<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" dir="ltr" lang="en-gb" xml:lang="en-gb">

<head>

<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />

<meta http-equiv="content-style-type" content="text/css" />

<meta http-equiv="content-language" content="en-gb" />

<meta http-equiv="imagetoolbar" content="no" />

<meta name="resource-type" content="document" />

<meta name="distribution" content="global" />

<meta name="copyright" content="2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group" />

<meta name="keywords" content="" />

<meta name="description" content="Welcome to the Poetry Pages." />

<title>Poetry Pages &bull; View topic - GoddessErika's New Archive Page</title>

<script type="text/javascript">

// <![CDATA[

var jump_page = 'Enter the page number you wish to go to:';

var on_page = '1';

var per_page = '';

var base_url = '';

var style_cookie = 'phpBBstyle';

var style_cookie_settings = '; path=/; domain=.poetrypages.com';

var onload_functions = new Array();

var onunload_functions = new Array();

if (0)

{

var url = './ucp.php?i=pm&amp;mode=popup';

window.open(url.replace(/&amp;/g, '&'), '_phpbbprivmsg', 'height=225,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes, width=400');

}

/**

* Find a member

*/

function find_username(url)

{

popup(url, 760, 570, '_usersearch');

return false;

}

/**

* New function for handling multiple calls to window.onload and window.unload by pentapenguin

*/

window.onload = function()

{

for (var i = 0; i < onload_functions.length; i++)

{

eval(onload_functions[i]);

}

}

window.onunload = function()

{

for (var i = 0; i < onunload_functions.length; i++)

{

eval(onunload_functions[i]);

}

}

// ]]>

</script>

<script type="text/javascript" src="./styles/skyblue/template/styleswitcher.js"></script>

<script type="text/javascript" src="./styles/skyblue/template/forum_fn.js"></script>

<link href="./styles/skyblue/theme/print.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="print" title="printonly" />

<link href="./style.php?sid=b28cdcce64279aa2363dfcf9ab098c2c&amp;id=4&amp;lang=en" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen, projection" />

<link href="./styles/skyblue/theme/normal.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" title="A" />

<link href="./styles/skyblue/theme/medium.css" rel="alternate stylesheet" type="text/css" title="A+" />

<link href="./styles/skyblue/theme/large.css" rel="alternate stylesheet" type="text/css" title="A++" />

</head>

<body id="phpbb" class="section-viewtopic ltr">

<div id="wrap">

<div class="headerbar">

<div style="float: left;">

<a href="./index.php" title="Board index" class="headerlink">

<img src="./styles/skyblue/imageset/site_logo.gif" width="110" height="102" alt="" title="" /> </a>

</div>

<div onclick="javascript: window.location = './index.php';" style="float: left; cursor: pointer;">

<h1>Poetry Pages</h1>

<br />

<span class="description">Welcome to the Poetry Pages.</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="navbar">

<ul class="linklist navlinks">

<li class="icon-home"><b><a class="white" href="./index.php" accesskey="h">Board index</a> <strong>&#8249;</strong> <a class="white" href="./viewforum.php?f=75">The Community</a> <strong>&#8249;</strong> <a class="white" href="./viewforum.php?f=79">Member Forums &amp; Archives</a> <strong>&#8249;</strong> <a class="white" href="./viewforum.php?f=13">Members' Poetry Vault</a></b></li>

<li class="rightside">

<a href="http://www.self-pub.net/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=117_3_1_5" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.poetrypages.com/images/pbkicon.gif" width="130" height="30" alt="Poetry Book Creator"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55231779938"><img src="http://www.poetrypages.com/images/facebook.gif"></a>

</li>

<li class="rightside"><a href="./memberlist.php?mode=email&amp;t=65509" title="E-mail friend" class="sendemail">E-mail friend</a></li><li class="rightside"><a href="./viewtopic.php?f=13&amp;t=65509&amp;start=0&amp;view=print" title="Print view" accesskey="p" class="print">Print view</a></li> </ul>

<ul class="linklist leftside">

<li class="icon-ucp">

<a class="white" href="./ucp.php" title="User Control Panel" accesskey="u">User Control Panel</a>

(<a class="white" href="./ucp.php?i=pm&amp;folder=inbox"><strong>0</strong> new messages</a>) &bull;

<a class="white" href="./search.php?search_id=egosearch&amp;sf=firstpost">View your topics</a> &bull;<a class="white" href="./search.php?search_id=egosearch">View your posts</a>

</li>

</ul>

<ul class="linklist rightside">

<li class="icon-faq"><a class="white" href="./faq.php" title="Frequently Asked Questions">FAQ</a></li>

<li class="icon-members"><a class="white" href="./memberlist.php" title="View complete list of members">Members</a></li> <li class="icon-logout"><a class="white" href="./ucp.php?mode=logout&amp;sid=b28cdcce64279aa2363dfcf9ab098c2c" title="Logout [ heinzs ]" accesskey="l">Logout [ heinzs ]</a></li>

</ul>

</div>

<a name="start_here"></a>

<div id="page-body">

<p>[&nbsp;<a href="./mcp.php?i=main&amp;mode=topic_view&amp;f=13&amp;t=65509&amp;start=0&amp;sid=b28cdcce64279aa2363dfcf9ab098c2c">Moderator Control Panel</a>&nbsp;]</p><h2><a href="./viewtopic.php?f=13&amp;t=65509&amp;start=0">GoddessErika's New Archive Page</a></h2>

<!-- NOTE: remove the style="display: none" when you want to have the forum description on the topic body --><span style="display: none">This forum is an archive for members' topics.<br /></span> <p>

<strong>Moderator:</strong> <a href="./memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=1834" style="color: #476d47;" class="username-coloured">negatvone</a>

</p>

<div class="topic-actions">

<div class="buttons">

<div class="reply-icon"><a href="./posting.php?mode=reply&amp;f=13&amp;t=65509" title="Post a reply"><span></span>Post a reply</a></div>

</div>

<div class="search-box">

<form method="post" id="topic-search" action="./search.php?t=65509">

<fieldset>

<input class="inputbox search tiny" type="text" name="keywords" id="search_keywords" size="20" value="Search this topic…" onclick="if(this.value=='Search this topic…')this.value='';" onblur="if(this.value=='')this.value='Search this topic…';" />

<input class="button2" type="submit" value="Search" />

<input type="hidden" value="65509" name="t" />

<input type="hidden" value="msgonly" name="sf" />

</fieldset>

</form>

</div>

<div class="pagination">

1 post &bull; Page <strong>1</strong> of <strong>1</strong> </div>

</div>

<div class="clear"></div>

<div id="p465556" class="post bg2">

<div class="inner"><span class="corners-top"><span></span></span>

<div class="postbody">

<ul class="profile-icons">

<li class="edit-icon"><a href="./posting.php?mode=edit&amp;f=13&amp;p=465556" title="Edit post"><span>Edit post</span></a></li><li class="delete-icon"><a href="./posting.php?mode=delete&amp;f=13&amp;p=465556" title="Delete post"><span>Delete post</span></a></li><li class="report-icon"><a href="./report.php?f=13&amp;p=465556" title="Report this post"><span>Report this post</span></a></li><li class="warn-icon"><a href="./mcp.php?i=warn&amp;mode=warn_post&amp;f=13&amp;p=465556&amp;sid=b28cdcce64279aa2363dfcf9ab098c2c" title="Warn user"><span>Warn user</span></a></li><li class="info-icon"><a href="./mcp.php?i=main&amp;mode=post_details&amp;f=13&amp;p=465556&amp;sid=b28cdcce64279aa2363dfcf9ab098c2c" title="Information"><span>Information</span></a></li><li class="quote-icon"><a href="./posting.php?mode=quote&amp;f=13&amp;p=465556" title="Reply with quote"><span>Reply with quote</span></a></li> </ul>

<h3 class="first"><a href="#p465556">GoddessErika's New Archive Page</a></h3>

<p class="author"><a href="./viewtopic.php?p=465556#p465556"><img src="./styles/skyblue/imageset/icon_post_target.gif" width="11" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" /></a>by <strong><a href="./memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2373">GoddessErika</a></strong> &raquo; 30 Mar 2014 12:54:am </p>

