A pocket full of smooth, round
stones,
A beetle crawling in the grass,
The tallest tree that I can climb,
And watching fluffy clouds
pass.
A secret kept by my best friend,
The perfect song to clear my
head,
A locked diary beneath the
floor,
And all the words left unsaid.
A quiet house before the dawn,
The monthly rent paid right on
time,
A steady hand to hold my own,
And mountains I still hope to
climb.
The health of those I love the
most,
A peaceful night of restful
sleep,
The quiet joy of letting go,
And memories I get to keep.
The warmth of sun upon my
face,
A rocking chair, a cup of tea,
A long and winding story told,
And knowing they'll remember
me.
People are the way they are;
You take ‘em or you leave ‘em.
They tell you things about themselves;
You do or don’t believe ‘em.
The one thing you cannot expect
Is that you’ll ever change ‘em,
For trying to might backfire
And, in that case, you’ll estrange ‘em.
We all have faults, though some are blind
To how some others see ‘em,
Yet most of us would never trade
Our faults for theirs, to be ‘em.
We must accept in those we love
The traits that do define ‘em,
The positives and negatives,
The way that they combine ‘em
And realize they must do the same
For us, when we’re beside ‘em,
Despite the fact we all believe
We take our faults and hide ‘em.
Does God truly actually exist?
I see proof daily in the sky.
His essence we cannot comprehend.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
My dear friend,
You ask about self-perception—about the simple music of saying who we are, what we dream, what small joys we cradle in our hands. It seems such an easy question, as gentle as asking the sky to name its favorite shade of blue, and yet for some souls it becomes a mirror too bright to look into.
There are those who cannot answer concretely, not because they are empty, but because they are afraid to be known.
They have worn masks so long that their own features blur; they have mistaken admiration for love, and control for safety.
To speak honestly of oneself requires a tenderness they once learned to fear.
But still, I believe every person carries a quiet truth—something like a lantern trembling in the dark.
A dream remembered from childhood, a hobby that once soothed their wounds, a longing they dare not name.
To coax these truths into the open is an act of compassion, not accusation.
If we ask gently, and listen without judgment, even the most guarded heart may find the courage to answer:
“This is who I am, and this is what I have hoped for.”
With warmth and understanding, I am.
I hate windows when you see right through me
I hate expectations when they’re clearly above me
I hate the mirror when it's only me
I hate thinking it’ll get better
I hate realizing I didn’t die at thirteen
I really hate how it defines me
I hate surviving, not living
I hate broken promises
I hate being stuck when it's clear you closed the chapter
I hate change
I hate emotions, especially when I have to pretend
I hate apologizing because I want everything you have to give
I hate and hate until even the letters blur
Most of all I hate when hating feels good because then I start to love the cycle
- k.a.j
You call me villain, cold and cruel,
Yet I’ve done nothing but breathe and endure.
I walk alone, not to isolate—
But to escape the sting of your quiet war.
You don’t scream, you don’t strike,
But your silence cuts deeper than knives.
You dress your disdain in concern,
And call it care while you twist my mind.
You say I need help,
But never ask what hurt me.
You diagnose me with your own delusions,
Projecting shadows where there’s only light.
I’ve searched myself for the monster you see,
But found only bruises from your beliefs.
You wear sanity like a crown,
But it’s forged from fear, not truth.
I am not broken.
I am not yours to fix.
I am not your mirror,
And I won’t reflect your chaos back.
So call me cold—
I’ve learned to freeze the pain.
Call me villain—
I’ve survived your story without becoming it.
But don’t call me crazy.
Because sanity isn’t yours to define.
And I am not yours to destroy.
The quiet whispers of a dream
stir within, a gentle, persistent call.
Doubts may loom, and shadows creep,
But the heart knows its own truth, standing tall.
For this much is clear, a fundamental plea:
Dreams don't work unless you do,
So if you put in the work, all your dreams can come true.
It's in the effort, the learning, the rise from every fall,
the unwavering belief in the seed you've sown.
Don't let the world dim your spirit's light,
nor let another's fear become your own.
