Up dated February 4, 2001 - First the love poems for Valentine's Day!
Click for more at OPEN MIC ENCORE.

CANYON
Justin Michael Imler

there is a canyon that splits our world in two.
there is a distance that keeps me from ever really reaching you.
there is a bridge that is burning far behind.
there is a future at the bottom of the canyon gone blind.

the only void that i know of lies within my soul.
the only truth i know of lies about the heart you once stole.

there is a candle that burns all through the night.
there is a bird that clips it's own wings in mid-flight.
there is a fire that engulfs all of me in a random slaughter.
there is a canyon that runs between here and water.

i'll cry you a river if you build me a bridge.

~*~

2/5/99
ChaJaPin 


Being with you is one of life's greatest secrets, 
Like watching the sun slowly rise over a beach in the early morning,
Or watching angels as they dream, oblivious to the madness of this adult world.
Time spent with you is a necessity that is both priceless and memorable, 
Like making love in the rain on a humid summer's night,
Or two lovers holding hands as they sleep.
The magic of two people sensing each other,
Suffering the other's pain, celebrating the other's happiness, 
And feeling their ecstasy is something that cannot ever be taken away.
~*~

The Legend of the Future
Harout Vartanian, Aleppo, Syria
© Copyright 29-3-00

One of those rose-days
You should sail
Past all the cosmic oceans
Like a good dolphin
Diffusing devotion
Using your heart as a compass
Your brain as an astrolabe

One of those rose-days
One of those silence-perfumed nights
Comet horse-stars from all the cosmic oceans
Shall sail past your sextant-eyes
Shall bring a bottle of good echo
A bottle of a treasure map
A ray of light leading to a salmon's
Mother spring
One of those silence-perfumed nights
~*~

If you try hard enough,
Will it happen for you?
If you wish hard enough,
Will your dreams come true?


If you cry long enough,
Will the pain fade away?
If you run far enough ,
Will the memories still stay?


If the pain becomes bad enough,
Will you hide away from me?
If your heart becomes sad enough,
Will you wish to be set free?


If I shout it loud enough,
Will you know that its true?
If I say it often enough,
That I am in love with you...
 Dave P. Jacobs 
~*~

A Friend
Grant Gregory 

she’s always been a friend,
we are so very close,
and we both had some problems,
probably more than most,
we share something special,
something no one can take,
she and i are more than friends,,
with her there’s nothing to fake,
i know i can count on her,
at anytime of night,
and any advice she gives me ,
i usually find is right,
she is a true friend,
one i can’t replace,
she’s always helps to dry,
my often tear soaked face,
so thank you from deep inside,
for everything you’ve done,
we’ve made it through a lot together,
though it was not fun,
i don’t regret the fights we’ve had,
it was worth the sacrifice,
you helped me help myself amanda,
you helped me save my life

~*~

My Best Friend
Raghu Srinivas

She is not my sister
She is not my mother
She is not a blood relation to me

She is not my lover
She is not my wife

Still i cried for her
Then who is she?

She is my best friend bazu.
~*~

Life is like a teeter-totter
We have high spots
Low spots
We have spots in between
When I'm low and your high
You push me up
When your low and I'm high 
I try my hardest to do the same
In the middle we meet
We smile for a moment...
And then time changes
Some people act as the air
Acting as if they can make you stay in high spirits forever
But then they let you fall
As times go on...
...Your true friends are the ones
Who RIDE the teeter-totter with you
smoss

~*~

If you are ever going to love me
love me now so I can know
all the sweet and tender words
from which real affection flow.
Love me now while I am living
do not wait till I am gone
and then chisel it marble
warm love words on ice cold stone.
If you've dear sweet words about me
why not whisper them to me
don't you know that it would make me
just as happy as happy could be?
If you wait till I am sleeping
never to waken here again
there would be a wall between us 
and I would not hear you then.
So dear, if you love me any at all
even if it's just a little bit
love me now while I am living
so I can own and treasure it.

Mistycox

~*~

The Thirst
Mark Karpinka

The wine I sip comes from your lips
and drink I will today.
A glass or two shall pour from you
if I shall have my way.
The taste is sweet as summer's heat
and crispy clean like fire.
My tongue will dance the young buck's prance
licking upon desire.
I'll raise my glass to you lush lass
again if you keep still.
Another cup may keep us up
but lust will test the will.
Now vow my dear to keep thoughts clear
and harbor not a straying fear;
and promise I until I die
the thirst beyond a lover's lie.

~*~

if you are the lamb, 
then i am the sheep,
not the shepherd,
he does it for pride,
not the wolf,
he does it for blood,
i am the sheep,
i do it for love.
 Dorian Wake

~*~

Symphony
Tammy Peaden 

You played the cello,
And I loved to watch you play;
You held your instrument
As you would a lover,
Head bent in rapt attention.
Cradled within the smooth warmth
Of your thighs,
Your fingers danced lightly
Along taut strings;
You drew your bow
With sinuous abandon.
Passion glistened
In the sweat of your brow,
Your eyes closed against
The onslaught of ecstasy,
Lost in sweet surrender.
You played the cello,
And I loved to watch you play. 

~*~

THE CRY
Cecilia Reed
dedicated to all the ones with an unplanned pregnancy


Did really want it go that far.
You could have been a star
That one night of sex rearrange your life
Now where is the one that was going to make you his wife
Your boy is long gone 
Now you and this baby are all alone
Can you really take care of a child 
Along with the birth certificate you life is filed
You should have realized that he didn't really want you
He left you and never will he be true
Now you are single mother
And the baby doesn't have a father
Why did you allow him to run games
Didn't you realized that you were the one with the brains 
You in the hospital delivering without him in sight
But that he was there the first night
He left you as soon as you told him
Now you life has started looking dim
And you seating there asking yourself why
You feel into the game called the CRY

~*~

Shame 
chopard

Ashamed to look at the future,
Because I am a person with out a past,
I am the kind of person who always
Does what she has been asked.

~*~

SEA OF FOOLS (With a twist ending by Creation)
(A composite poem by Lori S. Maynard and Ted Yahraus)

Two people lost on the Sea of Fools, their vessels tattered and torn.
Neither would help for they weren't the same color; and, there is ignorance was born.

The waves of Pride smash against the rocks of Indifference.
The tides of Hate pull so hard, that they don't have a chance.

The crags of Injustice split the waves that crash among;
giving some height and others silver tongues.

Although, without guidance, adrift they must be.
Until their Great Captain, they admit they must see.

But, is it their Captain who guides them adrift?
And mangled their sails and made hatred their gift?

Nay, it is their dark, murky nature, nurtured with glee.
That delivers them to a fate as void as the sea.

Their hatred now brewing, two ships silently pass
Each believing their manhood could kick the other one's pride.

The icy wind now raging, as they planned to kick butts...
Merely resulted in the freezing of nuts.

And once those precious things broke off in icy scorn...
God snickered and chuckled, and Woman was born!!!

