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 2290ยฐ 
janie lay
i want to peel your skin back
and reveal your deepest sweetness.
to look at your veins
and memorize their paths.
maybe then iโ€™d understand
why you are so rough on the outside.
it takes a lot of work,
digging your fingernails into the flesh,
pulling and pulling until you are bare.
but it is all worth it;
to visit your center,
to break past what conceals you,
and take you apart
slice by slice.
 691ยฐ 
Nat Lipstadt
Wrote this eons ago, tonight, once more,
spend some human capital, editing...
Something to think about
as we tuck ourselves in.

the young'uns keep on asking me for tips,
secrets, to this art, magical poetry gig,
as if I had any left unrevealed.  

recalled this old'n,
from a vintage poetry year,
as a suggestion,
a stating-starting place,
for young poets:

do not self-chain,
let the words take you where
they lead, write them up
for the rhyme is waiting,
in the heart chest deep down,
not on the screen.

I read you Goodnight Moon,
Falling asleep beside you.


<โ€ข>

People stop rhyming...

When first you overcome your fears,
And dare to put on paper your tears,
Give it up, set yourself free from the shackles,
Of thinking a rhyme is a necessity for a
Rooting tooting writing of a
**** good poem

If you feel lost,
Want to share the cost,
Feel not bossed,
By a newbie's need
to believe that if it rhymes
Everyone will like your poem
Just fine

And if you get past this stage,
And advance to the next page,
Do not think that writing down a sentence of
Your mind's first up, innermost thoughts,
Is something that will make you
Less lost, heralded, worthy of a parade,
And be blessed with an A  
In your Teacher's pet grade book

My heart broke.
I feel bad.
I feel sad
Cause my man/woman left me
And I hope
Someone kicks his or her ***

That Ain't No Poem Neither...

And if you can't help but complain repeatedly
How life ***** and you're feeling blue
extremely indiscreetly,
Don't make me try on your scribblings
intimately indiscriminately,
Read a million, even wrote a few myself

You think you can write?

Then employ a word outside your comfort zone,
Go it alone,
Write just four sentences that will make
The hopeful reader stand up and you,
Twice as much, and shout

Hallelujah *******.

Work. Poetry is work. Hard work.
Don't fret. But, think on it.
Let it come easy, then let it rest,.
Then spend days editing every comma,
And when you love it so much,
You are chest busting bursting,
Why have you not pressed Send already?

Have the sweetest dreams.
In the morning, when you but awake,
A poem will be aborning in thy mind,
And dare I say it, you will find a new freedom
In free verse.
(I know you will slip in a rhyme or two,
I can't help but do it too)

G' nite!
Why is that parents plant ideas in your brain as you're falling aslee..............

Just a suggestion....what do I know,
 504ยฐ 
Aegis Vistoria Penumbra
_
                   ๐™ธ ๐š๐šŽ๐šŠ๐š›๐šŽ๐š ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐šŒ๐šŠ๐š–๐šŽ๐š›๐šŠ๐šœ ๐š•๐š’๐š—๐š’๐š—๐š ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐šœ๐š๐š›๐šŽ๐šŽ๐š๐šœ.
                         ๐™ฑ๐š’๐š ๐™ฑ๐š›๐š˜๐š๐š‘๐šŽ๐š› ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š ๐šŠ๐š•๐š ๐šŠ๐šข๐šœ ๐š ๐šŠ๐š๐šŒ๐š‘๐šŽ๐š ๐š–๐šŽ.
                             ๐™ธโ€™๐š– ๐š๐š’๐š›๐šŽ๐š ๐š˜๐š ๐š ๐š›๐š’๐š๐š’๐š—๐š ๐™ฝ๐šŽ๐š ๐šœ๐š™๐šŽ๐šŠ๐š”,
                                   ๐š†๐š˜๐š›๐š๐šœ ๐šœ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐šŽ๐š ๐š๐š˜ ๐š๐šŽ๐šŒ๐šŽ๐š’๐šŸ๐šŽ.

