loss/past/present/future/love
more than anything
Church bells chime out in the distance
Engines breathe, a distant whirr
Dull days pass, little resistance
Time relentless, life a blur
Smoke and trains and handkerchiefs
Like Sherlockian days of old
AI bots, electric forklifts
Strange, dark futures, too, unfold
Such a balance seems a lie
It leaves me breathless in the air
New and old will coincide
And leave us dead without a care
But butterflies flitter by
And rolling hills still tumble through
Gorgeous music still arises
We tap our feet to the blues
Your grave rests among the others
Lost souls left and gone too soon
Grief—it hurts, it kills, it smothers
People leave and shadows loom
Memories flicker, fading fast
And work and stress sweep us away
When we delve into the past
Our hearts ache with the price we pay
So we focus on machines
And politics and cash and rage
Whichever way the cracked heart leans
We’ll paint a sweet escapist stage
Even with the world soon ending
Beauty can be found throughout
Even with our ends suspending
On the precipice of doubt
I have lived through all these years
All these hardships, all these tears
And I have hardly lived at all
I scratch the surface, then I fall
Stumbling into worlds of past and future
I can see them now
Held together by these flimsy sutures
And I don’t know how
Still, I keep eyes open to the world
A hedonistic plea
That I might see something new unfurl
And realize I’ll be free
Life goes on until it ceases
And I cannot stop the motion
My soul squeezes, then releases
The ugliness of the notion
For whether I’m in paradise on earth
Or within a misery that hell can’t bring
I miss you more than anything
—
Thanks so much for reading!
If you’re interested in more poetry:
Check out my latest fiction story below:
Still working on Part Two! It’s taking a little longer than expected. I haven’t written fiction in quite a while, and it is HARD. (There might have to be a Part Three 😭)
♥️♥️♥️
About the Creator
angela hepworth
Hello! I’m Angela and I enjoy writing fiction, poetry, reviews, and more. I delve into the dark, the sad, the silly, the sexy, and the stupid. Come check me out!
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More stories from angela hepworth and writers in Poets and other communities.
Where's the Glory?
In breaking news, rehabilitated Republican Senator Johnnie Johnson (Pronouns: HE, HIM, HIS) called a press conference from the Men’s room of the New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport, Concourse B, across from the Ignatius Reilly’s Lucky Dog stand. The Senator had just returned from a sexual reorientation rehabilitation program in Memphis, TN after being publically disgraced at a Buckee’s Truckstop restroom soliciting sex from an undercover cop three months ago. He is a founding member of the Reformed Christians for Christ, a conservative, pro-family and ex-gay advocacy group. In the spirit of being reborn, Senator Johnson invited reporters to marvel at his plans for a major remodeling of airport bathrooms.
By Cathy Schieffelin4 days ago in Humor
Comments (28)
Love your social commentary poem!!! Congratulations on Top Story too!!!❤️❤️💕
Congratulations on the leaderboard placement! We do want to be with the one who can take us through it all.
This was such a good read Angela, and the rhyme gives it such a nice flow- it's ABAB, but the length of the lines means it's not so simple. "My soul squeezes, then releases"- this one was great. And also liked the closing rhyme. Missing someone loved is terrribly hard, and sometimes there isn't really answer:/
Returning to congratulate you on your leadership board placement. Well done, Angela!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
You drew us in with every line that we can all relate too. This one reflected todays emotions : 'Our hearts ache with the price we pay' Make so much sense. Congratulations on the leaderboard. You have a new follower
I haven't drank from your well in a while, but this is so darn perfect. I love the slow monotone type feel this gives off. It's like you're traveling through time or just driving by, collecting both the good and the bad in this life. Recording it so that we can attempt to digest it, for better and for worse. There's beauty and then there is hell. And you brought them together to make a perfect mess within your masterpiece. Well done and congratulations on your top story 🎉🎉🎉❤️
"And politics and cash and rage We’ll paint a sweet escapist stage"
Beautifully aching and deeply reflective. You captured the quiet chaos of time, loss, and love in a way that lingers. That final line hits like truth—soft, but devastating.
While beautiful and a view of our present day crisis betwixt modernity and the future of AI, this poem also cause me to think of past generations, even centuries, and what the almost voiceless people of the past would have said. Would they not identify with the same fears of the future, quandaries of new technology and the implications they bring, and nostalgic harkening for the past good old days?
I can relate.... Congratulations on your Top Story 👏🏾
Wow, Angela! You were in your zone when you wrote this one. I followed along, completely immersed the whole time and couldn't stop reading. It took me there. The final 3 lines brought it home. Congrats on a fine TS!
Goodness, I'm reading this after writing a heavy piece about grief, and this part hit close to home: "Grief—it hurts, it kills, it smothers/People leave and shadows loom" Congrats on the Top Story!
Top story well deserved!!! 🥳🥳🥳
Your words touched me more deeply than I expected—sometimes we write through pain, and sometimes we heal through someone else’s. Thank you for reminding me that stories like ours matter. I’m also someone who writes from a place of struggle and silent strength. Following you now—and I’d be honored if you ever visit my corner of Vocal too. We rise when we lift each other.
Congratulations, Angela, on your top story! This part hit me hard like a ton of bricks: "I have lived through all these years, all these hardships, all these tears, And I have hardly lived at all, scratch the surface, then I fall." It made me think about where I am stuck in life and the healing I have left to do.
Congrats on top story mate!!!!!!!!!!!
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Congrats on your top Story 🎉🥳
Life goes on until it ceases... Damn, this poem was something else. Great stuff Angela.
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Lovely poem!
Your poetry gives me hope and settles my stomach. Thank you.
Exciting, thematic contiguity is emerging in your work, Angela: to my old, foolish eyes, it seems that you are rejecting the idea that loss destroys meaning, and embracing the idea that loss creates it.
This has such a great rhyme to it! Honestly, great choice, and with the wording, too. It helps amplify the deepness and the tone and the severity of it all. Everything from the title to the bottom is just perfection. Also, love how the photo ties into it--eyes open to the world. Nice! 😂 I'm really looking the next part of your fiction (some of the best fiction I've ever read). But please take all the time you need. We don't wish for a stressed Angela. 💛🤗 But, you know, if you want to write it up to Part Fifty, I'm all ears (or eyes, I guess).