DU Official NaPoWriMo Challenge

#9/30

Post-bedtime Poeming

There once was a girl named titanium
who had bees buzzing inside her cranium
They made her forget
she had not poemed yet
so her head blew up just like uranium

This poor poet is full of frustration
every day she has less concentration
finding words is a struggle
making time is a juggle
and it ends with bad versification

9 of 30

Temps May Vary

Lights flicker
as air conditioner powers up
constant white noise
of diverse fans whirring
ceiling, plug-in, USB
five-hundred dollar mensual
utility bills start arriving
all to keep hellish heat outside
and maintain the temperature,
Inside our affordable Texas home,
like that of Winter in Alaska’s Nome
so keep a knit cap, gloves, and parka handy
for Summer inside wear
SPF-80 lotion, shades, shorts, and light tee
for out-of-doors apparel
To properly worship
the blazing Sun’s glare

Unique words: 68

09/30

NaPo 2025 Day 9

Alcohol-infused words
berate me.
Calling me worthless again.
Degrading my self-worth.
Ever think maybe
forsaking our love is not
good for the relationship.
Honestly, you are an asshole.
I do not understand why I stay.
Just as I am out the door
kill shots get fired.
Landing in critical places.
Multiple sweet nothings.
Nasty little tactic but efficient.
Okay, I will listen.
Promise me that this is the last time.
Quiet me down with assurance.
Reiterate the words
so I can feel the safety
that I once felt.
Unbind the words from my soul.
Vibe with me again.
Worship me again.
Xtra all the whole way around.
You owe me that much.
Zeal your praises.

[Unique Words 87]

9/30

Parallel

While everyone else slumbers and sleep avoids us
The subconscious connects to the universe
With an energy that flows smoothly
Mystically
As if the synapses firing at high speeds
Are working out equations and conjuring hypotheses
Based on years of trial and error

Maybe it’s a parallel realm
Reaching out
They’ve figured out the kinks
While we’re here finding ourselves back at square one

Perhaps it’s the spirit
Reaching deep into the subconscious
Pulling up a bucket full of resolutions from the well of memory
Showing us the reflection
Of what our counterparts have done
And what maybe we should do

77 Unique Words
101 Total

9/30

The Grave and The Rose

Here, we have a grave and a rose.
One might liken it to their head and their heart
It’s the sudden death, oh too soon to slip into an unmarked, unarmed tomb, that fakes the funeral home and turns pastors away
Well, I don’t preach their word
I won’t resurrect them
The gates of hell and heaven have seen the farthest corners of my mind
It’s like the ocean deep.. How it starts to lose that surface light
But even so, my heart has planted numerous flowers inside of others
Some came at a price
But it’s the wild ones that still grow, you know.. Now, a withering red rose silences my darkening blue lips
I wonder why I cannot speak
This gift of honor covers my name
Perhaps I killed the soul inside prematurely, because
a beating heart wouldn’t want to waste a rose of such beauty, on a promise
no longer moving.

10/30

FALSE EXPECTATIONS

Expected Technology made our lives happy
expected Religion to give us some peace
expected The Big War would sure be the last one
expected Big Pharma would not make us ill
expected The Government sat on our side

We banked on The System to not be so crappy
and waited whole lifetimes for warring to cease
we looked for some leadership like in a past one
relied on some honesty minus the bill
and hoped for some sanity — … — all of it died

We wanted externals to gift us the treasure …
… forgot that the inner’s the only true measure.

#10 of 30

Echoes of Excuses


wake up your mind
its time invisible man
stop hiding behind excuses
battles fatigue may be setting in
indecision has always taken hold
leaving haunting scars that never heal

all these loose screws
need tightened
each rattling sound
inside another distraction
too long among shadows
with a forgotten smile

fingertips trace old
wrinkles of learned experiences
lonely heart keeps
creating empty spaces
for more hurt
to accumulate


unique words 67
total words 67

10/30

Amelioration @ ten

If only I could’ve waved the magic wand
pulled from a Ten year old’s imagination

Believing god or the cosmos placed me
reincarnated for a tort in a previous
existence
In anguish, fear….. pain ----
increasingly mental emotional damage
wishing, O how I wished daily for release
anything to improve my life

Thinking the first born must be
the (an) example
the experimental child
reasons for the physical tortures
so siblings would toe the line

Hence, swallowing a whole bottle
of little white pills seemed
simplest of solutions

it wasn’t

10/30

redeemer

was twilight in my mind
Everything was gossamar
and hazy at the edges
my thoughts fade and my soul with them

glowing then flickering
visions fill my head
and I was full of misgivings
Would this be my end?

worried my heart fail
then I heard a gentle refrain
hold tight to the way
All will be okay
sunshine and starlight be your guide
in the eternal dark void
lighting your steps

my thoughts calm
and inside me I sway
panic giving way to joy

my Father was there
comforting my spirit
tender way my soul given reprieve

mercy of grace
to usher me on into my future
touching other souls along the way

meeting who I should
We'll call it fate
but  I knew the truth
It was divine intervention

working behind the scenes
protecting me from what I could not see
So if you believe not, that's okay
Our Father still looks upon you with love
Redeemer of Faith taking things at face value

