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the protea magnifica
or queen protea
as it is also known
is a south african flower
of which until recently
i was shamefully unaware
a sprawling shrub
of varying height
dependent upon
influences of its growth
but a hardy plant
nonetheless
able to survive
and to thrive
under the starkest
of conditions and habitats
its flower is not delicate
like many others
but a symbol of survival
of resilience and growth
its boldest of blooms
an array of brightest hues
sending a message
of strength and power
courage and hope
yet the tightly held
closed cup of its petals
suggests a reluctance
to be noticed
an uncertainty
of it's own true beauty
perhaps in comparison
to its kingly namesake
Zywa Jul 2023
Everything changes

and suffers from it, I too --


am living that way.
Novel "The Good Apprentice" (1985, Iris Murdoch), chapter 1, part 5

Collection "Unspoken"
Zywa Jul 2023
Every day I pass

the forest, it's hard to see --


that we're transforming.
For Florentin

Collection "Migration"
let's make
plans that
we never
want to change
William de klerk Jul 2023
Inside I rattle like there's lose change in my rib cage
And as a tin man I wonder round waiting to rust.
So she stole some shiny parts
and pried me piece from piece.

She placed my head on her shelf
with a mirror to my side so I'd look at myself
and sang me sweet little lies
'til I opened my eyes.

With each night she spoke to me
she'd tease me with a lit cigarette
so I'd beg her to breath
Smokey life back into me.

Now armed with everything
from hands til torso
I feared the day she'd let me go...
But she'd build me up no more.

On our last day she left
with my feet on the floor
at the end of wide open door
and a note in the hall so I would find her.

A shelf now seemed a cliff
but I fell for her
Scrapping along I picked myself up
And pulled myself together.

With a wobbly walk
I reached her note
"I'm so proud of you..." She wrote
"But now I'm the one who needs building".

On a pile I found my former self
pried it open and saw some change
and used it to buy the paint
that still shields me from the rain.

Wondering round again
a life time later
I'd see a familiar silhouette
I wasn't able to forget.

And brought her head inside...
Daniel Pokorny Jul 2023
And yet despite the reciprocities of man, we are still at war.
Not at war with other nations,
Not at war with our governments,
Not at war with our neighbors,
But at war with ourselves.
The war that never ends is the war that is fought inside ourselves.
We all know that this is something that exists,
We all know that this is something that shouldn’t change,
We all know that sometimes war is too great for ourselves and we seek help.
But the war is something that we all agree should remain.
Why I ask of you,
Why must this war remain?  
Is it so that we can constantly better ourselves through repeated questioning?
Is it so we can work to create turmoil in our minds in which we must struggle through?
Or is it so we have a reason to perpetually push ourselves to improve so that we may reach a certain goal?
This is an answer that will forever remain for it is different for the individual.
But it is my belief that thanks to these inner wars, we may improve as a society, no, more so improve as a species.
Through self improvement, through self turmoil, through self questioning, we may force ourselves to change, to become the person or entity in which we wish to become,
And if everyone was able to achieve this goal,
Either it be through our own desires, or the desires of our circumstance,
We can improve others, thanks to the experience one gains, and due to the natural human desire for social contact.
But not all inner wars lead to this outcome,
Many of them lead to selfishness, entitlement, or even apathy for their fellow people.
Saying that we should leave behind our earthly values, or a physical addiction is not what I’m implying here.
I believe that we are all allowed to have some selfishness, some amount of self entitlement, and even a small amount of apathy for people.
We do not need to feel empathy for the people who have wronged us, but we shouldn’t ignore the reasoning for them doing so, we can learn from their mistakes and teach it to others.
Being too selfless leads to self destruction due to giving too much of yourself away for the sake of others, this leads to a mind that will sooner than later crumble under the stress of pleasing those around them, and even sooner a body that will start to fall apart from beneath them.
A small amount of self entitlement leads to knowing one's self worth, if you have no entitlement then you lead to being too selfless, and leads you to become used by those around you.
How?
By allowing yourself to do the tasks or the jobs that nobody else wishes to do, yes it's good that someone does those things, but letting someone do it for too long and their mind too will lower itself to the trash tasks and will become trash itself due to repeated exposure.
The inner war that we all face, that we all have, and that we can all see,
It should be discussed,
It should be allowed to be seen by others,
It should be a way for self improvement.
It should always remain.
Just started typing whatever came to mind, apologies if it seems like a jumbled mess.
Omarcito Jun 2023
Staring off, into a hallucinogenic scar
Of a. Man that used to frolic,
I notice their eyes dwelling in its luggage,
Seeking diamonds of speculation though
Some might think of this as attention.

It burns in its atoms,
Hoping to observe shock.
Perhaps, a catastrophe.
Perhaps, an awakening,

It’s up to the magical world of the mind
To procreate perspective on that
Cacophony of benevolence, as
A mother does when presented their child,
By means, of surgical hands,

Concurring it’s value,

Like a beauty salon,

Signaling its importance
By rendering eyes to acknowledge its
Constant self transforming,
While dollar signs kindle their way through the Amazon to confrontation,
A song The Spectacle knows oh so well
While society dissects in its cultural forms,
Like Yahweh,
And “you don’t know what you say”
Or essence of Christianity,
And Tathāgata.

Brain dead poet,
Lost in the slums of
Originality and inspiration,

A hue of blue,
What else is new?

                                The changing of the guards.
Glenn Currier Jun 2023
I can decide if I will let go
and enjoy the moment
with the crepe myrtle across the way
and swing in the breeze with the sunflowers
or
if I will pull the shade of fear over my eyes
and attach to my feet the weight of worry.
A M Ryder Jun 2023
Something is about
To happen that
We are not aware of
Our only chance
Is to keep our
Heads low and
Act like we're
Changed men
Because we're
Very close to
The end
We need to be
Okay with mysteries
And the stories
They breed
There will always be
Far more questions
Than there are
Actual answers
In this universe and
We need to be
Ok with that
Man Jun 2023
Where is the break in our dark,
Where is illumination?
Vis-à-vis, a rational light.
For the contrast is stark
Between those who laze
And those who fight

Real values, and genuine ideals
Beliefs, not steeped, in a false virtue
And causes and movements, the same.
Do they still remain?
In the classes, in the fields,
At home? Never feeling near.

Where is the change?
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