<div class="content"><span style="color: #800040"><br /><center><span style="font-weight: bold">GoddessErika&#39;s Archive</span><br /><br /><ul> <br />Age: 37<br />Sign: Leo<br />Sex: Yes please<br />Location: Dislocated<br />Occupation: 50% Occupied, 50% Vacant<br />Interests: Yep, I&#39;m interesting!<br />Real Name: Anarcha &#40;Erika&#41; Basta<br /></ul> <br /> <br /><table style="border: 1px solid #000; background-color: #fff; border-collapse: collapse;"><!----><tr><!----><td style="border: 1px solid #000;"><a href="#top">***The Goddess’ Story***</a></td><!--<br /> --><td style="border: 1px solid #000;"><a href="#index1">***Between the Linens and the Lines***</a></td><!--<br /> --><td style="border: 1px solid #000;"><a href="#index2">***Love and Romance***</a></td><!----></tr><!--<br />--><tr><!----><td style="border: 1px solid #000;"><a href="#index3">***The Darker Side of Purgatory***</a></td><!--<br /> --><td style="border: 1px solid #000;"><a href="#index4">**Senryu, Cinquain &amp; Short Forms***</a></td><!--<br /> --><td style="border: 1px solid #000;"><a href="#index5">***Poetry In General***</a></td><!----></tr><!--<br />--><tr><!----><td style="border: 1px solid #000;"><a href="#index6">***Lost and Found***</a></td><!--<br /> --><td style="border: 1px solid #000;"><a href="#index7">***Challenge Entries***</a></td><!--<br /> --><td style="border: 1px solid #000;"><a href="#index8">***Featured Publications***</a></td><!----></tr><!----></table><br /><br /><a name="top"></a><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">***The Goddess’ Story***</span></span><br />December 2005</center><br /><br />Well, let me start by clarifying the name attached to the posts that you’ve been/will be reading. For you to get an accurate idea of who I am, I feel it critical that I do so. The prefix “Goddess” was picked up long ago from man I dated who called himself the “Greek God.” When I adopted “GoddessErika,” it was merely an attempt to make fun of the title that he had given himself. In no way, should you perceive it as a reflection of how I actually see myself. I am not vain or stuck-up, and I definitely don’t believe that I am any better than you, so please don’t take it personally. Truthfully, I actually envy most of the &quot;general&quot; population. However, since we did date for quite a while, the name has since then stuck with me.<br /><br />Following is a short, (very short) summary of my life… my oh-so-interesting life, my inspiration, and reason for feeling 32 years older than I am...<br /><br />During the first few years, I was a happy, well-off, educated, artistic, free spirited, innocent little girl. And, thank god for those few years, because without them, I probably wouldn't have been able to build-up the strength it took to keep me from killing myself years ago.<br /><br />Fast forward to age 6… when my happiness crumbled and my stability, now infested with maggots, began to disintegrate. Why… because my mother decided to marry a raging alcoholic/cocaine junkie/horribly pathetic gambling addict whose almost constant displacement issues kept him busy beating, terrorizing, and belittling both of us whenever the track, the crack, or the Miller-Lite did him wrong. In short, the next 10 years of my life were spent somewhere between my violence ridden-poverty stricken-horror filled home, hospitals, halfway houses, the streets, cheap hotels, and battered women’s shelters. If you need a visual, picture a house where broken dishes, holes in walls, doors slammed off their hinges, and blood spatter were about the only permanent parts of the decorative motif.<br /><br />Amazingly, throughout it all I was able to keep my head together enough to get a job, buy a car, graduate from high school, and move on. Of course, I was no angel, but driven by the desire to escape that Hell, I somehow managed to stay in school, out of jail and, (other than your typical teenage experimental phase) off of drugs. Which I’m sure at the time could have been easily mistaken for a soothingly mind-numbing, even if temporary, solution to my problems.<br /><br />Fast forward to age 18… Yes, I survived it! Whoo-hoo! Now I can get on with my life and away from the death that I had been living. Or so I thought…<br /><br />Later that same year, with all the family and friends in tow, the guy I was dating decided to propose to me. I said yes. (Although the voices in my head were screaming “NO!”) I just couldn’t bear to embarrass him in front of his audience, which was of course his reasoning behind inviting them in the first place!<br /><br />Now that I wanted out, and since we already shared an apartment together, my only way to escape that marriage was to temporarily move back home.(Which given any normal situation, I'd prefer to die!) But... since the rest of my life that was at stake, I swallowed my pride and called my mother. Three days later I find out I'm pregnant. (Now 19)<br /><br />Since I actually did maintain a grasp on the early childhood morals that I had been taught, I didn't feel right about seeking an abortion without even telling the father; but then again, I knew if I did, I was going to behaving that baby. You see, he was the last survivor of the family name, and he was supposed to be infertile! So I knew that if I opened my mouth, his whole damned family would get &quot;miracle baby, pass on the family name” syndrome and I’d be forced to go through with it. As I’m sure you can figure out- is exactly what happened, and… there's the story of my son! (Still 19)<br /><br />With the baby of course, came the marriage that I had previously rejected! And after nearly 3 years of that agonizing entrapment, I finally called it quits. He moved out, and about a week later I came home to his corpse hanging in my bedroom. (Now almost 22/54)<br /><br />With nothing left to do except to try to raise my son, and come up with a way to explain all this to him later, I enrolled college and got my degree. Ever since then, I’ve just rolled with the punches and tried to keep a positive head on my shoulders. Thankfully, I think I've somewhat achieved that (considering all of the above)!<br /><br />Now, on to present day… I have no life, no free time, no family to help out (except 1 teenaged brother who is willing to babysit here and there so that I can at least pretend to be 28 once in a while); and I don't qualify for help from our government due to all of the lazy-ass, perfectly capable, welfare hording women who don't give a crap about the people who actually need assistance, and whom remain completely blind to what their continual rape of the system has done for us! <br /><br />But... never-the-less, I’m here. I'm not in therapy, not poor (or well off for that matter), and I’m not crazy (ok, maybe a little)! I’m neither dependent on, nor expectant of the rest of the world to fix my mistakes, and I’m definitely not your stereotypical textbook definition of a person reared from an abusive home! <br /><br />I’m not (and have never been) suicidal, or abusive. I’m not criminally minded, seeking vengeance, or hateful to the world for what I've been through; but most importantly, I don't feel sorry for myself. However, I do bear regret for my son, who sobs uncontrollably at times and wonders why he can’t have a daddy like the other kids.<br /><br />So, in short, I've been down the shithole and back but because of that, I am me. At a time, I was surrounded by failure, but it was that failure that gave me the drive to succeed. I was shown each of death's many faces, which enabled me to appreciate almost any life that I would live. I was fed so much negativity that to practice it myself would positively bore me. I've suffered so much pain, that it has given me the immunity to those who try to hurt me now. I’ve cheated death so many times that I've become invincible.<br /><br />I am a survivor, and though I can’t give my son his father back, I can teach him to survive as well. That way, when I die, he will need no explanation. He will find peace in knowing that his mom can finally rest, and that whatever trials he may be forced to endure, he will survive-because that is what I raised him to do. <br /><br /><center><hr NOSHADE height=2px></center><br /><br /><a name="index1"></a><center><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">***Between the Linens and the Lines***</span></span><br /><br /><a href="#1">Alone</a><br /><a href="#2">Awakening</a><br /><a href="#3">Revealing</a><br /><a href="#4">Naked In Your Arms</a><br /><a href="#5">Restless</a><br /><a href="#6">Sleepless Nights</a><br /><a href="#7">Shove Me</a><br /><a href="#8">When We Meet Before Sleeping</a><br /><a href="#9">This Night and Forever</a><br /><a href="#10">Tucked In</a><br /><a href="#11">Undressing for Work</a><br /><a href="#12">Let Me Show You</a><br /><a href="#13">Untitled</a><br /><a href="#14">I Ache for Your Taste</a><br /><a href="#15">Submission Via Clothespin</a></center><br /><br /><br /><a name="1"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Alone</span> <br /><br />Tonight I lie alone.<br />It's a word that follows me-<br />Alone...<br /><br />Most of my nights here<br />It shadows me-<br />Stalks my every move.<br /><br />Oh, and alone brings<br />Silence too-<br />You mustn't forget silence-<br />For the two of them<br />Cannot be<br />One without the other.<br /><br />A team they are-<br />A good one too,<br />Yet only when<br />You're on their side.<br /><br />But tonight,<br />I root for the visitors-<br />I cheer for you,<br />For us,<br />For our team...<br /><br />For company and intimacy,<br />For whispered pleasures<br />And the moans of ecstasy<br />That still linger here tonight.<br /><br />Again, we have beaten them-<br />Alone and silence.<br />And although I lie in solitude,<br />I am miles from alone...<br /><br />Images of you,<br />Thoughts of you<br />Keep me warm<br />And smother my barren body-<br />Just as your tender lips did<br />Only hours ago.<br /><br />I close my eyes<br />And strangely<br />I can see<br />You-<br />Me...<br />And you on top of me<br /><br />I can feel you,<br />As if you were still here<br />Inside me.<br /><br />Alone?<br />Not tonight...<br />For I have dreamt you<br />Into my reality.<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="2"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Awakening</span><br /><br />To a new day,<br />We awaken<br />We greet the morning after silently.<br /><br />For what seems like hours<br />We lie,<br />Studying each other.<br /><br />Within you I see a calm,<br />Much like last night’s calm-<br />A peace unsurpassed.<br /><br />Sometimes your lips smile playfully<br />But mostly you just watch me-<br />Watching you.<br /><br />I close my eyes<br />But I wake to find your eyes<br />Still upon my face,<br />As if forever.<br /><br />Deeper and deeper,<br />Gaze by gaze,<br />We enter together.<br /><br />A place beyond other places,<br />A place beyond bodies.<br />And without even the slightest of touches<br />We make love to each other.<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /> <a name="3"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Revealing</span> <br /><br />Coax me, tenderly persuade me<br />In a fleshy knot enslave me.<br />Bend my thoughts, make me sway<br />In all you sinful, sexy ways.<br />Urge me gently plead, implore<br />Take me, make me need you more!<br />Press your lips upon my skin<br />Taunt the animal within.<br />Whisper words of fantasy<br />Elicit a response in me.<br />Touch me, taste me through and through<br />Now, let me have my way with you…<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="4"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Naked In Your Arms</span><br /><br />Come inside me<br />Ride me <br />Tie me<br />To the bedposts<br />Baby tease me<br />On your knees for me<br />Tell me how you want it<br />Taunt me<br />Try and tame me<br />Scream my name for me again<br />Fucking taste me<br />Trace my<br />Contours with your tongue<br />Turn me over<br />Burn me<br />With your wicked fire<br />Excite me<br />Invite me to the edge<br />Now command me<br />Demand me<br />To release<br />Thrust in me<br />Trust me<br />I&#39;m almost there<br />Yes, baby yes...<br />Elevate me<br />Beyond ecstasy<br />The take me<br />Wake with me<br />Naked in your arms. <br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="5"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Restless</span><br /><br />This is what I meant<br />When I said you were exhausting me…<br />I meant that without you, I am restless…<br />I am so tired now,<br />Tired of hurting,<br />Of hoping,<br />Of wanting...<br />Of trying to resist<br />The urge to control.<br />I am tired of waiting for you.<br />Of aching for your touch...<br />Tired of this burning need<br />To feel you deep inside me.<br />To be at your mercy,<br />Moaning and throbbing-<br />While I plead with you-<br />Whimpering out your name<br />As I’m trying to remember to breathe.<br />Tired of feeling like I have no other choice<br />Except to be seared by your fire.<br />Like a moth to a porch light,<br />I am tired of not being able to resist<br />The beauty hidden within your fire.<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="6"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Sleepless Nights</span><br /><br />As I lie here tonight sleepless as I often am,<br />I think of you.<br />Picturing your sweet smile and imagining your warm embrace<br />Somehow eases my restlessness.<br />Reality reminds me that you are miles away,<br />Yet the love I feel for you brings your heart to me.<br />I envision your body lying next to me<br />A gentle streak of your ever-so-tender fingertips<br />Slowly trickles down my spine.<br />I close my eyes as my imagination takes its course.<br />Gradually creeping toward my inner thigh-<br />Your touch seems too sincere to be imaginary.<br />I feel your caress,<br />Your delicate kiss,<br />And the faint trace of your tongue<br />Tantalizing at the taste of love.<br />As my yearning increases, I find myself fondling my breasts.<br />Only to drift into a sullen slumber<br />In which I will awake to find you at my side-<br />Where reality begins its deja vu<br />An erotic replica of last night’s visions. <br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="7"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Shove Me</span><br /><br />Standing there, <br />That momentary stare <br />Before the shove <br />I fall backward <br />In giggles <br />As you look upon <br />With admiration <br />Like a predator <br />You pounce upon your prey <br />I surrender <br />As you weave your fingers <br />One by one in mine <br />Pin me down into the sheets <br />And softly groom me <br />With your tongue <br />As if you were tasting me <br />For the first time <br />I turn my head <br />To the side <br />Tempting you to nibble <br />But you don't take the bait <br />You'd rather wait <br />Til I'm on the edge <br />So you can shove me again <br />Grab me from behind <br />And press your hands <br />Into my thighs <br />Gentle raising my skirt <br />You unbutton my shirt <br />Just tongue and teeth <br />Pausing to catch a glimpse <br />Of my anxiousness <br />I feel your nails <br />Scraping at my hips <br />Trying to strip me <br />One last time <br />I give a gentle nudge <br />Of impatience <br />Too eager for your touch <br />To play this game <br />My efforts met <br />With the warmth and wetness <br />That I crave <br />My back arches <br />Whimpers softly break the silence <br />A heart beat's skip away <br />From release <br />I gasp for breath <br />And brace myself <br />My taste rushes into you <br />All thoughts beyond <br />This single moment <br />Cease to exist<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="8"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">When We Meet Before Sleeping</span> <br /><br />On the back of my tongue <br />I taste a faint trace <br />Of your sweetness <br /><br />I close my eyes <br />And try to create you <br />In my mind <br /><br />I trace my lips with <br />Fingertips still sticky <br />With release <br /><br />A slow smile <br />Spreads across my face <br />And trickles down <br /><br />Spreading my thighs <br />With whimpered sighs <br />The lonely cries of farewell <br /><br />I plead for you- <br />So need for you <br />To enter me <br /><br />I want so badly <br />For you to feel me <br />From the inside <br /><br />To guide me to that place <br />Where face to face <br />We get lost in each other <br /><br />Smothered in crumpled sheets <br />Knuckles whitened <br />I tighten my grip <br /><br />Slowly you enter me <br />Paralyzing me <br />Hypnotizing me once more <br /><br />Slowly tasting me <br />Your voice places me <br />Under your spell <br /><br />Tongue gracing my skin <br />I bite my lip <br />Try to hold the moment in <br /><br />I beg you to take me <br />Make me yours <br />At least for the moment <br /><br />Enslave me <br />Make me crave you <br />Forever <br /><br />Whisper so softly <br />Tell me you want me <br />To tease you again <br /><br />Grab my hair <br />And steer me to where <br />I can claim you <br /><br />A deep breath <br />A shudder <br />I hear you stutter my name <br /><br />&quot;So beautiful&quot; you said <br />Gently brushing my cheek <br />One more kiss before we sleep<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="9"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">This Night and Forever</span><br />(Winner: Erotic Forum Award: October 1, 2005)<br /><br />I have dreamed my whole life of this moment, <br />When you take me firmly and caress me, <br />Drive me wild with ecstasy. <br /><br />Hold me with a strength unsurpassed, <br />Kiss me until I willingly submit to your every move <br />Then, release me gently, to reveal your passion. <br /><br />Again, you clutch me strongly, take me, <br />And hold me in an embrace of warmth and love. <br />Send me into an abyss of sensuality. <br /><br />You pull me back to tease me with affection, again and again. <br />Making my body ache with desire, <br />As you release my sexual passions. <br /><br />I pray it never ends- the moment and the longing. <br />Here we are, united, making love to each other- <br />Endless love, our fantasies fulfilled. <br /><br />Forever our lives are changed by what is now, and I surrender. <br />I am at your mercy, defenseless from your seduction. <br />Exploring each other inside and out, we make our way into ecstasy. <br /><br />We swirl, and tangle in the actions of love. <br />You look into me, and stroke me softly, <br />Ever so carefully you move and moan in sweet anticipation. <br /><br />We come together in an explosion of ecstasy <br />Gripping each other, gasping in harmony. <br /><br />Slowly, deeply, rhythmically you enter my deepest thoughts, <br />Explore the contours of my soul. <br /><br />Both of us untamed, as we consume each other. <br />We make love through every hour of the long still night. <br /><br />Our kisses prolonging, as the dawn approaches- <br />Our attention undivided. <br /><br />We study each other for hours in the coldness of night. <br />Needing and loving one another- <br />A love beyond imagination. <br /><br />We kissed as never before, <br />Our lips still burning from the passion. <br /><br />Our warm wet bodies falling and rising, <br />Discovering total ecstasy all through the night. <br />Loving in endless pleasure, naked and aroused. <br /><br />In our minds, this moment is never ending <br />It will forever linger in our thoughts, <br />Making us crazy each time we remember. <br /><br />This night, and forever, we belong to each other- <br />Heart and body, <br />Mind and soul.<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="10"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Tucked In</span><br /><br />Hair still wet from the shower <br />The rest would soon follow <br />Unexpectedly <br /><br />My bones and body so tired <br />I begin to prepare myself <br />To retire for the night <br /><br />… Or so I thought <br /><br />… It was then that I first felt you <br /><br />A touch so subtle <br />Yet so intentional <br />It commands my response <br /><br />Your fingertips <br />Gently pace the length of my spine <br />And I am at your mercy <br /><br />You know I am powerless now <br />And like a predator to prey <br />You move in for the kill <br /><br />Reaching one arm back <br />You pull my body atop your own <br />Letting skin rest on skin <br /><br />All the while <br />Your hands continue to roam <br />The length of my nakedness <br /><br />Lips firmly filled with desire <br />Plant themselves upon my own <br />Our tongues begin to twist and tango <br /><br />Every so often a gentle nip at the nape <br />Breaks their dance <br />Stunning me in a momentary rapture <br /><br />You trade me places <br />And continue to explore <br />All the while leaving goose bumps in your wake <br /><br />And this pleasure drips so thick <br />That I lose all control <br />When you place yourself inside <br /><br />Your lips never leaving me <br />Tasting every sweet second <br />As if it were your last <br /><br />I guide your fingers toward my face <br />And teasingly wrap my tongue ‘round each of them <br />So that I may savor you as well <br /><br />Out the corner of my eye <br />I catch the sunrise watching us <br />As we fondle our way into tomorrow <br /><br />And though I wish to never leave this moment <br />Reality outweighs my desires <br />And casts her spell of sleep upon me <br /><br />Still nestled into your skin <br />Held tightly within you, <br />I close my eyes <br /><br />One final breath of pleasure <br />Escapes my lungs as I drift off <br />Tucked in your love like a blanket<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="11"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Undressing for Work</span><br />(a collaboration by GoddessErika and Friend_Forever)<br /><br />It’s nine o’clock now <br />And I must leave again my love <br />As I make my way across the room to find my clothes <br />I can feel you watching me. <br /><br />Every part of my body tingles with desire <br />As your hungry eyes take in my naked figure <br />Slipping into my office wear… <br />Your arms reach out, pulling me back to bed. <br /><br />I feel the warmth of your hands upon my skin <br />Melting me into you <br />Then, with half-hearted effort I try to wriggle free <br />Knowing that I can't be late again. <br /><br />Your grip tightens... pulling me further from my clothes <br />Your lips caress my pierced belly button <br />As your tongue plays with the stud earring hidden beneath <br />Struggling to get free… I grasp the bedpost next to me. <br /><br />But my efforts only tease your senses <br />Moaning with passion, <br />You put your hand on my chin <br />And lift my face toward yours <br /><br />You raise your eyes to mine and summon me to stay <br />“I want to play,” you say slowly under heavy breath <br />You stretch an arm up toward my face, placing your fingertips upon my lips <br />I twirl my tongue round teasingly, and accept your invitation <br /><br />You wrap me up in your arms, casually kissing my desires alive <br />Then place my head lovingly upon your pillow <br />”My hair's all messed up”, I scream in a playful manner <br />Throwing caution to the wind, I remove my final piece of clothing <br /><br />I can’t help but to whimper <br />While you take in my nakedness with every extension of your being <br />As you teasingly nibble every inch, taste me with tongue <br />Tracing my sweat glistened body, this moment burnt forever in memory <br /><br />Lost in my own euphoric state <br />I disregard my (now previous) employment <br />Overpowered by greed’s physical urges <br />I plead… move faster, give me more <br /><br />And my wish is your command <br />Rhythmically you pursue me <br />Our temperatures rising, a heightened climax ignites <br />And I am suddenly consumed within the heat of your flame <br /><br />Your hands move slowly down, grabbing my hips <br />Your legs nudge mine apart <br />As you hold me, taking me deeper <br />Your lips whisper, &quot;I love you&quot; <br /><br />Instantly oblivious to all that surrounds <br />My every muscle, every nerve freezes within me <br />Captivated by the power behind your words <br />Deafened by their unyielding echo in my mind <br /><br />I reach up gently brushing your face with my fingers <br />Coaxing your gaze to meet my own <br />I search your eyes until I can see inside you <br />Voice quivering with adoration I manage to reply, “I love you too.” <br /><br />Your index finger slowly traces my lips <br />A trail of kisses quickly follows <br />As you casually bite my neck <br />And play with the curves of my body <br /><br />After a moment, you climb down and rest your head on the pillow next to mine <br />As I turn nestling my head upon you, you wrap your arms round me again <br />I teasingly play with the hairs upon your chest and listen to your heartbeat<br />The world around me grows hazy as its rhythm hypnotizes me <br /><br />My eyelids grow heavy under you spell <br />But I refuse to let sleep consume me <br />Fearful that in time, I will awake alone <br />And this dream that you have given me will end.