We give too much
You and me
And lose ourselves
In the service of others.
We give everyone
A piece of our hearts
Leaving us an empty shell,
Where loneliness kills us slowly
And no one can tell.

Friend, you seem to be in great Despair
You probably are in need of gentle care.
Great sorrows, alone you bear.
Hiding it from me isn't fair.
With me, your problems, you can share,
Oh dear, for you, I'll always be there

In the realm where shadows dance,
Society weaves its intricate trance.
Amidst the ceaseless ebb and flow,
People's stories silently grow

A tapestry of vibrant threads,
Interwoven with joy and dreads.
A kaleidoscope of souls entwined,
Seeking purpose, elusive to find.

In bustling streets and crowded squares,
A symphony of lives, each with cares.
The masks we wear, a fragile guise,
Concealing truths beneath our eyes.

Within this labyrinth of desire,
Hearts burn with passions, blazing fire.
Yet, veiled in masks of apathy,
We yearn for bonds, a shared empathy.
With hurried steps, we chase success,
In the pursuit of dreams, we acquiesce.
But amidst the race for worldly gains,
The essence of humanity often wanes.

A fractured mirror reflects our plight,
Divisions deep, casting shadows of spite.
Boundaries drawn, walls rise high,
As unity crumbles, hopes sigh.

Yet, in this realm of paradox,
Hope endures, a resilient paradox.
For in our hearts a flame still gleams,
A longing for a world of dreams.

Let us transcend the confines of fear,
Embrace compassion, lend an ear.
For society's strength lies in unity,
A tapestry fused with diversity.

So, let us tread with mindful grace,
Embrace the beauty of every face.
And may this poem be a gentle plea,
For a society where all hearts can be free.

Do I want to know

your suffering to get some --


idea what mine is?

Will you be there
When Mercury falls,
Stripping her of smiles.

Will you be there to
Bandage wounds, some
You may have caused.

Will you be there—
Will she see you—against
The world with her.

Will you be there to
Understand the meaning
Of it all?

When you share my pain

you don't know where it ends, you --


suffer limitless.

The phone call continues to echo in my mind. I keep waiting for another to tell me this isn’t real. My own home now serves as a reminder that although minutes away you left this world alone. We were just young girls running around as if downtown was our own play ground. Our nights at Kaldis. Our endless dance synchronizations to Premier Gauo. The meals and stories we’d share the next morning reliving snickering at the havoc we wrecked. The way you lit up every room with your prescence and smile made you infectious. Your perfect melanated skin and bone structure. I always wondered how God could make someone so perfect. It was impossible to not be enamored by you, your unwillingness to conform, bend or fold. You were the epitome of life. Now I’m mourning yours. No one preparers you for tragedy despite life having so many. Even then you hope to never lose friends before they’ve seen gray hair. The way memories made from love now haunt you. My sister, my partner in nonsense in joy and sorrow. Please watch over me. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.

I came to the creek to talk to God,
But I'm not sure God is listening.
I used to see the world through rose-colored glasses,
But now my heart just aches.

I let my tears flow down my cheeks
Like the leaves flowing down the stream.
I release my anger and anguish to the wind
And as I look up and to my left, there a blue heron stands.

Deep breath in.
I watch a chipmunk scurry behind the blue heron
I watch the blue heron watch the chipmunk.
My dog sitting next to me is full of curiosity.

Grief and despair, sadness and rage
And all I can do is sit on this rock
Listening to the flowing waters song
And write some **** poetry.

I feel sick in the depths of my stomach
For my nation, for my neighbors
For so many loved ones.
For my own body and the choices I may no longer be able to make.

The warm sun beating down
Reminds me that it's too warm for November
Our Earth is crying out
And so are we.

I'm not sure what hope feels like in this moment.
I will give my body and mind time and space to grieve.
Grief turned into forward motion
Transmutes into Love.

I came to the creek to talk to God.
But I'm not sure God is listening.
So instead of talking, I will sit in silence
To watch the blue heron, to feel the breeze, and weep.

©KSS 11/6/2024

Under the velveteen red moon
I shall come a knocking,
Raising you from your slumber
Of dreamless sleep,
To cast your eye over your earthly deeds.
Will there be moments of wonder and awe?
Love, comfort and joy?
Or regrets and self-loathing?

You only have one chance at this game called life,
So throw the dice,
And make of it what you will,
No matter what life throws you.

But I beseech you to play the winner,
Not the victim,
Be your own warrior to the end,
Courage and compassion
Your soulmates,
And love, your sword.