In the cluttered corners of my mind,

Where shadows dance, and thoughts unwind,

A symphony of whispers, dark and deep,

Intrusive thoughts, their secrets keep.

Unwelcome guests, they linger near,

The tempest of anxiety, sparking fear.

Like ghosts, they haunt, with mangled glee,

Intruding on my only sanctuary.

A canvas painted with the hues of doubt,

Intrusive thoughts, they twist and shout.

A storm within, a relentless tide,

They whisper, taunt, and try to hide.

I wrestle with these shadows cast,

In the theater of my mind, they're vast.

Unwelcome guests, they dance and play,

Distorting truths in the light of day.

But I'll rise above this tempest's roar,

Find the strength to close the door.

For in the heart of the darkest night,

I'll reclaim my thoughts, bring back the light.

Intrusive whispers, I'll defy,

With resilience and a steadfast eye.

A poem penned to set me free,

From the chains of intrusive thoughts, let me be.

Like glue we're stuck together, he always at my side.

At least his body is, I can't speak for his mind

That's often somewhere else, eyes staring at a screen

And as the years roll by, I start to feel unseen

He sulks when I go out, to spend time with my friends

But never wants to join, I'm really at wits end

The ache of loneliness is growing so profound

And yet I'm not alone, he's always there - around

Sometimes there is a flash, of interest in me

And I catch a rare glimpse of what we used to be

Then there's a ping or some other cursed tone

And again I'm pushed aside, in favour of his phone

In a room I sit,

Given a phone with power to connect,

But instead of talking,

I'd rather push myself to neglect.

A pen, a blank page to fill,

I want to make a statement so bold,

Yet the fear of it being too much,

Leaves the statement untold

A piece of clay, untouched on the sheet,

A chance to let myself out and mesmerise

But instead of sculpting,

I look around for critical eyes

Topics I care about,

A chance to share my voice,

But my quest to find all the judgmental eyes

Leave me silent without a choice.

In my personal hell,

The fear of failure holds me back,

And I'm left with nothing to tell,

Except for the courage that I lack.

In this space of my own design,

I'm both the prisoner and the guard,

Held captive by my own mind,

Forever trapped and forever barred.

Got to get them out or I be dead

Lost in the hell

My mind has spelled

Fire spewing

Darkness brewing

Tendrils dragging down

To a place Non confound

Got to get out

Fight this bout

Reset too good

Wish I could

Take my mind away

To a place I want to stay

Where no demons prance

And only angels dance

Reset rewind

Erase the thoughts in my mind

Month of between times

Neither winter nor spring

Whose short days

Taunt of warmth they do not bring

Cherry trees that do peak in

Through frost tinged window panes

Silently waiting spring times release

Freedom to burst forth blossom and vein

Yet the ice cold heart of winter

Mutes sunlight within gray shadows of blue

And time changes pace for no man

Winter releases to spring when it is due

Can you write of the ocean if scared you may drown?

Of flights through the sky when you're stuck on the ground?

Of folks and of places you've never been around?

I don't know about you but I do.

Can you write of the past if you're presently now?

Of future though time travel has no way how?

Of school days despite that you've taken your bow?

I don't know about you but I do.

Can you write about villains if you're goody two shoes?

Of happiest endings when you have the blues?

Of triumphs and troubles you've never gone through?

I don't know about you but I do.

Can you write about creatures that no one has known?

Of far-away countries from the warmth of your home?

Of fun times with friends when you've always been alone?

I don't know about you but I do.

Can you write about space if you've never left earth?

Of measures of treasures with your penny's worth?

Of mothers when you have never given birth?

I don't know about you but I do.

Can you write of finding that one Mr. Right?

Of that special someone making you his wife?

Of magical days and romantical nights?

I don't know about you but I do.

And then, I dream... A girl can only dream...

And hope and pray with might,

That someday maybe my words will be true-

But, in the meantime, I write.

I've taken my shelter in the books since I was young and dreamed of adventure. 

Wrote down my thoughts in the alpine abditory, so I could seal them in a far-off land. 

Yet, here's the thing about my story: you'll never see it all.

Yes, you may read the story, the writing in blood-red ink on the wall.

Or feel the quiet beat of my heart within a page. 

Maybe feel the war within, upon the thunderous rage. 

And once the story is over, you'll quietly think to yourself.

'interesting' without a glance and return me to the shelf. 

But I'll tell you when you meet me, if only for a minute or two,

You'll begin to see something different, only given unto you.

For the people, they say, she's an enigma, complicated as a tapestry spun,

but darling, no, I'm just a lot of simple people, all rolled into one.

Where was this within your story? They asked, reasoning that I was an open book.

Just becuase you read my story, I reply, does not mean you got the whole look.

They'll ask, where was this before? I hadn't seen the hidden signs.

I shake my head. Here's the thing, my story is in between the lines.

#poetry #writing #thoughts #lines #paradox #challenge#prose #secret #deepest #books #stories

My mother wields guilt

My father wields chagrin

My brother wields a devil’s smile

Results are mixed for him

My sister wields sympathy

My grandma wields regret

My grandpa wields a restless ire

Which hasn’t failed him yet

My neighbor wields cookies,

My friend wields fan and wit,

My boss wields good old fashioned work

Built with elbow grease and spit

My spouse wields honesty

With a blunt force trauma blow

Me? I wield resilience

From loving all the ones I know