Am I not you
the reflection
of your colors
in my water
as you dance
in a garden
veiled by night
where the flowers
have no odor
and are bright
fireflies
of neon
lights
and you say it’s me
crimson stained
by the blood
you have shed
greyed by tears
of the innocent
you misled
as you sparkle
in your stolen
golden wealth
I the hypocrite
the murderer
the thief
a mirage
water colored
of your desert
left unwashed
by God's grace
mercy unasked
in your eyes
you stay perfect
I the villain
shadow
unwanted
reflection
of your mind
When I consider what’s behind…
Was I gracious? Was I kind?
I pray my children came to know
how very much…I loved them so.
And to my wife did I give praise,
when she felt low…her spirits raise?
Did I help folks along life’s way
find peace and truth…urge them to pray?
And after I have gone ahead,
God’s plan for me, what will be said?
but that I strove, the world to show,
that Jesus, all, should come to know.
Now near the end of earthly time,
and soon I’ll have to leave this space,
and place myself in God’s good grace.
Lord. Let them know, they’re on my mind.
-Then at my wake-
And now that I am good and gone,
will they remember me for long?
Will they lift a glass…sing a song,
and wish I still could join along?
A BLEEDING MIND REFLECTION
Check your mind’s pressure.
Enlightenment could be low,
And ignorance, high.
Both ways affect its calmness,
And, its true wholeheartedness.
stillness turns wheel feel, peel
past present future surreal zeal
pure expressions cure inner furore
softly breath stitches rare rhymes
creating cosmic garlands with lyrics
emotions eclectic ebbs and flows
awaken daring dreams deific glows
fire earth water stanzas know
etheric words mirror reflective slivers
____________________________
Allpoetry SILVER WINNER Poem:
5 words in 9 lines : August 26
my marihuana modified me
in humming faintness
through this catoptric polariscope ,
I extract misdirection
a narcissus could never negotiate
with nonvisual mockery
or serious stillness
will sag .
are you unalterable ?
(Weekly Magnetic Poetry Challenge • August 24–30, 2026)
long standing shower, letting water refresh my spirits
I travelled far to cast my vote,
carrying the weight of life with me.
By evening, I watched the news
my country had built a mighty weapon.
Missiles, aircraft, fire
I felt proud of our strength.
Then I stepped into my garden.
The leaves still held
the morning's dew.
A flower still carried
the last light of the sun.
I watered the plants.
The sky roared.
Aircraft crossed it like birds,
but instead of flowers,
they dropped death.
My garden turned red.
One white flower remained,
a single drop of blood
resting on its petal.
I looked at the sky.
Who won the war?
Who lost it?
The sky stayed silent.
The earth answered in blood.
I gave my vote for my country,
and felt proud of its strength.
But when will we win
the greatest war of all
the war for a world
where a child's white flower
never carries the stain of blood?
In echoes
I hear the ground shake
Anger with our kind
At the violence and hate we display
While a whispers
Of hands held out,
Assisting the world’s
Suffering.
Not because of a god or gods
They are the symbols.
Our excuses.
We have to admit,
We make our own graves
And affect nature and fellow humanity
Around us.
But too much self fear holds
Us back.
Self reflection.
Understanding
Our repetitive history.
Sickness.
Ugliness.
Truth,
Ancestry
Of our history.
Self reflection.
A simple phrase.
Fear.
Such a simple word
But we give them power.
It’s time to admit to ourselves,
We can change things,
But we need to know.
And here I stand,
Before the mirror
Of my own self reflection.
your tiger can snore
through the wayside and justice
her aether will be
(Weekly Magnetic Poetry Challenge • August 10–16, 2026)
Reflections of a Harrowing Time
A deafening silence, waiting in isolation.
Within cold white walls, test after test,
no new revelation.
No food, no drink, surviving on drips of medication,
Reading medics' reactions, of puzzling looks: running out of options.
The delicate soul weighs heavy,
With rumbling noises from the belly.
Clad in dreary hospital gowns,
The fading spirit answers with frowns.
Out from a dark shadow came:
Will I live or will I die?
Hope whispered, “Nothing changes
when you cry.”
Praying, some say, brings miracles
from the sky,
Now is the time to look up high and
give praying a try.
Each moment is precious, no more
sighs and more of asking why.
Now isn’t your time to wave goodbye.
Zyrool
8/26
Scared Mary,
Unprepared Mary,
Incomprehensible yet strangely legible,
Outside of the box in isolation Mary.
New Mary,
Old Mary,
Realities are a kaleidoscope,
Always big vision and big picture seeing Mary.
Spontaneous Mary,
Boring Mary,
Gifted the role of everything and nothing,
Multidimensional experience Mary.
Cyclical Mary,
Unpredictable Mary,
Goggles ethereal with physical on the side,
So strange and unable to be normal Mary.
Selfless Mary,
Selfish Mary,
Fiercely loving and Protective to a fault,
Contradictory and human at best Mary.
Celibate Mary,
Desperate Mary,
A Biological Divine combination,
Big impact but small blip in wider space Mary.
stubble in voider
I was always through prospect
renewing again
(Weekly Magnetic Poetry Challenge • August 3–9, 2026)
Mirror, Mirror on the wall,
Do not lie to me at all.
For what you show me as me,
Is not true at all, you see!
Don’t be fooled by what you see.
The world’s mirror shows not your reality,
Look beyond the reflection deep within.
And find the truth that lies therein!
Copyright © 2017 by Crystal David John
(Published in my book titled 'Trails of Thought', which is available on Amazon)
Mirror, mirror on the wall
in front of you I stand tall,
evergreen with virgin air,
confident without a care.
In prime of life and freshness,
in state of juvenescence.
I look at my reflection,
my body such perfection.
I'm a mirror in the hall,
tall as hung upon this wall,
show only what's true and fair
self-importance I don't share.
With this ego you possess
I don't see your youthfulness,
disrobing your pretension
reveals your true reflection.
Time flies
Where did the time go
How did I get here?
I may not know
My favorite music is now a classic
Young folks view me as Jurassic
As much as I love to try new things
To be adventurous and bold
But sadly, I need to face the facts
I'm getting old
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