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Oct 10 · 25
Moanday
Hank Helman Oct 10
Can you tell me your story in one word or two,
Have you lived a best life with a sharp point of view,
I will summarize mine in a quick turn of phrase,
I longed for each Friday, dreading Monday's malaise.
Oct 6 · 19
1000
Hank Helman Oct 6
Have you ever killed anyone?

Not knowingly.

Have you ever hurt someone so badly that they wanted to **** themselves?

Yes.

Have you told more than 1000 lies in your life?

Yes, I'm sure I have.

Have you ever turned your back on someone who needs help.

Every day.

How do you live with yourself?

I rent space in my head. The lease is up soon.
Sep 10 · 309
Soup
Hank Helman Sep 10
My mother told me she spent all of her life with the wrong person, He said to her casually.

Your father, She replied with her eyebrows raised.

No, herself, He responded and finished putting the groceries away.
Aug 25 · 57
Map
Hank Helman Aug 25
Map
I cannot stop the slip and slide,
I pretend a choice, no place to hide.
The world spins round the same each day,
I sit and wonder, my thoughts at play.

There's no free will, it isn't there,
The physics firm, no why, no where,
The past is the only past allowed,
The future set, the science proud.

So if your life is just a map,
The route laid out,your death the trap,
Then worry less and laugh out loud,
Your date is set, no tears allowed.
May 29 · 121
Cojones
Hank Helman May 29
I used to have a cause.
But now it's a because.
May 20 · 82
Are
Hank Helman May 20
Are
Doubts are dreams we all cast aside,
Wishes are friends we invite inside,
Regrets are moments frozen in time,
Joy is a collection of pennies and dimes.

Love is a hat, worn smart with a tilt,
Fear is bite of anger and guilt,
Sorrow is a song, sung all alone,
Grief is wound from a very sharp stone.
Just having fun on a cloudy day
May 20 · 201
Undress.
Hank Helman May 20
Undress me, she said.

My pleasure, he responded.

I want to stand naked in front of you, she offered.

I won't be able to control myself, he countered.

You must. Enjoy me, devour me and once you are aroused and wild eyed put on the blind fold, she instructed.

With pleasure, he replied.

Accept the darkness as you explore every inch of me with your hands and your lips, she added.

Is there any forbidden territory, he wondered.

None. I am yours, she declared as the first buttons came undone.
May 19 · 150
Wish-away
Hank Helman May 19
We love to fight, our favourite thing,
**** and slaughter, God save the King,
War is when we do our best,
Medals pinned on each brave chest.

Will it ever end, our anger gone,
Can we ever say we all belong.
I think, I dream, be still no more,
Make love,be kind, say no to war.
Play chess. Eat popcorn. De-escalate
May 18 · 61
Day
Hank Helman May 18
Day
Krista makes me want to dance,
Rob paints words with circumstance,
Victoria smiles, the kindest eyes,
Melancholy knows that love is wise.

Bones is searching for a hopeful heart,
Emmanuel smiles, all humour's art,
Solange sees others first and pure,
Melissa's kindness will pearl endure.

So why is now the only time,
Surely things will always rhyme,
Is dawn a beginning or a sweet revenge,
A time of day to think of friends.

We walk alone, it's our sealed fate,
We search at night, we consummate,
Your naked body pressed to mine,
Love is our boast, your lips divine.
May 18 · 71
Poop
Hank Helman May 18
If I make a donation,
I get a standing ovation,
Yet scrimp and be stingy
And I'm treated as cringey.

Or maybe I'm lost,
And my work just gets tossed,
A lost poet who pouts,
For sure on his way outs.
Does making a donation to HP improve one's trend performance. Or am I just writing dumb **** now. I have no ******* idea.
Apr 30 · 56
Tumble
Hank Helman Apr 30
Let the little things go,
Let your thoughts run free,
Yes, ghosts will appear,
We won't always agree.

Beliefs are assumptions
Just a branch or a twig,
When grafted all together
Our kindness will grow big.

Now I'm not naive
Nor a sweet and silly bean,
I know evil is a shadow,
As it creeps along unseen.

So smile at a stranger,
Whisper in an ear,
Listen first and then reply
Our words cause all the fear.
Apr 30 · 75
Tippers
Hank Helman Apr 30
Do you believe in God, he asked her.

Of course not, she replied.

Do you believe in free will, he queried.

Physics says it's impossible, she responded.

Do you think time is irreversible, he insisted.

Time is consciousness. It simply informs us that we will die someday, she countered.

Pizza or chicken wings tonight, he asked.

Can we eat in bed, she replied.

Sure, he said.

Then both, and she smiled at him.
Apr 30 · 55
Her
Hank Helman Apr 30
Her
Can we walk and talk, all memories,
The past so light and feathery,
My life now love and revery,
Your smile so complimentary.

