Youthful airs come and gone
turning heads for all the wrong reasons
painfully desperate to attract attention
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
Appears a pigeon at leisure
nonchalantly walking hopping from table to table
~ looking for attention and treats
AP: 1st place 2025
It's a cry for attention
it's as loud as loud can be
~ how many ways to ask
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
they did not always call her donut head
but after she became one, what else would they call her?
I have a name, she would yell at people
They laughed
Maybe it was too much her friends suggested
she refused to change it
she liked the attention
just not the laughs
Did I ever mention
that I am always at the Center of Attention
even when I try my best
not be like the rest?
What do others see
in me?
I want to be a ghost
but end up being a host.
It sounds ridiculous
but even when I try to be inconspicious
I am spotted by the spies
with their eagle eyes.
Maybe the only solution
is to jump right into the pollution
and to stay away from the center
and to be as loud
as the rest of the crowd.
I love the way you cleverly
pontificate and think you know it all ~
so quick to dole out your advice.
I close my eyes,
take a deep breath
'cause here we go again.
Under the guise of altruism,
you rank right up there with other pests ~
wish there was a prize for 'most annoying'.
I close my eyes,
take a deep breath
'cause here we go again.
You don't need any details
the solution's already in your head ~
who wants any of the facts?!
I close my eyes,
take a deep breath
'cause here we go again.
Do you even hear yourself ~
your words and tone are laughable
but there's no stopping you.
I close my eyes,
take a deep breath
'cause here we go again.
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Warm yellow light.
Chilly, for indoor.
Soft, soothing, piano.
Music—
Door slides open.
A man walks in, his eyes—
Rain’s wailing outside.
He talks to the nurse.
His voice hoarse like sand—
Flash, lightening.
Raindrops darken the dusty walk—
Thunder.
He sinks into the bench beside me.
Stinging smell of cigarette butts—
Another thunder.
Door slides close and muffles it.
Nurse says my name.
I walk into the doctor’s—
A muffled thunder.
I don’t remember seeing the lightning.
_____________
Note: Dysautonomia is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, often causing brain fog, anxiety, and sensory overload.
we stood alone
that's how hunger works
we craved attention
a little praise
when i think back
we could have banded
we could have been strong
but we didn't
Posted on March 4, 2025
You wouldn't know joy
if it crawled up
and laid in your lap.
It is right in front of
you,
but you'll never know.
Just pay attention,
and it'll show.
Originally published in Affairs of the Heart, Vol. 2 August 2017
If and when you pass through this world,
Make it mighty slow.
If you pay attention to everything
People say as you go,
You will always be tired,
And kept in a stew,
Because a negative tongue
Will always have something to do.
Angels stand before me,
Restoring a body,
Only they can see.
Clearing negativity,
From my reality.
Silently fighting,
Delighting in Victory.
When Asked to be,
Part of the Story.
They're hard to see,
Through dark and stormy,
Seas of energy before me.
This Physical form,
Clashing, gnashing,
Splashing energy,
Against the foundation.
Rocks crumbling,
Emotions are Bubbling,
Off balance, Tumbling,
Into The darkness.
Plunging,
Against the Resistance.
The Disturbance,
Eroding patience.
Turbulence from the Currents,
Drowning my excellence.
In my last moments,
I catch a glimpse,
Angels in the distance.
Awaiting the chance,
To lend their hands.
Just waiting on my command.
Until then They'll Stand,
Angels At Attention.
Flash, prance, shout, stare, glare
He's there, everywhere.
Locked in, stuck in snare.
Always in your face.
Focus locked in place.
Attention is grabbed.
Distraction has nabbed
Any free thought, stabbed.
Topics shift, switch, drift,
Avoids being miffed.
Avoids shun and shrift.
No time to dwell think.
No time to smell stink.
Chaos reigns to blur
Shake, rock, smash and stir
Away the demur.
Observe
Do not react
Make desires a focal
Give your attention to desires
Control.
I starve your attention Aphrodite,
Without you, I am never content,
My heart’s unwavering God of love
Curse me, poison my grateful soul,
Harbor my destruction, create me anew,
I am addicted to the web you woven,
I am conscious of being a prey, I choose,
All I want is to be together with you…
I shout and scream,
I thought my friends and I were always a team.
But I was wrong,
I’ve been ignored for too long.
There are no whispers about me,
Can they not see?
I cry every night,
For attention, I seek,
But in the end, all I feel is small and weak.
Hoping I’m noticed,
It has become a wish,
It feels as though everyone thinks I don’t exist.
Maybe I’m a ghost,
Not real or true,
Maybe I’m a ghost,
Am I see-through?
All I need,
Is a bit of recognition,
Forget the meaning of life,
This is my mission.
Please see beyond my disguise,
The feelings and emotions I hide.
I have nothing to confide,
As I live with lies.
Maybe I’m a ghost,
Not real or true,
Maybe I’m a ghost,
Am I see-through?
Maybe I am,
A ghost to myself,
A person seeking,
Needing help.
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