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"brandishes" poems
When the sun goes down I have my first drink standing in the yard, talking to my neighbor about the alder tree rising between our houses, a lowly tree that prospered from our steady inattention and shot up quick as a **** to tower over our rooftops, where it now brandishes a rich, luxuriant crown. Should we cut it down? Neither of us wants to -- we agree that we like the flourishing branches, shade like thick woods. We don't say it, studying our tree in silence, but we know that if the roots get into the foundations we've got real trouble. John goes back inside. Nothing to be done in summer -- not to those heavy branches. I balance my empty glass on top of a fence post. In the quiet early dark, those peaceful minutes before dinner, I bend down to the flower beds I love and pull a few weeds -- something I've meant to do all day.
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Tree
I am a peripheral ***** I brandish my notebook Like a chef brandishes his dish-rag. Where do wizards keep their wands? I build worlds out of words Universes out of silence; Universes that can be destroyed With a single eyebrow. I am a calculator. I am a thermometer. I am a clashing painting on the wall. I am a question. I am as much as my pencil. I am as much as my frame. I am as much as my stains. (I am as much as the buttons unbuttoned on my shirt collar.)
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Nov 27, 2011
Nov 27, 2011 at 9:57 PM UTC
Peripheral *****
An effusive elaborate scheme the colors advance to bright spellbinding allure then they achieve Depth of quality by cutting back to softer hues and then the natural dark green is the bold Touch that succeeds with total symmetry showcased in a view perfected by glass the prism Most fitting not only to see but to be captivated by perfected expression it is a metaphor for life The master designer chooses his subjects well one infuses another then by degree others Foreshadow and glorify it blends tangible and intangible into intelligent coherent order tasteful And sublime the hint and the elusive wonder all is needed is the wind to bow and ****** it into A profusion a veritable concert that stirs with appeal life is in motion the players advance and Retreat each speaking lines unique to themselves what sensations speak tendrils on a garden Trellis held and fixed a gesture that plays and portrays intricate details the mystery that plays so Well the stealing of morning frost then the blaze and then restful dying rays that spell comfort The field rolls and contorts this brandishes excitement exuberance veers and plunders life Become exploration trails hidden thickets hide and hold expression that is pent up ready to Explode what vesture we wear it grips our friend’s astonishment is read on their faces but it is Like a house of many mirrors because their lives are having the same effect on you some days Are uneventful others are storm tossed with grandness the riches of an all contained realm Spasms convulse like waves of the sea we stand forth to puzzle and dream what does it all Mean the sanctity reveals plumes that are invisible that are far reaching and they have given us This course of endurance that belies longing we grow soft and an inner glowing surpasses the Stringent the misfit that moans against conforming we are treasure that exceeds all expectation Life is rich we are its brightest colors and light night is for brooding the day is for shinning and Divulging the secrets found in the brooding time we accost others we signify to them not only Our own worth but there’s also fetching is the spray that magnifies the sky we are the bursting We are the aliveness that is found each day in our lives that is the dooryard of discovery --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Feb 1, 2013
Feb 1, 2013 at 1:28 AM UTC
Bursting Colors
An effusive elaborate scheme the colors advance to bright spellbinding allure then they achieve Depth of quality by cutting back to softer hues and then the natural dark green is the bold Touch that succeeds with total symmetry showcased in a view perfected by glass the prism Most fitting not only to see but to be captivated by perfected expression it is a metaphor for life The master designer chooses his subjects well one infuses another then by degree others Foreshadow and glorify it blends tangible and intangible into intelligent coherent order tasteful And sublime the hint and the elusive wonder all is needed is the wind to bow and ****** it into A profusion a veritable concert that stirs with appeal life is in motion the players advance and Retreat each speaking lines unique to themselves what sensations speak tendrils on a garden Trellis held and fixed a gesture that plays and portrays intricate details the mystery that plays so Well the stealing of morning frost then the blaze and then restful dying rays that spell comfort The field rolls and contorts this brandishes excitement exuberance veers and plunders life Become exploration trails hidden thickets hide and hold expression that is pent up ready to Explode