Ash & Ink

Of Certificates and Of Those Missing - C. Oulens I was born happy and blue! A little confused coz there seemed a lot of hullabaloos over this fact and that I did not wail and kept my eyes shut—they even discriminate against babies that are introvert! Oh c’mon, what’s the deal with this—I thought—should I gawk wide at the beauty of sunshine? Can I not let it seep in with time? Have they not learnt from dawn, of light’s slow release? Should I let the sun jump on me and damage my eyes? Let’s say I concede to that, but why, oh why—should they want me to shriek? Then I heard my mom’s wail—Yeah, well, emotional blackmail commences as early as that—even before they’ve prepared your destiny’s sketch (and the many certificates of mismatch). Besides, they were shaking me (and what not—uncomfortably)—so, with an eye roll, I kindly complied and delivered a heart-rending scream—an encore to my mom’s premature mournful cries (it seemed she thought I got born with an intent to die)—and to my bafflement—followed by a roomful of applause and cheer—it now appeared I had claimed my first entitlement of existence—certified in a registry. … and that, in short, is my introduction to a kind world that said—undocumented—you’ve had your heartful—henceforth the world would appreciate if you kept your screams inside and your tears dry—there’s too much, anyway, to pass by. And sunshine I found is not infinite—how can it be when some are looking to steal from you with a sleight of hand—but some, at the edge of abyss, will find a bagful of a warm wish—unclassified, uncertified. I am not happy but I’m happily blue. I stole too—some stars—of a blue moon—committing poetry—without standard devices—without requisite licences—without certificates to earn.

For #PoemsAbout #DogTags
Will come back later to read others and comment. A slightly long poem today, will understand if you give it a miss. Thank you! 🙏 💫

@alanparrywriter.co.uk
@thebrokenspine.co.uk
#Oulens #blueskypoets #blueskypoetry
#poetrycommunity #poetry

For #PoemsAbout #DogTags I did not feel I had the right to write. Finally, a meager offering emerged. Thank you to all those who serve and have served.

Thank you @alanparrywriter.co.uk and @thebrokenspine.co.uk.

#poetrycommunity #poetry #poems #blueskypoets #blueskypoetry

This works on a whole lot of levels. I thank you very much for sharing it!

The last line is spectacular. Proper emotional punch there. Great work

I have read your feedback several times and I am so so glad you took the time to express it. I am very pleased it ended up working for you upon further thought and reading. Simple things. I thank you!

Thank you for the feedback! I am glad you thought so! 🙏🙏

I appreciate the feedback! I am glad you liked it and that you took the time to comment🙏🙏

Thank you!

Thank you! 🙏🙏

Screenshot from my notes app of my attempt at a poem about dog tags The sounds Of mourning Pouring Out the back door Like pain Became An explorer Exploring To find her On the back yard swing Swinging She’s out back Thinking Of his name Carved into metal showing he served searched And saved

Found this through @bundtkake.bsky.social piece which I reposted and then Decided to give it a try myself.

#poem #poemsabout #dogtags

This is a moving poem, I very much like the use of repetition and it's pacing! Thank you

A still-life study that took me 17hr and 45min :)
#oilpainting

Rory couldn’t point to anything #specific that brought him back to the game over-and-over, above every other game he had played.

The graphics weren’t the best, there were glitches, some of the quests were boring and the monsters not that varied, but it all worked for him.

It was special.

#vss365

That is a powerful write. Not a single wasted word and all the imagery is spot on 🔥🔥🖊️

They folded the flag
corner by careful corner
honor kept in a triangle box.
One dog tag,
medals with meaning
illegible with distance and time.
Mantelpiece memories,
all that remains
are echoes of the coffin closing.

@thebrokenspine.co.uk

#poemsabout #dogtags #poem #poetry #4amwritersclub #poemaday

We four, trauma-bonded
children of war,
trapped between
two superpowers—
Him and Her...

#DogTags #PoemsAbout
@alanparrywriter.co.uk
@thebrokenspine.co.uk

Flat tin An inch and a half of slightly Off center Stampedletters HILTXXXXXD N. H. A POS & Numbers X4X -XX-XXXX Identity on a bubblegum machine chain USMC M ROMAN CATHOLIC The smallest Cheapest Record Of Is Or Was Priceless Trauma Stored on flat tin Off center stampedletters and numbers Edges encased in black rubber To silence the noise Loss. Honor. Pride Yellowed tape on a St Christopher medal On the s ame 25 cent chai n As quiet as they can possibly be For how much they say

#poemsabout #dogtags #poetry

@alanparrywriter.co.uk
@thebrokenspine.co.uk

F LAT tin Talisman

Image shows a tightly cropped view of many dog tags hanging together, suggesting remembrance or loss. Visual elements consistent: The Broken Spine logo top left, website top right, and bold bottom right text: "Read Repost Reply #POEMSABOUT #DOGTAGS".

Tomorrow we mark the moment: #PoemsAbout #DogTags. Not just war—what we carry, what we’re called. Post from Friday. Tag #PoemsAbout or you’ll vanish in the feed. Use Alt Text. Get your prompt boost: shorturl.at/0Xm7A

Rm 214 A set timer on a set device Audible clicks Reducing minutes to seconds A harpsichord melody Played by a machine Seconds of options Adding and subtracting Moments and memories Woosh hiss click Distinct in the otherwise white silence A name unspoken Except in the squeak of Dry erase markers

#vss365 #options #poetry

Thank you! I really appreciate the feedback!

Pleasantly Vicious Well dressed venom Spit from Renaissance lips A casual belligerence Calculated carefully Into apparent off handed-ness Flippant in its apathy Mindful malice made to appear Minimal, leaving emotional cuts In pretty pleasing patterns

#Emoetry #casual #poetry

"Sharp teeth, pretty teeth.
Pretty pretty sharp teeth all in a row...."
- Specimen

GOOBLER for the win!!!!!!

#aching #emoetry #loss #love #poem #madrigal

we all have times when love goes awry. Thought about past relationships and seeing others fracture.

Thank you! 🙏🙏
(Pretty sure that seasoning was just red salt btw 😂)

Thank you 🙏🙏

Apparently the #prompt was actually #goal.
Eh. I am still counting it.

Sequences and Sea Salt Swirling intent and an aching in my Back teeth A place where being right is the difference Between a trot and a gallop The tea steeps straight to bitter And the bag was torn to begin with Crocodile tears and dollar store taco seasoning It is all something in the proper setting Enamel smell and distilled distance A citrus still life painted by number The brush recycled from old orange juice bottles and frozen dinner trays

#Emoetry #aching #poetry

I'll never tell

#vss365

The Thin-Ribbed Fox

The verse prowls
my desk,
a thin-ribbed fox
with inked fur
and failure
in its gait

its goal
is simple:
to leap
into print

but each time
it jumps
its legs
fail it
and the sky closes.

i watch it snarl
and tell it
some poems
are born wild
and
stay
feral.

#goal

Thank you!! 🙏🙏

I found some online. I no longer care for the taste but the smell was an old friend lol