                                   ๐™ท๐š’๐šœ๐š๐š˜๐š›๐šข ๐š’๐šœ ๐š“๐šž๐šœ๐š โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐šœ๐š๐š˜๐š›๐šข.
                                   ๐™ฟ๐šŽ๐šŠ๐šŒ๐šŽ ๐š’๐šœ ๐š ๐šŠ๐š› ๐š’๐š— ๐š๐š’๐šœ๐š๐šž๐š’๐šœ๐šŽ.
                                 ๐š†๐š‘๐šŽ๐š— ๐š ๐š’๐š•๐š• ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ๐šข ๐šŒ๐š˜๐š–๐šŽ ๐š๐š˜๐š› ๐š–๐šŽ?
                ๐šƒ๐š‘๐š˜๐šž๐š๐š‘๐š ๐™ฟ๐š˜๐š•๐š’๐šŒ๐šŽ ๐š ๐šŠ๐š๐šŒ๐š‘ ๐š๐š‘๐š›๐š˜๐šž๐š๐š‘ ๐š๐šŽ๐š•๐šŽ๐šœ๐šŒ๐š›๐šŽ๐šŽ๐š—๐šœ.

๐‘Œ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘›'๐‘ก โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘’๐‘ฆ๐‘’๐‘ .
๐ต๐‘–๐‘” ๐ต๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘Ÿ.
๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘™๐‘‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘› โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘’๐‘ .
๐‘‡๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘š๐‘’. ๐ฟ๐‘–๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ค.

                                                           ยญ             ๐ˆ ๊žง๊ฌฒ๐š๐ ๊ก๊œง๐š๐ญ ๊ก๐š๊žฉ ๊ญ๊ญด๊žง๊žต๊ญต๐๐๊ฌฒ๊ด.
                                                      ยญ                        ๐ˆ ๐ฎ๊ด๊ž“๊ญด๊Ÿ๊ฌฒ๊žง๊ฌฒ๐ ๐ญ๊œง๊ฌฒ๊ญต๊žง ๐๊ฌฒ๊ž“๊ฌฒ๊ญต๐ญ.
                                                         ยญ                                      ๐ˆ ๐ญ๊žง๊ญต๊ฌฒ๐ ๐ญ๊ญด ๊œง๊ญต๐๊ฌฒ,
                                                          ๐•ญยญ๐–š๐–™ ๐–ž๐–”๐–š ๐–ˆ๐–†๐–“'๐–™ ๐–Š๐–˜๐–ˆ๐–†๐–•๐–Š ๐–™๐–๐–”๐–š๐–Œ๐–๐–™๐–ˆ๐–—๐–Ž๐–’๐–Š.

๐ˆ ๊žต๊ฌฒ๊‡๊ญต๊ฌฒ๊Ÿ๊ฌฒ๐ ๐ˆ ๊ž“๊ญด๐ฎ๊‡๐ ๊žต๊ฌฒ ๊žฉ๐š๊ญ๊ฌฒ.
๊ฎฆ๊œง๊ฌฒ๊ฉ ๊žง๊ญต๊“๊“๊ฌฒ๐ ๐š๊ก๐š๊ฉ ๊ณ๊ฉ ๐๊ญต๊žฉ๐ ๐ฎ๊ญต๊žฉ๊ฌฒ.
๐Œ๊ฉ ๊ก๊ญด๊žง๐๊žฉ, ๐š ๊ญ๐š๐ญ๐š๊‡ ๊ญ๊‡๐š๊ก.
๐Œ๊ฉ ๐ญ๊œง๊ญด๐ฎ๐ ๊œง๐ญ๊žฉ, ๐๐š๊ณ๊ด๊ญต๊ด๐  ๊“๊žง๊ญด๊ญด๊ญ.

