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.

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

I chewed through the streets to find you

up & down the avenues of hope

my burning heart raged with fire
when you were there

and you were all that I wanted,
all that I cared for

you brought out the potential in me
when others had shown me the grave

you released my creative freedoms
when others had me incarcerated

all others before you were mere
throwaways, a simple practice
leading up to you

but when the lust had dried up
and my yearn for your thighs
still watered,

I still cared for only you

its when you became the exact opposite
of everything you’ve ever shown me

that’s when the love became scarce:

I could not stand the sight of you
I could not fathom what you’ve become
I could not grasp what lurked behind those fiery eyes

we were once aggressive lovers of dark bedrooms
and now passive strangers on blue-grey streets


and when we cross each other’s paths,
you fidget with your knick knacks
and watch your soap operas

so, I must go
out into the cold
where it is winter
where it is always winter
where the harsh winds sting
and the frost bites as the snow storms
back where my heart still rages on
in the streets I used to chew
through.

I think
all works of art
at their best
when they reach
their purpose
without setting a goal.

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?

he’s always there,
he’s never fair…

he’s itching to play
truth or dare…

but beware
of his spiral stare,
because his game
leads nowhere.

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.

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.

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

Why do I convince myself
I'm not alone anymore
When as soon as I believe it
I'm left behind?

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

another agent
another commander  
with promises to find
that detail
missed
by every investigation team
so far
the   main suspect
is still free to do
as he pleases
your death  
yet
another  memory
in his  life’s story
that’s 23 years longer
than yours

A white seagull sits by the riverside,
Children's voices echo from the park,
The scent of spring lingers in the air.
I wait for the peach blossom to bloom...

Who am I,
What do I seek,
Why do I cry,
Why am I weak.

What's my purpose,
I'm not sure,
Am I worthless,
I'm just a man and nothing more.

Then out the Void,
The Monster springs,
To serve his maker, Man.

Am I just a fly on the wall to you?

Simple, and plain
A thing to be ignored

But you should know
This delicate flower is easily burned
The petals will fall off
And the ashes float up into the night

You have my thanks for teaching me this truth

If you are cruel in this cruel world,
You survive
If you are kind in this cruel world,
You become the victim.

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.

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.

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.

There once was a fella from Derry
Who lived to make love, war, & merry:
     He'd drink lotsa whiskey,
     Then get hella frisky
With leprechaun, banshee, & fairy.

No bars on the windows.
No locks on the doors.
No reason to stay here.
No way I’m ever leaving.

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.

Petite étoile, au sein des vastes cieux,
Toi que suivaient et mon cœur et mes yeux,
Toi dont j'aimais la lumière timide,
Où t'en vas-tu dans ta course rapide ?
Ah ! j'espérais que, dans ce ciel d'azur,
Du moins pour toi le repos était sûr.
Pourquoi t'enfuir, mon étoile chérie ?
Pourquoi quitter le ciel de ma patrie ?

Mon cœur connut le bonheur et l'amour :
Amour, bonheur, tout n'a duré qu'un jour.
Près d'un ami, je cherchai l'espérance...
Et mon ami m'oublia dans l'absence !
Le cœur brisé, j'aimais encor les fleurs,
Quand je les vis se faner sous mes pleurs ;
Au ciel alors, pour n'être plus trahie,
J'avais aimé.... l'étoile qui m'oublie !

Adieux à toi, belle étoile du soir !
Adieux à toi, toi, mon dernier espoir !...
Errante au ciel comme moi sur la terre,
En d'autres lieux va briller ta lumière.
Rien n'est constant pour moi que la douleur,
Rien ici-bas n'a voulu de mon cœur ;
Autour de moi, tout est sombre et se voile,
Et tout me fuit... même au ciel, une étoile !

What is love now, since

you're gone and I am dying --


in how it was then?

She said hello to me, she enjoys talking to me. But I'm a good.i prefer things idiot proof. She like that silly in me, I enjoy her conversations with me. I'm her goofy goober.

I can feel the eyes, sense them watching
I cover my ears but still hear
So I watch myself closer
Hide away completely
Close my mind, emptied
Sit alone and
Wait till I
Can just
Break

You call to me
Against your will
You do it still
I know you probably
Wish for me
Set both of us free
But that’s what I believe
When I don’t let myself dream

i like this small life
provided by universe

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.