Author: poetryfest

And I will take away the stony heart
Out of your flesh and I will give you
An heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:25-27
They have hearts of stone, these men.
These authoritarian killers
Sanctioned by state power
To murder entire families.
Like Stalin.
Like Hitler.
Like all of them.
A conga line of brutes
Stretching back to the cave age.

These old psychos send young men
Out to commit their crimes.
Young men who weep and want their mothers.
Conscripts who have been lied to.
Truth being the first casualty and all that.
But not the last.

Bodies strewn around the streets.
Unarmed civilians murdered so that,
Far away in the Kremlin one man can feel
That his life has not been in vain.
The corpses are his legacy.
The bombed buildings, his monuments.
Alone in early morning silence,
He remembers an inescapable fact:
Memento mori.
Others must die so that he can forget.
Ring the panic bell,
Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling.
Turn a heaven into hell.

Antonia Hildebrand © 2022

I whispered to the wind.
Sweetheart where are you?
The wind responded:
I am here, I’ve always been here.
But I can’t see you.
Close your eyes to see better.
But I can’t feel you.
Breathe deep and long. Can you feel me now?
Yes.
But I can’t hear you.
Put your hand on your heart.
Do you hear me now?
Yes.
🖤
© Copyrighted Material 2022

Feeding the hungry
Clothing the naked
Visiting the prisoners,
because some are still innocent,
Is a glorious way to
Express love.
The depth and quality
Of ones love to others
Will reveal who a person
Really is.

If a person cannot
Share love for others,
Feelings and compassion
Will decline and fail
In the function that
It should fulfill
Which leads to
Mass murders
And blatant
Disregard
For the life and
Well-being
Of everyone
We come in contact with.

People must stop
Discriminating,
Hating and killing each other
It’s okay
If we all live to
A ripe old age.

Transformation sneaks in like the night

In the middle of your pain, in the salt of your tears

It echoes when you scream, it’s in the silence when no one answers

It is raw and painful and like the wings of the bird it will set you free

And when the sun rises, so do you

It’s a new day

It’s a new you…..

At least in relationships, there is
fear of the unknown and being
all alone is one of the hardest
parts of moving on. It is a paralyzing
realization that you will no longer
have another to help make your
life decisions or wake up with on
a cold winter morning, leaving
another because love is not there
any longer is complicated because
no matter how you go or when, or
even why somebody will always get
hurt more with the pain of a broken
heart and most of the time, you
still care. We are still only human
after all, so all our emotions will
consume them, ranging from hate
and anger to even sometimes
violence to sorrow and the deep
despair and even though no one
actually died except for the love
that you held. They are still gone
now from your life, so grieving is
our way to get through those
situations. I can tell you now from
experiences that no matter how
hard, you try to be prepared for the
extreme sadness that comes on
strong, causing tears to fall for how
long, no one really knows for sure
then at some point, hate will take
its place with anger on your face,
so take a breath and count to ten
or one hundred, do nothing bad.
That would be a huge mistake and
nobody ever really wants that.
In the end, nobody really wins
when love has lost its way and no
matter how hard you tried, and
all the nights you cried there is
nothing you can do, so try to enjoy
the time that you had together
and know that when not, if love
leaves its marks and your souls
have danced at midnight in the
dark and your heart’s once beat
as one. Those we loved, the most
will always be in our memories,
so it is really up to you whether
you want to remember the good
times or the bad let’s try to get
along. besides, we have enough
hate already in this world and
life is just too damn short, not
too at least all get along after
all you loved each other at
some point.