~*~

FULL CIRCLE

new beginnings
a baby is born
hope comes to life
with joy and jubilation
so throw out the old

and welcome the new 
life to be nurtured
resolutions the instructions
which chart the course
to achievement and fulfillment

reflections remind us 
this stage this point
was once before right here
with a sense of deja vu
we march into the new 

gillena

~*~

My Own Direction
Aaron Thompson

I remember walking along the shore,
trying hard to keep my small feet
in the footprints of my father.

He smiled as I would struggle 
to plant my feet firmly where his had been.
He'd then take an extra large step

to test my ambition,
and I would leap across the sand,
determined to land where I belonged.

We kept at the game until I slipped
and hurt my foot.
I fell backwards in the sand

obliterating our footprints.
My father took me by the hand
and helped me to my feet.

I limped along behind him for a while,
but soon he was out of sight,
and I went my own direction.

~*~

Regret
Will Lau

The muted thoughts and wishes made
A moment seems to last but then quickly fades.
It is the unsaid things are ones that haunt.
All the stuff that makes heartstrings taunt.

Oh curse is me the silent man.
N’er said the words in the time at hand.
Thus silence is ringing in mine ear
And moment fleeting, gone is here.

Tomorrow is yet another day, 
But coward am I that I still cannot say
The contents of my mind, my feelings my heart
To someone these things were felt from the start.

So do not dally your time away
You have numbered years, months and days.
Tell the person that you do hold dear
All your thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears.

So no regrets in your soul shall live,
That you said what you did, gave what you give.
Just don’t let the moment befall.
Do not be like me, regretting it all.


~*~

This is me.
This is all I can be.
I can't change, 
Wouldn't if I could.
You've loved me for so long.
Been there for me, 
Helped me through the hard times.
Why am I so different now?
Just because I've made choices?
I'm sorry that I've grown,
I'm sorry that you don't love me anymore.
I wish you could.
Because this is me.
This is all I can be.
I haven't changed.
I can't changed,
Wouldn't if I could.
I love you,
With all my heart.
But this is me.

Leslie Harding

~*~

IRENE
Troy Edison Yaw

I know a girl called Irene
She possess a beauty yet unseen;
Like flowing waters are clean
She makes dead grass look green.

Irene, you take away all my blues
You are beautiful in my view;
You don't know it but I'll give you a clue
No girl is as special as you!

~*~

I race along the beach
wind whipping through my hair
the smell of the ocean invigorates me
I toss my head back and take a deep breath
a strange feeling overcomes me
I pause to turn and look
an inky blackness creeps up
threatening my very existence
I run, kicking sand up around me
knowing that this is a race for my life
if it catches up to me
I will be forever changed
I sense it gaining 
so I press on
for a moment, I feel as if I am far ahead
I almost pause to catch my breath
instead I look up, and see my goal
a burst of energy comes to me and I go on
I can almost taste my victory
and I know that it will be sweet
I turn to take one last glance at my opponent
when I stumble and fall
I cry out, knowing what is to come
as the velvety blackness wraps itself around me

Jennifer Wildwoman
~*~

Winter. 
Veronica M Howard

Bleak grey skies misty plains and drizzling rain seeping through the half frozen earth. Blistering winds bite the naked trees, soon the snow will come, and the earth will turn to a blanket of white. The pond will turn to ice, and i will greet it all with joy. On cold nights by open fires i will embrace winter. 

~*~

Guardian Angel
DixieRebel

You've changed me
Showing me to love
You're my guardian angel
Sent to me, from up above

My angel from Heaven, my faith when I'm down
My courage to go on, my bright shining star
All of these things
Describe what you are

I must be very lucky
As everyone can see
God had to have made you
Only to be with me

You've taught me to care
And you always been there
You've do more than you could ever know
With love, you showed me how to grow

~*~

They always told us what not to do, they said they'd call you names
But what none of them could understand, is that it's only fun and games

A kiss wont always mean a lot, sometimes they're just for fun
But when the others all find out, they all say you were dumb

A guy will always be a guy, they think they must get some
Don't take it all so seriously, kick back and have some fun

There is no need for name calling, or looks of great disgust
For kids will be kids you know, it is not love its lust

So when the tell you what not to do, when they say they'll call you names
Just look them straight in the eyes, and say its only fun and games
Brandi Evans

~*~

Rebecca Ayne
Ian Thurber 

The narcissists mirror must be broken
When making love's a cloud of grey
While longing for equal attraction
Ruins the love and warmth by day
So as you go into the evening
Praying that the time is right
Know that time can change the darkness
But it can't bring love to light

~*~

Whose Inventory?
Ellen S. Ewaskowitz 

Who am I to judge your sin,
or where I think your spirits been.
Your motives are not mine to guess,
but I still do it, more or less.

I count the items you have in stock,
indicating where you need more. Then, with
your inspectors gloves you walk into my store.

You ransack what's left of my dusty old shelves,
leaving things in disarray. And, you show me
your itemized inventory sheet, leaving me in total dismay.

Now, there are wounds on both of our shelves that were
not there before. They, too, will gather dust over time.
I guess now we're aware, but we'll be none the wiser until
you tend to your business and I tend to mine.

~*~

Always and Forever
Veronica Crawford

Always and forever we said. No matter what our love would stay strong and true to each other.
We never had problems with telling each other those three simple words. The words "I Love You" have so much meaning to you and I yet everyone else throws them around.
Why is it that we were never alone together? I always wanted it to be just you and me. Well, that never happened. It was all just a dream.
Always and forever I told you I'd love you. I guess you'd have to see it to believe me. I never wanted to hurt you, but I honestly do love you.
Always and forever I told myself. Don't ever let go of this one, he's a keeper. Then why doesn't he leave HER? I'll never understand that.
I guess it's all just a part of life. So now when I see you or talk to you, as soon as I leave, I cry. 
So, whenever you're sitting outside and you see me pass by just whisper those three little words "I Love You" and I will hear you. I know you love me as I love you. It will just be our little secret. For us and nobody else.
Just remember between you and I, our love will be always and forever.

~*~

Blue beach umbrella.
White plastic table. Brown girl.
Turquoise sea. Eyes swim.
 Stuart Reed

~*~

'Harvest'
Brian Gierat

harvest time-
the moon's reflection
in the raised sickle

~*~

Me and You 
Nicole Geoffroy

On a wonderful day, 
around two years ago... 
Little did I know, 
that I was to meet the best person in my life. 

At the time, we were only friends. 
Even though I wanted more... 
I remember looking at you, 
and just everything about you was amazing. 

But, I tried to forget about it, and move on... 
I met more guys, and it just wasn't right. 
They meant nothing to me. 
And the feelings weren't the same... 

Every now and then, you'd come to my mind, 
I'd see you up town, 
we'd hang out. 
And I always felt something. 

But, still, I figured it was nothing. 
You were a major flirt... 
Events occurred, and shit happened. 
Sometime later, fate brought us together... 

~*~

Heaven
rae burton 

Why protect the unprotected?
lies cant see through the glass
How can one dream be so impossible
that you just forget how to dream?

How unfair can it be
when your forced into confusion?
Water babies start drowning
and you have to judge yourself.
Is it to wild in the jungle to survive?

the age when nothing fits
Sky lights begin to get darker
and the drums start banging.

