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 2295° 
Laurel Selby
Death without warning embraced my brother.
Now silently, painfully stealing another.
For now it's my dad, not long for this earth
So clear in his eyes how he questions his worth.
Creatures of habit as we humans are,
Death and dying seems to be so afar
Why don't we stop,
hold our loved ones so tight,
Not believing that death
will come creeping one night,
Because we feel so invincible
That time is just a clock on the wall.
Everything put off, due to love, due to hate.
Whatever the reason time does not wait.
I may not be the first to say this
I certainly won't be the last,

"Please make time for your family, don't wait till they pass"

For death without warning will appear in your night
Embracing your loved one into the light.



Laurel Selby
12/8/24
My dad was diagnosed with cancer throughout his Lymph nodes as well a rare aggressive bone cancer in July 2024, dad passed away 9th December 2024.
My dad Ron Selby was a founding member of the Australian Bush Poets, my dad was my world and I miss him greatly.
 917° 
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.
 617° 
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.
 420° 
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
 419° 
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
 372° 
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
 333° 
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.
 324° 
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.
 310° 
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.
 286° 
Claire Hanratty
If I am to die any time soon
Please, lord, let it be on a Sunday afternoon;
Let it be 15 degrees with a slight breeze;
Let it be under a soft sky with a purple hue;
Let it put an end to me feeling so blue;
As the aeroplane trails fade out of sight,
Let the blackbird song lull me into night.
I resign!
 223° 
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.
 200° 
Skyler M
Never going to get what I want,
Stay in line until the floor crumbles,
Nothing but sand beneath the linoleum,
All in the name of freedom for our corporate oligarchs.

Seems it’s all in our hands,
Build our own foundations,
Report on the eternal truth,
Even if faced with wretched lies.

I’m going to get what I want,
Fall into my own well-structured line,
Building the road of pure principles,
All in the name of freedom from our corporate oligarchs.

Seems it’s all in our hands,
Build our own foundations,
Report on the eternal truth,
Even if faced with wretched lies.
 191° 
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?
 175° 
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
 154° 
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.
 139° 
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
 138° 
Lim Peh
I find myself wishing I had the courage to say
I wove the strings of fate that tied us together
 136° 
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.
 119° 
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
 105° 
SøułSurvivør
____
|                    |
|                   |
  |                   |  
---‐--------------

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



SøułSurvivør aka
Write of Passage aka
Invisible inc
 104° 
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! :)
 99° 
Victor Hugo
Maintenant que Paris, ses pavés et ses marbres,
Et sa brume et ses toits sont bien **** de mes yeux ;
Maintenant que je suis sous les branches des arbres,
Et que je puis songer à la beauté des cieux ;

Maintenant que du deuil qui m'a fait l'âme obscure
Je sors, pâle et vainqueur,
Et que je sens la paix de la grande nature
Qui m'entre dans le cœur ;

Maintenant que je puis, assis au bord des ondes,
Emu par ce superbe et tranquille horizon,
Examiner en moi les vérités profondes
Et regarder les fleurs qui sont dans le gazon ;

Maintenant, ô mon Dieu ! que j'ai ce calme sombre
De pouvoir désormais
Voir de mes yeux la pierre où je sais que dans l'ombre
Elle dort pour jamais ;

Maintenant qu'attendri par ces divins spectacles,
Plaines, forêts, rochers, vallons, fleuve argenté,
Voyant ma petitesse et voyant vos miracles,
Je reprends ma raison devant l'immensité ;

Je viens à vous, Seigneur, père auquel il faut croire ;
Je vous porte, apaisé,
Les morceaux de ce cœur tout plein de votre gloire
Que vous avez brisé ;

Je viens à vous, Seigneur ! confessant que vous êtes
Bon, clément, indulgent et doux, ô Dieu vivant !
Je conviens que vous seul savez ce que vous faites,
Et que l'homme n'est rien qu'un jonc qui tremble au vent ;

Je dis que le tombeau qui sur les morts se ferme
Ouvre le firmament ;
Et que ce qu'ici-bas nous prenons pour le terme
Est le commencement ;

Je conviens à genoux que vous seul, père auguste,
Possédez l'infini, le réel, l'absolu ;
Je conviens qu'il est bon, je conviens qu'il est juste
Que mon cœur ait saigné, puisque Dieu l'a voulu !

