As the smoke clears
From your television screen
Your wallet feels light
It makes you want to scream.
To buy a new car
Or to buy a new home
You need lots of money
Deeper in debt and alone.
It is not easy
To navigate this life
You have no savings
And everything is tight.
But it costs more
To survive every day
When will it end?
I’m referring to the pain.
Everything costs more
Groceries or gas
Banks charge more fees
How long will it last?
We common people
Have no say in the world
So we must know our place
And rely on our ‘pearls’.
One day our earthly struggles will be over
Two infants, the size of mice,
being fed with trembling hands,
sealed sideways in a plastic coffin.
My sisters voice- a verdict
"They should have taken them from you."
I begin to claw at her, throat torn with No,
as grief spills like glass shattering.
Sirens bloom across the screen,
police swarm the house like locusts.
Powder rains over me,
a storm of guilt i cannot hide.
I scoop, I flush, i drown the evidence,
but the panic clings,
a second skin I cannot peel away.
Through life’s clenched jaw,
we struggle to survive.
We see our loved ones stumble;
expectations crumble.
Anxiety keeps grinding
and grinding
us down.
Money’s tight;
life’s jaw clenches tighter.
Health declines.
The jaws of death loom nearer.
Panic-stricken people
flee the only homes they’ve ever known -
refugees escaping war
or the clench and the stench
of oppression.
Through it all,
many make it through,
but oh the woe of those
living in the unrelenting grasp
of poverty
or of being chewed to bits
by abuse and fear.
Who gets to glide through a life
where slackened
is the jaw of life?
And who decides
if a clenched jaw will constantly
be others’ plight?
Only God alone can know;
it’s not ours to reason why.
Family and friends, good attitude,
hopefully faith and prayer
will help to make life’s clenched jaw
easier to pass through.
I firmly believe that in the end,
death’s relief for many
will be a welcomed friend.
When life’s jaw unclenches,
we can be released.
Then will understanding
flood our minds
and the light of God’s pure love
be new life’s sweet caress.
Oh, Life, a canvas of contradictions, a tale of strife,
I pose my questions to you, in search of meaning and life.
Why do the wicked thrive, while the righteous fade?
Why does evil reign, while goodness is oft betrayed?
Why must we toil for sustenance, and pay for earth's delight?
The land, the water, the air – gifts of nature's might.
Yet, we purchase them, as if they were commodities rare,
A paradox of plenty, in a world beyond compare.
Why do tears fall like rain, and hearts break with pain?
Why do we harbor hate, and struggle to love in vain?
Why does wealth wield power, while poverty's voice is hushed?
What of the marginalized, the vulnerable, and the crushed?
Why do disabilities afflict, and suffering beset?
Why does darkness prevail, and evil's presence is met?
I plant seeds of hope, but nothing seems to grow,
A barren landscape, where dreams wither and go.
Oh, Life, your mysteries are profound, your ways unclear,
Yet, in the questioning, I search for truth, and hold on dear.
Perhaps in the silence, an answer will resound,
A whisper of wisdom, that echoes all around.
In the hallways where whispers cut deep like a knife,
I walk with my head down, hiding my strife.
You're just thinkin' it's a small thing that happened,
But the world ended when it happened to me, unwrapped and unfastened.
Each taunt and each jeer, they echo and cling,
A chorus of shadows, they steal all my spring.
With every harsh word, I feel the weight grow,
In a sea of indifference, I’m drowning, you know.
You laugh and you jest, but you don’t see the tears,
The scars that I carry, the weight of my fears.
I long for a moment, just one hand to lend,
To show that I’m more than the target you send.
Shattered mirror pieces
in a cold room -
filled with invisible battles
as the heart
searches for warmth
Numb eyes
deepening scratches.
As seconds pass by,
the urge to rest in peace grows,
but own soul refuses to surrender.
A golden light,
from a narrow crack
falling on those broken pieces
reflecting buried dreams,
rising, drifting across the room
like butterflies.
Reborn charm
eradicates the frozen wall,
filling the room
with charming colors of light
that were once lost.
As we journey through the many, of ife's different phases;
Not yet knowing what one day will be,
Just one of our life's worn and ragged pages...
Never quite realizing through the smiles and times of fun,
Like a toy top on Christmas, constantly being spun,
There'd come a moment in time where we finally have to say
, I'm done....
As once what we saw seemed barely even hills
As we sped through and over every turn and every bend
Have now become mountains forced are we to climb
As we Carry all the wreckage that we just couldn't mend...
Exhausted, dehydrated as now we succumb
To a journey travelled so quickly, that most was unseen
and our minds are just numb..
As the constant rewind of slow motion reels
Reminds us of just exactly, all of where we've been...
You smell like sweet roses,
But I've smelled the sweat of the weak.
My sight is as keen as an eagle's eyes;
I see the chains, rusted from years of injustice, binding the meek.
Segregation tried to tear us apart;
Tried to break our spirits, but we stood unbroken.
Like Carlotta Walls, I keep my head held high,
Disregarding the lies.
Even when the ground is unstable,
I feel the weight of all the cries,
But still, my will is unshakable.
