OPEN MIC 

Up-dated December 31, 2000. Happy New Year!

Quantity Time
Darry Steiskal

My son and I built a snowman today
It was fun to see him play
The excitement, the laughter, his face all aglow
He put on quite a show

The snowman wasn't special
Actually it was awful
We knocked it down before we were done
It added to the fun

To some people the important thing is quality
But we go for quantity
We spend a lot of time together
And it keeps getting better and better

~*~

Christmas Break
Quentin Clingerman 


Time for all the shopping
Time for all the gift giving
Time for all the card sending
Time for all the baking
Time for all the decorating

Time to take a Christmas break
Time to listen for your sake
Time to hear as bells do shake
Time to caroling music make
Time to the real season awake

Time to bow reverently your head
Time your cares and worries shed
Time to kneel by your bed
Time to worship and adore
The Christ Child of ancient lore

~*~

"Time"
Peter J. Bezanson


An old man hobbles along tired
His magic was lost in a woman's heart

Time has robbed him of life and of love
Life a miserable masterpiece of commonality

Might strength regained and youth restored
rekindle his spirit

That which once flew like a dove 
now creeps like a crow

~*~

Enough
Margaret E. Andrews

Enough is enough,
For this Christmas stuff.
Remember that Jesus came
To us to give us love.

Fancy trees and lights
At every neighbor's door.
Remember that Jesus came
To us to give us life.

So stop a moment and reflect
Upon the reason for the season.
Remember that Jesus came
To us to give us rest.
~*~

THE POTATOSALAD
copyright2000 by HELGA F. Gross


She was twenty-one and run every week, once
around the block in a small hotel-room 17
there was waiting, not yet, her lust...
not the elderly man, his wife didn't want that
room service was late, the first act began...
her cry out was loud, here it was...
THE POTATOSALAD
with fresh cut cucumbers,onion,garlic,an egg
salt,vinegar,oliveoil all she need was this
he payed, was cheap, and was not to seen
when the child was born out of love, for
THE POTATOSALAD
in later years when the girl asked "my dad"
mom smiled and described...

THE POTATOSALAD

~*~

The Gifts
Vincent Watson 

These are precious, priceless gifts I give to You. These are gifts I haven't given in many years. These are gifts I thought I would never give again, I knew for sure I would die with them until You came along. My first gift is my heart and soul. Also to you I give my trust and honesty this gift I have never given to any woman. My last gift is my undying unconditional love for you. These are my gifts to You. I hope you will carry them close to your heart and cherish them forever and always. These gifts shall and will be always yours. 

~*~

An Athlete’s Appreciation
Han Yi 

Meaningless words I believed
Passing swiftly by my ears
So empty yet so full
Enriched with a purpose,
All my existence I hear it
All your life you said it,
In My early years I couldn’t comprehend
It seemed so cruel
I was so full of detestation
The excruciating pain kept me down
Crying so deafeningly yet I made no sound,
But as the time matured me
The experiences helped me clearly see
Finally realizing your true intention for me,
Those discouraging words
Now transformed into my encouragement,
Thank you coach I see it now
The light of victory that shadows over me.

~*~

UNTITLED TILL THE END
Janice M. Bostok

words are fragments
of past thoughts
peeled from the lining
of the mind
hugging tight as a knitted cap
built layer upon layer over time
as each word spoken
drops down onto those that 
have gone before
they settle as leaves under
a deciduous tree
richly coloured but soon grey-
ing into a decaying compost
as the days go by
a sinking into muddy slush
confusing and misunderstood

ALZHEIMER'S

A Certain Weather Phenomenon
Barrett Helms

The north face of China;
it escapes me.
the yawning portal of things,
tending to wander toward disillusion;
as it strikes one with a white sting
of idiocy and a certain deceptive sickness.
But alas,
i look away, forgetful,
and see the shining brightness of something beautiful.

~*~

He's There 
Tyler Roney

Why won't He leave this empty vessel,
This man behind my eyes?
He does those things that you won't dare.
He fills a void that is never filled,
And nothing binds me me to this
Creature of a man except my own loneliness.

Late in the bright moon light He lashes me with belts
And does sadistic things to my body and soul,
But He never tells me what roads to take or what bridges to burn.
Though he may beat His own body to torture me after He leaves,
He never tells me who to worship and who to hate.

