a seed I am, my silky hair loose without band.
a voyager on a hammock of wind-
drifting up and down with no compass to direct.
the sky warmly greets, nothing to obstruct.
I carry no heavy burden or luggage
if I plunge on land, I will manage,
to tether my roots deep down,
into soil to be reborn a thistledown.
Complexities
message
within
simple rhyme
The shortest
route taken
to phrase
and define
What others
may see
but will struggle
to feel
Each word
chosen simply
like spokes
on a wheel
That turns
and spins freely
no gears
to obstruct
And rolls
ever forward
its path
to instruct
One day
to remember
as you sit there
alone
In foreign
confusion
the rhyme
— takes you home
********
If The Shoe Fits ...
You lurk
in the shadows
voyeur
that you are
And wait
to pass judgment
from safely
afar
Your hands
never dirty
your alibi
clean
In a larcened
attempt
to steal
other’s dreams
You prey
and you stalk
behind words
you make up
To slash
from behind
with a knife
that won’t cut
But herein
you’ll die
as the silence
forays
To rot in
self-loathing
yourself
— to betray
(Dreamsleep: June, 2026)
Where in the world does satisfaction dwell?
Tempt a poor with money once.
He will let out such a wail
Dissatisfied faces gather in a bunch.
I witnessed those drowned in greed
Ones I believed were a symbol of sanctity.
Though terrified to question their creed
Yet I know without desires exist no entity.
I stumbled one day in a forest
When looked up, displayed a competition.
Trees shot toward the sun, leaving behind the rest
They stifle, subjugate and obstruct without hesitation.
Rivers yet are quite manipulating
They carve a compelling story
Once acknowledged as calmed, now invading
Eroded, shoveled and marked its territory.
From the streets we ought to be having fun,
We run,
Not for the sun,
Or for the weather that really shun...
We suffer together,
The restrictions abound: our palaver,
Of human to fly its feather,
Around to learn how we could weather.
New testament of greed,
By the enemies of need,
Unto which obstruct reseed,
For daily needs, we voluntarily receded.
Prayers become the breakfast.
Readings glucose the lunch feast.
Sanitizers baptize the body like a priest.
Our dinners rose loneliness tempest.
Intercession is not of pain;
For it will bring an amazing gain,
Unto which we shall chain,
The deadly enemies domain.
It is of your only will,
For no human power make these still,
In his own knowledge or prowess' pill,
To save the universe from its awful gill.
Help us oh lord our God,
All has taken heed,
Yet it seems not enough to halt its prod, Redeem and do not forsake us, we plead.
Beyond The Veil
I recall the day I accepted Christ
It's now been many years ago
I've studied His Word along the way
Attempting His message to bestow
There have been hills and valleys
As along this path I've trod
I've learned to cling to His promises
And let Him be my staff and rod
Some things I do not understand
By faith, I must rely on His Word
And trust that His plan is best
When various issues seem blurred
It's as a veil obstructs my view
Making it hard to comprehend
But when I study Psalm seventy three
Verse seventeen, will my anxiety end
I know that soon, the day will come
I'll lay this earthly mantle down
Now, I find consolation in the fact
Then, I'll be homeward bound
A veil will no longer obstruct my view
Then, I'll meet Him face to face
That which is faith, will then be fact
Because of His "Amazing Grace"
By: Colan Hiatt
Long, wide, vast, high, dreadfully deep protective walls
Battlements, ramparts, bulwarks, and tower folders
Living quarters, arrow slits, gatehouses, and halls
Monstrous walls built as though with steel-alloy boulders
Water-filled deep massive moats to obstruct the foes
Bastions and merlons within majestic meadows
Forts and castles are mysteries of histories.
They are focal themes of bewildering stories.
I have found with the Peace of a justices eyes
The length of attention in conversation
Allows the journal
Instruction
Before conversation is acquired
The counter is not built
Civilized is standing
Mass and throng interupt
Otherwise experienced as obstruct food
This is a minutes causeway
Thank you for your message. It has been sent. ( Congress )
Take a plane, ungrateful one, to a distant land...
Don't forget to walk the straightest path.
Freedom bogs down quickly in shifting sand.
You may have to cover your body from head to toe.
You may get a lash for dancing with your Beu.
You may get caned for walking alone.
You may be married off to a stranger.
Your worth is measured in skinny cattle and goats.
Walk the straightest of paths, ungrateful one.
Keep your faith close to the vest.
Or you may spend years in prison or even lose your head.
If they find out you're gay, it may be your last earthly day.
When you come back to your host country, ungrateful one.
Will your vision still be opaque and hateful?
Have you gathered any lessons, or are you too stubborn?
Will you still burn- loot- rape - obstruct.
Will you still spit on your freedoms, paid for in blood?
Will your privileged and entitled attitude shift?
Like the shifting sand you just experienced.
Next time, take a one-way plane, ungrateful one
I don't think you'll ever change.
