Thomas stirred the tasteless,
clear liquid into his wife's
evening chamomile tea.
He smiled, thinking of the life
he imagined with another woman
he met in a stripper night club.
By midnight, Eleanor was gone,
her sudden passing blamed on
natural causes.
The grieving husband played
his part perfectly, weeping at
the funeral.
Two weeks later, he prepared
to sell the estate and move
away.
An insurance investigator
arrived, asking to see
Eleanor's final medical
records.
Thomas confidently handed
over the paperwork, certain
his tracks were completely
clean.
He failed to notice the smart
watch still syncing on her
bedside table.
Its biometric sensors
recorded the precise
moment her vitals fluctuated
unnaturally.
The digital timeline provided
the evidence needed to end his dreams of freedom in handcuffs.
It only takes a little
Of a potent fear
To poison the well
As that fear grows
Into hate
Which infects
Everyone
Who drinks from it.
Sometimes
No matter how parched
It’s best
To just head on
And find something new
Something fresh.
(2/19/26)
A translucent apple
crimson in glister
rests upon a cushion
of wedding lace
and silken drapes
in the humming witchwood.
A honeyed perfume
pervades the crystal air
to entice a blessed lady
who savours the rosy flesh
of that glowing fruit
and sinks into an eternal
slumber.
They claimed this world, Its not
what it seems to be.
So it started to unravel,
bursting at the seams.
So I lied in a wake.
Unable to slip away.
So I'm begging you now
go back to sleep.
counting your stars
while they poison
your sheep.
Once the wave is set
it's doomed to repeat.
Thats where they linger
hidden within your dreams.
Just waiting for your fall
that's when they spring.
We can never give back
All the life that was taken
for fear of fiery lakes
and the land that's forsaken.
So I'm begging you now
go back to sleep
Counting your stars
while they poison your sheep.
O World, your hate has poisoned me
Once I felt that peace was just a shout away
Endless war now seems a single shot away
Once I looked for the good in folks
Now I automatically suspect a hoax
Once I dreamt of nations collaborating on common goals
Now a new arms race has vanquished arms control
Once nations offered land for peace
Not today ~ Will hate and murder ever cease
I am filled to the brim with negative energy
From head to toe, about to overflow
I try to pour it out into words but I seem to have no leak
On my tongue it lingers; it won’t leave my fingers
I want to get rid of it, I want to be emptied
But I can’t find the words, and I’m only left a-stirred
By this poisonous substance steeping inside of me.
The Poisoned Apple sent to me,
Drives me crazy!
Stocked with futility.
One page after another,
Makes my heart flutter!
"Continue," it says.
The screen glowing bright.
I do.
Only to see,
"ID not accepted,"
Again!
Time to revise,
The tempest inside!
Before the Apple begins its ride.
Out the window,
With no place to hide.
A tongue deformed’s a poisoned arrow ~
that murders indiscriminately, like Pharaoh
If he "she"refuses to grab poisoned milk and honey
He "she"can be called names here and there daily.
He was clamored dead!
Without being stabbed,
Without being poisoned,
Without being sick:
The angels' arch summoned him
To see the Heavens and Hell
And samples of judging the just and the unjust.
He was diabolical in deeds!
Defining himself to be the Sun that shines
The comments proved he deserved such a decampment.
“Sing! the snob who did us turpitude has travelled," they retorted at the scene.
His body was demanded for a quick burial
But a few prayed to wait it till the next sunup.
The eyes of revenge were gravely opened!
Then, at down, in the sixth hour,
The heavenly bodies and hemispheres implored for an amnesty of chance
And Gabriel gave heed to their plea
Charging him to be reputable.
At mercy the masterful soul revisited its flesh
It behoved him to repair the very engine of his life.
As I walked away in disgrace
Felt your cold chill on my face
So much time spent in your space
All of it a waste and misplaced
The cracks in my heart grow and grow
Until pain has nowhere new to go
Your distrust the only truth you gave to me
Took my blind eyes far too long to see
My integrity questioned
Affection for you instantly lessened
Hard to notice what passed you by
When thoughts are spent on another guy
All the me I shared fourth
You never truly cared for
An investment lost
My heart is what it cost
Clouds loom drifting, passing by,
The west wind gently tempts them on
Though no one knows what cause them cry
And no one hears their pleading voice
As all their acid tears well dry.
Snowy white, in rank and file,
The south wind warmly glides them far;
Smiling wryly all the while
Natant high above the earth
Ambling on, mile after mile.
Alluring to the offhand glancer
The east wind briskly chafes them forth
Skittering like the showtime dancer
Yet hidden deep within their breast
A growing rude and covert cancer.
But nature's wrath will bid her toll
The north wind casts the clouds astray
Freezing, breezing, pole to pole,
The stricken, tainted, wisps will wane ~
Dare no one care to save their soul?
So now as time is dwindling low
As the ill winds clime their worst
The poisoned rains, in flooding flow,
Rape our land to end mankind ~
And still, the winds shall wanton blow.
Her eyes shone like diamond pools,
Only in distant memories and dreams.
Once loving heart intensely beats,
Exploding, bursting at the seams.
The sweet voice of lullabies,
Ever vacant, ever hollow.
The sun always made her glow,
In despair it simply wallows.
Waves of time,
Of intuition.
Ever rarely,
In her vision.
Nerium bloomed,
In her bright smile.
Alone once more,
In exile.
Her eyes refused,
No longer shone.
That day I knew,
She was too far gone.
Date: 07/24/2022
Contest title: Pick-A-Title, Vol 31 Poetry Contest
Title Chosen: "Too Far Gone"
Name of sponsor: Edward Ibeh
As i lay limerencing bout you
your strong hands
grab my waist
mesmerised by the passion
and your presence,
i didn't realise
how vehemently you staked my heart
i lay dead,
your eyes still looking into my eyes
just your's blinked,
mine did not.
Poisoned pawn, desire-aversion
Observe mind oscillate
Worthy lama, chose cessation
In tranquil calm sedate
God beckons, go in now
Fragrance of love follow
Vibrant, joyous, mellow
Lust we spawn
Poisoned pawn
12-December-2021
Quietus
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.