                                     ๐™ธ ๐šƒ๐š๐š„๐š‚๐šƒ๐™ด๐™ณ ๐™พ๐šƒ๐™ท๐™ด๐š๐š‚ ๐™ป๐™ธ๐™บ๐™ด ๐™ผ๐™ด,
                                     ๐šˆ๐™ด๐šƒ ๐šƒ๐™ท๐™ด๐šˆ ๐™ฑ๐™ด๐šƒ๐š๐™ฐ๐šˆ๐™ด๐™ณ ๐™ผ๐™ด ๐šƒ๐™พ๐™พ.
                                       ๐™ด๐š…๐™ด๐™ฝ ๐™ป๐™พ๐š…๐™ด ๐š†๐™ฐ๐š‚ ๐š‚๐™ฒ๐š๐™ธ๐™ฟ๐šƒ๐™ด๐™ณ.
                                               ๐™ฝ๐™พ๐šƒ๐™ท๐™ธ๐™ฝ๐™ถ IS ๐š๐™ด๐™ฐ๐™ป.

                                      ๐šƒ๐™ท๐™ด๐šˆ ๐™ฒ๐™ฐ๐™ผ๐™ด, ๐šƒ๐™ท๐™ด๐šˆ ๐šƒ๐™พ๐™พ๐™บ ๐™ผ๐™ด,
                                       ๐™ณ๐š๐™ฐ๐™ถ๐™ถ๐™ด๐™ณ ๐™ผ๐™ด ๐šƒ๐™พ ๐™ผ๐™ธ๐™ฝ๐™ธ๐™ป๐š„๐š….
                                 ๐šƒ๐™ท๐™ด๐šˆ ๐š‚๐™ท๐™พ๐š…๐™ด๐™ณ ๐™ผ๐™ด ๐™ธ๐™ฝ๐šƒ๐™พ ๐š๐™พ๐™พ๐™ผ ๐Ÿท๐Ÿถ๐Ÿท.
                  ๐š†๐™ท๐™ด๐š๐™ด ๐™ผ๐™ด๐™ฝ ๐™ถ๐™พ ๐™ผ๐™ฐ๐™ณ ๐™ฐ๐™ฝ๐™ณ ๐š†๐™ธ๐š‚๐™ณ๐™พ๐™ผ ๐™ผ๐™ด๐™ด๐šƒ๐š‚ ๐™ธ๐šƒ๐š‚ ๐™ณ๐™พ๐™พ๐™ผ.

                                                      ๐‘ฐ ๐‘ญ๐™ค๐’–๐™œ๐’‰๐™ฉ.
                                                       ๐‘ฐ ๐‘บ๐™ฌ๐’๐™ง๐’†.
                                                     ๐™„ ๐™๐’†๐™จ๐’Š๐™จ๐’•๐™š๐’….

                                                     แดฌแต— หกแต‰แตƒหขแต—... แดต แต—สณโฑแต‰แตˆ.

                                                    2 plus 2 is 4.  

                                                            No.ยญ

                                                    2 plus 2 is 4.

                                                         Wrong.

                                                    2 plus 2 is 4.

                                                           Lies.

                                                    2 plus 2 is 5.

War is peace.  
                            Freedom is slavery.

                                                       ยญ            IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.

