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769 · Mar 2021
In the Night
Janet Doyle Mar 2021
In the Night

A velvet sky weeps silent tears,
For spirits lost before sunrise,
A broken soul of tortured fears,
With golden hair and azure eyes,
Once more forgotten, left behind,
Discarded dreams of yesterday,
Never to look for, not to find,
A morning’s peace or a new day,
The moon it whispers a lullaby,
To the lost and lonely child,
Sleep and be still, now don’t you cry,
There’s hope tomorrow running wild.

JDoyle
426 · Mar 2022
At all Cost
Janet Doyle Mar 2022
So high a price,
So thoughtless paid,
A loaded dice,
A promise made,

A whispered lie,
A look away,
And love to die,
And pain to stay,

Another game,
Another end,
So stay the same,
So just pretend.

JHenry
313 · Apr 2021
Of Dark
Janet Doyle Apr 2021
A new moon rises though we don’t see,
Beginnings are always cloaked in dark,
Never be fearful of what might be,
There don’t really have to be a spark,
Sit in the darkness, you’ll understand,
The seed germinates in utter black,
A new life growing, soon to stand,
There’s always a growth for every lack,
And when time is over, we do not fade,
We had our chance to laugh and sing,
Our love forever lives in the shade,
Don’t worry what the night may bring,
For blackest times are the natural state,
Darkness is only an absent light,
But you never have to accept your fate,
And there’s nothing missing in the night.

JDoyle
308 · Jul 2022
The Edge of Evening
Janet Doyle Jul 2022
I look at the red sun setting, as night creeps slowly in,
Is this the final ending? Or is this where I begin?
On the brink the whole world teeters, a fall will lose it all,
But a leap to fly forever! And how the sky does call,
Eternity to shatter, and the day it will subside,
We are on the edge together, here where our fates collide,
One to stand in ruins, an illusion lost in the night,
One to jump in darkness, and turn a plummet into flight.
But the dawn that follows evening, remembers all to well,
The emptiness, the losses, a red sun to rise in Hell.

JHenry
273 · Apr 2021
Where?
Janet Doyle Apr 2021
What more is there to say?
The sun is shining bright,
The day is getting warm,
Promised a starry night,

Hey there, come on this way!
What else is there to do???
When you are here with me,
And I am here with you,

And we only have one day!
Just one quick life to live,
A minute of your time?
There’s nothing more to give,

And yet, you know I may,
Lead you somewhere far,
To a wilderness unknown,
Or to dangle from a star,

Cause life does go astray,
But we have just begun,
We’ll end up somewhere new,
Where all’s not said and done.

JDoyle
258 · Jul 2022
Dark Water
Janet Doyle Jul 2022
I feel the water through my fingers,
I chase serenity and peace,
And what I wanted how it lingers,
A dream forgotten, doesn’t cease.
Though the catacombs were winding,
The water still came rushing in,
And the guideposts I was finding,
Hadn’t shown me how to swim,
Getting deeper, fear of drowning,
Emotions swirling in the dark,
Only seconds, downward counting,
In the wet there is no spark,
With the night sky up above me,
The forest air I thought I’d found,
A cavern’s ceiling, I blink to see,
And a past of tombs, all around,
Another turn, though convoluted,
I’m quite at home, here in the black,
Thunder roaring, lightning muted,
Twisting, bending, going back,
When the moon rose, light in darkness,
I break the surface, gasp the air,
And swim for shore, follow madness,
The land is burning in despair.

