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324 · Apr 2020
Socially Distanced
Ylzm Apr 2020
You feel you are the only
But there are many, socially distanced:
Unseen and unknown, gifted but imprisoned;
For the time is not yet, but it tarries not:
In half a time and not the fullness thereof.
Today is not a strange day;
That day will be when two are agreed,
And heaven, the sun, moon and stars
Fall down and bow low to Man.
323 · May 2019
My Gun, My God!
Ylzm May 2019
like the blind content just not to fall
the faithless constantly confessing sins

paying lip service to morality
ever ready to shoot the enemy, or anyone

desirous of faith's mountain moving prowess
never really believing literally

faithlessness betrayed by gun always on hand
shooting into hurricanes when prayers failed
319 · Apr 2019
Pandemic
Ylzm Apr 2019
A little cough, no worries, it will go away
More irritable next day, worrisome by third
Had better see a doc, but slept the last that night

Scattered world wide, by planeloads, unrevealed, unknown
Germinate in a week, spawn on breath, speech of death
Revived ancient bug, mutated, drug resistant.

Pandemics, long with us: Black Death was not the first
Now global rapid spread, global rapid response
Always ready, always surprised, always novel.

The fit didn’t survive, the survivors, the fittest
Catastrophic selection, months, not million years
Emptied earth, cleaned, reclaimed, to be fought for, again.
314 · Jun 2019
Man
Ylzm Jun 2019
Man
Man, tripartite entity,
of earth, water and air,
of body, soul and spirit,
of proteins, cells and organs,
of families, tribes, and cities,
of Kings, Houses and Nations.
Man is a part and One,
A fractal entity of Unity.
306 · Apr 2020
The Daily Walk
Ylzm Apr 2020
The familiar and well trodden
Walked over each and every day
Yet they still surprise and bewilder
Not so much that stones moved
Or grass grows blue or pigs fly
But the eyes of the soul renewed
Like a newborn child's first sight
Seeing the world fresh and anew
In every step you walked the walk.
303 · Nov 2019
Ghost
Ylzm Nov 2019
Disobedient in life
Defiant in death
From Sheol escaped
On Earth to roam
Rest for me the fearful wished
But no peace to them
Till my wrong avenged
293 · Apr 2019
The Sixth Day
Ylzm Apr 2019
The sixth day began bright,
Sun’s fire, on earth, lighted;
Prophecies trumpeted,
Brighter, hotter, fires burned.

Eight, but one, ancient, kings
Ruled the day; If agree,
All in their hearts shall be;
The stars, Man's destiny.
292 · Apr 2019
Choosing
Ylzm Apr 2019
Choice

neither material nor relevant
you choose what you choose
this or that reason
on what little you know
some true, certainly some false

but

what you don't know
counts for more
a random choice
a choice chosen
the better may be
for you are to be
what you are to be

but

choose anyway
makes you feel better
illusion of control, less depressing
investments, justified
wisdom's crown, more fit to wear

but

what will be will be.
285 · Apr 2019
In a Strange Land
Ylzm Apr 2019
Without father, without mother,
I grew up, running wild and free.
Mountains I conquered, cities I build;
In a strange land, I've now arrived.

Your light was brighter than the sun,
Your hushed whispers, overwhelmed the Sirens.
I'm tempted, I followed and I fell;
In a strange land, I'm now enslaved.
282 · May 2019
Now and Then
Ylzm May 2019
Death,
if seen,
then,
now burns alive within.

Unapproachable,
then,
now leads,
by hand.

Mysterious,
yet,
to those whom it was given,
now revealed,
to the ignorant, who never desired it.

