OPEN MIC ARCHIVE

Up-dated 
June 1 - June 11, 2000

Listen
shamara barrett

Listen to me as I speak
Listen to me as I weep
Listen to me as I cry
Listen to me as I say my good-byes.

Listen to the children as they cry
Listen to them asks why their father’s had to die.
Listen to the sound of war
Listen to the sounds of bloody roar.

Listen as they cry
Listen to there heart stop as they die

Listen to the listen
Listen to the dead, listen as I scream out why?
Listen to my mother cry
Listen to her asks me “my son why did your father have to die?”

Listen as I scream
Listen as I shout
Give me and answer to what this war is about.
Listen to me as I cry, listen to me as I say my last good-byes.   (21 runs)
(136 round, hits the ground but none can bring him  back)

~*~

~~Perfection~~
Aimee Goodwin 

The looseness of the wrist,
The stiffness of the brush,
Lines of color and emotion appear.
The soft curve of his lips,
The sparkle of his eyes,
His face is formed with each stroke.
The thick neck and broad shoulders,
The shadows and curves of his muscles,
His upper body is formed.
Back to the top the brush moves quickly,
And his luscious locks are in place.
The brush lays still as the dagger is raised,
He is slashed and tossed to the side.
The brush begins once more.

~*~

The Other Mountain
Donald Brennan

Standing around on the high desert, filled with snow and resting against clouds, her bare feet were spread on the rock floor, drawing the attention of rabbits and the echoes of coyotes. She stood with hands on hips, inhaling the next storm.

Suburban houses yapped like small dogs at the tumbleweed hem of her skirt. Bars and casinos tried to sound like church bells. Lawns strained to be green under the hiss of sprinklers, and satellite dishes pointed rudely at her dark summit, sniffing for information.

People painted their sun decks with barn-red rollers and pounded nails into roof tiles. Pickup trucks and camp trailers belched highway thunder, and choking chimneys warmed her toes.

She searched the horizons with the eyes of a patient lover, and whispered questions to the sky. Hawks dipped about her elbows while quail and mourning dove rustled in the sage. House cats climbed over back fences to sacrifice themselves to coyotes. A moving van made the block to unload some slot machines.

She blinked softly at the colors of neon flashing at her ankles, and paid slight attention to magpies and crows.

She had been waiting more than ten thousand years for the return of the sea, and thought she heard him coming.

~*~

Like a heart beneath amour 
I wish to be heard 
but when it surpasses loneliness slurs
every sentence of hope every word of despair
like a hope that is driving to endless stares.

And I dream of a day when trust need not be given
and I dream of a love to strong to be driven
away by the darkness 
away by the loss 
when dreams are forever, where no one is gone 

and here on this earth, if this secret is known 
then on earth is heaven Peace to the strong.
Malcolm Hodge

~*~

Going to a Funeral
by Sharon Bullard
Going to a funeral, not much fun to me.
Makes me wonder what life's about,
And why I came to be.
Going to a funeral, I stand there looking down,
Feeling rather empty and lost,
Wanting to dodge my own death: at any price, at any cost.
Going to a funeral, I wonder where their soul is,
I wonder if they're looking down
Or standing right behind me?
Going to a funeral, hearing voices surround me,
Makes me sad to realize-this poor soul can't:
Hear-the voices that I hear,
See-the people that I see,
Feel-the feelings that I feel,
Think-the thoughts that I think,
Breathe-the air that I breathe.
Going to a funeral, not much fun to me.
But in all honesty, I'm glad it was you and not me! 
~*~

Her Fire
bob irma 

It's in these summer suns,
that time and her brightest love mend,
that her heart renews,
that her soul must start its defend.
Saying sweet, old things true,
when her heat is bleeding you,
does change the sorrows of the moment,
and soften her scorch too.
She is a warm, wonderful nonsense.
And there's only one other thing like her,
and that just makes her more right.
Her star is falling again.
~*~

Mosquito Time
sunlight - Massachusetts

We discover the bliss of exculpatory escape,
fleeing to where the quilt of summer sounds and 
colors smolders down to rest at sunset.
Alas,
the gallinippers have even improved
their bestial biting this season, whilst
whacking, groaning vanquishers sicken and cloy
in a surfeit of insect spray.

We shall someday lie down and become chaff and
no longer have to whack bugs. We shall melt
into the wild succulence of ambrosial riverside
gardens, to rest in bliss and dream while
some other poor, mosquito-bitten fools try to 
spoon in June!
~*~

WHAT DO I KNOW 
Tom Hanter

what do I know about your wars ?
what do I know despite all that effort 
to read the spaces between your words 
to ask myself questions I will never express about your wars

yellow sofa , red kitchen , blue dress , the objects your body shaps 
still hiding the road keeping the story about your beauty and sorrow and faith about your wars 
what do I know about your dreams ?
when your soul is transmitted smoothly to transparent fields 
what do I know about your scream ?
in that and every , very moment 

what do I know about your straggle for life ?
about your straggle to survive 
what do I know about the bad and the evil in your life ?

what do I know about the wars , what do I know.

