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James Scanlan Apr 2017
I'm Drowning
Drowning in an Ocean
An Ocean of Longing
Longing for Something
Something Missing

Tsunami waves crash upon me
Battering my Mind, my Heart
My Soul
The Tide rises
And Rises
Until it leaks Out
And Saltwater trickles
Down my cheeks

I Drift and Float
Until my Heart grows Heavy
And I Sink
And Drown
In an Ocean of Longing
For Something
Missing
James Scanlan Jun 2017
The path I tread
Has been travelled before
I follow in footsteps that are confident
That are hesitant
That are strong
That are weak

The path I tread
Has stopping points
For those who can't go further
For those who turn back
For those who rest
For those who slow down

The path I tread
Is a difficult one
With steep hills and sharp rocks
With pitfalls and snares
With bandits and theives
With temptation and lies

The path I tread
Has peace and tranquility
Has a beautiful view
Has pleasant company
Has many loved ones
At the end
James Scanlan Aug 2017
It hurts

my heart

to know

That I'm missing you

While you're

still

*here
James Scanlan Feb 2017
Eyes of Blue
With a hint of Green
Honest and true
A sight to be seen

A gentle curve
A graceful sigh
A tinkling laugh
Heard with mind’s eye

Crown of Red
Then Blond, then Black
Out of bed
Wishing to go back

To eyes of Blue
With a hint of Green
Honest and true
To Perfect to be seen

Woman of my Dreams
James Scanlan Jun 2017
I am the memory
Of that perfect moment
Gone so swiftly
But with you for ever
An instant in time
That is timeless itself
James Scanlan Jun 2017
The poems I write
Have changed for me
I used to worry
Over whether
People liked them
Or not
But now...
They have become my solace
They are where
I vent my soul

When I feel happy
I write
When I feel sad
I write
When I am exhausted
I write
When I am ecstatic
I write
Every day
I write
Poetry
It brings me peace
James Scanlan Oct 2017
Problems
I know them well
But not well enough
To know their answers
Thankfully there are people who do know and who help out
James Scanlan Jun 2017
My love for you is quicksand

The more I struggle against it

The deeper I sink
James Scanlan Mar 2017
I saw a field of daffodils today
And a host of butterflies among them
There was one with bright green spots
And one with dark blue stripes
And one that reminded me of you

I visited the seashore today
I walked along picking up shells
A twisty, curly one that made me smile
And one with a crab that made me laugh
And one that reminded me of you

I soared the skies today
Looking at the clouds floating outside
One of them looked like a bunny
And one like a baseball bat
And one that reminded me of you

I cried in my bed today
My tears staining the pillow
One looked like a broken heart
The other like a lonely road
And one that reminded me of you
James Scanlan May 2017
Here I stand
In land so desolate
A desert
That was once something more
Now but a memory
Of love
James Scanlan Mar 2017
The door has shut
The key doesn't turn
The lock has changed
My home is no longer my home

The windows are shut
The shutters are down
The drapes are pulled
My home is no longer my home

The scenery is brighter
The smells are greater
The night is darker
My home is no longer home

The people are different
The names are new
The faces are unfamiliar
My home in no longer home

*Time Has Passed By
James Scanlan May 2017
Beautiful, you are
Cerulean waters so clear
Capturing my heart
My first haiku!
James Scanlan Oct 2017
I slept beneath the stars
Last night
I did not want to
I liked my house
With its walls to keep me safe
And roof to keep me dry
But forced out
I was
A camping trip
More like a
"Get eaten by mosquitos"
Trip
and out of my house
I went
And learned
The walls of my house
Block out the Wind in my hair
The roof of my house
Hides the Moon
Now I eagerly await
The time I can once more say
Last night
I slept beneath the stars
James Scanlan Jul 2017
I've never felt more alone

Than when I sat across from you

And knew you would rather be

Somewhere else
James Scanlan Feb 2017
The storm rages about

I throw my arms wide
The rain hits my widely grinning face
I breath in that wild scent
The wind strives to shove me into Space
Others flee for shelter while
I laugh at the world trying to put me in place

I am completely alive
James Scanlan May 2020
I wasn't supposed
to Survive
They had wives,
Children,
Mothers.
I had nothing,
No one.
I wasn't supposed
to Survive


But the Truth is
THEY knew what I did not

THEY knew my mother's tears
THEY knew my wife's mourning dress
THEY knew my children's cries

Just as I would sacrifice myself
THEY would sacrifice
Themselves
For me

So that I could see my wife
My kids
My mother

They are why I am here
They are why I go on

They are why I am

a Survivor
Sometimes we cannot see ourselves how others see us.
This is dedicated to anyone who had someone who who saw something else in you worth saving, worth sacrificing themselves for.
Especially those in the military.
James Scanlan Mar 2017
Gasping, I struggle as air wheezes into my lungs.
The bitter cold water runs down my face.
Shocking me awake, focusing me,
But the creature is still there

“Control,” I whisper to myself.

