"redact" poems
I am a poem on a piece of paper...
folded into an airplane and tossed across a room.
No one saw it pass by, or had the chance to read it.
No one realized or understood.
For that brief moment, though...i flew.
The air in the room passed through its folds, and lifted me upward.
There was pressure from above, pushing down on its fragile wings.
The two opposing forces, acting against one another.
For a short time it was beautiful.
It was chaos. It was stability.
It was my whole life.
It was everything I’ll ever know. It was everything I never knew.
It was faux. It was true.
I wonder sometimes if it landed safely.
Did it crash into the corner, somewhere underneath the bed?
Do the words on the page mean the same thing they did?
Open it. You tell me...is one and one and one, still three?
Am I living or dying? Am I grinning? Smiling?
Are they just as much different as they are the same?
Am I just as much tested, as playing a game?
I feel it all pointless. I hope the words change. I pray all the letters redact and betray.
Let the trees be the grass. Let the deserts run dry.
Let the heartaches be clean breaks, and beggars deny.
I am convinced now I wrote this. I can’t recall why.
I guess the means to an end made my first the last try.
the one and only time...
Like the time I fell down for a decade in love…
turning out to be time simply splitting us up.
Like the road through the forest that cut through the trees…
the journey to safety is dangerous indeed...
For that brief moment, though…we choose.
We go left. We go right. We stay still. We confuse.
There is pressure from everywhere. Pressure to decide.
Will I crash to the bottom? Will this work? Will it fly?
For a short time it will be beautiful.
two opposing forces, acting against one another.
my whole life. everything I ever did.
everything I will ever do. It was me.
It was us. she and him. we were them.
it was anyone, everyone.
it was no one.
it was the flight.
the line of sight.
which makes a wishful thinking pilot light.
Catch a flame.
Five-alarm.
The words that I wrote
They must have meant harm.
I wasn't thinking it risky
drinking whisky
houses burned to the ground. The plane... never found.
Heated words never read.
Heavy things never said.
I've always known how to fly far away...but never known how to land...how to stay.
So I write...fold...and hide.
So I never have to see the light...
.... of day.
May 2, 2012
May 2, 2012 at 5:15 PM UTC
I know that isn't how my grandmother would want me to remember her. Hell, the last time you saw me, I was fifteen pounds heavier, unkempt, and I was wearing that awful, low cut v-neck that made my chest appear a bit too supple. Wish you didn't remember me that way. But you do. But I do. You can't redact the past. Believe me. I used up every black marker in Oklahoma County trying.
You're dating a chef. By your lovely description, I could see the tendrils of spiraling capellini. Smell the buttered ciabatta. Were there candles? Did you whisper over the wine glasses? I hope there were candles. Cinnamon candles.
I actually cooked last night. Cajun tilapia and wild rice. Easing back into it. I've been living off canned vegetables for two months. Peas and carrots mostly. I'm going to assume if you and I shared this conversation in person, at this juncture you would whisper over wine glass, what was the occasion?
Heather called last night. The dancer. She needed a place to sleep. I guess her Craigslist roommates, those two shifty-eyed boys from Nevada, bailed on the 30th of September and the rent came due on the first of October. She hadn't paid it. Evicted. For a night, my room was adorned in all manner of frilly things and five pairs of heels. She left everything else in her car. She explained the decorations as proof of employment.
Don't worry. I didn't go there. Though, she thought I would too. After staring over her head at the beige wall behind her for two hours with my *** hanging off my twin-sized bed -- her lying in the middle -- I tried to move her to the east. She took it as an advance. "I'm not on birth control and I don't want a relationship," she said. Are any soft women left?
Nov 2, 2012
Nov 2, 2012 at 1:49 AM UTC
Now RESPECT Should Be EARNED...
NOT A Thing That Is... GIVEN... !!!
Cos’ These Days It’s Linked...
To People... TOO QUICK...
And That’s Just MY Opinion... !!!
