"downsides" poems
Oh look, you've finally said it
But what took you so long ?
After all this time crying,
I'm hurt enough to write a song.
Why couldn't you just say it before,
Before I changed my mind,
Is that only an excuse for leaving,
Or do I have to consider it like a sign ?
Is this some kind of grudge
You've been holding onto ?
Or are you being honest,
And you want me back with you ?
I don't quite understand how
You can pour those feelings out now
I'm burning from the inside,
You make me feel so down.
In my mind there's that fire,
That just wouldn't go out
I don't believe you really know
What you're talking about
And now I'll just burn, burn, burn,
Burn from the inside
The flames are reignited
I'm just seeing the downsides
You're making me burn again,
Starting from where you left me
Coming back for another round,
I'm ready for it don't you worry.
Sep 4, 2013
Sep 4, 2013 at 1:59 PM UTC
Gifted
Gifted means nothing to people who do not know
I don’t even know the proper definition
Strange that I do not know a part of myself?
I think not.
C’est la vie – such is life
But why must only a few be burdened with this white elephant?
Yes, a white elephant
For although termed a gift, it comes with its own price
On my school’s website, on the gifted page, there is a file
This file, entitled, giftedness; a different kind of normal
Aptly named I think
The upsides? Exactly me.
The downsides? All perfectly describe me as well
My ‘gifted’ friends are just the same
Why is this a gift if it sets us back in our standardized culture?
Sure, I ace the tests, but I can’t start projects until last minute
All because of my perfectionist side
I am a ‘deep thinker’
But I hate deadlines because they limit the
Time I spend on a good, fascinating subject
I’m considered to have the ability to motivate people
But it always comes out bossy
I'm supposed to have high standards and expectations(which I do)
But these fail me when I cannot reach them myself
Causing insecurity
These traits and numerous others all belong to my kind, the 'gifted' kids
I've noticed we're all socially inept, awkward, clumsy
To some degree or another
And I suppose this analytically mindedness comes along with my plethora of troubles
I'm supposed to have many interests, and this is true
But it also prevents me from knowing exactly what I want
I'm supposed to be very focused, detail oriented
But I cannot stand the slightest disturbance
These gifts are deemed part of the 'gifted' personality
Why can't I be normal for a change?
Being gifted really singles you out
Such a small group of us in my school
Almost all are best friends
As no one can understand us better than others just like ourselves
But why can't everyone be gifted?
Dec 11, 2012
Dec 11, 2012 at 7:16 PM UTC
To the boy who wants to travel the world.
I remember being younger and spinning my globe around with my fingertips touching the equator. I remember thinking that I wanted to go everywhere. I wanted to step on every patch of land, swim in every drop of ocean, and look up at every single cloud in the sky. But then I got older, and I realized how harsh and cynical this world could be. I got older and wondered if I would never even step foot out of my hometown in fear of what else was out there.
To the boy who wants to travel the world.
I hope it's beautiful. I hope that it gives you chills in your spine and provides new breath in your lungs. I hope you get knocked down--hard. But I hope you have the courage to get right back up and keep moving on. I hope you find a new perspective looking at life through the under glass of a broken bottle. I hope you meet people who touch your life in tender ways, because I know you'll touch everyone else's.
To the boy who wants to travel the world.
There's going to be downsides to every situation, no matter where you are. There will be consequences from roaming in any area. But I will tell you this. If traveling was easy, every human being would do it. There will be days that you'll just want to hide under the covers, but I know that you'll keep pushing on.
To the boy who wants to travel the world.
You are beautiful. You are beautiful and don't you ever forget that. No matter what side of the world you're on, no matter how many miles or mere inches are separating us, none of that matters. But what does matter is that I love you. And I want you to be happy. So travel the world until your heart is content, and I truly do hope that you find what you're looking for.
(Even if you're just looking for yourself.)
Dec 25, 2013
Dec 25, 2013 at 12:52 PM UTC
When drinking far too much and then some more
Expected downsides documented well
Rough ride in psyche, body, gut, and heart
Specific atrophy in frontal brain
Quick charm and nutty humour now all shell
These changes, bad alone, but all combined
Resulting rolling snowball to a curse
No more the looming risks are sharp perceived
No more a likely readiness to change
Slow-building damage cures cannot reverse...
