death

Baxter

We heard Death’s voice today

As It whispered in our ears

Another friend has gone away

Just as we had feared

 

We felt Death’s hand today

As It rested upon our shoulders

The crushing pain has come again

Put upon us like a boulder

 

We said goodbye to Death today

As It called Baxter’s name

His paws clicked as he walked away

And with his brothers, he’s gone to play

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RIP Baxter (04/14/2020). You were a good friend to my sister and my mom. You kept a piece of our grandparents with us. You reminded us of Dodger and Jasper before they passed. You were a sweetheart who played the part of cantankerous a**hole and still you were loved for it. You will be missed and your place can never be taken. Have fun in your healed body and say hi to Jasper and Dodger for us.

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VSSPoem, Week 1

Once again, it is a day later than I planned, but it’s for a good reason. I’ve actually been engaged in social activities with family members for once. This is very rare for me as I am that kind of loner who sits at home in front of the computer.

However, maybe this all is a sign of things to change. Maybe I will have a bit more of an adventure from the safe walls of my home. Who knows?

anyways, this is one of those new prompts I started doing over the past little bit. I hope you enjoy these very short poems!

 

September 5th

I long to #push past

these obstacles made of doubt

that sabotage me

 

September 6th

Her #shadow cast

by the evenin’ sun

was the giant

she wished

to be.

Its footsteps larger

than the nightmares

that came to call

in the night’s

dark hours.

She tried to remind

herself of that

tucked under

her covers

but

her fears grew

until they consumed her

once more.

 

September 7th

On swift wings

#Nightfall approached

Its pitch black feathers

fell in swarming shadows

and chased the light

in a playful game

 

A girl sighed

head rested on hand

in her windowsill

At peace in the dark

she moved to her desk

and lifted her pen

to write

 

September 8th

In the cold room

he relived memories

picking them apart

for the #omens

they contained

Will-o-wisps

seemed prevalent

dancing on the edge

of his life

but never touching it

 

He could recall

deaths in vivid detail

of friends and family

until he was alone

 

In the cold room

 

September 9th

Emotion is danger

too much

too little

tips a scale

both divine

and cruel

It can fill

the cup

to the brim

or evaporate

both host

and vessel

empty

 

Let go the

anger

hate

rage

jealousy

envy

they say

it causes damage

to your mind

wears it thin

with time

 

Teach me how then

 

September 10th

Waters #follow

the bends

curves

hills

of a land

marred

scarred

defaced

by human hands

 

Soon Fires #follow

the dried

leaves

trees

rooted in ground

unloved

forgotten

forsaken

by human hands

 

Then Deaths #follow

the lack of

food

water

on a barren Earth.

 

September 11th

Good and Bad

Happens in threes

The #Attraction

Forms the link

Like dominoes

 

Positive attracts positive

Negative attracts negative

 

It’s a cycle

And it will last

Longer

Than

Time

 

I say it’s a game

But then

I’m stuck

In the cycle of Threes

 

September 12th

Walk into the

#Shallows

Walk into the

Hollows

 

of your own

Heart and Soul

Take a gander

Take a stroll

The mucks and mires

are there to console.

 

Search through

Cracks

Follow the

Tracks

 

You’ve made them

Inspired them

Colluded with them

 

Walk into the

#Shallows

 

September 13th

Leaves spin and twirl

Like dreidels in the wind

Teased and taunted

By nature’s whim

 

Crisp flakes of snow

Kiss #green grass

Burying it in warmth

As time begins to pass

 

Seasons dance as long lost friends

Sharing the same tune

Until the world’s end

Very Short Stories, Week 8

Your favourite Monday post is here, and it contains my #vss365 for the week! Seems like I enjoyed darker themes, but they have their place, too, right?

Twitter’s #vss365 has kept me going, and engaged on otherwise horrible days of late. It has kept my anxiety, depression, and etc at bay. I am very thankful for the word prompts that @_Irene_Dreams_ is coming up with, day after day, as a result. Check her out if you want some inspiration on a less than inspiring day!