............ RESPECT...........
SHOULD Hold Dominion... !!!
Like Lands Used By Britain...
To... Secure Positions...
Now... Colony Driven... !!!
A Respect That's RIDDEN...
By FEAR And RACISM... !!!
The Type of RESPECT...
That Should Now Be Left...
For Heads That STILL DREAD...
Respecting THEMSELVES... ?!?
AHEAD of Their Wealth...
And Living In Submission...
So Respect For Them...
Is A MONSTROUS PROBLEM... !!!
Because They LIMIT Thinking...
To Feed Systems Driven...
By Things Like Racism...
And... Colonist Visions...
That KEEP DISRESPECTING... !!!
By Simply INJECTING...
Forms of Indigestion...
That DENY Them Lessons...
About... INTROSPECTION...
... Historical Lessons...
And Stories NOT Vetted...
As Well As Inspected...
To Confirm Their Correctness... !!!
I RESPECT What Is FACT...
NOT... IGNORANT Chat... !!!
Where Intellect’s REJECTED...
Because It’s NOT Selective...
Like... Societal Directives... !!!
That Keep The SICK...
... “ PROTECTED “...
When They’re Found To Be...
.... DISRESPECTING....
The Very Laws That...
... They’re SETTING... !!!
It’s A Sickness That’s UPSETTING...
And PROVEN To Be FACT... !!!
That They CANNOT REDACT...
When It Comes To This VIRUS...
That Respects Like A TYRANT... !!!
When It Comes To Retirement...
of... ELDERS And Minors...
A Respect That Feeds DEATH... !!!!!
So Is Being Accepted By Many Collectives...
Who Seem To RESPECT...
What Is Government Fed... ?!?
Which Makes Little Sense...
When It Comes To What’s Said...
About How They DECEIVE...
And BREAK THEIR OWN Policies... ?
When It Comes To Respecting...
What They Are Suggesting...
..... Humanity NEEDS..... !!!
Now If THEY CAN’T RESPECT...
What They Now ALLEGE...
To Be A DANGEROUS Threat... ?!?
That’s Caused PANDEMIC Deaths... !!!
Let Me Say THAT AGAIN...
... PANDEMIC DEATHS... !!!
When You Take Time To CHECK...
And Your Thoughts You COLLECT...
Does It Make Any Sense...
To... STILL RESPECT THEM... ?!?
I Dunno Anymore...
Whether People RESPECT...
The POWER of THOUGHT...
Or RESPECT People MORE...
Who DEFINE The Word ***** !?!
And REJECT GIFTED Minds...
That’s Right Just Like MINE...
When It Comes To SHARP Rhymes...
That Reflect On The Times...
And Crimes of Human Kind...
That DEFY Common Sense...
And... USING Our Heads... !?!
In Ways Where Brains Work...
To Serve A... GREATER Purpose...
Than Making Cash Burn...
Just Like Some Greedy **** !!!
But In Ways That DESERVE...
To Be Seen By MORE Heads...
As Something of WORTH...
That's REALLY Is Worthy of Earning...
..... “ RESPECT “..... !!!!!
Sep 22, 2021
Sep 22, 2021 at 9:30 PM UTC
You know not where my feet have gone
But judge me none the less
Assuming I’m your battle pawn
You choose to second guess
From beaten and to broken
You scoff at all my pain
You take it as a token
You take it as your gain
You call out names to break me
You taunt me with your threats
You think God has forsaken me
With that, I’d place no bets
I do not fear your tactics
The truth shall come to light
Revealed through all your antics
Revealed through all your spite
You may have fooled the masses
By putting on an act
But I can see through glasses
That are not tainted black
Your solemn act of innocence
Is soon to be dispelled
You assumed that I was ignorant
And easily compelled
The fact that you have judged me
Before you know the facts
Speaks volumes of dishonesty
Of things you can’t redact
When caught in this deception
The gavel slams down hard
Not honored with reception
Your voice they will discard
Jun 19, 2014
Jun 19, 2014 at 2:09 PM UTC
I wrote a poem
about you
for you
That you are never going
to read at its full capacity
because it's a love song
about you
for you
that encapsulated everything
I loved (love) about you
and your magnificent mind
I could redact the
I love you
parts, but it wouldn't read the same
Maybe someday
I'll dump it on your doorstep
and see if you can guess
who it's from
about or for
Jan 16, 2021
Jan 16, 2021 at 5:21 PM UTC
mirrors,
marble floors,
windshields,
ice,
metal and painted surfaces.
