FROM ONE NEWLY DEAD
Jane Reichhold

Unable to speak I tap the wind chimes
Unable to see I show you the colors in shine
Unable to walk I follow you everywhere
Unable to kneel I bend your knees before beauty
Unable to run I flow in every stream
Unable to read I open books for you
Unable to eat I bring you delicacies of the earth
Unable to sing I open the throats of birds
Unable to feel I fill your heart with overflowing
Unable to draw I shape the hills with snow
Unable to write I leave lines on the beach at dawn
Unable to give you a hug I shine the sun on your shoulders
Unable to clasp your hand I show you a flower to pick
Unable to love I cause you to meet people who need your love
Unable to bear your weeping I send you the peace of large stones
Unable to remember I ask you to set up a memorial
I am not forgotten as long as breath speaks my name
Or you look up into the majesty of sun and stars

~*~

Untitled 
Whisper to the sea
for me 
and I will remember 
for always
lend me you ear 
and I will 
tell you fabulous stories
go away and I will
be sad
Lanna Carpenter

~*~

"MY DAD IS"
T. Swain 

My dad is a man 
in every sense of the word.
My dad is a hero
in every way that he could.
My dad is a father
unlike another would do.
My dad is knowledge
because his actions spoke too.
My dad is love
he tells me in his own way.
My dad is sensible
he laughs when I stray
But best of all
my dad is mine.
And he promised to be like that
until the end of time.

~*~

I remember us playing in your yard
you promised that we wouldn't go very far
then when they turned around
we took off in your brother's car

I remember my first date
with that really cute guy when we were eight
you dressed me up and called me a looker
then his mom came and said I looked like a hooker

I remember when my grandmother dies
you wished you could hold me and tell me not to cry
but just your phone call was
an answered prayer from above

Last night I sat in my room
and looked through old pictures
I never thought that I would have to say 
goodbye to you so soon

It seems like just yesterday
we were conducting our very own Christmas play
And now instead of calling to say goodnight
I have to lay down and pray

Your room seems so empty
only you could bring it to life
it looks so still in time, dark, gloomy
without a shred of breathing light

The pictures in my hand I hold
bring memories that now seem old
I don't understand how anyone could bruise
your tender heart of gold

My days now grow longer
without you the world seems dull
however my memories begin to grow stronger
and I yet won't let your dreams fall

You live on
in my heart, in my mind
Only physically are you gone
my pain I know will heal in time

I will never forget
the way you loved me so
your sweet ways I will miss
but for now I can let you go

But no matter what
even if we can't be in the same place
You will always be my best friend

IN MEMORY OF KIRSTI GILBIRT
I love you
-Elizabeth Kalamets

~*~

the inability to love: blessing or curse?
 jk

all of your dreams give you stories to tell, interpretations galore,
as.all.my.dreams.have.me.drowning.in.sand.

and you can speak of earthly things, of social prerequisites, 
as.my.ears.ponder.what.sound.your.brainwaves.emit.

you may kneel facing mecca but i will turn up my toes
and.face.clouds.which.will.one.day.be.daisies.

and you can dance in the waves while i curl on the sand,
thinking.how.silly.it.would.look.were.we.dancing.together
~*~

Holy Land
David Levey
Here we walk, we try to stay
We left our dreams we walk away.
We are chosen, we found our place
Cannot tempt, well, just a taste.
They went away, and left us here
So what, we hid, from what we fear.
Our wings fell off, now left with scars
Breeding faith, while killing ours.
The time approaches, it's drawing near
The truth is false, the lies are clear.

~*~

A SINGLE ROSE...
Emily Tucker 
A single rose lays across her bed,
No one ever knew, this soon, she would be dead.
Why did this happen? So many questions,
Only God knew her final destination.
She went to a party, and all she did was drink,
Now her friends gather around her pondering why they didn't think.
She lived a lonely life, and just wanted to fit in,
She got her wish, because everyone was at her funeral in the end.
Her parents bow their heads wondering what went wrong,
They bring in the casket as they chant her favorite song.
The day is short, but not as short as her life,
Everyone is crying, trying to overcome the pain and the strife.
A single rose lays across her bed,
No one ever knew, this soon, she would be dead.

