"inhalers" poems
When I was younger, I had asthma.
I remember that suffocating feeling.
The panic, anxiety, nervousness striking my system all at once.
I never wanted to feel that again.
Fast-forward 20 years later, you came along.
The overwhelming feeling of asthma has come back.
I can't breathe.
You are asphyxiating me.
Yet, I find excuses, inhalers, to tolerate you...to keep you near.
Is it worth filling my lungs with chemicals just so that they can expand and contract?
Jun 16, 2016
Jun 16, 2016 at 4:23 PM UTC
He stood on the mountaintop facing north
Calling winds ,water and fire forth
He the white wizard and patron of the earth.
His rival conjured up all below the ground
Where souls burned and evil abounds
He was of a black moon and dead stars
Who was forbidden to enter heavens gates
On their knees they prayed for victory
The white wizard to the one in the skies
The black wizard to he who abides in the underworld
Where sinful souls do lie
North south east west
Chants muttered under their breath
Star covered staffs raised to the sky
The war for humanity had begun
Turn round facing each other
Now it was the destined hour
Commanding bolts of lightening
Through the air with just a glance
Spells, charms, ancient runes
Spirits cackle and rant
Now come the anger of the destroyer
He too had his tricks of conjure
A wall of poisonous smoke thick and deadly
From his fingertips came the cobra and adder
Inhalers of the soul attacked
Cursed snakes of the mind
The white wizard had the words of the holy
The power of the almighty on his side
It was a terrible battle
And it could have been the end of it all
Had the victory gone to the black wizard
The sun drop from its kingdom and fall
Though goodness and purity do not always prevail
On this day of conflict between the darkness and the light
Weakened the dark wizard could not overcome
And was forced to kneel before the wizard in white
But it was agreed between them
As each signed his name in blood
They would meet again in time
On the battlefield of evil and good
The white wizard and the black
This poem is copyrighted and stored in author base. All material subject to Copyright Infringement laws
Section 512(c)(3) of the U.S. Copyright
Act, 17 U.S.C. S512(c)(3),
Tammy M Darby
Jul 31, 2013
Jul 31, 2013 at 9:56 PM UTC
I watched her tilt the cup
gently towards her lips
Sipping on her favorite tea—
one made of and for thought.
A late evening of craving kicks in once more.
Letting her eyes settle
on blank pages
of her renowned thick journal.
Yes, I whispered to myself,
Stay this way.
Keep thinking,
keep writing,
keep living.
She continuous in little furies
of the same drink order
and of colorful scribbles,
tearing little pieces of herself
(printed with her personality)
to stick onto the paper.
How much more ink will she bleed,
how much more tea leaves will she drink
to drown out her sorrows,
akin to those inhalers of burning leaves?
Among the words which sustain you,
overdose is the only one which doesn't exist.
You are addicted to tea,
to the world around you,
and to the words around you.
This is you, and this is how you live,
with an end waiting for you,
despite knowing it's only the beginning
whenever you hold your pen.
Your mind, tongue and hands will fade,
but your thoughts and words
will live on forever.
Aug 7, 2017
Aug 7, 2017 at 7:40 PM UTC
Thursday Morning
Check out my books www.amazon.com/author/richardratliff
Morning comes now
With no alarm no razors edge
Splash of warm water and a brush
Yesterday's slacks are clean
Instant coffee then
Inhalers, pills stool softener
Morning news email and Facebook
Breakfast from the drive through
Trash set out at the curb
It must be Thursday
Unless yesterday was a holiday
Have to ponder this
Must exercise on the treadmill
Twenty minutes slow walk
Some days more some less
Just keep moving is a goal
Guess I'll work on a poem
At least for a while
Till its time
To get my poppy seeds
From television for the afternoon
Evening news
It is Thursday
Better bring in the cans
Before harvesting the poppies
On tonight's cable
Copyright 2016
Richard L Ratliff
Aug 5, 2016
Aug 5, 2016 at 5:19 PM UTC
I write this with little force,
Autocorrect guiding my words;
Inhalers keeping this curse at bay,
Blades making blood flow.
I think of now with little hope,
Without a saving grace;
I think of now, a pitch-black room
With no one there but my demons.
Flurry of words seem to gush out of me,
As I hyperventilate;
Grief grows larger as they don't notice,
As these fingers grow numb.
I don't know how much I'll last,
Might as well collapse,
No matter how much I say I'll die,
I'll just live some time again.
But now it's worse.
Oct 2, 2017
Oct 2, 2017 at 8:01 AM UTC
You said I made the best mint parfaits,
was part of the cutest couple
wearing my urban cowboy duds
with the sous chef.
We'd immerse ourselves in the suds
at the ritual roundup,
stick amyl nitrate inhalers
up our noises & wait for the rush
to take hold.
I was never bold enough
to cross over the line,
enter never never land
& besides,
it really wasn't my style.
But I'm told
those were the days,
the days when we'd smile
wider than the universe.
May 1, 2014
May 1, 2014 at 5:00 AM UTC
Trembling hands remind me of the wind that blows with flair,
While the moonlight forbodes the coming nights with despair.
Loneliness is a cruel joke,
Lord, has thou forgotten me?
Silence once broken is more often than not- unkindly beautiful,
Some people lack the air that should biologically crush their lungs,
They are not forced to breathe,
While the rest of us,
Require more than just inhalers just to proceed.
Jun 19, 2015
Jun 19, 2015 at 5:26 PM UTC
I can't afford your death right now.
We gotta schedule somewhere between the next 50 to 60 years
Or maybe we stop being friends. And even then, I still couldn't afford it until the next 20 or so years.
At the least.
A funeral costs about $5000
Your death costs a chunk of my soul
Your death would shatter my mind
I'd spend a lifetime trying to pick up all the broken pieces,
And every time, getting cut by the glass
Your death costs a lifetime of hair dye from going gray before my time
Do you know how many inhalers I'd have fo buy?
I'd forget how to breathe without you
If you died, I'd have to pay more for gas every week
I'd go out of my way not to drive by your house everyday
I'd need to invest in an IV
Something to replenish myself after all the tears
I'd spend a fortune,
Spend a whole lifetime
Trying to get you out of my head
It's like paying someone to remove a stain off my brain
And that **** isnt cheap
So I can't afford your death
But if something does happen to you
And you leave me to handle the bill
I'll have to pay for a bigger coffin
Because I'm just gonna climb in next to you
Dec 21, 2019
Dec 21, 2019 at 2:35 AM UTC