Racism tried to steal our pride;
It tried to silence our voices,
But the roar in my protests shakes the sky.
Is it pain that makes you shy?
We taste the bitter ash of sorrow,
Long, hard fights.
I hear the whispers of a dream—
Thunder-loud, like the King's words shaking the nights.
The statues speak, but they are silent.
They don’t tell the battles we’ve fought,
The struggles we’ve survived.
Segregation tried to tear us apart;
It tried to divide us, but we remain unbroken.
Yet here we are, stronger than before.
Like the Proclamation’s call, we break the chains;
The day will rise — not just with light, but with our truth.
A boy walks slow through halls of glass,
His shadow flickers, thin as grass.
Each step a secret, each breath a theft,
Of hunger’s war and weightless heft.
They whisper when they think he’s gone,
“Is he okay? He looks withdrawn.”
But laughter fades when backs are turned,
And eyes like his are never learned.
His plate remains a battlefield—
Each bite a blade, each meal unsealed.
He counts the crumbs like ticking clocks,
His ribs a cage, his soul in locks.
Inside, a storm no one can see,
A gut that groans in mutiny.
IBS, a cruel refrain,
Twisting joy into quiet pain.
His friends? Just echoes in disguise,
With hollow jokes and plastic eyes.
They smile sharp, then look away—
He’s present, but he’s not okay.
They call him “buddy,” slap his back,
Then laugh the moment that he cracks.
Lonely, yet he's never alone,
A ghost among his flesh and bone.
He’s drained—of hope, of strength, of care,
A paper boy in poisoned air.
Yet no one sees what’s underneath,
The brittle scream behind his teeth.
And so he walks, a whispered name,
Fading into his hollow frame.
Each day a mask, each night a sea,
Of pain no soul will ever see.
Today was so very brutal.
I felt my strength worked to the bone.
My family doesn’t seem to care.
At times, I feel so alone.
All the thoughts of would’ve, could’ve, should’ve come rushing to my mind.
There are many peaks and valleys, as I keep moving through my life.
The devil has always been right there, to discouraged and accuse.
But sometimes I feel he doesn’t need much help as others seem to fit the bill.
What now, I can’t go back.
What now, the future seems unclear.
Then my God gently reminds me, my child, you don’t belong here!
Your home will be in heaven, and my Son will take you there someday!
You gave your life to Jesus, and He will help you along the way.
You don’t need to worry, He’ll be with you in each moment of time.
They’ll never understand you, my child, because many did not understand me.
Just put your hand in your Savior’s hand and He’ll clear the path, you’ll see!
People say as I get older,
I become more calm
Enjoy the peace
I never liked that kind of peace
Bad luck when you are young
Always struggling to survive
Just thinking about doing things
Use one day as several days
Now I'm older,
It's time to get some free time
But my heart feels empty
No matter if you take care of the children and siblings
What else can I do?
If it weren't for now
I can't bother with it anymore
You said people don't make trouble still stays alive?
You are right,
Life is full of struggle
I think it too.
Two cats saw the end of the world.
Both felt its pain—
They hid in alleys,
Keeping the shadows at bay,
But the visions that haunted them,
Still remained.
Both found homes,
Comforting and fulfilling—
Yet both dealt with the end of the world—
So differently.
One saw it as a reminder of death.
All would shrivel,
Nothing would remain,
Everything would be replaced by pain.
The other,
Saw it as a reminder of life.
All the hunger and strife,
All the beauty and light,
Swirl together until neither one is right.
Two cats saw the end of the world—
One passed it by,
The other felt as if she had already died.
Living in a false vision,while creating illusions of bad decisions.In my past when my footsteps became ashes,I was stealing for others who really need it.I position myself in danger countless times for strangers with smiling faces who take advantage of kindness,weakness,and talents.But now that Im polished in my craft,Im well balanced surrounded with solid knowledge and display my wisdom that pays attention and listen before I solved them.With tunnel vision deciphering through the rumble and rewritten for those who gets misguided.Cause in my experience language is the true connection of us breathing,while others sleep and dream about living,manuevering through life in a empty body suit in flesh,that dont bleed or shed.Barricaded themselves in there own prison,even there reflection denies its own visit.Its ashamed many dont realize in life we have options to disengage derange or grab on tight to what feels right.I tend to go down memory lane,visualize those precious moments in the past,were all lies,giggles and laughs.But now that I found God,I disgarded my mask,to show my true demeanor and pave my positive mission everlast.
Life’s a road with twists so steep,
Nights so long and hills so deep.
Storms may rage and winds may roar,
Leaving you with doubts you can't ignore.
Dreams may shatter, plans may fall,
Hope feels distant, weak, and small.
Every step may bring you pain,
Yet the sun will shine again.
Tears may flow, but let them be,
They will wash your soul, make you free.
Strength is built through trials tough,
Scars just mean you’ve been through enough.
Rise again when you feel low,
Even seeds must crack to grow.
Hold your ground and face the fight,
Darkest times birth morning light.
So when life feels sharp and cold,
Wear your scars like crowns of gold.
Through the struggle, through the test,
You will rise, and you’ll be blessed.
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