Kiss me, tickle, tease a bit,
How many years did we commit,
So willingly did I submit,
Love is our bond with innocence.
Reflection seems to have devoured me. HH
Apr 30 · 46
Bad
Hank Helman Apr 30
Bad
Come and butter my croissant, she said.

A little dabble is just what I need, he replied.

Pinocchio is a bad, bad boy, she responded.

Damsel in damp distress, so many ghosts and goblins, he answered.
Apr 30 · 43
Search
Hank Helman Apr 30
How long can fingers grasp and hold,
The things we did, we were so bold,
Doubt was never at our door,
Each day was simply more and more.

How lucky was my search for love,
To find you there, a gift above,
We will reach our end together,
Devotion is the perfect tether.
I've been lucky in love. Very.
Apr 22 · 54
Fig
Hank Helman Apr 22
Fig
Tell me, taunt me, tattle tales,
Catch me, clench me, countervails,
Ask and answer, ache all over,
Hover, hasten, head hungover.
Is it time to say goodbye?
Apr 21 · 47
Hunger
Hank Helman Apr 21
I like teasing you, she said,
And lifted her tube top up,
Half way down aisle 6.

They were searching for mung beans,
To make soup,
To drink out of a cup,
While they swing in the hammock,
On their porch.

How did I ever find you, he said,
As he turned her around,
Kissed her neck,
And hugged her warmly from behind.
Apr 20 · 48
u
Hank Helman Apr 20
u
Do you think we will ever be in love again, she asked.

I think we are beyond love and always will be, he replied.

What comes after obsession with another, she responded.

A preoccupation with the unknowns, he suggested.

Death, quantum entanglement, how birds fly, she laughed

And how I can't stop thinking about you every second of every day, he said.

Isn't that love, she teased.

I don't know what it is and I don't ask anymore, he replied.

Kiss me, she said and captured his hand in hers.
Apr 19 · 56
Cheese
Hank Helman Apr 19
A poem a day is not cure,
It's lollipops and green manure,
So hold your nose
And close your eyes,
The smell of cheese,
Is my surprise.
silly moments are just fun
Apr 9 · 45
Circus
Hank Helman Apr 9
We were not innocent.

The desperate choke of religion,
A Jesus with our ham and cheese,
Jammed down our throats everyday,
Alliance with Satan implied and guaranteed,
If we deviated even one degree.

But then, to be honest,
We weren't that afraid.
And we were not innocent.

The offspring of war heroes,
We mimicked battles,
Received toy machine guns as gifts,
We joked endlessly with each other.
Babbled on in rushing rapid ramble,
About killing the enemy,
About nothing,
About school,
About the Maple Leafs.
About castles in the sky.


We shoplifted on a dare,
Bought cigarettes as ten year olds,
A full pack was twenty five cents,
We blew smoke rings for hours
While lying on our backs in the long grass,
Giant jumbo clouds floated by,
Our circus in the sky.

We peeked in windows, hid in bushes,
Learned about women's bodies
While she brushed her teeth,
And examined herself for lumps and bumps.
It was exciting beyond our wildest
******* fantasies.

We were young.
We were eager.
We couldn't wait to live each day.
We were boomers on the rise,
Life was meant to be exciting.
Apr 8 · 50
Strangers
Hank Helman Apr 8
Look ahead.
We are at the end of work.
Everything we need or want,
Will be produced by technology.

Food, medicine, law, therapy, things.
All done without us. For us.

So what will you do?

Talk to strangers.
It's ok.
We need answers.
Apr 6 · 35
I
Hank Helman Apr 6
I
I will not cry.
I'm a man.

I will not complain.
I am free.

I will not ****,
I will protect.

I will not be a victim.
I have choice.

I will be kind.
But I will not lie.

I will never abandon.
Ever.
Mar 31 · 48
Sunset
Hank Helman Mar 31
We weren't poor.
Not neither rich.

We were kids who played outdoors for hours.
Days.
Had to.
Indoors was dead, dark and dry.

Bee stings, marbles, kick the can,
British bulldog,
Hop scotch, hide and seek,
War, sneak peeking in windows,
Firecrackers, red rover,
And we rode bikes everywhere.
Just left them on the ground.

In 1960 HALF the world was under the age of 18.
Boomers owned the dog!
We were so sure of ourselves.

Don't get me wrong.
Life is getting better.
But wow did **** go by fast.
Mar 30 · 41
Fall
Hank Helman Mar 30
What would I tell a younger me,
Buy Apple, Amazon, be a franchisee,
Make money'd be my drab and drone,
Abandon passion with its tiresome moan.

But if you are trapped inside a dream,
With no escape from the poet's scheme,
Then let go now of all trepidation
And live your life in anticipation.