~*~

"I Want My Daddy"

Oh no, there it is again
Those loud cracks of scary thunder
Those flashes, they are so bright
They light up my whole room
It is so hot under these covers I can barely breathe
Daddy, daddy can't you hear me crying
Please make all these frightening noises go away
I must be brave and yell out to dad soon

That's a little better, it's cooler anyway
Uh oh, the closet door is open
I know I saw something moving inside
Those creepy shadows give me bad dreams
Dare I put my barefoot on the cold floor
I don't even have the courage to peek under my bed first
I don't like thunder and lightening, but I sure hate darkness more
Monsters always hide in it so they won't be seen

Daddy tells me there is an angel who watches over me while I sleep
I look for him every night but I haven't seen him yet
I asked my dad about my angel, he said he's invisible
I don't know what that means but I know he's hard to see
Finally, that old storm is going away
I know because dad taught me how to count between thunders
If I can count higher each new thunder, it is almost over
I can hardly wait to see the morning sun, bad things don't like the day

Right now it is still so dark that I can barely see my hands
Oh my, what is that awful scratching sound
Whew, thank goodness it was only my cat Cleopatra
Daddy, daddy please chase away that bad old boogie-man
I am so sleepy now but I am afraid to shut my eyes
I need to go get into bed with my dad but I can't move
I want my daddy
I know he will come if he hears me cry

I hear footsteps walking towards my door
Better pull these covers back up over my head
If I hold my breath and lay still it won't see me
"Son, why are you crying, are you alright?"
Oh thank you, thank you, thank you
Daddy, daddy I saw it, I saw it, it almost ate me up
I am so glad you are hear dad, monsters hate grown ups
Daddy, can you leave the light on and stay awhile, I'll be just fine

Calvin McChesney 4/2000 

~*~

"We is a Slave"
by Benji

Slaves are slaves
We is a slave
Me suit are wore
Me tie is dead
We is a slave

Please we will die
Slaves is slaves
Run, Run, Run
and we never die
Slave are not alive
We is a slave.

~*~

An Ode to Television
Molly M. Cantrell 

There you sit, my silent friend;
Stoic, even, for days on end.
But when I come to turn you on
You keep me up, sometimes 'til dawn.

Flickering images fill my head;
Some of joy, some of dread.
Since I got cable, you're all I see
The only breaks I take's for pee.

The world gets smaller every day;
So safe inside my room I'll stay.
Who needs companionship? No one, I'll bet.
Besides, there's always the Internet!

~*~

THE SCENT OF YOU REMAINS
Stephen King 

A parting glance without,
A hidden smile within,
To me it's no surprise,
I see myself in your eyes.

It is happening again,
The scent of you remains,
Your lips, your velvet touch,
I cannot escape your clutch.

Am I living a dream?
Reality, it seems, cannot
Change my dreams, they must
Be completely and utterly crushed.

But crushed they cannot be,
For the crusher must be me,
And all of this is vain,
For the scent of you remains.

~*~

Short & Sweet
By: Richard Warmouth
(Sweet-T)

If only you knew 
What I feel for you
To live my life
To only love you

I'd be in heaven
My dreams would come true
'Cause all I ever wanted 
Was too love you
~*~
I kiss your lips, I hold your hand and cry,
tell you the truth-and gamble with rejection,
make promises and love, and get accepted, 
forget the world-if only for a time.


Tomorrow will be another day,
another struggle waiting not to happen.
An atheist I cry, for what is sacred
but memories that will not fade away?...

by Noema Ioffe

~*~

Over-Cast

Over-cast…
My gorgeous sky
No stars to be seen tonight
I weep for them..
My poor stars!
Stellar beams not seen
In the night sky.
And yet I see…
These lovers there..
They carry on dancing.
He steals a kiss.
My prince will come 
I'm sure of this…
But when and who?
I do not know…
All I see..
Is my sky over-cast

Leschel Phian

~*~

HIM
~~Nicole Kleppinger

Do you know the feeling of uncontrollable smiles erupting on your face, in your eyes, and flowing out of your body is these immeasurable electric waves?
I do.
It is HIM, the one that has captivated me for so long now. He's the reason that I laugh without reservation, and my face flushes a glowing pink when he's been near to me. Do you know HIM?
I do.
I've waited, and waited, longing to feel his eyes turn my way. My heart has felt like it would burst because of all the joy he brings me, on the even the most stressful of days. The time is near, nearer than it has ever been before.
Can you feel it?
I can.
I was bold. I was brave, for once in my life. I took a chance, acted on a whim, and the benefits are amazing me every day. To see HIS smile makes me feel more content, more satisfied than I've felt in a long time. 
Can you see it?
I can.
I'm still young, at 21 years old, I'm still a baby to many. He's special. He's delightful, alluring, adorable, charming, fetching you might even say. I will wait, like I've waited before, but I know it, I'm sensing it all...the time is almost here. Can you believe it?
I can. BARELY!

