Shade

08/03/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



I’m done living in your shadow,

Letting you shine at my expense,

When I should be the one glowing,

Living high on my own success.



I’ve let you take all the credit

For the triumphs in our lives

When I’ve worked more hours

And driven every achievement.



But I can’t take it anymore

Because you don’t see the harm

In letting the world believe

That everything is about you.



You’ve spent all our lives together

Gaslighting me and putting me down

But I’m seeing you for what you are

And it’s my time to throw some shade.

We, Revolutionaries

08/02/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



The taste of freedom is sweet,

Built on the burnt remains

Of plantations worked by slaves

To profit foreign masters

Who raped the land

And the women enslaved

By virtue of their colour,

Deemed less than human,

Never equal,

A commodity to be used

And abused

Until death did take them

By violence or disease.



The taste of freedom is sweet

In comparison to the smell of burning flesh,

The metallic tang of blood

From beatings and whippings

Meant to keep the downtrodden in line

But instead instilling a conviction

That the caged would one day soar

And be masters of their own domain,

Not buying their freedoms

From owners of human flesh

Or inheriting their freedom

From fathers engaged in brutality

While mothers remained bound.



The taste of freedom is sweet,

Cut from the hatred and distrust

Of so many generations

From so many castes

At each other’s throats

For no good reason

Save selfishness and greed,

And a persecution

Based on perceived inferiority –

That some could not rule themselves,

And lacked the ability

To achieve their own freedom

Despite evidence to the contrary.



The taste of freedom is sweet,

And a pleasure to enlightened tongues,

Bridging the divide

Between the haves and the have nots,

But it is hard fought reward

For those who battled

Ambiguous declarations

Made by distant rulers

With no care for its far-flung subjects

Nor their subjugated army of workers

Poised for a different future

Than that faced by their fathers

And feared by their mothers.



The taste of freedom is sweet

Created out of the impending storm

That came to fruition late one night

As the thunder rolled in

And lightning sparked the sky

With violence begetting violence,

The tables turned,

The oppressed rising

To take the means of their oppression

And seek revenge

On their oppressors

To the same extent as that violence

Was waged against them for so long.



The taste of freedom is sweet,

Drawn from the conflict

Between warring nations

Using colonies as pawns

In troubles that don’t involve them

Not for the betterment

Of those who do the fighting

But for the prestige of the elites

In claiming victory

In meaningless squabbles

When those considered less than

Are fighting for their right

To be seen as human beings.



The taste of freedom is sweet,

Without distinction of colour,

And the emancipation of men

Is but the beginning of the story

Because forces pushed and pulled

From all quarters,

Imported leaders vying for control

Of a land not their own

And over a people

Imported to be exploited

For their labour

And for their women

To be misused.



The taste of freedom is sweet,

But cooked among the ashes

Of burning bridges

And smouldering cities,

Scorched earth

And blackened skies,

Coloured by yellow fever,

White supremacy

And black revolt

Against tyranny from afar

Under dictators and demons

Who see colour as a means

Of exerting their control.



The taste of freedom is sweet

But a long time in the making,

Constructed over many years

With blood, sweat and tears

Littering the paths of good intentions

And leaving behind a trail of death

That lives on in the history

Which others fail to learn from

But which established a country

Ruled by its people for its people

Yet brought no end to the turmoil

Faced by the population

In search of that elusive freedom.

A Letter to My Soon-To-Be Ex

22/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Dear John,



By the time you read this

I will have packed all my things

Into some boxes and suitcases,

And will be far, far away.



Normally, I think people should break up

Face to face – in person –

And not take the cowardly way out

Like I appear to have done.



In the instance, I’m all for it

And this is not hypocritical

Because you’ve made it impossible

For me to get out any other way.



When we met, I felt like a princess

Because you showered me with love

And while some people felt it was rushed

It just made me feel special.



You seemed a little insecure

Like a puppy that needs some love

And I wanted to build you up

So you saw the good in you.



