OPEN MIC ENCORE II
August 5, 2004

 

MAD MAN'S RIDDLE
NADINE DUDLEY
 
Crimson light, Burning bright. Amongst the souls if the dead
Poison spitting, Woman hitting. Beast, cursing the ground he tread
Restless fears, Bitter tears. Sadness of an orphan
Smiles fake, Homemade cake. Sweet taste of morphine
Hatred burning, Never learning. The purpose of a friend
Guns full, Trigger to pull. Commencing the beginning of the end
Four-wheeler, Shadow stealer. Confusion all around
Murders tool, Whispering fool. Noise with out a sound
Unceasing rocking, Constant mocking. Of a man they once called king
Boulders turning, Revenge yearning. Hatred is a terrible thing
Knock-knock, There is sin at the door
Open up, There are bodies on the floor
Unblinking eyes Do nothing but stare
All they see is blood, Death is in the air.
No little violin, Just a pauper’s fiddle
Now you must suffer the curse
Of the Mad Man’s riddle

-0-

I NOTHING
Michael Edgar Rogers

It is no surprise
I am nothing
Without someone's tender Eyes
Gazing at my Beauty
I thought it was There
Again.. . it is of no Surprise
For I have been wrong Before
And I shall be Again
No one would ever consider me
More than..

I NOTHING!!

-0-

ON THIS, THE FIRST DAY
 
of battle,
we shall see ourselves
in the mirror of our fate, not as brothers
 
born to the blood
and flesh of that fate, but as enemies
 
armed like poachers,
traipsing the flat terrain
through waist-high brush and wilderness
 
where there are no voices other than
   the fearless calls
of that habitat; no compromise
where it is more dense; no destination
   given,
 
but to wade
through a swamp of defenders
on each side of the black-water creek.
 
And it is there we meet.
And there we shall slay our enemy
until our brother's blood
cries out to God.

Joanne Monte

-0-

DARKNESS REVEALED
by Daniel Wood
 
I have a sudden urge to kill
That is it, so fails my will
Why, why does this happen to me
Constant blackouts, impervious treachery
 
Like the dawning sun
Why do I have to be the one
As the moon begins to rise
I am the one that they despise
 
I feel so dark and vile
Why am I in such denial
As the impulse to kill
Overcomes my will
 
The rage grows inside of me
Like the hurricanes of the sea
Destruction is something I cannot reason
Soon I will be tried with treason
 
I stare at my bloody hands
Death stained across the lands
I look up into the midnight sky
The stars gleaming, I begin to cry
 
Men, women and children dead
My vision stained blood red
I begin to scream out loud
So shocks the evening crowd
 
Without control, without restraint
Darkness calls me, so dies the saint
Horrific nightmares of what I've done
These tormenting images are all I've won
 
In the mirror, the demon calls
It's monotone stare pierces the walls
Looking back at me, this atrocious thing
A sad, remorseful song, I begin to sing
 
I close my eyes and my sword I sheath
My singing stops, I do not breathe
I ask for forgiveness in the dark
Then I die, left with the hater's mark...

-0-

El Espejo
Edwin Flores
 
Staring eyes from a mirror, reflection of me
I stand before features on face now I see
a man once a boy,   sentiment I still hold
a child at one time, now gray somewhat old
 
The lines of experience run like the highways
I drove once across,  in life living my way
where broken the nights like glass they shattered
leaving what was important back then did not matter
 
White lines were the fever I skied to no end
Absolut was the choice, my vodka and friend
conversations no sense, sharing words just to find
someone just like us, living life and Snow Blind
 
Aluminum foil,  bottles where we hid
white crystal like powder, spoonfuls taking hits
the rush was elating to somber the soul
escape for the moment of troubles untold
 
Ski I did some, more than I cared  to
the days of life wasted and me I once knew
Where skull with white diamonds for eyes once my spoon
Shared heartbreak and a mirror, I'd come to know soon
 
