The Poetry Marathon

Monster inside.
Fighting to be free.
A black dragon,
shiny and sleek.

Don't let him out.
Into the world he flies,
with wings spread.
A shadow blotting out the sun.

It feels good to be out.
Go anywhere, do anything.
Be who I want to be.
Have all the things.

Watch out, the beast is loose.
Pandora's box is broken.
I will never be caged,
ever again.

Memories long lost.
Photographs of a simpler time.
A time when a dollar
would get you a lot more.

People were more active,
spending time outside.
Having conversations
with people's faces.

Cross country travel
taking days not hours.
Hard work the norm,
lazy being the minority.

Families lived much closer,
sometimes sharing a living space.
Businesses were family owned,
with good service a necessity.

Oh, the good old days!
Where have you gone?
Buried as this time capsule,
I suppose.

"Their memories are long. Their hatred even longer." 
     James Rollins - "The 6th Extinction"

Inside my head,
cluttering my past.
Plans to destroy
my future.

Hatred so dark,
memories lasting.
Unable to escape,
unwilling to try.

Learning and adapting
to ensure my demise.
Demons pushing.
Tears flowing.

Blackness overwhelming.
No light showing the path.
Then, somewhere a light at
the end of a tunnel.

I am in here!!!
I am in here!!!
I am in here!!!

I am lost in here.

Stop to smell the roses,
and everything else.

Stretch every morning.
Play hard as often as possible.

Intuitive to feelings of others.
Cuddle all of the day.

One's best friend.
Gives unconditional love.

Always forgiving.
Grudges never held.

Listen for hours.
No judgements given.

Often misunderstood.
Never ending resilience.

Dogs, life's best example.

What once was, has gone.
Only hopelessness remains.

Will it ever be found,
no one knows.

Seems like a lifetime ago
and yet yesterday still.

How sweet it was
and bitter now.

The Love of you,
the Love for you.