u/invisibly-broken

There is no way you’ll keep your mate.
I’m sorry to say it… it’s just your fate!
You start out together, tight and new,
With both of you knowing what to do.

You support and protect, give it your all,
No matter the order, short or tall.
Often with time, there comes dirt and grime,
But you're standing right there—brave, with no fear.

Under pressure you get stretched out,
Perhaps you shrink or become a bit stout.
But together you stick, in health and when sick…
But this poem isn’t about you getting along,

It’s about how one day… you will be wronged.
Someday soon you’ll be kind of faded,
Maybe even a little jaded.
Your band may get loose, but you’ll wear it still,

For together you’ll stand, it’s your will.
You think you're strong and you’ll fight mean,
You’ll rally together to the extreme
Together you face The Washing Machine

Hand in hand, you enter in,
Ready for a roughened swim.
It feels good though, the warmth and bubble,
Hiding the fact there could be trouble.

Swirling around from the start,
Staying together, then floating apart.
Twirling around in soapy suds,
Trying to get back to your bud.

Finally, when the cycle ends,
You see him there! You grab your friend.
You both fought strong and can’t feel higher,
But with shock and awe…. now comes The Dryer!

And this next cycle just isn’t fun,
You spin around and you come undone.
The heat is intense, it makes you shrink,
Everything’s dry, you can’t even think.

But there in the corner, you know what you see—
That little hole that leads to eternity.
Your mate's too close, you get annoyed,
Doesn’t he know he’s near THE VOID?!

"Get away!" you scream through the heavy din,
Then watch in horror as he gets sucked right in!
The vortex claimed him, in he went,
All that’s left is a cloud of lint.

In despair you spin and spin,
Seeing now that you cannot win.
He’s gone—your friend, your match, your mate.
I told you so….. it’s only fate.

If I had to guess, for me,
of all the places I could be,
it isn’t somewhere over there;
most likely, it is right here.
Perhaps it wasn’t always this way
different desires, different days
but in this world, I’ve carved my place,
and solved the problems I have faced.
I’ve made the best of what I’ve had.
It wasn’t good, it wasn’t bad.
I’ve never had to be alone,
For some mistakes, I’ve had to atone.
I’ve done my best to be kind and good,
To have some patience for the misunderstood.
The world doesn’t owe us anything;
it’s what we make of it… you know what I mean?
What we deserve we rarely get;
a good lesson never to forget.
So whatever comes, that’s just the way,
as we choose our path every day.

Once there was a girl who liked a boy,
Who made her feel things like happiness and joy.
He lived in a kingdom far, far away,
That made it hard to tell him things she wanted to say.

She could whisper things to him on the wind,
But who knows where they’d end and where they’d begin.
She could send him a letter on paper,
But someone might see. She must find a way safer.

Perhaps she could try a signal of smoke,
But there were too many words to be spoke.
She thought to tell a stranger passing by,
But to share these thoughts she was way too shy.

If she only had a pair of wings to fly,
She could write her message in the sky.
Or maybe she could tell it to the birds,
But how would they share her spoken words?

She could carve a piece of wood and send it down the stream,
But it would never reach him, that was just a dream
He lives in a kingdom far away from here
So all her tender words, he’ll probably never hear

She tried sitting down—but she jumped back up
to continue pacing all around.
She checked her phone:
No sound. No ping.
No ding. No alarm tone.
Nothing was there,
and she couldn't bear the thought
that perhaps there would never be.

She checked it again, Her phone.
As she paced the fears she owned.
Perhaps this is the end of it all,
now it’s time to take the fall.
Perhaps this is the truth reality brings
a heavy force
that makes hope sing wildly out of tune,
forgetting the words,
the melody no longer heard.

As she moved about in the dark
she begged for dreams to protect her heart.
Within those dreams hope still soared strong
while happiness and joy tagged along.

Hope said:
"Everything will be ok,
don’t fear the news your phone might bring.
I’ll keep you strong, I’ll always sing.
My song is a tune you’ll never forget,
a life to cherish with no regrets."

And right then—her phone did ping.
She answered it on the second ring.
Quietly she said hello,
then listened,
and prayed,
and smiled at the voice saying,
“She’s going to be ok.”

As she hung up the phone,
she hummed a tune,
starting to sing...
For she had finally remembered the words.

She stood perfectly still, listening carefully for the quiet underneath it all.

We all have our weak moments…

She didn’t belong, she didn’t fit in,
Always looking out, never looking in.
She stood apart, reaching out,
Always, always full of doubt.
Perhaps she'd always be left out.
What would it take to be part of it all?
She didn’t know...
But she'd keep moving against the flow.
She’d keep trying, it was a start,
Even if she’s ready to fall apart.

Peter-patter, little rain,
Pounding on the window pane.
Dark and dreary, gloomy night,
Black clouds cover all starlight.

Thunder rumbles,
Lightning flash!

Safe inside, dry and warm,
I sit back to watch the storm.
My heart was heavy, now it’s light,
As lightning makes the darkness bright.

Swirling movement in the dark,
Water washing horizons stark.
The moon is hidden out of sight,
Trees are dancing in the night.

All the worries from the day
Have gotten wet and washed away.