<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="12"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Let Me Show You</span><br /><br />I feel your heartbeat quicken <br />The air thickening around us <br />Eyes dilating in the darkness <br />Releasing the narcissist within me- <br />I ache for you to see it too <br /><br />I take your hand and guide you <br />To that place inside <br />Where ecstasy resides <br />And pull you deeper <br />Into my seduction <br /><br />Feel the suction of my lips <br />As they surround you <br />Astound you, <br />Steal your breath and <br />Drown you in my pleasure<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="13"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Untitled</span><br /><br />You climb inside me<br />A feeling so euphoric<br />A pleasure so intense<br />That I momentarily escape <br />The confines of this world<br /><br />Methodically you map your course<br />Strategically pillaging further<br />To discover desires <br />Hidden even deeper within me<br /><br />As you pause to touch me<br />You ignite every nerve buried under my skin<br />And like a mild shock<br />I feel your energy flowing through me-<br />Pulsing with electricity<br /><br />Each time you re-enter<br />I feel the heat from your fire <br />My face rapidly growing warmer<br />Beneath your flame<br /><br />Then, just under your breath<br />Barely audible<br />I hear you whisper my name<br />And I know now that you are right there with me<br /><br />Suddenly, your grip around me tightens <br />Pulling me closer<br />Then, in flawless unison <br />We both rush to the edge and over<br />Tumbling aimlessly into our own nirvana<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="14"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">I Ache for Your Taste</span><br /><br />I ache for your taste<br />Trembling as you enter deeper<br />Your tongue roaming wild<br />Tangled movements<br />Damp sheets<br />Weak knees<br />Fevered flesh<br />My hungry body<br />Craving primitive penetration<br />Your teeth touch upon my breasts<br />Tongue slowly teasing nipples<br />Your hips thrust<br />My body shudders<br />Breath deepens<br />Knuckles gripping <br />Whitening skin<br />Cries of pleasure escape my lips<br />Nearly bursting from thirst<br />When finally...<br />You finally let me drink<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="15"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Submission Via Clothespin</span><br /><br />Muscles tighten<br />Vision blurs<br />My tears distorting all light<br />That passes through my eyes<br /><br />Instantaneously each pain <br />That lives within me<br />Every present peril <br />That I face <br />Rushes to the surface<br /><br />Furiously<br />I blink my eyes<br />Forcing my tears to fall<br />So that I may see your grinning face<br />More clearly<br /><br />As my eyes begin to focus<br />I shift my gaze downward<br />Toward my breasts<br />My jaw drops<br />As eyes widen<br />And I can't help but to smile<br />At your ingenuity<br /><br />In a quick pinch<br />Every illness in me procreates<br />And with no one else around<br />To save me<br />Your hands become<br />My only hope<br /><br />And I helplessly surrender<br /><br />I am at your mercy<br />Knowing that you<br />Are in complete control<br />Of my pleasure<br />And likewise, my pain<br /><br />Only you<br />Have the power<br />Only you<br />Can set me free<br />And be it so,<br />I must succumb to you<br /><br /><a href="#index1">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><hr NOSHADE height=2px></center><br /><br /><center><a name="index2"></a><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">***Love and Romance***</span></span><br /><br /><a href="#16">Fire and Rain</a><br /><a href="#17">Trust In Fear</a><br /><a href="#18">Your Confirmation</a><br /><a href="#19">Fallen Dreamer</a><br /><a href="#20">Yesterdays</a><br /><a href="#21">The Language of Lovers</a><br /><a href="#22">My Nights Without You</a><br /><a href="#23">Homesick</a><br /><a href="#24">Beyond Comprehension</a><br /><a href="#25">Don&#39;t Be Afraid To Dream</a><br /><a href="#26">Just As</a><br /><a href="#27">Haunting</a><br /><a href="#28">Woven</a><br /><a href="#29">Exhausted Thoughts</a><br /><a href="#30">That Night</a><br /><a href="#31">I Lie Awake</a><br /><a href="#32">Heavenly</a><br /><a href="#33">Utopia of One</a><br /><a href="#34">Before Our Love</a><br /><a href="#35">Moments</a><br /><a href="#36">Are You Real?</a><br /><a href="#37">The Hand Held Folded</a><br /><a href="#38">Wishing Well</a><br /><a href="#39">Walk All Over You</a><br /><a href="#40">Forgotten Garden</a><br /><a href="#41">Even Without My Eyes I Know &#40;acrostic&#41;</a><br /><a href="#42">Will You Tuck Me In Tonight?</a><br /><a href="#43">I Told Myself</a><br /><a href="#44">The Perfection That Is Us &#40;acrostic&#41;</a><br /><a href="#45">The Perfection That Is Us II &#40;acrostic&#41;</a><br /><a href="#46">In Every Aspect of You</a><br /><a href="#47">For the Moment</a><br /><a href="#48">Do You Remember?</a><br /><a href="#49">Loverdose</a><br /><a href="#50">Here I Sit</a><br /><a href="#162">Playing With Refrigerator Magnets</a><br /><a href="#163">Playing With Refrigerator Magnets 2</a></center><br /><br /><a name="16"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Fire and Rain</span><br /><br />Rain falls <br />A steady percussion <br />Of hollow drops <br />On the metal roof <br />Invoking a dreamy feeling <br />Firelight dances with the shadows <br />Upon the walls <br />An intimate display <br />Pitch crackles <br />As the fire burns hotter <br />My hand in yours <br />As you pull me to you <br />To the sheepskin rug beside <br />Your solemn eyes gaze into mine <br />Lips hovering just a whisper away <br />Electricity flows between us <br />With an intensity almost visible <br />I sip the wine you poured <br />Feeling a steady rush <br />Of sweet and warm <br />Our bodies so heated <br />As the fires rage a<br />Inside and out <br />Your fingers curl around mine <br />Taking the glass <br />As you lean close <br />To settle your lips <br />Gently on mine <br />Your hands tangle in my hair <br />Our kiss deepens <br />As the rain and fire <br />Sing their duet around us <br />Nothing else matters <br />Just this moment <br />Just this kiss <br />Just you and I<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="17"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Trust In Fear</span><br /><br />Somehow I knew<br />Though I had not grown to know you yet,<br />I could feel you,<br />A certainty about you,<br />One that made me unafraid to fall,<br />Unafraid to close my eyes and simply let go.<br /><br />Your strength,<br />If not your gentle grip,<br />Was always there for me,<br />Before even you could make sense of it.<br /><br />An attraction,<br />A force drawn so clearly<br />It became translucent,<br />Only I still felt its power.<br /><br />And with nothing more than my faith<br />I teeter to the edge<br />And gracefully fall into you.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="18"></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Your Confirmation</span><br /><br />The sun sets just as it rises<br />Day in, day out<br />Yet I never feel the dark<br />And though the sky tosses raindrops at the street below,<br />I cease to be dampened by her attempts.<br /><br />Somehow, somewhere, someone-<br />Has lit the torch for me-<br />Sheltered me from the elements.<br /><br />Perhaps it was you-<br />Or maybe it was me, just wishing it so<br />Regardless I remain protected-<br />Wrapped tightly in these arms<br />My security, my sanity confirmed.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="19"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Fallen Dreamer</span><br /><br />People sometimes said<br />She was a dreamer,<br />Always tripping over<br />Amorous thoughts.<br /><br />She will fall someday<br />They said-<br />Fall hard, and hurt forever.<br /><br />But high of him,<br />She failed to heed warning<br />And before too long, she did just that-<br />She fell.<br /><br />She tumbled through tunnels<br />Through night and day,<br />Through time,<br />And out of it.<br /><br />She choked on whispers<br />Of singing voices-<br />And words she had only wished<br />That she could say.<br /><br />She scaled walls<br />And left ruin<br />Where secrets once slept.<br /><br />She awoke the One<br />From sultry slumber-<br />Unrest his silent heart.<br /><br />She once dreamed she would fall<br />And just before she woke-<br />Just before impact-<br />He caught her.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="20"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Yesterdays</span><br /><br />Yesterday, you were my love…<br />My lust,<br />My future,<br />My foundation.<br /><br />Today, you are unspoken.<br />Today, words cannot derive a true explanation<br />Of my most intimate feelings for you.<br />A body,<br />A soul,<br />A heart,<br />A love,<br />And an impassible feeling of ultimate pleasure.<br /><br />You are my world.<br />You provide my air to breathe,<br />My water to drink,<br />My food to eat,<br />My bed to sleep.<br />You are my reason to be.<br /><br />Without your love<br />I would suffocate,<br />Thirst,<br />Starve,<br />And suffer…<br /><br />But with you,<br />I am alive,<br />I am well,<br />And I am in love.<br /><br />You are today,<br />What my yesterdays could only dream of.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="21"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Language of Lovers</span><br /><br />Hush- speak softly<br />For we dare not harm the silence of the world,<br />Nor taint her children’s ears with lustful sin.<br /><br />Connect me with your eyes, mind, and body,<br />Silently convey your words with touch-<br />Make vocal only the sounds born of pleasure.<br /><br />For this hour before dawn is our somber escape,<br />Our hideaway from all that surrounds.<br /><br />And though the sands move swiftly<br />Through the hour glass,<br />Our stories told between the flesh of love<br />Speak of an eternity.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="22"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">My Nights Without You</span><br /><br />The lateness of the clock ticked so slowly,<br />So endlessly toward tomorrow<br />My mind played tricks on me<br />Asking me over and over,<br />“Is that his keys I hear?”<br />Dissolving my hope each time it asked.<br />“Just yesterday,” I think,<br />“These arms were wrapped around you.”<br />I seem to take forever to close my eyes<br />Refusing to let the emptiness beside me<br />Permeate my nightly thoughts.<br />I wrap myself round your pillow<br />Catching the scent of your sweetness<br />Each night without you,<br />I lose myself in the night before,<br />I wander the darkness in hope that soon<br />You will find me here.<br /><br />True Story- (Minutes after the completion of this poem, the door opened, and I was found.)<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="23"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Homesick</span> <br /><br />The sun rises, sets,<br />Then rises again,<br />But time has not even allowed that to happen<br />And already, I miss you!<br /><br />I sway from exhaustion<br />Yet my mind refuses to sleep.<br /><br />It would rather think about you,<br />Write about you,<br />And wait eagerly for your call.<br /><br />But until then,<br />I’ll keep thinking.<br />Planning my return<br />As if I were away for years.<br /><br />Monday will become Friday<br />In all its lateness.<br /><br />We will lie together naked,<br />Our bodies glowing<br />As shadows from the candles<br />Dance across us.<br /><br />Our hands gently<br />Gliding over bare skin.<br /><br />Soft sweet kisses<br />Trickle down from my neck.<br /><br />In silence our eyes will meet<br />Exchanging unspoken words.<br /><br />My fingers will tease your chest,<br />Your face, and your lips<br />As your arms hold me close.<br /><br />We’ll both sigh, smile,<br />And then kiss some more.<br /><br />Slowly, you’ll enter me<br />Pleasure me so gently.<br />Our hips will rock this way<br />Then that way.<br /><br />We’ll whisper about ecstasy<br />And how we’ve found it in each other.<br /><br />Then, amazed at our abilities<br />We’ll lie quietly embraced<br />And unknowingly drift off to sleep.<br /><br />When tomorrow approaches<br />I will awake<br />Still naked in your arms.<br /><br />And that my love shall be<br />My final assurance<br />That I am home.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="24"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Beyond Comprehension</span><br /><br />When an artist’s brush<br />Sweeps across his velvet canvas<br />As the clock on the wall strikes midnight,<br />And all that is portrayed<br />Is the blazing ball of eternity we call sun-<br />It is love.<br /><br />When a musician can grasp his instrument<br />In a moment of silence<br />And carry breath-taking tunes for hours-<br />Without a script, sheet, or foundational basis-<br />It is love.<br /><br />When a poet can release her heart<br />On a blank page of paper<br />And create an image of mind, body, and soul<br />With nothing but a chiseled piece of graphite<br />And a distant stare-<br />It is love.<br /><br />To behold a sunny day<br />In the darkest of nights,<br />Or to hear a heart singing<br />In the deadest of silences,<br />Or to gaze into the plainness of a wall<br />And visualize you gazing back-<br />Is a magnitude of love beyond any comprehension.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="25"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Don&#39;t Be Afraid To Dream</span><br /><br />It seems like every minute-<br />Every second<br />Passes in wonder.<br />Constantly I find myself searching-<br />At loss for even a clue as to how-<br />How can you be so beautiful,<br />So radiant<br />That all that is not you<br />Becomes oblivious,<br />Non-existent in my world?<br />If you could only feel a fraction of the power<br />Your touch possesses<br />Perhaps you wouldn’t think me crazy<br />For what I’m about to say-<br />Though I feel you must know-<br />Accepting or not,<br />You must know<br />That I have been forever impacted<br />By the way your hands first touched my tender body.<br />Oh the hours of caress,<br />Of your fingers feathering my spine-<br />So capturing<br />That I fear that if I move even the slightest muscle-<br />I will awaken from your trance.<br />Then slowly,<br />So gently,<br />You kiss me.<br />Your lips so soft,<br />So perfect,<br />They intoxicate me-<br />Paralyze me.<br />Again, I can’t move,<br />For fear that I am dreaming-<br />Afraid to wake from this euphoric world.<br />Then, as if on cue,<br />My eyes partially open-<br />And focus-<br />Your face<br />Forces me into reality.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="26"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Just As</span><br /><br />Just as a stone cast breaks a silent pond,<br />And as a raindrop breaks a drought,<br />You have broken my frown.<br /><br />Just as music creates melody,<br />And rhyme creates reason,<br />You have created my thought.<br /><br />Just as a mother nurtures her child,<br />And as the sun nurtures the spring,<br />You have nurtured my dreams.<br /><br />And as I write, please remember,<br />My smile, my thoughts, and my dreams, are with you.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="27"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Haunting</span><br /><br />Tonight I sit in solitude<br />And though alone<br />The silence of this place<br />Has been broken.<br />I strain to hear you<br />Desperately trying to<br />Make sense of your words.<br />I shake my head<br />Hoping to clear the echoes<br />To stop the haunting<br />But you will not cease to exist.<br />You wander my mind<br />Tripping over recollections<br />Of hours we passed earlier<br />Of hours passed so passionately.<br />Again I hear your voice-<br />“Baby, what are you doing to me?”<br />And I must ask you the same…<br />What are you doing to me-<br />And why are you not doing it now?<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="28"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Woven</span><br /><br />Like that of a fine crafted quilt<br />My emotions have been intricately woven.<br />Each square a representation<br />Of the individuality,<br />The beauty,<br />Of you and I, combined<br />To form the final masterpiece.<br />Its warmth is my gift to you<br />Please, accept it<br />Cradle it in your arms,<br />Hold me close to your heart,<br />Let my love blanket you<br />In times of reminisce<br />And sweet dreaming slumber.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="29"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Exhausted Thoughts</span><br /><br />I race against time<br />My mind sprinting to catch the thoughts<br />But I cannot keep up<br />My lips part<br />Though I have already lost the words<br /><br />A minute ago<br />I knew exactly what to say<br />How to convey<br />What I so ache for you to know<br />But again language eludes me<br /><br />As if perhaps you are not meant to hear me<br />Not meant to know me,<br />Not meant to have me,<br />As I so deeply wish you could.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="30"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">That Night</span><br /><br />That night<br />This world<br />Was left behind.<br /><br />A new dimension was born<br />As I clung to you.<br /><br />Our bodies merged<br />With inseparable strength.<br /><br />Together our passion<br />Burnt uncontrollably<br />A blaze so bright<br />Even the sun could not compare.<br /><br />Every second<br />Our closeness grew<br />With an intensity<br />Immeasurable by words.<br /><br />For the first time<br />My soul fully opened<br />And yours as well.<br /><br />I felt a truth between us<br />A pure truth<br />Void of spoken words.<br /><br />There we were<br />Naked, beautiful<br />Breathless.<br /><br />That night,<br />We became…<br />Us.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="31"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">I Lie Awake</span><br /><br />I lie awake in my room,<br />But I am not at home.<br /><br />I am a stranger here<br />With nothing but my pen.<br /><br />I’ve loved you many times,<br />Yet I only seek you now.<br /><br />Right now, there is no love,<br />Only ink and paper.<br /><br />I long to run free with you<br />Once more.<br /><br />To lose my heart<br />Once again.<br /><br />For these are the things<br />That made me,<br />That drew me to you.<br /><br />These are the things<br />I’ve filled my heart with,<br />My soul with.<br /><br />How heavy my heart grows<br />With you so far away.<br /><br />So much noise in my head<br />That I can no longer hear your voice.<br /><br />Though worry not,<br />I will find you again.<br /><br />But for now, I’m busy<br />Chasing down an endless daybreak.<br /><br />So just kiss me in my thoughts,<br />Let me steady myself in your arms.<br /><br />Don’t ask me to be what you need,<br />Just let me exist-<br />As I am.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="32"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Heavenly</span><br /><br />We awake- <br />A look of calm on each of us. <br />Our peace is soft, <br />But tingling with fire- <br />Heavenly.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="33"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Utopia of One</span><br /><br />Heavy breathing<br />Beading condensation<br />On my skin<br /><br />Subdued<br />Eluded<br />Tracing you<br />Embracing me within<br /><br />Sedated<br />Triple rated ecstasy<br />My fantasy<br />You are<br /><br />My head so jaded<br />My dreams invaded<br />By you nightly<br /><br />Long tender kisses<br />Soft whispered wishes<br />Of our pleasures<br />To come<br /><br />The two of us<br />A Utopia<br />Of one.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="34"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Before Our Love</span><br /><br />In the darkness of night <br />I rise to begin my day. <br />Memories flow in the silence <br />Of yesterdays and tomorrows- <br />Which are fading flowers- <br />Lilacs and royal roses. <br />Sprays of regret <br />For the might have been <br />And the never will be. <br />All time is eternally present, <br />All time is unredeemable. <br />I talk on the phone with you <br />And imagine those unredeemable days. <br />I hear your voice, <br />And hear the presence of paradise around me- <br />Saving me. <br />Listening to you, I am redeemed- <br />Not in time, <br />But out of time. <br />Hearing you, <br />A joy of endless moments. <br />In the golden of your voice <br />I hear the royal roses. <br />Lilac lust sends a tremor down my spine. <br />I have been captured <br />In the hourglass of your soul, <br />Only to be tilted back <br />To the days of the unredeemable- <br />To the youth which we once knew, <br />As I speak of endless moments.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="35"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Moments</span><br /><br />The embers burn. <br />As flames rise- <br />A subtle glow lightens the room. <br />In a silent glance <br />Eyes meet- <br />Cool green like emeralds. <br />You smile, <br />And a chill runs down my spine. <br />My mind, <br />So captured by your beauty. <br />And inside my head, the record skips... <br /><br />...I love you... <br />I love you... <br />...I love you...<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="36"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Are You Real?