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Nat Lipstadt Apr 11
Ah, Pradip,
once more, like a 1000 times before,
you submit title, demanding a poem,
daring me to author it's entire body & cell structure,
give it a native language birthmark, and a history unique,
even a name

Un fair!

Is it only me that you burden so, I doubt it.

Each of us has the right to the small tinys, things we see,
the embellishments of our lives,
filling our hives with pure honey,
and letting the other others peek
over our shoulders, as we write to each other,
always one more time until there is no more time

Do words have any boundaries?

How is it that words can cross the seas, the mountains, all the while,
interjecting the fullness of their import?

What time is it you ask?
Here, not yet 5 AM, and once more, here again, roused from sleep after vivid dreams, and finger pointing of my poetic life responsibility to complete this task, you gave me unasked, but know me too well, for well they rang like a bell in the brain,
a burr in the bed,
a gun to the head
Each
and all commanding,
fulfill me!

Do words require a passport to cross oceans? Do words have citizenship?
Why does entry into a different country require each time, a new poem?

yes, the house is dark,
I am alone, but not really…

The words that are conscripted to be issued, in this missive, fall so easily from my lips, that it is as if they were already there,
MRE's
?
pre-prepared, "meals – ready – to eat, "
for voyaging to the Indian continent, not caring if they came alone, or with my body in their person possessed

How is the little granddaughter?
Does she command you to write poetry too?
Does she write poetry too?
Does she learn English as well as her native tongue?
How do you tell her that you love her, celebrate her,
and that her fame and escapades are unkempt  
by real geographical boundaries,
and travel around the world?

Ah, You see
I have charged you now with responsibility!

Ah, the tables have turned, now boundaries must be crossed again with a passport issued from a foreign land (foreign to me anyway),
And I wonder and wander, when they arrive, how will I know,
commit them to memory, and love them with all my heart forever?

Praddip!
Go for one of your walks on quiet nearly empty roads, see the old people beside them, doing the things that old people do,

and memorialize these moments,
you do
so well, so fine, and let the other onlookers hear them spoke, in every language, so many love poems to life, we do not lack for any,
but always, always, always,
demand and require,
n e e d
(he howls)
one more!

Time: 5:1 2 AM
Eastern standard time
New York City
By the Atlantic Ocean
On an island surrounded by water,
That 1,000,000 or more every day pass by,
And here,
h e a r not the flow,
lost amidst
the blaring megaphone of silences
of
city noises, city words, cityscapes, human miracles, and tragedies, it cannot be.
that
I am
the only one so burdened!
And by well traveled poetry,
so un burdened

This semi private, totally public,
Love now,
Love note
is complete as of 5:16 a.m., and after a quick review, will be sent on to you, for submission of a unique-passport for
with its very own
valid entry stamp

nml
please, as usual, advise any typos (toe matoes)
aryanalynae Mar 29
I gave too much, I see that now—
My time, my light, I don’t know how.
But now I choose to call it back,
And seal the holes that formed each crack.

They took my softness, stole my peace,
Demanded more, and gave no ease.
Their chaos isn’t mine to bear,
Their wounds aren’t ones I need to wear.

I’m not your friend, I’m not your crutch—
This soul is sacred, not a clutch.
From now, my light is mine to keep,
You’ll haunt no more the way I sleep.

I felt the drain, I felt the cost,
But now reclaim what I had lost.
No more will guilt or shame remain—
You’re not my burden, not my chain.

I cleanse the time that left me frayed,
The debt unpaid, the trust betrayed.
I take my power, my love, my fire—
I rise above, I climb up higher.