*The body
then the brain
then the readiness to change*
In adding to the insults body-wise
Dear close relationships will suffer ill
And ringing loud the chant of "change yourself"
while far and getting further from the change
All options feel like holds against thin will
The heavy stigma punches surely down
More evidence for judging soul as dirt
Not worthy of the care or patient time
That social justice would dictate for all
No room for being tricky, lost, and hurt...
*The stigma
then the hurt
then the treating you like dirt*
And even those with training in support
Will waver, shifty, turn their gaze away
Unable to identify the soul
That suffer-trembles underneath the mask
The clowning chaos, drink-besmirched display
And carers left to weep and wonder why
Should care be so impossible to give
Your daughter damaged, injured in the fight
With drowned despair and stigma-staking rage
Sad, wounding warmth that shame will long outlive...
*The weeping
then the care
then the shaming and despair*
"We just can't help if you can't change yourself"
So in this caring, wounding, weeping storm
Just conjure up the readiness to change
Or cede to judgement, shifting gaze, and blame
Feb 17, 2025
Feb 17, 2025 at 1:00 AM UTC
perhaps I'm just alice walking sideways & upsides downsides through this rabbit hole
not a downfall, a ****** to the core of the earth
but an upfall (make me bright, I can see colour & roses) to the dimension
where the creatures have
stainless steel hearts
nobody ever hurts
unless the queen begs to differ
when her corset is revealed to be
suffocating her wicked waist
the jabberwocky seeks vengeance & a chance to breathe fire
"off with her head," is the threat from the enemy
but an escape is in sight
a little locked door
chesire smiles' a menacing grin
a crescent moon in the black night
it doesn't matter where you go if you don't know where you're going
a cake platter with "eat me" on a card in front
home? what is that?
tweedledee & tweedledum
mad hattee, tea, dormouse
and an unbirthday anthem sung
lacking gravity or worldly law
along the dining table for the quirks
and fablesome creatures of wonderland
-cj
Aug 24, 2014
Aug 24, 2014 at 4:15 PM UTC
Times long past
As is my youth
Were they truly better times
Than now?
In a lot of respects yes
Cleaner air, fresher food
A slower pace of life
True those days also had downsides
No convenience stores
Or late night shopping
Now in these modern days
A world of high-speed technology
Internet used for child ****
Used to dehumanise and radicalize
A time when text talk is the norm
When youth can rarely spell
Rarely write letters with ink and pen
And yet even with my old world views
I have embraced the modern ways
For they have opened a new universe
And so with poets of the world
I can now converse
And share with them a love of words
Feb 8, 2015
Feb 8, 2015 at 11:27 AM UTC
I live in a mirror and prey on the weak,
My flaws are fixated and clear.
I stutter an mumble whenever I speak,
My voice always trembles with fear.
A blemish or twelve can be seen on my face,
and they sure as hell won't go away.
These problems and faults just consume all the space,
Where my positive aspects should stay.
But what would I know, I'm as dull as a spoon,
Any edges are certainly downsides,
My laugh is obnoxious, my smile appears hewn,
and to think that I dare go outside.
When I talk I assume that they think I'm a freak,
When they probably liked what they heard,
So it gets to the point where I don't want to speak
and that silence says more than my words.
I don't keep in contact or give them a call,
Might as well just cut short the demise.
They're far above me, yeah they stand far to tall,
I won't ever hang out with those guys.
So now I've no lovers, no contacts or friends,
My head now has never been clearer.
A moment of solitude spent never ends
When I'm sat staring back at the mirror.
But when I'm alone I exist less and less,
Until I am merely me.
I realize that I'm far more than a mess,
I am only who I want to be.
I speak what I think and my smile can uplift,
and I am actually quite a good person,
My looks are the wrapper that come with the gift
Things are better, they don't need to worsen.
A moment to love me is all that it took,
To disregard all imperfections.
I would rather have seven years of bad luck
Than live in a fear of reflections.
Nov 12, 2017
Nov 12, 2017 at 6:27 PM UTC
weakened by the lack of you
my heart needs to take a step back or two.
my idea of happiness begins and ends with you.
but your frightening downsides
which, like land mines-
create a wisely hesitant mind
that tells me not to take a chance on you.
and god, i've been trying to trust my gut
but every time i see you
my ovaries override and interrupt.
shucks me back into this same old rut
and that's just female luck.
see, i'm to cautious and to conflicted
too self conscious and restricted
and overall i'm afraid you feel inflicted
by my extreme addiction.
