Y'know if ever I was on a TV show
And the guy was gonna introduce me as 'a Poet'
I'd tell him No! **** No!! They'd all switch off... immediately
Or flee to another TV channel...quick!!!
You'd wanna introduce me instead as the person who was definitely 'not a Poet'
Call me a writer or somethin' else
Tell them, this guy he's OK, yea he's alright
Definitely 'not a Poet'.

'Cos I can remember being taught poetry at school as a kid
How it scarred a lot of us
You'd be given a poem to learn off by heart in one single night
And of course you'd never be able to do that
You'd need at least two nights
So you'd be up all night trying to learn the ****** thing
And you'd be thinking to yourself "surely this Poetry it's an Evil thing
Some strange grown up guy's peculiar words
That don't make any sense to me".

And so you'd go off to school the next day dreading it
And then you'd be called upon to recite the thing
You'd stand up and immediately be distracted by everyone's eyes fixed on you
And also by the teacher's withering look
You'd stumble through some of the words, then you'd lose your place, get stuck
You'd flounder about, look lost and panicky... Then you'd lower your eyes...you'd give up.
Then the teacher would humiliate you in front of the whole class.

Yea, Poetry was a ***** word to me as a kid
And to a lot of other kids besides (I bet)
It ought to have been hauled up before a Crimes against humanity Court.

What I relentlessly seek,
to be a soul liberated,
Free from every attachment,
Bound by nothing, tempted by naught,
No unnecessary latchment.

The soul needs nothing, it's true,
To be free is its nature.
But my flaws have held me back,
My vision's a blur, a facture.

What do I really need?
Nothing, if I'm truthful.
Yet greed consumes, my soul depletes,
My life, a wasteful ruth.

Devoid of true knowledge,
I seek what's unclear.
My vision blinded, my eyes closed,
I'm trapped by my fear.

Lies will bite, anger will burn,
Karma's wheel will turn.
I wait for the reckoning,
My soul to learn.

Who will wash away my sins?
My thoughts, my inner foes.
They've led me down a dark path,
Where nothing grows.

My body deteriorates,
My mind fades, my memory erases.
I speak in riddles, no sense to make,
My soul, a maze.

Who will decode the mysteries?
The real truths that liberate?
The answer lies within,
My true self, my fate.

Oh, to be a soul liberated,
Free from every attachment.
To live my life authentically,
With true detachment

How it started
Running around the playground squealing with laughter.
Building stables on the field
Or witchy poo on the fort
Over 2 decades of knowing you. Experiencing life alongside you.
I watched in awe as you raised your family, and held it together all of these years Watching you grow into this unstoppable, firecly strong woman you are today
Ever need me, I'll be there
I'll never be in your pocket, or the other end of the phone every day
You'll always be like family to me, sorry but you ain't getting rid of me

Amazing, this thing, time, it goes on whether you're here, or not, and to come back and see the irrelevance of all, is somehow calming.
Adaptive, time and life, it lives when we die. To observe from a distance, has, in a word, been relieving.
I carried my importance as a trait.
What a weight it is. Its good to know, no matter my place, I have one.
Very calm

Motionless
Stuck where my world crashed all around me
Rotating through the mundane monotony on autopilot
It's time for a new book, not just a new page or chapter.

I wish I was stronger
That my mind would leave me alone
I keep trying
Pushing through all of these walls I've built
I keep trying
To focus on the little things to get me through each day
To focus on the positives in every single day
Why can't I just stop
Stop worrying about how I'm meant to do this because the pain and sadness doesn't stop
I wish I didn't feel so strongly
The emotions I carry weigh me down so intensely
I don't want this to be who I am or how I am
But it's the only way I've ever known how to be
Countless years of trying to brake this cycle just to function
To not feel so alone
To be happy
To be able to feel free of what I escaped from
To stand proud of who I am and that I'm here today

If I fall would you catch me?

I once stood on mountains,
swam the depths of the ocean,
ran miles before going home
hiked bike trails and I climbed
Mammoth mountain.

Like a rose, I grew from a seed
slowly blossoming into a bud,
I took awhile before I stretched
my petals, once I did I was a rose
perfumed well and loved by many.

All I need is a smile and poetry,
people seem to like my unique
style and beaming smile.

Though, my heart was broken
I fell to pieces, I was shattered
by a monster who said I love you
and stabbed me in the back.

Now I am climbing new heights,
I am starting over with my life.

If I fall don't worry I can catch myself.

©️ 2023 By Amanda Shelton