The following poem was not in response to a prompt.

Goodbye - Hello?

Goodbye, hello, go away, come back, leave -- wait!
I need you here, now, with me...
I need you gone, far, away from me.
Love -- hate -- misunderstood passion
Love me!  Hate me!  Anything at all
As long as all is me.
I'm too weak to leave on my own
But too strong to release my hold.
Destruction, pain and memories
of better days, smoother times...
Leave! Stay--
Go! Come back
Leave me alone!
How could you actually go?
It wasn't real for you --
      It must have been fake --
           You don't love me!
Words of hate
Would it be easier to accept if they weren't true?
This picture I unfairly paint of you.
Not giving credit where credit is due.
Because if I make you them,
The problem isn't all me, it must be you.
What do I do if the reason you left our dreams
Isn't only you, but mainly because of me?
I ignored the signs, made mistakes all the time.
I said 1,000 "I'm sorry's," and only few apologies
I watched us wither and die.
Communicate?  I tried.
I'm weak, broken, tired
A stranger to my own eyes,
A monster in yours.
Leave, goodbye, stay away
Come back!  I love you, we'll get better!
Crunch -- your knee hitting my face
Squeeze -- my hands at your throat
Wet -- tears in our eyes
Sting -- the names we scream
Whoa -- we wish the other to die
Purple -- always around my eye
Low -- beneath the scum on the floor
Lower, beneath roots of all trees
And, even lower, is where I fall.
Tiny is how I feel
Unworthy is how we feel
Not good enough
But wait! Don't go, although you should.
Plug your ears maybe you won't come back
Too much damage for this to end nice
No pretty goodbye
If you leave I think I might die
But if you stay I'm sure I will
Go away!  But not too far --
Don't look at me!  But don't look away --
I love you, but hate what you do!
Leave, go away!  Goodbye -- come back!  Hi... Hello?  Are you there?!

by E.

The following were written in response to a prompt to write poems about superheroes.  

Jesus...

     Sunshine has a way of making everything more beautiful.  Even the morning glint on the razor wire.
     The miracles he bestows upon me and others is amazing.  Poems I've read today, thoughts and reflections, and then this class, help me to continually realized that I am blessed in spite of my circumstances.
     Friendships ~ that share both joy and pane.
     My hero is Jesus.  He's everywhere, all around me, and he never lets me down.
     Amen.

by S.C.


Scarlett

Her long flowing dresses, flowing all around.  The bell of the ball.
Healthy, snappy, and smart.
Determination.  Courage.  Freedom.
Perseverance and beauty.  Determination.
Passion, tears, sorrow, and pain.
But also flamboyance, integrity, love, and again passion.

by S.C.


FRIENDS...

I need a hero ~ a hero to rescue me from my circumstances.  Does he exist?  Maybe.  I think so.  I think he exists in a friendship I have, who talks to me and understands me.  He hurts when I hurt.  He thinks I'm beautiful.  I think that true genuine friendships are my super-heros.  Throughout my life, whether they be male, female, young or old, or even a cat... they've made a positive impact in my life, that turned my situation around from negative to positive, and made me feel like a million bucks.

I think genuine friends are my superheroes.

by S.C.


From Villan to Hero

La Fem I named myself, stealing from the rich, giving to the poor.  Nakita got way out of hand but bad guys always get caught.  Then an angel named Domenika came and the roles changed and a superhero became now a god, in my son's eyes I can do no wrong and I'll always go above and beyond.  Scratch that, to infinity and beyond cuz now this mommy super hero can do no wrong.

By D.G.


If I was a super hero
I'd just fly
I'd get higher than any Drug could possibly take me
let my heart guide me
As I sore through the aching
An escape from the hate
I await for
love to undertake
me

by N.R.


Good vs. Evil

Villain or hero, is there really a way to know?
Depending on where you sit
Depends on what you see
Perspectives often change from where you see the screen
Too quick to maek up just what it is we think
Often the path of hero is one we wouldn't dream
Lonely, lovesick, often seen as a menace
Still always fighting for whats right
Evil sits and laughts, plots, and schemes
Takes foolish pride in the wrongful blame
     of a great heroes fame.
True -- when all is said and done
     It's the hero who hears the crowd sing
But then again,
who says the villain is the bad guy
and the hero a friend
From where I sit the villain could be my celly
And she's not that bad just a little misunderstood
And from where I sit the hero is a bad guy
     with a gavel
Who judges my fate on only bad interactions and never speaks any good
In my life evil is where I find love and it holds
Good is fake smiles and pretending everything won't
     fall out of place if one tooth is crooked
Evil wins for me because it's what society is scared of.
And what they fear is truth
Where I stand, I need freedom
Ugly or not the truth is real
My hero is truth, the world's evil is honesty
    Both can one day set us free

by E.