We are not safe.
We are encased in our sadness,
mourning flowing from every orifice;
not realizing
how flammable our tears truly are.
Our suffering is not dignified.
Bloodied bodies hang limp
on the crucifix of our classrooms.
There's a vision we hold,
It's value in what has been told,
The reason so many souls are sold,
Working life away to acquire gold,
Molding their existence.
What is it's significance,
The difference from any other stone?
You're only shown you needed some,
Just a little crumb is all you need,
To feed a family in need.
That shimmering greed,
Now poisoning Earth's seeds,
Dirty deeds making enemies,
Turning beauty into pennies.
Keeping people from getting any,
Only creating scrutiny,
Mutiny in reverse.
As the curse is lifted,
Only the gifted can see,
The truth behind money,
I think you'll find it funny.
The value that is assigned,
Is defined within the mind,
Signed by the soul.
Gold stole the power you hold,
Devouring the life you were told,
Was just about growing old,
And watching it all unfold.
Have you sold your life to gold,
What is the value you hold?
It's a far reaching stretch,
Large people has flooded in,
I am not alone,
My father has held my brothers hand pretty strong;
As he makes the path in between
I too am catching up ,
A carnival is yet to come
Huge creatures approached
as we stood in front .
Loud drums and hustling crowd
papa speaks to his friends around ,
But I did see his one hand still held
By that little guy on the ground,
Through a distance ,
there was this white eyed, black teeth shabby clothed crow like guy
Running right at the crowd ,
Wherever he went , people gasped.
And As he was approaching ,
I already took a few steps back
He came right at my brothers face,
And He curled up to my father's legs
leaving everyone awestruck
Then restoring to our places ,
People laughed .
It's a far reaching stretch,
Life is filled with strange people
I am not alone ,
But I too would love
To hold my father's hand .
May we be blessed
in this unpredictable and oftentimes scary world…
to make it part of our plan..
to love and hold on to one other
as often as we can
Surely one day,
I won’t know ‘alone’.
Surely one day,
I won’t go,
I won’t go anywhere alone.
Surely one day,
I can hold on to you,
Whenever I’m cold.
Surely some way,
I can hum to you,
The tune to our song.
I don’t know no dance,
But you make me laugh,
Smile,
I’m stuck in your trance.
You know you cross my mind,
You make my heart beat,
So fast,
I wanna slow dance.
I'll be back before it gets dark
after we get tired of playing king of the hill.
Sun sets so late in summer
against the willows..
sometimes I forget.
No, it just isn't so.
I don't always choose them over you,
'course I could never tell you that.
You're a girl, a special one.
But I can't tell you that either.
Still, when you told me your stomach hurt,
and I was the reason..
I believed you.
Don't know what to say, never seem to
'cept maybe
'Sorry you feel bad, I know that place too.'
'Put your sandals on, I'll walk you home
we can go slow.'
Oh alright - looks over her shoulder to the gang
'now we can hold hands.'
The tingling sweet sensation
As he grabbed my hand
I dared betray my emotion
This path I chose to stand
Side by side in lovers strand
Woven tight by fate’s hand
His stare of phony devotion
How can I question?
The beautiful morning ray, I hoped he not stray
An empty echo as I turned, dared not say
Our journey, the dark lair still lay
Maidan skirt hold his hair at bay
I wander yet again, the lonely day
Marred skin, I swore not to sway
Maybe I cradle his blood, he’d stay.
The path I thread, seems too thorny,
Where once bloomed, now rests agony.
Was it love or hunger cloaked in grace?
Did I chase his warmth, or just a face?
Perhaps my greed was far too shallow,
A hollow need in a painted shadow.
Now echoes laugh where silence grew,
Maybe the mockery always knew.
I hear them now, the whispers, bare,
The stifled truths that lived in the air.
But I was drawn, a moth to flame,
Blind to lies that wore his name.
To love, to hold, I held too tight,
And still he vanished into the night.
I gave my all to a facade
Under the Maiden skirt his oath lay.
It’s times like these the stars feel far,
And every lamp burns cold and thin—
The world is loud, the winds unkind,
And shadows press against my skin.
I do not know the road ahead,
Nor what the morning sky will show,
The songs I loved have lost their tune,
And even time forgets to flow.
But in the hush between two breaths,
Your fingers curve and reach for mine—
A warmth that needs no reason why,
A silence deeper than a sign.
I do not ask for all to mend,
Nor hope that fate will make me wise,
I only need this fleeting thread—
Your touch beneath the troubled skies.
And in your hand, the world is kind.
Be Told
What worth a thousand
Can't be attained with hundreds
To know the degree
You must measure
To get to the top of a tree
You have to climb it.
Stay bold
If you're working on it
It will surely work out
When you give it your all
There must be an outcome
Even if not immediately but it's certain.
Take hold
A race can never be won
By standing
When the pistol
Had been fired
If you don't begin
You will never get to the endpoint.
Sponsor: Joseph May Contest Name: The Double Swap 7/7/25
You're not there, there's no one to tell.
Hurry home to tell you, tears swell.
Life's so lonely, miss you my dear.
There's no one to tell, you're not here.
My world was all you, you only.
Miss you my dear, life's so lonely.
Trying to cope, still feeling blue.
You only, my world was all you.
The love's still there, gone is all hope.
Still feeling blue, trying to cope.
Our wedding bands meant for a pair.
Gone is all hope, the love's still there.
Cruel death parted, cant hold hands.
Meant for a pair, our wedding bands.
I'm smiling while broken hearted.
Cant hold hands, cruel death parted.
I hold them hostage
Attempt to bend them to my will
Dull the abrasiveness of now
Cloak them in a past
Devoid of presence
Feelings
False scents of marred moments
Simmering memories
Bubbling to the surface
In a cauldron of chaos
Life is beautiful but the journey is no less than a rollercoaster ride.
Let's hold hands together and pass each high tide.
Let's make it interesting and cherish it together.
Hold the applause, I’m not dead yet
she said, in deafening soft voice
you wish to sing, to dance, rejoice;
give me another cigarette.
Hold the Applause – Pick a Title Vol. 52, 6-8-25, Sponsor Edward Ibeh
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hold the Applause
Hold the applause
As the last note holds it’s breath
Before the keynote
Exhales
Before the melody
Takes a solitary journey
Into a taciturn hush.
Nascent
Waits
Like an incognito coda,
A second ending,
Rejecting the downbeat of resolution.
A breathless
Motif
Expands
Into the glorious,
Unfolding
Into fresh synonyms,
Anointed arias,
Unfolding like auroras
In stanzas
Pregnant with commas.
creative thoughts we seem to think
vibrations borrowed from vast space
our muse that appears in a blink
what else is it but gift of grace
hold the applause, we’re not the cause
our consciousness is full of flaws
all eyes on us when we walk in
everything seems to go our way
we don’t need to work hard to win
the sun shines on us every day
hold the applause, we’re not the cause
know ego grips us in its claws
possessions which to us our dear
our social standing, wealth and fame
trophies won praised by the crowd’s cheer
reflect which force steadied our aim
hold the applause, we’re not the cause
put such thoughts of grandeur on pause
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