Submit your work, meet writers and drop the ads. Become a member
It's a feeling that I can never
put my finger on,
to seize its power with a name.
It's that slight rhythmic delay
in conversations on the phone,
the footfall of our voices
constantly just out of step.
Moments that are almost inconsequential,
but I keep picking at them
in my mind
like the loose skin of a hangnail.
Thumbing at the thoughts
in a way you tell yourself is harmless.
Just a bit more...
Only in an instant, it's all irrevocably undone.
It's that bitter stone of doubt in your chest
when there's a full stop instead of an "x".
You can't help circling back
to that seed planted in your mind
earlier than you can ever remember,
that it's you - fundamentally,
objectively, intrinsically.
Against your own better judgement,
it's so easy to sink into the ruminations
of inadequacy and psychological self-flagellation.
How many more times must you feel this way?
It's so familiar that you can almost detach.
That every time you feel that sparkle of
human connection, of being wanted for a moment,
it's already waiting for you.
You already know it's inevitable.
©Isobel G. 28.04.2025
Northern Poet Apr 14
Modern love
Plays out  
All over Facebook
And the social feeds
Not quite Shakespeare
It’s more Love Island themed
It started with a kiss
And ended with disease
True romance
Cozy nights in
A three course meal
Just for you
By him
Catching feels
***** flutters
Where digital love begins

Smitten kittens
Tagging each other
In the latest memes
A selfie before
The cinema screen
Holiday snaps
“A pic of my man
I love how he naps x”
Status updates
Painted on the wall
From single
To a relationship
In no time at all

Not quite Notting Hill
Just another IG Story
Eastenders drama
Is social media glory
Posting again
At 3 in the morning
The lies and deceit
Not so discreet
Posting the screenshots
And read receipts
“U ok ***
Wot happened
Babe DM me **”

Love to air your ***** laundry  
And filthy sheets
Content’s like clockwork
When a new lover’s
On the scene
Breaking up in style
Part of the routine
For an audience
That can’t help but stare
I’m obsessed
When a post is shared
No need for the town square
We’re all living
Vicariously through
You and your private affairs
Elemenohp Apr 10
It's never been like this before.
Not as far as I can remember.
Your words, your mind, your voice, your smile...
Familiarity, down to strange details.

The way I feel I can read your mind as you debate an approach.
The way you likely notice me, pretending to not notice you.
Yet we both avoid meeting a gaze as the distance closes...

Smile, greeting, small talk, laughter...

...Touch....

And time stops - if for at least a second.

...Breathe, smile, banter...
A few seconds of silence and I've tripped on the tension.

Quick diversion. depart.
Mightier deity's
In my heart, a bough of sensation
With the moment, to explore reality's
Frugal lips drawn to the season of change...

Earning an angel's grace?
A knowing God has a word
With your deeds forth, a dubious space
Seldom was a kiss, with spirits in the heard...

Ears with soldiers in mind
Gifts and gaiety, all in anxiety's row
Run pretty prayers, for a further kind
Sounds of justice, come with a petty *****

Must, a meager shape meander through?
When the dole of me...
Came to a decision, for rancor more
So seldom, a reach for anger is anarchy...

Quiet, little wonder
Sharing might, with a total for love
In my means and measure...
I have answered your prophecy, with a question of us

One-two, ******'s you knew'd...
Three-four, hopin' the stranger world...
Five-six, passion is clearly, not a sick and lewd...
Seven-eight, the rest of that is up to you, and your...
Esoteric moments, of a stern wish, somehow ******?
Trevor Dowe Apr 4
Mores the fool, me
To reach out without setting expectations
To harbor burgeoning hope
For planting the seedlings of love

Mores the fool, me
To hope for romance in a sea of transactional lust
To give port to the illusion
For watering my attraction

Mores the fool, me
To trust your words despite the signal flags
To give you berthing
For sheltering you against the storm

Mores the fool, me
To allow myself to fall for the obvious lies
To try and tie you to the dock
For bringing you upon my island

Mores the fool, me
A question for the audience: How can love be found when romance is predicated on an exchange of money?
Rabbit Mar 21
Walked into the dispensary to get some trees. like being hit with a bat I felt to my knees

Name rooted from 100 BC.
Signifying timeless, elegance,, grace, and goddess, like beauty.

Intelligent sophisticated, with a boss like mind.
Independent business, Woman, but impressing creativity at the same time.

Right brain left brain synchronicity if you know what I mean,
To keep it 100. She’s exactly like me..

Let’s be friends and get to know One another,
With this Renaissance man, it’s not all about, trying to get underneath those covers.

