No Such Thing as a Clean Slate

The light shines
And guides or blinds

The way is set

A back turned on the past
Passed regret

A marked heart
Bound to forget

Circumstance or chance

We all start the same they say
To justify the greed
When denying the need

Hate to help
A handout perpetuates
The cycle

The path
Is a thin line and
Quicksand doesn’t discriminate
Toss a coin to determine fate
Born too early or born too late
Not exactly born with a clean slate

– Written for Pix To Words Pic And A Word Challenge #86. Word and photo prompt. Word prompt was “hate”. Photo prompt by Patrick Jennings.

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On Golden Shores

Golden glowing of distant shores
Guides the oaring toward something more
Through the silence of the night
Rhythmic waves lap with delight
Carry on for something more
Hope lies ahead on golden shores

– Written for Pix To Words Pic And A Word Challenge #76. Word and photo prompt. Word prompt was “golden”. Photo prompt by Patrick Jennings.

A River Flows

A river flows into the streets

Blood flows from weakened heartbeats

A dry and fragile earth gets the rain it seeks

It comes and does not cease

Asylum seekers seeking peace

Find floods of hateful policies

And resistance pouring into the streets

Tears pouring from fears growing and rights deceased

A river flows into the streets

Its ebb and flow a forced release

It will not be stopped or policed

Until it meets its destiny

– Written for Pix To Words Pic And A Word Challenge #75. Word prompt was “river”. I did not use the provided photo prompt. This Photo is from Wikipedia.

Crisis of the Absurd

Muffled voices in the distance,
Impassioned but incoherent,
Shake me from my sleep
Or so I think.

Rolling fog of night or sleep
Distorts my view.

Damp air pricks my skin
And droplets converge
Soaking beneath my clothes bone deep.

My bare feet lead the way,
Which I do not know.

Uneasiness pulses through my veins
As I round the corner of a familiar street,
Though it does not look the same as I recall.

The sacred cow comes into view
Amidst a pile of rubble where it makes its meal
On filth and despair.

Its sad eyes concede.

I am asleep as I lay at its feet,
Awake but asleep as I forsake it.

Cow from a moving taxi bound for Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport Varanasi Uttar Pradesh, India

– Written for Pix To Words Pic And A Word Challenge #74. Word and Photo prompts. Word was “absurd.” Photo prompt by Patrick Jennings.

Grey Nation (Uncertainty)

I cannot see through the grey, through the fog,
Through the uncertainty, that fills the air, my heart.
I hear only muffled chaos and tremble.
I wrap a battered flag around me
And use it to wipe away the tears.
A few tears fall for me, more for others,
For a bloody history bound to repeat.
I cannot see through the grey, through the hate,
Through the lies from all sides, the indifference,
A dirty lens that distorts the view and trivializes the pain.
Battered like my flag, I am bruised and used as a pawn
To fan the flames and distract from their game, to manipulate
The fate of a nation.

Ocean and Island in the Fog. Porteau Cove Howe Sound. Sea to Sky Highway. British Columbia, Canada, 2016.

– Written for Pix To Words Pic And A Word Challenge #63. Word and Photo prompts. Word was “grey.” Photo prompt by Patrick Jennings.

What I Thought I Saw (Mirage)

I see the beauty from afar
I set my sights on that distant star
I barrel ahead without reserve
I feel the end with every nerve
I have no time for distraction
I maintain my forward action
Some say I obsess
But I just strive for success
The closer I get
The more I regret
As I see the goal
I’ve traded my soul
Just out of reach
I see a breach
Between what I sought
And what I thought
I saw

– Written for Pix To Words Pic And A Word Challenge #50. Word and Photo prompts, word was “perception.” Top photo prompt by Patrick Jennings.

In Plain Sight

Trees sway
The end of day
Light is spent

Night calls
Darkness falls
The curtain closes

Supposing you were alone
The sudden audience you feel
The day somehow concealed
Comes as a surprise

– Written for Pix To Words Pic And A Word Challenge #48. Word and Photo prompts, word was “darkness.” Top photo prompt by Patrick Jennings. Bottom photo original by lovecatz. I edited it with photoshop.