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712 · Aug 2014
red lights
David Hall Aug 2014
I have a weird confession,
I like stopping at red lights.
In the middle of a hectic day
rush hour traffic fully underway
for just a moment stop and breath.
710 · Jan 2015
Sometimes
David Hall Jan 2015
Sometimes you just want to be heard
even if the world understands
not one single solitary word.

You raise your voice.
You raise your hand.
You make a move.
You take a stand.

Sometimes you just need to be seen
by total strangers in a public place
without a clue as to what it might mean.

You steel your nerves.
You set your chin.
You stand up straight.
You let them in

Maybe it’s a poem, that doesn't really rhyme
or a picture that you drew
between some notebook paper lines.

Maybe it’s a blog.
Maybe it’s a song.
Maybe it’s not quite right.
Maybe it’s completely wrong.

Sometimes, you just need to be heard.
709 · Nov 2012
through the years
David Hall Nov 2012
in the early morning dark
before the sun appears
I look upon your sleeping face
and contemplate the years

years of love and laughter
of sorrow and of sadness
years we’ll spend together
years we'll miss in madness

years we'll spend with family
years we'll spend with friends
of things that we'll share daily
some we'll never share again

I can almost

smell the fresh cut grass
hear the laughter of our son
hear the crack as he swings the bat
taste the ice-cream when he’s done

feel the softness of our daughters hair
see the beauty in her smile
taste the tears that I'm sure to cry
as I walk her down the aisle

feel the warmth in your wrinkled hand
see the silver in your hair
hear the crickets sing in our back yard
as we dance in the night air

in the early morning dark
before the sun appears
I look upon your sleeping face
and contemplate the years
699 · Jun 2015
to be a man
David Hall Jun 2015
a man who thinks
thoughts once un-thought
may find himself alone

a man who goes
places once unknown
may never come back home

a man who dreams
dreams once un-dreamt
is laughed at by his peers

a man who fights
the un-fought fight
is forced to face his fears

but a man afraid
to think new thoughts
dream new dreams
and venture forth standing tall
a man unable to face his fears
forsake his peers and stand alone

Is hardly a man at all
697 · Aug 2015
advice to myself pt II
David Hall Aug 2015
You are only as strong as your ability
to lift yourself up off the ground.

You are only as wise as your ability
to see the world as it is
not as you want it to be.

You are only as free as your ability
to take a step towards your hearts desire
and appreciate whatever it is you find there.
693 · Apr 2012
A thousand small surrenders
David Hall Apr 2012
A silent solitary surrender
Is all that it would be
Just one small transgression
No one need ever see

A battle fought in every second
To what rhythm does my heart beat

My conscious softly whispers
Advice I’d rather disregard
It knows the wisest choices
Are oft times doubly hard

Who can face down temptation
When surrender tastes so sweet

A thousand small surrenders
Lead to the darkest night
When each surrender leads
One step further from the light
684 · Jul 2016
requiem for a daydream
David Hall Jul 2016
a whisper, a spark
is there something in the dark
a glance, a smile
a dance could be worthwhile
heart skips, mind races
is there something more than faces
a requiem for a daydream
with a deck devoid of aces
683 · Aug 2015
broken car stereo
David Hall Aug 2015
Life is like a broken car stereo,
on a hundred year road trip.

For the first few years everything is great.
You have the sun on your face, the wind in your hair
and you are hearing every song for the first time.
All the roads you are driving are familiar and close to home,
you don’t have a care in the world.

Around about year 13
you start to drive into unfamiliar territory.
The **** falls off on the death metal station.
You find yourself mad at the world for no reason
so you forget about the songs of your youth and
just go with it.

Making a pit stop at year 22
You find that pesky **** under the seat.
You start searching for the happy stations
you recall from the beginning of the trip,
but by this time you have picked up passengers
and they have taken over any station decisions.

