My gaze is high up above
black as it can be.
Every stars in the sky
are all my tears,
Hung in there patiently
waiting to fall.
In joy and sadness always
come unexpectedly,
Specially when heart is weary
and mind is blowingly blank.
But these stars so heavy
like a world carrying my back.
The annoying background
adds a long look of doubts,
Straight to the road I trod
wagging foot to step in.
The system of this world sigh
me in courage to do full force.
Loading success is a waiting game
of triumph to adversities,
Resting below my knees
is the summation of what's life ahead.
I fear your gaze, that gaze which embraces her,
As if your entire universe finds its place within her being,
As if she were the last drop of water in your inner desert,
In the cage of your ribs, where the secret thirst of desire burns.
She, the only ray that can illuminate the dark corners of your mind,
And I, an endless abyss, am unworthy of admiration or desire.
I am a dark shadow, finding refuge in the corners of your heart,
And I fear that if she shines too brightly, I will cease to exist.
In her light, I might disappear from your world, become a silent echo,
For in her brilliance, I fear I will be swallowed by darkness.
Deep within your soul, I fear I will remain just a shadow,
While she will be the sun that lights your path away from me.
Thinking is a thing of the past
they see no profit in that
looking on is easier for them
and they'll follow the herd at the drop of a hat
committees are but cash cows for the incompetent
with nothing accomplished at the end of the day
by back-slapping glad-handing
or under the table their cards they play
talking is of days gone by
they view no profit there
watching is the thing to do
and they'll gaze on anywhere
I thought they didn't have the courage
of their convictions big or small
but I was wrong as now I've found
they have none at all
meanwhile
we're out here in the human jungle
bumbling about stumbling around
going in circles jumping up falling down
and life is good or so I'm told
but I don't buy what I'm sold
Written: July 29 2025, for contest by Brian Strand
***************
s
t
a
t
u k
e n
s n e i
v e l
r b ~
yet in a l a e
y
b a s e
s
t e r
g
m-i-l-e-s-t-o-n-e-s l k o
| | g
o — o a
i can't get enough of your stares
as if they want to leave me in ruins
by eating my flesh and bones
i can't get enough of your stares
as if they want to undress me
without you ever touching me
In my comfy corner, a little space
A place of my own, as soft as a lace
Lays a long chair of queen’s height with a wooden base
With a rocking style for a ride at a mild pace
Cushions of vibrant colours, in fitting size in the pattern of a maze
Attracting all in less time, fixing attention and nothing to daze
Lovely longing starts to occupy the space with an urge to win the race
Hands over the chair and lying fit in the seat bring glow to my face
The breeze from a window behind calls for a chat and nature’s gaze
Focusing straight from the chair the books in long &short rows pull me towards their case
Genres, size, colour, and bound all arranged in a symmetric vase
Picking up a book of my choice, reading with the flow to travel places
With characters in between with coffee and cookies and varied tastes
Of food and drinks with a due time to nap with the book in the vests
Dreaming of writing one day a grand book of characters all I LOVE
Is a LUXURY I WISH to come true one fine day.
The world demands identity—
a name, a face, a history.
But in its grip, you lose your way,
and shame is what they make you pay.
They drag your truth into the light,
then twist it wrong and call it right.
They dress you up in guilt and fear,
then whisper lies for all to hear.
A coin of shadow tempts the soul,
Whispers bartered for control.
Peace, a dove, retreats in flight—
While angels weep beyond the night.
No love is free—not in this place.
No kindness shown to a stranger's face.
Sincerity is bought and sold,
for only friends within the fold.
But I’ll disappear—not out of shame,
not from guilt, nor playing a game.
I leave to guard what’s left of me,
from judgment’s gaze and cruelty.
For though they tell the world I lied,
they never saw the tears I cried.
And those who turned their hearts away—
they never knew what truth I’d say.
Just walk away with peace,
and never rethink
the cruelty
they say
The hidden Beauty no one sees,
It speaks when the world is lost in sleep,
Yet the moon caught a gaze- someone admiring it,
While others still lived in their virtual slit.