Nov 12, 2013
Nov 12, 2013 at 2:29 AM UTC
There was a vacant lot in space,
And I was interested in that.
It was a little spendy,
But the view was incredible,
So I bought it out from under a man I didn't know.
I felt just a little bit bad.
I moved right up,
Set my belongings on the lawn.
I'd heard it would be cold, that empty lot in space,
But it wasn't so bad,
And the view was incredible.
I unpacked and organized my things on that lawn,
Made all of grass.
There was no house up there.
They asked me why I'd moved there,
To a houseless lot in space,
And I'd tell them two truths:
"I wanted to be a little more alone," I'd say,
"And I wanted to see everyone at once."
They countered with downsides,
With hunger, thirst, and love,
And they were right,
But the view was incredible,
And I couldn't leave that behind.
I was a little more alone,
And a little more cold and thin.
I was a little more tired,
And my empty lot in space was a square among circles,
Just like me.
But I looked down at my old house,
That shape where I used to live,
And I saw everyone at once,
Lit up by stars.
The view was incredible.
Nov 20, 2013
Nov 20, 2013 at 1:16 AM UTC
There are downsides to living in a small time,
And I’ve seen every single one of them
Because there are only so many roads you can go down
And so many store corners you can duck into to avoid seeing that one person
There are only so many ways to get home
And only so many houses
And when you’ve been in the same place since you were born, there are only so many ghosts you can outrun
And these days
I’m getting really tired
Nov 13, 2015
Nov 13, 2015 at 3:40 PM UTC
This is what comes of it, living abroad
you become used to programmes
talking about what it's like to shop
somewhere & the upkeep of capitalism
that very much has downsides
just as back home, communism had.
And now your prime minister is cutting
aid to the sick, disabled & the poor
& is almost shouting
' Arbeit macht frei'
from the Westminster rooftops
& calling in psychiatrists
to label those unwilling
to work as 'mentally ill'
e.g one step from ' undesirable',
which is, ironically, a similar thing
to what they did back home
while an aged Lord takes drugs
with prostitutes & an MP
claims hundreds of thousands in expenses
'Arbeit mach frei' ( germ) - a **** slogan, roughly translates as ' Work gives freedom'.
Jul 29, 2015
Jul 29, 2015 at 7:51 AM UTC
Today, I see
the world's centerfold,
telling me
everyone's problems,
from the death of
a mother's first born,
to the loss of a small bill,
losing your midnight
snack privileges,
to losing your father
to God's mercy.
And staring at
this centerfold,
I can't help but
crack a little smile,
maybe lough a bit,
because I can't help but think
that through all my sorrow,
all my downsides
and negative thoughts,
I remember how
no matter how bad
my life can be,
all my ups and downs,
I will rise in the end
and I will be around
those who love me.
And to those people,
I thank you.
Apr 3, 2013
Apr 3, 2013 at 10:41 AM UTC
I hate wearing bikini's or one pieces.
Instead, I rock out in swim trunks and a surf tee.
I hate wearing my hair down or all made up.
Instead, I stroll in a faux hawk.
I hate wearing a bra.
Instead, oh wait. I HAVE TO...
The downsides of being a tom boy.
Mar 27, 2013
Mar 27, 2013 at 10:55 PM UTC
I saw the whole of the inside of you from the hole in your side.
I stood beside and watched you fight
Hand in hand side by side
I wanted my insides to show
On the outside
Too many downsides making up for the upsides
Everything turned upside down
My insides had turned inside out
Did my pain on the outside show
Your pain on the inside
I saw the whole of you from the hole in your side
I've let you see the other side of me
The whole of me.
That is the upside to the downside of the hole in your side.
Jun 18, 2015
Jun 18, 2015 at 6:13 PM UTC
We are masters, not slaves,
not even to our brains.
All until the empire caved through mental anguish,
and the terror-filled thought first entered humankind mind,
you have been the enslaved, not the master.
Mentally losing control in all believed,
through streamlining a connective world and thought,
it seems we've all been deceived.
No single stream is achieved,
Not every imaginative wish was truly dreamed,
communication is a constant drowning without an esteemed regal theme team.
No matter if too much or too little,
our mind enters new lands from false provocations from foolish and progressive new minds.
Youth and old somehow learning intellectual finds,
understanding emotions is the mojo in the potion.
