It's the 2025 Poem-A-Week Challenge! (This is a *poems only* thread.)

[Bn2f]

WHERE MY LOVE WILL GO


Let the fools rush in
- I want to be the one to choose where my love will go

Takes strong discipline
- If you are the one the thoughts part of my head I will trust to let me know

You could live your life waiting
- This stitch of time is such that I do my best to make it all my own

Seems so cold to say such things
- Maybe, if you are one to view relations through the lens of being sexual

 

[Bn2f]

PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION


The passion of your love for me
Has tendencies to show itself rather publicly

Grabbing my hands
Making demands
Not givin’ a damn
When or where
The angered flares
Bring awkward stares
Your backhand
Makes a swift and painful statement

It may be the waving to a friend or attempts to cover a cough
If only I knew the reason or rhyme I do the things to set you off

No not here
Calls of ‘dear’
To quell your fears
Who or what
Takes offense
Doth protest
Sir, move along,
Mind your own goddamn business

I make effort to ignore the familiar cat call to ‘Get a room!’
Your affectionate love is made worse left in the privacy of us two

 

[Bn2f]

WOMAN IN SPACE


Watch these feet move effortlessly unencumbered
As I rise into the air and float.
What a vision for wondering eyes to see
This woman defying the constraints of gravity,
Head in the clouds,
A smile and a wave for those in awe below.

He said he loves me!

Skin tingling, heart racing, ears popping!
Disappeared and gone the self promise of cautiously moving slow.
All learned rational thoughts and meaning
Take a backseat to these feelings
This lift from freeing hope off grounded floor.

He said he loves me!

I'm in the stratosphere!

He said he loves me!

Charting paths to new horizons of growth.

He said he loves me!

Grief disengages from rocketing soul.

He says he loves me!

3…
2…
1!

I GO!

 

[Bn2f]

HOW IS IT THAT PLANES FLY?


Your confusion on things unknown
Engages and inspires me to find for you better truths.
You are perfect in simplicity and never to be mocked.
And it bothers me not
That you have lived a life unburdened with the hefty weight
Of inherited intelligence leading to great expectations.
This is the reason Y(i)X enjoy unzipping
That long dangling chromosome
Found encrypted in your tight jeans.
Let me be the meditative Rodin thinker of our pair.
I will be the one to chastise those mistakenly unaware
Comparing us to examples of attracting polar opposites
Rather than seeing two complementing stars in a galaxy.
Ignore them for you have never looked any fuckably sexier
Than in this moment now
Of you standing before me
With your pleading dark eyes under furrowed brows
Asking to explain to you, please,
How exactly is it that metal planes can float on clouds.

 

[SmilingLez]

Sunday

The evening is still.
Silence settles.
No deadlines.
No expectations.

The quiet pulse of now.
Time drifts slow.
The weight of nothing.
A pocket of peace.

 

[Xenofidelity78]

we are fools

chasing gold setting every day



Looking at the horizon

searching for that luminous silver thread



The thread that binds us

to ourselves, to our souls, and to everyone else



An immortal tapestry

so surreptitious in its design,

that it escapes the naked eye



yet all we can do when we glimpse such divine congress

is pull at the threads to try and unravel them



and all this

while the cosmic DJ orchestrating fated serial records of our tragedy

plays on

 

[Ash999]

o Treasure of my heart
if U leave me
what will happen to me..
please take my hand
if i fall...i will get up
but if U hold my hand:
i can change the very World itself
we find ourselves on the first stair
on the Divine Staircase to Heaven
but you are sooo nervous
it is solely your choice
O my Darling
What You willdo
do not sigh
sooo poignantly
i will Not judge you
my Beauty...
do what thou wilst
but just think
what will happen to me
if thou desert me...sob
O my Treasure.....
sigh....
Your Desires and Fantasies are important to me ...
I lose my very existence in lustrous jungle
Of your luxuriant hair...

 

[SmilingLez]

Word based palindrome - 1 hour of creative churning

Clever words, composed silence;
silence composed, words clever.

 

[42BelowsBack]

Madness if I do. Madness if I don’t. If
only I could write a poem about sleep.