JHenry
243 · Jan 2023
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Janet Doyle Jan 2023
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A discarded cloak, a painted mask,
Thrown carelessly upon the embers,
I looked away, and I didn’t ask,
The axe forgets what the tree remembers,
A line was spoken, so out of place,
Breaking the silence that should of stayed,
A movement forward, to see your face,
Entangled emotions, poorly played,
Tears of sorrow, but of little use,
Are glistening on the bonds untied,
The rope I threw became a noose,
Wrapped about the words you lied,

JHenry
240 · Apr 2021
A Glitter
Janet Doyle Apr 2021
I thought I saw a fairy fly,
Out my window in the sun,
A glitter, a flit, caught my eye,
Quick to my door I gave a run,
I think I heard a laughing sprite,
As the wind so softly blew,
The morning sun was shining bright,
With promises and magic too,
I’m sure I spied the little elf,
Lounging in a daffodil,
Happily there all by herself,
I think that she may be there still.

JDoyle
238 · Dec 2022
December
Janet Doyle Dec 2022
There comes a cold December when the snow covers the ground,
It softens all the edges and it mutes all of the sound,
I shiver in my jacket and I think of sunset skies,
When the birds were singing sweetly and color of your eyes,

There’s a fire that’s burning somewhere and it warms the winter’s night,
While the wind blows past the window,
clouds obscure the pale moonlight,

And there’s blankets full of comfort lying softly in a pile,
Somewhere, somehow, I will get there to remain a little while,
While the snow gets ever deeper and the cold seems here to stay,
Though it be a cold December we can chase the cold away.

JHenry
228 · Jun 2023
In a Wink
Janet Doyle Jun 2023
There comes a darkest night,
A destruction of the soul,
When answers aren’t in sight,
It’s time to play the fool,

So if you really have to know,
You must reach out to grab it,
Are you brave enough to go?
To follow the white rabbit,

And what is it you’ll find?
A dream lost in a dream,
A dying of the mind,
Heralded by a Banshee’s scream,

An illusion lost in time,
The limelight downward cast,
A mirror reflecting rhyme,
The future of the past,

Or a vision prophecy,
Only when you dare to try,
Only if you dare to see,
Through the gypsy’s evil eye,

And it’s best to risk it all,
As the heart knew all along,
To the phantom’s deathly call,
Or the siren’s deadly song,

Now at long last I’ve arrived,
Or mayhap just what I think,
It’s the wisdom I’ve contrived,
From the Jack O’ Lantern’s wink.

JHenry
227 · Oct 2020
Of W’s
Janet Doyle Oct 2020
I am a restless wanderer,
And I wonder often too,
I wander where I want to,
And I wonder what to do,
I wander up the mountain,
Then I wonder what is true,
I wander down the river,
And wonder at the water blue,
I wander through the valley,
And I wonder point of view,
I wander ever farther,
And I wonder questions through,
I wander where my heart leads,
And I wonder that way too.

JDoyle
157 · Aug 2021
This is Forever
Janet Doyle Aug 2021
As I step into forever,
I know there is no turning back,
It’s another new endeavor,
And the way, as yet, is black,
I think I have some questions,
Have I thought these things before?
My own confused suggestions,
About what I’ve been looking for.
Thoughts so indistinct and faded,
That before, maybe I knew.
What I wanted, what I traded,
What is best in life to do,
The horizon dark with wonder,
I hold a candle in the wind,
It’s just one step then another,
And it’s time that I begin,

JDoyle
156 · Apr 2022
Coup De Grace
Janet Doyle Apr 2022
A cold and dark stiletto blade,
It’s rusted, jagged, poorly made,
An open heart to beat it’s last,
Blood that’s spilled into the past,
Where betters fail, the less succeed,
Swear jealous want is just a need,
And lies like acid, eat away,
They take tomorrows with today,
A coward’s heart, a poisoned soul,
With cunning words the best they fool,
A strike comes sudden… does it though?
Was there anything we didn’t know?
This spiraling downward endlessly,
To hit a bottom too black to see,
Pandora’s box broke open wide,
With the false hope that was inside,

