Write about a return. Not a triumphant one. A small one.
30 responses
i'm compiling my poems—
all of them.
some from twenty years ago, some from last week;
all coming into the present.
there are words i forgot a decade ago
words written without regard for their longevity.
there are hopes and fears and prayers and lies.
lies that i told myself at 15 that hit me with a tinge of sadness today.
who was that girl?
who is she today?
this endeavor—it's sparking such a fire inside to write again.
tender pine
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 11:27 PM UTC
For the first time
in a long time
I smiled
and I felt the joy my smile carried
For the first time
in a long time
tiny creek
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 8:49 PM UTC
Eyes finally closed around,
whatever bothered - for those vision dripped
faded even,
Now the faces were a haze,Grey even
but not were her eyes,for vision for once was clearer
than ever, along
the bloom of Gray Louisiana
For once it became the vision.
lonely field
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 5:19 AM UTC
i cried at a stupid story
realized i'd healed somewhat
feels strange to this day,
but i guess that's all what healing's about?
hushed cloud
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 3:08 AM UTC
Monday, 1 September 2014
I brewed some coffee. I savored a sip,
The toddler is down for a nap, but,
Four-year old zeal entreats me to play,
Duty called, to go outside.
Rode bikes, the entire length of the street
And back again.
Saw insects, crawling, fast and low,
Saw grasses, trees, and the seeds they throw,
Came back to find that cup.
Coffee, rich, and it was still warm.
steady reed
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 11:30 PM UTC
A stranger passed wearing the face of that summer.
For one light change, I was young again.
windswept valley
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 5:58 PM UTC
I am happy again
still moss
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 2:35 PM UTC
i entered the university library for the first time in two years since becoming chronically ill and taking a leave of absence and they've changed the cafe and closed the franchise that was there and now they scan the books differently and my pass didn't work on the accessible barrier so i squeezed through the turnstile with my cane and climbed three flights of stairs to get two books i needed because i am afraid of lifts and now i have two books that i will return in a month when i graduate
weary hearth
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 12:35 PM UTC
I might feel broken and hollow,
But now I no longer follow...
It's time for me to grow.
Become whole and maybe...
Just maybe learn to let go,
What I can't control.
shy kestrel
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 9:24 AM UTC
I begun to save what's left of my pride :)
amber dune
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 9:01 AM UTC
I took a shower
It had been a very long week
Freshened into the self
early ferry
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 8:08 PM UTC
I
still
hurt
and I'm sorry I'm doing it.
but it is a return ive made.
still garden
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 2:12 PM UTC
a humble being that passes unnoticed... the first thought of a returning self each morning. sometimes it feels like the return of light waiting to bloom
restless hearth
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 11:51 AM UTC
i came home
unpacked my bags
made a snack
and lay on the ground,
dog pressed to my sides
fierce kettle
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 10:47 AM UTC
Testing and resting on my laurels.
Flawed every which way
From the beaches
To the desert.
Inserting comfort in ways
That are otherwise
Disgusting.
thin lark
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 2:18 AM UTC
i open my window
it's warm again
a return to dusk
that night air scent
after all these years
it still smells the same
copper birch
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 4:53 PM UTC
Sometimes the smallest returns are the most honest
moonlit ridge
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 3:07 PM UTC
It was the slight loneliness
That made me feel comfortable
I suddenly miss to be vulnerable.
tender thrush
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 2:39 PM UTC
I am as a bruised petal upon a sheltered rose, stilled yet grasping at the daylight
warm porch
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 12:12 PM UTC
No applause,No grand arrival
Just me,the same door,
a little older
than when i left it
Nothing had changed-
Except the hand that turned the knob
lonely stone
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 9:58 AM UTC
I did so good for a year
more then that actually
398 days to be exact.
and then it happened
this little silver blade clouded my mind
clouded my entire thoughts
and I lit it tear through skin and bleed the thoughts out
copper field
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 12:43 AM UTC
I am solid
No longer malleable at any hand
At any word
My neck is fastened in its place
Bolted and stitched
Frankenstein.
hollow marsh
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 12:38 AM UTC
I'm a sailor lost at sea,
but my dad is right next to me.
muted stone
Apr 15
Apr 15, 2026 at 10:14 PM UTC
my blisters have started to callus, my arms are starting to muscle. my tears come less often, my neck holds my head higher.
steady willow
Apr 15
Apr 15, 2026 at 9:15 PM UTC
I started putting myself first and that is something I have never done. I started my morning walking again after having not done it for years.
shy stone
Apr 15
Apr 15, 2026 at 9:12 PM UTC
i'm compiling my poems—
all of them.