For an artist is a soul that's lost,
Curious, carefree, despite that cost,
And if you member with rogues and jesters,
Then death scares not and fear sequesters.
Mar 29 · 47
Middle
Hank Helman Mar 29
I like talking to boys I do not know, she said.
I like *** except in hammock, I responded. And swallowed my tongue.

What is the fastest ******* have ever had, she queried.

With a girl I met in a cross walk. We stopped in the middle of the street. I said wanna, she said yes. My van was parked at the Safeway. I never knew her name. Nor her mine. It was pure.

If you buy me dinner, you have to marry me, my angel responds.
And I thought about apple pie for desert.
Mar 29 · 40
Petit
Hank Helman Mar 29
If you were standing on the side of the road,
With your thumb out,
I'd pick you up,
She said to me.

Strangers can be dangerous, I replied,
Acting all give and take.

It's never the hitchhiker that commits the crime,
She responded and batted her raquel L'Oreal mascara eyes directly at me.

I'm rowdy that you are even going my way, I retorted, nonsensically, my best poet's nose at precisely 45 degrees in the air.

We are going all the way mon petit chou, she said and slipped her hand down the front of my jeans.
Mar 27 · 72
3
Hank Helman Mar 27
3
I believe in science, evolution, matter can neither
Be created nor destroyed.
I have the t-shirts, I follow astronomy,
James Webb, quarks, neutrinos, black holes as giant bathtub drains,
And ok, string theory is a bit of a stretch.

But for 3 billion years all of life on earth was single cell creatures,
That got along.
We cooperated with one another,
Shared the space,
A gentle *** bump was as harsh as we got.

We can do it. We have the know how.
Deep inside of all of us,
We just wanna dance.
We can do it.
Yes we can.
Mar 26 · 180
Task
Hank Helman Mar 26
Look, I'm in a rush.
I'm trying to make profound observations,
Before I hurry to a workout,
Where I'll  devour a protein bar,
Sweat rivers and streams,
Huff and puff like the little engine that could,
After witch,
I'll stand sideways and look in a mirror.
I don't know why, people just do it,
And then for a few seconds,
I'll pretend that I'm  17.

So.
You can often trust a stranger more than a friend.
If you want the truth ask someone you do not know.
Mar 24 · 134
O
Hank Helman Mar 24
O
You know that way you look at me,
With your seductious, come hither, taylor eyes.

Well, I experience a kind of reverse nostalgia,
When you lust and oggle,

And I realize that this is the moment,
The exact moment,
That one day,
I will yearn for,
As I stare out and through an uncurtained window.
Mar 23 · 79
Zip
Hank Helman Mar 23
Zip
She likes to ask me a question,
When she kneels down in front of me,

Which one of the Beatles would you have been,
Her hands on my zipper,
The button on my jeans set free.

Let me take you down, she winks at me,
Causing I'm going down and she laughs.
Strawberry Fields forever.
Mar 19 · 67
April
Hank Helman Mar 19
Windows open night and day,
Snow melts into waterways,
I breathe fresh air, a rich bouquet,
A time to laugh, my child at play.
I'm up and down, in and out. This moment my poet is drawn out. I am a child is so many ways.
Mar 6 · 143
Full
Hank Helman Mar 6
Each day a brighter setting sun,
A full moon's promise, Spring's begun,
Dawn is destined, new life has spun,
I sleep well knowing, love has won.
Days are getting lighter and longer. What a relief.
Mar 4 · 69
Tigs
Hank Helman Mar 4
You want honesty. Truth. Tabernacle.

First we dance, hoppa beat.
Then we clap, two times rhythm,
And finally we sing, four levels of harmony.

Love is action, never reflection.
Move those feet.
Sweat, smile, swoon, sing.
Jan 16 · 68
Winter
Hank Helman Jan 16
Wicked weather, storms all night,
Snow white world, now sun so bright.
Solstice is life's shortest day,
Winter is our chance  to play.
I love winter in Canada. It's the time of year when we have the most fun
Jan 14 · 66
Self
Hank Helman Jan 14
Stare at yourself in the mirror.

Hold your gaze for 60 seconds,
All the time repeating the phrase,
I love you.

Self love is acceptance,
And all of love starts there.
Jan 14 · 58
Toffee
Hank Helman Jan 14
I keep forgetting why I'm mad at people.
****, I hate getting old.
Jan 13 · 54
Kneel
Hank Helman Jan 13
Can we bacon wrap our mentalation,
Poke badgers with a spoon,
Marijane our neighbours,
Do a solid afternoon.

Will you hold hands orange county,
Stare jar jar binks alone.
Will you stay with me forever,
Can we slip into the zone.
My marriage proposal.
Jan 12 · 63
Chatsonnet
Hank Helman Jan 12
Amidst the dawn, where sun-kissed dreams take flight,
First love emerges, tender, pure, and bright.
In youthful hearts, a melody takes hold,
A sonnet's verse, where emotions unfold.

