A broad smile, life seems to be
That is gradually fading with the passing of the years.
Till it is fully eradicated by our...
Insurmountable agonies and uncompromising fears!
Demetrios Trifiatis
20 September 2026
The Forge
They call me the Poet, the Fan, and the Flame,
A legend here tempered by labor and strain.
I’m back to the heat of the foundry floor—
Straight up from the pits where the dark devils roar.
I don’t want their pity, I don’t want defeat,
I don’t need their comfort or promise of peace.
I want the loud blast and the casting poured bright,
To challenge the shadows and step in the light.
Through fire and stone, by the oath I have sworn,
I’ll walk from the ash like a phoenix reborn.
The chippers will rattle, the grinder sparks fly,
Cutting the dark like a jagged reply.
I’m grinding the rough till the edges are true,
Forging the soul from the ghost that I knew.
For once was a spirit made timid with strain,
Broken and battered by injury and pain—
To body and health and the strength of my name.
Now ash gives way to the phoenix delight,
To rise up renewed in the day's golden light.
The spirit and soul that was battered and banned,
Returns to my honor by work of my hand—
Uncompromising, I am ready to stand.
(Overheard at an Ecopsyche
Workshop)
The blue pill
Or as we like to call it,
“The self-with-nature seminar,”
Allows one to
Walk in fairly unkept woods
Surprisingly unaided
But regularly looked-after by an Eco-adjuster
Herself a blue pill graduate
And certificate holder.
You also receive
An animal mask
A booklet of
Fire ring songs
Plus, tips on how be a
Tacky-Tack eco-influencer.
You might even get the courage to say
Out loud:
“Corporations be damned!”
No side effects have been reported.
The red pill,
Our
“Cynic in the woods advanced program”
Will make you frothing-at-the-mouth-mad
Overflowing with eco anxiety
And as obstinate-uncompromising
As
Greta
Tintin
Eleonora
Ernman
Thunberg.
You’ll likely be arrested.
You might even lose
University tenure
And be on many ‘no-fly’ lists.
You’ll wake every morning
Knowing that you have not done enough
To save the planet.
“What’ll it be?”
“Two blues please.”
I find that flowers are not complicated
Although they all have meaningful names
When you approach a flower
There is no reason to ever explain yourself
I find that flowers are uncompromising
What you see is what you get
No need to push past a facade
There is no reason to protect yourself
I find that flowers are not intrusive
They lay no claim to your soul
You are free to just be
There is no reason to unfold yourself
I find that flowers are artwork on the earth’s canvass
They supply our world with a colorful finish
A reminder that you are amazing and imperfectly complete
There is no reason to ever diminish yourself
Uncompromising Authenticity,
And An Intent To Find Beauty
In All Understanding Is A
Weakness; A True Vulnerability.
-Gray Squirrel
10-07-2025
How many times have I been,
or perceived to have been,
the victim of cruelty or injustice,
which I tolerated,
as I felt it was necessary to survive
or, if not to survive,
to maintain a minimum standard of living -
as a child,
as a sick person,
as a subordinate in a corporation?
How did it make me feel?
Angry.
How did it work out when I expressed my anger?
Poorly.
Hence, much of my life was lived
through a clenched jaw.
Which doesn't seem pleasant.
Is there another way?
Philosophy?
Religion?
Forgiveness?
Acceptance?
Reassessing when I must compromise?
Learning a new way to communicate -
civil, yet uncompromising?
I wonder.
There’s a rage that ignites when someone damages you
An uncompromising, bewildering storm within.
Your brain churns with thoughts of vengeance,
A thousandfold wrath ready to erupt.
But do you compromise your soul to feed the fire?
It’s all connected, yet so utterly disconnected.
They have no idea what they’ve unleashed
This inner demon clawing at the gates.
A thousand futures, a million seconds
Pain stretched in weeks, rage forged in years.
Why do they disrespect you to this breaking point?
You give your all, pushing daily to do what’s right.
Are their inadequacies a mirror they can’t face?
Does their lack of perspective cast you as the villain?
You tried to be the hero, the good guy,
To stand on the side of justice and light.
But the disrespect it grinds, it gnaws, it sends you spiraling
To a place where rage eclipses reason.
I want to shatter the star line,
Reach into the void, and grind gold for planet 9.
To fix this fractured atmosphere of fury,
Before I lose myself in the abyss of their disregard.
This uncompromising Sunday
has agreed to let us enjoy
what is left of a boring day
as we ardently seek the brief presence
of a radiant sunset resembling red clay,
attesting the inevitable evidence.
The purple lilacs and pink tulips gently sway,
nobody listens to the crickets' soothing sounds;
early at sunrise they were inundated by big waves
and torrents of unmerciful rain pelting on the bay.
