Be a still shadow when the void is
smeared
onto concrete walls.
The void—
a deafening drone—
devours shadows that dare speak.
It closes in, fast—
in my head it whispers:
Join us. You are
hollowed enough
to blend in without fault.
I sit still—
because I was told:
If I move—If I shiver—
I become the smeared void.
Thinking too much
Wish my mind was a light switch
5 a.m. thoughts hallucinate reality
Ghost words fuel scarred responses
Everything ends eventually
Detach early
Hurt less
Spiral out of sunken eyes
Time passes and my frame
Stays still
My body is swollen with
Unreciprocated emotion
And if you cut me in half
I would finally be able to take
A full breath
Am I healing my inner child
If I play pretend?
Hallucinations in the sound of the wind
and the doors of our favorite place;
Sounds in the woods
and the roar of the waves,
all I see is your face;
The carnival ride of a head trip
clouding my cheeks and flushing my thoughts,
focused on this altered state of mind
drawn in by the euphoria of hallucinations;
The clarity in the dark of this vision
sometimes you don’t need to know;
Your heartbeat is louder than words;
The soundtrack to these hallucinations.
After grueling sessions of
Guitar Hero 3,
I would often look to the mirror
to my right
and marvel at how
my vision was affected by the game,
with the mirror becoming twisted
and augmented,
slithering across the wall in my living room.
Blood on her shirt.
She runs away
from herself.
A smashed mirror.
Amnesia.
And fate.
She ate away.
A decayed body.
Dangling on a fan.
Left there to be witnessed.
As she walked into her vision
of happiness,
she suddenly stops.
It was herself she was glaring at.
Her destiny she was perceiving.
She was being stabbed to death
by seven demons
while laying down on the floor
unclothed.
tangerine slashed crimson skies
golden rays blink on the horizon
silence engulfs the sooty night
arise murderous moon
chase furtive shadows
meander illusory paths
of a torn and troubled mind
to the bleeding ruins of me
standing at the precipice
perilous oblivion
turbulent waters drum
upon granite rocks
ruminations, whispering torments
fly away, fly away now
loosening tenuous grip on reality
all the stars in the sky
see me wavering
Entered: Inward Reflections Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Chantelle Cooke
Written 29/10/2020
They woke me
I listen, voices loud, louder
arguing with each other
my ears ring
then all the demons stop
speak to me, all of them
worthless, addicted, vain
destined for happy? snickers
no woes just abstain? laughter
go kill yourself!
my thoughts hide away
bullied and drained
I put my ear phones in
chill on Bob Marley
“One Love, One Love, lets....”
bloodcurdling screams
sound of demons slain
I’m smiling, hum along, “feel alright”
Written: 06/08/2019
Eight Word Challenge Contest
Sponsor Emile Pinet
Words: addicted, slain, demons, vain, abstain, woes, destined
A wondrous spirit of true love now softly murmurs its echo
On the wings of God’s angels, as they ascend heavenward.
This and more occurs as radiant cultured pearls begin dancing
Their magical-mystical dance deliciously in the oceans deep.
With this, the bright-blue-mirrored waves of the oceans move
In a melodious tempo of love with the pearls as they dance.
Caressing the heavenly sparkles rippling deep in the oceans’ waves,
An enchanted diamond-cut glass now trembles and shatters loudly!
At this moment, a mermaid of angelic pulchritude takes her divine
Throne as the mystical dance continues throughout the late night.
Crystal chimes begin sounding pure with a fire and fury of emotions
Within our hearts, as they excite our passions palpably and exquisitely!
The candlelight’s effulgent reflection in this moment transfixes me true,
By your warm and loving touch and the magic of your presence with me.
Coloring and scenting the air surpasses all others as the breathless and
Honeycombed eminence of your being touches the depths of my soul!
Gary Bateman and Liam McDaid, A Collaborated Poem
Copyright © All Rights Reserved – July 21, 2018
Standing in a forest, birds call out to us and the smell of rain fills my nose.
A boy stands tall in front of me with a black wolf beside him.