Within you lies strength, a fire unquenchable, vast.
Remember always, and let this truth hold fast:
Nobody can define your limits except you.
So rise. Step forward, brave and free.
Shape your destiny.
How are we so different due to the colour of our skin
We may differ on the outside but are all the same within
We all breathe the same air
Have dreams, wants and needs
Have strength and weaknesses
We bleed…
All of us need love
Experience pain and fear
Know laughter and sadness
Shed a tear
We are individuals
Outwardly not the same
Are worthy and equal
We all have a name
We do not always understand others
Or agree with what they do
That’s what makes us different
Creating US….me and you
As long as we keep it simple
Show respect, be fair, be kind
No matter the colour of our skin
Equality…..skin does not define!
Who dares to define what poetry is
Romantics feel it’s hearts and flowers
Some might say it’s a ruthless biz
others would point to its staying power ...
A novel has a beginning, a middle, an end
Most short stories, a denouement
I say poetry reflects the spirit in me ~
though I suspect most folks would disagree
I saw all life fade ... merely pass away
of all that I knew hath spun around me
past brace presence death, carpe mortem day
Night hung in shame, weighed aim, promised Word--stay
I spun confused, afterlife, mine this be?
I saw all life fade ... merely pass away
Dark woke me, said the sun won't come this way
death seized day plus time ... Latin decree
past brace presence death, carpe mortem day
Night consoled by dark, a first solace sway
a dead-end sign that the whole world did see
I saw all life fade ... merely pass away
Dark ponders fate yon ... night watched black turn gray
questions ... guilt gift ~ solves ... smiles eternity
past brace presence death, carpe mortem day.
Night and dark ... eternal tenants obey
Eden ends formed founder's first step to free
I saw all life fade ... merely pass away
past brace presence death, carpe mortem day
April 19—Define or celebrate a word or concept -Scumbagology
Scumbagery is the study
Of the actions of a scumbag
A scumbag is a narcissistic, sociopathic
Self-center person willing to do anything
to get ahead
no loyalty to those who serve him
it is all about me! the greatest person
in the world..
Unfortunately, there are so many
Scumbags in the world,
In a position of power
In business and politics.
Don’t need to name names
You know who they are.
when I do define
a title to poem assign
know it will be mine
For a DTR from you I’m waiting,
and no more is it up for debating.
Quit bread-crumbing me,
or ghosted you’ll be
after ten years of off-and-on dating.
Many lives have been ruined
for the maddest race known to us:
does money define success or happiness?
Why has greed motivated and fooled
the smartest people around?
Luxury comes from wealth, not sacrifice;
keeping it up is a must and should one lose
the privilege to look good and be admired will raise
brows and open the eyes to unexpected demise,
being deprived of comfortable things is obstruse!
Mark belonged to a corporate group that
generated billions selling stocks and bitcoins.
then came the pandemic and broke it apart;
he cried a lot and decided to slash his veins:
it cost his life, he chose darkness over light!
Everybody has gone their way,
they have trashed his memory;
his granite grave has no candles, no flowers:
revenge was done to bring justice to buyers
who trusted someone who handled shady deals!
Does money define success or happiness?
Can one get both by practicing deceit and be called elite?
None of these I have found yet, only stones that impede
glamour to enter the delusional senses:
am I brave enough to fend off tears?
In this life,
I have witnessed many folks
who always did bad things to others
and ended up badly.
In this life,
I have witnessed many folks
who always shared their privacies
with some friends and relatives
and ended up blackmailing by their loved ones.
In this life,
I have witnessed many folks
who always avoided problems
with their friends and relatives
but ended up in prisons
In this life,
I have witnessed many refugees
who were riches in their countries
and ended up living worst lives
than their former workers.
In this life,
I have witnessed many marriages of some folks,
their divorces after some years
now they hate marriage
while some singles are up and down churches
looking for god fearing partners
to marry them.
In this life,
I have witnessed many company owners
Some of them are jobless homes
and others are up and down the streets.
October 02/2023
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