Ink Empress Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

written for the contest " my heart is a secret garden" sponsored by the Silent One

My heart is a Secret Garden

Feel the fever of soul’s fire,
the flame of thirsting warmth,
soaked in sins and silence ~
like petals parched for passion;
the rain that mourns softly
without the voice of thunder,
yet every phrase I frame
sounds like sonnets stitched from
sparks of sinister stars,
studded into the spirit of splitting skies…

So forgive my toxic truth,
vines of violence, venomous vapors
flowing through vain veins
like sensuous scents,
awaiting the kiss of a Gemini sacrifice.

O gardener of dreams, storm-keeper,
in your eyes there sprouts hope ~
paradise pressed in patience,
while I, the devious dahlia,
forgot how to trace suppressed highs,
homing sighs of an obsidian rose…

I still long for your reveries
to deflower and devour
the delicacy of incense,
blooming and breathing
in secret beneath skirts of sepals;
you hold the divine strings,
musing in the melodious garden
of my touch-starved heart,
wishing your skin 
would undress this want,
fingertips tapping tulip tempests…

Tonight ink keeps quivering
like a cherry blossom
on a wounded branch,
unclothing scars and metaphors
I weave to articulate an aching armor,
preserving the poison within…

For every throb and echo of arteries
could steal the heat of the moon,
scribbling a simple saga
on the calmness of your palm…

And if, to unlock this darkness,
love must forsake all peace,
if, to claim your light,
pulse must please the pigments
running through lethal lines,
I will not ask you
to bleed or burn for me;
I’ll surrender to solitude ~
quenched in quiescence
in the fields of the forgotten,
evermore, a love-sick letter unsent…

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Andrea Dietrich July 14, 2026 at 3:47 PM Number two now on top 100 new poems list!

Sara Kendrick June 11, 2026 at 10:15 AM I wanted to give you a belated congratulations on your poem being on the winners' list in this contest. Way to go. Somehow, I missed seeing this contest had been judged. Sara K.

Andrea Dietrich May 21, 2026 at 10:06 PM Well I know how to call them, don't I! Congrats, Sweetie Ink Empress May 22, 2026 at 3:22 AM Thank you sweet soul aunt for keeping your comment positive! Sending you light always’

JC Brul May 21, 2026 at 3:56 PM I could feel the secret love where desire is intense but held back by a cosmic distance. There’s also a sense of self-suppression where there is no demand for love in return just sending the light and then steps into solitude. (removed) Congratulations Ink. A fave this is. ^___^ JCB

Silent One May 21, 2026 at 2:25 PM I did not really get the feel of a secret garden in your poem, but it is full of poetic lines that flow through it from start to finish.. There is a lot of pain and sadness in your poem, and in the perspective of someone who has given up trying to love a certain person and has turned to solitude instead.. Not my business to tell you how to live your life, but if you, limit yourself to a Gemini kiss, you miss out on 11 other zodiac kisses. Congrats on your first place in the contest. Ink Empress May 22, 2026 at 5:23 AM *rolls my eyes* on your 50th birthday I hope finally you grow up. :D haha kidding my friend! Enjoy, Geminis are my closest friends! And yes my gardens got tiger irises, lilies, orchids, wildflowers, roses… but no dahlias! The dnt bloom anymore it seems! Too stubborn! I know my poem is beyond awesome! Its not a poem, its my heartbeat :) Silent One May 22, 2026 at 4:01 AM I am no longer a gardener, so have lost the art of flourishing petals... Also people change, as their garden changes.. what was once an oasis can become overgrown with weeds.... Your poem was awesome though.. maybe I should try to see what a Gemini kiss is like.. after all, it is Gemini season!!! Now to find a Gemini :D Ink Empress May 22, 2026 at 3:21 AM that is because you are familiar with the garden of my heart buddy, you know alot of what blooms there. So its no secret, thank you for the placement. Sending you light always

Valsa George May 19, 2026 at 11:58 PM "I will not ask you to bleed or burn for me; I’ll surrender to solitude ~ quenched in quiescence in the fields of the forgotten, evermore, a love-sick letter unsent…" I can fathom the depth of your feelings here and the clear message you want to communicate. The poem is perfumed not with the scent of blooming roses but with the odor of fallen petals. In all your poems I see you picturing yourself as a flower on a wounded branch, but every broken petal in you sings and every breath of yours turns into a rhythm. Hope the scars will heal once. Wish you sweet one, the very best in life.

Victor Buhagiar May 19, 2026 at 8:26 AM There is deep intensity in this poem. The imagery is electric: fire and frost, venom and incense, petals and scars. There is a sublime confession and an invocation. The ending is a superb paradox.

