Beautiful things don’t last.
Think of flowers wilting
in woeful pageant
You’re lounging,
half in shadow
almost out of the sun
your feet, outside shade
look on fire, a photo overexposed.
Your smile is light and brite.
Your skin tanned and tight
as if stretched over
Leonardo’s David, in repose.
You are beautiful
if flawed
your hair is a tangle
your smile akimbo
I think, ‘this is too good,’
in self-aware deflation
as if the moment were both sacred and imperiled.
You brush sand off my face
your hand seems warm, fevered.
I’m as delighted as a child
to be touched
.
.
A song for this:
Constant Craving (Fashionably late remix) [Edit] by k.d. lang & Tracy Young
Good guys dress in white and blue or gold
and the wicked in purple and green,
but to the boy who stopped seeing colours,
everyone became a shade of grey.
Flawed is a system that feeds the rich by starving the poor.
Flawed is a mind that chooses to ignore.
Flawed is a reason given to encourage hate.
Flawed is a promise made far too late.
Flawed is a love that dies before it’s given a chance to live.
Flawed is the culture born of greed.
Flawed is a captive soul refusing to leave.
Flawed is a dream that fools reality.
Flawed is a dance inflamed by dark desire.
Flawed is the man who always sees himself as higher.
Flawed is the pain of regret held in memory.
Flawed is the state of our broken humanity.
Foibles, we all have them,
Longing to hide them at all costs.
Aware they will inevitably cast our downfall.
Weaknesses don’t fail to come with consequences:
Entangled webs in spite of best intentions,
Distorted outcome when it comes to dreams.
Puppets dangling on puppeteer strings
Every motion somewhat off kilter:
Organized chaos behind the illusion,
Psychodrama when daring to scrutinize too close.
Lifesize regrets: the cliff to be avoided.
Eye on the prize, doing our best.
AP: 2nd place 2026
Imagination can be a curse.
The worrywart will visualize the worst scenarios.
Wasting the day to oblivion.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
at times,
I wish to unspin the sun’s thread—
to weave again the days I’ve torn,
perfect each flaw, unmake each thorn,
and paint life’s griefs in golden stead.
but maybe, the sky must bruise to bloom,
the rain must fall to birth perfume;
perhaps the soul learns more by breaking,
and beauty sleeps in hearts still aching.
so let it be—
this endless sea of rise and rest,
of grief and gain, of trial and test;
for life, in all its flawed design,
remains a miracle—divine.
FLAWED VESSEL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am a flawed vessel,
cracked in places
leaking light and shadow
in equal portion
lonely heart of mine bruised and tired
AP: 2nd place 2025
I don’t need thunder
to feel the rumble,
nor lightning
to sense storm’s flash
nor icons to tear
nor statues to bleed
to realize within all
creation, God’s sacred
omnipotent cache --
Yet, while in the smallest
unlimited vastness –
and in the deepest fathomless
depth --
admittedly, all by grace of Almighty
God,
little joy would remain for me
in life I am certain, if denied
here and above
our simple
very flawed
expressions of
human love….
our impenetrable marriages
we both in honesty, blatant
honesty even in the
darkest of confession
It's a trust based on a premise
of us being together
removing our selfs from
the responsibility of
others
to unwind and relax
at least 20 minutes a day
a date every two weeks
a vacation every two years
that's fresh
thats keen
that's cool!
Thanks,
Duno Cecilio
sub test
bested friscans, outed
not a vow about it
sheens and dreams
cameroon once held blooms in truth
never hid out in bosnia long enough
with opened hands
looking be kind at him
israelly waters eyes so himilayan
an trapped
too wrapped in his daughters heyday's
brazillia soo wild and repressed
from americaint pick up the bodies
melted frets in my brush
strokes forgetting
english frustraiting the curved bowties
Misunderstanding life lessons
striving to be all we can be
hoping to change another
wishing for close bonds
fearing being alone
thinking money the solution
expecting acceptance from all
searching outside of self for answers
using excuses to avoid accountability
avoiding healing to keep codependencies
focusing on others life to avoid own
blaming to justify actions
projecting pain as a defense mechanism
diminishing self for comfortability
agreeing to avoid conflict or enemies
missing unconditional love never experienced..
Life is within, but without outside experiences, personal development
for perseverance, resilience, and character can't be shaped;
love, acceptance and validation are within so you won't go without.
The macabre’s amusing at times,
makes for off-beat, hilarious rhymes.
To my wife they’re not funny;
she wants cute little bunnies
and not ones that are strangled by mimes.
She says, “Why must the animals die?
And that one with the bird made me cry.
In the end, she did soar
off to some distant shore,
but her kin were all shot by some guy.”
“Ah, but see how it’s seared in your brain:
a phenomenon hard to explain.
It’s odd how we’re wired;
The inane makes us tired,
but an image of death will remain.”
So why aim for the grand or sublime?
Find dead leopards instead on a climb!
For the joy in the tragic,
trawl the semi-pelagic
when your muse loves primordial slime.
We have got a wonderful world
full of amazing creatures all around
so diverse and beautiful truly great
very colourful and bright to abound
It is indeed so amazing really amazing
this earth is so vast and so very full
what a picture we have to behold
but man is guilty of being so cruel
In Africa especially so many under threat
many of the Big Cats face danger
lack of food and water so very scarce
this thought makes one so full of anger
Another problem exists among poachers
killing animals causing danger of extinction
O for a turning of goodness for all creatures
equally, fairness be given greater distinction
The dangers of climate chaos affect all
with the Arctic getting warmer cools the ice
pray for God to intervene to bring rescue
for if not its left to a throw of the dice!
(this is about the love of the earth, but also showing its flaws)
It hurts to see you hurt; it breaks me to see you hurt because of me. I don’t like what’s going on, but how can I possibly stop it?
I am not perfect, not good enough for you, but I am trying. I want what’s best for you, but what I had in mind is not what seems to be best for you. I got my mind fixated on your life, fixated on fixing your flaws and nursing your traumas, but I had it all wrong.
I got myself confused about what’s best for you: leaving or staying. My problem is I got it all fixated on wanting to leave so you can be free and happy. I think I'm toxic because I take time to heal from events. All that’s in my mind is: Why her? What happened? Why on the day we had a fight? Will it happen again? But that’s not an excuse for my actions.
I am scared. You are the first one to see all of me, and you are yet to leave because of it. I fear not loving you and missing a chance to love and to be loved, and I regret it. I always fear endings because I am used to losing everything I love.
So please tell me, “How can I love you without pain, and how can I not love you without regretting it?”
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