~*~

"Goodbye Angel"
By: Andrea Luna Carrillo

How quickly it all fell around me,
So suddenly, so soon.
I felt you slip away from the creases
in my fingers,
Just out of my grasp.
I tried so hard for so long
To hold onto you.
Hold on so tight taking to heart
And promising a soul
That I would never let go,
Yet you take a single glance
And walk away from love.

I offered all I could,
Gave all I had,
Asking for nothing in return.
Unwrapping myself completely
To feel all your love.

Dancing on clouds is where I've been, 
Unsure if I'll dance again.
Dancing on clouds,
At least I had one dance.
I'll ly awake and think of you tonight.
Feeling the cold air touch my skin 
For the warmth of your embrace
Has been taken from me. 
I'll dance once more with your love
In my dreams tonight
And when the sun breaks
I'll hold your love one last time 
Before I let it leave from within
Where I kept it for so long.
~*~

Lawns
S. Keller M

Jimmy and I 
drove around 
town with nothin'
but a twelve pack
and a lot on our minds.
~*~

Bitchy Alarm Clock
Annabelle

Fuzzy green glows haunt me, taunt me.
Blurred dots and lines whisper "rest while you can," 
Four hours left 'til the silence is shattered.
The piercing screech serves as a warning, then scolds
Every six minutes.
Another day has begun without me.
~*~

Kuz I'm Alive
Mojo Joseph 

in this life 
i'm trying to survive
with no strings
with no disguise

but with only what
one can see
mirror'd in my eyes

....you
~*~

Joshua Tree
Matt Westcott

Here I sit and want a mate
Or perhaps just a beer.
You drink too much and stay out late.
That's because there is no one here.

I go out and talk to new young girls.
My friends receive phone calls.
I sit and talk to hairy swirls
As they dream of all-night shopping malls.

Am I a geek, not able to contact a real class chick?
Am I that square a guy?
I'll never know, I'm busy as the silly Mic,
Letting my wife pass me by.
~*~

Nothing but Today
Aaron Brawner

A world turned around
A world lost and found

We're here but we're gone
Its night but its dawn

We're blind to what we see
Trying so hard to be free

We forget our past
We put our future last
Living for nothing but today

~*~

How can you be so contrary?
You were put here to rescue the hopeless
Yet you fail to rescue me.

I was your queen 
as you are my king
Now my kingdom is broken;
the majestic glow we once
shared outed. I remember
what we shared and I feel
a tiny flame. The flame that
is our relationship, as it 
struggles to grow.

Michelle-Ann Haynes
~*~

tightrope walkers,
finding their lucky 
star has vanished from
the heavens, will not
walk the (never thick
or steady enough) rope,
until the star has 
reappeared...

as i now, my muse
lost and oblivious
to my world, stare
down at the several 
thousand million miles
of wasted air beneath 
my feet,
no twine to guide my
steps...faltering...

putting a foot wrong...

Fynn McVeigh

~*~

BROKEN

I am always thinking of you
you are stuck in my mind 
frozen to me
unable to break free

I truly believe I loved you 
I truly believe you hurt me
I am still unable to hurt you 

You are the one that remains
slowly sinking, sinking into my brain 
yet so close you remain
to my heart 

Your love and humor 
The little things you say
The stupid things you said
that hurt me 

Now its up to me 
Alone
I am standing 
Sometimes still waiting 
for you to show up here
What A Daydream

Can I go on
I had faith 
you broke me 

Now your one of those stupid songs
Sometimes I get mad 
But I cant get even 
I can fall and get back up 
I’d just like you hand to help me 

My sorrow is slowing down 
I could stop caring 
but then I think of you 
or make that excuse See, 
I actually cared 

So now I’m moving on 
hurt and bruised
ready to start again 
to put my memory on pause 

And think of life as a plus 
I can bare it now 
I realize that you are not coming
you have a new life without me 

