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 1279° 
SecondChoice
You touched me
You filled me 
You stretched me



You go so deep when you read me

Even deeper when you hurt me

Deeper still when you want me



My body reminisces on the warmth of you

My hands memorized the feel of you

My mind is so full of you
 1271° 
Nat Lipstadt
12:53am,  January 3,2025
New York City
<>
A Traveler notates these words to my attention, but only because I make myself
a convenient target, for truthfully,
it is addressed to one and all,
to the royalty of:


We,

who speake out loud, to all those who ***** these damp woods full of wet words, that spring up overnight, ripe for the plucking, there for the taking, an exacting where & when they did not even exist
the twenty four prior


These purloined overnight creatures are

white and  black

lettered truffles, like the pages on which we inscribe, the letters raw, exquisitely tasty, shaved, measured in grams, but only when shared with others, in the privacy of our open minds, after being spooned from within us with exquisite care upon the pages that decorate our lives, sprinkled
with great care and cunning


but when consumed, our five senses rage with aromatic pleasured pain, for these letters, so tiny, so powerful, grow only when
combinatory, individual bitty granules,
but when leavened, they enhance, provoke!,
they sauce, the


flavors  of the ordinary

of our experiences,
creating the extraordinary
when interacting upon
our five robust senses


for without the spaces of delineation,
our jumbled words are but the
random jingle jangle of the sounds
of night winds, rustling a tune
pleasant but incomprehensible


Here I take your leave,
with the liberty taken
for speaking in all our names
to a Traveler
who so succinctly captures our work,
the glue of our interactive Us,
Our,

Collective of Individuality
finished @ 1:53am
 790° 
Thirty Nine
More Flowers Than I've Ever Seen
Presented Before Me
As If They Were Apologies
For Ignoring Me
I Think I Would've Liked Them When I Was Alive Though
I don’t know what I should do.
I can’t manage to get beneath
All the layers of artifice
To finally find the genuine me.

Who is this wounded entity
Wearing the face of an actress
Stumbling across a dim-lit stage
Living her life for an audience.

Where can I go to find the answers
To all the questions that nag me
And why are there no real denouements
To all all the theatrical plots I live.

What soap can take off all the makeup
Applied so thickly with loving care;
And when it’s finally washed away
What kind of person will be standing there.
ljm
NY Eve Introspection
 341° 
Travis Green
He was my greatest escape
My caramel cake
That I craved to eat
My tasty treat
That completed me

My beginning, middle, and end
My enchanting dream guy
That had me treading on air
Cherishing his expansive playground
Of astoundingly marvelous manliness
His staggeringly vigorous splashiness
His sun-kissed allure

He rocked my world
Moved me through the bright skies
Of his masculine love
Making me melt in his embrace
Taking my breath away

He was my alluring breeze
That fulfilled me
My swag king
That shimmered
Like authentic money
Like the lovely sun
That filled me with abundant happiness
 322° 
Ember
bold and creative.

warm, nostalgic sunrises.

sweet fruits, they're ripe on a tree.

no rhyme, save for a botanical term
almost no one knows.

rare favorite colour,
but deserving all the same.
 229° 
Robinballengee
Hard to love
I’m easy to leave
Don’t mind me
I just can’t breathe .
Things that are said
Replay in my head

I cry alone
Not in sight
If I’m asked what’s wrong
My answer
Is me trying to fight.
It’s not right,it’s not true.
Lost in my head
What do I do.
 221° 
Caroline Shank
I Cry

I cry for the new babies.  They
havA thrill for living.

From so small hands the
DAY is channeld.
Tomorrow has not

Yet

determined  the posture
of tomorrow

Tomorrow that will suffer
of Blue Skies and questions.
Long after the rules are

set like spoons
to drunken rules.

I cry for tomorrows
hidden like doors
the feral cats use


No work of small hands
can stop the

Guns.


Caroline Shank
January 9, 2025
 211° 
Abbott J Hardison
For young/new writers,

                                                  The best draft of your poem is the first.