JHenry
149 · Jun 2021
Adventure
Janet Doyle Jun 2021
The unknown before me,
I can’t help but smile,
Adventure awaits thee,
For only awhile,
And the dark is inviting,
What lurks there in?
Let’s make it exciting,
Of pleasure and sin,
The path stretches onward,
Where does it go?
I take a step forward,
I just have to know,
Dark emerald forests,
Deep lakes of blue,
The crows chime a chorus,
And this is what’s true,
Cliffs tower on high,
The wind and storm call,
To explore the sky,
And to feel it all,
The edge of forever,
Where else would I stand?
The forbidden glyph,
Words they have banned,
A heart that is racing,
With death and with life,
Exhaustion embracing,
To dance on the knife,
The cut is for healing
And comfort will ****,
Learning, revealing,
We live what we feel,
I go with the morning,
Or into the night,
What goods a forewarning?
With adventure in sight.

JDoyle
136 · Jul 2021
Remembered
Janet Doyle Jul 2021
The stones stand quiet, stained with blood,
Heedless of Odin’s eye, Noah’s flood,
The morning of memory, the dawn of time,
Pink skies were hazy, light eyes sublime,
The chants they rose up, mountains shook,
The tales fantastic, old Gods they took,
They took the children, they took the old,
They took the mothers and heroes bold,
To the land of Faerie, the land of song,
Our souls remember bright Tir Na Nog,
Cernunnos and Mother Danu,
Father Nuada, Ceridwen, Lleu,
The fair Arawn and Dagda, kind,
As noble Bridget can still remind,
Time goes backwards, forever on,
And what’s remembered is never gone,
The stained blood still beats through our veins,
Our light eyes wonder at what remains,
We read the poems, we walk the hill,
We celebrate the high days still,
And the Land of Faerie isn’t far away,
It lies in dreaming, still young today,
Where The Green Man sits on his forest throne,
And The Morrigan still calls her own.

JDoyle
132 · Jun 2021
Emptiness
Janet Doyle Jun 2021
When love dies, where does it go?
When hope fades, what let’s us know?
When emptiness comes, is it meant to consume?
Or is it what’s left, and it takes all the room,
But it feels like a block, emptiness has its own feel,
Can that mean it’s a lack? is the feeling less real?
Is it just nothings here, no bad or no good?
Is it just we don’t care, when we think that we should?
Does it come from the pain? To protect us at last,
Because all else has died, we can’t live in the past,
But where is compassion? Does the pain **** that too?
Do our souls get too twisted?
Resentment can’t be seen through?
Or does it mean we’re just out, of love, hope and such,
Or am I not thinking, or I’m thinking too much.

JDoyle
130 · Jun 2021
Bittersweet
Janet Doyle Jun 2021
Our eyes are drawn to glamour,
Of figures who dance on stage,
But a glimpse behind the curtain,
Is a glimpse into a cage,
Throwing sparkles for excitement,
Wearing masks to hide our face,
Hiding tears and pain and sorrow,
That time does not erase,
It’s the quiet moments together,
When we say just how we feel,
Where we find a real connection,
It’s these moments that are real,
For we share so many stories,
And the bravest of us tell,
Of the days they walked in heaven,
And the time they spent in hell,
Take time to feel and listen,
Be thankful for those you meet,
We’re all in this together,
It’s just life that’s bittersweet,
And cheer for the gifted dancer,
Because it’s over all to soon,
And cry at your mother’s deathbed,
And gaze in the night at moon.

JDoyle
130 · Feb 2023
Gloaming
Janet Doyle Feb 2023
The full moon shining, white as death,
A sunset bleeds into the night,
The horizon calling, catch my breath,
There’s always something out of sight,
Dare I venture? no other way,
The only things I know for sure,
Is night will come, after the day,
My restless heart is wanting more,
And I’m to follow, winding trails,
Dark as pitch and ebony,
Never surrender, there are no fails,
And there is no other path for me,
A solemn prayer, my only friend,
Fascinated by the gloaming,
To wander further, until the end,
Through the darkness ever roaming,

