Don't leave me guessing
Like a rat.
I can't decipher
Every carillon.
You should know
Me better than that.
I don't have the patience
For your chatter.
I'd rather spend it
On my wine.
You should know
Me better than that.
Your... – by Joe Strickland | 11 Views added 1 year ago
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We pour our hearts
Onto canvas,
Or into words
That we write,
Hoping someone
Will see the beauty,
And validate
Our endless soaring.
But sometimes
The world is unkind,
And our art
Is left unheard,
Leaving us
Feeling lost
And... – by Joe Strickland | 12 Views added 1 year ago
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The mirror's surface
Is smooth and clear,
But the reflection
It shows
Can often blur.
Like a chameleon,
It changes its color,
Creating an illusion
That feels
Brand... – by Joe Strickland | 10 Views added 1 year ago
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Lines and angles,
Intersecting and twisting
In a world
That's both
Strange and familiar.
A man
Walks on the ceiling,
Another on the wall,
While orbs float
Weightlessly
Around them all.
Staircases
Lead both up
And down.
People... – by Joe Strickland | 7 Views added 1 year ago
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The world was too noisy
And I couldn't find quiet.
My thoughts were jumbled
And I needed to clear my mind.
So, I ventured out
Into the rain,
Letting it wash over me,
Hoping it would help me
Think clearly again.
That's when I heard
... – by Joe Strickland | 13 Views added 1 year ago
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She split him up,
Left him in pieces.
But still he loves her.
He confesses this
To anyone that listens.
She saved his life,
Turned him into
Everything he is.
He owes her everything,
His heart to ignite.
She made him
Who he is,
With... – by Joe Strickland | 13 Views added 1 year ago
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As I saw her fade
Off into the great wide open,
I couldn't help but feel
A sense of profound awe
And reverence.
Because in her,
I beheld the very essence
Of what makes us human,
In all our tumult and strife,
Our unyielding perseverance,
... – by Joe Strickland | 10 Views added 1 year ago
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In a box
For a lone wolf,
I lay my thoughts
To rest,
Gone
Are the days
Of howling,
As I suppress
My feral nature.
In this small,
Confined space,
I try to make sense
Of it all,
Feeling trapped
And isolated,
As I struggle
To... – by Joe Strickland | 5 Views added 1 year ago
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I've seen it all before,
These leaders
We admire,
Reflections
Of our own flaws,
But what's behind
Those closed doors?
Exploitation,
Manipulation,
A power trip
Of domination,
No empathy
Or connection,
Just a cold sense
Of... – by Joe Strickland | 11 Views added 1 year ago
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The rain,
It washes away
My affliction and sadness.
The darkness I hold
Joins with me
Through each moment
Like a heavy cross.
No one knows
The plagues I face.
Ive tried talking about it.
She won't listen.
The raindrops
Mask my tears
... – by Joe Strickland | 18 Views added 1 year ago
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I walked the streets at night,
Through the neon glow and cigarette smoke,
Lost in the cacophony of voices,
The beat of the city pulsing in my veins.
I saw the faces of the forgotten,
The invisible ones, the outcasts,
The lost souls wandering... – by Joe Strickland | 25 Views added 1 year ago
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I sat at the bar,
Nursing my drink
Like it was the last goddamn thing on earth.
The neon signs buzzed above my head,
Like soothing lullabies
From a world
I could never fully understand.
I watched the people around me;
The sad sacks
... – by Joe Strickland | 4 Views added 1 year ago
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She dances to the beat of her own drum,
A spirit untethered and free.
Her hair wild like fire,
Her eyes bright like an eclipse.
They call her Gypsy,
Because she has the soul of the wanderer,
Always seeking adventure
And never content to be... – by Joe Strickland | 6 Views added 1 year ago
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Looking into the mirror,
Penelope couldn't help but feel
Like a ghost.
The reflection
Staring back at her
Was not that of a person
Who was truly present
In this world.
The eyes lacked the brightness,
The face held no expression,
... – by Joe Strickland | 7 Views added 1 year ago
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Greed, you wildfire.
You destroy everything in your path.
An insatiable hunger
To own it all.
A thirst that can never be quenched.
You take and take until nothing is left.
The world suffers at the hands of your avarice.
The forests... – by Joe Strickland | 7 Views added 1 year ago
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For the ones
Who departed
And said
Their goodbyes.
Now
In the silence
I hear
Their last words.
My heart is heavy
With sorrow
And memories
That are too real.
In this solemn place
I bid my... – by Joe Strickland | 8 Views added 1 year ago
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I woke up this morning
With a raging headache
And a feeling like
I'd been hit by a truck.
