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4d · 28
Flotsom
In her sea of unrequited love I am flotsam—
not even wreckage with a story,
just something left behind,
adrift.

She is the water that carries me,
cool and untouchable,
vast and shining,
indifferent to the fragments she holds.

I do not sink—
that would be release.
I float,
caught in eddies of hope,
drawn near by a glance,
pushed away by silence.

There is no harbour,
no shore with arms outstretched.
Only the endless drift
beneath skies that never speak,
toward nothing,
from everything I once believed.

I am the forgotten,
the unchosen,
the still-loyal shard of something
she never meant to keep—
But can’t quite let go
Paul James Feb 23
The sky is the colour of well-worn bedsheets,
greyed and softened by countless washes,
a damp washing line kind of grey,
the kind that clings to the air
before a drizzle starts,
or after it ends,
and the world is still dripping.

Not the bright, hopeful white
of freshly laundered linen,
snapping in a summer breeze.
No, this is the grey of a Monday morning,
of a forgotten promise,
of a lukewarm cup of tea.
It's the grey that seeps into your bones,

It settles in your shoulders.
makes you want to pull the covers
back over your head
and pretend the day
hasn't quite begun.
But even this grey,
this damp, heavy grey,
has its own kind of beauty.

A quiet strength.
a muted dignity.
It's the colour of waiting,
of slow, steady growth,
of the earth breathing
beneath a blanket of clouds.
I’m tired & frustrated by daily grey skies & I long for them the break & Brother Sun to reappear.
Jan 27 · 46
Suspended Animation
Paul James Jan 27
My heart floats in the hollow between beats,
a weightless thing, neither here nor gone,
left in the purgatory of almosts and maybes.

Time drips slow, like sap from a wounded tree,
every second stretched thin,
every breath a whisper of what could be.

Hope dangles, fragile and frayed,
a spider’s thread trembling in the wind,
unsure if it will hold or snap
under the weight of a longing unspoken.

I do not bleed, I do not weep—
I simply linger,
caught in this timeless pause,
my heart in suspended animation,
waiting for the whisper of her touch,
the warmth of her voice,
to pull me back to life.
Dec 2024 · 57
Razors
Paul James Dec 2024
Her sneers cut like invisible razors,
slivers of disdain slicing through the air,
the silence swelling with unspoken judgments.

Each twist of her lip is a verdict,
a dismissal of the things I am,
a shadow cast over the fragile corners
where I hold my own worth.

Her eyes, sharp as broken glass,
reflect nothing of me,
only the cold echo of her discontent,
a tide that pulls my spirit under.

I feel it in my chest—
a tightness,
as though the air around me
is hers to withhold,
and I am left gasping
in the storm of her unkindness.

Yet still, I stand,
weakened but unbowed,
seeking in the ruins of her scorn
some thread of strength
that does not rely on her mercy.
Sep 2024 · 74
Aged 72 on Thursday
Paul James Sep 2024
My days of laughter have slipped away, like sunlight caught in a wave, bright for a moment then lost to the deep.

Once, joy was found  in every corner—a child’s secret smile, the pulse of music in crowded rooms, the thrill of chasing a breeze through open windows.
Holidays,trips to the seaside long since past.

Now, the echoes are faint, hollow notes where melodies once sang. I walk through the same streets, the same rooms, but the colours have dimmed, the voices have softened.

The fun, the careless abandon, the rush of forgetting the weight of the world—they have packed up quietly, leaving only the stillness, the memories, and longing.

Now I wait in this quiet longing,wondering if the light might return, or if I must learn to dance with the shadows of memory instead.
A sad, monotonous life.
Aug 2024 · 61
Wind,be my messenger…
Paul James Aug 2024
Wind, you who dance through the world with no barriers, who knows the secrets of every leaf and every whispered breath—hear me now.

As you brush against my skin, gentle and unseen, I ask you to carry my love, delicate as a feather, to the one who holds my heart in secret.

Let my kisses be your passengers, riding on your back like tiny whispers of the soul, traveling through the unseen paths between us.