JHenry
126 · Feb 2023
Thoughts of Pain
Janet Doyle Feb 2023
I keep coming back to the same question. What do I do with all this pain?
It’s ******* everywhere! It fills my house, and it’s spilling out of every opening, and it’s lying all over the ground everywhere I go.
Since over the years, I’ve been asking the forests to hold it for me, and I’ve sunk it in lakes and I’ve tucked it under the rocks. I’ve spread it out along the city streets, until the shadows and doorways were all full to bursting.
I’ve put it in all sorts of containers and oddities until the pockets of my soul and heart are all bulging and torn.
I’ve put it in drawings, and creativity, and I’ve used it as ink for so many poems and narratives.
I’ve recycled it into love, and compassion and understanding.
But still there’s more and finally, I’m out of room. And now it’s everywhere! It’s just ******* everywhere!
I have a thought
Maybe instead of hiding it or trying to lose it, I gather it all back up. I compress it and mold it.
Walls separate so that won’t work, and it’s the wrong material for stepping stones or stairs. It’s too itchy for a blanket and too unflattering for a cosmetic.
But I think that pain could make a fine shield, etched with the sorrows that came before, and painted with tears. Used to deflect more of the same, but to leave my strong hand free, so I can still welcome the future.
But what a job that is going to be,
I better get started.

JHenry
120 · Oct 2020
Autumn’s Blessing
Janet Doyle Oct 2020
I think that I am blessed to see,
This Autumn’s lovely vibrancy,
The yellow, oranges, reds and gold,
Make a grand display of every tree,

And each day I wonder, truth be told,
At the miracle I can behold,
Then evening’s shadow does obscure,
And I’m left with only memories bold,

But in morning’s light I stare quite sure,
At colors brighter than before,
In our Mother Nature’s tapestry,
And I marvel as she weaves us more.

JDoyle
119 · May 2020
Of Life
Janet Doyle May 2020
Mother births us, wishes well,
Father carries us through hell,
Sets us down to hear a tale,
Of what is best to do,

Mother rations, not to much,
Father gives a guiding touch,
Sparingly, he’ll use a crutch,
You must rely on you,

Mother kisses us goodnight,
Father sets the dark alight,
Let’s us know that all is right,
And it begins anew.

JDoyle
118 · Feb 2021
Crucible
Janet Doyle Feb 2021
Forged in fire, the flames never quell,
Again and again we suffer the pain,
A fitting thing Earth reminds us of Hell,
Don’t look to the sky, it’s not gonna rain,
Here in the furnace, here on the pyre,
Tossed in the mix to burn and to melt,
So be brave my darling, all you desire,
Is already here but it needs to be felt,
A soul in the making, life for the trying,
Though we are magic the end is to rust
Shake off the ashes, the body is dying,
A soul forged in fire returning to dust.

JDoyle
118 · May 2022
Once
Janet Doyle May 2022
Once that I am in your arms,
Never again will I be free,
Once that I hold onto you,
And let your hands touch me,
Once our sweat has mingled,
And bodies move as one,
Heaven promises no such pleasure,
And Hell’s work will be done,
The world to weep it’s bitter tears,
It knows my soul it cannot save,
Only in you do I find peace,
I’ll lie restless in the grave.

JHenry
116 · Apr 2021
Sister Raven
Janet Doyle Apr 2021
Black as onyx,
Black as jet,
Black before me,
I can’t see yet,
Black as coal,
And black as night,
A black portal,
Away from light,
Obsidian friend,
And trusted guide,
On midnight wings,
Does wisdom ride.

JDoyle
112 · Jul 2021
Witch Fires
Janet Doyle Jul 2021
The shadows were long across the vale
as the witch fires rose and flared,
And dreams were strange and lingering
of eyes the seduced and glared,
Shadows writhed obscenely along,
a sight that would scar the soul,
Like fingers stretching to twine in your hair,
to tangle and knot and pull,
Dark hands to ***** for life’s blood scent,
excited as hearts beat fast,
And bitten lips that quiver with lust,
wanting only a feast that would last,
When witch fires flare and the night is too dark,
Hate’s shadows come to play,
And woe be the ones who sleep in the vale,
so serene and inviting by day,
And the black breeze sings a siren’s call
as moon flowers shine in the night,
And the western moon sits low in the sky
turning her eyes at the sight.

