I look at my hands, so small and slight,
just one face in a crowded, rushing room.
I am a quiet footprint in the dust,
easily swept away,
a brief, passing second
in someone else's busy day.
Sometimes I feel like a flickering match—
so easy to blow out, so simple to miss.
But inside this fragile, quiet frame,
my heart is a heavy, wide-open door.
It keeps a fire burning through the night
just in case you need a place to warm your hands.
It is a shelter with room for everything you carry,
a small chest holding an entire ocean
of endless, unconditional care.
I am so tiny,
yet I have enough space inside me to love you forever.
My book, "Recycled Paper: A Safe Place To Hide" is available for sale on Amazon! Thank you all for your encouragement and support!
Silence
waiting, listening
gathering, noticing, wondering
memory, image, metaphor, language
shaping, weaving, illuminating
luminous, enduring
Poem
IN THAT SMALL PLACE
I find her there
In that small space
Between wax and flame
In storms
That strike the night
A flash of light
Between drops of rain
On my own breath
When sleep is far
And mornings near
I find her there
In that small space
And breathe her name
And breathe her name
Some memories are an ethereal malignancy ... Inoperable, incurable, and terminal.
What is Society
A set of rules to follow
or ways to live a life
What others feel you should do
standards , some basic, some civil others federal
How can you be yourself, an individual
free from chains, morals, beliefs
all from a book, a paper, constitution, 1776
but today is 2026
Societies path follows a brick road to a picket fence, or
a basket parked by the line giving a hot meal,
a rock hard sidewalk, a car covered window,
tap tap tap, gotta move
Where does the path lead
Gotta choose, dust the dirt off
make a change for another place in
Society
ya'll heard the one
about and and gal
kissing on Christmas day
her Husband comes along
said whats going on
get from neath that misletoe
unhand my wife
darling let call it a night
Mister just let her go
then he balled up his fist said
I'll hit you with this
leave my gal alone
grab your rags
pack your bags
Fella it's time to go
I aint wrong for quick cheeky peck
ya'll been sliding tougunes
and you got your hands all
on her ass
aint airin out my lungs
cause i'm wrong
cause you damn well know
I'm right
take your jacket off
let's go out side
time for us guys to fight
bizzy me
you wiff my Gal
well that aint like I planned
see I'm her Mister
don't get it twisted mister
you egging for ah fyte!
The clouds hide what is coming.
The skies loom in the darkness,
The fear it brings.
My heart races with evil thoughts,
Sensing the hidden messages,
Underneath thinking I cant feel them.
Trickery will not be tolerated.
He started this war and,
I will finish it,
With a vengeance.
There are people who've died.' Buried yet not gone, they cry out for justice, loud and
Long..Rik Mayal, JFK, Bob Marley, Diana too, Virginia, Stan Meyer, the covid co-horts Do.' Those who were slaughtered in Germany 1940 on through' today in Gaza
Now what say you.? You munitions makers, you in IBM.' you in hugo boss, and
Ikea all you ss friends.' Mad about ( oak leaves) and forest gods, there are groves for killing, by thosecwho consider thay are gods,.? But the dead are many.' And they
Cry out loud; and long' they are heard
By the God; of all. He's never been blind all
Along.' Yes you put a bag on His Head; in such ( you announced to all ) just who you
Are.' So much was saud' Thats how you will fall, blind leaders all
Stumbling to when the ( moment blinks!) In the eye of eternity ' you will wear the (hood-wink) you satanic servers..You serve satan, yet you he also hates, there is a
Place for you waiting' the latest hell in great flame gyrates.' A vortex of lonliness where eternal winds, will shred your ever-being..As your former victims realise Their true Word.'
Who thought it would come to this?
I can’t live in the computer space but I know within it there’s quiet.
I almost think here.
I kind of like that it can’t really be pulled apart and seep noise if I can just keep my volume down
That is becoming more simpler as I age.
Just a place to keep my ears from being visible to my foe,
That makes them crazy
They still work as hard to be better at it
Well that thing
I don’t study computers much
They just took up space in the dark for so many years.
