A stinging mist colors my eyes
with vaporous pall of regret.
Oh, if only i could concede
and let the sun rays dissipate
this nebulous mentality
stealthily invading mind, heart,
a gray impasse of reluctance
that obliterates the future.
August 2, 2026
Eight by Eight Poetry Contest
Nette Onclaud, Sponsor
The weight of indecision
Is a force so many in the world can bear,
Yet one that crushes me,
Gnawing away at my fractured sanity.
There's two paths, which one shall we trek?
There's a third choice but the Bible forbids it
My brittle spine can only endure so much.
Make haste with your decision, author,
Before the pillars of love collapse,
Before your lover finds a suitor with a steadfast spine
Standing one foot on boat, one on shore,
spasmodically the current twists,
dark green bouncing water pulls.
Quickly choose which way to turn,
avoid the vacuum of delay;
familiar land and sheltering home
or enticing adventure on the waves.
Decide before equilibrium shifts
and lands me where all options break
in regrettable sea of sad mistakes.
Zodiac Signs as Inspiration Poetry Contest
Nette Onclaud, Sponsor
Date of Poem: 7-8-2026
Glinting and winking,
Bending to the will of the air.
The coin worked its way down:
Slowly,
Heads over tails.
The coin refused certainty.
And undecided it fell:
Heads over tails,
Down,
Down,
Down.
Until,
The pure bronze hovered,
Above the ground.
Without will or decision,
It turned one last time,
To leave its face,
To stare at the sky.
Down,
Down,
Down,
Reached the boy.
Picking up the decided coin.
He Frowned,
Flipping the coin in his hand.
And,
Looking away,
It hit the ground.
He walked back to his bike,
Eagerly awaiting his return.
Only to be dragged away,
Leaving the forked road behind.
In the centre of a bridge
and at a loss
neither there but here
only half-way across
coming or going
how would I know
as yesterday is far away
and oh so long ago
I'm stuck in the middle
but it doesn't show
forwards backwards
or over the side
I would jump at half the chance
if I could only decide
There's No System
Now There's A System
There's. NO System
NOW There's A System
There'z. NO System
NOW There'z A System...
-Gray Squirrel
11-03-2025
Not wishing to deride but
unable to make up her mind
let alone decide
my every question
elicited the response of
a definite maybe
a positive perhaps
a certain perchance
or a possible mayhaps
and if it weren't for her bed
being next to the wall
she'd never know
which side to get out of at all
and as for which shoe
to step into first
it's probably the perfect example of
indecision at her worst
Should I have married Jillian?
Could I have slept with Gemma?
I’ve got about a million
of this kind of dilemma.
They crop up in a thrice, of course,
but hang around for ever
(or do they crop up in a force?
Oh, why can’t I be clever?)
I envy those with certitude,
those free of hesitation.
I ‘d love to be the kind of dude
who knows no trepidation.
If doubts exist and qualms are rife,
you, luckiest of creatures,
have found experience in life
to be the best of teachers.
So, if he says he has no fear,
no ambiguity lingers:
he never tried to snuff – it’s clear –
a candle with his fingers.
I wait for you
where the road splits in two,
I'm forced to remain
uncertain which path is mine,
yet certain you will come.
I will open my abyss for you,
not as a prison,
but as a place to rest:
for an afternoon so perfect
it could outlast time.
I know, as every moth must know,
that the flame is its destiny:
even though the light was never made
for moths.
Weighed the risks of indecision
Not choosing one way or the another
~ yet somehow getting nowhere fast
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Who can know and thus foretell the imaginary line
Twixt everlasting doubt and certainty sublime
Once declined counts twice betrayed where constant pressure parts
The ties that bind us each to all from one to many hearts
Passions presence aching seek the solace of the grave
Heavens hand forbade ere reasons' eulogy forgave
Within the vein of separate mind where war these wedded foes of mine
Of hearts desire and reasons doubt besotted, battle locked, in time
Just how much courage does it take?
To stick to the plan that I’d made
And why should I be afraid?
To live my own destined fate
When all I could do is hate
All the things that I have said
Can’t I just stay in the bed?
With no sorrows and no regret
But the image of it in my head
Keeps on replaying until the end
Preparing a most daring dare,
Of pinning a tail to a bear,
He just couldn’t choose
Which tail type to use,
And thought best to leave matters there.
I must admit she’s beautiful.
I see her swagger towards me.
Yet I feel confused.
I am in an insoluble maze.
I am reminded of a marigold.
She loves me
She loves me not.
Bah! Waste of time.
To love or not to love?
That is no question.
I should know my feelings.
I am confused.
Do I love her?
Does she love me?
So gorgeous..
Everyone admires her.
New fashioned dress.
High stilettoes
Echoing in the street:
Come to me!
Come to me!
Yet I am afraid of her.
And I know not what to do!
It’s a mystery.
Is there a code for love?
I don’t know it.
Why is it harder to say yes than no?
Is the pendulum biased to No side?
Is the seesaw weighted more on NO side
Why is it harder to sway up on a swing to yea?
It's fear that weighs you down!
Fear of what yea may mean.
afraid of being used,
afraid of being disappointed,
afraid of letting someone down,
afraid of being hurt,
afraid of being rejected,
afraid of being left alone,
afraid of being left vulnerable,
afraid of putting your heart on the line,
afraid of the unknown,
afraid of change,
afraid of failure,
afraid of stepping outside of your comfort zone.
But what are you missing out on?
Take the plunge from the high platform
of procrastination.
Give sway to yea, and let go.
The pool is deep, its surface quivering,
trembling with affable expectation.
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