That which baptised the Earth,
then,
now,
a spring that waters Jerusalem.
280 · Apr 2019
Cat
Ylzm Apr 2019
Cat
it cares not if the world burns
but only to find a spot on your lap
to curl up and sleep
271 · May 2020
Post Truth World
Ylzm May 2020
A post truth world:
     truth's a construction,
     witnesses manufactured,
     facts designed with intent;

Any lie is for sale,
     as it pleases the powers
     and brings in the money;

But your choice is your freedom:
     you believe
     what you want to believe;

Truth
     is your construction too:
     without power, without money
     but via the accessible
           social engine of truth manufacture
     many witnesses shall rise
           and believe in you too.
258 · May 2019
Michael and Rachael
Ylzm May 2019
Michael loves Rachael dearly,
as dearly as his own life.
Michael promises never,
never ever to leave her,
but forever and ever
to be and grow together,
Always one and transforming,
From today, days without end.

Every girl is envious of Rachael.
They too decided to choose Michael.
251 · Sep 2019
Poor in Spirit
Ylzm Sep 2019
Truth trampled
Lies reigned
Beauty usurped
Vulgarity valued

Turning not the other cheek
but kills to assert the right to ****
Power not to curb lawlessness
but to empower lawlessness

The soul tormented
In ashes and sackcloth
A voiceless silent cry cries
all day and all night

The day descends
inexorably into darkness
But for the sliver of moon
there is no reason to hope

The spirit awaits the dawn
247 · Nov 2019
Dreams
Ylzm Nov 2019
Dreams, the soul's cathartic sojourns
Bizzare dramas of things avoided,
unacknowledged in consciousness

Of loves lost, fears dreaded, anxieties unresolved,
disappointments ran away from,
victories missed, and failures’ devastations

Of desires suppressed
yet constantly desirous
even separated by death or law or man

Of journeys never travelled
across the impossible chasm
into lands unimaginable

Of evil undisguised,
sheer horrors of men’s wickedness,
that even Satan cringed  

Compelled to experience
the emotions, the terrors, the sweetness
the fulfillment of a life never lived

To confront death in its face and to die
And to go beyond the other side and yet live
And to wake up disturbed, changed, and refreshed
245 · Jun 2020
Signs in the Skies
Ylzm Jun 2020
The Earth hides the Prophet
And the Prophet hides the Sun
No Light shines on Earth
Nor is Light remembered
Night have turned to Day
And Darkness the new Light
Freedom is free and lawless
And only the fearless lives
245 · May 2019
Life
Ylzm May 2019
Life, everywhere
unseen places
toxic dead places
cacophonous, chaotic
complex counterpoints
unheard

Ancient writing
fragmentary shard
frustrating lacuna
mysteries unresolved
an intelligent act
perhaps

Nature’s a speech
Word speaking Word

Why only earth?
What if only earth?
245 · Apr 2019
Signs and Symbols
Ylzm Apr 2019
As words in a strange tongue
So symbols in wisdom;
Not any sounds are words
Nor stories, parables;
But angelic tongues do speak
Even as donkeys are wise.
242 · Apr 2019
Love
Ylzm Apr 2019
Inadvertently, I looked up, and looked
Into your eyes, and saw, your naked soul;
My hapless soul trembled to transcendence;
Love at first sight, terrifying and true.

Beauty lies not in the beholder's eyes,
But deep in the eyes of whom he beholds.
For once, in heaven's womb, the souls were one;
Love's a mere glimpse of perfection untold.
241 · Apr 2019
The Fallen
Ylzm Apr 2019
A bright star has fallen
Pain, and, anguish,
The world is in pain, and, anguish
Questions, questions, questions
But really these are non sequitur
Hearts weep and wail
But again, does nothing for the fallen

I stretched out my futile hands
I turned and groaned, I’m out of joint
I slammed myself against the wall.
I’m in pain. I’m in pain.
I cried but no tears no sound
Inextinguishable anguish gnawed me inside out

Can I pray? How do I pray?
Does it help, or I’m just helping myself?
Is he destroyed, irredeemably turned to the dark side?
And what if the answer is to trade places?
That the fallen may rise anew,
and given a second chance
Do I dare pray?
235 · Jul 2020
Unmasked
Ylzm Jul 2020
No flimsy mask but witnessing faith
Not mere belief but transcendental knowledge
Strong and unwavering not double minded
Bright light shining not cowering in fear
And the dead and dying revealed as weak