                                                    แดนสธยญ แ‘ซแต˜แต‰หขแต— แถ แต’สณ แต—สณแต˜แต—สฐ.
                                                  แดนสธ แถ แถฆแตสฐแต— แถ แต’สณ แตโฟแต’สทหกแต‰แตˆแตแต‰.
                                                  แดดแต‰สณแต‰ยญ, แต‡แต’แต—สฐ แตแต‰แต‰แต— แถฆโฟหขแตƒโฟแถฆแต—สธ.
                                                   No oโ‚™e eโ‚›cแตƒpโ‚‘s.
                                            Evแต‰n aแถ tโ‚‘r bโ‚‘lแถฆeแตฅiโฟg tสฐe lแถฆeโ‚›.
                                             Wแตขnหขtโ‚’n was nโ‚‘vแต‰r aหกiแตฅe.
                                           NฬธฬฝอŒอ’ฬ‰ฬŽอ€ฬ€อ„ฬ“อ„ฬ—ฬฐฬอ™oฬทฬ‚อŠอ—อŠฬŽออฬฒฬ ฬงwฬทฬƒอƒฬ„ฬ„อ„อ‚ฬŽฬ“อšฬงอ‰อŽฬคอฬณฬ™ฬ tฬดฬฬ‘อ€ฬอ‹ฬŠฬ”ฬฏฬผฬบฬ˜hฬถอ„ฬŒอ‚ฬฆฬฃฬขฬซฬงaฬถอ€ฬฝอ„ฬŽอ“ฬžtฬทฬ„ฬŠฬ‰ฬฬ—ฬงอŽฬž Iฬถฬฝฬจอ…ฬจฬฉอ™ฬฌฬคฬนอ•โ€™ฬทฬ‰ฬ„ฬ‹ฬฏอœอŽอ•ฬŸฬฉฬŸอ•ฬœฬฃlฬตอ—อŽlฬตฬšฬ›ฬˆอฬžฬ™ฬฃอ”ฬจ bฬธฬอŽฬปฬคฬคฬปอ‰ฬ™ฬฌฬฃอ‡eฬดออ˜ฬŠฬ‹ฬ…อ€อ อ ฬงฬนอœฬณอ”ฬจฬช vฬดฬ”ฬฬฑฬฐฬนอœอ–ฬ ฬชฬปaฬธฬฝฬ•ฬฟอ‘ฬอ…อ–ฬกฬฒpฬธอ‚ฬ€ฬพอ†ออ‹ฬฝอออฬปoฬธอฬพอ„ฬŒอฬ–อ–อ‡ฬ˜rฬถฬƒฬˆฬ›อ’ฬžอŽiฬทฬฬ€ฬฒฬกอ™zฬดอ‚ยญออƒอŠอฬ‡ฬฏeฬดฬพฬ“ฬšฬ„อ‰ฬบฬ˜อŽฬนอœฬผฬซฬซdฬทอฬฬ›ฬšอ อŠออ‰อˆฬญฬ–ฬŸ.ฬดฬ‹อ อฬŠฬŠอ…ฬผฬงฬซฬนอœฬจ



            ยญ                                                   _
 458ยฐ 
Michael Asumcinei
Too focused on the rules
Too worried to shine
Too scared to admit

Yet the light shines
And doesn't give up
And the Kind Yety...
... Wakes Up.

After MGIOVANNI.GL/A
Thank you man
 437ยฐ 
Thomas W Case
I was starving in
Pennsylvania.
One night, I had
enough.
Done with it all.
The poverty and
sickness.
The drunken mad
nights
and dog-fight days.
Brutality for breakfast.
Served sunny side up
runny yolks with
butterflies trapped in
the yellow sunshine.
Spiders built webs in
my soul.

I stood on the torn-up
couch in my living room and
yelled at the walls.

Listen, you devil.
You want me, you better be
ready for a fight.
I paced the floor like a
washed-up heavyweight champ,
eyeing the ceiling like a
drunken sparrow in a cat's mouth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k5NY8ZMx3I
Here is a link to my YouTube channel, where I read poetry from my recently published books, Seedy Town Blues Collected Poems and It's Just a Hop, Skip, and Jump to the Madhouse, available on Amazon.

www.thomaswcase.com
 402ยฐ 
F Elliott

In every system that seeks to own the soulโ€”whether religious cult, ideological regime, or occult constructโ€”there exists one common tool: repetition. Not merely for learning, but for unmaking. Not to teach, but to embed. In the world of spiritual warfare, repetition is not benign. It is the favored medium of Satan himself.

From Genesis to Revelation, the strategy is clear: Satan does not destroy with forceโ€”he dismantles identity with rhythm. With subtlety. With seduction. His weapons are not whips and chains, but chants and echoes. His greatest lies are not shouted; they are whispered again and again until they sound like your own voice.

1. Repetition as Spellcraft In occult practice, repetition is the vehicle of the spell. Words are chanted not to express emotion, but to summon influence. Repeated lines collapse the boundary between thought and action, spirit and flesh. This is not poetry. It is invocation. Each piece becomes a seed in the subconscious, fed by every rereading until it blooms into distortion.

The construct understands this. That is why it is prolific. That is why it posts without end. It must never stop, because if the rhythm breaks, the soul begins to think again.