We're all the same kinds, same minds, race with color blinds.
Often though, no hope to cope,
no sign of mental help in poverty folks anywhere in sight,
we just stare at the moonlight,
praying for a wealthy snakebite.
Distraction from your inner-gleaming.
Don't think, let thoughts flow like a calm stream,
as inevitable chaos ensues with persistence in the mind,
the normal overwhelming of the mind,
you realize that we have made
a flawless design.
Yet, with one door open behind,
a coup to unwind.
Only the owner of their mind has the full power to control, cope, and turn the tide.
Those types of people who understand that there are inevitable downsides,
but view them simply as realities benign.
Viewed as a part of the intellectual process and our life ride.
,
Annihilate your ego, and let emotion become your bride,
spark the fire and light inside a pure soul filled with love and empathy.
Understand the Jekyll and Hyde hiding inside the mind will never disappear or fully hide,
yet fight and become no longer terrified,
only mesmerized.
The truth is clear and here,
no more anxiety, worry, fear, just....here.
You drift and physically drop down in pure peace,
understanding you've just completed a mental masterpiece.
Full with a new sensation of content masterfully mixed with enlightenment,
thus, begins the personal journey,
a subjective mental exploration of a new frontier.
Aug 14, 2020
Aug 14, 2020 at 3:27 AM UTC
Coming to one morning
My dreamy eyes espied
The moon reflected in a spoon
The tea had sunshine in the cup
The plate of toast was sea
The fire of love was in my heart
And lived along with me
My daily chore was simple
To make the seasons bright
To come and face the morning
After uncertainty of night.
Keep smiling through the daytime
Make contact with your self
Avoid the downsides in the way
Especially your wealth
Life has many promises
Most may not agree
That always there is cheerfulness
Along the road you see.
Make every day your challenge
And smile if you are sad
It's rarely quite as nasty
Or anything like as bad.
Feb 13, 2015
Feb 13, 2015 at 7:25 PM UTC
I've seen things, been through things
Things no one wants to think of
I got my downsides, bright sides
A smile you won't forget
But it will always be the cover-up
Of a live full of regrets
I wish you could walk in my shoes
See what this god puts me through
I'm not strong enough
And i tired of pretending i am
Put on my shoes take it over
Free me from my mind
Trying to fit in in this outcast world
Struggling with myself
Will i be loved
Would you like what you see
Will you stay here with me
Or just leave
As damaged as i am
too weak to even love myself
Please love me
Hold me
Maybe it would help
Apr 23, 2015
Apr 23, 2015 at 3:31 AM UTC
My heart is a special thing
it can heal itself
it can do many things for me
it can hold my feelings
it can even hold a person!
these are the upsides,though
and with upsides comes downsides
so these are them
it can be taken
it holds my sorrow
and my fustrations
it holds my anger and confusion
and it holds me together
Dec 4, 2011
Dec 4, 2011 at 12:30 AM UTC
Why do bad things happen?"
“Why does evil exist?”
“Why is the world becoming more sinful everyday?”
These are questions that are asked on a regular basis and it is proven that no answer is perfect enough to respond with. It is healthy to question the sadism on earth and it is normal to be concerned about all of the evil that took and is taking place in history. But a question that is asked very seldom today is, “why do good things happen?”
I think cancer is the most talked about killer in all of the world. It’s murderous, it’s dreadful, and unfortunately, there is no way to stop it. Humans do not have control over some bad things, like cancer. We physically cannot stop the spreading of diseases in a moment’s notice like how we would like to. Bad things WILL happen and some of those things will be out of our control.
Take thunderstorms, for example. We cannot physically halt the demolition of a thunderstorm and we have no control over what it annihilates. But, the one thing we can control is our reaction. Humans can control reactions. Do we rush for shelter? Do we pretend that its power to destroy every fabric of the city is nonexistent? Do we panic? Do we hide our loved ones first? We control the answers to these questions.
The beauty of life falls under the definition of a storm passing. The bad things are temporary. The bad things will always pass and once they do, it leaves another muscle in our hearts. Every lightning strike, every roar of thunder, every gray cloud, and every rainy day prepares us for the next storm. Our reaction to the eradication will be much more courageous than our last. Maybe we’ll know a quicker route to shelter. Maybe we’ll think in a greater sense of serenity. Maybe we’ll know a better position to be in, in order for the storm to not hurt us. The second time around we will take more advantage of what we can do to allay the storms in our lives. The bad things in life will always promise strength.