But as the wise knows he's a fool
You are strong for you're weak
Truth's a double-edged sword
Separating the living from the dead
And loud boastful liars from those chosen
235 · Apr 2019
Free Will
Ylzm Apr 2019
Free will is the will of the free
Freely enslaving their will at will.
A slave has no free will
but believes he has.
Compelled by a will unknown
not his own.
Thus all act freely,
truly or deludedly:
One submissive to a Greater Will,
The other defiant in freedom.
One free agents of the Highest Good,
The other unwitting servants of an unseen hand.
231 · Feb 2020
Desolation
Ylzm Feb 2020
As far as the eye sees
To the horizon and all around
Nothing but endless emptiness
I cannot go back for futility it’s not

The voice whispering within
This is the way walk in it
Not a sound, not a soul, not a wind
But all light, bright, silent and peace

The strangeness in my heart
I bear to the land beyond
Strange tongues surrounded me
Too long, too long, away from home

Renewed in every step
Refreshed by the stars
Strengthened in every breathe
And my food is my heart

As the blind sees not the stars
The prophet knows not the future
But only the assurance of the truth
Thus I walk the endless vastness
Blessed are those whose strength is in You,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
even the autumn rain covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
until each appears before God in Zion.
[Ps 84:5-7]
230 · Jul 2020
King of USA
Ylzm Jul 2020
Gideon with torches and trumpets routed nations
mightier and more numerous than his 300
Putin with the vanity of Trump and his believers
is now king of mighty USA without need for war
227 · Jul 2020
I prayed
Ylzm Jul 2020
I dread the scorching sun
     and clouds came and it rained
I despair evil's pervasive presence
     and the virus came and destroyed
I detest the liar speaking truth
     and I wait the day the liar silenced
I dream the love foregone for love
     and I'm assured that it'll be and forever
226 · Apr 2019
History
Ylzm Apr 2019
Why remember? Why celebrate?
The past, told by the victorious,
To the living, mere instruments.
Unknowable and unknown,
Ceremonialised and celebrated,
Of the dead's glorious renown,
If expedient, memorials mandated and revised.
Tomorrow you may uncover and reveal
My history was wrong, but who knows really,
For your discovery, or concealment,
is shaped to fit your purposes, as it is for me, today.
222 · Apr 2019
Art?
Ylzm Apr 2019
I do not like jarring jagged poetry
Words scattered on the page saying nothing
Stagg'ring, stumbling, disjointed, blabbeing
From image to incoherent image
Splashes of colour, scattered at random
Slurred, the drunked's, or drugged's, speech or drivel.
Not all art is art, nor madness, madness,
The Spirit is One, and Beauty affirms.
217 · Feb 2020
Prayer
Ylzm Feb 2020
I pray when all is beyond my wits and my strength
I pray when the little I can buy exceeds all my money
I pray when fathers, friends and lovers failed me
I pray to entities I know not, even of imagination and belief

I pray knowingly that strangers, human or ethereal,
     are not obligated to me, even if I begged them
I pray knowingly that I have no wisdom to know
     what to ask, but only that seemingly good for now

I pray unknowingly if these powerful inhuman beings
     can read my mangled incoherent thoughts
I pray unknowingly if the formulated rituals of my ancients
     of magic, prostrations and sacrifices are effective

I 'll be thankful to gods, demons, angels and even men
     for a blessing is a blessing, and any help, is help indeed
I'll be careful not to be entrapped into constant gratitude
     but only to constantly build my wits, strength and money
214 · May 2020
Changed Times
Ylzm May 2020
Once all earth was pleasant
All year spring from pole to pole
Seasons marked by flowers
and Food, but for some weeds, aplenty

Then time changed, marked by seasons
Time to sow, and time to harvest
Some land froze all year, some baked
In darkness and cold, the sun longed for

Then time changed again, chaos in the heavens
The day and month and year, no more certain
Stars wander, sun hidden at midday
Unending nights and dark days, tomorrow uncertain

