A silent scream spreads through the night,
A bittersweet joy in the darkness,
In a world of sour sweetness,
Joyful sadness waltzes bright.
A deafening whisper calls us near,
While noisy silence fills the day;
Jumbo shrimp and icy flames,
They play their little big matches.
Living dead and peaceful strife,
A false truth in everyday life,
An awkward relaxed grace, a surprise,
Truthful lies hide in plain sight.
With cruel kindness, we laugh as we cry,
with open secrets that`re not hidden,
A false reality touches the air,
An uncertain certainty spreads apace.
In shameless honour, a giggle grows,
As chaotic order settles,
Across untimely time and space,
Where grave funny oxymorons lie.
THE SHADOW OF SPITE
You smile at me with eyes of
stone,
And leave me standing all alone.
You twist the truth to play your
game,
And try to ruin my good name.
I see the trap you want to set,
But I will break your heavy net.
You watch my life and wish for
tears,
To feed your own dark, hidden
fears.
You fake a smile but hide a
knife,
To bring hard times into my life.
You thrive on pain and love to
fight,
And block out my my happy light.
But I will stand and face your
test,
And give myself some peace
and rest.
Your cruel words will start to
fade,
And ruin all the plans you made.
I'll step away and shut the door,
So you can't hurt me anymore.
You were my star
The one I kept looking from afar
The one that, even among millions
Was the only one my eyes could see
I spent endless nights
Talking to you
Praying for you
Thanking God for your existence
Yet I wonder
If the stars weren’t made to hurt
Why are they always drawn so sharply ?
If they were never meant to wound
Why do they have pointed edges ?
I never thought
That something so beautiful
Could cut so deeply
Could be so cruel and heartless
Yet
You proved me wrong
You, my sharpened star
What do I have to do –
to make myself worth truly loving?
It's a fight I never win –
what is it that I am not doing?
Is my patience not enough? –
(do I) not give you enough chances?
For I offer both endlessly –
but still nothing enhances.
The lies, the hurt, the cheating –
it never seems to end.
Why do the things that hurt me? –
(I thought) that you were my best friend…
But friends don't take advantage –
not when they truly value them.
So why say that you love me –
Just to use me in the end?
A cruel word is a harsh blow.
A)P: Honorable Mention 2026
How cruel of you to laugh.
You must be a psychopath,
completely daft and nuts,
as I'm oozing bloody guts,
a jelly donut, cut in half.
Old Mrs. Gable stared from
her porch with cold, hollow
eyes.
Children avoided her rotting
mansion, fearing her sharp,
bitter tongue.
When she died inside, the
neighborhood breathed a
sigh of relief.
Yet the heavy velvet curtains
still twitched whenever
anyone walked by.
The rusted front gates would
screech open, inviting the
curious inside.
Those who dared enter
found her scowling portrait
watching their steps.
Her rocking chair swayed on
the hardwood with no wind
around.
A raspy, phantom voice
hissed from the dark,
demanding they leave.
Then the doors slammed
shut, locking the trespassers
in her trap.
She is still entity, and now
they belong to her house
forever.
No Forgiveness for the Cruel
"Look at me! I am what you created! I am exactly what you taught me to be!
No... no. Your unbridled aggression toward me? Your cruelty? It ends here. I have absolutely no sympathy left for you I was empathic toward you. Not a single caring thought remains in my hollow chest.
Do you remember when I cried? When I was broken on the floor, and you just walked right past me? You were supposed to protect me. You were my guardian! Instead, you stripped away my rights and stole my dignity.
So, no. I will not feel sorry for you. I will never, ever forgive you. Let the shadows drag you under, let hell take you away. Don’t come to my door!"
We take our memories for granted
As we go to and from our work
Never giving it a second thought
Until it slips, leaving us in a lurk.
Memory saves us the trouble
Of thinking before we act
But when it's gone or absent
We sure want it back.
Without it, we need to relearn
Everything we thought we knew
How to walk and how to talk
How to live anew.
Memory slips are the butt of jokes
Must be a senior's moment
But struggling with memory loss
Is no laughing matter.
Oh memory, do not stray far
Stay with us awhile
So we won't be so afraid
Of acting like a child.
Without memory it gets harder
To know how to act and say
To live a normal life
During an ordinary day.
Memory, we cannot do without you
You are the rock on which we rely
To keep our ship from sinking
And keep our minds alive.
Kids are so cruel these days
~ they manufacture test-tube adults
The copper dust swirls in the silent air,
a ghostly breeze that sweeps the crimson plain,
where shadows drift, untouched by human care.
The lonely rocks remember seasons’ reign,
and whisper secrets lost in ochre hue,
their shapes eroded softly by the strain.
A world of dreamers that wished they once flew,
on tendrils of a storm that seeks its course,
a sky so alien with a tinge of blue.
Within silence, dreams dissolve their source,
the dusk descends as shadows slowly thread,
no birds to sing, yet wind’s relentless force.
A dance of dust now settles just ahead.
Zephyr's on Mars are wild; full of dread.
Time the lies were finally binned
Greedier needier leaders grinned
Pacts who the facts have spinned
Scorched earth torched & skinned
Fossil fuel fools acts have sinned
Renewable is doable hopes pinned
As some resources haven’t thinned
We will always have sunshine & wind
At first, I saw nothing but bright lights in flashing in my eyes. Where had he taken me? If only I'd listened to my gut, or those racing thoughts that filled my brain to its brim. I heard only ringing in my ears. But across my back, a marking, one I couldn't recognize, climbed all the way up my shoulder. And it moved. Not a flutter, and definitely not something my eyes tricked me into believing. They covered my arms like a blanket, then a voice broke the ominous silence surrounding me.
"Welcome to the afterlife, my dear."
Softer than angels,
I hear the trumpets singing,
Welcome to Heaven
I do say "Sorry";
My want of sincerity
Drags me down again.
Resuscitate my limerence
In you, in playful ignorance
I'm tossed up in a whirling trance
Lovesick I co-star.
Fantasy romance—our affair
My heart is trapped in your despair
Love's one-sided blockbuster airs,
and yet here we are.
1/20/26
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