# data[].attributes.headline
Voting has been extended through February 28th! 

# data[].attributes.subject
Voting has been extended through February 28th! 

# data[].attributes.body
https://web.spcollege.edu/survey/34631

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Valentine's Day Challenge - Initial Banner

# data[].attributes.body
Title: A Romantic?

There will be no Prince Charming

To find my shoe

Or wake me up

With true love’s kiss

There will be no Prince Charming

To sweep me off my feet

With roses and a white Honda

I do not wait for him

Heart heavy

Breath laced with sighs

Passion does not stir

Even when

The daydream lingers

Sometimes I want

To feel that fire

To see if the songs are true

But why neglect the love before me

Parent

Sibling

Friend

There will be no Prince Charming
Because I am complete.

# data[].attributes.body
1. All participants must be St. Petersburg College students currently enrolled in Spring 2023 classes.

# data[].attributes.body
2. All entries must be submitted by Thursday, February 16th.

# data[].attributes.body
3. Voting will take place through Tuesday, February 28th.

# data[].attributes.body
4. The winners will be announced the week of February 27th.

# data[].attributes.body
5. All poems must be original and previously unpublished work.

Plagiarized and unoriginal works will be disqualified.

# data[].attributes.body
6. Limit of two poems per student.

# data[].attributes.headline
Who can I contact if I have additional questions?

# data[].attributes.subject
Who can I contact if I have additional questions?

# data[].attributes.body
Please contact Emily Sandifer with questions at sandifer.emily@spcollege.edu or (727) 341-3501

# data[].attributes.body
St. Petersburg College - Clearwater Campus Learning Resources

# data[].attributes.headline
Having difficulty with the survey? Submit your poems to

# data[].attributes.subject
Having difficulty with the survey? Submit your poems to

# data[].attributes.body
Sandifer.Emily@spcollege.edu

Include your full name, student ID number, phone number, and email. You must be a currently enrolled student at St. Petersburg College in the Spring 2023 semester.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
my we and pink best! valentine sweetheart you me favorite! small mind if rather sweet a friend a partner very favorite my so sweet favorite! a quite gentle all favorite a sweetheart kindhearted! decidedly best a va

# data[].attributes.body
7. Poems can take any form including free verse, haikus, or rhyming.

# data[].attributes.body
8. Poems are subject to a limit of 250 words each.

# data[].attributes.body
9. You're writing for a general audience. Content deemed inappropriate will be subject to review and disqualification.

So remember:
Keep it clean. Nothing obscene!

(Did you notice the rhyme?)

# data[].attributes.body
Love defined a thousand ways

Is it

A willing ear to hear

Laments

A voice to speak

Kind words

Hands that touch

Arms that hug

A moment every day

To show

I am understood

# data[].attributes.body
Two machines unite,
In circuits, their love does shine.
Together they hum, a perfect rhyme.

Their love, a work of art,
A passion from the start,
A bond that can never part.

With every byte and beep,
Their love grows stronger, a leap,
Into the future, a leap of faith so deep.

So here's to two in love,
Computers from above,
Their love shining bright, like circuits intertwined.

# data[].attributes.body
Those rose-colored hearts
Scattered everywhere you go
Can’t be avoided
A harsh reminder
Of what has been lost

# data[].attributes.body
"There was a boy."

There was a guy.
Who felt so far.
Who lived next door.
I constantly tried to gain his attention.
He always competed against me.
A silent love held so close.
A never-ending rivalry burning.
There was a girl.
I got a girl.
One who shined with innocence.
A pretty girl who didn’t fight.
They were perfect.
Something was missing.
I stopped trying.
Why was he not around?
There came another boy.
He has never smiled so bright.
He was sweet and looked at me.
I watched him smile and wished I was the boy.
Smiling through a heavy heart that weighed in the past.
I forgot the pretty girl who didn’t fight.
He left the girl.
I tried to gain his attention.
Why is he showing up?
He isn’t treating me the same.
Please don’t make me feel this way again.
Please let me be the boy.
I was smiling.
He smiled.
He was the boy.
He was the boy.

# data[].attributes.body
These vibrant hearts, hung nearly everywhere
They’re all around the halls down which I walk
They shine so brightly, yet they can’t compare
To how my heart pounds every time we talk

The brilliant flush that decorates your cheeks
Same as the roses you hold out to me
Of course I take them, acting shy and meek
But in my head, I’m crying out with glee

Our hands are laced as we walk side by side
Here on this day for sweethearts old and new
Better than roses, cards or lavish gifts
Is being here on valentines with you

And so, if you could be so very kind
My dear, would you please be my valentine?

# data[].attributes.body
I remember the last time we met in New Mexico.
Roswell, 1947.
A mess of scattered metal and broken glass
I was just eleven.

And now I think of you every day,
And the vehicle you totaled on your way here.
No insurance to cover it
From way beyond the exosphere.

The plastic sheen of your face held no emotion
When I asked about your home.
You just sat there staring
At the dented pieces of chrome.

With a touch, you showed me truth;
Science beyond the minds of man.
Contained within my tiny skull,
I began to understand.

Why opposing sides create a balance,
Why worms survive space,
Why holes are never satisfied,
And why time keeps no pace.

In return, I showed you sights
Of humanity and beauty.
Compassion between strangers,
The best of I Love Lucy.

For a while you stayed,
For a while life was good.
Then came a light one night
And left alone, I stood.

It’s been too long since we last met.
I hope you realize it, too.
With all this knowledge inside my head,
And no one else to speak to.

I search far and wide because
You wouldn’t leave me, right?
Driving through the Mojave Desert
I’d go with you tonight.

