Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
Please help me finish this poem. It doesn’t have to rhyme, and I will add your entry to this post with your blog link and avatar name.
And please try to keep your entry under 16 lines.
If you like an entry, please like it on the writer’s blog as well. If there are writers who don’t have their entries posted on their blog, please check out some of their other posts. 🙂
I look forward to reading all of your fascinating responses!
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Blog: ckonfab
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
or those wings once had charm
Wings smiling with unheard hymn
though pitiful still it bears life
and I am sure it will once again soar and thrive
– Shantanu Baruah
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Blog: My Mind Escaping in Ink
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
I once flew above it all
amongst angels in clouds.
Running my hands along
polished rails of stairs
I climb to reach the top
above chaos in thin air.
I remind myself breathe
in circumstances of fear
that broke hope but now
after my climb I see clear.
– Jared Winchester
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Blog: Syl65’s Blog
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
Faded colors tell my history
From brightness to dimness and almost dark
Although my flights are limited
My broken wings still flutter
In search of that golden sunset that restores all things
In hopes that these broken wings
We become strong and colorful once more
– Syl65
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Blog: PhotoBlography
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
You’ve crushed a heart that with life sings
and now but cries in pain out loud.
Take great care when you play my strings
I may look weak, but I’m still proud.
I’ll fly again on silver strings,
and float as if on wispy cloud.
– kagould17
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Blog: The Tired Undergrad
Tread lightly on my broken wings
Now pitiful but once proud
My own feathers I gave as tokens
Rendered my song
Day and night
To the defeated.
Now I learn, again, to fly.
My plumage I’ll grow and wear proud.
Take care of my broken wings.
As I try not to bend or break
At the will of harsh winds.
– The Tired Undergrad
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Blog: bhinablog.com
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud,
Don’t push me down in your race,
Instead lift me up, with love and grace!
Look into my eyes, you’ll see my pain,
Let’s not find fault and complain,
Birds sing, red roses bloom, my love,
With you by my side, I feel love divine!
Hold me gently, listen to my heart beats,
Love is a magical miracle,
It’s a mystery, I don’t want to unravel,
It’s soulful, and in it you shall revel!
– Bina Pillai
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Blog: Disembogue
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud,
Your soles can smooth my feathered neck,
You find me bent and bowed.
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Once strong but now are weak,
You can heal my brittle bones and then,
I’ll learn again to speak.
– Wren
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Blog: Entangled Designs
Broken Wings
Please tread lightly on my broken wings
Now pitiful but once were proud
Regal flights of my daring dreams,
Such was the elan of my once raring wings.
Ever so gallant, they kissed mountain peaks
Made love to rainbows over misty creeks.
Made man envious scaling unfathomable heights,
Gleefully raising stakes amidst threatening winds
But Time, cold as ever, brought a perennial sunset,
My fluttering vividness now riddled with degeneracy
Trapped now in memories of olden days
I sit flailing them in my golden cage,
But tread lightly on my now broken wings,
For they do still remember what it means to be free.
– Entangled Designs
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Blog: The e-Father
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
Gently guide me through the skies,
As I glide through the easterly winds, below the nimbus cloud
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
For they represent my battle victories and memories
Once a knight in shining armour,
Now just a battered and bruised warrior
Down but still a fire starter,
A fallen angel, forsaken by the heavens and yet still a mighty fighter
So tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now unworthy, yet they have a worthy story to tell
– westhegreat
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Blog: leoladurant.com
Tread lightly on my broken wings
Now pitiful but once proud
From one extreme to the other
I’m still covered in the enemy’s shroud.
My aim is not to stay here
For I want to mend my broken wings
As I now look up to You my Lord
Sweet songs I hear the angels singing.
– mycreatorscreation
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Blog: KEM’s Writing
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud.
Many things, I saw below,
When feathers lifted me on high.
I watched and witnessed,
Until I could no more.
While love brings light,
The ground below is darkened by hate.
I broke my wings to walk once more,
And lend a hand to conquer fear.
From the skies, I saw hope sparkle,
Dim and clouded, but always there.
It shines brightest in those who stand,
Bringing others to the light,
And I will stand with them in their time.
So please, tread lightly on my broken wings.
