I live in an underground house
we built it eighteen years ago in a hill sloping south
from the road, our home is invisible
tree line of renegade shrubs hides us
our roof is four foot off the ground in the back
all of our windows and doors are in the front
the back is a solid wall of concrete
we live in the ground like moles and snakes
when the electricity goes out, it is a cave in here
darker than any place we had ever seen
best to take a nap when this happens
It's criminal what women'll do
to keep a man down on the farm
shed false tears strategy I fear
pull the wool turn on the charm
smiling all the while
trap him wrap him twist him
round her little finger
and insist it seems
should he linger longer than
appropriate she deems
for him to appreciate
'til he's tongue-tied up in knots
with all those forget-me-nots
keeping her the centre of his attention
not to mention the apple of his eye
starting with Eve it's now a far cry
from his ambition ever coming to fruition
should he cave in and comply
Don’t raise the white flag
when sly boots ennui sneaks in
stoic mould is key
life is that intriguing quest
a conjugated footpath
On dark, cold soil,
atop the soaring green turf,
lay cold, rusty, nostalgic houses.
The path that led to them
was faded and shallow,
with the feeling
it could cave in
at any moment.
Scattered along that path
were derelict vehicles
from different eras
each one different heaps of life.
Fog filled the houses.
It filled the cars too,
like a raging campfire,
too sinister
to be put out.
And yet here I am,
wandering through this old-world neighborhood,
yearning into reverie
this faded memory
feels like the perfect remedy.
Do you
Think
They noticed me?
I mean
I noticed
Them
Perfectly
Perfect
The epitome
Of beauty
Without lifting a finger
Their skin
As clear
As my delusions
Why did I
Pick
This dress?
How did I
Walk out of the house
With the smile of “I look pretty”?
They must think
This bow in my hair
Looks idiotic
Plus the
Holding my sweater
In front of me
To hide
My not
Spindly frame
Do you
Think
They noticed me?
I mean
How could I
Not notice them?
Their plates
Were never
Full
So I
Overflowed a napkin
And made sure to throw it away
Or cleaned up
My lipstick in the bathroom a few times
If I did cave in
If I left now
Do you think
They’ll notice me?
Like
Leave
And not say anything?
They definitely wouldn’t
Notice me
Then
Play a role till the gold of your soul runs dry
leave the ghost town far enough behind
through the parched winter of the mind
search for virgin glitter on the next horizon
The sirens sing to endless weaknesses
it takes everything not to cave in... again
take up the rusted sifter and battered spade
while digging for gold you're making your grave
ghosts of old town, sliding on down from the mountain
Roses are tossed to the echoes of the lost
the soul finds a fresh role in the shadow of
a dust bowl
dreaming.
This house has it’s walls,
All so paper thin,
One more line of dialogue,
And I might just cave in,
My head is so thick,
But yet so thin,
I don’t have a pool,
But yet I might dive in,
Filling my head with all that is old,
I’d rather see what is new,
Than what’s full of rust and dust,
I read another line,
It’s jumping in my head you see,
Like a rabbit that's not visible to me,
It’s visible to you,
Only once out of the day,
Thats between 2 and 3 am,
While in bed you lay,
Fast asleep,
On the moment before,
While my eyes start to pour,
A naughty dream,
That I wish I had no more,
I wish I was gone,
I wish I could walk through that door.
I never asked you to feed us,
Or give us gold from your chest.
It wasn’t your job — I knew that,
Our father carried that test.
But not once did you knock the door,
Not once ask, “How are they today?”
We weren’t starving for your riches,
Just a kind word — but you walked away.
You worship money like it’s your god,
Kneel to those with wealth and fame.
But hearts like yours are hollow vaults,
And love’s a word you never claim.
You weigh people in coins and cars,
Give smiles to suits and silk ties.
But to the ones who struggled near,
You offered only cold goodbyes.
I feel no hate — just pity now,
For the life you’ve locked in greed.
You keep your money stacked in walls,
But your soul still bleeds in need.
Earn, earn, earn — more and more,
Stack it high, then shut the door.
Eat your riches, taste your pride,
Let your silence be your guide.
While we — with nothing — learned to shine,
Built a life without your line.
You missed the chance to stand as kin,
Now we rise, while you cave in.
Alone,
In the dark of my room,
I’m overcome,
By the well of emotions,
Lying dormant in my chest.
Never ending,
Seemingly pointless,
They sleep restless,
Waiting for acknowledgement—
That I’ll never give.
Not knowing which emotions are volatile,
Makes me anxious.
For if I slip,
I might release those weapons,
Instead of my gifts,
Towards the crowds of kindness,
The waves of gratitude,
The sea of generosity—
I feel like a pebble of misfortune and cruelty.
Sent to ruin the balance,
My hands only cause pain,
My heart has everything to gain—
While they have everything to lose.
