Unlisted number flying under radar
keeping low profile to avoid undue attention
~ wallflower melts into the background
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
SOLITARY RUN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That morning, I set out for a solitary run noticing the clear blue sky with only a few wispy clouds floating by. The grass stood silent, the multi-colored leaves barely moving, looking as if they had been painted there. A faint touch upon my skin made me wonder, ‘Should a person be able to feel the beating of the birds’ wings?’ Time stopped, stretching endlessly in the quiet stillness.
silent, empty space
thoughts like seeds begin to sprout.
a voiceless whisper
births words upon the still air~
creativity takes flight
J-ust
O-ne
A-nd
N-o
S-ubstitute
A-fter
L-etters
U-tilize
N-ame's
D-irection
A-s
G-uide
U-sed
I-n
T-hinking
©bfa042625
Monocrostic (Birthday of Joan Salundaguit)
Hermit
self-assured
solitary soul
longing eyes
staring far
peering down his inner self
forgetting himself.
SILENT HOMES
Silence
cloak of protection
worn longing for
heaven
sways in dust
settles
wistful
plays hide
then seek
walks valleys of unknowingness
and solitary alleys
naked wounds
shatter silence
of wounded birds
peeping through
torn curtains
hiding under unlaundered
sheets
those that witnessed
boiling water
screams
the terror of
war
in silent
homes
Silence writes
letters
to itself
never posts
them
they become
tears soaking
floral pillow
Silence goes to work
next day
Nothing
happened
Just a mouldy sandwich
in
her desk
drawer
Man is not a solitary note; he is a symphony of deep contradictions,
A song of sins and sorrows, composed of desires and broken dreams,
I've seen hands that caressed loved faces, clenching into foreign fists,
Lips that spoke sweet words, twisting into cruel smiles, venom flowing.
We kiss with mouths that have cursed, embrace with arms that have borne violence,
We call ourselves good only in the moments we choose to keep in memory,
Do our sins disappear when not looked at, or do they sleep beneath the skin,
Waiting to be awakened by the light of an ill-fitting moon, shadows seeking their place?
Man sings a song of the world and shadow, a harmony of desires and regrets,
A dreamer caught between stars and mud, creator of dreams and destroyer of hopes,
Between darkness and light, he sings his symphony with notes of love and echoes of pain,
And when night falls, he hides in shadow the contradictions that make him more than a note.
Like unwilling alchemy,
A forceful transmutation,
Tragedy to sanity -
Through sudden abnegation.
With fluid emotions -
The mixing of potions -
Alchemical abjuration.
Working solo I find my rhythm
White noise humming through my thoughts
Existence is tranquil
No voices to drown out the clarity
No distractions from the focus I crave
I build from the ground up
Structures shaped by my hands alone
Each step, though slow, feels deeply mine
A solitary journey toward something greater
At times the silence becomes a weight
The walls I’ve built feel too thick to break
Ideas circle like restless birds never taking flight
I am both the painter and the canvas
Progress halts where two voices could have spoken
Two minds could have met
Collaboration is the key I lack
The bridge I can’t build without another's hand
Still I press on
Knowing the loneliness of creation
And the beauty in forging my own way
Refuge
Darkness surrounds me.
No moon or stars to guide me.
I am lost with no hope.
The path is narrow and the journey long.
Perils and predators lurk in the black forest.
In the midst of my gloom, I stumble into a clearing.
A warm light beckons me.
A comfortable cabin awaits me.
My steps quicken to reach the door.
A rush of restored hope wells up within me.
I am safe at last.
No alarms, lying deep.
Catching the last morning's dream.
Water, caliente, opening the pores.
Hot Earl Grey, coffee that bends a spoon.
Citric hollandaise, spinach, asparagus.
A sunshine of egg drooling over toast.
A book, a bed, eyelids flickering.
The inconceivable call of lunch.
Sushi, nigiri, inari, izakaya.
Pickled ginger, palette cleanser.
Sticky, chewy, chocolate ice cream.
A slow walk.
Tiled arcades, bouncing sound.
Old clothes, new clothes, books.
Sunlight and shade sitting quietly.
Another meal beckons.
The oven glows expectant.
Giving caramelised memories.
A plate savoury and soft.
And wine, wine, more wine.
A slow recline in the comfy chair.
A book, a breath, a day.
It happens to everyone/
All we want is a few/
To be called a true friend/
To show us that there's others out there/
Just like us, so we open ourselves/
To the job of finding true worthy people/
To surround ourselves with/
Only to be filled with lies and deceit/
Generation after generation/
Just keeps getting shadier/
To be blind and not see things/
So clearly, and fall for the same words/
Over and over again/
Just coming out of their mouths/
We try to be positive, shine like a star/
To attract everyone, to search and separate/
To find a few we are looking for/
Which turns into a life of struggles/
Either way we look/
We see doubt and second guessing/
Things we thought we fully understood/
To come and see the real light/
People come and go/
Some seem to use the friend word/
Easy enough, only to be proven wrong/
In the long and short run/
To be left alone/
Seeming like an.../
Outcast... Friendless/
You would think mind escape/
Was an easy thing to do/
Soon to find out/
It's the total opposite/
Trying to do so/
Just makes it harder/
Living in isolation for years/
Just drains the soul and mind/
To be stripped of contact/
Will turn you into a beast/
They have created with hate/
And when the time comes/
They don't know what to do with you/
Becoming a pawn in a chess game/
Always messing with you/
So, your mind is unable to be at ease/
It's hard to keep/
The mind busy all the time/
The brain's true friend/
Is something written in words/
Helps refresh the brain and soul/
Mind escape to fly away/
So you don't have to deal with hard times/
My books, music and poems/
Is my mind escape/
Because nobody cares/
Solitary walk beneath a moonlit night sky.
Sparkling river reflects moonlight as I walk by.
Geese are flying in the clouds so high.
I also see the northern lights in the sky.
Not so solitary anymore, people at the baseball field.
Houses and a church with their lights, I put on an eye shield.
Suddenly a tree appears to look like a person, so I yield.
The street light flickering brighter as the truth was revealed.
Dogs are suddenly barking from houses afar,
As I walk the street viewing glowing islands so far.
Clouds unveiling the night stars, then I see a bright star.
As I continue to smoke and fill my lungs with tar.
Solitary walk beside a moonlit river sparkling forever.
I am listening to music that fills me with fervor.
My heart pacing steadier as I take in the flavor
Of a delicacy of a drink on which I sip and savor.
Sailboat helm at the quay
Serene feeling makes me cry
Sea breeze wafting in the air
Summer season sun is here.
Solitude morning feeling calm
Sense of freedom here I am
Soulful music exuding the place
Sending my soul purely bless.
Simple shanty shade held abound
Service crew serve service warmly
Shining smiles you see around
Shadow of love you feel dearly.
Short of adjectives the resort view
Seen the beauty of nature show
Silently taking pictures on my phone
Shower showing raindrop God has shown.
Shy out of sight is not known here
Scene food galore, beach sight everywhere
Sign of enjoyment of faces not a bargain
Surely next year God willing I'll be back again.
I could use a little magic tonight
some sorcerer to sympathize
and with his kind arcane words
conjure a spark so I may finally
find my way to some lovely land
lucent with Panglossian light
after doleful decades stumbling
solitary and blind in the bitterly
brumal dark fearing with each
step I will fall and fail to rise
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