I still can't say your name aloud,
I've got my tongue trapped in a cirrus cloud.
I still push on and play pretend,
to the planet's eye, you never happened.
But it's times like this,
where my mind swims,
and the ripples of mementos flow
then come casually crashing at my back door.
And though I keep it sealed,
you seep in,
flooding floors,
and all at once,
I'm sinking.


Copyright © 2021 by S. Y. Kalindara. All rights reserved.

When we are
Overwhelmed by fear
And the God at our core
Has left

We become
The shoes waiting
In the chest
Of a
Paralyzed woman.


by Riri Sylvia Manor,
English by Ioana Ieronim
from Poetry and Science
An Anthology of Comtemporary Authors from Romania

Light and Source self-alignment it read.
That's what I'm here to spread.
Light is love.
I give up though.
It's a battle already dead.
Carrying the weight of the world's pain on my shoulders.
It's too overwhelming.
Take it back.
I don't want this purpose but it's not up to you.
This is who you are, get over it.
Stand up, ***** them, let them hate you because you love them.
That's what Jesus did.
Amen.

i can see you slipping,
slowly but surely,
you don't ask for help,
don't see how it can be made better,
i try to help,
but really what can i do other than
love and pray for you.

my dear,
it hurts to watch you slowly drown,
rushing through life,
undergoing the pressure.

im scared for what will happen to you,
im scared we will drift apart,
never to be drawn close again,
im scared you'll go too far.

every conversation feels timed,
like every word has to be perfectly chosen.

i don't want to burden you if i need something
or if something is on my mind.
i want to help you the best i can,
but its exhausting for me too to see you keep
struggling and none of my efforts or prayers seeming
to amount to anything.

i know i ought to keep up the hope,
God will provide for you
and teach you something in the process,
its just hard to watch the one i love the most
slipping away and feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

For weeks, all I wanted was to paint.
It felt like the solution
to nothing in particular,
to particularly everything.
The easel collects dust in the corner of my room now.
An empty canvas rests upon it, mocking me
for thinking I had an easy way out.

Dwell to ease your numbness

then fly away to secrete the chaos

bring wrath upon your river eyes
because the pressure swallows you

but

what happens when I dive in and have never learned to come up for air?

will the promised land accept me again?

or will i forever drown?

you can be numb in the truth but it’s still eating you alive

is there really good done when i open my eyes?

see what you will, but i’m saying goodbye

******* truth so I can drown in peace

Mustering,
rallying,
courage,
strength.
Praying.
Hoping.
Today is better than the last.
In truth,
my barrel is overflowing,
water gushing,
like blood from a stab wound.