The Poetry Marathon

I am here- are you ready for me

I am here,
still and ready
Calm and accepting.
On the outside,

While, storms rage deep within,
They’re busy gathering my rage and inspiration
to fuel my expression.
My fearless motivation.
My cowardly courage.
All in the name of
owning all that I am.

Purely,
unabashedly,
unapologetically
Me.

Welcome to my world,
my whirlwind of emotions,
where the words keep flowing,
while my heart continually feels strongly about everything.

I am inspired,
ready as ever,
to unleash my thoughts onto paper.

Is the world ready for me?

Text Prompt

Write a poem that starts and ends with the same word. It can be short, but it has to be at least five lines long. If you can’t think of your own word to start and end with here are my suggestions: hope, stardust, cheese, sleep, and shoes.

Hope

Hope is a light
shinning bright on the darkest of nights
showing you the way
leading you to the light.

Hope keeps me alive
its my reason to thrive
my motive -I carry on
when things seem unsure
I allow myself to fill every corner
of my heart with hope.

The other side of Me.

On most days I can tolerate being laughed at
by a sea of immature audience,
greeted by curious looks and strange looks
who refuse to acknowledge
what it takes to be alive.

You walk a certain way
its not normal
they will laugh at you.
most days its okay
I’ll laugh along.
I can see how I brighten their day.
I have a funny bone or two I guess…

There are days when the joke is not funny
I’d like for someone to cut me some slack
and respect my struggle and acknowledge
my presence without so much as a giggle.
It’s not embarrassing as much as it is insulting.

There’s a difference you see
I am not embarrassed by myself
I am proud of what I have achieved.
But when you laugh at me
for being me, it is insulting my struggle.
my accomplishment, my journey.

When you are born healthy
you get a taste of your capacity.
When you suddenly lose your abilities
you have to develop your capacities all over again
they come out different the second time round
or not quite the same
just a smidge different.
however, it serves the purpose and that’s okay.

I would like to be okay with it someday
for today I am growing and learning
to be tolerant of society’s insensitivity
and acknowledging the fact that
what they find funny might not necessarily be my kind of funny.
that’s okay, I’ll just be utterly honest
speak my mind unfiltered and utterly honest
and unapologetic.

This is my personal struggle – the one I refuse to acknowledge
the one that sits like a child being timed out in the corner.
There are many things I have grown to accept
just not this. Not yet anyway…
Someday…

My personal victorious struggle

Life has never been smooth sailing for me
I have had my fair share of storms and troubles.
Somehow I manage to get by
with sheer determination as my armour.
Just because you are differently abled
life doesn’t discount you on the troubles
set aside for you to brave.
Instead, it just piles on.
What do you do?
You fight, twice as hard.

The way you deal with what comes your way,
the attitude with which you conform yourself
decides your stance, in the battle and its outcome.
With grace and acceptance you learn to move on
from the things you no longer can control.

Determination and being honest with yourself
will lead you through many a storm.
When you feel like you have lost your way
look within yourself to find the light that shines within.
Trust hope to lead you out of darkness.

So, just because you are disabled
doesn’t mean you are special
or more deserving than the rest.
Just because you are differently abled
don’t expect the world to cut you some slack
fight with all your might, fight hard, like you mean it.
Go to battle for yourself and return home triumphant.
There is no other way, believe me.

Make yourself proud and don’t rely on others.
They will never truly get where you are coming from.
Its okay, neither will you for them.
You see… life is strange like that way.
To each his own battle conquered -victorious or defeated.

Use the word Tenderness as this hour’s prompt.

Don’t let the world convince you that you are weak.
Your tenderness is strength and courage.
Your beauty shines through your soul.
In a world that is constantly defining every little thing
May your tenderness be recognised.
As inspiring and joyous
as bold and bright
as raw and pure
as gentle and brave.
May your tenderness keep your heart
-warm and human.

Text Prompt

Write a poem that’s no more than 50 words, but one of those words must be either umbrella, or almond.

Photo by Rhett Wesley on Unsplash

Leading lights – I follow.
I meet her gaze,
with almond shaped eyes,
bright as amber,
dazzling and mysterious.
Beneath the surface
-a forest of secrets.
I could get lost.
Gaze replaces communication
-the language of soul.
A map to my destiny
-long and winding…
Can I communicate in her frequency?

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

Why I write

I find it oddly comforting,
such a sweet release
oh so liberating
to have the courage to pen down my thoughts
my fears and to make sense of it all.

I write cause that is how I process life,
express myself,
it’s in my essence
and if you peeled back the layers
of my toughened exterior
you’d see a beating but bleeding heart
simply pouring itself.
Yearning to understand and to be understood.

I write because it’s the only way I am utterly honest
about the things I desire, things that I am afraid to admit to myself
I end up confessing on paper with a natural ease.

The lies I tell myself,
the encouragement I inspire within myself
my self-determination,
my anxieties and my random bursts of expression
make sense when I sit down to write.
I don’t condemn myself for all the things that make me who I am.
I hate myself a little less,
I can face the person staring back at me in the mirror.

On paper, I can be whoever I want to be,
without the fear of judgement
without any misgivings.
Safe space for expression and manifestation.

write a poem for a city, real or imagined.

Blinding city lights
bokeh lights blinking in the distance.
Lost in the light,
Concrete jungle,
deserted and unhomed.
Nature doesn’t live here any longer.

Skyscrapers with roots beneath
the surface of concrete
Reaching for the stars.
Blinding lights masks
the dark night sky.

Stars compete to shine
blazing through, city lights
burn brighter than the stars.
You can hear your thoughts
talk to you in the wild.

Out here, in the middle of civilisation
its all just noise, decibels.
City is so beautiful to look at.
You can get lost in the blinding lights.

Just remember to never lose yourself
to civilisation, let the wild grow within you.

Text Prompt

Write a poem about a moment of joy.

Joyful

Today I choose to be joyful.
Revel in the little things.
Bask in the sunshine
of my everlasting glow.
My skin warms up.
My nerves lost control.

Recall my purpose- I am.
Forget all the reasons why I don’t think I can.
Today I am just going to be.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Leave the rest to be dealt
with a joyful streak of a smile.

Smile at every single person.
Twirl if I need to…
Sing, break into movement
to celebrate this moment of relevation.
My presence- my glory, my moment.

Joy is here to celebrate me.
Empower me,
Flowing through me.
Flowering my expression.

So while I am here,
I choose joy everyday.
Let the sun shine on me.

Photo by Fuu J on Unsplash

Many faces of Envy

What form do you come in today Envy?
Your grass is greener than mine.
I bet you didn’t have to work hard for that.
everything just falls in your lap.

Envy which mask do you wear today?
I don the pretentious mask this time round.
I act like I care but I really don’t give a fuck bout you.

Envy, what form have you taken today?
Motivation – I will be a force that drives you.
Empowered you can do so much.

Envy what face do you wear today?
Toxic mask featuring social media.
Inspiring frustration, depression and resentment.

Envy what dangerous mask do you wear today?
Wishing I had what you have?
While forgetting to acknowledge
what you have been through to get to where you are.

Envy -natural, spontaneous human emotion.
The capacity to burrow into your soul.
Drive you to the ends of insanity.
Infiltrate your thoughts, words and actions.

Empower yourself not your envious thoughts.