              Self doubt is the number one cause of death in poets,

                                                               So don't drown in worry.

         Swim in it calmly,
                                                      
                                                            Like a swimming pool.
If you write with love, you've done it right.
 209° 
Kai
I'm sorry I don't want to go to school
I'm sorry that I'm not "cool"
School is the thing that destroys me
Home and family is the only thing that puts me at ease
Something easy to seize
I wish I could isolate myself
I wish it was on the shelf
So I can purchase it
So I don't have to listen to anyone's *******
It's tiring
Overwhelming
So why do you have the guts to call me "entitled" when I don't want to go to school anymore
School doesn't even feel secure anymore
Whenever I open the door
I don't wanna be outside no more
People are the reason why I have such low self-esteem
People base me off a certain theme
People seem to be more violent these days
More fights these days
More school shootings these days
Which makes me terrified
And scared
And I always feel like I'm being stared
Always being judged
At school
I push myself the hardest at school
To the point where it's cruel
Yet, my grades had gone downhill
Then gotten still

School makes me feel disconnected
More than I expected
It's just like a curse
It makes life worse
It makes me think that my life is just a simple dream
Disconnection takes it to the extreme
Everyday
In every way
I just want to sleep
Without a peep
To make this curse go away

I'm always stuck listening to someone
Whenever I don't want to be listening to anyone
That just wants to talk nonstop
They always think they're on top
Whenever it's the complete opposite
I'm being approximate
It's annoying
It's tiring
To the point where I don't want to go to school
It's not because I'm a fool
Just because of the violent and annoying people from school
Is the reason why I don't want to open my door
Anymore

I'm always stuck doing school work
While still doing my own work
From my house
While I'm scrolling on my computer with my mouse
Looking at patterns to crochet with
Crocheting myths
Just to sell
Well

School is the reason why I don't take care of myself
School is the reason why I don't want to take care of myself
I'm too tired by the end of the day
My brain is completely fried by the end of the day
I swear I'm not lazy and not overdramatic
It's just that everything is so problematic
Everything takes so much effort to do one thing
It just makes me tired of everything

I have to sacrifice everything for school
Sacrifice my own life for school
Sacrifice my own sanity for school
Sacrifice my own emotions for school
Sacrifice my own thoughts for school
Sacrificing my own energy for school

Even though I'm supposed to be living my biggest dreams
Not writing down rhyme schemes
Just for some poetry
I can make an ancestry tree
Instead of doing some work that will most likely not help me in the future

School is stupid and a dumb concept
It's something that my parents cannot accept
The teachers barely even teach anything
They just talk about everything
Yet they are the ones who complain that we don't know anything
Some students are really dumb
They act like they're still ******* their thumb
Like they are a toddler
A word fiddler
Yet some students
Are students
That want to learn
Yet teachers aren't letting them learn
Instead, they are teaching nonsense
Things that don't make sense
And are teaching poorly
And cruelly
They don't give the kids a chance
And they don't enhance
Them
They're giving us low scores while they're giving them
Answer sheets for everything
Which is mind numbing

I hope no more students endure this
But the younger ones just want to hiss
It doesn't seem to change anytime soon
I love being self-aware and I love school so much! (I'm being sarcastic) THIS TOOK ME A *WEEK* TO FINISH I'M GOING TO CRY. Anyways- I hope you enjoyed my VERY long rant 🫶❤️
You’re never going to have the cake
Learn to like the taste of bread.

You’re never going to wear diamonds
Learn to appreciate cut glass.

You’re never going to hear applause
Learn to marvel at the stillness.

You’re never going to win the gold
Learn to admire the shine of copper.

You’re never going to be adored
Learn to love just being liked.

You’re never going to live forever
Learn to be your best today.
                 ljm
One outta six ain't too bad.
 175° 
Julie Grenness
How can I express my thanks from afar?
Lately, drove past me, smiling and waving,
In such past times, he was my guiding star,
Treasured image of him I am saving.
"Sit tight, dear one, you see things to the end,"
Always I fondly recall what he did say,
But separately, my path did onward wend,
I really never know, except to pray.
Steadfast, he did come turning back to me,
Inspiring in this dear eternal love,
Afar and beyond in that century,
Teaching that all our gifts sent from above.