With hesitant steps, we dance the unknown,
A waltz of feelings, beautifully grown.
In every glance, a world anew is spun,
A tale of hearts entwined, two becoming one.

Soft whispers linger in the moonlit air,
As stars bear witness to a love so rare.
The touch of hands, a gentle, sweet caress,
Ignites a flame, a passion to confess.

Oh, first love, like a sonnet finely penned,
In every beat, a timeless love, transcendent.
ok no more chatgpt for now. we are in a new age of creativity. I think it is exciting.
Jan 12 · 77
Ta
Hank Helman Jan 12
Ta
Autumn leaves descend,
Silent whispers, life transcends,
Death's embrace, a friend
Also chatgpt haiku
Jan 12 · 80
Chatgpt
Hank Helman Jan 12
I asked chatgpt to write me a poem about death and to make it happy. Below

In shadows'embrace, a dance unseen,
Where sunsets fade, and stars convene,
A journey's end, a tranquil flight,
Through veils of time, toward gentle night.

No sorrow lingers, only grace,
As whispers echo in death's embrace.
The weary soul finds sweet release,
In realms where joy and sorrows cease.

A tapestry woven, threads unfold,
In realms unknown, a story told.
For in the circle of life's grand scheme,
Death, a serene and joyous dream.
Don't like the realms x2 but not bad. Thoughts?
Jan 12 · 57
Sour
Hank Helman Jan 12
Fight
For peace,

Surrender,
To the confederates within.

Take up arms,
And bravely manifest the truce.

Contradict,
For clarity.

Ask,
So that you may give.

Write,
So that the whole world might read.

Lie,
And demonstrate your honesty.

Die,
In order to be born.

Laugh,
While the sweet and sour tears adorn.

Fear quietly,
Your bravery will soar,

You have one life.
And an infinite number of possibilities.

You be you. Nothing more or less will do.
Jan 5 · 189
And
Hank Helman Jan 5
And
I love you is now meaningless.

I trust you means everything.

And I do.
There is a bright sun today. A cold, dry winter shrugs and nods off. Goes back to sleep. Maybe one life is enough after all.
Jan 1 · 66
Poems
Hank Helman Jan 1
Have you lingered long enough,
Lived a life and done some stuff,
Do you fear your last few thoughts
The holy sound of nots and naughts.

Let me set your mind at ease,
There will be no one left to please,
Close your eyes and shepherd home,
Death is but your final poem.
Dec 2023 · 74
Strong
Hank Helman Dec 2023
We measure love as we receive it,
A smile, a kiss, something that pleases.

We never tally love as given,
A gift we give with no red ribbon.

I have learned so little in so long,
But when love's shared, it makes us strong.
You have an infinite amount of love. Give it freely.
Dec 2023 · 493
Alone
Hank Helman Dec 2023
Sadness in the ink of night,
Memories restless soon take flight,
Night time is my darkest joy,
Time is just  a tic tok ploy.

Dreams that linger, friendships gone,
Carefree days had smiles and song.
I've lived a life that makes me think,
And now I sleep close to the brink.
We are not alone in this life. But the longer you live the more alone you will become. Memories help us to accept the unavoidable. Keep your pics near and look at them often.
Dec 2023 · 517
Me
Hank Helman Dec 2023
Me
I will not try harder.
Anymore.

This is me.

I will no longer improve,
Or promise to do better

This is me.

I will not kneel to a god,
Or bow to an idea,
Or cower in the shadow of the ordained.
No. Never.

This is me

I will not beg for love,
Or cry for forgiveness.
Or apologize for my thoughts.

This is me.

I'm the best that I can be.
And I'm ok with that.

This is me
Dec 2023 · 350
Into
Hank Helman Dec 2023
Trauma isn't memories.

It's the inability to turn things into memory.

What hurt's us most.

Lingers.
Dec 2023 · 93
Play
Hank Helman Dec 2023
When you suggested we play hide and seek,
I did not realize you were talking about your emotions.
Dec 2023 · 92
Boot
Hank Helman Dec 2023
I don't want to be happy,
It's a selfish pursuit,
I'd rather be helpful,
Like a firm fitting boot.

Stable and caring,
With a sole that endures,
Laced up and ready,
A steadfast that assures.
A wise man told me to stop pursuing happiness. The meaning of life was to make things better, not to make me feel better. It stuck.
Dec 2023 · 195
Will
Hank Helman Dec 2023
We fear only death,
All else is this.
One single fear,
And we will obsess.

One shred of advice,
Given to myself,
Overcome fear,
And we conquer all else.
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