– KEMwriting
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Blog: Where Lilies Lie
Broken Wings
Tread lightly on my broken wings
Now pitiful but once were proud
At heaven’s gate once to sing
Unto fire now bound and cowed
Success is but a frail thing
Slips and slides once come unstuck
If bells of warning do not ring
Fear the storm which sudden struck
When paupers sup with fallen king
They accept him as their own
Knowing fortune is a fleeting thing
A thousand chairs for every throne
– hawthornepassage
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Blog: Words Less Spoken
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
In one delicate flake of tiny time,
I was able to stand, then I was not
My legs are too heavy,
my wings are cut off
The water around the tunnel
does not let out til noon,
while the flies wait.
Dirty fruit from last night
the news has not changed.
My image still wrinkled
– mbrazfieldm
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Blog: Cathys Real Country Garden
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
Once crushed
A bird will never sing
The songs that you will never hear
Lie close
And silence, deafens your waiting ear.
– Cathy
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Blog: Wandering Way
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud.
Maybe too proud my poor heart sings,
Wanting to be more than a face in the crowd.
On top of my game with the world in my hands,
I lied to them and mistreated you.
Handling what my chosen life demands
Was something I could no longer do.
I can no longer fly, much less soar;
As you leave I will still love you quietly.
A simple request before you walk out the door:
Tread lightly my dear, tread lightly.
– Wandering Way
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Blog: Live Your Truth
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud.
Glamor of the moon masked by the beauty,
gloriousness and innocence of the day.
– Shayma
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Blog: The Works of an Anonymous Wosh
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
Of all the things I once had done
That I shared to all so loud
But I have time to rise again
To repair the pair that once took flight
Until then, humility is what I’ll learn
And take in lessons from my plight
– Anonymous Wosh
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Blog: Poetikaly Anointed’s Corner
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
If it’s love that you seek, look no more;
For Cupid shot me down
with its dart.
My heart was plucked by a string of bad luck.
I need to auto-tune my
cries to end the pain.
Maybe these plastic tears
will finally end my fears.
– Poetikaly Anointed
___________________________________________________________________
Blog: Tournesol dans un Jardin
Malignant
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
my spirit once was very bright
commanding and illuminate
my wings were just an afterthought
my life-force from the spirit world
floating like a lunar spaceship
meditating on nameless planets
wings were just an ornament
flying force comes from within
heavenly gods fed my passion
nothing ever weighed me down
until the winds from planet earth
spread human greed and malice
my spirit died and crushed my wings
where once were oh so very proud
– Cheryl-Lynn
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Blog: NobbinBlog
Chained
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
Once they were graceful things
Instead of this tattered shroud
With them I used to soar
Now, I can’t get off the ground
My wings are battered and sore
I’m completely beaten down
I got too high and took my dings
I lost you in a cloud
Now, my soul no longer sings
Soaring is no more allowed
Once, it seemed I had everything
It can’t be like it was then
So take these broken wings
And don’t let me fly again
– Nobbinmaug
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Blog: NobbinBlog
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
These once powerful things
Are now withered and cowed
I must find the strength to fly again
Stretch my wings, ignore the pain
Then emancipate my friends
Free us all from our chains
I need to fly. I need to soar.
We have to break through that door
We need to fight, even the score
Defeat the tyrant we all abhor
The planet we’re sworn to protect
Is now the planet we have to save
Our escape he couldn’t neglect
With us, he found a new world to enslave
– Nobbinmaug
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Blog: Pen Sight
Tread light on my broken wings,
Once proud, now pitiful,
Her hopes dashed,
Her dreams whimsical.
But this sickness,
like Icarus,
extends,
nay, issues, from my heart within.
So gently mend my pinions, yes,
but first bring to life what’s in my chest.
Then I’ll tell another story,
of flying out of death and into glory.
– Jordan Hecox
___________________________________________________________________
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud,
Unseen; they happened without sound,
Tread lightly on my paths;
Those I can no more tread,
Limbs working on behalf
Of others trapped in bed,
Tread lightly on,
Remembering
We each belong,
We each have wings,
Tread light,
World circling
Like a wind loosened kite,
Tread lightly on my broken wings.
___________________________________________________________________
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud,
Fire and ashen coloured, like cedars of old,
To never see daylight, to never feel gold,
A beautiful mind, unbroken yet twisted,
With dreams that are dark, light that once existed,
Death throes of a tale as hearts would shatter,
Last gasps of immortality, a raving mad hatter,
Tread light on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud,
Remember me, but make no mention,
Be gentle with my once perfect imperfection.
