Yellow saw me arrive here,
with trust and an open heart.
It never thought so many would walk away.
Yellow heard the whispers first,
before I even knew their names.
The stories kept changing on their own as they spread, and kept shifting.
Outside the doors, Yellow stood,
voices coming and going.
It waited there for someone
to just stop and look closer.
Yellow sat with me at night,
when sleep would not come near.
It knew some words leave wounds no one can see, but still feel.
Yellow still looks down the road
while people pass by without stopping.
It holds what I went through inside…
some days it gets too heavy to carry.
I heard a rumor that we used to have a republic
when the electoral college was explained I laughed my teeth out
no one would have an election this silly
We have had kings ever since I remember
We are a monarchy which makes sense
after all, the pilgrims were used to a monarchy
There is also a rumor that you could go outside and breathe
without an oxygen pump and a face mask
Get real
when they started talking about trees I was mystified
Who makes this stuff up?
defamatory accusations
not one sliver of truth
it took a huge bite out of his reputation
crippling his bid to become district court judge
his disappointment was tumultuous
he never knew the rumors were initiated by his mother
a small-minded, evil wicked woman
She’s the only other girl in class.
She laughs at me in the hall,
pushes me, calls me names,
spreads rumors like wildfire—
everyone hears them, everyone believes them.
I want to scream.
I want to tell someone.
But I’m scared.
Scared no one will believe me,
not even the teachers.
So I swallow it all.
Every insult.
Every rumor.
Every push and shove.
I bottle it up.
I smile at school like everything’s fine,
but inside I’m shaking, breaking.
Her words stick to me like glue.
Rumors can be fascinating,
hearing about others speculating,
wondering what is percolating
seemingly out of the blue.
I always find it fascinating
and, to be honest, kinda hair-raising,
to hear things about myself
that I know are just not true.
FRIENDS
I thought you were my safe place
Someone i could always trust
You smiled to my face then turned away
Backstabbed me in the cruelest way
You took my secrets and made them a game
Spread them around and laughed at my pain
So i'll flip the switch and leave you behind
Find the good people who lift my mind
The ones who don't fake!
Who stay when its tough
Who show me that love is more than enough
And thats you guys
Because life's too short for friends who betray
I'll find the ones who choose to stay
So i'll flip the switch
Cause i'm so sick of feeling down
when i'm around all these clowns
He doesn’t trust me. I told him the truth. He doesn’t care that I told the truth, he believes them. He thinks that I lied. His eyes have nothing but hate and darkness in them. His body stones there's no warmth in his lip. He is blinded by the words that never existed. I tell him the truth. I'm pleading the truth. God why doesn’t he believe me. His hug is so close. But I would never dare to touch him. He’s yelling, I’m scared. I’m so scared. Does he see my tears of hurting love doesn’t he see how much his words are hurting me. Will he ever believe me? I don’t know. Will his anger blind him and he will do more than yell? I'm scared of what will come next…
The ugly old tomcat was feral
Rumors abound that he’s sterile
But when the moon’s high
All the hot kitties sigh
Tease that old boy at your peril
So you think you/
Can talk about me/
Behind my back/
You call me names/
A big mouth/
You are mistaken/
Isn't it you/
That is the big mouth/
The liar, the fake/
You don't have a clue/
Who your enemies are/
Keep spreading your lies/
It's the unseen in me/
A creature of Hell/
You need to be aware of/
("Creation Myth - Anthropomorphic Nebula Merit Badge” #65, 2016, original oil)
Rumors of War
War, war, rumors of war,
Whispered on the winds
Screamed from the rooftops.
Who does it benefit,
What is it good for?
I can tell you this as someone
Who has known it in a million lifetimes
Hand to hand, across trenches,
Behind ramparts and within
Tanks and Hellfire missiles,
It’s not the soldiers, or generals
Nor even their countries
Who ever come out on top.
It is simply humanity
Willing to sacrifice one band for another
So the germ can spread,
Steeled in conflict, hardened by fire
Purified in the sacrifice
Like a virgin on the crest
Of a mighty pyramid.
And when it comes to us
Where will we be?
Cheering in the crowd
Or running for the hills,
Or perhaps hiding in the sewers
Laying low
Waiting for the perfect shot.
(11/27/24)
Words encouragement
Bounce off with no meaning
Meaningless rumors
Absorbed like a dry sponge
Torments from others
Like a raging flood
Face hidden by his hoodie
He pretends to ignore
Rumors & torments
Scarred and torn by the words
He’ll fade away slowly
Not a single soul noticing
No emotions at all after his family's betrayal
Never underestimate
How the way you instigate
Trouble every single day
It is making blue skies grey
For everybody that you meet
There's a cloud over the street
That you're always walking down
It's affecting this whole town
Every word you say is truthless
You are rotten really ruthless
Telling hurtful painful lies
Your ready to criticize
Anyone crossing your path
Leaving a whole aftermath
Of destruction hard to fix
You keep playing these mind tricks
That are so very unkind
Leaving a big mess behind
What's making you act this way
You need to stop before the day
Your taught a valuable lesson
By someone who isn't messin'
Around with your kind of crap
You will push them, they will snap
Maybe then you'll realize
Spreading vicious rumor lies
Will finally get you in trouble
Busting open your safety bubble
Wars end, when the reporters
stop writing,
when the partisan heads stop talking.
The frontline news petters out,
less attention is paid to destruction.
Images of smoldering battlefields,
are reduced to brief and cryptic reports.
Who won or lost is a question.
never asked.
It is imperative; very necessary,
that we wage a new conflict
somewhere else immediately,
a momentum must be maintained.
All wars end in confusion,
most outcomes are politely ignored,
until
a more exciting one is contrived.
The dead take no sides,
they just slip away quietly together.
These rumors
They aren't fair
But no one cares
This drama
it's going to give me trauma
"I have this spilling tea that would blend this conversation."
Does it speak beyond your intelligence and profession?
When words become bullets, that’s when you start pulling the trigger.
How can you murder names with joy and act like a winner?
Maybe noontime discussions are more absorbing when it’s all about rumors.
But gossips don’t make the truth, honey; They grow like tumors.
I heard you enjoy telling the mistakes of people. Can you please tell me what’s mine?
This cynical culture of yours fits your brand and design.
So I will never be adorned with your words of affirmation.
They are built with deception, jealousy, and false inspiration.
I’d rather be a mediocre who lost his gains over the years;
Not a sycophant who’s been pleasing others for leers.
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.