What would you reach for if shame weren't watching?
30 responses
Shame doesn't watch me,
but what lurks in the shadows is Fear.
If Fear wasn't watching then I could reach for your hand
and say your name.
drifting ivy
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 10:16 PM UTC
I'd reach for your hand
You'd likely pull away
And I'd still reach more
Because when there's no shame
Ill be here to stay
thin ivy
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 7:32 PM UTC
humiliation.
degradation.
pain.
a sick and twisted form of pleasure that i love so secretly.
i want to be treated like the mess i am,
throw me around as you please.
i am your toy, play with me,
your good little doll.
beat me up,
beat me down,
make me yours completely.
hurt me, hit me, choke me,
there are no lines to cross,
take me all the way.
you can use me to your will,
as long as i'm yours forever.
gentle willow
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 3:00 AM UTC
I would claim you
From the one who loves you
For I would give chase
Even when stared down by shame
Cause when I say I want you
I mean against all odds, babe
blue stone
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 2:33 AM UTC
Craving
I’ll admit,
without shame,
I crave the sound
of your name
upon my lips.
I slowly savor
your sweet words,
your honeyed rhymes,
your cupcake cheeks,
your icing wink.
Yet nothing
satisfies my craving
more than knowing
you are well.
:)
rusted heron
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:58 PM UTC
If I could, I’d reach for the stars and sun and sky
Leaving behind those who latch on and suck you dry
If only shame weren’t watching
I’d sit on the moon and dance on the beach
And be everything that once felt out of reach
If only shame weren’t watching
I’d swallow my fears like a bittersweet pill
And wish and love and wait until
Shame is no longer watching
open cedar
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:54 PM UTC
if shame was blind,
i would open my eyes.
soft magpie
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 6:28 PM UTC
If shame turned its eyes away from my heart
I would snatch love as fast as I could
maybe snitch a dollar or two
but truthfully I steal from shame now
even when they watch and give chase
though I'd like to think in another world
I am much faster...
weary ember
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 5:56 PM UTC
the rope and chair
weathered moth
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 5:36 PM UTC
If I could reach for anything if
shame weren't watching,
I would reach for hope for
I lost it long ago.
distant cloud
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 4:43 PM UTC
but i am happy, even when i am not needing? the quoted ones aside, starring as the mess in my reflection. but i am satiated, even when i am not asking? the grammatically conspicuous sentences, errors that rose out of land despite their burials.
there's a hand reaching out, midst the fog, right through everything that was warned against. a warning sign that had read it would burn, that it would hurt, that it would leave a mark and ache for long enough. but it was only love. love & other drugs.
warm garden
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 4:40 PM UTC
for the record it has to be said
i am shameless and ultrasonic
but you are the Captain of Mischief
i would reach for this feeling
so intense that it hurts
i am as naughty as the wind
lifting women’s skirts
it could have been a woman’s scream
that first separated the light
from the trembling dark
wandering ridge
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 3:59 PM UTC
I'd reach for the worst and let everyone know, I'd tell them how close I am to know, the worst of the curse, and the best of an unanswered wish. I'd scream your name like a maniac, I'd tell people I wrote the almanac. I'd stop and never look back, I would use my eyes, to say I, however many times, wanted to tie a necktie, and stop to think, not for a second, about running along the real proper roads, about what it seems like when I pause, when you think it makes me an ignorant freak. Nothing.
patient stone
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 1:42 PM UTC
If there was no shame for consequence.. then Id be living guilt free, consequence free and shame free..
It’s just like saying your actions have no reactions,
What a world that would be…
Just like happiness with no sorrow..
Living in today like there’s no tomorrow!
weary badger
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 1:14 PM UTC
i would reach for him
the one who i could touch
who i could talk to
the one i could hold until i feel better.
i would reach for my sweet boy
kindly cedar
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 12:14 PM UTC
The love of my husband.
steady orchard
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 11:54 AM UTC
Maybe myself
No, I’m much too busy
I’ve never stopped
for the sake of saying hi
Not once, I’m much too busy
I think if I tried to talk,
I’d nod
and continue with the rhythm
See, I’m much too busy
I can almost see it
Reaching for my own hand
I’d catch it, turning,
face drawn in confusion,
“Go away, please, I’m much too busy”
Busy for what?
To breath? To write? To dance?
You clearly have the time
So what’s the real roadblock,
If not the time?
It’s fear, isn’t it?
salted hollow
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 10:33 AM UTC
My mother
who used to hold me closer
closer than an arrow
grazing a doe
seeing as death flashed before its eye
just to blink and trot away
with more care
than I'd have
staring at
my dead body.
