late start

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yoshikrab
Gender Male
Points 471
Reviews 141
Sun Apr 06, 2025 11:56 pm
yoshikrab says... · Sun Apr 06, 2025 11:56 pm
late start

is it ever too late to start again?

2024 - MMXXIV - [fleeting summer daydream]
2023 - MMXXIII - [the sunken cathedral]
2022 - MMXXII - [lost years . . .]
2021 - MMXXI - [shoreline delirium]

table of contents

I. late start
II. tardy pass
III. uprooted
IV. cross-examination
V. butterfly caravan
VI. SURPRISE
VII. —i’d prefer emptiness over suffering
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XX.
XXI.
XXII.
XXIII.
XXIV.
XXV.
XXVI.
XXVII.
XXVIII.
XXIX.
XXX.
Last edited by yoshikrab on Fri Apr 11, 2025 1:47 am, edited 8 times in total.
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap
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User avatar
yoshikrab
Gender Male
Points 471
Reviews 141
Mon Apr 07, 2025 12:01 am
yoshikrab says... · Mon Apr 07, 2025 12:01 am
I. late start

the day began ten hours ago
yet my body is still frozen in place
like an ice cube floating in a cup of water;
i’m staying afloat, but i’m going nowhere

like a boat with no sail
or a car with no wheel
speaking of cars
i got my permit recently
(it’s about time)

everyone already knows how to drive
yet i’m still months away from my license
i wonder if my friends will leave me behind
for my tardiness

(so at noon, i plan to get out of my bedsheets)
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap
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yoshikrab
Gender Male
Points 471
Reviews 141
Mon Apr 07, 2025 9:27 pm
yoshikrab says... · Mon Apr 07, 2025 9:27 pm
II. tardy pass

walking through empty halls
but the classrooms are full
muffled voices come and go
as I pass by closed doors

is it too late for me to go to class?
i don’t have a tardy pass…
now i sit alone and wait
pretending i’m not late

and then you sat down next to me
i’m a bit speechless
“who are you?”
“why are you here?”
i want to speak but all i can do is
stare

and i still don’t have a tardy pass…
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap
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yoshikrab
Gender Male
Points 471
Reviews 141
Mon Apr 07, 2025 10:21 pm
yoshikrab says... · Mon Apr 07, 2025 10:21 pm
III. uprooted

does a hurricane know how the tree feels to be uprooted?
or does it just continue storming on
without a care in the world

my roots reached deep into the ground
i was held in place by a thousand hooks
like those zoomed in pictures of velcro we saw in science
you know, i really enjoy science class
(don’t tell anyone, but it’s because you’re in it)

and now i’ve been swept away by your harsh winds
i’ve never felt like this before
this isn’t just a fleeting daydream, but a striking reality
for the first time in his life,
this tree
learns
to fly

“This just in— an oak tree from fifty miles away was uprooted during the hurricane and crashed into an apartment. There has been severe infrastructural damage to the building, but miraculously, no casualties have been reported at this time. Stay tuned for more details.”
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap
Quote




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yoshikrab
Gender Male
Points 471
Reviews 141
Tue Apr 08, 2025 1:39 pm
yoshikrab says... · Tue Apr 08, 2025 1:39 pm
IV. cross-examination

did you know poem spelled backwards is meop?

(yes/no)

yeah, i know that isn’t a word, but does that mean
irrationality equates to impossibility?

(i agree/i disagree, but this isn’t a debate, so i guess my rhetoric
falls flat
just as my words fall flat when i stand face to face
with you)

did you know love spelled backwards is evol?

(yes/no)

yeah, i know that this joke comes across better verbally, but does that mean
we should speak our mind when we’re together?

(i agree, because it means i could learn something about you, but
why can’t i say anything?
because i’m too afraid to mess it up
i want to laugh and cry with you
is what i want to say, but we could do without crying
but i’m just a coward who can only ask questions
to keep the conversation going/i disagree)

did you know i have a huge crush on you?

