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 3072° 
Agnes de Lods
I ended up at the wrong time,
in the wrong place,
carrying a dead flashlight,
that instead of shining,
offered me an elusive shape—
a spectacle of shadows.

What was a hand
became a dog barking on the wall,
or a ghost-rabbit
vanishing into nothingness.

My rational “I” still asks why,
and I have no answer.
I just smile with sadness:
that was the script,
that had to happen.

Bittersweet medicine,
already swallowed,
the side effects dissolved.
And I boarded another train.

Writing?
I only wanted an ordinary life,
with some humor
and a pinch of self-irony.

Saturn joined,
Saturn divided,
at 8:18 a.m.

Maybe we humans
don’t have the stillness
to break free from the pattern
of silver rings
made of dust and ice,
imposed by an ego.

Maybe we prefer
the safety of the shadow,
ice melts in daylight.

My story:
a new-old flat,
my imperfect poems…
Really?
For this, I was made?

I’m not a poet.
I’m a living voice,
taming incomprehension
convincing myself
that dawn is near,
and I’m strong enough to rise,
not looking anymore
for cold mirrors.
They sat by the sidewalk  
Their eyes made of steel
Lack of vision
Labelled impaired

Every evening
I pass by at five
I watch them sing
A twinkle in those pair of eyes
As they smile

The little boy
Apple of their eye
Jumps with joy
Not a note missed
A duet performed
The lyrics followed
On the smart phone

A vision for the wise
Lacking in the eyes
The creator’s flaw
Undeterred
Every evening at five
They play live
 654° 
Anais Vionet
What’s wrong with me? I’ve been asking myself this all week.
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I weigh questions coldly and logically. Then it hit to me.. it’s summer, silly, and I'm in classes!

A typical summer would find me tanned, sunburned, greased and unkempt, like a happy, sandy, beach hobo, my hair would be either braided or left fly-about to tangle into cotton candy wads.

My bf Peter’s learned to like fine restaurants (You’re welcome). I’d have never left the beach on my own.
“They can bring us anything,” I’d argue, looking up pitiably from my shaded, Tropitone lounge chair.

Around sundown, Peter would have to catch me, slippery oiled and brown, to comb me out and scrub me before dinner.
“Get dressed!” he’d encourage, picking out a dress suitable for dining or casino wear - “I made us a reservation.”

I’d come out of the en-suite in my fluffy, Versace, terry towel but invariably, before I was even dry,  Peter would shake his head, growl and say, “Com-mere,” holding his arms out a little, palms up
(he’s never been very verbose), and smirking a little, I would, because his expression reminded me of Christmas.
“What about our reservation?” I’d chuckle.

This was, of course, a volunteer situation, where it was up to us all to do our best.
.
.
Songs for thus:
Girls On the Beach by Carter Cathcart
Wouldn't It Be Nice by Papa Doo Run Run
Please Let Me Wonder by Carter Cathcart
BLT Merriam Webster word of the day challenge 07/01/25:
Verbose = using too many words to convey a point.
 594° 
K J McCarthy
Am I human? Alive or
just a speckle in an eternal sky a mere note floating in a bottle on endless ocean,
vast crashing waves, casting shadows of an alien future
thriving for eyes of reciting
words spoken upon amputated ears
just another child of death, swept under the floor, feed for worms, and
bloodstained soil
sound drained and empty, can you hear the sound of previous skin?
shouting and calling like the hungry serpent who's eyes dilate with its stomach, as it sheds its skin
and stands to compfort the clouds
will you love me?
willing as death, not taking!
but giving as birth!!
touch me
my senses quiver with your fingers
love leaves my lips as they grasp yours
as the talons of the hunting hawk
who's thirst for life is forever
 575° 
TOD HOWARD HAWKS
My father had his own bedroom, mother hers. That should had told me something, which it did, but I was too young to understand. As I grew up, father remained emotionally distant from me. Through grade school, I made straight A's, but he never acknowledged it.  Only once did he play catch with me in the front yard. In junior high, I continued to make straight A's, was co-captain of both the football and basketball teams, and was president of the student council, but he never said a word. As a sophomore in high school. I was elected president of our class by over 800 classmates, but father remained silent. As a junior, I was admitted to Andover, the oldest and arguably the most prominent prep school in America, but all father could say to me was 'be of good cheer." I chose to attend Columbia instead of Yale and had a great four years, but father forgot to put film in the camera when he took photographs at graduation. When I dropped out of law school the first day of finals my first semester, my father was enraged, but again in silence. When I began to write poetry, he said, "Go buy a rental property." My father never congratulated me, never gave me a hug, never told me that he loved me. At times he would say mean, hurtful things to me, which still hurt today. I wrote a poem years ago in which I alluded to one of Shelley's most famous poems. My phrase was "farther away than Ozymandias." That was my father.