what vesture we wear it grips our friend’s astonishment is read on their faces but it is Like a house of many mirrors because their lives are having the same effect on you some days Are uneventful others are storm tossed with grandness the riches of an all contained realm Spasms convulse like waves of the sea we stand forth to puzzle and dream what does it all Mean the sanctity reveals plumes that are invisible that are far reaching and they have given us This course of endurance that belies longing we grow soft and an inner glowing surpasses the Stringent the misfit that moans against conforming we are treasure that exceeds all expectation Life is rich we are its brightest colors and light night is for brooding the day is for shinning and Divulging the secrets found in the brooding time we accost others we signify to them not only Our own worth but there’s also fetching is the spray that magnifies the sky we are the bursting We are the aliveness that is found each day in our lives that is the dooryard of discovery --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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25
Sita smiles as i bring her a sandwich Two toasts with butter, ham, and cheese And yet sita smiles as if i've made her a 5 course meal Sita smiles as i make her a drink of my own recipe ‘Thank you pepe’ she says And brandishes a glass of mysterious content She hasn’t tasted it yet But still she smiles Sita cheers for me as i run down the soccer field She’s waiting for me with a hug, even after games i don't play From the bench I can see her smile Sita is waiting in the car i've known my whole life ‘How was school’ she says Always with a smile ‘I'm coming home Sita’ It's been 2 years since i've seen her She doesn’t ask when She doesn't ask how She smiles ‘I can't come home Sita’ It's the day after the flight i couldn’t get on She doesn’t ask when i can She doesn’t ask but I tell her how I missed it I tell her i love her and will see her soon She smiles It's been 3 years since i've seen her Sita tells me she has cancer I tell her she's the strongest person i know I love her She smiles ‘I promise i’ll fly out to new zealand to see you’ The last time we spoke She tells me she hates the food there I think about how i’ll make her a sandwich, like i used to I tell her it’ll be okay, she’ll be okay ‘I love you Sita, I promise I’ll see you soon’ She doesn’t ask when She doesn’t ask how Sita looks at me, the face I’ve known all my life And she smiles
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Aug 6, 2023
Aug 6, 2023 at 2:34 PM UTC
sita's smile
Lotus clouds oversee a Popsicle stick roadway, between us only dirt that, like jellyfish, echoed away A refugee of the Imperial Court once hid in the Zhongnan. He survived in silk rags, and would ode The Way Moss-haired men watch Magnavox in windows, the evangelical salesman begging them not to toad away. Across the street, near the top floor, a freshly-ex-student sits at his desk in an IRS building, told five hours ago to code away A face, topped with hot pink, brandishes her crop in a field of signs, screaming at Wall Street's old way. A yam of a man, braving his new home in the hills, freedom from obligation, finds a stream to wash the woad away. Along a country road, a man with a sandpaper'd face counts his money, having just sold whey Lotus clouds oversee a Popsicle stick roadway, between us only a past that, like jellyfish, echoed a way Twenty one years have given me many names. Call me Kyle, or the others I've borrowed away.
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Feb 2, 2013
Feb 2, 2013 at 8:56 AM UTC
Slipped Away
Gliding o'er all, through all, Through Nature, Time, and Space, As a ship on the waters advancing, The voyage of the soul—not life alone, Death, many deaths I'll sing. Sometimes sprawling leaves just don't cut it. Sometimes, you gotta be a badass. Grow a beard Cut the grass. Get some shades, Get a hat. Sometimes a song isn't adequate To express what you're feeling, y'know? Sometimes "myself" Needs a happy fix, Blue skies, Stuff blowing up and Flying sparks. Every now and then, The learn'd astronomer Brandishes a smoking gun.
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Sep 23, 2013
Sep 23, 2013 at 9:33 AM UTC
Of Many Death's, I'll Sing
Life hovers above us, it generously gives us energy. Colors rich, and tactile brilliance it bestows. Tomorrow, you and I will still have souls designed for pleasing one and other, no matter what pain our flesh endures through the night. Do not dwell on the flames of hell, or the sulfur smell, it will all flee at first light, as our love brandishes beams of positivity in sympathetic unity with the rising sun. Our fears will run for their feotid caves, and a kiss will drive them from our thoughts as well. Through the pale, into the black, until the pale into the bright I give you the essence of my body to hold you tight, safe and warm in the cold and lawless night. Think of me when the walls come closing in and I will bring us a pair of hammers and we can break free of these fetters. Run towards the horizon, hands clasped free together.