I am fine 
alone again 
I will miss you But 
I am moving on 
Broken 
Don Johnson 

~*~

Weather Girl
Seletta Raven (c) 2000

I love yet hate 
this weather of
clouds forming
in my eyes
It brings back 
memories
I do not want
I do not need
In the sky
are memories
of my past
as I look
to the future
Days
I do not think of
Nights 
that made me cry
I love yet hate
this weather
with clouds
forming in my eyes
~*~

"rae looks further into it's dystopia"
CHRIS SIMONES

another night of looking past the darkness to discover the wrong stream
flowing away from
any viable emotion
Resisting feeling,
and encoring what can't be controlled.
I let the water flow thru my fingers

cutting me
because i recognize 
the sound
~*~

In this world of sin and shame,
It just doesn't seem the same,
To lose all fortune and fame.
Losing that something you've always had,
Knowing you can't have it back drives you mad.
The world just sucks you in,
And tells you, you cannot win.
The give you a place, they give you a time,
They give you mouth, the sour taste of a lime.
They tell you what to do, they tell you what to say.
It seems just like, their feeding you hay.
They treat you like you have no self-worth, 
They've been doing it since the day of your birth.
They sock you, They punch you,
They kick you in the dirt,
They make it hard and they make it hurt.
As you become old and your life begins to end,
Here's one message that I'd like to send.
There's one way to beat the world we live in,
By never giving up and never giving in.

Justin Wolfgang
~*~

transformation
alex o'neal

It seems that everything is changing so much quicker
It seems that everything is so much harder
i never would have guessed that you made such a difference to me
They told me i was yours
They warned me what was coming
Shame i am such a fool
so blind to what you were doing to me, right in front of me
Seems to me to be such a waste 
such a waste, you forget that you have to spell everything out for me
no good at your game 
take all that i had to give 
And then ask me for more
I'm afraid that's not how we do things around here
I'm afraid that this will have to end soon
Please let this all end soon
It seems that you were changing me so much quicker than before
It seems that all you ever wanted was for me to change from what i was before
I hope you are happy with your new creation
I hope you are happy

~*~

These kids have it great,
yeah, that's what they think.
Believing we've got it all,
Just because all they ever had for fun
was a baseball hat and a barbie doll.

The stress and pressure-so unreal
it's nearly impossible to deal,
But we pull through,
Each and everyday.
Always wearing the "Right Clothes,"
And always knowing the "cool" words to say.

With all the pressure around us,
It's hard to be aware of ourselves.
Take a sip, get a buzz, wanna smoke?
I don't think so life isn't a joke.
They think we're all drugies or
drunks us high schoolers.
We aren't out of control teens 
we all know whether we respect ourselves or not.
We all know what life means.

Overcoming the stress,
Believing you can do your best.
Always putting your talent to the test,
Teen years are great, don't get me wrong. 
Just don't let the pressure
-take over your life
or you'll be singing a different tune.

Rachelle Lock
~*~

SOMETIMES
NISHCHAY BAJPAI

sometimes,
the grief of having lost somebody
I had possessed,
leaves me silent,
dormant for a while.
And induces me: 
-To live those events
with the feeling of togetherness
that I had skipped,
-To pay for innocent urges
that I hadn't noticed,
-To respond to the cues
that I had ignored.
Sometimes,
the agony of losing somebody
I couldn't even claim to have had,
disturbs me a lot.
I couldn't live the events
with the feeling of togetherness
that I did want to,
I hadn't been urged on
though I was willing to.
How cruel the destiny is!
it never allows you
to reserve the future
or preserve the past.

~*~

Unrecognizable
(for mark)
 Antracia Merrill

Our days together were summer
dripping with blinding yellow sunlight
chirping birds perched on our throbbing hearts
blue skies unfolding between our fingertips
tulips blooming as our lips meet

With one raindrop
Winter inched its way between us
icing over hearts once warmed by summer
A gray storm drowns out my voice
paling the sun
driving the songbirds to flight
Confusion thunders through my ears
As a token I offer you all I have left
A bit of faded blue sky that sits
in my trembling palm.
But the lightning casts a shadow
and you become strangely unrecognizable.
~*~

Number 6
J.E Jenkins
I’ve heard the sappy love songs
And I’ve read the prose before
Of lovers lost and lovers found
And the way your feet never really touch the ground
Your heart beats faster 
You can see stars in their eyes
Time loses meaning
A day a month 
All the same as a second or year
But what those crooners fail to mention
Is what course to take
When the one you’re in love with
Is not in love with you
Should you erase them from your head
And rip the memories apart
It’s one thing to get your head to obey
But I have trouble with my heart
So while your chasing others
Pursuing your own dream
I’ll be here patiently waiting in love, whatever that might mean

~*~

ALLURE OF THE GRAPE
Lori Williams -Copyright April 21, 2000

In the vineyards of my thoughts, 
tangled in malignant mire;
twisted grapevines, body fraught
with longing; 
lust to feed the fire.

