He's not the boy she used to know
wherever in the world did he go
nor the man we once knew
but it only goes to show
time and tide took its toll
for all that he's become
and just one look will soon tell
if he'll maintain or succumb
as overwhelmed by numbers
and totally surrounded
through all weather can he ever
remain steadfast or grounded
I may have suddenly been rendered so emotionally numb,
That no drunken state or any high can make me succumb.
Still, I lament in all of the ways I have been so dumb.
The rainbow comes after the storm they say
But my storms are ever lasting
And my rainbows short-lived.
I don't want to know how much I mean to the world,
When the world means nothing to me.
This constant stagnation of life is tiring
And I have waited long enough
To finally give in to the depths
Of the shadows that call me in.
To surrender to the temptation
Of being set free from this chaos that torments me
Is all I yearn for.
The garden bids me: “sit, relax”
We all, in time, shall bud and bloom
Scent the air with essence of our soul
Slowly wilt as season’s take their toll.
Bask in the touch of spring-times idle kiss
Touch the dawn dewed edges of her breath
Feel the gentle tones of stirring joy
As Spring is more than Winter’s feeble ploy.
Come also ‘neath the moon’s reflective gaze
Share with us the substance of the night
Listen as we sing in cool mist praise
Our quiet hymns between the sunny days.
Sit with us, succumb to blooming’s dream
For gardens are so much more than they seem.
John G. Lawless
©4/15/2023
what if this train crashed.
what if it crumpled to pieces like a soda can under the foot of a pesky child? would i feel impact? would the pressure push my insides together, shattering my ribcage? would my brain implode? would every little atom in my body exert so much kinetic energy, that my body simply bursts into little particles fluttering into the atmosphere? would i matter enough to be more than a statistic. there is a certain beauty to death after all. i fear death the same way a child fears the dark. it is the unknown aspect that i fear, yet the thought of endless silence doesn’t faze me. i’m not interested in what comes after, the future of my rotting corpse doesn’t concern me in the slightest. it is what happens whilst my brain slips into the never ending sleep i’ve been destined to ever since i was born, that i am truly curious about. the way i see it, we mustn’t fear death, as we are ordained to it.
Throw me to the wolves
Can't you see, they are ravenous!
Appease their hungry-eyed stare
With another hasty, careless devour
Don't wait for them to salivate
Nor stalk with pensive-like approach
Just let them pounce
And wield their familiar, ferocious snarl
My weakness is insatiable
A mere morsel for their gluttony
I fall prey time and time again
And defenseless, I succumb
January 12, 2022
Summer Succumb
Segue Cicadae,
Enwrap in sunray,
Warble a tuneful "Hooray!",
Solstice sing-song night/day,
Hydrangeas on display,
Honeysuckle blooms bouquet
Melons savor away,
Berries & cream entree,
Splashing a la Bay,
Reading enjoy, listen to Mozart play,
"Zimmer's" here! So our stars don't stray,
Our belief GPS is recalculating the way!
Madras instead of gray,
Dour somber becomes gay,
At a ballgame eye spy,
A growing white blur, wonder I why?
Then it hits me!
By dawns early light, See? Oh say!
"True I lust for thine alluring body," Her I apprised,
"But swear so adore thy soul."
"And to thee I succumb," promptly she replied,
"Offer my heart, my mind and all."
For the last time I surrender,
To the throne of excruciating pains,
Promising not to complain,
All like an icicle it seemed, cold and illy.
For the last time I give up,
And a tear like silver is glistening in the corner of my eye,
Yet, my voice like mournful bells crying in the wind,
Suddenly, it's hushed as the grave.
For the last time I succumb,
To principalities and powers,
It's so hard to escape and it hurts fiercely,
Like a blast from the suddenly opened door of a furnace.
For the last time I've existed, fallen and will disappear,
Like apparitions seen and gone,
Mentally round-shouldered and decrepit,
Mute as an iceberg, I'm tired of dying to live,
But I'm still alive on my death bed.
And how i always said id Let the water take me,
Im begging now.
Drown me beautiful ocean.
Let your waves tie around my ankles and tug me under.
let me watch the bubbles rise up as i sink ever so gracefully.
Seaweed tying knots around my lungs,
Consistently aching in such a bittersweet way.
Sand meets my toes that dig softly into the ground as my back
settles on the ocean floor.
Too dark to see the particles blurring in my eyesight before me.
Light filters through in certain spots,
The only thing left filling my vision.
my mind succumbs to the deafening quiet.
No more air to release into the sea bearing an anvil on my chest,
A tomb i built only for myself.
The break of dawn and rising sun.
The day is short, there's only one.
It's beautiful; It's ugly,
It's sunny; it's rainy.
There are waters without bridges.
There are shallow rivers and deep streams
Filled with abundant riches,
Circled with beautiful dreams.
Evening comes darkness falls.
Tuck in gruesomely made bed,
Eyes close sleep calls.
The break of dawn, you're gone.
Demand a love so big
Oh Yee! don't succumb to lips
It makes you choke
now don't get jealous of me
Because I'm successful and you are not
Don't envy my time
Patience is a virtue
Your time will come
For slowly slowly we blossom
No more will we have to ask...
What do we do?
How long will you play with fire
Untill your heart has no flesh left to burn
The only thing that bothers me is your jelousy
Ooh no! forgive my luck
For this little life
We walk paths our own way
Hopping it will make them feel better
Instead it makes them feel worse
Love Over Matter
A brain which is a mass of cells,
Succumbs to what the heartbeat tells,
Who needs to use their
Minds over molecules,
Rather become fools,
And so win jewels!
I do not know what came over me
To find myself back in this hole
To change my views so suddenly
Craving the feeling to fall
I do not know why I'm so attracted
To the things that destroy me inside
To the feeling of being lost and hopeless
Like I don't want to fight to stay alive
I do not know why I'm so addicted
To the pain from my self hatred hex
To the feeling of anxiety pooling in my stomach
The drowning feels better than sex
I do not know why I'm on my knees begging
Crying for mercy or release
When the moment I'm set free, I'm wilting
Longing for being deceased
The darkness has been buried inside me
And though the light can easily come in
I feel like maybe I do not wish to
Ever be alive again
I do not know if this is a cry for help
Or myself making peace with my hell
Though I'm saying I love being tortured
I'm saying I wish I never fell
So I'm sitting in the depths of despair
Satisfied if I'm being quite honest
Enjoying the pain inflicted on me
Like a masochist in the dark green forest
To Florence Had To Succumb
To Florence we frantically did succumb;
Disaster struck and were sad and glum;
Water flowed,
Then slowed;
Results had been grand total of the sum.
Jim Horn
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