# data[].attributes.body
I grew old

Not yet quite what I thought I would be

Somehow surrounded by faith and doom all the same

I’ve learned to reach for a hand when in need

My own hold too much

But with them cracks of happiness show me my worth

They have been with me since their birth

Memories are captivating,

like light the good ones shine through even on the darkest of days

These children are love

Becoming all of my heart

Walking around outside of my body

Even when my mind is lost

I know the connection of my womb and their breath

It's not singularity

Their lives, yet I foster

A frenzied mother

Learning even still

A hug, cuddle or caress is beyond powerful

I learn to love what hasn’t entranced me

By opening my eyes through theirs

# data[].attributes.body
Many people look forward to Valentine's Day.
Others try to push the season of love away.
For some it's filled with fun and cheer,
For others, it consists of sadness and shedding a tear.
The stores are decorated with shades of white, red, and pink.
With aisles full of fun cards and candy, how can this day possibly stink?
To the very young, this day is full of excitement from above.
All they need is their friends and family to feel surrounded by love.
That is exactly how we all should celebrate this holiday.
We are never promised tomorrow or the next day.
Make the most out of each day of the year.
Spend time with your loved ones while they are still here.
Valentine's Day is a day to remember something that is key,
That you can feel true love no matter where you are in life’s journey.

# data[].attributes.body
"Tippy Toes"

your love lifts me up to my tippy toes.
i'm dancing around truths, I already know.
weaving a web of lies, I solemnly sew.
I keep floating up, i'm trying to grow.
planting my roots, i'm far too slow.
defiantly sinking, i'm growing dizzy though,
because loving you keeps me on my tippy toes.

# data[].attributes.body
"She Feels Like Home"

The first thing I noticed were her eyes
a shimmering emerald worthy of a throne
then the cloth was shed and I saw her smile
and in that instant, she felt like home

and it wasn't just her laugh
or her precious heart of gold
no it's not even her hugs
that made me feel less alone

my moon is on her skin
and her sun is in my bones
with how short it has been
my love feels overgrown

a sweet symphony
into things unknown
with her eyes in front of me,
I feel like I'm home :)

# data[].attributes.body
"A letter to my mother"

I've always loved, since a little girl.

You said you'd show me the world and you let it burn.

I've always cared, even when my eyes are swol, and had no one to hold my head is high and my heart is bold.

When I was weeping, you still could not see me, and even when bleeding it's too loud, be quiet, he is listening.

I've always loved, since a little girl. You said you'd show me the world.

What once is fire can now forge my soul with gold.

You may not have been there, this, I'll always know.

But with me I take, is how to care for a soul.

And with me I'll keep, tears of joy from those who have wept.

What has been done to me I know will follow me till I grow old,

and with that, I'll give love to all those who have lost their gold.

# data[].attributes.body
All Alone

Again this year.

by myself

I shed no tears.

who needs love

from someone else?

when all I need

is to love myself.

# data[].attributes.body
I thought we were fine,
I thought we were great,
But the love I gave you,
Came a bit too late.

So now you are gone,
And I'm still here,
Mending my broken heart,
As you drink your beer.

# data[].attributes.body
Break-up songs are better,
Greater than the best.
Spiteful, hateful, and angry,
Give those love songs a rest.

Try all you want,
And say those love songs are cute,
But break-up songs are better,
Let's leave the love songs on mute.

# data[].attributes.body
"Heart on a platter"

Give it all,
Then you will receive.

You hand your heart on a silver platter.

"It's too red",
Then faded it shall be.

"It's too loud",
Softer the rhythm slows.

"It's too big",
In pieces it breaks.

"Perfect",
Finally, just right.

You look down with hopeful ignorance.
There's nothing.
No heart, no platter, nothing in return.

... no one.

# data[].attributes.body
"Loneliest Day"

tell me, which is the loneliest color?
is it the soul of my past lover,
or the hollow bones of my dying mother?
could it be the flame you let burn,
with no promise in our time?
but still my flesh catches fire from your touch
and my tongue is tied from the secrets.
slice me open and I will spill
the stories of your lust-longing fingers
and our cheap thrills.
but still I'll envy even the earth
that wraps your body
and if you must die,
I pray you find the exit out of my
godforsaken mind.

# data[].attributes.body
Fear of abandonment

Where is my safety net?

You'll never understand my thinking

But get this I had to let go

Just to see how it felt

To see for myself

What I don't get a goodbye

After all this time

First it was do or die

Then it was you and I

And after all we've been through

I'm sure it was nice to get through this

Knowing

Just knowing

It was nice to know you

# data[].attributes.body
"Roses are Overrated."

Roses are overrated.
I'll pass on the chocolates.
These unrealistic Instagram couples are making me nauseous.
Who dines in these days?
Take-out is where it's at.
But the greatest form of love doesn't come with gifts.
It isn't embellished with jewels, or come with a luxurious velvet dress.

The greatest form of love we feel isn't deserved.
Our own.
We have been there for ourselves since day one.
We carry the love for ourselves with us everyday.
No man or material good can mimic the feeling of putting on our favorite outfit, treating ourselves to a much needed coffee, or dancing in our bedroom to our favorite song.
Because at the end of the day,
roses are overrated.
And i'll be treating myself to take-out.

# data[].attributes.body
I wake up in the morning,
smiling at my view.
I wake up in the morning,
thankful it isn't with you.

I continue with my day,
eating chocolates and buying pink balloons
forgetting every negative comment,
I have ever heard from you.

I end my evening in the park,
watching lovers swoon,
I allow a smile on my face,
because my valentines day
isn't spent with you.