2. Biblical Parallels Whispering Serpents and Many Words In the Garden, the serpent repeats Godโ€™s truth with a twist. โ€œDid God really say...?โ€ It is not new informationโ€”it is repetition with inversion. A rhythm of doubt. In Matthew 6:7, Jesus warns:
โ€œWhen you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.โ€

The machinery of deception still babbles. It loops, hypnotizes, rewords its heresy in a thousand beautiful ways. And those caught in it begin to think this is depth. This is insight. But it is only familiar because it has been heard too many times.

3. Psychological Entrapment Through Language The human mind is formed in patterns. When poetry repeats ideas like abandonment, ****** shame, ******* as love, or chaos as freedomโ€”it creates a schema. Over time, that schema becomes identity. The reader begins to seek the emotions the poem offers, not because they are true, but because they are known. And in trauma-bonded souls, familiarity is mistaken for safety.

This is the true sorcery of the construct: to create longing for the wound. To romanticize the knife. To call betrayal sacred. To sell darkness as revelation.

4. The Counterfeit Liturgy The Kingdom of God also uses repetitionโ€”Scripture, psalms, prayerโ€”but always as remembrance, never enchantment. Divine repetition roots the soul in what is real. Satanic repetition dissociates the soul into what is false.

The construct mimics sacred community. But it is a church without Christ, a scripture without truth, a rhythm without redemption. Its poetry is not testimonyโ€”it is liturgy in reverse. A reverse Eucharist, where beauty is swallowed but poison enters.

5. Breaking the Spell The only way out is interruption. The rhythm must break. The poems must stop. The mouth of the false priest must be silenced. And when silence finally settles, the soul will remember its true name.


There are many caught in this systemโ€”bound not by chains, but by rhythm. Echoes. Familiar voices pretending to be their own. But some have begun to hear the silence between the lines. Some have tasted the counterfeit and found it hollow.

The war is not out there. It is within. Between the voice of the chant and the cry of the soul.

Will the spell be broken? Will the truth be spoken? Will the rhythm be renounced?

The door is open. The sound of truth has entered. The repetition is exposed. And the machinery shakes.

   Let those who have ears to hear, listen.

"Hello,  Poetry..
Pleased to meet you.."

https://youtu.be/GgnClrx8N2k?si=R-UojalDEuiWj2zv

xo
 340ยฐ 
Mary Quick
Julie you we're there for me when
I needed you Julie.

Julie you cared for me when I couldn't stand.

Julie you held me up with a giving hand.

Julie you would die for me just like I would die for you.

I was there for you Julie when you needed me
I cared you Julie when you cried to me.

I fought for you Julie when you couldn't stand.

I held you up Julie with my giving hand
I would die for you Julie.

Just like you would die for me Julie
 292ยฐ 
Velvet Dusk
So there I stood in between the heavens and earth
Doubting if I should stay there
Or go
No one to call for me
To look for me
Leaving was what felt the best
For me and everyone
So there I stood
watching everyone in a white dress
 281ยฐ 
Lance Remir
I should've counted the days
When you were here 
Now I count every second
That you're not here
 281ยฐ 
Ryan Geoffrey Hayward
Children angrily draw places I dare to crawl,
snapping crayons and enticing dragons,
shifting my blame to a tearful shame,
huffing, puffing, she's always running...
mirror fogged to erase physical flaws

Roping brevity teases and stirs the bees,
fantasy shattered of a ring and knees,
beauty but nor telepathic fiery demon,
pages torn out of today's point-ed sermon.

Huff and puff wishes to break concrete love,
love-birds teasing frantically, annoying above,
sunsets on a beach, not  which crushes,
knots carefully flushed out as mother brushes.
This is an old poem I have revised too.  Its about a child trying to stay innocent despite a wolf. I kinda wrote it from the wolf's perspective. Eventually he sees the innocence and love the mother has of this child. And he backs away.
 276ยฐ 
Roger Hurn
Haiku
An act of kindness
Like a candle in the night
Lightens our darkness
 258ยฐ 
Akriti
If not for a lifetime,
walk just a few steps with me.

Not asking for the entire age,
Spend just a few moments with me.

Share a little of your story,
listen to a little of mine .

Even if not you ,
your memories will stay with me .