TOD HOWARD HAWKS
 409° 
alia
I waved at my reflection,
it didn’t wave back.

Just blinked once,
then smirked.

I stepped closer.
It didn’t move.
I asked it,
“Which one of us is real?”

It cracked.
And whispered,
“Not you.”
 402° 
Rastislav
When you say something
no one understands,
but someone in the room
quietly nods —
there I am.

When you think
you’re the first
to feel that way,
and the word already sounds
like it was there before you —
there I am.

I am the voice
you did not invent.
You only
borrowed it.

I am the song
that waited for you
before you began to write.

I am —
not new.
But already said,
only this time
with your breath.
 232° 
Mélissa
When you' re close to me
The air is thick like honey
Denser than cement
Maybe it's the heat..
 213° 
David J
Theres a place at the edge of the sea
Drawing you in while your woes flee

The people are warm and gentle as tea
Where drifters are welcome, yet leave you be

And smiling bright a mayor… or maybe three
I find the more the merrier in this family
So why not drift over, please come on down
Theres always a place for you here, our Kove Town.
 191° 
Moshiri Himeka
I hate some teachers,
They are the worst creatures,
You'll say they help us learn,
but what about the mental trauma
they give in return.
You made me cry
I cried-cried-cried,
Causing pain in my eyes.
I wish I could see the same pain
in your eyes.
I will never forget,
How you made me dead,
Still getting nightmares in my head.
Students go through this,
Isn't it sad?
Why these adults don't understand?
OUR PAIN!!
to be a perfect student.
Why can't we live our dreams?
forced to do what makes money.
We are human,
But not treated as one,
Isn't it funny?
Its about all my those teachers who crushed my confidence,who made me cry for a whole day, who don't even know how to teach and yet blame us for complaining about it....its also about those people who have a pressure to be a perfect student and can't live their dream...for those whose teachers are friends with devil and never leave their chance to give trauma....most of teachers dont understand that Even a single statment of their words can traumatize a student for the rest of life.... I also got dreams( kind of nightmare) twice related to something that happened.

To those who might say that i am disrespectful.... please let me tell that i wrote it for those teachers who are bad towards
us students... not all are same..as i have a teacher who is the best for me.
 187° 
mysterie
happiness
to me
was her laugh
spilling into my lap
like sunlight --
warm.
and mine,
before i i knew
i needed it,
needed her.
something semi crazy happened today
also, the project is going to have ten entries and a small one at the end to sum it up x
date wrote: 3/7
 162° 
Kai
I've been lately writing poetry!
Oh? What do I see?
A perfect poetry site waiting for me!
First poem, proud of it!
Oh? Someone in my messages?
This guy seems sweet
And he's hoping I don't get beat!
Pretty songs for me to listen to!
And a drunk man messaging me...?
“You're only making yourself a victim because you're cutting yourself"
Oh? Okay- thanks for the paragraph/drunk rant?

