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 862° 
hannah
do you know the weight of it?
clawing your way up
test after test,
year after year,
to be the perfect reflection of the dreams they have for you,
those that are now your own.
where your worth now hangs.

when they see the prize,
they say, 'oh it comes so easily to her'

Easily?

i bled for this.
i screamt for this.
and my mind?
it whispers
'this is just what you're supposed to do'
you are 'gifted'
its your mere responsibility.
nothing to celebrate. nothing special.

isnt it?
when there are two voices in your mind
one scorning your inadequacy,
the other a desperate, fragile echo of perceived success,
constantly vying, and battling to beat the other;
you yourself get lost in the middle.
 776° 
Carson Dees
If you ever feel,
Like you are an accident,
Just close your eyes,
And listen to the birds,
Tweedle-ee, tweedle-oo,
Hear the sway of the leaves,
Shhhhhh... shhhhhh,
Open your eyes,
See the blue sky,
The green grass,
The fresh air,
And remember,
You
Are
Loved.
Wanted.
Do not give up.
Keep pressing on.
I press on for the prize,
For which God has called me heavenward,
In the name of Christ Jesus.

You are never alone.
 676° 
Laurel Selby
I breathe in sharp breaths
Chest rising then falls
Heart beating as fast
As this cyclonic squall
It's the waiting you see
That makes my mind race
It's the ever unknowing
South East Queenslanders
face
Mother nature holds vengeance
Maybe for all the wrongs we have done
She will hold us to account
Till her damage is done
Once we feel long waited calm
Mother nature's at peace
For our moment in time
Her destruction shall cease.
As we start to assess
and the clean ups begun
Alfred's fear becomes memories
With the warmth of the sun.
In just a few short hours from now we will be hit by Cyclone Alfred, our home falls within the predicted landfall zone, wind gusts of 150 kms (93.2mps) and possibly more than 400mm rain, some areas close to 700mm. It's the waiting that kills me, and the unknowing.
See you all in a few days, cheers Laurel
 520° 
Marc Morais
We hoard thoughts
like coins
that burn the pocket—
the less we have,
the harder it is
to let go.

We treasure their shimmer,
but in the end,
the vault remains bare
of what we hoped
to find—
what we were led
to believe.

We gather—
each passing thought,
as a leaf in a stream
that never stops
flowing away.
 489° 
AWURAA
I place my poems in the middle,
                                                         ­                              I place my poems to the side.

I play my words
                                like a fiddle knowing
                                                         ­             our ideas can't coincide.
 484° 
Joan Zaruba
Hearts are meant to break
This is the undeniable truth of our human condition
Whether the blade is sharpened by lies
or selfishness
or hormones
or mortality,
others will always betray in some way

My demons are the loudest when I’m grieving heartache
My reliance on past paths to numbness breaks my heart anew
Maybe I am as weak as he made me feel
Or maybe I am just human with a heart built to break
 413° 
tiyaja cianni
even now, i'm almost as high as i want to be.

indulging in the first bite of the apple was always a thing for me.

and i take my time with it.
 313° 
Safana
In the hush of night, a star so bright,
Silent beauty, pure and light.
Sadiya, my love, you captivate,
In your presence, my heart does elevate.

With grace unseen, you walk the earth,
A silent beauty, a wondrous birth.
In your eyes, the world finds peace,
A love so deep, it will never cease.

Silent beauty, your essence flows,
In every whisper, my heart knows.
Sadiya, with a tender touch,
You heal my soul, you mean so much.

In silent moments, love’s refrain,
With every glance, you ease the pain.
Your beauty speaks without a word,
In your silence, love is heard.

Oh Sadiya, my heart’s delight,
Silent beauty, shining bright.
With every breath, my love you see,
In silent beauty, you and me.
 309° 
Marc Morais
I move like water
through our conversation—
I make room for her,
my words beneath my tongue,
I listen with care—talk less.
 238° 
SCHEDAR
Drenched in the ink of a dripping black cloud

unleashed from above, always keeping her down

The umbrellas collapse, the wind blows over, but the sad little cloud continues to hover
 221° 
Eindeinne Moon
Pull the trigger, let the bullets fly,
or slit thy throat, or neck—
give me peace of mind,
or I'll give you a piece of my mind.