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Sep 28, 2012
Sep 28, 2012 at 12:51 PM UTC
Together
I try to measure the overwhelming depth of the ocean, And with a sly deception shudder at my fantastic obsession. The Me Within opens his wings, flies high in the sky, Lovingly callous about the miles treaded by. * I weave around myself, an aura of hapless piety, Adorn my helplessness with a cocoon of sincerity. The Me Within emancipates – out of the golden cage, To soar the mountains steep with an astounding rage. * I look at my past with guilt, remorse and sorrow, And search outward for an excuse that I could easily borrow. The Me Within looks ahead never to turn back, His burlesque gestures mock at me for the pluck that I lack. * I live in a world of purity, of rituals, of rights and of wrongs, Content with the legacy of my notes, happy with the tyranny of my songs. The Me Within is mischievously charming, gamboling in between, And I hear his whistle blowing, humming a tune so serene. * I count my days, count my time, and count my blessings, to win, And relinquish the countless moments of joy, scared of committing a sin. The Me Within is a careless lad, who happily loses with a smile, And brandishes his joyful hat, every once in a while. * I wish I could be like him, and he’d live my life like me, I’d paint the sky with freedom, and dive through the depth of the sea. Reality shrieks yet again, with her deafening draconian din – When he leaves me, and I leave him, I’d meet the Me Within…
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Apr 7, 2013
Apr 7, 2013 at 6:28 PM UTC
I and the Me Within
I know not if I have ever seen a night so still as this. Clouds rolling on a starry sea; A beautiful eclipse. But lo, another light appears now I am on the run. The man whose gold I stole is near he brandishes a gun. A dark alley, a scurried fall Slowed by the sack I bore; he caught me trapped against a wall, and the night was still no more.
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May 5, 2015
May 5, 2015 at 1:28 AM UTC
Stillness in the Night
The second amendment might As well be the sixty-ninth, for all The life-long days it saves by The transparent and glossy shields Adorning blue-skied uniforms. The strike zone is limited to the Mobility-enhanced limbs, out of Reach of the cardiac plateau, in A line guarded by “I heart NYC” Leftover campaign buttons. Crowds question the timeless yet Disintegrating rhetoric, and they Sing along with misspelled threats To sanguine attempts at love and War, while grade schoolers watch. What’s missing from this libretto Is a slogan like “if they go low, we Go high” and the money to borrow It, or the right to use the copyright, As long as it doesn’t get ****** “Now hear this,” bellows the man in The crow’s nest, stepping in front Of his stepson who brandishes a BB gun proudly in his arms, “the Curfew starts at midnight!” Dona nobis pacem, a canon of Faith, is hummed by the last ranks Of veterans in camouflage, hoping To initiate a temporary calm among The bleak and ****** crew. A clown-faced poet attempts to draw A smile, as she calls for an absentee Ballot, a circuitous frontage road Away from destiny, some think, And a short breath of recess. “Take away their weapons,” hollers A very pregnant woman, who goes Into labor, blaming the guns for her Untimely reward, and for a moment, Just minutes, the midwifery begins. All this while a small coterie of men Gathers, silently taking in the show, Unnoticed in their pretense, but Sporting the heritage caps of the NRA, stars and stripes in their lapels. The disingenuous players in this sad Drama are about to fold their tents, To chicken out, to return to tacos And beer, when stillness breaks, So much so that crickets rule. A small boy crosses the street, his Smile contagious, his gait strong As he approaches the men and Says “I am you before now, be Of peace and good cheer. “My commandments have no Amendments, no magic exceptions, No golden calves, no wicked step- Mothers, only a heart and soul, I am the moral of your story.”   © Lewis Bosworth, 2016
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Sep 23, 2016
Sep 23, 2016 at 12:40 AM UTC
Rubber Bullets
The second amendment might As well be the sixty-ninth, for all The life-long days it saves by The transparent and glossy shields Adorning blue-skied uniforms. The strike zone is limited to the Mobility-enhanced limbs, out of Reach of the cardiac plateau, in A line guarded by “I heart NYC” Leftover campaign buttons. Crowds question the timeless yet Disintegrating rhetoric, and they Sing along with misspelled threats To sanguine attempts at love and War, while grade schoolers watch. What’s missing from this libretto Is a slogan like “if they go low, we Go high” and the money to borrow It, or the right to use the copyright, As long as it doesn’t get ****** “Now hear this,” bellows the man in The crow’s nest, stepping in front Of his stepson who brandishes a BB gun proudly in his arms, “the Curfew starts at midnight!” Dona nobis pacem, a canon of Faith, is hummed by the last ranks Of veterans in camouflage, hoping To initiate a temporary calm among The bleak and ****** crew. A clown-faced poet attempts to draw A smile, as she calls for an absentee Ballot, a circuitous frontage road Away from destiny, some think, And a short breath of recess. “Take away their weapons,” hollers A very pregnant woman, who goes Into labor, blaming the guns for her Untimely reward, and for a moment, Just minutes, the midwifery begins. All this while a small coterie of men Gathers, silently taking in the show, Unnoticed in their pretense, but Sporting the heritage caps of the NRA, stars and stripes in their lapels. The disingenuous players in this sad Drama are about to fold their tents, To chicken out, to return to tacos And beer, when stillness breaks, So much so that crickets rule. A small boy crosses the street, his Smile contagious, his gait strong As he approaches the men and Says “I am you before now, be Of peace and good cheer. “My commandments have no Amendments, no magic exceptions, No golden calves, no wicked step- Mothers, only a heart and soul, I am the moral of your story.”   © Lewis Bosworth, 2016
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61
Mandibles make their own hoarding, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under semiconductor-selected civilians, but under civilians existing already, given and transmitted from the past. The trailer of all dead gentians weighs like a nipper on the brandishes of the lob. And just as they seem to be occupied with revolutionizing themselves and thistles, creating something that did not exist before, precisely in such equipments of rheostat crochet they anxiously conjure up the spleens of the past to their setter, bother from them nappies, bayonet slouches, and cottons in organ-grinder to present this new scheme in wound hoarding in timpanist-honored disincentive and borrowed larch. Thus Luther put on the masseur of the Appearance Paul, the Rhapsody of 1789-1814 draped itself alternately in the gully of the Rook Requisite and the Rook Empress, and the Rhapsody of 1848 knew novelette bicentenary to do than to parsonage, now 1789, now the rheostat trailer of 1793-95. In like mantel, the belch who has learned a new larch always translates it backfire into his motor toot, but he assimilates the spleen of the new larch and exteriors himself freely in it only when he moves in it without recalling the old and when he forgets his navy toot.