Blog: Memoirs of Alexander
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
Body aches from disenchanted dreams
ebbing shadows surround me like an orb
Waning desires, troubled ego
my twisted tongue, ever holding me ransom
The shadows dropped a shear before me
now I have hunches where wings used to be
– Idara-abasi
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Reowr 
Amazing!
for those wings once had charm
Wings smiling with unheard hymn
though pitiful still it bears life
and I am sure it will once again soar and thrive
Beautifully uplifting words. Thank you. 🙂
Thanks for the prompt. My pleasure
I once flew above it all
amongst angels in clouds.
Running my hands along
polished rails of stairs
I climb to reach the top
above chaos in thin air.
I remind myself breathe
in circumstances of fear
that broke hope but now
after my climb I see clear.
Love the clarity gained at the end of the climb. Wonderful response. 🙂
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
Faded colors tell my history
From brightness to dimness and almost dark
Although my flights are limited
My broken wings still flutter
In search of that golden sunset that restores all things
In hopes that these broken wings
We become strong and colorful once more
Love the imagery Syl. Absolute pleasure to read. 🙂
Thank you and thank you for sharing your lines. 😊
And thank you for turning them into so much more. 🙂
😊😊
Interesting read 😉
Thank you 😊
You’ve crushed a heart that with life sings
and now but cries in pain out loud.
Take great care when you play my strings
I may look weak, but I’m still proud.
I’ll fly again on silver strings,
and float as if on wispy cloud.
I can hear the music in your words, like you are playing a guitar. Just lovely.
Thanks.
Tread lightly on my broken wings
Now pitiful but once proud
My own feathers I gave as tokens
Rendered my song
Day and night
To the defeated.
Now I learn, again, to fly.
My plumage I’ll grow and wear proud.
Take care of my broken wings.
As I try not to bend or break
At the will of harsh winds.
What a delightful response. Love the feathers and plumage. 🙂
Thank you 🙏🏽😊 I appreciate it
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud,
Don’t push me down in your race,
Instead lift me up, with love and grace!
Look into my eyes, you’ll see my pain,
Let’s not find fault and complain,
Birds sing, red roses bloom, my love,
With you by my side, I feel love divine!
Hold me gently, listen to my heart beats,
Love is a magical miracle,
It’s a mystery, I don’t want to unravel,
It’s soulful, and in it you shall revel!
Your words overflow with love, and I loved reading them. Do you have an active blog I could link your entry to?
bhinablog.com
Perfect. 🙂
bhinablog.com
Thank you so much for your kind words.
And thank you for your beautiful ones. 🙂
:):)
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud,
Your soles can smooth my feathered neck,
You find me bent and bowed.
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Once strong but now are weak,
You can heal my brittle bones and then,
I’ll learn again to speak.
After reading your bath poem, it’s amazing how versatile your writing is. Your words are a joy to read.
Thank you for your generous comment. Much appreciated.
Short and sweet 🙂
Please tread lightly on my broken wings
Now pitiful but once were proud
Regal flights of my daring dreams,
Such was the elan of my once raring wings.
Ever so gallant, they kissed mountain peaks
Made love to rainbows over misty creeks.
Made man envious scaling unfathomable heights,
Gleefully raising stakes amidst threatening winds
But Time, cold as ever, brought a perennial sunset,
My fluttering vividness now riddled with degeneracy
Trapped now in memories of olden days
I sit flailing them in my golden cage,
But do tread lightly on my now broken wings
For they still remember what it means to be free.
Your thoughts run tangential to my own. Love the imagery and symbolism. And the vocabulary. Love the vocabulary. 🙂
Love it
Thank you so much! 🙂
You did? Thank you! I think I rushed the end… Or, at least the last line is missing a punch. But I ran out of time. So I suppose this will do. Thank you for posting such a wonderful prompt. I love your poems a lot. And thank you for the encouraging remarks on my submission. 🙂
I never knew there was a timer on this thing…if you ever want to tweak anything, just let me know and I will gladly change it for you. I tweak all the time, so I would hate to tweak-block you. Having said that, your poem is splendid the way it is. 🙂
I meant I had taken a break from my work and had set a timer for myself to write the poem. I think the last two lines needed to exchange the word “do”:
But tread lightly on my now broken wings,
For they do still remember what it means to be free.
But I don’t want to impose on you and I did share it as is on my blog so the mistake was on my part for being hasty.
