SILENT WITNESS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the sun, a molten coin, descends,
and he, a shadow lengthening,
holds his breath.
he feels the earth turn,
a slow, relentless dance,
and wonders of his place within the spin.
the sky bleeds crimson, then bruised purple,
and he, suspended between light and dark,
is neither here nor there,
but simply is,
a silent witness
to the fading day.
Being in the mix of being Mixed
It's confusing, yet warm and cozy—like being lost is almost easier than being brown.
The choosing of which path to take—sometimes, I find it simpler to remain lost, avoiding the question of who might find me.
Sitting on the fence, being mixed is the truth I carry. The quiet indulgence in the in-between. Nobody knows for sure who from where.
I watch the journey pass—each exit, each departure, some people get off, others sometimes onto.
A glimpse of all—the beauty in both, yet never feeling whole with either.
So I linger where I know best, along for the ride,
never reaching any destination, just drifting in the unknown.
I used to search to be the best at both, master of each side,
but now I simply understand—
for me, being mixed is the in-between,
neither here nor there,
but forever caught in the space between.
'It takes one to know one', so they do state,
but that won't take you far,
as we're never told exactly who these 'they' are.
'It's not what you know, it's who you know',
so the saying goes,
but the devil is in the details,
and I say, 'It's what you know about whom you know,'
which really goes to show,
whomsoever holds the power prevails.
'You have to give them what they want', so it is said,
but that only adds to my pique,
as I know not those 'them' of whom they speak.
Some may say 'I have an axe to grind',
but that's neither here nor there,
as I take issue with; 'they', 'who' and 'them' unknown,
yes it's my cross to bear.
Dimensions
I see you as you really are
a shadow, a ghost.
No substance, just
an empty shroud.
Where did our love go
after all of these years?
Perhaps you occupy a
different dimension.
Neither here nor there,
in multiple places at once.
Schrodinger’s cat has
nothing on you.
I try to touch you, but my
hand returns empty.
All of the promises you made
are nothing but a hollow form.
No certain places nor time. Neither here nor there. Dug a ditch and here I sit, listening for the other side. I hear the sound of War. Sounds like whistles flying by. I hear the sound of dying men, wondering if I'll be one of them. We can't question our authority. We keep track of artillery. We must move forward without retreat. We must defeat. In hopes cause for this war has good reason, like keeping our freedom, in our prayers we hope to prevail. Not fall and fail, left in No Mans Land would mean we failed. We must pray God will bring us home.
Buddha meets ... that is strange,
Announce the meet ... strange the more,
Buddha meets ... not so strange,
Announce misquote ... Buddha just wrote,
Though history ... Buddha's story,
Timing bit off ... historians scoff,
What came first; egg or chicken ... what came post; begs a question,
Christmas or Buddha ... Buddha or Christmas,
It is neither ... here nor there,
Ergo ... Therefore,
Flip a coin, heads or tails ... make your choice, while coin sails,
A guess is a guess ... my best is my best,
Here goes nothing ... substance something,
Buddha crosses time ... Christmas line a Cross
Christmas Star o'er Bethlehem ... faraway came three wise men,
Buddha is pleased with Christmas sight ... Buddha's lifetime records and write,
The nativity scene ... Buddha cites how it beamed,
Joseph and Virgin Mary, and baby Jesus makes three all the same ... Buddha scrolls down parchment that indicate advent that coined Christs' name,
Idyllic pastoral scenes of shepherds and farm animals and three wise men bearing gifts from afar ... Buddha captures the highlights breaths exhale and inhale words repetitively transform plain and not Czar.
She hears herself
in the distance
confess to undying love.
So out of touch
with loyal love to self.
The unholy ghost of him
demystified in mid-urn.
He is neither near, nor far.
No grave in which to turn
in rage, even if he could.
So much was left behind
in dust to dust return to earth,
White lies, black lies
to grey ashes burnt.
The Love Demon left
a twisting paper trail
behind
his telling tales...
As he took leave for good
of all his human senses,
Truth time travels out of reach.
A senseless sough
of dying sounds
wreaths potpourri
memoirs of thoughts
that linger around...
Scented and impure.
Neither here nor there,
he left her at once.
Bloody sighs cut off words
reverse from throat -
backed out into a world
that didn't care.
And still she wonders why
she has to remember
the good times.
In silence.
And in the loud sounds
of betrayal,
She silently cries...
Again.
Aqua Marine September 2024.
Everyone laughs and everyone cries,
But then when it's time to say their goodbyes,
Nobody wants to nobody’s ready.
Nobody told them they’d have to already.
Come on now, time to say your goodbyes.