comments, hockey pucks, bullets
and tossed horseshoes
that changed direction.
need to know, blackout
censorship, who you know and what
you said to whom.
could be logic, could be pay,
could be power, could be it ends this way
light or images
veering and twisting please redact me and let me go
for I don't want to be in the
dark and treated like a
mushroom anymore.
from the gross
left with a net
and you have earned your trap.
on reflection, deflection
redacting, deductions
a quiet pool of still water will give you
a clearer image and rocks won't shatter the water,
they make waves and rings and distortion but ... watch and learn and return to the truth about
you!
©ClemC012014
Jan 21, 2014
Jan 21, 2014 at 11:06 PM UTC
I don't have recurring dreams, but... right..., my dreams... recurring themes. And, if in-them, I've a ... "love-interest?" ... they've taken many shapes. The one, and-one-and-one more, who've shown up more than once, I could cough up, cry-out-over, and name. Only three come, through the old haunts, of my odd-head's hallway, Round-and-round-and-round trip. [redact] At least here, I dated her. In real-life, as-opposed, to the annals of [page 6] more depths-delusional. Did wrong [redact]. couldn't believe she was "glad I came." Care enough, to care. She couldn't-care-less. Middle-ground, Grey-areas, and misinterpretations make my skin crawl. Excepting another-day-in-April,
[big
redact]
and maybe if I sing it better this time she'll seeeeeeeeeeeeeee... "wait, Kay, Cee, and Ell?" I've noticed too, and it's cute, but a fluke. Not some-hidden-meaning. "Got a subconscious, on me," Freud couldn't pursue.
Silly, and I didn't mean to be serious, but you're starting to get a grip-on-it. The feelings may fade, but the drip-drop flow of dreams adds to the direness of my dilemma. Alas, around when she's leaving us-all, in Natick, [page 7] I began-becoming acquainted with another-animal-lover. "Any port in the storm?" Any pill, and a razorblade. "A penchant, for an interesting existence!" Next-door, the slowly-nailed-coffin! Where people are abandoning their unloved pets! She mentions Bertrand Russell, in-the-line to buy, more jet fuel.
"(sung)Way down in the hoooooooooooooole..."
...
Jul 25, 2015
Jul 25, 2015 at 4:53 AM UTC
and they couldn’t afford fifteen
dollars. they couldn’t afford the
news. neither could i, and the reali-
zation that feeling alone is not being.
when comments on survival, i see
only a frozen bridge and man wrap’d
in tatter’d seat cover. he stuff’d new-
spaper from feet to neck. using
others’ trash to survive, staying warm
thru mans’ attrocities document’d.
by the news we couldn’t afford. and
i see all the faces i used to recognize.
i remember now of the familiar faces
but don’t have the time to justify
their lies. nor do i have the mind. it’s
been a minute, and lions flood a
room advanced from normality.
regain control.
and my name is
Ziun,
and my words are
**** it,
and my thoughts
cryptic,
and my body
homeless again.
found in transition, runoff from
times of scavenging and foregoing
shame. found in transition from times
of the blood-flood’d valleys of dest-
roy’d lips. found in transition,
head’d from reliance to other
persons. to other substances. found
in transitions and the wind has rav-
aged my body. and i’d wail, wail in
spite of lazed vibrating chords.
his vocalizing:
– don’t forget to sneak off and
get rid of it. just show up with
wine, then we're *******
and this cat knew my first girl after
she was no longer; and this cat knew
my first girl of regret after i pass’d
her up.