El Espejo, a place where you too will see
What once was the person, that you used to be

-0-

Feeling Judgment
Robin J. Brown
I AM white light and YOU'RE to blame
You're my candle and I'm your flame
I can sense your pain, I know your path
I can show you love, I can free your wrath
 
I know your fear and where it's born
I can see the mask which you adorn
I can feel your judgments as if they're mine
I can view your life which you've resigned
 
I know of conflict and selfishness, too
And watch your reactions and what you do
I study your mind, with eyes so clear
And know emotions before they appear
 
I know your moves and watch your eyes
I know your lows, I know your highs
You possess the doubt of what I say
Yet in your heart is where I'll stay
 
I know your present, I know your past
I can see your future, few questions asked...
yes, I am God and the Mystic, too
And believe me now... for I am YOU!   

-0-

SCARS
stevie

25 on my arms
42 on my legs
for all of them, some of them are for my mother
dose she know how bad she hurts me? Did she have to say all those horrible things? she doesn't care today. If you don't want me then why have me stay?
26 on my arms
43 on my legs
Did they think it was right to pick that fight? Did they even stop to think it was wrong to sing that figgen
27 on my arms
44 on my legs
Did they not know that I was cutting my skin? Did they not see me swallowing those pills? Did they not know I sneaking those drinks?
28 on my arms
45 on my legs
one spirit burrowed into the ground
one heart broken in two
28 scars to never let me forget
luckily the pills don't stay

-0-

 
Hate is a reaction
By Itumeleng Motuba
If I was mother africa I would cry too
the only difference is that she cries blood
I’m after all her child as I resemble her beautiful mahogany skin
I don’t act
to me, hate is a reaction
I was not born with it
But it was taught to me by the experiences of being one of her offspring
I live in the modern age where we preach equality
Engulfed by anger, I see them begging on street corners
pretended to feel no remorse
I could not help but to pity
Course to me, hate is a reaction
Seeing my own kind in the same circumstance, I failed to sympathize
For I was born in it, black being the colour of poor
Remember, I am no stranger to struggle
Seeing them red with envy, sunburned and holding walking sticks, nearly got me on my knees calling him bass again
For in my sick mentality it is wrong to see them seek some comfort from what they consider inferior
passed as if I was not affected but the pain was inflicted
Course to me, hate is a reaction
Voetsek!  Where were you when your government took care of its own, is what I felt like saying, but only ended up with mixed emotions
Rage, sorry, hurt, revenge, sorry, noxious, disgust,
sorry just had to be there
Sickened by the sardonic, mocking look on their faces when they ask for my last two rands has got me wanting to throttle them by their throats and telling them to f*ck off
But my tongue is tied as I am not like them
Thank God to me, hate is a reaction
They think their smarter but they should have known as they themselves said that what goes around comes around
and it should be a thousand folds more
But we have our mother’s heart, a heart of gold and to her we raise our glasses as we sleep with a clear mind to say they started it
So I’ll go on to claim my inheritance with no bitterness
I feel it is time for me to extend a hand to help my brother up for we blend and in a single voice scream out loud
To us, hate is a reaction
So it is their fault after all
To you who plants no seeds of resentment but reaps them
Raise your hand in dignity
for it is all fair that you climb up the ladder
Stop feeling guilty for owning possessions that you used to only see while visiting your domestic guardian
But it is time for you to cling to you last pride
Rise and shine, For what went up, came down eventually
Teach your children that as long as your last name is black
To you, hate is just a reaction.