Wishing for a
second chance.
kindly valley
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 10:18 AM UTC
if tens of eyes didn’t tear through my flesh,
drilling deep into my bones.
if eyes didn’t haunt me like the lies i told.
if eyes didn’t tell me I am flawed for being me.
I would reach for grace.
silver thistle
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:58 AM UTC
Your hand.
Always.
heavy garden
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:48 AM UTC
Your out stretched hand, wanting to help me
thin porch
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:44 AM UTC
What would I reach for
If shame would just
Close its eyes
Would still its
Restless tapping
Never ceasing
How can I know?
Because it's clenching fist
Has such a hold
Round me
That I hardly notice it
tiny atlas
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:20 AM UTC
I believe that
if shame were to avert
its watchful gaze
I would reach towards
the bottle
once more
kindly barn
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:08 AM UTC
My fingers to extend in hesitance,
my head to find her shoulder,
our hands to press together,
I am with her and free of
shame's spindly-fingered death grip
humble sparrow
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:58 AM UTC
Unapologetic
I have worn enough costumes
to know fabric does not make a soul.
Let them watch
I am equal parts
grace and bad decisions,
wisdom and wandering,
a little stardust,
a little storm damage.
Human, gloriously.
No shame in scars that taught me.
No shame in flaws still learning their names
If I laugh too loud,
love too deeply,
dance like gravity forgot me
good…
I did not arrive
to be a polished statue.
I came to be
beautifully, honestly,
myself
blue shore
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:56 AM UTC
Shame doesn't watch me,
but what lurks in the shadows is Fear.
If Fear wasn't watching then I could reach for your hand
and say your name.
drifting ivy
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 10:16 PM UTC
humiliation.
degradation.
pain.
a sick and twisted form of pleasure that i love so secretly.
i want to be treated like the mess i am,
throw me around as you please.
i am your toy, play with me,
your good little doll.
beat me up,
beat me down,
make me yours completely.
hurt me, hit me, choke me,
there are no lines to cross,
take me all the way.
you can use me to your will,
as long as i'm yours forever.
gentle willow
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 3:00 AM UTC
Craving
I’ll admit,
without shame,
I crave the sound
of your name
upon my lips.
I slowly savor
your sweet words,
your honeyed rhymes,
your cupcake cheeks,
your icing wink.
Yet nothing
satisfies my craving
more than knowing
you are well.
:)
rusted heron
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:58 PM UTC
if shame was blind,
i would open my eyes.
soft magpie
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 6:28 PM UTC
the rope and chair
weathered moth
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 5:36 PM UTC
but i am happy, even when i am not needing? the quoted ones aside, starring as the mess in my reflection. but i am satiated, even when i am not asking? the grammatically conspicuous sentences, errors that rose out of land despite their burials.
there's a hand reaching out, midst the fog, right through everything that was warned against. a warning sign that had read it would burn, that it would hurt, that it would leave a mark and ache for long enough. but it was only love. love & other drugs.
warm garden
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 4:40 PM UTC
I'd reach for the worst and let everyone know, I'd tell them how close I am to know, the worst of the curse, and the best of an unanswered wish. I'd scream your name like a maniac, I'd tell people I wrote the almanac. I'd stop and never look back, I would use my eyes, to say I, however many times, wanted to tie a necktie, and stop to think, not for a second, about running along the real proper roads, about what it seems like when I pause, when you think it makes me an ignorant freak. Nothing.
patient stone
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 1:42 PM UTC
i would reach for him
the one who i could touch
who i could talk to
the one i could hold until i feel better.
i would reach for my sweet boy
kindly cedar
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 12:14 PM UTC
Maybe myself
No, I’m much too busy
I’ve never stopped
for the sake of saying hi
Not once, I’m much too busy
I think if I tried to talk,
I’d nod
and continue with the rhythm
See, I’m much too busy
I can almost see it
Reaching for my own hand
I’d catch it, turning,
face drawn in confusion,
“Go away, please, I’m much too busy”
Busy for what?
To breath? To write? To dance?
You clearly have the time
So what’s the real roadblock,
If not the time?
It’s fear, isn’t it?
salted hollow
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 10:33 AM UTC
if tens of eyes didn’t tear through my flesh,
drilling deep into my bones.
if eyes didn’t haunt me like the lies i told.
if eyes didn’t tell me I am flawed for being me.
I would reach for grace.
silver thistle
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:58 AM UTC
Your out stretched hand, wanting to help me
thin porch
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:44 AM UTC
I believe that
if shame were to avert
its watchful gaze
I would reach towards
the bottle
once more
kindly barn
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:08 AM UTC
Unapologetic
I have worn enough costumes
to know fabric does not make a soul.