He gave all he did ever meet happy heart,
Before time and all human breath does depart.
 173° 
Mari Chubinidze
I’m simply worried about the cruelty of nature,
Or perhaps about the carelessness of humans...
The fires,
The scorched homes,
The injured people.
Could I write about birds and animals at a time like this?
I don’t think so, because they too die,
They too turn to ash.
A single city can be entirely consumed by fire,
And our efforts prove meaningless.
 168° 
Joshua Phelps
Give me room to breathe,
because I'm tired of living
in chaos and fear.

I just can't live like this anymore.

Give me a reason to believe,
because I don't want to leave

when I have so much to live for.

Give me a chance, and you'll see

I won't let doubt get in the way
anymore.

The only thing
that can take
my breath away

is finding the person

that I'll do
everything
in my power

to fight for survival

and stay.
 154° 
Unpolished Ink
Listen cat,
make up your furry mind
in or out?
I cannot guess which way you are inclined
Anyone who has a cat will understand
 150° 
Peter Garrett
We can be strangers if you like
We can talk about the weather
Our silly plans for the weekend
Or how life has been kind to us
Trust me, I'm a terrific actor
You'll hardly be able to tell

We can be strangers if you like
Or at least we can pretend that
It doesn't shred us to pieces...
Have you ever come across friends and lovers that meant the world to you... and then had to act like they were mere acquaintances?
Never mind... hello there, stranger!
he said to wait by the war memorial

so i did &

counted the names.

from the first and second.

none mentioned from all the others before

or ongoing.

enjoyed the drizzle, the memories.

planes flew over and a text came

just before the fflecsi arrived.
reading love poems
is like someone
slowly injecting me
with acidic poison
and screaming into my ear

"YOU'LL NEVER GET WHAT YOU WANT!"

feels disgusting
and weird
i feel jealousy
and fear
grabbing me by my neck
and shoving their sewage
garbage gutter love
in my face

why do i gotta look at it?
sorry to be rude
just the years of abuse speaking

i dont really like that its trending
 127° 
Harry Gione
I want you to be careless with your love
And breathe so deep it stings your lungs
Don't treat what we had as a flavor you should savor
Go out and make me angry with your behavior
Dance unrestrained to the songs that I hate
Disappear with the sunset and stay out late
And be unapologetic about the things you do
Because I've been doing all these things since I left you
 117° 
Madeon
Oh Lord,
how few normal people there are in this world!
Only me and my imaginary friends.
Fairy Terry Jones died for the good of all trollops because Heaven's
horrid at its north peak because sea snails freeze in an Arctic creek.
Terry Jones is dead & 1 fewer Terence is good because the world is
colder at the northern peak where no slush melts in an Arctic creek.
 110° 
Maria
I broke myself of looking ahead.
Why is it now?
There’s no one there, who’s waiting for me.
I can’t come nohow.

I’m walking random, I don’t know where.
It doesn’t matter.
I struggled a lot, but everything turned
Into a waste paper.

I’m crying: “Stop! It’s enough! I shouldn’t
Remember all that!”
But night is merciless and time after time
It brings me back.

It brings me back to that place, where
The light was on.
It brings me back to that calm quite,
Where I’m gone.

