prayers.
In the beginning there was only silence
Just a haunting note
Supposed to be a remedy, a prayer in our time of mourning
But I wasn’t ready to say amen
3 calls straight to voicemail
Until even stuttered hallelujahs are swallowed
In the pressing silence
Suddenly I am as alone
As you must have felt
When you swallowed those pills
Knocked back Xanax like some kind of savior
Taking communion in the holy stillness, of your own mausoleum
I bow my head
As imagine your face as I last saw it
I wonder for the first time
If you were lying
When you last said you were happy
If you lying
When i last asked if you were okay
And you said don’t worry
Because now here I am
Reciting the only prayers I know in a church
Lit by candlelight in the impossible emptiness of Midnight
So I’m reaching out to you
Pull you down from your holy cross
As if my love will be enough
To force the air back into your lungs
As if my faltering faith will be enough
To bring the life back into your eyes
And maybe then you will fall back into place
Beside me at this altar of life
Let me reach inside of your skin
And hold the fractured pieces of you together
They say suicide is a sin
But you don’t believe in God
And if I were to worship anyone it would be you
Lay my unworthy body at your feet and pray for forgiveness
Drink the blood of my sins and cry out
Dear God I need a miracle
Turn this holy water into wine
Resurrect this boy I once loved
For now he is all skin and bones
I digress
Make me clean
Set holy fires in my bones
Save me from what I will become
When you are gone
Please send me a sign,
And tell me,
Did it come to you in a sudden thought?
One moment you were breathing deep and slow
And next you were falling into the pit of your own mind?
Or did it wash over you like forgiveness
The sky of your thoughts fading into night?
And when my knees are bleeding like your wrists
At the altar of your sorrow
I will move on
Put misplaced faith aside and take you into my arms
Make a home for you inside these ribs
Gently guide you away from the grave you dug yourself
Fill the holes with truth 'stead of empty promises
Within these prayers
I beg of you
Beware of black holes
Your body is a temple
Crucifixion will not fill the emptiness in between your ribs
Will not make you holy
You are all that you have
Let the sharpness go
Breathe in and
Say it with me now,
Amen
The Dreamer Forgot...
The dreamer forgot how to dream,
The musician could no longer play,
The silent ones began to scream,
and I sat in shock and dismay.
The painter destroyed his paint,
The sculptor had nothing to display,
The ones who were pure began to taint,
and I sat in shock and dismay.
The world of art began to crumble,
The museums wafted away,
The orator could only mumble,
and I sat in shock as dismay.
Now we are dead,
Filled with dread,
Art has left,
We are bereft.
The world is dark,
A hollow shell,
Abandoned barque,
It sounds like Hell.
Water
surge is
soaring Water Water the
shaking is cheek giggle
the the your of
is tear on a
Water crystallizing child
is waves
Water the roaring Water
puddle strangled the is
a scream 'neath the
in of pulled sloshing splashing a man of
and as it
gulp slurp wave wanders
you and the near
when sip of and the
belly Water whisper far is
your is the Water
eminently Water IS
the rhymable is
definable force Water
chemically behind is
the all Water
unfathomable our lives
Different Drummer
My words churn and twist
insanity and pandemonium
visions of surreal ideas
orgasms of spouted thoughts
siphoned brain waves
My words bleed along edges
masked metaphors
chanting syllables
random and scattered
dancing, dangling nuances
Words encrypted to decipher or not
sublime flawed connections
sexy syllables of passion
stray words across canvas
reaching for lemon drop moon
Innovative, ground breaking concepts
spawning and creeping into light
opening up repressed vibes
scratching open barrier walls
pain sketched on stiff spines
Refusal to cross ‘t’s’ and dot ‘i’s’
provocative pregnant pauses
hoodwinking and finesse
floating Bohemian thoughts
begging for insight
inside writer’s free mind.
L-Word
It's at the tip of my tongue
and I want to say it to you
those four letters that hurt to talk about
biting away at my heart
that lurches to you, dear friend,
who yearns so badly for that
touch I give you--
when you want it:
that l-word that cuts and bites
that trails kisses down my neck
marking me up so nicely-- that l-word
that jerks and thrusts in and out
back arching, lip biting, eye watering l-word
that I don't want
because mine is different from you's.
©SelfTitled, 2017
Prose Challenge of the Week #66
Hello, Prosers,
We hope this challenge announcement finds you well and writing!
It’s week sixty-six of the Prose Challenge of the Week.
For the last week, you have been writing about infidelity, and man, did you deliver. Before we check out who the deserving winner and recipient of $100 is, let’s take a look at this week’s prompt:
CotW #66: Write about the biggest lesson life has taught you. The most eloquent, elegant, entertaining entry, ascertained by Prose, earns $100 and stays atop the Spotlight shelf for 24 consecutive hours. Feel free to invite friends, distant family, even strange acquaintances to play this challenge with you anonymously. Please use #ProseChallenge #itslit for sharing online.
Now, back to the winner of week sixty-five.
We have read all of your entries, and have come to a decision. The winner of the Twisted Tale challenge is @Rumpleskag with their piece, But Is It Really Cheating?
Congratulations! You have just won $100. We’ll be in touch with you shortly.
In the meantime, you have one week to get your write on!
Until next time, Prosers,
Prose.