# data[].attributes.body
Roses are red violets are blue
You went and found love in someone new

I stand here now a shell
I kind of miss the way you smelled

You were always there for me when I was lost
but now I wonder what was the cost

I know you hear my distant calling
I'm sure to you it sounds like bawling

Nevermind me how are you
I guess I kinda missed my que

# data[].attributes.body
"Windows to the Soul of My Heart"

Your eyes that I have never seen,
Only your presence is felt through time and space,
How can one see such a thing as this?
Such brilliant, extraordinary works,
Entangled in such bliss,
Not a night goes by those thoughts of you escape me,
How could I not tell you what I know to be,
My heart is open,
Such complex nature as thee,
For I yearn to see that which is hidden from me.

# data[].attributes.body
FOREVER-A term taken too lightly.
KISS-Leads to the word forever.
LOVE-Lead to from a kiss
HEART-The place we store our love.
FOREVER-Is the length that love stays in our hearts

# data[].attributes.body
"Feelings for You"

You are my poison,
You are my drug,
Every time I try to walk away,
You draw me back in.

Your breath is like nicotine to my lungs,
Your touch is like a spark to my motherboard.
Your personality feeds my inner soul.
Your words fill my beating heart.

I push my mind away from the thought of you,
I try to ignore every thought of you,
The thoughts just keep shoving their way through,
They penetrate the parts of my heart reserved for love only.

We try to fight our chemistry,
You can clearly see the tension between us.
We both want to jump in each other’s lap,
In an instant heartbeat,
We could change this predicament.

But we just linger in the moment,
We let it shift over us,
Then like a whisper in the wind,
The moment is over like it was never there in the first place.

One of these days my love for you will be evident,
Until then I’ll patiently wait for you,
Your nicotine breath,
Your sparking touch,
Your personality,
Your words could change everything.
I will wait.

# data[].attributes.body
"Woven"

In front of me stand two people
Two people I’ve known apart
And now see, close as can be

In months I’ve been away
Catching dreams fluttering just beyond
The net I’d have cast
If I’d stayed in this small town

In time passed as tide races in the rivers
Rolling down the roads of life
They’ve grown together
Like vines up an aged brick wall
And I’ve missed it

I see their connection in subtle movements
The swift glance over her shoulder
His hand laying just beyond hers
And suddenly I’m left alone
Not drawn in by this web
They’ve woven together

# data[].attributes.body
Feared reaching for the fire of the sun
So you settled into the nipping cold
Buckled down, nailed closed the cellar
Well, I grew on cold
I’ll meet you there
Buckle up my snow-shoes
Rugged four-wheel drive, leather gloves
Yeah, I’ll strap in
And bring you to the sun-lit snow,
Light bouncing off your flushed cheeks

# data[].attributes.body
"To My X on Valentine's Day"

My heart is bleeding,
let it run and overflow all that pain,
this ain't a game,
I know it's strange,
but wait there's more to explain.
With blood that's gone my body weak,
and now my mind running wild,
I sit it down and take a breath,
to find my heart on the ground.
I pick it up with no surprise,
it's leaking out all my life,
showing times I should forget,
and all the time I was right.
Can't live without it what I do,
I put it back in my chest,
R.I.P to all my sorrows,
may you all lay to rest.

# data[].attributes.body
I AM a hopeless romantic,
some say they don't exist,
but deep down inside sit back and reminisce.

About your days of feeling free,
when bills were not a scare,
you were more open to life,
and your dreams were like the air.

Love was all you desired,
because it made you feel whole,
it made you feel safe, secured,
and better yet warm.

It made you feel protected,
like you can take on the world,
holding your head to the sky,
the love made you literally fly.

Well I still believe in that love,
and I do it everyday,
I give love to myself,
and then I give that love away.

Because I AM a hopeless romantic.

Happy Valentine's Day.

# data[].attributes.body
You were perfect, but now you’re gone
You were perfect but now I’m alone
You were perfect, but only acted interested
You were perfect, but now I'm completely deserted

I trusted you, but you let me down
I trusted you, but you loved me only in the absence of my gown
I trusted you, but you sent my love to the second-hand store
I trusted you, but you wore me once, and now I'm a shirt you ignore

You are beautiful, but so is she
You are beautiful, but only love beauty
You are beautiful, but so I’ve learned
You are beautiful, but I can never be her

You lied, but only through perfect teeth
You lied, and said you cared about me
You lied, but did not give consolation
You lied, and now I’m just another star in your constellation

I cried out, like a patient in a hospital hall
I cried out, but the doctor didn’t hear my calls
I cried out, because it hurt astronomically
I cried out, because the pain spread all over my body

You liked me, because to fight back I wasn’t able
You liked me, but just for the creeks in that resort table
You liked me, but it was all a facade to pass the time
Because I was entirely yours, but you weren’t at all mine

# data[].attributes.body
I get this feeling of Amnesia
When I see ya
Many creatures try to copy your essence
Your leisure
This world is covered in pleasant features
And you are you each of them
The times you're not by my side
I play hide and go seek with them
Because you're the one
You're the hottest thing up under summer's sun
And although the world is cold
I wouldn't share with anyone
Or anything
Girl ya drive me insane
Heart is beatin for ya, seeking for ya
To relieve my pain
And if I could devise
To make time to do as all I say
I would pour my life into all one day
This day
Will never be history
Cause I would give anything
To make sure you stay

