let the light in, tribe
claim joy from the suffering
strive and obtain
liberation and freedom
love is what we should always live for
Every time I’m on TikTok and Hugo’s videos appear, I develop a smile that widens my face, and a warmth spreads through my chesticle cavity. Follow and enjoy! What have you got to lose? Well, only the things weighing you down!
Auf!
amazing tortuga
what goes through your mind
going on about your business
and then humans invade the waters you swim
are you terrified
accustomed now
or curious
do you even care
have shell, will travel
you look so comfortable
warm coastal waters await your arrival
i wish i were you
Redux
A
brightness
permeates
in and around
the air. So joyous,
feeling light and free now.
Let’s enjoy this wondrous time.
Come play like in our youth again.
No one and nothing could bring us down.
Do you remember how you felt back then?
We escaped into our own little worlds.
Fantasies filled with fresh scenery.
Everything was possible then.
Rich daydreams colored our world.
Sun, fun, and games all day!
Innocent children
at play again.
I sure do
miss it,
friend.
Originally published 2/6/2019 on I Write Her.
Redux
My lady, please don’t go.
I offer you protection and love,
being rooted in stability.
Let me envelop you in my wings
and ground you to me.
I can’t, Sir.
Another life demands my attention.
Being sheltered isn’t what I need
nor want.
Freedom beckons me, so I must go.
Redux
The sun is starting to slip below the clouds — another day at its end.
I glance out my window.
All I see is peace. And the balloon wavering silently.
All I hear is the wind and my thoughts.
After a long day, I’m grateful to have found my way back home to the sky. Away from the rat race.
This wooden refuge does connect me, but I am far above all the noises and struggles from down below.
The clouds nestle me and silence the stress and hectic of the world.
I’m home.
And I’m calm again.
*deep breath
Originally posted 1/31/2019 on I Write Her.
open to knowledge
wanting to understand life
freedom gained in thought
Leave her alone
The wildflower heart
strums to the pace of
evergreen woods.
She unwinds her infinite
tears of hues and blues
inside a silver dew drop.
She renders to the beats of
autumn leaves under
the blanket of a misty fog.
She sleeps under the stars
cherishing solitude.
Stop staring at her
And leave her free.
She is not a wallflower
But a wild flame of love.
Leave her
Leave her alone
She belongs to herself
Tranquility
The ocean, a tranquilizer, does croon,
Healing the scars of the lone, distant moon.
Along the waves of affection’s sweet kiss,
In the dewy night, they find moments of bliss.
Lawn of thoughts
The soul bleeds letters, an artful stream,
Words flow in tendrils, like a poet’s dream,
Notions bloom, like buds at dawn,
In the lawn of thoughts, a muse is drawn,
In the realm of verse, an inspiring scheme.
A journey of passion
I’m a canvas of emotions, colors rich and true,
Expressing my feelings, in hues bright and new.
I’m not a woman who never wearies or tires,
But within my heart, dreams shine like fires.
A journey of passion, a flame burning bright,
I’m a spirit unchained, in my own radiant light.
With strength and purpose, I reach for the inner light.
Orchestra
rustle of drizzle
chirpings by the window pane
nature’s orchestra
Futile heart
cradle of uncertainties
stretching out their limbs
entrapped futile heart
~~~
Akhila Siva is a self-motivated, lifelong learner. Passionate for quantitative data analysis, her analytical mind flourishes, while her heart resonates with the expressiveness of poetry. A Dew Chimes – Misty Poems is her first published poetry book. She has also authored a book titled Know Them: One Answer to Many Questions Akhila was first featured in 2020 and then again in 2022. You can find her work HERE.
If you’d like to be featured on The Short of It in the future,
click here for the submission guidelines.
#TheShortofIt – Vol 1 The Sound of Brilliance and Vol 2 Reflections & Revelations on Amazon
one’s captured wishes
burn with desire to be freed
explore the unknown
Inspired by Reena’s Exploration Challenge #257 & Moonwashed Musings Weekly Prompt – Dappled
behind bars from crime
convict’s records dappled with blight
some fight for freedom
Roses
I only pretend to smell the roses
when I kiss their petals with lips
chapped by twenty years of thirst.
I never expected to live this long
without you.
For the Bird who Smashed into my Window
All that remained airborne
was a solitary feather
on its final flight
Not understanding death
drifting down
Galileo
Poets have been howling at the moon
since before we invented language
Our ancestors gazed at the stars
noticed five among thousands
that wandered the skies like chariots
Astrologers and scientists tracked
Jupiter as he marched along
regularly retracing his steps
at his most glorious
No one knew of his four escorts
each brighter than the little dipper
until Galileo pointed his telescope
up — and revealed what had been hidden
by the Jovian glare
And I mourn for the eons of reflected sunlight
wasted on our puny human eyes
for Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto
A farmboy sees the ocean for the first time
I remember my first visit to The City,
stepping onto a straight flat boulevard,
shuddering at the endless street lights
and buildings marching to the horizon.
I was afraid to cross traffic,
be swept away by a river of iron,
but trusted most drivers would stop
if only to avoid insurance paperwork.
Now I stand on a beach
and can’t see the other shore
and the fear is different
than it was among the works of men.
These waves are relentless,
waxing and waning with their own logic,
the guttural voice of the ocean
propelled into the land,
beckoning,
compelling.
The fear is different here—
The ocean does not care
if I can swim and yet
I step into the surf.
Liberation
Harder to jump my first boxcar
than to leave my life behind
no more cellphone leash
no collar on my left ring finger
no nine digit dog tag
they’re all behind me now
where the rails converge
But no more pleasant dreams
beneath these naive stars
the fear of being jumped
the hunger of moldy food
the cough that won’t go away
Freedom means detachment
lost a tooth in the last fight
lost a toe in the last cold snap
lost my faith in mankind years ago
though a Styrofoam of alms offered
as though I were a monk
reminds me we’re not all bad
Hope they won’t find my body
that I’ll feed the earth that once fed me
can’t stand the thought
of being trapped in a box
for all eternity
~~~
Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in North Carolina. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit. www.bartbarkerpoet.com Bartholomew was initially featured in 2020 on The Short of It and had selected pieces in 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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