The straw that broke the camel’s back
A straw quite ordinary
Its weight did not mean very much
Not challenging to carry

But even though this measly straw
Was worthless on its own
It had a value and a strength
That was only timely shown

The straw itself, pretentious not
Had knowledge of its role
Quite useless was it by itself
This it could not control

But when it was allowed to be
A part of bale or heap
Its value all at once appeared
To be no longer cheap

And so one day to its surprise
It really didn’t know
It was the one who did the trick
Before anyone could say ’**!’

Wendy Nipas

Nobody cares anymore.

Money makes the world go round
Not the orbit of the sun.
The universe doesn’t matter anymore.

They say that we should keep our eyes wide open
But their eyes are glued down
At the screens that feed them information

Whether it is true or false
We don’t know anymore
We just go with it since we know no better.

As you get older
You accept the world
Instead of questioning it like you should.

So many things you could do
But you are cut off from it
Your eyes are blocked off behind the mask.

I wonder how many miles
Our thumbs must have scrolled
On our screens.

“Look at the moon,” they say
“Of course,” they reply but once they sit outside
They are back to scrolling through their phones.

“Slow down,” I want to say
“Everything will be okay.”
But everyone keeps rushing all the same.

They ignore the skies
And instead find their gold
In cheap, plastic, machine-made stars.

Imperfect Sonnet
by Michael R. Burch

A word before the light is doused: the night
is something wriggling through an unclean mind,
as rats creep through a tenement. And loss
is written cheaply with the moon’s cracked gloss
like lipstick through the infinite, to show
love’s pale yet sordid imprint on us. Go.

We have not learned love yet, except to cleave.
I saw the moon rise once ... but to believe ...
was of another century ... and now ...
I have the urge to love, but not the strength.

Despair, once stretched out to its utmost length,
lies couched in squalor, watching as the screen
reveals “love’s” damaged images: its dreams ...
and ******* limply, screams and screams.

Originally published by Sonnet Scroll

Keywords/Tags: tenement, rats, unclean, cheap, sordid, despair, squalor, TV, screen, sonnet, limp, limply, screams

Speak and say whatever you want
Lending ears to hear as a skill indeed
Let the tongue-shaped mouth declare itself
But watch also for these, for their actions to see
As the truth is often as shaped by the thought
So also the action reveals the belief

Atop a catafalque, the morbid pedestal lies placed up ahead
Beautiful casket of pale birch laced with marbled ornament
With a flower orangerie settled upon final resting bed
Grand expensive suit fitted perfectly the dead man, toes to head
Funeral home better than his living home; lived cheap, died rich instead
All costs money he never had
Oh the luxury of being dead

What can I say I'm cheap,
I couldn't afford a 69 so I went
for the cheaper 59, 10% off.
      
                      Ye off the end result.


She was like tongue me deeper,
                    and she blew me.

Not like a vacuum hose,
more like blowing a birthday
                        candle out.

I'm moaning, she's coming.
Then a gust of wind in my face.

What can I say, she called me cheap!
And you get what you paid for,
I don't know why but my ***** are singed.....

To realistic for my liking that *******.

We are not friends
We are nothing
But you can't seem to take the hint
That I don't like you
You did me *****
You threw me to the dogs
But you seem to think
I still like your guts
Coming over
Spreading lies
Acting like everything is alright
Sorry chicky
But you are just as ugly in and out
I don't give second chances
You had your chance
I am doing better now
So get the hint.