Karen Croft May 19, 2026 at 7:06 AM A beautifully written poem, good luck in the contest! Thank you for my placement in yours. Much appreciated!!!

Akham Nilabirdhwaja Singh May 19, 2026 at 1:24 AM A striking poem with a rich sensous and gothic mood.Very nicely penned.

Paige Hind May 18, 2026 at 11:04 PM I love how this begins, Ink. Wow. <3 Ink Empress May 19, 2026 at 12:41 AM it all didnt end so well, literally :) im still healing…thank you sweet paige..

Gershon Wolf May 18, 2026 at 7:07 PM An alliterative tour-de-force. Bravo, Gershon Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 10:31 PM Thank you so much GW, I alliterated my heartbeat. Lol. Appreciate your support. Sending you light always

Andrea Dietrich May 18, 2026 at 4:29 PM You always deliver when it comes to romance, Ink. So many beautiful metaphors here and I love how you included a gardener. I wrote a love poem long ago that included a "bad" gardener. This will place high for sure! Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 10:24 PM I might get an HONORABLE MENTION (not so horrible) lol :D thank you my sweet soul aunt! But i know this poem comes from my heart. Sending you light always

Duke Beaufort May 18, 2026 at 4:20 PM IE, I love this poem. You start by saying you contain toxic truth. Then, you flip the page as it were and introduce a note of hope. That is such a pleasure to experience as a reader. The fact that there is always hope while being willing to embrace some anxiety, sadness, and loneliness seems to me to represent a masterful philosophy for life. You're a wonderful therapist for those who can listen and process what you are saying. Really cool poetry. Whatever makes you write this way must have been quite an experience. Sending smiles your way!! Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 10:19 PM "for those who can listen and process what you are saying. " now this made me laugh dear duke. Haha. I speak quite clearly in real life, it is when I write I hide behind metaphors. And ofcourse not many understands me.. especially men they really dont get me. :/ i missed your lengthy thoughts on my poems. I sometimes feel a bit of pity for those that feel forced to comment on my poems while they dont feel me, which is why my comments on poetrysoup here is limited, because i dont want anyone to think Im looking for a comment back, but i know you, dear duke you will always love spending time on my poems. Sending you light always

Justin Bordner May 18, 2026 at 2:15 PM She blooms in neither Day or Night, sunlight and moon glow moves not her face towards true heaven, there is only one nurture that titillates her pulse flow, firelight fierce from the mouth of a rugged poet Man, She lives not in Oriental garden nor Parisian paradise, her roots are deep in love verboten...J.A.B. Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 10:21 PM she ~ whoever she is~ sounds like me too, how are you so fluent in metaphors? I wonder... everything you say is beautiful and unique dear Justin, and I love reading your intelligent comments, seeing you here. Sending you light today and always

Paula Goldsmith May 18, 2026 at 11:03 AM "My heart is a Secret Garden" is a lovely/powerful ~ write/read from the first line to the last line. In your secret garden under your aching armor is your golden pen writing??? Great Ending.... I wonder how many love-sick letters are unsent. "Good Luck" I also did, this contest. Have a blessed/great day writing away............. Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 1:08 PM I must read your beautiful poem angelic soul Paula! Sending you light always

Frederic Parker May 18, 2026 at 10:45 AM how passionate is the soul whose heart can scribe such a poem, reveal not only your garden of flowers but the fallen petals of your desires as you look into the eyes of love's wondrous wonder, dear poet...a fav Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 1:04 PM I love your way with words dear Frederick, they warm my heart. Thank you so much, sending you light, today and always

Daniel Henry Rodgers May 18, 2026 at 9:32 AM Dear Empress, Oh, the master gardener is at her best this morn. O gardener of dreams, storm-keeper, Your garden isn’t hidden at all, its fire spills through every thorned confession. I think you're wrestling your own shadows with Empress tenderness. I sense a reverie, a strange holiness in letting the scars speak without begging for rescue. I’m standing here, steady, taking in every Faving bloom you dared to unveil. Blessings, Daniel Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 1:07 PM I like your warm energy, dear Daniel. I guess those of us with a psychology background and who write poetry, we do feel more ~ you are spot on. I never chase or beg; I just phrase and phase. Thank you so much for the visit. I must visit you soon. Sending you light, always…

Sara Kendrick May 18, 2026 at 9:02 AM This one reads like a good contender for the contest. Way to go. I am sure I will see many congrats on this page. Sara K. Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 1:03 PM Awwn I am not sure, just felt like expressing, I never write to win dear Sara, kind soul, sending you light always... appreciate you being here