A mad man still knows the difference between right and wrong
between pain and pleasure
between life and death
love and hate. . .

. . .I love this man behind my eyes.

~*~

Independently
Brains unite with thoughts held in
Total disregard.
Stuart Reed

~*~

Catching a dream 
Michael R. Randall


Moonstruck glow starts to surface the earth
Enchanting the minds of the hearts left burned
Leaving a shadow of memories
So you can dance with your destiny

Elixir for the heart when all is in doubt
To cleans the soul of moments frown
Innocents resurface,
The childhood in me
All is alive in moonstruck dreams

And so you dance for hours to come
Episodes of enlightenment when you dance to the drum
Imagination of purity
All is alive in moonstruck dreams

On a night where dreams were lost in the skies
I came upon a phantom of delight
We talk for an hour of gibberish pleads
Nothing of importance just hearts feeling free

We laughed about nonsense and childish things
And we shared our eyes for what they see 
And when we finish dancing with our hearts
A feeling of silence broke through the dark

A phantom of delight was all it seem to be
But an angel named Dianne had captured me
There was no glow from the moon that night
Although a moonstruck dream was shining bright

She kissed my heart with a tender kiss 
Leaving me in reminisce
And as I wait for the next time we breathe
I wait for the night,
For a moonstruck dream
~*~

After Fifty
Philip Miller


These days the facts of death
come to my attention
as if I'm possessed
with mortal wisdom:
"John's got cancer," someone says
and looks at me,
"Starts chemo next week:
it's his liver,"
and another glance
as if to say, "Checked yours lately?"
And now my mother belongs to me,
her lost mind, mine to mind
though Father's death was not the blow
I dreamed,
all that business handed me.
My younger brother would have loved to help,
but he was too busy, too far away
and though I cursed him, I knew secretly,
he couldn't yet face the facts
I did when I picked the casket,
conversed with undertakers,
ordered the whole damned family's wreath.
Where was time for pain
or grief when I had to leaf
the Yellow Pages,
find area codes,
check the calendar for numbered days,
bury the dead?

~*~

Last summer met 
four thunders.
Three from sky and 
one towards it!
I met her 
during the last incident.
She might have met me then.
No spark..
No lighting.
Only thunder.
Why can't it be?
After all my fourth love.
Yes nowadays the summer are renamed..
Spring?
Ask her..
Ahalya
my love.
jeyarajan

~*~

chance is a word for love,
how many chances will you take,
too many i've seen, but you
took a chance on me.
so many time have i found 
myself longing for something
to hold, to love, to be so perfect
like you, but you took a chance
on me.
if you are love, then i never wanna 
lose it, the things i've longed for i've 
found in you, i'm so blind so cold, but
you took a chance on me.

thank you for the chances of sharing
your love wit me.
 Matt Goens

~*~

Untitled 
tekdaze


Through all the lies I'd told myself 
I never realized the pain I could cause 
I never realized how I could cause death 
A girl goes through pain because I don't pay attention 
A girl threatens suicide so it'll be alright 
I can't believe what I never had 
it's coming back for me 
it's coming back you see 
because it was never really gone 
just hidden in her eyes 
she's so beautiful, she's so very 
her face is like an angels 
her eyes are like the sky 
gazing down upon a world unseen 
but I've been lost before and barely found my way 
and I've been told before, I'll never find my way 
but no one knows and only I can see. 

~*~

Blue Eyes-
Bernadette Rogers


Here I sit, thoughts in the morning of the new day.
I can't help but wonder if I will see you.

You my forbidden lover,
my greatest infatuation lies within your smile.

Yet I sit silent in front of your presence.
Your blue eyes shine your innocent boyish charm.
I want to speak, yet I am frozen in your gaze.

At night when I dream you kiss me sweetly never speaking a word.
Still I feel the warmth of your soul.

Always I am disappointed when I wake from your arms.
I beg the day to provide me with one look from you. 

