Written: September 17, for a contest sponsored by: John Lawless
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I flipped the book with a steady hand,
chapters etched as runes into the sand.
The tale was tangled, the lead crowned,
beyond, silence fell, no closing to be found.
The final leaf had vanished, sly and fleet,
perhaps devoured by some voracious beet.
Or maybe scribes, with quizzacious delight,
slipped it away to prank the sleepless night.
I searched the margins, parsed each crabbed line,
for clues the author left in sly design.
A smudge, a doodle, statice pressed in place—
but no denouement, no triumphant grace.
So now I tell the tale with aplomb:
the villain married, bought a stately home.
The hero tripped, repined, then took a nap—
the dragon joined a choir, and learned to rap.
And if you ask what moral can be spun,
I’ll say: beware a most distant sun.
For endings hide, as frenemy or ghost—
the last page missing always laughs the most.
There once was a certain floozie
Who sang just like a chantoozie
Not in smoky night clubs
But in outback pubs
It happened when she got quite boozy.
He Was a Child Once, Too
He was a child once, too—
before the dusk outgrew the dawn,
before his little hands knew
how much a heart could carry on.
A face once lived beyond his sight,
then slipped away from memory’s light;
and childhood, like a fading tune,
grew quiet beneath a borrowed moon.
He became a roof in someone’s rain,
a little warmth against their pain;
he gave his flame so others could see,
while darkness kept a place for him silently.
He wore the years like a borrowed coat,
kept every storm inside his throat;
and though the world saw strength in him,
I know the child still lives within.
To me, that man is not merely strong—
he is the real hero of my life.
I love you, Abu.
— Zehreen
did you see it?
good luck to you
take a sound recording of the gurgling under the kitchen sink
if you play that backwards you will find
it is an interpretation of an inversion
play it back and forth
it's actually Beethoven's 5th.
like Smoke on the Water
in an encouraging interview, the guitar player
was both humble and forthcoming
my son in his music lessons
will listen to samples of classical music
selected by the teacher
i've encouraged him to ask as the piece ends
to raise his hand and say,
'now play that backwards.'
You call yourself my father but you never even bother to call me your daughter.
I sat for a while thinking about you
I thought that maybe hes on the moon
“Mollee what did you do, to make him leave all of you?”
I realize that it was never my fault
Hes and adult
Why should I blame myself for him walking away, it’s not like i was old enough to tell him to stay
Thinking about him leaving used to hurt more then bleeding.
I'm 14 now and somehow I still don't know why you left
you just settled on theft.
Through life, I learnt things about you so much.
Through your faith, God and I got more in touch.
Only shortly after meeting you, did I finally realize
Loss of former loves was a blessing in disguise.
Through life, I was learning, yearning, dreaming.
I recall dreams: it seems it was you I was seeing.
Before you, I was missing something, someone:
I never knew what, until our first date was done.
Through life, you were taught and loved very well.
Due to your faith, God empowers you with a spell.
After you had learned we are of similar mind,
You took a chance and realized I am also so kind.
Through life, you stayed loving despite betrayal.
You don't have to be alone holding in every tale.
You were looking for something you lost long ago.
I was looking for you, so I will never truly let go.
I always thought I’d break what’s true,
And somehow that fear just came true.
You gave me love, so pure, so real,
And I gave you wounds you didn’t deserve to feel.
You stayed with me, you held me tight,
While I kept pushing you out of sight.
Not because I didn’t love you enough,
But because loving right felt way too tough.
You thought I was ashamed of you,
But that was never, ever true.
It was my insecurities I tried to hide,
That slowly built this painful divide.
You gave your all, you gave your best,
While I failed in this love test.
You were my peace, my safest place,
Now I’m left with emptiness I can’t replace.
They say all endings turn out well,
But mine just feels like a living hell.
Because you gave me a heart so true,
And all I gave… was losing you.
Moses was a senior, quite an old man
God said: “OK, do the best you can"
He raised his rod, split the sea
Just when he had to go pee
"Who do you think I am, God ~ Superman?"
Life is like a book,
Each page is a memory.
Just take a look
At what happens every day.
Until you reach the last,
Are you done reading history?
And now you know the cast,
You realize the book is not finished completely.
The last page was missing,
Wherever you search, you’ll never find it.
Reading from the beginning, but there is no ending?
No one knows; only God decides it.
The last page is human life,
It is the missing piece.
You will not know while you’re still alive,
Not until you die—rest in peace.
I love old book stores.
The smell and look of old books,
sets my heart a pumping.
At home I have my favorite stops,
checking out each shelf carefully.
When I travel,
I look up stores before I leave home.
My list can be short or long,
with a book or two or three following me home.
This summer I found an old book,
a book jumped into my shopping cart saying,
please take me home.
I have been reading on and off for weeks,
last night I got to the end.
I could not wait to see what was going to happen,
The Last Page Was missing.
There was a time
That I was all alone
Trying to find
Someone to be my friend
It was very hard to do
Until you came into my life
And I felt no longer alone
I loved spending time with you
Friend please don't put me down
I just hate that very much
I hope you will be my friend
Forever
Also please don't hurt me
And also don't play games with my
Feelings
Because you are going
To hurt me
Also you are everything
I have
At dinner, I was a bit edgy,
cuz my wife gave me a mean wedgy.
When I ventured to ask her why,
she said, "Cuz you're such a dumb guy!
I asked for meat pizza, not veggie."
Everyone was born once
But not everyone absorbs the
Weight of their name.
And not even rise to carry it with truth.
I broke a glass last night.
And in that loud, terrifying crash,
I was eight years old again -
watching yogurt drip onto the kitchen tile,
so small, and so completely sure
that this mistake meant I deserved to die.
I ran up the stairs
and hid in the dark,
wrapping my arms around myself
in a desperate, suffocating hug.
I rocked back and forth,
choking on hot, silent tears,
pounding little fists into my thighs
because I had to pay for what I did.
One beat, two beats -
it was never enough.
I tore at my own hair,
clawed deep into my skin,
so that in the mirror -
as blood dripped down my body
and purple lumps swelled to the surface -
I could finally see the reflection
of who I was:
a monster.
Driving down a one way road
Every second not lived piles behind
Left on the worn pavement
Almost as if I've been here before
Can't turn around
Stuck watching every lost moment
Losing so much so consistently
It looks like you aren't moving at all
Road so coated in fog
All I know is what already passed
I know what I left behind
Unsure what is ahead of me
If I drive this road again
What's currently behind will be my path
I will finally know what's in front of me
Watching it disappear in the rear window feels safe
We don't know our future
Unless we keep repeating our past
I didn't know this road had an exit
Saw only the back of every sign
The car didn't choose the road it drove
So why do I blame every missed exit
Why don't I just open the door
And walk my own life alone
The car never knew I wanted out
It never knew I beat myself on every missed turn
So why should it know where I needed to go
Maybe the car was never the one lost
I was
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