I just wish,my past would be set free,broken from these chains intangeling me.

Rapped around my soul,like a weight chained to my heart. Leaving me desperate to walk the plank, into perpetual dark.

No one knows,this struggle im in,or this raging emotional pain claustrophobic death strangling all hope,must go on,sunlight strikes my pell skin.

The world around me, dark and gray, colors escape my eyes, I'm at deaths external gates.

Is any one there? ©

How can I love when pain is all I fill?
Is this pain considerable like yours, or is it make believing, still?

What point is there? If love always hurts,
even a stranger can make me seem wanted, fill my hunger and thirst.

Should I give up? Continue on? Or just succumb?,
To a life of misery, love alluding me, love on the run?

The broken promises, the shattered lies,
a bitter lesson learned behind these eyes.
But in the wreckage, a small ember gleamed,
a different future than the one I'd dreamed.

I pieced myself together, strong and new,
a self-love that was honest, pure, and true.

No more running to and fro, stand up, chest out,
completely healed, yet love still eludes me, now pain is on the run. ©

Michael Powers
"STYXX ON FIRE"

In this world,we live in terminal meltdown,not excepting anything less, than reform now.
Carefully making each word bring out, the absolute truth, that we found.

Considering the ones, who keep turning back, as analysts for trimming away the thoughts, of what is not  sound. Giving them up to there choice, must be profound,
Even in the mind of a critical one, can this thought resound?

At what point, do I live below ground,
To escape the fury of beyond myself now. ©

The sky turned sick, a bruised and angry stain,
As torrents fell of unrelenting rain.
The world dissolved to wind and frantic sound,
A fearful force that ripped the very ground.

My walls groaned loud and then began to split,
The roof surrendered, broken bit by bit.
I clung to wood as timbers came undone,
A fragile fight beneath a blinded sun.

The ocean surged to meet the screaming sky,
And I, a speck, could only hope to fly.
I fought the waves that sought to pull me down,
A final battle for a watery crown.

Then silence fell, a sudden, shocking grace,
Upon a broken and a ravaged place.
The water calmed, the roaring wind was low,
To show a world where nothing was I know.

I cried for voices in the muted air,
My pleas for family went unheard out there.
No call returned, no single, final sound,
Just empty quiet on the flooded ground.

A hollow chest where sorrow took its stand,
The last survivor in a broken land.
The living breathed, but only I was left,
My very soul of every joy bereft.

No gentle hand to help me rise again,
No solace offered in this world of pain.
I had to stand, though fractured, bruised, and weak,
And face the silence when I wished to speak.

A single life for all that was now gone,
I carried ghosts to greet the coming dawn.
A monument to all the love I knew,
I am the one to see their memory through.

My soul’s a ship on a tormented sea,
Where jagged rocks of fury stand for me.
The winds of love, a gentle, fragrant breath,
Then storms of hate that promise only death.
I’m pulled between these forces, stark and great,
A fragile vessel sealed by cruelest fate.

A whisper of a name, a phantom touch,
A longing for a love that meant so much.
A memory of joy, a golden haze,
Then, broken trust that burns in bitter days.
The heart that bled for you now turns to stone,
A silent fury, all I've ever known.

The mirror shows a stranger in my eyes,
A frantic glint beneath a mask of lies.
A tangled web of thought, a racing mind,
A clarity I struggle hard to find.
The sane world spins, a blur of sound and light,
I'm drowning in an ever-darkening night.

A fragile bridge between two towering peaks,
One side of fire, and one of ice that creaks.
I try to cross, to find a solid ground,
But every step, a tremor can be found.
The chasm deepens with a mocking sneer,
And all I feel is overwhelming fear.

This madness whispers secrets in my ear,
Of phantom wrongs and sorrows held so dear.
It paints a canvas, violent and grotesque,
A twisted portrait of our life’s burlesque.
It tells me you were never meant to stay,
And justifies the pain I feel today.

But then a sudden flash of former bliss,
The faintest echo of a stolen kiss.
The warmth returns, a momentary glow,
A garden where our tender feelings grow.
I see the truth of who you were to me,
And hate dissolves, a river to the sea.

This fleeting peace is torn from me too soon,
Beneath the pale and unforgiving moon.
A sharp-edged thought, a brutal, stinging word,
A hateful vengeance that must now be heard.
The love is buried, smothered by the strife,
And turns to poison, dripping from my life.