JDoyle
111 · Mar 2020
Magic
Janet Doyle Mar 2020
In the Forest, the day was fair,
A jingling sound was in the air,
I heard a tinkling, sweet and clear,
Soft at first, then louder grew,
Of trooping fairies, could it be?
Of elves or sprites or even sidhe
Oh what wonder might I see?
Something magic I just knew,

Bells upon an elven horse,
The wild hunt, I’d crossed it’s course,
Arawn’s hounds, I mustn’t force,
What else could it be?
Then a rustle, around a log,
Comes a friendly little dog,
A jingling going with his jog,
He comes right up to me.

Hello there friend, of course, I say,
Why are you here? You’ve lost your way?
Are you well? Where do you stay?
Of course, there’s no reply
A hiker follows after then,
In the forest, with his friend,
Moving swiftly through the glen,
To find his dog and I.

Something magic indeed I found,
In that happy little hound,
Accompanied by a whimsy sound,
The forest to run through,
No elven lord, or fairy queen,
Just a friendly stranger seen,
With a puppy in between,
And that is magic too

J.Doyle
111 · Mar 2023
Hope
Janet Doyle Mar 2023
The heart is fearless,
The soul returns,
The mind will quiet,
True wisdom learns,
And contradictions,
Can both be true,
It’s paradoxical,
It’s me and you,
It’s going toward,
What dreams may come,
It’s stumbling forward,
Not nothing, some.

JHenry
109 · Feb 2021
Snow Moon
Janet Doyle Feb 2021
There is magic in the air tonight
and the breeze spreads it around,
You can see it in the stars that blink and hear it in every sound,
The full moon laughs into the dark
as her playful mood takes hold,
And twinkling eyes start shining bright with stories to be told,
There’s a carefree dance down in the glade of the fey and faerie sort,
And the mountains grin with dark romance,
if only just for sport,
The streams make music happily with a splash and tumbling,
And the branches reach into the night and stretch themselves for spring,
Cause the winds of change are blowing fast, listen to them say,
There’s a snow moon in the sky tonight
until the break of day.

JDoyle
108 · Feb 2021
Musings
Janet Doyle Feb 2021
Down inside black depths of despair,
Many a day, have I wandered there,
An eternal night to haunt in my dreams,
Surreal wonderings, not as it seems,
The mind loses focus, wavers and flies,
In endless abysses and starless skies,
The promise of death, it’s only reprieve
So often I have been led to believe,
To the mind in its madness, it’s a surprise,
That beaten and broken, the sun still can rise,
But red stained has a beauty, all of its own
And I know in my musings, I am not alone,
But when we are facing, those travels through hell,
We forget that our scars make a story to tell.
And life’s not for winning, there’s no succeed,
We’re here for the lessons, we’re all gonna bleed,

JDoyle
108 · Jun 2021
Thoughts
Janet Doyle Jun 2021
All that is gold does not glitter,
But not all that glitters is gold,
The old that is strong does not wither,
Yet not all we watch wither is old,
We need darkness to see the stars shining,
From light deepest shadows are cast,
Feeling hope and despair intertwining,
For tomorrow will soon be the past,

I will dance by your coffin my lover,
Will you sing at my graveside tonight?
Not before, nevermore there’s another,
We’ll not die without giving a fight,
Though the morning sun will soon brighten,
It will bleed bitter tears on the dawn,
And the black sky will then start to lighten,
It knows well that the day must go on,

And though summer grows hotter delighting,
Could it be that before snow storms blew?
And the laughter and song is inviting,
Do the dead still remember the tune?
Somehow still, do our lives keep on going,
We’ve a candle to light up the dark,
I think God in his kindness and knowing,
Time and again he will strike up a spark,