Je ne résiste plus à tout ce qui m'arrive
Par votre volonté.
L'âme de deuils en deuils, l'homme de rive en rive,
Roule à l'éternité.

Nous ne voyons jamais qu'un seul côté des choses ;
L'autre plonge en la nuit d'un mystère effrayant.
L'homme subit le joug sans connaître les causes.
Tout ce qu'il voit est court, inutile et fuyant.

Vous faites revenir toujours la solitude
Autour de tous ses pas.
Vous n'avez pas voulu qu'il eût la certitude
Ni la joie ici-bas !

Dès qu'il possède un bien, le sort le lui retire.
Rien ne lui fut donné, dans ses rapides jours,
Pour qu'il s'en puisse faire une demeure, et dire :
C'est ici ma maison, mon champ et mes amours !

Il doit voir peu de temps tout ce que ses yeux voient ;
Il vieillit sans soutiens.
Puisque ces choses sont, c'est qu'il faut qu'elles soient ;
J'en conviens, j'en conviens !

Le monde est sombre, ô Dieu ! l'immuable harmonie
Se compose des pleurs aussi bien que des chants ;
L'homme n'est qu'un atome en cette ombre infinie,
Nuit où montent les bons, où tombent les méchants.

Je sais que vous avez bien autre chose à faire
Que de nous plaindre tous,
Et qu'un enfant qui meurt, désespoir de sa mère,
Ne vous fait rien, à vous !

Je sais que le fruit tombe au vent qui le secoue,
Que l'oiseau perd sa plume et la fleur son parfum ;
Que la création est une grande roue
Qui ne peut se mouvoir sans écraser quelqu'un ;

Les mois, les jours, les flots des mers, les yeux qui pleurent,
Passent sous le ciel bleu ;
Il faut que l'herbe pousse et que les enfants meurent ;
Je le sais, ô mon Dieu !

Dans vos cieux, au-delà de la sphère des nues,
Au fond de cet azur immobile et dormant,
Peut-être faites-vous des choses inconnues
Où la douleur de l'homme entre comme élément.

Peut-être est-il utile à vos desseins sans nombre
Que des êtres charmants
S'en aillent, emportés par le tourbillon sombre
Des noirs événements.

Nos destins ténébreux vont sous des lois immenses
Que rien ne déconcerte et que rien n'attendrit.
Vous ne pouvez avoir de subites clémences
Qui dérangent le monde, ô Dieu, tranquille esprit !

Je vous supplie, ô Dieu ! de regarder mon âme,
Et de considérer
Qu'humble comme un enfant et doux comme une femme,
Je viens vous adorer !

Considérez encor que j'avais, dès l'aurore,
Travaillé, combattu, pensé, marché, lutté,
Expliquant la nature à l'homme qui l'ignore,
Eclairant toute chose avec votre clarté ;

Que j'avais, affrontant la haine et la colère,
Fait ma tâche ici-bas,
Que je ne pouvais pas m'attendre à ce salaire,
Que je ne pouvais pas

Prévoir que, vous aussi, sur ma tête qui ploie
Vous appesantiriez votre bras triomphant,
Et que, vous qui voyiez comme j'ai peu de joie,
Vous me reprendriez si vite mon enfant !

Qu'une âme ainsi frappée à se plaindre est sujette,
Que j'ai pu blasphémer,
Et vous jeter mes cris comme un enfant qui jette
Une pierre à la mer !

