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Feb 2022 · 889
The Well
Peter Tanner Feb 2022
I am in the depths of who knows where.
It is dark, it is cold, it is despair.
I am face up in the pool gasping for air.
I see no stars, I see no moon
There's just the fear that I may go under soon
The void which is darker than the walls,
tempts me to give into its calls.
I hear them echoing in my soul,
then my burdens take their toll.
I reach out in the cold air,
for a helping hand that isn't there.
Then I go under,
to the darkness of my eternal slumber.
A metaphor for the many things in our lives which seem to assail us without end.
Jan 2021 · 767
The Broken Clock
Peter Tanner Jan 2021
I dressed for an event not taking place.
I watched a clock that wasn't keeping pace.
I was late to a party that wasn't meant to be
It was a dance for two and I didn't have the key

You see,

If you give it all then you can lose it all
You must rise up or else you're in for a fall
A broken clock is a heart not ticking
A missed event is a couple not clicking
I followed a heart that led me astray
Now sadness is the only thing to stay
Loving someone that doesn't love you back
May 2020 · 238
Skirmishes in the Mind
Peter Tanner May 2020
There is no prize for winning fights
There are no spectators nor screams
There are just long nights and troubled dreams
We play by worldly rules
We are punished by the same
By them we are fools and dubbed insane
Outcasts we are and outcasts we'll be
Until one day we can show them why and bid them see.
Feb 2020 · 368
Friendly Company
Peter Tanner Feb 2020
I realize now what I crave.
I don’t wish for presents or parties in my name.
Praise or popularity either.
Perhaps others would get bored of doing nothing
However, I’m just glad that they are there,
Near me, supporting me.
Who are they? My Friends.
Nov 2019 · 512
First Flight
Peter Tanner Nov 2019
The bird struggled to its feet
The day had finally come
In fear the bird gave a small tweet
The first flight is frightening to some
Fly or fall, two options nothing more nothing less
To me this is comparable to my own stress
I asked her out, she said yes.
I thought my trial had ended
I flew from the tree and didn’t fall
But now is the greatest test of them all
Will I survive the world of prey?
Or will I fall victim and dark be my days?
No one knows til the end is come
Not even the bird itself until it has lived a full life and bourn it’s young.
Or one with the earth the bird has become
She said yes but will the first date go well? If not will it spell the end?
Nov 2019 · 586
When the moment's right
Peter Tanner Nov 2019
Did I chicken out or was it not the time?
The moment was so fine but not right
The fight within me ceased
It was a feast of joy and of song
Nothing could go wrong
Maybe next time i'll see if with her I belong.
Asking somebody out is hard especially when the mood is so light and happy. I hope to know in time whether I see her in a romantic light or not.
Nov 2019 · 545
The Pondering Wanderer
Peter Tanner Nov 2019
He walks though rivers and streams
Through distant meadows and traveler's dreams
As he does this he always ponders deeply
about wondrous sights and mountains angled steeply
Why does he do it? Only I know.
He sits back and wonders why the rivers flow
He climbs to find where the greener grass might grow
He wishes to know as do we all.
On this earth what is our purpose?
Is hoping for something after this life hopeless?
What and where was I before this?
Thus we wander and ponder as we dump our thoughts into a seemingly endless abyss.
Most of us wonder why we are here, where we were, and where we are going. The answer is out there. Maybe as we wander it will find us.
Nov 2019 · 339
Stressed out
Peter Tanner Nov 2019
What do you do when the world is upon you?
When you are assaulted on all fronts.
How do you react?
Why does this happen to me?, you ask.
Who, if anyone, will help me?
Then, there's nobody.
It seems to happen just because.
Tears and Loneliness just come with the territory
It happens time and time again.
I sit and I wish I could cry.
Nov 2019 · 390
Fear of Rejection
Peter Tanner Nov 2019
On the morrow I will ask her if she will go with me.
If she tries to set me free wont it just be a trap for me?
Yes I would be free from the fear of rejection
but instead I would be the prisoner of depression
On the other hand if I am asked to stay
all my chains would fall away.
Now is the moment before the scales tip
before the choice is made and the cards flip
My mind is always caught up in this reflection
and thus I'm haunted by the fear of rejection.
Asking a girl out on a date can be a scary thing, something most people fear.
Oct 2019 · 124
Indecision
Peter Tanner Oct 2019
What do I want?
What do they want?
That looks like fun!
or does it?
That looks good!
but does that look better?
I am caught amidst a clash of thoughts.
I think I know myself
but I really don't

