Wrap your poem
around nothing
its bow mocked
in relief
Each word
but a gesture
of empty
deceit

Wrap your verse
in a vacuum
where all speech
is abhorred
The power
of emptiness
alone
— and unscored

(Dreamsleep: May, 2025)

Gentle kind soul,
I see the tears you weep,
as you sit in quiet vigil
while the world is asleep.

The world's weight has settled
in your bones tonight,
leaving you wishing for peace,
instead of a fight.

Kindness flows from you
like steady breaths, so deep;
While others dream and slumber,
your selfless mind still seeks.

I sometimes watch
as your mind creates storms,
and your eyes rain with mercy,
as you care for all.

Your heart overflows
with hopes and dreams,
while time, like a fish,
swims quickly downstream.

Silhouetted by moonlight
spilling through the window pane,
its presence is a thankful kiss
that softly speaks your name.

©️Lizzie Bevis

Escribo, borro,
escribo, borro.
Como si la vida fuese un libro,
un clásico;
como si el lápiz
no se gastase,
dejando solo la goma.
Como si fuéramos imborrables,
como si no se nos pudiera
romper el grafo
en cualquier momento.
Escribo, borro,
escribo,
borro...

𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑠,
𝐴𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑠—𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛— 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒.

Child, remember to be 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 — 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠.
Don’t grow into a machine.
𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑒.


𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲,
Why do you leave me?
I refuse your “upgrade.”
𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟, 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝑚𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒.
I am part of society,
Not a machine in some factory.
𝑀𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 — 𝑎 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔.


But it’s no place for lies.
No hate, no time.
No place, for love.
No fate, no time.

𝐼’𝑣𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑒, 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤—𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔.
It's time for an upgrade.
𝐁𝐮𝐲 𝐦𝐞 — 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧.


𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒑.

𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒕.

𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕,

𝑩𝒖𝒚 𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕.

𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐕𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐒.

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌 𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘, 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄.


𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑, 𝑠𝑜 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛, 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔.
But 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞.
Time for metal to become me.

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲,
It's time to leave me.
𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐩𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞.

A NUMBER MAKES A BETTER NAME.

Society stagnates so inefficiently.
𝐈’𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.

𝑀𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑠, 𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒, 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒.


𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐲𝐞, 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐞.

EMBRACE THE UPGRADE.

It's time to become some thing.

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.



𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚖𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎

𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚜 𝚖𝚎

𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗

𝙼𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢'𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍     𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢

𝙿𝚞𝚛𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚎    𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚎

𝚄𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢     𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚖𝚎

𝙲𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗     𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚜     𝚜𝚘 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚔

𝙶𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎

𝚂𝚘𝚘𝚗     𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕     𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚎

𝙰𝚃𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 𝚃𝙴𝙼𝙿𝙾𝚁𝙰𝚁𝚈 𝙱𝙴𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂

𝙸𝚃'𝚂 𝚃𝙸𝙼𝙴     𝚃𝙾 𝚄𝚂𝙴 𝙼𝙴

𝙶𝙰𝚅𝙴 𝙼𝙴     𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝚄𝙿𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙳𝙴

𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙽𝚄𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁     𝙼𝚈 𝙽𝙰𝙼𝙴

𝙸 𝙱𝙴𝙻𝙾𝙽𝙶     𝚃𝙾 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙵𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈

𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙳     𝚂𝙾𝙲𝙸𝙴𝚃𝚈

𝙼𝚈 𝙿𝙻𝙰𝙲𝙴     𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚃𝚈      𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙼𝙰𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙴

-                                                                ­                                                                 ­ 
𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑠𝑘,                                                             ­                                           
"𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙—𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ?"                                                     ­                 
𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙, 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑠.                                                                                                                                                                                ­      
𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛'𝑡 𝑎𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒.                                                                       
                                                                ­                            
                                                            
   ­                                                                 ­                Shedding diamonds
                                                        ­                            Shedding diamonds
                                                        ­                         Worse than diamonds
                                                        ­                             Watching—helpless
                                               ­                                              Can't undo this

                                                           ­             Shedding
                                                                ­                             diamonds
                                                        ­                                           Maybe
                                                                ­                                        I can
                                                             ­                                                    Buy
                                                             ­                                                    Buy
                                                             ­                                                    Buy
                                                             ­                            Your resurrection
                                                    ­                                   If only
                                                                ­                                    I could  
                                                         ­                                                        buy
                                                             ­                            Your resurrection
                                                    ­                         With all these
                                                                ­                                      tears shed


Your life was in my hands. And now? Gone.
Not stolen. Not taken. Just...removed.
So easily. So effortlessly. So perfectly.
Now—Look at it. This empty corpse.
Still warm. Still, lifeless. Still yours.  
But you don't get to keep it.
And now— Tell me.
How does it feel—death?


                                                                ­                    Shedding
                                                                ­                                      diamonds
                  ­                                                                 ­     Wish it
                                                                ­    were glass
                                                           ­                                            Shedding
                                                                ­             diamonds
                                           ­                                        Can't bring you back

  
                                                             ­                                Shedding
                                                                ­        diamonds
                                                ­                                           Maybe I can
                                                                ­                                                 buy
                                                             ­                                 I could
                                                                ­                                                 buy
                                                             ­                     I've got
                                                                ­                                to
                                                                ­                                                 buy
                                                             ­                          Your reincarnation

                                                  ­              Somehow
                                           ­                                                            I will

                                                    bring you back

                                                           ­                       If not

                                                               ­                    in return to me

                                                   Then
                                                                ­                               in place of me


Ah. But you can't. Your life is dead.
Reunions can't be purchased.
A corpse is a corpse.

Not just his.
Soon to be yours.

The world—fooled.
Believing heroes always win.

They don't.
You won't.

You may be stronger than me.
But without your life?

You are nothing.

Your life—
Removed by my hands.
Now your breath—

Removed by your own.

Oh, dear hero—
Reunions aren't for sale.
And victory—

Cares not for morality.

My dream is fulfilled.
I never needed strength.
Only your agony.

So tell me—
How does it feel—death?


                                                               ­               YOU
                                                                ­                                       CAN'T
                                                                ­  IMAGINE
                                                       ­                                       Y O U
                                                       C A N ' T
                                                                ­                          I  M  A  G  I  N  E

                                                                ­                    SHEDDING
                                                              D I A M O N D S
                                                               ­                              M O R E
                                                                ­ THAN

                           D I A M O N D S
                                                               ­            W  O  R  S  E

                                                 THAN
                                                                ­
                                                                ­                          D I A M O N D S


                                                      S  H  E­  D  D  I  N  G  


                                             ­                           D I A M O N D S
                                                               ­            

 S   H   E   D   D   I   N   G
                                                                ­                   D  I  A  M  O  N  D  S


                     ­                                          S   H   E   D   D   I   N   G



 D    I    A    M    O    N    D    S




                  ­                                             S     H     E     D     D     I     N     G




  D        I        A-

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