I sat alone,
In the darkness.
A slight moan,
And then stillness.
Events were replaying,
In my brain.
The past was repeating,
Along with the pain.
Then, It appeared,
Surrounded by gloom.
It smiled and neared,
Forecasting doom.
The Regret was accompanied,
By Despair and Depression.
All my worries were freed,
My soul tasted liberation.
My true friends had come,
In the form of ghosts.
I had no other chum,
Just me and my ghosts.
Let’s get to the heart of the matter.
I love you.
Though we only met two hours ago,
And I usually leave it a month or so,
I knew.
The moment you walked in through the door,
Into that room full of thirty or more,
It was you.
You crossed the room and as you neared,
Those thirty people just disappeared
From view.
Their voices became a background drone,
And I seemed to be standing there all alone,
With you
I laughed when they talked about love at first sight.
But I understand now; they were perfectly right.
I love you.
That’s at the heart of the matter.
A thick, glass globe
Sat on display
One must not touch
It’s not for play
But seven years
Had made me wise
I’d witnessed magic
With my own eyes
A Christmas film
Or shopping mall
While others shook
I watched in awe
But in my den
It sat, perched high
A ball of joy
To catch one’s eye
Far from reach
It tempted me
One day I climbed
Just to see
I vowed to view
An inch away
I would not touch
It’s not for play
But as I neared
The seventh shelf
My fingers brushed
Across my elf
In that moment
All magic died
For he was plastic
With painted eyes
He was bought
From the store
I saw the spot
His tag was tore
I believed him real
Until that day
When I found out
It’s just for play
One small round stone, with spindrift swept
‘Cross ageless shores - through ages, wept
Beach-to-beach it passed through time
Brown husk shrinking midst each storm
And though that plain rock neared ends
One child snatched it … RARE!
“Make It Two, Please” Poetry Contest”
Nette Onclaud, Judge & Sponsor
October 6, 2025
He schleps constantly at noon
Through declivities and straight roads,
Bearing messages sealed by the hands
That laid them bare in the first place.
Sweat caresses his face, forming one mass of
Earnestness in every breath of delivery.
“Hello,” he says, “your mail. Your package.”
My palm breathes harder, having neared his.
I sign the delivery paper and reach out for the
Package.
He is fussy with time and gets rewarded when
The Christmas bells chime slowly
From wintry belfries posting blandishments of
Yuletide.
Merry Christmas!
A bright coin rolls into his palms and greases them.
He welcomes titbits of news within crimson cards.
His lungs inhale airs of chaperoned champagnes
Amid the voice of canticles, soft and secret.
It all started with a project,
Though it wasn’t really mine to begin.
I thought I’d play a minor part,
Yet there I was, roped in—entangled within.
One task led to a series,
Replaceable once, but now I belonged.
Amidst PDFs and endless links,
Glances exchanged, where silence thronged.
A minor edit became an excuse for a brief call,
The urge to connect sparked those random reach-outs after all.
Pixel by pixel and frame by frame, the project neared its close,
Yet beyond the drafts, nothing deeper arose.
I didn’t expect an answer, but perhaps I sought to know—
Working together made me wonder if something more could grow.
After 96 pages, we lingered, waiting for something to unfold.
It’s probably nothing—just familiarity, this to myself I told.
After all, it’s easy to confuse closeness with something profound,
or perhaps it’s just me, seeking meaning where risks abound.
Yet the eyes whispered a different tale, hinting at a
devilish affair,
Meeting in secrecy, amidst a crowded room, unaware.
Mister Misanthrope had given up hope
On the entire human race
He'd bark and he'd bleat as he walked down the street
With a grimace on his face
Each day he would howl with a snarl and scowl
Most folk scurried as he neared
He'd chortle of death with foul rancid breath
Which was exactly what they feared
The skies became gray the birds flew away
Even rats would turn their backs
The locals weren't dreaming went running and screaming
To avoid his verbal attacks
One day in the valley down tornado alley
There formed a massive cyclone
With joy they saw Mister riding that twister
Into the great unknown
A light shone in the distance,
As it neared my place in the void
I felt its warmth
I saw its smile
I heard its laugh
The light came closer,
It got too hot
Its smile was too wide
Its laugh had other plans.
In the depths of chaos, you softly appeared,
A beacon of warmth when the darkness neared.
Your touch, a whisper, your gaze, a song,
With you, my love, I’ve found where I belong.
Your beauty transcends the stars in the sky,
A masterpiece crafted by heavens on high.
Your eyes hold worlds where my heart takes flight,
A sanctuary born of your gentle light.
The storm in my soul quiets at your voice,
In your arms, my chaos has no choice.
It bends, it bows, it fades, it stills,
Replaced by the love your presence instills.
Every beat of my heart is a hymn to you,
A rhythm eternal, steady, and true.
Every breath I draw speaks your name,
A wildfire of love, an unending flame.
You are my euphoria, my radiant muse,
The brightest light I could ever choose.