Poet Richard M Knittle Jr.
A Poet’s Journey

The air, a gentle breeze overwhelming my senses
A lover’s paradise
The inhabitants…extended family members reaching out with a warm familiarity
The water, the most magnificent blue I’ve ever seen
The sun, warming my being while the wind blows kisses through my hair
Settling into a quiet ritual, allowing my five senses to feel at ease, to explore full range.
Noting the contrast of this world to mine. Finding a meditative state to tune out all that has been unpleasant in my life.
Lying on the beach, letting my intellect bask in the sun…. Studying the mystery of my independence…. lost in the moment…permitting myself to dream.
Hanging out with my sister friends…. laughing…loving…having fun…home sick thinking of my chile…enjoying the sights…. shopping…giggling…contemplating a return visit…. waving to my girls…. walking alone…turning in for the night.
There in the shadows…waiting…intoxicatingly beautiful…forbidden fruit.
Charming…witty…a mirage I’m sure. Warm and sexy…I explain it away as part of the magic…. suffocating…. breathing only his warmth…. the room is spinning…there’s something in my drink…. the clever conversation…. the dance….my soul stirs…. Can’t lose myself…it must be a dream…. lips brush mine…. I lay down my drink…enticed by the magic…lost in time…mesmerized by that smile…denying the passion…forbidden territory…my heart is racing…denying my spirit…it must be a part of the vacation package…too much water between us…undressing him with my eyes…so many miles…returning home to normalcy…too many cultural differences…exhilarated by the memories…standing alone…missing him unbearably…looking in a full length mirror…seeing only his reflection…he’s in my suitcase…we are world apart…I imagine his arms around me…it could never work…he invades my every thought…anticipating his touch…can’t explain these feelings…at ease in his presence…there’s no explaining…imagining his breath on my neck….Jamaica is in my heart. It suddenly feels like home.

~Venus Diann

Steps entered my mind as blue
as the sky .
Faces appeared out into the sea
way .
None spoke or dared to show
signs of sad cry
it was forty years ago to this
day .
Twenty none men set out for the
the conquest .
True whiskey drinkin pirates
With a beard ,
Conjuring this dream as they
headed west .
Wuth nothing to live for, none
of them cared .
Following a star which appeared
At night.
An evil sinister cursed them
aloud ,
death was judging slaughter,
then came a light.
Destruction ate rebellion, witness
A cloud
Time has elapsed, I look out to
The sea

‘A Thing Of Beauty Is A Joy For Ever’ (John Keats)

Spring has sprung, they say…
Truly, this is a magnificent day.
Pure white magnolia opens delicately,
Tulips with green leaves push
Through the warming earth,
Strong and determined to flower soon.

This week we buried my aunt,
Beautiful colourful flowers
Marked the place, beside her daughter
Who died too young.
Her many children gathered around
Will keep special memories of her
This Mother’s Day.

Re-connections blossomed
Amongst old and young,
A coming together to celebrate
The life of a hard-working woman,
Who always had style and beauty.
It too was a glorious day.

I am holding together the cracks of my despair
Hidden behind this muted smile and pressed hair
One more hit and I’ll drop these broken pieces
The tide rides high on these receding beaches
It’s a perilous path down the streets with broken lanes
You can walk over its stones but you can’t feel its pain …

I look out towards the stars,
Somewhere out there is you…
Everywhere.
I’ve been waiting for your message.
Did you get mine?

I look upwards towards the stars,
You’re out there somewhere….
Everywhere.
I’m still waiting to receive your message.
Didn’t you get mine?

I gaze upon the stars, skyward,
Hello? Are you still out there?
Anywhere?
Is the transmission bad?
Are you receiving?
Hello?
I’m still waiting!
Hello?
I miss you!

It’s been 1,000 orbital planetary years,
I Continue waiting for you,
I’m still safe on the planet you left me on….
Steadfast & yearning,
I’m waiting every day,
To see you again….
Undaunted.
Please return soon!

I search the starry skies,
Somewhere out there,
-please be out there!
Somewhere???
Are you there?
Can you hear me?
Hello?
I’m still waiting!
I miss you!
I keep waiting for you!
I gaze upward towards the stars,
Hello? Are you still out there?
Anywhere?
Are you receiving?
Hello? Hello?
-Oh! The signal is bad!
I miss you.
I want you to know…
-that I still love you….
Hello?
Are you there????

https://www.deviantart.com/blackunigryphon/journal/Stargazed-Yearning-789030332