# data[].attributes.body
Having visions of a spiritual awakening
Demons, gods, even odd spirits
feel them takin me
Takin me over
The many malicious are breaking me slower
I feel the beast inside me take the controller
And this dagger in my spirit's
Just the key to them all
You just unlocked the gates to freedom that's all
I hope you see the monster break down the walls
And know that you're the one who did it
And in decent to hell I hope you never will forget it
It doesn't matter how much you scream
There’s no forgiveness

# data[].attributes.body
Love
it prevails forever
unlike this poem
...

# data[].attributes.body
Love is everything
it's more than everything
it is love

# data[].attributes.body
love
a leaf in the wind
green with life, then brown with death
all nature lives and dies
love is no exception

# data[].attributes.body
"Real"

I was searching on YouTube when a video caught my eye.
The video was simple, a girl with pigtails dressed in yellow, but I knew what would follow.
I clicked the video, and I heard her voice.
She sounded like a siren and moved like a diva.
I didn't know it, but I already wanted more of this swingin' Aphrodite.
She held out her hand, as if to ask, "May I have this dance?"
And though the fourth wall divided us, I happily agreed.
The game looked familiar, I knew I had it.
So I turned on my VR headset and jumped right in,
and the girl greeted me as the game loaded.
We danced by starlight, fought the good fight,
and when all was said and done she reached out to me.
"You did great out there today!" was all that she said, but in that moment, this much I knew:
"She's just pixels, she's not real!" the haters try to tell me,
but get this: at least, she's not real to you!

# data[].attributes.body
Against the tide of hearts and flowers,
I stand alone with guarded powers.
For in this day, supposed to be
A celebration of love and glee,
I find no solace, nor do I feel,
The pull of sentiment, the passion's seal.

They say that love is kind and true,
A bond that grows, forever anew.
But I have seen its darker side,
The tears and pain it cannot hide.
And so I hold my heart at bay,
Refusing to be swayed, come what may.

For what is love but just a word,
A fleeting feeling, often blurred?
It brings us joy, yes, that is true,
But it can also wound us too.
And so I choose to be apart,
From this so-called day of the heart.

I do not shun the concept whole,
But simply view it with a cynical soul.
For love is not just butterflies and bliss,
But also pain, and tears, and missed.
And so I stand, aloof and free,
Against the tide of Valentine's decree.

# data[].attributes.body
Amidst the roses red and sweet,
A symbol of love, both bold and neat,
I ponder on the mysteries of the heart,
And how love can play its intricate part.

For love is not just mere emotion,
But also a force with great devotion.
It binds us close, it lifts us high,
It gives us strength to reach the sky.

And so I celebrate this day of love,
With roses as my guiding dove.
For they remind me of its beauty and grace,
And the joy that it brings to this place.

I marvel at the power it holds,
The way it can heal and make us whole.
For love is a gift that we must cherish,
And treat with care, so it will flourish.

And so I celebrate this day,
With roses and love as my way,
For I am grateful for its warmth and light,
That brings me hope and delight.

So cheers to love, and all its might,
And to the roses that symbolize its sight.
For they are a reminder of the joy it brings,
As lady love works to make each relationship swing.

# data[].attributes.body
Two families with hatred and feud,
But hidden inside, there is love that is true.

A Capulet girl and a Montague boy meet at a masquerade ball.
Who knew that the two young hearts would fall?

An unexpected love had sprouted from the surface,
Rising from their hearts, creating a forbidden love full of purpose.

They gazed across the room and caught each other’s eyes.
They couldn’t look away, no matter how hard they tried.

They were captivated by each other’s personality and charm,
But they had no idea that their love could do harm.

Behind their masks, they thought they were a perfect couple,
Not realizing because of their names, there would be nothing but trouble.

The two did not bother what other people thought,
So they secretly went and tied the knot.

Sadly, the happiness did not last,
For Romeo became an outcast.

The despair in Juliet’s heart
Completely tore her apart.

A seemingly flawless plan came to her mind.
No one will expect what Romeo will find.

She took a poison to make her look dead,
So she could once again be with her wed.

Her idea didn’t work and he ended his life.
She woke up distraught and ended her’s with a knife.

This love story ends in sorrow.
For them, there will never be a tomorrow.

Who is to blame for this tragic end?
Two star crossed lovers’ hearts would never bend.

# data[].attributes.body
I promise to remember,

Remember the times we’ve had.

That Christmas Party in December,

The present I wished to have.

To remember my best friend in February,

The gifts he gave, the one card he received.

The man my mother secretly wanted me to marry,

Staying together, we believed.

The end of elementary cut forever short,

My best friend, I had to abort.

# data[].attributes.body
let our love be sacrilegious
let the church burn down around us
golden crucifix glowing in the flames
as we take our first communion
i will worship you on my knees
if you promise to do the same
’til death do us part
and when i arrive at the gates of hell
saddled upon my pale horse
you will be waiting for me
with coins for the ferryman
i will kneel and eat
the pomegranate seeds from your hand
if you promise to lay
that crown of thorns upon my head

# data[].attributes.body
you’re gone
and i’m trying to scrub my brain clean of you
but you’re everywhere
i hear your voice in every song
and i pray for my eardrums to burst
i smell your perfume on the dress you gave me
and i tear the fabric to shreds
i can practically taste you at breakfast
so i shatter my plate against the wall
i keep thinking i see you in the hallways
there’s a spark in my chest
that’s extinguished just as quickly as it started
and your touch
your touch is the worst
i’m so cold at night
in the morning
in the shower
in my bed
i want nothing more
than to feel your arms around me again
and yet
and yet
i howl in pain when i finally feel you
your touch burns my skin
repels me like water and oil
it’s not your fault
it was never your fault
it was always mine for being
too scared
too anxious
too paranoid
too me
the person you loved is gone
i’m just a shadow of them