Luring me, their sweetness calls,
tongue anticipates the nectar;
No! 
Remain I disenthralled
for I am but a vineyard vector.

Memory of juices spilling,
swirling, splashing, gushing
through my veins;
Oh, Dreamer, fast fulfilling
need within, I shan't be blamed.

Succulence calls out to me,
resonates a soulful cry;
my ears stop hearing logically,
the grapes of wrath
so blind my eyes.

Aspiring to life without
such desolation I impart;
yet, 
spirit aches amid the drought
of grapes allure within my heart.
~*~

Nights in Ribbons
Ryan D. Phillips

Two years have claimed us,
aside a fenced garden.
Everyone won some noticeable conviction,
eased images crack and harden.

He was looking for her,
in dead dense brush.
Under the suicide of stars,
came a loud hush.

A killer has left mental restraints,
has fled into the forest cauldrons.
Sidewalks stained in misery and chalk shapes,
safety submerges with the dolphins.

I have been deserted in this field,
all night scarcity quickens.
The surroundings are lost to memory,
like a stranger in a dream.

~*~

My Many Faces
Robert Davis

I put on many faces.
Some are happy. Some are sad.
I have not a face of my own.
For some reason, I put on the face that someone gives me.
The few faces that I do own, they’re in my closet.
Covered with dust.
Dust that years of no use have created.
I put on the face that is needed at the time.
If a person is sad, I put on the face that is needed at the time.
If a person is sad, I put on a happy face.
Trying to cheer others up.
I rarely think of my own face.
People want me to help them with there face.
There’s no need to think of my own faces.
My faces do not matter.
I only think of others.
~*~

Tunnel Dreams
Angela Doetsch
I dreamt that I died last night
spinning falling
in dark oblivion surrounded by wingless companions
I will not enter the tunnel
unfamiliar passages
I stand with feet rooted
and I cannot cry so I take to flight
soaring
a nameless face
alone
I become wandering nomad amidst familiar screams
beginning with Genesis nightmare
Tomorrow I enter my palace of birth
and I will not be afraid
crawling infantile through darkness
~*~

The pixies are out at midnight
The moon shines overhead
I’m thinking of you my love

I wake up in the morning
With you on my mind
I eat breakfast in your temple

I tell myself that you will come
I cannot wait forever
I know my love will touch your heart one day

Today is the day you are coming to me
The light is shining in your crystal eyes and heart
Today is the day we have met at last

It seems as if time has stopped for us
Everything is frozen
We are circling around in the center of the universe

That is when I was about to hear those words
I have been waiting for this day forever

Then the ground shook…

We fell to the frozen earth…

We ran through the broken streets…

The normally cheery streets are now a victim of mass destruction…

And I felt that we soon would be too…

It smelt of formaldehyde and the plague
It was as cold as ice that night
The moment of love is over and it brought upon us death

I look over at my love whom has fallen to the ground
In desperation, I scream “help”
There is nothing I can do now

I stand there looking 
Helplessly watching my love die
My life is shattered
My heart is broken

Then, with all the grief resting on my shoulders, I collapsed
I held his hand till the end, even though I knew he couldn’t feel my touch
Now we are holding hands and watching ourselves die from above

It was New Year’s Eve!
The dawn of the new millennium!

It was supposed to be perfect,
But it was the end of our world on earth forever…

Katie Aker
~*~

So What if it don't do what should
 Daniel Mckinney
Splashes in the water
the sound of skipping rocks 
that won't won't skip
like the titanic a none floating ship.
Some things aren't as 
meant to be.
but that's all right with me.
I like skipping rocks that sink
Instead of skip
or fish living in a sunken ship.