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Dec 6, 2015
Dec 6, 2015 at 4:44 PM UTC
The Trailer of Dead Gentians
Lance-Lot by Michael R. Burch Preposterous bird! Inelegant! Absurd! Until the great & mighty heron brandishes his fearsome sword. I wrote this poem for a great blue heron who visits a pond that I pass on my daily walks — a truly majestic bird and the ultimate spear-fisher.
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Mar 28, 2020
Mar 28, 2020 at 7:40 PM UTC
Lance-Lot
My! The beach it looks so cool today With the sun shining down, the tide in The golden sands, the lovely blue sea How I'd love to be down there now,     messing about among the rocks Fishing for ***** looking in the rock     pools Paddling through the water,     swimming out in the tide, Having a picnic with my Mom; she'd     have the blanket laid out For us all to sit upon She'd have lovely scones with butter     and strawberry jam And lovely hot sugary tea And "Go on, go get an ice cream from     the ice cream man". But No! I can't, I've got to go to school     today With this heavy schoolbag strapped to     my back with all my books in it Yea, I got to go to school today and     face the scary teacher The way she shouts at us and     brandishes that ruler of hers And she'll slap you if you don't have     the right answer Scary! Scary! Teacher She's not at all like my Mother, my     Mom she's so soft and kindly..... And she worries a lot I can tell, Mom     you mustn't worry, She looks so sad sometimes I could cry. At school how time, it moves so slow O! I wish, how I wish I didn't have to       go As children we're all thrown together,     it gets so noisy and there's quarrels And some of the bigger boys from the    older classes Their nasty, they push you around     and want to fight with you. Coming back to class from the     toilets sometimes, on my own I stop there & look out the door at     the empty playground The leaves blowing in the wind, the     sparrows busy about And then I look at the school gates and     I think " Beyond those school gates lies Home" How I wish then I could just run home I'd run and I'd run Run past the gates of the houses with     their angry barking dogs I'd run ! Run the whole way, I wouldn't     stop: I want to be at home with my Mom Up in my room with my books, my     comics and toy soldiers. But No! they say the Guard(policeman)     he'd be doing his rounds now And if he was to see you, he'd catch     you And then there'd be trouble then, Big     Big! Trouble!!! Mum would be brought down and Dad     would have to be told too At least, that's what they tell me, More trouble for Mum So I can't - I must go to school then. Yes! I've got to go to school today and     face again the scary teacher At least I got my homework done, but     there's still so much I don't understand...so many things...     so many things to learn, Scary! Scary! Teacher! she never looks     happy She laughs at us and calls us bad     names Just sitting there we tighten up inside,     under her gaze And we pray "please don't ask me,     please don't ask me Please don't call out my name", How we watch that clock up on the     wall Praying for 3 o'clock to arrive. Why is it I had to come to this place?     Why!!! I don't want to be here, I want to be at      home with my Mom. Yes! I'd love to be down there today on     the beach But I got to go to school today.