What is the world coming to
people kill people then ask for mercy!
Angels ask for your autograph
because they think your one in a million.

Like what you see?
then you will always see no evil
Don't cast away your doubts
for you need them in order to live
~*~

"The therapist and the artist review the mosaic"
Tony Kurth

The leather grain sofa squeaks a groaning complain
rivals lean forward and attempt to explain.

Some order to the pieces left by the accident.
I put my ear to the door and listen intent

such was the complexity of the picture,
patterns linear and also fractal in nature

The big picture was confusingly blurred
so they took it piece by piece, and this is what I heard:

professional faces
business attire

passionate kisses
burning desire

unbridled ambition
a royal flush

climbing higher
the conquerors rush

stark humiliation
an ache in my bones

jonsen the poison
and poisoning the jones

How long can a bird survive in the nest
feasting itself upon its own flesh

further into thought
deeper in the well

stream of consciousness
...on that let me tell

it's a 747 turbine
and I feel it's warm blow

but I'm miles away
so I pursue the flow

I am within inches of the source, 
its an earthquake and a hurricane with Hiroshima force

I reach out to touch it

the roaring blast peels away my fingernails
my flesh ripples in it's power like loose sails

knocked of my feet
I tumble and soar

Helpless and flailing 
I'm back further than before

Grab some dirt and curse the ground
ears ringing from the deafening sound

this spirit is grounded, he cannot fly
he searches for truth and finds only lies

weary of being held at confusions length
wary of weakness I thought was strength

and the artist pulls his beard, sighs, "maaan..."
the therapist kneads his forehead, groans "daamn..."

I hear a small voice, and my eyes unglaze;
at the broken jar of low fat mayonnaise.

"More juice please", says my son at the door.
"Just a sec", Daddy's dropped a thought on the floor.

~*~

Jesus Is The Answer 
(copyrighted 1989)
ART PAUL SCHLOSSER

Jesus is the Answer
Even if it's Cancer
Jesus is the Solution
Even if it's Pollution
Deep inside your Soul
He will make it Go
He will set you Free
Jesus is the Key

~*~

I Was Confused
Nancy Head (c)2001


It sounded like it would storm...
yet I saw no lightning.

But I felt the warm and salty rain...
yet the sky was clear.

I then realized...

It was only the sound
of my heart thundering in my ears
and my own tears
raining from my eyes.
~*~

My Friend
Jena 

Dear friend, I am looking out my window thinking about you. I am thinking to myself "where has our friendship gone?" Were you ever really here? Did I really share all of my deepest and darkest secrets with you? Were you really the one I used to stay up all night with? Are you really the friend who was always there for me? No, It couldn't have been you because my friend would never hurt me. My friend wouldn't tell lies to me. My friend would never tell people my deepest and darkest secrets. And my friend would never ever laugh behind my back like that. So who are you and what have you done to my friend? 

~*~

-Rocky Road-
Seth Gabriel Baker

Carried on the sea of red
The snow-white dove flies to your head
And with your dreams she'll fly away
And leave you lonely, hollow and dead 

But 'till that final bell is rung
From rope and rafter life is hung
Indeed, until your dying day
You'll hear the wise old owl say:
"It's almost within reach", but not quite...
You'll never catch the rabbit white 

~*~

Smiling Face
Taha Labidi

The pleasant cool of the evening
Is blowing gently tonight 
It gave me goose-bumps when I was
Daydreaming in that starlit night 

The memories of a smiling face
Came flowing smoothly on my mind
A girl I loved and she deserved
She was to me so nice and kind

She left me with the best memories
I was a child beginning to learn
And now I'm old enough to think
To like, to love and even to yearn

Suddenly came the pleasant cool,
Awakened me in a warm embrace
But at last, I cannot forget
The lady with the smiling face...
~*~

GRANDMA
Ali

You have no glasses to cover your eyes
There are no wrinkles on your face
Your grip is tight, your smile bright
You arms are strong as we hold this embrace

I hear your voice as you pray out loud
And make sure all is done
I feel your touch upon me
Your smile in the sun

Though on Earth, time may have passed
And we must be apart
My memories or you will remain
Forever young in my heart

~*~

Where are they now my green Sandals?
Adam Rogers 

Where are they now my green sandals? 
he care to me in the sultry heat
fed me an olive yet would not divulge
fed me an olive leaf of bitter repression
farther i walked on visions in my mind's eye
pictures of sour expressions on the shaded grove
my blooded footprints a trail of misery
A STORM AROSE
BlOwInG aWaY
the dusty, once turgid leaves
discarded like my soul
an uprooted tree gnarled and old
as the frail old lazy her heart an ocean of secrets
entwined in its roots a box of chains
its old key long forsaken
inside: dusty, worn, familiar yet out of reach
my green sandals

~*~

WALL TALK
Simon

We merge together
Now
And fuse our severed brow
To silent, cold faced
Brick
To coldly, cruelly trick
The painfulness of purpose
So emptiness might save
Us.

~*~

Beauty In Sadness
Samyukta Ranganathan

Pearls drop from the clear lake 
of blue black

Fall down to the mountains
and merge with the 
pure white

And when the sun shines and 
shatters the stability 
like ears of corn the scatter
in the wide never-ending field of 
the sky.

And they grow into new fruit 
of hope with the water of the blue black,
clear lake

~*~

The Whole Story
Angel

When the moon shines
over the pure white snow,
it makes me wonder-
what do I know?
I think I should be,
everything and more;
but that mostly fails,
and hurts to the core.
But then I see nature
in all of her glory,
and I smile because I realize-
I don't have to know the whole story.

~*~

THE FOREST FIRE
Ian Manx 

It is somewhere in this zone
I had sown, or rather thrown,
a stray seed--yes, a cinder-seed
in the snowfield!

I returned from an exile, this morning,
and I find a continent of forest:
luxuriating trees, up lolloping flame-tongues!

And grotesque fruits dangling
from stretched-to-horizon boughs
with molten lava-and-honey in their kernel!

I approach 
one such fruit, the near-at-hand,
and coax it: Dear Fruit!
grow a seed , a live seed, for me,
a seed like the one 
I had sown somewhere here;
Give it to me, I have to take on the rest of the earth.

~*~

SOMEONE CARES 
natasha

Someone cares every hour of the day.
worries if your at home or away,
Someone cares when your eyes are sad
and gets it straight when you are mad.
Someone cares when your alone writes you 
letters and calls you on the phone.
Someone cares when you wishes come true,
and greatly celebrates things with you.
Someone deeply cares as you can see.
Haven't you guessed that someone is me.

