#monthlypoem

[sarantosmelogia]

Check out the new poem I wrote called “

Off the Clock” released worldwide right now!

Because sometimes one song cannot fully explain the sacred bond between two besties and the chaos they absolutely call self-care.

Here’s my latest poem Off the Clock — inspired by friendship, late-night laughter, ride-or-die loyalty, and the friend who somehow turns every normal plan into a witness statement.

[sarantosmelogia]

Check out the new poem I wrote called “Chicago Skyline” released worldwide right now!

Because sometimes a city lives in your veins so loudly it spills into poetry

Here’s my latest poem Chicago Skyline — inspired by the grit, wind, and unshakable pride behind Chicago from Day One, because some hometowns don’t whisper… they roar. Poem of the month is officially live.

[shirleybutsurely]

be good to yourself

do your future self a favor 

make the bed in the morning

and smooth out the wrinkles on the edges

so your shadow can cast without perversion/

do your future self a favor

do not forget the “seen” message

exchange your sloth for kindness

and speak as you would like to receive/

do your future self a favor

memorize your signature 

master each loop and zag 

until you can recognize it with eyes closed/

[everyday-poetrypractice]

june

WOW THINGS ARE SO BAD How are we supposed to go on? What can be done? I think I know some answers, but no salve can heal the ache. No other option but hope, Backed by action. No safety but connection, Each other, with hard-won trust. My eyes see a dark sky, But I will remind my feet That they still know how to step And to keep balance.

[shirleybutsurely]

Nostalgia

A mix of sugar and salt

A quick screenshot of a movie

A place in time that begs to stay untouched

Always reflecting what mattered to us the most. 

[shirleybutsurely]

backstroke, my favorite

today I went to the public pool

the humid air smelled of chlorine and beech and strawberry popsicles

children laughing, mothers complaining, insects screeching

in my unpadded Speedo suit I️ feel 11 again

I start out with casual breaststroke, like always

my limbs shake out from the stagnancy of the day

and my lungs make out their ballooned shape

then I move to freestyle, where I pretend I am a dolphin, slick and happy, a party of splashes trailing behind me

lastly, I flip over into backstroke, and I am swept into the endless canopy sky

my body is still exerting, pumping, maneuvering

but it’s just me and the blue upside-down sea

and in this moment there’s nothing else I need.

[shirleybutsurely]

mirror

we forget what eye contact means

you posture one of the two:

a transaction, or a performance

and miss the opportunity for a genuine connection.

1, 5 ,10 years come to a close

and you are exhausted

like a slumped sunflower at twilight 

but you can’t remember having been joyful. 

but it gets the best of us these days

all of us are clumsy, awkward, and deaf in compassion

our undissolvable egos clash like resolute crabgrass in infertile soil

mirrors are meant to stay in the home

but bring your glasses with you when you step outside.

[shirleybutsurely]

Mere Efforts

You never escape

from sinking sand

when you resist against its current. 

The key to not drowning

in the cooler patches of the sea

is to float with its waves. 

~~~~~~

Thick, burgeoned oak 

and its howling leaves

brave against nature’s whistles 

and wince at its breaking branches 

while the meek bamboo rests

on the untiring earth 

away from the glare of the gale.