"Why do the good things happen?" is a question that is very rarely asked.
And well, good things happen because they are supposed to.
It was never God’s intention to make a world that consisted of bad. It was never in His heart to have sin enter the world because good always originates from the source of God. Goodness is God and Love is God, as well. And since Love is God, He gives us the choice to do whatever is in our will. If we love someone, we will not program them into robots, where we control every move they make. If we love someone, we will give them the freedom to perform any action they would like. So when man decided to bring sin in the world, God did not stop it from happening because He loved man so much that He was compelled to let him do whatever man wanted. Before man’s decision to sin, God made sure the world was spotless. But since His love gives us a choice, we chose to bring sin in the world.
Bad things happen because it was chosen by us to let them happen. Sometimes, we cannot control the bad things in the world but we can control our reactions. The downsides in life will never fail to be a life lesson, will never fail to soften our hearts if they need to be a softened and toughen our hearts if they need to be toughened. There is no telling when a bad thing will occur and we are allowed to acknowledge its jeopardy. But, the second time around, we will be prepared. The bad times only strengthen us.
Feb 23, 2015
Feb 23, 2015 at 9:22 PM UTC
I'm as stubborn as my father,
and as paranoid as my mother.
I'm a product of my parents.
This is what they left me.
I'm begrudging and cold,
tired and impatient,
and terrified to walk alone at night.
I'm a product of my parents.
This is what they left me.
But I'm no-nonsense and selective,
and that has fared me well.
I've been forced into humility,
until humility is what I am.
And I have no eye for the temporal.
And since my mother bore me,
I sing too loud,
and love too hard.
All the while with paranoia
- but stubbornness.
Because I'm a product of my parents.
And this is what they left me.
Feb 8, 2017
Feb 8, 2017 at 8:36 PM UTC
I swear, my parents act like they were never teens in a pandemic growing up.
I was watching “Perry Mason,” an HBO show set in the 1930s. Perry gets mail out of his mailbox and I think “no GLOVES??” This pandemic has a hold of me.
6:30am I’m finishing my shower - wrapping my hair in a towel.
Mom: from my room “I have something for you!”
Me: “OK.” (I’m curious)
I step out of the shower, wrap on a towel, and my mom steps up and gives me a flu shot without so much as a “by your leave.” Dr. Surprise strikes again.
My arm hurts =/
Writing a paper, on my computer, in class - I try to use the perfect word but I spell it so badly the spell checker gives up and in effect, says “I got nothin’.” I switch words.
Telling a girl to calm down is like trying to put a cat in a tub.
My parents think every guy I talk to is my boyfriend.
If I’m texting and smiling my parents think I have a boyfriend.
I say, I don’t know” when I don’t care.
For ALL of its downsides virtual school is better because:
My two BFF and I have a facetime call going ALL school day so
we can say snarky things about everyone..
I can listen to music on my headphones during classes.
I have multiple screens so I can web-surf during classes.
I don’t have to wear shoes or a skirt!
I can put a video up so it looks like I’m paying attention.
I can snack/take a bathroom break whenever I want to.
I don’t have to carry a backpack or make locker stops.
I can be late or leave early and blame it on “tech issues”.
Sep 4, 2020
Sep 4, 2020 at 6:24 AM UTC
There is a difference between pretence and adaptation
Your mind constantly in motion
Emotions,
Rising up to the occasions
Changing,
Depending on different sitiations.
...
To the British I speak English
To the Polish, I speak Polish
To the rich, I’m rich
And not just in manner of speech
It's not pretence
It just makes sense
Adapting to every situation
A constant change with diverse emotions
Not just an illusion
There are established illustrations
...
To everything there are two sides
Upsides and downsides
What I call adaptation
Some call pretence
When I give an illustration
Some come to my defence
My aspiration to be better than I am
My conviction to change who I am
Has turned into deception
Leaving behind frustration.
...
The constant changes has its effect
Some might call it a defect
Just like trying to learn 10 languages at the same time
In the end all you have is half-baked knowledge not worth a dime.
A current situation
To which there is no solution
Adapt?
Or pretend?
You decide if this is a upside,
Or a down side.
In the end, a position you must take,
“I am Half-baked.”
Dec 7, 2018
Dec 7, 2018 at 3:22 AM UTC