some from twenty years ago, some from last week;
all coming into the present.
there are words i forgot a decade ago
words written without regard for their longevity.
there are hopes and fears and prayers and lies.
lies that i told myself at 15 that hit me with a tinge of sadness today.
who was that girl?
who is she today?
this endeavor—it's sparking such a fire inside to write again.
tender pine
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 11:27 PM UTC
Eyes finally closed around,
whatever bothered - for those vision dripped
faded even,
Now the faces were a haze,Grey even
but not were her eyes,for vision for once was clearer
than ever, along
the bloom of Gray Louisiana
For once it became the vision.
lonely field
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 5:19 AM UTC
Monday, 1 September 2014
I brewed some coffee. I savored a sip,
The toddler is down for a nap, but,
Four-year old zeal entreats me to play,
Duty called, to go outside.
Rode bikes, the entire length of the street
And back again.
Saw insects, crawling, fast and low,
Saw grasses, trees, and the seeds they throw,
Came back to find that cup.
Coffee, rich, and it was still warm.
steady reed
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 11:30 PM UTC
I am happy again
still moss
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 2:35 PM UTC
I might feel broken and hollow,
But now I no longer follow...
It's time for me to grow.
Become whole and maybe...
Just maybe learn to let go,
What I can't control.
shy kestrel
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 9:24 AM UTC
I took a shower
It had been a very long week
Freshened into the self
early ferry
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 8:08 PM UTC
a humble being that passes unnoticed... the first thought of a returning self each morning. sometimes it feels like the return of light waiting to bloom
restless hearth
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 11:51 AM UTC
Testing and resting on my laurels.
Flawed every which way
From the beaches
To the desert.
Inserting comfort in ways
That are otherwise
Disgusting.
thin lark
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 2:18 AM UTC
Sometimes the smallest returns are the most honest
moonlit ridge
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 3:07 PM UTC
I am as a bruised petal upon a sheltered rose, stilled yet grasping at the daylight
warm porch
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 12:12 PM UTC
I did so good for a year
more then that actually
398 days to be exact.
and then it happened
this little silver blade clouded my mind
clouded my entire thoughts
and I lit it tear through skin and bleed the thoughts out
copper field
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 12:43 AM UTC
I'm a sailor lost at sea,
but my dad is right next to me.
muted stone
Apr 15
Apr 15, 2026 at 10:14 PM UTC
I started putting myself first and that is something I have never done. I started my morning walking again after having not done it for years.
shy stone
Apr 15
Apr 15, 2026 at 9:12 PM UTC
For the first time
in a long time
I smiled
and I felt the joy my smile carried
For the first time
in a long time
tiny creek
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 8:49 PM UTC
i cried at a stupid story
realized i'd healed somewhat
feels strange to this day,
but i guess that's all what healing's about?
hushed cloud
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 3:08 AM UTC
A stranger passed wearing the face of that summer.
For one light change, I was young again.
windswept valley
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 5:58 PM UTC
i entered the university library for the first time in two years since becoming chronically ill and taking a leave of absence and they've changed the cafe and closed the franchise that was there and now they scan the books differently and my pass didn't work on the accessible barrier so i squeezed through the turnstile with my cane and climbed three flights of stairs to get two books i needed because i am afraid of lifts and now i have two books that i will return in a month when i graduate
weary hearth
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 12:35 PM UTC
I begun to save what's left of my pride :)
amber dune
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 9:01 AM UTC
I
still
hurt
and I'm sorry I'm doing it.
but it is a return ive made.
still garden
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 2:12 PM UTC
i came home
unpacked my bags
made a snack
and lay on the ground,
dog pressed to my sides
fierce kettle
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 10:47 AM UTC
i open my window
it's warm again
a return to dusk
that night air scent
after all these years
it still smells the same
copper birch
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 4:53 PM UTC
It was the slight loneliness
That made me feel comfortable
I suddenly miss to be vulnerable.
tender thrush
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 2:39 PM UTC
No applause,No grand arrival
Just me,the same door,
a little older
than when i left it
Nothing had changed-
Except the hand that turned the knob
lonely stone
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 9:58 AM UTC
I am solid
No longer malleable at any hand
At any word
My neck is fastened in its place
Bolted and stitched
Frankenstein.
hollow marsh
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 12:38 AM UTC
my blisters have started to callus, my arms are starting to muscle. my tears come less often, my neck holds my head higher.
steady willow
Apr 15
Apr 15, 2026 at 9:15 PM UTC
i'm compiling my poems—
all of them.
some from twenty years ago, some from last week;
all coming into the present.