Forever, my darling, my heart is your own,
With you, my soul has found its home.
???
A gale force wind was blowing one cold October night
With a hunter's moon in the sky that was shining so bright
I took a shortcut through the cemetery as I'd often done before
And in ten minutes or so I'd be at home at my front door.
As I neared the cemetery exit, I had one hell of a fright
I saw a tall ghostly figure that was dressed in all white
I was seized with sheer terror and ran as fast as I could
My heart was pounding and my legs felt like wood.
I trembled as I fumbled trying to get the key into the lock
Never before in my entire life had I had such a shock
I reached for the Jack Daniels and poured myself a stiff drink
Had I been hallucinating? maybe I needed to see a shrink.
The next morning as I walked past the exit, I had a surprise
And laughed at what I saw before me, I couldn't believe my eyes
In last night's strong winds, a white sheet had blown onto a tree
And that was the 'ghost' that had scared the hell out of me.
And then one day, I chose to start,
A journey deep into her heart.
To search for reasons that tore her apart,
To heal the wounds, mend the scarred.
To my surprise, a child I found,
Caged within, without a sound.
Behind four walls, with eyes so bare,
Yearning to speak, with so much to share.
But each time I neared, she'd retreat,
A quiet dance, her steps discreet.
My heart reached out, but she'd withdraw,
A fragile distance, soft and raw.
I searched for the scars, engraved deep within,
Whispering tales of battles they couldn’t win.
Each mark spoke volumes, of sorrow and despair,
A silent cry, longing for someone to care.
The agony was terrible, even for me to fonder.
How could a child endure it? ceaselessly i ponder.
She has walked alone for miles, i couldn't help but wonder
As her heart screamed louder, the deeper i wandered.
Now I couldn't wander more, as my heart broke to her this way,
So I stepped out of her heart to bring solace to her pain.
But it broke me when I saw her lifeless and still,
Lying on the deathbed, in the body that was mine to feel.
-laxika
I went for a walk through the woods, like I do each Fall;
for it's a sensual treat at this time of year.
And I came across a grove of ancient oak trees,
shedding amber, yellow, and golden leaves;
gilding the ground, like scattered nuggets of gold.
The air smelt of Autumn, an earthy-sweet musk;
cool, crisp, and invigorating.
A chattering chipmunk scolded me incessantly:
as I neared a knurled stump, it was guarding;
loudly chastising me for invading its space.
The ground crunched and crackled under my feet,
as I walked on a bedding of filigreed leaves;
resembling a golden fleece.
As brisk breezes rippled through swaying treetops:
their bare branches rattled like skeleton bones.
Indulging my inner child, I fashioned an Autumn Angel;
spreading and swiping my arms and legs,
I sculpted an Angel out of leaves instead of snow.
And I lay there awhile smiling, soaking in Nature's magnificence;
immersed in the grandeur and beauty of Fall.
On a sandy beach a mile wide
Blood remains from a crimson tide
With our battle fought upon the sea
The only survivor was me
Since I alone can tell the tale
On that fateful day our ships set sail
To meet our foes both crew and master
Most every heart aboard beat faster
The wind was blowing waves were crashing
Teeth were grit with lightning flashing
Our banners waved and cannons roared
And with each strike our spirits soared
But as we neared our final breath
As we sailed headlong into death
There wasn't much that I recall
Just that one armada would fall
So in memory of that day
History will forever say
Ten thousand men are here no more
One sailor washed up on the shore
When I woke up this morning, I was feeling mighty fine
But, things started getting fuzzy, at a quarter after nine
So, I sat down in my chair and hoped to end this blight
And though it therapeutic to take this time to write
But I needed inspiration, and the place that I've found best
Was to look down the list of all the poetry contest
Right away I found the one and I knew I had it beat
But as I neared the ending, I found it harder to complete
It was then I called My doctor and told him of my plight
He said that I should see him, and it better be tonight
I shared with him my symptoms and showed him what I wrote
He then produced some paper and prescribed this with a note
" Forget the M.R.I , X-rays, and those CAT scans,
What this patient needs is a rhyming Lipogram"
Who Knew?
Howling winds flung me into the sea
waves lashed kelp ropes around me
my belligerence grew when I was seized
anger brewed the tighter they squeezed
With fists raised and teeth clenched
I resisted the harder they wrenched
voice rang out in acrimonious scream
my face contorted, wild eyes agleam
spittle dribbled from cracked lips
I neared the verge of sanity's eclipse
Man is but an elfin grain of sand
a mortal never has the upper hand
when wrangling with a sea of thunder
I was punished and plowed asunder
beneath coral reefs to ocean's floor
I cursed until I could no more
My swearing wails echoed my destiny
retched was my body from an angry sea
briny foam spit me on the rocky shore
done with me like an oft beaten whore
My crime was that I'd chosen wrong
the one I loved became my swan song
Piercing needles of torrential rain
burning injections increased the pain
Such bitter tea the cruel sea can steep
and I, a crumpet, tossed in restless sleep
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