JDoyle
107 · Feb 2021
Lonely
Janet Doyle Feb 2021
Lonely isn’t solitude,
The empty room or quiet mood,
Lonely is words of useless speech,
That get twisted, contorted and fail to reach,
Lonely isn’t watching the hours go by,
There is company in earth and sky,
It is desperately trying only to say,
Failing again, drifting farther away,
Sinking in words with nowhere to go,
They’re scattered and wasted, it’s always so,
Lonely is never the silent walk,
It only exists when I try to talk,
Softly or harshly, try as I might,
Somehow jumbled, I can’t say it right,
I’m never lonely when I’m on my own,
It’s when we’re together, that I’m alone.

JDoyle
107 · Aug 2021
Decided
Janet Doyle Aug 2021
I will miss you when you’re gone,
I will cry and regret my choice,
I’ll want it back when this is done,
I’ll wish I had silenced my voice,
But there is no life within this death,
And there is no hope in sadness,
I can’t forever hold my breath,
And to go on like this is madness,
Life is for living, win or lose,
And I am one to seize the day,
And though I falter as I choose,
I’ll go stumbling on my way,
I love you as the day, the sun,
I need you as the moon, the night,
But if in your heart I’m not the one,
The way away from you is right,
For inside your mind I cannot see,
And what’s in your heart I cannot tell,
I only know how you treat me,
And it is time I leave this hell.

JDoyle
105 · Jan 2023
No More
Janet Doyle Jan 2023
The highwayman came riding and he knocked upon my door,
And how my eyes did brighten, I’d not seen his kind before,
Returning from adventure, his blue eyes twinkled so,
His golden hair was sparkling, his rapier sat low,
The evening sun was setting, brightest crimson was the sky,
I knew that his quick hello would soon be a goodbye,
For his smile was full of mischief as I opened up that door,
And his slim form slid right past me tracking mud upon the floor,
The stories he was telling made my spirit lift and fly,
Then the sorrow that came after as he bowed his head to cry,
For friends he’d lost and failures just as many as the wins,
And how there is no telling if the adventure ever ends,
The highwayman left riding as I closed the heavy door,
And I just can’t shake the feeling, I won’t see his kind no more.

JHenry
103 · Jul 2023
A Drink to Remember
Janet Doyle Jul 2023
There’s a sparkling in your eyes,
And tonight I’m feeling fine,
Watch the stars dazzle the skies,
Through another glass of wine,
Let’s celebrate the days of old,
We can raise a toast of ***,
I’ll recite their glories told,
And dream of the days to come,
But of this I’m well aware,
That tomorrow comes too soon,
With just ***** crystal clear
We could live upon the moon,
Will you join me for a dance?
Of adventure mixed with gin,
A discovered dark romance?
And I think we should begin,
To find a moment lost in time,
Forgotten long and far away,
Where the zzar is causing rhyme,
And that’s how I went astay,
But I know that now is real,
Though my hearts in full eclipse,
It’s this longing that I feel,
To taste the Absinthe on your lips.  

JHenry
102 · Jul 2020
Of the Stars
Janet Doyle Jul 2020
Turn the world around,
And make it new for me,
Sing without a sound,
And tell me what could be,
For all is lost and found,
And promises I see,
Your eyes that so confound,
Though still I will agree,
For wonders yet abound,
You set my spirit free.

JDoyle
102 · Jan 2022
We Are
Janet Doyle Jan 2022
To bow your head in sorrow,
To break down and to cry,
Does not erase tomorrow,
Shows you had the guts to try,
And scars on soul and body,
And wounds that cease to seep,
Belong to everybody,
And they are ours to keep,
Mistakes bring guilt, are painful,
But that is not the test,
An error is not blameful,
It’s how you live the rest,
Though broken and fragmented,
Though jagged and full of doubt,
A soul that is tormented,
Can turn itself about,
You’re a beautiful mosaic,
Each piece a work of art,
Original and eclectic,
Witb a vibrant, beating heart.

