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"They only burn themselves to reach Paradise"
                                       - Mne. Nhu

original courage is good,
motivation be ******,
and if you say they are trained
to feel no pain,
are they
guarenteed this?
is it still not possible
to die for somebody else?

you sophisticates
who lay back and
make statements of explanation,
I have seen the red rose burning
and this means more.
onlylovepoetry Apr 2019
don’t leave me!
(the leaving is in the writing)

she whispers in his ear,
after they’ve climbed into bed,
their tiring bodies both embraced,
soft sunken into, by, a familiar mattress,
after a sophisticates city night out seeing stars,
stars, human and astral,
city lights dusk heightened the vocal sparking,
singers singing songs of love from
radio days long ago

don’t leave me

she intones, a prayerful demand,
equally a command and a begging behest,
puzzling what prompted this pressed request,
spoken with urgency born in her breast

don’t leave me
drifting off and into his thin place,
but tugged back by this cri du coeur,
unsponsored and unwarranted,
nothing recalled that justly provoked,
a statement topping of anguish and fear

don’t leave me
he repeats in a rising questioning inflecting
puzzling riddling unbefitting a mellow-toning sleepy ingredient,
whatever do you mean, I leave you only
to dream, to purify, refresh and deep rest reset,
and return come morning with new poems,
what angst comes to stir this asking,
delaying my adventure to nightly restoration?

don’t leave me
repeated and repeated, dressed in urgency,
for I see the little things,
the wavering walk, the slowing of the thinking,
the walls, black n’ blue, whining about your into bumping,
the instant eagerness with which your body accepts
your voyage to dream places where
one goes and gone and must go unaccompanied,
some who are chosen and some who choose, not to return

don’t leave me
for the signs are ample, a certain weariness
dresses your face and crowns thy graying mane,
the slight labored breathing from steps once
bounded and leapt, the seeing and the hearing,
each slightly weakening, two orchestral instruments,
together off key and lessened in their triumphal vigor,
these words of mine, a royal guard,
keep them in your dreams

don’t leave me
minor missteps in the elongated negated of dying gracefully,
my tuning forks are sensitized,
and any slowing motion
both visible and hearable, and filed under inevitable

I will not leave you tonight,
my body warming as per usual,
your cold feet intruders indicate it’s you have left
for your own nightly visitors, occasional terrors,
you’ve woken me from my allotted sleep hours,
many poems now retrieving and in need of scribing,
while the fingertip digit flys across the digital keyboard,

I am more alive than I have ever been;
the leaving is in the writing,
each poem a steppingstone,

but the poems come fast and furious,
sometimes two at a time, the muses are bemused,
the prognosis is for thousands more and warn:

do not wear out your olive oil anointed forefinger,
the lubricated pointer of the way, wherein is contained

through that index
finger,
your body of works in the
“yet to arrive, yet untaxed filling station,”,
must be seen to fruition,
for it is only then that,
only love poetry
is ready for long lasting
eternal realization





5:36am 12th April, two thousand nineteen
Robert Zanfad Mar 2011
Edgar Allen settled evenings in the room at the rear
at a desk by the window where he could hear
breeze-rustled sycamore leaves sleeping
behind the neighbor’s house next door

through night’s florescent blue moon light,
its mist through low leaden clouds
he imagined the phantom he named Lenore,
and remembered lost Annabelle Lee  
amore he'd left laid alone aside a blackened sea

hers, the voice of a tree speaking, hushed,
like distant waves rushed upon shore,
faintly whispering heart-secrets
the ardent couldn’t keep evermore

was it she who sighed with love’s breathless lips
to flicker the flame of a tortured oil lamp’s light
the words born laboring children
with pen put in service to cover past rent,
refill an empty flask of verdant absinthe
for a nine-dollar-half-column poem -
fodder for fickle romantics to tear over
before a performance of Bellini’s new Norma

hardened, our modern hearts
fattened on diets of swollen bellies
that belie the dour misery of starving
they’ve grown sclerotic and cynical,
hungry for suffering flavored substantial -
a greasy disaster to stain the paper wrapper
enclosing depths of the human condition


sophisticates, we dismissed puerile appetite
for honeyed songs of longing,
the ornamented confections of jealous angels
old drunken poets sang
until dark full comes, alone, and we’re small again

then shadows still speak to starry skies
and fairy tales may come alive
to suspend belief with secret dreams
of the dear, lost Annabelle Lee
In an annual tradition that ended in 2009, a mysterious stranger would place three roses on Edgar Allen Poe's grave to commemorate his birthday.
Hal Loyd Denton Jan 2012
Hard Thinking