His brown hair ruffled by a breeze that causes music from distant chimes.
His tanned skin is scarred and dry.
His blue-green eyes are sharp and alert as he stares at me.
The wolf's yellow eyes are on the lookout for danger.
The boy's clothes were made of furs, feathers, and leather.
A necklace of sharp teeth hung around the wolf's neck and red feathers were pierced into its alert ears.
Then the boy's thin, pink lips turn upwards in a small smile.
A quiet voice floats on the breeze towards me, saying, "Come home."
I blink, and the trees, birds, wolf, and boy are gone.
Was this a hallucination or a memory from a life and promise I made long ago?
The summoning of
Desires, stem from
The Heart core, yet
Man's hallucinations
And defiance reign.
I see sparkles
I hear wedding bells
Bright sunny day
People make way
I stand in the middle
As I see him
Looking at me, dazzled
His eyes talk to mine
Causing my eyes to shine
His dark hair neatened
With his dark tuxedo straightened
Handsome is less to say
As my eyes hold his
I swift the floor in his arms
My eyes filled with delight
I see him stare at me
What an enchanted sight
As we stop and gaze at each one's eyes
He pulls me tighter
Aiming me to front his face
I close my sight to feel his flavoursome lips
I hear round of applause
Open my eyes
I see Dad waking me from across.
I've been lookin' in the mirror
The future is blurred, the present is here
I'm lured and stirred
In a maze, and I'm too insane
you will gaze in this if you can hurt
Cause when you are raised in with choosing pain instead of gainin' faces
You knew to learn
The ways of this life, it took me a strife
It took me aside, put light into my eyes
I'm truly a bind 'tween you me and I
the sight in one eye, can you see I'm blind?
I don't cite the world as a half drawn picture
If so I will finish it, diminish this scripture
I'll just keep livin' in this sinister fixture
You'll be shocked if you're touched by this elixir
This is me trying to see the good everything I should
writing my mind until cant seem to find it, (Like I could)
Even if I lost it, couldn't walk to even search for it
Is it worth the pouring rain, I'm searching like its important
Not knowing if my eyes have deceived me
I am careful not to speak my sights
Walking around consumed with fear
Afraid of what may or may not be
Melting walls
Race cars under my feet
Carnival atmosphere
Cartoon visions
Closing my eyes to seek relief
My eye lids see the truth
Movie screen moments take me away
By: Tim Lundmark
New Year’s hallucinations
“i’m gonna
lose weight!
get ridda’ that gut!
firm up that tush!
finally stop ****ing smoking!
get my *****together!
get outta debt!
start looking for a new job!
join a gym!
start eating healthy!
spend more time with my family!
work at a soup kitchen!
start workin’ in my community!
quit drinking!
kick the habit!
clean up my language!
try & see the world from the point of view
of others!
travel!
get a hobby!
learn another language!
ask out that girl i’ve had my eye on!
start hitting on that guy that makes my knees
ache!
be nicer!
smile more!
get up earlier!
start doing yoga!
call my parents more!
start thinking about the future!
put more emphasis on the “spiritual” part of
my life!
get a dog, a cat, a fish, a bird!
make the world a better place!”
Long white halls that echo with pain,
Where strait jackets lord and beckon with shame.
The therapy numbs and visits are feared,
You’re sane if you hallucinate here.
Patterns of colour and visions of gold,
Prophecy of end-times and things to behold.
Voices from the dead, alive in your head,
Where Lucid dreams are far from your bed.
Back to reality, therapy time,
Dragged through the chaos of psychotic minds.
The ECT a daily chore,
The result of looking through that door.
Brought back to a place in your youth,
Where the fantasies are induced.
Is it real? it seems so real!
Then a bolt from the blue has the Reaper revealed.
Cold hands grab your skull to wake you,
The Cuckoo’s nest now seems too true.
Your world becomes lobotomized,
There’s no one now behind those eyes.
Drifting like the drifting of a tune,
Back to your world that makes you swoon.
No telling what’s real anymore,
Just hallucinate and ignore.
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