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Justin Aptaker Aug 2019
couple on a motor
cycle with a death wish
drum drops
still pond
early morning
coolness broken

pull that poison, pull it deeply
deeply, deeply
pull it deeply
keep that breath, like memory bitter
sweetly taste that lungs can know

a good will, strong, and a one hundred
these are made alone
for breaking
benjamin Wishing, Well behind
our time,
our pennies
are made
for throwing
Justin Aptaker Aug 2019
i’ve grown weary
of this story
growing
weary
of this frame
oh so weary
of this cosmos
in which I got this name

and I can’t remember why I came

I’m fearful for the leaving
can’t seem to quit the game
oh how I love this loathsome body
I carry with me night and day

and when I look into the mirror
I see a stranger face

sweet solace sought in speaking
my wearisome refrain
no rest foreseen in sleeping
if I must wake again
in lukewarm purgatory
on waves that toss and strain
in sitcoms just repeating
weary lines and jokes again

and again
ZWS Jul 2019
Let me tell you a story that’s told, a place that’s dark and filled with brimstone
A place that can feel hot or cold, a place where brightness can unfold
Where men abroad are worn thin, some seem to think about little else, but skin
And as they walk their walk and talk their talk what they truly want passes like a gust of wind
The body and mind are acutely fixed, they lose their footing, they’re crossed and tricked
Head strong yet clumsy, tempered like an iron bar, these men will tell you what they think from afar
No real who’s, what’s, where’s or know how, their tongue trebles, it declares, without care or clarity, it cracks like a snare
Preaching strong and wide and broad like the big churches of St. Sinclair singing songs throughout outdated speakers, oh god
The opinions of shepherds are often the rumors of sheep, trapped in gossip like the bonds of viral news excused for tweets
They wear it on their arms and nationalize their pride all while being humble, they claim, but knows not who it harms
They make a point to point fingers for points overwhelmed with the poignant denial they pass off as practical
Cracking irony with their minds white washed from the wash and their thumbs I mistake for calloused ******
This human condition we oft’ know well, is dying right under our nose
Medicine won’t help those who are only concerned with what happens above or below
Sam H Jul 2019
knocking
i keep come knocking
on the same old door
to no answer,
i'm always ignored
shes in there alright
all alone and in constant fright
dictated by the versions of what she knows and sees
panic lurks behind her street
yet she is gentle, so calm and meek
home and comfort is all she seeks

i'm not the girl i used to be
not even the girl i pretend to be
still fighting the same old fights
bruised and battling every night
must i lie?
everyday behind a broken smile
shattered yet still standing high
the old me is quite hard to meet
liberation from the cycle is what i seek

pessimism is what i lack
always so eager the way i act
yet my soul is not intact
keep on knocking
though ill keep locking,
ill come through
7/7/19 11:30:00 pm
Dylan McFadden Jul 2019
As soon as
Anything arrives –
Like mist at dawn –
It flees and flies…

          Some say, “Look,
          He’s so alive!”
          But, I say, “Look,
          He slowly dies!”

As soon as
Anything arrives –
Like mist at dawn –
It flees and flies…

          To whom will
          Work and toil call?
          All men who stand
          Are sure to fall.

As soon as
Anything arrives –
Like mist at dawn –
It flees and flies…

          If all comes from,
          And goes to, “Naught,” –
          Then what of those
          “Good” things we sought?

As soon as
Anything arrives –
Like mist at dawn –
It flees and flies…

          There must be More!
          There must be Life!
          Because, if not,
          It’s only strife…

As soon as
Anything arrives –
Like mist at dawn –
It flees and flies…

.
George Anthony Jul 2019
the more years i clock,
the faster time slips by
‘til my mileage feels close
to ticking past my capability,

and the clock swallows my skin
biting wrinkles into my face
‘til i can’t remember my beginnings:
can only fear my end

just twenty years, but it’s already july
summer scorches sticky smiles
masking questions behind tired eyes
“what am i doing with my life?”
When the sun has grown old
And the oceans are dust
And the hum of humanity; silenced,

Will the light of the lone,
Last eyes of the earth
Pierce the night sky with cognition

- The very same sky
That you saw as a child
With your father's hand there on your shoulder -

And a flickering star
Will brighten those eyes
As they stare in the face of extinction.
I told myself i would steer away from writing about existential doom, yet here we are again.
The sky is blue, and water wet;
So the ocean must be too.
Once I sunk beneath the waves
To gain a better view:

Pink and spongy; black and scaly;
Yellow jelly, cold and clammy;
Beady eyestalks glaring
From an urchin crusted cave.
Clustered tubercles protruding,
Searching tentacles recoiling,
Pulsing mandibles awaiting;
Ever lurking in the shade.

The universe exploding with
One billion burning suns,
Is empty, void and meaningless
When all is said and done.  
So for those inclined to measure
What hue the ocean be:
Ignore her gaudy creatures
For the darkness in between.

The sky is blue, and water wet,
But the ocean – it is black
And I fear the vile abyss that is
Endless, dark, and black.
Justin Aptaker Jun 2019
every line bears this weight
clumsy truth, crucifix-like
and in bearing alone, they are born

up and sing
on the wings of those demons we've seemingly seen
to be
descending
one ladder inverted
where once Jacob had torn
down his alter
in anger, in the dry place where we left the vision
Written by Justin Aptaker, 2006
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