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Jeremy Betts Jun 7
I sip on a drink
My demise firmly in hand
Desperate to not think
But my demons stay on-brand

©2025
I open my ribs.  
peeling back the sinews and  
capillaries with precision.  
The crack of spreading bones,  
my chambered apparatus laid  
delicately on the table.  
  
My implement extracts its pound
onto the slab with intention,  
pulled and pressed till it's paper  
thin and bled out. Soulspeak scrawled  
in the crackling veins of my parchment.  
  
I put my machinations on display  
for onlookers, merchants  
and collectors  
but none seem to gather any interest.  
Skinpull another page  
but nothing sells  
or charms or foments.  

I pack my wares and  
toss them onto the pile of  
my dried out corpse scattered  
on the floor.  
Failure.  
Another procedure.  
Relent, repeat, cut deeper.  
And hope to find a reader.
Was it love or desperation?
I can't remember the distinction.  

When you're starved
each crumb feels like grace.

Each small affection
a fervent offering
to a broken beggar.  

But at this point,  
I'll take what little
I can get.
James Rives May 31
I'm sick and ******* tired
of scraping my pride
down to the bone,
asking for helping,
and hearing nothing.
my life has fallen apart
in three months
after years of beating back
against my tears and indecision.
those that want to, can't.
those that can don't want to.
the fire in my throat isn't half
as searing as the hatred i feel
for the South African tech genius,
searching for waste,
and the ones that failed us.
i carry this molten stress in me,
and i want the worst to happen
to those living their lives everyday
without worry about rent
or food or their car's
impending repossession.


this isn't even a poem anymore,
it's a cry for help.
My life has fallen apart and if one more stranger ignores me or a loved one promises it'll be okay while I starve and barely stay housed, I will keep losing my mind. I have headaches every day and want to rip my own skin off
Kalliope May 26
I've watered this garden for ages
Yet nothing ever grows
I've consulted botanical mages
They haven't the time for my trivial woes

I've pruned with bloodied fingertips-
Soil so stubborn, refusing to shift
I've given every pamphlet a flip
Still no signs of a horticultural gift
At the very bottom seam
of my very favorite watering can
is a rusted hole
akshitha May 24
i like sitting in the corners of the house, quiet but lonely
where a house is not a home-
it is fascinating to me,
reading every corner of humans mind,
staring into the void,
you lost the touch, but still can see,
hyperaware of what you're missing on,
trying to fit in, but not in corners.
such corners, brings in solitude,
takes away the connection you need.
choosing to isolate while
the ultimate desperation of connection,
binds your soul into threads.
when the soul's purpose is to find a connection, within or outside,
is this being human enough or a human who ran out of desperation?
yet, living with hope in disguise.
a hope to fit in, but not in corners.
-akshitha
Kyle Kulseth May 20
Shriek

Throw this flesh into wind for to be tattered.

Flense & flay me; sprayed hot onto cold asphalt. Ribbon shred.

This isn't loving Summer, no. Springtime is
planting-
     gestation--
          gasping births---
                violence.
The invasion that is existing.

The Green of April is no gleaming emerald;
It is fury. It is ravenous hunger. It is manic desperation to be
It is the razor's edge of bleeding insistence.

Remove these bones. Festoon your thoughts with the sting and the ache. These verbs are command form. It is Spring.

That ripping. That fibrous, fluid tear. You hear it, yes?

Tilt me over and spill my ******* guts out.
Clouds of grey and bright red rain--squall of ichor. Knife wind.

Let us weep thunderstorms. Chagrin these Gods of Drought.

Howl

Scream for us both. Wail until the throat bleeds. Blood decanter.
Pour us out of you until the sidewalk hides from the cold.

Chilly today! Should've brought an anorak, eh?

Gale force wind. Tear me up. Spare no expense, accept no substitutes.
Leave no intact iota. Return me to my component parts. Atomize me.
Untangle us, we are a tragedy.
...And, after all, this is a slasher, yeah?

I mean. At least distract me. Ya know?
Shiiiiiiiiit, I dunno.
I wake to a sky painted gray,
Another day carved from the endless stone,
Dragging my shadow through time’s heavy hands,
While the question festers: where do I belong?
The mirror offers no map,
Only the hollow stare of someone aging too fast,
Late twenties—a milestone to nowhere,
Just a rung in the ladder I never asked to climb.
The world outside is a roaring machine,
Grinding hope into sparks that vanish in the dark.
Corruption drips from the seams of the streets,
And I can’t decide if I’m angry,
Or just too tired to care.
I keep moving, though,
Lost in the rhythm of meaningless tasks.
My purpose feels like a phantom,
Always one step ahead,
Always laughing as I stumble behind.
Happiness? It’s a language I don’t speak.
It’s a dream I don’t dare to dream,
Not when the weight of my flaws
Makes me wonder if anyone could
Love me for who I am,
And not the mask I wear to survive is starting to crack.
The chaos grows louder each year,
Like a wildfire feasting on the brittle bones of society.
And yet, I think—I hope—I can find a quiet place,
A haven amidst the ruin,
Where the world’s collapse doesn’t matter.
I don’t need salvation,
Just a corner of warmth,
A voice that says, Stay awhile, I'm with you.
A home, not built of bricks,
But of arms that hold me when the ash falls.
And so I wander,
Through this maze of broken dreams and empty days,
Waiting for a break in the storm,
For a hand to guide me,
For the fire to rage and the world to end,
While I finally find the peace
Of wondering home.
Max Gisel May 7
I am not sure why I did it,
Well that's what I'm going to say
Once I get caught with it.

Because we all know it'll happen.
I know why I stole the thing,
It's not very simple to explain:

The memories wouldn't stop,
I wanted some control over my life,
The urge needed to be fulfilled,

But the general, easy explanation:
I wanted to do it,
I have waited so long.

It's not like me to steal,
At least that's what they think.
I've thought about this for so long.

I contemplate doing many things:
So many horrible things,
Things I'd rather die than do.

I want to scream and cry,
Throw things, flip tables,
Show them how I really feel.

But I don't,
I keep up my reputation,
Smile through all of it.

I don't let anyone know,
If they knew half of it,
I would have no one.

The funny part about this
Is that I don't regret it at all,
I know I should.

I don't regret it,
Relief instantly washed over me,
Like the sick being I am.
No idea where I was going with this one, super un-poetic, just feeling a bit alien today. This was really unlike me, I don't steal. I'm not even going to explain what I stole because that's a whole other can of worms I'm NOT opening. I feel like I'm so ashamed for most things in life, even breathing feels worthy of punishment at times. But this feels different. I'm not ashamed about stealing, I'm ashamed about how I feel nothing negative about it.
DJC May 5
I know you've only just walked away,
But 10 minutes feels like yesterday!
I'm checking teams for that green light
Faking emails all through the night

My chest feels like its out of puff,
The butterflies too are all too much
I'm pacing rooms, and every hall,
Trying not to make a call

I've sent a note, an email plea,
Hoping you'd write back, to me!
It's so unfair, that you not here
Whispering sweet nothings in my ear

I stare from afar, a lovesick fool,
My face keeps beaming, its just not cool
To sit and fake a glancing touch
Makes my smile but drives me nuts

Your **** voice, and a skirt so tight
Why do you have to look so right!!
It's not just me that thinks your fit
Half the office considers it!

I'd force the lift to stop mid way
Just to kiss you, right away.
Ten minutes, good lord, it's a test!
My beating heart, it just won't rest.

Without your presence, I'm just lost,
I'm considering how much this is gonna cost
To my health I mean, not my wallet
Please come back, and I'll write you a sonnet
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