Restrained by my own hand,
I stagnate, going grey.
Through fingers, like sand,
Time slips away.
What could have been,
Never happened.
Now there is nothing,
I am alone.
MELANCHOLY GRANDEUR
insight
in
a
surreal
memory
enigmatic
sensations
venerate
in
repetitions
of
juxtaposed
sombre
scenes
loneliness
evoke
an
atmosphere
transformed
ambiance
evolves
unpretentious
nascent
elegance
understated
restrained
celebrated
elevated
in
pictorial
sophisticated
minimalism
autumn shakes threadbare
spent leaves loosen from brown stems
each clings to the bough
waiting for the tug of wind
to show buds in leaf axils
one leaf lies pressed flat
between pages seldom turned
kept from rain and light
its veins mirror buried roots
grounding what the leaf recalls
wine darkens the glass
one mouthful remains untouched
thirst catches its shine
sweetness ripens when restrained
the tongue leaves a taste behind
on dust-silver shelves
each book keeps its well-thumbed leaves
spines remember hands
binding what the years recall
in their dog-eared aftermath
names fade from old cards
ink gives way to the humdrum
old contacts grow pale
what I leave for others' eyes
means nothing to their kind ghosts
leaf settles on leaf
each layer hides another
last in, first recalled
gathered from one's only life
their weight growing underneath
neither dusk nor dawn
can deceive me about leaves
I shed, keep, forgo
forget, give away, hold back—
each leaves something of a life
I awake and here I am,
naught but a mere mortal man.
Why came I this weak way,
restrained in fragile skin,
little but stiffened clay,
imprisoned as are all men?
Flesh will away, that soon day,
to the dust where it had been.
Then I will really be Me,
with mind and soul soaring free.
- Darrell Simmerman copyright 2024
Silence your voice
Suffocate the real you
Feel completely restrained
Be aware of all you say and do!
Just…to keep others happy!
A single white rose
plucked purposefully
from among a brilliant
rose bouquet
he brought to me
as a sign
of his sole love -
so refreshingly unique,
for each vibrant, velvet
pretty petal
showed proof of
passion restrained
as it was love regained
which he sought
from me,
and the loyalty
for which I’d longed
lingered on the
bloom’s perfume -
a fragrance of fidelity
found again in
a single white rose.
Kiss me when the sun sleeps,
When the bite grows, and seeps.
Tongue no longer restrained,
As blood from your face, drained.
Our tango, twist of fate;
Wiggle of charm was bait.
Removed your crucifix,
And set up candlesticks.
Was surprised to see dark
In your eyes, like a shark.
Cape stopped you from thinking.
In a coffin, sinking.
Down onto the mattress fell.
Now in your heart, I dwell.
Your scream, beside the point;
Jugular out of joint.
When dusk penetrates, fear
Aims fangs, quick, like a spear.
His beauty was a beast;
Doe-eyed virgin, deceased.
The sky has forgotten
How to be polite,
Undulating clouds arrive
Needing no invitation
Demanding attention,
Echoing with loud shouts
Restrained by nothing
Short of celebration~
Tonight I am honored
Only to be here
Responding to the wildness,
Merging my soul to the storm.
Y is for young and her years never show
A is for appreciation of all you have and know
C is for cuddles and those intimate moments we cherish
Q is for quick and there’s no faster wit (all others perish)
U is for upstanding and taking care of yourself
E is for excellence: and your drive of inner self
L is for luck, but she prefers blessings
I is for indispensable, always near those distressing
N is for nurturing: to all that need her presence
[Y]acquelin is in love with a man
[A] romance of May and December
ya[C]quelin is muy hermosa
yac[Q]uelin I will always remember
In an awkward moment I lean in for a h[U]g but refrain
sh[E] started to [L]ean in too, but she too restrained
Do [I] offer a hand shake, she too did hesitate
We say “it’s good to have see[N] you” as I watch her gait
Let flames be if you can’t fan them,
what a waste to keep words contained.
Intrigue and sparks walk in tandem.
Blind fervor can’t remain restrained.
With an adept Sun’s touch you soar,
that type of glow will not be feigned.
Too prim for this hurried downpour,
please end fake summer renascence.