Move with the grace of a lover’s touch, through fields of wildflowers and over rivers that shimmer like dreams. Slip through the night’s velvet cloak, and find the one who is mine in thought but far in presence

Surround her with the warmth of my longing, the softness of my affection, until they feel the invisible embrace of my heart.

Tell her nothing, wind, for this love is ours to hold close and quiet. Simply let my kisses fall like petals at her feet, like stars at her window, until she is surrounded by all that I am and all that I give.
May 2024 · 78
Untitled
Feb 2024 · 151
Untitled
Paul James Feb 2024
The priest will never marry us
and my mom will never know you
but I can kiss you over a mug of  tea and dance with you under the stars and if that isn't marriage I'm not sure what God is looking for...
I found this poem, I didn’t write it but it moved me & I’d like to share it. Moreover I’d dearly love to share it with my secret love.
Dec 2023 · 344
Our emotional affair.
Paul James Dec 2023
In the quiet shadows of shared glances and unspoken words, our emotional affair unfolds like verses woven into the fabric of clandestine emotions.

A dance of feelings painted in hues of secrecy, where the lines blurred between what was said and what lingered in the unsaid.

Each stolen moment a stanza etched in the margins of our lives, a prose poem of longing and connection, composed in the delicate syntax of stolen time.
Our affair tears me apart. So very near yet so far from hearts full connection. Not knowing for certain how she feels. 😢
Dec 2023 · 143
Heart of fire
Paul James Dec 2023
In the quiet chambers of my soul, a fervent flame dances, fueled by the whispered winds of her name.

Each heartbeat echoes the symphony of my longing, an inferno ignited by the tender spark of her presence.

Embers of passion glow in the verses of my soul's prose,
a timeless poem etched in the language of devotion,
burning brightly with the intensity of a thousand suns.
Dec 2023 · 247
? Shared Love
Paul James Dec 2023
In the quiet realm where whispers linger, let your heart unfurl its clandestine verses.

Beneath the clandestine moon, reveal the ink of your emotions, tracing the contours of a love that thrives in shadows.

Allow the clandestine dance of words be our shared secret, penned in the sacred language of the heart.
Dec 2023 · 339
Cowardly?
Paul James Dec 2023
Beneath the new moon's gentle gaze,
I wander through the labyrinth of uncertainty,
tracing the delicate contours of our interactions.
In the tapestry of moments, I seek whispers of her sentiments,
wondering if the stars in her eyes mirror the constellations of my own yearning.
Leaving me questioning
“Does she hear my heart….?
Dec 2023 · 117
Untitled
Paul James Dec 2023
The imposter

God please,
Let my subterfuge
Hold out
Just a little bit further.

Let my mask
Stay on
Just a little bit longer.

Let me walk
With some Pride
Still dangling
From my chest-

Lord grant my heart no rest.
Dec 2023 · 361
Secret & silent love
Paul James Dec 2023
In shadows cast by moonlit dreams, my heart inscribes tales of adoration for the enchanting woman who graces my  world.

A clandestine dance of emotions, where unspoken verses paint portraits of admiration & love, where every stolen glance is a silent sonnet penned in the secrecy of my desire .
Nov 2023 · 111
Whispered Love
Paul James Nov 2023
In the language of the heart, my love for her weaves a tapestry beyond words.

It's an unspoken symphony that echoes in the quiet moments, a silent promise written in the stars.

If its depth could be measured it would be an ocean without shores,

boundless and eternal, where every wave carries whispers of affection.
Nov 2023 · 99
Longing for her…..
Paul James Nov 2023
In the quiet echoes of my heart, her name resonates like a delicate sonnet unheard. Unrequited, yet I find solace in the poetry  of my longing,
tracing the silhouette of her absence in the verses of my soul.
Aug 2023 · 137
Palpitations
Paul James Aug 2023
She holds my heart securely within her grasp
Thus far she has no knowledge of her potency.
For her to have awareness of her cradling
My ardour, my affections,
May risk an arrest of  my hearts loving palpitations
For she may leave,
And then my hearts light would be extinguished.
Jul 2023 · 159
Untitled
Paul James Jul 2023
In the gentle embrace of a sun-kissed evening, Her presence becomes the very essence of enchantment. Her laughter, like a melody in the wind, dances with the graceful cadence of a thousand twinkling stars. Her eyes, two deep pools of blue, hold secrets only whispered to the moon, leave me lost in their captivating allure.