~*~

"bottom Is top"
(EDWARD VILLIAN)
Loud how matter no, yell I when.
Me hear never will you, but.
Forever cry I’ll, time in.
Sin to not me for pray, (There I am Stuck 
In me let, out want I. To the Bottom of your mind.)
Doubt anticipating, seen never waiting, watching.
Out figure and try, bliss puzzled, clear coming.
Time this outside, peeks thought of train my,
book a write to.
In is out, way only the.
Out is in, way only the. In me let, out want I. 
Knows he because? Upside down!
Pout boy small a see will you?
Unconsciousness near somewhere.
Mind my inside peer,
Thought my inside look a take.
Backwards, and yet still forwards!!!! 
~*~

"Similarity of the Outside-In"
Jason S. Farrar

Caressing the deepness of thought,
Forever intoned in the back caves of the heart,
The mind follows listlessly among the days,
Time is forever shallow here,
Wherever, Whenever here might be or ever was,
A concept born in space,
In the continuum that is everything,
A single thought encased in another,
A single time that is forever,
A single love lost and born,
In the instant of forever, Never,
When everything around you is yours, theirs and ours,
When nothing owns you,
When impossible is improbable,
And moving on to Always,
The romance of this dance,
Illustrious in it's swaying motion,
Seductive in it's own light,
When a dream is real,
When a dream is true,
When everything exists just to exist and to be here,
When the void of everything is nothing,
This is the in,
This is the out,
The core of all that is and to become,
The connections in the dark that fade by the light,
And grow renewed, a twisted maze, of cohesive confusion,
The critical mass and touring motion,
Of a world slowly toiling under the burden,
Free,
Everything,
This is the similar, the familiar, the sundry and strange,
This is us,
To recognize the fears and pains and hates of everyday,
To awake born anew,
To forget past sorrows and remember them,
We our to ourselves as we make ourselves,
The thoughts we have are the thoughts we are,
And only we can save ourselves. 
~*~

Do you see it, do you see it growing. 
that rose called life it looks so beautiful
yet for some reason it has thorns that prick you and bleed you
it seems unfair that such beauty can bring much pain
that it can comfort you one moment then hurt you the next
I consider life is like a rose, it has its beauty and its thorns
but I guess it depends on how it is held depends on
the pain that is felt.
 Travis Davis 

~*~

As I look up at the starry night,
I see them all shining and oh so bright!
I ask the night air
Wont you please, carry me there
Up to the that shimmering platform
 Melissa Lacey

~*~

Can we not stay friends?
Steve Moore

I met a girl the other day
she was so pretty her eyes glowed like a light
the light was shining like a full moon
on a calm sea, 
her face was smooth and her word was final.

I say can we not stay friends
the girl says no I feel guilty being with you and someone else
I don't know how this could happen to me 
cause I've only known the girl for three days
I wish I could have her friendly love back again
but we can not stay friends and that's all because of you!

~*~

Tired Eyes
Isaac M. O'Bannon

You stood at my doorstep.
Crying,
a little wet from the rain.
Warm, clinging strands of hair on your face.
Eyes tired, not just from the crying.

What was I to do?
Did you expect me to let you in?
Your tears were, of course,
created by your own actions.
Your tired eyes,
spawned by your infidelity and a liar's mistrust.

Goodbye, I said, as i had only an hour earlier.
Goodbye, I said again, with a little more conviction, 
then shut the door.

~*~

the golden wheat sways
under a blood red moon..
crickets sing
Cassie

~*~

Final Attempt at Roses are Red
Jimmy Stepney, Jr.

Roses are red, but do we ever think
That they are also yellow and sometimes pink
Now, violets are well violet and purple, too
Yet I find it hard seeing that violets are blue.
I'll mention how your eyes do twinkle like stars
And dabble with expressing how beautiful you are.
Rats, I give up. 
This poem really bites.
I'll instead hold you close to my heart
After serving you dinner by candlelight.

~*~

CHILD TAKEN
Lindsey Wright 
Golden eyes, never seen
with impish gleam. playful hands
without mothers touch they said love alone
just wasn't enough child taken much to soon
never saw light before his doom
unborn child never had a name
juggled his life like some sick game
child taken never grieved
just a thing as how he was perceived
never thought of as the child he would be
they let it happen yet they say children are the key
never hearing a sweet lullaby never laugh never cry
won't get to open Christmas toys
won't play ball with all the boys
child taken because of that lie
that nobody wanted this child
so he had to die!!
~*~

A Fly & A Hand
Alex

I open my hand,
The fly buzzes like a band.
It has no chance to fight,
I crush it with might.
We hold the world in our hand
~*~

YOU
mechelle 

Thoughts of you consume me
it is a fire I have never felt
your touch so soft
but it sends sparks through me
inside and out
you have touched me
how do I get to you
at this very moment
let me love you
let me taste and be filled
let my dreams become reality
let me see your eyes when I wake
for it is you I desire
it shall always be you.