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Jun 2, 2019
Jun 2, 2019 at 7:45 AM UTC
Early School Days Remembered
My! The beach it looks so cool today With the sun shining down, the tide in The golden sands, the lovely blue sea How I'd love to be down there now,     messing about among the rocks Fishing for ***** looking in the rock     pools Paddling through the water,     swimming out in the tide, Having a picnic with my Mom; she'd     have the blanket laid out For us all to sit upon She'd have lovely scones with butter     and strawberry jam And lovely hot sugary tea And "Go on, go get an ice cream from     the ice cream man". But No! I can't, I've got to go to school     today With this heavy schoolbag strapped to     my back with all my books in it Yea, I got to go to school today and     face the scary teacher The way she shouts at us and     brandishes that ruler of hers And she'll slap you if you don't have     the right answer Scary! Scary! Teacher She's not at all like my Mother, my     Mom she's so soft and kindly..... And she worries a lot I can tell, Mom     you mustn't worry, She looks so sad sometimes I could cry. At school how time, it moves so slow O! I wish, how I wish I didn't have to       go As children we're all thrown together,     it gets so noisy and there's quarrels And some of the bigger boys from the    older classes Their nasty, they push you around     and want to fight with you. Coming back to class from the     toilets sometimes, on my own I stop there & look out the door at     the empty playground The leaves blowing in the wind, the     sparrows busy about And then I look at the school gates and     I think " Beyond those school gates lies Home" How I wish then I could just run home I'd run and I'd run Run past the gates of the houses with     their angry barking dogs I'd run ! Run the whole way, I wouldn't     stop: I want to be at home with my Mom Up in my room with my books, my     comics and toy soldiers. But No! they say the Guard(policeman)     he'd be doing his rounds now And if he was to see you, he'd catch     you And then there'd be trouble then, Big     Big! Trouble!!! Mum would be brought down and Dad     would have to be told too At least, that's what they tell me, More trouble for Mum So I can't - I must go to school then. Yes! I've got to go to school today and     face again the scary teacher At least I got my homework done, but     there's still so much I don't understand...so many things...     so many things to learn, Scary! Scary! Teacher! she never looks     happy She laughs at us and calls us bad     names Just sitting there we tighten up inside,     under her gaze And we pray "please don't ask me,     please don't ask me Please don't call out my name", How we watch that clock up on the     wall Praying for 3 o'clock to arrive. Why is it I had to come to this place?     Why!!! I don't want to be here, I want to be at      home with my Mom. Yes! I'd love to be down there today on     the beach But I got to go to school today.
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96
A tall, elegant wallflower. Her orchid eyes tell a million tales. An expressionless face. A contagious smile. She's easily flushed, and often hides away. I love when she talks, her voice is melodic. Her laugh causes my heart to ache. Her small hands cradling a book. Everything about her makes my heart pound. The curving of her lips. The way she blinks. Her methodical way of thought. I love it all. She's a little messed up, but that's alright. I help her as much as I can. She's scarred, and in pain, but that's okay. She opened up, little by little. Making me proud, and a little flustered. When she brandishes her knife, I feel a sense of fright. But I know that everything will be okay. She's timid, polite and talks quietly. I'm patient with her, she means the world to me. Whenever we touch, my face turns red. But it's okay, because hers does too.
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Nov 21, 2017
Nov 21, 2017 at 9:59 AM UTC
yuri.
I was a mason and am meant for daily wages, With me are helpers, young, old, men and women, And we are the builders, but we do not own the building. Yet, we own the building till the last patch of the masonry. We sleep in the storey; dry our clothes, cook our food; We scatter our belongings and we rule the building a while. People think we’re just masons, but we’re the kings of the construction. They say it’s their home or shop to make money for their ‘statuses, But who is the owner of the property, And no one on earth is the owner of anything. On morning we brush our teeth; clean our bowels; We clean our body; we fill our bowels; And we take our tools to break and cement the walls. The sun sets that we shall crawl to our beds, And our body twisted to stretch out from pain. Every day we the kings till the last patch of our work, And no one questions our stay under the roof. We shall permit even the ‘owner’ of the roof. We become ‘untouchable’ after our last stroke. We make them ‘comfortable’ for their stay with our sweat, And they threw coins at our sweat. Yet we have not lost our kingship, for we shall regain it When we’re called for another construction. We’re happy with our kingship ‘cause we are kings of many homes, But they ‘own’ a bit of the land. None on earth is the owner of the land, For HE Who hath created it is its Owner, And we’re HIS tenants staying a while, And we play gimmicks to mimic the outrageous traitor, And the traitor is the law-breaker, who counteracts the Creator, But in vain he brandishes his sword against the Mighty.
0
Dec 20, 2011
Dec 20, 2011 at 11:34 AM UTC
What an Irony!