(yes/no)

yeah, i know that isn’t something i’ve ever said before, but does that mean
unprecedented motions are a reason for the chamber to adjourn?

(agree/disagree)
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap
Quote




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yoshikrab
Gender Male
Points 471
Reviews 141
Tue Apr 08, 2025 9:20 pm
yoshikrab says... · Tue Apr 08, 2025 9:20 pm
V. butterfly caravan

i suspect you’re my caravan
my mind is wandering, but
my hand is in yours, as you lead the way into
the great unknown

i suspect you’re my tour guide
we’re probably on a magnificent adventure
in the mediterranean archipelago
or the boreal forests of the north

(it doesn’t have to be those places specifically…)
(i’m just naming whatever i think sounds cool…)
(you know i’d follow you anywhere…)
(you know i’d do anything for you…)

do you feel butterflies in your stomach when you see me?
probably not; i’ve taken all the butterflies in the room
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap
Quote




User avatar
yoshikrab
Gender Male
Points 471
Reviews 141
Tue Apr 08, 2025 9:39 pm
yoshikrab says... · Tue Apr 08, 2025 9:39 pm
VI. SURPRISE

i think i might quit poetry
i’d hoped that you would come across my poems
and smile, and realize, and understand
and i’d chuckle and say
“you weren’t supposed to see that”

and finally, you would get me
you’d get why this all happened
it’s not my fault
i didn’t mean to say that

please, will you forgive me
wait? i’m forgiven? so we
can go back to the way it was before?
sure, sure, you say

but who is that
you’re standing next to?
smiling at him and gazing
into his eyes

like the filth you are
(i didn’t mean that. i swear i didn’t mean to call you filth. you know i would never think that, but)

why do you look
so happy?
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap
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Wolfi
Gender Female
Points 23875
Reviews 521
Thu Apr 10, 2025 12:02 am
Wolfi says... · Thu Apr 10, 2025 12:02 am
Spoiler
does a hurricane know how the tree feels to be uprooted?
or does it just continue storming on
without a care in the world

Love this <3 There's this overarching theme I'm seeing in a couple of poems where the narrator experiences emotions for someone deeply and profoundly, and that someone is in indifferent or absent in reply. I really appreciate the cohesiveness of this collection so far, despite the variety of subjects and formats!
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.

she/her | team monkeys | #unclassified
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yoshikrab
Gender Male
Points 471
Reviews 141
Fri Apr 11, 2025 1:46 am
yoshikrab says... · Fri Apr 11, 2025 1:46 am
Spoiler
@Wolfi TYSM <33333
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap
Quote




User avatar
yoshikrab
Gender Male
Points 471
Reviews 141
Fri Apr 11, 2025 1:46 am
yoshikrab says... · Fri Apr 11, 2025 1:46 am
VII. —i’d prefer emptiness over suffering

a pencil softly taps on a desk nearby
students shifting in their seats, sipping their water
the lecture’s over, the teacher’s on her phone
my hands are stiff, my worksheet– blank
to my left, a girl is snoring loudly
(should i wake her up?)

i peek outside the window, where a ginkgo tree rests
against a melancholy, cloudy sky
the world is so beautiful
through this looking glass
but i’m no alice
and this isn’t a wonderland

(i’ll do my homework later)

dear diary, nothing happened today, but—
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap
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Avian
Gender Female
Points 994
Reviews 56
Fri Apr 11, 2025 3:40 am
Avian says... · Fri Apr 11, 2025 3:40 am
Spoiler
ahhh loving the theme so far! showing up fashionably late, one could say. i also love how the last line connects to the title in the most recent poem. it's a nice touch !! :]
it is always another hand that guides me.
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User avatar
yoshikrab
Gender Male
Points 471
Reviews 141
Mon Apr 14, 2025 1:45 am
yoshikrab says... · Mon Apr 14, 2025 1:45 am
Spoiler
@Avian tysm <3333 i thought really hard on the title thing for the last one hehe
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap
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