They peeped blue ray-she felt the glowing mist,
They missed the grace the silence kissed.
So little time—
Yet so much left undone!
On the pages of life still remain
Sketches of dreams left to run.
So many promises lost in the mist,
So many hopes quietly withdrew—
Countless paths remain untraveled,
So many sights left out of view.
What still remains—
To behold the world with wide-open eyes,
To truly live each fleeting moment,
And feel the joy that never dies.
To roam the lands of dream and wonder
Between the covers of a book,
To feel each journey pulse within,
In every line, in every look.
To drift on lyrics, ride the tune,
Let the soul rise and explore—
Unfurl the wings of thought and feeling,
To touch the sky, to soar.
The heart awakens in silent verse,
Where emotions dance and dwell,
In every rhyme and subtle pause,
A deeper truth does swell.
When I feed the hungry a morsel of rice,
Peace visits me, pure and deep—
In their grateful smiles, I discover
A joy that makes my spirit leap.
And still, so much remains unknown—
Mysteries waiting to be unfurled,
To gaze into another’s eyes
And learn the soul of this world.
So little time—
Yet so much left undone!
On the pages of life still remain
Sketches of dreams left to run.
So many promises lost in the mist,
So many hopes quietly withdrew—
Countless paths remain untraveled,
So many sights left out of view.
What still remains—
To behold the world with wide-open eyes,
To truly live each fleeting moment,
And feel the joy that never dies.
To roam the lands of dream and wonder
Between the covers of a book,
To feel each journey pulse within,
In every line, in every look.
To drift on lyrics, ride the tune,
Let the soul rise and explore—
Unfurl the wings of thought and feeling,
To touch the sky, to soar.
The heart awakens in silent verse,
Where emotions dance and dwell,
In every rhyme and subtle pause,
A deeper truth does swell.
When I feed the hungry a morsel of rice,
Peace visits me, pure and deep—
In their grateful smiles, I discover
A joy that makes my spirit leap.
And still, so much remains unknown—
Mysteries waiting to be unfurled,
To gaze into another’s eyes
And learn the soul of this world.
A quiet child, with gaze lost in distant horizons,
Whispers numbers that float like stars on the infinite sky of night—
The outer world dissolves into an unclear and distant dream,
But within him, constellations illuminate like hot blood, close and near.
He sings an ancient song, born from the silence of the universe,
Brings to light springs hidden in the depths of oblivion,
A thousand keys spin in his palm like a dance of fireflies,
Opening oceans of mystery and unspoken lands, carried by wind.
He counts the birds before they find their rest on earth,
Knows the shape of every thread of wind that weaves the air into silk canvases—
His thoughts flow like underground rivers, deeper than the warm milk of morning.
He perceives the world in a flame of colors, a spectacle of imagination,
Where each leaf calls out its name like a summons to the soul,
And even though silence embraces him tightly like a silk veil,
From this stillness is born a strange light, but full of tenderness.
His soul sings in a mute harmony, a hymn of the unseen universe,
A music of the stars that is born from the depths of eternal silence.
I talk to the trees
but they don’t listen to me…
I tell you my dreams
and while you’re listening to me
I suddenly see them
come true
—Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe I Talk to the Trees
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Gaze Out the Pane
Gaze out the pane,
As if a wand turned dark to light.
Gaze out the pane,
Green leaves morph murky to champagne.
Piquant of trees; peaking’s excite.
Wonders you miss with oversight.
Gaze out the pane.
His favourite song becomes a place in which I belong.
His kisses oft make me strong, making our moments of love prolong.
His gaze never feels wrong, as he makes love to me for oh so long.
Emerald eyes lit
Serene sapphire ocean eyes,
Swirling slow galaxies
The gaze transcends the confines of time,
Recognizing that distance holds no limits, and
The Moon yearns for kindness.
If only they were aware of forever,
Of transience, of what lies ahead...
Everything whirls like a mill,
Until time fades away
Into realms unknown,
Beyond the dreams yet to unfold.
by airton parra
Related Poems