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Pete Badertscher Oct 2023
I don't think I can…
I promised and she's happy
     I'm … complacent, if…
               …Not happy.

When I was younger I was devout
To my ideals. I would speak
With fervor and vision
About dark beauty and my take
On the human condition.
…About how we are bound to nature
By blood and *** through
Evolution and mutation.
…About how humans were polyamorus
Creatures, beings of righteous love,
And the bearers of pain and choice.

Then I learned what choice is.
I chose money and comfort
instead of pain and hardship.
My vision of a glorious life lived
On Occam's sharp blade
Was dulled on salty, wet silk sheets.
Each choice, made out of love
On what I believed to be
A Foundation of compromise.
Each choice took a piece of
darkest nature from me and returned me to
safe suburban parks
The dark,now,
illuminated by street lamps.

Now when I look at my path
And feel the old me rising
Knowing I must make a choice
I don't think I can…
I promised and she's happy
     I'm … complacent, if…
               …Not happy.
Poetry for the loss of something one never had for valid but meaningless reasons
Jeremy Betts Sep 2023
An eye for an eye is universally considered to be justified
But you'll find that everybody's blind and nothing's changed, not a single mind
Hear the gear suddenly grind to a halt but refuse to acknowledge the bind
Sittin' dead center of the dumpster fire proclaimin' it'll be fine
In general we prefer to pretend to be blind
You can't get off this ride, I still tried, found myself tied to life for life with no guide
Cried for just a pinch, wasn't given an inch, never made a sound, in that silence is where hope died
Beaten down by everything around, can't hide the tanned hide or tattered and torn pride
Misty eyed and sleep deprived, insecurities weaponized by myself for myself, individualized personality traits willfully lobotomized to fit in with them other guys
Expertly hypnotized to pull the wool over your own two black eyes
Don't question why a lie and the truth are on the same side, like both sides never tried
Confusion spreads world wide, a close encounter of the mindless kind
Unchecked pride in a prise for the loser will compromise any humanity that tries
Let's go to the chart shall we guys? BOOM! The proof is in the lines, inhumane insanity on the rise
Allowing a personalized demise to arise, spoken to yourself or another, a lies a lie no matter the size
In a black and white society there's no blue skies
The grass is fuucked beyond repair, no green anywhere, I've checked front and back and both sides
Who decides where the status quo marker resides
Keep 'em mystified by vague who, what, where, when and why's
Demonize even the idea of a question so questionable answers to puzzling actions are never scrutinized
God won't mind if I send one his way as long as it's not mine, so everyone's waiting for a purge scenario type grand prize
All of a sudden life can be nullified, rationalized as good over evil by twisted minds
A shady shadow enterprise, faceless behind an eyes wide shut disguise
This is what ignorance buys
A centralized love of hate, morality slides, sheep clothing stock on the rise
Right outside one of the good guys with a gun hides while inside our future cries
No hope, no surprise, no answer to prayer screamed at the skies
Only able to watch the eyes of innocence as it dies, proving evil not only survives but thrives

©2023
Jeremy Betts Aug 2023
(Extended)