</span><br />(Winner: Poem of the Week: June 19, 2005) <br /><br />Your eyes whisper <br />Words unspoken <br />Thoughts unseen <br />Dreams yet to be delivered <br />From reality. <br /><br />Your heartbeat surreal <br />So untimely <br />Yet in sync <br />With my world. <br /><br />Your touch <br />So lucid <br />So gentle <br />It’s unreal- <br /><br />Yet I feel you <br />As if you were… <br /><br />Real that is- <br /><br />Now all I can do <br />Is wonder… <br /><br />Are you? <br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="37"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Hand Held Folded</span><br /><br />If I could pull a piece of heaven down <br />I’d tuck you deep within eternity <br /><br />I’d shield you with my angel wings <br />Forever lying folded within you <br /><br />Each evening of forever <br />I’d chase away the shadows while you sleep <br /><br />I’d summon sunlight to your side <br />And let darkness never find you <br /><br />I’d hold your body close to heart <br />And warm you with caressing kisses <br /><br />I’d lie pressed against your chest <br />And listen to the peace upon your breath <br /><br />I’d rest quietly next to you and smile <br />At the smile that you so deserve <br /><br />At the beauty that you hold <br />Within your soul <br /><br />And at the hand held folded <br />Within mine <br /><br />I love you…<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="38"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Wishing Well</span><br /><br />Standing here over the wishing well <br />I toss in another token <br />Another hope that I won’t end up here again tomorrow <br /><br />The heaviness of my chest <br />Causes me to cough out loud <br />And I have to force myself just to breathe here without you <br /><br />“Forever’s only twenty days,” I try to tell myself <br />But it’s useless <br />The comfortable just won’t come alone <br />And I should know that <br /><br />Each night that sleepless comes <br />I lie focused on the perfection that is you <br />And I just simply cannot bear to leave my thoughts <br />So I turn him away <br /><br />Each day I dream about your face <br />And my world around me shrinks into the background <br />But I don’t care to be there anyhow <br />If not with you. <br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="39"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Walk All Over You </span><br /><br />I climb you. <br />First upward- <br />Then back down <br /><br />I begin where your hand <br />Lay loosely open <br />Next to mine <br /><br />Ever so slowly <br />I ascend your barren arm <br /><br />Pausing to squeeze gently <br />At the nape of your neck <br />Before exploring any further <br /><br />I wait <br />To hear your subtle moan <br />Then carry onward <br /><br />Inward- <br />Toward your spine <br />Transitioning to decline <br /><br />I bend my fingers <br />Slightly to the right <br />Then walk them down <br /><br />I pass your wrist <br />With tender fingertips <br />And begin to lace them <br />One by one into your own <br /><br />Until the last little finger <br />Finds its final place- <br />That loosely open space <br />That it calls home<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="40"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Forgotten Garden</span><br /><br />I buried you months ago. <br />Out in the backyard, <br />Over there between the truth and past. <br />In that little patch of garden <br />That I like to call forgotten. <br /><br />And that you were, <br />Until yesterday... <br />When I first discovered <br />The little heaps of heartache <br />Strewn about the lawn <br /><br />Freshly dug deceit and <br />Bits of bitterness <br />Litter the landscape <br />(Guess I should have buried you <br />A little deeper) <br /><br />Wouldn't be an issue though <br />If that damn dog were on a leash! <br />I buried my past to forget <br />Not for her entertainment- so... <br />Tell that bitch to go dig in your yard!<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="41"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Even Without My Eyes I Know &#40;acrostic&#41;</span><br />&#40;Winner: Form in Poetry Forum Award: December 03, 2005&#41;<br /><br />I saw you again last night<br />Never mind that you did not see me<br /><br />Dreams are supposed to be like that<br />Reclusive and mysterious<br />Each of which you truly are<br />At least in my mind anyhow<br />Much like a wordless thought<br />Somehow spoken, yet left unsaid<br /><br />Invisible in my waking hour<br /><br />So vivid while I sleep<br />Every detail of you becomes so clear that<br />Even without my eyes- I know that you are beautiful<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="42"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Will You Tuck Me In Tonight?</span><br />(Winner: Love and Romance Forum Award: September 11, 2005)<br /><br />Fold me within your arms <br />And hold my safety <br /><br />Kiss my goodnights <br />With your wishes of sweet dreams <br /><br />Lie with your breath upon my neck <br />As we end another day together <br /><br />Wake me with the dawn <br />That is the light of you <br /><br />Fill my mornings <br />With your sunshine <br /><br />And forever touch my days <br />With the warmth of your love<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="43"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">I Told Myself</span><br /><br />I told myself <br />That I would never <br />Love like that again- <br />Like I once loved you <br /><br />Guess I was right... <br /><br />I should have known <br />That kind of thing was irreplaceable, <br />Should have tried a little harder <br /><br />... But I didn&#39;t <br />And so I lost you <br /><br />Lost myself to a forever unsatisfied- <br />A forever without that perfect union <br />That I could only share with you <br /><br />God, how I wish I could change things <br />So that my heart could <br />Love again so perfectly <br /><br />But I can&#39;t- <br />I won&#39;t... <br /><br />Cuz I told myself <br />That I would never <br />Lie like that again.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center> <br /><br /><a name="44"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Perfection That Is Us (acrostic)</span><br /> <br />Surreal <br />Enrapture <br />Vicarious <br />Elation <br />Never-ending <br />Tryst <br />Eternal <br />Euphoria <br />Newfound <br /><br />Yearning <br />Evolves <br />Again <br />Rejuvenating <br />Serendipity <br /><br />Intimate <br />Nirvana <br /><br />Transcends <br />Heightened <br />Euphoria <br /><br />Mysterious <br />Affinity <br />Kindled <br />Intensely <br />Numinous <br />Grandeur<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="45"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Perfection That Is Us II &#40;acrostic&#41;</span><br /> <br />So young, so naïve- I was<br />Everything you didn’t need. My<br />Virgin body, my virgin mind would<br />Eventually be our demise.<br />No hard feelings, I just wasn’t ready<br />To be whatever it was you needed then<br />Even though I had wanted to <br />Even though I had tried<br />Naivety took some time to heal <br /><br />Years passed til we met once more, and<br />Excitedly we jumped right in again<br />Against the odds- and I was<br />Rediscovered and re-released <br />So quickly that <br /><br />I abandoned hope- all hope for our future<br />Never giving it another chance<br /><br />Til now.<br />How love found us again so<br />Easily, I’ll never know, but I like to think that<br /><br />Maybe we were just meant to be- <br />And we just didn’t see it then, so we<br />Kept our distance. But,<br />I&#39;m here to tell you that I see it now.<br />Now I know, I am your other half, and I will never let you<br />Go again…<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="46"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">In Every Aspect of You</span><br /><br />In a whisper <br />You are heard by the heart that listens <br /><br />In passion <br />You are every part of one who dreams <br /><br />In thought <br />You are the spark that ignites the fire- <br />An endless blaze within <br /><br />In taste <br />You are nature’s sweet honey <br /><br />In sight <br />You are my picture perfect <br /><br />In touch <br />You are the goose bumps that blanket my skin <br /><br />In love <br />You are omnipotent <br /><br />In time <br />You are eternal- <br />You are forever <br /><br />And I will forever <br />Be in love with you<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="47"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">For the Moment</span><br /><br />I draw the curtains back <br />And watch the snowfall in the night <br />Another shiver ripples up my spine <br />And I feel trapped alone in the coldness <br /><br />In my mind I draw pictures of your face <br />While staring at the empty space beside me <br />And though I am saddened by your absence <br />Just a simple thought of you brings a smile to my lips <br /><br />In my mind I speak to you in thought <br />As I shift my gaze back to the falling snow <br />I proceed to tell you everything I’ve always wanted you to know <br />But wasn’t bold enough to tell you <br /><br />Chalk that up to shyness I guess <br />I must confess, it’s a flaw I’ve yet to overcome <br />But as I think aloud tonight, I am not afraid to shout <br />For right now, I have no doubt that you will hear me <br /><br />For the moment, I can admit that these tears are for you <br />Yet I refuse to ever let them fall <br />I just can’t bear to part with those born of my happiness- <br />Of how grateful I am to have you <br /><br />For the moment, I can tell you how sorry I am <br />That I didn’t see you patiently standing there any sooner than I did <br />I can tell you how sorry I am that the memories we could’ve shared <br />Were never given life in my blindness <br /><br />For the moment, I can tell you that the love I feel for you is immeasurable- <br />So extraordinary, that to try and put it into words would be unfair <br />In fact, I’m not sure that I could ever communicate my love for you <br />There are simply no words that give sufficient meaning to its entirety <br /><br />For the moment, I can tell you that when I re-discovered you <br />I discovered too, that I had reached the end of my journey <br />I&#39;d finally found my reason for being- <br />I had discovered my destiny, and all along it was you.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="48"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Do You Remember?</span><br /><br />Remember all the shows we saw, the drives we took <br />Do you remember when you first held me while I cried? <br />Remember telling me it would be alright <br />As I let myself fall back into your arms <br />And back together again <br /><br />Do you remember whispering words that used to be true <br />Remember saying ‘I love you’ as you looked into my soul <br />And I so far fallen then <br />Had whispered unto you the same <br /><br />Do you remember the friends that we shared? <br />Remember how we didn't have a care outside each other <br />How we let childhood to rob us both of sense <br />As if that were what it was meant to do <br /><br />Remember how we'd put words into each other’s mouths <br />And complete unspoken sentences <br />Because somehow, we just knew each other well enough <br />To communicate without the use of words <br />Do you remember? <br /><br />Well... I do. <br /><br />When the day ends and I retire for the night <br />I’m often found dreaming of those days <br />Thankful that much like the stars, <br />Those times are still only right in front of me <br /><br />And though the memories of our past <br />Yield dreams seemingly too incredible to surpass, <br />I plan to make many more of them <br />So that I may dream of you again in time <br /><br />So tonight when we retire, <br />We shall drift to sleep held tightly in each other’s arms <br />The way it always should have been, <br />The very way it used to be… <br />The way that I remember.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="49"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Loverdose</span><br /><br />Perched at the foot of my bed<br />One foot planted firmly on the floor<br />To steady the vertigo<br /><br />I feel my heart race wildly<br />My chest growing tighter with each breath<br /><br />Thoughts of you escape my mind<br />Intoxicating every cell within<br /><br />A flood of mismatched emotions<br />Spills from every corner of my soul<br />Puddling on the bare cold tile below<br /><br />Everything within me<br />Fighting outward<br /><br />Everything so surreal <br />That I stop to ask myself<br />If maybe I am dying<br /><br />Or perhaps this is what it feels like<br />To finally be alive.<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="50"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Here I Sit</span><br /><br />Here I sit<br />Beautiful and alone<br />Sweeter than the sweetest candy<br />Yet still alone<br /><br />Alone because you've made me long for something<br />You knew you couldn't give<br />You've made me yearn for something<br />I was sure I did not need<br />Until you let me taste you<br /><br />Here I sit<br />Wanting nothing more than to hold you<br />To feel your touch <br />Inside and out<br />To laugh with you<br />To make you feel as wanted <br />As you truly are<br /><br />Here I sit<br />Knowing that it is wrong of me<br />To feel this way<br />To want you as I do<br /><br />I am forced to face the reality<br />That you are just a dream of mine<br />An illusion of my desires<br />And like the end of a rainbow<br />You are unattainable<br /><br />I am forced to accept <br />That I can never be yours<br />No matter how beautiful<br />No matter how sweet<br />No matter how alone<br />I am<br /><br />For I can only be your temporary solace<br />As you can only be mine<br /><br />So, until next time my love<br />Here I sit...<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a><br /><br /><center><a name="162"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Playing With Refrigerator Magnets</span><br /><br />I promise love<br />Trust<br />Loyalty<br />And truth<br />Never to break his heart<br />To not keep secrets<br />Or pain<br />He is everything I could ever need<br />And together, we are beyond perfect<br />He is the most beautiful soul I know<br />My heart needs nothing else<br />It wants only him forever<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="163"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Playing With Refrigerator Magnets 2</span><br /><br />He makes me fall in love with him<br />Every time he smiles<br />He is my everything<br />And I am his sugar<br />Together, we are beyond perfect<br />And I can't love him enough<br /><br /><a href="#index2">Back to Index</a><br /><br /><center><hr NOSHADE height=2px></center><br /><br /><center><a name="index3"></a><span style="font-weight: bold"> <span style="text-decoration: underline">***The Darker Side of Purgatory***</span> </span> <br /><br /><a href="#51">Death By Default</a><br /><a href="#52">Tick Tock... Tick Tock... In Envy Of The Clock</a><br /><a href="#53">Drinking At The Edge Of Nowhere</a><br /><a href="#54">Parallel Intoxication</a><br /><a href="#55">Forever Dreaming In-Between</a><br /><a href="#56">Sickened</a><br /><a href="#57">Undone Reality</a><br /><a href="#58">His Storm</a><br /><a href="#59">I Am Nocturnal</a><br /><a href="#60">Eyes Scanning</a><br /><a href="#61">The Coming Of Age</a><br /><a href="#62">The Day Has Come</a><br /><a href="#63">Runaway Train</a><br /><a href="#64">The Mirror</a><br /><a href="#65">The Exit</a><br /><a href="#66">Already Dead</a><br /><a href="#67">Resistance</a><br /><a href="#68">Second Guessing Sanity</a> <br /><a href="#69">Existence Filled With Shame</a><br /><a href="#70">Goodbye My Dear Undying &#40;acrostic&#41;</a><br /><a href="#71">Sweep You Under</a><br /><a href="#72">Ass Kicking Lessons: 101</a><br /><a href="#73">On the Shores of Castigation</a><br /><a href="#74">Thoughts From a Fifth Story Window</a><br /><a href="#75">Life Among the Lily Pads</a><br /><a href="#76">Debt to the Mob &#40;a nonet&#41;</a><br /><a href="#77">Under the Weather &#40;a nonet&#41;</a><br /><a href="#78">Illegal Tender</a><br /><a href="#79">Bleeding and Alone</a><br /><a href="#80">Steal a Feel</a><br /><a href="#81">I Died Here Waiting</a><br /><a href="#82">The Child Unborn</a><br /><a href="#83">I Know You’re There</a><br /><a href="#84">Whole Again</a><br /><a href="#85">Everyone Has a Breaking Point</a><br /><a href="#86">Out of Ink</a></center><br /><br /><a name="51"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Death By Default</span><br /><br />Pain searing<br />Blood seething-<br />Seeping from every orifice...<br />Carefully sharpened claws<br />Tearing,<br />Shredding,<br />Peeling away my soul.<br />Soaked in sweat,<br />Fear,<br />Tears I never knew<br />That I could cry.<br />You force yourself<br />Upon me-<br />Penetrate me,<br />Rape me<br />Of my world.<br />Reigning,<br />Blood staining,<br />Flaming<br />Gates of Hell...<br />Your Brutal<br />Barren hands<br />Asphyxiate me,<br />Inebriate me,<br />But refuse<br />To let me die.<br />Hollowed<br />And horrified,<br />Wretched<br />And writhing.<br />Restrained-<br />Chained to the stakes.<br />Pounded-<br />Driven through fists<br />Of rage.<br />Gnashing,<br />Slashing,<br />Piercing flesh<br />And grinding bone.<br />Your laughter<br />Licking,<br />Sticking,<br />Sickening my mind.<br />Wilted,<br />Tilted,<br />Guilted little girl…<br />Driven to,<br />Given to<br />Death by default.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="52"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Tick Tock... Tick Tock... In Envy Of The Clock</span><br /><br />I watched the tiny hands of the clock<br />So graceful,<br />So persistent,<br />So determined to complete the day.<br />Never resting until the cycle,<br />The full circle is complete.<br />I envy whatever makes it tick.<br />I ache for an obsession such as that-<br />Always counting the ways<br />That such a passion<br />Would make my days so complete as well.<br />Yet no matter how hard I try,<br />I cannot harness even a fraction of its power.<br />Why I even ponder the possibility<br />I do not know.<br />I guess some things just weren’t meant<br />To be equal,<br />Not meant to be so round,<br />I guess some things<br />Are not driven by the now…<br />Or maybe, some things<br />Simply aren’t made to tick forever.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="53"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Drinking At the Edge of Nowhere</span><br /><br />I can taste it,<br />The bitterest bile reviled.<br />Tempting the tongue,<br />Lying the sweet slow honey.<br />So slow,<br />Dripping my bones.<br />My blood burns so sore<br />While my thoughtless pleading lips<br />Scream more!<br />Sweet peace,<br />An empty release.<br />Forgive my glittering eyes,<br />That sightless stare-<br />Drinking at the edge of nowhere-<br />And tasting it,<br />The ashes on my tongue,<br />Soft soothing whispers in my mind.<br />Steady my hand,<br />My witless heart.<br />Still giddy spinning spirals-<br />And when you come find me<br />Laughing in the devil’s face,<br />Then please don’t leave me<br />Drinking at the edge of nowhere.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="54"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Parallel Intoxication</span><br /><br />One-Two…<br />I summoned you,<br />Controlling everything you do.<br /><br />Three-Four…<br />My little whore,<br />Tease me, please me, give me more.<br /><br />Five-Six…<br />The seconds tick,<br />It’s time again to get your fix.<br /><br />Seven-Eight…<br />Euphoric state,<br />Your mind no longer can relate.<br /><br />Nine-Ten…<br />Unconscious Zen,<br />But is it real or just pretend?<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="55"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Forever Dreaming In-Between</span><br /><br />Caught between the dark and light<br />A tug of war with wrong and right<br /><br />I spin and twirl through endless mist<br />A downward spiral I can’t resist<br /><br />For I’ve become the middle man<br />Of halfway points and sinking sands<br /><br />One moment grief the next one joy<br />The puppet masters favorite toy<br /><br />From laugh to tear<br />I love and fear<br /><br />The almost there<br />And nowhere near<br /><br />From truth to lie, to rumor spread<br />From birth to life, or death instead<br /><br />Yes, I am where the pages bind<br />Where truth and fiction intertwine<br /><br />I’m demons, angels, Heaven, Hell<br />I’m you, and, me, and them as well<br /><br />I search for reason within the rhyme<br />I search for minutes, hours, time<br /><br />Yet night and day remain unseen<br />Forever dreaming in-between.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="56"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Sickened</span><br /><br />I can feel it-<br />Somewhere deep within<br />An illness erupts.<br />Weak and sickened<br />I become.<br />Your venom permeates my blood<br />Fragments of you<br />Still piercing<br />After all this time.<br />I always knew<br />You had a power<br />Over me,<br />Yet I failed to realize<br />Its potency-<br />Its toxicity<br />Until the cancer<br />Had already spread.<br />Throughout my whole being<br />I ache,<br />My limbs twitching at the numbness<br />That was once you.<br />Writhing and dizzy with delirium<br />I wait for death,<br />For the you that remains inside<br />To cease its existence<br />And leave what little is left<br />Of my heart<br />To beat to the rhythm<br />Of life-<br />Of my life<br />That you so nearly<br />Depraved me of.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="57"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Undone Reality</span><br /><br />Now what dimension am I in?<br />The signs say finish to begin.<br />The up direction points to down<br />And eyes are ears that hear no sound.<br /><br />No wonder no one understands<br />The simplest complex demands<br />Just faces bearing looks of void,<br />A twilight zone has been employed.<br /><br />Nowhere is where here is now<br />I’ve got to turn around somehow!<br />But with the planets out of line<br />Reasons rhyme is hard to find.<br /><br />Frustration, rage have been unfurled<br />In this topsy-turvy underworld.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="58"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">His Storm</span><br /><br />What was once a gentle breeze<br />Now sends painful chills all down my spine.<br />Goosebumps blanket my body.<br /><br />And I can’t help but wonder<br />Why my warm has felt that he must go.<br /><br />A darkness falls around me<br />As the tears fall from me-<br />The sunshine so far away now.<br /><br />But how-<br />He was just here a moment ago.<br /><br />Helplessly I try to make sense of it<br />But the storm closes in too quickly.<br />I brace myself for what might happen next.<br /><br />Will his clouds part?<br />Will his wind die?<br />Or will I face my tomorrow<br />Dark and sunless<br />Still surrounded by this cold and hollow confusion?<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="59"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">I Am Nocturnal</span><br /><br />I am nocturnal.<br />In the darkness,<br />My visions clear as day.<br /><br />But you-<br />You feel the need to shed your light upon me-<br />To instantly render me immobile<br />And again, I feel paralyzed.<br /><br />I cringe and squint my eyes<br />As I desperately try to focus<br />On something-<br />Anything...<br />But in your light,<br />I see nothing.<br /><br />And you-<br />You only think that you can see me<br />That you can know me,<br />But your visions are only a mirage-<br />A trick of your mind<br />And the deafening thoughts within it.<br />I cover my ears,<br />Trying to stifle the cries within you.