Submit your work, meet writers and drop the ads. Become a member
Lydia Apr 12
my mom drove a head start bus for awhile when I was in pre-k
she would tell the little kids who were bored to look out the window for pink elephants
I remember thinking she was a good mom because she let me in on the secret and the kids thought she was cool
our opinion on what’s considered good can be wrong even when our intentions are right
I never believed in pink elephants but I did believe in her
Soumya Bajpai Apr 10
In the peak summer season, on a bright blue morning,
I saw 2 worlds as I travelled to my calling.
I saw a man sitting dehydrated in front of the sparkling blue lake,
And a man defecating right beside the cow dung cake.

I saw an ambulance sitting idly by,
And a son driving his sick father, unable to let out a cry.
I saw a girl with her head out the sunroof, enjoying the cool summer breeze,
And a little kid trying to hold down his kaccha house, down on the ground scraping his knees.

I saw a woman tending to the roadside hedge,
And another throwing an empty bottle at its edge.
I saw a bungalow’s water tank leaking,
And a man straining gutter water that was positively reeking.

I saw 2 worlds,
One with a necklace of stones and one made of pearls.
Under that same bright blue sky,
I saw 2 worlds - one that waited to be buried and one that longed to fly.
Here's to being grateful for all that we have and appreciating life while we have the chance!
Maria Etre Apr 8
And then
I said,
"All my poetry
is not
fictional"
putting all
these short
little bursts
of inspiration
in a different
perspective
Joss Lennox Apr 6
Resentment hits in the middle of a good day
demanding you let it creep in
like the grimy spiders
spinning their web of lies
& those slithery snakes
with their venomous bites
the ones that killed you
& made you die
about a hundred times

Resentment is by far
the hardest lesson of all
Rising above it
setting it to the side
& out of your mind
so you can continue
holding your breath
moving on with a smile
a little dark, but true. feel your feels, but don't stay there for too long.
Joss Lennox Mar 31
The worst part was thinking I saw you,
A you with depth,
A depth that matched mine,
But you just turned out to be
like everyone else.
when the rose colored glasses start to fade...
Soumya Bajpai Mar 30
Oh to be awoken by the sun and not an alarm,
To be surrounded not by robotic schedules, but by oceanic calm,
To go to bed without counting the hours of sleep I’d get,
To have the option to watch every single sunset.

Oh to be fuelled into a deep sleep by stories etched on dead trees,
To remember the cause of every single book crease.
Oh to be free from viciously scrolling reels - All day. All night.
To catch a break from our screens and actually enjoy natural light.

To eat when I’m hungry and not just when I have time between classes,
To drink water, to ***, to rest when my body wants to, and not just go along with the
masses.
I want to be what I know I cannot.
And yet, more than anything, I want to BE.

To BE is to read with no pressure.
To BE is to experience true leisure.
To BE is to look at the night sky and have the stars look back at you.
To BE is to fall asleep under that very sky and be awoken by a bird’s coo.

Amidst AI and robots and technology and the swarm of 21st century ‘Super Brains’,
When did we lose control of our own lives’ reins?
In the war for the title of ‘Smartest BEings’,
We simply forgot to BE.
How often do we stop to smell the roses nowadays? When was the last time any of us dressed up like a clown, or made a magic concoction in the bathroom, or played outdoors under the scorching sun? Doom-scrolling has brought us an early doom ourselves. We know the problem. We know the solution. We still can't function the way we used to before... The adrenaline rush you'd get while stealing from the kitchen at midnight, that last minute read you used to sneak in while your mother was calling you down for food, the way we'd wait for the car to pass under a street light to sneak in a couple words- it feels like a different person altogether.
So here's to forever wishing and hoping and desperately needing that old self back- the one who was passionate and ambitious and just the perfect amount of crazy.
I've wondered how it is you truly feel
A little voice whispering
"This can't be real"
These obstacles close appear too large to see around
Viewing from a distance a detour is found
Questions fly back and forth thrown as darts
Aim but never hit the right body parts
Always quick riling
Slow repair
Running circles barefoot
Your shoes I cannot wear
Through deserts and oceans continue to trudge
Hold hand all the while
Gradually building a grudge
My attempts to please you all fall short
I fail to contribute or submit too vague a report
Head hurting from the flaws I have to fix
Given the choice I'd never pick words over sticks
Because sentences weigh more than stones could
What you speak seldom leaves me feeling good
So you paint my imperfections like a mural on the wall
Makes me want to do the opposite and not deal with them at all
How many mistakes until finally you snap and go
Realize the fact that I realized long ago
That I am not meriting the effort you put in
And components are irreversibly broken within
That more time and energy probably are a waste
The middle of your heart no longer for me holds a place
I can tell you don't feel how you used to :(
the slight movement of a Santa doll
in the corner of my eye
flickering light as I begin to doze
then a whisper or a sigh

a kitchen ceiling bulb cover
seven years without a peep
decides to loosen and shatter
as I lay fast asleep

heard the voice of a young man....Arthur
when I botched the last name at his stone
'my name is not Stickler, it's Strickler!'
he said in a mild mannered tone

He spoke a second time one year later
during a recording session in my den
clearly said my name...'Thomas'
as he flew left to right
and back again

I notice them when they visit
there-in lay the key
they notice when I notice them
the grateful dead
and me
true
Arii Mar 15
Sometimes nothing feels real
  Like I’m floating in some fever dream
     And unable to heal
          I gaze at the stars and think

                What if it’s all faux
                         What if it is all a dream?
                                      But it feels like I’ve stooped too low
                                                 To wait around and see

                                                                   Play around and
                                                                see

                                                                                Maybe it was never real
from the start

       Maybe the only thing fake was a part
                  Of
Me.
Jeremy Betts Mar 12
The monsters quickly collect under the bed
Graduating faster to free range demons roaming the head
Diabolical shadows lurking on the perimeter of the peripheral
Becoming a something far to real to think it still impossible
Unlike fear and loathing, fear and logic are seldomly seen traversing side by side
The unnatural occurrence of an unnecessary ride

By the time an oblivious mind realizes the kamikaze danger
The digits it controls are busy pulling out each heartbreak dagger
Those select few that came through the front from the  back
Create tallies in scar form that are starting to overlap as they stack
Teetering on life's edge as it dares me to take that final step over
Finding it impossible not to follow the devil when there's one on each shoulder
Next page