I glimpsed a blip of myself in the mirror
hiding in the back, but wait, was that right?
I got up close and looked into the reflection really hard
noticed a few blemishes I had not seen before
A bit of imagination on overdrive, probably
I saw no kind of glimpse or darting doppelganger
Settled down, until a dash of energy drew my eyes to the right
my head spun hard; I felt like I was being watched
You look like you saw something strange, my companion said
I do not trust her, so I shared nothing
She is a gossipmonger, I wish I had not got stuck sitting beside her
there was a tiny giggle in my ear; tiny hairs saluted my neck.
As I started to fall asleep that night I felt like a gangster’s moll
I was running down an alley; it was in the thirties, I was being chased
I knew if they caught me, they would kill me.
Gangsters caught me, threw me down and cut my throat from left to right
I woke up startled. My doppelganger was standing next to my bed.
She wore a flapper-type dress. We deserved it she said.
Giving me shivers.
Tonight I cried.
The silence after giving was louder than my music ever dared to be.
Six cards, six names—none turned toward me.
I asked why. The void answered with its back.
Tonight I walked into the open like a soldier with no armor.
The wind was a warning. The world—cold, familiar.
I pulled my hood like a curtain on a play no one watched,
and met the only warmth in the arms of the dark.
Tonight I mourned the dream they stole.
The boy who wanted to be heard, not hunted.
I wept for melodies silenced before their chorus.
For innocence—buried beneath their scorn.
Tonight I swallowed the fire and named it resilience.
Do I burn for thirty more years, pretending it fuels me?
Or do I smolder silently while Hell writes sonnets
on the walls of my chest?
Tonight I stood. Shaking. Stubborn.
Each tear a blade carving poems into stone.
You hate me? Fine. Then fear this:
I survived you.
Tonight I saluted your damnation
with a spine forged in grief.
Let your indifference rot in its own echo—
I will still create.
Tonight I cried.
But tomorrow,
I sing.
The sunset girls won’t be muted,
high-pitched voices are high dollar;
They’re fleeting cascades of color,
those ardent eyes aren’t diluted;
Lightning flashes undisputed
will break through any choke collar;
The sunset girls
are nothing if not sure-footed;
Never entertaining squalor
make no mistake call them brawlers;
Color blocked magic saluted
the sunset girls.
I took a ride today
Stopped at the cemetery
And looked to the skies
Then lowering my head and hands
At the American Legion section
I saluted the remains of those soldiers
WW1 WW2 Korean Vietnam
All the vets!
Hallelujah thank you for your service
Salute
Praise God for you who now sleep
Ever present
with the Lord Our God
You remains bones in the grave
Not your true self
Thank you for your up bringing
Co providing, ever fighting
For our liberty
We life you up before God
and man
Heavenly birthday Joseph Lee
My earthen father , my dad
To you and your comrades
We thank thee
Fellow soldiers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers
In God you'll all take your lead
Now inferred in Our Heavenly Father's Army
9/09/24
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2024©
Autumn
Breezy cheer and love again one more year!
We
taste the hot chocolate
in our private den for the
chill is in the air !
The grass is swaying in the breeze ! And now
Nature refrains from summertime heat and nights
seems to whisper bye- bye or goodnight and autumn will have its way .
We can feel the chill envelope the soul the face
the nose in the hair on the flesh
in the atmosphere
Everywhere !
!As a veil child and some call it caul child the universe and the stars saluted !
We welcome the autumns flow
with the winds blowing quietly mystery teasing singing a glorious song!
Nature of the summer love has come and gone with its tones
Right or wrong decisions, we made gone !
Many nature scenes must rest
for next years light and the coming test
To sway in the breeze the sweetness of May !
We look forward to that day
where April showers can bring May flowers !
Expressions!
Copyright © Joyce Faure | Year Posted 2018
June 04, 2024 For Anoucheka Gangabissoon Contest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thrilling explorations enlivened with adventure,
As my soul longs for a most special blue venture.
The indulgent warmth of the sun revitalized me,
Once having landed in this paradisiacal arcady.
Palm twigs drift in a gentle breeze,
Infinite stretches of exquisite white sand seas.
Crystal-clear waters define a sapphire-sand idyll,
Archipelago of high-quality atoll and island tidal.
The locals saluted me with such a wide smile,
Their warmth and compassion are a lifestyle.
Finding heaven filled me with immense pride,
Embraced by the breathtaking scenery to abide.
Weeks turned into months, and days went away,
As I danced beneath the sky, I felt freed to sway.
However, an enormous urge sprang from inside,
For the sake of my native nation and kin pride.
I finally reached a choice as time passed,
I started to obsess over my house, never stashed.
The island, however, will stay in my mind,
I retain them as a spiritual treasure left behind.
Once again, they horde the fuel
Tricking everyone to blame the gov't spoil.
Weeks ago, they pledged loyalty
To serve her faithfully with all might
Yet here they are, inflating prices, pocketing taxes.
They saluted the flag with pride so grand
But in their eyes, Sierra Leone is a battlefield
Where, like a jungle, the fittest survives
Even if leaving compatriots to die
To a grueling inferno on a highway drive.