I see the creature’s face. It’s pale, pale as a corpse!
Thin blue worms wriggle beneath its skin.
Its hair, lifeless and thin, hangs limp on its head
While strands fall past eyes shining with a sick fire.

“Control,” I plead to myself.

I squeeze my eyes shut then open them once more.
The creature is closer now, clearer too.
The fire in its eyes burn with an unholy desire,
A fire that consumes and leaves naught but ashes.

“Control,” I beg to myself.

But the creature does not listen.
It claws its way out of the mirror and worms into my body.
Bringing with it that devouring, merciless fire
My blood turns to flame, rampaging across my flesh!

It Burns! Burns! Quench it! Feed it!

All control lost, I tie off my arm.
The fire quickly gathers there in anticipation
As I grab the needle and fill it.
Fill it with that cool liquid, that sweet Nectar.

Yes! The fire hurts! The Nectar is Bliss!

I slump back in ecstasy, lying on the bathroom floor.
Pleasure fogs my mind and
I no longer feel the agonies of my life,
Nor see the Creature I have become.
James Scanlan Feb 2017
I laugh, I love, I cry
You do not see me
I live, I hurt, I die
You do not care
I make, I shape, I create
You have your amusements
I hope, I pray, I wait
You like things nice and neat
I am far away, I am pushed away, I am
Ignored
James Scanlan Jul 2017
Standing before you
I am lost
Surrounded by endless mists
Directionless
My breath becomes gasps
My hands tremble
I stumble forward
But you are gone
Vanished
In the Mists
James Scanlan May 2017
What is the most beautiful thing
You have ever seen?

Dandelions in the sun
Growing on rolling hills
Among vibrant green grass
Or maybe
A snowflake midway between
Pale blue sky and soft white ground
Frozen perfect in the air
Or maybe
A lion roaming the plains
Golden, strong, majestic
Protecting his precious pride
Or maybe
Your child playing and laughing
In your home while wearing
a shirt that is inside-out
Or maybe
A smile, full of joy
Pure and unrestrained
With a warmth that you can feel

What is the most beautiful thing
You have ever seen?
James Scanlan Aug 2017
The time we shared

                       Was full of    
  
                                       Love

                                              Laughter

   ­                     And *Lies
James Scanlan May 2017
The Wall I have built
Around my Heart
Is neither Tall
Nor very Wide
But it is Sturdy
Propped up by my Doubts
And Insecurities
And Strengthened
By my Rationalizations
Of why No One
Would ever Love me

*someone, anyone,
Break It Down!
James Scanlan Mar 2017
Oh! How the Winds of Time blow!
Gently nurturing a tiny spark
Into a Roaring Inferno.
Whether it be Love, Passion, Revolution, or Dreams,
The Winds of Time met them when they began
And whisked them to the Highest Heights!

Oh! How the Winds of Time blow!
Fiercely attacking Eternal Establishments
'Til they are nought but dust.
Whether it be Love, Contentment, Stability, or Success,
The Winds of Time met them at their Highest Heights
And tore them down to their ignoble end!

Oh! How the Winds of Time blow!
Fickle and Changing and
Completely Unpredictable.
Oh! How the Winds of Time blow!
James Scanlan Oct 2017
Slowly, ever so slowly,
You trickled by
Yet in an instant
(A mere moment!)
The years have passed by
And that which seemed so far away
Is crashing towards me with all the speed
And power
Of a Hurricane
James Scanlan May 2017
Time is the Healer
Of all Wounds
Except the Wounds
Caused by Time
Late night thoughts
James Scanlan Nov 2017
I am a time traveler
Not really, but I might as well be
You see, my heart lives in the past
No more than a few decades ago
Yet it might as well be centuries
We have changed that much
Where today, can you find a woman
And a man
Who court each other?
Who spend time getting to know each other
Before making love?

