"bolstered" poems
"Strength in numbers" as the American says
The Great Unity (dàtóng) the Chinese prevails
"I am because we are" the Ubuntu in Africa
We, the Filipinos, we have "Pagkakaisa"
Houses lifted and moved through "bayanihan"
As solidarity bolstered during typhoon Haiyan
By peaceful revolutions, ousted miscreants
For we are but red ants and we bite as one
May 18, 2020
May 18, 2020 at 9:36 PM UTC
Paris was targeted on Friday the 13th,
It's an evil incident further defaming it,
Now would be bolstered the superstition,
Sad...
Nov 16, 2015
Nov 16, 2015 at 7:30 PM UTC
Rain falls on the windscreen
in shades of grey brown and fogged-up blue,
car become boat in the rain-clogged road
floating away like in a Monet,
into the evening mess.
Frayed nerves, rules break, as dangers lurk.
The wiper slow tells its tale own.
Irrelevant discourse, irreverent songs,
the FM trend for DJ fame.
And we have two 'rivers' in our city,
swelling in refuse, bolstered by the rain;
And we have two beaches in our city,
soak in the surf, if you can ignore the rubble;
And we have many parks in our city
where litter garlands our heroes daily;
The last patch of green, cramped between
rising heights all around, accursed of
dump and construction junk,
steals a dying look at the moon late.
A walk in the woods, by the mist, by late evening.
A stroll, warm, through a field covered in snow.
Nice paintings on my concrete wall.
I'm told, the money plant is good for one's health.
Trees, a luxury for our wealth.
These are all good developments.
Hyper malls round the corner.
Home prices, soaring to Kepler.
Please pour in more investment into my country.
Guaranteed, riches grow in multiplication.
The markets are all about manipulation.
Sep 12, 2013
Sep 12, 2013 at 3:47 PM UTC
when I’m with you no matter when or where,
I feel like it's storming outside.
which sounds odd but given the context,
given me,
you’ll find that I mean that heat,
I mean that electric tingle humming
at the base of my neck when you touch me.
That unexpected boom of thunder when we kiss,
knocking me off center,
making my ears ring.
The comforting cadence of the rain, the world around us,
there but slowly drifting,
unimportant to the arms around me
keeping me warm.
when I’m with you, I feel like I've been nearly hit by a car.
which sounds awful but given the signs,
given the proof,
you’ll see I mean that fever,
I mean that flush of giddy Oh Thank God at your nearness.
That wild relief when your eyes catch mine,
calming my heart and taking my hand.
The trembling of my limbs, my fragile sense of being,
so much stronger now,
bolstered by the presence at my back
keeping me safe.
when I’m with you, I feel like a deer staring down a gun.
which sounds terrible but when I explain,
when I describe
the pounding of my heartbeat,
the breath caught in my throat,
standing perfectly still as you’re perfectly still.
That link between us,
hunter and prey,
seizing me ****** heart, mind and soul.
The unspoken truth, knowing deep in my bones.
This is my ending.
Forever I am done for by your eyes on me,
keeping me here.
Apr 18, 2014
Apr 18, 2014 at 2:26 PM UTC
i met her at the crow bar -
a mescalero from amarillo
- her name was lily
and she was in from the field
wearing tiger stripe camos
cut short like i like 'em
and she liked to hike them
- all commando
she had a tattered boony hat -
a kevlar vest and a tat
that said - the wild, wild west -
her shoulder holsters
were packed with two .40s
- lordy, lordy -
she said they bolstered her
fire power
we were commando stylin'
...on the blue mesa.
12/5/14
:)
Dec 5, 2014
Dec 5, 2014 at 10:18 PM UTC
the church bells peeled a rhythmic ringing
tinnitus
sending us listeners racing back
into a guilty crime like daze.
the mass begins in twenty painful moments
better rush in the rustle of sunday wear
bible bolstered underarm
front pew glances at the priest
who had a back view glare at late comers.
Mama said the sins of your fathers
will visit if you
miss a mass
canned hellfire will get you
and st peter will tick mark your presence
after communion.
I listened
when I stopped
God became god
and the church bells peeled
the same way
only the new pizzas came
with canned chilli peppers!
© Marshall Gass. All rights reserved.
Apr 1, 2014
Apr 1, 2014 at 1:36 AM UTC
I sit alone in this park that I’ve known for so long, and listen to bird’s songs, in the hopes my mind will grow tranquil and clam.
I await words to write, to relieve some strife, seeking merely a sliver of a slice of peace of mind. But time comes to a halt, as ghosts with a waltz, dance through my head causing dread, harboring memories from when I was young.