~*~

A Place 
Jenifer Wetle

When I close my eyes I dream of a place 
Where all is calm and happy 
Listen carefully and you can hear the wind against the weeping trees. The sweet sound of the blue bird. The frog hopping off its lily into the crystal clear blue pond. The colors of the lovely flowers surround you. 
If you are lucky you can see a deer with its young drinking from the pond. 
It is not hot or cold. 
The weather is just right 
It is always beautiful 
It is a place to be. 
~*~

We often had bright pink blancmange on Sundays
set in plastic tupper ware tubs
but not on school days
only on school nights

I suppose it would have been impossible to take pink blancmange to school-
in the lunch box with the road signs on.
Just as well.
Still, there was always something pink around,
like Zoe's ribbons
or the pink glow on each laughing face.

Back then I waited until Sunday for my sweet surprise
regular as clock work and set by two
just in time for dinner
and before three.

Then silence.
Till the same time next week.... 

Michelle Merritt. 

~*~

If loving you is wrong
I don't want to be right 
My heart wont survive alone
Night after night
If missing you is crazy 
then call me insane
because I cant help the way
you run through my brain
I cant help but dream
while I sleep at night
Dream of having with me
holding you tight
But a dream it will always be
Ill dream through the nights
For eternity!
 Crystyal Stinson 

~*~

Reading
Robyn Stambaugh
Read a book.
Read a chapter. 
Read a page.
Read a paragraph.
Read a sentence.
Read a word.
Read. Read. Read.
Read my book.
Chapter by chapter.
Page by page.
Paragraph by paragraph.
Sentence by sentence.
Word by word.
Read me.
Inside and out.

~*~

There is a place on infinite air
Where castles stream from everywhere
There is a mountain that you must climb down
Stopping from riding your high horse around
People look at what they want to see
Not for what they truly believe
Dreams upon an open door
Where shadows dance upon the floor
Loneliness surrounding your face
Falling down because of grace
There is a time where we must die
The difference is when and why
Will you live or just exist
Are you sentenced for life or on a list
Making sense of our pain, we overcome
The need to fight the need to run
I forgot the name of the one I lost
I lost the pain that you had caused
No longer scared I decease proud
And I will be the softness inside the loud

 Samantha Dream Mathy 
~*~

Do you still want to take that walk?
Sit down and have that talk?
Can I see you
Anything I want I will ask you
Like your hand
A hug 
Your kiss
Have you ever experienced bliss?
Light the candles
Kick off the sandals
Relax a little
You could be the answer to my riddle
I don't play shy, I am shy
Your smile makes me high
I want to hold your hand,
Walk barefoot in the sand
Put my hands on your waist
And begin to dance in place, face to face
Listen to the ocean sing
Watch what the night's about to bring
The happiness within that we hold
Watch the whole truth unfold
A love story untold
Deeper than Romeo and Juliet
Sitting there with our feet wet
Looking into the moon, let's keep walking
And we'll be home soon
How are we deeper than Romeo and Juliet you start to fuss
Because the sun will always shine on us.
 Jimi Hendricks 

~*~

Tomorrow
Kelly Prather 
Tomorrow plays hide-and-go-seek
with Today
Running fast to hide its image
and then,
Today creeps by
Peeking in crevices
Crouching under beds
and then,
Tomorrow comes into view
Today tip-toes towards Tomorrow
Only for Tomorrow
to slip away
into another day.