feel me Queen.
Andy Denson Mar 20
Specked on the toes
or heals of a plate.
The horse is waiting. You don’t know it —
you should breathe in & out in situations like this.
Situations lead to more of them. You smell like Axe. My breathing hasn’t been consistent
-or monitored enough to know the depths of the soul.
Scroll down or turn the page depending on what era you are in. There is infinity on the back of my hand.
On your other back there is some tension. Taste like sweat. Southeast Asian flavored — not in an overly ****** or fetishized way. You and me are the same.
The other you called me an intruder. I know by nationality — not blood. So, you are partially right.
On the other side, you get a massage. We’ve taken turns with other versions of ourselves. Plenty of work in the 21st Century.
A job. Updated resume. For someone who might love you in that moment. Truly love that job. On the back of your real back.
A *******. Not a quickie. We work. Free labor. We use our hands to make things. All jobs are hand jobs — don’t be a pervert. I thought you were a nice person. Don’t sexualize everything? What job isn’t a *******?
Why is it so hard? Why is it so big? Why do I have expectations?
We met at a mall. Or you picked me up. My feelings are present. Your feelings back there. You and me are scared. Because jobs that are tiring can be scary.
I miss all of you. You’re back and my back. My stupidity and my wisdom is yours too. The back seat smells like SafeGuard. Breathe in. Brea- Calm. No more scared.
You just ate. That’s how we flirt in the Philippines.
I had black pepper on my foods because it’s used on the front of a dish where I’m from-
When I eat, I don’t burp from the back. You sprinkle the front of the food on its back.
On the front of the back of the phone is an anticipation.
People I know of back home are dying. There is black pepper. No one I have been really close to has passed yet. In the back of your mind you know it’ll happen.
I back up a bit from the table and you. I always think I am smart. I always think of crying when I get home. But I am too smart to cry in public.
Back up — back up. Black up. Sprinkle Black Pepper on food. For you. Backed by support from followers like you.
You may be familiar with my back. Or vice versa. What a beautiful time it is to eat Black Pepper in September!
Wondering what is going on in the back of their minds. You tell me to get over it.
Try the Black Pepper in a town near you. Sides go great with a little back back dash of the Black Pepper. Yes I am ok.
You need salt. I need salt. Back away. Because moderation. Just use Black Pepper. It is your job.
Black. Then front. Top it off. Then back and black. Self love advice — taking everything with a grain of (bath) salt.
Which Black Pepper is the best Black Pepper?
Back and Black. Duh.
Forward through the congestion of Cebu City — I back up but not enough. My new job is to sprinkle the Black Pepper on us. After the commute.
Crazy?
You’re crazy, babe.
You…
Baby, I know I am crazy.
Sike.
You bet.
Because of the motorcycle makes me feel dangerous and cool on your back. I drove too. Danger. You. Never mind! Never. Mind. Men are dumb. That includes me.
That means everything men do other men and women they pursue is dumb. Black Pepper takes their mind off that front and back to the front. People are dumb. Di ba?
Black Pepper is Black Pepper. Nothing but Black Pepper. I love me so much. You too. You told me to love myself more. So I ate Black Pepper.
You aren’t always looking at palm trees, or nature, like I do. Back on your phone. Black pepper grounds the tree.
Now from the back to the other back I calmly sneeze.
Where has life taken you in regards to others? The backs of theirs.
It is not hard to believe in the world of form — because Black Peppers are on my back.
So is the back of your motorbike. I smell Black Pepper on my upper lip. There is Black Pepper sprinkles. Everywhere. I use the back of my wet hand to wipe the back. You wipe the front.
— in the back of my mind, I’m glad most of the Black Pepper is covered by my clothes.
Sleeping on back back — exhale. Exhaling from both the nostrils. I remember the time I garnished a dish with Black Pepper in the Upper East Side. I felt gross. I remember that moment in the back of my mind.
How could anyone hate you if you’re back?
Black Pepper eaters never seem to care too much. So you — don’t back up that with a fact check. Back up. I am not crazy.
I love the blacks. I love the peppers. If you back the love too — it’s a job. You too will know love from the back.
— Sprinkled with black pepper and backed by gold.
black pepper, is a love story that dives deep into the spicy realms of fil am identity, queer desire, and the dance of modern dating. blending the raw energy of film and poetry, it uses the metaphor of black pepper to evoke the taste, scent, and passion of human connections. starring and inspired by original work, this piece invites you to savor every nuance of identity and love, one sprinkle at a time.
Love is like my morning coffee,
dark and deep, yet warm and cozy.
Steam that rises, a soft embrace,
a touch that lingers, in time and place.

First, the scent: rich, inviting,
like caring words with hearts igniting.
A gentle sip, a quiet thrill,
the kind that lingers, slow and still.

Too fast, too hot, it burns the tongue,
like passion’s fire when love is young.
Too cold, too late, and it will fade,
a bitter taste, a love mislaid.

And when it’s gone, the weight is real,
a sluggish step, a lifeless feel.
The world moves on, but not with me,
An exhausted soul, tired, unfree.

But coffee made with care, with grace,
it fills the soul, it sets the pace.
A steady hand, a patient art,
love, like coffee, warms the heart.
Birdie Feb 28
He said my standards were too high,
But my stepdad would drain a river dry
If I needed a drink.
He said the love I want isn’t real,
But my girls would give me their last meal, If I was hungry for it.
He told me I was too much for men,
But no'one treats me better than my best guy friend.
He said he couldn’t marry a girl like me,
But if that’s how I need to be,
For a man to really love me,
Then I would take never again.
nicole Feb 6
1-8-25   8:05pm

every time you don't respond
i convince myself you're done

my mind
my worst enemy

do you still want this with me?
i might ask

have you met someone else?
is she wonderful?
what does she smell like?
does her laugh sound like the most wonderous
orchestra known to man


the feeling of love
and wanting to be loved
is so volatile
my own personal current
pushing out to sea
Next page