~*~

At least you
at one time i made you laugh
wishing that moment would forever last
to make you smile completes myself
more fulfilling then endless wealth
i guess it's just that you seem real
your soft ivory skin i long to feel
against the palm's of my hand
seeming as if i'm forever damned
cursed it is to watch another
look at you like there is no other
for you are the one that wears his ring
so beautiful you'll look on the morning
when you and he are joined together
at least two loves can say their together
ryan elem 

~*~

Life Everlasting
Sophia Foree

Is life everlasting?
Or just a fleeting glimpse
Embodied in a vessel
On the edge of an abyss

Life everlasting
Would be a magical thing for sure
But in infinity and a day
We would want something more

Would we tire
Of nature’s paltry cycles
The flowers blooming
Vivid brilliance
Solitary isles

In a world dull and dreary 
With no haven for the weary
This never-ending strife
This never-ending life

The flower of hope
Wilted long ago
The spirit deserting
A shell left, alone

~*~

"Love on the Back Porch"
Sara


Sitting on the back porch, watching crickets mate, we hold hands.
You whisper secrets sweet as chocolate into my ear.
The fish are searching for that elusive worm.
The dog watches them like television. You scratch his ear
as I steal a bite of your ice cream.
The warmth inside of me melts that chocolate soup down to my belly.
I get a chill and you laugh at me.
My little pond is turning green; we need to buy some algae-eaters.
I squash rotting acorns beneath my shoes.
We all regard the soothing fish channel
live, right before our eyes.
It gets a little chilly, this fall night. I pull my arms into my fleecy sweatshirt.
You tell me you want to play Varsity football next fall. Now it's my turn to laugh.
The dog is puzzled at your hurt look. He gets over it and trots back over to the fish.
I'm so glad we both had tonight off to spend this time together.
The crickets serenade us as you give me a "UDF" kiss.
Our fingers wrap around each others'. The goosebumps on your arms look funny.
My dog nuzzles your leg; he wants love, too. We're so lucky to have this, here and now.

~*~

Derma
Thom North


My skin holds me in

it holds my emotions
and my life lung
my heart and a scared song
things i've done wrong
and things i've done right
a tarp for my life

my skin holds me in

my skin holds me back
a mental capacity that i lack
will last at last
or be properly passed

~*~

Sickfinger
Steve Morris

My useless hand nine-fingered shadow
Grasps the touch of the remainder
And stare at this festered creature
See the pain of my sick finger
The creature becomes a burden
A constant in modern therapy
Some days are worse then others
Limiting social ability
Why does it cry out in pain
Agonizing sleep deprived
Raping ideas away
Struggling to stay alive
Battered and bruised in pieces
Scalp away a new raw scene
Mothering it back to health
Peeling it back to clean
My useless hand nine-fingered shadow
Healing, hurting, discovering you
Adapting to this strange habitat
I’m getting a grip on something new

~*~

He smiles so faintly
All he wants is to learn to need
I left him falling
But I guess that's just the lesser part of me.

She was wondering, lost
She was left for someone to lead
But I just left her
Maybe that's just the lesser part of me.

I wanted to be held
Maybe just to let him see
But I l sat down instead
But that's just the lesser part of me.

Help the darkness
Please help me
Just help me understand
The lesser part of me.

Help the darkness
Please help me
Why do I find
The lesser part of me?

Crow 

~*~

My Lover`s Arm
Akisha


Laying across my pillow
It was no more, it was gone

I've touched it and traced it
I've kissed it inch by inch
I can taste it still 

Again and again
I framed it and made it so
A far walk would be unbearable

Alone and harsh to the cold
Deaf and an intense bore

I saw him so
Lovely and strong

Shy and uncoarse

I wear his boots, once
No, maybe more

Buried my face in his clothes
And my hand in his unclothed

I undressed for his shoulder
I went down for his love

~*~

LOVE
Jason Best


It is hard to be in love
Or know who you are
In the roaring winds of change
It is hard to know what to do
When nothing will ever be the same
Gone walking on the razor's edge
Between night 
And what the day represents to the masses
While they are lost in the depth
Of their need and want
Torn between the decision
Of what should be done
And what need to do
In this life 
Where you go looking for
Where you go hoping for love

~*~

What Becomes Of Love
Brian Spencer 

Share me to the wind, fancy me I like to fly;
Though I don't have wings, fancy me I like to glide;
Though I can not soar, fancy me I like to dive,
Tumble, twist into the high,
Though I'm not a bird I've seen the sky,
Clouds and stars gone wisping by.
This must be what it means to die,
A ghost that knows not how or why,
Once though, I'd like to try