My mind is now a battleground of war,
Where shattered hopes and bitter grudges soar.
The cannons of my rage begin to fire,
Against the embers of a lost desire.
I am the general, and the soldier too,
And every wound I suffer is from you.

The walls of reason crumble, one by one,
My weary fight against myself is done.
I surrender to the chaotic fray,
And lose the person I was yesterday.
The madness wins, a dark and final prize,
Reflected in my hollow, deadened eyes.

I long to free myself from this embrace,
To find a single, solitary space,
Where love and hate no longer hold their sway,
And madness ceases its unending play.
But every path leads back to where I stand,
A soul held captive in a barren land.

And so I wander in this constant ache,
For goodness sake, for my own spirit's sake.
I know the truth, but I can not make it hold,
My future’s story has been bought and sold.
I feel the pain, a constant, bitter guest,
Imprisoned in this never-ending test.

The world outside, it doesn’t understand,
The raging war that tears across this land.
A fractured mind, a heart in disarray,
A soul caught fast at the close of day.
Between the love, the hate, the frantic cries,
A person lost beneath the empty skies. ©

Michael Powers
"STYXX ON FIRE"

Love, a delicate mist, gently fades away,
Unless cherished daily, with respect, come what may.

A hushed word, a soft touch, a soul truly heard,
These quiet devotions keep passion stirred.

When its essence dwindles, and coldness takes hold,
The once vibrant bond, a story untold.
A fading whisper, a sorrowful plea,
Lost words in the void, for no one to see.

Crying out, unheard, in a desolate space,
Far from any warmth, leaving no trace.
In this emptiness, where silence resides,
A bitter chill settles, where the heart hides.

Colors dim to gray, as hope slips by,
A fragile spirit breaking, beneath a vacant sky.
What once could blossom now withers, undone,
A quiet battle lost, before it's begun.

In shadowed struggles, where love might be revealed,
Just a dream, a mirage, in introspection concealed.
A phantom touch, a fleeting, ghost-like scent,
Of what was deeply loved, and what it all meant.

A chilling breeze sighs where passion once flew,
A silent sorrow, forever etched anew.
This thin vapor, a promise it couldn't keep,
A harsh lesson learned, while silent pains sleep.

Oh, why does love always pass me by?
Where can solace be found, before I die?
Am I bound to this life of sorrow and shame?
Or can I find genuine love, escaping this game,
And know if it's true, or just a cruel, empty claim? ©

If you find yourself wandering what this life is for,  look at your neighbor, smile, put wings on them, and let them learn to fly.

Pick that bit of ******* up, that dropped from the willing hand, replace the serenity in the one, who's off the wagon again.

Open and hold a door for  one, you never would dare.
Make a place at your table, for the stranger, sleeping under the walkway stairs.

Be kind even when  all around you, would disagree, cut out that root of bitterness, the people in your life, often see,

Work on being the master, of an honest smile, smiling rather quickly, than frowning all the time.

"Broken people break people," it's been said, but I chose to believe, " Healed people heal people," ©
Enough Said.......

Michael Powers
"STYXX ON FIRE"

My dearest confidante, now just a ghost,
A shattered mirror of the memories we host.
A silent phone, a number I can't call,
A final curtain is closing on it all.

The echo of your laughter haunts the air,
A bitter pill of what we used to share.
The promises we whispered to the stars,
Now stand as monuments to hidden scars.

I trace the lines of what we used to be,
A fading mural of your face and me.
Each shared secret, now a heavy stone,
Weighed down by a silence I have known.

A tapestry of trust, now torn and frayed,
The colors of our bond began to fade.
I watch as strangers fill the space you left,
A hollow vessel, utterly bereft.
For in this void, a bitter truth takes root,
A love without a single, tender shoot.

The comfort of your voice, a distant chime,
A memory suspended out of time.
A fractured compass, spinning in the night,
I stumble onward, grasping for the light.
The path we walked, a road I now avoid,
A future we had promised, now destroyed.

So here I stand, upon this barren ground,
Where all our hopeful, tender words once sound.
A silent prayer for what we couldn't save,
A lonely vigil at a friendship's grave.
In this pain, a final lesson lies,
That even stars can fall from clouded skies. ©

Michael Powers
(STYXX ON FIRE)

The stained-glass sun on Sundays gleamed,
A holy light, or so it seemed.
He preached of faith with fervent breath,
But in his heart, a quiet death.
His first true love, a fragile vine,
Had withered, lost, a shattered sign
That even faith could not make whole,
The broken fragments of a soul.