~*~

THE LIVING STONES OF IDANRE
Babatunde Ajayi 

Sitting quietly on one another
Sleeping gently and breathing softly
The stones of Idanre graced the landscape
They roped the space with hands held together
Behold the baby stones
Behold the homesteads
Sharing play with the urchins
While the father stones bellows
With smoke oozing from their beings
See the mother stones cuddling
Their babies and mothering them
Here I am
In the land of friendly stones
Where in gentle stillness
The stones grace the land
And hold their peace.
~*~

Ryan
It means athletic,cool,strong,
It is the 16,for giving me luck,
It is the color of the sky during the day,
It is my brother for playing puppets with his fingers,
It is the thought of Jeremy who gave me laughter.
Who taught me fun,when he acts weird,
when he tells jokes,he always makes me laugh,
My name is Ryan,
It means to work hard and never give up.
Ryan Smith

~*~

i know he doesn't love me
i know i'm not the one
i know his eyes don't twinkle 
from what we have become
i know his smile isn't brignt
because he thinks of me
i know his words aren't truly laced
with sincerity

even though i know these things
and it is true to me
i can't bring my self to leave
my one true love
even if he's not in love
with me
Kate Marshal

~*~

Groping,grinning,grinding,winning
in the asylum of hands
its just so beguiling you cant help smiling 
in the asylum of man

And any ways how much is a mind worth crumbling filthy and covered in dirt
mauled by the asylum of hands
and any ways how much is a soul worth dying and trying and drowning in mirth
corroded by the asylum of man

Rhythmic and silent strumming oh so quit
playing for the asylum of hands
cornered in captured a slave to your rapture
a pawn in the asylum of man
Devan Corbette 

~*~

Why?
By Lindsey Morris

Why do people kill people?
It doesn’t matter where they are, it could be in prison or a church with a steeple, it just doesn’t matter,
But they always kill.
Or sometimes they kill themselves of their own free will.
We get all these wonderful gifts and they just go and destroy it,
It just doesn’t fit.
All of the fighting in the world today,
Tons of people being killed just because someone feels like it,
That doesn’t really show much wit,
For someone to destroy other peoples’ lives just because they felt like it.
I would feel guilty if I were in their place.
It’s just such a waste,
To kill someone in such haste.
~*~

Empty Paths
Lenny 

We walk our paths, play our roles
Sometimes touching, making contact
With each other, with ourselves
But mostly not.
And, swept along in times tide
we grasp for something solid, lasting
But youth fades, strength wanes, beauty flees
Familiars pass, and we are left
Alone...
With ourselves
The strangers we passed in the night
Never took the time to know.
Mirrors return our empty gazes
Hollow eyes stare blankly into the emptiness
That is their own reflection
Yearning...straining to recognize
Something, anything
Of immutable worth.
Why, where, when, how
Did it come to this?

~*~

Quiet rape
Michael B.(c) May 31, 2000

In the days of his time does he now stand
The lament within his soul is still at hand
His feet shaky yet going to their course
A step taken, and another one in its force

Hearing new sounds within his own soul rise
The girl’s heart given deep within its guise 
His own still renting its life within the deep 
Fighting for the stakes of his heart to keep

Yet the thrones of each day pull him around
As his heart is broken and completely bound
The freedom that it must have is not yet here
And the flames rise to a molten ring of fear

Yet he looks to the depths of that hot dream
With the horizon shrouded in the waters stream 
His gray eyes focused as its form takes shape
And the heart lives within a place of quiet rape

~*~

Hidden
Renée Schorgalla 

I cannot form it in words
I'm too strong to hide it in tears
I'm too brave to shower it in praise

You could never be my friend
You will never be my love
And I will always sit in the corner
Too afraid to show myself
Too proud to come out

But yet.......
There is a yearning to be free
To feel the touch of a friend and lover

But still I will hide
Knowing the world is too cruel
And no longer wants me near
~*~

"How Strange things Can Really Get"
Jade Cain

I saw a blind man 
a few days ago or more

He
was
reading
Bukowski

and he told me I was beautiful
~*~

when we go outside
to play in the snow
i cover my skin
with porridge and gin
and you pretend that
you don't know me

(whereas if you were
to cover your skin 
with porridge and gin

I would be drunk within
the hour)
Johnny Winjoe

~*~

I sit here wondering what went wrong
He has such a promising future
Or so they all said
All i want now is a way out
A way out from this promising life
This life so full of hope 
So full of pain
For some reason i felt the need to tell someone
Now I sit here wondering what went wrong
Not even allowed to wear shoes
Watch out he will hang himself with the laces
People come and go day after day
I smile and say how much better I feel
Why I would never try to hurt myself now I say
Someday they will have have to give me back my laces
Until then I can just sit here
Wondering what went wrong

william
~*~

A Women's Question
arleen

Do you know you have asked for the costliest thing,
Ever made by the Hand above?
A women's heart, and a women's life-
And a women's wonderful love

Do you know you have asked for this priceless thing,
As a child might ask for a toy?
Demanding what others have died to win,
With the reckless dash of a boy.

You have written my lesson of duty out,
Manlike, you have questioned me,
Now stand at the bars of my women's soul
Until I shall questioned thee.

If you cannot be this, a laundress or cook
You can hire and little to pay;
But a women's heart and women's love
Are not to be won that way

~*~

What a Real Friend Is
Estefania Granda

Some people are like the wind,
They come, and they go.
These people might surround you,
But the one that stays, is a real friend.
That’s why a friend is like a gift,
You should never let go,
As a tree never let free,its beautiful leaves.
Some people come, some people go,
And the ones that are your friends,
Are the ones who stay.
Not staying right next to you,
Not staying in your house, but staying near you,
No matter where you are.
A friend is what I call,
Someone who wherever she or he is,
Will always be on your side,right there for some advice,
Murmuring you what’s good, and what’s bad.

A friend is there in the moments we cherish,in the moments of sadness,
In the moments to share the laughs,and also to dry the tears.

