A Year In Letters

Tag: poetry

written by Daniel
October 1, 2025 0

A Yom Kippur Reflection

To those I have hurt, I now humbly pray,
forgive me, forgive me, this solemn day.
My hands are open, my heart laid bare,
like pages inscribed with a whispered prayer.

To those I have lifted but not enough,
I wish I had steadied when the journey grew tough.
May my intent, though imperfect, still be received,
as the breath of the shofar is heard and believed.

To those I neglected, whose needs I missed,
I ask for compassion, a gentler twist.
For silence was never the gift I would give,
yet mercy reminds me to learn how to live.

And to those who upheld me when shadows grew long,
you carried my spirit, you taught me a song.
You mended the garment where it had been torn,
and guided me gently toward being restored.

So I turn, and return, as the gates slowly close,
with gratitude deeper than anyone knows.
May the One who pardons, who shelters, who saves,
inscribe us for life, for love, for the days.

written by Daniel
February 8, 2016 0

The Wall

Waters said there was a door when I came in,
been here too long, I’m stuck, locked within.
The pressure is mounting this can’t be good,
This wall wasn’t build out of paper or wood,
Its construction was perfect, from mason and brick,
The darkness is looming, this might make me sick,
Someone once told me whats seen in mind’s eye
Is unsurpassed in its greatness, and beauty can’t lie.
Well, here I am sitting, with all my gears spinning
Creating new creatures all hell-bent, and winning,
I’m willing to bet that “someone” hasn’t seen creatures like these
Or else, they wouldn’t be spreading their deceit and disease.
From Dante’s cantos, to the angels that sing,
Every single demon has a present to bring,
So I unwrap the presents presented to me,
Secretly hoping to find the lost key.
The time is arriving,  and I’ve had enough
Where is the door that’s hidden and rough.
The pressure is mounting, the visions I see
Ignore negotiations, they don’t hear my plea
I am not certain which will fall first,
The walls that surround me or my mind which is cursed?
They say madness breeds madness, and never brings light
Fighting madness with madness is a loosing fight.
Hence I sit here in the prison of my own making,
wondering if from this torrent I’m waking.
Exploring my mind, and cursing illusion,
Perpetuating a constant state of confusion,
It ain’t hard to find illusion when you are living in a memory
But can my illusion, fraught with confusion, truly set me free?

One can certainly hope.

written by Daniel
January 30, 2015 0

Time Has Arrived

Roaming this lonely planet for 23 years,
Days filled with anguish and nights filled with tears,
The sun may be shining but I just saw the rain,
Pouring in cycles, it pierces and stains.

I’m tired of darkness, Where does one find light?
Haven’t I given the devil a fight?
I’m tired of failure, and envy and hate
Time has arrived, I’m changing my fate.

So I cry out to heaven, O lord, raise me high!
Give me the strength that is needed to fly.
Cut all the chains, all the ropes and the weights,
Time has arrived, I’m breaking this cage.

I’m fighting for freedom from all that impose,
The powers that be, the powers that rose.
And those that defy me will soon understand,
Only the weak never lend out their hand.

So if you aren’t with me, don’t stand in my way
With all of your efforts you wont get me to stray.
This path is my own, I don’t need any of you
But a true friend will stay, and I’ll be true to you.

Even from mountains conquered in spring,
looking down, admiring the angels that sing
I will continue to fight, to rise and pursue,
Never settle for less than is granted to you

Through the time and the effort which one dares to spend
One figures out greatness before the story ends
And writes the greatest tale that ever was scribed
The tale of life lived, developed, derived.

So open your eyes, lend me your ears,
Watch the transformation through all of your tears
May the tale I tell you serve as a seed,
May all of your efforts to your greatness lead.

written by Daniel
October 1, 2014 0

This is not at all what I expected

This is not at all what I expected
When I packed my bags on Friday night,
When I hit the road, the work day ended,
My Alma Mater, destination set in sight.

A weekend with old friends, the people I remember
Nights on the town with strangers I will soon forget
I expected to remind them I am clever
Make bad decisions I would soon regret

Instead dame fate in all her wisdom,
Brought you to glide inside my door
And so it came, a change of rhythm,
A new perceptive cutting through the core.

I refused to believe it, for the first hour at the least
But as the evening kept progressing by the moonless tide
I found my demons with my angels at the strangest peace
And somehow this odd thing, a smile, suddenly hard to hide.

We spent the day and then another,
We ended our foray afloat the sea
To our encounter we weighed anchor,
Thank you world for introducing you to me.

I do not know where our paths are cast,
I only know where I have already been.
I hope this first encounter wont be the last
And great adventures for us are waiting to be seen.

written by Daniel
September 16, 2014 0

Another Year

written by Daniel
September 16, 2014 0

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2779/4254149340_c912fa7a4d_z.jpg?zz=1Another year ebbs away,
And I realize that in this play
We are doomed to be alone,
To cry in darkness when at home.