He spoke of grace, a gentle flood,
While in his veins ran bitter blood.
He counseled others, "Let it go,"
A seed of truth he could not sow.
The pulpit felt a lonely stage,
A gilded, unforgiving cage.
He prayed for strength, a peaceful art,
To mend the fissures in his heart.

Then in his prayers, a whisper came,
Not searing hurt or burning shame,
But quiet peace, a simple sound,
On holy, humble, hallowed ground.
He saw her face, not with the pain
Of endless loss and falling rain,
But with the love he once had known,
A love that truly was his own.

Forgiveness was the key he sought,
A battle he had bravely fought.
Not for her sake, but for his own,
To find the strength to stand alone.
He let the anger, grief, and fear,
Dissolve like teardrops, crystal clear.
He chose to love without the cost,
The one he thought his heart had lost.

And as he spoke from that same place,
His words were filled with honest grace.
Not learned by rote, or dry as dust,
But born of a renewed trust.
He understood the sacred art
Of mending a despairing heart,
For in his pain, a lesson lay,
That lit his path and showed the way.

He found that love, when truly free,
Is not about a you and me,
But is a gift you give to all,
Answering every weary call.
His first love's memory, once a dart,
Became a compass for his heart.
Forgiveness taught his soul to bend,
And love became his truest friend. ©

Michael Powers
"STYXX ON FIRE"

Many would say that AI wrote my poems,they generally would like to pore hate into my soul.

From where I stand,the rocks pass right through, the holes placed there by others, they can't touch me, they are old, never, new.

In deed, I ask Gemini, for assistance to spell, grammar has never been my strong point, nor sharing my poems to the public, to be embarrassed as hell.

If you're looking for someone to criticize, make them look bad. Please allow me to offer myself, to give everyone else a brake, instead.

The words you speak have no effect on me, except to continue writing, placing my poems on "Hello Poetry"  ©

Michael Powers
"STYXX ON FIRE"

"I Once Was, I Am"

I once was a passerby, you never saw, keeping my eyes cast to the ground,
afraid of looking at you, of seeing what had you bound.

Now, I am the one who meets your gaze, with courage newly found,
My spirit is an open book, speaking words you may find profound.

Before the moment is gone, be sure to apply the balm to your eyes,
applying it to your soul, where wisdom will arise,

   My Solder, make way, gather your weapons at my word, be full of courage, always in control, not given to insanity, dormant in the soul. I am with you no matter where u go. ©

MICHAEL POWERS
(STIXX ON FIRE)

Misdirection.......

A flick of the wrist, a shimmer of light,
The gaze drawn left, but the truth slips right.
A whispered promise, a charming new face,
While shadows lengthen in a hidden place.

Can you hear it, was it there? There it is again,
Slipping by, close enough to whisper in your ear.
A faint echo where silence should reign,
A fleeting movement, a ghost in the brain.

You turn your head, but the space is quite bare,
A trick of the mind, or was something truly there?
Walking a path, cobblestones under foot,
More time in the brain, filled with soote.

The path winds on, though the trick is now past,
A silent residue, meant long to last.
A question lingers, a doubt takes its hold,
In stories whispered, both new and old.

With a tunnel close, sides closing in,
Is that the hand you hold your friends?
The air grows thin, a whisper of dread,
For paths chosen, and words left unsaid.

In shadowed alleys, where loyalties bend,
Do you find a companion, or an ill-fated friend?
All at once, awake, you start to scream,
"Let me go!" a desperate, waking dream.

Yet, this strange place where misdirection reigns,
Holds a dark comfort that forever stains.
You run from truth, from clear and open skies,
Embracing shadows, and comforting lies.


Until the master, with a final, swift hand,
Reveals the true nature of this hollow land.
The stage lights blaze, the curtain falls wide,
And you stand alone, with nowhere to hide. ©


MICHARL POWERS
(STYXX ON FIRE)

The heart you show, a steady flame,
In every trial, win, or game.
You do not boast nor seek the light,
But stand for what is true and right.
A quiet strength that sees you through,
For this, my deep esteem is due.

The words you speak, a binding pact,
A promise made, a constant fact.
Your honest gaze, a mirror clear,
That casts away all doubt and fear.
You never waver in your stand,
A trusted pillar in the land.