As the whirlwind of spinning thoughts flood my head
I wish to hide instead.
For I know that I don't know myself
And for that matter nor does anybody else.
Apr 2016 · 1.7k
Dividing Promises
Peter Tanner Apr 2016
I can no longer be with you;
a fact I wish were not true.
But you must be true to yourself
and not put your promise on a shelf.
For a promise made is a promise kept,
and yet still when i saw you my heart still leapt,
even though we cant be
I still wish for a you and me.
When both wish for the other and yet the universe fights back.
Dec 2015 · 819
Passion
Peter Tanner Dec 2015
Where has my passion gone?
I no longer seem to have a drive.
Is there a lost light switch I just forgot to turn on?
There was a time where my creative spirit used to thrive
now I just sit in the dark
Now I do not know what to do
I just need to find a bright spark
that will bring back my life together like glue
Where might I find it?
Where?
May 2015 · 902
The Coming Storm
Peter Tanner May 2015
Everything silent with nothing in sight
Then suddenly there is a flash of light

For couple seconds there is no sound
And a loud Boom! Comes as if from all around.

The Storm is not yet here
For now we have nothing to fear

But soon the storm will be upon us. Then the winds will begin and a great fuss.

Soon will the lightning and thunder be as one.
Soon will the Storm begin it's fun

But for now I just sit at the window as the first raindrops drop
For there I will admire the Storm from beginning to stop.
Feb 2015 · 749
The Senses
Peter Tanner Feb 2015
Among the noise
Over the music,
Over the talking
It is not heard
Among the sights
Over the colors
Over the wonders
It is not seen
There is just one taste of it
That is the salt in your tears
No trained bloodhound can catch the scent
For there is none
It cannot be felt
For it is only for one to feel
Nobody seems to notice
Nobody seems to care
Nobody seems to sense
The sadness of a broken heart
Feb 2015 · 504
The Night
Peter Tanner Feb 2015
The night,
it calls,
softly from the darkness
many are not aware
many do not hear its entrancing tones
the shadows, as a protective blanket surround you
although evil might lurk in the dark,
so do you
the darkness keeps you safe from harmful sight
but the night provides you with just enough light
the light of moonlight.
The night is the friend that coaxes you to sleep
the friend that tries to fight the morning,
for the purpose of letting you dose.
Thus the struggle of refusing to sleep
and the struggle of staying asleep
Whatever your struggle,
the night will be there
Feb 2015 · 4.5k
The Puzzle of Life
Peter Tanner Feb 2015
Life seems like a puzzle
A puzzle that will never end
Sometimes pieces fit together
sometimes they do not
In some puzzles piece are missing
Just like people or certain activities lack in ours
those activities can be lost forever
or they can be found
At the close of your life,
you will look back on the puzzle
The puzzle, now a picture
a picture that now makes sense
a picture of a life fulfilled
Feb 2015 · 5.4k
A Man with A Sensitive Heart
Peter Tanner Feb 2015
I am a man, this is so
I am tall, I am broad
I am seen as untouchable,
immune to hurt
This is not true
Under the muscle
Under the broad shoulders of this man
there sits a sensitive heart
It sits there unrecognized by many
Many that do not know,
that what they say hurts
"It will just glance off him" they think
But in truth, it strikes to the very core
They do not know of my tear stained pillow
They do not know of my heartbreak,
The isolation that welcomes me
They think they know me but they don't
They do not really know my manly but *sensitive heart
There are those who are sensitive but nobody knows, even those closest to them. Try to be kind to all those who you are in contact with for who knows. They may be sensitive, when nobody else knows.
Jan 2015 · 481
The feeling of loss
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