But I couldn’t seem to do anything right,

Just small things that got under your skin,

The way I stacked the dishwasher

Or how I folded the laundry.



You were jealous of my ex’s

Even though I don’t see them any more

And if I was still interested in them

I’d have still been with them.



You wanted me to spend all my time with you

While also keeping the house running

To such a tight schedule

That I was exhausted by your demands.



I began to feel edgy and uncomfortable

Every time you came home from work

Wondering whether you’d want my time

Or let me get done with what I had to do.



If I said anything to you about it

You’d take it as a personal attack

Every small problem we had

Was blown out of proportion.



You said my friends were against you

And poisoning my mind

So you’d come up with any excuse

For me to not spend time with them



You couldn’t tell me exactly

What any of the problems actually were,

Just vague accusations,

Your feelings so unclear.



I wondered if it was all in my head,

Maybe I was the crazy one,

Surely you couldn’t be so incredibly sweet

And so completely controlling.



You started drinking when you got home,

You said it was your way to relax,

But it just made me more nervous

Because it disinhibited you.



Your friends couldn’t see it

They just saw a charming guy

Who appeared to love his girlfriend

And was generous to a fault.



But I would walk on eggshells

Absolutely aware of my every action

Making sure that things were perfect

So you’d be in the best possible mood.



You had all the bills put in your name

Giving me a measly allowance

So I couldn’t do anything or go anywhere

Without asking for your approval.



You demanded not only my time

But access to my body

Giving me no ownership of the experience

Of when or where or what.



I was afraid of what you would say

And the things you would do

While feeling like I had nowhere to go

And no one I could trust to help me.



You’d raise your voice at me

If I dared to disagree

Thinking that being louder made you right

Even when you were in the wrong.



You’d call me sweetheart when we were out

And a bitch when we were home,

The other names you called me –

I can’t even bring myself to write.



Sometimes I felt like I deserved it,

Like I must be a pretty bad girlfriend,

And that I needed to learn these lessons

But I wasn’t sure about your methods.



But it dawned on me that your threats

Said more about you than they did me,

And your intimidation was unhealthy

And I had to get out of your grasp.



I’ve tried to leave before

But you couldn’t see how you were,

Blaming me for your actions

And denying any fault on your side.



So now I am emotionally broken –

Numb, helpless and depressed –

But I am away from you

And you can’t drag me back in.



What little money I squirrelled away

I used to pay for a motel room

So I could clear my head of your toxic thoughts

And replace them with something better.



But it was also a place to hide

Where you couldn’t find me

To berate me or humiliate me,

And I could finally breathe.

A Sign of the Times

17/09/2020 - Poem a Day Compilation



I have stopped listening to the media.

        It is far too much.



Week after week

And year after year

I see the good stripped away

And the awful celebrated

As if I’d stepped through a mirror

And no one had told me.



Double standards run rife

And exemptions applied

To protect those who make money

For those higher up the ladder

While those with no power

Are thrown to the wolves.



I can’t abide the commentary.

        It hurts my heart.



Minorities strive to be heard

Over the injustices they face,

Yet the harassment and abuse

Rains down upon them all

As we struggle to remember

That we are all human.



We fight for equalities

That should have already been given

But, still, we bear the burden

Of inequity and injustice

Because some see the balance

As an oppression of themselves.



I don’t read the comments.

        It’s not worth it.



The wilfully ignorant

Proudly spew their bile

While the more considered response

Is swamped by the mob

That shouts louder in its hatred

And won’t listen to reason.



Those who know are derided

By the uneducated and illogical,

And those who have bought into

The conspiracy of the deluded

Who believe their right to speak

Eclipses the knowledge of experts.



I won’t watch the news broadcasts.

        It’s a sign of the times.

The Criminal Mind

10/08/2020 –  Poem a Day Compilation



When I looked in the mirror

I didn’t see a criminal.

I saw only my own features

Staring back at me.



I saw no evil lurking behind those eyes

There was no maliciousness

Or intent towards harm.

They were just my eyes.



As a child I had thrilled at the thought

Of living close to the edge.