– calling sister midnight
a first time thru, palms face opposite
as we extend right. to feel in diffe-
rent tones as this train of thought is
derailing, digressing, regressing to
swastikas.
(lemme redact that)
and please think no less of my words
based on the words chosen,
based on these infinite love-affairs.
Feb 3, 2013
Feb 3, 2013 at 8:55 AM UTC
caught the grizzly scene, down on its knees. a dark cop in the corner, writing everything down like prescriptions a ****** is forcing with a gun to his head. we were weaving in and out of traffic and minds when the barriers hit the brakes for a second, and that was sobering enough. we kicked it down to third gear and the radio waves became a name. for a second, we existed only as guesses.
the coroner report will come back eventually, and there we will place all blame on discrepancies. while burying our heads, we discovered our feet and only kept the left one around for sake of symmetry.
now go tell the press and demand them to redact all contents of their articles that had an impact
Mar 28, 2012
Mar 28, 2012 at 10:25 PM UTC
[redacted] I totally agree but [redacted]
and you have no idea how much [redacted] and still I [redacted] but
you are so [redacted] I'm [redacted] so then what [redacted] to
say except [redacted] I l[redacted] and nothing can ever change that
even though yo[redacted] to redact it and maybe i do t[redacted] but i refuse
iloveyouiloveyouilo[redacted]veyou
I love you
Dec 10, 2013
Dec 10, 2013 at 12:17 PM UTC
If there ever was a Subject I would not confide
It would be the number subject......
A number subject to which I condemn
To only the smart Eleks that live in tey-pai sen
And since this subject I do not adore
Forever kicks my *** in the mental game
I cannot ......... My brain won't warp
Around these vast numbers that seem to never end.....
Geometry creates crowded up shapes
Triginometry to overload my brains take
It's a math attack
Numbers redact to the equations alike
But these math problems
Will fry your brain tonight!
Oct 27, 2015
Oct 27, 2015 at 10:41 AM UTC
I pray that you don't forget me
if you ever had my love
I pray that you don't regret me
I don't miss the times I was young and they ain't accept me
Cause I was out of place like silk in a thrift
or maybe I'm mistaken
Maybe I was a rolling stone in the midst of an avalanche
You can hear the roar for miles upon miles
And when it all settles
They'll all look back at the mountain and see the dent I left
and for that dent
I pray that you forgive me
All I ever wanted was to be heard
All I ever wanted was to be seen
All I ever wanted was to be loved
See, everybody is so quick to snowboard down the slopes of my depressions
See, I thought that at my peak, I was more than just a sight to see
More than a breath of fresh air or an escape from reality
Maybe I was wrong though--
I shouldn't have to pray for this
I left a dent in you yet you destroyed my foundation
At the bottom of my heart is a mountain range of all the times I let people slide on me
You see, the difference between me and you is this-
I'm still a rolling stone in the midst of an avalanche, that means I won't ever get back to the top
meanwhile you reside in the moisture that falls and rises in every cycle
In fact, I redact everything I said previously
but I'll pray that I never end up just like you
Apr 25, 2017
Apr 25, 2017 at 10:56 AM UTC
lying
silver lung
a thought (belonging) to darkness
full of violet, red coloured matter
loquacious parenthesis, admitting
of and how - and redact
ere requisite gibbet
the mute parable of gate
dull eyes strangers a keep
strange of of
the truly meaningless word
lathe,
there is a way to remove the clothes
with out
silence of months
cruor of origins
belongings,
her winter hymn
gullet of marble
crop poached and gilt
in hematic bath of of
the ashamed hum of wrongness
it is not interesting
carving yourself with a knife
the contents come out slowly
bruised-cask of ocher
her of she
lain out under stars
strewn in the lope of distress
a hind
untold
*last night, a body wandered off
showered in woolen eyes
not knowing how to love*
Jan 24, 2016
Jan 24, 2016 at 1:44 AM UTC
How rotten it is, true to see
Is burning bridges, among burning trees
Redact your senses, among this pyre
Will see our ends, in this burning fire
We gave our joy, for selfishness and greed
We developed a bloodlust, a mighty need
We ate the meek, and burned the rest
Now we wait for our rewards, in jest
This is humanity, blanketed with deceit
But it smiles at corruption, and always eats
This machine is burning bones, ever so much
When we lose all the bones, we will lose touch
Humanity smiles, with a bloodied grin
Blaming the innocent for its sin
This is so, this is such
A blood starved beast, lusting for much
Apr 30, 2015
Apr 30, 2015 at 9:33 PM UTC
The elevator’s sealed its lips.