An authentic smile defeated then deleted long ago, zero chance of winnin' stretchin' all the way back to my beginnin'
It was a genuine expression that slowly melted to an unrecognizable reflection
All pigmentation givin' way revealin' a secondary, ghostly stand in walkin' in my skin and it's handed some demands in
Granted, it happened in my formative years, a couple of years before the realization hit, I was an abandoned abomination
But the impact has been felt through forty somethin' calendars and countin', often wonderin' just how many more of 'em I'll actually be needin'
A true representation of life's failed evolution, my opinion, it would've helped to have known the mission
At the very least I coulda been shown at least one possible destination
Instead of being teased with this mystical American dream while always wakin' up in a nightmareish situation
Or hell, just vaguely point me in the general direction I should be travelin' in
Oh and where I should begin because I'm sure I'll be back here again, spending a majority of me time going back to the beginnin'
Then, after that you can get back to not givin' a **** about your creation, can't be bothered to even check in too see how we're all doin'
Refusin' to even call it in with a simple "how's it goin'?" Completely stopped showin' up for some reason
What happened to all the love and forgiveness you're supposed to be dishin' out according to your words, king James edition
Bigfoot and god, both bein' heaven and earths undisputed hide and seek champion
Ignorin' all the cries for help you've been hearin' while dodgin' every little question
Eliminate guessin', can't find the answer if you can't formulate the question
Still wouldn't say it's been a waste but the needles strongly leanin' towards an awfully vague reason for existin'
An overall lack of an adequate position, doesn't really seem like I was even designed to fit in
That is if my life has been any indication
I manage to make it to, AND THROUGH, the proverbial one more day but where's the lesson?
Was it in the bull shiit I kept slippin' in before crossin' off and finishin' anythin' deemed worthy of doin'?
This just feels like non-monetary extortion, a life-sized portion, takin' far more than what's ever been given
How do you think that's gonna end? This is not a rhetorical question, I'm looking for answers and forever waitin'
I'm still in competition with myself, the prize, livin', the compromise, loosin' myself in a portrait I've broken
Or durin' the transition, stumblin' across the realization that everyone's been right, I am the problem, that's no longer opinion
Find it in the nonfiction section
The eradication of an inner companion, replacin' compassion with aggression, smooth sailin' with frustration, no direction, no validation
The transition to curmudgeon happened earlier than expected, drawin' parallels from the curious case of Benjamin Button
Not for nothin', the infestation of negative thoughts caused a mutation inside and out, completely loosin' what it means to be a person, never was a good one
Probably no longer a shoe in for team human, my demon is all high on my supply with a gargantuan appetite for fear and hate eggin' it on
It's not a lose lose situation, and it sure ain't win win, and any other option, I'm guessin', got lost in translation
But I'm pretty sure somethin's gotta end in order for another somethin' to begin, at least that's what I'm hearin'
Still can't find a reason that justifies the conviction
Is what I'm feelin' damnation?
Is what I'm seein' my own creation?
It could just be that no matter what I'm not goin' to be happy with the conclusion
Only recently discoverin' life is not a choose your own adventure, you're not allowed to be pickin' your preferred endin'
A mustard seed of faith in myself ain't doin' nothin' but turnin' a mole hill into a mountain
No fat lady singin', just a whole lotta screamin', just a band playin' as I feel myself sinkin' into oblivion
Who the hells idea was it to make me captain? Given the keys to the ship but zero trainin'
Pardon me for givin' up on salvation but if you've been payin' even a little bit of attention
It should go without sayin' but you're waistin' away waitin' for divine intervention
Be careful what you look to for inspiration, maybe get a second opinion before goin' full send, divin' head in without practicin' the landin'
A recipe for disaster cookbook in the kitchen, irony gone missin', passin' overhead, no one's even lookin'
It may not be your intention, but there's no hate like the love of a christian
I'm just sayin', that's a world I lived in, I wish this was a work of fiction, then I could benefit from all this wishin'
Even presentin' it as an exaggeration would be lyin', if I'm lyin' I'm dyin', we're all dyin', they're all lyin'
A livin' contradiction by their own admission, rid them of bullshiit with a little sanitation
Keep an eye on the who you're prayin' to every day, it may not be the one, or at least the only one, listenin'
And there's no mulligan, no snooze button, no rewind function, no wake me up when it's over discussion
A conversation on morals is just opinion, life's not a given, it can be taken but if you can't take it, please, don't give in
With a questionable foundation any moment construction can slip, unnoticed, into destruction
Countless lessons on dysfunction, an influx of confusion, temperaments risin', no inner peace on the horizon
Please have your opposition choosen before the match is striken allowin' the dumpster fire lifestyle to begin
Fuelin' suspicion, a growin' unease between both neighbor and friend, the end will come as no surprise then

Just pay attention

©2023
Sean Achilleos Jun 2023
There were times that I had wished for you and I to be close