Spear fishing and free climbing

Were amongst my favourite things.



I had no time for people my age,

They were immature and,

If I was perfectly honest,

Beneath me and my endeavours.



In sports, I excelled and took great pride

In the defeat of others,

Their disappointment, even their tears,

As I reigned victorious fed me.



Possession meant nothing to me

And even less the possession of others,

What was yours was mine

And save your whiney complaints.



It wasn’t my fault that you failed

At keeping what you obviously valued

But it was clearly better that I had it

When you couldn’t take care of it.



As I grew and was allowed more freedom

From my overly affectionate parents

Who clung to me like limpets

Craving my attention, always.



The rush as the train swept by the station,

My toes and face mere inches away,

Made my heart race like nothing else

And I longed to relive that sensation.



Learning to drive, I had no time for others,

Their need to merge or desire to overtake.

They were at my mercy and I had none.

They were weak and I was not.



When I went to university,

Women threw themselves at me.

I had them all and then some,

They didn’t need to say a word.



They gave me what I wanted

And even when they didn’t

I took that to which I was entitled

They thanked me for that gift.



But I had no time for them

Or their interminable needs,

I had a world to conquer

And they simply slowed me down.



I heard what people said of me,

They couldn’t help themselves.

Of course, they had to make up stories

To make themselves feel better.



They all knew that I was smarter,

That they’d be begging for my time

When I flying high above them –

They’d pay to scrape dirt from my shoe.



The police that first spoke to me

Knew what I was saying was true

But the system was stacked against me

Because it was afraid of my potential.



Those women used their bodies against me,

Claiming they didn’t give their consent.

I simply took what was on offer,

I’m not responsible for their buyer’s remorse.



I watched them each day from the dock,

Wanting to shut their filthy mouths,

And I imagined how I would show them

Who was really in charge.



The jury took less than an hour

And I knew as soon as I saw,

The bitches had gotten their way

By spinning their tale of woe. 

I had jumped the rail before they realised

And had my hand around the foreman’s neck

Whispering all the things I was going to do

That I knew his wife wouldn’t be able to resist.



I was in every headline.

I was the star of the show.

I was the master of my own destiny

And I controlled every word they said.



They were minions before me, every one,

As they lined up to peek in my brain.

Their pathetic need to be near me

And to have their name associated with mine.



I am the top dog of this facility

Where they keep me under lock and key,

Afraid of my brilliance and courage,

They could never be anything like me.



They will eventually see the error of their ways

And I will once more take my place

Ready to grace every history book

That dares to live up to my expectations.



But for now, I bide my time

And imagine how those that have wronged me

Will be made to pay for their betrayal

And suffer the consequences of their actions.



They will regret ever meeting me,

For they will have brought it all on themselves,

By daring to think they are better

After being seduced by my charm.



I was the greatest they ever had,

And I will be one last time,

For they will never have another

After I get my hands on them.

A Pain Never Forgotten

13/05/2020 - Iso Well-Being Compilation

 

In the dark of night, he wishes he could forget

The creep of hands, the glow of eyes.

Even now, so long since that first time,

The memories burn though his aged soul.

He shivers at the very thought

Of setting foot back there again;

His stomach turns, his knees grow weak,

And nails dig into palms of calloused hands.

The smell of old man cologne lingers still

And that stench breath on his neck is hot

Feeling it though he is alone tonight

And he dare not close his eyes at all.

For even sleep brings no relief,

Dreams haunting him in waking terror.

Monsters ooze out of shadowed walls

And he is, again, a child with no escape –

No haven safe nor hiding spot

Where they would not find him just this night.

He draws in the air so foul – decrepit –

Recalling every wrinkle and every hair,

And wishing for the world to stop

So he might end this torment he can’t unsee.

Before waking eyes in mirrors harsh,

Staring back at him as through his eyes

A monster he cannot outrun.

He feels the tears, tastes them still,

Forever staining cheeks now old

Yet falling from eyes that are too young

To have known the evil that others do.