I was a mason and am meant for daily wages, With me are helpers, young, old, men and women, And we are the builders, but we do not own the building. Yet, we own the building till the last patch of the masonry. We sleep in the storey; dry our clothes, cook our food; We scatter our belongings and we rule the building a while. People think we’re just masons, but we’re the kings of the construction. They say it’s their home or shop to make money for their ‘statuses, But who is the owner of the property, And no one on earth is the owner of anything. On morning we brush our teeth; clean our bowels; We clean our body; we fill our bowels; And we take our tools to break and cement the walls. The sun sets that we shall crawl to our beds, And our body twisted to stretch out from pain. Every day we the kings till the last patch of our work, And no one questions our stay under the roof. We shall permit even the ‘owner’ of the roof. We become ‘untouchable’ after our last stroke. We make them ‘comfortable’ for their stay with our sweat, And they threw coins at our sweat. Yet we have not lost our kingship, for we shall regain it When we’re called for another construction. We’re happy with our kingship ‘cause we are kings of many homes, But they ‘own’ a bit of the land. None on earth is the owner of the land, For HE Who hath created it is its Owner, And we’re HIS tenants staying a while, And we play gimmicks to mimic the outrageous traitor, And the traitor is the law-breaker, who counteracts the Creator, But in vain he brandishes his sword against the Mighty.
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31
come on sweet heart chin up, don't tear yourself apart, stand tall, even though your 5'6' disregard that , wear your six inch heals and strut with  brutish animosity your a lion whose collar brandishes six inch spikes facing inwards now take of your leather back straps and show them what you've been working on let the sun glint of your scars and make dam sure they know  how you earnt them LG
0
Mar 25, 2015
Mar 25, 2015 at 5:16 PM UTC
Dance little lion, and brandish their whips
The second amendment might As well be the sixty-ninth, for all The life-long days it saves by The transparent and glossy shields Adorning blue-skied uniforms. The strike zone is limited to the Mobility-enhanced limbs, out of Reach of the cardiac plateau, in A line guarded by “I heart NYC” Leftover campaign buttons. Crowds question the timeless yet Disintegrating rhetoric, and they Sing along with misspelled threats To sanguine attempts at love and War, while grade schoolers watch. What’s missing from this libretto Is a slogan like “if they go low, we Go high” and the money to borrow It, or the right to use the copyright, As long as it doesn’t get ****** “Now hear this,” bellows the man in The crow’s nest, stepping in front Of his stepson who brandishes a BB gun proudly in his arms, “the Curfew starts at midnight!” Dona nobis pacem, a canon of Faith, is hummed by the last ranks Of veterans in camouflage, hoping To initiate a temporary calm among The bleak and ****** crew. A clown-faced poet attempts to draw A smile, as she calls for an absentee Ballot, a circuitous frontage road Away from destiny, some think, And a short breath of recess. “Take away their weapons,” hollers A very pregnant woman, who goes Into labor, blaming the guns for her Untimely reward, and for a moment, Just minutes, the midwifery begins. All this while a small coterie of men Gathers, silently taking in the show, Unnoticed in their pretense, but Sporting the heritage caps of the NRA, stars and stripes in their lapels. The disingenuous players in this sad Drama are about to fold their tents, To chicken out, to return to tacos And beer, when stillness breaks, So much so that crickets rule. A small boy crosses the street, his Smile contagious, his gait strong As he approaches the men and Says “I am you before now, be Of peace and good cheer. “My commandments have no Amendments, no magic exceptions, No golden calves, no wicked step- Mothers, only a heart and soul, I am the moral of your story.” © Lewis Bosworth, 2016
0
Sep 24, 2016
Sep 24, 2016 at 6:54 PM UTC
Rubber Bullets
The second amendment might As well be the sixty-ninth, for all The life-long days it saves by The transparent and glossy shields Adorning blue-skied uniforms. The strike zone is limited to the Mobility-enhanced limbs, out of Reach of the cardiac plateau, in A line guarded by “I heart NYC” Leftover campaign buttons. Crowds question the timeless yet Disintegrating rhetoric, and they Sing along with misspelled threats To sanguine attempts at love and War, while grade schoolers watch. What’s missing from this libretto Is a slogan like “if they go low, we Go high” and the money to borrow It, or the right to use the copyright, As long as it doesn’t get ****** “Now hear this,” bellows the man in The crow’s nest, stepping in front Of his stepson who brandishes a BB gun proudly in his arms, “the Curfew starts at midnight!” Dona nobis pacem, a canon of Faith, is hummed by the last ranks Of veterans in camouflage, hoping To initiate a temporary calm among The bleak and ****** crew. A clown-faced poet attempts to draw A smile, as she calls for an absentee Ballot, a circuitous frontage road Away from destiny, some think, And a short breath of recess. “Take away their weapons,” hollers A very pregnant woman, who goes Into labor, blaming the guns for her Untimely reward, and for a moment, Just minutes, the midwifery begins. All this while a small coterie of men Gathers, silently taking in the show, Unnoticed in their pretense, but Sporting the heritage caps of the NRA, stars and stripes in their lapels. The disingenuous players in this sad Drama are about to fold their tents, To chicken out, to return to tacos And beer, when stillness breaks, So much so that crickets rule. A small boy crosses the street, his Smile contagious, his gait strong As he approaches the men and Says “I am you before now, be Of peace and good cheer. “My commandments have no Amendments, no magic exceptions, No golden calves, no wicked step- Mothers, only a heart and soul, I am the moral of your story.” © Lewis Bosworth, 2016