Cruising through year 30
You decide to get your road trip in order.
You have preset all the stations that everyone listens to
and come up with a schedule so that everything is fair.
But at year 34 you cross state lines and the stations change,
leaving you with unhappy passengers and the daunting task
of figuring out the stereo all over again.

Obeying the speed limit around year 45
You finally have more control of the music of your trip.
Most of your passengers have stereos of their own now.
Unfortunately your stereo has started to wear out
and your favorite stations only come in clear occasionally.
You suffer through the static with the hopes
that the station will stay clear just long enough
to hear your favorite song.

Looking for a rest stop close to year 80
You can barely hear the music anymore and
that’s if the stereo will even turn on these days.
No one is left to disagree with you over the stations
so the radio stays permanently tuned to your old favorites.
You find yourself pretty sure you have heard all the songs
on the radio and are really looking forward to your destination.

The radio breaks close to year 100
As you get out of the car and head into the light of your destination,
all the songs of your journey play to remind you of the
people you have loved and the places you have been.
680 · Dec 2011
Broken Glass
David Hall Dec 2011
Reflective light from broken glass.
Reflects the moments as they pass.

Train of thought from a broken plan.
Remembers the pain of a broken man.

Continued exposure to a grand illusion.
Has led my heart to a false conclusion.

Passionless words end a passionate fight.
Silence the symphony of a passionless night.
673 · May 2012
A Picture
David Hall May 2012
A picture is just a picture
An instant memory of light
One thousand words find their worth
In our imagination of the sight

A memory is just a memory
A vague retelling of our life
Each memory stripped and shaped
By the hesitation of our knife

A life is just a life
A passing reality of mind
One thousand pictures slowly fade
As we leave the past behind

A sunset is just a sunset
A daily dying of the light
All we have is just a simple picture
As day surrenders to the night
669 · Aug 2015
Orphaned Prince
David Hall Aug 2015
I an orphaned prince, in the musings of my mind
often daydreamed in my hardship of the treasures I would find.
For fate had surely dealt me, the cruelest of beginnings
so that in that glorious future I might appreciate my winnings.

My life ticked off every box in the stories that were written,
about the orphaned princes who spent their childhoods hidden.
Someday there’d be a wizard with a sword that he would hand me
and he would take me as his ward and restore my royal standing.

I survived my evil stepfather, who had cursed me with his name
and I suffered through my childhood, but the wizard never came.
So I saddled up my lame nag and bid farewell to my old life
knowing deep within my heart fate would reward me for my strife.

After travelling countless miles my eyes have finally seen the truth
that my heart was telling lies to help me make it through my youth.
Evil deeds aren’t always punished and the just don’t always win
and there are no magic words to solve the trouble that you’re in.

Just because it rains today does not mean the sun will shine tomorrow
and life doesn’t hold a secret debt  to repay you for your sorrow.
All that a man is promised is the moment in its passing
and to live whatever life that he is capable of grasping.
667 · Aug 2015
chin up
David Hall Aug 2015
never feel guilty for not doing something,
                                   that you still have time to do
665 · Feb 2016
I Fall
David Hall Feb 2016
I question
not because I need the answer
just to hear the sound of your voice
see your lips move and your eyes shine
as you speak a reply

I fall
not because I can’t keep my balance
just to feel the warmth of your skin
the slender curve of your fingers
as your hand catches mine
657 · Apr 2017
moments
David Hall Apr 2017
of all the million moments
that make up a life,
the ones I shared with you
will be what flash before my eyes
at the end of it all.
648 · Jun 2014
little hands
David Hall Jun 2014
Little hands with tiny fingers
reach out like they can see,
over the top off coffee tables
and behind her daddy’s knee.

