Silence breeds a droning bunch,
a blackened kettle, a stolen lunch.
The dismal lead while sheep give chase,
a silent echo, a spoofed embrace.
Abandoned youth viewed once again,
a manifest of mice, not men.
Hypocrites now preach the word,
murdered lines and vision blurred.
Despair entangles a shallow light,
disavowed, this tale they write.
A painted faux becomes the rage,
dyed and bleached on every page.
A conjured trick becomes their ruse,
theft and fraud showcase thy muse.
Invisibly, the truth is moot,
concealed in dirt, this hidden root.
The frontier of violence
strange land of our making
Wilderness of bones and blood
—buried in our fear
(Dreamsleep: September, 2022)
Art,
the poison with which
the universe stings…
the artist dead
(Dreamsleep: January, 2022)
Explosion, implosion,
tomorrow is gone
A new self-destruct mode,
old enemies throng
We’re now on the poster,
PUBLIC ENEMY ONE
The canaries all dead
—with zero the sum
(The New Room: March, 2021)
A-bate
Y-ucky
A-nd
S-ilent
I-nfliction's
G-rime
U-sing
A-lcohol
Topic: Birthday of Aya D. Sigua (May 26)
Form: Vertical Monocrostic
N-asty
I-nfliction's
C-ontagious
O-utbreak
L-ets
E-pidemic
B-ring
O-nerousness
T-o
E-very
R-esident
O-utrageously
Topic: Birthday of Nicole Botero (May 20)
Form: Vertical Monocrostic
I am inflicted with blue eyes and golden hair
Wrapped in a fair skinned temper sure to go nowhere
I'll resist her tempting smile - 'least I say I will
Then I'll tremble and say "please"- 'til I get my fill
I was born pure masculine - warrior through and through
She was born to conquer - now what's a man to do
For I have killed wild boars and I have killed alone
Long clawed cats of Burma that stand at twenty stone
Some will say I'm a clerk - just as they predicted
But they know naught of a man that's been inflicted
Oh, my friend, 'tis a curse those locks of long blonde hair
And eyes you've never seen before - a blue so rare
8-9-20
Contest: Inflictions
Sponsor: Silent One
The burning sensation of lust,
Red seeping from her core.
Her shattered heart,
Followed by shattered tears.
The anger gliding across her wrist,
Her solution still remains.
Yearning to lead a normal life,
Longing to feel the pain.
The numbness shortening her life,
The guilt reminding her of death.
Her self-infliction,
Her only solution.
"Get away!", she screams in her head,
Why can't she utter those words,
The fault is her.
Not kicking or screaming,
Not saying a word.
Her longing to feel something,
Other than his body on hers,
Leads to yet again,
The gliding across her wrist.
The anger taken out,
Until at last,
Her dreams of death.
She got her wish.
I must admit dear,
evil survives within my head,
Monsters in the corner
all painted shades of red.
They walk among us
yet you'd never know they're here,
Spirits in the wind
leaving whispers in our ears.
Screams ringing in the darkness
forever leading us astray,
Replacing all our colored memories
and fading them to grey.
Laughter all around
but we are alone,
Strangers in this house
but we're without a home.
How could it be raining in this place
when the ground is made of fire?
You can blame it on us
blame it on our desire.
A world full of broken hearts
means it's made of filthy flesh,
They have our love guarded
behind black barbed mesh.
They smile at our pain
with a twisted form of lust.
Forced into the darkness
to breathe an ancient dust.
Is this love or is it pain
that they keep inflicting?
Should I have joy
or should this be sickening?
You try to hurt me with your vicious words,
Sayings that are not repeated.
You push me up against the wall,
Yet I am not defeated.
I tell no one of the abuse;
My thoughts are now in silence.
I try my hardest to defend myself;
Yet I can’t escape the violence.
No matter how hard I try to impress you;
My efforts are all in vain.
No matter how fast I run-
I can’t escape the pain.
You blame everyone else for your torment;
Then you can’t look in the mirror.
I tried to point it out to you-
But I can’t be any clearer.
My vision is all cloudy now-
From tears threatening to fall;
Why we were even fighting-
I can’t seem to recall.
The cycle of hate continues-
As evil need not rest.
I try to help as well as I can;
But you think that you know best.
Summer’s sweetness lies upon the shores of tomorrow
As today’s bitterness is cast upon the craggy jettison
Left to die is the presence of torment and sorrow
As the only cure is this symbolic medicine
As I stand on this shore now daydreaming
My eyes have then focused on the view
While my heart’s inside screaming
I can’t get my mind off of you
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