Ultradia (A Sestina) by Milly

You stare hard but the sky is always cold.
Follow the road. It might be dark, always dark.
Follow it, follow it so far past the stars
That you cannot see home. You are unstable.
God has forsaken you and nobody loves you.
God no longer helps you. Leave the windowsill.

Your wrists are still bleeding, staining that windowsill.
Too bad you didn't jump, now you're feeling cold.
Crimson vision. Won't they see this waterfall? See you?
Trickles past the window but all is dark.
Everyone is gone. Loving and living under the stars.
No one can hear you cry. Dizzy. Unstable.

Rocking and shaking, your own foundations unstable.
Time does not pass. Glass broken on that windowsill.
Tiny shards stuck in shreds of flesh like stars.
Biting wind tonight. You won't miss the cold.
You cannot cope. You are weak. You crave dark.
Coping is for the weak and darkness craves you.

Do you have any regrets? Well do you?
Answer me now or I’ll leave you unstable.
I’ll leave you facing this alone in the dark.
Fearing the other side, sitting alone on this windowsill.
You bared your soul, all that’s left is cold.
Empty and hollow now. No one watching but stars.

Their judgement seeks you, defines you; those watching stars.
The final witnesses. Whatever you wanted they denied you.
Wishing never worked, all they are is cold.
How naive, believing in wishes. Easy wishes are unstable.
Begging the skies for help from every windowsill.
Believing those lies once saved you from the dark.

You seek sweet oblivion in that all encompassing dark.
The end is coming now, heading for the stars.
Feeling weightless now, still sitting on that windowsill.
This feeling takes you, this feeling engulfs you.
It's a fractured mind you inhabit, ultradian, unstable.
You can't take this anymore. Everything is cold.

They are cold and so dark,
Those watching stars make you unstable.
They watch you from your windowsill.

Once Upon a Time by Bee

Once upon a time,
When love existed between two
You know I loved you.

As I watched the clouds in the sky,
Thinking of you as the day drifted by,
I could have taken your hand
and pretended I could fly.

Like there was no tomorrow,
She held you,
Drawn together,
Laughing forever
At those pictures of our faces;
Could make a monkey laugh at the zoo!

Keeping the heart warm,
Her search for love is complete:
Her heart has been fulfilled.

While,
He was sleeping
She was dreaming
That the feeling,
Would last forever;

And a day.

The Year After by Tri Tran

I, an eagle, gliding in the succulent air,
Seeking the golden flame in my homeland.

Each amber lily, born to welcome me home,
Each rose bud, yet to unfold, yearns to kiss my cheek;

I, an eagle, long to treasure the dry blood of the warriors.
Now, that the war is over, each innocent soul is buried,

Each melodious heartbeat can roar with sparkling joy.
I, an eagle, yearn to see Vietnam dance her first Tango.

Life Passages by Robert Branch

An ache implies the passing of time.
My memories reply to this symptom of mine.
In my book of life I scan over the pages
And review in my head the various stages

A child in its nappy, mewling and spewing.
Mothers and friends all billing and cooing.
Childlike simplicity, uncluttered, uncaring.
Its way in the world – a life for the sharing

A spreading of wings, a testing of wills,
More sleepless nights with the same childhood ills.
More scabby knees, more broken bones,
More telling off in those world weary tones

Adolescent arrogance, the knowing it all,
The hesitant fumblings, the pride before fall,
The awareness of person, the coming of age,
The richness of youth on a well trodden stage

Careers mastered, discarded, the journey of life,
The settling down, a husband, a wife.
The addition of children, the future’s sublime,
You’re glad you’re alive in this place and this time

Mountains are conquered, the world’s at your feet,
Advancement, enjoyment, life becomes sweet
Until dawning one morning, a worrying thought
Dispels immortality, pulls you up short;

That time ambles on at its own steady pace,
Its journey revealed in the lines on your face,
The stiffness of sinew, the clicking of bone,
The slacking of muscle, the loss of skin tone.

There’s a coming to terms with intransigent fate,
A getting up early, a staying up late.
But, given the chance, I would do it again.
The what and the why, the who where and when.

Looking back on my life I have few regrets.
The scales will be balanced, a settling of debts.
And each morning brings joy in just being alive
But one morning nearer the man with the scythe.

Poems by Pop

A Crybaby's Riddle

Liquefied, it burns my eyes,
Smears my makeup,
Stains my face,
Happens when I'm sad,
Or when I'm so mad
I break all in the form of tear drops

*************************

I Hate Math

Complex numbers in my head,
I want to go home and go to bed.
Oh my gosh! I am so bored!
Algebra,
Imaginary numbers,
Decimals,
Subtraction and way much more!
I know it looks like I guess,
But I swear I try my best!
I can't help that I fail a lot of tests!
I hate math! It's my worst subject!

Feelings Dead, Feelings Alive by Vincent Tomaino

Feelings dead, feelings alive.
On love and hate these people thrive.
Tears of dismay, tears of sorrow
Bad today, and worse tomorrow.
Cries of joy, cries of sadness,
Love will breed hate and madness.
Bringing hopes of joyful construction
When love itself is mental destruction.
So many faces, smiling so near
Deep inside is corroding fear
Of the one you “love” starting to cheat
For life to say you have been beat.
People so happy, feelings so potent.
While deprivation chews away like a rodent.
Staying to watch the destroying sight
While you wait alone like the dead of night.
And into the void you shall venture
To find the “love” you seek,
Well, what now?
Brace yourself for what is true
The pursuit of “love” will leave you blue.
And as you hang your head in shame
Others do exactly the same
When they find out that they have failed
Just like so many of us, the unfortunate ones.

Leave Me Be by Debra Dando

The lights are off although I'm home,
I need to be here on my own.
I do not want support or sympathy.
I do not want kind words or empathy.
I need to work through this alone -
Just stay away and please don't phone!
When I emerge the other side
I will no longer need to hide.
I will have sorted out my head,
My heart will then have fully bled.
Then I'll welcome your good company -
I'll have faced up to reality.
I'll be a much stronger me.