there are words i forgot a decade ago
words written without regard for their longevity.
there are hopes and fears and prayers and lies.
lies that i told myself at 15 that hit me with a tinge of sadness today.
who was that girl?
who is she today?
this endeavor—it's sparking such a fire inside to write again.
tender pine
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 11:27 PM UTC
i cried at a stupid story
realized i'd healed somewhat
feels strange to this day,
but i guess that's all what healing's about?
hushed cloud
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 3:08 AM UTC
I am happy again
still moss
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 2:35 PM UTC
I begun to save what's left of my pride :)
amber dune
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 9:01 AM UTC
a humble being that passes unnoticed... the first thought of a returning self each morning. sometimes it feels like the return of light waiting to bloom
restless hearth
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 11:51 AM UTC
i open my window
it's warm again
a return to dusk
that night air scent
after all these years
it still smells the same
copper birch
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 4:53 PM UTC
I am as a bruised petal upon a sheltered rose, stilled yet grasping at the daylight
warm porch
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 12:12 PM UTC
I am solid
No longer malleable at any hand
At any word
My neck is fastened in its place
Bolted and stitched
Frankenstein.
hollow marsh
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 12:38 AM UTC
I started putting myself first and that is something I have never done. I started my morning walking again after having not done it for years.
shy stone
Apr 15
Apr 15, 2026 at 9:12 PM UTC
For the first time
in a long time
I smiled
and I felt the joy my smile carried
For the first time
in a long time
tiny creek
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 8:49 PM UTC
Monday, 1 September 2014
I brewed some coffee. I savored a sip,
The toddler is down for a nap, but,
Four-year old zeal entreats me to play,
Duty called, to go outside.
Rode bikes, the entire length of the street
And back again.
Saw insects, crawling, fast and low,
Saw grasses, trees, and the seeds they throw,
Came back to find that cup.
Coffee, rich, and it was still warm.
steady reed
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 11:30 PM UTC
i entered the university library for the first time in two years since becoming chronically ill and taking a leave of absence and they've changed the cafe and closed the franchise that was there and now they scan the books differently and my pass didn't work on the accessible barrier so i squeezed through the turnstile with my cane and climbed three flights of stairs to get two books i needed because i am afraid of lifts and now i have two books that i will return in a month when i graduate
weary hearth
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 12:35 PM UTC
I took a shower
It had been a very long week
Freshened into the self
early ferry
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 8:08 PM UTC
i came home
unpacked my bags
made a snack
and lay on the ground,
dog pressed to my sides
fierce kettle
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 10:47 AM UTC
Sometimes the smallest returns are the most honest
moonlit ridge
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 3:07 PM UTC
No applause,No grand arrival
Just me,the same door,
a little older
than when i left it
Nothing had changed-
Except the hand that turned the knob
lonely stone
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 9:58 AM UTC
I'm a sailor lost at sea,
but my dad is right next to me.
muted stone
Apr 15
Apr 15, 2026 at 10:14 PM UTC
Eyes finally closed around,
whatever bothered - for those vision dripped
faded even,
Now the faces were a haze,Grey even
but not were her eyes,for vision for once was clearer
than ever, along
the bloom of Gray Louisiana
For once it became the vision.
lonely field
Apr 19
Apr 19, 2026 at 5:19 AM UTC
A stranger passed wearing the face of that summer.
For one light change, I was young again.
windswept valley
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 5:58 PM UTC
I might feel broken and hollow,
But now I no longer follow...
It's time for me to grow.
Become whole and maybe...
Just maybe learn to let go,
What I can't control.
shy kestrel
Apr 18
Apr 18, 2026 at 9:24 AM UTC
I
still
hurt
and I'm sorry I'm doing it.
but it is a return ive made.
still garden
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 2:12 PM UTC
Testing and resting on my laurels.
Flawed every which way
From the beaches
To the desert.
Inserting comfort in ways
That are otherwise
Disgusting.
thin lark
Apr 17
Apr 17, 2026 at 2:18 AM UTC
It was the slight loneliness
That made me feel comfortable
I suddenly miss to be vulnerable.
tender thrush
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 2:39 PM UTC
I did so good for a year
more then that actually
398 days to be exact.
and then it happened
this little silver blade clouded my mind
clouded my entire thoughts
and I lit it tear through skin and bleed the thoughts out
copper field
Apr 16
Apr 16, 2026 at 12:43 AM UTC
my blisters have started to callus, my arms are starting to muscle. my tears come less often, my neck holds my head higher.
steady willow
Apr 15
Apr 15, 2026 at 9:15 PM UTC