betwixt and between

32 a space for my amateur poetry & prose side blog

[midsummer-nights-rose]

loves transforms

takes on new forms

liberates

fades

like the once bright glimmer in your eyes when you walk towards me outside the coffee shop entrance

maybe it’ll be there still

but shining duller each time

a star that’s been dead for thousands of years

that i only see time’s echo of

it’s not a matter of if, but when //23-jul-2026

[heldbynight]

I would protect

the parts of you

you learned to hide

because no one

handled them gently before

[midsummer-nights-rose]

outside my window

on a day of defrost

i heard a familiar coo

(the last time i heard its call, i was not in mourning )

it brings

sorrow

nostalgia

hope

an ache that will never leave

a love that will never leave

good mourning // 10-feb-2026

[midsummer-nights-rose]

i feel like it’s swallowing me whole

it’s swallowing me whole

and there will be nothing left of me

[midsummer-nights-rose]

it feels like a dream

a wall

in my face

where there never was before

the same chairs

faces i don’t recognize

the same tables

arranged awkwardly

no more warmth

brown leather

hand written secret confessions

newspaper crossword while brushing our legs together

is it better to slowly fade

or a small mercy to cease existing altogether?

the ship of theseus wasn’t rebuilt overnight// 19-jan-2026

[midsummer-nights-rose]

you ask me what my favorite color is

i’m only allowed one

all the kids answer quick

“red!” “green!” “pink!”

i answer “blue” to have an answer

but it’s not quite right

you ask me what my favorite color is

i’m only allowed one

all the interns answer quick

“black!” “turquoise!” “yellow!”

i answer “purple” to have an answer

but it’s not quite right

you ask me what my favorite color is

i’m only allowed one

i think about

the red of a wool sweater, in the fall leaves, in the deep refraction of light in a garnet

the orange of a beach sunset, the embers in a bonfire, of a ripe mango

the yellow of incandescent lights, of a daisy, of the rays of sun at dawn

the green of moss, of the PNW evergreens, of the eucalyptus leaves

the blue of the mediterranean, of the rooftops in greece, of the color of your eyes

the purple of violets, of dried lavender, of a bushel of lilacs

so i answer “green” to have an answer

because how can i choose just one?

how am i supposed to choose a favorite anything when i haven’t lived yet? // 07-jan-2026

[midsummer-nights-rose]

i remember

i remember everything about everyone

i remember what makes them

laugh

smirk

happy

upset

angry

annoyed

i remember their favorite

artist

song

color

book

season

cookie

i remember what they hate

i remember what version of me pleases them the most

i remember never to make it about me

i remember

i remember

i remember

an elephant’s memory on my chest// 21-nov-2025

[midsummer-nights-rose]

to be their gift, not their chore

[midsummer-nights-rose]

when you’ve lived your whole life comforting and doing labors of love for others, what they’ll miss most when you’re gone is not you, it’s the labor and convenience you provided

[midsummer-nights-rose]

life is beauty//life is cruelty

[nixscriptum]

[midsummer-nights-rose]

worn brown leather arm chairs

the meditative hum of conversations

coffee beans roasting and tea steeping

students shuffling their notes

no small talk, only small revelations between strangers

"can you watch my stuff for me while I use the bathroom?"

being perceived in the most gentle of ways

being immersed into the whole while also remaining me

the most I've ever felt like myself was in a crowded coffee shop// 17-aug-2025

[everoutoftouch]

Give me more time before I decay

Send more experiences this way

Show me my full lot

Quickly now before I rot

Life is short

Death is forever

With decay I shall court

And dance til we sever

Swinging around the room while I decompose

I never could have enough time

Come close and maybe I’ll disclose

How I romanticize all the grime

Romanticize the rot

Love the lot

The process is all I’ve got

The blood in my veins will clot

My body builds and festers

It was never mine to begin with

All of life spent with jesters

I now return to the earth

[16tinyfrogs]

on watching a parent age

i saw somebody say “what if you’re gone and i haven’t become anything yet” and basically that broke me on a random thursday evening

[theriu]

OP, this is genuinely a masterpiece, three poems in one, moving and well craft. Please tell me you have submitted it to at least some poetry contests, and if not, please do so.

[everoutoftouch]

You're swimming in light

It reflects off your eyes like tiny glimmering fireflies

To meet you is nothing short of serendipitous

To know you is like being drenched in light

And to leave you is the long cold night

[midsummer-nights-rose]

you wear it long enough, you barely notice it’s there

until someone offers to carry it

to give you respite

to share the burden

but every offer to take it has resulted in a heavier weight being added

and it is given back in turn

i fear i will die with it secured to my shoulders

straps digging into my rotting flesh

no respite even in death

backpacking through life // 03-june-2025

[owlcritter]

Feelings:

I am lonely when you don’t respond.

When you ignore my texts,

my words

I know you hear me.

I just wish I wouldn’t beg for you,

to see me.

Three days.

Yet my body feels so fragile without you.

I am so desperate for you,

my own mind and body

take a toll.

It hurts.

Why do I plead with the world,

just for you to notice me?

Even if it’s a simple glance?

What will it take for you to tell me how you feel?

My emotions are a pouring storm

waiting,

pleading,

to grow calm.

To show a rainbow after the rain.

My bruised conscience is exhausted

from seeking your approval.

Your acceptance.

Please.

My feelings for you,

a heavy burden,

on my heart.

My soul begins to crack.

I can never let you go.

I don’t want to.

Your sweet words glisten

through the rain.

Even if for just a moment.

My heart weighs heavily.

I will forever be yours.