Shining lights on all of my latest poems?
Thank you! You're so sweet!
….oh…talking to me about pedophiles…got it…
Why are there so many sad songs?
WHY DOES THIS MAN HAVE SO ****** MUSIC TASTE AGGGHGDGFGCC

Oh? You wrote a poem about the 764 and absolutely humiliating them?
Great! Good job!
…But uhh… why and how did they make a virus only going after your followers that are minors? Not funny!
Why is this man warning me if they threaten me? Is he trying to make me scared on purpose?
Blaming the Japanese for this virus now, huh?
Oh? Now blaming someone else named Pax to be part of the 764? Crazy

…. going to another website? But you're so fun!
May as well click on the link you sent me so I can join you

Drunk rants with me? That's okay!
Giving me gold so I can freely make poems?
THANK YOU SM
Daily texting
2-10 hour sessions
Why are you drinking everyday?
You're making me concerned for your health
I told you to stop drinking, papa
You promised me you'd stop
All you did was keep on drinking

Commenting on every poem I made
Oh? So suddenly I'm a “nasty *****" when I have done nothing to you? ありがとう!
We have a suicide pact now?
I'm going off the bridge first?
Don't mind if I do

Oh? Another poetry site? Okay…
I really don't like the way this site works, can't we just message each other with email?
Yes? Yay!

People bullying you on the internet? That's not okay!
Why would they accuse you of being a *******?
Letting me join an uncensored group to back you up? Great!
Sending me to a Reddit page to back you up?
Alright!
….oh … they warned me and I didn't do anything….
******* this man is an actual *******…..
gotta go fast like Sonic
pack my bags and leave

Oh? I betrayed you? Crazy
We were just friends
Can you stop spitting my name everywhere?
It's like you're so obsessed with me
Stop trying to be the Eminem to my Mariah Carey
Made a poem about you and you HAD to take it down?
Never thought you'd want to hide your identity THAT hard
Oh? Betting on my suicide now, are we?
Sending me multiple emails, desperate for me to come back to him?
I'm not that ******* naive or gullible
It's crazy if you think that about me
…I did tell you to send those photos of your cut open arms but I DIDN'T THINK YOU'D TAKE IT SERIOUSLY AND DO IT

Being racist?
“Japshit”?
Why are you so obsessed with my Chinese genes?
“I thought I can use Kai because of her Chinise genes because the Chinise was known to be very good spies. ☝️🤓" へー! Didn't know that!
Also, that's not how you spell Chinese, my fellow kind sir
Threatening people to come to America with a Katana and slice us to pieces
So envious, I see
You're just mad because we have a little bit more freedom than your drunk *** does

Oh…. Talking to me about ****
Got it
Thanks
I didn't need to be taught about METART or some **** like that
I'm only 12 years old
You ***** *****

Well…this is the aftermath
There it goes out to all of you:
Ghost
RGH
Ryan Geoffrey Hayward
Nephilim Angel
Nephalem
Rose White
Rose Red
Jacob Lives
Hybrid Angel
Tormenter
Bread Crumbs
The Machine
Dirt-In-My-Shirt
Soul Unknown
Unicorns Passing
And etc. ENJOYERS

(Btw, all of these names are RGH's names so if you have these names, please don't feel targeted! The person knows who they are.)

EDIT: ILY ALL SM!!! I DIDN'T THINK THIS POEM WOULD GAIN THIS MUCH ATTENTION BUT I'M HAPPY THAT IT DID!! (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) I'M GOING TO VIRTUALLY KISS EVERYONE ON THE CHEEK ONCE THEY READ THIS... or just virtually hug you, yk, whatever you're comfortable with
You Talk, i listen.
That’s the way this works.

You ramble and You monologue,
while i keep my lips pursed.

i wonder if You’ll notice,
i haven’t said a word..