~*~
I SEE A RAINDROP-I SEE A TINY RAIN DROP-I SEE A GIRL-A TINY GIRL-I SEE A GIRL
IN A RAIN DROP-SHE IS YOUNGER THAN ME-ONLY TWENTY-BUT SHE IS MY FRIEND-
SHE MAKES ME HAPPY-SHE MAKES ME HAPPY WHEN SHE IS CLOSE-I SEE A RAINBOW-
I SEE A RAIN CLOUD-SHE IS MY FRIEND-SHE IS MY BEST FRIEND-SHE WAS BORN WHEN 
I WAS TEN-SHE WAS BORN ON A RAINY DAY-MAKES ME HAPPY-KITTENS PLAYING IN THE
GRASS-THE GREEN GRASS-BIRDS IN THE SKY-THE BLUE SKY-HAPPINESS-SHE GIVES ME
HAPPINESS-SMILING AT ME-BIRDS SINGING IN THE SKY-THE SUNSET SKY-
SHE MAKES ME HAPPY- 
 RICK SIHLER

~*~

HINTS
Mike Jones


Hints of love
That look before
A kiss so found
By open door

To evening dance
The sweetest start
As music plays
From beating heart

When hand is free
In car at night
You wish the dark
Would give her light

And the best world
Like heaven above
Found in the smallest
Hints of love

~*~

what is love?
dedicated to manuel
christina 


Not a mere touch, not just a single kiss
i doubted but now i know, I truly love you.
Sparks fly when we are close, time stands still when we converse.
My heart thumps when seeing you, heat circulates like an electric current when you embrace me.
As we part overflowing drops of water fill my eyes, as the tears trickle i see your face, but i know we will meet again.
Dreams circle around what we are and what we will become.
Waking up and not being with you is a scary reality because you are so real in my sleep.
Oh how i hope you see me too and that you think of me the same.
Simple words could never explain love like this
i thought i knew love
but now i really know
love in my definition is you

~*~

LONE PENNY
GirlyGirlJill


I found a lucky penny; a lone penny in the street.
I plucked that lucky penny; so shiny and so neat.
This simple lucky penny found right at MY little feet.
Could I, would I, do I dare?
Stopped cold, I could only stand and stare.
My greatest wish… Could this lone penny bear?

~*~

Our Friendship
Katelynn

Our friendship was the best i ever had,
we were inseparable to the last minute.
Then i made that mistake that i wish i 
could take back.
I chose the guy over my best friends.
Now i wish i hadn't.
Now i make myself suffer b/c of the loss
i have made myself have.
Now i wish i could die instead of see you 
together everyday and me not with you.
Talking about the cutest guys or the newest 
styles or even the newest movies, i miss you
guys more than i would miss life itself.
So now i think i should go. . . 

~*~

So to Sleep
Katie Herman

So to sleep
Sleep to dream
What shall they bring
In dreams
Hope fading
More tears and pain
Sleep not
To dream again
Hope forbids
Dreams torment
To want to sleep
But haunting
The scar
It runs deep
To deep to heal
Never ending pain
So not to sleep
So not to dream
Never dream again
To cry 
Tearing pain
To want to dream
To cry out the pain
Yet never to sleep
So to bed
So to cry
So to dream
So to sleep

~*~

Are you scared
Marjorie Grube


Are you scared she asked as we walked though the double doors.
Yes & no I said but then when I saw him I begin to tremble.
It's OK she said just look away & I said OK but it was easier said then done.
I stared at him he didn't see me so I stared on & on.
She grab my hands & said look away.
Then she as a joke she whispered can't you see there are two big men with guns & night sticks & there here to save the day.
Still I shake & she repeats the things she had said before & after that they call her to the stand but before she walks away I grab her hand & say
Don't be scared there are two big men standing right over there & there here to protect us & you have me

~*~

Trapped Again
Joelle Jameson

There - was - a - mo - ment
Ofcontentwheremyeyesweredeeperandso
I was feeling
(and kind of hoping)
That I might stay this way?
Nights can be - beautiful
But nights can be - black -
Why did the sun have to set?
Nowmy - eyesare - loweredand - 
My head is down - 
But I'm still smiling
Through my tears, so;-
Would you bring me back?
So I can mean it when I smile
And even - when I - cry.

