H  ow is it possible to have so much hate
A  midst all of those that I’m ordered to love.
T  orn by the need to stay here and fight-
R  eeling from weakness I thought I’d outlived,
E  dging towards a fall I must stop, I’m
D  odging the arrows, to keep keeping on.

F  rightened that I’m not as young or as smart,
O  lder than I ought to be at my age, I’m
R  emembering when I wielded weapons of youth.

M  y  armies of wit were were invincible then,
Y  et now only shadows of warriors past.

E  nemies bumping the sore spots they caused me, with
N  ever a thought or respect for my toil, I
E  nvy their callous neglect of my pain and
M  emorize odes to the loathing I feel.
I   light bonfires of hatred and hope not to get burned
E  scaping through tunnels of madness and fear into
S  afer environs where I can breathe free.
                                  ljm

Away:

Perplexed
Eternally
Remembering
Sounds
Of
N**othing

Distracted
is how I remember feeling when I
saw your eyes sparkle in the fading light,
too young, so naive,
remembering that summer is
accompanied by a rush of emotion,
complete with lust, regret, and it
taught me so much,
even to this day I find myself
d**istracted.

Remembering
Every time I wish the mirror would just
Fall into pieces and shatter, I
Lost myself,
Every inch, wanting to
Cry because
The pain
I** felt within was so excruciating it
Opened my heart & pierced through,
Never had I screamed so hard

Never getting a full nights rest,
Imagining what if, had we tried our best.
Gathered thoughts come day and night,
Haunting me, with all their might.
Thinking back to the times we had,
Memories only, of your face so sad.
All the good times are never near,
Remembering the negative, is a constant fear.
Everything's a mess and no good thoughts keeping,
S*eeing you only; as my nightmares come creeping.

- James Arce

T** he
O pen wounds
R emembering
N ever to let you in again

R** emembering
A ll the drops whenever
I would look outside and wondered,
N ever thought I would hear my own

Having
Everything bottled up inside
And
Remembering
The times it couldn't take anymore