For our arms to lock into a warm embrace

But sooner or later the demons would get to you

They would use you as a stepping stone

To try and get to me

I would and could never permit that to happen

So in order to keep you safe

I have to keep my distance

At the cost of my own happiness

I have learned to love you from afar
sean achilleos
21 June '23
My Dear Poet Jun 2022
The moon was afraid to rise
so it settled for the night
gave the day to the sun
and in doing
compromised its light
Now often every evening
as soon as the sun will set
it makes an appearance
before the sky and day reset
And like tears, the stars twinkle
while the moon mourns regret
how light once sparkled
now just sprinkle
of things you lose but can’t forget
The moon shines because its surface reflects light from the sun. And despite the fact that it sometimes seems to shine very brightly, the moon reflects only between 3 and 12 percent of the sunlight...
A Jun 2022
The worst part is that I actually never needed him

- but what took so long was to realize I needed myself more than he needed me
Isobel G Apr 2022
I see two paths,
two lives for myself -
with him I am cast into
an ocean of untamed feeling,
lost to reason,
and floating off into an unseeable future.
With the other, I am held fast,
held close by his love
and burrowed deep into the earth;
an old tree that twists faithfully
growing strong and aging gently
across the planes of a lifetime.
How am I to love -
who am I to be, to choose,
to sink into.
I feel the pull of his tumultuous waves
and the roots that simultaneously
bind me to the earthly warmth
of another kind of man.
©Isobel G.     20.03.2022
My Dear Poet Jan 2022
Many a man can roll up his sleeve
raise his elbows for a fight
But it takes a stronger man
to lower his hands
and leave when he knows its right
I’m not one for defeat
and have me beat
But If I’m ever half that man
You will have me found
standing my ground
letting down, just one hand

Many a man can
let loose their screws
and explode with words of sorts
But it takes a mindful man
to remain subdued
taking captive every thought
I’m not one to refrain
or lose my brain
But if I’m ever half that man
I’d like to think I’m kind
give a good piece of my mind
and hopefully they’d understand

Many a man can spin their own yarn
and tell a tale without a flinch
But it takes an honest man
to not spin spam
and not sway from truth an inch
I’m not one to lie
I’m an honest guy
But if I’m ever half that man
I’lI tell the whole story
and then and if only  
leaving out the details where I can

Not many a man can
resist or tame the flame
of passion or fire
For there are but a few
who are able to
harness the lust of fleshly desire
Now sometimes I burn
and yes, I yearn
But if I’m ever half that man
I can look and not touch
and if it goes and gets too much
well, I suppose, I am who I am
neth jones Nov 2021
is it love
or the parasite ?

my pilot bulk                      
aims for relief
       it pursues this via                  
          your romantic correction

in public arena                  
a library stair                    
(i never prior encountered you)

one step as foreigner        
the approach
and upon a swift internal pendulum
i make witless incisions
hurried mended sentences
directed stuns
invasive
i demand the compromise
                  of your company
hastily push at boundaries and
you're not so accommodating

                                                 but
on a further occasion
same building
we exchange a battering of conversation
that
   then
       matures
           into barter-like use of language

despite my harassments
  a civil cultivation is unearthed
tongue within this intelligence effort i lessen
loosen my demanding appearance
disregard my dignity
     a skin suit about the ankles

you're open in a vein of similarity
   you flesh out your own controls
we've progressed quickly
there's an aped conduct
                 and flashing attitudes
this time we share table space
a nearby café

we have become quite unmanned
    repeated meet ups
upon humours we adjust small habits
    and shake on perceptions where we overlap
it becomes
   more an overlay of rationalities
        than resented promises

fast time passes and

i move into your living space                                  
i pick a wildflower                                                    
               and put it in the tiny vase on your dining table
we agree on its colour                                              
we agree on a book to make our bible material
we agree on the pitch of the tinnitus we share
the clothes i am to wear
i switch to your diet
and you cease taking medications
we sleep on your lawn like children
and bring down the night sky for comfort

during the day we wear our sleep
              like a lubrication for our chores
and go about our productivity
              in genuine partnership
yet
i feel we're just out of reach
            of some dark harm

we are an excellent sample pair
it is all vital
we grow stronger the more we quiz it
recycling our *******
refine our agreements
await further impulses
and come closer to plug

so..
do we please love
      or simply indulge a parasite ?
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