~*~

Standing at the edge of night. 
Bright shining star light. 
Walking along the trail tonight. 
Look to the sky.
See a meteor flying by. 
I wonder in its beauty.
I feel so small.
There is a power about us all. 
Will we ever learn to enjoy it all. 
The beauty of nature leaves me in awe .
 LLOYD DEVENNY

~*~

The Greatest Mistake

Love is what you gave me
A child of devotion
Your words were true
A heart so full
A mind so open
A soul so willing
To be offered to me
A person who was blinded
Who peered through tunnel vision
Seeking something new and different
Someone new and different
To leave you unattended
To live a fantasy
To think that there was more to be had
I broke your heart
I played your mind
I severed your soul
For what?
A night of passion
A night of freedom
A night of youth
I regret it all
But that's not enough
I hate myself
But that's not enough
I would die from my own hands
If it would please you 
My love has been evolving ever since
Waiting until you say forgiveness has arrived
But its been so long
Too much said and done
Your done
No more love
No more affection
I invite the heartache every night
Letting the tears flow
Upon the pillow where I lay
Wanting to die
Wanting to live
Choices are overwhelming
A fine line
Like Heaven and Hell
I was blinded
But now its clear
The choice I made
Was my greatest mistake

words from the saddness that is Travis Petri

~*~

How could I have missed
Your overwhelming beauty,
Your overpowering words,
Your unconditional love
Before you took them 
All back
into the depths of your soul?
How can I ever reach them again?
How can I show you
How much you truly mean to me?
And that I am nothing 
Without you?
My dreams are filled with loneliness.
My love is a fire 
That cannot burn free.
Please, let me back in,
To what i missed before,
Before i knew 
I loved u.

mestubby

~*~

THE NIKE LOGO
Troy Edison Yaw 

The Nike logo...
Is the patented check;
It is plain and simple
It doesn't have to be high-tech!

The Nike logo's cool
Not the type of logo for any fool;
The Nike logo signifies being cool
That's why it makes other companies' drool!

~*~

lament of Bobby Chanse
Danny L Davis

Fire fizzles
And blood drizzles
Mans machine drowns
Broken tire
Junkyard choir
Hades looks up and frowns

~*~

I Still Await
Quentin Clingerman

I awaited with keen anticipation
Poetry.com had told me I'd be published
Ordered a plague of my poetry while waiting

Now four months later, having paid my bill
I still await that plaque
I still await that plaque
Phone calls gave me two dates for shipping
I still await that plaque
I still await that plaque

Procrastination and lies are what I've received
Thank goodness I did not order the book!
Thank goodness I did not order the book!

Poetry.com, I still await
I still await!

~*~

THE LITTLE THINGS
Lisa Runstedler

It seems that life is such a rush 
don't have the time to get things done.
I go to work to make a pay.
I can't be at home with my kids to stay.

They'll see someday that I really care;
though they'll wake each morn' and I'm not there.
When I can give them gifts they'll learn
that all the money I have earned 
is really time that I can't give 
cause I can't stay home with my kids.

Without daddy's job we wouldn't have
this fancy home that money brings.
You'll see that mommy needs her job
for all these extra little things.

When you're sick and need my hand,
I'll be at work, so understand;
If I were here and by your side
to protect and love you as my child
to teach and praise you as I should
and be home with you as I could
I'd be a mother and a friend.

We wouldn't get the little things
but see the glory that God brings.
When I open up my eyes to see;
the greatest gift to my child is ME.

It now is time to make things right,
to spend my day and then my night
letting my child always know 
that there is no place I will go,
that takes away our family love.
We'll always trust in God above.

The little things that we had bought
were not as important as I once thought.
For when we die we will not bring 
the house and all our little things;
but we will bring the memories of
our family, friends and those we love.

~*~

My Fire...
Ariana Sarmiento

No, I never had the chance to gaze into your eyes,
but I have been able to search within your heart.
To caress your soul, without ever touching you,
silent gestures, priceless beyond any affection.
To lose myself within you,
is to never find myself without you.
My heart each day desiring your innermost passion.
Wishing the next night,
you would be entangled in the heat of my fire...

~*~

Boston Fantasy
Keri Friedman

Friday, a plane from here to nowhere
I will walk up your porch
walk into your arms
and play the game that never ends
with us.
Touching, stroking,
the way we still know each other so well
intermingled-
gazpacho, tortillas,
sangria,
woven with
a glass of Merlot on the rickety wooden back porch
already peeling from last years coat of paint.
A pack of Dunhills on the table between us,
the ash flickers, burns,
extinguishes in the fading daylight
and it is Monday.

~*~

Graves:
-Pete-

Bathed in black and then he sees
The passing days through his dreams.
Silently crushed he fades in the shadows.
Choices lined up to be shot in an hour.
There is time to kill in mind.
Cold distant bonds to ease and unwind.
Empty waves and empty smiles seen through,
Cold an tired he killed a life from his few.
Dying in dark desperation
HE glimpsed the glory gathered in front.
Lost in daze his shadow emanated the obvious.
"Take from me what was given, not deserving".
"lie down, lie down and let the angels rest your eyes"
"Sleep my friend in the shadows where lies your peace"

~*~

When You're Smiling.
Ken P. Duddle

Are you hiding a secret?
Have you sinned?
Are you pleased to see me?
Or have you just got wind?

~*~

analysation
buttsy

semaphore signals from the offices,
analysation takes no prisoners.
bill-boards bulge with your prosperity,
curfews keep you from all anarchy.

television screens convert the pessimist,
then real life perverts the optimist.
telephones tapped with utmost prejudice,
for lunatics, suspected communists.

sensations come with new sunrises;
this is the dawning of your day.
believing everyone brings danger,
with apathy we'll fade away.

energy surge in neutral stations,
the way they turn your information round.
on its head, but not in your mind,
God knows what they'll do when they find
out.

~*~

paint-
he on his canvas, 
her on her lips-
drips, 
drips, 
drips,
down the sidewalk of passion,
adding blues and greens and peaches
to the already fire-candy red of the bricks
pacing, dancing
to and forth, 
back and fro,
carving walkways and passages
to hidden cities
where horn-players toot
in loud carbon-filled tubes
shading perfectly
this strange town
along purple bayous and
turquoise streams
 Angelle

~*~

Earth
Catherine Moonan

The water sings a song of old
When the earth was young and bold
It sings of times so long ago 
that we mortals will never know
Our time on earth is small
So we must spend it wisely above all
For our life times only seem a day 
to our wonderful earth of clay

~*~

Forgiven
Isaac O'Bannon 


This is not because I'm trying to be good.
This is not because I'm trying to be big.
This has little to do with what I think would be best.
This has less to do with you than you think.

It is something that I must do;
That my love for you compels.
Were it a simple matter of choice,
You would be gone,
I would be bitter,
It would be over;
It would be the end.

But I forgive you,
And dammit, there is more to come.

~*~

A LITTLE ATTENTION PLEASE
Darryl.Steiskal

Do you ever look into the faces 
of the very old?
What do you see?
Do they look very cold?

Do you see them as sad
and say too bad?
Well give them a hug
You'll plant such a bug

They'll smile ear to ear
You'll see much good cheer
Show them your song
They'll sing along

But don't leave them alone
to live life on their own.
If at any age you're forgotten 
you're bound to feel rotten.

~*~

Dreams are left Dreamt
Eli Henry Miller

You glowed, like a star in the sky
As i encountered you, i could not think
All was lost, but imagination
As we talked, you provided me with light
The light provided me to see in the dark
You gave me a dream, to dream,
You gave me a dream to be dreamt

When i awoke, you faded
All feeling was lost
The dream only evolved into a recollection
The recollection was not to be left, but to be remembered.

