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Jeremy Betts Mar 24
I feel safer somewhere cold and dark
Like my lonely, ransacked heart
At times it has played the part
Tucked behind a fleshy rampart
Casting a stark silhouette,
Becoming somewhat of a trademark
Can't remember when it lost it's spark
It had to have been sometime, way back,
Before the halfway mark
The memory gets a bit hazy,
Especially when trying to recall the start
What I get to deal with now is,
Just how quickly it all fell apart

©2024
Jamesb Nov 2023
You write of him
Who has passed a while,
Extant now only as ash
Within a porcelain jar,

You write of the bitter
Arrogance of anger
Left unresolved and
You not released from pain,

Of these you write,
And these you feel
With such pain
Such loss,

But he IS gone!
His vitriol has no power here,
No right to use your voice
Nor fuel your rage,

Nor create in you
His reincarnate toxicity,
Your are not him
Nor ever were,

You are your mothers child
Her softness tempers his
Vile intransigence,
And you need not go there,

So let him go
Into the shades of time
And away from this reality,
And your life,

And look instead to
That which is around you,
Loves you and has your back,
For I my love

Have yet to cross the bar

And I would sail with you,
Aboard your vessel
Or in closest company,
You escort and protector,

Your lover and your very
Very best friend,
The one who has your back
The one that you can count upon,

Fifty years or so with luck
I have and you much the
very same,
Will you share mine with me,
And let me share yours,

With you?
To my best friend who is struggling with the shade of her deceased father.
there's a place called the Lowe
the Lowe Hotel
100 plus years of souls
passing in the halls
leaning against the walls
that view the Ohio River
in its majesty
the Lowe
where stories were born
and still thrive
the room breathes
and crackles with sound as I sleep
whispers...taps...creaks
they are my connection
and I theirs...
window to the living
there are no years
no time or space to measure

'We get you' she said
in a voice as clear as crystal
and as close as dead can be to the living
after my one night stay
In the depths of the night, where shadows creep,
Lie tales of darkness, so hauntingly deep.
A moon cloaked in mist, a chilling wind's wail,
Where spirits awaken, and courage may fail.

Beneath gnarled trees, a graveyard awakes,
Where restless souls wander, their rest at stake.
With hollowed eyes and whispers of despair,
They yearn for release from their eternal snare.

Amongst the tombstones, a figure does tread,
A specter in black, with a cloak like the dead.
Her name is Lilith, the mistress of fright,
With a wicked grin, she conjures the night.

"Oh! Hear my call," she whispers in the dark,
As she weaves her spells, leaving her mark.
Bats take to the sky, their wings spread wide,
Guiding lost souls, to the other side.

In the haunted manor, spirits do dwell,
Where echoes of laughter turn into a knell.
Ghostly footsteps echo down the hall,
As the present and past collide and enthrall.

The clock strikes midnight, the hour of dread,
When the veil between worlds grows thin, it is said.
Ghosts emerge from their slumber, seeking release,
Their ethereal presence, a haunting caprice.

In the flickering candlelight, shadows dance,
As witches gather, their potions enhance.
With cauldrons bubbling and spells on their lips,
They conjure enchantments, with mystical quips.

Oh! Beware the night, when the jack-o'-lanterns glow,
And spirits arise from the depths below.
For Halloween's magic, a captivating lure,
Where darkness and mystery forever endure.

So, as the moon rises, casting an eerie glow,
Embrace the enchantment, let your fears go.
For on this haunted eve, when the spirits unite,
We celebrate Halloween, in the shadows of night.

But tread carefully, for darkness is near,
And the spirits are watching, with ghoulish cheer.
Enjoy the thrill, the *****, and the fright,
On this chilling Halloween night.
Amanda Kay Burke Jun 2023
With soggy sight and leaden heart
Path is hard to navigate
Stumbling on snakes slithering underfoot
Faltering under hefty weight
I want to feel light again
For an hour or maybe two
Since you vanished from this earth
Found floating impossible to do
Nothing hits senses like before
Shackled by all I have lost
Athough summer has graced us with warmth
Surroundings are coated with a layer of frost
Everything touched crumbles to ashes
I am terrified to move at all
If I step and the ground gives way beneath me
Will be ****** to an eternal freefall
I'm too puny to pull myself up from the dirt
Only manage to splash in the mud
Skin stretching until wounds reopen
Apologies painted in blood
An ocean of shame pours out my eyes
Salty like the sea
Taste is sour in my mouth
Wish thoughts would just let me be
I strive to stifle sorrows to no avail
With any substance fingers can find
No matter how high my body gets
Unable to detach from my mind
The pain in soul won't let me grow numb
If going to work it would have by now
Try distracting myself from the terrible truth
Second of relief more than life will allow
I cannot help but dwell on past moments
Making my head stagger and spin
Turning mistakes over and over in hands
I am consumed by agony within
I am hunted by savage animal
Known by name of regret
Haunted by ghosts all sharing your name
Guaranteeing I won't ever forget
My mind is consumed with sorrow
Alex McQuate May 2023
You ask me what is wrong,
When you see the explosions behind my eyes,
Staring out at a landscape that's not there.
Hearing gunshots that aren't there,
And screams of men long dead.

I brush it off sometimes,
Coming to,
Seeing the concern in your expression,
And I know that I can't lie,
But sometimes it's just too much for me to tell you,
Some things just too painful to share.

Some of it is to protect you,
Some of it is to protect me,
From that awful time in that awful place,
Where peace was so hard to find,
And impossible to see.

Sometimes I can tell you parts,
The parts you could understand,
But others wouldn't make sense to those who weren't there,
Like getting anxiety of having to get into a 110 degree porta-john to ***.
Gravedancer- The Strongest Stuff
the dead find me amusing
it's why they come around
they visit at their choosing
no time is out of bounds

they notice if you notice them
and there-in lay the key
they have no use for non-believers
or those who'd rather flee

once upon a gloomy night
I began a chat at 4am
this 100 year-old private school
that I protected
perhaps from them?

I rattled off the first few lines
of 'Roses are Red' down this long dark hall
and a spirit replied to his companion;
'He knows poetry' as if in awe!

The lone light flickered
and a chill rushed by
as I continued on my way

I had a good chuckle
and wished them well
we shall chat another day
true story
ummily May 2023
As we grow up,
we become less afraid
of being haunted
and more afraid
of being heart broken.
©
I heard a ghost in my house today,
I told it to go away.
I guess this
is growing up.
©
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