I may not know the feel of a loved one passing away
But I understood when I held you that one day
The day when tears steamed down
When the thoughts of loss came to town
My heart ached in your sorrow
I felt that I could just take it to borrow
That is might hurt a little less
But I did not have that power to bless
I could only provide comfort in your time of need
Like putting on a bandaid when you bleed.
I hope to always be there for you.
Even though I will not always be physically that is true
When you are cold
My warm embrace will be there
When you are lonely
My words will be in your mind
When you need somebody's love
My heart will be right next to yours
Beating as one
Because we are one.
Your sorrow is my sorrow
Your loss is my loss
Your loneliness is my loneliness
Your cold is my cold
Your love is my love
We are one.
Jan 2015 · 681
Where is the Snow?
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
One dream of at least one child is that it will snow on Christmas
This year there was no snow.
Just a pang of sadness when the children looked out the window.
Even now i wish for snow
I just hope to use my snowboots one last time
before I put them away in the basement below.
Jan 2015 · 1.0k
Love is Life
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
We live so that we may love.
This love makes life worth living
So what happens when we aren't with the one we love?
What happens is that we lose that life
We become a shadow of what we once were.
Doesn't it make sense to try to strip away this shadow?
To return to the light of our life
ridding us of that terrible shadow
Life is for love
Love is **life
If somebody misses somebody that you love, just remember that you aren't alone most people are missing somebody from their life.
Jan 2015 · 802
Flower
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
I start in the ground.
I just lay there without a sound.
For now I am just a little seed. Hopefully when I grow up I am not mistaken for a ****.
For now I am just to wait.
To wait for the cold and dry to dissipate.
Soon will come the warmth and water.
That will help me grow tall and strong so that I may not totter.
I will then have the strength and power,
to finally be called a flower.
I will finally be able to feel and chase the sun.
Which is what I do for fun.
I follow it from beginning to end.
This is my daily trend.
When my final days come near.
I'm will be glad that I cannot shed a tear.
I hope to be picked as a child's treasure
and to become a mother's pleasure.
So in the end when I wilt,
I will remember the happiness that I have built.
Jan 2015 · 5.6k
Warmth
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
Warmth
What a great feeling.
The same sensation of those sweet orange rays of the sun.
When the sun rises is brings warmth to all its searching beams touch.
Warmth is the subtle heat from a campfire.
When you and  friends are roasting mallows.
Warmth is not only physical
Is it also emotional
Warmth is when somebody is kind to you.
Like giving you a hug on a bad day.
Warmth may come from a significant other.
Maybe when they hold your hand
Maybe when they say the three magic words "I love you."
Warmth is also when you do the same kindness for others.
Not only will you be the warmth in someone else life.
You might add a little sunshine to yours as well in return.
This warmth physical and mental keeps us toasty
in this otherwise bleak and cold world.
May your day be full of sunshine and happiness.
I had to go free-verse on this one. There are words that rhyme with warmth but I couldn't think of any at the time. :)
Jan 2015 · 564
Friends
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
Imagine a world where you are alone.
Everyone that you loved or hated are gone.
First it may be lonely.
Next it may be fun.
You could do whatever you wanted.
Eventually the loneliness will set in again.
This time worse than before.
Nobody to hate you.
Nobody to love you.