The tunnel’s light has grown so dim,
It can’t be ignited, we can’t win
And so I resign myself to be
Alone for all eternity.

No money can rearrange my fate
Nor love nor fear nor thoughts of hate,
That’s whats written in the sand,
There is no one here to lend a hand,

And wipe the words right off the slate,
Change my life, alter my fate.
No ones here to hear my plea,
No one here to miss me when I flea

Flea from this land of barren plains,
To places where there are no chains,
No hatred nor neglect nor pain,
Or perhaps I’ll just go insane.

Insane is such a funny term,
the thought of it can make one squirm.
But insane is what I’ll soon find my self to be,
It is the purest way to set me free.

written by Daniel
September 14, 2014 0

There I stood

written by Daniel
September 14, 2014 0

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3363/3257624062_4665eb2f7e_z.jpg?zz=1There I stood before the monument erected,
A fortress wall over time and space perfected.
There must have been a door when you came in,
When you locked the world away from start to fin.

I stood before it day and night awaiting,
I dared to pray and hope, beseeching
You to let me in, for just a momentary glance,
To show me what is hidden, just one chance.

For months I stood before that frozen stone
Till the ice had pierced my own heart to the bone
Till the tarnished moon had cast its final light,
And threw my soul into infernal night.

At last I walked away from that sepulcher of dreams
Where you’ve hidden all that time, it seems,
And when you shall once again emerge to see the day,
I won’t be standing there, I’d have gone away.

Perhaps I’ll never know, if it mattered much to you
That I stood so long, and for so long remained true.
Perhaps it doesn’t matter, not even just one gram,
For in that time I realized that you never gave a damn.

And should the sands of time continue, as they had
I’ll find the sun and stars, I shan’t remain this sad.
But you will never know what I tried yelling at the wall
You still won’t hear it, even if one day, it shall fall.

written by Daniel
May 13, 2014 0

Somebody Take Me

written by Daniel
May 13, 2014 0

http://www.camelcitydispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Fire-Hands-Screensaver_1.jpgSomebody take me
To that faraway place
Where the fire’s burning
Warming up my face

Somebody give me
The vision I need
To see the world’s beauty
To plant the right seed.

Somebody tell me
That there’s more to this.
There must be more to life,
Is there something I’ve missed?

Somebody show me
The way out of the rut
How to get through the door
Before it’s permanently shut

Somebody help me,
I’m sinking too deep
I know how this ends
Everlasting sleep.

written by Daniel
May 11, 2014 0

On a Mother

written by Daniel
May 11, 2014 0

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLHWWvi7I0k/TuwEBC1zr-I/AAAAAAAAEVE/-bvVMCLEmtQ/s1600/Cerita%2BNatal%2Byang%2BMustahil%2B%2B-%2BTapi%2BKasih%2BItu%2BNyata.jpgHaving known you longer
Than even you would dare to know thyself
She has been stronger
Always giving of herself
In light and in darkness
She is there to hold you tight
She helps you harness
and rise up to the tallest heights.
She never asked anything in return
And she always seemed to worry
Even if the world would start to burn
She’d protect you from the fire’s fury.

Happy Mothers Day!

written by Daniel
May 10, 2014 0

It Was Just Me Tonight

written by Daniel
May 10, 2014 0

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/US_Navy_041027-N-9500T-001_The_moon_turns_red_and_orange_during_a_total_lunar_eclipse.jpgIt was just me tonight, alone with the moon,
Suddenly I’m stricken down by a melancholy tune.
My own mind laughs at me, playing silly pranks.
And the demons clearly see my emotions tank.

I call out to them all, “Ahoy! dark spirits of the sea!
What brings you here on such fair night, out here to torment me!”
In response just laughter, ringing loudly through the place
Slowly, I feel the tears begin to stream along my face.

“We’ve settled this”, I cry to them,” so many moon’s ago!
Why have you arrived once more to plague my conscience so?
Why show me memories I have long since stored away,
Hoping ne’er to revisit them, especially not this day!”

From the warbling throng of demons in the room
A figure most familiar stood, chanting out  my doom
Its words I could not decipher, not a single one
But the message was quite clear by the time it was done

Don’t bother searching for me, I’m hidden far away
Perhaps if we are lucky, I might return one day.
But for the present keep living, enjoy what you have now
Keep laughing, smiling, playing, and never dare to frown.

Remember the nightmare’s real, and so are the demons at play
No running or hiding will save you, just push it to another day.
At some point you too will cave, and when that day arrives,
You’ll know that I have warned you, you’ll join me by the tides.

written by Daniel
May 9, 2014 0

In The Mess

In the mess that is our own existence,
One simple thing you should keep in mind.
No matter the strength of laziness’ persistence,
If you can’t keep up, you’ll be left behind.

