¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
a captive ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦
drawn ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ composition
by ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ wandering ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ troubled ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ sinking lines,
the ¦¦¦¦¦¦ bowing ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ of my will. . . .
I have ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ listened to ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦
words ¦¦¦ the ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ muse,
and plotted ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ my life,
¦¦¦ avoiding ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ compassion . . . ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦
(Blackout of Dolphin by Robert Lowell)
Captive
Locked in your shadow
Rigid as a board
Twisted in the dark
Eyes fixed and insane
Arms like heavy chains
Captive in a haze
O ye songbirds crammed in a captive cage.
Whilst ye flutter to free from confined space,
Man’s spirit hails home and hearth all his age
Opting for cells’ safety but freedom less.
O captive birds ye sing but wails of rage
Whilst staring at blue skies, freedom’s lost face,
Free birds swing whilst perched on a branch--their stage,
And sing songs of freedom with avian grace.
And alight to homing trees just to rest
Or rear their young in the safety of nest--
Enduring home, not once a prison’s rage,
Whilst man’s freewill seems fleeting at its best,
A prison cell besides, if nigh modest--
A rainbow summoned in a sunny cage.
______________________________
Sonnet | 09.02.2026 | birds, cage, freedom, home, prison
Captive Soul
A mask of smile, a fortress lie
A cage existence when question lie
A fragile whisper, a silent plea
To break free wild and truly be
Fears of shadows dark and deep
Where secret lie in slumber keep
Bars of judgement, confine my flight
Shadows of doubt, eclipse the light
Feathers ruffled longing to soar
A captive sport forever more
A bird yearning to break free
A silent prisoner just to be
A whisper echoes, soft and low
Awaiting courage, yet to grow
Until the day, I break the chain
And soar on current without pain
I know the bars.
I know the ceiling.
I know the walls stitched from rules I did not write.
Still—
I reach.
Still—
I dig nails into stone,
not because I believe it will yield,
but because if I stop,
the cage will have claimed me completely.
I am chained but not surrendered.
Broken, but not bowed.
There is no winning here.
There is only choosing:
to push anyway.
to burn anyway.
In that raw and ragged insistence to reach
I remain free.
I was meant to soar
your love is smothering slowly killing me
~ won't you set me free
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: 2nd place 2025
Love doesn't try to tie you down
held hostage, gagged and bound.
Restraints won't keep love close to your heart
chained by your side, never to part.
The harder you try to make love stay,
you'll only find you've pushed it away.
Love can't be tested like a child in class
There are no rules to making love last.
Loves' not cut and dry; it's not black or white
Love is not about being wrong or right.
Love is trust and faith and simply believing
that Love free to go is Love that's not leaving.
Minds stratify in webbed design
In lone life’s strata snares align
Psychic slide patterns ratify
In webbed design minds stratify
Within mind’s wares dark secrets hide
Patterns ratify psychic slide
Deep silence cold mind never shares
Dark secrets hide within mind’s wares
I’m a captive within my fold
Mind never shares deep silence cold
In shell I can’t be adaptive
Within my fold I’m a captive
It’s always me when I excel
I can’t be adaptive in shell
In the pursuit of ecstasy
When I excel it’s always me
L-ions
I-n
Z-oo
A-re
D-oing
E-verything
P-eople
I-magine,
D-eriving
E-xpectations
P-roperly
©bfa060825
Monocrostic (Birthday of Liza P. Depidep)
She was a captive from the start
Escape was risky, would she try?
Freedom beckoned, time to depart?
But freedom needed wings to fly
Escape was risky, would she try?
But each attempt left her in tears
She just could not conquer her fears
Freedom beckoned, time to depart?
Yet her will just wouldn't take flight
She needed strength to do what's right
But freedom needed wings to fly
Her heart was the captive thereof
She was a prisoner of love
held captive
his fleshy lips
quiver
in an oasis of
rusted
canteens
I am a captive of these household chores,
Cleaning windows, wall and floors.
Fighting dirt all the way,
Until I am old and grey.
Up at 5 to start the sandwich brigade.
Pack their lunches and homemade lemonade.
All are up so make breakfast - bacon and eggs.
Little one wants to stay home - he begs,
Dry up the tears, all off to school and work.
Back to chores no time to shirk.
A mountain of clothes to be washed to remove the dirt,
Especially the lipstick on hubby's shirt.
No time or inclination to check if its mine.
Washing all finished, dirt came out fine.
Now to the washing up lets get it all clean.
Bottled detergent claims it will make them gleam.
Now to tackle cleaning each room
Trudge upstairs with mop, vacuum and broom
There's a lot more but I am calling it a day,
I do all this without any pay
My life is a constant fight against dirt and grime
and what will they do when departing this world, it is my time?
After fighting all this dirt, my future I see,
They will put me in a box and throw dirt all over me.
Held Captive
Miracle Man
1/21/2024
I’m held captive by morning thoughts,
that came unannounced and uninvited.
I’m shown a path covered with leaves,
still moistened from a morning mist.
I’m drawn to follow the footprints,
laid down from before my time.
Which led to a gate where once I’d stood,
but prior it bore no lock.
A sign said smile, transportation awaits you,
and still, I hadn’t the price of a ticket.
Senses externalised, we’re held captive
by myriad forms of fear and desire
and so unless presence is adaptive,
bemused by illusions, it will soon tire
in pursuit of objects it would acquire.
This recognition for us is enough
to shift into calm, exiting seas rough,
whereupon soul’s freedom is ours to claim,
making easy challenges, that seemed tough,
drenched in love and light, in our life’s end game.
03-Feb-2023
I’m captivated by a verse from Paul:
take captive every thought that enters in
so that you might obey.
A cry is raised above the din;
hard pressed, I am assaulted, under siege.
To me! To me! I hear my lord and liege
and cast my eyes on him,
for when he’s standing tall, this world’s enticements pall.
—————
for the Captivation Poetry Contest
sponsored by Julia Ward
written on 10/13/22
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