Unrealistic expectations are a curse
nobody lives up to our high standards
~ a one-way ticket to disappointment
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
My name is Loneliness, a mask I wear,
Faces surround me, but none see my care.
I surround myself with fleeting ties,
Acquaintances who hear my words, not my sighs.
My name is Fatigue, a weight I bear,
Work my only solace, a reason to rise, a purpose to share.
Without it, I'm lost in a haze,
Dragging hours like chains, in endless days.
My name is Disappointment, a shadow cast,
Each effort a fresh wound, each try a forecast.
What's the point of striving when the end is known?
Regret, a familiar ache, a sorrow grown.
My name is Misery, a shadow I carried,
etched into my bones by all the pains I have married.
I drown in fleeting comforts, in amber tides,
where sorrow ebbs and numbs what grief provides.
Each wound has shaped me, carved me, made me whole,
yet still the ache lingers, so I sip for solace.
My name could be Sadness, a constant guest,
Tears fall like autumn rain, chilling my rest.
Yet in this sorrow, I find a strange reprieve,
A fragile pulse that persists, a heartbeat I retrieve.
Pomegranate
Careful, tentative and delicate tips shiver over the forgiving skin
Shell barring the bloody body of the fruit
Only condemned to,
consumption
Bruising without protest
Its sweetness not asked for - only expected
Though some things are more beautiful broken
pages of haiku confetti in the wind
Allow yourself to go
beyond numbing disappointment
and put words to how you feel
Stop brushing everything aside like nothing matters
Bring your emotions out in daylight
Don’t hide and gloss them over ~ analyze them
Do away with self censorship
Dig deeper ~ know you’re entitled
to feelings and to express them
No longer silence the inner child
who gets offended and wants to cry
Be its champion ~ let it speak up and be heard
Feelings are what allows you to
explore the why of who you are
Expressing feelings is what helps
connect with others through understanding
How are you doing?
You ask but quickly move on
not waiting for my answer ~
You ask not really wanting to know.
The truth being you don't expect
to hear how I am feeling.
You ask but are quite
satisfied not knowing
so you can resume your fantasy
that I am fine.
The reality is that I'm trying
to hold back the flood gates
long enough for you to manage
to get your act together.
How long are we going to avoid
the elephant in the room?
You're right to not get me started.
Don't go there.
Don’t... Just don’t.
AP: 1st place 2025
I had glorious plans for my life.
Warm ink transforming blank pages,
destined to be a best seller!
I felt specially bound.
Printing press cranked out
a glossy-colored cover,
my name plastered
in bold black letters for all to see.
Signed inside by my creator
I only rested on the bookstore shelf
for three bitter hours
before someone adopted me.
Held gingerly each night by gentle fingers,
eagerly offering my very soul
until snores dropped me
on soft, disheveled blankets.
Word by word and line by line,
page by page, and chapter by chapter.
Night after night, I was dynamite
till shut tight.
Is that all there is?
I've slept for ten years now... in a box,
in a cobwebbed corner of a cluttered closet,
dressed up and no place to go.
I'm suffocating!
I gave you every chance
I trusted and I believed in you
~ was I asking too much?
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
zero tolerance
for stupidity
yet here I am
putting up
with your
shenanigans
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
we thought we were ready
till the unexpected fell upon us
such high expectations
for fun and adventure
plans for get-aways
excursions and discoveries
the days and weeks go by
another summer slips away
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
You're not doing a stellar job
distracting me with idle chatter.
Life is not something to be ignored
and swept under a mat.
I've been living in limbo
no matter how you sugarcoat it.
Life is short and every beat matters.
Every day is another notch in the cog of time fleeting.
Life is a race to the finish line,
an obstacle course of sorts.
Ignoring the elephant in the room is
an embarassing act of cowardice.
Sometimes saying something-anything
is better than the insult of shameless pussyfooting.
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
nothing hurts like
silence from a lover's heart
while the stars are singing with delight
AP: 1st place 2025
... NO seems to be the word that pops to mind
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
there’s something dreary
about a terrasse drenched in rain
can’t help but take it personally
like a missed invitation
to an afternoon drink with friends
or a cancelled party
a dull hush lacks warmth
too early or too late
no one at the rendez-vous
no welcoming sunshine
stood up by the host
a final rinse
the rain lets up
the earth on pause
before the sun breaks through
and sets everything on cue
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
i lowered my guard and let you in
a child-man disappointing me at every turn
i'm fuming under my hat
half afraid of an explosion
one step forward
two steps back
how easy it is to close my eyes
and pretend everything's alright
a balancing act when in fact we are
at opposite ends of the spectrum
have i become someone who settles
or are my dreams still out there within grasp
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