With every move we make towards survival,
Of your own breath always think first
For if you spend time in thine own denial,
From the cup of glory you shall never quench your thirst.

If you will not stand proudly for thyself,
Alone, you shall take the journey,
For your existence in and of itself
Relies on taking a stance for one’s identity.

No one can take your place at the helm
Not even for a moment’s time
If you plan to rule the realm
Take charge, and make the climb.

written by Daniel
May 7, 2014 0

Still The Rain Kept Falling

written by Daniel
May 7, 2014 0

http://content-img.experienceproject.com/1338416845Twrjwf.jpgIn a little corner bistro, at  the table on the right
sat a little girl, dark hair, blue eyes,
She sat there all night.
In front of her a dark bound notebook,
A foolish boy once gave to her
lay open with a pencil dainty in her fingers crook
Pondering and thinking, she sits and scrawls about
whatever little thought will pass her
while filling her with doubt.
She never had imagined, it would one day come to this
Dilemmas, problems issues growing
Stealing her happiness and bliss.
A dozen flowers laying scattered
At that table on the right
beside them, the pieces of her heart, shattered.

The lion’s roar of thunder
Kept them up that night,
Kept them all at wonder
Stayed with them till the light
And still the rain kept falling.

He sat home by the candle writing
He only thought of her,
This was no silly fling
He dared not speak the meaning
He kept hidden in his soul
He burned and suffered through the spring
Try as he might, he didn’t dare
to share his inner feeling
Her broken heart he would try to spare.
No one should have to burn
As he was burning there
And then perhaps she’ll learn
The meaning of the longing stare
he gave her when they sat together,
While his presence she could still bare.

The lion’s roar of thunder
Kept them up that night,
Kept them all at wonder
Stayed with them till the light
And still the rain kept falling.

written by Daniel
May 4, 2014 0

I Say This

written by Daniel
May 4, 2014 0

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff35/lexygurl16/276916155tgFICj_fs.jpgI know.
I know you’ve heard all the clever lines before.
I know that’s why you’ve said never more.
I know the pieces are still scattered, a million pieces
I know what was left is now smoldering ashes.
I know what I ask is difficult right now.
I know distance is all decency shall allow.

I promise.
I promise my words do not stand empty
I promise I’ll be there at your every plea
I promise to fit the pieces back together.
I promise I’ll try to make it better.
I promise to put out life’s festering fires.
I promise to do whatever your happiness requires.

I say this here, I say it now
I hope you can believe it, somehow
On my face, you always put a smile,
And for you, I’ll go that extra mile
No matter the mood, bright or blue,
My dearest girl, I want to be with you.

written by Daniel
April 30, 2014 0

I Stay Awake

written by Daniel
April 30, 2014 0

man-in-the-darkness-green

 

I  stay awake at night too often
Hiding in awareness from the demons
That live behind the shutter of my eyes.
I dare not venture deep into the darkness
Where I know they lay in waiting
Forming plans, deceit and lies.

The nightmare I live is far too real
To explain to those who cannot see
The visions I am plagued with every night.
And when I dare to fall into a slumber
Apparently snoozing the night away,
My mind dares not risk to lose the fight.

It battles all throughout the hours
Against enemies, fears and dreams
Which shake me to the core.
Visions of ghastly evil
penetrate my heart and soul
And should I lose, I shall awaken…

Nevermore.

written by Daniel
April 29, 2014 0

What is hidden

written by Daniel
April 29, 2014 0

roses-04
What is hidden in flowers that are given with care
By a starstruck lover whenever he dare?
A feeling, a hope, a dream dreamt in solace
A promise, a vow, an honest open bareness,
The expression of truth which words cannot relate
The display of affection, an emotional state.
So much is given in just a few stems
Don’t take them for granted like so many fems
Appreciate each one, as though ‘twer his heart
For by giving them to you, he tore it apart.
From within his soul, he pulled it together
In hopes you’d see, you would feel and remember.
He may not have much to give, and he knows
But this is just one way his feelings he shows.

written by Daniel
April 29, 2014 0

Can you hear

written by Daniel
April 29, 2014 0

Image: The Rain Room Is Unveiled At The Curve Inside The Barbican CentreCan you hear the rain outside?
It taps out the rhythm of my heart
And even in the darkest hour I can’t hide
The way I feel when we’re apart.

The clouds cover the morning rays
And somewhere a bird is calling
Perhaps soon, together we shall spend our days
There is no stopping, I have fallen.

And should you suddenly decide
You want me much the same
Then the torrent rain outside
Shall bring us joy most every day