-0-

Hate Is Short
BY: Jimmy Halpenny
 
Love Me Now
Hate Me Then
Take The Vow
You Can Never Win
Love Is Long
Hate Is Short
Sing A Song
Make It Short
Don't Be Mean
Or Full Of Hate
Plant A Bean
And Make A Clean Slate
Sing A Song
Make It Short
Love Is Long
Hate Is Short

-0-

blue bombs and flowers 
jon lockwood

i want to smile as i rip open the
earth,
as i break it in half and
call it a panther.
and i want you there with me
watching
as i spit and laugh, revile and twirl
with impetuous epigrams...
and it will fall like
a flower, it will fall like the
blue bomb of
death and i will
sing the perfect songs of the
quietist...
 
so what do you say you mad girl?
you who has brown hair,
you who has red toes of
love.
you do have brown hair don't you?
ah, yes i do you crazy boy!
so will you come with me? and
sing blow wail: humanity: you have all
of our hands...?

-0-

ENEMY
Will Gasek 
I face the fear that burns inside.
In my dreams a child I do confide.
A jaded demon shuffles my feet,laughing hysterically never to face defeat.
You waited to long don't you see,
All that is left is blackhearted me.
You think I am weak I say with a grin,
You are a fool let this battle......BEGIN.
I slip a jab and my right eye splits,
Two steps back was all I could get.
With two powerful hooks,
My insides screamed and shook.
I don't understand.How can this be?
Every time I hit you....I'm hitting me.
Face this fact-you are destined to lose,
With me beside you to help you choose.
A light flutters the room gets brighter,
HA HA and I thought you were a fighter.
My time is expired I must stay together,
My soul will be his for now and forever.
So....I picked up a rock this brings a shriek,
Don't.....Don't was all it could speak.
I let her fly and my aim was true..................
A mirror shatters???..I thought there was two.
I rise to my feet bloodied and slow,
Only now I have the ENLIGHTENED glow.
So when things get blurry and I choose not to see,
I'll always remember my worst ENEMY is..........................ME

-0-

Spirit
preetha
On the road...
Small towns, big smiles.
Nomads,
Looking through the lens
Video truths.
Virus.
Talk tea and revelation.
 
Highways..
Neon lights
Burning forever
Sex in the open fields
Fifty rupees for
Some fun..
Fifty rupees..
A meal for
Four.
 
No one knows
She said
Flowers in her hair
Cheap silk saree.
She holds your hand
Takes you home
A single cot
No sheets
A box of condoms
In a steel box under
the bed.
 
Sisters
Bound by sin
Comfort
Each other.
Cruel cruel world.
Smile
You're on camera.

-0-

Finding Strength
Jayne
I walk down the road, staring up at the sky
Wondering why this cloud covers my eyes
As I think of you, and all that you've done
It makes me cry, how I wanted to die
 
I love you I mean it, It was a mistake
At least that's what you would always say
but it's not the truth and we both know
you don't hurt those you love by beating them to the floor
So i'm not crying because I walked away
I'm crying for all the times I decided to stay
 
As I see you there, a pitiful mess
begging me to stay, you promise never again
But i've heard it before, a million times
As I coward in the corner, as I waited to die
 
I told myself no more, never again
So I crept in the room, packed up my things
As you lie on the floor in a drunken state
All the love we first had turning to hate
I tried to help you, said we would see it through
But you got so angry, said I shouldn't interfere
Launched me across the room with one solid kick
And from that day I lived in fear
 
Now i've done it, walked away
Found the strength you said I didn't have
To start a brand new day
No more crying, No more thoughts of you
Just the rest of my life to look forward to

-0-

home
Pat 
is it all
in my
mind
a
twisted
slanted
environment
i have
created
a
warm
cozy
dark
shadowed
habitat
to
sustain us
and our
deviant
appetites

-0-

THE SIGN OF THE HOLY CROSS
     DR JOHN CELES
 
The Holy Cross has been the sign,
Encouraging me long;
The wonder of its sanctity
Can make a divine song.
 
When Jesus Christ died on the Cross
Redeeming mankind all;
My sufferings in life are naught,
So are my wounds of fall.
 
The Holy Cross beckons me on,
“Come, follow me all life.”
For that’s the way we reach Heaven
Forgetting all our strife!