~*~

Without Me
Crystal Coard

The unbearable scent that 
fills the room
long after he left 
enticing my senses
putting the gift on hold
taking me back to the place
where love was sweet
where the sun was his smile 
where blue oceans were his eyes
where ebony was his skin
now everything smells of sour
now black clouds are all I see
the oceans have dried
where hell now dwells
memories are what I need
the motivation is gone 
and now I am
naked and alone
so this is without love
so this is without him
I pray his scent will never go away...
alone
without me

~*~

ABUSE
Marva

I've been slapped, punched,
Kicked, cut, broken, turned black and blue
But nothing hurt me more than the day I said "I love you"
You returned it with this cute little smile
A hug, a kiss, and "I'll be back in a lil while"
Well I'm still waiting for you to return
I can't move on although my heart does yearn
Someone new on my horizon does play
Yet I can't get over that one fateful day
When I said I Love You
And you turned to run away

~*~

Page Thirty-two
Jose G. Acosta

So much about the flames,
devouring trees and land.
So much about the lack of rain,
or manatees were hit again.
So small the print,
on page thirty-two.
Of a child died from rage.
No mention of adults drunk,
or neighbors deaf to screams.
But a thief did steal some bread,
from a store down the road.
He will serve life for strike three.
As abusive grownups walk,
and claim insanity.
So much about the flames,
and again on page thirty-two,
another child breathes no more.
So sad,
we try to hide the shame.

~*~

UNtitled
by CASINO
(representing for Ft.Stewart,GA)

there are days thet are filled shame
and there are times when it feels nothin more than a game
then comes the times you are confused
helpless and not under your power
other dayz when you have been cured of these
when you lay your head down and feel at ease
and on your mind there is a female
a female of wonder and surprise
at the same time she feels likewise
she is under the same spell
is she loved? she cant tell
you both cant do without 
casted of the same spell
what is it? something of above?
closer than you think
its that thing you call love!

~*~

Our Pride...
 Oleg Gridnev

Our Pride brings such a Pain 
That only Time can cease
And while we take our time to heal and to forgive,
While scratches on our Souls turn into scars,
Scars into stones,
Stones into dust...
Have we forgotten Love
or Love forgotten us ?
~*~

There's something missing...
Katherine E. Fell 1-28-00

you took out my heart and stole away the most important piece.
it took up the most room, but it was the smallest piece, and now i am no longer complete.
please give it back so that i can smile again and maybe even laugh.
i'm all locked up, and nobody but you can let me out, that piece is the key.
everybody will smile
everybody will laugh
i will be complete.
please complete me, there's something missing.
~*~

In my lifetime
Narnie

My life is like a circle 
a large spinning wheel
no one knows what i like 
no one knows how i feel
or what i am inside of me 
i'm very different to what you see
there is a lot of pain
that will never go away 
it is so strong it is here to stay 
my life was not a joy 
it was filled with sorrow
it feels like i was born yesterday 
and going to die tomorrow

~*~

At long last
Victoria Benway

We lay in silence together, sitting so close to the fire...
Our love grows more and more, as our passion grows higher and higher...

You turn and look at me, with unspoken thoughts, with unspoken sighs...
When once you said you never cried, and now the tears are in your eyes...

Why do I feel so scared, he said, so scared to feel your touch..?
Why do I feel that nothing I do is good enough, when I already love you so much...

You said I fear that you will leave me, realizing that I am not the right one for you...
When there’s nothing I say that can comfort you, when I feel like a failure in all that I do...

I sat up, in disbelief, wondering how I never knew that you felt this way...
Wondering how you could ever think that I would just get up and leave you one day...

I said my love, at long last I have found someone that listens instead of just hears...
I said at last for once in my life, I am able to forget my fears...

As tears fall from my face, onto the grains of sand below....
He takes my hand and says dance with me, and promise you’ll never go...

He puts one hand around my waist, so delicately and yet with childlike fun...
As he pulls me ever so close to him, as he whispers your the only one...

Your the only one that understands, your the only one that I think of...
You will always and forever be the only woman in my life, my darling, my beautiful, my love...

~*~

These are the days I must remember for all time
The memories I will pass on as morals
The lessons of life are not always meant to be known
Little by little the secrets are released
Uncovered by the compressing curtain
Unraveled from a tight strung web
So many times something happens for a reason
To remind you not to repeat your doing
But do we all listen to the words that make so much sense
Will people ever figure out the way of life
Most likely not
But they will share these humble thoughts to others
And try to prevent the horrors of life from happening again
Leann Nguyen

~*~

Can I Depend On You
Shauna

The angels allowed our paths to
cross and we have found each other.

With hope in our hearts and dreams in 
our minds we shall travel this path together

Sometimes I find myself wandering if 
this is all real 

It happened so quickly and I am vulnerable

There will be many obstacles along our way
There will be hurt and pain for us to endure- 
will it be together that we take them on?

Can I depend on you when times get tough
When life deals us blows that are so rough
When hope is low and fear is high
When all I want to do is sit down and cry?

Will you lend me your shoulder and reach 
out your hand? 
Will you say lean on me I understand

Can I depend on you to chase away my fears
to hold and comfort me when I need you the most?
Will you stand by me through thick and thin- 
being not only my lover - but also my friend?