Anyways, here are my very short stories!

 

June 4th

Sitting in the #lotus pose, she imagined a shield surrounding the green energy of her mind. Like a gardener, she plucked out the colours that belonged to others, and reinforced the wall. One day this will be second nature, she hoped, but first I must control this gift.

 

June 5th

Dressed in black, the figure stood before him, surrounded by fog. He clasped his hands before him in silent prayer, desperate for the #phantasm to evaporate. Eyes shut tight, he was startled by the weight of a hand on his shoulder, and he screamed his fear like a banshee.

 

June 6th

Words unspoken clawed at her throat, desperate to be released. But she knew if said, the divide would be too great, and the fires would burn past remembrance. Instead she played the part of a #craven, and smothered them into her darkest depths. Hopefully it was worth it.

 

June 7th

The #century’s past was one mired in
blood, sweat, broken bones,
and mangled bodies.
War,
Famine,
Pestilence,
and Death
rode forth,
claiming time
and land
with their cruelties.
Those with Faith
remained strong
and rallied.
Fighting for a Dawn
still hiding.

 

June 8th

Pillars of #smoke darkened the sky, and blocked the warmth of the sun. Rubble littered the street with both the dead and the living. Buildings stood on toppled legs, waiting to fall. The eerie silence filled with wails, and commands.

All on an otherwise normal day.

 

June 9th

The greens and browns of the room spoke to a woodland #motif, calming and wholesome. A crib made of maple stood in the corner, and beside it, a changing station. Sat in the nursing chair, she folded clothing on her growing tummy, and hummed lullabies to her future babe.

 

June 10th

#Wings float and flare above the water
Wings dip and dive through the air
Wings lift and laugh with the sunlight

Wings share the colours
Of a forgotten rainbow

Wings twirl and dance before our eyes
Wings magic and muster joy inside
Wings falter and fall from our lives

Bye-bye, Friend

We were best friends

Sisters of the Soul

And its death almost killed me.

 

You spread rumors, lies,

Told people I was a lesbian

Just to hurt me.

 

You watched my boyfriend slap me

In public. At a movie theatre.

And you’re friends with him now, not me.

 

You messaged me, to reunite,

And I replied, stupidly, with hope.

I tried to talk yet months passed, no word.

 

Then I knew it was dead, long gone.

I told you I was done, had to be.

I’m not keeping ‘friends’ that use me.

Very Short Stories, Week 1

As promised, here are my #vss365(s) for the week. It isn’t quite a full seven days, but I want to make a habit of posting them on Mondays.

I have enjoyed the prompts so far, and toyed with themes of nature, love, comedy, and death. It will be interesting to see where the prompts continue to take me. I’ve enjoyed the challenge thus far, after all!

The prompt words are in bold letters, and I would love to see some Very Short Stories of your own! Also, if you want to see any of this in a poem or short story let me know!

Anyways, here they are!

April 17th

The #veneer covered the coarseness of the room, calming it into a beauty, but she could only hate it. It is a mask, a facade, she thought as her eyes longed for the rugged stone and rough wood beneath it. “Why must we hide the beauty of truth?”

 

April 18th

This Love was poison, slithering through the veins like a snake until it found the heart. Latching on with a bite, the #venom burned with need and longing, forsaking everything for the One. A thoughtless victim to Love’s cruel whims. But it felt so damn good.

 

April 19th

Burgers sizzled on the grill of the bbq, to the left of the wooden deck. Chatter filled the air, mingled with laughter, and tummies growled beneath the noise. “Hey!” the people greeted the new guest, rose to give hugs. “Burgers?” she asked, “But I’m #vegan.”

 

April 20th

Mist filtered off the lake in swaths, hiding the calm water. Dew clung to the green blades of grass, and birds called from the leaf burdened trees. Each morning, blooming flowers greeted the sun as it lifted nature’s #veil on the world. All while I sipped tea on my deck.