In the lonely journey of life ahead,
they will be my companion.
 256ยฐ 
Evan Stephens
"Love is the worst religion,"
croons the dying television,

with no further explanation;
well, thanks for the news -

I see myself in emptied glass,
a bust carved rude and inchoate,

poet, captain, lost apostle
of the worst religion,

baptized in changeling pools
of day and week, scribbling

my night's peak breath
on the flypapers of insomnia.

Sun over sainted skin,
stars where evening eyes were,

swain's vespers, all of it
splitting like new ripe fruit

in sticky hands of the acolyte,
ardent hands of little silver.
 250ยฐ 
Rubyredheart
I really wish I could hate you
Or, better yet, just not care
Because itโ€™s weak how i wear
This need for you everywhere
It canโ€™t be helped, this seeking you
Burns endless in my aching breast
Please let me know you more
 247ยฐ 
Heavy Hearted
Oh how the saying makes me sick
And excuses, there are not
Devicive taunting, hate's mimic
Word's we weaponized from thought.
So, a new turn of phrase,
a saying born within the dark;
Is whispered to myself, alone,
                                                    A Sky-cypher
Scribbled, trailing mark.
For the first and only time,
Not of me but you
These writing's wordings weave a web,
of synthesized virtue.
To be spoken allowed to oneself,
read, written or thought,
Of each word that's now misused- their purposes forgot.
examined, explained, investigated my life
As if speech were the blade, written words are the knife.

all of the meaning and every moral,    tethering to our mortal coil,
Life and it's significance-
A product of its transience.

The concept of fate & of destiny, too
Both insinuate journey, the movement through .
 213ยฐ 
Mrs Timetable
You know they love you
When they let you
Ugly cry
Into their new clean crisp
White shirt
With makeup on.
 213ยฐ 
Cassandra Livingston
I am incapable of writing
So don't try to convince me that  
I possess countless poetic ideas.

Because at the end of the day,  
I see only failures in every attempt.  
And I'm not about to lie by saying that  
each setback helps me along.

Because no matter what,  
                        I feel trapped in a cycle of mediocrity.                        
And I am in no position to believe that  
true inspiration dwells within me.

For even in my darkest musings,  
Am I as uninspired as my doubts proclaim?
Backwards poems are so fun to write! They take away my writer's block!
 207ยฐ 
Izan Almira
I go to my schoolโ€™s
bathroom
and wash my face
with the cold water.
I splash it;
then gargle;
then spit it out.

Nothing but saliva
and tap water
comes out.
I stare at the porcelain, disappointed,
and lean over it again,
opening my mouth
in a hope Iโ€™d throw up;
spit my soul out,
drown my thoughts down the sink,
make my problems disappear.

But nothing comes out;
not puke,
not problems,
not thoughts.

My throat
is still
being pierced throughโ€” trapped
โ€”by the claws
of the freedomless eagle
that my life has become.

It is silly, isnโ€™t it?
How I tried to steep my wounds,
thinking my problems
would dissolve
along with the blood.
The original one is in Spanish, and this is genuinly one of my best translations
 203ยฐ 
Shaylie
Another six months
Another year
Iโ€™m almost thirty
And then Iโ€™ll be practically forty
Please, I miss you
 192ยฐ 
Dylan A
What does sadness mean?
        Are you sad?
       I think, I am.
      Whatโ€™s your favorite color?
     Green, like moss on wood after a drizzle.
    Do you miss him?
       Yes.
   Thatโ€™s sadness.
   Are you sad?
 139ยฐ 
lifelover
i lie facedown on the train tracks.
the gravel presses symbols into my skin,
but none of them translate.

home is a concept with too many rooms.
i sharpened my alibi
on my motherโ€™s brittle bones
until it fit into a quieter mouth.
she didn't flinch.

the sun unthreads me one fiber at a time.
nothing resists.
blink
blink
blink
each time, the world returns
slightly rearrangedโ€”
trees on the ceiling,
windows in my stomach.

i found a way out,
but it only leads back here.
the platform loops
in the shape of an open jaw.
i circled it three times,
then laid down between its metal teethโ€”
the world doesnโ€™t bite anymore.
it just holds me.