<br /><br />If only for a moment<br />You could quiet them,<br />And let yourself listen-<br />Then perhaps you would understand<br />That many times it is in silence<br />When truth rings its loudest.<br /><br />But once again<br />You’ve let the sounds of your fear<br />Torment you-<br />The sounds of the tainted<br />Befriend you.<br /><br />But I prefer the quiet<br />And the darkness-<br />So you go now,<br />Leave me to the shadows.<br />Tuck me away<br />Where you once found me-<br />Where I can again be<br />The shadow,<br />The mystery,<br />That you will never solve.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="60"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Eyes Scanning</span><br /><br />Eyes scanning<br />Landing upon my unsuspecting skin.<br />Your disapproving gaze pierces my soul,<br />Punctured with jealousy,<br />Blinded by assumption.<br /><br />You convict me without fair trial,<br />Sentence me to anguish and confusion.<br />Reality reaches back<br />Slapping me in the face.<br /><br />Without witness or defense<br />You incarcerate me.<br />What happened to our justice?<br />Have you lost faith in the system?<br /><br />Perhaps that is it…<br />Or maybe I am depreciating-<br />Losing value-<br />Raising questions in your mind.<br /><br />I file for mistrial,<br />But I am denied.<br />I scream in frustration,<br />But you do not hear.<br /><br />My voice is drowned out<br />By your screaming doubts.<br />And now, a new door has been opened,<br />A new system lies beyond it.<br /><br />One where truth takes a new form<br />And where innocence is determined<br />Not by fact,<br />But through your eyes<br />&#40;You know they never lie.&#41;<br /><br />I only wish I could give you mine<br />So that you would know,<br />So you would “see” the truth.<br />Not as a perception,<br />But as a reality.<br />Our reality,<br />&#40;Or so it was.&#41;<br /><br />Yet I fear it has been tainted-<br />Stained by corruption and mistrust.<br />For all I have now is my hope.<br />As I lie here restless<br />Awaiting my sentence.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="61"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Coming Of Age</span><br /><br />Today I dance, I play, I sing<br />I laugh through life and spread my wings<br />I fly through nights and soar through days<br />No wrong or right within my ways<br /><br />No remorse and no regret<br />For I don’t know their meanings yet<br />The pain of truth I cannot feel<br />I cannot distinguish fake from real<br /><br />Fact or fiction- who’s to care<br />Nowhere, somewhere, here or there<br />Then suddenly my wings were clipped<br />And from my soul my youth was ripped<br /><br />No longer innocence to blame<br />My world corrupted, set aflame<br />The ash of who I used to be<br />Now blankets everything I see<br /><br />My carefree life has been erased<br />With problems I am forced to face<br />Like broken hearts and shattered dreams<br />And what redemption really means<br /><br />I took for granted all those years<br />The warnings I chose not to hear<br />So now my child- I’m here to say<br />There’s more to life than just today<br /><br />So dance, and play, and have your fun<br />Just remember time can’t be undone<br />The story’s written as you age<br />And life won’t wait to turn the page.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="62"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Day Has Come</span><br /><br />Twilight trembles<br />Night has gone<br />Shadows, dewdrops<br />Rise the dawn<br />Dreams are perished<br />Melted day<br />Your mind returned<br />Emotions played<br />Another body<br />Robbed of soul<br />One more puppet<br />Pays the toll<br />The light, the sun<br />Command your thought<br />The midnight mortals’<br />Lesson taught<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="63"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Runaway Train</span><br /><br />Once again I have fallen.<br />Not in time,<br />But out of time-<br />Out of sync with the rest of my world.<br /><br />Just moments ago<br />We ran on parallel tracks,<br />Traveled at equal speeds,<br />Headed for the same destination-<br />Yet somehow again I’ve been derailed.<br /><br />Only this time,<br />I can’t cry out for help,<br />I can’t ask for directions-<br />I can’t even whisper the thought<br />For fear of another fiery explosion.<br /><br />No-<br />This time I must tumble down alone-<br />Afraid and finally silent-<br />Just myself and my confusion<br />And the twisted wreckage<br />Of a once precious cargo.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="64"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Mirror</span><br /><br />There are seldom times<br />That I look into the glass<br />And really see myself.<br />I am seeing merely a face.<br /><br />For what I see<br />Is not nearly who I am.<br />The mirror only portrays<br />A pretty face<br />With a painted smile.<br /><br />A young woman,<br />An average girl,<br />In a common world-<br />One in a world of many.<br /><br />A kind and carefree creature<br />Laughing her way through life.<br /><br />If only the reflection were true,<br />Maybe we could see more clearly-<br />If the mirror could reflect the soul<br />Then you would see the real me...<br /><br />Not a pretty face<br />With a painted smile-<br />But a beaten body<br />And a hidden frown.<br /><br />Not a young woman,<br />But a child-<br />Who&#39;s lost her innocence<br />Aged well beyond her years.<br /><br />Not an average girl<br />In a common world,<br />But the poster child of<br />An abnormal reality.<br /><br />Not one in a world of many,<br />But alone and empty<br />In a realm that few<br />Are ever cursed to travel.<br /><br />Not a kind and carefree creature<br />Laughing her way through life,<br />But a girl so over-burdened by evil<br />That she cries almost constantly for her own death.<br /><br />These are things even I rarely see-<br />Yet with every breath am forced feel.<br />For one to understand this pain<br />One must see my true reflection-<br />Yet the mirror limits you<br />To only an illusion.<br /><br />You do not have to witness the battles<br />That I am forced to fight.<br />And though I wish nothing more<br />Than for you to understand,<br />I choose to withdraw into the mirror.<br /><br />Hell is no place for the living,<br />Nor for the innocent,<br />Like yourself.<br /><br />Yet since I have found my way.<br />I must remain here-<br />Starring back at you<br />Hiding in my reflection-<br />So that you do not find it too.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="65"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Exit</span><br /><br />Once surrounded by all that is green,<br />I now lay shaken.<br />The blackness over my body consumes me.<br />All is desolate, dry, decayed,<br />All because of my one misstep<br />My weakness…<br />I search desperately for a door to carry me,<br />Back to that place in time-<br />The place where all was bright,<br />Where the sunlight still held promise.<br />Finally realizing that the exit is non-existent,<br />My soul shall lay in darkness... indefinitely.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="66"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Already Dead</span><br /><br />Serrated hatred<br />Like broken shards of glass<br />Your prisms my nightmares<br />Open doors to the past<br />Tortured and tangled<br />Chained in your cell<br />Unstable unable<br />My personal Hell<br />Tainted and tarnished<br />This Rusted decay<br />One more soul for the stalking<br />One more innocent prey<br />Another mind bent in bondage<br />Echoing sin<br />Screams of the captured<br />Your rapture within<br />Laughing my last words<br />Through lips bloodstained red<br />“Go ahead- you can’t kill me”<br />“For I’m already dead”<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="67"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Resistance</span><br /><br />March, bend, sway, <br />Do as I say. <br />You are me, <br />I am you- <br /><br />You say no to conformity, <br />Chastity, <br />Lies of society. <br /><br />Existence, <br />Persistence. <br />Perfection, <br />Affection… <br /><br />More lies! <br /><br />You lie to me, <br />And I am you- <br />Crack the mirror.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="68"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Second Guessing Sanity</span><br /><br />I lean against the cold walls of nowhere<br />Soaked skin<br />Another shiver from within<br />I pass the time counting shadows<br />Blackened images of who I’ve never been<br />The skies grow darker<br />And I hold my breath<br />Trying to keep the heat<br />A whisper barely audible<br />Grazes past my ears<br />I feel a lump form in my throat<br />Fear choked and frozen<br />I close my eyes<br />Trying to pretend that I’m unseen<br />Obscene<br />But comforting in thought<br />I bury my head in my hands<br />Playing dead again<br />Peeking through the tiny cracks between my fingers<br />I try to catch a glimpse<br />Of the voice<br />But I see nothing<br />Another paranoid illusion to blame<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="69"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Existence Filled With Shame</span><br /><br />Tears shed as whispers <br />A voice rings in my mind <br />Its words cut like razors <br />And again, I die inside <br /><br />As shadows of yesterdays <br />Slip between the cracks <br />The light of what I used to be <br />Slowly dims, then fades to black <br /><br />Thoughts shot from broken arrows <br />Soar through reddened skies <br />Your piercing precision <br />Stabbed its blindness in my eyes <br /><br />As I shed these tainted tears <br />That drip and bleed your name <br />I drown myself in memories <br />Of an existence filled with shame<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="70"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Goodbye My Dear Undying &#40;acrostic&#41;</span><br /> <br />Moments lost<br />Instantly<br />So unjustly your departure<br />So sudden your absence<br />I feel abandoned<br />Numbed from endless days of<br />Grieving for you<br /><br />Your words echo<br />Over and over in my mind<br />&quot;Undying&quot; you said, then<br /><br />Solemnly I toss the flowers<br />One by one upon your hallowed grave<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="71"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Sweep You Under</span><br /><br />There I go again- <br />Bleeding <br />I thought I was finally free <br />Thought you could hurt me no more <br />But I stand corrected <br />Just when I thought it was safe <br />To bring order to my life again <br />I cut myself once more <br />I was only trying to pick my heart up off the floor <br />Guess it was too soon though <br />Unforgiving with steel's coldness <br />Its jagged edge still sharpened <br />With hate for you <br />So again I pretend <br />That all is well <br />Sweep you back under the rug <br />Grab myself another Band-Aid <br />And hide the hurt once more<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="72"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Ass Kicking Lessons: 101</span><br /><br />Take those padded gloves off <br />This aint&#39; no boxing match <br />This is your life little girl <br />It&#39;s time to get your ass whooped <br />Stand up and face it <br />Get that pretty &#39;lil face split <br />Let&#39;s see how tough you really are <br />I&#39;ll make you spit cheekfuls <br />Of bloodstained teeth <br />Leave your nearly lifeless body <br />Barely breathing <br />In the street <br />I tried to tell you <br />Not to fuck with me!<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="73"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">On the Shores of Castigation</span><br /><br />Every hate ridden word <br />Every objection <br />That spills from your lips <br />Begins to puddle at my feet <br />I watch the ripples in disbelief <br />A new one forms <br />With every sickened curse <br />Submersing my dignity <br />Drowning my worth <br />In your perverse pools of madness <br />My trembling hands <br />Desperately search the darkness <br />For something <br />Anything to cling to <br />But they find nothing <br />The waters darken <br />As disgust forces me deeper <br />Suddenly I feel calm <br />Then just before going under <br />I feel it <br />The final blow of degradation <br />To my significance<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="74"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Thoughts From a Fifth Story Window</span><br /><br />If I told you to erase me tomorrow, <br />Would you? <br />If I asked you to replace me, <br />Smash my face on the concrete below- <br />What then? <br />Would you see to it that I grace the fall? <br />Would you watch me <br />Waste away shame and society <br />Deface their pretty sidewalk <br />With my outrage in outlines <br />Forever traced in white tape<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="75"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Life Among the Lily Pads</span><br /><br />Sink or swim- <br />That's how the saying goes. <br />There is no in-between <br />So what am I to do? <br /><br />I don't want to die <br />Not yet <br />But they won't let go <br />Won't give me the freedom <br />To swim to safety <br /><br />Each time I try, <br />Their grip tightens <br />And I can't break the coils <br />Of this world. <br /><br />My head barely above water <br />I frantically thrash about. <br />I scan the shoreline <br />For somebody- <br />Anybody, <br />But again, it's no use <br /><br />This is a lonely lake <br />And now I know why <br />Sink or swim they say- <br />Or tread water til you die.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="76"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Debt to the Mob &#40;nonet&#41;</span><br /><br />Two shots- one to the head and the heart <br />Eyes still wide open in terror <br />Screams frozen upon their lips <br />That is how he found them <br />After work that day <br />His wife and son <br />The payment <br />For his <br />Crime<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="77"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Under the Weather (nonet)</span><br /><br />Outside in the darkness I waited <br />Chilled to the bone and sopping wet <br />Dripping hair and falling tears <br />Indistinguishable <br />From one another <br />Consuming me <br />Drowning me <br />In your <br />Storm<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="78"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Illegal Tender</span><br /><br />The backward ways of children played <br />Like pawns upon the streets <br />Like gladiators forced to fight <br />Or death be their defeat <br /><br />Both bought and sold <br />But left untold <br />The stories of these tricks <br />Another token paid to them <br />So you can get your fix <br /><br />With eyes rolled back <br />In pools of black <br />Your numbness has begun <br />Place one more needle on the track <br />Another childhood undone <br /><br />Pay your debt with innocence <br />We&#39;re forced to leave behind <br />As a trade for your addiction <br />A payment for your line <br /><br />Intoxicate your hatred <br />For whom you have become <br />Once again stare blankly down <br />The narrow barrel of that gun <br /><br />Only this time... <br /><br />...Pull the fucking trigger!<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="79"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Bleeding and Alone</span><br /><br />I saw you today <br />Only for a second- <br />When you walked through the door <br /><br />...I froze <br /><br />All I could do was stand there <br />And question the reality of it all <br />I wanted so badly to disbelieve <br />What my eyes saw before me <br /><br />But then it happened- <br />The inevitable exchanging of a glance <br />Then, in one second <br />I knew that you were real <br /><br />I knew, because for that one second, <br />I felt you again- <br />I felt the love, the pain, the anger... <br />I relived my regrets, and your betrayals... <br /><br />Fresh wounds replaced your scars <br />Old stitches tore away to bleed again <br />And every part of me ached unbearably <br />So quickly, I turned away <br /><br />I couldn't let you see that I still cared <br />Couldn't let you see that a moment in your eyes <br />Could still bring tears to mine <br /><br />Then, when the elevator opened <br />I turned to look back once more <br />But you were gone.... <br /><br />And again I had been left... <br />Bleeding and alone<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="80"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Steal a Feel</span><br /><br />I feel him trespass again <br />But I simply roll over <br />And proceed to sleep <br /><br />Hoping that my turned back <br />Is enough to show <br />That I am not interested <br /><br />Yet as if in defiance <br />His hands slide further down <br />And awaken me again <br /><br />I simply hide the rage <br />And seek solitary elsewhere <br />Hoping the next night will be different <br /><br />But again <br />I wake to find myself exposed <br />Again, I have been violated <br /><br />Each night that passes <br />My desire dies <br />In the awkwardness <br /><br />The disrespect fuels <br />My mistrust <br />And I find myself trying to adjust <br /><br />Trying to cover up <br />The bitter disgust I feel <br />When I am robbed of a sleep uninterrupted<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="81"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">I Died Here Waiting</span><br /><br />And the silence cut like razors<br />Some inflicting new wounds<br />While others seek to tear open <br />Those that have scarred over <br />So many times before<br /><br />I watch the crimson liquid fall<br />Forming scarlet letters as it lands<br />My last desperate attempt <br />To make you hear me<br /><br />Like a black hole<br />The darkness closes in around me<br />Sucking everything into its void<br />The only thing escaping it<br />The eternal nothingness I feel<br /><br />Each second that my skin grows pale<br />I pray for you to save me<br />Hoping I'll awake to hear your voice<br />Whispering assurance that this lonely <br />Is nothing but a dream<br /><br />With each drop I bleed<br />My longing for you grows <br />And I can't help but wonder<br />If I'll get another chance <br />To feel your arms fold so perfectly around me<br /><br />As I watch the hours pass <br />I begin to worry that you may not come in time <br />To stop my bleeding<br />That you may not come in time <br />For me to tell you that I love you<br />One last time<br /><br />And if I shall die here <br />Cold, and lonely<br />Dark, and empty<br />Silent, and stale<br /><br />Please know that I died here loving you<br />I died here waiting <br />For you to love me in return<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="82"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Child Unborn</span><br /><br />Inside me <br />I feel so much for you<br />but outside <br />I feel I have so little control <br />Each day that passes I feel so useless<br />So helpless<br />So afraid that I may never get the chance to hold you<br />With every passing moment<br />My hopes begin to fade <br />Crippling me with the thought<br />That I may never get the chance to see your face <br />Or to hear the sound of your laughter<br />Then suddenly my tears begin to fall<br />As I take in the realization<br />That I may never even know your name<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="83"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">I Know You’re There</span><br /><br />There you are,<br />Behind my back,<br />Tiptoeing softly,<br />Just hoping<br />That I don't turn around<br />And catch you.<br /><br />But little do you know,<br />I already have.<br /><br />I know you're there,<br />I can feel you-<br />Feel us<br />As we fade.<br /><br />I know you're there,<br />I can hear you-<br />Whispering,<br />Telling her all those things<br />You thought you'd once told me,<br />But didn't.<br /><br />Yes, I know you're there,<br />Admitted or not,<br />I know.<br /><br />I know because it's there<br />That I am not.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="84"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Whole Again</span><br /><br />Release me from<br />This pent up pain and anger<br />Bury it beneath me<br />Un-endanger my mind<br />Let go of these violent obscenities<br />Expel the hate within me<br />Deprave the death I feel<br />Come steal the poison from my blood<br />Give me love without loss<br />Show me joy without the pain<br />Deafen the lies inside me<br />Please help me to become<br />Whole again<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="85"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Everyone Has a Breaking Point</span><br /><br />I'm broken now<br />My heart lay in pieces at my feet<br />Like a fetally alcoholic child<br />My mind rocks back and forth<br />Going nowhere<br />The pains of all your past inflictions <br />Surround me<br />Suffocating me <br />Til I can breathe no longer <br />The present takes its aim <br />With a sniper's precision<br />And I fall to my knees<br />Inside this shallow grave<br />Knowing it's the last time<br />That I will ever <br />Bear your wounds <br />As the world around me<br />Quickly loses color<br />One last smile <br />Parts upon my lips<br />And I surrender peacefully <br />To life's last thought...<br /><br /><br />…It's finally over.<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="86"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Out of Ink</span><br /><br />I put my pen to paper<br />But the words fail to appear upon it<br />I scribble little circles of confusion<br />Trying desperately to bleed the ink<br />But still<br />I&#39;m left with nothing<br />Just a void of whitespace before me<br />Expressionless<br />Emotionless<br />My everything <br />Trapped inside me again<br /><br />Not that it matters though-<br /><br />For even if I had a way to free my feelings<br />You would simply let the pages lie here<br />You&#39;d leave my words unread<br />My voice unheard<br />And I&#39;d be left alone again<br />My soul broken and useless<br />Just like this shitty pen of mine<br /><br /><a href="#index3">Back to Index</a><br /><br /><center><hr NOSHADE height=2px></center><br /><br /><a name="index4"></a><span style="font-weight: bold"> <span style="text-decoration: underline"> ***Senryu, Cinquain &amp; Short Forms***</span> </span><br /><br /><a href="#87">Silent Summers</a><br /><a href="#88">Part of Me Dies</a><br /><a href="#89">Life After Death</a><br /><a href="#90">Untitled</a><br /><a href="#91">My Love</a><br /><a href="#92">Suicide Child</a><br /><a href="#93">The Truth</a><br /><a href="#94">A Headache With Your Name</a><br /><a href="#95">Sex and Chocolate</a><br /><a href="#96">Drowning In You</a><br /><a href="#97">Another Solitary Night</a><br /><a href="#98">The “In” Crowd</a><br /><a href="#99">Daydreams</a><br /><a href="#100">Another Dead End &#40;Writer’s Block&#41;</a><br /><a href="#101">Suffocating Your Name</a><br /><a href="#102">The Guilty Are Born Again</a><br /><a href="#103">In Awe &#40;a nonet&#41;</a><br /><a href="#104">Untitled II</a><br /><a href="#105">A Senryu For Nosh</a><br /><a href="#106">Head In Your Hands</a><br /><a href="#107">To Fly Past Time</a><br /><a href="#108">Hell Breeding Evil &#40;an abecedarian&#41;</a> <br /><a href="#109">The A-Z of You &#40;an abecedarian&#41;</a><br /><a href="#110">Untitled III &#40;a senryu&#41;</a><br /><a href="#111">Empty Heart, Empty Hands &#40;a nonet&#41;</a><br /><a href="#112">Papercut Love With a Side of Lemons &#40;a tanka&#41;</a><br /><a href="#113">Seventeen Years &#40;a senryu&#41;</a><br /><a href="#114">Life Cycles &#40;a senryu&#41;</a><br /><a href="#115">My Baby Blue &#40;acrostic&#41;</a><br /><a href="#116">Word of the Day &#40;acrostic&#41;</a><br /><a href="#117">Your Head Hung in Shame &#40;senryu&#41;</a><br /><a href="#118">Re-captured &#40;nonet&#41;</a><br /><a href="#119">Your Wandering Heart &#40;acrostic&#41;</a><br /><a href="#120">Resurrecting the Evening &#40;nonet&#41;</a><br /><a href="#121">Consumed By Thought &#40;acrostic&#41;</a><br /><a href="#122">Taboo You &#40;nonet&#41;</a></center><br /><br /><br /><a name="87"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Silent Summers</span><br /><br />Silent summers <br />Hours lingering in thought <br />But days won't differ from years <br />And with time comes a heart's desire<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="88"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Part of Me Dies</span><br /><br />A chill, a shiver <br />Frozen in these fears again <br />Bitterly alone<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="89"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Life After Death</span><br /><br />Immortality <br />Mysterious, elusive <br />Taunting, teasing, intriguing <br />Is there such a thing? <br />Eternity<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="90"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Untitled</span><br /><br />Baby <br />Sweet, loyal <br />Loving, lying, leaving <br />What a liar you are! <br />Dog <br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="91"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">My Love</span><br /><br />Your name <br />So beautiful <br />It echoes in my dreams <br />And I'll hear it again tonight <br />My love.