Considérez qu'on doute, ô mon Dieu ! quand on souffre,
Que l'œil qui pleure trop finit par s'aveugler,
Qu'un être que son deuil plonge au plus noir du gouffre,
Quand il ne vous voit plus, ne peut vous contempler,

Et qu'il ne se peut pas que l'homme, lorsqu'il sombre
Dans les afflictions,
Ait présente à l'esprit la sérénité sombre
Des constellations !

Aujourd'hui, moi qui fus faible comme une mère,
Je me courbe à vos pieds devant vos cieux ouverts.
Je me sens éclairé dans ma douleur amère
Par un meilleur regard jeté sur l'univers.

Seigneur, je reconnais que l'homme est en délire
S'il ose murmurer ;
Je cesse d'accuser, je cesse de maudire,
Mais laissez-moi pleurer !

Hélas ! laissez les pleurs couler de ma paupière,
Puisque vous avez fait les hommes pour cela !
Laissez-moi me pencher sur cette froide pierre
Et dire à mon enfant : Sens-tu que je suis là ?

Laissez-moi lui parler, incliné sur ses restes,
Le soir, quand tout se tait,
Comme si, dans sa nuit rouvrant ses yeux célestes,
Cet ange m'écoutait !

Hélas ! vers le passé tournant un œil d'envie,
Sans que rien ici-bas puisse m'en consoler,
Je regarde toujours ce moment de ma vie
Où je l'ai vue ouvrir son aile et s'envoler !

Je verrai cet instant jusqu'à ce que je meure,
L'instant, pleurs superflus !
Où je criai : L'enfant que j'avais tout à l'heure,
Quoi donc ! je ne l'ai plus !

Ne vous irritez pas que je sois de la sorte,
Ô mon Dieu ! cette plaie a si longtemps saigné !
L'angoisse dans mon âme est toujours la plus forte,
Et mon cœur est soumis, mais n'est pas résigné.

Ne vous irritez pas ! fronts que le deuil réclame,
Mortels sujets aux pleurs,
Il nous est malaisé de retirer notre âme
De ces grandes douleurs.

Voyez-vous, nos enfants nous sont bien nécessaires,
Seigneur ; quand on a vu dans sa vie, un matin,
Au milieu des ennuis, des peines, des misères,
Et de l'ombre que fait sur nous notre destin,

Apparaître un enfant, tête chère et sacrée,
Petit être joyeux,
Si beau, qu'on a cru voir s'ouvrir à son entrée
Une porte des cieux ;

Quand on a vu, seize ans, de cet autre soi-même
Croître la grâce aimable et la douce raison,
Lorsqu'on a reconnu que cet enfant qu'on aime
Fait le jour dans notre âme et dans notre maison,

Que c'est la seule joie ici-bas qui persiste
De tout ce qu'on rêva,
Considérez que c'est une chose bien triste
De le voir qui s'en va !
 91° 
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
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.
 86° 
Immortality
Dear love,

In this moment,
our steps feel familiar,
like we’ve danced here before.

Words feel familiar,
like we’ve sung them before.

The air feels familiar,
like we’ve breathed it before.

My dearest,
your lips feel familiar,
like we’ve kissed before,
in another time,
another life.

Tell me, love,
do you feel it too?
Or am I alone
in this déjà vu?
Déjà vu — a mesmerizing whisper of familiarity....
:)
 83° 
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.
 81° 
Jessica B
If I could count the reasons I loved you….

Then I never truly loved you at all.
 78° 
Sunamin Tamang
I wished that I were He
Or
She were You  instead
But Time a fickle Artisan
Had other Hands  to Thread
 75° 
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..
 73° 
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
 71° 
Salmabanu Hatim
Live every moment.
7/3/2025
 69° 
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
 67° 
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.
 66° 
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.
 66° 
A M Ryder
It is no measure
Of good health
To be well adjusted
To a profoundly
Sick society
 65° 
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...
 65° 
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.
 63° 
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.
 62° 
Jn
She's lost,
Maybe even tired,
She's had a long week,
Maybe we all have.

But its rest,
At least for tomorrow,
For time keeps moving,
It waits for no one.
By:Jn
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