When I say time I am talking months
Not weeks
Or days
Or even hours
Months where two strangers talk
Go on adventures
Watch movies, sports, and even theater
Until they are no longer strangers
Until they know each other
Until they love each other
And only then
Do they express that love

This is the time in which my heart lives
And I do not see it today
So how can I help but say
I am a time traveler
James Scanlan May 2017
Why!
Why* *me!
The Love I had!
You were a delight!
A few moments of happiness
No matter when
Now you come with
Suffering!
Why!
Why am
I
**Lactose Intolerant!!
Ice Cream! Oh how I miss you!
James Scanlan Mar 2018
As the day grows long
And lonely
I dream of Love


I dream of a Perfect Kiss

And Delightful Dates

Leading to Wedding Bliss

Oh how I wait


How I wait
For my missing half
One to share
Life's sorrow and laughs


But while I wait for love

Love meant to be

I can't but think

Is she waiting for me?
James Scanlan Feb 2017
Softly, the Wind whispered in my ear
Entranced I wandered the World
New sights my eyes beheld
Deserts Gold, Seas Vast, and Valleys Emerald
Nocturnal, mysterious, ethereal beauty
Under skies starry and silent
Dreams made reality
Eternity to wander is not nearly enough
Softly the Wind whispered, “There are Worlds to see.”
This is my original poem for one of my classes. Can you see the hidden message? It was inspired by a joke I saw on 9gag.com
James Scanlan Apr 2017
Ha! Hahahaha! Ha!
Silence
Everybody stared
A few asked what was funny
I told them and then...
They looked at me funny

Judging eyes, Disgusted eyes
Even Angry eyes one time
I see them a lot

But when I see Laughing Eyes...
A Kindred Spirit!
Jokes exchanged and
Laughter Shared

A New Friend
With the same sense of
Weird Humor

Why is it that feet smell and noses run?
Ha Hahahaha! Ha!
James Scanlan May 2017
If within you lies a hidden desire
A secret truth burning with unquenchable fire
Then bare your heart for all to see
I like you, do you like me?
For it is a terrible pain, I'm sure
To hear from someone half out the door
I liked you, did you like me?
And you're filled with such tremendous glee
But she is already gone by then
And all you can think is
*What Could Have Been.
She is leaving in a few weeks.
James Scanlan Jul 2017
The time went whistling past
Like a train off its tracks
Crashing into Monday
What happened to the weekend?
James Scanlan Mar 2017
What is Love?
Love is mysterious.
I can't understand it.
But it makes me feel alive.

What is Love?
Love is a chemical reaction in our brains.
Simple biology.
A means to motivate the species to reproduce.

What is Love?
Love is pain.
Heartbreak and Sadness.
The worst thing that can happen to you.

What is Love
Love is my mother's arms.
Surrounding me as I drift to sleep.
Comforting me when I need it.

What is Love?
I... think it is...
The feeling when...
She looks at me...

What is Love?
Love is what you tell
The girls you feel
In order to sleep with them.

What is Love?
Love is forty years.
Forty years together,
Looking towards forty more.

What is Love?
Don't ask me.
I don't know,
I haven't found it yet.
James Scanlan Feb 2017
What I want
Is not a perfect body
Nor a pretty face
Or even anyone who will take me

What I want
Is not a compatible personality
Nor an interesting life
Or even anyone with common interests

What I want
Is someone who understands me
When I open myself to Her
Someone who opens up to me

What I want
Is the real thing
James Scanlan Aug 2017
We met on the third day of Winter's Spring

The Buds of Ice had begun to grow

Strengthened by Summer's Snow

As I waited for those Frozen Flowers to Bloom,

Born of Nature's Mysterious Womb,

I glimpsed you from aNear

To me a Beauty Without Peer

My heart was Frozen by your Fiery Gaze

And within a Flame for you did Blaze

*Evermore
James Scanlan Oct 2017
You are the sun
To me

Sure, there are days
When you hide behind clouds
But there are days
When I bask in your warmth

Oh how I long for you!
Dreams of you brighten my night
Like you brighten my day
And yet. . .

You are the sun
To me

I must stay in place.
Closer to you
And I burn
Further, I freeze

You are the sun
To me

Yet I wish
you were the Moon
Then, at least,
I would have
some Hope
The previous ending didn't seem right
James Scanlan Feb 2017
I am young, but not so young
I still follow my dreams
And imagine songs about me sung
But I see why dreams die
And songs may never touch tongue
But I still carry hope
For I am older, but still young

— The End —