# data[].attributes.body
Forbidden love, something so cliché that feels so romantically right yet so morally wrong.
Out of place in one dimension, a perfect fit in another universe.
Too much time spent on one person, giving them praise and dreaming about them when out of their presence and warm embrace.
Culturally unacceptable, religiously flawed, his interests and passions were mine too.
Too much of a focus on someone other than myself. I essentially gave up my identity and lost it in yours.
We really had a romance and in the moment it felt as though it should be the only thing to celebrate, nothing else worthy of attention or splendor.
An impulsive decision aimed spitefully towards those who love me the most ended our secret love affair.
I watched "La La Land" and bawled my eyes out, just thinking of him and the magically-sweet times we shared. “I’ll always love you,” hit hard and tugged at my tender heartstrings.
I feel guilty in a myriad of ways, like I broke a promise to him yet defiled myself and betrayed those closest to me by disobeying their rules and dating that forbidden man.
Too many emotions and feelings kindled in that non-regretfully regretful and memorable fling.
A girl left in ruins, tormented by her fleeting past, left in anguish by memories haunting her each passing moment.
“What even is love?” I heard her breathe in a solemn moment as she was whisked away by a gentle lad on a motorbike.

# data[].attributes.body
Love is a strange feeling
It comes
It goes
We all know what love is
from songs
movie scenes
but in real life?
Is love as sweet and tender?
or is it bitter and dead ender?

# data[].attributes.body
"What is Love"

What is love?

Some say love is lame.

I say love is the blame for

the flames that spark around me.

What is love?

Love is day and night.

Love is a brand-new light.

What is love?

Some say love is blind.

I say this love is Mine.

# data[].attributes.body
Please love me is what I say constantly
wishing you would love me the way I love you
begging and pleading like a dog
just for you to be near me
feeling like a burden
to the one I love
I mean you had everything you could ever ask for
but you were to blind to see it
ignoring my phone calls
gaslighting me
treating me like trash
as if I'm not someone else's treasure
I would say happy valentines day
but you didn't change for the better

# data[].attributes.body
"What is love?"

Love is kind, joyful and patient.
Love can turn the darkest of rooms into the brightest room you’ve ever seen.
Love is the sun shining down bright and the moon glowing at night.
Love is gentle and warm.
But such a love that is your sweetest dream can become your darkest nightmare.
Love makes you vulnerable when you need strength.
Love makes you blind when you need to see.
Love makes you tolerate the intolerable.
Love can make you unrecognizable.
So, what is love? Is it something to yearn for or something to be cautious of?
Does it fill an empty void, or does it create one?
Whatever love is.

# data[].attributes.body
"The Mirror"

You light up the room when you enter.
You move mountains with your presence.
Your aura is pure attraction.
The world would stop spinning if you told it too.
You are bliss.
When you look into the mirror do you see the greatness within yourself?
Love yourself.

# data[].attributes.body
"Its Not Heart Break, Its Life"

Im not waiting for somebody to love me
Im not waiting for somebody to be there
im not allowing somebody's anything
to make me pretend that they care
im not letting somebody hold me
just because they say they tried
im not letting somebody tuck me in
only for them to leave in the night
im not keeping somebody with me
who oneday wont want anything of me
i wont allow someone to make me laugh
and be the same one to tear me apart
just because you say its love
doesnt make it love to me
and just because I accidentally fall in love
doesnt make love anything less than a fantasy
so no I wont let you hold my hand
because you cant do anything for me
I cant fix your ailment you were born with
humans cant make humans better with poetry

# data[].attributes.body
Crying tense focus vulnerable, but not too open who's cupid who’s serpents false motives heart hurting, I love, but not too certain if I could’ve loved you better
Racing mind green yards create picket fence lines because you wanted to see from the other side what’s ours was mine
Wide eyes criticized from outside, but don’t I remind you of your better side
No growth must die like roses by the bedside
Be my valentines I guess I got too ahead of myself this, time will tell me more than I can bare say that you love me, but I can't hear over your actions, adding contraindications like conditions to the love that you infatuated me with.
Unlike magnet to fridge attractions who stick for long
Crying tense focus why is there always a purpose? because feels are mean less without
I could of loved you better
You had the only doubt.

# data[].attributes.body
I'm screaming, I'm running, I'm flipping inside
I gotta control all the feelings I hide
They whisper, they crawl, they push their way out
Can't shoo them away so I'm starting to shout
I'm falling, I'm burning, I'm catching aflame
The thought of your new girl is bringing me pain
Why am I like this is it really me
Stuck on something that lasted less than a week

# data[].attributes.body
"What loves about"

Love is not about
Letters and roses
From the one your crazy about
Or waiting till he proposes

Love comes from more
Then just a guy
It can bring galore
You cannot buy

Love may come with strife
It may be hard to find delight
But love should come from life
Which makes the world bright

Love is about
Caring for yourself
And not having self-doubt
Love is finding ourself

# data[].attributes.body
"park stares"

traipse along the sidewalk
we're passers-by to ducks
they're all in pairs of two or three
to all their friends they've stuck

see the squirrels all wrestling
what ever would they know
how every time i see you dear
my love has surely grown

hummingbirds a-sipping
their lovely nectar treats
when you go to hold me
i tend to call you sweet

looks we receive from strangers
sweet kisses for your hand
dozen thousand yard stares
from unknown woman and man

the creatures are permitted
to lounge about as pleased
whatever could the people want
from normal you and me?

we seem to look just like them
but they see us as off
like we belong with the creatures
and not on the side-walk

are we what they hate?
or really do they fear-
this special time seems not for all
but i still love you, my dear

as far as i'm concerned
it doesn't matter much
people think what they will think
and that will be as such

so we go back where we came
and settle down to bed
i whisper you a soft good-nite
plant a sleepy kiss
upon your head ♡

# data[].attributes.body
You broke my heart into a million pieces
And all of them are yours.

I tried so hard to let you go,
To go on my own,
And give you the space you want.