~*~

RIPPLES IN THE POOL OF THOUGHT
Michael Philip

On every passing face we see
A tale to be rerun
For secrets, captured fantasy
Our life, our fate begun
For trust forever holding fast
Has kept the life clock turning
And things that happened in the past
No longer seem discerning
The new found pillar, strong and sturdy
Give weighted shoulders rest
And conversation, long and wordy
Gives way to silence, friendships test
A life with fear of what is wanted
Leaves all ambitions fueled
Yet life without is purely haunted
By what we could have ruled

~*~

Cinquain
 kevin li


music

Romantic, beautiful
singing, dancing, playing
dance in the wind
melody

~*~

Haiku
xhlee7

Soccer

soccer is great fun
Best friends meeting in a park
will go home spent

~*~

Untitled #3
 DyAnn
As the snow falls down,
My dreams come crashing down.
Without a sound.

No snap.
No crash.
It all happened in a flash.

The snow still falls and
My heart still aches.
For the dreams I once had.
I once felt good,
Now I am sad.

The snow is thick.
As I look around, 
The snow is sticking to the ground.

As I sit here,
I realize what's always been there.
I've been to blind with my pain to see.

My losng-lost dreams, like me, are now dead.
I just saw their shadows,
Inside my head.

I'm looking out the window,
Watching the children riding on their sleds.
All the while, I can see you and
Hear your thoughts that are inside your head.

At least, I know in my lifetime,
I won't alone.
Now that I know you're wishing you were dead.

~*~

I Love You
nichollette

You,
me, 
together at last
holding fast to our future to out past
my body and soul,
you make me whole
i want you to know I care for you
oh yes, my boo
I want you to know I will always love you

~*~

Life?
Anegg?

Who cried the ocean?
What dug the sea?
Where run the rivers?
How can this be?

Who drives the sun across,
The sky like a car?
What poked the holes,
In night to make stars?

How did this happen, 
What made it so?
When will it end,
How will we now?

~*~

I want to cry with you-lie with you-die with you
I need you
We can make sense 
We can be healed
Only because we understand
Will you just hold my heart?
Kiss it and never let it go
Only you satisfy it
Only you know-
I'm screaming for you, yearning for you, crying out-AAAHHHH!!!
It's okay,it's okay-because hurting you would be like hurting myself
I know your pain-I feel it the same
Don't you know our tears were composed the same-taste the same-we breathe the 
same
Tell me I'm beautiful-You're the only one I'll believe
You are my only true reality 

Tiffany 

~*~

Love Of My Life
Though I have been on this Earth only for a short time,
I know what lonely is.
Until a short time ago I knew lonely,
But now it's no more.
One has changed that which was for me.
She has taken nothing from me,
But given me so much.
She has it all: beauty, love, and emotions which I can take care of.
I have found her, as she has found me.
It started out as simple friends, but has by itself grown into love.
He who has given her to me I thank,
For He know's who I should be with.
The only regret I have is that we cannot live together forever.
I love her, and now I can say I have found the Love Of My Life.
Andrew Robertson
~*~

BECAUSE OF THAT ONE SINGLE LIE
Gillian 

When I sit alone in my room, all I can do is think about you. Sitting quiet, emotional, and sad. Since you are not with me I am driving myself mad. I have loved you ever since the day you came to my home. After that I didn't feel alone. But when the day came that you said goodbye, all I could do was sit there to weep and cry. The tears dripped down my cheeks, and I could see a blury vision of you. I saw you waving goodbye. I said wait, no, just one more thing, I will love you till the end of time. I heard a whisper say, sorry I hate you, and you will never be mine. Warm fresh tears filled my eyes. And suddenly I felt like I wanted to die. I felt like a rose wilting away, and that I was not going to survive. I kneeled down helplessly on one knee. I bowed my head and started to cry. And this all happened because of that one single lie.

~*~

freedom's end


run- hide!- my love,
it's you they seek;
your body they shall hang.
they wish for you to loose your life,
so in hiding you shall stay.

run- hide!- my love,
please forgive me,
your end is drawing near.
the guns- they fire at your door,
the soldiers almost here.

run- hide!- my love,
you must protect
the liberty you hold dear.
for if your life they choose to take,
freedom's end is here.
rachel 

~*~

we become on what we do
Yael Manzano

we become on what we do
because we decide it
we don't believe in omens in today's world
life is full of ups and downs

being successful...we overcome challenges
being calm...we like instrumental musics
being happy...we know God's word and applies it
............BUT...
failure...we are humans

~*~

Under The Black
Steven J. Polk

My aching back and tired legs,
the fruits of opposition and protest.
The fascist shall never overcome,
the neo-nazi I will burn,
with my words.
With raised fist.
With black flag un-furled.
My brothers, my sisters and I
will destroy them all.
As we storm their havens,
and trample them flat,
and re-teach the mis-lead.

~*~

Only the mouth, a forgotten me,
can open a gesture that the pavement
forgives with its heat.

Endless meddle class shoes walk the street.

The forgotten, the thing in the mouth,
the mush it makes of a good meal

it all adds up so one day your pocket change
wants to hold your hand. The woman you can know longer love
line up to explain, explain the heat, your short comings,
the way your mouth wants to remember.

Please let me listen to only what there mouths understand
but won't say.
gavinw

~*~

*hit to write 
Greg Cannon

I am a light
Sitting on a kite
Lightning is no fright
Adam and his porn
I’m always being born
Covered eyes
I want no prize
I’ve never heard any lies
My friend is eating fries
I’ve always thought everything is beautiful
But now it’s more.
~*~

Solace in My Discontent
Isaac M. O'Bannon

I love you.

No good has ever come by these words.
Only despair, regret, doubt, self loathing.
Inevitably, at least one of these emotions surface,
usually a combination of all four.

I never say the words on cue-
sometimes I don't say them when I should,
but usually I speak too late or too early,
and occasionally I completely misplace them.

