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waking up in a haze,
wondering what day it is.

nights blurring into the next,
trying to pull myself together.

lost, confused, wondering:
what the hell is wrong with me?

is this just a phase?
is this post-traumatic response
or recovery?

because everything seems
to go too fast, or
way too slow,

and i think
i'm gonna breakdown.

stupid toxic tendencies,
i keep trying every day,
and it's oh-so exhausting.

imagine an enemy,
only you can see—

man vs. self,
back to the basics
of healing and discovery.

fighting the bad thoughts,
just to get another day.

so tired and over it,
i gotta claw my way out,

or i'll never truly be set free.
Shelly Mar 14
You are my safe place
The shadows that hunt me
You are my safe place
The screams from pain
You are my safe place
The terrors in my sleep
You are my safe place
The voices that doubt me
You are my safe place
The blood from the past
You are my safe place
The forbidden hands on my skin
You are my safe place
The wicked tougues slander my name
You are my safe place
The victim from abuse
You are my safe place
The darkness that draws me in
You are my safe place

- Shelly Ramos
Sanama Mar 11
Beyond the stars where they dwell,
the void appears - a grief as old as time itself.
And the old man sees, with eyes eternal it seems,
yet his eyes as empty as he.

The night shines, and the void retreats, The sun burns, and the void aches.
for though it stretched through endless dark
the void is weaker than its shadow's mark.

It claims the space where light has gone, but flees when morning sings its song.
A hollow king with crown of dust, crumbled by a ray of trust.

So, fear not the void, though vast it seems for even night must yield to dreams.
And though it hides in realms unknown, Its power fades before Dawn.
Light and trust will beat the dark.
Kat M Feb 23
Carefully placed and covered with love
Patience emerged in hydration
Stretching into the dancing air
Golden warmth radiates across my face
Sinking my roots further into the foundations
Of past experience
Inching further toward the sky
Waiting to blossom into potential
An open story to share again
May the withering be slow to come
Nourishing those surrounding the performance
I can become,

                                                        ­           once again
Feedback Welcome!
Archer Jan 31
Little petals fell from the tree above us;
their paths were so long they were narrow and so unpredictable they had to have been predetermined.
An invisible breeze traveled through our hands, heads, and hearts.

I looked to my lover on the left of me.
The teal and yellow sky behind her,
paired with the little pink flowers just out of focus casted a speckled shadow on her face.
Her eyes conveyed sadness
but smile held strong.
Cigarette burns were pressed onto her flushed skin.
It was warm but she wore a black cardigan
with a feathery collared shirt below it.

I stopped singing years ago,
she chirped up.
Her words did not address me
and neither did her gaze;
both floated on the wind just the same as the petals did.
I don’t cut it,
lies,
my notes crack,
I can’t sing as high as I should,
even in church I’d fear I might just stumble like a clumsy fool.


Still,
sure as ever,
her voice carried a sweet melody that ran their fingers through my hair while they swam in the wind.
Each vowel held a hidden harmony.

Really, there’s nothing to it-
that’s what they say.
The rhymes and rhythm were all out of place, but I stayed,

her throat grew firm, yet full of cheer forevermore,
Until I didn’t.

She turned to face me but something stopped her.
Perhaps the wind,
perhaps herself.
I suppose I must’ve stopped once you’d gone.
Her bronze hair shook on her head and she pulled her legs up,
creating small waves in the grass
just as her voice had.
Words didn’t mean the same, neither did any music I could share.
‘Pity,’
they’d say,
‘such a beautifully sad thing that you gave up,’ they’d say.
And I do think it true,

admitted she whilst resting
her arms atop her knees,
chin atop her arms, and
head atop her chin.
I did,
she strained her words as soft as syrup,
give up.
Her back moved to and fro’, pressing against the bark of the apple tree
then not,
then pressed,
then not.
What is an artist without drive?
A singer, when she can’t hear her own music?


Pity,
said I,
such a beautifully sad thing you don’t recognize yourself.
My head shook like the branches above.
What a smith you are, love.
You say your voice cracks,
yet each pitch it jumps onto is more delicate than the last.
You claim inability to reach the top,
but you can sing for yourself.

My lover’s velvet covered legs pulled closer to her chest and she lifted her eyes to listen.
I’m not necessary for your song.

What, pray tell, do you mean, love?

I reckon you never did stop singing.
Joshua Phelps Jan 22
Cross that bridge,
Because there's no reason
To continue this way.

You've given all the
Reasons,

And I can't let it
Take over your
Life.

You've come so far,
Blossomed like a
Flower,

Survived the storms
And rose towards
The stars.

So please,
Tell me what's keeping
You awake at night?

Is it the past
Plaguing your
Head?

Are you
Desperate to
Forgive and forget?

You say
Letting go is the
Hardest part.

And you know
You gotta

Let the past be
The past,

And live and
Let live.

Just know,
It's okay to
Feel this way.

This is only
Temporary.

You don't have
To hide anymore.

Because at the
End of the tunnel,

I'll be your guiding
Light,

Getting you back
To where you were
Before:

A flower reaching
Towards the stars.
Syafie R Jan 14
Life, mean—

Unkind it seems.

A battle fierce,

A shattered dream.

Yet in the dark,

A spark still gleams,

And through the storm,

Mankind redeems.
How do you feel,
as you carry on?

Is life meant for you,
or mean all along?
As this is an interactive poem, I’d love your thoughts on the question it poses.
hsn Jan 7
i've realized that
me weeping out
in the form of ink
and words won't
make a difference
for my betterment

and yet, it feels
all too beautiful
to spread my tears
in the form of art
everywhere i go
Nick Legg Dec 2024
When the calm in my eyes met the fire in yours, I mistook your heat for warmth.
You were an artist and arsonist, creating something beautiful just to destroy it.
The cycle was violent, reminiscent of manipulated shades of red on canvas.
Your words were sharp, softening my tone until I fell into quiet submission.
Your need for control couldn't be satiated, I failed to realize that I handed you the knife.
Blood pooling at my feet, I still felt grateful you chose me.
I opened my mouth but no words came out and as you lit your final match, I realized I was the art.
Nick Legg Dec 2024
I built this prison by hand, laid every brick until I couldn't see the world around me.
Shackles on my ankles, anchors keeping me from floating away.
Solitary confinement the only solace l've ever known.
I built this prison by hand, my sentence indefinite.
My pain written on the walls, a reminder of why I'm here.
Memories kept out like the worst kind of contraband.
Suffering consequences of actions not my own.
Was my trial fair? Do I deserve parole?
Having once felt safe within these walls, I find myself claustrophobic.
Suffocated by unearned guilt, choking on shame.
Cracks in the brick reveal light.
A reminder that the sun rises, time passes, though I stay here.
If I built this prison by hand, what else can I build?
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