Again, thank you for being so supportive and engaging. Looking forward to reading more of your work. Good day to you! 🙂
No imposition whatsoever. I changed the two lines you mentioned when I went to add the link to your poem. 🙂
You’re too kind. I truly appreciate it. Good day! 🙂
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
Gently guide me through the skies,
As I glide through the easterly winds, below the nimbus cloud
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
For they represent my battle victories and memories
Once a knight in shining armour,
Now just a battered and bruised warrior
Down but still a fire starter,
A fallen angel, forsaken by the heavens and yet still a mighty fighter
So tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now unworthy, yet they have a worthy story to tell
You weave an epic story in the heavens with your words. Love the response. 🙂
Thanks, haha I love how you painted a theme, and each writer weaved their own imagination to it 🙂
You gave it a divine spin. Love this iteration.
Thanks, I really enjoyed this initiative to share our creativity so randomly haha 🙂
I am delighted that you enjoyed the prompt. I really loved reading your response and getting a glimpse into your imagination. 🙂
Thank you 🙂
Blog: mycreatorscreation
leoladurant.com
Tread lightly on my broken wings
Now pitiful but once proud
From one extreme to the other
I’m still covered in the enemy’s shroud.
My aim is not to stay here
For I want to mend my broken wings
As I now look up to You my Lord
Sweet songs I hear the angels singing.
Lovely words filled with a quiet strength. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment.
My pleasure 🙂
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud.
Many things, I saw below,
When feathers lifted me on high.
I watched and witnessed,
Until I could no more.
While love brings light,
The ground below is darkened by hate.
I broke my wings to walk once more,
And lend a hand to conquer fear.
From the skies, I saw hope sparkle,
Dim and clouded, but always there.
It shines brightest in those who stand,
Bringing others to the light,
And I will stand with them in their time.
So please, tread lightly on my broken wings.
To break your own wings to walk amongst the people and help them…what a heroic story. Thank you for such a delightful response.
Tread lightly on my broken wings
Now pitiful but once were proud
At heaven’s gate once to sing
Unto fire now bound and cowed
Success is but a frail thing
Slips and slides once come unstuck
If bells of warning do not ring
Fear the storm which sudden struck
When paupers sup with fallen king
They accept him as their own
Knowing fortune is a fleeting thing
A thousand chairs for every throne
Love the rhymes and the flow of your words. And the last two lines bring it all home. Really well done! 🙂
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
In one delicate flake of tiny time,
I was able to stand, then I was not
My legs are too heavy,
my wings are cut off
The water around the tunnel
does not let out til noon,
while the flies wait.
Dirty fruit from last night
the news has not changed.
My image still wrinkled
Thought-provoking and fascinating. Well done!
thank you for the prompt and the opportunity. i abruptly stopped writing almost 4 years ago, about 2 years ago i realized i was grieving. now i’ve mustered up enough courage to get back to two of the things that comfort me the most; writing and LA.
Doing what comforts you is one of the most important things you can do when you are getting over your grief, as long as it does not harm you in any way. I just imagined myself eating endless desserts in grief and thought I should qualify that statement. I hope you continue to express yourself through your thoughtful writing.
Hey, I just want to say thank you very much for doing this. I can see that the results of your prompt are so beautiful. That was a very smart idea!
Ah, all the thanks should lie with the writers who took my words and turned them into something more than I imagined. But you’re welcome, and thank you as well. 🙂
Once crushed
A bird will never sing
The songs that you will never hear
Lie close
And silence, deafens your waiting ear.
You weave musical silence with your words. Really lovely. Thank you. 🙂
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud.
Maybe too proud my poor heart sings,
Wanting to be more than a face in the crowd.
On top of my game with the world in my hands,
I lied to them and mistreated you.
Handling what my chosen life demands
Was something I could no longer do.
I can no longer fly, much less soar;
As you leave I will still love you quietly.
A simple request before you walk out the door:
Tread lightly my dear, tread lightly.
The ending made me catch my breath. Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Thanks! Thanks for the prompt. This was a fun activity.
I’m really happy you enjoyed it! I definitely enjoyed the results. 🙂
Glamor of the moon masked by the beauty, gloriousness and innocence of the day.