You lend a hand, though none would ask,
And shoulder many a heavy task.
You lift the fallen, mend the torn,
And greet with kindness every morn.
A giving spirit, strong and true,
A profound honor is for you.

You listen close with open ears,
And calm a hundred hidden fears.
You weigh each thought, each voice you hear,
And keep a mind that's sharp and clear.
With open heart and wisdom deep,
The faith you've earned, you truly keep.

The path you walk, with careful pace,
Reflects a dignity and grace.
You do not rush, nor cut a line,
Your every step is a clear design.
Your patient soul, a gentle guide,
In whom all confidence can hide.

You faced the storm and did not break,
For higher principles and sake.
The easy way you cast aside,
With inner fortitude inside.
This firmness of a noble will,
Commands a reverence, standing still.

You treat each soul with equal care,
Beyond what they may own or wear.
You see the worth in every face,
And give to all a rightful place.
This fairness, shown in all you do,
Inspires a deep regard for you.

You own your faults when you are wrong,
And learn the lesson, making strong.
You do not hide behind a lie,
But meet the truth with an open eye.
This humble spirit, taught and learned,
A special veneration earned.

You build up others, help them grow,
And watch their inner spirits glow.
You do not crush, nor tear them down,
To wear a false and shallow crown.
Your selfless heart, a guiding star,
That's why you're held in such high regard.

So when I speak of honor's creed,
I think of you, your every deed.
A life of purpose, lived with grace,
A special person in this place.
For all these things, so good and right,
You have my full respect and might.

The final words are here, now told,
A story is more than fine than gold.
For all the grace within your soul,
That made my weary spirit whole.
I now offer a final plea,
That you extend the hands of grace
To others, as you did for me.
Much love and respect. ©

Michael Powers
"STYX ON FIRE"

Can a light give off its glow,
if no power makes its flow?

Can a rose give off its beauty,
if not pruned with simple duty?

Can a river quench a thirst,
if its very source is cursed?

Can a house stand tall and strong,
if its very base is wrong?

Can a mirror show a face,
if a lie has clouded its space?

Can a song be sweet to hear,
if its notes are born of fear?

Can you and I love our neighbors as one would embrace themselves,
if our love is just an empty shell, placed on a dusty shelf?
When it’s agenda-driven, a betrayal, a pitfall, "Much Said"...... ©

Michael Powers
"STYXX ON FIRE"

No Moment Wasted.........

A current ran, a spark took hold,
A story whispered, brave and bold.
She walked in light, a spirit bright,
An inner glow, dispelling night.


Focused now, on what tomorrow brings,
Like an athlete poised, with hopeful wings.
The thrill of victory, her spirit's quest,
No agony of defeat, putting her to the test.


Though her past holds trials, ups and downs,
Her vision's clear, no clouded crowns.
Upon her path, no shadows play,
No deception taints her righteous way.


Her inner fire, a brilliant, steady gleam,
Fulfills a deep and vital dream.
No simple path, but one so true,
A strength in all she journeys through.
A melody, a gentle, rising sound,
Where quiet resonance is found.


Should you find her, know this truth untold,
Her spirit's not for easy hold.
Your truth and mind, she'll surely test,
For she deserves nothing but the best.
No moment wasted, nothing less,
She's earned this strength. She's passed the test. ©

MICHAEL POWERS
(Styxx On Fire)

I stood before the mirror, its surface black as night,
Covered in the darkness of the pain I perfected, shimmering with no light.
It had to be, At that moment, a face began to show itself,

But the face it was revealing wasn't I. It was someone else.
A stranger born of sorrow, with eyes I'd never seen,
Yet echoing a grief that cut so sharp and keen.
A whisper of his laughter, a shadow of his smile,
Reflected in the depths, just for a little while.
And in that ghostly glimpse, I saw my own heart break,
For in his fading image, my own true self did ache.

For when you experience the pain you feel, by looking into the mirror that only reveals,
The sorrow of your own heart, it's at that moment you understand how real it is.
The quiet void beside me, the phone calls never made,
A future unwritten, a song forever unplayed.
Each breath a hollow echo, where vibrant life once stood,
A silent, crushing truth now deeply understood.

Can it be I, myself, let lie, in a pool of broken dreams, where false comfort resides?
Where have I been? In this dreamland of counterfeit dreams?
Why ohh why didn't I listen, when given the chance to believe?
The echoes of his wisdom, now just a fading sound,
Lost to the sweet illusions where no true peace was found.
A phantom limb of solace, now severed from my core,
Leaving but the emptiness, and nothing to ignore.

