The gun is loaded.
Warhorse thunders towards the front,
Straight towards the void.
...
Turn the knife and you will see
The truth behind the tragedy
Of pain.
...
Got a life full of lies
And a face full of bruises
Her only choice
Is never what she chooses
...
Darkened midnight crypt
Reeking of cadaverine
Horror lurks at night
Gets on like a second skin
...
A pile of broken bones
And a sweet copper taste
Shoulda stayed at home
Coming out was a mistake
...
I stand there, helpless,
Watching, useless.
All I can contribute is a scream
Lamenting the horrific scene.
...
Getting reckless like a backer losing fast,
Sweatin' bullets ‘cause you know that you can't turn back,
In a panic, sprinting, ‘cause time is all you need.
Watch out everybody- there's a madman on the street!
...
I'd like to say he looked sad,
Or a little guilty, even,
But I knew that in that present moment
He couldn't feel a damn thing.
...
Jaded, disconnected eyes,
Scanning for material pleasure.
Misfits, telling only lies,
Pretending it'll get better.
...
These membranous wings of fate
Fly me through this torrential downpour
I'm upshifting at half-past eight
I have nothing to slow down for.
...
Well it was getting pretty late,
Still had dirt across my face,
Took a visit to the line that shone like steel.
Now every other breath
...
Honey, I killed the kids,
Buried 'em in the back yard,
Don't you give me that look-
It's not like it was deliberate!
...
You're in your summer dress
Showin' them bare, fleshy legs,
I'm a teenager in heat-
And I smile...
...
I guess it's just a game
And I don't know when to stop
And I didn't mean to change-
I didn't know I could
...
Vanilla Coke & Pick 'n' Mix
Show me one of those magic tricks
Then I'll take you right by the hips
And dance, & dance, & dance 'til the mourning comes!
...
Poetic inspirations for Bryony Sheldon: J.G. Thirlwell Dr John Cooper Clarke Phil Lynott Bon Scott Biggest achievements of Bryony Sheldon: -Watched The Green Mile without crying. -Stood up so fast that she temporarily could see into the fourth dimension. -Managed to boil minute rice in 56 seconds. -Snook into an 18 rated film When 13!)
Soldier
The gun is loaded.
Warhorse thunders towards the front,
Straight towards the void.
My chest is burning.
The bayonets flash in the blackened sun,
Blinding our eyes.
The gun is loaded.
White knuckles are tight on the grip,
Yet I feel nothing.
In a foreign field.
We charge onwards to our fate
In a foreign grave.
The gun is loaded
And I rust some of my bullets
With stranger's blood.
Comrades fall.
Stiffened wounds begin to test our pride,
Coarse, raw, cold.
The gun is loaded.
It chuckles at the men I slaughter,
It laughs as they die.
I spend bullets,
Screaming at the sky as I charge on,
Deafened by shame.
The gun is loaded.
My victims fall tediously one by one,
I lose count.
He has no name.
I catch him in my cold sights,
He catches me, too.
The gun is loaded.
Our eyes meet for a mere split second,
And we know each other.
We hesitate.
I regain focus.
War is a game of survival, not compassion,
And I only have one bullet left.
I reach for the trigger-
BANG!
My gun is loaded.
There's a reason why God makes us suffer: People do more praying in hospitals than they do in churches.
You don't get to live a bad life and have good things happen to you.
A transfusion from me would kill the faint of heart.
Much like a mosquito that has landed on a woman named Jasmine, I am a sucker for jazz.
Much like a mosquito that has landed on a man from Mississippi that is in debt, heartbroken, orphaned and most likely black, I am a sucker for the blues.
Much like a mosquito that has landed on a VW hatchback, I am a sucker for golf.
Much like a mosquito that has landed on a lightbulb, I am a sucker for enlightenment.
Much like a mosquito that has landed on an anvil, I am a sucker for heavy metal.
Much like a mosquito, we'd all be flying if Isaac Newton never invented gravity.
Stay tight as fuck
'Well actually, gay means happy; so you're right- I am gay! '
Bryony Sheldon writes with such honesty and pulls no visceral punches. Superbly imagined, crafted and constructed poems that are breath-taking. I'm glad this site has Bryony Sheldon on it to make our hearts beat faster.