This wound will close, and I will shine,
This soul, this work, this light is mine.
And never will I serve once more
A weight that shakes me to my core.
poisonstaaar Mar 24
on  display in a glass box my heart beats
showing nothing but pure intentions.
a person approaches looking at my heart
admiring, watching, waiting.
studying, listening, stalking.
what makes it race?
what makes it calm?
you leave.
return
come back please
i see you again this time with a bag
my heart races just seeing you
what could be in the bag?
roses, candy, wine?
perfume, stuffed animal, a ring?
as you unzip the bag the glass box starts sinking into the floor.
my whole heart out in the open for you
beating loudly to show you how much i love you
the box stops.
the heart keeps racing but this time in fear.
hammer and nails.
the box tries to cover the heart as fast as it can
but remember... its made of glass
smash! smash! smash!
my box my wall destroyed
my heart next
thump one nail thump two nails thump thump thump
my heart shattered
barley beating
content with the work
you leave
I'm left alone
iron walls come up
thread trying to put my heart back together
faint but there my heart beats
a person approaches
Joan Zaruba Mar 20
I once had a friend like a shadow
Always together wherever we’d go
Running and tumbling and laughing through life
Always connected, one in the same

But then a cloudy day came
And with no sun to shine
I lost that shadow friend of mine
The darkness rolled in and my shadow friend disappeared
Scared off by the first sign of trouble, the first drop of tears

So I learned my lesson
Shadows are easy to come by when the sun is shining bright
But shadows bring little comfort in the chill of a dark night

And when the storm cleared
And my shadow friend reappeared
Ready to run and tumble and laugh with me again
I had to turn away
And say goodbye
For I learned my lesson:
a shadow is nobody’s friend

© 2025 Joan Zaruba. All rights reserved.
Lalit Kumar Mar 9
Your words arrive like echoes deep,
A whisper soft, a vow to keep.
"Be the best," you gently write,
A spark, a hope, a guiding light.

"Kind, caring, considerate"—
Each line a warmth deliberate.
To listen well, to hug, to see,
A kindness shaped in poetry.

You walk with thoughts and music near,
Till swans arrive, serene and clear.
"Spring is on her way," you say,
With nature’s touch in verse’s sway.

And when the world turns cold and gray,
You pen the truths none dare to say.
"Enough," you cry, "of power's reign,"
While hunger weeps in silent pain.

Yet still, in words, you find a way,
To turn the night into the day.
"Ideas awaken you softly,"
With whispers bold yet never costly.

So, poet bold, let verses flow,
For in your ink, the bright flames grow.
The world may waver, doubt, or bend,
But words like yours will never end.

At 5 a.m., the words arise,
like dawn-lit waves in endless skies.
Similes, whispers, metaphors bright,
Ideas stir before the light.

"For the youngest, for those to come,"
For dreamers crafting songs unsung.
"For today, for now, for peace,"
For kindness' touch that will not cease.

Boundaries drawn, firm and wise,
"Set them, hold them, let them rise."
Not all will stay, some will go,
But the poet knows—so it must flow.

Swans at sunset, drifting free,
Rodgers and Astaire upon the sea.
A melody hums, a chorus sings,
Does it hold truth? Does it have wings?

We once were blind, now we see,
Through lyric, verse, eternity.
The poet’s heart beats strong and fast,
A voice, a beacon—built to last.
Sara Barrett Jan 4
We met like two ships,
Bumping into each other,
Sailing side by side.
I patched your hull,
Bailed out your water,
Believing you’d steady your course.

But when the waters calmed,
You sailed off,
Only to return when storms stranded you,
Too wild to navigate alone.

I sounded the horn,
A signal of your drifting course.
You cut the ropes, severing ties.
Now, sailing alone,
I leave your wreckage behind.
"Sailing Alone" delves into the complexities of a connection where one person constantly offers support, only to watch the other drift away when things are calm, returning only when challenges arise. Through the metaphor of two ships, the poem explores the emotional toll of unreciprocated care, the realization that boundaries must be set, and the moment of letting go. Ultimately, it speaks to the strength found in moving forward, leaving behind what no longer serves, and navigating the waters alone.
katarina Jan 3
I’m at better person
Then I was when you met me
I have confidence
And love for myself
I’m more self aware and loving
When you left
I thought the world was over
That I’ll never love again
But now I see that’s incorrect
I have a new perspective of love
The boundaries on love
And what it means to actually love
I have evolved
A new mentality
Thank you
Hannah Willker Dec 2024
And then they shake and cross your boundaries
Seem so fragile you don’t dare to breath it in
But you don’t wanna break their limbs
Neither keep them upon your skin

It takes up space in all the wrong ways
Evaporates
The price that I pay
It’s alright that I change
It’s alright that you stay
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