Fleeting images haunt my life,
ghosts of my regrets,
memories referenced
by a long, deep sigh;
things not done, words left unsaid,
unresolved aspects of my life
are open-ended dots
upon the page.
Conversations for which I compromised
intelligence and wit
are exclamation points
within my mind;
regrets for which there is no cure,
no admonition given,
no recompense
for those mistakes once made.
Knowledge stands alone
within reversed quotation marks,
utterances of the mind
scrawled in the margins;
residue from lessons learned
that float within the mental mist,
ready-references
for situations yet unborn.
All those past regrets are footnotes
listed randomly, at best,
after which
a period is placed.
connecting
link
exaggeration
perfection
admired
discussion
dissolved
explanation
explicit
forgotten
neglected
newly
founded
clarity
&intensity
shaped
in principle
so
definite
In retrospect
I often whisper
To words cast upon a sea
Of turgid thought
Struggling within
The borderless confines
…Of poetry
I let them out to play each day
Knowing some will drift away
Others wait in silent queque
Unsure of what to say, or do
Some mock the Rugby scrums
Snarling mice in search of crumbs
Oh, those words I can’t recall
That stood their ground
Just wouldn’t fall
Now come back to haunt my dreams
New brushes can’t undo old scenes
For words are but a scribbler’s tools
Etching thoughts of wisdom’s fools
Upon the hearts of passing pawns
Encased in a mist of breaking dawns
John G. Lawless
©11/20/2025
Heart paralysis reflects unholy yearning.
She has wrapped her love in soiled paper
and hidden it beneath forgotten works.
Specters in the house heed alarms and float
towards daily rituals that rearrange pain.
Distant transmissions crackle through nights.
She has wrapped up her love.
Once fond recitations swam on breezes and
brushed lip to skin with infinite colour that
tattooed devotion onto vein and pulse.
Embalmed silence sits still, pregnant.
She has wrapped her love in flowered cloth
and tied it up with faded ribbon.
Home was an adorned method scorched by
evening embraces and empty bottles of wine.
Rooms now echo flatly, devoid of a beginning.
She has wrapped up her love.
We ran away together; we ran so far with
broken radar and injured souls that our hurt
became skin and forgetting became dear.
She has wrapped up her love.
a small cloud passed white
against a dark blue sky
curved, for eyes like mine,
remembering eyes like yours.
a small cloud igniting
another heart
to burn along its way
that was my yesterday.
In retrospect
I wish I’d smacked a few
smug faced
intellectual bullies
gloating
bathed in their self-centered
superiority.
The more physical
I was devious enough
to redress
given time and opportunity
and the limits
of schoolyard dictates
There is a satisfaction
in settling a score
even when the opponent
Isn’t aware that they’ve
just been bested.
Revenge may be best
served cold
yet justice should always
be warm and present.
John G. Lawless
3/16/2021
We were all such happy people
Before the fall, atleast for some
There was never any chance for change
To grace the lesser of our race.
We are all such boring people
Are we all? Atleast for some
There was never any chance for change
To see the error in our ways
We are all so full of anger, fear and Scorn, atleast for some
There was never any chance for change.
Or was the time for change to late.
In retrospect
I may not be all that I need to be
but God loves me
in retrospect
I may have not achieved
what I could have believed
but God made me
in retrospect
I may not have accomplished those things
seen of humanity
but God Made Me
He's giving me
to voice
He's giving me free choice
and I
choose
to
first
of all acknowledge
Him I choose
first to be devoted
until him
I choose first
to acknowledge
that I have sinned
and by the grace of God
Jesus has
come in
and I have been redeemed
5/14/20
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr 2020
Rumination
Let your heart take around
Of the deep within you;
Let it dive into the memories
Fond and dry, deep and blue;
Let it search the unknown
You buried for the known;
It's the time to retrospect
And cry out your voice loud,
Because it's you who matters
Not because a lot you chatter
But to take the responsibility
And be the change,
For you could nurture your soul
And heal the earth whole;
For you, hers is the only home.
If I could travel back in time and change the paths I’ve taken
Some changes could be quite sublime and others be forsaken
But everything feels just right and nothing would I alter
My destination is yet in sight, so my path shall never falter
I’m sure we all have made mistakes, some much more than others
Some may have caused a few heartaches, but if I had my druthers
I wouldn’t change a single thing, not one would I’d even trade
My well is gently overflowing, my life has been well played.
There comes a time in our lives when we will see the forest for the tree's.
The faint, constant voice within our hearts that has beckoned us to turn inward and seek the answers of our soul we will no longer deny.
We will learn of the place that cradles our aches, our desires, our yearnings and we will begin to free them one by one and they will circle us like leaves blowing in the wind and then they will fly away.
I always thought that this would be painful, that it would leave a hollow void within me and turn dark.
But I now realize it is me taking a step toward my passions and living my life deliberately rather than letting another day, another dream pass me by.
And more importantly, I now have room within me for love and for more love and I will give it to others that will have it, freely.....
It is my gift, it's all I have to give and I believe it is enough, I really do.
I stepped on a flower & I heard a beautiful scream
U slept on me because I was your dream
Eyes wide shut but you saw everything
Excepted my collect calls every day from the bing
So you know exactly why the caged bird sings
Intimate touches and venomous words
I think that we are what each other deserve
Don't let me down and I won't hold you up
Meet me halfway be that half full cup
Lean on me I won't let you tip over
before you hit the ground you will hit my shoulder
I cant wait until the situation gets sober
Hear my revelry from miles away Im YOUR love soldier
Let us sit upon the ground and talk of broken hearts.
We'll drink wine from a paper cup and smile now and then.
Was it the first or second time that broke into parts
A heart so young and eager to please and please again ?
My heart is old and scarred now and it no longer aches.
Fill my cup and I will tell you just how a heart breaks.
6-18-18
When Line 6 Is a Perfect Fix Contest for Silent One
My senses recalled last summer
When we met at the coffee shop
I couldn't tell what was on your mind
When our table was your stop
But now these times are useless
what we try to do today
'seems forever hopeless
To carry on this way
Not knowing one day later
if together we will be
or if your heart
will find its place
in another one but me.
In Retrospect
I'm glad I chose friendship in
the midst of disagreements.
In Retrospect
I’m glad I realized I wasn't perfect
and took ownership of my flaws.
In Retrospect
I’m glad I took the time to find me
although I still discovering myself.
In Retrospect
I’m glad I realized how important
it is to confess LOVE as often as
you can
In Retrospect
I’m glad I found the gift of poetry
because it continues to heal and
fill my soul.
3-13-17
Alexis Y
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