There is a way that seems right unto a man the gate of the mind is fraught with peril and blessing the
Blessings are the helpers that fashion the early beginnings of the gates decision process you have father
The central power of your life guide protector inspiration the embodiment of your collective aspirations
You will carry strength and direction from this source all the days of your life all things that blossom all
Good comes from this root source mother holds the lantern of dreams once the gate opens then these
Beams shine outward into the vast darkness her quiet courage and faith are steps to walk on that are
Sure and they are the bridges you must cross over untamable waters and destructive forces not to worry
More than anyone else on earth she is divinely empowered she puts her open hand to her heart and
Then waves her hand out ward in an arching motion it is as if she has cast golden flakes to the wind
These are riches of her grace they soothe they calm bitter trials when all turns dark they will flare and
Give light and warmth it will sustain you until the light returns in that darkness is the peril before
Mentioned there are many fears in this life I will only mention two the fear of something entering your
System then taking root and then starting to eat and destroy you and the other is the same but concerns
The outward being that a wild best would suddenly attack and start to devour you alive this one is most
Telling of mans condition for truly the devil goes about as a roaring lion to see who he may devour there
Is more than one way this can happen one renowned atheist after a long life where he wore the mantel
Of Atheist with veritable pride but at death with trembling voice and scared starring eyes he said I hear
Satan approaching and he is dragging the chains that now I will be bound with in damnation’s caldron
Cell his words abruptly stopped why speak truth now thy fool that says there is no God so each of us has
Chains that are custom made you wouldn’t be caught dead in a flop house shooting ****** no problem
They have signature drugs for sophisticates you can brag about them to all your friends you will be the
Coolest cat around until they get you completely fall back to the flippant well it was a Hell of a ride your
Character your dignity not so recognizable when it’s sinking in a cesspool they have gold chains or chains
Made from diamonds just ask them in South Beach Florida greed your weakness you can be surrounded
By gilded cage mansion cars money still these things tear and bruise when you seek freedom a place
Where air is free and want isn’t gnawing endlessly for more stuff forget love happiness that’s for losers
Do you know what I make a year a soulless existence empty of what is real you got the market for stupid
All sown up nothing ever happens with out there first being a thought this is why the gate of the mind is
All important all is won or lost at that point remember your beginnings no one is allowed to discredit
This sacred dwelling don’t you be guilty of wantonly destroying this immeasurable asset not for love
Money or *** or anything guard it your soul depends on it
Nat Lipstadt Apr 2020
perfect summary, of pre-times, the ex-diurnal regularly raggedy,
lyric line, of lunar linear days, wave to it hi/bye crooked jaggedly

foretelling, of a first time, when world was self-imprisoned, wondering,   a sin of commission, an omission from a shut-up confession

guilty of laxity, no perspicacity, our fortune telling, loved our ignorance,
lazy greediness let sickness rule, everyone pointing no, not me, fooled

heroes dying in saving, rich in New Zealand hiding, while poets
march in punctilious timing, mourning lost freedom to be unafraid

all thinking, now disbelieving, we’ve lived so well so long,
but the fault-lines cracking showing all of us were emperors naked

from now on, we’ll live so long, not so well, suspecting each other,
the masks we will wear forevermore, dual purposed, protect and

hide our ashamed faces, gowned to disguise, finger pointing
not my fault, but the curve of life and death, proclaiming good bye:

so long so well, so long glass houses, so long, age of so swell, we too, sophisticates, above the fray, impervious innocence, so well we dead

gutless guiltless


<>
_________________
^ ”And I don't know a soul who's not been battered
I don't have a friend who feels at ease
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered
or driven to its knees
But it's all right, it's all right

We've lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the road
we're traveling on
I wonder what went wrong
I can't help it, I wonder what went wrong



“American Tune” by Paul Simon
Sat April 25 twenty twenty
5:06am fifty thousand dead
Ryan O'Leary May 2020
It was a banquet, a summer
wedding under plum trees.