~*~

"The Desert"
Josef Amago
In this life of mine,
So full of miseries and lies;
In this heart I find
All the dark entities, there lies;

In this soul of mine,
The core grows pale but not in the light;
Beneath this hands, it rhymes,
Every crooked word I write;

Underneath these eyes of mine,
The darkest of all the demonists,
And with this love I try to find,
Though it seems like I'm alone deep inside

~*~

Sweet sweet death
You act as if you know me

Sweet sweet death 
you whisper in my ear

Sweet sweet death
You come to me today

Sweet sweet death
You take my life away
 Essy 

~*~

Goodbye
Wallace A. Zard

Life has now become an overbearing task to live
I’ve given everything I have with nothing left to give
I’ve spent my life achieving only happiness for you
And you will not reciprocate, there nothing left to do

I leave this note behind so that you know that I did care
And know that I am suffering without you being there
But also know I loved you, more than I can say
And I am truly sorry that I am leaving here today

The tears I shed are meaningless, meaning has no place
I picture only happiness, smiles on your face
I know that where I’m going to will shelter me from this
I know I’ll miss your warm embrace, your ever-tender kiss

I can’t remember anything as hopeless as I feel
The pain that grows inside of me is absolutely real
And though I ponder aimlessly, thinking of the past
Wondering why you are gone and how this didn’t last

I’ll place this note inside a box and wrap it with a string
And hope that when you read this note that you will think of spring
For that is when I saw you first, that is when I knew
That I could not go on in life, unless it was with you…
~*~

Your Eyes

Your eyes tell me a story,
a story I long to hear.
This tale I long to be a part of.

Your mouth forms a smile,
as you excitedly talk to your friends.
And yet, your eyes are telling me a story.

There is an emotion lingering within,
it does not reveal what your voice is singing.

With those eyes, you make your observations of the world.
It is through those very eyes that I observe You.

I don't know if it's the glossiness, or perhaps
the almond shape that has me enticed.

Your eyes tell me a story, a story 
I feel that only a certain person may understand.

Your eyes are telling me a story, and I as gaze 
into your eyes, I see a vision of myself.

Sapna Bhatt

~*~

THE LOVE I FEEL FOR YOU
Elizabeth Kalamets
A rose can't even begin to compare
to all the feelings that I bare
for you
tucked deep within my soul

A star doesn't hold a shine
brighter than the twinkle in your eye
and wouldn't stand a chance
in contest 

And a sunset's colors
seem so dull and old
when but beside the colors of 
your swaying soul

A strand of silk
smoothly in a bunch
still isn't as soft 
as your gentle touch 

The sweetest bowl of sugar
seems to lose its taste 
if ever you are 
on my mind

And the whitest dove
just as pure as the moon
couldn't possibly hold all the love 
I feel for you
~*~

The Ultimate Love: 
Todd Ginther
Whack
The pain ripped through him 
Like a thousand tiny knives stabbing at once
Whack, whack
The blood began to trickle slowly
He cried in pain but it was as if they heard nothing
The lashes were hard 
Finally they finished but the pain remained
A lingering memory but a constant reminder
But then
The agony started
This time his head 
The tiny thorns each finding their way into his skull
Probing the inner workings of his mind
All he would think of was the reward
The cross was heavy and the slivers dug into his skin
He pulled with all he could but there was nothing left
Collapsing to the ground to find relief
They wouldn’t let him
He was dragged to the top of the hill
As he watched them he knew his time had come
The laid him down on the hard wood
Thwack
He shrieked as terror filled his mind
His body couldn’t handle the pain
Hands and wrists nailed to the cross
He watched in agony as they lifted the cross up 
His mother the only cry heard
They pierced his side where blood and water flowed
And as he watched them cast lots for his clothes
He prayed
There was no greater love
He paid the ultimate price and for his love
For this we can live life eternal
With his endless pain but his eyes full of love
He forced his final words
“It is finished” 

~*~

Lord make that champion you’ve made,
Feel that everything is fine.
Though he was knocked down in the first, 
Help him to be courageous in the final nine. 
Help him to toss’em like he’s never seen’em before,
And take each round one at a time. 
Lord make that champion you’ve made,
Feel that everything is fine.
Though pain stares him in the face,
And the world wants him to go down,
Help him to fight like the champion you’ve made him,
Victorious round by round. 
Though the world wants like hell to no longer see your champion’s light shine,
Lord bless that champion you’ve made,
So he’ll know that everything is fine. 
It’s a battle to the finish,
A war to the final bell, 
One the courageous man fights gladly,
To keep his soul from a fiery hell. 
Malcolm Palmore
~*~

For more, click on ENCORE.

Poems Copyright © Designated Authors 2000.
Page Copyright © AHApoetry.com 2000.

Go check out the AHA Archives for more poetry.
If you would like to send in your poem to Open Mic.

Go to the AHA!POETRY Homepage for new ideas.