Still naïve and oblivious of the strenuous afflictions to come.
With thoughts collected, I reminisce these recollections, of when the world was filled with bliss, and wish that life was still like this.
When every day is an adventure to be treasured and joy is never severed, I’m care free because responsibility does not exist, within, my limited vocabulary yet.
Each day is met with set structures from a structured home, where mom and dad, still pretend they’re glad, which means I have no reason to be sad. And so, I still don’t know, what it’s like to feel alone, in a broken failing home.
Normalcy becomes conformity, complacently but blatantly forming a shell of apathy.
Because now dad yells, and the children’s eyes swell, with tears of fear, my mom’s with sheer, determination to captain this ship, stubbornly sit, amidst, these waves of irritation mixed with infidelity.
I found myself stuck in a storm, totally torn, as my joy is worn consistently down. I clown around to be sound, but a permanent frown, is brazenly embroidered into my broodingly breaking soul.
Time flew by ignored my cries to slow, and so my consciousness consented its blissfulness to turn to bitterness, my brokenness was all that I knew, and soon, it was all I could show.
Although now I’m older, still too often I smolder with rage, and both shoulders have boulders, for chips but I’ll fight fate, abate my hate, to keep my future family safe.
Safe from the games my parents played to hide their shame, of a marriage disparaged by barriers, bolstered with a selfish taint. I will sufficiently and selflessly safeguard my wife from treachery. To not neglectfully or carelessly, lead her into insanity. For bride and seed, I will succeed, to do everything my parents failed to do for me.
May 22, 2015
May 22, 2015 at 12:35 AM UTC
Left the stage.
Exited stage left.
Her swan song lifted spirits.
Perfect performance.
Drama filled.
Last breath then she was gone.
Her bolstered tutu puffed up proudly.
Released her wings.
Trumpeters played, then she was gone.
One last gasp, she was done.
To her audience a revelation.
The flowers they threw fell in stems.
Time and time again.
An apparition that still remains.
Daily the stems of falling flowers lay.
When bought forth the janitor comes to clean.
The flowers have gone if you know what I mean.
Another supernatural scene.
Her name headlined all the papers.
Was front page news.
Now just the ballerina who passed on the stage.
Not even a paragraph given.
The headlines for the tabloid's now, are only for the living.
(c) Livvi
Sep 11, 2015
Sep 11, 2015 at 4:29 PM UTC
I met a girl, one day or night
who taught me how to live
An empty truth, you may observe
I hope you can forgive
She spoke of something more to me,
or so she did perceive
As demons sneer at angel's wings
when tripping on their sleeves
"Where have you been tonight my dear,
I trust you will not lie?
Because lying is a bow my dear,
I trust you cannot tie?"
Lost. I had no argument.
No angle could I find.
No brilliant light bulbs brilliant light.
No swift turn of the mind.
But, amidst my overanxious thoughts,
one detail sharply stood.
Of all my prior misdirections,
this one had to be good.
"I've walked in halls of marbled stone
and well carved wooden walls.
I've talked of nations fighting wars,
and when that they might fall"
"I've conversed the winter weather wild,
heard what spring may bring.
I've bolstered men who'd have fallen down,
sang with women who cannot sing".
"And now you nag nag nag at me,
when all I want is sleep!
Why can't you leave me well alone,
when towards my dreams I creep?"
"Oh! Please do forgive me,
My most almighty Tsar.
But must One sleep with One's head,
still resting on the bar?"
Sep 13, 2011
Sep 13, 2011 at 4:09 PM UTC
Sprinkles shower backyard fescue
Fighting against dry August air
Still days
Smiles cross aging cheeks
Love’s invasion flows upon
Discontent
Chest rises, bolstered anew
Expands with
Zest
Fieriness slithers away from
Heartbeats no longer on the prowl
Attachment
Cardinal chirps as if
Aware of a simmering fire,
Anticipations
Sprinkles immerse damp grass
Fighting against diminishing daylight
One more hurrah
Dec 24, 2013
Dec 24, 2013 at 4:41 PM UTC
I look out upon the valley,
Where we lived out millions of lives,
All of our hopes and heartaches,
Births and deaths,
In that valley of flowers and dreams.
I met you so many times,
And each of those times I was blessed,
For in the few where we never met,
My heart ended up hollow and blank.
We struggled at times,
And sometimes we even failed,
But always together,
Never alone,
Not once adrift upon a sea of regrets.
