“My soul is a black maelstrom…” ~ Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet.
Molten lava spews from my eyes
My mouth feels dry as the scorching desert sand
Fear like a heavy boulder sits on my chest
My heart is chasing a Chimera
A pit is forming in my stomach,
My head is riding upon a vortex
Conflicting thoughts swirling through my mind
forming a surrealistic whirlpool,
Grim and gloomy feelings shroud my being
permeating a fatalistic suspicion of society at large
dragging me down the road to depression.
A sense of emptiness is mushrooming within me,
like the morning miasma blurring the view,
All hands of hope have been withdrawn
Every moment henceforth
is pregnant with some novel challenges,
Tackling a new task overwhelms me
and despair prevails over my soul undeterred —
Bogged down by fate,
Tethered to my faith,
and mired in a spiritual quagmire
I am unable to claw my way back up
to Mount Calvary.
~Prompt 2: "As I slip into the void of this endless black."
~Contest: Venom and Stardust: A Birthday Prompt
~sponsor: Sara Jama.
Ancillary evidence, so often underrated
undeterred... underestimated
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The squirrel perched on a frost-kissed branch,
tail twitching like a metronome,
declared himself no longer Stan~
but Prancer, king of winter’s throne.
His acorns? Merely fallen stars.
His nest? A sleigh in need of crew.
The oaks stood still, the wind polite,
while jays erupted into uproarious heckles.
Undeterred, Stan bound a tin-can harness
to three confused but loyal flying beetles,
then leapt—and for one dazzling moment,
the gutter was his midnight sky.
scribbling poems in ether
for all to read or seek
fingering no pencils or keys
harmonising Heartstrings deep
trialing verses whisper, stirred
Stand in Own Power, Undeterred
_____________________
*Kindred Spirits*
I am often labeled as possessing "special" needs, and while there lies a kernel of truth within that phrase, the needs which burn brightest in my core are no different than yours, dear friend. Just as you crave acceptance, I ache for it too; a longing that colors every sunrise and sunset I witness in this grand tapestry called life.
Like you, I dream of companionship forged through laughter and shared confidences, bonds that render the weight of solitude obsolete. And just as knowledge illuminates the path ahead for anyone brave enough to pursue it, I yearn for chances to learn and grow, to fill the wellspring of my mind with wisdom gained through experience and discovery.
In classrooms filled with desks of various sizes, I sit, eager to absorb lessons tailored to nurture my unique potential. Though some tasks prove elusive, my spirit remains undeterred, for I understand that progress is not measured solely by speed, but by the indelible steps we take towards becoming the best versions of ourselves.
There’s a worm on the berm
But I cannot confirm,
Without seeing it squirm,
If it’s dead.
Or perhaps it’s infirm
From a rare type of germ
Which affects it long-term
And will spread.
Either way, it’s absurd
To think twice, for a bird,
With its appetite spurred,
Will be led
To the place this occurred
And to which I referred
Where that bird, undeterred,
Will be fed.
I won’t mention the slug
Or the slow-moving bug
That I saw, ‘cause you’ll shrug -
‘Nuff’s been said!
You'd tell me and I'd feel so good
Together we both understood
Our paths would meet perhaps one day
If-then, maybe, who could say?
Some bumps and dips along the trail
When quiet lips from you prevailed
Such times are when I'd walk alone
Preferring that you set the tone
Yet undeterred I'd still write lines
My heart in words, remembering times
Through odes that here for you I'd post
But only you'd know who's the poet
IN A GILDED INSTANT
The monarch’s wings opened as a picture book, fluttering by. It glided, uncertain but undeterred, through a gentle haze of gold and shadow, the garden’s hush punctuated by the faint murmur of leaves. Sunlight filtered in rare skeins, dappling the monarch’s patterned wings as it hovered, hesitated, and then pressed onward—a flicker stitched between petal and air. The world, for one gilded instant, seemed spun from elegant silk.
Painted in oranges, kissed with black lace,
the monarch glides through the air and
pirouettes in a ballet of grace.
Oh, to witness her beauty, a fleeting affair
a living poem, a jeweled muse~
a moment suspended in delicate air.
(Poem written for USPS Stamp Poetry Contest, Robert James Liguori, sponsor)
So it is written, so it is read,
when kings and peasants meet the death hour,
no longer will peasants be unfed,
no more, the wealthy to devour.
Until now, you've been sorely misled.