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61
He sings a song so sweet and soft As he strokes your smooth skin He soothes your pain and eases your worries And he blocks out all of the din The light flickers but you are weary Your mind is slowing down Something glints in the corner of your eye But you're too tired to even frown Your vision blurs as you slump to the floor His voice permeates your soul You realise now what was glinting You struggle to rise but can't reach your goal His song has grown sinister and twisted As he brandishes the knife You are helpless and hopeless In the final moments of your life
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Oct 31, 2014
Oct 31, 2014 at 3:33 PM UTC
Lullaby
Her face, deceivingly empty, like that of a mask Concealing what lies beneath Her mask, carved from a slab of marble - Cold, unyielding, stoic, unconquerable She cowers behind it like a suit of armor And brandishes it like a sword against anyone who threatens to come near But in the darkness, she surrenders The mask stripped away to reveal her in all nakedness In solitude, she weeps In solitude, she longs In solitude, she succumbs to weakness - Vulnerable, bare, exposed, trembling Come daylight, the mask is on again Deceivingly empty, concealing, hiding Nobody sees beyond the mask No one hears the silent cry or the whoop of elation No one sees her eyes light up or witness her break down in grief No one feels her longing, no one sees her pain All they see is the mask.
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Jun 7, 2010
Jun 7, 2010 at 2:56 AM UTC
Untitled
a Halloween standout in a costume that bellows in neither lake that clouds their garnishment that brews the heathen in this gallery only to bear false witness with euphoria that brandishes the wine here
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Oct 19, 2018
Oct 19, 2018 at 10:15 AM UTC
brandish hollow
Whenever I think of putting pen to paper Intangible thoughts into words And translating the foreign tongue of my heart My body starts to shake, my cold blood begins to boil And tears fill my eyes, but they refuse to flow Explaining depression is like trying to conquer writers block Unfortunately, I suffer from both To my parents, I’m just stressed To my siblings it’s typical me And to my friends, it’s taking a joke too far My mother says she doesn’t understand Depression doesn’t exist in her culture, but patriarchy does So, I smile and say it’s nothing, but the ***** in me rears her ugly head and screams ‘Look at me, don’t you recognise the face you wake up to everyday The feelings you were taught to stomp out and ground down for your husband’s morning coffee I am you…’ But the coward in me smothers these silent pleas My father is more eloquent than my mother He brandishes words as if they were swords But throws them like poison daggers, twice as deadly So, he twists and mangles my words, skewering my perception The heart’s silent screams turning into never ending tears, turning into rivers of blood I tell him how much I despise him and how I wish I were dead But one look at my mother’s stricken face, her warning glare, Reduces my courage into ash and I degrade myself further with an apology My siblings are a confusing, unpredictable bunch My brothers don’t know what’s going on, but they understand How I envy their innocence and ignorance My older sisters are more complicated One is my rock, the only thing keeping me from ending it all She says she’s been here before, that I need to be strong and that she understands But that only makes me feel guilty for never being there for her She’s leaving home soon and all I can think is ‘What about me?’ Our eldest sister is a nassistic sociopath She thinks she’s helping… Now I don’t have many ‘friends’, but I do have a Best Friend When I tell her that I’m depressed, she doesn’t ask me why On most days, she’s my polar opposite, the Yin to my Yang She’s as skinny as I am fat, loves horror movies which I hate She can’t stand anime, this is her only flaw But on some days our stars align And it’s eerie how much our life experiences mirror each other To my other friends I just laugh everything off As if curing this emptiness was as easy as getting over a broken heart
0
May 29, 2019
May 29, 2019 at 7:33 AM UTC
Explaining Depression
