There are hours the mirror does not lie,
And silence rings louder than bells in the sky.
A whisper comes from the shadowed wall—
“Remember?”—and you do. You recall it all.
The smile you gave too late to save,
The rose that wilted on a borrowed grave.
Your name still floats in someone’s sigh—
You left, and never said goodbye.
Your hands are clean, but not your soul,
You bartered truth for sweet control.
What price is peace, if peace is numb?
The ghosts you fled—they always come.
And love—poor love—you turned away,
Afraid it asked too much to stay.
Now here you stand, with breath to give,
But still unsure you want to live.
The quietness brings you back, and you remember the words that I say,
The same faith you had to move on to confront the heartache and pain,
The words unspoken that held you in bondage that tried to steal your worth,
I released to put your heart back in place to be seen and not just heard,
The moment your heart intertwines, the connection feels the same,
Two hearts of a generational lineage with the same purpose and on the same page,
Every time you will see things clearer, my purpose will be set into place,
You will eventually understand with your heart in my hands, and the two of you face to face.
Wild words fly about,
your arms are caught in tremors;
We are a mirror
radiating frustration,
mulberry cheeks start to flash;
Two are too crazy
to stop and see what is true;
Heartbeats heat up quick
empty of understanding;
A blowup of slang fireworks;
Friends come together
filled with such potent faith;
Gently aggressive,
this most tender touch of trust;
Face to face no matter what.
We live in a technological time
where magic is more plausible than not.
All is possible in this paradigm:
including self-expression and free thought.
We've traveled to the bottom of the sea
and stepped upon the surface of the moon.
Now, we can pick ripe apples off a tree;
and ship them overseas that afternoon.
Today, we text or talk to anyone
instantly, by computer or smartphone.
We can harness the power of the sun;
and build buildings with steel instead of stone.
The internet is a magical place,
but I miss interacting face-to-face.
Face to face
Look into your eyes
Tell you that I love you
I'll wear no disguise
Lie down next to me
My fingers through your hair
Caresses on your skin
Secrets that we'll share
Of how much we want more
Unencumbered bliss
Trace each other's bodies
Sharing of a kiss
Loving one another
Vulnerable, shown
Concerned about the other
No longer me alone
Carefully I'll handle
Your heart, so delicate
As is mine, be gentle
We'll walk together yet
Open to inspection
I'll let you see inside
My deepest inner being
With you, nothing I'll hide
In the mirror an insight ...nothing concrete but nothing further true... !
Around the corner
from where I live alone,
in an unfurnished studio apartment,
there’s a shabby restaurant where
I often sit nursing a cup of coffee.
I asked Life one day, “Why me?”
Sitting across from her and
looking directly into her eyes,
“Why did you come to be with me?
I never wanted this. Now I’m distraught,
You have given me nothing but
heart-ache and pain,
broken dreams and empty promises.”
“I was a contented spirit,
Roaming the realms of the heavens
immortal and eternal;
But now, thanks to you, I am
besieged with mortal maladies and
haunted by your old nemesis, death!”
~Contest: Chapter 1 Poetry Narrative
~Sponsor: Matt Caliri.
I walked into the McGinty Funeral Home
and saw this enormous sign
“This funeral is by invitation only”.
I stared at it.
Should I go in?
I know I was not invited.
No one was around.
Who to ask?
The worst they could do is ask me to leave.
I was her friend.
I squared my shoulders and walked through the curtain.
Her family was thrilled to see me!
Almost no one else had come.
I learned from a friend many years later
That the funeral home had been rented out that afternoon
For a Happy Divorce Party.
I figure the sign I saw was part of the festivities.
Whoever had to go to the bathroom left it in the worst possible place though.
We always start across the room
Yet end up side by side.
I'd tell myself you're like the rest,
But then I'd have to lie.
Oftentimes I wonder: why you?--
Still young, finding your place.
But maybe, like a mirror, through you
I see myself face to face.
Today, mid conversation,
I saw it in your eyes--
A shift so subtle and so plain,
Like lifting off a guise.
I pretended not to notice,
But inwardly I smiled,
'Cause I just lifted off my own.
I like this; It's been a while.
Face to face
With His G R A C E
He shines so bright
With love to excite
A guiding light
In the dark of night
Bite Size Poem no34 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Line Gauthier
January 26, 2022
First, a phone that insistently rang,
Soon, a voice that croakily sang,
Then, a door that did as insistently bang
And a steely chain that knew how to clang…
Next, a calmly approaching unsmiling gang,
Face to face with him, they should hang
And relaxed the bastard watch against the pangs
From their boa-constrictor-mimicking ropes with cobra’s fangs…
And it was to be a torture fully intended;
Its former arranged duration evilly extended,
Victim’s final lifeless body made to lie supine,
As just that to any onlooker should be fine!
He talks to me
Through words and deeds
In small ideas
With a sense of peace
He talks to me
As a twinkle in the eye
A breath of hope
Found in a happy smile
He talks to me
Through the sunshine
The pitter patter of rain
In the thunder’s roar
He talks to me
On the soft, gentle wind
In the echo of the sea
Through the flicker of fireflies
He talks to me
Through the starlight
As it shimmers quietly
Laughing at the night
He talks to me
While memories erase
Every stressful thought
Whispering joy to my heart
He talks to me
Through the guitar strings
As I listen to music
That beckons me to sing
He talks to me
Always breaking my heart
With His assurance
That grace will see me through
The knowing
That His love came to me
At the foot of a cross
Where He gave me
The blessing of a new life
A new day, a new way
A new chance, a new dance
A new faith… a new grace
A new hope that I will see Him
Face to face
Witch Ladra stuplified some but she petrified me.
Luring me in with green molasses candy.
Locked me in a cupboard, threw away the key.
My only friend, her pet monkey named Three.
Three told me stories of Ladra’s family tree.
I shared my candy and he gave me brandy.
They’d apparently came from the China Sea.
Bringing along a dead man’s bandaged knee.
Within months another prisoner be.
Names didn’t matter. She said call me Cee Cee.
Next the witch shoved in a huge maple tree.
With gorgeous bark that ended in a Vee.
Became a jolly bunch, sing-along and randy.
Causing the witch some melancholy.
She ran off finally but left me the key.
We now party hardy with a dead man’s bandaged knee.
To mould my lips upon your lips, and lay my softness there,
This is the dream I have of you, to show you how I care.
To place my arms around you, surround you with my touch,
This is the way I feel of you, to love you very much.
To caress the contours of your face, in the deepness of the nite,
This is the thought I hold of you, your smile by moonlite.
To share the warmth of our bodies, as we lay beneath the covers,
This is the wish I long of you, yes, I am your lover.
To reveal how I will love you, satisfy your heart’s desires,
This is the promise I give of you, to perform all that you require.
To kiss you, hold you, touch you, love you, be there as you need,
These are the passions I proclaim of you; pray that you believe.
Birth, youth, adult, we find our place on earth.
The spirit way deep inside man
seeks out hope's perfect plan.
Pray for God's breath
ere death
bars choice.
Mind God's still voice
of both justice and grace
before you meet Him face to face.
Earth’s journey done, goodbye to mortal berth.
written July 17, 2018
Gregory Barden's contest, My Muse, Mortal
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