Every step she takes leaves an imprint on my heart, a path of warmth and tenderness. In her touch, I find solace, a connection that transcended the realms of ordinary existence. Time seems to slow in her company, as if the universe conspires to savor every stolen moment.

Her spirit, a delicate blend of strength and vulnerability, radiates a magnetic charm that draws me closer, like a moth to the flickering flame. The way she cares for others, with genuine kindness and empathy, paints her as an angel among mortals, a beacon of compassion.

Each gesture, each word she speaks, paints vivid portraits of affection on the canvas of my soul. And in the quiet corners of my mind, I dream of moments yet to come, where love would bloom like a garden of roses, and our hearts would entwine like vines in an eternal embrace.
I speak ofAnn, a name whispered in the silence of my thoughts, it carries the promise of a love story destined to be etched in the stars, forever bound in the timeless tale of two souls entwined in love's sweet embrace.
Jul 2023 · 247
My unrequited love
Paul James Jul 2023
Amidst the ache of unrequited love, my heart still finds solace in the beauty of our connection, even if it remains one-sided. I'll cherish the moments we shared, even if they were fleeting, for they brought warmth to my soul and left an indelible mark on my heart.
Dec 2020 · 212
Christmas gift...
Paul James Dec 2020
Its the way she looks into my eyes....
Standing there she talks to the three of us staring into my eyes...
Through me, into my soul,
Radiation, that burns the chambers of my aching heart...
Burning away any doubts I had of her feelings & sending me once again tumbling into an oblivion of passion.
And then she’s gone!
Her trap has sprung!
Once more she has me trapped in her web of longing...
Woven and
Hooked on loves longing.
Oct 2020 · 194
False perceptions??
Paul James Oct 2020
False perceptions??

Olfactory:  Your scent on my pillow
Auditory : Your whispers gentle in my ear
Tactile: Your lips so soft against mine
Visual: Your reflection next to mine
In my hallucinations, you are mine
I daydream of wooing her, hearing her say that she loves me, holding her, our fingers intertwined, shared passion.
Oct 2020 · 175
One kiss....
Paul James Oct 2020
One kiss....

Love is just a kiss away dearest....
Just the gentlest of touches between thine lips and mine....
One scintilla is all it would take for us to fall tumbling impetuously in love.

The cosmos has conspired for our love to be manifest
From Genesis our love was destined to ignite,
One kiss would kindle an already unspoken passion into a roaring inferno of love
A conflagration of devotion,
romance and daily yearning would be ours....
She is my vision of loveliness. Yet the emblem of unrequited love
Oct 2020 · 158
Silent Magic
Paul James Oct 2020
What is this sorcery that this woman has meted out to me?
Hypnotised, weakened, I somehow stumble through my day.
Shadows of people, echos of conversations pass through me and all I feel, and reflect upon is her.

I assail her with a thousand repentances “release me from the ******* of simply loving you”
But no, mutely, she pierces my heart with her maleficium, enslaving me in rapturous yet desolate unrequited love for her.
Ann’s enchantment weaved it’s spell upon me this evening when she visited & chatted to me.
Sep 2020 · 169
Unrequited
Paul James Sep 2020
Unrequited

Un: inappropriate
Requited : unrecognised

The love has fallen like the sword of Damocles and spilt my heart in two.

Love Disregarded
Ignored
Trivialised
Wasted
My lonesome heart collapses whenever we meet. Yearning for her.
Sep 2020 · 135
Unspoken....yet
Paul James Sep 2020
I hear your spirit so clearly my love
It bawls at my heart and my soul  
Telling me that you are the one for me
You take  hold of me with talons of passion that have ensnared every ounce of my flesh and spirit .
Please take me my sweet
Devour me, all of me, gaze at this beating heart I hold precious for you.

