"soundlessly" poems
#there are the ones
that feel it climb up
the shadow towards the light,
hesitation on every rung,
each wave of the arising
overwhelms unabated ―
and woe betides those
who are on the run
from a storm's deluge
A rousing ocean breeze
stirs inside the memory
of an unframed seashell
lying on the hearth mantel;
heightened sensitivity
lapping soundlessly,
spindrift plashing
the shoreline
of another world's
feigned peace
Perhaps the muted voice
of guilty pleasures,
hushed by their own
hidden truths
Feeling the unfelt textures
of every stifled vibration
left unbreathed
The naked truth befallen
so cold and lonely
Running in circles,
volatile as all those
unspoken excitations raging ―
and the whispers of those
who hear not
the voices in the wind
An emotionally enslaved heart
tarries, marooned high and dry
in a memory on a distant sand bar
lain fallow for so long ―
stagnant darkness
of an unsated soul
gathered on the back
of a parched tongue
sullied wordless
Rising up through
a dusty hieroglyph corridor
through an unlocked
labyrinth gate; vestige echoes
from somewhere left behind
in an incomprehensible
abandoned wake
It's getting harder and harder
for an insatiable soul to breathe ...
climbing up a tree trunk―
up within the silence
of the listening tree
Toes dug into
the rough bark furrows ―
fingers reaching upwards
beyond their deepest known grasp
A shadow stranded
out on a hangin' bough
hearkening without ears that hear:
“perhaps they’ll listen now“
the wingless bird sings
in psalms that fly away
on tattered feathers
over untamed waters roil
Back to nature’s waning youth,
the bough bends unbroken
to taste the freedom
of the wild absolving seas
Jesse Stillwater
June 2018
Jul 12, 2018
Jul 12, 2018 at 12:41 PM UTC
She sleeps soundlessly.
Surrounded by fluttering pages,
exhausted from living
countless lives
as she sat alone
unmoving.
May 6, 2014
May 6, 2014 at 10:01 PM UTC
No matter how many times he hurts you
No matter how many times he wrongs you
No matter how many times someone tells you how dangerous he is
You crawl back
You crawl back with a head full of muddled thoughts
Searching for satisfaction
Convinced that he’s your salvation
Each time you lie next to him
In a fitful sleep
Bearing your guilt as he sleeps smugly and soundlessly beside you
Because he knows that no matter how much you fight
You’ll be back
Jul 16, 2015
Jul 16, 2015 at 10:57 PM UTC
One word is all it takes
To explode a seemingly
Perfect output
Smashed! One nose
Dive after the other
Straight as a pole turned,
Askew with every turn.
A jab, a punch
as scraps appear.
A pinch and a puncture
Hurts like never before.
Until blood and matter
Sprayed on the cold asphalt
While everything occurs,
You watch. Soundlessly
It takes effect but you
Just watch it happen
You realize one singular,
Grand idea whilst pain climaxes
Life goes on.
Jan 22, 2014
Jan 22, 2014 at 6:17 AM UTC
Creeping up the steps of the building,
She holds her breath.
The building stares at her with massive, polished eyes,
Eyes of judgement,
Daring her to enter it's realm of formality,
It's realm of order and conduct.
She holds her breath.
A chill passes through her when she sees the others.
Dressed to impress,
Traveling in packs, like wolves of the wild.
And completely unaware of everything.
They have attended a private performance,
Put on by the people,
They immerse themselves with, surround themselves with.
She holds her breath.
The walls beckon her in, soak her in.
And she blends into them like a chameleon.
Invisible.
She holds her breath.
Traveling soundlessly, with soft footsteps that don't echo along the hallow halls,
Making her way to her destination,
She holds her breath.
The door moans as it opens to reveal what lays behind.
Disappointment, dismay, disillusions,
Dread.
She holds her breath.
Nov 3, 2012
Nov 3, 2012 at 6:56 PM UTC
I am caught, in your eye,
and I drown, in your tectonic wave.
You rattle, intimately,
for me, and shake...
You shift,
minutely,
soundlessly,
collapsing, into sprawling patterns,
into formulaic strains, of madness.
Then you madden, me, as you cascade,
into beautiful, and brilliant shades:
Your Rorschach mosaics,
in prismatic hues.
Each gemlike, facet, of YOU, that is you...
Burning out my gaze,
with your radiance,
as you irradiate...
I'd give anything...to label each color,
that infuses, your face...
Scattering trickles of light,
and roseate shapes...
as if your soul,
were a treasure trove,
of the most precious jewels.
Your vibrant emeralds...
your smoky citrines...
your sapphire blues...
your ruby reds,
and your royal amethysts, too
You twist, in my hands...
and, under the light,
I turn, and return, too,
if only to seek,
a fleeting glimpse...of you.