JHenry
100 · Dec 2022
Only Words
Janet Doyle Dec 2022
An echo in forever,
Illusions shattered on the ground,
And I will wait for never,
Somewhere nowhere to be found,
A mirror reflecting backwards,
There’s a smile that will not fade,
A clock that don’t move forward,
Blinding sunshine in the shade,
True freedom is in losing,
Laughing at both wants and needs,
Accepting in the choosing,
If I’m planting graves or seeds,
You should follow me and lead me,
In the lies you find what’s true,
The darkness is where we can see,
All the light of me and you.

JHenry
99 · Jan 2021
A sliver of moon
Janet Doyle Jan 2021
There are wind tossed clouds in the heavenly skies,
And a stiletto moon, shines deadly and bright,
As it pierces my heart, it widens my eyes,
Like a lingering smile that remembers the night,
Comes dawn with it’s sorrow, breathes heavy and sighs,
And bids me to stand though still sore from the fight.
There’s a hope found in darkness, in a clever disguise,
That can bring strength and promise into the light.

JDoyle
99 · Jan 2022
The Squirrel King
Janet Doyle Jan 2022
He was chittering,
He was chatting,
Excitement that’s contagious,
He was twittering,
He was twitching
A costume that’s outrageous,
He was jumping,
He was jogging,
I wanted just to follow,
He is planning,
He’s preparing,
In winter’s cozy hollow,
He will give a stirring lecture,
And he’ll leap across the sky,
His wisdom is conjecture,
But he’ll show you how to fly,
So if you chance to meeting,
If you’re ready for a fling,
You may just get a greeting,
From the illustrious Squirrel King.

JHenry
96 · Jul 2020
Alone
Janet Doyle Jul 2020
I could say it’s the freedom,
With no one to tell me no,
And I love when I’m deciding,
Just where and when to go,

I might say it’s the quiet,
Of silence all around,
No voice to mar the beauty,
Of time without a sound,

I’ll add it’s the adventure,
When all I have is me,
There’s really nothing like it,
The wonders that I see,

But the time I spend alone,
Is when my soul can rest,
And really it’s the company,
It’s when I like me best.

JDoyle
96 · Jun 2021
Til death do us part
Janet Doyle Jun 2021
So many words,
It was an extended eulogy,
Each desperate speech,
More eloquent than the last,
Bleeding out of the heart,
Torn pieces of the soul,
Ravished from the mind,
Words doomed to fail,
That blew away in the wind,
To echo through eternity,
It all had the same meaning,
All held the same hope,
Love doesn’t have to die,
And please don’t go,
But slowly, so slowly,
Acceptance came,
And each turned to go their way,
Because every funeral has to end.
96 · Dec 2022
Brighter
Janet Doyle Dec 2022
And storms may come, obscure the day,
The sky to weep it’s bitter tears,
Though darkness reigns, there is a way,
A hope that’s found within the fears,
A winding path, through gnarled trees,
With thorns and brambles catching skin,
A horizon lost on blackened seas,
And waves that hit who dares to swim,
The darkest night will show the stars,
They’re shining brighter from the black,
As does a soul riddled with scars,
There never was a turning back.

JHenry
95 · Aug 2021
Awake at Four AM
Janet Doyle Aug 2021
The night is dark,
So like your eyes,
I pray for it to never fade,
The day a spark,
In jaded skies,
By a new dawn, I am betrayed,
I will not look,
Will turn away,
Eternity is endless night,
My soul forsook,
There is no day,
The stars to give the only light,
A new moon sleeps,
My time complete,
The still of the night, forevermore,
My heart it keeps,
No more to beat,
Hope belongs, to the day before.