Mike Bayles May 18, 2026 at 6:19 AM Wonderful poem, Ink Empress. Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 1:02 PM Thank you so much dear Mike Bayles, appreciate your visit. Sending you light always

Robert James Liguori May 18, 2026 at 4:25 AM If I was stranded on a deserted island… all I would need to survive is a cup of water and your poetry. I love every line!!! Job well done Ink!!! Robert James Liguori May 18, 2026 at 6:05 AM Yes. Declared. I am your #1 fan!!! Though Papi is a close second. lol. Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 4:36 AM Awwn lol, thats rather a poetic and thoughtful thing to say! Must I declare you my #1 fan? Thank you for saying that, I know sometimes my poems are not easy to comprehend but the fact that you said this made me smile! Sending you light always

Laurentine G May 18, 2026 at 3:16 AM To say this is a a passionate write is an understatement! An Empress with myth making poetic power no less! This has blown everyone and everything out of the water, water is now in fact just mist and we as the human race stand transfixed! Does a world without your poetry even have colour, taste or texture - I think not! This is a fave, with sore thumbs from adding quadrillion faves!!! Haha well done on an amazing write! Oh us poor humans & our little ink splotched scratchings in comparison lol Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 3:36 AM Hahah :D armor made of stars! Love that! Such poetic brilliance you speak, my cosmic bff! Laurentine G May 18, 2026 at 3:32 AM T shirts don't even exist in a world that contains poetry like this haha - The Gods and Goddesses will wear an armour made of stars but emblazoned upon it our clothing brand! lol Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 3:24 AM I was holding onto my heart, every beat, racing faster than the other, as I unraveled the revelations of the glass garden! Wow your comment is so profound n poetic! Im so grateful for the fave and especially for you feeling my poem: haha you are too humble! Your poetry is full of sellable lines, now it only we start the tshrt business hahah ;) thank you so much for the support

Joseph P. DiMino May 18, 2026 at 2:57 AM "the rain that mourns softly without the voice of thunder," -- Beautiful imagery! "O gardener of dreams, storm-keeper, in your eyes there sprouts hope ~ " Wonderful writing. Yep, I have many lovesick letters unsent. But heaven knows all, the fact that I have loved is enough to keep my soul afloat. Time is only time to those unhappy with the moment -- a moment in love is a timeless eternity. Great writing my friend. Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 3:33 AM It is a timeless flame, dear Joe. So many unsent love letters, heaven knows, and stars feel. Its always an honor to hear from you. Sending you light always

Lin Lane May 18, 2026 at 2:52 AM Love can most assuredly forsake peace and flow through our veins like a waterfall in Spring, or as a toxin, still we thirst for it. I could take this moment to do a little 'tit for tat' on a word that you've used in connection with the sponsor, (smirking emoticon here) but I'll suppress sparring with you so as not to wither the pretty petals in your heart's secret garden. Saccharine ink you've scribbled, Ink. ;-) Now, I'll surrender to silence and wish you well in the contest. Lin Lane May 18, 2026 at 3:02 AM You’re always most welcome, sweet friend. Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 2:55 AM What a most poetic response linnersz, yes I used “ silence” which he uses alot… but I learned alot from him so maybe why, a lot of what I say sounds like him too. Thank you for feeling this! If only love like what youv expressed here exists. Sending you light always ;)

Lioness Onpaper May 18, 2026 at 2:05 AM petals parched for passion..sounds like sonnets stitched from sparks of sinister stars, studded into the spirit of splitting skies…vines of violence, venomous vapors flowing through vain veins.. yesss alliterationsssss.. storm-keeper, in your eyes there sprouts hope .. oh damn!! Then I shall never ever blink! I still long for your reveries to deflower and devour the delicacy of incense, Ahem!!! Lemme hydrate first! For every throb and echo of arteries could steal the heat of the moon, oooo I will not ask you to bleed or burn for me I’ll surrender to solitude quenched in quiescence in the fields of the forgotten,.. now that is sexaaaay!!.. this piece is absolutely divine papi!! Lioness Onpaper May 18, 2026 at 5:42 AM I meaaan … ayayayaaaaa mamiii..!! look at how papi wildin out… like the kundalini took over … hahaha.. the we need protection!!! XD Laurentine G May 18, 2026 at 5:16 AM Haha "let me hydrate first" lol! These poems definitely should be issued with safety guidance haha - love your comments Lioness :) Ink Empress May 18, 2026 at 2:56 AM :) papi