Step families are a tricky proposition. But with love, compassion and kindness, we can overcome challenges.
Family dynamics can keep evolving
By Michelle Morris
30/08/2026
I love your father
And he's the love of my life
I may not be your mother
But I love you like you're mine
I am going to love you
No matter how you feel
No matter what you say or do
My emotions are deep and real
Like soft petals that touch your cheek
Like sunshine on calm waters clear
Like soft puppies and kittens cute
Like the memories we hold dear
In this life we don't always choose
The family that joins our home
But we can make the best of it
Be kindness and respect in tone
On this journey filled with surprises
Like a roller coaster that keeps us thrilled
Family dynamics can keep evolving
Blessings and grace and goodwill
So, I will love your father
And embrace you as my own
Because we are one clan united
Love and happiness our home
© Michelle Morris, 2026
Love* reigns
as home does bloom
with care parents do tend
breeding well on hearts of kindness
midst hope.
Peace rules
while Dad and Mom
set family delights
for triumphant togetherness
with grace.
Joy bursts
with sibling bond
vanquishing selfishness
letting growth's nurture to flourish
freely.
Hope glows
in partnership
weaving friends in the Lord
around blest prayer fellowship
faith-filled.
Loved ones
beautify life
prevailing yon goodness
endowed with legacy, birthing
blest days.
*1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
July 1, 2026
7th place, "1487" Poetry Writing Premiere Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand; judged on 7/13/2026
A circle forms itself~
no one quite sure who started it,
yet everyone leaning in.
Voices braid and unbraid,
threads crossing, looping,
tugging at the edges of agreement.
One spark sets off another;
a silence shifts the room.
Even the shyest thought
finds a place to perch.
And somehow, without voting,
the group decides its rhythm~
a murmured tide,
a shared tilt of attention,
a small constellation
briefly holding shape
before drifting on.
Solo keyboard notes a calming
Refrain of my yielding soul,
The black and white striking the strings.
Vibrating and ordering
Slow, steady rhythms induce a state
Immerse your desire in your creativity.
Which came first.?
The Deppression
Or the suppression.?
NEGLECT
FAVORTISM
DISAPPOINTMENT
BEYTRAYAL
It could be a ticking time bomb
If you allowed it to be but instead
Used neglect to learn to love yourself
Use favoritism to succeed in life
Use disappointments to draw strength
Use betrayal to disconnect from the ones that hurt you
a fear of commitment
or fear of marriage
exuberant, swinging
and downright unapoligetic
he calls music
the woman he always
In every genre she still wishes
to be pleased
even we you disagree
even when she refuses to inspire
even when others don't hear
what your hearing
a little adive
they right people
to tool that htaang
getting it where
you know it should be
when my mind refuses to
be kind to me
and I don't know my way
it's right and real to me
to find the right things to say
put my name on this one
I'd stand pround to brag on this
that's sweet in the right places
and tart enough to kiss
that's how it should be
we gonna do it how it is
not scared of the rejections
that won't make me mad
Listen to the music
switch up a swing
let the musician be musicians
and let the singers sing
Bésame Mucho
inspirational Gooiness
and
the makings of
Automatic Inflatible LifeJackets
Songs taken Serious
Without my pen, the pain becomes my voice.
The cruelty of others, the hardness of their hearts,
Linger in this place of cult,
Where public shaming is currency.
I scream for help, face to face,
Yet they cast me deeper into despair.
Tears bleed red, patience drains,
My heart trembles, a silent echo in the vast universe.
My eyes never dry, my body weakens,
Heart torn apart, full of anguish,
Yet no one feels the depth within;
They mistrust the plea for help.
This is my story, my life—
Manipulated by whispers,
By cults hiding in plain sight.
Insecurity among them breeds cruelty.
They lurk at corners, ready to strike.
I called for help. He laughed: "You're funny."
How can real danger ever sound like a joke?
This is the world's cruel reality:
Where chasing money and shifting blame
Leave no space for help.
And still—I believe, somewhere, somehow,
kindness awaits—
like a single candle glimmering
in the heart of the void.
We smile the most, but
they are the happiest.
And we look the best, but
they are the prettiest.
And we talk the most, but
they are the only ones having a conversation.
All is a lie,
what appears in the eye
does not match the true value.
We see dye, and continue painting.
