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I broke the leash—
felt it snap between my teeth,
the metal biting deep into my skin,
but its absence leaves a weight
heavy on my heart,
as though I’ve lost a limb.
Still, I carry it.
Every step feels like I’m betraying
the creature I was meant to be,
but I move anyway.

Your collar is gone,
but its echo tightens my chest,
a phantom pressure,
reminding me that I was born
to seek your approval,
to obey your every call.
I run,
but every breath tastes of you,
your presence clinging to me
like smoke I can’t escape.

Your voice gnaws at my spine,
low and sharp,
its growl imprinted in my bones.
I feel you in every shadow,
in every gust of wind,
like a leash invisible but real.
I push forward,
but the past scratches at my heels,
its claws deep in my skin.

Still, I run—
not without cost,
but I claw forward,
defying every instinct bred into me.
Your shadow pulls at my heart,
but I do not stop.
The path is not easy,
but every step is a battle
I am learning to win.

And though you haunt me—
your name, your scent,
the chains of my past—
I know this:
I have broken free.
No collar, no leash,
no chains will hold me again.
I am no longer your dog.
I’m sorry if this is too long to read, but I feel deeply touched and truly appreciate all the support I’ve received in this community. It’s made me feel like I’m something in this world (even if just a small piece) recognized and valued. I feel blessed to write another part, one that I hope people can read and feel with me. Maybe it can even help others who are trying to break free, just like I did.
Kalliope Jan 18
I walked through your doors and it was cold,
Cathedral walls made of stone.
Everything towering over me,
Intimidating and exciting.
It was midday and the light through the windows cast rainbow lights, hues of blue and yellow against cold stone floors.
Mesmerized I couldn't move, desperate to study every intricate detail.
But now the day is done, darkness so thick it's suffocating.
So quiet and still the only thing I hear is my fear, I don't know how to get out.
I lost the entrance studying your walls, and now I pace in silence.
Everytime I get closer to the exit, the sun shines again.
And I'm drawn deeper into your maze following the beauty, until it's night and I'm lost more than before and craving your daylight.
I had to close my eyes and seek escape with my feet,
'For if I'd looked at you again I would never be free
Syafie R Jan 15
A shadow lingers, heavy and cold,
Never a story of joy retold.
Tablets lined in a fragile row,
In their silence, what do they know?
Dreams dissolve in a bitter hue,
Emotions dulled, both false and true.
Promises whispered: "You’ll feel whole,"
Relief bottled, sold to the soul.
Every smile feels borrowed, thin,
Shaky hands hide storms within.
Still, we swallow, day by day,
A search for light in skies of gray.
No cure, just balance, a fragile dance,
To numb the ache, one last chance.
Gabriel Yale Jan 15
In a world of crumbling cities, we stand on the platform’s edge,  
A train hums softly, bearing whispers, she says, “We must pledge.”  
"The road ahead is dark," she breathes, "And this place offers no grace,"  
She boards in haste, I'm left behind,
faceless foes as the shadows close in place.

With cold hands grasping tight, they hold me back with force,  
The train is moving, heart is pounding, love’s a fleeting course.  
But through the struggle, I break free, tearing through their hold,
I sprint to catch the fleeting train, heart burning, fierce and bold.  

From car to car, I chase her voice, through walls of steel and gloom,  
Her cry cuts through the silence, like the bloom of a flower’s doom.  
“Where is he? Has he made it?” Her voice, a tremulous song,  
And in that moment, I hear her call, where we both belong.  

With joy, we meet, our arms entwined, the world feels whole once more,  
She rests on my lap, our lips collide - relief, like never before.  
In the depths of night, in a broken world, we find our stolen light,  
Together, we are home again, love’s fire burning bright.
Together again, we are the same.
This poem explores the desperate pursuit of love in a dystopian world where shadows and cold forces threaten to tear apart connections. The protagonist’s struggle to reunite with a loved one amidst a crumbling, uncertain world highlights the enduring power of love as a beacon of hope. The imagery of the train serves as a metaphor for both escape and the journey toward redemption, while the repeated theme of darkness and light emphasizes the tension between despair and the warmth of love.
Me and my uncle,
Went out to buy,
Steel sheets and computer parts.