It keeps its secrets well.
Inside might hunch a nameless face,
I really cannot tell.
To stand, a pair, so silently,
Bound in an unvoiced pact,
Is sore and heavy awkwardness
Light coughing can’t redact.
An almost empty iron box
Is crushing loneliness,
Better to take on dozens next,
Shame smothered in that press.
Anonymity’s a heavy weight
To carry between two,
But shrouded multitudes can share
Whatever burdens you.
May 19, 2021
May 19, 2021 at 9:19 PM UTC
'tis my letter to the world
but to write is omit, lie
perception chained redact truth's gold
suzerains divide, rule sky
true is good and good is you
for truth hath never sell
lightning, imagination
a bloom to vanquish concrete hell
Oct 29, 2017
Oct 29, 2017 at 2:49 PM UTC
I dreamed I was pined under a table
Fighting a daemon who had taken my brothers cat
A fleeting moment of sanity struck me and I rebuked it
"In the name of Jesus" in jest
So taken aback it stopped in it's tracks without breath to laugh
I watched it react, retract, and redact
From combat to convent
In mind and in body
The tables had turned
"In the name of the almighty then?" Who's names I've long known
Trying to be modest a feint of a smile I'd shown
With prey before me my heart is quick to be hotted, though
It's eyes locked with with mine in a bleak stare, it nodded...
A visible aura of evil passed from the creature
And If its color was any indication
The demon wasn't all that bad
Jun 9, 2020
Jun 9, 2020 at 10:48 PM UTC
In the middle of the night Mary called me
She told me something scary
She told me children were crying on the telly
I switched the ***** on and saw them happy as they can be
I asked what was happening and why
She told me when the President says good bye
To the military literally
This I didn’t believe really
I told her if I feel teased
Then you aren’t one of the saints Mary
And Jesus is a member of Judas Priest
She told me to be wary of my tongue
And dismissed my humour as rogue
I told her with her predictions you’re gonna land on the cover of Vogue
Making yourself obsure and vague in your rage
This isn’t the age
Takes a real calling
Shines like the crystal chandelier on the ceiling
You might think you’re healing
But to me you’re just appealing
What about the programmes that are getting repealed
I gonna get your glass onion peeled
And your dreams sealed in
To keep the world screaming from sin
But you should have reserved the musical act
For a redact of your Biblical tact
The Rolling Stones have lost their sheen
And Pop made Lennon pretty mean
You’re old and ironically it’ll take you time to understand what you’ve seen
And how the relationship between God and Jesus had been
Because the humans suffer war
From religion and logic kept afar
Time has found a way heal
But you have help find a way to stop the rogue wheel
Of cruelty and vain realty
To save us from the Bible’s promise of eternity
Because you and me believe in reality
What will happen will happen
As ties deepen
As the tears keep seeping
Through the walls keeping us interminably apart
So please let the dying ideals peacefully depart
And keep away the evil respite
And help us unite
Sep 13, 2017
Sep 13, 2017 at 5:42 PM UTC