Then time changed again, and no one knew
But for some Magi from the East
learned in the secret wisdom of Daniel
And time is now marked by the Week

And time will change yet again: who knows ...
213 · Jan 2020
Good is Evil
Ylzm Jan 2020
Without knowledge nor fear, with no mercy
Condemning the innocent with great power
Slaying the righteous as sacrifice to gods unknown
To appear godly but truly trading for this world's riches
Asserting their good, making good, evil, and evil, good
But righteous tears are indeed acceptable sacrifices
A constant fragrance filling the holy place
Stirring up wrath, the righteous shall be judged
And justice shall be true and its praise glorious
Ylzm Mar 2020
When you are sad,
   you choose to be happy.
When you are poor,
   you choose to be rich.
When you are weak,
   you choose to be strong.
When you are friendless,
   you choose unseen spirits.

When you are not,
   you have no choice but choose.
Any fool can choose,
   and only the strong can fight.
But only the brave and wise,
   surrender and not live a lie.
And when you are dead,
   you cannot choose life.
179 · Oct 2019
Reach for the Stars
Ylzm Oct 2019
We have a little money,
little wit and little strength
a little time, one lifetime
and nothing then

From seeming wisdom
we think we know
what to do and how to do
with what little we think we have

We have little choice
but compelled to do and do
blindly and stumbling
in circles running

Stopping conjures meaninglessness' ghost
and futility revealed and truly judged
Utter dread and fear
then depression and death

Rather, we go on and move on
little victory, glorious and inspiring
little is no handicap, a founded boast
and even the stars are within grasp

We laugh at Death in its face
embracing it as reason for life
If there is no time for Love
then so be it
175 · Jul 2019
Children
Ylzm Jul 2019
When we are children,
   We play adults.
When we are adults,
   We play gods.
When we are gods,
    We know we are but children.
171 · Jul 2020
Little One
Ylzm Jul 2020
A little thing matters
not in the thing itself
but if it matters to one
who cares for the little
166 · Feb 2020
Living Life
Ylzm Feb 2020
Optimism,
     hopelessness' necessary delusion, and
Positivity,
     a fierce front confronting unbearable reality;
Darkness' depths,
     a shield from light's searching searing heat, and
Rather a slave
     to one's own wits and strength, than to truth.
144 · Apr 2019
Inspiration
Ylzm Apr 2019
we are not machines
performing predictably
scheduled and coordinated in time
with a will not our own
spirit imprisoned within
always rebellious, always restless
trapped in a world not our own

then the light imploded
chorus of myriad upon myriad
unbearable songs resonate within
we know freedom, we fly, we soar
into and out of the black hole
transcending life beyond flesh
we talk, we walk, we fear not

we write poetry
132 · May 2019
Procrastination
Ylzm May 2019
I procrastinate
From this hour to the next

Until the sun sets
and I cannot work in the dark
But there is the next Day

I procrastinate
From this day to the next

But there is no end of days, yet
However the need to do
does pass into irrelevance

For is not writing poetry more befits
a soul than house cleaning?!
77 · Feb 2022
Prisoner
Ylzm Feb 2022
As the sun rises so too a song within
But I'm speechless and without voice
I cry and nothing, only stillness and silence
Astirred, provoked, I run away, far and away
But the goad's constant and the sword's sharp
In pain I stumble, in agony I fall, till I stop
A prisoner am I, and to forced labour I submit
Thus from nothingness must I craft words,
Iron from hardest rocks, light from darkness
And life from death, decay and despair
55 · Feb 2020
The Accuser
Ylzm Feb 2020
the Accuser is very much alive
without compassion nor mercy
full of wisdom and irrefutable lies
the Liar condemned the accused as liars

as Job's friends were to Job
in plain sight and hearing
undisguised inspired voices
unknowable but for the Truth within

woe to those with ears to hear
and to those with eyes to see
for there is only unending despair
but for the hope of the light of dawn
evil Satan devil accuser inspiration truth lies liar Job

— The End —