All we have is time between birth and death. As I mentioned to Paul, “time is everything yet only truly held one moment at a time, it can be fleeting or like an eternity and… More
Again
our combustion
a triumph of the senses
you reveal your need
i quiver with desire
this is one way lovers communicate
with a sigh
the moment fades
the fire cracking no more
an expansive breath is taken in
the curtains filter out the early sun
as we recover from being undone
i turn to you once more
reach below for maybe one more go
i want to feel the shimmering in my mind again
Strength In Numbers
with affirmations
and determination rising
forcing power outward
an explosion of iconoclasm
breaks glass ceilings
Inspired by Eugenia’s Weekly Prompt – Affirmations & Reena’s Exploration Challenge #214
Eugenia Hoffman
Fruition Murky
confessing answers
mindsets still misunderstood
searching afterlife
Love the One You’re With
embrace each moment
yesterday has no regrets
rain falls on the sun
Who to Believe
no stories heard here
common sense bid its farewell
truth lost to strangers
No Rest for the Weary
wandering wonders
mother earth awaits true fate
times without passion
Deadline Looming
the earth never sleeps
sky gems tango til daybreak
shadows intertwined
~~~
Eugenia enjoyed a dedicated career in the insurance industry for over 20 years being rewarded both professionally and personally. Now it’s time for Eugenia to follow her dreams by doing things she enjoys – spending time with family, learning, sharing, traveling, and writing poetry. Eugenia’s writing and creative endeavors can be found at her blog – Eugi’s Causerie. She was featured on The Short of It in 2020 and her work was published in the anthology – The Sound of Brilliance.
Submissions are now closed but if you’d like to be featured on The Short of It in the future,
click here for the submissions guidelines.
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Poetry Partner #38 at The Skeptics Kaddish!
As a poet, I prefer being a loner. I should say usually. Recently, however, I decided to step out of my comfort zone a bit and collaborate with David of The Skeptics Kaddish. What prompted me to was the beauty of ALL the pieces which have been posted to date. David is a wonderful poet who complements the original inspiration. The poetry he produces enhances them so beautifully!
I hope you enjoy this collaboration and please do visit his blog for more incredible writing!
Poetry Partners #38
‘My Disappearance’ by Susi Bocks of ‘I Write Her’
it’s my nature
to withdraw
when unbalanced
for no reason at all
i retreat to a safe space
like bear cubs denning
i’m not languishing
i’m dormant with melancholy
seeking shelter protects my soul
giving respite and comfort
surrounded by nothing but time
it revives me
A double acrostic blank verse poem by ben Alexander of ‘The Skeptic’s Kaddish’
Dormant with melancholy, defeated,
I seek shelter like a wounded yeti;
surround myself with simple memories;
and hibernate. Depleted by drama,
paws torn in frantic escape, I’m a pup–
py, fearful, distrustful, fitful in sleep.
Everywhere, even within me, foes lie,
anticipating my imminent plea.
Respite’s always brief. Would I had armor
against the greed, gossip and media
nonsense. Ultimately, I always bow in
concession, perhaps the greatest cynic
ever. That’s how I can stand to surface.
Reblogs – Jen Goldie & Marisela Brazfield
Agonizing over chaos – whatever form it may take. Haven’t we all been there?
Synchronic Chaos by Jen Goldie
A broken Heart is caused by synchronized chaos
The result is:
agonized confusion,
shortness of breath,
a gaping mouth
sans sound,
silently screaming.
of us lost angels by Marisela Brazfield
promises are like water to me
for you they quench temporarily
all that i fear for you and us
like the thirst of the dying
i can stop making promises
that i won’t agonize over the shit disease insanity violence and utter hell that we both see
we can compromise and believe
that there will be promises of better life
like we will plant flowers
but they might not smell like roses
as the smell of decay clings
promises can be multi everything
disciplinary lateral purpose conscience
promises are sugar and wine
rat poison
one daft note fleeting in the wind
a fart or love
i can’t tell where we are going
or how to get on this new road
let’s not make promises anymore
let’s just stay eye to eye
let’s just see what i will do
how i will move and act and love and lose
i refuse to promise that i will not turn the other way
if you don’t promise that you will make this inferno go away
i will say that i can accept my heart broken
and that when the camera flashes your way
remember that humility diligence and hard work are the better red carpet accessory
for you
our queen of us lost angels
Creating Beauty
Redux
You’re
my muse,
Universe.
Awe-inspiring!
Hoping to create some noetic poems.
Cracked
Inspired by Sadje’s What do you see #117
A serious reflection
i see our world as splitting up
coming apart at the seams
politics, pollution, people
tragedies galore
i don’t know how much longer
i can keep it together
teetering on the top of the world
looking down with grief
A funny take
I don’t know how much longer I can keep these two peaks together. My calf and thigh muscles are killing me! But I just can’t let the Earth split in two!
The Good Witches
The room grew dim as a cloud passed over. So much so that I couldn’t see any part of the book I was reading. My hands balled into a fist with frustration.
I heard the caw of a raven, drums and women chanting. They were huddled around the big rock below my window. I began to slide open the window wider to speak to the women on the west side of my two-story home.
“What are you doing here?” I screamed at them.
“We are trying to blend our will and nature in this coven circle to end worldwide suffering.”
*NOTE – I’ve recently become acquainted with a new kind of wordle that has apparently sparked an international craze. It’s not a game app but rather a link you can find HERE. If you are anything like me, you’ll look forward to it every day! Have fun! 🙂 Do tell me in the comments if you’ve tried it and if you have, what you think of it.
Aria
Inspired by Eugenia’s Weekly Prompt – Harmony & Reena’s Exploration Challenge #213
There once was this awkward-looking fellow,
Who said, “Help, I’m stuck in this awful yellow!”
But it coordinated with his shirt,
And even though the sight of him hurt,
One could hear harmony in his bellow.
Jane Ayres
these shiny gifts
we always tell stories
things that shine
– allure –
a lure for
those who
let daydreams be poems
& poems daydreams
remembering
you were
lilac and yellow freesias
warm sugared milk
unwavering
maternal love
estuary whispers
there are years of wasps
& years of
notwasps
but most of the time
life stings
unleashing shadows
the consultant said a shadow was showing on the scan
try not to worry
we tried
but once the words were out
veiled darkness began seeping
growing greedy
birthing shadow spawn & we knew
from now on
there would always be shadows
a moment
sitting with grief that twists
I pause
- a sip of strong coffee
- a bite of whisky-infused chocolate
(redundant birthday gift)
you are still here
& I am
(still)
afraid
*TRIGGER WARNING: MISCARRIAGE*
New life
We can keep trying, he says. We won’t give up.
She washes freshly red-spotted sheets, pegs them on the line, listens to the merciless wind smothering hope. Later, she dreams about finding a sparrow’s nest in the hedge, hears hungry soft-feathered downy babies crying to be fed. But when she looks again, they have disappeared.
We can keep trying, she says. We won’t give up.
~~~
UK-based writer Jane Ayres completed a Creative Writing MA at the University of Kent in 2019 aged 57. She has work in Dissonance, Confluence, Lighthouse, Streetcake, The North, The Poetry Village, Door is a Jar, Kissing Dynamite, (mac)ro(mic), Versification, Crow & Cross Keys, Ample Remains, Sledgehammer, and The Forge. This is Jane’s first feature on The Short of It.
Submissions are now closed but if you’d like to be featured on The Short of It in the future,
click here for the submissions guidelines.
#TheShortofIt
I Write Her 