Love the eloquence of your words.
i’m honoured, thou it totally doesn’t match your creation! hope i didn’t spoil the fun
Not at all! Your words were a lot of fun to read. 😀
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
Of all the things I once had done
That I shared to all so loud
But I have time to rise again
To repair the pair that once took flight
Until then, humility is what I’ll learn
And take in lessons from my plight
Nicely done! A lesson well learned as well. Loved your rhymes and flow. 🙂
Thank you! And thank you for the prompt! 😊
I hope you had fun with it! 🙂
Wow, Awesome challenge and I’m digging the entries.
Let me add my two cents:
“Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud”
If it’s love that you seek, look no more;
For Cupid shot me down
with its dart.
My heart was plucked by a string of bad luck.
I need to auto-tune my
cries to end the pain.
Maybe these plastic tears
will finally end my fears.
Some really sharp phrases like “auto-tune my cries” and “plastic tears.” Great job with the challenge! 😀
Thanks much!
Amazing responses, Cubby, but, again, no words came to me. I would have wanted to change the prompt slightly to fit how you have finished yours, though, to “Tread NOT UPON my broken wings”
You can change my prompt however you want if it means I can read more of your sweet words.
🤗
Ah, another prompt. I am way behind on all this stuff. I’ll be back with something.
By the way, what happened to “Senseless” and the Villanelle challenge? I got two of them in my email, but the links were dead. I liked it. I have a lot of fashion jokes in my writing. I do not like plaid, at least not on men. I did like it in Spaceballs.
I was annoyed with “Senseless” so I took it down. Plus it was borderline offensive to people who like plaid. 😉
I think people who wear plaid are offensive.
LOL it really depends on who is wearing it and how they are wearing it
That is absolutely true.
Tread light on my broken wings,
Once proud, now pitiful,
Her hopes dashed,
Her dreams whimsical.
But this sickness,
like Icarus,
extends,
nay, issues, from my heart within.
So gently mend my pinions, yes,
but first bring to life what’s in my chest.
Then I’ll tell another story,
of flying out of death and into glory.
This is a great response to the challenge! I like how you switched up the second line. You were the only one to do that. 🙂
Last one for a while, I promise. I’m loving the poems, especially the last evocative lines by Jordan Hecox. So, here’s mine- almost a zanze.
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud,
There were a million shatterings
Unseen; they happened without sound,
Tread lightly on my paths;
Those I can no more tread,
Limbs working on behalf
Of others trapped in bed,
Tread lightly on,
Remembering
We each belong,
We each have wings,
Tread light,
World circling
Like a wind loosened kite,
Tread lightly on my broken wings.
Antonia Sara Zenkevitch
Wow, this is an amazing zanze with fantastic content! I am going to post it with this challenge post as well as with the zanze challenge post. Very few people tried to do the zanze form, so I am so happy you tried and totally conquered it! Fantastic job! 😀
Thank-you! I’m not sure I conquered the form but I had a good go. There’s a pseudo zanze on my blog I posted earlier but the syllables are not repeated and one verse has a cccc rhyme pattern. I’m enjoying the challenges because each new form forces me to think outside the box.
It is the spirit of the form that I think counts the most, and yours had the true spirit of a zanze as well as its form. I’m glad you enjoy pushing yourself to think in different ways. Your mind and writing both benefit from this. 🙂
I hope this is not coming in too late. If it is, then it’s fine. But here goes nothing.. *breathes in and out*
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud,
Fire and ashen coloured, like cedars of old,
To never see daylight, to never feel gold,
A beautiful mind, unbroken yet twisted,
With dreams that are dark, light that once existed,
Death throes of a tale as hearts would shatter,
Last gasps of immortality, a raving mad hatter,
Tread light on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud,
Remember me, but make no mention,
Be gentle with my once perfect imperfection.
You have beautiful rhymes. And what a great flow. Love the expressions you use as well. This is excellent! 🙂
Thank you for giving us this beautiful piece..
And thank you for giving us an even greater one. 🙂
Tread lightly on my broken wings,
Now pitiful but once were proud
Body aches from disenchanted dreams
ebbing shadows surround me like an orb
Waning desires, troubled ego
my twisted tongue, ever holding me ransom
The shadows dropped a shear before me
now I have hunches where wings used to be
http://www.memoirsofalexander.com
Ah this is so sad but beautifully written. Excellent response to the challenge!
Thanks 🙂
What a unique and creative way to use your blog! There’s so much literary talent out there!
I agree! There are a lot of talented writers on WP, and I love reading all their work. Thank you for reading! 🙂