And my mucky memory keep your window
In its mind:
Your curtains of almond color and bed lamp…
Now there’s night.
 89° 
Jia En
Because what if I talked too fast
Or too slow
Or maybe too loud
Not loud enough
High pitched
Low pitched
Too much
Too little
Or what if I said the wrong things
Or not enough of the right ones
And that's what scares me
Because we aren't even done
With just talking.
my thoughts aren't coherent enough to rhyme
 88° 
Kani
Particles floating
Perhaps embedded
In the invisible fabric
Accentuating physicality
To the existence
Accompanied
By The counterpart
To perceive
The perceived
What came first
What's independent
The eternal
Alone exists
In myriad
Forms
Dazzling itself
In its innumerable
Iterations
It's a new year, promising new beginnings. Here's to a year of hope and possibility.
 86° 
CK Wendell
My winter girl
Forever filled with light on darker days
And my mind sees your hand in mine
Before we cross a parking lot
In the mud and the snow
With a constant sense of purpose
To always do the thing
That needs to be done
Before we lose the day
And that look that always knows me
In all the ways the world doesn’t know
Just breaks away the cold
Like your mother's fever
On the day that you were born
Still lives inside your bones
And warms the world
My winter girl
 84° 
DJQuill
The darkness will not catch me,
Repeatedly crying a fountain for help
Feeling his breath behind my fears
I won’t give up

Chasing me mid-day under the bright sun,
A reaper sharpens a scythe, coated with rusted blood-
Belonging to lapsed soldiers
The darkness will not catch me

Fallen angels carry broken weapons,
A sign of lost and mistakes
A grudge against their own being, therefore-
I won’t give up

Sunshine will carry me, a newborn in a cruel world
A flooded place, tired swimmers in the ocean
The darkness will not catch me
I won’t give up
 82° 
Thomas Burge
I love you so much
And I KNOW I'm going to marry you
But I'm scared that I'm not good enough for you
I'm scared that I'll ruin your future as well as mine
I can already feel that I'm going down
A spiral of emotions that I CAN'T control
I'm sorry this is how I am
I'm so so sorry
I'm sorry
 78° 
Lidia
For me, the toughest thing would be
To forget the memories of you and me.
In my mind your lovely smile,
Flashes every once in a while.
I wonder, are you still my friend?
Things seem coming close to an end.
I meet many people, cool and new,
But, it's impossible to forget you.
 73° 
Kashi
Waiting for a new breath
To carry me through
The staleness of the past

Waiting for the ******
To steer me to the present

Waiting for the direction
To welcome the future
With vision
It's a new year, promising new beginnings. Here's to a year of hope and possibility.
i never seem
to be able to

to be able to
be
accepted

to be able to
belong

but
fitting in
is

different than
belonging


molding yourself
Into the
neatly
labelled
boxes
life sets out for us

to fit in


becoming what people want from you

hiding your
true self.
hiding behind a mask

hiding yourself

fitting in.
lil one today
 72° 
Trinkets
Darling time traveller, do you know what you are?
Have you yet dismissed the normality you are incapable of?
Are you as fiercely protective of yourself, as you are of your art?
When you hide away in boxes, is it fear or is it love?
  
You can put all the paints away, dismiss every pen.
But what you see is different, darling time traveller.
You can turn away, you can pretend.
But you must know, you are the reality unraveller.
The minute comes and goes,
Yet we don't wish to change ourselves.
The day comes and goes,
Yet we remain as we were yesterday.
The year comes and goes,
Yet we keep looking for a miracle—
The miracle to reach our dreams.
The new year has come to us; let's find our inner ability,
Let's welcome opportunities,
And say goodbye to our haunting memories.
 70° 
Kathryn Heim
how did we get here,
through a tear
or another
mundane year?

but we have to move
and part with the past
in order to last,
our lives were meant
for good things
and
birds that sing,

so I will not cry
but you and I
must wake up to
the new sun in the sky.
 68° 
Indigo Maroon
Your blood
all
over
me.
Will it ever be enough?
to satisfy?
Cold steel
of the knife
you tried to use
to stab me in the back
covered
in a warm
sticky substance.
Yours,
not mine.
I turn it over
in my hands
as I watch you
bleed out
on the
crimson
tiles.
Why did you think
it would be any
different?
we woke
to winter weight

and silence
snow upon

bridgeandroofandroad
now the sky

a catch
of blue

pigeons punch
the sun

seagulls satellite
in circles

this carousel spins at perfect speeds

light is never
uninvited

love even
less so
 67° 
Mark Bell
Oh
Blind man
Crossing
The road
Tap tap tap
Splat
Oh ****
Said the
Driver I
Didn’t see that.
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