Jun 26, 2025
Jun 26, 2025 at 9:52 AM UTC
The heart of the shade,
The snivelling, fading essence that I would love.
My insides gradually become cavernous
A warped ringing fills me, like a cracked bell.
I hear the chants of brushing skin
But I am so silent.
Allowing their bodies to reverberate aloud,
Soundlessly,
Endlessly.
Nov 22, 2014
Nov 22, 2014 at 8:11 AM UTC
With worthless words
In his throat
And on his tongue
He sits a thousand miles across
Through earth’s hard calluses atop bent-knuckle mountains
And soft, golden hair growing in the soil
Through lakes full with tears
And forests filled with hands and fingers...
He sits a hundred blinks of the sun
And watches drive-in theaters disappear
Along with the ferris wheels
Spinning into nothing
Dances going mute
Bodies moving soundlessly through the air
He watches lights go out in carnivals
And hands letting go
THE SUN BLINKS
With worthless words
In his throat
And on his tongue
He stands and shuffles
Through undefined shapes of colour
A brilliant array of blurred blues
And greens
And yellows
They move so
Fast
Through his eyes
THE SUN BLINKS
With worthless words
In his throat
And on his tongue
He sits
Through the drone of voices in his ears
And nods
To mask his heart
And smiles
To mask the obvious
Pull
On his soul
Dragging it down
Trying to keep it from being pulled
Out
Through the soles of his feet
A mask on his face
To hide the struggle
To keep it from
Slipping
Away
THE SUN BLINKS
With worthless words
In his throat
And on his tongue
He writes with his thumbs
Words he hopes
Can be felt
Like winds that whisper love
Through ears
And cold water
That reaches through
Skin and freezes bone
And the words return
Like rivers do
Sometimes
Missing
A few drops of water
Sometimes
A little less happy
And a little more
Tainted
With sad things
Like broke down carnivals
And quiet dances...
Ferris wheels that stop turning
And drive in theaters that stop playing movies
It becomes a little more polluted
With sad things
Like closed curtains over the sunset
Through the window
And tea that goes cold
A little more
And a little more
Until the words that return
Like rivers do
Are missing
More drops of water
And
They
Dry
Until
No
Water
Runs
Down
The
River
THE SUN BLINKS
With worthless words
In his throat
And on his tongue
He sits with lips closed
Under the mask of a smile
A mask of calmness over the worry
In his heart
Sadness masked by happiness
Tears masked by laughter
Fears masked by confidence
A mask
For every
Emotion
That his brain triggers
Except one
Because to him
No mask can cover
What she makes him feel
Such pure
Perfection
When she
Holds
His
Hand
THE SUN BLINKS
And no words come to his tongue
Or pass his lips
Silence, masked
Nov 19, 2010
Nov 19, 2010 at 1:56 AM UTC
rain love fell a dream tonight
you were not there, but felt close
seeing nothing in mist of trouble
walking cloud of forgotten shrouds
no one, dank street, cruel houses
no dry place no cats about
wearing red and yellow slickers
long while cats hidden entire
wandering one wet world
slick pavement sky so asphalt
empty windows gaped calling
out deceptively catch the unwary
windows, concrete, no trees
mother's voice laughs soundlessly
no signposts, no streetlights
oddly forlorn, my hometown
unmarked, without direction
darker than hell's moonless night
this is my town, my place
one learns, find a way
feel the way, march in tyme
crawl slowly out the pier
knowing bay so full tonight
use poet radar
you will not
fail
May 13, 2018
May 13, 2018 at 8:25 PM UTC
Soon the told stories will be jokes among others,
while the one that is kept soundlessly will be the story of only two,
not heard,
but remembered.
