24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Life is everchanging.
With each different path taken,
A new view emerges.
And we converge,
Trying to see,
The new vision that has come to be.
Steady is the hand that passes,
This everchanging form of ashes.
Like looking through a Kaleidoscope,
Your heart begins to fill with hope.
All the intricate shapes and bright colors,
You move around, praying to find others.
Only to reach the last lonely stop,
Where you lost your Kaleidoscope and felt your heart drop.
I haven’t shared this with you yet, but I want to marry
you by [the summer of June 2026].
Fuck the economy and fuck our student loans.
I can’t wait to call you my husband.
I haven’t shared this with you yet, but I imagine my dress
To be an elegant [spaghetti strap nothing],
[Body-con], like we both know I prefer. Inlaid with
[Pearls], and [sequins], and all the [sparkling things].
Maybe I could even have [dainty tea gloves] like
my mom had for her special day.
I haven’t shared this with you yet, but I believe our wedding
should take place somewhere [stupidly ostentatious].
Like a [castle] or like a [villa]. We’re not the type to have
a [destination wedding], but if we were to have one,
let’s host it in [Rome].
I haven’t shared this with you yet, but I think our first
Dance should go to the song [“At Last”] by [Etta James].
And not because my [aunt] did it first, but because I fell
Hopelessly in love with the lyrics and how [Etta] accurately
stole the feelings from my heart and made them tangible.
I haven’t shared this with you yet, but I genuinely think
[My parents] would like you. Even though we grew up
worlds apart, there’s nothing that will stop your
Earnestness from shining through. [They] will see that
and rest easy, knowing [their baby girl] is in good hands.
Like I always knew I was.
I WONDER
I wonder if you will ever wake up
Burying your nightmare deep into the ground
I wonder
If you ever loved me with your every breath
I wonder
If you will ever find
The YOU – you never took time to know
I wonder
Reflections and colors reveal human life
Inside the journey, paints future’s design
Each shift and swirl holds certain equations
Moments merge in an ever-changing display
Emotions and feelings perceived shadows
Zooming in as patterns meet the vibrant
In this lifetime voyage, there we find turns
That modify its hues according to subject
With every spin, we decrypt perspective
With every axis, and adjust the possibilities
Analyzing the equations of life’s kaleidoscope.
Prompt 17
Hour-17
Image Courtesy of Pixabay
In shadows cast by moonlight’s glow,
A battle brews, emotions flow,
With trembling heart, I stand my ground,
In defense of my loyal hound.
My sister, dear, with furrowed brow,
Questions the way I care for now,
She claims my love is far too blind,
To see the truth of what’s behind.
But let me tell you, sister mine,
These canine eyes, they brightly shine,
With love that knows no bounds nor end,
A bond so deep, my dearest friend.
You see, I know he’s spoiled, it’s true,
A pampered pup, in all we do,
But in his eyes, I see the trust,
In me, he knows, he’s found his just.
He sleeps beside me, every night,
In darkness, his eyes still shining bright,
He listens to my whispered fears,
And licks away my salty tears.
In every wag, in every bark,
I find a piece of my own heart,
A love that’s pure, without disguise,
Unwavering, beneath the skies.
So, sister dear, before you judge,
Consider this, the deepest grudge,
For in my dog, I’ve found my grace,
A bond that time cannot erase.
I’ll cherish him, come what may,
Through sunny skies or stormy day,
In this potential fight, I’ll stand,
To protect my furry friend.
For he and I, we share a soul,
A love that makes us both feel whole,
And though you may not understand,
I’ll defend him, hand in hand.
Antoinette LeRoux © 2023
Everything good is bad. Everything lost was had. Everything happy gets sad. And everyone deserves a dad. I got a ways to go. But I’ll never know. Until I fully grow. From the seeds that I chose to sow. I am everything. Everything is nothing. A lovely paradox parade. Come sail away on the float of curiosity. It didn’t kill the cat.
Hour 18
9/3/2023
“The Price Of Admission…”
Friends…
mean more than a moment’s pause
and careless laughter…
more than a thought-full glance
and the choice of left behind.
And yes, when we GO away
life remains
and people change
and move on in ways we never knew.
But…
some
have no one …else…
to share what it meant to be them –
anymore
and they die
…die, in inches
in their dark and empty existence.
A letter …just a simple paragraph
scribed and sent –
and I didn’t think of it.
Didn’t do it.
You see –
I escaped,
found tomorrows,
touched my stars.
Dave …Dave didn’t forget me.
Didn’t move on, couldn’t …move on.
Too late, I found out –
He thought I was ashamed of him,
of knowing him,
and that I just wanted him to go …away…
So he did
…go…
away.
Flowers just don’t work
when ya stand looking down
– at the ground
…remembering.
Ya quickly learn
your price of admission.
Chris
(C) Chris Twyford 9/3/2023
Images shift behind my eyes, in front of my eyes,
between the layers of color in my irises.
In a bad dream, a dual reality – a moving duality reality
that recalls splashes of indistinct color on canvas.
As a kaleidoscope shuffles it rearranges my vision
to dislocate and displace, to displace and dislocate.
My chaotic gaze is a disorganized daze…
addled, bewildered, long periods of blackout.
No memories, only to be told the next day when awake
that you acted out your dreams. Again. I left all in disarray,
a scrambled mess of a trail in my wake. Again.
New people hate me. New people show me compassion.
I take responsibility for whatever horrors I committed
in my sleep. Again. I apologize for whatever, even if
I remember nothing. I know. I have been here before.
I will be here again. My recurring nightmare.
Images shift behind my eyes like a kaleidoscope…
Lord,
I humbly come before you now
to seek your favor
and to plead my case
Please grant to me the ability
to continue writing
I’m weary Lord, and ready to
throw in the towel.
I’m no quitter
but the mind is weak
the hands don’t want to type
and the body just wants to
sleep
And there is a little bit of
writers block making the rounds
as well-
which is annoying because, well
it just is
I know that I have much more to say
tonight as I write Lord
I made the commitment to do
all twenty four hours- I don’t think
that I was thinking very clearly when
I made this decision
Given the chance again Lord-
I’d still make this decision, simply
because I love to write-
Thank you Lord
for hearing my prayer
thank you for listening
from here on out I’ll do what you
say.
Amen
