Read Poem: PHOENIX DIAMOND, by William Leon Wright

Praise the trials that molded me
that scolded me
and ripped my skin to shredded
flesh and bloody outcries for death.
Death is rest, not less this torture
with hidden bliss and blessings.
All of this — messing with my mind
how trials, so unkind,
can help me find a better me
to set me free from pain
and misery, not meant to be,
yet, here I stand, a better man,
sculptured and scolded by anxiety,
and why? A Devil’s lie.
My God’s reply. Because I try
my pain turned into pleasure.
I praise the trials that molded me
into this priceless treasure.

Read Poem: HERE IS A DARK, YET HOPEFUL POEM, by Hristo Petkov

We sail on a rowing ship

and the captain is drunk with glory

we have a poet on board

who’s supposed to record our story.

But the poet has his hands tangled

and his language is poor on words

that can describe our strangled

existence in this miniature world.

The cook has been too kind to us

always trying to cheer our souls

for him a lovely meal’s a must

and yet it ends in the shithole.

It doesn’t seem like hope is lost

if you judge by the drunken sailors

singing about a distant coast

and the treasures of an old pirate whaler.

And so, we all keep rowing

hoping to reach a new land

despite the smarter of us knowing

it will hardly change our stand.

The waves will rock us day by day

the colors slowly will degrade

the deck will be in disarray

and all of our ambitions fade.

And once we crash amidst a storm

the fish will have a fattening feast

to know this, oh it feels so warm

I can hope for this at least.

Read Poem: The emperor’s new clothes, by Grace M.

Submit to the view, submit to our view
The ‘new way’ is the way, the ‘only way’
To see, the emperor has a set of new clothes
Unless you’re BLIND, BIGOTED, PREJUDICED…. blah blah blah.

Humans for 2 million years, naturally evolving
The ‘new way’ is the way, the ‘only way’ and
To hell with science and natures laws
The emperor has new clothes……CAN’T YOU SEE?

Nature sets its case in evolution but
The ‘new way’ is the way, the ‘only way’ and
Says no to women with wombs and men with penises
BUT the law remains, we do not control it, do not own it
The truth is the ‘new way’ is ‘not the way.’
The emperor does NOT have new clothes on…….

Grace M.

Poetry Reading: I am not a poem, by Apostolis Iliopoulos

Apostolis IliopouloGod gave me a bunch of talents.
He took his basket and threw them at me like he was throwing potatoes.
And I took and grew like a straw scarecrow,
with a heart full of guilt and thorns for them
deep stains
that were happening, until I straightened up,
blue,
black,
blue jacket, without the slightest beauty
and I stood in my place.
There were no mirrors or anything else,
colorful objects.
I lay down and wondered about life and yet,
I got drunk with the squall, the buds in the trunks
and I danced losing my drops of sweat,
crying in shame. And my writer friends and I
came persuaded me to tear up all my volumes,
to shake off my drool and better wipe at
moths of inactivity and me
I huffed, yes, that’s what I wanted to say, and stopped.
I played and played the grand piano, I tapped and rattled like it was music,
I went out like a dog in the streets and didn’t even recognize them,
words struck on the tile,
where are my friends

No one there to listen to me. Shut up, everyone
actors, bro operas, pussies, yes pussies curled up,
umbrellas, idiots, you won’t tell me again that I don’t play,
I won’t play again,
accented, like an aristocrat,
or purple,
blue,
blue,
read what it sounds like, it’s for reading
the poem,
fool,
fool,
blue,
blue. Ah, and the time has come,
my time when I couldn’t anymore, yes anymore,
bulldozer,
all about the recitation, and I understood, I meant it,
that’s enough, I won’t continue.
Neither one nor the other
since beauty, youth, gaia have forsaken me.
I am not a poet, nor an actor, nor a talented baboon.
I was convinced. I compared myself to the greats and
they didn’t make sense to me, pointless, pussy, shit.
Where is the magic of the little creation, of the friend
that cries, the simple child’s joy,
the exaltation of the great in the non-
his greatness never in,
messed up,
confused,
alive.»s

Read Poem: PENELOPEAN ULYSSES, by Marli Merker Moreira

She gets tired of waiting
in the hope:
He will want
And love her.