<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="92"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Suicide Child</span><br /><br />Whimpers and whispers <br />Lonely cries for his father <br />&quot;Why is my dad dead?&quot; <br />And I fail to answer him. <br />My child of suicide.<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="93"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Truth</span><br /><br />So, you asked for it... <br />Are you ready to listen? <br />Can you handle it- <br />Accept it for what it is? <br />Or will you refuse to hear? <br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="94"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">A Headache With Your Name</span><br /><br />Do you have a point <br />A significance to me? <br />If so, get to it <br />I can&#39;t take your thoughtless words <br />And constant chatter- Shut Up! <br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="95"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Sex and Chocolate</span><br /><br />Toss me down again <br />Look deeply into my eyes <br />Curl your hand in mine <br />Melt me like a candy kiss <br />I can't resist your sweetness <br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="96"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Drowning In You</span><br /><br />Passion <br />A crashing wave <br />Rolling, pounding, power <br />An unforgiving undertow <br />Of love <br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="97"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Another Solitary Night</span><br /><br />Empty <br />Tossing, turning <br />Another sleepless night <br />My ache and hollow cease to rest <br />Alone <br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="98"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The “In” Crowd</span><br /><br />Put it on again <br />Deceive the world little girl <br />Hide behind your lies <br />The mask a mere illusion <br />Beauty lives only in truth<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="99"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Daydreams</span><br /><br />My lust <br />like a hunger <br />wanting, taunting, teasing, <br />I so ache for you to fulfill <br />these needs<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="100"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Another Dead End &#40;Writer’s Block&#41;</span><br /><br />The white so blinding <br />Yet I can&#39;t help but to stare <br />Into the empty <br />I curse the unwritten words <br />Of nothingness before me<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="101"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Suffocating Your Name</span><br /><br />You gave me breath, life <br />But then you left me choking <br />On your hurtful words <br />Your name swelling on my tongue <br />Yet I can't bear to swallow<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="102"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Guilty Are Born Again</span><br /><br />I raise the cup high <br />Arms tremble above my head <br />My hands slow to tilt <br />I question the dark liquid <br />Religion spilling over <br /><br />Splashing upon me <br />Baptism without belief <br />Are you too guilty?<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="103"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">In Awe (nonet)</span><br /><br />In awe- I watched your shadow dancing <br />The candlelight upon your face <br />Mesmerized by your beauty <br />I traced your silhouette <br />Placed it in my mind <br />Tucked it away <br />My keepsake <br />Dancing <br />Flame<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="104"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Untitled II</span><br /><br />I hear somebody whispering <br />I thought it was my name <br />Now it&#39;s a sentence without words, <br />Just a breeze of wondrous sounds.<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="105"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Senryu For Nosh</span><br /><br />In one poem she said <br />Everything I wanted to... <br />Give me your today <br /><br />A tribute to the oh so beautiful poem “Give me your Today” by our beloved Friend_Forever <br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="106"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Head In Your Hands</span><br /><br />Tears wet with regret <br />His chapter comes to an end <br />And you&#39;re not in it<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="107"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">To Fly Past Time</span><br /><br />Oh wings, please lift me <br />Carry me above this place <br />Beyond my sorrow <br />Past the worries of today <br />Give me hope for tomorrow<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="108"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Hell Breeding Evil &#40;abecedarian&#41;</span><br /> <br />Another <br />Baby’s <br />Cry <br />Drowned out of <br />Existence <br />Fragility <br />Given again to <br />Hate&#39;s <br />Incubation <br />Jeopardize another life <br />Kill another soul with <br />Lack of <br />Morals <br />Nurture the <br />Oblivion <br />Partake in the <br />Quest of <br />Reliving the <br />Sin <br />Trapped inside <br />Unilateral lies <br />Vortex of brimstone <br />Wastelands you call home so <br />Xerophilous <br />Your Torrid <br />Zone<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="109"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The A-Z of You (abecedarian)</span><br /> <br />Alluring, <br />Breathtaking, <br />Captivating, <br />Delectable, <br />Enthralling,<br />Flirtatious,<br />Gripping,<br />Heavenly,<br />Irresistible,<br />Jolting,<br />Kind,<br />Luscious,<br />Magical,<br />Near-perfect,<br />Oracular,<br />Phenomenal,<br />Quixotic,<br />Rapturous,<br />Seductive,<br />Tantalizing, <br />Unparalleled,<br />Vivacious,<br />Winsome,<br />Xenodochial,<br />Yearned,<br />Zealous.<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="110"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Untitled III &#40;senryu&#41;</span><br /><br />Choose your love wisely <br />The pains of regret can hurt <br />For eternity<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="111"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Empty Heart, Empty Hands (nonet)</span><br /><br />There was a time when I once held you <br />Right here in the palm of my hand <br />Yet somehow I let you slip <br />Right between my fingers <br />Now I just stare at <br />The emptiness <br />And wonder <br />Where you've <br />Gone<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="112"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Papercut Love With a Side of Lemons &#40;tanka&#41;</span><br /><br />Like a papercut <br />So swift and unexpected <br />My heart sliced in two <br />And then you return again <br />Pouring acid on my wounds<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="113"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Seventeen Years (senryu)</span><br /><br />Its been seventeen years since <br />We shared our first kiss <br />And baby, I still love you.<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="114"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Life Cycles &#40;senryu&#41;</span><br /><br />Trials and errors <br />Mistakes made and lessons learned <br />Life, in the making<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center> <br /><br /><a name="115"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">My Baby Blue (acrostic)</span><br /><br />Beauty <br />Lost <br />Unwillingly <br />Erased in <br /><br />Blue <br />A reflection <br />Born unto <br />You<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="116"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Word of the Day &#40;acrostic&#41;</span><br /><br />Madness consumes my<br />Innermost thoughts and I feel<br />Sickened by the world<br />Around me<br />Nauseated at the conformity<br />That permeates our<br />Human race<br />Repulsed at the very existence of life<br />Obfuscated at the idiocy that radiates from these<br />Pathetical beings <br />In constant denial that I too am a <br />Creature that must walk among them<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="117"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Your Head Hung in Shame (senryu)</span><br /><br />You won't look at me <br />Fearing that I'll discover <br />The truth shining through<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="118"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Re-captured &#40;nonet&#41;</span><br /><br />You tore down my walls and brought me pain<br />Left poison burning in my veins<br />Led me to my own demise<br />Corrupted me with lies<br />And now I&#39;m broken<br />A hollow shell<br />Imprisoned<br />In this<br />Hell<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="119"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Your Wandering Heart (acrostic)</span><br /><br />Impulse driven irresponsibility<br />Numbs the heart while<br />Fidelity falls victim to<br />Illicit behavior <br />Deviance replaces a love<br />Ever true.<br />Loyalty dissolves<br />Into the distance and now,<br />Trust no longer belongs to<br />You<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="120"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Resurrecting the Evening &#40;nonet&#41;</span><br /><br />Solar powered stars cast light above<br />As memories drift so calmly<br />In the Arizona night<br />Two souls reminiscing<br />Traveling backward<br />Hoping to catch<br />One more glimpse<br />Of times <br />Past<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="121"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Consumed By Thought (acrostic)</span><br /><br />Maliciously you stalk your prey<br />Intentionally seeking out your target<br />Acknowledging nothing in your way<br /><br />Obviously you hold no moralistic value<br />Nor are you concerned with consequence<br /><br />Methodically you chose your victim<br />Yielding no regard for repercussion<br /><br />Mistakenly he gave into your seduction <br />Inexcusably he surrendered to your will<br />Nefariously he committed to your sin <br />Destroying what was once the greatest love he ever knew<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="122"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Taboo You &#40;nonet&#41;</span><br /><br />Like the fruit of the forbidden tree<br />I dangerously crave your taste<br />My mouth waters at the thought<br />Of my lips upon you<br />But I cannot reach<br />That far above<br />And so I<br />Hunger<br />Still<br /><br /><a href="#index4">Back to Index</a><br /><br /><center><hr NOSHADE height=2px></center><br /><br /><a name="index5"></a><span style="font-weight: bold"> <span style="text-decoration: underline"> ***Poetry In General***</span> </span><br /><br /><a href="#123">Arizona&#39;s Midnight</a><br /><a href="#124">A Moment In Time</a><br /><a href="#125">Silence</a><br /><a href="#126">Love- His Silent Ways</a><br /><a href="#127">Many Thoughts... Many Roads</a><br /><a href="#128">A Dove Namedd Harmony</a><br /><a href="#129">Thoughts From A Bowl Buried Deep In My Fridge</a><br /><a href="#130">His Daisy</a><br /><a href="#131">Awake Is When I Tend To Dream</a><br /><a href="#132">The Wanderer</a><br /><a href="#133">Hearing With My Eyes</a><br /><a href="#134">Confusion For The Masses</a><br /><a href="#135">Sitting Inside a Window of Confusion</a><br /><a href="#136">Nobody Understands</a><br /><a href="#137">Dreamkeeper</a><br /><a href="#138">Unseen Savior</a><br /><a href="#139">Always Too Late</a><br /><a href="#140">Hors d&#39;Oeuvres</a><br /><a href="#141">Reflections in Photographs</a><br /><a href="#142">Circumstance Dances</a><br /><a href="#143">All of Us</a></center><br /><br /><a name="123"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Arizona's Midnight</span><br /><br />It’s so quiet here without you<br />So dark, and so endless,<br />And though the sky above<br />Appears to be cooled by the night<br />Her fiery twilight still very much remains-<br />Hidden among the stars,<br />For this is Arizona’s midnight.<br />I lie tucked beneath her sky<br />Patiently awaiting the sun,<br />Yet once again<br />The dawn eludes me.<br />What if forever never comes-<br />Never delivers you into my arms?<br />What will I do then?<br />Will the sun ever rise for me again,<br />Or will I disappear into the darkness-<br />Into the void of Arizona’s midnight?<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="124"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">A Moment In Time</span><br /><br />Come sail with me-<br />Sail the Sea of Serenity.<br />Let the wishing wind cleanse your face<br />And glide on waters made of rainbows…<br />A voyage made for us.<br />Let time become irrelevant.<br />Our destination unknown,<br />But innocence directed.<br />The moonlight is our guidance<br />As we sit and speak of cherished moments.<br />Sunrise our reality,<br />Yet our voyage continues on<br />Until our wishing wind ceases on our sail.<br />Then, we glide through the waters<br />Until once again<br />We catch the rainbow.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="125"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Silence</span><br /><br />She varies in such subtle ways.<br />At times she can be one’s only link to the sane-<br />Others, she is your ticket to institution.<br /><br />In solitude she sees you watching-<br />Waiting for the comfort of another.<br /><br />In chaos, she runs away-<br />Thriving on your stress.<br /><br />She plays the game to win-<br />And to NEVER lose.<br /><br />Even as we speak,<br />She counts her cards<br /><br />Longing for your voice<br />The silence deafens me<br /><br />And you long for mine as well<br /><br />But my lips are sealed-<br />Condemned by silence<br /><br />And so we sit like pawns<br />Questioning why-<br /><br />Too afraid to break her,<br />Too proud to make her bend<br /><br />But instead we choose to feed her<br />With our evil thoughts<br /><br />We blame each other,<br />Caught in a stalemate<br /><br />We are both forced to resign,<br />And again we’ve let silence win the game.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="126"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Love- His Silent Ways</span><br /><br />Often times I find myself asking why-<br />Why does he keep coming?<br />Why can’t he learn<br />That I am not ready for his challenge?<br /><br />When he comes to me,<br />I see only him-<br />I do not see the whole.<br /><br />I am blinded by the intense satisfaction-<br />The gratification…<br /><br />And though I’ve met him<br />Many times before,<br />I become amnesic.<br />I recall,<br />But seldom do I think-<br /><br />For if I could,<br />I would remember the pain-<br />The demands-<br />The expectations.<br /><br />I am deceived by his passion-<br />And him by mine.<br />But as always,<br />The truth unfolds.<br /><br />He holds his hands out to me-<br />Yet not for me to grasp,<br />But for him to take.<br />Then, one by one he steals…<br /><br />First my strength-<br />Making me weak with passiveness.<br /><br />Then, my judgment-<br />So the formerly unacceptable becomes the O.k.<br /><br />He robs me of reason-<br />So I do not notice my mistakes-<br />Nor will I see his.<br /><br />Afterwards his hands-<br />The hands I trusted<br />Withdraw back into his chest-<br />Clutching all the powers that once were my own.<br /><br />With subtle little words and smiles<br />He leads me to believe<br />He will return them<br />As our time together grows.<br /><br />But again, just as before,<br />He turns and runs away-<br />Laughing…<br />Knowing he has once again defeated me.<br /><br />For his charm,<br />His passion,<br />His portrayal of sincerity…<br /><br />Shall continue to remain a challenge<br />That I will blindly accept-<br />And continue to lose<br />Until my powers are seized from his clutches.<br /><br />Then,<br />And only then,<br />Will I know that I have found the one whom I wish to die with.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="127"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Many Thoughts... Many Roads</span><br /><br />Wake up my child!<br /><br />You’ve wandered from the path<br />Yet once again<br />Avoid the thick brush<br />For it hides the truth<br />And misguides your train of thought<br /><br />Wake up!<br /><br />Open your eyes before sadness<br />Swells them shut again!<br />He is not like you<br />Though your heat wishes so<br /><br />He is a nomad-<br />Content with many roads…<br />Each familiar,<br />Each equally as satisfying as the last<br /><br />Though you feel your path<br />May be the way for him,<br />It is not.<br />For you two walk separately-<br />And always will.<br /><br />Do not force his feet<br />To walk with yours,<br />For you will only make him<br />Choose the other road.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="128"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">A Dove Named Harmony</span><br /><br />Harmony lifts her wings,<br />Calling to me…<br />Fly away-<br />Soar through the heathers of lust.<br />Fly above and beyond.<br />Let your emotions glide<br />Though the whispering cedars.<br />Twisting,<br />Turning,<br />Sailing…<br />Grasped within her claw-<br />Riding the lone dove<br />Through the wilderness.<br />Over waterfalls and valleys,<br />Sunsets in the distance.<br />Soaring,<br />Floating,<br />Sailing-<br />Harmony and me.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="129"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Thoughts From A Bowl Buried Deep In My Fridge</span><br /><br />Spoiled rotten<br />Forgotten one<br />Tucked away<br />Behind closed doors of darkness<br />I condensate<br />Rejuvenate<br />Procreate some more<br /><br />This make-shift arctic wasteland<br />Incubates my spores<br />The wretched stench of my decay<br />Strengthens more and more<br /><br />Watering eyes<br />Luring flies...<br />'Til one day<br />Thrown away<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="130"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">His Daisy</span><br /><br />It is dying<br />But it is beautiful.<br />I am dying-<br />Its beauty sustains me.<br />Is curled withered hands<br />Hold up my soul.<br />As my hands could give it water,<br />Life.<br />But I just lie there,<br />And watch it die.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="131"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Awake Is When I Tend To Dream</span><br /><br />Awake is when<br />I tend to dream,<br />My eyes wide shut<br />Yet still they see<br /><br />Drowned in haze<br />I squint and stare<br />The fog so thick-<br />I shouldn’t dare<br /><br />Then slowly back<br />I begin to walk<br />Each step rewinds<br />The chiming clock<br /><br />And when I finally<br />Reach my bed,<br />Pull back the sheets<br />And rest my head<br /><br />I will lie here<br />Once again<br />As my real and surreal<br />Mix and blend<br /><br />Again I’ve fallen<br />Into fates hand<br />Her sleepless dreams-<br />And nowhere lands<br /><br />Again I pray<br />For doubts to cease<br />For my mental wars<br />To rest in peace<br /><br />But for now, my love<br />Please keep in mind-<br />It “truth” is what<br />I need to find<br /><br />First all illusions<br />Must be erased<br />With truths, your lies<br />Must be replaced.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="132"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">The Wanderer</span><br /><br />A wanderer-<br />She strides.<br />Every so often<br />She kneels down,<br />Grasping yet one more memory<br />Carefully placing it<br />In the burlap sack<br />Which travels with her.<br /><br />As day turns to night<br />She grows weary<br />And placing the sack at her side<br />She lies down upon the earth.<br />Greeting the rest and restoration<br />That shall carry her journey<br />Well into tomorrow.<br /><br />Soon, the sun rises<br />Awakening the wanderer<br />With rays of morning warmth.<br />Preparing herself to travel on<br />She stands,<br />Reaching for her burlap sack-<br />But it is gone!<br /><br />Someone has stolen<br />All the precious contents<br />Of her past!<br />Falling to the ground in tears<br />She wonders,<br />How anyone could be so cruel<br />As to snatch away<br />Such a treasured memoir<br />Of her heart?<br /><br />But after much dismay and sorrow<br />She rises again<br />Realizing the worst is over-<br />And that even though<br />Given one life,<br />She is given many roads<br />To travel upon.<br /><br />Turning east<br />She prepares herself<br />To travel a new direction<br />But as she turns,<br />She spots a new sack.<br />Made not of burlap<br />But of a beautiful<br />Gold colored cloth.<br /><br />She picks it up.<br />With much anticipation<br />And gratefulness<br />She begins to walk toward the sun,<br />Starting a new journey.<br />One much more pleasing<br />Than the last.<br /><br />She kneels down,<br />Only this time<br />Instead of a stone-<br />She grabs a beautiful flower<br />And places it in her sack.<br />Thinking to herself<br />She smiles<br />Pleased that now,<br />The weight she will bear<br />Will be much lighter,<br />And so shall it be<br />Less complex,<br />A better representative of her.<br /><br />And as she stood to walk again<br />She realized,<br />That her new-found flower<br />Means more to her<br />Than all the contents<br />Of her burlap sack-<br />Combined.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="133"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Hearing With My Eyes</span><br /><br />The language of nature has a strange way<br />Of expressing realism to those who have the gift<br />Of hearing with their eyes.