~*~

ALIEN HUNTERS 
By Kelli Finnestad 01-11-01

Our backs press snug to the ground,
blades of grass reach up, tickling our ears.
Bathed in the light of falling stars,
Orion fits an arrow into his shimmering bow.
A cold breeze pricks our skin, 
and reminds us we should be in bed.
Dad drifts in and out of sleep,
waking to my incessant jabs,
each time asking, "Are THEY here yet?"

~*~

WAR AND HELL
JOLENE DODD

weapons are fired
sons, brothers, fathers and uncles fall
blood flows steadily from the wounded
screams are heard echoing through the hills
it will only stop when the last man falls
years of heartache follow
tears of joy and sorrow are shed
wives without husbands
sisters without brothers
children without fathers
those lucky enough to return
are scarred for life
nightmares haunt them
fears of sleep and guns turn their lives into hell
war and peace
two small words for two separate ways of life

~*~

nothing at all
Bud Weiser

It's a human sign
When things go wrong
When the scent of her lingers
And temptation's strong

Into the boundary
Of each married man
Sweet deceit comes calling
And negativity lands

Cold cold heart
Hard done by you
Some things look better baby
Just passing through

And it's no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It's two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But it's no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It's no sacrifice at all

Mutual misunderstanding
After the fact
Sensitivity builds a prison
In the final act

We lose direction
No stone unturned
No tears to damn you
When jealousy burns

~*~

Into the Clear:
Pete Cavaluzzo

Empire rise, Empire fall. 
With Aztec eyes,
An indians call.
Can you remember everything?
I dont think you can
But its so clear now.
Running around the track 
to end were you begin.
Rain and dry, dry AND rAIN
Sing and cry, CRY AND SING
Wake and sleep, sleep and wake
FRiends to enemies, enemies to Friends
War to peace, Peace to war
Live to die, Die to live
Following your tail to rest another day.
wasting the time in a materialized way.
one life

~*~

Sad Tangerine Dreams
sarah singleton

wouldn't it be grand to live inside a snowflake?
blindingly white crystal
dreaming sweet dreams of tangerines and tear drops
feeling the cold as white heat
floating, falling freely
descending quietly
landing on the eyelashes of a crying girl
maybe she has a broken heart
and maybe he didn't mean to
but that's not going to stop her tears
maybe she's crying the tears of others
or quite possibly
she's crying for the beauty of the setting sun
and the glistening snow
and the crystal sparkle
and the tangerine dreams
and the shimmer of tears
as they trickle down her cheeks

~*~

A persons life lived, a day passed
A minute gone, another moment that can't last
A persons first kiss, a broken heart
A quick glance, a relationship tore apart
A child born, a man dies
A prayer of faith, a pile of lies

For what does a person exist?
To be lied to, to be told myths?
What else is there to this place?
The every day trials we face?
Do we live another day?
Just to be hurt in a different way?

Is this life just a phase?
Or are we just a mouse in a maze?
Does this ever really end?
Did it ever really begin?
Is this life just a dream?
Or is it really how it seems?

It must be love that keeps us going on
Because nothing else could be that strong
To keeps a human being's life in line
And keep out the thoughts of his own demise
To live happy and to move ahead
Is was a person craves till the day he's dead

Andres Galeano

~*~

My Desiring Heart
Cassandra Clark

Shattering thoughts
Slowly being pieced back together
One bye one
A tear slides down in the creases of my cheek
Please fill my desiring heart full of hope and happiness
But let it all be true
For lies have no limitation
And just lead to hurt and headache
Another tear, in time, makes it's way to the sea of endless feelings
Suddenly you stop the flow and kiss each one away
The pain and hurt decreases
And finally I think everything will be alright once again
Never giving up has brought you back to me
This time forever
My heart smiles because i know it's real

~*~

"Angels"
Jessie Howe

Angels soar alight on rainbow's wings
Alive 'midst a beauteous moonlit night
Bringing heaven's luminescence to shine through eve's ebony
Sparkling the skies with hope, through their magical flight

Their wings outstretched, like canopies
Looming high above my head
Safely 'neath the glow of halo
I lay sleeping in my bed.

Shielded 'neath these wondrous creatures
The reaper, his mournful head, shan't show
For flowers of goodness light the shadows
And seeds of evil, darkness can't sow.

The majesty and mystery
Of these glorious beings alight
Beckons to our imaginations 
As our dreams disperse into the night.

Then unto the misty dawn I've awoken 
With hope unbound, and dreams unspoken

Now I know that harm shall not come to be,
For there are Angels watching over me.
~*~

Isolation
Tara Nuzum

Isolation is a tree
That stands alone
Why is it there, alone, by itself?
Why I am sure that I don't know, although i wish i did.
When, I wonder, did it once stand proud and tall among many others?

~*~

Pride
kc  sugar

Pride is a waterfall
That runs with out care
How can it push you willingly
Why do you allow it to go so far
When it is likely to hurt the soul

~*~

Banty Rooster
Arghlop Ghöle

Absurdity spewed forth
from the mouths of shallow ones,
beckoning to be absorbed
into the grab bag of souls.
Social scales of the knowing
always disregard the callow self admiration.

The sycophant suckles the hardened teat
and yet enjoys the absorption of vanity.
Worshiping the crescent moons insipid face
yearning for paper, plastic or light.
The illusion ingresses the edifice of more,
absconding the egregious memories.

~*~

SIX THIRTY
BY C R CARROLL /2000

THE TIMES SIX THIRTY ITS WELL AFTER DAWN. AND A KOOKABURRA LAUGHS
ON A NEIGHBOUR;S LAWN.
DOG'S ARE AWAKEN BY THE MILKMAN ON HIS ROUNDS
AS THE STREET STARTS TO FILL, WITH ALL ITS DAILY SOUNDS.
JOGGERS ARE OUT JOGGING. FIGHTING THE BULGE. FROM TOO MANY PASTRIES 
AND DRINKS THEY HAVE INDULGED.
THE KIDS ARE A SLEEP WRAPPED UP IN THERE BEDS
MAYBE DREAMS OF THE POKEMON GOING AROUND IN THEIR HEADS.
BREAD IS IN THE TOASTER. THE COFFEE IS ON .AND THE RADIO PLAYS SOFTLY AN OLD 
60s SONG.
THE POSTMAN BRINGS LETTERS GOOD NEWS AND BAD. A POST CARD FOR
MOTHER AND A GAS BILL FOR DAD.
A NEW DAY BEGINS AND WHAT DOSE IT HOLD ?
ONLY AS TIME PASSES BY WILL ITS SECRETS UNFOLD.