My mouth was dry as a bone
And there was a sour taste
In there that wouldn't quit.
I peeled back the covers
And swung my feet over
The edge... – by Joe Strickland | 6 Views added 1 year ago
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He saw the best minds
Of his generation
Destroyed
By madness,
Starving hysterical naked,
Screaming out
To a world that wouldn't listen,
Trapped in a cycle
Of pain and despair.
Their souls were like shattered glass,
Scattered
And... – by Joe Strickland | 7 Views added 1 year ago
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Keep on scrapping,
Keep on thrusting,
For the nation's burning urge.
Hoist that flag up high,
Bare your might,
Never eject yourself.
Sacrificed like sheep,
Whispers of mirth
From clandestine dens.
Yet the mighty
Remain untouched
... – by Joe Strickland | 4 Views added 1 year ago
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They are haunted
By the ghost
Of love lost
And the painful memories
Of what could have been.
The love songs
That once held
A promise of hope
Now leave them
With a sense of loss.
Another year has passed,
And little has changed.
... – by Joe Strickland | 6 Views added 1 year ago
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The worship of needs,
And wants,
And desires,
And ignorance,
Greed,
Is what I disdain.
From preachers
And writers
They fall in It's trap,
Unknowingly
Causing people pain,
Leading astray
Those who know the way.
It's a curse
That... – by Joe Strickland | 10 Views added 1 year ago
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Love may draw
The naysayers' frown,
And magic lacks
Belief a bit.
As I dream,
I'm left alone.
Please don't wake me
From this blissful fantasy.
I'm content
With the joy I've... – by Joe Strickland | 6 Views added 1 year ago
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As the night falls,
Unleash your wings
While others slumber deep.
Feel the breeze.
It will soothe
And ease
Your wings'... – by Joe Strickland | 6 Views added 1 year ago
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Let's not worry
About the end destination,
Because it is just a point
In time.
Instead,
Let us focus
On the life we build,
Which is the culmination
Of our experiences,
Our passions,
And our efforts.
We have a beautiful gift,
... – by Joe Strickland | 5 Views added 1 year ago
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The beauty of life
Is that it is constantly evolving,
And we are never
Bound to any particular course.
Whether we choose
To take risks,
Explore new opportunities,
Or change direction completely,
We have the opportunity
To create... – by Joe Strickland | 6 Views added 1 year ago
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Shadows dance and creep.
Haunting dreams with chilling fear.
Nightmares grasp and hold,
Trembling in the darkness deep.
Escape eludes, consciousness folds.... – by Joe Strickland | 4 Views added 1 year ago
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In that instant,
I knew
I wanted to hold on to it
Forever.
The way you looked,
The way you moved,
The way you spoke.
You were alive in your madness,
In love with the night.
I had never seen you like this before,
So passionate
... – by Joe Strickland | 6 Views added 1 year ago
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It was a moment of tranquility,
With the stillness
Of the evening air
And the gentle breeze
Brushing past the trees.
Everything around
Seemed to be in a state
Of perfection,
As if the world
Had paused to appreciate
The beauty of... – by Joe Strickland | 16 Views added 1 year ago
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The way we present ourselves
To the world
Says a lot about who we are
And what we're capable of.
We often put on a façade
To impress others
Or to conform
To societal expectations.
But, when it comes to our children,
There is no... – by Joe Strickland | 13 Views added 1 year ago
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When pain is chronic,
It's hard to keep up resistance,
It chips away at our security,
Until we become something else entirely
A stranger to ourselves.
The cruelty then creeps up,
A way to protect oneself from the constant sting,
But... – by Joe Strickland | 5 Views added 1 year ago
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Silhouettes and symbols
Linger in the mind
Of the dreamer,
Haunting them
With memories
Of what was
And what could have been.
The words spoken
By that special someone,
So long ago,
Remain etched
In their memory,
Like a scar,
A... – by Joe Strickland | 11 Views added 1 year ago
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As I stare
deep into the water,
I am met
With a blurry reflection
Of myself.
It seems
That love has submerged
Beneath the depths,
And I still feel unsure
Of what lurks below.
I rise to the surface
To take in life's renewing air... – by Joe Strickland | 14 Views added 1 year ago
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Through the misty veil
Of early morning,
A glimpse
Of the future
Comes into view.
A world of possibilities
And destiny
Unfolds before my eyes,
Revealing the paths
That lay ahead.
I can see the challenges
That are waiting for... – by Joe Strickland | 9 Views added 1 year ago
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As the nights wore on,
The dread only grew.
