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I sit on the bench, bathed in the sun,
Listening to water, watching him run.
Tiny feet dance where mine used to play,
And I think of your gifts—
Candy at the end of the day.

Now I’m the one pushing gently,
Afraid of the swing’s height,
But his giggles assure me—
He trusts that with me, it’s all right.

I wonder what filled your heart as you watched me grow,
I can guess the answers, but I’ll never know.
They tell me I’m the best—but I knew the best.
No praise can soften the ache in my chest.

I try, I love, I give all I can,
But your shoes were never meant for another to stand.
my uncle used to take me to the park to play, he always had m&m candies for me. now he's long gone and i take my own gaggle of nephews to the park. its a weird feeling to realize the shift in position. maybe i should start carrying candy
And to a sinking story; desperately trying to find its depth –
when two people walk together in love, would they at least
share their story with others, of those important first steps?
But would you build shopping carts in the market place of love –
going round, and round, till we crash into the boundary walls
like excited go-karts?

Wouldn’t you make good butter kisses, that slip off the cheek –
telling me that you fight to speak up for yourself; owning up
to that bruised lip. I’ve heard pots, and pans being hit all over
town; those shelving love, and hoping shame doesn’t fall down.
But the pots have gone cold; like no one has been around – but
when your glass eyes fall down, would you hear their emptiness
in that cold sound?

Of course, she tells all her friends that she still keeps in touch,
and never that she misses his touch. They don’t talk that much;
but find it in good taste to ask about the other’s mum. “I hope she’s
not doing too much. Does she still think about me being her son?”

****, love can be really much, breakups a bit too rough –
but in the growing pains of it, we learn to finally grow up!
Lizzie Bevis Feb 17
I remember
when chased butterflies
proudly flew their colours
and grass-stained knees
were medals of honour.

With Mother's lipstick on my face
smeared like war paint
meant for a warrior,
not for the war
that ageing would become.

The weight of survival
sits heavy with me now,
where feathers of ignorance
once floated weightless in the air
like innocent childhood fun.

I didn't know back then
that shadows belonged
when moving with the sun,
or that time was anything
but an endless summer.

Tell me, when did puddles
become mirrors,
instead of being
wellyboot splashed
into imaginary worlds?

©️Lizzie Bevis
I wish that I could turn back time and relive my youth all over again. I didn't ache as much back then.
Mishika Feb 16
Divine hips
Which sway with elegance;
Soft lips
Which utter the sweetest words.

These gifts allure
Others more than myself.
For my womanhood
Gave me the greatest of gifts.

My mind—a burning star.
Shines bright on its own.
My soul—oh so unique,
Is complete by itself.

My womanhood
Gave me the greatest gifts,
I say again.
It gave me the strength
To rise by myself.
Millee Feb 16
in chains i stand
before you
trapped as i am
make me anew

release these bonds
break these chains
set me free
from all my pains

let me go
be who i'm meant to be
no matter what you say
i'll finally be me
Soumya Bajpai Feb 12
Someone once said,
When death finds you, may it find you alive,
How brainwashed are we, with the conspiracies we’ve been fed,
That we end up making both partners and enemies out of time, all through our life?

From the first alarm you snooze,
To the one you set while gulping down the *****.
From that half-hearted morning grwm,
To with every chime, wanting nothing more than to flee.

We used to read once, remember?
Cant even hold a book the right way up now, through its dying embers.
How desperately we wanted to grow up,
If only we knew how much it would ****.

We wanted independence, though
To do things in our own time,
Yet here we are, mere extras in the puppet show
Grinding our bones raw, just to earn a dime.

With the never-ending turmoil that is adult life,
With the vicious cycle of cancelled plans and meet-ups,
When death finds you, may it find you alive
And save you from the prison of ‘I don’t give a ****’.
anna Feb 5
Fog
For the second time, I'm five
watching the rain pelt the ground outside,
contained behind the glass which
fogs with the heat of the kitchen.
My granny laughs at her own jokes,
leaning over the kitchen counter cutting
up vegetables into boiling water.
anna Feb 5
I think about your old haircut and
I miss muddy torn up shoes;
scuffed canvas, stained laces.
The tote-bag with a badge patchwork
forgotten in your house, now an identically
rigid, faux-leather
handbag. Homogeneous.

Your eyes narrow when I laugh too
hard, at something we used to like. You
wince and turn away,
behind your freshly highlighted hair.
You cut off the last of the
colour you'd begged for. You tell
me you never cared for the
things we used to love, so
I shut my mouth
and grapple with your change.

I wrote you a letter, handwritten and
hand folded, in tea-stained paper
and ****** red ink,
my heart displayed for you. You pinned it
up against your mirror. Sun bleached
and binned. The text message you
returned to me deleted itself last year.

I think about the rips in your tights
and the dirt under your fingernails
and search;
but find manicured perfection masking
any remains. I paint my nails and
mourn the friendship
we had, while you sit down and smile
beside me each morning.
You've polished your gemstones
into mirrors.

Why are you so desperate to ****
the girls we used to be?
This is a messy poem but so are we.
anna Jan 31
With acrylic I paint the crumbs on my plate,
the dregs of my drained coffee mug,
the torn and crumpled tissue beside it.
The best cup of coffee ive ever had,
the perfectly buttery toast, still warm,
reduced to traces, ugly remains.
I paint a sad still-life to remember,
with hindsight clouded eyes
the flavours I couldn't taste
before they touched my tongue.
Jenny Jan 11
Now I’m ashamed
To open my mouth
Cause I fear you may not like
what will come out

Put the black ink into your glass
It turned blunt, sorry I don’t want to
Sound like a haggard girl, who went through a lot of stuff

I see the old me in you
But something made me change or break down
Cause I used to have the same mindset you have
Until I faced the realm

You’re too kind, you’re too wise
I think you’re too good to trust
I hate to be this way, but I’m like
What have I been doing this whole time?

Cause I could be all of the things, and I’m none
I did not get anywhere near my goal
Heart’s getting heavy to speak
I wish I could delete the scene

But I wonder if I’m ever right
To doubt the power of light
Cause having sun shining to everyone
I’ll find a cloud to cover the bright
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