~*~

PAIN OF LIFE 
Eddie Vasquez in pain

All the pain all outside
killing me up inside
you cant hurt me now
I am suffering inside
so you put me down
but the pain just wont die
and i cry 
because it hurts inside
as i wonder why
thoughts of pain and lies
tell me to commit suicide
but it hurts inside 
to see your happy life
wishing it was mine
but I've been threw so much i wouldn't survive
all my life i wanted to die
until I held your life in my arms
so I look at your eyes
and I see my life is no longer mine

~*~

HOW MANY TEARS
Lori S. Maynard

HOW MANY TEARS CAN A BODY HOLD?
IS IT WRITTEN SOMEWHERE ON AN ANCIENT SCROLL
HOW MANY TEARS YOU'RE ALLOWED IN YOUR LIFETIME?
I KNOW I'M PAST MY LIMIT...THESE TEARS CAN'T BE MINE.

WHOSE LIFE AM I LIVING, THIS COULDN'T BE ME.
I WANTED SO MUCH MORE FROM LIFE, THIS ISN'T WHERE I SHOULD BE.
IT'S SO HARD TO CRY THE TEARS THAT WILL NOT LEAVE.
A KINDER GOD WOULD LIMIT HOW MUCH THE SOUL CAN GRIEVE.
~*~

niaga enola
arturo flores jr

My life is meaningless without her.
I'm backward. Right to left.
Straight ahead in reverse.
niaga enola.
The worst version of me.
This house is silent without her.
cold.
Silent except for the door slam she left buried in my head.
I need her so fucking much. I'm backward. Right to left.
My reflected self.
Visible. There. Lifeless.
niaga enola. alone again.

~*~

SINCE someday, when nights held the strength of loves glow.
And eyes shone love beams piercing through lonely eyes.
Pleasure multiplied forth and shuddered cold nights
Warm love-ness dripped and spread like moisture through the air.

Night song and midnight rhythm.
Delight of nights and days sacred hearts beat.
oooh the unseen warm gentle strings.
Hidden pleasures mingling with harped hearts playing.

Forever awaits voices drawn forth in time.
Waiting sounds of life, righteousness and hell.
Space rolling on with time dripping from its brow.
The sun burning horizons as loves glow burns cold hearts.

When anytime comes to the place when love burns hot.
Memories and emotion melt into the day.
The elements of fate, you the instrument of faith
as earths fire wind and rain drops mingling tears of fate.

David George Rhodes

~*~

The Love We Shared
evan macalik

This pain I feel
I can't ignore
I share my feelings
You shut the door
The things I say
The things I do
The plans I make 
They never go through
I try to talk
You turn away
You do this 
Almost everyday
So here I am
Writing this
The love we shared
I sure do miss.

~*~

medusa
Jamie Lee Baker

care for you not, i do
love you not, i dare
live without you, i can
feelings of you not i spare

your heart you have, i have
your soul you love, i tear
your mind you use, i daze
your body of not i care

the mask of love, i own
on my face i wear
snakes on earth crawl
tangle in my hair

to you my love doth not go
on your soul i swear
in your heart i stay
my heart not you share

my soul you not have
my heart deep in its lair
not will you know its secrets
not in its life you spare

not in my life you continue
not another breath of air
not us will be together
never a suitable pair

~*~

untitled
foxy

And when i close my lids
and put that music on
i can almost smell the swaying leaves of the palm trees
can almost taste the sweet balmy warmness 
of the sticky nights
can almost see the angry sunset
soothed and cooled by the velvet blue of the night sky
And those days when the sun
rose, unsure and unsteady, like a newborn foal
rose up and pigmented the colorless dawn
with a fleshy pink 
that spreads and diffuses
arising everything it touches
i watched the coffee steam meet the rays
the smoke from old fires mingle and glow in the light
that is His hand reaching out to wake all to the day that he has given
for us to take and abuse and spoil
mar that delicate pink 
with the gray smoke of our very efforts 
but, just for a few minutes
to sit and watch 
the only time you can look straight into the sun
to look
to be still,
and to stare God in the face.

~*~

COMMUNION
Candice Hunsinger

A light broke through,
a darkened night, freeing all,
from a blinding sight.
The son of a king,
bowed down his head, and declared
a holy scroll that read:
"Through darkness, he give the mighty
light and helped his children with their 
fight.
And once forsaken, will not cease,
to take this war, and make their
....peace.
Land by land, sword by sword, take this man
believe his word. Sword by sword, land by land,
take the blood of this borrowed man."
With that he bowed his head and died,
and for his peace, the people cried...

~*~

Seeping and Springing in the Subway
Nathan Margoni 

Swirls of sound seep out from f-holes
and follow passersby down the yellow tunnel.
The neck bends. His face presses
into the instrument he plays. Large shadows form sad features
An enormous bumpy nose.
The song is sad and slow. Slower. Slower. And the music just about stops.
The man arches his back until he can arch no more
And jolts forward. Into a crazy dance, stumbling around in circles.
Hunched like a little demon playing possessed music.
His eyes grow and grow. They are big!
Sound no longer seeps but springs from f-holes
Chases passersby and devours them.
The man stands, laughs, and dizzily slows his song into seriousness.
The last swirls of sound get away and the music ends.

~*~

"THE WINDOW"
Cameron

They leave the bathroom window open
What do they expect
The bathroom door left open for all
And then they want respect
Negativity brews upon the breath
That they inhale every night
I walk past their bedroom silently
And walk away with fright
If you didn't hear their breathing
You'd almost swear they were dead
Negativity alludes me to conceive
Haunting images inside my head
The night candle they leave aflame
Burns too eager in the dark
Lavender sooths into the curtains
As the blackness swallows the spark
Hypocrisy breeds poetic justice
Words that express one's weep
Contriving to my lonely thoughts
By finding interest in their sleep
I never felt such a yearning
To see what really goes on
I just know I might as well be outside that window
For that is where
I truly belong.

~*~

Black Widow
Mary Torchia

The black widow finds her prey
and there is no escaping

She captures another mate
like a fool, you take the bait

She'll spin you in her web of lies
Now your trapped and paralyzed

The black widow took your life
You could not be revived

She left a messy, bloody trail
Who's that killer behind the veil?

Mesmorized
Hypnotized
Your demise

~*~

when the sun burns blue
when we are sure to hear
the rocks that are falling
and the flowers bleeding
through a quiet shade
that is being pulled down
over us all
and all of everything
then
and only then
will I move to the red coast
and watch a real sea
swim in over us
sat, drinking
laughing through tears
at the yellow beauty
of it all.
Mark Batterley 

~*~

Cold, my body grows,
emptyness, blooms with in,
lies, are what they feed me,
hate, surrounds me,

It seems I am hanging by a thread,
and all these things are running through my head,
times i'd wish i were dead,
falling, falling, falling,
I'll hang,

pity, on this broken down soul,
jaded, when i'm down,
love, needed for this broken heart,
alone, is where i'll end,

Hanging by a thread,
alone I lie awake in my bed,
and all these things running through my head,
times I just wish I were dead,
falling, falling, failin',
I'll hang...
I'll just hang

kozworth

~*~

Society Theater 
brittany

Embrace the agonizing aguish, pointless pain,
Bitter bewilderment can make you insane;
Overwhelming aroma of giant accounts
Duplicating their perfection is what counts.
our vast sickness is owned to only the unknown;
All that’s proclaimed isn’t set in stone.
acknowledge the virus it maybe within,
reveal naïve prejudice; a deadly sin

Violence subordinately witnessed in a day,
Overwhelming odor lingering in the play, 
Reach beyond: dare to feel the casualties,
Partial bias; rapidly cloud what we perceived.
Sweetness savior the distaste
Neglect youth, scandals rebellion; sniff paste
The supremacy endeared demolished in trust 
Dense haze dwells on tremendous distrust

~*~

AND THEN YOU SAID GOOD-BYE
Donna Allen

It seems like just the other day,
when you were in our lives.
There for a brief, moment in time,
and then you said good-bye.