So, I guess what I need to do is:
a) drink a lot more
b) remove love from my vocabulary
c) take solace in my discontent, it will be
her for awhile.

~*~

Illegal Search and Seizure
D~tron

‘Boom..Boom..Boom’ Silence is broken at the door
“This is the FBI..Open UP!!” Shouts Clinton’s little whores
The gate is crashed down and the sentinels swarm in
Point blank in the face yet we have committed no such sin

“We have reason to believe you are making and selling drugs”
An absurd statement considering we are all about prayers and hugs
“Everyone on the floor NOW! You are all under arrest”
No “Miranda Rights” are given and a situation to assess

They burst right in without any sign of legal warrant
I guess our CONSTITUTION is an illusion in a global economy foreign
With it Clinton wipes his hairy ass, thus negating the amendment fourth
Giving cops free reign to search and burn everything with a torch

How many more rights are we going to let “Clintler” take away
He’s setting up a dictatorship for his “stone puppet” to run and play
We must stand up for every one of our rights and conquer this “evil empire”
We must stand as one, unite the masses and douse this futile fire

Stay on a MOVE!!

~*~

And it Goes On 
By Serra Chen

As colors seep
the animals weep
the rest of life goes on
light still travels with the speed of sound
never stopping for
fallen dreams hitting the ground
because daybreak is followed by the sun

and although I try there is only so far that I can run
there is only so much that I can do to get through to you

and I am ashamed of this broken love
and I am sorry that this is all I am capable of
and there's more
and it goes on
but the rest is unknown 

~*~

Turning of the tide
Kevin R Lalonde

I'm losing my self in the shuffle
Not knowing which way to turn
My heart and soul feel empty
For who and what do they yearn
Aches and pains torment me
As I write down how I feel
Not knowing is the hardest part
I drop, I pray, I kneel,
Is there a way out of this
Should I try every door
I'm sure I have tried all my options
Yet I'm sure there should be more
For now I'll keep on living
And try to enjoy the ride
I know I must sit and ride out 
The turning of the tide.
~*~

he steps up to her and gives her, her last kiss
he holds her hand for the last time
he whispers in her ear “i love you” for she no longer will hear these words
he takes her necklace
she has no need for it any more he stands back and begins to cry
while they lower the casket into the ground

this is what happens if you let your friends drink and drive

~Jessica

~*~

A Crush of Doubt
Chantal Dube

They greet each other in the hall,
A welcoming hug, a friendly smile.
"Maybe tonight, I could give you a call?"
Her grin grows at least a mile.
His eyes dart away, spotting a silhouette
The smile that was hers is reflected on his face.
The girl turns around, glancing at the threat,
He brushes past at a fast pace.
New fears arise and she's not sure
Exactly what she felt before.
The fire of passion felt so pure,
The ice of doubt weighs so much more.
The world around her starts to blur,
She can't believe he left with HER.
~*~

Despair
Kevin. Foran.

Travelling through the darkness,lost and in despair.
Damned and incarcerated,in a tomb of unrelenting misery.
The internal disintegration,compounds the constant melancholia.
An indifference of the senses,to the aetiology.
Drifting into oblivion,encapsulates this insanity.
To end is not an answer,but confirms an emptiness.
But a light,like the Winter soltice,confronts the black veil 
momentarily.
May the stimulus of the light,evoke a begining,for a demented 
personality.

~*~

For the first time, I've been able to look at you, and realize what you mean to me. Your more than a boyfriend, you are my everything. The one that's been there for me, the one that's gone through it with me. You are the one whose made sure to keep me happy, and doing it at any length. You have been so patient with me with everything I've done. And you have been so forgiving for everything that I've done to you. I never meant for any of it to happen, which is why I'm trying my hardest, again, to work my life through these times. These times that feel like all I do is struggle, but can't seem to find my way out. Those times where nothing seems or feels right. But then there was you. You were there for me when no one else was. You were the one that helped me on. The one who supported me, even after I did so much wrong. The one that loved me, and cook care of my every need. You were the one who made me realize that I was selfish and greedy. I took your love for granted and assumed you would always be there. And now it scared me, the thought of losing you, to me being so stupid and not listening to you. I wish I could change, and I intend on doing it, but it will take a lot of strength. Strength from me and you. And once again I will need you there to help and cheer me on. To help me succeed in my goals, to help me move on. Out of this selfishness and into the love that we once shared. I don't want us to be this way. I want to know that we both care. Care enough to change our ways, to better us as one. We've done this once before, and it didn't last long. I convinced you to come back to me, telling you that I had changed. You came back to me and realized I was exactly the same. Son now I'm going to try again. I'm going to try so hard. To achieve this goal that I didn't strive for before. And may God willingly help me, and give us the strength to do this. I can not live to treat you like this anymore.
Abbi L. 

~*~

SILENTLY FALLING
Gina Walter

As your eyes silently fall into mine
and you give me a little grin
I only wish everything would fall into line
it might never happen, we will never win

The sky only gets more cloudy
even thought you are my sun
The crowd becomes more rowdy
Although you know I am the one

The one that will make you smile
And you will do the same
I will love you all the while
I wish this love we could claim

But till that time
I sit and think of your eyes silently falling into mine

~*~

I envy the sad, seeking solace
To ease a pain.
Be it weeping woods or such; a place 
Of ease to preserve the sane.

Rather I, treading the unknown
Can only prepare for hurt.
Unsure, blind to a time where my own
Emotions and words land myself in dirt.

Call me a craven, who would lie
To himself; afraid 
To know truths that in thy heart belie;
Fearful they would to me leave unsate.