~*~

Mortuary Tables Limited - 
Submitted by Bob Houlston 


She was just seventeen, you know what I mean.
A quiet young lady, soon to be with baby.

From womb to tomb it's life was in doom.
"Birth defects may arise" as the fumes stung her eyes.

"The fumes are perfectly safe, don't make a fuss.
No you can't have fresh filters, the cost is too much!"

The man-agers breathe fresh air that's upstairs.
PCB assemblers come cheap, so who really cares?

The smiley is crying, because workers are dying... :-(

~*~

Evergreen
Gary Raiker


When rivers where pure and skies where clear
and sounds of nature were all we could hear
fish swam birds sang
nothing touched needs no cure
so why disturb what is pure
but touch we did and blame we hid
shame and pity we must rid
look up and on
see what's next
these wrongs we must correct
if we are to live as one day we were
first we must clear he air. 

~*~

there are the clear people
their skin drips with it like
blood off my legs and
i slam into you
you are a rock
rock hard, you are
a rock
there are the hated ones
and we ask
why must we be so alone and
who the f*ck plants happiness in the ground like
seeds
who made up this complicated system of understanding
lists and making up for emptiness with so many lies
you are filled with elegance
they've cracked you down, haven't they, they've made you
sick, sick as you can be with me
you can be with me
but nothing is more true than this
nothing screams to me like this, your voice, your
hair, the glare from your eyes that don't love an inch
of me
this loneliness, at least it speaks to me.

 Lucy~LousLovely

~*~

Sound of the Falls
David Koepke


Sound of the falls:
thunderhorn of

water on water--
Hawks steer

through turning white
mists above.

~*~
Life Anguish
Ole H. Nielsen 2000


Here I sit alone and musing
Life’s perplexities abound
The Mind goes in a query
The Body stupefies.

Ceaseless wonder; all amazing,
Glorious absurdities.
Earth revolves, eternal spinning.
Mankind spins elliptically.

Mindless rants and savage ravings
Obscene longings yet abound
Slay all fools who don’t believe,
All in the name of Deity.

“We the People”
Kings and Queens of destiny
Full of Love and many sorrows
Full of Joy and Genocide.

Quest for science greater vision
Search for life eternally
Yet the spoils of plunder beckons
Brings the populace to war.

Higher learning, Higher yearnings
We who saves a child from woe.
Benevolence is human nature
Drowned in life’s complexities. 

~*~

A Broken Heart's Plea
<Kat>

I hate your empty lies.
I hate your empty words.
All I offered you was love,
all I got in return
were unkept promises.
You rip out my heart,
and every time i talk to you
you tear me apart.
I love you still
and I ask for too much,
but just once could you tell me
that my love is enough?
I bleed inside, 
but it doesn't show.
Every word you say hurts,
and you don't even know.
I'm sorry for feeling 
this hurt that I feel.
I only wish I knew,
if this love was real.
~*~

Berkoff and Trains
 Anthony Frazer

It's like what Berkoff said
how when he's lining up
in queues for the theatre
he feels the anticipation
of seeing something that could
maybe change his life.
That's how I feel about sitting on a train
those minutes just before you leave
not knowing what you're going to see
like you're in the grip 
of some giant elastic band
about to be propelled out west.

~*~

So Much To Say
Randy Buckingham


There is so much to say
but so short a time to say it 
and even shorter time to listen
that now 
holding tongue and laying down pen
I am yours
talk to me...

