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Zack Ripley Mar 2022
it's easy to criticize people
for how they deal with pressure.
but it's important to realize that pressure,
like people, come in all different shapes, colors, and sizes;
they affect people differently.
because he doesn't drink just to drink.
and she doesn't smoke just to smoke.
they're trying to forget how broken they are inside.
trying anything to escape their minds.
escape their lives.
and, at the end of the day, that's all we want to do too.
Rickey Someone Mar 2022
12/9/2021

Sitting in this parking lot, the blasting sirens wail outside,
I watch the flashing clouds, the spreading lightning,
I feel the pulling wind, the pressing sky,
I watch the empty streets, the waving trees,
I hear it raining on my roof, the crickets in December,
And I really hope I’m not an idiot, sitting in this parking lot.
Megitta Ignacia Jan 2022
There's secrets exchanged
Under the round peachy city light,
Across Gadjah Mada street

Between 4 privilege kids
Denpasar has it ways
To unite west-east-north-south at once

Here, to the feast
To the riddle of longing
To floating dilemmas
To confusing adulthood
We've been together before
Not just a narrative hunters

When the wind oppress
We are lost,
but we're not gonna lose
020122 |23:08
Nasi jinggo stall near pasar kumbasari gajah mada street. Deep conversation between four mid-late-twenties kids about life, struggle about adulthood, guilty of being privelleged, choosing work that fulfill us as a human, pressure to take care of aging parents, going back to hometown or live freely wherever we want, journey to commitment/married life, and everything in between me, Andri, Blide, Rza. It eases my soul. Happy new year.
calypso Nov 2021
i am exhausted.

sometimes i say things that people never laugh at,
things that people never understand,
things that people never acknowledge.

i am not the person that people
are happy to hear from,
want to see often,
enjoy being with.

after awhile it gets old.
that feeling after i say something
that adds to the conversation,
and no one even acknowledges my presence.

the feeling of a large hand
gripping tightly on your throat.
the feeling from embarrassment,
that heats your body to a thousand degrees.
the feeling of your heart shattering
because no one even noticed you were there.

my eyes start to water,
my hands start to shake,
and then, i freeze.

not freeze, as in temperature,
but as in every fiber in my being
turning to nothing,
and my heart feels broken.

it gets hard to breathe in moments like that.
moments where i pretend to look like i am okay,
and pretend like i am not overly sensitive.
moments where i feel so unwanted,
that i pretend i am not myself.

i hate myself,
and i am exhausted of being me.
im okay. needed to brain dump.
Isabella Nov 2021
Young girl, this is the beauty you’ll grow up to be- she's charming, pretty, loved endlessly
A head that behaves, nods never shakes, knows her place in the world, where she stays
She’s oh so adored, teeth white as pearls, a smile that brightens the desperate world
She’s graceful but strong, knows she belongs, and never dares utter a word we’d deem wrong

Young girl, this is the beauty you’ll grow up to be- it only takes practice, as you’ll soon see
Even out textures, messy imperfections, it’s a small price to pay for a life of attention
Don’t wear too much or you’ll look like a ****, but once you wipe it off you’re not trying enough
Time to embrace your flawless new face, nobody will miss the one it replaced

Young girl, this is the beauty you’ll grow up to be- you’ll look young forever if you do what you need
You can start now, it’s never too early, you’d hate to get older and look more than thirty
But it’s not all your fault your body failed you, you’ve got surgery now to come and save you
You’ll be cut apart and sewn back together, needles, knives, bruises, and scars til you’re better

Young girl, this is the beauty you’ll grow up to be- thin and starving until you can’t breathe
You’ll never look at food the same way again, for dear it’s nothing now but a weapon
Avoid or purge but never digest, do what you can to stay looking your best
Headaches, discomfort, the cycle of shame, you cannot turn back, no never again
Emaciated, weak, but see you fit in what you wear! Don’t give up now, you’re almost there

Young girl, this is the beauty we’ll raise you to be- you’re on your way now, I know it’s exciting
Glowing, shining, beaming fulfillment, there must be a hole but this beauty will fill it
I know that you cannot wait to grow up, a shell of you now but you’ll at least be enough
A life of affection that outshines your cries, smiling bright, even if it never reaches your eyes
Odd Odyssey Poet Nov 2021
In the currency of their love'
Could the world pay off;
Gamblers playing their luck?

Darling' we think we're,
Falling for each other:
But only in the effect of'
Falling dominoes.

Roses on your head'
Piercing thorns, sharp thoughts
As I do suppose;
You're open in light' of eyes,
Exposed to the Sun's dust:
Your hard heart; afraid to be'
In water, and turned to rust.

Why do we as kids'
Waste all the time of youth
Before we knew our fears;
And were pressured by peers?
Pressured to pursue this love.

As I only loved you'
Because I was told:
Said so, because it felt a role,
Playing each other in an act
Seen by eyes of those who couldn't;
Find anything close to love:
So they opted to find love in us.

All those fools;
Kids forgetting lessons'
Lessening their time in class.

I know now; I was never in love.
Nikki Oct 2021
What will I amount to
When I can’t take the heat
And crack under the pressure
Constantly haunted by preying eyes
Locked in on their target
A relentless weight
Seeping in every pore
And you are blind to it
Oblivious even

Perhaps it is imaginary
But it comes from all over
And it planted a seed
Which has grown into a weeping willow
Of soul breaking pressure
It is the barred door of my mental prison
The gravity to my butting wings
It is dragging me down
Whenever I try to fly

So tell me
How I can escape my prison
And defy gravity
Shruti Atri Aug 2021
It feels unbounded,
expanded beyond wrinkles,
hammered by swinging pendulums;
hardened, with time slipping by...

I feel bound
by forgotten promises,
lost and unfounded;
with tearful, tired eyes.

In the dark, I find words I can barely see,
feelings I can barely contain;
falling through the cracks,
overwhelmed with disdain...

I see no end to this depthless void...
Leone Lamp Jun 2021
He pushed the weight of the world
To the top of the milky way
And he leaned, and he sighed
As the world rolled away

He put the globe on his shoulders
As he prepared to climb again
He shrugged and it shuddered
Spreading fear to little men

Igby! Igby, my boy!
I feel it coming down on me!
This pressure, this weight!
Why can I not be free?

Some weights are corporeal
Like the dumbbells at the barbell
Tabs overflowing, drinks and meals
These simple weights are easy to quell

Then there are the really heavy ones
The ones no eyes can see
The ones that drag us down to earth
That make it hard to flee

Our words and obligations
All form a lofty load
We are all carrying something
Along our personal roads

And our roads, they go forever

But, to where?

No one knows...
"You see, Igby... I feel this great pressure, coming down on me... It's just constantly coming down on me.. Crushing me..." -from the film "Igby Goes Down"

~06/10/2021
Zack Ripley May 2021
I would be lying
If I said I wasn't afraid of failing.
But I'm more afraid of succeeding.
There's so much more pressure.
You have more to lose.
Your actions have more consequences.
You have to think more carefully
Before you choose.
But sometimes, you have to take risks.
You just have to decide
If it's worth the extra stress.
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