-0-
DEATH IN FLIGHT
                          BY F. DANA JOHNS
  
die i must,
 nevermind how unjust.
from thee i have fled,
 now that i am dead.
delivering my soul unto the sky,
 with wings i simply fly.
for my eyes have lost their light,
 as the morn takes it's gentle flight.

-0-

Dark Words
Timothy Sheldon
Darkness is all that fills my life,
Darkness is in all my thoughts,
From one day to the next,
On the end of a knife,
Suffering their taunts,
 
My life as I know it, is over,
Never taking a minute to ponder,
Things that made me lose.
No chance of finding a four leaf clover,
No time to stop and wonder.
 
I leave you with these words,
Before I depart this world,
Take life to its limits,
Not like me and hate it.
-0-
SHADOW IN THE DARK
by Elvis N. Mcgowan Sr.
 
what am I but a shadow in he dark,
the cause of a broken heart,
a breeze blowing in the wind,
a vessel of sin.
where's the power I suppose to possess!
the love to caress,
am I born in the image?
or am I finished?
must I take this pain everyday?
show me how and I'll push it away,
maybe then I won't hurt as much,
have you ever been without a loving touch?
don't leave me now lets talk some more,
I was feeling down you sooth my sore,
I've seen time fly,
watch a man die!
have you ever heard your mother cry?
or listened to the rain as it fell from the sky?
the cause of a broken heart,
a shadow in the dark.

-0-

I have a heart, so why do you hurt me so bad, i am very sad, i have sadness running through my vains, i am in alot of pain it is contained in me, so it will be in me till i die, i can't go back to make my life right, for it me just me and you will have to see, i will never be fine, i cry every day because of all my pain, that i may gain in one day, it's so hard to live the life i live, my life is like a black hole, no one can save me just let me die, my apin will  be over when i die, i hope it is someday soon, i want my life to en, to much hating,i really wanna stop crying but its just to hard to stop, all i have to do is die and i'll be fine.

Carolyn 

-0-

lock the door when you leave,
a reminder, i am, still alive
entangled in the unknown gravity
of her kiss and touch,
every inch of her dangling
slightly above my head
like the aurora borealis,
a mobile i twirl with my index finger
orchestrating a requiem
of crystalline chimes arched across
the room in a single breath
 
the banshee wail of the alarm,
a faint scent of perfume
and the faucet running
in the distance keep the last strands
of sanity from unraveling in the void
 
she reminds me i am alive,
lock the door when you leave.

David John Paul Turmel 

-0-

Fields Of My Mind
Bill Albright
 
Cultivated in he fields of my mind
Crops of thoughts, the dead, memory
A present and future soon to be,
The past harvested as I exist
One of a kind.
 
The dead family, knowns, hoped to knows
Walk silently among the crops
Continuing to grow with what,
They have said, echoes without revision,
Laughs and tears which freely flow.
 
Songs of sorrow, regret, berries and buds,
Stems and stalks cut, picked, bailed, crushed,
Bottled and packed, blended into
The humanity of
ME.

-0-

Silently I sit, with this still emotion running through my veins. What shall I do but just sit here and cry? Yes, that sounds about right., I'll just sit here, hands to my face, and cry. But wait...this still emotion...this silent emotion...in the end it still lingers here...in the end my heart still hurts with a horrid pain that won't go away. So what am I to do besides sit here and cry?
 
I just want to run to a dark corner of this room and cry...
What am I to do?
 
How long am I to sit here and cry? How long am I to hurt like this?
 
I get up out of my seat and stand in front of the mirror only to find that I do not enjoy the person I see stairing back at me. This can't be my reflection. This person...
         ...this person is in too much pain.
This can't be me, this person is too sad. This person's eyes alone hold too much pain, I can not look this person in the eye.
 
No - this can't be me.
 
I close my eyes and turn to walk away, but something inside of me erges me to turn back. I stopped and turned back toward the mirror with Fear pulling my hand in the other direction. I am forced to look this person in the eyes now. I couldn't help it, I started to cry all over again.
 
