HORROR Poetry Piece, by Stephanie Louwen-Skovdam

The Cold wind whipped through my hair, making it blow to the chilling breeze
The trees had an uncanny nature that made them stretch like old, decayed fingers, reaching out
As I went up the stairs, my hair was flying in all directions
As I looked up, the sky was fully dark and crowded, with piercing green eyes looking at me.
Inside the mansion, the fog did not ease, making even the slightest movement haunting
The bleakness only added to the eerie atmosphere
As lightning clashed, blinding me with a creepy gleam.
I could make out some figures inside.
As I walked forward, the figures emerged,
Talking next to the casket.
And then everything went dark.

RELATIONSHIP Poem: LOVE GONE ASTRAY, by Tru Hines

I sit and wonder about these tears in my eyes
These last couple of years they’ve come from your lies
You used to tell me that I was your only one
You said that in me your life had finally begun
But, now it seems as if you have found someone else
To replace the feelings, you said with me you felt
I can only blame myself for this pain
For these endless feelings of despair and shame
The only thing that makes me seem like a sap
Is that I would take you back as the drop of a hat
Because my love for you is deeper than any wound
I just hope you come to your senses soon
So that we can be together again at last
The way we were in the not-so-distant past
The times when you were my pedestal, and I was your Queen
When I was your throne, and you were my King
Please don’t turn your back on our love
Because I know that God has sent it from above

DEATH Poem: “When I Leave” by Michael Martinus

I have a strange feeling I may leave tonight,
Quick and quiet as I lay dreaming.

Recently, I’ve reacquainted myself with nature
And I’ve decided that when I die
I’d like to become a willow tree
Standing strong and beautiful
Like I always wished I could be.

I’d like to become one with the Earth
To return my breath to the world
Be shade in the sun,
Flower in the spring.

To everyone who loved me,
Plant me in a silent place
And let my branches grow long
So I may provide shelter to any who need it.

Let lovers sit beneath me
And carve their hearts into my bark
So that I may feel the pain and passion
Of loves I never had.

Let those with sorrow find solace within my leaves
And if they weep, I will weep with them
My branches will guard and comfort them
And eventually, send them back out into the world.

To everyone I loved,
Plant me in the dead of night
Visit me under the stars
Hear me in the midnight breeze

At night, I was alive

TRAGIC Poem: State of mind, Peace of mind., by Menna Riahy

I’m losing sense of who I am
I do not know who to become

The stale garments upon my skin, my matted hair, accompanied by the stench of my body, cultivate a pathetic sight that would make many happy.

Desire is a privilege I could not reward myself with, not with this state of mind.

When I was younger, I was rife with rage.
That rage grounded me. I bottled it all in because I knew if I let it out, I would never win
Anger rewards you with nothing but shame and regret.

I remain irritated easily, I cannot temper it, apathy displeases me
I chew on more than I can bite, often choking on the burdens I carry
Some are mine, others borrowed
Perhaps it has turned into a delicacy; I would rather digest some peace of mind instead.

I promised myself freedom, but it kept being delayed by circumstances out of my control
I want a say in fate, too. Because the universe does not know what to do.

The waves tenderly coax me, like a siren luring a sailor into her arms to drown in the blue of the endless tide. And oh, the sea, with all its grandeur, how could I contend? How dare I compare?
A caress on my back
A hold on my hand
I wet my lips, tasting sand
Still, when cut, I bleed like a man. And it is not all in my head—I was born between salt and foam. I would know, the way I know this anchor pulling at my leg. “Lament dressed in dignity,” my grandmother once said. Although few conversations we had, she often repeated the phrase, alongside a saying that goes: “Hope is a poor man’s coin.” This and pride are all we have. With that, one must accept never possessing anything else.

LOVE Poem: Breath of My Heart, by Gyatri Kumari

When I’m lost in pain and stormy skies,
You’re there with love in your gentle eyes.
Your silken hair, like a calming breeze,
Rests on my shoulder, puts my heart at ease.

The tide of your breath, so warm, so near,
Calms my heart, makes the world clear.
Since the day I drowned in your deep sea,
I’ve touched new heights, set my spirit free.

DYSTOPIAN Poem: Harris’ Crossroads, by Michael Miller

I’ve written about you before, typed pages and
pages
about you and I.
It has been years since we last spoke, longer since meeting
but I think of you often.
The woman next to me is nothing like you
at all,
and that is good.

Yet often in those intrusive stale, steely hours between
wake and sleep
dream and nightmares
insanity and lucid thought,
you come creeping back like Germans
over the Alsatian line.

The crickets amongst pallid wind whisper
you over the cut lawns and framed homes.
You drove me mad and I drove you away,
word by word
cruel act after cruel act
lie
by
lie.

Reflecting on previous poesy
immature and false it was,
I now know the fool some folly
and can testify to those
dubious and duplicitous acts
so many sunsets ago
as Oahu dimmed a dangerous red.

ENVIRONMENTAL Poem: Green Then Gone, by Anastasia Rachinsky

Green, Green, Green…
Gone.
Light blue skies-
Grey gas.
Swimming, Happy fish-
They surfaced.
Beautiful, icy glaciers-
Warmth.
Warmer and warmer.
Is it hot in here to you guys?
Coughing, and coughing
My lungs feel full.
Not full of fresh air.
But full of it.
Full of this indecency.
Pick up your trash!
Go for a walk!
Take a break from driving for a bit!
You deserve it!
So does the environment,
So does the world.
Reduce, reuse, recycle!
It’s not just a jingle
We need to commingle.
A Community
together,
It is not a one-person job.
A solution for pollution,
Hopefully, soon, or we will be robbed
Robbed of this once beautiful Earth
Here for us to enjoy and love.
But there’s love no more
Slowly Dwindling,
Dwindling,
Dwindling,
And Gone.

LIFE Poem: What Poverty Is, by Dominique Tabug

Poverty
Isn’t the story they sell you.
It’s not just the guy on the street
with a sign and stare.
It’s your neighbor who turns off the lights early
to save on the bill.
It’s the kid in class
who’s always never hungry at lunch.

It’s working two jobs
and still falling short.
It’s being told
“just work harder”
by people who’ve never had to choose between groceries or gas.

It’s shame that whispers,
not screams.
Struggles hidden by wide smiles.
Hope stretched thin
like the paycheck
fully spent
before it even came.

But poverty isn’t weakness.
It’s survival in slow motion.
It’s power in worn-down shoes.
And we’re done pretending
this is normal.