In saying nothing
I’ve said all,
in truth my silence lies.
I’m not hiding,
I stand tall,
consent and dissent my allies.
In time they’ll understand,
for now, it suffices to say:
Nothing
Loudly,
so that the whole world can hear.
( 8th Placement in Rob Carmack's Polarity Contest)
Henry the hedgehog had a most unusual hat
purchased from a steampunk walrus named Pat
out of the top grew an apple tree with blossoms fine
we followed him as we spoke to orchard growers on the line
Have you ever seen this before? We would ask, showing his hat.
This irritated the usually nice guy and the Walrus seller named Pat.
They accused us of slander and tried to fine us in court.
But it’s not slander if it’s the truth, said the judge, my cousin Mort.
[You, the speaker, sit on a chair.
Back straight. Hands still.
The room is too quiet.]
I became a fault line
people swore they felt tremble—
even when the ground
never moved.
[Lift your eyes. Don’t move anything else.]
A rumour sparked,
struck like flint
against my name.
My silence—
they shaped it into a monster,
a shadow they insisted
had teeth.
[Lean forward, elbows on knees.
Voice low.]
I walked into the courtroom
like stepping into
a lion’s throat,
and still walked out
whole.
But echoes cling.
Smoke remembers
what fire never touched.
[Stand slowly.
Let the chair creak]
So hear me now.
My silence
was a drawn blade,
not surrender.
[Step away from the chair.
One step only. Stand tall]
This—
right here—
is the line carved clean
through the dust.
And I do
not
move.
Next, if we should meet, it would take a great deal
of restraint to maintain a kind heart.
In all pleading and attempts at understanding,
remained an underlying distrust.
The disbelief of misplacing money,
extended by the feeling like a joke.
No room for Ha-Ha's / ain't a damn thing funny.
Sent into a position that would not budge.
Determination fixed, sent whirling and twirling with
zero fact 'n no time flat.
A suspicious umbra you put me on.
Fueled by a disbelief without reason.
The distance closing / violence quickly approaching.
Told keep it, all the while never having it.
no longer having it,
you let me have it.
Remaining respectful.
Shame on me / force of habit.
It's clear truth doesn't represent yourself.
Now I'll knock that picture off your shelf.
Of arranging Holy jailbreaks, and stealing people..Away from this world.'
Why is it my fault?
Honest, I promise it really wasn't me.
I'm just an innocent bystander.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
A Quiet Soul — in Ordered Speech —
Unnerved — by Loud Accuse —
Stood trembling — where the Gavel fell —
A Life — they could not use —
For Minds that move in Gentle Lines —
Are strange to Courts of Noise —
Where Power plays its Shadowed Game —
And Terror steals my Voice —
The Bench — a solemn Citadel —
Yet cold — when Truth is near —
Its sentries knowing Innocence —
Encouraged by my Fear —
Cynthia Heir— with A Paper bag—
The jury never Saw —
The subtle Signs — my Rising Pulse —
Without Integrity —
And so — the Heart — to End the Pain —
Would bow to any Word —
A Plea — became their Refuge then —
And Justice was Denied —
But still — the Soul — so bruised by them —
Retains its quiet Flame —
Where God — and Truth — and Inner Light —
Outshine the Courts through Him —
At Cubby's, the neon hums/
A beacon in the night/
A place for solace/
But now a source of plight/
I stood there, a truth on my lips, unplanned/
Asked the clerk to be kind, to lend a gentler hand/
But shadows lingered/
Where light should've been/
Through masks of smiles, deceit crept in/
Their whispers turned to chains/
Forged in lies/
A verdict handed down/
Under cold, accusing skies/
I wore the blame they skillfully wove/
Falsehoods cloaked me in stories/
They strove/
Banned from the aisles/
Where I once stood/
Falsely accused, misunderstood/
No one to believe me, no.ear to hear/
The loneliness sharp/
The injustice clear/
At Cubby's, the neon hums/
As it always will/
But it's glow feels colder/
The world now still/
In 1996 they came, shadows in the night/
Declared the case is bigger than me/
Told me not to fight/
Threats and whispers, like a storm they flew/
But my heart of gold knows, I stayed true/
A light too pure to dim/
A soul they sought to taint/
With accusations dark/
They painted me with paint/