~*~

The Itch
Cecilia Ree
d


What happens after the one night of passionate sex
Do people every think of what is next
Or does the girl of the hour have their mind to occupied 
If you would have been patient you would have seen the disease in her eyes
Now the hour is over and the girl is gone
And you have been left all alone
She did leave you something to remember her by 
You have the pee that burns and you feel like you are going to die
A one night stand gave you a lifetime of pain
Which could have been avoided by using your brain
You should have keep you eyes open legs closed and pants up
So you wouldn't be at the clinic crying as you pee in a cup
All this happen in a quick fix 
But now you have the forever itch 

~*~

The Loan
jordan

Sweet young babies of innocence & joy
whether it be a girl or boy
sitting in heaven as they hope & pray
to be loved & cuddled in every way

Sitting around Jesus as they sing this
song "I want a mom & dad
a loving home"

laying in their mother's loving arms
as she promise them the earth ,moon
& sun
To her miracle all her own
So it begins
A Child Jesus has
LOANED

~*~

Remember the sun
chopard


Please remember every word
I ever said to you
Remember that you once knew me
As I once knew you
Remember my words to you
And I will remember the words 
You never said to me
Remember me as the sunshine
That always dried your rainy life
Like a storm you entered my life
And like the sun I entered yours
My life was filled with rain
From your storm 
Sorry, but today my shine 
Is no longer yours
I am a rainbow now…

~*~

For Once in My Life
Tracy McDonald


For once in my life immense emotion flows over me,
Drops of happiness soak me right to the bone,
As the tides of serenity tickle my toes,
I can feel the wind of purity set me free,

For once in my life rays of joy beat upon my face,
The warmness of astonishment surrounds my body,
The heat of desire runs through my veins,
And the bright lights sweeps me away with grace,

For once in my life I am feeling whole,
As the smell of contentment flows around me,
I can’t believe sounds of bliss are so close,
As I know these feelings will surely only grow.
~*~

Is everything ok?
Thoughts surround my head.
Should I be upset over little things
Why am I hurting 
Day by Day life goes on no one feels me 
How do I break the silence 
Imprisoned with my thoughts and no one to talk too
With age do things become better?
Will God answer my prayers?
My soul hurts its not being feed 
Feed me, Feed me I plead
no response.
Again I ask is everything ok?
How can life be better?
maybe if I stopped caring
only then will things be ok, only then will I be FREE
but that's not reality 
the reality is everything is not ok. 
Ashley 

~*~

NewArctic Shrill
b.clancy


Spuds under belly buckles boulder stuggles and funder truggles
Dunder the butter buns recluse fruit is too fruity ye your tart is just right
crescendo flamingo rose peddles three wheelers and Fred is at the door
My car broke down how’s yours running
spiano sprockets spalding grey balding like toxic waste on winter grass
skinny and bounce go chank the town
bad bats and lee roy lee
buntering up to diggitydooks so watch me be yo
squiggling up the rigging like slamabama phrum malabalms 
skitching you rumprigthteous in the bundersaps
never be the digital ease 
never be the binary whitey ford? boy please

chick freeze
you went out with last decades garbage
you went out with your mommas first affair
you went out with that dungaree jacket
so chick freeze
chick please
you’re the newarctic shrill. 

~*~

Judgment Day
Darlene Virginia Quarles


I've always been somewhat of a restless soul,
I never listened to what I was told,
I ran wild to let the demons inside me,
free the devil, paints a pretty picture 
for those to see.
I had to have what the world could offer.
For the wrong, I've done,
they should crucify me.
I was brought up by one of God's chosen men,
but I let him down,
I've lived a life of sin.
My loved ones' teachings
could not change my destructive ways.
I will give account for my life on
Judgment Day.
I cannot undo the things I've put you though,
but never once did I stop loving you.
You cried tears of worry, I forgot to wipe away.
Those precious tears will be of blood on that
Great Judgment Day.

~*~

" I Know" You are my sweet madness You are the only one Who brings me true happiness You are that one who runs away my sadness You are the breeze upon my skin gentle & comforting On you I know I can depend, with you I know I can stand With you I can be an honest man You are my love & light amongst chaos.
snif6047

~*~

"What is the Purpose"
Sheena Haugland


What does it mean to be free?
That is what I really want to be
I don't want to sit a dream
When I know I have the determination and esteem
With the purpose of confidence
I can over come all fierce obstacles
Not only do I love me
I also love to be free
No worries may I face
For I face the worries I may
For someday I will be seen
Not just as me but as free!