It has been decades
She has started this shawl.
Each row of knitting
Cries out for yearnings
Things past will return.

Ulysses is here
After long voyages.
His mind remains
On distant shores.

Penelope has pulled the yarn.
Her work discloses
Sad color rags.
Her needles know the dream is over
For nothing can weave anew
The heart he has destroyed.

She does not knit now:
Why will she waste
Fingers, yarn, and needles?

Penelope conks out:
“Ulysses, go back
To your mermaids!
You are far below my salt”.

Read Poem: THE TREASURE, by Hannes Grove

What’s that mysterious treasure that you are solely seeking?
Specifically the one that consumes your self-centred being
Desires, affections, humankind praising you as king?
That one priceless score that your whole DNA intensely are desiring
The way your IQ goes berserk when you have this island fling

Can you touch this treasure that your eyes constantly desire?
Hidden secret worlds that flames with forbidden deadly fires
Given away to indulge by the tracking trace of your tyre
Unstoppable hidden secrets within, even if the FBI got you wired
It’s not just the girls in vampire diaries who desperately cried
Some treasures kill like wolfsbane without a trace of asking why

Did you find your costly treasure my dear friend?
Or did the mountain ash stop you before the beginning end?
Did time move on without you, costly your life spent
Was this worth it? Or just another tiktok trend?
Couldn’t you adjust gravity or crush the time line always unbent
Why seek artificial treasure when the unsearchable one is already sent

Hannes Grove

Genre is a mixture of inspirational; social; romantic; spiritual; political; humanitarian; philosophical and theological

Read Poem: THE HUNGRY HAMSTER WHO ATE THE MOON, by Lauren Clithero & Jacob Fretwell

The hungry hamster who ate the moon,
Startedo ff by eating a spoon.

Ever so hungry he started to cry.
To cheer himself up,

He baked a pie.

Loving the pie he made five more,
He swallowed one whole,

Followed by four!

This hungry hamster is getting quite fat,
Oh no!

He’s eating a cat!

He ate a cat and munched on a horse,
Is he still hungry?

Yes, of course!

The biggest hamster ever to be,
He still looks hungry!

He might eat me!

He Gobbled me up and spat me back out,
He’s too full,

Oh no! Watch out!

He’s taken off and going to the moon,
Hey look!

There’s that spoon!

Landing safely on his feet,
The moon looks tasty,

It’s ready to eat!

Two years later,
only half way through,
Oh golly gosh,

He needs a poo!

Read Poem: the trial, by selahpoetry

was it ever a crime
to love much
who is brave enough to judge
how one’s heart can
a martyr, yes, is deserving of more
but who has the audacity
to force one’s soul
into denying its truth

we do not question
how one can easily forgive
and the other, hard to let go
some of us can
some of us won’t

either,
respect is due

we long to taste freedom
in the floating clouds
yet still,
no one fully welcomes
the differences of lives
of minds,
of hearts,
perfection is hard to achieve
in a fallen world
that is to know,
in one season we fall from grace
and another we recover
and get back what has been lost

until such acceptance
is reached,
we’ll go around in circles
trying to prove which
is right and who is better

here, bowing to the standards
of a fickle system
the jury is guilty
of a biased verdict

but blessed are they
who see beyond the naked eye

(written by selahpoetry)

GENRE: life, justice, balance, equality, respect

Read Poem: CICADAS, by Austin Iredale

August, white
without a cloud.
The heat

has sunk them
all. Shadows
wake like

lead weights
before the morning
falls, and

hang terrible
by every building
and stoop.

We are
reminded of
the heaviness

that precedes
the breaking
of

a branch
a back
a long

hard season
of growing pains.
Summer’s mouth

parched and
sagging, searching
for a cleansing

rain. The street
has marched
itself to dust.

Dry fingers
snap
beneath the trees

impatiently.
And I
wasn’t ready

for
the shaking
of cicadas, or

the crucible
of days.
The earth unstrung

between its poles
like a victim
on a rack.

So many bodies
starved
of breath. I

am ill-equipped
still green and
new. Variegating

in the hard light.
I was only just
beginning

when the cicadas
came and
buckled their ribs

to drone again
of love
and death.