What is it about my life so often my bed of late rejects that elusive shadow of sleep?
Perhaps an inner madness is softly crumpling me into a duvet: A light sucking
absorption of thoughts. Am I a lost buried bone in a ceaseless churning of my covers?
Or is my bed a store of restless energy, emblematic of my life's wrinkled motif. Are
all my enemies snuggling in bed with me; their true cunning stealing my pillow-
causing it to soar, as restless as an ocean bird at wing / ever shifting doubts in
changing seas / as endless as the spray shadows upon my ceiling. At night I am a mind
endlessly drawn to that place were all must go. Never finding it in the vast array of all
the physical senses that are night’s true elixir. Sleep. Darkness. A mystical beast stalks me.
Always remaining a familiar stranger. At 2am, I sometimes ask, are there ghosts tearing
at my restless flesh? Another sleepless night and it feels like I’ve seemingly slept, having
spent a week, a year, a day, a month in one place where thirst blackened my thoughts die.
But it’s a lie. I didn’t sleep. At least I don’t remember it or having had any dreams of late
which is as useful as a dark star to navigate the bed I’ve made through the nights sky.



N33

 

[Bn2f]

THERE’S A LITTLE BLACK SPOT ON THE SUN TODAY
(END HIS REIGN)


He is there beside you
Sleeping
Unaware the thighs of his domain has crumbled, fallen
To the whims of my tongue

Touch your chest
Feel me
Lips suckling to your breasts heaving, stealing
The air of passion from your lungs

He shudders and rolls
Showing his back
A sight
More familiar to you now than his face

Ignorance wrecks a toll
A butterfly’s wings
Takes flight
Sending you to the lock of my heart's embrace

I ask of mankind to judge me,
Hungry as I am,
A woman in need, taking
What a foolish king has cast, discarded

A gemmed treasure I find lonely
Here she stands
A queen indeed, aching
For my love to enter in her pubis throne left unguarded

 

[Bn2f]

ANTHEM OF THE ABUSED


This song sung for help
He loves me, it’s all my fault
We must not stand for

 

[Bn2f]

THE PERFECT MISTAKE


Born blessed with a dark, smooth skinned complexion,
Broad shoulders, and a smirk for a grin
Mix in
Me
Needing to hold something beautiful
Somewhere tight, deep, and within
All were influences that persuaded my decision
To not end the night and ask him to come in and
Stay
Lay
With me til the next morning and stay

Waking then to hushed stares
The awkward silence of trying, finding
Words
Not forthcoming
Slowly
Dressing back in clothes previously torn off in haste
We eased into the sad realization we had thrown rocks
Disrupting the calm waters of our platonic friendship's
Already
Tense lake

To here I am

The ripple effects are not over
They continue to spread wider every day
But I can catch my breath
Take a quiet moment
And wipe the sweat of labor from my brow
Now
Reflect on the pain of the past eight month’s
Accusations and the questioning of whys
And the hows
The ill-informed conclusions
All rushing to this moment, son,
Of me kissing and holding this beautiful creature,
You!
My unapologetic mistake
Of pure
Perfection

 

[Bn2f]

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…


I
Urge you
To let me by
Get off your knees
No more second takes
Or tries
Spare me, please,
Shakespearean soliloquies
The improvised begs
Drawn out excuses
Your staged props
Pat rehearsed alibis

Fade to black
The sad ad-libbed performances
Of those tearless cries
The sex
The action
All the chic
Foreign style
Can’t be
Dramatically
Played by you
In block scripted set scenes
Of a mundane married life

The out of town weekends
Fishing trips
Cell phone tower
Dropped calls
Signal blips
Late nights working
Out of office
Business drinks
The lost receipts
From your distant relative’s
Funeral
On the
Vegas Strip
Your dedicated commitment
To the craft of lines
Of lies
On lies
THE LIES!
THE LIES!!
THE LIES!!!
THE LIES!!!!

