Expectations
By Dustin Branum
And when my angel betrayed me
It was my demons that saved me
While the devil enslaves me
Although you might think I'm crazy
It was Lord thou savior that played me
My own flesh and blood's degrading
I thought I was Destined but maybe
Lost soul, and the death of a baby
Dark, cold, and angry they made me
The ones that loved me now hate me
One gun one bullet one shovel they gave me
Six feet down in a hole they laid me
What Does 1776 Mean to You?
Does it speak of freedom—
the year the United States was born,
its birth certificate
penned by none other
than Thomas Jefferson?
He wrote of liberty,
of unalienable rights,
that all are created equal,
yet kept others in chains,
refusing to see
the humanity
of his enslaved brothers and sisters,
while building a nation
upon their labor.
How can a man proclaim
that all are created equal,
yet deny that truth
to those he enslaves?
How can he claim liberty
while taking away another's?
How can he exploit their women,
then deny the children
born of those unions—
his own flesh and blood—
while declaring freedom
the birthright of all?
We'll run to the side of the river
In the morning at five o'clock
We'll hold each other and shiver
And run out to the rock
We'll take off our shirts together
And hold each other undressed
Around us the birds will gather
And in our love build a nest
We'll put our heads together
And watch, as the speedy stream
Is dressed in every color
And turns into a dream -
The pink cloud of the sun rising
Engulfs our minds and hearts
And makes them warm and wise and
With all of nature, smart -
The delicacy of existence
Ephemerality of life
Will penetrate with no resistance
And pierce into us like a knife -
The tenderness of our passion
And elegance of your mind
In English, in French, in Russian
Will hold us intertwined
Poems will fly around us
As music us enslaves -
Cosmic opera astounds us
And mingle with the waves -
The works of Bethoven, Chopin,
Blake, Wordsworth, Shakespeare and Keats
Will our minds and hearts open
And feed them spiritual sweets -
And fired by our desires,
Together, as in a dream,
We'll blend into the sunrise
And like the sun we will beam.
Would I besmirch the facile and the wicked,
perch-like I browse as lethargy enslaves.
Many the flock that follows flag and anthem
were I so brave to counter flotsam knaves.
Current so strong that most are swept before it,
noble and brave the outcast ne're do well.
Steadfast is he,is he who wags a finger,
nose pinching hard that harbinger from hell.
drifting in a zestless world of hypocrisy,
aching to dispel the lunacy
echoing with distorted imageries,
held in a bastille of utter carnage;
I’m abundantly devoted to
breaking free from what enslaves me.
acquire
wading through the necrotizing tenor
that binds me,
steadfastly drawing near, while
teetering on the confines of
my perilous mind and altruistic heart—
prodigiously culminating.
Taking back what the enemy stole.
Love, a fragile alchemy, we crave,
While ignorance, a silent hunger, eats.
Anger, a serpent in the veins, enslaves,
And yesterday's grief still stains the sheets.
Judgment, a rust upon the gilded cage,
Corrodes the spirit, slowly, piece by piece.
We chase the phantom on life's turning page,
Seeking solace where there is no peace.
Let today not slip, a wasted tear,
But breathe it in, the bitter and the sweet.
Let not fear hold us hostage in this sphere,
For time is swift, a memory's fleeting heat.
A new dawn will arrive, the suns embrace,
So seek the beauty in this time and space,
And find your own light in lifes great and wondrous race.
“Mystique”
by Positive Mark
My dearest, ravenous raven, I now approach you with the bill of a Blue Heron, and a one-track mind to sip your affection.
You’re perched in audacious submission, and it enslaves me.
You fit my lifestyle with your feminine wiles, you beautiful, gorgeous Black child.
Neatly petite, with the prettiest feet, my fever grows when you’re painting your toes.
How dare I let a day pass without writing a book about you?
There’s nothing I can do. I’m enamored with you, and engrossed in your mystique.
Your embossed physique drips past my eyes, to my lips, then I use it to moisten my quill.