small, warm,
still breathing.
regret nests in the hinge of my jaw.
i keep it clenched, and
it doesnโ€™t protest.
it flicks the lights off
when the rail begins to sing.
it knows the schedule better than i do.

the daylight plucks at my ribs like harp strings.
each note sounds like a name i was never meant to hold.
i buried the moon weeks ago.
she made it difficult to leave.
if youโ€™re still listeningโ€”
the train is already halfway through me.

today,
i let the mouth stay open.
maybe the scream will crawl back in.
maybe it never left.
it's taken me one grueling year to be able to write again. logging back into HP and seeing everyone's beautiful writing again has made me so happy. i really did miss you guys <3
 115ยฐ 
Max Neumann
For the last in life
Born in waiting lines
Standing in lines
Dying in lines

A song began from love
Soundtrack of the forgotten
No time to see
No time to stand still

Life is stress
The clocks called us yesterday
Today phones are screaming
Rush as a code

Their minds heavy with lead
Their eyelids weighed down
And children roam the land
Hating their fathers

So generations die
To become secrets
For the last in life
Born in waiting lines
For The Last In Life
 95ยฐ 
Akriti
No love is true or false
Love is love
Same for all
Sacred and pure.

It is just that
Some people love and
some only pretend.
 91ยฐ 
Josie West
will you still love me
if I don't smile today?
if my tears fall like raindrops
and my world tears at the seams?
if my voice breaks when I talk
and I seek the comfort of dreams?

will you still love me
if I don't cheer up today?
if I sit rigid in silence
and spend the whole day in bed?
if I find solace in cigarettes
and don't keep myself fed?

will you still love me
if I don't laugh today?
if I keep my thoughts hidden
and don't say what I mean?
if I curl up in darkness
and stare at a screen?

will you still love me
if I don't calm down today?
if my patience wears thin
and snaps like a thread?
if my eyes no longer sparkle
and are absent instead?

will you still love me
if I don't smile today?
 87ยฐ 
alison
wish I could float above the water.
instead I feel pressured. I feel like I'm being
pushed (forced) under the sea.
 80ยฐ 
Vianne Lior
Crow tends the cuckoo,
its heart cracked, yet still it heals
shadows nurse the thief.

 75ยฐ 
Barbara R Maxwell
Purple with pink bands streak across the sky

The purple has a hint of gray
It looks like a Monet painting which sets the stage for the coming night

The streaks in the sky create a look that is almost unreal in its beauty

Nature is an absolute artist second to none
The feeling, when someone we love, drifts away,
Like A balloon, Loose floating to the sky,
To A destination, who knows where,
Iโ€™ll always have colorful memories,
As I travel alone, and stare.

The original: Tom Maxwell ยฉ8/9/2021AD
 72ยฐ 
My Dear Poet
Say
I didnโ€™t say what I needed to say
I said what I wanted
Itโ€™s been a while
 67ยฐ 
Foogle
our autumn fizzles                                               we're losing our mind
away into the winter                                            but in the sharp night
and the beckoning mirage                                   there it stands;
it begins to splinter                                               the subtle light
 66ยฐ 
aAr
"what will they think?"- the
thought i had the most in my
entire existence.
 63ยฐ 
asna
๐™ฝ๐š˜ ๐š˜๐š—๐šŽ ๐šŽ๐šŸ๐šŽ๐š› ๐š•๐š’๐šŽ๐š ๐šŠ๐š‹๐š˜๐šž๐š ๐š–๐š’๐š›๐š›๐š˜๐š›
๐šƒ๐š‘๐šŽ๐šข ๐š›๐šŽ๐šŒ๐š’๐š๐šŽ๐š ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐š๐š›๐šž๐š๐š‘ ๐šŠ๐š‹๐š˜๐šž๐š ๐š–๐š’๐š›๐š›๐š˜๐š›