You bolstered me in my aspirations,
Gave me courage and strength I knew not,
To conquer the mountains that seemed so insurmountable,
Where angels and demons were hesitant to trod.
Each of your deaths were a knife in my heart,
In those instances where I outlived you,
I broke into a million jagged pieces,
Lost without my guiding star.
But each time I would be able to slowly heal,
Brought back together by your future love.
I know not if we've done this countless times before,
Or if we will be able to have this countless times again,
But regardless of this,
Our lives shall be forever intertwined,
In the Valley of Flowers and Dreams...
Jan 18, 2023
Jan 18, 2023 at 10:19 PM UTC
I can't breathe.
An invisible hand rests on my shoulders
Bearing down with a weight beyond my ken
And keeps my head under water.
At the bottom of a waterfall's pool I sit
Caught in the embrace of the great cataract.
This bed was made of my own choosing
Flinging myself with abandon off the cliff's edge
To enjoy the moments of breathless exhilaration
The beautiful abandon in the weightless fall.
The entry, difficult, but not impossible:
Reaching hands parting the ice-cold waters
So the body can slice through
Like a hot knife into butter.
The first moments, not unbearable:
Tumbled down to the bottom by the churning waters
But bolstered by two lungs bursting with life-giving air.
As time slowly ticks on, second by agonizing second
Pinned by the embrace of the waterfall and losing oxygen
The need to breathe arises.
Pressure builds within the body, as if to compete
With the weight of the waterfall
Growing greater with each passing moment
Threatening to force the breath
The body so desperately desires
As conscious and subconscious lock in furious battle
Over control of the lungs.
The conscious fights on,
Aware that I am still trapped at the bottom.
One voice alone can cut through the turgid waters
A lifeline to cling to and use
To drag myself up, hand over hand
Fighting against the pressure until my head breaks the surface
And I can draw a few gasping breaths
Before the line is severed
And I am pummeled to the bottom once more.
The waiting game resumes
Each time unsure of survival
And each time mustering the will to hold on
Until that precious lifeline appears
Hoping for the day
The line will knife through the water one final time
Anchored securely, no longer doomed to separation
And I can climb forth
Leaving the waterfall's pool
Far behind.
Jul 5, 2013
Jul 5, 2013 at 3:45 AM UTC
And will you stay here at my side,
And will you hold my hand?
Will you welcome me with solace
As a stranger in this land?
Oh my smile will never waver
But you'll see behind my eyes
There's a truth, not quite forthcoming,
Built in, permanent disguise.
And will you stay the mocking voices
that are screaming in my head
Will you quieten the questioning,
The words long left unsaid?
Will you show me how to show them
how much love I have inside?
Barely scratching at the surface
Strong enough to pierce the pride?
And will you have strength and patience
To excuse this bold façade?
Will you know the shame I cling to
Overcome and over awed?
While senses swim in puzzlement
New colours, sounds and sights,
Smells of life and death pervading
Brand new treasures, endless nights.
And will you exercise discretion
When she comes, as duty states?
Will you offer tea and biscuits
While she sits and Knows Her Place?
She the mother of my children
Will attend to sigh and cry
While years of living in my shadow
sire secret gloating, as I die.
And will you promise there'll be angels
To escort me to my fate?
Will you bother God with praying
Far too little, much to late!
As I watch my self decreasing,
And eternal sleep approach.
And all the hanging-heads assemble,
Witness Death and I elope
And will you try to fill the silence
When the boy sits at my side
Two suits of armour, never yielding
Bolstered by each others pride.
Lips form around apologies
To tell him I was wrong.
My disappointment's disappointment
Left unuttered, my swansong.
And will you promise there'll be choirs,
People weeping there in rows.
Muttered platitudes of comfort,
Midst a hymn that someone chose.
Will you promise there'll be angels
Otherwise then what's the point?
With trumpets, herald my arrival
And my fevered brow anoint.
And will you try to understand me
Will you promise not to judge
I was blinded and misguided
Used a fist and bore a grudge!
I'd exchange it in an instant
For a chance to right some wrongs
Hold my wife and hug my children
All my angels all along.
Dec 13, 2014
Dec 13, 2014 at 10:27 PM UTC
Days bolstered by comforts
The time ticks by
Covered by ceiling not sky
DENY DENY
Our ears are plugged
We deflect and justify
Unquestionable choices
“They don’t concern you, only I”
These islands of lives
But rainforests cause storms at sea
Loose lips sink ships, Freudian slips
“Your choices do concern me”
Though I am only human with inherent fallibility
I just want us, to be free.