The snide
Behind my back
Director’s cut
Whispered quips
The “You could try to look better”
Makeup artist
Grooming tips
The post production attempts
At editing
The flubs
Your slips
And, finally, yes...
In presenting this award
I would be remiss
If I forgot to include
From this congratulatory list
The rote recitation
Of her name
From your
Sleeping lips

I
Applaud you
Dear husband
Your spoof comedic character
Lights!
Camera!
Action!
Cue canned laughter!
Stand up
Take a bow
For all the accolades
And praise of
Raspberry worthy chatter
Casting call auditions
For a strong male lead,
Marrying a nonsupporting role
Background
Z-list actor

 

[SmilingLez]

Monday

BUZZZZ
6:00 a.m.
Dry mouth.
Morning breath.
Sleepy.
Deep yawn
Walking.
Peed.
Stubbed toe.
DAMN!
Pain.
Defeated.
Called in sick.
Back to sleep.

 

[goddessofglee]

Thoughts that linger...

Even the sparrow pauses,
unsure which way
the wandering breeze
intends to go.

The stairwell folds inward—
a hinge between echoes
uncertain if they arrive first
or follow after.

Light grazes the floor
but turns away at the edges,
as if ashamed
to reveal what it finds.

A chair lingers,
though lingering may not be its task;
its shadow keeps time
faster than the legs
it pretends to bear.

The clock spills its hands
into the basin,
where hours dissolve,
rinsing themselves clean.

Even silence is borrowed—
the walls will owe it back
to the dark.

Nothing has entered,
yet the room, restless with itself,
leans toward departure.

Was it the door that opened—
or the room that walked out instead?

And if this is a dream,
whose breath sustains it,
and why do I wake
inside its gaze?


№36 of 52

 

[Wonderer67]

Between Blue Mountain and Second Mountain

Whenever I am near Fort Indiantown Gap
The Pennsylvania hills and woods and fields
Carry me back

Somewhere in the mid-nineties
A time between the wars
We were young E-5s
Me, a dumb ass tanker
Her, a cute Supply Sergeant
From two completely different units
Brought together by the common cause of
Primary Leadership Development Class

Borrowing time from the Army
And making it our own
For a few weeks, and a few drills afterwards

We had a quiet thing
A simple, wonderful secret

Now, when I
Float through those rolling fields
And near these mountains and hills and lakes…

I find myself wondering
Where she landed
Is she still with her husband?
Does she live near these hills?

Her face is still in sharp focus:
Curly hair pulled back and tucked under her hat
Orange freckles scattered like stars
On her face
Wire-rimmed glasses framing
Her happy smile
The smoothest skin
And softest lips

It was two XX wives ago
And far away

I was a different person then

But for a few weeks and nights
We laughed and rolled and tangled
On the dusty tank trails
Between Blue Mountain and Second Mountain
at Fort Indiantown Gap

36/52

 

[Angeline]

Jason

The bond between us was shared grief
My sister, your brother both are gone
Shared pain is mirror, odd relief
The bond between us was shared grief
For Death is an indifferent thief
We helped each other carry on
The bond between us was shared grief
My sister, your brother both are gone



Week 40, Poem 1, Total 47

 

[Ash999]

Between Blue Mountain and Second Mountain

Whenever I am near Fort Indiantown Gap
The Pennsylvania hills and woods and fields
Carry me back

Somewhere in the mid-nineties
A time between the wars
We were young E-5s
Me, a dumb ass tanker
Her, a cute Supply Sergeant
From two completely different units
Brought together by the common cause of
Primary Leadership Development Class

Borrowing time from the Army
And making it our own
For a few weeks, and a few drills afterwards

We had a quiet thing
A simple, wonderful secret

Now, when I
Float through those rolling fields
And near these mountains and hills and lakes…

I find myself wondering
Where she landed
Is she still with her husband?
Does she live near these hills?

Her face is still in sharp focus:
Curly hair pulled back and tucked under her hat
Orange freckles scattered like stars
On her face
Wire-rimmed glasses framing
Her happy smile
The smoothest skin
And softest lips

It was two XX wives ago
And far away

I was a different person then

But for a few weeks and nights
We laughed and rolled and tangled
On the dusty tank trails
Between Blue Mountain and Second Mountain
at Fort Indiantown Gap

36/52

Innocent Fling then...
Today in Age of Ukraine, Gaza...Diddy...
Dawns New Comprehension
What U had was Pristine Pure
What World has become
Is Ugly Dark....Not blue nor azure.....
Sigh......j' adore.....