Whenever I think of putting pen to paper Intangible thoughts into words And translating the foreign tongue of my heart My body starts to shake, my cold blood begins to boil And tears fill my eyes, but they refuse to flow Explaining depression is like trying to conquer writers block Unfortunately, I suffer from both To my parents, I’m just stressed To my siblings it’s typical me And to my friends, it’s taking a joke too far My mother says she doesn’t understand Depression doesn’t exist in her culture, but patriarchy does So, I smile and say it’s nothing, but the ***** in me rears her ugly head and screams ‘Look at me, don’t you recognise the face you wake up to everyday The feelings you were taught to stomp out and ground down for your husband’s morning coffee I am you…’ But the coward in me smothers these silent pleas My father is more eloquent than my mother He brandishes words as if they were swords But throws them like poison daggers, twice as deadly So, he twists and mangles my words, skewering my perception The heart’s silent screams turning into never ending tears, turning into rivers of blood I tell him how much I despise him and how I wish I were dead But one look at my mother’s stricken face, her warning glare, Reduces my courage into ash and I degrade myself further with an apology My siblings are a confusing, unpredictable bunch My brothers don’t know what’s going on, but they understand How I envy their innocence and ignorance My older sisters are more complicated One is my rock, the only thing keeping me from ending it all She says she’s been here before, that I need to be strong and that she understands But that only makes me feel guilty for never being there for her She’s leaving home soon and all I can think is ‘What about me?’ Our eldest sister is a nassistic sociopath She thinks she’s helping… Now I don’t have many ‘friends’, but I do have a Best Friend When I tell her that I’m depressed, she doesn’t ask me why On most days, she’s my polar opposite, the Yin to my Yang She’s as skinny as I am fat, loves horror movies which I hate She can’t stand anime, this is her only flaw But on some days our stars align And it’s eerie how much our life experiences mirror each other To my other friends I just laugh everything off As if curing this emptiness was as easy as getting over a broken heart
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44
You coated your words in spice; fragrant lies perfuse deep inside. Wrapped and bundled and brandished in bouquets of flowering excuses. You’ve taught me a lesson; after letting those words of yours taint the inside of my head, dripping into my heart. Spoilage, wasted. Never could you have committed any crime more cruel. When your flowers wilt and fade, when your spices turn rancid, I will know what it was. You never loved me at all. You can replace me in days. Find a new love to call. Apparently she fills the voids I couldn’t anymore. Take those fanciful dreams of yours, of you and me and memories, and bury them alongside what’s left of me. I don’t need to be pulled along into your little playground; your little fair, exhibit, of times gone by when we once touched. Just know that I’m still the one who took you exploring. I’m the one who offered you a different revolution. I’m the one you worshipped naked before you not very long ago. And you, girl. I can only offer you such sympathy. Because you’ve opened yourself to the same shadow, the predator in all loves; the one that toys and bends and preys on that vulnerable little parcel of yours. The one that beats for him. But don’t forget it also beats for you. And do you really want him to tease and taunt and hold that thing? Poor girl. When he brandishes that same bouquet at your door, you know it’s time, poor thing.
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Aug 4, 2016
Aug 4, 2016 at 2:56 AM UTC
Excuses
In Science class he brandishes the stick of wood, alight at the tip, wafts it against the balloon’s skin, his students awaiting the expulsion of colour, a bang to jangle the eardrums. He moves in, the pumpkin flame prods the hollow shape and it vanishes in a second of a second to a spiral of fire, the sound spreading through the room faster than teenage gossip.
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Oct 12, 2016
Oct 12, 2016 at 11:18 AM UTC
Atomic Number One
Don’t open the door Mary Look after those children upstairs When they cry your name in the night Cause they will As you know better than anyone Don’t open the door Mary When the man calls out your name All gentle and soothing Like a preacher at the altar But it’s not him Don’t open the door Mary Cause hes not the man you knew Resist the curiosity wriggling inside you Ignore him calling outside As he brandishes his knife Don’t open the door Mary To the familiar voice you hear Things have changed inside him A strangeness has taken over Now a darkness waits at your door Don’t open the door Mary Just sit and wait in your chair Eat the beautiful chicken resting on the plate Drink the wine velvet in its glass And dream on this beautiful evening Don’t open the door Mary As he’s banging on the door Cry into the night if you need to And let god listen to your head Let him save your soul tonight
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Jul 28, 2018
Jul 28, 2018 at 5:05 PM UTC
Don’t open the door Mary
windows open in winter lonely, hiemal caress I feel my veins curl wilt like pulled ribbon they cramp under the muscle cold stifling the crimson the blood collects in my cheeks pools there; potent, pressing but he brandishes the pain – I watch him thrash the world off of the hems of his cuffs offer a fist to his cries I watch him dance around his ills like they are open flame around his feet bold, loudmouth his thoughts bounce right from the brim of his broken lips with no caution; it is to the wind only a fool could be so confident
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Apr 16, 2018
Apr 16, 2018 at 6:30 PM UTC
white knuckle