Little hands with tiny fingers
seem to always find a mystery.
They can slip almost anywhere
little hands should never be.

always grasping always searching
always reaching always learning

Little hands with tiny fingers
touch my heart and set me free.
When the little girl they belong to,
gives her little hands to me.
646 · Dec 2010
Dawson
David Hall Dec 2010
Minutes pass into hours
Hours into days
Though my life pass into twilight
I will still dream of the people and places
Of my youth

I dream of endless summers by the river
The smell of fresh water in my hair
Laughing voices in the distance

A giant stone church
It’s steeple standing tall
Sentinel of our sleepy borough

Fresh cut grass
Dirt stains on my clothes
A pleasant ache in all my muscles
After a day of playing ball

A warning siren blows
We all rush off to meet it
Perilous adventure of my youth
Dousing wayward flame

Star filled summer nights
Chasing tiny hand held lights
Mad dashes through the town

The smell of funnel cakes
Brings smiles for miles around
At the annual street fair

Minutes pass into hours
Hours into days
As my life passes into twilight
I long for the freedom and the faces
Of my youth
644 · Aug 2015
cliffhanger
David Hall Aug 2015
years ago I know not exactly when
my journey came to a quiet end
I retired here to these spacious halls
to live out my days inside these walls
I’ll tarry here forever more
while life goes on outside my door

I had my days beneath the sun
the sun has set but my days go on
life’s river flows on towards the sea
but I find myself upon the beach
and whatever life was left to live
has flowed well, beyond my reach
"Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75."
Benjamin Franklin
638 · Aug 2014
melencholy
David Hall Aug 2014
dance steps on the marble floors
still echo off the walls
music that's almost forgotten
whispers through the halls

pillars holding vaulted ceilings
no longer sparkling white
tattered torn and misbegotten
what was once ornate delight

dusty tables are scattered broken
chairs are thrown askew
joyful memories start to fade
as they feel no longer new

a space once crowded warm and bright
has lost its quaintness in the night

now that the parties over
all the people have gone home
shadows fill the empty spaces
where happiness once shone
633 · Sep 2017
movement
David Hall Sep 2017
I'm not sure when it happened.
When I stopped moving foward.
Surely it couldn't always have
been this way.

Did I get here by accident?

Somewhere on the road to middle age,
I pulled my sensible sedan
to the side of the road.

Sitting under a shady overpass
content to watch the world
pass me by.

I can't do this.

I can't sit still.

Life is movement,
growth,
change,
and struggle.

To stop moving forward
to stop struggling
to stop growing
to stop changing

is to stop living!
631 · Aug 2011
I Am
David Hall Aug 2011
I am not these crooked glasses,
that slightly hide my eyes.
I am not this bushy brow,
that furrows when I sigh.

I am not this auburn hair,
that will some day fade to gray.
I am not this mortal shell,
that was born to pass away.

I am not this sordid past,
that sometimes brings me tears.
I am not these hopes and dreams.
I am not these fears.

I am not the worldly wealth,
that gives direction to the day.
I am not the pastimes,
that help time pass away.

I am not this car.
I am not this home.
I am not this lack of friends.
I am not alone.

I am not a number.
I am not this name.
As time is surely passing,
I am surely not the same.

I was never yesterday.
I’ll never be tomorrow.
Today I cannot hold the past,
from the future I can’t borrow.

I am at my deepest core,
a never ending will.
I am what this mind would think,
if all its thoughts were still.

I am love unconditional.
Potential unconfined.
I am what my god intended,
when this soul was first designed.

It is only a reflection.
This man you think you see.
He appears bound by his existence,
but I, have always been free.
629 · Jul 2015
Missing Pieces
David Hall Jul 2015
A part of me has passed,
but I’m remiss to grieve it.
In fact I think it best,
should I decide to leave it.

What part of me is gone?
You may have thought to wonder.
Many hours I have lost,
sitting silently to ponder.

Even knowledge of the loss,
first took me by surprise.
Whatever part of me has left,
has left without goodbyes.