~*~

I Thought I Saw You...
Deryn Bates

i thought i saw you late last night
drifting by in the moon light
the air so cold, so blue, so clear
took my breath and pulled me near
too soon you passed and then were gone
my hand reached out but you carried on

i thought i saw you in the park
your peaceful gaze left its mark
you wandered slowly through the grass
with the breeze you let it pass
the trees gave way as you walked by
sun-drenched tears filled the sky

i thought i saw you in a crowd
walking amid a human cloud
but there is only you i see
in every face, even in me
as a sea of strangers wash you away
i stand and wait for another day

~*~

Echoes
Scott Adelmann

From my future
In the shape of her smile - 
Like so many echoes
I have heard
Before -
Haunt me.
And I can no longer know
If she is the echo
Or the voice.
In the curve 
Of her chin
Lives the ghost
Of my tomorrow.

~*~

NEVERMORE
BILITTLEBOY

OUT OF THE DARKNESS APPEARS THE RAVEN
STILL GLARING INTO MY SOUL
WHAT'S IT ALL MEAN
WHAT'S IT ALL FOR
QUOTES THE RAVEN NEVERMORE

NEVERMORE, NEVERMORE, WHAT IS NEVERMORE
THROUGH THIS LIFE OF PAIN WE SUFFER
ALL THIS VIOLENCE
ALL THIS SORROW
QUOTES THE RAVEN NEVERMORE

DISEASES INFESTS THIS WICKED WORLD
TAKING MORE THEN THE LIFE OF ONE
A LITTLE BLOOD HERE
A LITTLE BLOOD THERE
QUOTES THE RAVEN NEVERMORE

OH RAVEN SO HIGH UP THERE
PLEASE TAKE ME AWAY FROM HERE
IT IS ALL OVER
IT IS ALL DONE
FOR LIFE IS NEVERMORE

~*~

I know of a place that lies beyond the land,
Somewhere where the sea erupts ferociously upon the sand.
A sacred place to get away,
Where each time I go there, it makes me want to stay.
There, mermaids come to flock,
With their beauty hidden amongst the rock.
They rise up from the ocean's floor,
To come to play on the foamy shore.
Decked with pearls and coral around their necks,
With gold and jewels from a tragic shipwreck.
Their backs are gently draped with their sea-salt matted hair,
drying in the sun and flowing in the air.
At sunset they sing the legendary siren's song,
"Death come upon anyone who stays here much too long".
The ritual takes place both near and afar,
They patiently await the first sign of a shinning star.
Here, they worship the goddess spinning the web of heaven on here silver loom,
Then return to the depth's of the ocean by the hazy light of the moon.
Isaac L. Ambriz

~*~

A Lesson in Love
Nina DiPaula

Sorrow drifts across a darkening room
and settles like dust upon a grieving face.
A clock ticks to measure strident gasps
forcing life to steal more time.
A hand reaches to brush back 
sweat soaked hair
while a whispered plea reminiscent of prayer
sobs through stone silence
and sinks into oblivion:
"Mamma, I wish I could do this for you."
A candle flickers.
Its flame implores the infant Christ for mercy.
The Savior's outstretched arms haloed in candlelight
call His beloved servant home.
In resignation they wait -
Warm hands clasped over icy fingers - wait
until a soft stir of air
glides gently from the fading form
to the flickering candle
and extinguishes the flame...

~*~

Cold is my Heart 
Michael J. Caley

Cold is my heart as we walk through the door
Cold is my heart as I see you looking at the floor
Cold is my heart as I cover the window
My mind says “Stop!” but my heart says “No!”

And I start thinking…
Soon it will be over, soon you will die
Soon you will be free of this world’s wretched lies

Cold is my heart as I hit you on the head
Cold is my heart as I drag you to my room
Cold is my heart as I tie you to my bed
Cold is my heart as I stab you till you’re dead

And I start saying…
“Soon it will be over, soon you will die
Soon you will be free of this world’s wretched lies”

Cold is my heart as I hear your final scream
Cold is my heart, it’s as if I’m in a dream
Cold is my heart as I place you in the car
Cold is my heart as I watch you float from afar

And I start whispering…
“Now that it is over, now that you have died
You are now free of this world’s wretched lies”

~*~

Time's Price
 Johnny

Run you can’t hide Time has caught you by now
So you will die, Go back in time
Your heart bomb still goes
And does not follow this time
This time metal pumps life
Still there is pain to see your fate
You will die go back in time
Because you drank the lye, Lie why you lie to save some time
That still comes at unaware, At unpredictable speeds
Pay, pay the price but change the time
Dose up on lead spin it through your head
Still you will know you will be dead.
Cry for no one else but you, no one else will 
Apathy has no pity for your soul
So why do you stand so still?
What lies can die 
What lies can die
No Lies can die
Left tarnish on your soul
Judge yourself first
So now die for the lie.