 

April 21st

The house was caked in filth. Dust on every surface. Grime on all the furniture. Not one wanted to clean the bathroom. The kitchen is where the downfall of the owner could be found. Copious amounts of empty liquer bottles killed the small space. His #vice had killed him.

 

April 22nd

The #vague memories of her past tugged on the corners of her mind. Images flashed before her eyes like still shots, and taunted her with silence. A puzzle of color, and her world was shades of grey. Dreary rain tapped at the windows. She could only move forward now.

Last Breath Leaves

“What is the meaning of life?”
A teacher asked of me
In one of my vivid dreams.
 
I cannot recall how I answered
Though every other wacky scene
Of that dream is in my memory.
 
My answer had gone up in smoke
But it made me wonder
If the meaning of life, its purpose
 
Is hidden in our subconscious.
An answer secret even to us
But it tells us what is right
 
The meaning of life is ambiguous
different and the same
For every living soul.
 
Our everyday journey
Through chaos and sanity
Is the road to that elusive answer.
 
I believe it can only be known
When one knocks on Death’s door
And sees the purpose of their life
 
Just as their last breath leaves.

It’ll Pass, Won’t It?

It seeps into the soul.

This Silence.

Absorbing all the noise.

All Energy.

It leaves its victims.

Fatigued and Ashamed.

Heartbeats pulse against a hollow shell.

Faint and Weak.

Eyelids close, weighed down.

Darkness.

All are stuck in this mire.

No fight.

It covers the whole body.

A burden.

Seeping into the bones.

Controlling.

And a lullaby sounds in the mind.

Desperate cries.

The ink jar runs empty.

Sleep descends.

Time slows til its frozen.

Death.

Don’t rebel against the nameless monster.

It’ll pass.

Won’t it?

 

A Barking Reminder

Sheer Will.
No, that’s a lie.
 
My dogs get me up
On the toughest of mornings.
Their incessant whining
Barking and prancing
Begging for food.
 
They don’t let up
Licking my exposed toes
Digging bony elbows into my back
Cold snouts pushed into my face.
 
They force me up
To feed them
Because I may not want to live
But I need to for my dogs.
 
It reminds me after a while
That those moments
Mean something
My life
Means something
To someone.
 
My husband,
My dogs,
My cats.
 
I may want to give up
See nothing to live for
But those barks are all it takes
to tell me
I’m needed, wanted, and loved.
 
That’s what gets me up
When there’s nothing to live for.
[To explain, I am a member on a website called Prose, and it posts challenges as do its members to prompt writing. I try to check it out everyday, and write for some of the challenges. This poem is for one of them.]

To This Writer

Why I keep writing

 

It gives purpose.

It builds a home.

It joins lives.

It allows for calm, peace.

 

It fills a void.

It answers a call.

It sparks life.

It sedates anger, fear.

 

It adds to the light.

It takes from the dark.

It mediates experiences.

It awakens love, hope.

 

It is medicine.

It comforts the breaking.

It builds the broken.

It breaths help, justice.

 

It takes time.

It ages and dies.

It is born again and again.

It thinks on life, death.

Strength

And I would ask to die,

If only I knew

I wouldn’t be leaving you behind.

You’re the beat of my heart

My light in the dark

And the words you speak, so kind.

 

You’ve kept me up

When I would fall

And held my hand

When I wish to stall.

I hold you back

Yet you love me still.

I mar our lives

Yet you march us uphill.

Your quiet spirit

Pushes me forward

Though I struggle to see

Our future, it’s blurred.

 

I wish to die

To unburden you.

To let you live a life

You chose for yourself.

Instead, here I am

Filling our lives with strife.

 

You’ve kept us together

Keeping us strong

Taunting our demons

Inside us all along.

You’ve shielded me

And lifted the sword

But this battle is ours

Not just yours.

I will fight beside you

As I should’ve from the start.

Shake off this weakness

And finally take part.

 

Forever and Always

I vowed to you.

Thank you, my love.