Nov 30, 2014
Nov 30, 2014 at 4:05 AM UTC
I find you
In the strangest places
Like
In between the freckles
of her nose -
Curled up to sleep
in the nooks and crannies
of a bittersweet melody
Dipping your toes
In pools of sound -
Or
Shapeless, clinging
To skin bathed in light -
You drip
Letter after letter
Into the palm of my hand
As blue skies melt to blackness -
Sometimes
You sit, cross-legged, peaceful
Up to your neck in rippling whiteness
I can tell you've been
Waiting
Until a too-long stare brought you to life -
Yet
You crumble when I reach for you
A beautiful mess
Your inspiration drifts soundlessly down
Glowing embers
At my feet -
You leak in measured counts
From melancholy eyes -
I breath your colors
Your impassioned purples
The anguish in your orange vibrations -
You reach through the crack of my window
Stardust in your amber hair
My muse
Rock me to sleep
With lullabies of the mind -
You swallow me, in silence
Stare at me through the eyes of my lover
Whisper secrets
When the wind holds its breath -
You wrap your feathered arms
Around all that exists
And bring it to the edge
Of a kiss
But just
For a moment
Apr 3, 2014
Apr 3, 2014 at 10:23 PM UTC
patient, optimistic travelers
gliding soundlessly along
moving walkways while sun falls
across gleaming surfaces
of aluminum, glass and peace
Jun 1, 2025
Jun 1, 2025 at 12:49 AM UTC
I would shed my skin
Leaving dust and bone by the cliffside
And bare myself to the world
Amidst the storm of lightning and thunder
I would hold lightning in my hand
And grip it tightly as it struggled and squirmed
Uncaring of the black blood soaking my hands and the ground
From its burning arches of light
Until I finally set aflame
And leave you to watch,
gripping the fabric of your sleeves
As I jump
from the precipice
to fly
And
drop
soundlessly into the sea
lost
in the roaring crescendo
of life
itself
As water had birthed life and nurtured it
One day I would emerge
Unrecognizable to your tearful eyes
But Gods aren't meant to be beautiful
And angels strike mortals with madness
And turn the impure blind
So as I return
Having been dipped into the lifeblood of our world
I spiral into the sky
"Goodbye" unable to leave your trembling lips
And tears falling unbidden
The only words I know now
"Be not afraid"
I took with me into the sky
So I leave you
With no understanding
And only the atrocity
That I had become
Dec 1, 2021
Dec 1, 2021 at 12:27 PM UTC
Tea is my consolation,
From anxiety and fears that strike
Like venomous slithering snakes,
Who have missions to poison my resolve.
The most recent attack occurred,
During the late evening,
With their voices in my head shrieking and lashing,
Their troublesome words coiling around my air supply.
I dashed to the cupboard panicked,
To ensue Tea’s warm embrace,
And waited for the kettle to boil,
While tears trickled wordlessly down my face.
Tea greeted me warmly that night,
With a pleasant aroma of spices swirling up my nose,
And became the only thing I wanted;
A comforting liquid cascading down my throat.
I drank my blend of love in silence,
While my protector drew its steadfast sword,
And lashed those demons and the sorrows,
Into the dismal despair from whence they came.
Not long after the battle,
My silent friend with the warmth of a thousand suns crooned,
And watched as I fell soundlessly asleep,
Until the renewal of the afternoon.
Mar 8, 2013
Mar 8, 2013 at 5:53 PM UTC
shouting
LOVE
silently
in most indirect
unmanner
across gaping
expansively
unechoing
carpeted floor
of semi-living room
(soundlessly
she smiles)
Apr 4, 2011
Apr 4, 2011 at 4:50 AM UTC
Sad salty water trickles down your face,
it plops down on the ground, and your head droops down.
Your heart is slowing down, you feel blue.
You feel as if you were in a world of sadness,
alone in the world.
It would have trees without leaves,
and the ground as cold as Antarctica.
Breathing slowly, soundlessly,
as the wind goes whistling by.
May 10, 2014
May 10, 2014 at 8:06 PM UTC
cool iridescent droplets
tumble soundlessly over damp stone steps
spat from a dark cloud-smitten sky.
the corners of your lips twisted
in an ominous snarl,
eyes flashing
green lightning.
make-up streaming down porcelain warm-apple cheeks,
mixing with ***** rain.
you, typically picturesque magazine perfection
trussed up in delicate pin-up duds
your hair twirled into a million
intricate, flawless little curls
that fall together like pieces
in a puzzle.
secretly pinned together to uphold a pretty facade.
far from easy and natural,
yet more desirable.
but look at you now.
hair soaked, tendrils of slick dark silk plastered to cold skin,
with mascara running down
an immaculate visage,
that finely curved chest
heaving with furious little sobs.
fists clenched with white hot knuckles,
you shake with rage.
just like a little girl...
a little girl hiding behind a layer of mother's make-up,
throwing a tantrum.
Maybe it's endearing;
to see such passion
from one who never showed her soul
and kept her musings locked tight in a faraway place.
Maybe it's not.
The creature I once loved,
destroying little parts of my soul,
one by one
with sharp words and cruel insults
guilt-trips and indecencies.
But the tear-stained face in front of me
no longer evokes the desired emotion.
Hollow steps take me away,
in the opposite direction,
her dismal cries following me -- wailing ghosts
lost, wandering through the wintry rain.
Feb 5, 2013
Feb 5, 2013 at 5:24 PM UTC
Hairline cracks are breaking through
the slough I'm about to shed.
Dry and dysfunctional
as the neuron sac in my skull.
I'll change my hat and change my ammo
honeysuckle artillery polished,
waiting in my drawer.