Time passed on, and you came back,
to see us once again.
Just to let us know you cared,
as a father and a friend.

Then one day, only God knows why,
you disappeared without a trace.
And behind you left your family,
with an uncertain future to face.

Now time stands still, around us,
our hearts break with disbelief.
For you have found us once again,
but now we deeply grieve.

Your days on earth have ended,
but your memory, in our hearts will stay.
And one day we will see you again,
when the Lord comes to take us away.

~*~

ALONE
Paisley CAmpbell

Rain...all around while the sun sets outside. I see nothing..
but you. Rain...coming from the brown fire in my eyes, and I 
feel my blood being absorbed into the vague depths of my heart
from it's morning. Everything is dead....and everything is grey.
And I can't see, and I can't eat, and I wont sleep until your
body of red and purple sun is lying next to me. I never 
heard your heart stop loving me, for the sudden gasping of 
my own as I realized you were gone
The yellow fields with wind running over their hymlines were 
traced over with your footprints. Love grips in a fierce
clutch that runs over your body like the endless oceans of 
spirit. But when she leaves....you are left with the biggest 
fear anyone has or will ever known....alone.

~*~

Never Again
by Ken Britt

Well life must go on even though you're gone; 1
So many miles I've traveled alone all of these years;
So much sorrow,so much pain,with just the mention of
your name;
Life just hasn't been the same and never will

Never again will you be mine,never again will you2,4 find;
A heart as true as mine,never again;
Never again can we relive;
The days of the past that should have been thrills;
Broken hearts is all I recall,never again

Dark days keep passing by,loneliness still makes me 3 cry;
When will I be over you,when time stands still;
I hope life will treat you kind,I hope happiness you will find;
It just won't be as mine,never again 

~*~

Incense and Antonyms
Steve Morris 

A happy home not far from here
Two days away from any fear
You will find a loving family
The house is full of hugs and cheer
Their smiling faces never sneer
Blessed by the luck of prosperity
I visit sometimes for it's near
Being two days away from fear
To drop in on this loving family
Proper manors become made clear
To greeted guests when they appear
Who are welcomed to drop in for tea
But underneath their bright faces
Just like in most perfect cases
They hide the secret of a bad seed
Don't judge them by his disgraces
He's moved on to far worse places
And his trouble's something they don't need
There has been found evil traces
Usual in most perfect cases
That explain the reasons for a bad seed
But don't judge by what's in faces
For they can mask inner traces
That won't reveal the real evil deed

~*~

WHEN SHE WAS A TEEN AND A WHOLE NEW SCENE THE SCENE OF TOMORROW AND ALL THE HORROR TO FAR OFF TO WEEP. NO LONGER A TEEN NOR A TOT WILL SHE REMEMBER ALL THAT WE'VE TAUGHT. I THINK YES AND PRAY SHE WILL ALWAYS QUESTION TODAY AS SHE DID ALL THE DAYS BEFORE. 

CM.SANFORD

~*~

The Clock (Withershins)
lhagie

The clock endeavored withershins,
but somehow got lost in the translation.
Noisy apparatus, when all's not wry.
Maybe some oil, will lubricate the gears?
Extricate the tears? Illuminate the fears?
No answer, clocks are silly contraptions anyway.
Why go against the grain if you don't have to?
Why motivate the pain if there's no need to?
No need to repair, what doesn't need repairing.
No need to despair, for what isn't worth sharing.
Clocks don't move backwards, tears don't mend black words.
Why make fear anymore popular than the need to conceal it?
Why not appeal it? Certainly the thought has merit.
I don't want to share it, I don't need to wear it.
Damn clock anyway! Seems time's creaking, figuratively speaking.
I have little or no affection for the clock in wrong direction.
I got bad eyes, sometimes I don't see very well.
Hard to make things out these days, seems it's all a haze to me.
Why suddenly I should refuse to see, the anguish in my life.
But Withershins the clock moves anyway, just like any other day.
You know? My clock does strange things. Doesn't buzz and it never rings.
You'd think of all things, the hardship this clock brings, it would still
sooth me. Move me. Why behoove me? Damn clock anyway!
You know? my life hasn't really been to good for me.
Too many tears, too much pain. Too many beers, sure would like to live again.
What's worth living? Someone not giving? all this taking, all this faking,
where's it all leading anyway? But the steady rhythm in my clock, there's no 
chance it will ever block all the pain this life's been giving day to day.
Damn clock anyway! Withershins! Why does it do that? 
Who knows? Who cares? Who can really say?!

~*~

THE WORLD IS SPINNING TOO FAST...SHE IS CRYING AGAIN...CLOSE THE WINDOW...
AND OPEN THE DOOR...SHE DOESN'T LOVE ME ANY MORE...I AM COLD...I AM LOST...
I AM GOING TO CRY...I AM GOING AWAY...SHE IS ASLEEP BECAUSE THE RAIN IS DEEP...
THE RAIN IS COLD...SHE IS BURNING THE PAPER...THIS IS THE END...I FEEL STRANGE..
THE GIRL IS ANGRY AT ME BECAUSE I KILLED THE TREE...INTO THE BLUE...I LOVE YOU..
I LOVE YOU SHE SAID...I WILL GO HOME SOON BECAUSE I AM TIRED...
RED BLACK AND WHITE...DO YOU CARE...I AM HERE NOT THERE...I SEE A MAN...
HE IS IN PAIN...HE IS ME...
RICK SIHLER

~*~

Try for me
Michelle Bludworth


I need you to try for me
Forget all of the logic
The reasons and the explanations
Just try
Simply try
for me.
I know that you don't want to
Because it makes you feel transparent,
And fragile
But succumb
Because you know that you need me.
You know that you want to believe in me,
That you want to dream with me.
Just let go of all the things that push you away
And fall into me.

~*~

BROKEN HEARTS
TyLynn Robinson

A broken heart can never mend another broken heart.
It may bring them together at first, but will always tear them apart.
To minds that think differently, and they can never agree.
they should go their separate ways so they can be free.
When one loves the other more deeply, and they think of them as a lover and friend.
All the hurt they put them through, their broken heart won't mend.
So to all those broken hearts, who might think that they will never be set free.
Find yourself a heart that's pure, or you may end up like me.
I'm a broken heart, my heart is as pure as snow.
It's as cold as ice and doesn't care which way my love blows.
Being in love to me, which yes I was at one time.
Everything I did to show my love, was made out to be a crime.
So please take it from a broken heart that was once pure.
Playing games with ones love, can break the heart for sure.