<br />To sit and watch a tree in autumn<br />For us, is like listening to an old love song<br />Filled with memories is for you.<br />At one time, that tree was full of life-<br />Green leaves,<br />Blossoming buds,<br />A whole, beautiful tree.<br />Come fall, the leaves change color,<br />Decaying slowly,<br />Yet even more beautiful to look at-<br />A memory forming in the mind of life<br />Is always beautiful to watch.<br />Then, as winter approaches,<br />The leaves begin to fall.<br />One by one,<br />Each memory is plucked from the mind<br />And carried by the wind<br />To a place more distant and undefined.<br />Soon, the tree is left naked in the cold-<br />Each old friend,<br />Each first time,<br />Each kiss,<br />Left to decay in the dirt we call the body.<br />Yet we say to you…<br />Don’t despair-<br />For old is always replaced with new<br />Or rejuvenated through the body and mind<br />To grow again-<br />To be remembered when you least expect it.<br />And soon enough, the tree again is green,<br />New buds have blossomed,<br />And a smile rests on the faces of those who have the gift<br />Of hearing with their eyes.<br />The cycle continues each year<br />To ensure that the mind of life is always full<br />Of precious joy and sweet memory.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="134"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Confusion For The Masses</span><br /><br />Through life<br />We stumble,<br />For even if we did stop<br />There are no directions to ask for-<br />No maps to follow.<br /><br />We look for yesterday,<br />Last week,<br />Or any sign of a familiar path<br />But even our footsteps disappear<br />As other people pass without a plan.<br /><br />The world keeps trudging on<br />Day in, Day out<br />But where is it going?<br /><br />No one sees the end,<br />No one knows where it hides-<br />Or why.<br />Yet we proceed<br />To our secret destination<br />Hoping someday<br />The path will reveal itself.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="135"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Sitting Inside a Window of Confusion</span><br /><br />Sitting inside a window of confusion <br />Blanketing my bare flesh with goose bumps and shivers <br />All alone with my alone thoughts <br />Slipping into unconscious delirium <br />Reality sleeps next to me <br />His head dents the goose down pillow <br />I hear him breathe <br />But I dare not wake him <br />For fear of knowing things <br /><br />Sitting inside a window of confusion <br />I look out upon the newly born spring <br />Green leaves and children’s cream colored skin <br />Red and purple flowers <br />In the meadow <br />Lovers gently caress one another <br />Longing grows deeper and further into me <br />I want to run and laugh; I want to sing and dance <br />But I dare not leave my windowsill <br />For fear of hay-fever <br /><br />Sitting inside a window of confusion <br />Twilight enters the deepening sky <br />Darkness begins its journey over the land <br />My tea has grown cold in wanting for the night <br />I mindlessly sip the cold creamy liquid anyway <br />How long I wonder, <br />How long may I trap away my desire <br />Shut it up and lock it away in that faraway place? <br />How long before the sun will rise just for me again? <br />But I dare not think such thoughts <br />For fear of waking Reality<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="136"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Nobody Understands</span><br /><br />Why did you do it? <br />Hidden logic. <br />What was going through your head? <br />Cooled personality. <br />Why do you have friends like them? <br />Teenage ideology. <br />50 miles through <br />Snow- <br />Hail- <br />Sleet- <br />Barefoot to a one room school. <br />So what. <br />10 feet to my bus stop- <br />Though a gang war- <br />3 riots- <br />Past a terrorist or two- <br />4 letter words- <br />And senseless violence. <br />Big deal. <br />There is a logic, <br />But maybe I can’t tell you. <br />Maybe fear prevents me. <br />If so, don’t ask me more <br />Because the answer won’t be in my thoughts. <br />Times change. <br />Don’t even try to understand.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="137"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Dreamkeeper</span><br /><br />Curtains wave across the foot of the bed<br />And I feel a faint chill run up my spine<br />Like invisible finger tips upon sleeping skin<br /><br />The shadows shift in the moonlight<br />Projecting nocturnal silhouettes<br />Translucent yet lucid, on the wall<br /><br />An eerie comfort tiptoes toward me<br />Unseen in the dim light<br />But somehow familiar nonetheless<br /><br />The curtains breathe outward again<br />And invite the night to enter<br />Once more, the crisp air brushes by<br /><br />Rolling onto my side<br />I scan the room trying to make out<br />The ever changing shape of the shadows<br /><br />Then suddenly, through the corner of my eye<br />I see your face- smiling back at me<br />Watching over my dreams, as you always do<br /><br />The wind passes along one last whisper<br />Pauses to leave its kisses on my cheek<br />Then silently escapes into the darkness<br /><br />Flipping over, I return to my dreams<br />With skin smoothed and goose bumps gone<br />My chills warmed over, and your subtle smile in my heart<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="138"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Unseen Savior</span><br /><br />I walk with my hands in my pockets <br />Kicking up pebbles <br />Alone again on Rebels Road <br /><br />A silence familiar <br />Breaks in the distance <br />As your footsteps meet the ground <br /><br />&quot;Is someone there&quot; I shout <br />&quot;Come out, come out <br />Wherever you are&quot; <br /><br />But I hear nothing <br />Only singing echoes <br />So I continue on <br /><br />I shrug it off <br />As no big deal <br />Yet I can feel your presence <br /><br />A certain safety <br />Washing over me <br />Defending my existence <br /><br />Every path I beat <br />You loyally follow <br />Every tomorrow you are there <br /><br />Dearest angel <br />I want to thank you <br />For guiding my way <br /><br />I pray that this finds you <br />Wherever you are <br /><br />I unfold my fist <br />And blow a kiss into the wind<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="139"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Always Too Late</span> <br /><br />She walks in the door <br />Looking for trouble- <br /><br />Not thinking <br />To look behind her. <br /><br />At her ankles, lies a shapeless shadow <br />Like a kitten or faithful pup. <br /><br />Her trouble is beside her <br />But instead she looks straight ahead <br /><br />The problem lying at her heels not obvious enough <br />To demand her attention <br /><br />And… as always, <br />She’ll ignore it <br />Until it trips her.<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="140"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Hors d&#39;Oeuvres </span><br /><br />**Don&#39;t ask me why, but I was just looking at the word hors d&#39;oeuvres and it made me think of whores galore and this is the aftermath of that thought...** <br /><br />You lie there <br />In the palm of one&#39;s hand <br />On display for all to admire <br />They all ooh and ahh <br />At how pretty you look <br />As they each take a piece of you, <br />A little sample to taste <br />But that is all you are to them- <br />Just a pretty snack to chew on <br />Then, once washed down <br />With a sip of champagne <br />You are forgotten<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="141"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Reflections in Photographs</span><br /><br />Someday, time will fade the memories <br />Blending them together as it bends <br />Soon, the days will become years <br />And the details will unknowingly be forgotten <br /><br />But you will forever remain unchanged <br />Always smiling back at me, <br />As you were then <br /><br />Old &quot;what's her name&quot; and &quot;that one guy&quot; <br />Will have disappeared into the background <br />With the others <br /><br />And though the pages have begun to curl <br />And the colors don't quite shine like yesterdays <br />That sparkle still remains in your eyes <br /><br />While I reminisce in the years past <br />My thoughts escape under my breath... <br />&quot;It was always you&quot; <br /><br />Shyly, I look up <br />Half hoping you heard me yet, <br />Half scared to death that you didn't <br /><br />But the look on your face <br />Clearly showed that you had <br />So quickly, I shift my gaze back to the photograph <br /><br />I hang my head <br />Letting my hair sweep across my face <br />Hoping it will hide my fear <br /><br />Slowly, I feel you brush it back <br />Tucking it gently behind my ear <br />I draw my gaze upward <br /><br />Just in time to catch a glimpse <br />Of that familiar sparkle <br />In the camera's blinding flash <br /><br />Just in time to catch <br />Another memory of us <br />Fused in the reflection of a photograph<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="142"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Circumstance Dances</span><br /><br />It&#39;s like falling behind when you&#39;re one step ahead <br />Or a sleepless dream inside your head <br /><br />Like the freedom of a prison cell <br />It&#39;s a whisper trapped inside a yell <br /><br />Yes, life is seldom what it seems <br />Like a one-man co-ed soccer team <br /><br />It&#39;s a hit of pleasure laced with pain <br />In a cloudless sky&#39;s torrential rain <br /><br />Like the fancy flight of fresh clipped wings <br />It&#39;s a potpourri of unmixed things <br /><br />It&#39;s the haunting &quot;what ifs&quot; in your head <br />It&#39;s the monster underneath your bead <br /><br />It&#39;s like Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory <br />Like a chapter missing from the story <br /><br />It&#39;s a post-tomorrow yesterday <br />Of words your shyness wouldn&#39;t say <br /><br />It&#39;s like playing cards with half a deck <br />And a noose tied loosely &#39;round your neck <br /><br />It&#39;s those chances that you somehow missed <br />Those lips you wish you would have kissed <br /><br />It&#39;s two seconds early when you&#39;re one second late <br />It&#39;s the unpredictability of fate <br /><br />Like the brightest star in midst of day <br />It&#39;s how we feel but seldom say <br /><br />Like an innocent man awaiting his trial <br />It&#39;s the tears that hide behind your smile <br /><br />Yes, life is like a graceless dance <br />Upon the whim of circumstance<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><a name="143"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">All of Us</span> <br /><br />I have a video tape at home that spans the course of a few years and the lives of a few friends that I will forever hold dear in my heart. When it was finished, the tape was appropriately named “All of Us.” I decided to throw it in the VCR the other day and it gave me the inspiration for this poem.<br /><br />There we were <br />All of us together <br />Smiling so carelessly <br />Do you remember that? <br /><br />I do <br />So vividly <br />As if it were <br />More than just a memory <br /><br />But I guess if it were <br />You’d all be here now <br />And I often wonder <br />Why you aren’t <br /><br />Josh, T, Elatia- <br />Now, there’s Amoriah and Levi too <br />But no one knows where they went, <br />All I know is that they’ve gone <br /><br />Todd and Jenn... <br />They’ve both gone too <br />Aumont and Jeannie, and baby Isabella- <br />Somewhere in the bay area last I heard <br /><br />Kory in DC, Arin in Cali, <br />And you down Phoenix… <br />And the one that made it all happen- <br />Lil Jimmy James…who knows where he’s gone! <br /><br />Of course, there were others, <br />Like Pete and Monica <br />Adam and Jair… <br />Jen and Shon- <br /><br />But they weren’t so close <br />So I don’t wonder too much <br />Of their whereabouts <br />Or them of mine I’m sure <br /><br />There are times when occasionally <br />I reminisce with Von- <br />But he’s got Erin now, <br />So those times are few and far between <br /><br />And all I can say <br />Is that I miss them, <br />And that I miss you <br />… I miss us… <br /><br />All of us- <br />The way we were then <br />So carefree, so close, <br />So together <br /><br />So why then are we so apart now? <br />Why do I feel so alone? <br />Please tell me that someday <br />You’ll all come back home. <br /><br />… Dedicated to Richie Rich...and to “All of Us.” … I miss you guys!<br /><br /><a href="#index5">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><hr NOSHADE height=2px></center><br /><br /><center><a name="index6"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold"> <span style="text-decoration: underline"> ***Lost and Found***</span> </span><br /><br /><a href="#144">Lost &amp; Found I</a> <br /><a href="#145">Lost &amp; Found II</a><br /><a href="#146">Lost &amp; Found III</a><br /><a href="#147">Lost &amp; Found IV</a><br /><a href="#148">Lost &amp; Found V</a><br /><a href="#149">Lost &amp; Found VI</a><br /><a href="#150">Lost &amp; Found VII</a><br /><a href="#151">Lost &amp; Found VIII</a><br /><a href="#152">Lost &amp; Found IX</a><br /><a href="#153">Lost &amp; Found X</a><br /><a href="#154">Lost &amp; Found XI</a><br /><a href="#155">Lost &amp; Found XII</a><br /><a href="#156">Lost &amp; Found XIII</a><br /><a href="#157">Lost &amp; Found XIV</a><br /><a href="#158">Lost &amp; Found XV</a><br /><a href="#159">Found XVI</a></center><br /><br /><a name="144"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found I</span> <br /><br />Lost... <br />Hidden behind the dumpsters <br />In the unforgiving urban alleys <br />You can hear it in her fear stifled cries<br />…Her innocence<br /><br />Found... <br />While gazing into your eyes <br />Through your soul <br />Within your heart <br />...Beauty<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><br /><center><a name="145"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found II</span> <br /><br />Lost...<br />Somewhere between daydreams<br />And a child&#39;s toy box<br />...My marbles<br /><br />Found…<br />Between the lines <br />Beyond the poetry <br />…Home<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><br /><a name="146"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found III</span><br /><br />Lost... <br />Shortly after &quot;Hello&quot; <br />Stuck treading in the deep blue pools <br />... Of your eyes<br /><br />Found... <br />Circling my mind <br />Commanding my thoughts <br />Kissing my dreams and shielding my nightmares <br />...Your love<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><br /><center><a name="147"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found IV</span><br /><br />Lost... <br />In less than a minute <br />... A lifetime of memories <br /><br />... Dedicated to Shana Robyn<br /><br />Found... <br />With careful perlustration <br />And the help of a black light <br />...Evidence <br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><br /><a name="148"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found V</span><br /><br />Lost... <br />To untimely tragedy <br />Swept into a sea of silent good-byes <br />I will miss you <br />... My friend <br /><br />... Dedicated to Shana Robyn<br /><br />Found... <br />In your pet peeves and perversions <br />... The right buttons to push<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><br /><center><a name="149"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found VI</span> <br /><br />Lost... <br />In a faceless crowd <br />Drowned out <br />... Cries for help <br /><br />Found... <br />I step up to the mirror <br />In the reflection <br />... A case of mistaken identity<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><br /><a name="150"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found VII</span> <br /><br />Lost... <br />Crumpled up and tossed into the trash <br />Words no longer having meaning <br />Their value obsolete <br />When followed by your name <br />... Love letters<br /><br />Found... <br />Unfamiliar hairs upon your pillow <br />Scarlet smudges on your collar <br />Untimely sanitary napkins in the trash <br />... Evidence of your guilt <br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="151"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found VIII</span><br /><br />Lost... <br />Somewhere between thought and paper <br />... The perfect words <br /><br />Found... <br />In a chalk drawn circle <br />Down on Dayton Street <br />...My marbles<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><br /><a name="152"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found IX</span><br /><br />Lost... <br />Answers to the name of: &quot;My Heart&quot; <br />Last seen: The day we met <br />If found: Please keep it my love<br /><br />Found... <br />Meaning and purpose <br />Friendship and appreciation <br />Hidden deep within the most simple of things <br />… A Pez dispenser<br /><br />... Dedicated to Shana Robyn<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><br /><center><a name="153"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found X</span> <br /><br />Lost... <br />In the could have and the should have <br />... A golden opportunity <br /><br />Found… <br />Spiraling downward <br />Nocent memories like daggers <br />Deepening the wounds of her loss<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><br /><a name="154"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found XI</span> <br /><br />Lost... <br />Half way across the globe <br />Along a desert highway <br />Buried in the ashes of terrorism's aftermath <br />... A father he never had the chance to meet<br /><br />Found... <br />At the back of your promises <br />Buried beneath the &quot;I love yous&quot; <br />And &quot;forever's&quot; <br />... The truth<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><br /><center><a name="155"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found XII</span><br /><br />Lost... <br />Let all time be frozen <br />Let the nothing swallow everything <br />If not here and now <br />Let us be consumed <br />... In the moment<br /><br />Found... <br />Delivered in today&#39;s mail <br />Wrapped neatly in a letter of condolences <br />Two shiny silver dog tags <br />...The answer to his disappearance<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><br /><a name="156"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found XIII</span><br /><br />Lost... <br />Though not in spirit <br />Her legacy will forever linger <br />...Within <br /><br />... Dedicated to Monica Perri<br /><br />Found... <br />Admiration, adoration <br />Encouragement and hope <br />But most of all, a friend <br />...In you <br /><br />... Dedicated to Monica Perri<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><br /><center><a name="157"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found XIV</span><br /><br />Lost... <br />To prematurity <br />Born before its time <br />...The love of a little girl <br /><br />... Dedicated to Patrik Eugene Corey<br /><br />Found... <br />Tucked away in the cellar of my soul <br />Aged like a fine merlot <br />Awaiting fate&#39;s toast to the future <br />... My love poured upon you <br /><br />... Dedicated to Patrik Eugene Corey<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a></center><br /><br /><br /><a name="158"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Lost &amp; Found XV</span> <br /><br />Lost... <br />Upon an about-faced turn <br />To finally face you <br />...My fear<br /><br />Found... <br />A priceless collection of poetry <br />Buried under years of dust <br />Long forgotten <br />... In the archives<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><br /><center><a name="159"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Found XVI</span><br /><br />Found... <br />Another so-called friend <br />Another burnt out lover <br />And one rusty blade <br />Lodged deep within my spine<br /><br /><a href="#index6">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><hr NOSHADE height=2px></center><br /><br /><a name="index7"></a><span style="font-weight: bold"> <span style="text-decoration: underline"> ***Challenge Entries***</span> </span><br /><br /><a href="#160">Ode to the Yo-yo &#40;June 2005&#41;</a><br /><a href="#161">Poplarville S.O.S.&#40;September 2005&#41;</a></center><br /><br /><a name="160"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Ode to the Yo-yo (June 2005)</span> <br /><br />Active intelligence gone again <br />So what am I to do <br />Got to stop drumming my fingers... <br />So I guess I'll play with you <br /><br />Wrap you round my finger <br />Then hold you in my hand <br />All coiled and perfect <br />Now let's see if you can land <br />(right back here in my hand) <br /><br />I watch as you leap over <br />And plummet toward the floor <br />Sure enough, you did it! <br />You came right back for more <br /><br />Unclench my fist to release you <br />And watch you once again <br />I forgot how bored I was <br />Thanks for being there dear friend <br /><br />Who would have ever guessed <br />That such a silly little thing <br />Could be so entertaining <br />When hanging by a sting <br /><br />So if I should ever find myself <br />Just staring at the wall <br />I'll be sure to grab you once again <br />And curl you in a ball <br /><br /><br />And toss you!<br /><br /><a href="#index7">Back to Index</a> <br /><br /><center><a name="161"></a> <span style="font-weight: bold">Poplarville S.O.S. &#40;September 2005&#41;</span><br /><br />**Poplarville is a town just north of Biloxi, Mississippi where my uncle Larry lives/lived...**<br /> <br />People <br />Out there <br />People I love <br />Lost. Unsure if they&#39;re <br />Alive, or dead, or safe <br />Restless with worry, weary with tears<br />Vivid images plastered on the evening news <br />Instill fear even deeper in to my mind<br />Losing hope by the minute that I&#39;ll ever see <br />Larry- my uncle Larry, alive again, but I keep searching <br />Every day I check the internet and the news for his name <br /><br />Still, no word of his safety- still no rest for my mind <br />Overwhelmed with &quot;I wonders&quot; and &quot;What ifs.&quot; Exhausted from &quot;When wills&quot; and &quot;Wheres&quot;<br />So please, if you&#39;re out there somewhere, somehow, let us know that you&#39;re safe.<br /><br /><a href="#index7">Back to Index</a><br /><br /><center><hr NOSHADE height=2px></center><br /><br /><a name="index8"></a><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline"> ***Featured Publications***</span> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Pages-Collection-Voices-Around/dp/0976807610" class="postlink">Poetry Pages Vol. III: A Collection of Voices From Around the World</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Lost and Found: A Series of Short Verse</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Pages-Collection-Voices-Around/dp/0976807645" class="postlink">Poetry Pages: A Collection of Voices from Around the World, Vol IV</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Freeing-Secrets-Anarcha-Erika-Corey/dp/0557199921" class="postlink">Freeing the Secrets</a></span><br /><br /><a href="#top">Back to Top</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic">Last updated May 25th, 2014</span><br />© Anarcha &#40;Erika&#41; Basta – All Rights Reserved</center><br /></span></div>