JDoyle
94 · Feb 2022
Ebb and Flow
Janet Doyle Feb 2022
The roses bloom in summer’s light,
Thinking not of winter’s sight,
The first frost comes in the night,
Shriveled, lifeless, petal’s blight,
As always it has been,
Death comes quick, skeletal hand,
Grasps it all, as hourglass sand,
Life to wither, nothing to stand,
Ice covers all, across the land,
We know what happens then,
The sun’s fire, tilts her head,
The time has passed for the dead,
We must rise up, to live instead,
I raise my eyes, that’s what I said,
And reach to take the pen,
A new bud blossoms, still to grow,
Spring begins another show,
My pen creates a vibrant glow,
I celebrate the ebb and flow,
Of all I’ve seen and been.

JHenry
94 · Mar 2020
Emotions
Janet Doyle Mar 2020
So turbulent and changing,
A maelstrom of the soul,
Some violent crash of whimsy,
Where colliding feelings rule,
Where all is bright and happy,
Then booming, thunders roll,
Or the slightest wave of fancy,
Now all is dark and cruel,
Where smiles are pure as sunshine,
And eyes are black as coal,
With riptides rushing towards,
An ever changing goal.

JDoyle
93 · Jun 2022
A learned Skill
Janet Doyle Jun 2022
Most damage, Most wounds,
Will heal on their own in time,
And they may leave a mark,
But it’s of little consequence,
But this time, I realized,
This one,
It would require a little more attention,
This one,
Was going to need stitches,
And as luck would have it,
I’m pretty good at sewing.
93 · May 2021
It is what it is
Janet Doyle May 2021
Love is a poison,
Slow working but sure,
There’s no antidote,
There’s never a cure,
Hope is a long rope,
******* in a noose,
To sway and to charm,
You’ll never get loose,
Peace is a bullet,
But not shot to ****,
Designed for a target,
Hits only your will,
Hearts held in prison,
To scream and to rage,
To cry and suffer,
Our ribs just a cage,
Spit out that poison,
Cut up the rope,
Now dodge the bullet,
And find a new hope,
Freedoms a jailbreak,
I’ve opened my eyes,
And hit the ground running,
To hell with the prize.

JDoyle
92 · May 2021
Acceptance
Janet Doyle May 2021
If I wonder at the beauty,
Or complain that I’m not ready yet,
It’s only to me it matters,
Because still, the sun will set,
Whether my heart is filled with courage,
Or there’s peace with what has stayed,
Or I cry because it’s ending,
Still, the colors fade.
This alone is my decision,
Whether I call it wrong or right,
To choose how I face the darkness,
Because still there comes the night.

JDoyle
92 · Jun 2021
A Meeting
Janet Doyle Jun 2021
At the start of the hill you hear water,
It’s a siren’s call to come and play,
And the red cap grins for the slaughter,
The faerie rings not far away,
As pixies dance in the sunlight,
Clockwise then counter they go,
They’ve been dancing in time since midnight,
As reality sways to and fro,
And the dryad winks as you pass her,
Behind you the branches they twine,
The wind it will carry her laughter,
As the memories slip from your mind,
You meet with your friend at the clearing,
From the Seelie Court, lovely and fair,
Though rushing and late you were fearing,
Her smile makes you glad to be there,
And she leads you along as she dances,
Faerie rituals don’t ever fail,
But Medb is not one to take chances,
There’s a  Nuckelavee  just up the trail,
In Tir Na Nog will they bind you,
You’ll be happier now with the Fae,
Where old age and sorrow can’t find you,
Oh human child come far away.

JDoyle
91 · Jan 2023
Lessons
Janet Doyle Jan 2023
A touch of somber,
I’d like to lose,
A melancholy,
I didn’t choose,
A whisper of pain,
Just barely said,
Momentary doubt,
And constant dread,
Rejection festers,
Betrayal stings,
When lies like acid,
Destruction brings,
The Tower falling,
Exhaustion, pain,
Exchanging my hope,
For winter’s rain.

JHenry
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