I deny these charges.
Must I, in place of unspoken words,
Guessing games and lingering touches
Spell courtship to learn thy choice, that blesses or hurts.
 benjamin tang

~*~

What I’ve learned from my experience
Gloria Garza

In this life you should never be afraid of the loss in a relationship, especially when you’ve done everything possible to make it work. When love dies it’s something that we can not revive even after the memories, laughter, and tears. Don’t look back and feel you must stay in this situation, look forward, there is more to come. God has a special someone for everyone 
maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people so when the right one comes our way, we won’t take things for granted.If this person is the right one, take things into a serious matter but if you are having doubts chances are it’s 
time to let go. Don’t lie to yourself thinking everything is good, be honest 
with yourself listen to your feelings carefully; follow your heart it 
may be hard but nothing in life is easy. Time will ease the pain and the smiles will get you by, don’t hold on to something that is no longer there, life is too short, if the situation is not getting better, move on. 
With time you’ll learn to love and trust again and so will that someone 
you once loved.

~*~

Death of a marriage
Kevin R Lalonde

Mistrust, distrust, no trust
All equal the death of a marriage
Falsehoods, false loves, false feelings
All equal the death of a marriage
Infidelity, indiscretion, inconsideration
All equal the death of a marriage
Selfishness, self interest, self growth
All equal the death of a marriage.

~*~

REMEMBER THE DAY
FRANK SMITH

I CAN STILL REMEMBER THE DAY
WHEN I FIRST SAW YOU LOOK MY WAY
IT WAS A DAY OF WONDER AND AWE
FOR WHEN I LOOKED INTO YOUR EYES
AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN IS WHAT I SAW
NOW MANY DAYS AND NIGHTS HAVE PASSED
YET THE LOVE WE SHARE IS HERE TO
LAST.

~*~

Black Rose
Jason Crabtree

My eyes see reality
My ears hear the truth
Unpredictable in spirit
Pure in essence
Avoiding mixed passions
Causing countless regrets
Needing kind assurance
One day blooming into the next
I know where I am going in life
I don`t know how to get there
Buried beneath what love brings
The hopes and dreams of endless years
Embedded in wounds of unsaid things.

~*~

~~True Love~~
Rebecca Blevins

There once was a girl who was alone.
She had no one to love, to call her own.
She was always sad; felt cold like a stone.
She needed to feel the love that's unknown.

There once was a boy so lonely and blue.
His heart had been broken, tattered and torn.
So deeply the hurt, he heart broke in two.
To love not again, his heart had been warned.

Then true to the fates, this girl met this boy.
She had finally found someone to love.
He finally found that true love meant joy.
They both knew their love had come from above.

Their path was long, but together they tread.
Knowing one day that they soon would be wed.
~*~

Murder of Sea
Stephanie McMillan 

Standing here I saw
Holding seashells in his hand
Picking up the stones 
That lay upon the sand

Waves rushing in
Pushing against the shore
Closer and closer to the land
I watch the water pour

Like a hand of a kidnapper
It pulls to drag him in
Drowning him in the whirlpool
Strongly committing sin

Washed up by the ocean
I hear him scream out to me
Farther and farther away
Trapped in the murder of sea.

~*~

OUR SHAME
Fabiola Villarreal

WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CALLED THE -COLOR OF DISGRACE-
THE HUMAN NATURE AS SAID -DIRTY BROWN RACE-
& YET MORE WE WILL HAVE TO -FACE-
LET US NOT FEAR, BUT PICK UP THE -PACE-
FOR WE ARE THE INDIGENA OF -UNION AND BRACE-
AND WITH YOU, WE LEAVE OUR SHAME OF THIS -CASE-
WE ARE THE CHICANOS, MEXICANOS, LATINOS, EVERY NATIVE AS YOU CAN -SEE-
WE ARE THE MIXED RAZA, OF EVERY DIFFERENT COLOR "OH, BUT YOU -DISAGREE-
WE DON'T MIND, FOR YOUR OPINION DOESN'T COUNT, IN THAT I -AGREE-
SO JUST LET US -BE-
FOR WE ARE NOT SLAVES, WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN -FREE-
& WITH YOU, WE LEAVE THE SHAME YOU CAUSED THEM AND -ME-
WE ARE THE NATIVE SPEAKING LANGUAGE, THAT YOU DESPITE AND ALSO -HATED-
& WE ARE TIRED OF BEING RIDICULED AND EVEN -IMITATED-
BUT, IN OUR MINDS, WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER, WHEN WE HAVE BEEN -DISCRIMINATED-
EVEN THAT IS WHAT HAS TO BE -DEBATED-
AND WITH YOU, WE LEAVE THE SHAME THAT WILL SOON BE -ABATED-
WE ARE THE RAZA THAT CARRIES SO MUCH SORROW, BUT STILL HAVE OUR -DIGNITY-
AND WE HOPE SOMEDAY, WE WILL FORGET THIS PAIN AND -AGONY-
BUT, WE HOLD NO GRUDGE, YET SOME -APATHY-
AND MAYBE WE LEAVE THIS -DIVERSITY-
AND SHOW OUR GREAT -ABILITY-
FOR THIS IS WHY, WE LEAVE YOU THIS SHAME, CAUSE, WE HAVE ALL BEEN THROUGH 
-MISERY- INSTEAD- OF -UNITY-

