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William A Poppen Aug 2017
Each day is
as a procession of
redundant clopping
on the ground
rhythmic sounds
that anesthetize,
mesmerize

have we become blinkered
along this trail
through life

like a steed in harness
undistracted by
glimpses of
clouds of hate
along the horizons
or seething storms
blowing in from the seas
This poem is revised in an attempt to respond to the events in Charlottesville, VA
Joshua Haines Aug 2017
Maggots boil from under her skin.
  I will never see her again.
I have heart aches that
  stem from mistakes.
I count them as they
  leak from her skin.

Her eyes are raisins;
  I will never find what
they last captured.
  Cheekbones higher than
my song. My finger brushed
  along all that was black
and seeped into her back,
  tripping on her vertebrae
like a boy frolicking home.

  The cacti stand still--
while I feel quite ill--
  standing in an ocean
of honey.

  The people stand still--
America is ill--
  standing in an ocean
of money.

  You stand still,
too afraid to ****
  an ocean of hate
you tolerate.
Tatiana Aug 2017
Taking a bite into a sandwich,
A well made peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
And tasting nothing.
The jaw moves up and down.
A hand migrates to the temple,
Feeling the muscle respond
To the empty, automatic, chewing.

Boring.

Breathing in a breath of fresh air,
A spring breeze carrying the scent of lilacs.
And smelling nothing.
The lungs expand and deflate.
A hand is placed on the ribs
Feeling the bones respond
To the empty, automatic, breathing.

Boring.

Watching storm clouds in the distance,
A western front bringing the rain closer.
And seeing nothing.
The eyes' gaze broken with blinks.
A hand is placed next to one eye
Feeling the muscles respond
To the empty, automatic, blinking.

Boring.

Turning on a car radio while driving,
A voice reports the unusual weather patterns.
And hearing nothing.
The ears started their phantom ring.
A hand is placed on the volume dial
Feeling the ear drum respond
To the empty, automatic, ringing.

Boring.

Picking at the worn steering wheel,
A ripped, and tattered leather covered wheel.
And feeling nothing.
The skin got caught and ripped open.
A hand is placed over the heart
Feeling the chest respond
To the empty, automatic, beating.

Boring.

*I don't care.
© Tatiana
Josh Jul 2017
I am giving up
I will not get up tomorrow
Until, I have to go
To work
I will not eat breakfast
I will simply, go
I will not come home
When I finish
I will go, and sit
I will read, and write
Until I am told
I will not speak
Until I am asked
I will not eat
Unless I am ordered
I will go, to my room
I will not try
I will not bother
I am giving up
Josh Jul 2017
Mostly, I am numb
Sometimes I feel
I feel fire, tearing my chest
Or rivers, cascading down my cheeks
I feel that I am, a ghost already
I feel insubstantial
As I breathe, because I must
I pretend, fake, living
In fact I simply move
I follow the actions
The processes, to survive
I, am numb
Sometimes, I feel
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