You don’t dance when hail hits the floor.
Not thinking of the consequence,
heat won’t fire with benevolence.
A voice when came from my mind--
Mind, ever suspicious and careful:
Take care and be cautious,
Never once to anything rush,
And I restrained my steps
To think and ponder it over.
Sometime later
A voice of love came from heart:
Never mind the mind,
Let yourself go
And I took off
Though often fell on the way,
I collected myself as often,
Even fell unto
Ruins that gave strength to my loins
To go on and on.
And indeed as someone had said:
It is in ruins amidst some dread,
That we find life’s treasure, heart over head.
___________________________
Reflections | 01.05.2026 | head, heart, life, free verse
The cosmos keeps misplacing you in my sky,
A planet too near, yet forbidden to collide.
Our paths redraw like stubborn lines,
Sacred geometry, cruel design —
Close enough to burn, too bound to defy.
We split one song through borrowed wire,
Two pulses climbing the same burning fire.
Your shoulder brushed the edge of mine,
And silence swelled like holy wine —
A hymn restrained by higher choir.
Years pass; the ink refuses to fade,
A letter sealed, a promise mislaid.
It sleeps like a blade beneath my bed,
Sharp with the words I never said —
A relic of vows we never made.
You stand in pews of different light,
I kneel where faith divides the night.
Yet still we trade our careful hellos,
While under our ribs a river flows —
An ark that aches but won’t take flight.
So we remain in measured spin,
Two orbits tight beneath the skin.
If speech were freed, we’d both give chase —
Undo the stars, abandon grace —
But gravity is God, and God won’t bend.
Cosmic Adventure
There, upon the launchpad, the countdown proceeds
as bolts explode, and the umbilical apparatus releases,
and massive amounts of energy bursts from engine ignition
to create propulsion thrust and lift-off reaction
for the vehicle’s escape from Earth’s gravitational attraction
in sequential stages, skyrocketing into the orbital trajectory
of slingshot phenomenon to the universe of cosmic adventure,
likened to explorers in olden days piercing the unknown aperture.
Through the porthole, astronauts marvel at the spectacular scenery
as they watch their country on the blue planet disappear gradually.
Emotionally restrained, the astronauts resume their mission,
methodically pushing buttons and recording observations
in a four-dimensional continuum relativity experience,
limited in scope by the laws of scientific ingenuity.
Forever To Hide
You’ll never escape
a bad memory
when it’s buried deep inside
It’s hard to run away
from the ‘stalker’
in dark moments that reside
Within to keep you captive
your soul
indentured and restrained
Forever to hide
from what lives to prey
— on what you cannot change
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
Though Tattered And Torn
Many salute
before the flag
some will turn their backs
Many will bleed
to keep it flying
some let it go slack
Many fight ...
Old Glory tattered
some avoid the fray
Many will die
within its folds
some — their hearts betray
(Martha Browns Woods: March, 2026)
A Darkened Sprit
With Satan’s
vow
He damned
his soul
Denying
God
His fate
ran cold
Blessings
offered
Turned
away
A darkened
spirit
His will
— conveyed
(Dreamsleep: March, 2026)
The gates of Hell are sworn to bore
Ghiberti’s doors that guard their shore.
For who sets fate if truth is tore?
With paths that shine and gleam,
Leaves binds of souls unseen;
From grace I watched her gently fall,
A treacherous path that roots the wall.
Where pride arose where love was small,
My humility stayed,
A hostage left to fade.
Good intentions poured as stone,
This walkway hardened, now my own.
Paradise by man we've known,
Life doubts the gilded lies,
While truth within it blinds.
An angel came with wings of wind,
A blessing soaked in pains unhinged.
Attention traced through sins, we grinned.
I listened, voice restrained,
Still trembled when set aflame.
Foolishly, I tried to start,
Belief held firm within my heart.
Deceived by pretense from our start,
God selects a tool,
To reward a fool.
The truth we chase remains unseen,
Through gates of Hell with skies serene.
Our hearts endure the in-between.
What a rhythm to find if these gates still remember me.
---
(Apologies, I could not find an option for cinqopet or iambic tetrameter, so labeling as rhyme)
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