But you simply entertain Yourself,
and i remain unheard.
Being an introvert is tricky. There's been a couple times I've just stopped talking to see how long people would talk to themselves... spoiler alert---it's a long time.
 130° 
Jimmy silker
I'll meet you
In the Rothko Chapel
We'll get a private view
I know some people
It'll be no hassle

Fourteen
Big canvas
In various black
We could stay there all week
We might never come back

Or as long as we can't take it
Raw emotion

Mostly dark

Go out through the emergency exit
Into the
Surrounding
Sunlit
Verdant
Park.
 114° 
Jeremy Betts
Too good to be true
Too true to be good
That second one requiers an unfortunate life to be understood

Say what you mean
Mean what you say
I don't see the difference between these statements to this day

Love and loss
Never loved at all
One being better than the other is not anyone's place to call

Keep your chin up
With a glass jaw
Even advice with the best intentions can leave you broken and raw

©2025
 104° 
Bipasha Dutt
I want to know you inside out,
I want to know it all -
It doesn't matter if it's important
Or if you consider it to be small.

Tell me all your secrets,
Tell me what makes you, you.
Tell me things you won't tell others -
What you have gone through.

Tell me what upsets you,
Tell me what you lack.
I won't tell it to anyone -
Dear, I've got your back.

Tell me what annoys you,
What makes you mad,
Things that you regret
Or things that make you sad.

Tell me all the reasons,
The reasons why you cry.
Let me make you laugh then;
At least let me try.

I don't know about future,
But this much you can be sure,
No matter what life brings you,
Together we can endure.
 77° 
Henry
I spoke and she took heed
She spoke and I felt need
Time twisted cruel and tight
It burned without respite

I lay in silent spin
The world just turned within
With rot beneath its seam
Far from the fight I dream
Memories scratch at my door like a dog waiting impatiently to be let inside: french fries direly wanting to be eaten after remembering Steak and Shake—a night straight out of a coming of age film. My grey hoodie wrinkling after recalling the night of my promposal and how little she looked at me at dinner. And me wincing at the recollection of my eyes meeting hers in the hall the first Monday after prom. Maybe she and him went to the theaters not to watch a movie, but to watch my memories turn bitter on the big screen in amusement. If only I hadn’t asked.
 73° 
My Dear Poet
If you don’t work hard
you never earn

If you don’t make mistakes
you never learn

If you don’t fuel that fire
you never burn

If you don’t wait patiently
you’ll miss your turn
I will forget you
and be happy.
Or—at least—
I wish
I could forget you
and be happy.

If only
you were
forgettable,
instead of
staining my
head
and my heart

with the
cold
impressions
of you.
 67° 
MetaVerse
ınk a new line that drips upon a page;
poetry plays a point that letters spell.
when feet are running meter's rhyme and rage
the poet writes of love that's worth the tell.
a statement made of stanzas rings a bell
in ears that crave the rhythm of a verse
rehears'd in dulcet tones that maybe yell
at times when feeling love is but a curse.
volta Velveeta cheese an early hearse
and bathroom book of verses by anon.
musical fruits smell better smelling worse:
ıf music be the food of loveplay on.
     in octaves, sevenths, sixths, fifths, fourths, and thirds,
     poesy plays with pithy plays on words.
 66° 
hannah
my heart is a landing pad
breathe in
catch
breathe out
let go
breathe in
catch
breathe out
let go
breathe in
breathe in
breathe in
i cant catch
breathe oubreatheinbreatheinbreathein
 62° 
DKN
My phone rings—alarms in sync

The birds sing — a note missing

The cat purrs by the foot of our bed

The wind whistles away the last of your scent
 61° 
renseksderf
These bridges you have thus built
and those you keep on building
are the ones we can always cross
from which pebbles we can toss
and watch their ripples downstream
crossing over into our once upon dream
for a friend slipping on the river of dementia
 58° 
Agnes de Lods
You and I—
we feel,
we love,
we regret.
Yet we remain
the binding particle
of a formless self.

They divide us,
pit us against each other.
We found safety
for thirteen days.

Before dawn,
we felt the breath
that seeps through cracks
into minds like a narrow thread of force,
and the fog spilled out.