I guess it matters not,
what is lost is soon forgotten.
Why spare a passing thought,
of how it’s loss was first begotten.
As we get older we change as people, sometimes we look back and realize we have lost something of ourselves, but it's often hard to know what that thing is.
626 · Jul 2015
hero (10w)
David Hall Jul 2015
If you try to save everyone
              eventually, you lose yourself.
622 · Sep 2014
Poetry
David Hall Sep 2014
Is mans attempt to organize a disparate group of words into a singlular coherant statement capable of telling the story of a life.
Just watched dead poets society.
619 · Jul 2015
jump
David Hall Jul 2015
when you find yourself against the wall
scared to death that you might fall
petrified that you'll loose it all

jump
618 · Aug 2014
Lonely Poet
David Hall Aug 2014
All alone in a crowded room
don’t think anyone can hear me.
So far away from human touch
despite all these people near me.

I spend the night inside my head
and wonder how they see me.
Could they ever understand
just what it’s like to be me?

Late at night I close my eyes
and I analyze their faces.
Those who play the parts they play
without questioning their places.

Under  lamplight with my pen
I voice my lonely spirit.
So I’ll no longer be alone
if only you should hear it.
617 · May 2015
a dark poem
David Hall May 2015
the day is darker through my eyes
the night as black as oil
where others see green verdant grass
I see only barren broken soil

my nights are longer, shadows stronger
not letting even starlight in
the dark stands tall and mocks it all
with a queer and maniacal grin

my soul suffers no glad tidings here
and laughs at your naivete
it shudders lonely through the night
as it basks in my depravity
It's funny when you have been on this site long enough you tend to learn what sells.  I wrote this not so much because I am in a sad or dark place, but just because dark poems don't usually do so well on this site and I wanted to mix it up a bit.
611 · Oct 2015
light of the truth
David Hall Oct 2015
the light of the truth
will hurt your eyes
it will break your heart
as it burns your lies
it will turn your stomach
but it will cleanse your soul
it will break your spirit
but it will make you whole
there are few alive
strong enough to see
the world as it is
not as they wish it to be
608 · Oct 2014
you know I mean it
David Hall Oct 2014
I love you
sometimes that’s hard to hear
when life gets tough
the road gets rough
and your heart is full of fear

I love you
might even be hard to believe
after we've had our fights
turned out the lights
and just slept without reprieve

I love you
can sometimes lose all meaning
when it’s said a million times
after a million crimes
it starts to sound demeaning

I love you
I pray to god, you know I mean it
no matter time or space
forever you have a place
in my heart, please know I mean it
601 · Nov 2010
Sleepless Nights
David Hall Nov 2010
Blurry eyes it’s one am
And sleep has yet to find me
Broken thoughts assault my mind
Can’t seem to put the day behind me

A wayward search against my will
Of missed chances I’m reminded
A fruitless search to find my flaws
By my assumptions am I blinded

The deafening sounds of a quiet night
Prevent the peace that I am seeking
All the while inside my head
Can’t keep reality from speaking

Tomorrow comes much too soon
When yesterday fails to cease its waking
The new days light on my bloodshot eyes
Another sleepless night is in the making
591 · May 2015
vicinity
David Hall May 2015
I will be eternally content
just to reside in your vicinity
to sometimes hear your laugh
and see you let your hair down
never closer than arms length
always standing just off stage
happy just to be near by
while your light is on display
587 · Jul 2015
unspoken
David Hall Jul 2015
middle of july
sunset on a hazy summer day
we lay exhausted and damp
concrete still warm from midday sun

a picturesque memory
deep summer green grass
meticulously manicured
trees in full summer plumage

light from the magic hour
reflecting off your sky blue eyes
the moment bursting with tension

there are words I could have said
to rewrite our entire future lives
but when I searched for them
all that I could find was silence
562 · Jun 2015
Human Uncertainty Principle
David Hall Jun 2015
The only thing separating a profound thought from a ridiculous one is the audience.

The truly courageous are those that tell the same truth no matter who is listening.
553 · Sep 2014
Radio
David Hall Sep 2014
I still think of you every time I hear a 90’s song.
Which is to say every time the radio is on.
What am I saying, no one owns a radio anymore.
545 · Feb 2010
Passing Daydream
David Hall Feb 2010
Life is but a passing daydream,
that seldom does make sense.
I often wonder if I should wake,
what memories carry hence?

