optimism lures me in every time
positivity feeds me
love enthusiasm
I wish I could write down
the words stuck in my throat,
the thoughts in which my mind may drown,
the feelings stashed away like a winter coat
They say, on paper, we bleed-
Though I fear I'm a fraud
for with my own hands, I've sewn
my mouth shut, my eyes plead
And with a mouth-held knife,
I've sawed my own hands, heart flawed
Lies I've disguised as delusions
I'm not who they think,
who they say I am, illusions
Who am I, when i claim to be a star
that glows pink, intrusions
I'm not who i say,
who i think i am, delusions
Touch me...
like it's the first time
Hold me...
like I'm a lost lamb
Kiss me...
like it's the last time
Love me...
for the man I am
No one lies awake at night,
wondering where I am,
or why I haven't called.
No one fears losing me.
No restless heart waits,
To hear my voice.
No one notices the silence,
When I'm gone.
I was never the place
Someone was afraid to lose
Or wanted to be
Never home.
I could disappear quietly
And their world keep turning.
My chair empty
My name unspoken
Maybe eventually--
Someone wouldn't even remember
Someone was once there.
The cruelest part isn't being left behind.
It's realizing that...
No one would notice
I was never there to begin with.
So I sat smaller
Quieter
Easily forgotten
A shadow
The heart no one longs for
An absence
Even before I am gone.
I forget the bar sometimes
And offer up my honest rhymes.
No underlying meanings to puzzle through;
No flourishes to add more goo.
Just plain and simple is my way.
With familiar words, I'll have my say.
You'll get my message right away.
I am not a puzzle piece
I am not your nephew, your niece.
I am not a child, naïve,
I am not an inspiration for you to weave.
I am not your pet savant,
I am not a permission you could grant.
I am not a dress up doll,
I am not cute and I will not make myself small.
I am a wildfire at it's peak,
My autism doesn't speak,
I do.
My steps carry an old drum
Codes,
Beats carved from bone
Memory,
Rhythms that survived every
Crossings.
My breath has memories it recognizes
Ancestors vows,
The ones whispered under the
Moonlight
When freedom was a fabrication
And courage was the only
Currency.
Thunder lives in my ribs,
They call me loud-
But truth calls me home.
I am the echo of silenced
Voices,
I am a freedom fighter-
Born with my soul's fists raised.
I am the moon chasing the sun,
I am the stars hiding in your light.
I am the crack in concrete walls,
I am the love a poet hides from sight.
I am the moon caught in orbit,
I am the night that chases sunset,
I am the bow that Cupid strung,
I am the bell never to be rung.
I am the moon ever secret,
I am the blush spreading unbidden.
I am the question, the regret,
I am the only thing kept hidden.
I am the moon,
and I am sorry.
And I'm still in Love -
(I) don't ask with whom
maybe there is someone
~ maybe not ~.
Clairvoyance being prepared, still
Moving, we are moving on, bathing --
--> in bliss, that blissful waltz
Flowers blooming, spelling out the
end of the I.
Dreams of union, marriage, the
heart rejoices - You and I, we fly high
Above the cluds, the waves,
Hearing the bells ringing
We dance like embers, floating in the sky.
Alive, every face beloved, the soul
is free.
Created and given a name
A world questions who am I?
I am a man with virtues
Standing strong on any convictions presented to me
I am a humanitarian of blood and flesh
My origin being native American
Born and educated in America’s promise
Reasoning of mind and thought justified
Don’t question my integrity
Don’t hate, but appreciate
Don’t separate, but socialite
I am always at the center of my own conflict
Never a chance to explain
You just want to complain
I have a name
Even though I am not famous, I am committed to accomplish, establish and contribute
My name is important
I have a purpose being a life to live and assemble
That is who I am
At least to me
Don’t judge me, but respect me
Possessing character above all
Don’t look at me in race
It is not a curse, just a variation among the races
Heritage follows
Determination guaranteed
Obvious and ever after
I am Somebody
Recognize
We have seen our true form as living light,
outside time, as awareness self-aware,
dwelling in peace, lustre soft white yet bright,
fabric of consciousness, naked and bare.
Jiva as body-mind, Self as Atma,
are both us, immanent and transcendent,
birthed by light of God or Paramatma,
our innate being-ness, bliss resplendent.
The truth eternal becomes apparent,
when concepts we hold onto are released,
that as vaporised presence transparent,
the veil is pierced when thought ripples have ceased.
With cessation as our meditation ~
We become the flame, the bliss pulsation
on the bed of the clear lagoon of memories.
The years of my life are running out.
Sometimes, the picture of childhood lights up my soul—
my mother walking along the narrow, dreamy lane…
A treacherous illness alters the shape of my body.
My last desire flew away to another galaxy long ago.
And the sorrow is too great for my chest to bear.
It’s hard to live trapped in a web of never-ending pain.
you have these moments i am held
dazed in your essence
when your concern catches me deep
a vividness my heart surrenders to
the slight reverse touch to your heart
apprehensions walk deep within
a countenance of a mein
a soft prayer in a breath
God stop this
the soft plea only a woman possesses
that carries the dire warning
there are the unforgiven
pariahs who never return
this is one jewel in a chest
i keep in my heart from other moments
such as you looking up
lost in your garden, hands in dirt
upon knees, wiping a moist brow
asking, would you get me some iced tea
alas, the fate of a man who only drinks coffee
a man whose only wish when crossing the veil
accompanied by a chest of jewels
Oregon 9/26/26
Dear Self,
I left you open to attack
I see you now, standing in
The places
Where I should have covered
You,
Where I should have said no
Sooner,
Where I should have walked
Away faster
You were lax when the
World was sharp,
Open when the moment
Demanded armor,
Trusting when caution
Would've saved you.
And I let you face storms
I should've stood in front of.
I didn't protect you the way
You deserved.
I didn't guard your tenderness,
Your hope,
Your quiet belief that people
Mean what they say.
But I hear now.
I'm learning your personal space
Your limits
Your sacred spaces.
I won't forget you again
I won't leave you exposed.
I won't let the world take
More
Than you can bear.
You are mine to
Keep safe. And I'm finally
Ready to do it.
My mistakes have taken a toll on me
In many aspects of my life
I no longer feel pretty without makeup on
Because i can see the secrets hidden under my skin
I no longer feel confident in revealing clothing
Because i know the insecurities lying underneath the remaining cloth
Mistakes are things you learn from
And I have learned plenty.
I have learned that i am not the person i think i am
Im a coward
I constantly hide my flaws while shaming other peoples
And i make myself into a different person so i can be liked,
Then make fun of those who are unique
Im a fool for ever thinking i was pretty
Because being pretty isn't just your face or your body
It's the thoughts and soul behind those things
The way you process a compliment, and how you respond
Or what you think when someone is different from you
These thoughts and actions show who you are, or who you are trying to be
And i have realized i have lost myself in this foreign body
This is not mine, I am a fake.
Sub Categories
Definition | What is I Am in Poetry?
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.