A heart of gold, forged in flames of truth/
I would never harm anyone/
Silenced by the weight/
Of lies that cling and bind/
Yet my spirit rises, justice on my mind/
Falsely accused/
My name dragged through the mud/
But in my heart of gold/
Flows an unyielding flood/
I wish to clear my name/
To stand in light once more/
To break the chains of injustice/
And soar/
Innocence, my shield/
Truth, my guiding star/
Falsely accused/
But pure, no matter who they are/
I am an innocent soul, by fate betrayed/
From God's embrace, my spirit swayed/
Every Church, a door now sealed/
In shadows dark, my fate revealed/
Through the Qliphoth's maze, I stumble on/
Occult's dark arts, a journey drawn/
Seeking truth where light is scarce/
In void and silent war/
From the hospitals cold embrace, I rose/
Survivor of many suicide attempts, life's cruel prose/
Doctors puzzled by my breath/
A testament defying death/
Among the beasts, I roam untamed/
In wildness found, my soul reclaimed/
Enlightenment through chaos wrought/
In flawlessness, no hate is caught/
A Phoenix from the ashes formed/
By unjust hate, of the falsely accused, no longer torn/
In flawless perfection, I ascend/
Where peace and pain transcend/
I hide behind my shell
and don't say boo
until i loosen up and can be me.
What helps chisel off the edges
and round those prickly corners
that keep me guarded?
The secret is a simple glass of cabernet.
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Why did you do this to me/
I did not do that/
Is it because I'm not Christian, just why/
Simply... Clear my name/
I did not do that/
Why did you do this to me/
I never done nothing to you/
You robbed me of a life/
May you go to Hell/
For what you did to me/
I'm haunted and scarred for life/
Over what you did to me/
Why... Just why?/
the accused chose a circuitous explanation
it seemed to wander over under, around and through
then he added other explanations to explain the first one
we tried to follow his rationale but it was like running a maze
He never answered any of the questions directly
appeared evasive, and unsure about his whereabouts and such
the jury seemed tired of his duplicitous tactics and his wily ways
he was convicted of the crime
some did not know if he was guilty
but he was so unlikeable
they liked the idea of putting him behind bars
It was never my intent to collect the creepy crawlers
but I couldn't make myself swat them with a broom.
I thought they might be useful one day, on brawlers
who make trouble, like aphids on roses in bloom.
So, the meshed bag became the receptacle I used
to keep them alive. One by one, I joined them together
but fed them daily. Of spider abuse I'd not be accused!
I watched them interact in the prison tied with a tether.
There was no fighting among them when there were three
Respectfully, they kept their distance in separate corners
even when I threw in a fly, a moth and a tiny dead flea.
I wondered if they died, would there have been mourners?
It seems arachnids could teach humans a lesson in humanity
When my bag began to move on its own, I knew it was time
to set them free. You may question my sanity and the inanity
of releasing the creatures but keeping them would be a crime.
Where would they best be turned loose in one fell swoop?
The rose garden! Infested with pests on which they'd feast!
I opened the bag carefully and they marched as a troop,
conquering heroes of the Rose War, each bug eyed beast!
It is not the kind of conversation that is exigent to the circumstances.
When questioned, we could have feigned its importance, but why?
It was a superfluous conversation, and no one should have asked.
But the police detectives did, because there was a murder to solve
Mrs. Peets, the main detective used multifarious methods to get us to talk.
Attempted to get us to confess to what we had been sharing in the booth.
One look from Migs, our ringleader squelched us immediately.
Migs’ rare effulgence has elevated him to sovereign of our little gang.
Miss Bee, another detective played with the amaranth on the table.
I watched tiny purple buds fall onto the white linen tablecloth.
I am pretty sure this plant is pestilent, but kept my mouth shut.
They both tried to foment discord, but we were slick and walked away uncharged.
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