Black or White
a common soul
Beneath the surface
of hate resold
Uncolored ground
that buries deep
A shared endowment
— to haunt our sleep
(Dreamsleep: August, 2026)
IN AND OF SHARED LIBERATING BIRTHS
Birds are born in nests.
Cocoons release butterflies:
Both fly away free:-
Why can’t people be likewise?:
Free, irrespective of birth.
SHARING WHAT’S BEEN SHARED
In these warring times,
We can’t be indifferent;
God’s waiting on us:-
Let’s become empathetic:
Seeking guidance from our God:-
Blessed with God’s wisdom,
Courage and serenity,
Let us get to work:-
In labors of love, it’s time
For sowing and reaping peace:-
Let’s no longer be afraid;
Bombing wars can’t match God’s love.
Remember, practicing love is one thing;
But living love becomes another thing.
Practicing war must be brought to an end;
Living in love’s peace must become eternal:-
Remember and be encouraged by the blessed scriptures:
“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule…your hearts.
For as members of one body you are called to live in peace…”
Likewise, in thanksgiving prayer, also be forever inspired
In knowing “God blesses those who…[labor]...for peace,
For they will be called the…[blessed]...children of God.”
My husband and I
now own an adjustable bed.
It lifts about 90 degrees at the head
and 40 degrees at the foot.
An incredible invention except that
my husband likes it low, and I do not.
Our compromise isn’t to my liking!
Our mattress is California King -
72 inches wide and 84 inches long.
It provides roomy comfort for us and our pets,
yet without fail, my spouse
ends up sleeping on my side of the bed
facing me in the fetal position.
Opposites always, I sleep on my right side
and he sleeps on his left.
The cat, when it is there at all,
sleeps often at my feet.
Unequal is our bed’s positional balance
as I lie sometimes precariously on the edge
wishing for a separate bed – a queen size fit for me.
A line divides the bed they share
a line, invisible, but there.
Between the North, South East, or West
who knows which side now offers rest?
Post-angered words it widens so
a space where unspent feelings flow
and neither dares encroach this place
with cautious touch or first embrace.
The line did not exist at first
when then their tangled limbs traversed
the bed at any angle known;
no part of it they claimed to own.
Now he lies left, and she lies right
the border crossed by some invite;
and neither knows the reason why
some nights allow, and some deny.
A line divides the bed they share
a line, invisible, but there.
Together at twilight,
Separated at dawn,
Two intertwined hearts,
Two souls lost in silence.
A bed embraces two at twilight,
As they journey into the unknown and unseen.
They arrive at dawn,
Sometimes before the first light,
Other times with the rising sun.
This bed accommodates individuals with differing dispositions;
Its size reflects their choice.
Their togetherness signifies a unity of purpose,
A testament to the strength of their bond.
Yet, a shared bed does not guarantee shared love,
As they wander through a wilting meadow.
What once glowed now casts a shadow,
A shared bed becomes a symphony of gloom.
The geometry of a shared bed does not nurture the garden of the heart.
Busy and exhausted by our daily chores,
We take rest in each other's arms each night.
Though sometimes, rashly, we settle our scores,
Our shared bed makes our psychic burdens light.
Like a boat, we sail in this sea of ours;
Herein, we passionately conjugate.
We bathe in cool, collegial showers
And transcend the Hades of humdrum hate.
Our bed is our shrine wherein we are gods;
Here we balance between joy and sadness.
Here-from, we surmount maddening odds;
Cleaving all glooms, existence brings gladness.
Does this shared bed align our souls as one,
Or trap two strangers when the day is done?
SHARED IMAGES
conceiving
thinking
stimulating
artistic
affinity
in
kindred
alliances
with
common
ends
gathered
together
a
binding
web
of
noble
simple
grandeur
Our King is rectangle
And yet I still dangle,
While my hubby plays dead
Far and wide on our bed.
And the blanky, alright,
I lose touch with at night.
My hubby by my side
On the bed, far and wide.
It’s neither fair nor square -
Love triangle we share:
Asymmetrically,
Geometrically.
Since my hubby, all spread
Far and wide on our bed,
I moved in with chagrin
To the bedroom with Twin.
Now I sprawl and I spread
On my bountiful bed!
Slumbering, far and wide,
Taking turns on each side!
Twin’s not much of a prize,
It’s not all about size!
It could be even worse -
Could be Single of course!
May 16, 2026
From being the sunshine chaos
To the survival of a walking corpse
From pouring all her seasons to that one friend
To pretending like nothing happened
Chanted the name a million times to her girls
Was curious,excited and never tired of taking calls
The time never occured important
Neither the place nor the content
All shattered once she accepted
That she was never even considered
Little did she know, it was all in her head
She was never special, just not dead.
Hilarious jokes,the never ending roasts
All she ever wanted was a one that lasts
Did it though?
This poem wouldn't have been emerged if it did
Two different worlds they lived
Managed to fit in, quietly adrift.
Thought she could turn the distance into a gift.
The magic was unrequited,
Though it was pointless, she confronted
Pushed through her limits to make it work
Atleast she revered the fading arc...
Knowing life is fleeting…may we always be prepared
to make the most of every moment with another person…
every moment shared.
Understanding how blessed we are…how lucky
In a world so vast and wide…
for that stranger, that friend or family member
standing by our side…
And hoping in that moment
we both come away inspired…
knowing the kindness we just showed each other
was all that either of us desired.
The therapist was a mirror of myself,
She wore the same skin -
She understood the words from my mouth
She said -
‘It’s okay to be black, and ask for help’
She validated my pain, her voice made me calm
She told me -
‘Just because you're a black girl, doesn’t mean you have to be strong’
She taught me to by myself,
She allowed my softness to come out
My therapist shared my experiences,
And i have never felt so seen,
To help me feel more comfortable, she opened up to me,
And now i feel safe to share my vulnerabilities
Kindred in bound twine,
inseparably free by fiber,
torn by the heat from dual flames.
Chase and kick outward,
indiscriminately,
spiral—undone.
Bystanders are able to face blame,
even though disconnected from incident.
A Bastard those still may be,
if the case is taken up for them
like it wasn’t for our sake.
A landfill of waste,
a place where grace spoils
under a soil of turmoils thickened
by crude oils.
The semi-conductor to
man’s moral coil.
Unchanged by full or semi-sweet molasses mixtures.
Only taken on tour
and touch torch to name,
shining in a spanking light.
Change.
Limos stretch far past
The Vanishing Point.
Ethereal Limbo.
There, in decomposition,
In their lair.
Laughing down at the idea of fact,
which he protests to thee,
threatening its way
past thy door threshold.
With sand kicked up,
irritating the corneal scale
embedding deep within fine carpets
oriental pattern's detail.
Our Shared Heart
We grew up in the same kind of world,
With stories that matched like old friends.
Our families wove us together close,
Roots running deep where no one else goes.
The little things we both knew by heart,
Those quiet days, those simple ways,
They pulled me in, soft and strong,
Like coming home where I belong.
I had so much love for you, it grew,
From all we shared, from me to you.
It wrapped around us, warm and true,
And I fell deep, just as I knew.
This bond we have, it's quiet power,
Built on the past, blooming like a flower.
No need for words to say it all,
In you, I found my truest call.
@---->---
I feel the chill of her marble hands gripping tight around my heart, She breathes pain and spits misery upon all who surround her.
Her eyes like hollow vessels like a vase abandoned by its flowers.
Her soul is lost within time and picked clean by the vultures of sorrow.
She embraces me.
She accepts me.
She is me.
I am her.
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