Feb 14, 2022
Feb 14, 2022 at 5:46 PM UTC
Without kneeling, without the sign of the cross
without self-examination
her worn keyboard becomes a confessional.
Lithe fingers tap, tap, tap out
secrets in lines of tasted desires
and opened dark doors.
With a series of deletions and replacements, key by key,
bolstered by the fervor of the moment
tales of her recent transgressions emerge.
Like a cat leaping toward it's victim
her index finger punches the enter key
as details of her indiscretions, come to rest on-line
as obvious as hunters' prey in an open field.
Cyberspace, like a priest without a collar,
accepts her admissions without the comfort of absolution
still her guilt is released.
Jun 12, 2013
Jun 12, 2013 at 2:24 PM UTC
I soak up rays of warmth from the sun
as it covers my limbs like a blanket.
I am calm, content, and curious.
My curiosity is unbridled,
and my creativity is bolstered
by the satisfaction I feel.
I wish to grow and reach new heights.
This freedom comes from the sun,
as my leaves photosynthesize its warmth into energy.
My stem reaches taller, and new leaves unfurl.
I create a new version of myself with every sunny day.
Mar 7, 2025
Mar 7, 2025 at 8:36 PM UTC
Rain soaks the bone
holding the garbage bag,
fuller than a sail.
Plastic wheels click unevenly---
The professionals don't lay even asphalt.
Donning only a mismatched suit
From three stores, on sale
Insisting on exposure
The bones click,
clutching the parachute, already on the ground.
If life were a game,
my skateboard skill would be zero.
Pebbles leave a gray coat,
settling in the puff,
keeping it's hue,
while what was sanguine is diluted,
but taking more space than before.
We came out,
when our valuables were inside.
We were open,
when the metal was bolstered up,
celebrating a natural disaster.
Distant danger brings us closest,
when you are privileged.
Observation made during a storm
is never to be depended upon.
Over many days,
I learned to play in the gray.
Apr 1, 2015
Apr 1, 2015 at 7:58 PM UTC
I am always leaving now
skittering in place
I am convinced
by my effort
that I am not
now anymore
a kid
closing his eyes
to not be seen
peeking out
**** now
skittering bolstered chemically
closed eyes
opened unseeing
now without me
unfound
i am only lessened
cursed now
remains unleft
Copyright @2018 Dennis Willis
Aug 7, 2018
Aug 7, 2018 at 6:09 PM UTC
She questions
All seeing and feeling
With hope for a future
She fights alone
And weeps in silence
We should listen
Deeply wounded she fights on
As parts of her die
Her vision never leaves the sky
Staring towards the heavens
With a prayer on her breath and resolve slowly weakening
We begin to hear
Small acts become large bolstered by numbers
She finds breaths become easier
Only as we fight for her soul
Can the world become whole
Jan 16, 2021
Jan 16, 2021 at 6:34 AM UTC
our
hearts in boxes
sealed shut to
keep out the
cold and dust,
to keep the stars at
bay we bolstered the
ports, pinned
ourselves in,
in the low valleys
of the hills, shielded
ourselves from the
glint of seeing
for miles, the universe &
the skies, everything we
are so clear & wise,
we fed ourselves lies
with newspapers,
our skin turned
wrinkled,
crinkled, the
ink stained our
teeth when we began
to speak.
Dec 27, 2016
Dec 27, 2016 at 9:33 AM UTC
I say goodbye to you often,
in letters and scribbled clouds, penned and hidden
under the keyboard on your desk.
tucked small and sleepy, as I pack in
your wake.
and just as frequently,
per month,
you greet with
wishful kisses, me teetering
unbalanced, off the escalator,
luggage strap, cold nose, bags dangling.
a myriad collection, sealed with "love you" texts,
taxi chits and spoon wrappers.
is this our way now?
our days, a matrimonial, cross-country conundrum.
a strung together , part time marriage,
intermittently stamped by the vested men,
marked by my travel clock,
wrapped in your worn out coat
and bolstered by the broken bed...
back to our separate hemispheres,
in such a hurry.
Mar 3, 2014
Mar 3, 2014 at 6:33 PM UTC
Your voice,
Ah, it lures and seduces
My resistance is useless
Confused, yes
I come closer
My heart bolstered
Up high on a pedestal
My feelings run
From the space in between
To the space in your dreams
This is sweetly irresistible
Sweetly, I embrace you whole
And we are one
Oct 22, 2013
Oct 22, 2013 at 10:43 AM UTC