~*~

HEATHEN (UNFINISHED THOUGHTS)
MRS. ANIMOSITY 

 TIMES ARE PAST TRIBULATION, MY LIFE'S HELL IS WHAT I'M FACING.
MUTILATION OF MY MIND FROM FATES LONG AND LONELY CHIME.
BUT CRIME KNOWS THAT FAITH IS CALLING ME, AND I KNOW THAT DEATH IS STALKING ME.
BUT FREE IS SO FAR FROM HERE AND I'LL RUN MILES TO FACE MY FEARS.
TEARS STARTED WITH HURTFUL CRIES AND THEY CAME FROM HATEFUL EYES.
DESPISED BY DREAMS OF FLIGHT THAT CAME FROM ALL THY MIGHT.
FULL OF NO WHERE THOUGHTS OF HOPE, FILLED UP BROKEN VEINS OF DOPE.
IN CUPS THAT YOU CAN MEASURE, ALL OF MY IMPERFECTIONS OF EVIL'S PLEASURES.
"IT'S WHATEVER",IS WHAT I SAY AND WHEREVER IS WHERE I'LL STAY.
HOWEVER BEING THE LORD'S DECIPHAL THE DEMONS INSIDE ME AWAITED MY ARRIVAL.
I WAS CAUGHT IN THE BIBLE OF MY KING AND MICHAEL SINGING THAT SPECIAL HYMM FROM THE MOVIES I WATCH ON FILM,
CAUSE I CAN'T STAND ALL OF THIS PAIN WHICH IN THE PAST HAS BROUGHT ME RAIN.
INVAINLY CHASING MY WATERFALLS, TRYING TO AVOID THE SKY'S HIGHER CALLS.
AN ANDROID I HAVE EMPLOYED. I WASN'T POSSED BUT CARESSED BY THIS MAN NAMED FLOYD.
WHO HELPED WITH MY DREAMS CAUSE I CAN'T FOCUS ON ALL THESE THINGS.
SCEAMS INGULFED BY MY LOST ENVIES THAT AROUSED BY ALL MY CLOSE ENEMIES.
BUT THEIR GUILT IS HOW I REEK. MEEK WITH ALL THE HIGH AND THE SHEEK.
THROUGH MY UNCONSCIOUS I AM THE REALIST AND BY MY DOOM I'LL BE THE FITTEST.
SHIT IT'S A WAR WHERE I LIVE AND IT'S MY ALL IS WHAT I GIVE.
AMID ALL THESE MUTTS, WHERE YOU STAY CAN AND WILL BE ABRUPT.
INTERRUPTED BY SIMPLE MATERIALS, LIKE THE POISON THEY PUT IN KIDS CEREALS.
BUT THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD GOOD REASON, STABBED ME BLEEDIN AND CALLED ME HEATHEN. 

~*~

Confluent
Krystalweaver


A startling friendship
struck
Isolated rivers merged.

Two beings
fusing
Without physical desire.

Mental equals
blending
Separating darkness.

~*~

Ode To Your Sister
By Wallace A. Zard

Karma laden fish heads
Eating Grandma’s pie
Belching up Taco Bell
Wonder where or why

Schoolgirls, liquid pearls
Running down her face
Wish it, wanting it
In another place

Then a tear, my underwear
Slid across the post
I am blind, cannot find
Another pig to roast

Sedentary basket case
Drooling by the school
Co-eds, Mopeds
Those are very cool

Sour tasting thigh cream
Licking off the mess
Acquiescing porn queen
In a see through dress
~*~

Broken Glass
Yvonne Iarusso

I hold these splintered pieces of glass
And wonder why they are broken.
Wonder why I bleed
I can't tell were the pieces go
Were they ever mine?
Splintered pieces of glass
How I despise you
Glowing Scarlet Red
Splintered pieces of glass
I can't fit you together
I can't distinguish their reflections
I can't brush them aside. 
Was it all an act?
Was this glass really whole?
Can it ever be fixed?
Splinter pieces of glass
Washed clean with my tears
Splintered pieces of glass
Confirming my fears

~*~

The Skull Beneath The Skin 
Nathan Shpiller 
Mean and infectious 
The evil Prophets rise 
Dance of the Macabre 
As witches Streak the sky 
Decadent worship of 
Black Magic sorcery 
In the womb of the Devil’s Dungeon 
Trapped without a plea 
See thing in agony 
Necrosis is the fate 
Pins sticking through the skin 
The venom now sedates 
Locked in a pillory 
Nowhere to be found 
Screaming for your life 
But no one hears a sound 
Hellpp Mmmeeeeee 
Prepare the patients scalp 
To peel away 
Metal caps his ears 
He’ll hear not what we say 
Solid steel visor 
Riveted cross his eyes 
Iron staples close his jaws 
So no one hears his cries 
The skull beneath the skin 
Now your drawn and quartered 
Your bones will make the X 
Symbol stands for poison 
And it’s chained to your head 
And as we fold your arms 
To make the holy cross 
We cross the crucifix 
Religion has been lost 
The skull beneath the skin
~*~

-The Human Affliction-
Angela Rugg
Cowering in the corner, fearing the light of day...
Afraid to face the world, afraid of what they'll say...
Shielding your virgin eyes, from the harshness of it all...
Fearing the final plunge, fearing the eternal fall...
Sickened by the fascists, that infest this sacred place...
Sickened by the stereo-styles, that sponsor this human rat race...
Why can't we all just get along, why can't we all just live...
Why do we all refuse to acknowledge, all that other's give...
Waking up to find yourself, just a pawn in all the madness...
Like an impotent child, full of terror, fear, and sadness...
This drugged-out world, is bringing us down...
Raped women, beaten children, to terrified to make a sound...
Violence corrupts us, greed controls our mind...
We go throughout each day, being truly blind...
We look at each other, we doubt, lust, and fear...
We listen to the words of warning, the words we never want to hear...
Too strong to ask for help, to proud to run and hide...
Too self-absorbed to admit, that we need someone by our side...
Violence has engorged our nation, we kill, we shoot, we die...
With our naive, ignorant judgment, we steal, we hurt, we lie...
Our children cry, our children die, tears roll down their innocent cheeks...
We look at them unaffected, our coldness has reached the ultimate peak...
Emotionless cruel executioners, bow down at the hands of sin...
In this world only shallowness shall conquer, it's a battle of good and evil...
we shall never win....

