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like the things
you said
(A short poem/mantra of self-love and hope for all on hellopoetry that are going through difficult times. You matter!)
I ever was
but tomorrow
more
(A short poem/mantra of self-love and hope for all on hellopoetry that are going through difficult times. You matter!)
stamps today.
One for you,
one for me—
and I crossed my fingers
for clear skies.
The river knows what we were,
cradling our summers.

I remember you, girl by the river—
fifteen,
sun-warmed,
eternal.
My ghost in summer.

You laughed, and the river paused…
Barefoot,
dancing,
your brown skin
honeyed in the sun.

All the words I could have said
the river
swallowed
whole.

Sometimes—
when I close my eyes—
I hear the songs we used to know...

You, oceaning the shallows;
Me, a shell
on a distant shore.
I read four words today.

Just four.

But their weight
stills
me.

I bow my head and
turn them
in my hands.

What are you asking me?
What are you trying to tell me?
What do you see?

I fold the paper.

I close
my
eyes.

Just four words.
(Part of the 'Four Words' collection. The other work is called 'I Wrote Four Words Today')
I wrote four words today.
Just four.

I bleed my hours into them.
Each syllable
I
weigh.

Like lifting stones from a dry riverbed,
turning each
over
and
over,
until one feels just right
in my hand.

Carefully
carving,
studying
and playing
with each one:
  Which catches the light just right?
  Which plays well with the others?
  What are you trying to tell me?

But mostly,
I discard.

Four words.

All my labor for the day--
Just four words.

It was a good day.
(Part of the 'Four Words' collection. The other work is called 'I Read Four Words Today')
Steve Souza Jun 6
Your coffee rings still
stain
the kitchen counter.

Pinned maps
of the vacation
we never took
hang
crooked
now.

Our pictures on the wall.
Shrines
to what we once
were.

I hold your forgotten
t-shirt —
this stubborn map
of you.

My fingers hover over
the 'send' button,
before
falling
into
my
lap.

Night seeps through
these windows
and your memory
burns.

Flashing
like
broken
film.
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