Let them watch
I am equal parts
grace and bad decisions,
wisdom and wandering,
a little stardust,
a little storm damage.
Human, gloriously.
No shame in scars that taught me.
No shame in flaws still learning their names
If I laugh too loud,
love too deeply,
dance like gravity forgot me
good…
I did not arrive
to be a polished statue.
I came to be
beautifully, honestly,
myself
blue shore
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:56 AM UTC
I'd reach for your hand
You'd likely pull away
And I'd still reach more
Because when there's no shame
Ill be here to stay
thin ivy
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 7:32 PM UTC
I would claim you
From the one who loves you
For I would give chase
Even when stared down by shame
Cause when I say I want you
I mean against all odds, babe
blue stone
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 2:33 AM UTC
If I could, I’d reach for the stars and sun and sky
Leaving behind those who latch on and suck you dry
If only shame weren’t watching
I’d sit on the moon and dance on the beach
And be everything that once felt out of reach
If only shame weren’t watching
I’d swallow my fears like a bittersweet pill
And wish and love and wait until
Shame is no longer watching
open cedar
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:54 PM UTC
If shame turned its eyes away from my heart
I would snatch love as fast as I could
maybe snitch a dollar or two
but truthfully I steal from shame now
even when they watch and give chase
though I'd like to think in another world
I am much faster...
weary ember
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 5:56 PM UTC
If I could reach for anything if
shame weren't watching,
I would reach for hope for
I lost it long ago.
distant cloud
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 4:43 PM UTC
for the record it has to be said
i am shameless and ultrasonic
but you are the Captain of Mischief
i would reach for this feeling
so intense that it hurts
i am as naughty as the wind
lifting women’s skirts
it could have been a woman’s scream
that first separated the light
from the trembling dark
wandering ridge
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 3:59 PM UTC
If there was no shame for consequence.. then Id be living guilt free, consequence free and shame free..
It’s just like saying your actions have no reactions,
What a world that would be…
Just like happiness with no sorrow..
Living in today like there’s no tomorrow!
weary badger
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 1:14 PM UTC
The love of my husband.
steady orchard
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 11:54 AM UTC
My mother
who used to hold me closer
closer than an arrow
grazing a doe
seeing as death flashed before its eye
just to blink and trot away
with more care
than I'd have
staring at
my dead body.
Wishing for a
second chance.
kindly valley
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 10:18 AM UTC
Your hand.
Always.
heavy garden
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:48 AM UTC
What would I reach for
If shame would just
Close its eyes
Would still its
Restless tapping
Never ceasing
How can I know?
Because it's clenching fist
Has such a hold
Round me
That I hardly notice it
tiny atlas
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:20 AM UTC
My fingers to extend in hesitance,
my head to find her shoulder,
our hands to press together,
I am with her and free of
shame's spindly-fingered death grip
humble sparrow
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:58 AM UTC
Shame doesn't watch me,
but what lurks in the shadows is Fear.
If Fear wasn't watching then I could reach for your hand
and say your name.
drifting ivy
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 10:16 PM UTC
I would claim you
From the one who loves you
For I would give chase
Even when stared down by shame
Cause when I say I want you
I mean against all odds, babe
blue stone
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 2:33 AM UTC
if shame was blind,
i would open my eyes.
soft magpie
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 6:28 PM UTC
If I could reach for anything if
shame weren't watching,
I would reach for hope for
I lost it long ago.
distant cloud
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 4:43 PM UTC
I'd reach for the worst and let everyone know, I'd tell them how close I am to know, the worst of the curse, and the best of an unanswered wish. I'd scream your name like a maniac, I'd tell people I wrote the almanac. I'd stop and never look back, I would use my eyes, to say I, however many times, wanted to tie a necktie, and stop to think, not for a second, about running along the real proper roads, about what it seems like when I pause, when you think it makes me an ignorant freak. Nothing.
patient stone
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 1:42 PM UTC
The love of my husband.
steady orchard
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 11:54 AM UTC
if tens of eyes didn’t tear through my flesh,
drilling deep into my bones.
if eyes didn’t haunt me like the lies i told.
if eyes didn’t tell me I am flawed for being me.
I would reach for grace.
silver thistle
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:58 AM UTC
What would I reach for
If shame would just
Close its eyes
Would still its
Restless tapping
Never ceasing
How can I know?