~*~

The One Who Looks Upon the Sea
Sarah M. Anderson 

The wind blows
Her hair the color of wheat
Her eyes the color of the sea
Her skin is soft as soft can be
She is the one who looks upon the sea

~*~

Introspection
Janice Seiner

I am exhausted of feeling this way
In the middle of nowhere around everyone
Miserable that I don't watch out for myself
Saturated with the suspicion that I will always wear a mask
I hide from people with a smile and bottle up my mind
Though I express what I think I disguise how I feel
How many times have I trashed myself?
It is hard to keep count
Why do I do it?
Even I can't say so
It isn't fair I am miserable
I don't enjoy feeling like this
I overreact although I am not crazy
There is nothing wrong with me
Can you believe this?
For I don't, I am unable
Too many times I have searched inside
only finding the same thing
someone I can't see
It is really difficult to describe what I am
For I am living in constant pain
like a candle I'm burning out

~*~

Frustrated Me
 Dereck Clark 

Frustrated, beat.
My mind must defeat.
Retract, come back.
To the same old street.
Yet this is new,
with the same one’s who.
Have been here.
They wont disappear,
these voices.
In my ear. In my mind.
Back in time. Wonder why,
I was beat. Retreat, for I am me.
Yet you see, I’m not beat.
I’m here, won’t disappear.
Never defeat.
Me.

~*~

Why Can't We Be Friends?
Summer Nichole 

Why can't we be friends?
I've asked this before.
It's like every day never ends,
I miss you more and more.

Everyone makes mistakes,
I admit it I did.
But no matter how much you hate me,
I will still be your friend.

You have the right to hate me,
and I know you do,
but no matter what,
I'm here for you.

So why can't we be friends?
No matter how hard I try,
I know I've made a mistake,
and that's why.

~*~

THE STRENGTH TO SURVIVE
MISSY 

BEFORE I CAME TO LIVE HERE, I HADN'T HAD ANYBODY ON MY SIDE.
I WAS SO PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY HURT THAT ALL I COULD DO WAS CRY.
I BECAME CLOSER AND CLOSER TO YOU AS THE DAYS PASSED BY.
AND YOU MADE ME REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF ME BEING ALIVE.
YOU TOLD ME I COULD DO ANYTHING TO MAKE MY DREAMS COME TRUE.
THAT'S WHEN I KNEW THAT I WANTED TO BE JUST LIKE YOU.
I KNOW THAT YOU CARE AND YOU WANT THE BEST FOR ME.
AND I KNOW ALL I HAVE TO DO IS TRY AND I WILL BE MY OWN VICTORY.
THAT'S WHAT YOU TAUGHT ME. "YOUR LIFE IS ALL ABOUT YOU."
I THINK I'M BEGINNING TO THINK THAT ALL OF THIS IS TRUE.
"YOU CAN DO ANYTHING," YOU SAID, "ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS STRIVE."
YOU ARE WHAT GIVES ME THE STRENGTH TO SURVIVE.
~*~

Alone
 Sandi Hrabek 

Alone in the dark,
No place to go.
Trapped in a world
Where the answer is "no."

Life hurt me bad,
Couldn't shed a tear.
I didn't want to show
Any weakness or fear.

Thought I'd found my refuge
I guess I was wrong
My love abandoned me,
But some how I got strong.

My elders could have helped,
But they didn't see why.
So I chose the path of strength
I chose my fear to die.

The pain is still with me,
There's no cure for the mind.
I'm still trying to catch up
To the world that left me behind.
~*~

To Feel You Against Me
 Jenn 

To feel you against me
Holding me tight
To feel your lips pressed
Up against mine
To feel your hands gently
touching my back
To feel our hearts pounding
As one
To feel you whisper into my ear
"I love you always my dear
From this day forward and 
Year after year."
~*~

"A love that will never die"
Heather 

Another day,
Another life,
We think nothing of it
Until someone dies.
Some will smile,
Others frown.
But always try to make something of the rest of the day,
Until the sun goes down
For they are not truly gone,
Keep them with you always
Tucked in your heart
Never to go away.
This is a new start
Of a life that will never die,
They look down on us and say,
"Please don't cry, I'm ok."
But you insist
"Really, Im fine" they say
"Just enjoy the bright new day."
We love them always,
And for that we cry
Tis a new life when someone dies.
So keep them under your wings,
Never to fly away
But, always here to stay.
We will eventually see them again one day.
But until we do,
We still have our dreams.,
To hopefully come truE.

~*~

I likened you to the ocean
And to the shine of gold
But you’re ever just as distant
And every bit as cold
I likened you to candlesmoke
Because it caresses air
Indeed it often seems caressed
Whenever you are there
I likened you to incense
Before I came to find
You’re truly no less wonderful
Than the scent it left behind
I likened you to cinders
That burnt out much too fast
Because they glow from light within
Too beautiful to last
I likened you to stardust
But never knew just why
And before I hardly knew you
It was time to say goodbye...