 

[Tzara]

Request

Sometimes I write my verse in rhyme,
Sometimes in prose, to say it plain.
Some think that rhyme is past its prime
And reading it a kind of pain.
But rhyme, done well, can be sublime
While modern forms are too arcane.
If belletrists find rhyme a crime,
Please do not read this one. Abstain.

Week 40 : Poem 1 : Total 53

 

[Ash999]

Request

Sometimes I write my verse in rhyme,
Sometimes in prose, to say it plain.
Some think that rhyme is past its prime
And reading it a kind of pain.
But rhyme, done well, can be sublime
While modern forms are too arcane.
If belletrists find rhyme a crime,
Please do not read this one. Abstain.

Week 40 : Poem 1 : Total 53

I
J' adore Rhyme:
Do Not believe it:
Hath passed it's Age or Time!!!

 

[SmilingLez]

Rhyme makes me think, a tell,
a witch's spell,
say it wrong,
go straight to hell.

Say it right,
moon shining bright,
obey the laws,
and all is yours.

 

[_Land]

My Greatest Hits: The End
Post humorously by Bear Sage

I’m a lot closer to dead than famous,
but don’t worry, death’s cheaper than PR.
No agent’s cut, no brand deal,
just a two-for-one on casket nails
and a headstone font that screams discount.

My fan club will form at the wake,
half there for the free chicken wings,
half scrolling their phones,
waiting to see if my ghost
finally goes viral on TikTok.

The critics who ignored me in life
will suddenly publish think-pieces:
“He always had a unique voice,
like a chainsaw muffled by dirt.”
Five stars, posthumous only.

I picture the worms autographing my bones,
their signatures worth more
than my entire collected works.
Even the maggots get front-row seats,
wiggling with more enthusiasm
than the crowd I played to alive.

Fame is a coffin with velvet lining,
too expensive to lie in,
too tempting not to try on.
I’ll settle for plywood,
let the mildew write my legacy.

And when the curtain falls,
it’s not applause I’ll hear,
just the shovel,
steady as a metronome,
tapping out my greatest hit:
the end.

 

[Ash999]

Rhyme makes me think, a tell,
a witch's spell,
say it wrong,
go straight to hell.

Say it right,
moon shining bright,
obey the laws,
and all is yours.

U Rock Gal
U're a Dear Pal
Sweet Smiling Lez
Mon Ami Parlez !!!
Hope my French makes Sense
Otherwise it's all Nonsense.....

 

[Ash999]

My Greatest Hits: The End
Post humorously by Bear Sage

I’m a lot closer to dead than famous,
but don’t worry, death’s cheaper than PR.
No agent’s cut, no brand deal,
just a two-for-one on casket nails
and a headstone font that screams discount.

My fan club will form at the wake,
half there for the free chicken wings,
half scrolling their phones,
waiting to see if my ghost
finally goes viral on TikTok.

The critics who ignored me in life
will suddenly publish think-pieces:
“He always had a unique voice,
like a chainsaw muffled by dirt.”
Five stars, posthumous only.

I picture the worms autographing my bones,
their signatures worth more
than my entire collected works.
Even the maggots get front-row seats,
wiggling with more enthusiasm
than the crowd I played to alive.

Fame is a coffin with velvet lining,
too expensive to lie in,
too tempting not to try on.
I’ll settle for plywood,
let the mildew write my legacy.

And when the curtain falls,
it’s not applause I’ll hear,
just the shovel,
steady as a metronome,
tapping out my greatest hit:
the end.

No matter how much U try:
This cud not rate a laughter Emojy....
You are our warm, loving friend
We cannot bear jokes about your End
I cud only be Sad
This is a cruel lyric
I felt bad
I am not your Critic
But I cannot laugh@this: NO!?
PLZ understand ...my Bro!!!!????

 

[Ash999]

Hindi devotional number , translation thereof. Circa 1956
Dear Lord, we are Thy Faithful Flock
we Worship Thee..
shelter us under Thy shadow from Sun'$ Glare
may we run happily smiling into Thy lap
@our lifetime end
help us to fight injustice
when Society is bemused
When light has dimmed...
Confusion presides
O Lord then Arrive
in your shining chariot
and destroy all Evil
when Evil doers Sin
help us Win
by doing Good
Good always Wins
Destroy all Sins.....