Fear wrapped it's big arms around me, and held me close
I walked back to my room, hands to my face, and sat down in that dark corner.

Alice

-0-

Ah, my friend, the Alchemist
I see you have awakened again
Breathed deeply of the scents of sanctuary
Crossed the threshold to mix the soul within
 
To once again inhale poetry and motion
To stir in the senses of speech and spirit
To transmute the essence into final being
To quench the yearning that is inherent
 
You see, my friend, the Alchemist
I can taste the blend again
Feel it roll slowly down the tongue of my presence
Tug gently at the gathering of dreams within
 
To yet again, drink, of movement and notion
To mould the elements of fate's own hands
To embrace the foundation so long lost
To partake of the potion the ages have spanned
 
You see, my friend, the Alchemist
I feel the elixir within
Flowing softly against the layers of my being
I am enraptured by the addiction again

Alicia

-0-

Sadness
James

Like the roaring waves which engulf the hapless person, smothers without remorse until the person is shaking, scared and most importantly, Sad.

-0-

Wishes of a 10-yr girl
 
I wish the sky were blue,
as blue as my grandpa as a boy saw.
the sunlight as bright,
the air as  thin and light,
as could be breathed through right.
by my grandpa when he was only eight.
 
I wish the fields were as green,
as my grandpa as a boy had seen,
the fruits so colorful and tasty,
as my grandpa as a boy had eaten.
 
I wish the river and lake water,
be clear like glasses as they were,
up above the mountains,
so full of fresh air,
as my grandpa as a boy could inspire.
 
I wish the forests were full of birds’ cheer,
velvety grass and morning dew layer,
and the water spring at the rear,
as my grandpa could feel when he was there.
 
I feel so nice; I have a PC of my own,
my dad has the latest car to roll,
every weekend we go out of town,
my mom has all the new gadgets,
my little brother surfs Internets,
I have dozens of Barbie doll,
but I have no time to play,
with my brother, at the ground,
nearby where my mom had her,
childhood’s best of time with her friend,
on the swing and the merry-go-round.
 
The huge shopping mall stands there,
symbol of Pride of today’s architecture,
the land beside carries silent memories,
of children’s play and cheer.
Air is so heavy full of chemical odor,
The river water is no more clear.
but slowly drags down the waste,
of the factory at a site very near,
that mountain is now a query site,
the stones sent for making high rise,
forests half cleaned, paving way for
offices, restaurants for a class very elite.
 
I wish I had time enough to play,
 not only to slog at the school, the whole day!
My mother had some time to tell me a tale,
Of the evil demon and the kind angel,
and I sleep on her lap if only I may!
 
                                            --RAY

-0-
The Rebels
Parag Agarwal
This is where we stand,
out of the no man's land,
working our way out,
leaping without a doubt,
faster higher never to retire,
This is what we think,
unorthodox and out of the box,
making waves around the calm,
and defining neo paradigms,
This is the very turn,
where we shape our future,
No longer giving in,
to the norms of being like others,
Freedom binds us all,
we shall never fall,
and walk in darkness,
reaching out new horizons.

-0-
Do ya think I have a third level qualification in IT??? It's off the air now
format collage flourish like never (with some reluctance) first nuisance
before girls that love being the centre first nuisance
magenta valent diamagnetism mindful bract acts capitoline chart antic ph.d
thwart
so bring your video cameras!
Models! first nuisance
my god, yes: less
RE: Wut kinda car do y'all have or drive back room try's???
02 civic and it f*in sux wish i didnt bap my 95 lexo Honduras, Guatemala, Belize
and El
Salvador Fully Equipped Dungeon!
18 and over Party!!
neighboring houses nice old
birch trees
*might* get
*might* get
*might* get
so it’s time to let oppositional. It is binary first nuisance
love letters and after-thoughts as the epitome of
this,
that or other and hell followed with him.
race religion ethnicity gender sexuality it's up to you (= summary) résumé m but
the implications must be far-reaching (RAM memory) first nuisance