I’ve lived and I’ve loved or so I thought,
came out broken, beaten and battered.
A false embrace a kiss of lies,
All loves games I bought.
Tried to be just who I am,
Not one would care to ease.
Friends, family or chosen mate,
Would bring me to my knees
Shut my mouth to obstruct the blow,
The Anger, fury and wrath,
The Inevitable Invisible tears will follow
Down the well known well lit path.
Gone is my spirit my wings my will,
Life no longer has meaning, only evil
No reason for happiness, to laugh or smile
The bruises will fade from a life so vile.
I’ve tried to be strong, I’ve tried to endure,
But the cracks in my heart are too deep to cure.
Every smile forced, every tear unseen
the battle recurs of a war routine
Shrink to the floor to block the blows,
The venom, the anger, the fury that grows
The bruises they fade, but the pain never goes,
I waste in the ashes feel my will decompose.
A life once lived, a soul once whole,
lost in the darkness of my own swallowed soul
No hope for a future, no light in the dark,
Just a lonely heart shattered, too broken to spark.
MARTY KING
sometimes i kiss the tip of a rainbow
golden maturity feels so ocean fresh
traces of lavender calms the vibe of overbearing reality
though time continues to be rebellious and uncaring
you provide a blanket of warmth that rehabilitates my sanity
everything slows down
your beautiful smile on my life feels so good
SHENIKA SIMS
sometimes i kiss the tip of a rainbow
knowledge, wisdom, and understanding freshly waters the vines of my personal growth
the sage burning in the air of everchanging times relaxes me to calm cool contentment
though time continues to coldly resist and frigidly obstruct
you provide the throw blanket of warmth that rehabilitates my sanity
everything feels copable
your beautiful heart's seashell rhythm in my right ear feels so good
I gone through life's shock
And hope for nothing
I taste life's hack
And blame for something.
Forward life I may go
Towards beacon of life
I couldn't see sunshine through
Cobwebs block my way so much strife.
No wrong turn I still go to fight
Where fate it leads me
I don't give up easy lay my right
Till God elsewhere my life leads be.
Flicker of hope I have light my way
Like a staff that wayward obstruct
My goals is guiding strength to see
This life's road I have construct.
It is right there in front of your face.
Look around, it’s all over the place.
Don’t know why it is you cannot see
What is plainly apparent to me.
Could I get you to open your eyes?
Look again and you will be surprised.
But you tell me that it isn’t there
Thus, you never have reason to care…
There’s a different set of life rules
Separating all the types of fools.
But we are all within our own box
And we’re bound up in chains and with locks.
But I think it is kind of a crime
To refuse to look all of the time.
And insisting there is nothing there…
Thus, you never have reason to care…
Still, I guess it can be hard to see
The whole forest from among the trees.
All the details obstruct and confuse
And will block out the much grander views.
I guess I could be totally wrong.
Maybe this is where we both belong.
But don’t tell me there is nothing there
Thus, you never have reason to care…
The Wizard of Oz has embraced you within his curtains
Safe inside, YES! Truth comes in flavours with versions
Scoop yourself a high mounded float of fanciful demeanour
Perouse the fifty shades of "God, That Sounds Much Better"
Now spin, hold your finger to your head and again spin
Only hold your nose while you conjure up what will be sin
Each turn twists so fine to obstruct what was once a Singularity
You didn't know? Really? Truth for real became a plural Entity
Sometimes, just a small spark of empathy
Can brighten up another’s mind to see
The value of love and understanding
To lift the weight of negativity
For darker thoughts and doubts debilitate
And obstruct the path that leads us to heal...
We must shine our love to illuminate
The path that love and compassion reveal!
Don’t ignore those in spiritual need
Because the deepest of our wounds don’t bleed
They thrive wherein silence is the weapon
That amputates hope the soul sorely needs
A smile looks nice, but try on compassion
It’s transformative attire for the heart...
For suffering without understanding
Strips a soul bare while it tears love apart.
Written: September 08, 2024 For Edward Ibeh Contest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He has blue eyes and lovely blond hair,
Curls rose above his pink and pretty ware.
Do not mention his background or affairs,
With Africa by people who settled there.
His father's family tree has extensive roots,
Has Swedish, Cajun French, and British limbs.
Grafts from Choctaw and Cherokee wood routes,
That got some black stems from long-time whims.
His mother comes from a Creole background,
Descendants of a native African tribe.
Parentage from France and Spain was found,
And mingled with Bayou Indians and more vibe.
Because intolerance and hatred confine,
They also obstruct the expansive plain.
Therefore, bigots are vindictive and supine,
It is only clear to observe the gutter drain.
There are no pleasant views of the spleen,
There are no cloverfields or rolling greens.
Restricted minds lack the ability to see,
a breathtaking panorama of the scene.
And biased men with pretentious pride,
While in white, they become narrow-eyed.
who despise Blacks, Jews, and Native side,
They are completely sealed and closed inside.
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