The shadows danced
Tauntingly around her,
Their tendrils reaching out
And twining themselves
Around her sanity.
Nightmares and night terrors
Plagued her,
Leaving her gasping for breath
... – by Joe Strickland | 31 Views added 1 year ago
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In the hazy moonlight of the night,
We danced in the darkness.
As I held your hand, I felt a thrill,
Like grasping a memory,
I embraced the moment.
You were enamored
With the night,
With its mysteries and its glimpse.
Your eyes glittered... – by Joe Strickland | 13 Views added 1 year ago
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Let go of worries.
Don't dwell on the end.
The destination's not
What really eclipses.
With every step,
We construct
Our own fate,
The life we fashion.
It's never too... – by Joe Strickland | 12 Views added 1 year ago
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Depression is a son of a bitch.
My ambition
Is hindered by my melancholy.
I sleep too much.
To keep myself alert,
I merely read
and read,
Despite the fact
it robs me of life,
it serves as a splendid... – by Joe Strickland | 9 Views added 1 year ago
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The town stands still,
Its buildings
Empty and decaying,
As if frozen
In a time
Long since passed.
The wind whips
Through the dusty streets
And the boards creak
With the weight
Of their own history.
Almost as if breathing.
But... – by Joe Strickland | 12 Views added 1 year ago
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As the cool breeze
Rustles through the branches
Of the towering pines,
Their foliage waves
Like a gentle hand
Waving at the passing winds.
But it's not only
The rustling of leaves
That can be heard in the forest.
The pines whisper
... – by Joe Strickland | 13 Views added 1 year ago
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If my affection was put to the trial,
Would you hold onto me?
Words alone can't suffice,
To make our union a nirvana.
Can your actions
Speak louder still,
And show me
That your devotion is certain?
Even in the absence
Of those words,
... – by Joe Strickland | 8 Views added 1 year ago
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I dread returning
To that former mill village,
Where Recollections
Of sorrow linger.
Such a heavy weight to bear.
It was on your bike,
Passing by,
That hope and aspirations
Opened.
But the greatest ache,
A deepened murmur,
Was that... – by Joe Strickland | 10 Views added 1 year ago
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In this moment, I am
Attempting all that I can,
Clutching tight to who I am,
Playing the part of defender,
Fighting to remain
Rooted each day
As chaos threatens to mislead.
The nights sag on forever.
Still, I'm reciting this venture,
... – by Joe Strickland | 4 Views added 1 year ago
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Seven years ago,
A little life was brought forth,
My sweet daughter came,
With eyes full of curious light,
Eager to explore the world.
In whispers of breeze
A treasure map now unfolds
Paths leading afar
But she appeared too belated,
A... – by Joe Strickland | 10 Views added 1 year ago
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His love for her surpasses
all the memories of the past.
She is greater than them all.
His fondest
and most cherished memories
pale in comparison
to the love
and affection
that he has for her.
She is the light.
The bright... – by Joe Strickland | 7 Views added 1 year ago
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Finally,
He reached
The point
Where
He had exhausted
Every possibility.
There was no
Event,
No trauma,
That could have caused
His erratic behavior.
He was left
With the realization
That this was simply who he was.
It was... – by Joe Strickland | 6 Views added 1 year ago
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Maybe her future won't be glamorous,
But that's okay.
She'll find joy in the mundane,
In the moments
That make up a life.
And who knows?
Maybe
She'll find
That the future
She never planned for
Is more beautiful
Than anything
... – by Joe Strickland | 11 Views added 1 year ago
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Let your heart open wide,
Embrace the feeling.
Let the love flow,
Let it guide,
Let go.
Feel the passion.
Let your spirit take control.
Dance in the rain,
Go for a promenade,
Become whole.
Get lost
In the moment.
Swim in the... – by Joe Strickland | 9 Views added 1 year ago
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I desire
To witness more through my eyes,
So that I can fix
All that is broken inside.
Time moves quickly,
Slipping away,
And you might miss the part
Of me that will stay.
For a lengthy time,
I have been struggling
To carry this... – by Joe Strickland | 11 Views added 1 year ago
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Tiny fingers wrap
Around my heart and soul
Welcoming my world
A new life born into mine
A daughter for eternity
Pacific blue... – by Joe Strickland | 65 Views added 1 year ago
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Fields, where I so carefully played
Disappear as I make my way
In between, they're lost to sight
And with each step, I bid adieu.
My shoes, now worn and tattered
Tell the tale of paths I've been through
But the fields, they aren't just mine... – by Joe Strickland | 13 Views added 1 year ago
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