My walls stare back at me,
In the silence of my room,
As they judge my being,
And question my worth,
Deciding whether or not they’ll cave in—
Just to give me what I deserve.
Or,
What I would deserve,
If I was the pebble of misfortune,
In a sea of gratitude.
But my mind sways with the ocean currents,
Flipping through my plethora of personalities,
Judging whether or not,
I’m truly that bad—
Or just unsure,
Whilst I sit alone,
In the dark of my room—
I don’t think I’ll ever be sure.
so what if i did?
what would you do, what did you do?
you watched me self destruct, cave in from the bottom, vanish.
i've been blamed for being a coward, but believe me, i was banished.
with every step, a growing rift tears between.
a quiet space, infinitely small. a solitary shore.
in silent whispers and loud glares, love becomes unseen.
your eyes revert to how they were before they met mine.
as echoes fade, our voices fall with the sun and speak no more.
the laughter we once shared softly quiets, like petals from roses gliding through the wind.
so as i step forward, a somber feeling of acceptance, my feelings suprisingly do not rescind.
that slight, but blinding light has vanished from your eye.
as life continues, as does the cycle. whatever lives must eventually die.
farewell love, it was good while it lasted, although not physical, this is our final embrace.
i let you go, you are set free. you belong to the world once more.
but know this, there would've been a spot for you in the chambers of my heart forever, in time and space.
as my breath quiets down, my body runs cold, remember i love you always. you can visit me, you still have the keys to my door.
I am skin, I am bone
My vessel all alone
My heart, it is broken as it stays inside it’s tomb
Breaking Through, breaking out
Well, it’s all I want to do
I’ve left bruises and scratches
Hollowed out my chest
Waiting for the darkness to come and take my breath
Let me in, turn the light on
Now it’s time to face your fears
Let me be the one to wallow
You are not meant to be here
Close your eyes, just cave in
Succumb to your dreams
Left the marks you were tracing, cutting across strings
Hidden underneath your doubts
It’s not too late now, just let it all out
Stitches on your eyelids
You dove in too deep
Giving up, giving in
Let your senses take over
Forgive or forget
Though you’ll never have peace once you drown in the abyss
An endless spiral
Don’t try to escape
You’ll leave me restless, locking up the gates
I’ll take your lips and hold them far behind me
Give your “love and affection” till I turn you to stone
Breaking down what’s left of your mold
Call me cold, call me callous
But I’ll always know
You’re the one who broke me
When you ripped off my clothes
On the ash-heap of history strewn
towers and pyramids ruined
Of civilizations long since extinct
alive only in pottery and sphinx
They once fought the Jews tooth and nail
striving hard, but to no avail
To eliminate Israel once and for all
each campaign’s end a precipitous fall …
Today again, ring out chants of ‘Death to the Jews’
but the People of Israel steadfastly refuse
To lay down their swords to hatred, to simply cave in
~ Instead, the Jews fight back to save their skins
Dear reflection,
As you are still, you seem so far away,
hollowed eyes with an abundance of nothingness to say,
Yet power lifting as if you are sun-flooded with strength,
The voices you held a tight chain on, have begun to cave in,
shriveled up in your silence, dried up patience,
wearing a trail of salt behind the face of war,
like the night with a sky full of clouds yet emptiness,
It’s as if you’ve drowned in the efforts of convincing,
and caving in has been a toxic pain to live in,
to be the piece of object that brings stability underneath the legs of a table,
Forget what you dream for, do what you’re made for,
solutions appear much clearer challenging the edges of a blade,
You have slept with spine baring strains while it was not meant for,
forged shapes of hope without the canvas to paint on,
Seasoned soul in a violent form, like the chaos in my heart ,
I hope one day all your labor outlay the love you’ve shown.
my brain says to itch
I meditate not to itch
mind over matter
the longer I don't
my mind is a raging mess
mind over matter
I cave in to itch
I scratch and scratch and scratch - awe
mind over matter
12-22-23
Edward Ibeh contest
seafarers’ paradise
seven men drowned
when a ship sank under gigantic waves
seven weeks later
they appeared on the Island of Saragossa
where singing shanty is forbidden
but seaweed is served in 7 variations
by a female ship cook, the only woman
who had been welcomed
as mess-maid was not proper sailors
as for the dead they are soaking wet
it is what keep then going, and lives in caves
lit up by electric eel and blue sea stars
the carpenter has added shelves.
strict ranks are observed, the skippers have
the biggest cave, in a smaller cave, the chief steward
drink whisky from a flask that fills itself up
insist he is an officer, is in conflict with everyone.
since the island is timeless, no one knows or care
whether it is forenoon or afternoon
they listen to the cook’s bell, especially if curry is served
when it is summer, they swim with dolphins.
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