What if a tight rope will be in my neck,
since it fits in me?
Or what if I jump on top of the building?
What if I run away from my life,
run away from everything?
 212° 
morallygray
If I saw you again
I'd want to believe
I could say 1000 words

Alas, my love
we were never meant
to be more than just a picture

Aren't they supposed to last longer?

Go now

Be the bird
you always wanted to be

I will watch
As you fly into the sun
Growing ever smaller

Becoming so much bigger
 203° 
Lawrence Hall
Lawrence Hall
Mhall46184@aol.com
Dispatches for the Colonial Office

                         A Somewhat Whiny Morning Prayer

If only the day
Will live up to the promise
Of this golden dawn
 190° 
Nishu Mathur
In every flower
There is a poem
In a garland
There's poetry

Pastel similes
Bright metaphors
Sweet allusions
Quaint allegories

In every flower
There is a poem
For every season
And every day

A song of Spring
A verse of winter -
And all that life
Brings your way.
 179° 
Hank Love
The truth a faceless enemy
Lurks in shadows awaiting your plea
A haunting specter hid from your gaze
Paralyzing fear that mirrors your haze

Dust and serpents
Floating around my head
Capture the winding moment
And it strikes my hand

A curious heart,
A souls request
To seek not find
Onwards now and never rest

Once the truth is found
What then my friend
Shall we string the lies
Until the end

Dust and serpents
Floating around my head
Capture the winding moment
And it strikes my hand

Lies like gasoline
A fire dancing in the night
The truth sending to the guillotine
Keep the spirit young and alive

Dust and serpents
Floating around my head
Capture the winding moment
And it strikes my hand
 177° 
Lim Peh
I find myself wishing I had the courage to say
I wove the strings of fate that tied us together
This thought has always haunted me.

People you meet once
and never again in your life.

You have a static picture in your mind
of their face
the small conversation
their little story they tell you
the place you met them
in a bus, a shop, on the road
interactions not long
but meaningfully small
yet leaving a memory in you.

I think of all those people
I stopped by to ask for time
seek direction of my destination
or asking where I might find
food or a resting place
in an unfamiliar area.

Once and just once you meet them.

On a summer trip, I was looking for icecream
in a strange place off the highway
walked ten minutes to find a shop
where for that brief encounter
the seller made me feel like
he had known me for long
shared the history of that area
the migration and culture of the residents
before helping me with the right icecream.

Sometimes I wonder
if they would have enriched my life
were they part of my association.

Not scholars, not rich, but simple men
who bring you down to earth
and carve a space in your mindscape.

Sadly you meet them once in your life.

I feel it's so designed.
 156° 
Millee
no i'm not "okay"
one minute up, the next minute down
i can't tell what's me or what's not
are these voices mine?

the whispers inside
urge me to listen
to do as they say
and slowly fade away
 151° 
A M Ryder
It is no measure
Of good health
To be well adjusted
To a profoundly
Sick society
 150° 
SøułSurvivør
____
|                    |
|                   |
  |                   |  
---‐--------------

the earth isn't flat
like paper
it's an origami crane



SøułSurvivør aka
Write of Passage aka
Invisible inc
 149° 
Sunamin Tamang
I wished that I were He
Or
She were You  instead
But Time a fickle Artisan
Had other Hands  to Thread
 132° 
JohnDuffyASY
A supernatural piece.

Only read if you want more love and understanding in your life!

(A lone voice whispers after lighting a candle. The invocation ends with the blowing out of the candle, after the last line is recited)

The Prayer to The Elementals.
Candēla Meditation.

(A lone voice whispers)

Power of Air
Power of Land

Hear my souls
Holy writs

I pray for love and understanding
So come my way

Power of Night
Power of Day

Hear what I say

I summon thee to protect me
So be it

(C)
Copyright John Duffy

P.S

You do realise by reading it silently, you've summoned more love and understanding into your life?

Energy goes where attention flows.
 125° 
Ariana Emu
I wanted to be a river,
carving my own way through stone,
but the world built dams,
redirected my course,
taught me that freedom has rules.
I wanted to be the artist,
to paint in colors only I could see,
but they handed me a template,
said, "Fill inside the lines."
Every day, I push against the shape
they force me into
and every day, I bend,
just a little
more,
until I wonder if I am still me
 124° 
Sofiia Shmulia
my heart is dying so am i
it hurts every night
i can’t leave you alone
because i love you
 119° 
izzmidnight
Sorry
that I've blocked your calls
for months on end
but I still listen to the voicemails
that you send.