10/30


Allergy


Early this evening
I was feeling restless
Because my skin was itchy
I haven't taken Levocetirizine
For the last few nights
It's been two months
Since I had this skin allergy

I wonder if it is caused
By other medicines I'm taking
For my hyperglycemia
But as a child I used to have skin allergy
Especially when I have eaten octopus
My skin would turn red and itchy and would last for a day or two
My brothers also have it
We never take medicines for allergies
Our mother just let us wear black
And it works

Growing up I have overcome my allergy from eating octopus
I don't understand where this
Skin irritation comes from
It's annoying when I have this
I just want to scratch my skin
Over and over again
Now I feel sleepy and the itching has stopped
I guess Levocetirizine has taken effect

10 of 30


unsung beauty of unwanted parts


don't let it be her breaking...
that's what I said
but...maybe...
I had it all wrong
what if it's all part of our making
how we learn...or not...
& what we take from our damage
what we do with it
hiding...or embracing
because I...

I fell...
with all the exuberance of youth
absolutely blind belief in the power of love
...thought it embodied something magical
as I swam in the seas of his eyes
not noticing how shallow they really were
or how their turbulence swallowed me up
offering nothing in return
stealing my oxygen
& drowning my devotion

...crack...

I slipped...
into his eager embrace
letting down my guard
willing a more long-lasting fate than was destined
...more substance than those before
nights of passion passing mouth to mouth
conversations by the fire
reading poetry in searing kisses
stolen on strolls through a moonlit park
...& found only shadows in his place
shaking my foundation down to the bedrock
highlighting the loss...

...crack...

I teetered...
wavering on the brink
torn between running...& settling in
wounds still oozing from previous pain
peering curiously over the horizon
with the wide eyes of an innocent child
into the azure skies of hope
& dropped into an unfamiliar space
giving up voice & choice...
forgetting how to sing & think
in favor of ceding...to his wishes
never seeing the rope shortening
until it choked around my throat
darkening the illusion of trust
burning out the stars in my eyes

...crack...

when they'd siphoned off what they wanted
taking what they deemed the most beautiful pieces
pecked away at lush flesh & gentle spirit
abandoning the offal in gritty dirt
unwanted scraps all that were left
I gathered the tatters of what remained
my honesty...loyalty...love...
& yes...even hope...
reassembling the shards
with lessons of shining gold
my Kintsugi soul
each seam brilliantly blinding
& one enlightening day
saw myself reflected in his loving expression
displaying my fractures as who I really am

...a living work of art

10 of 30

Liminal

Inconspicuous and worn,
Aged,
Not as in an heirloom,
But,
A prime 80’s spin,
Thin faced and,
Paper based.
A no expense spared,
Top flight plastic barrel,
Houses an unraveled spring.
Jammed,
More than clear.
A keeperless catch,
Keeps a keeper which doesn't catch.
Waiting upon a threshold,
Forever tainted and hungry,
So close its lip,
Clicks,
Yet,
Always gets away.
A wafer fine cold pressed,
Aluminium skin,
Somehow stands up,
Just fine,
Swing after swing after swing.
For what it's been,
It worked.
For what it will be,
It needs some work.

10/30

obsession

years after your return,
frozen memories thaw
in the warmth of your presence...
i tried to survive
many winters
on my own...all alone,
while...you were relishing
sweet fragrance of blossoming flowers;
blessings of summer showers,
with your beloved...
don't know why
i couldn't erase you
from my heart
the longing...yearning,
like snowflakes
freezing me in the cold...
even though you left me in lurch
yet...
yet i kept you locked in my soul...
and now...that she's left
leaving you in pain,
you have nowhere else to go
but take refuge in my arms...
i know it will be lunacy
to allow you into my life,
but...
yes, i want to be a fool
...be fooled
one more time...
the sky is vast
i can fly anywhere
skimming different layers;
toiling the soil,
to seek someone who will truly care
but...
i'm insanely obsessed with you;
i would take a risk
for your loving kiss
your touch...your companionship
oh lord...just to be loved
by you
once again

#10/30

Destination Unknown

I am losing patience
 with this giant ball
   of tangled twine,
     trying to find threads of purpose…
Haven’t I done enough?
 I’ve been courageous:
   discarded a few bits that didn’t fit,
     accepted many losses I didn’t choose.
I’ve worked loose some of the knots,
 hoping for clarity,
   only to find others still binding me.
Now my fingers are worn
and my courage
exhausted.

What is the point of me?
What do I even want?

I have nothing to offer
  but openness.

Tug and take the strings you need:
  unravel me
  reveal me
My numb hands are too weary
 to grasp the pattern
   woven in this chaotic soul.