Silent Sounds by Sharon Horton

Listen
Hear
the silent sounds,
not people talking,
not people walking
across the floor, or
the closing of a door.
These are sounds
from within
the heart
the mind
where you laugh
and where you cry, 
they haunt,
taught,
grab you 
without a clue.
Suddenly
in a place
where there's no escape.
Sounds
to accept
to own
as ours alone,
could be past pain
pushing to see
the light of day,
or voices of those
lost... bringing
forth tears...
the sounds, they come,
some for only a short while,
others are constant
like a loud drum.
What brings them
no one is sure, but
through them
eventually,
we all must endure.

Sharon H.

NATURE'S SWEET LAMENT by Jackie Tajiri

Rain forests weep,
The dolphin lost its smile,
Honeybees have shed their sweetness,
Howler monkeys howl a lament,
The Earth moans and sighs
Vanishing creatures
Too numerous to calculate,
Bid their farewell;
Are we humans not one species
In a sea of many?

In the canopy,
The echo of trees mourning
The death of their dear loved ones,
Ascends.
-Jackie

SUMMER'S ADIEU by Jackie Tajiri

Cicadas serenade,
Mockingbirds masquerade,
Blustery winds hum,
Raindrops drum
Upon boulders and trees.

Katy did it,
So the tale goes,
A male katydid
Croons from a rose;
Soon all will be silent,
We see summer
In our rear view mirror,
Colder blows the wind,
As fall draws near.
-Jackie

HAPPILY GAY by Jackie Tajiri

UNBIDDEN by Therese Staples Burton

The words come to me unbidden.
Provoking memories of pain.
Long buried and forgotten in the chasms of my mind.
Released images flash across my eyes.
I lose myself in time,
Sounds of reality fad in my ears.

My breath catches in my chest.
I feel the emptiness after crying,
pierce another hole in my soul.

The words come to me, unbidden.
They thrash against walls of propriety.
Silenced by societal expectations.

Energy surges through me ready to fight.
My body shakes with a need I cannot fulfill.
Frustration builds, reaching, hoping, needing relief.
The solution dances out of my reach.

The words come to me, unbidden.
Taunting me at night, riding me on the train.
I am lost in thoughts I can't explain.
-Therese

"TOO SMART FOR MY OWN GOOD" by Jean Cord

Is it possible
     To use your
Brains
     For no good
Yeah, it is
Misunderstood
I was
     A missile
Unguided
No direction
     No home
In darkness
I roamed
on a path
     Of
self-destruction
I would
Never
Hurt nobody
But
     Myself
Alone
Was the only target
Meant for
Elimination
I was a 
     "Danger to Self"
     "Unsafe"
Why y'all
Stoppin' me
I wanted to
     Die
I really think I
     Just wanted to
Cry
Goin' over the brink
Day after day
Pray
Y'all
That everyone
Can find
     God
Nobody
Deserves
To be condemned
     Today
     Pray
     Y'all
If you do not think
Jesus
     Loves you
Who then
     Do ya think
Pulled you away
     From that brink???!!!
Who 
     Do ya think
Pulled you away
     From the edge???!!!
My doc did it
     For so long
My family
     Pulled me back
A couple of times
     But,
It did not 
Matter
Plan of attack
Brain splatter
I was cryin'
Y'all
I was
     Dyin'
In my
     Body
     Mind
     And my
Spirit
Could I be saved???!!!
With ALL
     The pain
I caused 
     By my own
Hand
I didn't mean it
Was there ANYTHING
     Left to Gain???!!!
Was it worth it
To raise
My head
In the morn'
Was it worth it
For Christ
     Bein' born???!!!
Was it worth His life
     His sacrifice
On the cross
     For ours???!!!
Yeah, y'all
It was worth it
Do you 
     Want to die
Tonight
Why???!!!
Will you be goin'
     To
Heaven or Hell
Fight
Y'all
Stomp
Scream
Let Jesus know
Your need

Tonight

Feed on his word
Listen
     To the words
DO NOT
     GIVE UP!!!!!!
-Jeanne Cord