Sliding an empty coffee mug
back and forth along a counter
like a puck preparing for a slapshot.
Paper matches in colourful books
pressed between the pages
found leaves for child arsonists.
Takeout boxes filled with poems
are sold as artefacts
Don't be silly, poetry comes in plastic bags,
not styrofoam.
To keep ideas hot, wrap them in tinfoil.
But don't forget to leave a hole at the top for steam
or your fresh concepts will get soggy.
Equipped with tennis *****
spandex suits picket office blocks
standing on chairs and voicing nearly racist remarks
making health and safety inspectors nervous.
Out of control students
launch dictionaries out of third story windows,
donning 21st century masks.
I left my patience beside my keys, on the kitchen table.
Waiting in line for obsolete phone booths
as movie stars soundlessly mouth slang into a receiver.
Nearly responsible
nearly nine
nearly time for bed
I resolve again
that I’ll resolve more
but this time write it down.
Folding kamikaze paper planes
to hide behind park benches, fly into trees.
Let the sun fade the pencil crayon.
I can't run from this blasé gangrene that’s taken my toes.
May 12, 2013
May 12, 2013 at 2:02 AM UTC
It’s moments like these—
When your eyes connect with mine,
And I can’t help but fawn over their beauty.
Moments when your fingerprints leave
Invisible marks on my skin.
Branding me
Promises of forever,
A mere dream unspoken on your tender lips
Your kisses stealing
The end of my sentences
Murdering me soundlessly with every
Drawl of my name
And lingering glance
It’s moments like these,
When I thought it weren’t possible
Or not possible enough
That I’ve fallen even more in love
With your presence or
Your every word
Moments like these when I cannot control
The utter and irrefutable
Desire
The craving to be near you
To hold you
And just feel your existence
Moments that remain imprinted in my mind
Jan 24, 2014
Jan 24, 2014 at 12:00 AM UTC
In the distance a Bright Blue eye blinks with greed at the enticing tickle, of a seemingly fickle, wisp of eclectic lightning.
Torn out of actuality, the sky's emboldened hue, makes way for this wistful energy of new.
As the bolt of light, not really caring, rips the sky of Blue, like a Blood-red Herring, dives viciously, however not maliciously, into--
Transition now your mind to a darkness not unkind. Where silence is a splendor and your entire being is a sensor. Where gravity takes rest and gasping lungs aren't always best; a blanket of muffled harmonies vibrating soundlessly inside your bones, flesh and arteries--
FLASH*
... Like a birth, like a death-- like the pause between your breaths-- for a moment, just for an echo of a glimpse of a moment, the flash of silver blue, that out of darkness quickly grew, pierced-- with exacting delicacy-- the bottom of this darkened sea, then disappeared instantly...
Flash-flash {{Glow}}
Flash-flash {{Glow}}
{{...Glow-glow...}} fa d e...
... Where the bolt did land-- on the sea-floor sand-- a beating rock, electric blue from the shock..
{{...Glow-glow...}} fa d e...
{{...Glow-glow...}} fa d e...
And in that instant, new life was made...
While on the surface nothingness reigned...
{{...Glow-glow...}} fa d e...
{{...Glow-glow...}} fa d e...
It's a cosmic dance, disguised as chance--
Or lucky breaks that breed romance--
And to move along its endless song, without blind views of right or wrong,
Is to truly feel with unbiased zeal
The uniting pulse of the Universe.
Apr 30, 2010
Apr 30, 2010 at 1:16 AM UTC
all your lovers of summer whisper soundlessly
against my collared [owned]
existence.
airy spirits of longing sleep
unseen by anyone
except me,
and yet these
flickers of response aren't
noticeable.
I?
desolate and weak.
my heart remains and feels the sight
like an eternity of bleach down my throat
or glass in my eyes
or fingernails ripped
or neck broke
or burn marks
or bites
or the Judas Cradle
or the Blood Angel
or the Swedish Drink
or White Torture
or disembowelment
or Scaphism
except worse.
The thoughts are whirlwinds,
or maybe whirlpools
because I'm drowning
in the same way that you drown me out.
Dec 4, 2020
Dec 4, 2020 at 9:25 PM UTC
(Haikus)
pale sky weeps stead'ly,
frozen tears soundlessly fall
white blanket...rises...
lone red-winged blackbird,
flies through dropping snow...eyes roam
.............towards kitchen eave...
blackbird finds shelter
whisks snowflakes off its body,
roosts..........and folds its wings...
a lone soul watches
smiles...as blackbird settles in
hot brew warms the soul...
(Dec. 17, 2016)
Sally
Copyright December 17, 2016
Rosalia Rosario A. Bayan
Jan 7, 2017
Jan 7, 2017 at 3:22 PM UTC