The Lost Love Playlist (a cento)

Stormy Sky by Alicia Dunavan

Woke up to the sound of pouring rain,
a bottle of vodka 
still lodged in my head.
There’s no comfort in the truth, 
full of broken thoughts,
lying naked on the floor.

What a wicked thing to do, 
to make me dream of you…



Lines for this cento borrowed from: I Remember You - Skid Row,  Bed of Roses - Bon Jovi, Careless Whisper - Wham!, Hurt - Johnny Cash, Torn - Natalie Imbruglia,  Wicked Game - Chris Isaak

Written for a prompt over at the Phoenix Rising Poetry Guild (the new incarnation of Poetic Bloomings), asking for poems about the sounds of love.

Flirting with Inspiration

Pen by Anna Langova

A poem is playing 

At the edges of my mind, 

A metered temptress enticing me 

With come-hither rhymes

And innuendos of alliteration 

That never quite spring to life.

The Girl Who Swallowed a Storm

Tree and Storm 2 by George Hodan

There was a girl who swallowed a storm.
Thunder echoed through her head 
and lightning crackled in her veins. 
She built her flood walls high and locked the gates, 
seeking protection from the deluge, 
but in her desperation she trapped the storm inside.
The tempest grew as the girl 
became a woman half-drowned in sorrow, 
too often swept off balance in the surge. 
With the last of her resolve and a frantic gasp, 
the woman took a pen and poked 
a poem-shaped hole in the wall, 
then another and another 
until a new world poured forth, 
a world where the rising waters 
never swamped her again.

Thinking

Pushing by Sabine Sauermaul

She’s thinking about things 

that don’t need thinking, 

the taboo white spaces 

of secrets held deep inside.  

just another silent voice 

screaming in the street, 

unheard and alone.

A Lesson Unlearned

A small sampling of what passes for writing in my notebooks...

I squint and sigh,
Attempting to decipher 
The random squiggles 
Drifting through my notebook, 
Scratchings that resemble 
Cuneiform translations
Of alien hieroglyphics,
Not the neat loops and lines 
Demanded in fourth grade penmanship.

Mrs. Brucker,
You have my humblest apologies…

Singing a Broken Song

Depression by Sabine Sauermaul

Music has been torn apart in my mind. 

My mood is dead, 

sacrificed to absent light and noise. 

I pray for numbness 

yet still seek something more, 

a file to smooth 

the rough edges of my life. 

I race forward 

into the holy tangle of shade, 

forever carrying 

the mistakes of yesterday, 

my memories lingering 

alongside the space 

of silent dread.

Cups of Seduction

Cup of Coffee by Tilen Hrovatic

Instinct guides me to him every morning, 
A bleary-eyed woman half in dream time.  
He greets me with a steamy caress 
And I lose myself in his depths, 
His aroma enticing me 
To indulge one more time, 
Warming my aging bones 
Strengthening my sanity, 
Bringing me back to life 
One sip at a time.  

End of Days

Apocalypse by Josee Holland Eclipse

Tribulation walks the land,
Our broken spirits braced
For the next catastrophe,
The land mine waiting 
To shatter our fragile illusions.
Do not linger in those sorrows,
For what seems to be
The beginning of the end
Is often just
The end of the beginning. 

In the Beginning

Zoom Planet and Moon by Виталий Смолыгин

In the beginning 
God created man in His own image, 
and in our immense gratitude 
we promptly descended into mediocrity, 
content to live like dung balls 
pushed through life by invisible beetles. 

We were made in His image.
We were not destined to be average, 
cowering in fear of judgment 
from our self-proclaimed superiors,
afraid to claim our sacred birthright.
We were meant to transcend the mundane.
We were meant to be extraordinary.

Finding Comfort

Beach Leisure by Anson Centeno

Comfort lives

In quiet moments,

Stolen time

To just breathe

And linger in memories

Of who I once was.

Revenant

Dead Rose by George Hodan

A revenant force 
Walks my halls, 
His energy charging 
My wistful heart 
In a tattered reverie 
Of what might have been.

Cradle my Heart

Red Heart in Hands by George Hodan

Cradle my heart

In your calloused hands

And remember how it felt

When I first gave it to you:

Lighter...

Unscarred...

Whole.

Face in the Window

Art Credit: Lost Moments, 2012
by Nick Gentry

A face in the window 
on memory lane, 
phantom perfumes 
on melancholy winds, 
the discarded negatives 
of long ago days,
randomly drifting
in the light of the holy. 
Life goes on, 
always timely, 
always provocative,
as I crawl 
through the remnants
of my human history.
Many moons circle 
and I continue on, 
to see the healing power 
of my soul singing, 
barely above a whisper,  
wishing to stay there forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Written for a prompt from dVerse Poets Pub asking us to draw inspiration from the art of Nick Gentry. You can find more information on this talented artist here.

Ghost or Dream

Heavenly Ambiance by Pennie Gibson

I heard you call my name today.  
Unsure if it was ghost or dream, 
I did not answer….
Finally ghost and dream 
Were pushed aside, 
Replaced by a fervent prayer 
And a whispered “I miss you too.”

Dying to Be Beautiful

Broken Somehow by Cristina Popa

“Beauty crowds me till I die...”  Emily Dickinson

Glamour and Vogue

paper her bathroom,

airbrushed perfection

preserved on glossy paper.

The running tap

drowns the sound

of her dinner swirling

in the porcelain bowl.

A freak show mirror

hides the promise

sixteen should hold,

only reflecting

acid-rotted teeth

behind pallid lips,

long-dead hollow eyes,

a 76 pound skeleton

wrapped in obese paranoia,

Dying to be beautiful.

On a City Sidewalk (A Christmas Cento)

Giant Christmas Tree Lights by Linnaea Mallette

People hurry 
through the frozen streets 
meeting smile after smile, 
echoing the joyous strains 
of children laughing, 
sleigh bells in the snow.
His favorite time of year 
was always Christmas;
today’s celebration 
is bittersweet,
a hurting human soul
waiting in a silent prayer;
and in the midst of the laughter, 
he cries.

Lines borrowed from the following Christmas songs: Take a Walk Through Bethlehem, Silver Bells, Angels We Have Heard on High, White Christmas, It Won’t Be the Same This Year, Alone on Christmas, My Grown Up Christmas List, Breath of Heaven, Pretty Paper

In Plain Sight

Depression by George Hodan

Lost within the sacred space
That lingers in the silent night, 
The memory she cannot face,
Denial of her tragic plight.
Pain camouflaged in eyes made bright
By tears the world will never see,
A victim hiding in plain sight,
Held captive by her misery.

Story of a Neglected Flower

Dead Rose and the Storm by George Hodan

Over the years 
her petals fell away 
in soft crimson drops 
on weathered hardwood. 
She wilted under his care, 
years of drought 
and angry heat 
leaving her parched, 
craving tender warmth 
and gentle rains. 
She faded, 
branches withering 
until little remained 
except a dormant dream 
rooted in hope 
that one day 
she might bloom again.

Resolution

Happy New Year by Linnaea Mallette

Another year,

Another blank page

Just waiting

To be filled

With new stories, new verses;

This year will be mine.