A GUEST POEM BY Byron Hamel They force you into theseLittle rowsIndustrial linoleumWorn down to bedrockWhere you waitUntil they are as urgent as you areAbout the death and mayhemPlease wait calmlyWhile the world caves inAnd you stay at the bottomIf you liveThey caught me cryingThis time about Hiroshima and NagasakiI’d been in the middle of…
A crystal looking glass fed with ghosts Reflecting an image that hurts to see Faraway glances piercing the light Leaving waves of dark that bite at me Gasoline torches and crosses of wood Brought to exorcise the eyelet lace Yellowing and faded as figures stood Mouths with multiple tongues speak Demanding a life half lived,…
I wanted to exit, bad at mending Can’t shake, don’t purposely over bake The thoughts they keep sending Estranged and over lines set center Worrying about what’s ahead But hey, shrug, I’m just a renter Pull up baseboards, hammer floors There’s gotta be something under here A city of dead behind half hanging doors Rooms…
I had to tear my heart from my throat As I walked by the mystery of you You’ll never know this but I felt you Absorbed part of your pain walking by And I still carry it with me each day A reminder of how hard life can be You lying in the cold dark…
Sometimes I can feel it The fading or the leaving The small ways of ending It’s slight and unassuming Just a strange passing And it feels like indifference But it’s tricky that way Because it’s the opposite It’s the fear snaking around It’s the worry and anxiety Whispering so very softly Before the noise buries…
I can’t remember it The hopeless struggle The foul spirited dark Nobody left to see My sight in jeopardy I can hear the speaking Underneath the silence In between the tugs I can feel the pulls Like thread through skin Bloodless brutality I am holding breath I am purging Transparent bodies Curled up inside me…
Depression is like A taped up box Easy to open Packed full of Past experience Past mistakes Come sift through Remember this? You should be ashamed Depression is like A spooky Cabinet With no lock Fragile China feelings Ugly handmade dolls Mascara black eyes You should be embarrassed Depression is like An old jewelry box…
I see her The many hers Living life around me Growing up hard Bodies holding bruises Smiles forged by heartache Eyes that glisten like fire glass There’s always such a burning Slow and steady Working at their insides Making them stronger? Making them angrier? Will they become supervillains? Will they become heroes? People talk about…
I was in 7th grade Weighed 110 lbs I was eating lunch Minding my own When a boy called me A fat cow and mooed Enter another boy Out of nowhere I didn’t know Had never seen Who stood up for me Curly blonde hair Tall and adorable He sat next to me Said I…
Growing absence. “It’s so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.” ~John Steinbeck Whether you have lost someone to death, divorce, or just an irreconcilable argument this sentiment holds true if there was ever an ounce of love or light in the relationship. To be…
HASTYWORDS 