There will be a change of power.
Spirits will then play different roles.
So illuminates the book of souls.
Hark, the two-headed reptile's speech.
Listen closely to every word.
From sacred scrolls, you hear him preach,
amidst pleas for mercy, he's undeterred,
as rich oppressors do beseech,
their punishment till death, deferred.
Prepare to sleep on a bed of coals,
and read up on your book of souls.
While here I can write undeterred
This work will at times seem absurd
When this kills my high
It's just time to try
Finding joy solving a crossword
The woods never yawned
at the end of my stories
The streams never laughed
when I stuttered in haste
The mountains stood firm
when I lost my last footing
The sky understanding
in joy or disgrace
These natural things
forever behold me
Forgiving my weakness
rewarding my nerve
Their arms reaching out
through each change of the season
Pulling me onward
— my voice undeterred
(The New Room: March, 2025)
"Your Big Special Day!"
(written by Michelle L. LeBlanc 01/10/2025)
Dedicated to Greg LeMoine for his 57th Birthday
This day is Your Big Special Day!
So this day needs to be about you!
For you give so much to so many people
Even when it's not so easy to do
You give of your time unselfishly
Giving to so many who are in need
You leave such a good example
People are inspired by your lead
And even when things aren't easy
You often don't speak a word
But silently trust in your heart
Keeping your focus undeterred
You chose a path of giving
Though you could go a different way
You created such a lovely space
Where people feel safe to stay
And in case you didn't realize
We want you to truly know
We all appreciate you so much
As you inspire people to grow
Lastly, today on your Birthday
Make sure you never forget
There are people here who care
So you can't get rid of us yet!
The rain had stopped…the sun was about to set…
It was the perfect time for a rainbow chaser such as I…
to watch and wait for that multi-colored arch to form across the sky.
The conditions couldn’t be more perfect…the sun setting after a storm…
but as I waited…as I searched the sky…the rainbow never formed.
Still…I am undeterred…the next time the conditions are right
to the sky I will be facing….
For the next time I just might see that rainbow I am chasing.
I do not know why sometimes…when everything seems perfect…
when the conditions are just right….
sometimes I won’t see a rainbow…while other times…I might.
I suppose that’s what keeps me chasing rainbows…
all throughout the years….
waiting to feel the joy and celebrate the moment one appears.
In some ways life is a lot like chasing rainbows…
Sometimes conditions are perfect to reach whatever goal we’ve sought…
and sometimes we will catch that rainbow…
while other time…we will not.
But fear not…for anytime we miss a rainbow…
all is not as bad as it may seem….
because in between the rainbows we catch…
and the rainbows we do not…
there is room for our wishes, hopes and dreams.
Molten lava spews from my eyes
My mouth feels dry like the scorching desert
Fear, like a heavy boulder, sits on my chest
My heart seeks where the Chimera dwells
A pit is forming in my stomach
My head is riding upon a vortex
Conflicting thoughts swirling through my mind
forming a surrealistic whirlpool,
And I stand rooted
to the ground like an Ancient Oak.
A sense of emptiness mushrooms within me
like the morning miasma obscuring the visibility.
My past carried off into the oblivion,
Every moment henceforth is
pregnant with some novel challenges,
tackling a new task overwhelms me
despair overwhelms my soul undeterred—
Bogged down by fate
Tethered to my faith
I am mired in a spiritual quagmire
unable to claw my way up to the Mount Calvary.
I met a Megalodon who beckoned
“Welcome to the herd!”
I heard this lot was wily but
to me this sounds absurd
Undeterred I approached
the powers that be
to see if it were true
But the powers that be
were absent without leave
leaving me nothing
left to do
(except to …)
kick this can on
down the road
since no one’s left
to carry that load
(In the meantime …)
Some docile fool’s
touting fossil fuels
to a group of
solar-paneled minds
While his fearless peer
is stoking the fear
of the biomass hive mind
(touting ...)
“Fossil fuels are plentiful
can be found easily
Natural gas is very efficient
when generating electricity
and so on and so forth …”
(stoking …)
“Biomass energy is reliable
helps to reduce waste
But also expensive
requires lots of space
and more of the same
also and others…”
When both groups
could no longer
suffer the ranting
all in unison
began their chanting:
“Good riddance!
Good riddance!
Leave them both to jostle
with that colossal,
wily, beckoning
Megalodon …”
“Welcome to the herd!”
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