This place functions on it own
The people outside
Looks at it with different eyes
Logic happens to them
Philosophy also happens
This place is boxed up with a certain thinking
The world is not correct on how things appear before this place
History has eyes so bright for you to see
Time has evolved for so long that centuries and circles are filled with painted writings
History knows the deepness of a river and how dark ships navigated through the souls of men
History knows the beginning and the end of all the papers bound into one
This place is happily divided
And you can hear different voices
Echoing confusion into the rooms of men
There's a constant panic of a certain tradition here
And many versions are born
This place is careful about the handwriting of love
And it's timidly written on the four corners of the wall.
In the night when all was still
I felt my spine a tingling chill
Goosebumps 'tween thy rising hairs
When I saw a ghostly figure on my stairs
My eyes not blinked when we stood froze
That tingling chill crept to my toes
I thought, "Dear lord- is that my brother?"
And then, I heard a whisper from my mother
Son, your brother and I are in God's home
Where all the good souls go and are free to roam
Your aunts and uncles are all here too
And many friends that you once knew
Friends you've known throughout your years
That said good-bye and you shed tears
Don't look down, lift up your head
Things aren't too bad when we are dead
Our souls are free and full of bliss
In this place we're at, called... "Happiness"
*Dedicated to everyone.
When you think of places that are sad,
you might think of the Germans in Stalingrad,
or you may consider, too,
Napolean, leading the French, at Waterloo,
but, by far, the saddest place around,
for a hundred years, is Mudville town,
the place where Casey at the bat
failed, as his mighty swing fell flat.
Casey made excuses. Folks said, "Save your breath",
and mighty Casey drank himself to death.
Flowers in Mudville, they say, never bloom.
Children grow up in misery and gloom.
Yet, as all hope is disappearing,
lately, I have been hearing,
about a strapping young prospect,
the one standing there on deck.
Do you think he can make Mudville smile?
Will he strike out or hit the ball a mile?
Chisel this spirit
from its marble cage.
Let the prophets guide it
to a humble place.
Through all the noise and The Wandering Mind,
I searched for a grace I was meant to find.
They talk about the Many Faces of Love,
Though we’ve been Judged Differently by stars above.
I still smile thinking how SHE ASKED FOR MY BLAZER,
Wrapped in my jacket, feeling you near.
I Love Doing This Life Thing with You,
Catching The Look i Don't Notice, so quiet and true.
When Love Calls Me Sweetboy, my world turns soft,
My Silver Lining when my thoughts float aloft.
You brought me a Clarity nothing can break,
Pure Perfection in Motion in every breath you take.
Even when apart, Still Longing to hold,
In the Dawn's Gentle Light, our story is told.
One look and I sigh, Damn, Its Her,
My light, my favorite blur.
My Desire and my Wish is simple, to stay by your side,
I give you My Words, nowhere to hide.
We’re leaving behind the Shadows of Youth,
Because For Me, You Are Enough and that is my truth.
At the end of it all, It's You
WANDERING PLACE GET ME WAKA
Hey, hey heyyy yeah yeah, hey, hey hey O yeah
Elevate high, high, soul high
reach komot touch skies
adrenaline get me wetin
wandering place get me waka
same space different place
i shall no bi be dismayed
placed on top a separate plate
be no on top dessert
wandering place get me waka
sweating mai crown be moist
sweet be the voice
you be mai choice
come close
wandering place get me waka
so beaming down
i waaka di town
mai head up
i hide for dem bush
mai hair needs a brush
wetin di heck
no gi me gimme dat look
need no kudi cause i get cabbage
lettuce carrot you
wandering place get me waka
same space different place
i shall no bi be dismayed
placed on top a separate plate
be no on top dessert
sweating mai crown be moist
wandering place get me waka
Elevate high, high, soul high
Reach out touch skies, adrenaline got me wetin
Pidgin English
8/18/26
by James Edward Lee Sr.2026©
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.