Nov2024PAD Day 4 - Nerves

 Mask On or Mask Off

I need to feel part of, yet risks unfold,
For closeness may invite rejection’s sting.
Approval could slip, as if it was bold?
What shame or grief might openness then bring?

How tempting, still, to hide behind the guise,
This “perfect” self that lets me seem so sure.
But here within, where no one’s prying eyes
Can breach my walls, the doubts and fears endure.

In masks and walls I find a haven’s peace,
An armor forged to hold myself as strong—
No pity, judgment; none to seek release,
No wounds unearthed, no rights to painful wrongs.

For all this time, my strength’s been just a face—
Can trust replace these barriers I’ve embraced?

At last, the mask comes off, the walls descend,
My spirit bared, my flaws no longer veiled.
What freedom found, what power to transcend
This armored shell my trembling heart once trailed.

The fear that bound me now dissolves like night,
Replaced by light that others see as true—
A soul unmasked, no longer gripped with fright,
Whose weakness holds a strength I never knew.

For I belong as wholly, purely me,
Untamed by shame, by pride’s elusive chase.
In letting go, I gain the will to be,
To lean and share, to find a softer grace.

Where once I feared, I now see joy unfold—
The gift of self revealed, unmeasured, bold.

Original idea

For today’s prompt, write a nerves poem. As an empath, it sure feels like many (many) people have been a pile of nerves recently (maybe having to do with something that takes place tomorrow, though maybe for other reasons). But a person can write about being nervous or write about the nervous system. And some folks may not even know what it's like to get nervous (lucky dogs), and they can write about that. Let's get nervy today.

Nov2024PAD Day 3 - Correspondence

 Unveiled Connection

When walls collapse and masks are shed away,
In echoes clear, our voices intertwine;
With every word, we find a brighter way,
As active listening reveals the line.

In whispered truths, a bond of trust we weave,
Each secret shared, a thread that binds us tight;
In fragile moments, we learn to believe,
That honesty will guide us through the night.

In consistency, our bond finds steady ground,
A promise kept, where faith and hope align;
Through every trial, loyalty is found,
Each action mirrors words, our hearts entwine.

Through listening, trust, and honesty displayed,
A deeper love in correspondence laid.

Original idea

For today’s prompt, write a correspondence poem. For me, correspondence usually makes me think of writing letters and/or communicating with people through the mail. But there are also correspondent reporters and correspondent representatives. And honestly, correspondence can mean a close similarity or connection (so nothing to do with communication at all). So take correspondence wherever you need for today's poem.

Nov2024PAD Day 2 - Disquise

 Walls of Silence, Arms of Love

Before me stands a wall, my path restrained,
A fortress built in silence, strong and vast.
Its stones are set by words you’ve left contained,
In glances turned away and shadows cast.

This wall reflects the battles fought and lost,
Its scars worn thin from fear’s relentless care.
I wonder what you guard and at what cost,
What hidden self you’ve sheltered deeply there.

Yet here I stand with patience, arms held wide,
A love unshaken, true, no need for fear.
For though this wall may loom, and doubts may hide,
I’m waiting here, a voice you’ll always hear.

So let down this disguise, unveil your heart—
For love alone can pull these walls apart.
---

The Masked Heart

A mask so delicate, with purpose clear,
To hide the depths beneath its guarded face.
Its form a jade-like stone, both hard and near,
A shield designed to hold its secret place.

Fine lines are etched, like vines across its skin,
Or cracks that hint of tales it holds in stone.
Do they conceal the truth that lies within,
Or guard a precious heart unknown, alone?

This mask seems fused, impossible to shed,
Its clouded eyes like shutters locked from sight.
Yet patient hands, with care, could lift instead,
And coax its keeper forth into the light.

For beauty hides where unseen treasures keep,
And love unveils the soul from depths so deep.

Original idea

For today’s prompt, write a disguise poem. Of course, we just celebrated Halloween in these parts, which involved a lot of disguises; but people also disguise their voices and/or their true natures every day. They may disguise their intentions. And some poems even disguise their true meanings. So play with disguises today

Nov2024PAD Day 1 - Before You Leave

Daily Farewell at the Door

She goes to work, she pauses there to stand,
Eyes bright with love, a gentle, glistening spark.
She clutches hands in hers, a tender band,
Her voice a thread that warms against the dark.
It’s not goodbye—it’s love she leaves behind,
A quiet gift to carry on my way.
No words are needed, nor are tears confined;
Her heart speaks volumes more than we could say.
A final hug, a smile that lingers on,
Like sunlight held within a fleeting grasp.
And as she fades, the warmth is never gone,
Her presence stays within that farewell clasp.
She goes to work, but with each sweet embrace,
She fills my live with love’s unending space.

Traduccion en espanol - Cada Adiós en la Puerta
Cada vez que partimos, se detiene,
sus ojos brillan con amor sincero.
Nos toma de la mano y nos sostiene,
su voz un hilo cálido y entero.
No es adiós—es amor que nos entrega,
un dulce don que llevamos de aquí.
Las palabras no alcanzan lo que llega;
su alma habla más de lo que hay que oír.
Un último abrazo, sonrisa fiel,
como un rayo de sol entre sus brazos.
Y aunque se va, su luz vive en la piel,
presente en ese adiós, en sus abrazos.
Cada visita acaba, pero así,
deja el rastro de amor que ella nos da a ti.

The Friday Farewell

At five we watch the ticking hands align,
Our desks abandoned, screens now fading black.
This weekly pause, a sweet, uncertain sign,
As Friday whispers, “Go,” then pulls us back.
We trade a glance, relief upon each face,
The weekend’s freedom sparking in our eyes.
But Monday waits, relentless in its chase,
Its shadow creeping as the sunlight dies.
A final laugh, then out the door we spill,
Released from duty’s grasp, if just for now.
Each step toward rest, though brief, is savored still,
While Monday plans its steady, solemn vow.
This loop of time, a dance that never ends,
Our Fridays lost, but Monday always mends.

Original idea

  

For today’s prompt, write a before you leave poem. Hopefully, nobody's thinking about leaving this challenge yet, but we are all leaving October. And since it's Friday, many of us may be leaving the work week. And well, we've all likely left other people, places, and things over the years. Think about those situations for this poem.