Sorry
that sometimes I'm mean,
treating you like jewelry
I've used to numb the pain
and all of the grief.

Sorry
that I change my mind
so frequently each day,
never meaning to use you
or pull you every which way.

Sorry
that I still know your birthday,
that my favorite songs became
your favorites too,
and that just won't fade away.

Sorry
that I couldn't be better for you
and that I still can't believe
anyone could ever
be in love with me.

Sorry
everything wasn't better
and I was so naive and blind
to the way we were
always leaving each other behind.

Sorry
that I run when things are good
and stay when things are bad,
I guess I never understood
what we had.

Sorry
that I flinch every time
you lay your eyes on me
because you do it like no one else—
like I'm someone you can please.

Sorry
that I broke your heart,
my ignorance strikes again
because things didn't get better
and you couldn't see the end.

Sorry
that I couldn't love you
or be better for you, baby
but someone will love you,
it just won't be me.
I really appreciate comments and feedback! :)
 105° 
Ryan O'Leary
Pudzy waz a Kit Ogue dat
eye kan surelee cay, sum
tink hee waz dislecksick two.

Hee uzed two rite stowrees
funee wuns dat dunnsizz
kuld reed reely reely eezilly.

Brudder Cleetise taught
eye woz a gud reeder evin
sed eye wood **** seed.
 95° 
Ralph Bobian
And I hope the bridges that I’ve burned
Are there still floating in the river
And maybe someday when it’s my turn
I can put a path between our distance
I’ll rebuild and make what’s right
But it’s only if you’d reconsider,
And then I’d have the courage
To build and cross that bridge,
If only just once more
But it’s only if you’d reconsider….
but that doesn’t seem so sure
No it doesn’t seem so sure..
 94° 
Mary Huxley
If you return,
do not knock,
the door has memorized your hands.

If you leave,
do not turn back,
the wind carries only forward.
 91° 
Ian K
Marble is cold
like a lover, scorned.
Hard. Cutting.
It rejects heat.

Yet,
If you should touch
that frigid matter,
painstakingly, you can bring it to life;

make it look like there is blood
flooding through that stone.
 85° 
Barton D Smock
mothered by a silent
shape my
mouth
The snow  has covered the ground, for the past,
Four or five days, the air temperature outside,
Staying around twenty degrees, the beautiful,
White covering, will be around, another day.
Looking out my window, across Maxwell’s creek,
I can see, through the leafless trees, a deer,
Roaming around, in Schooley’s woods, with the white,
Background, a wonderful sight to see. The squirrels,
Leave their nest, racing down the bark, of the tall trees,
Amazing, with the snow covered ground, they have a,
Way of knowing, where they buried, nuts, for their winter feed.
In my view, no buildings, utility poles, or people do my eyes see,
Just beautiful, mother nature, staring at me.


                                     The original: Tom maxwell  © 1/14/2023 A.D.
 79° 
Marc Morais
The pears
bend the
crooked branches—
flushed
and drowsy
with sugar.

The juice waits
for something—
for its skin
to be bruised,
for a mouth
to bite in,
and when done
waiting—
suffer the wind
do what must
be done.
 79° 
Jessica B
If I could count the reasons I loved you….

Then I never truly loved you at all.
 73° 
SleepEasy
They're gonna peel the truth out of you
and you cannot escape
It's not a question, you will betray
all the things your conscience wouldn't say

You will admit
All that you did
You wanted to play
While others replay

Your foul crimes in their hearts
Memories of your deeds won't depart
It's no use to pray
You did it to one you did it to God
 73° 
NafisaSB
If a storm comes in your life, ride it
If a problem occurs in your life, solve it
If you feel intense misery- hide it
But if you feel immense joy – share it
 67° 
Mateuš Conrad
On the island of Kauai
I sit in the afternoon and sip
My second 50cl of *****
With seltzer and a wedge of
Lime
While it rains and I laugh
And I almost cry but it's raining
So enough salt in the sea
And she's making dinner and asked
Me to read: why weight around
By A. C. L, MD, MPH...
and I already told her I don't
Like to think about food
I might hate thinking about
Exercise but when I get going
I like the mechanisation of
Ego in Machina...
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