Above our heads, false stars
created by warm bodies
to annihilate
what passed through the gate
of a birthing woman.

We write words to conjure
happy endings
at the ball of extermination
that tears apart
the pulsing light
of a thousand veins.

Please sit with me
before you go
Do you feel it—
the mourning procession
of human beings
transforming into a state of fission
and drifting away?

And a sigh is so sad
of trembling atoms
when the victim becomes the destroyer.

Feel the force of the fall,
and do not shatter hope
even if the world
trembles to its core
because there is still YOU,
still ME,
and still

OTHERS.
Hania Rani Journey-from xAbo: Father Boniecki
 57° 
LL
just because they gave
more than you did
doesn't mean they gave
their all — like you did
2025/102
 54° 
andy fardell
I do not know the last
Yes it's coming
Closer and closer
The grey will become my black

It may leave sadness
Fill a tissue full of memories
Scratch a pen on papers knoll
This is the end

I will have loved you
Cried for you
Walked with you
Till another place calls

This be my end
This be my shout
My love
Forevermore
 49° 
dude
I have a notebook dedicated just to you
Every page is blank
The surface of un-charcoaled moons
street dogs drugged in daily stews
lays down for a carving intoxication
Bones lift in a wind & haphazardly
press play...so I can slow it down
try & understand softening of clay...

Stodgily in the dirt and Cravens
of such pretentious-ness of pretending
of self worth of such clapping praise,
the parasites lap up the demonized,
joint edges of a bathroom mirror
a record presciently will stop playing
It herds until the final of warnings,
Almost discretely with the attempts,
Can't breathe like you are breathing....

I'm in need of more than bleeding,
I need so much back-yard weeding,
I can only survive my mentality
if one day I can be forgiven
unlike a witch of heathen
past the ocean poisoning
of the vile repressed toxicity.
Yes, I do confess my sins,
Sails past a boat to Bethlehem.
 46° 
Caits
sometimes it takes pouring gasoline
and walking away

other times

it’s meticulously, painstakingly
removing debris
on your hands and knees

and learning to try again
 46° 
Soul
As the dawn arrived,
the cold breeze
swept the
belt of
yellow sand
with her fragile
delicate fingertips,
till the sun
dipped low
and
melted into
the seas of tears,
for the moon
to take a
flight
into the skies
to have a ballet
with the
stars.
That true beauty lies in those who fade away quietly, letting others shine, and remain until no pain reaches them.
 41° 
Laura Claes
Be inspired by many things
but don't get caught by wanting
and wanting to be
everything.

L.C.
 39° 
T
fourth of july,
night sky.
sparkling lights
ands fireflies.
hands together,
and you were mine.
we smoked,
until we could fly.
i never felt,
so right.

two years later,
youre not around.
but when i look to the sky,
on the fourth of july,
im back with you,
in our small town.
 35° 
Aphrodite
There is three, a trio of sorts
That gives me what I need
For each of the ways I bleed
Sometimes it's my soul
My beating heart
My plagued mind
They all love my sculpted body
But none can I keep
They are all forbidden to me
Belonging to some
Or belonging to none
Too old
Or too young
I will forever be alone in my being
I am merely a fascade
Only to look at with craving eyes
And sensual thoughts
Sultry words spoken
What became of her?
With her raven hair
And marble flesh
Dark woven gown
She glides amongst the luminaries
Seeing who is free
To be with her
Until time to sleep
Who is she?
She is me
Aphrodite
The trio
 35° 
Ashi Jain
Dear stranger,
I have never met you before
never seen you smile
never held your hands
never looked in your eyes

To me, you are just a stranger
nothing else at all
then why do you
not feel like a stranger at all?

I have never seen your face before
never seen your eyes
yet I feel like I know
your soul
and everything inside

So tell me, why is this so
is it because we are
not strangers at all..?
 34° 
Bekah Halle
How is it that the bath gets cold,
Yet, my love for it never gets old!
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