Long trestles adorned with
evening dressed table skirts.

Lines of L back chairs laced
ribbons balloons with roses.

Red white et bleu candles
burned unevenly quenched.

Wax stains, wine blobs, ash,
lipstick transfer kissed glass.

Place marker, name tag,
wire meshed cork, bottles.

Bunting, well wished cards,
written speech, crumpled.

Fish in shoals, bread in bowls,
lemon fingered watering holes.

Caw winged gleaners, black
tie sophisticates, Corvidae & Co.
Robert Oliva Aug 19
CAN’T COUNT FOXES IN THE TREES
Except for the T-shirt with the bull’s-eye in the middle of the chest, she usually didn’t give me gifts, but I digress, Let’s do what’s best as these are  phrases of purpose proving that streams of conscious fail , as  they just get you near, inexact lasers  red dots absent , but the soapbox is sincere

So though short  of certain clever, we should not now or never , abandon or fear it’s true  intent. An exotic condiment , a fresh cut freestyle edge is nourishment To stir our souls , This creative domain must remain
To  dilute cliche’, to strain mundane until the conversational melody is such that we need not explain.

We  could mold sophisticates into words that may somehow rebirth as lyrics. but we’ll go back to that another time, but first, why did I fear it? When I was in the forest that time, when she attempted a simple  rhyme , it did remind of that Spinner’s  song that’s upside down like howdy doody your clowns too , they’re all laughing at you and why were they even there and  didn’t say or stay in the middle of the road? I didn’t have no time to count the foxes hidden in the trees today and she didn’t have no time to be a decent person,  and the random gifts didn’t give me any lift.

That  was just her way of hinting that she was going away, like howdy do,  your clowns too? I don’t want them laughing at you. I don’t care if you’re on the side or in the ditch there’s no middle there’s no road, but  Phillippe  said how could I let you get away,  I had hope she’s going to stay. I’m feeling that if she loves  or leaves I wont even lift a finger, I don’t think I’ll even think or grieve ,  maybe not even linger when  noticing  she wont be sitting next to me at the ball game.  

Smirking now and not wondering how this before never empty seat shouts intimacy subtracted and belated , Yeah, this ends not complicated,  just simple cause and effect, with quick pause to collect , Sharing out loud  a dialect between me and  my companioned voice of mind , because my sanity is going to wake as  them or they or she intakes These  lyrics.  I hope they’re fair, but admitting something anyway ,I’m a little scared to share and the end will be and bring us somewhere.

Put a little jazz riff to it , I’m thinking she oughta put a little musica to it , and I’ll abet and let, so she  can visit if she insists. Will there  be a view that’s crowned most fun to see? Probably she won’t tell me. With or without  her screams and silken sheets, that or not  that , this episode will be complete
BobbyO
Robert Oliva Nov 14
SHE POINTED TO FOXES IN THE TREES
Except for the T-shirt with the bull’s-eye in the middle of the chest, she usually didn’t give me gifts, but I digress, Let’s do what’s best as these are  phrases of purpose proving that my streams of conscious fail , as  they fail to get me near, but this  soapbox is sincere

So though short  of certain clever, not now or never , Should I fear true  content , abandoning our love her planned intent. Love is An exotic condiment , with its fresh cut edge as nourishment. A Freestyle journey To stir our souls , Freedom within this creative domain must remain a sacred honest endeavor To  dilute cliche’, to strain mundane until the conversational melody is such that we need not explain.

We  could mold sophisticates into words that may somehow rebirth as lyrics. but we’ll go back to that another time, but first, why did I fear it? When I was in the forest that time, when she attempted a simple  rhyme , it did remind of that Spinner’s  song that’s upside down like howdy doody your clowns too , they’re all laughing at you and why were they even there and  didn’t say or stay in the middle of the road? I didn’t have no time to count the foxes hidden in the trees today and she didn’t have no time to be a decent person,  and the random gifts didn’t give me any lift.

That  was just her way of hinting that she was going away, like howdy do,  your clowns too? I don’t want them laughing at you. I don’t care if you’re on the side or in the ditch there’s no middle there’s no road when she left she left my mind on overload
Bobby O
And I’m still confused

— The End —