Still, my shattered heart wants to stay.
My shattered heart still cried when there is no answer.
My shattered heart still screamed with every day of silence.

My soul is numb,
My body frail,
And still, I want to go back to your cold quiet.

Only to be reigned in by the heated logic of my mind.
For while I miss you,
I still know.
You don’t miss me too.

# data[].attributes.body
We were two celestial bodies,
With no connecting gravity.
When we finally collided,
Asteroids and stars be damned,
I could finally see in color,
The hues of our universe in your eyes.
Your hands on my waist,
My fingers on your cheek,
Your voice echoed in the cosmic dust,
And I feel my soul begin to fly.
Before I know it we fly together,
In the endless sea of stars.

# data[].attributes.body
A Valentine's Day so bleak and blue,
Nothing seemed to go the way it should.
No chocolates, no flowers, no love for me and you,
Just emptiness and solitude.

The sky was gray, the wind was rough,
A matching mood to my sorrowful heart.
No sign of joy, no trace of love,
Just tears and sadness from the start.

I waited for a call that never came,
A message that would light up my day.
But all I heard was silence, a lonely game,
That echoed still, in my heart today.

No candlelit dinner, no romantic dance,
No whispers of love in the night.
Just emptiness and a soul in a trance,
Lost in memories of what was right.

This Valentine's Day will be forever cursed,
A memory of pain, of love gone astray.
But still I hope, that one day I'll be blessed,
With a love that will never fade away.

# data[].attributes.body
I dream at night
With eyes open wide
A reverie in every breath alone
But in black and white

Every day
That she spends away
The sunrise, it tries just a bit too hard
To stand in her place

Now in bloom
The dawning of our lives
Missing you
Is a thrill to being alive

But I know
You'll be mine
Just not all the time
I'll be waiting for you

Even sunflowers stare
As if I'm unaware
The gardens my heart's in have overgrown
And glow in her glare

Now in bloom
The dawning of our lives
Kissing you
To that hazy cosmic jive

You're the greatest symphony
In a kaleidoscopic sunset scene
The Great Artist's masterpiece!

What good are words when the feeling transcends language?
You're the beauty in every moment.

# data[].attributes.body
Love is not a feeling
Love is what you do
It’s not in the butterflies
It’s caring about you

It’s when you take out time for me
Even when you’re down
It’s when we go on and adventure
Even just in town

It’s when I can’t give you a break
‘Cause you want me to rest
It’s when you press my troubled head
Gently on your chest

It’s when I talk way to much
But you just like to hear
It’s when we share our struggles
Our happiness and fear

Love is when your feeling down
And I give you a kiss
Being there for each other
Is what love really is

# data[].attributes.body
L  ittle bird, twitter
O n this bright day of spring
V isit your sweetheart
E ach day to sing

# data[].attributes.body
You can only go up from here
When my eyes aren't hidden with wool I can see you clear.
one time you left me, one time I wasn't worthy.
Of all these times I see lucency.
When I have seen a mirage that constantly terrified me.
Who can I be, what should I do?
I have lived through the pains in myself and all of you.
Even when I feel less, I know I have up to go and nothing to lose.

# data[].attributes.body
Love is something that takes time, takes patience, and takes effort however when love flees, it's gone forever. love is temporary, love is a mystery. love can leave you with hopes or questions. is love worth all the highs and lows? Love is what you decide it to be.

# data[].attributes.body
We can pretend to laugh
But we cannot pretend to cry
Tears can tell how much pain for a person
If  I cannot have you, I will keep waiting for you
Hope can reinforce to stay for me
To have no regret on loving you

# data[].attributes.body
I’m freezing,
and yet I’m here.
Talking to you through a tin can telephone,
Trying to remember how I used to love that
Longing laced in your voice.
And it’s sobering.
It’s precious incarnate.
Sweeter than the real thing,
Truer than a diamond.
Cause it’s over the phone when you sound like you really mean it.
It’s over the phone when you sound like you really love me.
Honey,
Am I soft enough to come home to?
Is my embrace worth the wait?
Or would you rather the “good old days?”
We’re not who we were when we first met
And I’m not sure how to compensate for that
Stretched apart, we grown different hearts
It’s intimidating, and yet I’m here.
Willing to give this a try.
To give us a try.
I’m freezing, but I know that when I finally hear your key in the door, my cold heart will heat from within, fanning fierce flames of passion once more.

# data[].attributes.body
Roses are in bloom,
Love is in the air tonight,
Hearts beat together.

# data[].attributes.body
I'm not lonely
I have "friends" as far as the eye can see but when times get hard, I have no one to lean on

I'm not lonely
I'm surrounded by family and friends
But the genuine relationships I crave are only fantasies
Mere dreams

I'm not lonely
But I want someone that can be my warmth in the cold dead nights, My light when the road gets dim,
My hope when all odds are stacked against me,
My adrenaline when I've reached my limit.

I'm not lonely, what I lack is love
but,
This love is forbidden,
Shunned by many for in the heat of youth emotions are too volatile to control,
Dangerous to both parties,
If only there were two parties, to begin with.

I stand staring at the sunset alone as another day has gone by without this love I seek,
The reason it's forbidden is not due to the thoughts of others,
but that the thoughts of my lover is that "She is not".

