~M Vogel
asleep  at the wheel

A smoothe sail, set
a body of water, deep
brings about the greatest need
for trust

And who are you to me
as we float?
And I, to myself  whether under full sail
or land-locked,
the waves.. as they roll, will not scuttle
whether  within a depth, beyond fathom
or a curbside built dam, a child-made puddle

there is nothing that can pull, down
but the weight  of my own, bitter keel
and there's nothing in the ocean, lower
than the way, my own actions
can so often,  make me feel
In this ocean, floating
there is a world of un-doing

                            and re doing

The water, being a conduit
pulling from me, nautical miles
of the, unforgiven--
an ocean of changing emotions
under late-evening skies of sometimes, torrent
pulling me deeper into the need   to contain
the containment,  of the need

The dark skies, are where I go
within  the allowance of the need, to become freed
of all  of these obligatory-vestments.
This ocean, so deep--
the one  inside of me

carrying me away  

to a place called, containment.

What does the moon behold?
To make him lift, crumble and fall.
In treacherous hands of humanity,
One lies in truth; one in cruelty.

Propel the waves for he endures pain.
He whom words engraved, a humming of sorrowful rain.
Trust no one but no one is himself, a man.
Love someone but not the likes of one to bawl and come undone.

Sniffing around, he found no company,
The new diversity shivers an epiphany.
"Shall I devour my flesh?" He asked himself,
To felt the numbness? Or to taste the hell?

He fought for comfort,
The lone wolf cried,
The image of stars went gray,
Seek no more, a starry night.

"Ouvre les yeux"
Frozen mouth uttered declairing war,
Starts from match
Now, he's ready now to walk through fire.

Family,
Burden or Relief?
Love or hate?
Share or split?
Choice is ours to create the
Bond, or extricate?

Solitude,
Escape or accept?
Joy or pain?
Hope or fear?
Choice is yours to ensure the
Concord, or discord?

Life, deeply
Unfurls the pure truth
Of combat
Within us,
Choice either to win or lose
Or walk towards love.

- Aishwarya Sridhar

The unparalleled serenity
Of a misty mountain top,
That made me stop
Right in my tracks
As I was rambling on,
With a haze of clouds surrounding
I gazed at the top.
The winds of surrender
The sounds of thunder
Had me shook
Before that first breath
That I took
With surreal beauty in front,
Of which I was always in the hunt
The desolate hilltop,
Is where I wanted to start a bonfire
The exquisite brisk of solitude
Was rather great to set the mood
Nature is very welcoming, I pondered
That is when it hit me
We are all connected,
Through some invisible wire.
We fail to see that,
Because we are all prisoners of our desires.
What a perfect recluse
to try and find my muse.

The cycle of life seems never-ending,
Is it just a matter of life and death?
Or is it much beyond that?
Things that often seem out of control,
With you playing just like a pawn in the game.
All you can focus on is your actions,
And nothing else.
You can let your actions define your destiny,
even though it might not turn out to be that easy.
The more you try to control it,
The more it seems far away.
To die freely, you must live within means
Although we have different perceptions of the word,
The feeling seems deserted.
There is freedom in solitude,
People move away with eyes averted.