Faith is too late to take hold, no love do I feel, hatred resides in my heart, my mind an empty shell.
A desolate landscape where memory used to bloom,
Just ash and bitter silence, shrouded in the gloom.
The echoes of compassion, they ring hollow, cold,
A story left unfinished, a promise left untold.

What's the point in caring when there's nothing to care about?
Do you not understand I live life in perpetual doubt?
Each sunrise mocks a promise. Each sunset brings the dread,
Of empty days stretched onward, where only ghosts are fed.
The very air I'm breathing, a weight I can not lift,
A constant, cruel reminder of a devastating rift.

The mountain I'm climbing is but a molehill,
In the eyes of the ones who say they love me still.
They offer easy answers, a light they can not see,
Blind to the chasm widening inside of me.
Their words of shallow comfort just scrape against the raw,
Proof that my true torment defies all human law.

In crying, "Please love me still, I can't go on,"
With this torment of not knowing, still, and all is gone.
A fragmented prayer whispered to an indifferent sky,
A desperate plea for anchor as the storm tears through my eye.
This agony of questions, with answers never near,
Just deepens every shadow, magnifies every fear.

Pointing towards the chasm of a bottomless pit,
Falling, falling towards the unknown where no death shall I feel.
A descent without end, a void that swallows sound,
Where gravity forgets me, forever unbound.
No solace in a stopping, no comfort in a close,
Just endless, unfeeling freefall, as the universe froze.

For if there were an ending, to this unfaithful voice I hear,
I'd gladly give it what I can not give to silence every fear.
A life force slowly fading, a spirit wearing thin,
Just for a single moment where the quiet could begin.
To trade away the future, the past, the present plight,
For just one breath of stillness, one whisper of relief from night.

Can you see the darkness, or hear its hold on me?
Please come and forgive the actions I perpetually...
For if you read this and are allowed to feel my pain,
Just know there is nothing worth giving into a life of ceaseless rain.
The final bitter lesson, carved in stark despair,
A hollow, empty echo, breathing lifeless air.

This story, of my promise left untold, of broken promises,
I'm never able to break the anguish in my soul.
A perpetual twilight, where hope refuses dawn,
Lost in the silence of a spirit long withdrawn. ©

You've asked if I want a great time,
With a poem that's truly sublime.
It gave me a message, a powerful strike,
A new path to follow, a feeling I like.

My sorrow was hidden, a burden so deep,
Secrets my heart was so longing to keep.
But your simple words broke through the old haze,
Removing the debris of my mental maze.

No more crisscrossing through threads of the past,
A new, forward focus is healing at last.
The drama-filled chapters have now been made new,
The future is bright, and the purpose is true.

I'll lace up my shoes and get ready to run,
For life's too short to let old battles be won.
No need to fake it or draw to a close,
I'll move with the purpose your message bestows.

A life of true peace, a feeling serene,
I'm glad to be me, a man made complete.
The reasons for loving myself are now clear,
Thanks to your words that have banished all fear. ©

Michael Powers
"STYXX ON FIRE"

Not a chance I'll wait, a split second for me, from thin air,
A sudden, deep insight, beyond all compare.
A bright flash of understanding, now brilliantly clear,
Revealing a destiny, banishing fear.


Not a moment to lose, shrieking with glee,
A future unfolding, wild and free.
The chains of the past, began to dissolve,
A quiet unfolding, a calm, true solace, an inner peace resolved.


For can this time transform the intersection into one straight road?
Like a new book, pages await, a blank canvas bestowed.
No more choices to ponder, no turning aside,
Just a singular journey, with nothing to hide.


Fear lost its battle, hate no longer inhabits me, Onward I run this race, in the face of adversity.
Casting aside the old man of contempt, giving credence to love.
A wisdom found, not paid or coerced, a spirit long dead rises from the dust.
Each obstacle a stepping stone, a challenge to embrace,
Leaving shadows behind, at my own triumphant pace.
A beautiful beginning unwinding with newfound peace.


I hear the voice of freedom, ohh how it grips my Spirit in transformation, I believe.
It's been so long, in this space of dread.
Now that I am delivered, the old man must I shed.
For all the money, riches untold, I'd not trade my new heart, to be broken again, sold into a future of slavery, the enemy's minion, spiritually dead. ©