Every Bayberry and Crape Myrtle shrub has fragrant flowers,
they attract Sandpipers, Snowy Plovers and Monarch Butterflies;
they all feast on them, then they take off with incredible swiftness:
while the tranquil and brilliant sea resounds with various shrills.
I spot from far the noisy seagulls landing on the Church's steeple,
scattering the Gray Catbirds huddled on long cable wires that were
listening to the choir of faithful marching out with glowing smiles,
cherishing their last moment of glory under brilliant September's skies.
This uncompromising Sunday
has agreed to let us enjoy
what is left of a boring day
as we ardently seek the brief presence
of a radiant sunset resembling red clay,
attesting the inevitable evidence.
The purple lilacs and pink tulips gently sway,
nobody listens to the crickets' soothing sounds;
early at sunrise they were inundated by big waves
and torrents of unmerciful rain pelting on the bay.
Every Bayberry and Crape Myrtle shrub has fragrant flowers,
they attract Sandpipers, Snowy Plovers and Monarch Butterflies;
they all feast on them, then they take off with incredible swiftness:
while the tranquil and brilliant sea resounds with various shrills.
I spot from far the noisy seagulls landing on the Church's steeple,
scattering the Gray Catbirds huddled on long cable wires that were
listening to the choir of faithful marching out with glowing smiles,
cherishing their last moment of glory under brilliant September's skies.
The legend of love,
is written on the mystic pages of poets
in a script of colorful flowery blooms
filled with a sensual serenity
of uncompromising visions of peaceful purpose.
Where the bounty of stories
are filled with musical beauty and honey scents
that drift through the heart
as soft breezes of expectations
carried aloft on the wings of yearning
born from the belly of a kiss.
Where the first taste of passion unites
and burns beyond the boundaries
of secret imaginations, painted on the heart
with glorious glowing glittering sparks
rising from fiery flames
that reach the beckoning stars washed in moonglow
leaving a lover's realm
of breathless interludes and sighs
written in poetic verse revealed on the naked heart.
To be read in majestic gardens
of roses and purple asters
where time stands still,
as each word spoken is soft as whispers,
on the sacred breath of love
before each breathless kiss
is written on the romantic page of the soul.
#4: Time Always Minute
Time, inspired, now expired, on-site, sit tight.
all that stands subject to change constantly,
from one crossroads to milestone, overwrite,
the turning point, grains of sand, presently,
exchanging circumstances pertinent,
time-space continuum, situations,
time-slot columns, sectional, alignment,
segments prepare a course of durations,
stages invent themselves accordingly,
time and again they reinvent the wholes,
tis uncompromising strengths ... primary,
repeat performance, seconds intervals,
full showcase entertains a split instant,
shifting affects all their pulled souls; constant.
In this season of chaos, let heavenly whirlwind blow,
In the eye of the storm, you will find peace, let it flow.
For within you resides the Wind, a heavenly decree,
Shine with brilliance, be what you were created to be.
In this season of storm, rise like a palace tower,
Stand tall, uncompromising, in this needy hour.
Be like a tree, that shelters and protects,
Safeguarding who seek shelter, their souls it connects.
From ashes, let your destiny bloom, with beauty untold,
For strength emerges, born from weakness so bold.
In this earthly journey, prepare for victories to come,
As destinies reveal extraordinary outcome.
No encompassing,
Stand for what's good, forward,
No compromising.
Sometimes failure in a career
Obstacle in a family
Uncompromising in a relationship
All will lead to a betrayal
Either you betray life or life betrays you
It needs great wisdom to manage life
To achieve life goal
Luck is not always on your side
If you have tried your best
Accept any failure and yourself too
Sometimes be lenient to yourself
As no one is perfect
But, even nothing is eternal
God is always by your side
If you fail to shine
The cross will always shine for you
You are the uncompromising truth
You are the fearless lover of the Messenger of Allah
You are perfect, you are the pure believer
You are the sacrificed being to the honored Awliah
You are an indomitable soldier in the realm of true knowledge
You are the only preacher of all truth
But still, you fear those whom you accuse as liars
Yet you fear those whom you have judged to be hellish
Yet you fear those whom you despise as hypocritical wise, adulterous believers
What do you want Mr. Perfectionist of everything?
Confirmation biased or weakness of faith is your fear
It is your fear of ego that has raised you to only judge others
Your fear is what makes you quick to judge others
The true light of knowledge can allow everything equally
The true light of believers can allow everyone equally
As the touchstone method, the truth can change all
No fear, no judgment in the truth works as a troll
©Mahtab Bangalee
Chattogram
05/06/2023
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