~*~

Pale Rider
Sargent 12/2000


Hear the distant hooves of thunder
Bringing hoards of ghastly host
In the midst a tall Pale Rider
Chief war lord of whaling souls

The swirl of dust and debris
Rises up to the blackest storm
Quick to exact destruction and pain
Holding sacred no life form

The army of the dead encircle
Devastation is quick and precise
In prayer they beseech thee look away
Pale Rider's gaze does snuff the light

Mighty force roars by in haste
In it's path lie ruinous heaps
Time or season matters not
Human life is the field that it reaps

Aftermath of tragic horror
Pale Rider's reasons are unsolved as yet
Clouds of woe and silence deadly
Survivor's minds shall never forget

Hear the distant hooves of thunder
Fading to gray as peace returns
Again Pale Rider your mark is made
Pray tell what lessons have been learned

~*~


I'm just a victim of my own morality
Only innocent by reasons of insanity
A downward spiral of self obsession
A drug induced stance of age regression
Always perplexed by those around me
Their views on tradition still astound me
My thoughts are confused, twisted and frenetic
I'm still in two minds whether I'm schizophrenic

Shadows

~*~

Haze
Mike Winterbourne


sun glistened off pregnant green waves,
whitecaps broke into hazy light,
i knew then, right then,
she was gone, 
not sky,
nor sea, 
not even haze....
My girl, 
flashed,flickered,fizzed,
for one year
mine to love, 
question, 
find,
mine to hear, 
answers, 
listen,
her thoughts
now I cannot hear,
see her,
smile 
paintings 
or photographs.

amid wreckage,
she disappeared,
isotoped,
doped,
sedated,
medicated,
breathed
one 
last 
breath. 

I stopped, 
took it hard,
took it
took
her life,
one year 
out of
twenty eight, 
an angel at twenty eight
My angel,
flying
over 
a hazy ocean sky. 

~*~

As the world travels fast for lust and time. Many cry with anger and hatred for the know not why they are so blind as not to see, its not only ME????

Carol Sanford

~*~
What do I feel? Slow, jittery, paranoid, sad, its dark now and all I hear is what I want to hear, I love it, I wish I had someone thinking about me, someone I like, I know I sound stupid, fuck it. Observe everything perfectly, see through her eyes, feel her go numb and still, feel her gaze upon you and as soon as you catch her, she looks away, anger takes over it all, sadness turns into anger and hate so fast, so soon, hard it hits and slowly disintegrates her, its so difficult to stop pretending that I don’t love you, ill just live in solitary, beautiful is common, alone, I gaze upon her, our eyes meet, she turns away, I don’t know her anymore, she is so sheltered, so terrified, so alone, I gaze some more, she is so tragic, so fragile. She wishes for a happy ending, maybe she’s possessed to please everyone, she puts on an act everyday, but if you looked close enough, you’d see what I see, you can feel it, look at her. Her eyes scream for you to hear, her smile tells all when you come by, she keeps it all inside, and wonders if she is pretty enough for anyone?
 Sarah Moore

~*~

EDIT
Kristin Fisher

First draft
Never the last
Holds promise
but is too rough
around the edges
Work it smooth
Leave no word wanting
Lonely- tipping off
the end of a sentence
that is running
for the door...


~*~
The turkey is memory . The gifts are shared. The tree is dry. The house is strangely quiet. The memories are here all around. I sit and soak them up .Never wanting to forget .The times we have had. 
LLOYD DEVENNY

~*~

Angels Of The Sea
By Matthew Timmons


Angels of the sea, soaring across the liquid blue skies.

Flying through the clouds of mist into the morning sun.

Beautiful aquatic acrobats flipping and twirling through 
the water with their melancholy innocence and purity.

The silence of the sea, broken by the flight of silver angels.

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

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