Everyone comes and everyone goes,
But nobody knows how much pain really shows
When somebody leaves them alone in the shadows
Cold and dark and dazed.
Come on now, time to leave, let's go.
Everyone waits, but patience is thin so nobody waits for long
Come on now, time to forget
All those times you can never get back.
All those people you can never see.
All those places you left the echo of your voice,
All empty without you.
All those memories you can’t recreate.
All forgotten in time.
When you say goodbye
Different worlds
Different times
Growing up
In our minds
Neither here nor there
Ambivalence reigned
Father ruled
Mother gained
No holding
No cuddling
Sin running
Reason befuddling
Sickness and disease
Chaos ordered in line
Six days left
To leave it all behind
What's ahead
More of the unknown
Just a basket of fruit
Showing how creation has grown
Written by Trudy Schrader on 01-27-2024
The jury sits stoic and pensive with unwavering eyes
Set upon me like a lock on prey
Persecution for the crime of being small
Groundless accusation I have yet to discern
Though it seems the world has already done so
I am by fault a timid being
Created, it seems, by a mind set on juxtaposition
I am neither here nor there
Neither bright nor shadow
I stand with shaking knees
Sit with shaking hands
Interrogated for moments or hours
I’ve been forced to shrink
Forced to fold into myself,
But I am the one standing before a judge
The verdict readies itself to change a life
I receive my sentence with salted, glass eyes
Doomed to life without a chance
-s.grace
When our first kiss up to the heavens soared,
An ardent passion swirled around the air.
With no sense of time—neither here, nor there—
A bond was formed, and faith in love restored.
With the kind permission of the good Lord,
Our lips softly met with the upmost care.
I gently ran my fingers through your hair
To ensure you felt treasured and adored.
As we held each other in our embrace,
Our frames began to feel dizzy and weak—
We felt the work of a higher power.
Once we separated, I touched your face,
Running my hand down the side of your cheek—
Your warm skin felt tender as a flower.
Making sadness cower,
Our eternal love then began showing—
And both of our faces kept on glowing.
We parted, both knowing
The night can be cold in so many ways—
But the warmth of our kiss lasted for days.
© 2023
Is it a sin to feel pride?
I hear it can be deadly
But let us put that aside
I don’t choose to commit a medley
To me sin is neither here nor there
If you look around it’s everywhere
Just pick out your sin du jour
Allow me to take you on a tour
There’s pride, envy, greed
Anger and laziness,
Though not in the lead
Don’t forget gluttony and lust
Those two are almost a must!
Are you feeling more normal,
A part of the crowd?
I hear there are some folks
Who won’t repeat them outloud
I guess pride is leader of the pack
But please, cut me some slack
Have you really never felt a tad smug
Never felt like you’ve found a new drug?
If pride is the worst sin you’ve done
Well you haven’t lived
Haven’t had any fun
So the next time you’re tempted
And wanna give it your all
Don’t forget the famed Proverb:
Pride goeth before a fall
She jumped on the line
Through color and light
Traveling in vibration
On projected sound's might
Neutral in nature
Neither here nor there
Just being present
As word is shared
Something was removed
And lines became jumbled
She found herself caught
Made to trip and fumble
...the ball
She stopped enjoying
The journey of travel
Her heart began to focus
On the tightening ravel
Everywhere she looked
Balls of energy gathered
Words unsung
Magnetized all matter
Light appeared randomly
In surges of power
Black as tar wailed
As pink began to cower
...TRUTH
Written by Trudy Schrader on 11-18-2022
My comfort zone is getting smaller
As the years pass by
I am definitely getting stranger
Ditzier also applies!
Distraction happens so easily now
My mind is neither here nor there
Thoughts regularly float out of my mind
Vanishing into thin air
I do not mind ageing
It comes with many benefits
However, forgetting and loss of memory
Now, that really does give me the s**ts!!
Forgetting the reason I walked in a room
Not remembering to complete a chore
Words, names all slip my mind
Misplaced, lost items galore
Another negative with ageing
Is the body breaking down
Aches, paints and ailments
More as each new year comes around
Yet, I am happy, as I am alive and grateful
Able to appreciate and enjoy each new day
As I am loved , and I love
What more do I need, what more can I say!
Neither here nor there
The mind stuck in time
Floating through
Drifting
Reaching
Stretching to touch
Unarmed
Vulnerable
Exposed
Yet I am the only one that can see and feel
Flashes of a glimpse
Trapped in a vision
A million or more of emotions
Feelings rush to change
But I don’t want to.
As I Dream Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Mystic Rose Rose
Date: 08/06/2022
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