Like a puppeteers, they toy with prices
Steal and champion every vice there is
Their loyalty to the country is a hollow shell
Where offsprings of deception dwell
Their places of worship arenas to trample the hearts of their compatriots
Treating each of us like idiots.
A heartless patriot, an empty shelf
Striving to fill up, putting country behind self.
Wretched monsters by all indication
Boasting of knowledge and the best education
But the day of reckoning looms, where truth will eclipse their deceit.
The day that you left me to go off to war,
you hugged me and said with a shy little grin.
Don’t worry son there’s nothing that can stop me,
from making my way back home to you again.
I remember the next time I saw you dad,
you had holes in your arms where those needles live.
An empty shell of the soul you were before,
the demons in your head took all you could give.
I know you was alone when you met your fate,
sitting on the floor with your back to the wall.
I wonder did you know that I still loved you,
or maybe you didn’t feel anything at all.
The army man saluted at the graveside,
and then he gave your wife a flag for the man.
Who left his home a husband and a father,
but you never came back from that foreign land.
One click, did you think it would ease my sadness.
Did you think my hurt would stop getting bigger.
Did you think maybe it would end the madness.
Did you think of me when you pulled the trigger.
Just because you faded away from me dad,
it does not mean the things you love ceased to be.
All you left for me is sorrow and knowing,
I’ll live in a world without you here with me.
Patriotic cousins saluted the flag with respect.
Genuine pride in the USA they did reflect.
Their smiles were genuine, their clothes were pristine
Honesty and faith resonated from them with sheen.
THE CHANGING WORLD
The age of chivalry and bravery has ended
That of sophistry, rivalry, upon us descended
Those with ability, to charm and talk, are commended
They are now indeed enemies, whom we once befriended
Where has all the love gone, hitherto, unlimited
The human greed for wealth remains unsatiated
For money, men unleash violence unabated
The rich and elite are highly ingratiated
The poor and forlorn man’s woes are unmitigated
Never were people so fearful, streets so deserted
Always under threat, somehow their lives will be disrupted
True, in Eve’s drawl and Adam’s fall, we have lamented
But Devil’s devious ways we have inherited
As peace-loving people, we too were once saluted
Today, hatred and revenge have left us demented
Don't be ashamed or think your wrong
If you cant be really strong
You've been through events so rough
Your job can be really tough
Seeing things so horrible
It is very terrible
That you have to go through this
Most people will seem to miss
The nightmares you have to face
They could never take your place
It's a job that takes a toll
Tearing at your very soul
When you remember friends you lost
From your troop. It is the cost
You pay defending folks like me
Missing your own family
Who worry every single day
For their soldiers far away
Who are special veterans
Being saluted once again
Every November but I say
Let's salute them every day
It's the least we all can do
For the folks that pull us through
Men women and the puppies
Keeping us safe why can't we see
How much we owe them every day
Please just don't push them away
Patriotic cousins saluted the flag with respect.
Genuine pride in the USA they did reflect.
Their smiles were genuine, their clothes were pristine
Honesty and faith resonated from them with sheen.
Don't be ashamed or think your wrong
If you cant be really strong
You've been through events so rough
Your job can be really tough
Seeing things so horrible
It is very terrible
That you have to go through this
Most people will seem to miss
The nightmares you have to face
They could never take your place
It's a job that takes a toll
Tearing at your very soul
When you remember friends you lost
From your troop. It is the cost
You pay defending folks like me
Missing your own family
Who worry every single day
For their soldiers far away
Who are special veterans
Being saluted once again
Every November but I say
Let's salute them every day
It's the least we all can do
For the folks that pull us through
Men women and the puppies
Keeping us safe why can't we see
How much we owe them every day
Please just don't push them away
Nostalgic about moving-on moments
my mind lingers at throwback scenes
milestones surpassing oblivion challenge.
1974... Kindergarten toga and cap propelled my steps
toward big brother’s elementary campus
midst anticipation of sumptuous recess-snacks.
1981... Triumphantly leading alma mater pledge
I then saluted fellow graduates
eager to roam along high school corridors.
1985... Absorbed by prepared valedictory address
my heart could never stop tears, yet I managed still
since commencement song would soon reverberate.
1989... Grateful to parents, my perpetual mentors
I handed their partnership university diploma and cum laude pin
delighting them for scholarship returns, indeed grants from the Lord.
1999... Charged with “Enter to learn, go forth to serve” pursuits
my faith accepted Bible College graduation's quest
Thus, I press* on, furthering kingdom of God --- all by His grace.
*Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Narrative in Tristich form
March 24, 2023
Don't be ashamed or think your wrong
If you cant be really strong
You've been through events so rough
Your job can be really tough
Seeing things so horrible
It is very terrible
That you have to go through this
Most people will seem to miss
The nightmares you have to face
They could never take your place
It's a job that takes a toll
Tearing at your very soul
When you remember friends you lost
From your troop. It is the cost
You pay defending folks like me
Missing your own family
Who worry every single day
For their soldiers far away
Who are special veterans
Being saluted once again
Every November but I say
Let's salute them every day
It's the least we all can do
For the folks that pull us through
Men women and the puppies
Keeping us safe why can't we see
How much we owe them every day
Please just don't push them away
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