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David L Butler Apr 2020
Socially distant,
It’s nothing new to me,
Kinda consistent,
With the way I tend to be,
No resistance,
From the likes of those like me,
Drifting in the distance,
Is where I feel free.

However…I will admit,
It is not really a choice,
More often than not,
I am just a lone voice,
I don’t like to shout,
I am more in than out,
Hidden somewhere in the shadows,
Wherever they like to turn the lights down low.

I am…like the silent breeze…that you only feel…when you stand still,
And pause for a moment.

It is not an advantage,
But it is not always the opposite,
It is the role I play,
My character in the script,
Never the star,
A face in the chorus line,
But given the choice,
I’d be three steps behind.
Hm…
Three steps behind,
That’s where I’ll be,
Socially distancing,
Three steps behind,
Drifting in the distance,
Where the lights are lows,
In the chorus line,
Three steps behind.
David L Butler Dec 2019
It seems to be so effortless for them,
They move with such ease,
Some perform with a natural finesse,
Others hit it hard like a caveman,
But all, succeed.

Yes, they all feel hurt as we all do,
And most need a little time in-between,
But picking themselves up,
And dusting themselves down,
They are soon back up upon their feet.

They dance in ever-decreasing circles,
Spinning out better-crafted lines,
Rolling the dice over and again,
Sometimes hitting a double,
They know how to read the signs.

And yeah, of course, they make mistakes,
They are only human just like I,
But they learn from them,
The get better at playing the game,
And their techniques more refined.

And some of them work it all out,
The journey has a destination,
They come out of the other side,
Better, fuller, more complete,
Doubled up with a trusted companion.

Then there is I,
And those like I.

I wander in a buttoned-up silence,
Occasionally crack a joke or two,
A million questions in my head,
But not a single one said,
Even when I have nothing to lose.

They say there is a seat at the table for all,
And that there are no rules,
But I don’t understand the game,
And I bleed my pain in private,
Cause in every crowd there is one to play the fool.

I used to watch them from the sidelines,
Now I don’t watch them at all,
I confine myself to the shadows,
Hiding away in the darkness,
Surrounding myself by four walls.

I am no longer a player in the game,
Not sure if I ever was at all,
But don’t get me wrong,
There were times I thought I’d got it right,
There were moments of standing tall.

I can’t do what they do with ease,
Don’t ask why cause I just don’t know,
If I did, then I would change it,
No one wants to be this way,
Life for me is to silently come and go,
With nothing will be left behind.
David L Butler Dec 2019
Am I disappointed?
Well, there was an expectation,
But it never happened,
What could have been wasn't,
And decisions have been left open,
Everything continues on as it did before.
The ‘might have beens’ ,
The 'could have beens',
The 'possibles',
And the 'maybes',
Are now just rolling,
Like tumbleweed on a dusty street.

I bid them farewell,
As I pass them by.
David L Butler Dec 2019
It is hard,
Coming in last,
Spending time,
Living in the past,
Where memories,
Are fading fast.

I sit and listen
To the tick-tock,
Of the wall-mounted,
Kitchen clock,
That doesn’t seem,
To ever stop.
(Just keeps marching on)

Like everyone else,
I was a part of the race,
But I struggle, lost footing,
I couldn’t keep the pace,
And here I am,
Coming in last,
Here I am,
Lost in the past.

I remember once,
The dreams of youth,
That feeling of having,
Something to prove,
But all that was proved,
Is that dreams,
Don’t always come true.

I sit and watch,
From the window,
I sit and wait,
In the shadows,
I sit and listen,
For the wall-mounted,
Kitchen clock,
To finally,
Tick tock stop.
David L Butler May 2019
Like an old box, by a lamppost,
Soaked in the morning rain,
Like a tin can, discarded and misplaced,
Singing out its pain,
Like a newspaper, caught in a breeze,
That flutters from place to place,
Till it's caught in a tree,
Trapped within the branches,
With no means of escape.

Like a road, that leads nowhere,
And has nowhere to go,
Like a dried up stream, of yesteryear,
That will never again flow,
Like the weeds, that choke the soil,
Stealing away natures beauty,
Like the rusty broken leaves,
That fall from the dead tree,
When the cycle has no need to begin again,

Cause when the day is over,
The day is done,
And it is time to turn out the light.
To close the curtains,
Shut out the world,
And free yourself from the fight.
To leave the room,
Close the door,
And lie with the fallen.
Cause when the story ends,
The story is finished,
And the writer puts down the pen.
David L Butler May 2019
The waiting silence of the room is broken, when a door at the far end is swiftly opened; They enter one by one and take up their positions, they are given a moment to make final preparations.

The Lady, she enters with confidence, and like well-trained dogs, they stand in obedience; She got a unique style that cannot be matched by another, a fashion that gives the eye nothing but pleasure.

The Lady’s beauty is considered undeniable, she has a smile that renders each one of them incapable, of acting in any other way than as a gentleman, standing tall and proud with the best of them.

The Lady dresses in lace, she dresses in leather, she floats as glides as light as a feather; The Lady glances at them as they straighten, stood like statues they await their inspection.

The Lady doesn’t speak as she has no need to, through gestures and nods they know what to do; Her maid walks beside her making whispered notes - never catching an eye - in her Mistress pleasure she is engrossed.

Once the Lady has walked the line and circled the room, she pauses for a moment in silent contemplation; The Lady considers their attributes and the pleasure they may offer, she has a need to satisfy, a desire that has become a hunger.

The Lady raises her head as she crosses to leave, but before she does she catches her maids sleeve, bringing her close she whispers briefly into her ear, and swiftly exits with only her fragrance left in the air.

The maid crosses to the one chosen as her Lady’s choice, the winner declared but the others do not consider it a loss; they nod to one another as they break their statuesque poses, relaxing their postures, and pulling free the bows.

The Lady’s choice is the first to leave the room, and then one by one their presence is removed; The door at the far end is then gently closed, and a waiting silence returns to the room.
David L Butler Jun 2018
There is something wrong…possibly,
But I don’t know what it is,
Yet within this ignorance,
I can find a sense of bliss,
Cause when this game is over,
I won’t really mind,
Cause It seems I was always,
On the losing side,
So please respect,
When I say,
I have nothing to lose,
I only have,
Peace to gain.
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