by Phoenix A. Desertsong, Staff Writer, Healer & Advocate

"Afar" is a short poem from late April 2017.

4-28-2017

"Afar"

To be here with you
A gift I don’t deserve
All these many years
From afar I observed

A hero worship
Can be a curse
Forgot who you are
Living life in reverse

Aren’t we all but mortal
Living under linear constraints

Trying to find a special portal
Where we can dream without restraints

(C) Phoenix A. Desertsong 2017

by Phoenix A. Desertsong, Staff Writer, Healer & Advocate

“Out of Tune” was meant to be the headline tune of an “EP” of mine that I never actually came back to working on. As it is, it’s not a complete song, but it’s fine to publish as poetry. I’ve written so much free verse poetry that I figured I may as well share it. Like some others I’ve finally gotten around to putting out there, "Out of Tune" is made up of drafted lyrics that have not yet been put to song. This one is from 2005.

7-15-2005

Here alone in this room
Feels more like I'm trapped
Buried within an emotional tomb
Completely out of tune
With everything and it's
No doubt coming soon
The realization I'm needing
Something that will
With the rhythm and beat
Bring me back into tune

What happened to the moon
It's pitch black outside
Well, no doubt pretty soon
It'll even be this dark
On the longest day at noon
The light gone from my world
Hopelessly out of tune
All the once exciting
Has left me so bored

by Phoenix A. Desertsong, Staff Writer, Healer & Advocate

Came across an old "EP" of mine that I never got around to actually doing anything with. While I never got around to actually making these lyrics into something, I figure they make decent free verse poetry. Like some others I've been finally posting, "Get Out (While You Still Can)" is adapted from drafted lyrics that have not yet been put to song. This one is from 2005.

7/15/2005

get out of here
while you still can
no reason to make
yet another stand
overcome the fear
that has so long
trapped you
paralyzed in here

things aren't as
hopeless as they
once appear
there is truth
behind the lies
and deceit unclear
but you gotta get
a little further away
before you can make
sense of the difference
between night and day
both seem the same
when you're alone

get out of here
while you still can
no reason to comply
to popular demand
break out and free
yourself from the sty
open your eyes
stare at the sky
find it within yourself
to do what you never
thought you'd try

get out of here
while you still can

by Phoenix A. Desertsong, Staff Writer, Healer & Advocate

3-19-16

Have I just gone mental
Is the strain just too much
Is life just accidental
Is this feigned sanity
Nothing but a crutch

March on to the beat
Deafened by a droning hum
Taboo to break formation
Don't know when to stop
Marching to the ceaseless drum

As prayers go unheard
As wise thoughts are shunned

(c) 2016 Phoenix Desertsong

by Phoenix A. Desertsong, Staff Writer, Healer & Advocate

Captivated by
The physics of her swing
Her gravity
As we collide
The lines and curves
Juxtaposed by
Immutable grace
Form and function

(c) 2016 Phoenix Desertsong

by Phoenix A. Desertsong, Staff Writer, Healer & Advocate

Dug this little poem up today and thought I'd share it with you all. It's called "A  Little Peaceful Rest" and I wrote it way back in my first summer after graduating high school. Let me know what you all think!

“A Little Peaceful Rest”
 
June 17, 2005
 
My head fills up with good thoughts
That I just can’t refuse
Then in comes bad imagery
That I just really can’t use
To force this child’s heart
To grow up’s too much to lose

What’s inside my head
Isn’t always the best
No place for birds to nest
It’s what keeps me from
Some simple peaceful rest

I sympathize, I empathize
In places my heart shouldn’t be
I’m so off course
But I’ve been worse
Far more depressed before
As life continues to be
A frighteningly dreadful bore
I know when I look at someone
There’s a whole lot more
Than you’d like to admit, hun
 
What’s inside my head
Isn’t always the best
No place for birds to nest
It’s what keeps me from
Some simple peaceful rest

If only this brain would
Shut down for a while
Believe me If I could
I’d ignore the bad things
But I’m too smart for that
These horrible rings
I hear souls crying out
The world just ain’t happy
And since my heart is open
The pain of the world
As much as it shouldn’t
Keeps me from some
Peaceful, peaceful rest

(C) Phoenix Desertsong 2005
 

By Crystal S. Kauffman, Contributing Writer
Poem Dedicated to JD

Missing your arms and touch tonight,
Our song floods my ears and entices my mind.
I close my eyes and picture a time when,
We had it all, because we had each other.
 
I never thought I would be feeling so alone without you,
Dancing together in my dreams and kissing your sweet lips.
Your love changed me in ways that you will never know,
Do you remember the way we met and the nights we shared?
 
I never felt so in love with a person before I met you,
Remind me of the way, we lost ourselves in each other.
I need you now to just smile and say something clever,
However, you are a dream now that I meet each night.
 
We were so close to finally having what we want,
Being in love with you took my breath away.
I gave you my heart so many years ago,
I force a smile when my heart is shattering.
 
How do I reach out to a memory that has faded?
Do I ever enter your thoughts and your mind?
The pain shows me that you were mine once,
My heart hasn’t healed and there is nothing I can do.
 
Praying and crying won’t bring you back to me,
It has been so long, since we ignited that everlasting fire.
All the feelings we felt and the nights we spent together.
Came to an abrupt end and that is what truly hurts the most.
 
©2016, Crystal S. Kauffman
(Free Verse)