What is love, but unwavering will?
"Love is an untamed force. When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused. — Paulo Coelho
When first I'd peered into his dark brooding eyes
there was an undercurrent, fathoms deep pulling me in.
A storm brewed inside of me and each time we met
I submitted to my desires and he to his, without regret.
To have denied it would have destroyed us.
He was never mine for the taking
but it was only for him that my heart ached.
We shared a passion, unrestrained— untamed.
We loved with wild abandon.
There was lightning between us.
Thunder roared in my head with each deepened kiss.
I heard it in his breathless sighs—
felt it when his fingertips danced across my skin.
It was a serenade of lovers that we sang together
as if each time was a renewal, an awakening of Spring.
Time rushed in months—years spilled in an hourglass.
The feast is still as sweet, the passion as strong.
We'll not be deprived the love we savor with wild abandon
nor the silent whispers to each other's hearts.
Far above the reaches of my mind
A mystery enslaves my thoughts
Entitling a Spector Visual Spectrum (SVS)
Scoping all enterprises of my mind
Enslaving a rainbow arc
Captures in visual power
Catching the historical recesses
Memorable times of speculating
Reaches the final the cranium sought
Still trying to catch up what's taught
My mind settles on the present
recycling and referring to the past
Imagining what flew back
Subtly remembering it at last
Still centered on Rainbow Vision of my mind.
Love is a wild being
When we try to hold it
Together it destroys us
When we try to shut it down
It enslaves us to suffer
When we try to understand it
It disturbs us terribly.
midnight has struck
joy into sin
shame like a veil
conceals where I've been
a bird in a cage
free from freedom
and all it enslaves
wings clipped
to keep me from harm
all would I give
to fly in the storm
*Writing helps us through anything.
Oh, the ocean is calling me
Collecting the shells at the sea
Watching the curling, rolling waves,
wash away pain that enslaves
My dreams are on horizon there
I will make them come true with care
This is my chance, footprints behind
Left just like the shells I find
I am as simple as the sea shell
I can be fragile, just as well
But, strong enough, not left broken
From the ocean that has spoken
Heidi Sands
6/26/24
8 syllables
(C)opyright
In the twilight’s amber glow,
Where secrets of the bottle flow,
Reason dims, and shadows creep,
In liquid courage, demons sleep.
A whisper in the mind’s retreat,
Echoes loud, distorting beat,
Calmness fades in fiery waves,
Memory lingers, sense enslaves.
Impaired by false elation's glee,
Bound in chains we cannot see,
Rage ignites, a spark, a flare,
Inhibitions stripped to bare.
Ghosts of anger, sorrow's past,
Surface in a reckless blast,
Words like daggers, actions wild,
Lost the calm of once a child.
Blame the drink, it’s easy said,
But deeper roots in hearts are bled,
Wounds unhealed, a silent storm,
In the depths, true pain takes form.
So when spirits fuel the flame,
Look within, address the shame,
For the violence, the fight begun,
Is but the war of lost and won.
Who can resist the call of ocean waves
whispering as they lap against the shore?
Who can stand firm against that which enslaves?
Return passionate melody ardor?
How many men have heard the Sirens’ song
leaving wondering kith and ken behind?
How did their fateful journey hold so long
to oppress their minds and tighten the bind?
Who can repeat sweet nothings of wafture
that solos its secret, seductive song?
Who can resist the traction of rigor
that intones one’s soul to follow along?
Can from the heights of Icarus one dive
to the depths of Poseidon and survive ?
In my love's eyes is a pool of passion
this silence invites my soul to stay
and welcomes my love's tender bastion
to feel my captured heart burning away
sighs are my heart's warm beat in harmony
when time is an endless ocean of waves
turning into a pleasant symphony
emotional bonds often enslaves
as soft silhouettes bask in the moonlight
we'll lay in gladness on the farthest hill
await the dawn of tomorrow through night
as the well of our hearts will slowly fill
wrapped and warmed by sensual arms that lace
the eyes of pure love pour upon our face
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