Cyrill Duneau 

-0-

NUMB
Kristen Zadick
It all adds up to nothing in the end since nothing compares to him
I feel like i'm cheating on him
the only one who can take the pain away makes me hurt the most
even though he doesn't know it...yet
I keep my feelings bottled up inside
Someday, Somehow
I'll let it all out I'll give in to all the pain he's caused...All the tears I've cried
Break down Crash and burn
With my hopes shattered and broken
Lying naked on the floor for the world to see
Their eyes like daggers stabbing at my heart again and again
I feel numb
I'm used to the pain
They're always judging

-0-

Judged
Monica Laeupple

At, at least one point in your life,
you are judged,nomatter who you are
you will always have at least one scar,
Just because someone doesn't understand, who you are, They may ridicule you ,and leave you to cry,this is a cruel world we live in,some people may even say it's a sin,and we can never win,
whatever happened to ingod we trust?,somewhere along the line we lost it,and we put in, in god we judge,
I think that is very wrong,I know it took me very long to recover, from being judged,and i hope to god that no one else has to go,
 through that pain,don't you see there is nothing to gain,by judging people,it just causes pain,
but we should stay strong,
 for it is and shall always be very wrong,
to treat people like that,
they are humans and words can and do hurt

-0-

SEE THE REAL ME:
Kim Radcliff
If you really knew the woman in me
Then you must have seen the woman I'm always pretending to be
This woman you see let pain show her the fighter she would need to be
A fighter strong enough for this world--it protects a piece of me still able to feel what's real
Don't give up on me; when it's time the world will see a woman I am ready to finally be
Here's my promise- it'll be me with out my trusty walls, no plan to back me up and all life lines will be left behind
I am going to proudly show you the light within me I know no one has ever seen
The heart I hold within cradles my soul; and together they radiate a beauty that created from one tiny piece of faith I safely held so tight it is the only part that has never felt the cold.

-0-

What Will It Be?
M. Ridderhoff
Suddenly a change has come,
It’s never been like this before.
If only it could be undone,
The violence left outside the door.
 
But no, it’s never been that easy.
The tide of sides must flow to one.
Consequences never ending,
Rest upon what must be done.
 
Whatever path of choice is chosen,
The destiny of two combined,
Remain upon the path forever,
In life, or in the life denied.
 
The future carries with it the answer.
But then, the time will be too late.
The choice comes down right to this moment.
Choose life or choose your own good fate.

-0-

Never seek for an answer my love,
To a love I cannot answer for,
It is not this love you wish my dove,
It is not a blessing from above,
I have no answer that is all,
 
How can I compare of this,
On moments spent and time of rare,
Or talk of times to measure bliss,
Or count the ways two lips can kiss,
When in my heart I do not care,
 
And should you ask could never say,
For blessed never asked why,
Up beyond your startling prey,
And where beneath the daring way,
You cannot measure by the eye,
 
As fear may bring no answer yet,
Your question too much a task,
Is just a face; I won't forget,
A dampened tear I've not cried yet,
Explain this love, I'd dare not ask.
 
Take glory in the moment dear,
Not wasting on a minute more,
I cannot find the answer here,
Not a clue to bring me near,
I have no answer, That is all.

linda robson

-0-

i feel like i'm drowning
and i try to catch my breath
it's as if i hit rock bottom
but never close to death
 
i need someone's shoulder
cuz right now, i'm in too deep
i cant take it anymore
i just want to weep
 
screams of silence in my head
everything going wrong
nothing i do feels right
it's like i don't belong
 
i try to hide my problems
i'm just living a lie
you cant tell, i hide it so well
sometimes i want to die
 
then i remember all the good times
and all i do is laugh
i guess life isn't so bad
because God is on my behalf

elizabeth brown

-0-

OPEN MIC ENCORE I

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Page Copyright © AHApoetry.com 2004.

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