Comic(al)?

what if my life
was a graphic novel —
filled with hordes of
pain & longing
in monstrous shapes & forms?

what if I woke
from my protective slumber &
started turning
these oozing pages
in baffled disbelief?

Born By The River

once, I was taken by far-reaching rivers,
strong currents embraced my most paralyzed core —
my spirit was crushed, my heart torn into slivers;
yet those waters returned me, safely, to shore.

I could not have taken another scorched moment;
another assault of this harrowing blaze —
I dove into the cold, buried hopes of atonement
& stumbled ashore, reaching far better days.

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The image was created by using the AI Art Generator at Imagine Art.

Bang Bang

there is no lessening the impact of
the fall I did not see coming —
agony changes viscosity, but
never surrenders the spot
where it stitched its initials
onto the trusting heart
on my worn-out sleeve

bang bang, he shot me down
bang bang, I hit the ground
bang bang, that awful sound
bang bang, my baby shot me down*

there are no words for you —
& there are countless words for you
all in the same orbit.

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* These fantastic lyrics were borrowed from Nancy Sinatra’s song ‘Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)’.

Room to B(reath)e

breathe, she said
& I inhaled
a thousand jagged moments —
wounds, worries & woe scratched their markings
into the battle-hardened walls of
my lungs, my capillaries,
my (still) rose-colored heart

breathe, she said
& I exhaled —
the piercing shrieks of
(un)intended lacerations;
appeased by premonition’s soothing song —
yet you never left
the way you came.

Against The Wind

in my head,
I always had a name —
it rang true,
even in those far-away places

in my life,
I had to grow into that name —
earn each vowel, each consonant
with pitilessly painful persistence.

Night|in|gale

in the small hours I scream in silence &
plead beneath the starry sky;
toothbrush clenched in one wilting hand, the other
brushing aside yet another pallid tear

I ask the night
to change.
something.
anything!
that your image might grow pale &
I can pretend to not (always)
feel you —
at the edge of my life

I blink &
a sentient shooting star
leaves a shy promise
imprinted on my irises.

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For today’s Poetics over at dVerse Poets Pub, Lisa invites us to write a poem about semiotics, the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation. I chose to write about an emotionally very rough night I experienced recently. Fortunately, it
had a silver lining.
Come on over and join us at the bar!

Mountains

I miss you —
whispers my mind &
I cradle this delicate, flightless bird;
a fluttering smear of congealed anonymity —
I close my eyes &
it limps away

I miss you —
whispers my heart;
I breathe, deeply &
let go of the rivers that rise & fall —
for you will not hear me
with mountains between us.

(De)void of Color

how do you stray from the thought
that time is the enemy —
when it pours over you
with the silent relentlessness of tar
& imprisons these delicate little birds
that have not yet learned
how to fly?

although your insides scream detour,
you scratch your nails bloody, dissecting
every memory, every thought —
until they are strewn about in tatters;
their pale, ragged edges tripping
your feet & mind alike

maybe you could stray from the thought
that time is the enemy —
& let there be
a little “good” in Goodbye &
a little “hell” in Hello.

Storyli(n)es

such wo(nd)e(r)s you wore
when you pain(t)ed the heart on your sleeve
with shades of dignity & grace,
just to break the surface.

Dark|Light

erase the moon
shed darkness ‘pon this rotting flesh
erase the moon
send vulture’s wings; take leave — ’cause soon
this famished soul will turn to ash
and still this heart – too bold, too rash
erase the moon

embrace the moon
shed light upon this sullen soul
embrace the moon
come, listen to her silver tune
to cleanse this heart of dust and coal —
your wounded spirit shall be whole
embrace the moon

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… two Rondelets – written for dVerse’s ‘Form for All‘-Prompt… thank you so much for the introduction, Tony… this was a real brain teaser – such fun!

Bad Dreams

bright, colored spots
cloud my vision;
knife, twisting in my jaw –
a shadow of the chainsaw
wrecking my brain at night.
neck, stiff and sore;
ibuprofen, my best friend
today.
although you sneak up on me
and stab me in the back,
i will not let you
claw your way back in.

Wishes in Blue

take me away
to distant shores
where waves crash
and the flood
takes my thoughts
to mingle with ocean’s dark blue

take me away
to peaceful beaches
where imprints in the sand
will be washed away –
and not stain my heart forever

take me away
to sweet solitude
where i absorb
the soft sea breeze,
become one
with the moon
and bury my body
in countless grains
to preserve
my innocent childishness

take me away
and i
will forever be grateful
for a moment
of peace.

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photo credits: ambersmithblog.blogspot.com

Love (Abstract)

love is not the thought, the deed

love is not in our minds

love is not bound by restrictions and rules

love is not to be shaped, so it may fit one’s beliefs and wishes

love is not to be forced or pretended

love is not money spent

love is not measured in time

love is the blood, rushing through our veins
pumping
throbbing
screaming
powerful source.
it is the fuel in us,
driving us to unthinkable heights
or devastating lows.

you cannot deny love,
for it is the essence
of life.
no matter how hard you try.