<div id="sig465556" class="signature"><span style="color: #800080"><center><span style="font-weight: bold">© Anarcha Erika Basta</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">&quot;A woman can be happy with any man as long as she doesn&#39;t love him. ...&quot;</span></span></center></span></div>

</div>

<dl class="postprofile" id="profile465556">

<dt>

<a href="./memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2373"><img src="./download/file.php?avatar=2373_1395444053.jpg" width="100" height="100" alt="User avatar" /></a><br />

<a href="./memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=2373">GoddessErika</a> </dt>

<dd>In-a-Sense Lost</dd>

<dd>&nbsp;</dd>

<dd><strong>Posts:</strong> 569</dd><dd><strong>Joined:</strong> 20 Oct 2004 10:53:pm</dd><dd><strong>Location:</strong> Dislocated</dd> <dd><strong>Contributor:</strong> Yes</dd>

<dd><strong>PoetCheck:</strong> YES</dd>

<dd>

<ul class="profile-icons">

<li class="pm-icon"><a href="./ucp.php?i=pm&amp;mode=compose&amp;action=quotepost&amp;p=465556" title="Private message"><span>Private message</span></a></li><li class="email-icon"><a href="./memberlist.php?mode=email&amp;u=2373" title="E-mail"><span>E-mail</span></a></li><li class="web-icon"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Anarcha.Erika.Basta" title="WWW: https://www.facebook.com/Anarcha.Erika.Basta"><span>Website</span></a></li> </ul>

</dd>

</dl>

<div class="back2top"><a href="#wrap" class="top" title="Top">Top</a></div>

<span class="corners-bottom"><span></span></span></div>

</div>

<hr class="divider" />

<div class="topic-actions">

<div class="buttons">

<div class="reply-icon"><a href="./posting.php?mode=reply&amp;f=13&amp;t=65509" title="Post a reply"><span></span>Post a reply</a></div>

</div>

<div class="pagination">

1 post &bull; Page <strong>1</strong> of <strong>1</strong> </div>

</div>

<p></p><p><a href="./viewforum.php?f=13" class="left-box left" accesskey="r">Return to Members' Poetry Vault</a></p>

<form method="post" id="jumpbox" action="./viewforum.php" onsubmit="if(document.jumpbox.f.value == -1){return false;}">

<fieldset class="jumpbox">

<label for="f" accesskey="j">Jump to:</label>

<select name="f" id="f" onchange="if(this.options[this.selectedIndex].value != -1){ document.forms['jumpbox'].submit() }">

<option value="-1">Select a forum</option>

<option value="-1">------------------</option> <option value="71">Please Read</option>

<option value="46">&nbsp; &nbsp;Forum Rules and Guidelines</option>

<option value="30">&nbsp; &nbsp;Important Information</option>

<option value="72">Poetry Forums</option>

<option value="47">&nbsp; &nbsp;The New Members' Café</option>

<option value="19">&nbsp; &nbsp;Workshop/Critiques Wanted</option>

<option value="26">&nbsp; &nbsp;Teen Spirit</option>

<option value="11">&nbsp; &nbsp;Seeking the Spiritual</option>

<option value="104">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Tom Watson's Whispers</option>

<option value="14">&nbsp; &nbsp;Love and Romance</option>

<option value="9">&nbsp; &nbsp;Poetry from the Dark Side</option>

<option value="1">&nbsp; &nbsp;General Poetry</option>

<option value="24">&nbsp; &nbsp;Poetry of a 'Mature' Nature</option>

<option value="15">&nbsp; &nbsp;Funny Business</option>

<option value="91">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Moonflower's favorites</option>

<option value="2">&nbsp; &nbsp;Briefs:</option>

<option value="92">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Moonflower's favorites</option>

<option value="18">&nbsp; &nbsp;In Tribute</option>

<option value="93">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Moonflower's favorites</option>

<option value="94">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Richard Taylor... Poet and Friend</option>

<option value="37">&nbsp; &nbsp;Form in Poetry, Classical and New</option>

<option value="84">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Poetry Forms</option>

<option value="109">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Translations</option>

<option value="10">&nbsp; &nbsp;&quot;Adult&quot; Poetry and Prose</option>

<option value="67">&nbsp; &nbsp;Blind Pig Poetry</option>

<option value="105">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Blind Archive</option>

<option value="73">Poetry Pages Poets Laureate Program</option>

<option value="51">&nbsp; &nbsp;Poetry Pages Poet Laureate</option>

<option value="49">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Poets Laureate Program Notes and General Discussion</option>

<option value="62">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Laureate Test Forum</option>

<option value="95">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Poet Laureate April 2005 - September 2005: Heinzs</option>

<option value="96">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Poet Laureate October 2005 - March 2006: Thief of Dreams</option>

<option value="97">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Poet Laureate April 2006 - September 2006: Ninian</option>

<option value="98">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Poet Laureate October 2006 - March 2007: Jeannerene</option>

<option value="83">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Poet Laureate April 2007 - September 2007: Spazway</option>

<option value="99">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Poet Laureate October 2007 - March 2008: Nekot</option>

<option value="101">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Poet Laureate April 2008 - October 2008: Tom Watson</option>

<option value="107">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Poets Laureate November 2008 - April 2009: bags123 and moonflower</option>

<option value="74">Community Poetry and Prose</option>

<option value="3">&nbsp; &nbsp;Community challenges, contests and exercises</option>

<option value="103">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Challenges, Contests and Exercises Archives</option>

<option value="27">&nbsp; &nbsp;Community Favorites, Poem of the Week and Poet of the Month</option>

<option value="8">&nbsp; &nbsp;Prose, Stories, Roleplays, Story Poems and Epics</option>

<option value="85">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Indexed Writings</option>

<option value="75">The Community</option>

<option value="4">&nbsp; &nbsp;Meet the Community Members</option>

<option value="5">&nbsp; &nbsp;Open Discussions and Members' Messages</option>

<option value="7">&nbsp; &nbsp;News, Resources &amp; Announcements</option>

<option value="79">&nbsp; &nbsp;Member Forums &amp; Archives</option>

<option value="13" selected="selected">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Members' Poetry Vault</option>

<option value="81">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Poetry Pages Historical Archive</option>

<option value="52">&nbsp; &nbsp;Fun &amp; Games</option>

<option value="100">&nbsp; &nbsp;Members' Photoshop</option>

<option value="106">&nbsp; &nbsp;Poetry Pages Familia</option>

<option value="76">Poetry Pages Books</option>

<option value="25">&nbsp; &nbsp;The Poetry Pages Books</option>

<option value="64">&nbsp; &nbsp;Member's Poetry Books</option>

<option value="59">&nbsp; &nbsp;Book Promotions</option>

<option value="77">The Ravyn's Nest</option>

<option value="41">&nbsp; &nbsp;The Ravyn's Nest</option>

<option value="55">&nbsp; &nbsp;The Ravyn's Wings</option>

<option value="78">Behind the Scenes</option>

<option value="16">&nbsp; &nbsp;Problems or Questions</option>

<option value="61">&nbsp; &nbsp;Instructions and How To:</option>

<option value="20">&nbsp; &nbsp;Reserved</option>

<option value="43">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Reserved archive (The Crypt)</option>

<option value="34">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Reserved Admin Only</option>

<option value="86">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Admin Test Forum</option>

<option value="102">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Kims Posts to Save</option>

<option value="63">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Reserved Trashcan</option>

</select>

<input type="submit" value="Go" class="button2" />

</fieldset>

</form>

<form method="post" action="./mcp.php?f=13&amp;t=65509&amp;quickmod=1&amp;redirect=.%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ff%3D13%26t%3D65509%26start%3D0&amp;sid=b28cdcce64279aa2363dfcf9ab098c2c">

<fieldset class="quickmod">

<label for="quick-mod-select">Quick-mod tools:</label> <select name="action" id="quick-mod-select"><option value="lock">Lock topic</option><option value="delete_topic">Delete topic</option><option value="move">Move topic</option><option value="split">Split topic</option><option value="merge">Merge posts</option><option value="merge_topic">Merge topic</option><option value="fork">Copy topic</option><option value="make_sticky">Change to “Sticky”</option><option value="make_announce">Change to “Announcement”</option><option value="make_global">Change to “Global”</option><option value="topic_logs">View logs</option></select> <input type="submit" value="Go" class="button2" />

</fieldset>

</form>

<h3><a href="./viewonline.php">Who is online</a></h3>

<p>Users browsing this forum: <a href="./memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&amp;u=4" style="color: #AA0000;" class="username-coloured"><em>heinzs</em></a> and 0 guests</p>

</div>

<div id="page-footer">

<div class="downbar">

<div class="inner"><span class="corners-top"><span></span></span>

<ul class="linklist">

<li class="icon-home"><a href="./index.php" accesskey="h">Board index</a></li>

<li class="icon-subscribe"><a href="./viewtopic.php?uid=4&amp;f=13&amp;t=65509&amp;watch=topic&amp;start=0&amp;hash=210a94c6" title="Subscribe topic">Subscribe topic</a></li><li class="icon-bookmark"><a href="./viewtopic.php?f=13&amp;t=65509&amp;start=0&amp;bookmark=1&amp;hash=210a94c6" title="Bookmark topic">Bookmark topic</a></li> <li class="rightside"><a href="./memberlist.php?mode=leaders">The team</a> &bull; <a href="./ucp.php?mode=delete_cookies">Delete all board cookies</a> &bull; All times are UTC - 8 hours </li>

</ul>

<span class="corners-bottom"><span></span></span></div>

</div>

<!--

We request you retain the full copyright notice below including the link to www.phpbb.com.

This not only gives respect to the large amount of time given freely by the developers

but also helps build interest, traffic and use of phpBB3. If you (honestly) cannot retain

the full copyright we ask you at least leave in place the "Powered by phpBB" line, with

"phpBB" linked to www.phpbb.com. If you refuse to include even this then support on our

forums may be affected.

The phpBB Group : 2006

//-->

<div class="copyright">Powered by <a href="http://www.phpbb.com/">phpBB</a> &copy; 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group | Designed by <a href="http://punforum.com">A1ex</a>

<br /><strong><a href="./adm/index.php?sid=b28cdcce64279aa2363dfcf9ab098c2c">Administration Control Panel</a></strong> </div>

</div>

</div>

<div>

<a id="bottom" name="bottom" accesskey="z"></a>

</div>

</body>

</html>