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Who am I? Which of me is real? The man I was, the man I am, or the man I will be?
Perhaps none. Perhaps all.
Or perhaps I am only a shadow, stretched thin between them,
never truly existing at all.

The past—ah, the past! How foolish he was!
He thought he understood life, believed in things—love, hope, meaning.
He was naïve, reckless in his convictions, blind in his desires.
He did not yet know what it means to kneel before regret,
to feel the slow, merciless tightening of time around his throat.
I hate him for his arrogance, and yet—I pity him.
For he never knew the weight that awaited him in the years to come.

And my future self—what a stranger.
Does he pity me, or does he curse me?
He waits somewhere ahead, silent, watching,
knowing already what I will choose,
what I will lose, whom I will betray.
I cannot see him, but he is there,
a judge I can never escape.

And then, there is me—the wretched creature caught between them.
I am neither innocent like my past nor wise like my future.
I am only the sum of mistakes not yet forgiven,
of choices not yet made,
of a life that unfolds with or without my consent.

Tell me, if they met—past, present, and future—
would they recognize each other at all?
Or would they simply turn away,
each ashamed of what the other has become?
To be human is sometimes being fearful of the unknown—
in a world where malevolence walks among us, where some
are openly evil; yet the most terrifying are those who cloak
wickedness behind an unsuspecting face... those I fear the most!

The love you believe they hold for you is an unknown
The truths they profess to share is an unknown
The appreciation they have for you is an unknown
The value of your value to them is an unknown
The picture of a non-public character is an unknown

And if there are facets of your being, to those you say are close
to you, yet they feel unknown – you were never that close!
Arii 3d
I recall a day,
who knows how long ago
I lost my temper at a child,
Who, better, didn’t know.

She liked singing, doodling,
And playing hide-and-seek
I thought she was rather empty,
Being around her was always bleak.

She was annoying, for sure,
Like an alarm going off in the morning.
And oh, so very loud,
Like an attention-seeking freak.

An agonizing decade later,
I screamed at the poor kid,
“What are you, a monster!?”
And the pathetic thing ran and hid.

I remember avoiding mirrors for a long time after,
Knowing I shouldn’t have lost my cool.

Now when I look into my reflection
and see that kid again,
I finally realise,

“She was scared, you blasted fool.”
Michael 4d
Where were you
when our democracy died?
I was watching cartoons,
with my child by my side.
Ambiguously aware
of our dangerous slide,
as trusted family and friends
say it’s all in my mind.
Safe, for now, in my skin
amongst my “own kind,”
until the day comes,
we are asked to align…
Will we then remember the day
our democracy died?
Eight years passed, and just like that
I came back and saw all the written hearts in this app.
Devices I used to lessen confuse.
Now that I'm back, I saw where I was at.

I can't believe I can no longer relate
to all the notes I once wrote with hate.

I knew in the past that "this too shall pass"
But how wonderful it is to experience at last.

I've waited for this...
𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙, 𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨
𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙙.
030130202504038PM
I can't believe that just like that, everything's behind me. How amazing it is to experience a life that moves forward, everything that you once hoped. The healing you thought will never come, now all you remember was the feeling but bearable to live with. I'm grateful to every season God gives!
Dom 6d
Further from then
But long away from today
Everything in circles
As time runs the play.
I’n running out of cycles
Tumbled dry and crumbled
Wishing I had the right words to say.

Well I never thought
In the years I’ve lost
In all I’ve given up,
That I would find a love
That stayed and said I was enough
Even if the world breaks away
I’ll be home, eventually

Well I can’t go back,
The road is brittle and broken
Bury the past, with heart half opened
Dissected to divide
And in my half I can’t decide
Who I was and where I begin
But I’ll be home, eventually

And I wish,
Upon a burning star
One last kiss
Loving you from here to mars
Find my worth
Beyond the skin and scars
I want to be something more
Better off ,
Getting lost in the dreams
I can’t go back, no
I can’t go back

I’ll be home eventually
Song I freestyled and wrote down after playing my guitar
Dom 7d
I remember chasing ice cream trucks
Long walks down by the shore side
Running through the streets and late nights.

Invincible no matter the fall
Bounce back and stand ever tall
Up and down this slummy street
We found the light in the dark
And remember where we used to meet?

Train tracks on a railway to no where
Salt hills to ride our bikes to a dumb dare
Swimming pool after hour escapades
And all the penny candy we could raid

Oh I remember,
And where did time go?
Why can’t we go back to -
A us that we used to know
Back then we thought of right now
But if we knew what we know
We’d stay in frozen spaces,
Time goes on and we’re missing faces
Photographs elapse the times we once had.

I want it all back.

Carnivals and monster trucks
Action figures and Toonami,
Dragon Ball and Boys Meets World,
And don’t forget the Ninja Turtles.

Super Nintendo and pizza
Personal pan and fiestas
Buffy on the TV
And Godsmack on the CD
We had it all and we had none
But when it came to then and now
I was too happy and proud
To pontificate on the truth
That trickles through like a leaky roof
Tapping my shoulder to remind
That there is only Play…

We can’t rewind.
Continuing my introspective journey I'm on recollecting my past with my present as I inch slowly to turning 40 this year
Sanama 7d
Doubts. Fear. A dark past.
We all have them-
but listen to me now:

We fight.
We fight our shadows,
our weakness,
our doubts-
and yet we rise our fist higher than before.

Fear is close- always near- but we move forward,
we don't let it take over us
we never let it win.

Our dark past.
Yes, they hurt.
But let them clear your path,
embrace them, hold them tight,
let them be your reminder:
You are stronger.

Grow like trees
some never watered,
yet they still rise-
breaking stone, reaching the skies.

Have the courage to rise from fear,
don't let it drown you deeper.
Stand tall.
Face your shadow- and fight.
We all have problems either is doubts, fear, or our past. We should remind to fight them and not let them drag us down the water.
It’s been a long time since I touched pen to paper,
Lost in the rhythm of endless, mediocre days,
Each tomorrow arriving void of hope or wish,
A quiet drift through time’s indifferent haze.

I have known joy, but never at its peak,
Felt sorrow, yet never plunged into the abyss.
I have wondered what I’ve missed,
Haunted by scars left by malice and neglect,
Each mark a whisper of what once was.

Chasing highs, avoiding lows,
I ran so far ahead, I left myself behind.
Did I do so unknowingly, or what I thought of my worth that led my steps astray?
I sought love in fleeting moments,
Connection in safety, sameness, the unknown—
A restless wanderer grasping at ghosts.

Trapped in the solitude of my own mind,
I called it freedom, mistook it for strength,
Blissfully unaware of how unhappy I was—
A prisoner who had long forgotten the cage.

Yet without purpose, I finally found myself.
I found strength through impotence, peace through turmoil, and abundance in desolation.
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