~*~

the village asleep
along the path by the church
a sleepy puppy

Jasminka Nadaskic Diordievic 

~*~

Finale
Daniel James Cull

Have I to ask what heaven's lost
Upon without within?
For far above this earthly frost
This place of sight and sin
There lies the wonder of our truth
Perception cries fulfilled
And dancing strangers sing the proof
Of bitter life once killed.
Pursue me in the tender dawn
With sighs that die once more
When for our aching hearts we'll mourn
And close the final door

~*~

When I close my eyes
 amor

All night I have been wondering 'bout you and I
'bout those things we've been through our times
looking up in the sky i ask Him why?
we have to part and bade goodbye

All day I have been walking restlessly
hoping in my way i might saw thee
but my heart is where buried hopes lie,
a perfect graveyard of dying desires.

Darling in my room I think of you,
hoping that we're not apart and you are here too.
Embracing the wind i thought it was you.
Looking up in the ceiling pretending 'twas you.


I felt u kiss me so warm,
I felt u embrace me tightly in your arms
I have heard your sweet voice near this heart of mine,
but all only happens when I close my eyes.....

~*~

PLANE OF POLARITIES
w.s.hafey 

THERES RICHES THERES SOUGHT ,THERES ACTION THERES THOUGHT 
THERES NATURES GIFTS, THERES THOSE WE BOUGHT
THERES HEAVANS THERES HELLS, THERES THERES ONENESS THERES SELVES
THERES TELEVISION THERES BOOKS, THERES PIERCING STARES THERES QUICK LOOKS.
THERES WHIPPIN' THERES TRIPPN',THERES DRINKN' THERES SIPPN'
THERES RIGHTS THERES LEFTS, THERES LIVES THERES DEATHS
THERES HERE THERES THERE, THERES WATER THERES AIR
THERES BLINDNESS THERES SIGHT, THERES BLACK THERES WHITE
THERES RIGHT THERES WRONG , THERES DEPRESSION THERES SONG
THERES GUIDANCE THERES FATE , THERES FENCES THERES GATES
THERES REVENGE THERES LOVE, THERES GUNS THERES DOVES
THERES COMFORT THERES PAIN, THERES SOCIETY THEN...THERES THE SAIN
THERES A PARALLE THERES A LINE
THERES A BEGINNING ..SO THERES AN END
IT'S A MATTER OF TIME

~*~

She cringes in a faraway corner,
afraid of that hand above in the air.

Many times that hand has hurt her,
she searches to find someone who cares.

Her screams ring out into the night,
stinging tears roll down her face.

She doesn't have enough strength to fight,
she reaches out for gentle arms to embrace.

But all that's there is the cold air,
her safe world has been shattered.

And she cries alone,
thinking nobody cares.
Alexis Nicole

~*~

Conscript
Isaac O'Bannon


Evil woman,
who spread yourself unto me-
and allowed my instincts to
prevail over my better judgment;
who decried your own profession
of love for another man for a
brief encounter with me-
but only me because I was the
most adequate, the most available.
evil woman,
just as you have pulled me
into your body,
so too have you pulled me
into your lies;
conscripted me into your deceit

~*~

THE MASK
chad cotner

Go ahead and put it on, we all want 
to see
Not the person you are, but who you
want to be.
Hide all of your problems, your feelings you
shouldn't share,
Everyone has their own, so why should they
care?
Go ahead and run, to a place you can be
free,
But you'll never get there, not until
you see.
You may be running, but where to you
may ask,
Away from yourself, as you hide behind 
your mask.

~*~

TAKE IT!
drdoky 


As I sit here ponderin ,and glance over at you. 
Knowin the things you need most,knowin the things I cant do. 
Sends my head spinnin,brings my heart close to tears. 
Will I stand up,turn around,will I face all these fears? 
As the lightning stricks,and the thunder rolls, 
I ride home thinkin of the stories she''s told 
As i read of the love ,she has inside her to share 
And how she needs someone now,but theres nobody there. 
It''s her evident buety,as she lay on the bed. 
And those two young souls sleppin, that got into my head. 
I''ll get that job,that house were we''ll live. 
And to all you my heart,thats what I''ll give. 
But some dont''t want what you have to give, 
So with this rose,a prayer and this poem. 
I hope that she''ll see, 
How happy we''d all be,if she''d just take this from me. 

~*~

Tourists
Kurt Hauser

A centaur, named Frank, screams past
Devil’s Tower in a Ford Pinto with no
Tires on the rims. Bubbles, a famous 
Topless dancer, is screaming at Frank
To pull over so she can snap a photo.
Frank proceeds to shove a hoof in
Bubbles’ mouth and retorts, “Bitch, 
Shut up! You know I want to make it
To the Badlands before sunset!”
Bubbles, now infuriated, kicks Frank
In the balls. The Pinto jerks, flips
Over and slides off the road exploding

~*~

I am gonna get drunk tonight, not just another 'buzz'
We're talking royally shit-faced here. 
Its who i am, its what i do.
Blah Blah Blah I'm a drunk Wooh Hoo!

Well it's getting late I've noticed
Time to crawl in my car.
I can't wait to cause an accident
I wonder if the bodies will fly far?

That reminds me, Of this one time...
when this man informed me
that a drunk driver was the worst thing i could be. 
Yeah it's true someone might die.
Tem Bucks says it's not me!

Don't even worry about it. 
With my super drunk speed i made excellent time. 
I heard your night was a blast...
Um, How was mine?

TuttyLou

~*~

A Crossroads
David Koepke

A crossroads deep into the
wilderness grid of Iowa corn--
with a red car-- a red
Mustang convertible

just inching out past middle.
The driver, already very 
late to his graduation,
pauses, adjusting the radio.

"White Rabbit" fades
in and out of static--
Never fully clear.
He looks blank ahead--

The way the dashed center line
flares where clouds
begin to break up-- Now
eyes his rear view, and turns.

~*~

SEE 
08/29/99
VTL.WATSON

THE END HAS BEGUN MOTHERS & FATHERS KILLING CHILDREN; CHILDREN KILLING THEIR PARENTS FOR NO REASON MURDER IS NEVER AN ANSWER. ONLY KNOWN TO THEM AND THEIR MASTER WHO CONTROLS THEIR MIND AND FILLS IT WITH THOUGHTS OF DESTRUCTION, MADNESS, DARKNESS!  I SEE BLOOD POURING FROM THE HEAVENS. LIMBS AND FLESH OF BABIES, CHILDREN, WOMAN, AND MEN. THE OCEANS WAVES THAT OF LIQUID FIRE. VULTURES FIGHTING MAN FOR THE CORPSES SPREAD ACROSS THE LAND. I CAN SMELL THE DEATH IN THE AIR WEIGHING HEAVY AMONG US. I FEEL THE DESPAIR AND HOPELESSNESS UPON THE LAND. I CAN SEE DEATH AND SADNESS IN THEIR EYES. CRUCIFIXION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN AGAINST A SKY RED AS HELLS’ FIRE BURNING. CAN YOU SMELL THE FOUL STINT OF ROTTING SOULS IN THE AIR. I CAN! 

~*~

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