Because it's clenching fist
Has such a hold
Round me
That I hardly notice it
tiny atlas
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:20 AM UTC
Unapologetic
I have worn enough costumes
to know fabric does not make a soul.
Let them watch
I am equal parts
grace and bad decisions,
wisdom and wandering,
a little stardust,
a little storm damage.
Human, gloriously.
No shame in scars that taught me.
No shame in flaws still learning their names
If I laugh too loud,
love too deeply,
dance like gravity forgot me
good…
I did not arrive
to be a polished statue.
I came to be
beautifully, honestly,
myself
blue shore
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:56 AM UTC
I'd reach for your hand
You'd likely pull away
And I'd still reach more
Because when there's no shame
Ill be here to stay
thin ivy
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 7:32 PM UTC
Craving
I’ll admit,
without shame,
I crave the sound
of your name
upon my lips.
I slowly savor
your sweet words,
your honeyed rhymes,
your cupcake cheeks,
your icing wink.
Yet nothing
satisfies my craving
more than knowing
you are well.
:)
rusted heron
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:58 PM UTC
If shame turned its eyes away from my heart
I would snatch love as fast as I could
maybe snitch a dollar or two
but truthfully I steal from shame now
even when they watch and give chase
though I'd like to think in another world
I am much faster...
weary ember
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 5:56 PM UTC
but i am happy, even when i am not needing? the quoted ones aside, starring as the mess in my reflection. but i am satiated, even when i am not asking? the grammatically conspicuous sentences, errors that rose out of land despite their burials.
there's a hand reaching out, midst the fog, right through everything that was warned against. a warning sign that had read it would burn, that it would hurt, that it would leave a mark and ache for long enough. but it was only love. love & other drugs.
warm garden
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 4:40 PM UTC
If there was no shame for consequence.. then Id be living guilt free, consequence free and shame free..
It’s just like saying your actions have no reactions,
What a world that would be…
Just like happiness with no sorrow..
Living in today like there’s no tomorrow!
weary badger
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 1:14 PM UTC
Maybe myself
No, I’m much too busy
I’ve never stopped
for the sake of saying hi
Not once, I’m much too busy
I think if I tried to talk,
I’d nod
and continue with the rhythm
See, I’m much too busy
I can almost see it
Reaching for my own hand
I’d catch it, turning,
face drawn in confusion,
“Go away, please, I’m much too busy”
Busy for what?
To breath? To write? To dance?
You clearly have the time
So what’s the real roadblock,
If not the time?
It’s fear, isn’t it?
salted hollow
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 10:33 AM UTC
Your hand.
Always.
heavy garden
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:48 AM UTC
I believe that
if shame were to avert
its watchful gaze
I would reach towards
the bottle
once more
kindly barn
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:08 AM UTC
humiliation.
degradation.
pain.
a sick and twisted form of pleasure that i love so secretly.
i want to be treated like the mess i am,
throw me around as you please.
i am your toy, play with me,
your good little doll.
beat me up,
beat me down,
make me yours completely.
hurt me, hit me, choke me,
there are no lines to cross,
take me all the way.
you can use me to your will,
as long as i'm yours forever.
gentle willow
May 22
May 22, 2026 at 3:00 AM UTC
If I could, I’d reach for the stars and sun and sky
Leaving behind those who latch on and suck you dry
If only shame weren’t watching
I’d sit on the moon and dance on the beach
And be everything that once felt out of reach
If only shame weren’t watching
I’d swallow my fears like a bittersweet pill
And wish and love and wait until
Shame is no longer watching
open cedar
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:54 PM UTC
the rope and chair
weathered moth
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 5:36 PM UTC
for the record it has to be said
i am shameless and ultrasonic
but you are the Captain of Mischief
i would reach for this feeling
so intense that it hurts
i am as naughty as the wind
lifting women’s skirts
it could have been a woman’s scream
that first separated the light
from the trembling dark
wandering ridge
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 3:59 PM UTC
i would reach for him
the one who i could touch
who i could talk to
the one i could hold until i feel better.
i would reach for my sweet boy
kindly cedar
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 12:14 PM UTC
My mother
who used to hold me closer
closer than an arrow
grazing a doe
seeing as death flashed before its eye
just to blink and trot away
with more care
than I'd have
staring at
my dead body.
Wishing for a
second chance.
kindly valley
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 10:18 AM UTC
Your out stretched hand, wanting to help me
thin porch
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 9:44 AM UTC
My fingers to extend in hesitance,
my head to find her shoulder,
our hands to press together,
I am with her and free of
shame's spindly-fingered death grip
humble sparrow
May 21
May 21, 2026 at 8:58 AM UTC