By DJ Tyrer

Confrontation

A fluid moment
Tempers rising like the tide
Inhibitions like flood defences
Can only stall the inevitable
A turn-the-the-cheek moment
Slip away from the rage
Biting your tongue
Escape the confrontation

Exhaustion

Exhaustion
Crashes like waves
Upon the shore
Of wakefulness
Encroaching
Upon the waking mind
Overwhelming
Subsuming
Wearing down
As the sea
Overcomes
The fragile land

Jigsaw Puzzle

You had all the clues
I gave you all the pieces
Of the jigsaw
That I could never discuss;
But I neglected the lid
And without a guide
It was impossible to complete.
Or did you just lack the nerve
Fearful of what you might find?
That puzzle left incomplete
Just like me.

Obviously

The dehumidifier has a bucket
Obviously
To collect the water
Condensed from damp air
And in one corner of the bucket
No matter how hard I clean it
There is a dark stain
A lurking mould
Thriving in the wet
A dark stain
Like that in the corner of my heart
A lurking pain
Caused by you
Your rejection
My cowardice
A festering mould of the soul
That I can never heal
Obviously

The Masks I Wear

A ritualistic display
A concession and a consolation
A disguise to hide behind
Sometimes a mirror to reflect the thoughts of others
One for home and one for work
Switch it out when no-one’s looking
A special mask for fun
But none of them, no matter how detailed or plain, is me
Only when I sit alone and cry do I wear no mask
In the looking glass, now, there is no face staring back
The masks I wear have consumed me
I no longer exist
I am no longer me