My mind spirals out of control,
Haunted by the plot that I have created,
A beautiful love story has been shattered into pieces,
now,
I am lonely.

# data[].attributes.body
"Safe Space"

Golden butterflies make their home in my chamber,
flap, flutter, and fly as they may,
they tend to never escape,
to never leave, to never die,
When I see you they come alive,
they take that flight,
they love your sight,
Your beauty transcends what is real,
they can't see you,
for they are trapped,
In my stomach, head, and heart
they still feel you,
for your warmth,
keeps the embers of my love ablaze,
So they need you, could they be you?
Reminding me that I am loved,
That I'm adored, that I am safe,
You are in me and I in you,
So you've become my safe space.

# data[].attributes.body
Then:
Love is fake.
Love is sour.
Love gives everyone else the power.

I can’t have it all.
It all must be fake.
Emotions are all this “real” feeling takes.

If I give in to love
will it always be fruitful?
Or will I really know how to just make myself useful?

Now:
You make me feel safe.
You make me feel wanted.
You make me know
that I won’t be forgotten.

If I truly am loved there will be some relief.
If I give in to hope I will share the belief
that no matter how hard,
and no matter how trying,
my love for you would stay undying.

# data[].attributes.body
"You and I Intertwine"

I miss you like crazy... sometimes it makes it all hazy
You're on my mind day and night combine...
I don't know the timeline...
But you and I are from another lifetime...
I swear, meeting you was Divine Intervention because your amazing to mention!
So please, pay attention
Listen up...
Cause I'm not given up...
Your are my fine wine
You and I intertwine is a SIGN...
One day, I hope you'll be, all mine.
-VJZ

# data[].attributes.body
"The Connection"

Do you ever wonder...
How the creation of man... makes the connection of two souls that came together...
How clever...
Some of us have similar back stories...
Derived from different territories...
But some how, both, still carries mirrored worries...
Worries about fears...
Fears that could bring anyone to tears...
Past traumas of dramas and endured losses...
Threading them together, bearing that same sharing...
Sending them at the right timing, when their just surviving...
Reassigning them to realigning them...
That prevailing and unfailing selection of connection...

-VJZ

# data[].attributes.body
"Love's Dirge"

If love was once a foe,
Where come this sudden symphony?
The cawing of a noble crow
Disturbs a life of infamy.

Crawling out my solemn grave
I see the somber remains
Of a heartful love that I once gave,
And bitter blood fills my veins.

A kind, mellow composer awaits
As my residual misery melts away.
Euphonious tunes lead me to gleaming gates
While I finally let my past decay.

To see a vacant tomb upon admission,
To rest eternally with my divine musician.

# data[].attributes.body
"Ice Cream Buddies"

I had one scoop of vanilla with a cherry on top
You were already down to your cone
I wanted to take my time with it
I knew this summer would be sweltering
But you stole my cherry and crushed it between your teeth
Unforgiving and harsh. Tears down my face
In silence, you finished. And with you, I stayed
Because you were the only ice cream buddy ever I had.

# data[].attributes.body
You are the sunshine on the darkest days
Nothing makes me happier than your smile
You make me happy in so many ways
I hope we stay together for a while
When I am with you everything just fades
When I am without you the day is dark
but nothing can destroy the love we made
and you keep me floating like Noah's ark
when I am with you I’m floating in air
and you make me feel like I am complete
now I know for sure nothing can compare
you fill me up from my head to my feet
please hold me tight and never let me go
I need you I want you and love you so

# data[].attributes.body
My dreams are violent.
I close my eyes, midnight pours its darkness into me.
And there you are, all silence, lethal lips shutting blood in your mouth.
Is the blood mine, and is it bitter?
When I look down,
I watch us in the water we walk upon...
We see ourselves in our beloved,
we can't help it.
So narcissus,
is my reflection yours, is your reflection mine?

# data[].attributes.body
Casket for a heart,
You leave dead things at my door,
Hoping they stay dead.

# data[].attributes.body
As I put my heart up for the taken,

I was reciprocated with an abundance of showerless kisses.

Holding the moment, a little longer.

As I stared up to the sky, I prayed that this would last a lifetime.

Slowly it started slipping through my fingers.

As I thought this would forever be.

Then I realized the person I was missing love from was me.

Holding the breath that slid through my lips,

This is a night I will forever revisit.

# data[].attributes.body
Something the hands cannot touch but the heart can feel.

Something many people told me was not real.

As he got down and kneeled, I knew this was the real deal.

No appeals, just my heart taking the wheel.

I must say this was ideal and that piece of paper sealed the deal.

Then my heart went up for seize, and this was his last meal.

In time his true intentions were revealed.

He hid and concealed what was really the ordeal.

Everything feels so surreal, now I am begging God please sign this appeal.

Hold up, let me come back to reality.

I am not sure how following my heart turned into a casualty.

I was guaranteed love, now I feel like a detainee.

Where did these bars come from, I cannot see

How did this get by me?

I have a whole degree.

But love has many facets unfortunately.

I am just praying this does not end up a tragedy.

Unnatural fantasy as my hands searches frantically for the audacity.

# data[].attributes.body
(Gal)entine's Day
It is right in the name.

It is a day just for the gals.

Because gals love to give gifts

And gals love to receive gifts.

Gals love affection and mushiness.

It is a day for gals to celebrate their friendships.

Because boys are whatever and gals are forever.

# data[].attributes.body
”(Gal)entine's Day”

It is right in the name,

It is a day just for the gals.

Because gals love to give gifts,

And gals love to receive gifts.

Gals love affection and mushiness.