Life without you is death
Death within you is eternal life
I just desire to exist in the invisible, unspoken love that I have for you.
I wrote this after a brief conversation with Ann. My heart & spirit were aflame with emotion for her. But she doesn’t hear,,,
Aug 2020 · 169
Love poem
Paul James Aug 2020
She  has ignited a fire in my heart
That previously was a smouldering ember, barely alight
She has sparked a fire that consumes,flares and roars when ever I say her name or think of her

Her laughter fans the blaze
A smile that chars my soul
Fingertips leave stigmata upon my skin and kisses scald my lovelorn heart.
This fire is out of control, love it’s fuel
And my passion it’s heat.
Jul 2020 · 169
Untitled #2
Paul James Jul 2020
Her words piece my heart leaving a luminous stain which spread  like a red dye of passion flooding through my veins until every corpuscle glowed with a radiant luminosity of love for her.

Staring into my eyes gently she fanned these embers of love within me into flames that consumed my soul.
Words formed by her are indistinguishable.
As my heart takes control of my conscious brain

Let me enfold you in my arms!
Tenderly smother your cheeks with kisses, smell your hair and whisper words of love.
Oh but we could be together, sharing our remaining years-My Queen!
My destiny!
My eternity!!
Feb 2018 · 456
Untitled
Paul James Feb 2018
I could write you a poem but it would never be good enough, for you are a poem

I could write that you are beautiful but my words wouldn't do you justice.

I could write how important and special you are but your value exceeds human understanding.

I could write how wonderful your mind is but my vocabulary is insufficient and weak

I could write how **** you are,
That my body belongs to you,
But my body, my self is unworthy
of you

I want to tell you how deeply I love you
But I'm unable to describe the depth of the oceans

You are the collective works of Yeats, Keats, Shelley and Tennyson.
Jun 2017 · 2.4k
Yorkshire Logic???
Paul James Jun 2017
"It'll never amount to owt"
As they say in Yorkshire.
"Ahh mean, 'ers 'int love wit 'ere ole man
'Ant thou's married too!
Giv ova 'ant grow a pair son....."

"I know, don't you think I've been thru this a million times in my heart and head"?
"But I can't give up on her, I haven't told her my feelings, I couldn't.... She'd run a mile, and I'd lose a friend, my heart would shatter into a trillion pieces"

"Aye, but 'ere know thou's sweet 'ont 'ere"
"Lassies know such things"

"But she teases me, leads me on,flirts with me, manipulates my heart".


"Nowt good will come of it I'm tellin' ye,
It'll all end 'int tears...probably yers too"

"I know that at my age I should know betta,
But no age is exempt to love"
I cling to hope,
Each and any crumb that might Indicate that she'll allow me to hold her in my arms
And kiss her..."

"So take your Yorkshire logic,
Your Northern pragmatism,
I can't see the wood for the trees in this 'affair' I know
But I live in hope that one day
She'll tell me that she loves me..."
Jun 2017 · 351
Addiction...
Paul James Jun 2017
My lovelorn heart is full of passion after sharing time with you.

I want to dress you in sensuous  words of love & disrobe you with dancing fingers of passion.

Every contour of your face is etched in lines of love on my bursting heart.
Waiting to be translated in kisses should you allow.

The nape of your neck invites my attention
Her jewellery embellishes its kissability and tantisizes my fantasies.

I hang on  every word...
Watching, ****** like as your tongue  and lips form words.


Your spell upon me was cast millennium ago but I never knew it
I feel it coursing through my veins
Like a embalming drug, chilling​ me to my marrow with desire

She is my addiction and I'll never have enough....
May 2017 · 260
Untitled
Paul James May 2017
My lovelorn mind is full of words after being in her company last night.

I want to dress her in sensuous  words of love & disrobe her with dancing fingers of passion.

Every contour of her face is etched in lines of love on my bursting heart.
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