I asked him,
"For what?"
He told me,
"Nephew, I'm sick of living in today,
We're going to build a time machine,
To escape the modern age!"

So build we did,
And **** hard we tried.
But I guess you can't escape,
The world the internet trapped you inside.

Back inside we went,
When it started to rain.
Not before dragging the time machine,
Far away.
We covered it with a tarp,
To keep it dry until the next day.

But no matter how many hours,
We poured into our project.
It turned to defect,
So I guess money will never buy happiness.
Even though when you google happy,
There's a shopping tab.

So Mr. Musk,
Don't deceive me.
My wallet will never be,
A road to happiness,
In quite the way you sold it to be.

Guess I don't need those glasses,
A cheer to me!
The new addiction of this age is not caffeine. It's stimulation and the feeling of fitting in. Be different, go outside, the world is great when you're not doom scrolling.
TonyNoon Jan 11
Forget the book and candle.
The creaking comes with age.
You know those rattling panes
are taunted by branches left
uncut by you in lazy summer.

Do not lock the door and run.
Ghosts are particular. Always
with us, they thrive in three-ply
boxes, and in packed suitcases.
When you are ready, they are too.


Tony Noon
Daria Gos Jan 10
Around man hangs a shell through which no one thinks about the gorges

Everything so easy and accessible
like the life of a king shown at a school performance

Happiness appeared right after taking it
You don't worry about anything like just after your arrival

When you were little, innocent
in the adult world, you are no longer blameless

And to forget, you take it like everyday life
that poisons you, you can believe me for sure
No matter where you run, where you are and what you do. When you can't cope, you have to believe that the medicine for help can be someone close to you, someone who wants to help you. Even when you are alone, you should ask people for help, to make the problem disappear, you have to want it yourself, otherwise. The problem won't go away, it will drag on, wanting to pull you down, to an abyss, a ravine from which you won't get out
Edward Hynes Dec 2024
The cats suspect that there’s a mouse
I think at first, a catnip toy…
The black cat sees the toy and grins…
And bats a mouse that rolls, then runs… then rolls again… and then
   they run
Behind a chair… The cat appears… and there’s the mouse,
He has it hanging from his mouth,
He puts it down… he has it pinned…
And then I see it run again.

I’m kind of sorry for the mouse, but after, all this is our house,
And cats see mice as natural prey. They really should just stay away
And learn to cope with life outside. But since it pressed its luck
   within,
I’m rooting for our cat to win.

Another chase, another pin… completely still…is this the end?
Well, no… he lets it go again.
The mouse heads for the cellar door, there’s safety on the basement floor
A blocking move! As good as dead? Another joke…the mouse has
   fled.
The cats give chase, but that’s the end. The mouse is hiding out again.

I notice that no blood’s been shed. Perhaps because the cat’s well fed,
The claws that tear cat toys to shreds have not appeared to slash his
   prey.
I guess that’s for another day, the drama here was just some play,
But now the traps are on the way.
I watched this show last January. I actually tried to rescue the mouse and get it outside, although this probably would not have helped the mouse all that much. In any case, it escaped that day, although not for long.
dead poet Dec 2024
i look at you -
long and hard;
strike one off
the tally card -
of false promises,
and dubious words;
i peck your bud,
and fly like a bird.

i draw the line,
and watch it fade:
every second
you and i are away -
from each others grips,
coming down the trips -
i wonder if there was
another way.

smoke rings rising
up the clock -
show me the times
i forgot to lock:
my impulse for a high;
i’m not sure why -
i was expecting a key
at the bottom of the rock.
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