Very nice. It has such a warm glow to it, even though it describes the opposite (initially). Your details are great at creating the atmosphere. Picture perfect scenes.
Good to see you posting here, btw.

Hi Mark! I’ve been having trouble with formatting my poetry to single space. I don’t like double spacing. I was told to hold down the shift key while hitting return, but it still double spaces on me. Any suggestions are welcomed. Thank you most kindly for your visit today and the warmth your compliments bring!

Beautifully penned, Kelly. This is an excellent write my friend with amazing imagery. Appreciate you.

Damian

Thank you, Damian! Your kindness is greatly appreciated!

Chère K.,
I hate winters, specially when, as in most Dutch winters, the sky is grey and it’s raining.
But your poem resonanties with me. Maybe this is what winters should be!
Love it to bits!
Warm regards, Gus

Winter has been a hard season this year for most of the states in the U.S.. Artic cold, snow and ice have made it more like living in Alaska. Spring couldn’t arrive sooner for the smallest of creatures having to bear single digit temperatures at night. Thank you for your visit, Gus. May the warmth of friendship get us through our winter’s bone!

Dear K,

I enjoyed the dichotomy of this piece greatly. The blanket of snow in the pictures felt like the blanket under which you hunkered 🙂
The photos are lovely. And worked so wonderfully with the calm tones in the poem. Terrific write. H🌷

Your detailed eye caught my intent! The photo, of whom I forgot to mention, is by Andrew Wyeth. I thought it complimented my poem beautifully. Thank you for your visit and kindness, Honoria. Good to have your presence here!

This is sad. This tendency for being out of control

Evolves around some tragic altercation

Endless riches won’t fix an empty soul

Insert semantics to avoid conversation

that is so well said Damian

hello dearest Damian so well written your heartbreak I can feel it ❤️

My gratitude to your friend, who inspires you to write this brilliant poem, dear Damian. You found the right words and arranged them very well to express what is going wrong in a society where people cherish material possessions more than the things that really matter in life.

For some reason, the word “sorrow” has always had a poetic nod to me. I don’t know why. It sounds less sad than “sad”, or something. Your poem carries it throughout, too. As if you are aware and ahead of the game of sadness, and are dealing with it. Maturity within the emotion, perhaps. Excellent word build.

This pulses with dark electricity—chaos and isolation crackle between each line.
The images burn and linger, leaving the reader in that tense, uneasy space where beauty and despair collide.

Dear D,

Such a reflective piece. Handful of sorrow. Amazing refrain that stops the noise and helps put the important things in place. Lovely homage to your colleague. Speaks well of you to recognize his gift to you and in return your gift to us. H🌷

The images of isolation, demons, and “empty riches” function as symptoms of a subjectivity that has lost its center and finds its only echo in its own abyss. There is an almost apocalyptic cadence, but it is treated as a diagnosis—not of an end of the world, but of an end of meaning. The final question does not seek an answer: it exposes the bankruptcy of the very idea of ​​the future. Brilliant, my brother.

What a poem Damian. Well said and tragically sad. Great job.

“This tendency for being out of control

Evolves around some tragic altercation

Endless riches won’t fix an empty soul

Insert semantics to avoid conversation”

I favor this stanza the most because it resonates deeply within me. I share with you, your sadness my dear friend. This is beautiful, and sad.. A true sentiment of raw emotion and sorrow. Well done! xx

Excellent write. You know sometimes writes just flow out. Other times when it takes over a day it feels like crafting – like putting a puzzle together that takes time. This one reads beautifully.

I think all poets are familiar with sorrow. Perhaps it acts as an impelling force to get out the feelings inside that don’t want to stay hidden. I would love to hear the music behind this. Nice one, Damian.

Strong piece Damian. As usual penned with great rhythm and flow. Sounds like a friendship that has strong ties.
Well done my friend.

Unfortunately your words here are prefect fit for now adays. People are killed all over the world, horrible massacres here and there, for what? some “humans” feed on greed, on blood and money… I am a believer of the good-evil battle and it seems we are now at the cerst of this battle. I agree about your title, it’s emotionally poetic. Thank You for keep sharing your heart and kind humantic poetical voice🤍 Peace🕊️

“Insert semantics to avoid conversation”

That line was such a gut punch for me. So often people dodge the subject by deliberately engaging in semantics play. They know exactly what’s going on. They’d just rather turn a blind eye. Pretend it isn’t there. And thus we are in this current box of what-the-fuck trying to figure out how to come out of it in one piece. This is so relevant to the world right now. Shall I toss another log on the fire, my friend?

Love this.

🙏

Well done, my friend.

Excellent piece Elke. Always a pleasure to read your poetry.

Brilliantly penned, Elke. Excellent write my friend, it has a lyrical vibe to it. Nicely done. Appreciate you.

Damian

What a wonderful thing to read today. The routines of work life do indeed wear us down. Although I tend to daydream much of the day away. I usually have very busy days at work. But, I try to take little breaks to maintain my decent mood the best I can. Your write here is a great testament to how to deal with that.
Awesome result, Elke.

You capture the grind and the small awakenings with quiet grit—the stone never stops, but neither does the heart.
The contrast between monotony and fleeting beauty lands like a soft punch; it lingers in the chest.

“Keep it rolling, do your duty

Yet be aware of life’s beauty” Priceless!! Well done, Elke! “)