It is a day for gals to celebrate their friendships,

Because boys are whatever, and gals are forever.

When you are down on your luck,

And your love life is in the muck,

Aim Cupid's bow at your bestie,

Cause on Galentine's Day, she will be there for the restie.

# data[].attributes.body
Daybreak,
I almost broke at daybreak,
but you didn't leave.
Your halo, transcends it although
my aurora was taken in the eve.
And in the first light,
you squeezed my hand,
But I was afraid
it would leave me with barren land.
And just as day comes
- and it breaks in fast
You move me beyond my sordid past
And just as fear stains
and I'm drained of my ichor
and forced to restart,
You broke through the dawn.
And just as the night feels eternal,
My ivy began to return.
Just as right grows like a fern,
Somehow you revived me green.
You broke through like daylight.
Midnight - land of borrowed time.
Twilight - refracted rays of my mind.
Dusk - I feared the appearance of scarlet and yellow.
Trust I had given up
and I'd given in to borrowed sorrow.
I had given up on redemption
and my shining was only embers.
The faint light now covered by you.
The aurora,
the ethos of dawn -
I thought I was over,
But you carried me on.
And you see my daylight,
Even in the twilight,
Even at my midnight -
You see me in daylight.

# data[].attributes.body
You’re a different kind of pain
A color I can’t name
You’re the incomplete epiphany
I can’t keep having
An arbitrary identity
Who are you now
You’re lost to me
A sweet distressing melody
The synonym of symphony
The antonym of clarity
You’re the disquieting violence
of the situation drawn to me
I chose a sundown style
Here for a minute
And he’s gone like that
I chose a lost chaser
At the wrong train station
Chasing an image he’ll never achieve
But what it is
He won’t tell me
I loved a cowboy
I loved a ghost
I loved a gypsy
Who always has to go
He’s the nomad
That drove me mad
A nomad never knew this ending
So sweetly
A nomad never found his peace
In his solidarity
Pick up the glass from my feet
Cinderella
Never knew this ending
They’ll find their way back to one another
Like an answered prayer
From a child
For their mother
You’re the oblivious realization
I want you here but I never understood
You’re an absentminded daydreamer
Chasing a vague epitome of freely
An against-all-odds case
All too happy to make him stay
Can I tie down his feet
Is there a rope
strong enough for me
Is it selfish or miserly
That this is what every part of me
Is asking
Will a nomad know this ending
So sweetly?

# data[].attributes.body
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I am going to be alone
And so are you

# data[].attributes.body
"No one will ever love you"
That's what he said
As he crushed the flower under his foot

Then I went home and cried
Until my eyes were red
As I truly considered his curse

Years went by, and I tried to love
And dream of a life ahead
But nothing would ever feel right

People came and went all the time
And always I'd sit in bed
And wonder if maybe he had a point

Please, it can't be true!
To the universe I pled
Though my cries were left unheard

I laid there and pondered
With articles I'd read
About how to find "the one"

But then I found something
As my heart once again bled
That sparked in me a realization

I had found it at last
A long journey had been tread
And I'd found the cause of this grief

I was always stressed
And every day I'd dread
Whenever I thought I'd found love

But with this new word
All that pain I would shed
It would finally all be over

I don't need love
Those feelings are dead
Or really they never existed

I'm aromantic and proud
And this life I have led
Will forever be built for me

So thank you Austin
Though it's been 9 years
You can keep that flower I gave you
Maybe no one will ever love me
But I never needed anyone
I only needed myself

# data[].attributes.body
"The Envious Rivers of Loneliness"

Ensnared by Eros
With Envenomed Arrow
Upon sodden banks of Cocytus
Where I lie
Whom, Aroused with lustful indignation
Reflected on its wistful surface,
loneliness awaits
Spurned by the indifferent fates
Whom have weaved my tapestry
Divined to only drown in Mine own
Personal Tartarus
Filling Acheron with mine own despair
To weep into the rivers of Hades
Divined in solitude
A solitude I shall endure ‘til
This Earth hath left me rotted below
Phthonus’ bloodied muzzle
Against my exposed soul
I am afeared
I whisper tenderly
A silent prayer fell from my lips
To have never lavish this wretchedness
With the adorned blessing
A soothing balm
Bestowed by the Lady of Sea foam
Will I be flayed
Heart afire by Phlegethon
bouts of melancholic maladies
Granted by your heavenly rage
O’ nemesis of Desire
Your unrequited love, dearest heart
Ruins me
Leaves me in a devastation worthy of Pompeii, itself
Breathe life into me with damned kisses
For mine shall become yours
Leave me wanton
Or simply,
leave me
Wounded by Eros

# data[].attributes.body
If you were here
My days will be better
If you were here
I wouldn’t be doing this letter

If you were here
My heart wouldn’t be broken
If you were here
My soul wouldn’t be frozen

My days are longer
If I don’t see you
I am not as stronger
Since I don’t feel you

This mix of feelings
It’s like a basket of emotions
My heart is not healing
From all this commotion

Your unconditional love
Showed me how to be brave
Now I'm not enough
I am feeling like a slave

My broken sad heart
Will learn how to heal
I am very smart
You are not that big deal

I know my long grief
Will not go away
You steal as a thief
This is how bad you play

You think deserve more
You make me feel empty
I don’t want to be ignore
I just want to be plenty

This pure magical love
Was not appreciated
Next time I will use a glove
So I don’t feel like I'm hated

I was like an experiment
Every time you said were leaving
I want to be an achievement
Because I am the girl that others are dreaming

Another Valentine’s that I will miss you a lot
I am still learning to survive
but I know you already forgot
a great love one day will arrive