Yesterday a fuzzy recollection.
Tomorrow a cloudy ocean.
Today as clear as clear can be,
as preconceived as any notion.

Understanding is sometimes found,
when clarity meets truth,
but its hard to say if it was real,
once time and space have moved.

Life is lived by a routine,
that seldom ever varies.
My thoughts are often found,
where routine seldom tarries.

I awake some days to find,
the yoke of expectation
****** upon my shoulders
without want of explanation.

Hours of those days grind by,    
in meaningless frustration.
Watching my potential pass,
while occupied by occupation.

The yearning to be free,
that stirs within my soul.
Is gently lulled asleep again,
by pastimes I am sold.

Life is but a passing daydream,
that seldom does make sense.
I often wonder if I should wake,
what memories carry hence?
added punctuation- From Missing Pieces
535 · Nov 2012
Standing Still
David Hall Nov 2012
Standing still
at the speed of light
Reality goes rushing by.
Hold just one thought
with all your might.

A quiet mind
on a wave of sound.
Reality comes crashing down.
Hold your breath
til peace is found.

A restless dream
when your wide awake.
Reality has given way.
Hold your place in
the world you make.

Standing still
at the speed of light.
Reality is your frame of mind.
Free your thoughts
And enjoy the ride.
527 · Aug 2014
tomorrow's already here
David Hall Aug 2014
dreams and memories
get muddled in my mind
I can’t remember what I've lost
or what I've left behind

it’s like an important part of me
has forgotten to exist
while in reality what’s left me
continues to persist

I sacrificed my youth
on the altar of tomorrow
the futures full of hope
that yesterday can borrow

but when dreams come true
they often lose their silver lining
that star that I've been wishing on
has already ceased it’s shining

as I wake up from my slumber
I realize that tomorrows finally here
and it’s everything and anything
I had ever hoped to fear

the question one must ask oneself
is the same one everyday
if I dream hard enough tomorrow
can I find a better way
527 · Aug 2015
sky full of maybe
David Hall Aug 2015
life is hardly ever black and white
even rarer yes or no
life is
an ocean full of gray
surrounded by mountains of doubt
underneath a skyfull of maybe
495 · Mar 2010
Moving On
David Hall Mar 2010
On the brink of letting go,
the future slips at my fingertips.
It’s sad that I might never know,
what the future holds if I hold on.

At the point of no return,
the pages pass and bridges burn.
It’s weird that I might never go,
where I once had been, once I move on.

But it’s the start of a brand new day,
the sun shines bright in a brand new light.
I’ll learn to live, to laugh, and play,
in a brand new place and a brand new way.

It’s well past time that I move on,
the future calls beyond these walls.
It’s better to miss what’s already gone,
than to miss the chance of moving on.
- From Missing Pieces
483 · Nov 2010
Although
David Hall Nov 2010
Although I speak your language
Our words are not the same
Although I play by your rules
I’m not part of your game

Although I share your history
Were not from the same place
Although I run behind you
I care not who wins your race

Although I live among you
This is not my home
Although I walk beside you
In truth I walk alone

Although your eyes are working
You’ve yet to truly see
The truth found in my wording
That might finally set you free
481 · Oct 2014
writers block
David Hall Oct 2014
i’m tired of tattered metaphors
we are all just mongrels made of meat
a flowery soliloquy
only makes old hat smell sweet

there is nothing new under the sun
or so the story goes
a rolling stone does not gather moss
but a poet reaps the words he sows

creativity escapes even me
in a quite unsightly manner
what started out on an epic route
has ended with a stammer
I have been having trouble writing lately, so I just tried to throw some words at the page and see if I could make it flow.
472 · Sep 2014
souls journey
David Hall Sep 2014
wherefore does the soul begin
is it just beneath our human skin
or is it hidden somewhere deep within
somewhere bones have never been

tell me does the soul condense
when it’s days on earth commence
does it altogether cease to be
or does it somehow travel hence

and as for its life before
does it somehow matter more
than anything that might come after
it’s ship departs life’s final shore
467 · Jan 2011
To What End
David Hall Jan 2011
To what end
I’m so sick of wanting
I wish that I could close out the light
Block out the noise
Ignore the world