Escaping, haiting, fading.
Thats what you are supposed to do.
With brushes.
Brushes they gave us.
Brushes that won’t leave us.
Brushes we didn’t ask for.
But got and kept.
They see the motive of the snake
the consequence.
They see beyond appearence,
where we fear interference.
The ad said naked, cold, and shriveling
So why are they clean, warm, and dazzling?
They see dye, and wash it off,
they use the toothbrush to wash the dishes.
They are clean, and
we are dirty.
We have the power, but
they have the muscles.
We did it right.
The juicy taste of red apple is a source of happiness, right?
We take a bite, and feel good
so we eat them all, so we eat ourselves.
But it looks good, so it’s right,
It doesn’t taste good, but it’s right,
WE, feel good right?
Right.
Right, right, right.
How dare you spit upon his garb!
This peaceful bredda who by nature only loves,
When you should have been his Rasta queen
Your ghastly behaviour drew a scene
And I- woman just like you
Hang my head in shame
As you defile our name.
Selassie-I know seh di Rasta man took a deep breath
To honour his philosophy,
But like a lamb to the slaughter,
he was reduced
In front of the whole community.
He sought calm in his Rasta chant
Swallowed his pride,
Turned the next cheek, and with human dignity.
Yet that pouncing Jezebel
Delilah,
Demon picknie,
Shameless femininity
Minimized her king,
Cared nothing that he is masculine.
She is no empress
and certainly not a Ital-dawtah!
She mocked and cursed him
Bullied him and sullied his character.
Vilified him as the on-lookers magnified
Scorned, mistreated and humiliated.
But when upon each other their backs were turned
The fury in the lion roared
And in that moment, he went against his Rasta chant
And knocked her out flat on her face.
I won’t apologize for feeling appeased
For you are a disgrace to the female race!
DYNAMICS
a
rapid
change
an energetic
challenge
fully developed
an ntense
arrival
to
exhustive
analysis
&
authenticity
a quality
attribution
so carefully
positioned
with
edges
&angles
NOTE:THIS IS AN OPEN(organic) FORM VERSE using spaces&breaks without grammatical symbols ,the ' open' relies upon 'the one breath limitation' & so inherently requires the 'reader' (reciter) to input and responds thus making this enigmatic form a two way interplay & interpretatIon unique to the moment& changing according to mood is inherently variable.
Copyright © Brian Strand
Which key should I put this song in?
I sing in G Ionian/major comfortably,
Likewise the relative E Aeolian/minor scale.
Plus those guitar chords are easy as sin.
I could choose a scale that’s more exotic -
D Mixolydian has the same notes and chords.
Hungarian or Roumanian minor, Spanish Gypsy.
Or another scale derived from minor harmonic.
Keep it simple – let’s start with the G Major scale.
Should I do a basic 1-4-5 with major G/C/D chords?
Or a jazzy 2-5-1 with A minor/D/G ending on the tonic?
Let’s do a bluesy 1-4-5 with a turn-around at the tail!
Just major and minor triad chords are boring.
Major, minor, and dominant sevenths can be cool;
But I’m rather partial to suspended seconds and fourths.
My sliding E diminished flat 7th will keep the fans from snoring!
What can I do to add even more pizzazz and glitz?
Slowly build the dynamic and rhythmic complexity.
Give the crowd a tribal chorus they can sing to.
Add a spanking hot hook throughout that never quits!
Dynamics
I could not stop the wild feelings of love that mixed with truth and healing.
How can we smother the quickening of the heart, when faced with someone stored in the dark.
Push down deep to try and forgo and make it not so noticeable.
Like a weight of tons upon the chest, how one feels and must forget.
Minutes to months of days till years, morning to night as sun kisses moon tears.
Denied existence the power surges, more you pushed the more I served.
Dynamics of difficulty per self-endeavor, left small hope of a life of knowing together.
Gone but not forgotten the friend to foe.
Life lessons learned and forced to grow..L.
quixotic quasars
quintillion quarks quirkiness
quantum quintessence
Sue
soulful
spirited
a go-getter
raising her children the best that she can
Mae
angry
often down
tired a lot
her child finds his own food at young age
Lynn
watcher
tries to help
cannot take sides
as their mother she is in a pickle
Bill
often
intervenes
this is okay
because Sue and Mae are both Daddy’s girls
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