Now imagine a new world.
This time there are other people.
There is just one catch.
People will talk to you.
They might even laugh with you.
But in the end,
they don't act like friends.
They aren't there for you when you need them.
They aren't there when you're lonely.
They won't let you feel welcome.
Is this better than the previous world?
Is it better to I think you have friends, to just find out that you don't?
Or is it better to know that there is nobody already?

Now... Imagine a world like the last.
But don't judge so fast.
This world is different from the rest.
What you might miss makes this one the best.
This is not as bad
this is not nearly as sad.
Now there are people that will be there for you without saying please
Their friendship will be true with these With friends you won't be alone.
You will not be on your own.
This is the world of friends.
Hope you feel and see the contrast.
Jan 2015 · 421
Love
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
Love
What are we to do about love?
Can you avoid it?
Can you ignore it?
No you cannot do either of those.
No you cannot help thinking of the other.
When you do, you get lost.
Lost in a whirl of memories.
Those memories make you love the other more.
But they make it harder to be apart.
When you are together you are yourself
You are who you were meant to be.
When you are apart you are missing something
Always missing.
Never ending.
This never ending ache then ends
It ends when you're with the other
When you run up and greet them
Whether it be with a hearty hello, a hug, or a kiss.
Especially if they respond in kind.
Having a significant other
Is better than having a sister or brother.
They are someone you can trust with your heart.
With whom you can never be fully apart.
Oh what a feeling that you feel!
That feels so good it seems not real.
Oh what joy when the other leaves something for you.
Maybe it is an object or a clue that they are saying "I love you".
Those three heart felt words can mean so much
They can give the heart the perfect gentle touch.
If said truthfully they are the most musical words in the universe
If said untruthfully then things could get much much worse.
The times that you spend with them are always the best
Whether you are going bowling or studying for a test.
Maybe you just go on a walk
Or possibly you just stay home and talk.
What ever you like to do
Make sure to say I love you
Whether it be with words or a pact,
This should always be a fact.
Jan 2015 · 2.5k
The Hopeful Response
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
The best heart stopping experience
It doesn't sound healthy
But without it I would die
Seeing the texts my very soul begins to fly
My heart then stops to see what she has written
Maybe she has become braver than I
Maybe she has said those fatal words
The words that will stop my heart
The words of "I love you"
Alas it was not so
So along with my gloomy but hopeful life I go.
Jan 2015 · 397
Alone
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
Alone
At what Point are you alone?
Is it when nobody's physically next to you?
Is it when nobody is there next to you that cares for you?
Or maybe being lonely only happens when you think some people will know your feelings than you realize that they don't.
Maybe they're only a few people in the world of 9 Billion people who truly understand but you are not with them.
They are not there to help understand,
to hug you when you are lonely
to be there when you're crying
to be there when you're broke inside you need someone to fix you up
These are what true friends are.
They are there to build you up when you break down.
When you're with those special people or in particular that special one person you feel makes your life complete.
You feel that you have found the joy your life was missing.
That there is no nobody else in the world that will make you happy.
Aside from those people or that person.
when you are without these people or that specific person
you try to get others understand.
You might try to explain to someone else who is not one of your special people your thoughts or feelings.
Confiding in them.
But they don't understand.
They may treat it as no big deal.
Is this loneliness?
The lack of friends, the lack of people who understand?
Not just the lack of people but the lack of understanding caring people?
While feeling this loneliness does it not make sense to escape?
To make your way out of this feeling as much as possible?
To be with those that care and understand you ,and you them?
You must cherish these moments you have and strive for more of them.
These will make the famine of loneliness less bleak.
These will give you hope like the light at the end of a tunnel.
To make the transition from loneliness to happiness.
Joy is what everyone deserves in life Always strive for what makes you happy.
Always be with those who make you happy and be where you feel at home.
Jan 2015 · 797
How?
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
How?
How?
This is the question that I ask.
To live away from her is my task.
But this is an impossible feat,
for my life without her is incomplete.
The times with her I cherish the most.
So being apart is like being on an opposite coast.
When I hold her in my arms,
it is just her and I safe from harm.
When I comfort her when sad,
it's like I protect her from all that is bad.
When I see her dance,
I'm so awed that I am entranced
When I hear her sing,
I sit back, close my eyes, and listen to the music ring.
From these things I am powerless to resist.
So thus she is sorely missed.
How can I stay away,
away from where my heart lay?
How?
........How?
..............................
Jan 2015 · 1.2k
The Lonely Flame
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
Within the darkness there is a solitary flame.
Flickering, nobody but the wind to blame.
The wind could do nothing, no, not even faze.
Next, the cold and damp rolls right in.
Now the blanket of warmth is turned thin.
The flame is now much weaker in this gloomy haze.
Within these conditions the flame cannot thrive.
No, within these conditions the flame cannot survive.
Now dying alone in this darkness, no longer the previously warm blaze.

These elements can't help who they are.
Just as much as a sun can't help being a star.
The flame just does not belong here.
Where it faces the cold and gloom in fear.
It must leave and return,
To the place where it can be bright and burn.
There it can thrive.
There it can surely survive.
Jan 2015 · 6.8k
Hopes of a Raindrop
Peter Tanner Jan 2015
I start way up high,
with others like me in the sky.
I am a raindrop.
We are all the same.
None of us are the cream of the crop.
None of us are lame.
We are waiting up here.
Just waiting to go.
Up here in the atmosphere.
Waiting to flow.
First we must fall.
First it must be cold.
There is no warning call.
No sign of us getting old.
The warmth brought us here.
Cooling will do the opposite.
To allow us to fall like a tear.
To allow us to fall composite.
Then my journey will start.
I hope for great joy.
Like an actor getting to play their part.
Like a child getting their first toy.
I can feel the cold creeping in
and the warmth starting to fade.
Now my travels will soon begin.
Could my travel start with a glade?
Maybe I will land in a lake.
Maybe I will land in the city.
Hopefully not the latter for my sake.
For I may be stomped on without pity.
My time here is now done.
No more having to wait.
It is hopefully time to have some fun.
Falling, I will soon see my fate

— The End —