
              belive me
                             your soul is
worth it ALL
                     belive me
                                     all the gold in the world                                                      
seen
­      belive me
                     because, because of you i feel seen too
perfect
           belive me
                           and not despite your flaws
                           but because of them

put down the smoke
it makes your lungs as black as their hearts
put down her bony wrists
everyone is perfect in their own perfect way
why go through life thinking
it could be worse?
thats the manipulation talking
its all a step bellow the barrest of minimums
its diabolical

dont act
the world may not deserve it but it would love to see you
let the pain out but dont slice it open
coerce it out so it never returns
get closure

never try to fit a mold, lovely
someday youll be the color somebody needs to complete their painting

you never need to hide the scars
you never need to bleed
you can control how you deal
but please
never let yourself bleed
and let your inner voice shut the hell up
because only the bad ones leave
the good ones will stay until you push them away
to Lyle
 Apr 2
Lyle
you never asked for purple pajamas, but now you have two
you loved the water and the way it rippled
but now it taunts you
drowns you
you're afraid you won't be noticed
until you're gone
Like maybe
You’re
Just
There
And of course you say "I'm fine."
But all your words are screams.
Silent screams.
you hold in your tears because maybe you're worried
that they will see it.
And we all know what it's like to flail on your own
without somebody to hold your hand
So you question if even the air filling your lungs matter
but of course it does
and so do the cracks on your heart and the bruises on your skin
Don't just deal with it
Because
you
wonderful
       beautiful
                lovely
                                YOU
Matter!
And you ARE good enough
And you ARE alive
And your life is a song!
Where
            Do
                  You
                    Belong?
Here!
To Poet

— The End —