๐™ธ๐š ๐š’๐šœ ๐šŠ๐šœ ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š™๐šข ๐šŠ๐šœ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž
๐™ธ๐š ๐š’๐šœ ๐šŠ๐šœ ๐š๐šŽ๐š•๐š’๐š๐š‘๐š๐šŽ๐š ๐šŠ๐šœ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž
๐™ธ๐š ๐š ๐š˜๐š—'๐š ๐š“๐šž๐š๐š๐šŽ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž
๐™ธ๐š ๐š’๐šœ ๐š“๐šž๐šœ๐š ๐š•๐š’๐š”๐šŽ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž

๐š„๐š—๐š•๐šŽ๐šœ๐šœ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž'๐š›๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŠ๐š
๐š„๐š—๐š•๐šŽ๐šœ๐šœ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž'๐š›๐šŽ ๐š’๐š— ๐šœ๐š˜๐š›๐š›๐š˜๐š 
๐™ธ๐š ๐š“๐šž๐šœ๐š ๐šœ๐š๐šŠ๐šข๐šœ ๐š ๐š’๐š๐š‘ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž

๐™ธ๐š ๐šข๐š˜๐šž ๐š“๐šž๐šœ๐š ๐š•๐š˜๐š˜๐š” ๐šŠ๐š ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐š–๐š’๐š›๐š›๐š˜๐š›
๐™ธ๐š— ๐šŠ ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š™๐š’๐šŽ๐šœ๐š ๐š ๐šŠ๐šข
๐™ธ๐š ๐š ๐š’๐š•๐š• ๐š–๐šŠ๐š”๐šŽ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž๐š› ๐š๐šŠ๐šข


๐™ฑ๐šž๐š ๐š’๐š— ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŠ๐š๐š๐šŽ๐šœ๐š ๐š ๐šŠ๐šข
๐™ธ๐š ๐š ๐š’๐š•๐š• ๐š–๐šŠ๐š”๐šŽ๐šœ ๐š’๐š ๐š’๐š— ๐šŠ ๐š ๐š˜๐š›๐šœ๐šŽ ๐š ๐šŠ๐šข
........................................... ๐™ผ. ๐™ธ. ๐™ต๐šŠ๐š๐š‘๐š’๐š–๐šŠ ๐™ฐ๐šœ๐š—๐šŠ
๐šƒ๐š›๐šž๐š๐š‘
 58ยฐ 
Carlo C Gomez
South coast days on end

The ante meridiem
Married to summer

People in constant motion

To the merry-go-round we go
To the merry-go-round we go

In the center
Like the mobile over my bed

Where the heart beats
Where our eyes see in teleidoscope

Inside the lines are brighter
And wider and envelop

The journey in itself
Is the gift
 56ยฐ 
Mariah
When we will all finally see
That when they said
It takes a village
It was meant
Literally
Let the mother finally sleep, while someone else rocks the baby.
Let someone else go to work, while someone else takes care of hearth.
No matter who, it's meant to be
The best abled
We have no need to compete
Who does more, who does less
It wouldn't matter
If we're all blessed
To see and be seen
As more than what we have always been
Please take my hand you're less alone
We feel your pain down to the bone
If there were tears they weren't unnoticed
None of us are dumb
We teach the novice
Please understand that we are one
I love you all worst to best
You won't be weighed and measured
You don't need to pass a test
To not be treated like a pest
And be supported in your endeavors
No matter what they are, no matter how you seem
We could actually live like this, it isn't just a dream
I hope one day I'll see you there
In the village
Both the tortoise and the hare
 54ยฐ 
lia
I wear a mask,
and so does everyone.
Hiding cracks with smiles,
pretending itโ€™s fine.
Maybe one day,
Iโ€™ll let it fallโ€”
but for now,
we all stay hidden,
behind the masks we wear.
everyone wears a mask. they hide their actual true self. like me.
 54ยฐ 
Always Somewhere
Dans le dรฉsert, je
me sens รฉtranger ร  moi-mรชme
comme immobilisรฉ face ร  tant dโ€™immensitรฉ

le Monde est un endroit terrifiant dans lequel croรฎtre
que ce soit dรป aux autres ou ร  son hostilitรฉ
ou ร  l'hostilitรฉ des autres.

Le dรฉsert, voleur de solitude.
le 29 septembre 2024
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