To what end
I complete another circle
I run the race at breakneck speed
Woe to those who
Refuse to run

To what end
I long to find reason
Not just a reason but reason itself
Six billion people make believe
Everything is real

To what end
Is the universal question
To what end
God laughs at the suggestion
461 · Sep 2014
rainbows fade
David Hall Sep 2014
rainbows they just fade
there is no *** of gold
happy endings only live
in the stories we are told

pictures always lie
they only show the moment
a picture never shows
after the moments over

true love’s a fairy tale
that we happily believe
and we share that fairy tale
with anyone we can deceive

the truth is found in floods
and shards of broken glass
the truth is broken hearts
and moments as they pass
455 · Nov 2012
someone else's star
David Hall Nov 2012
sweetest sounds of laughter
start to waver as they play
all the colors of the rainbow
fade to many shades of gray

i’m slowly robbed of senses
of memories that were mine
as the peaceful rays of moonlight
softly lose their shine

as i try to change
to meet your expectation
i start to loose myself
and my appreciation

it’s i who want your love
and not some imitation
of the mindless fools
with whom you feign relation

but today i’ve seen the light
from someone else’s star
and it makes me stop and wonder
if i've wandered much too far

if i finish what i’ve started
and completely change my heart
i’ll have lost what made me love
and what made me take this part

it’s the man who wasn't good enough
my only self that’s true
i only hope you see his worth
before our stories through
453 · Feb 2015
Poetry
David Hall Feb 2015
The art of saying as much as possible,
                                                  using the fewest words.
452 · Nov 2013
Always Searching
David Hall Nov 2013
As a child I searched for shelter
Safe behind my mother’s arms
Only time revealed the truth
There are many kinds of harm

Adolescence brought my search
To find what constitutes the self
I found we are all made up of parts
We assembled off the shelf

Perhaps my greatest search
Was to find my one true love
I discovered love must be built
It's not just a gift from up above

Now all I seek is forgiveness
In the depths of someone’s eyes
After revealing all my secrets
And surrendering my lies
425 · Sep 2014
the worst kind(10w)
David Hall Sep 2014
I lie all the time, but it's mostly to myself.
424 · Aug 2014
one true love
David Hall Aug 2014
everyone has one true love
well maybe two or three
but you finally found a true love
and I’m glad it wasn't me
This isn't nearly as mean as it sounds.  I just recently saw someone I used to date and she was happy with her husband and their kid and I knew that I would never have been able to make her that happy.
410 · Sep 2014
walk with you
David Hall Sep 2014
in that place where dreams come true
in my heart I’ll walk with you

when storm clouds gather and threaten rain
and I fear I might never see the sun again
in my heart I’m safe with you

when the injustice of life leaves me in in sadness
and hopeless frustration drives me to madness
in my heart I’ll laugh with you

in that place where dreams come true
in my heart I’ll walk with you

when your at the point of letting go
I pray that you will always know
in my heart I have faith in you

if fate should send us separate ways
and we’re miles apart till the end of days
in my heart I’ll stay with you

in that place where dreams come true
in my heart I’ll walk with you
410 · Aug 2014
White Flag
David Hall Aug 2014
My ship is battered beaten
almost broken by the waves.
At the point of giving up,
I was lost at sea for days.

I was chasing love and laughter
all across the seven seas.
My lack of luck proved enough
to drive me to my knees.

Now I've put my ship to port
and the storm clouds have receded.
I hang my head in sorrow,
knowing that I've been defeated

Its peace that I have gained,
but I shudder at the cost.
All a man can hope for,
is the very thing I've lost
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