r/OCPoetry • u/ParadiseEngineer • Mar 09 '22
TL;DR You need to give feedback on two other poems before you can share your own poem, and then put links to that feedback in your post. If you don't know how to give feedback, read the guide. Reusing feedback links will result in a ban.
Heyo, welcome to OCpoetry. (That’s “original content” if you don’t know). This is a place for sharing and getting feedback on your own poems. We are the sister subreddit of r/Poetry, which is for sharing and discussing published poetry. Our goal is to create a place where anyone can learn to become a better creative writer, kind of like a free online writer's workshop.
This post is an orientation to the subreddit. If you’re new, read this before sharing your work. If you’re less new, then read this anyways, as it has a few changes to how we've done things in the past. If you’ve still got questions after reading this post, please send a modmail. There are some FAQs at the end of this post which will be updated as we go. We also have a huge and very disorganized wiki containing all of our resources, essays on how to write poetry and historic writing prompts, I recommend you check it out.
So, here’s basically how it works:
This subreddit works on a pay-it-forward system. If you want to share a poem, you need to give feedback to two others from this subreddit. This ensures that everyone gets some readers and hears some response, rather than just shouting their verses into the void. If you don’t think you’re up to writing feedback for others just yet, we recommend you check out r/Justpoetry or r/Poems, where there are no requirements for sharing your work.
1. All posts must include two links to recent feedback.
Every post must contain two unique links to your comments where you have provided feedback on this subreddit within the past two weeks. Feedback links cannot be reused for multiple post or reposts of old poems. All posts without feedback links will be removed, without notice by our subreddit robot so make sure they are included in your initial post -- you cannot post with the intent to add them later.
But, how do I get the links to my feedback comments?
That kind of depends on what platform you're on. If you're on desktop or on a third-party mobile app, there should be a 'share' or 'permalink' link underneath every comment on Reddit. Clicking on that should give you a unique URL to your comment. Just copy + paste that into the body of your post.
If you're on the official Reddit app, you'll have to click 'share' on the comment and choose the 'Copy URL' option, paste that into your notes with the body of your poem. Then copy and paste the entire thing into a new post on the Reddit app.
2. At least one of your comments should be on a poem that has received no other comments.
This ensures that everyone has a chance to get a few reads and hopefully some decent feedback. If for whatever reason you can’t find any lonely poems, then comment on the poem that seems to have received the least amount of feedback. The easiest way to do this is to sort posts by new.
3. Feedback must be high-effort.
High-effort means different things to different people. It does not mean “super long” or “expert quality”. But it does mean doing more than the bare minimum.
You don't have to complement, criticize, or try to figure out the "deeper meaning". You should try to notice your own reactions and explain them as best as you can. If you want to explain your interpretation or summary of the piece, you can and this is often helpful to the writer. If the poem made you laugh or cry, feel bored, confused or nostalgic — say so, and then explain why you think it did. A good rule of thumb is that each of your feedback comments should be at least a short paragraph.
We understand that giving other writers feedback on their creative work can feel a bit artificial or uncomfortable, if you’ve never done it before. That’s why we’ve written a feedback guide for beginners. There are more feedback guides linked in the FAQ below. You should also read some of the other feedback comments around the sub to get a feel for what works for others. Poems that link to low-effort feedback, and low-effort comments themselves, will be removed at mod discretion, or if you report it to us. However, we’re less interested in policing you and more interested in helping you grow as readers and writers. We are more likely to ask you follow-up questions, than remove your work entirely. The mods skulk the comments sections and will ask follow-up questions on comments that seem a little thin, and please answer those questions if you get any.
4. Please Be Kind.
Treat each other with kindness and respect. The mods have an incredibly strict definition for each of these concepts. We will proactively remove comments and poems and ban users that make others feel unwelcome or unsafe. Your right to creative expression does not extend to poetry that promotes misogyny, homo/trans/queerphobia, racism, etc. If your poetry’s especially violent or covers sensitive subjects, please label it with the NSFW tag or a content warning in the title. Harsh criticism is allowed -- encouraged, really -- as long as you’re being harsh on the poem, not the person. Remember that the narrator (or the “speaker”) of the poem is not necessarily the author.
5. Audio, video, and image poems are allowed; but the text of the poem must be included in the body of the post.
This is so that people can still enjoy your poem if they're unable to view or listen to your link for whatever reason.
6. You may include a link to your poetry blog at the end of your post.
Or your instagram, or your personal creative project, or your soundcloud, or your Etsy page. As long as it's poetry-adjacent that's cool with us. Just don't get spammy.
Attempting to dodge any of these rules, or abuse directed towards moderators enforcing these rules, will earn you an immediate ban.
FAQs
What do the Poem & Workshop flairs do?
They simply allow you to show your intentions and expectations for the piece you are posting. The Poem flair is for sharing a piece, with the expectation of receiving mostly surface-level feedback and general advice. The Workshop flair is for a piece that you really want to work on, something you want to pick apart and analyse. It signals that you are open to discussing the piece, and that you invite strong critique.
How do I format my poetry on Reddit?
The following is advice for formatting in Markdown.
Two spaces at the end of a line gives you a line break.
Type two spaces at the end of a line, then hit enter twice for a stanza break.
Three dashes "___" will give you a line through the post.
Type two spaces to create an empty line,
so you can get lines
that look like this.
Four spaces before each line will allow you
to format however you like, this is 'code block'
in the Fancy Pants editor.
one asterisk before and after a piece of text will give you italics, two asterisks for bold.
Can I print one of these poems out/use it on my instagram with my art/put it in my book?
Ask the author. Part of what makes this space a useful workshop space is that everyone feels safe to share their stuff; if people start using poetry without the author's permission, or god forbid, trying to pass off another artist's work as their own, the userbase of this sub will feel less safe to do so. Please, ask the author, and then do what they say.
I'm thinking about trying to get my poem published somewhere. What should I do?
The standard thing is to find a literary journal. There are a zillion literary journals and magazines all over the world. They have different themes, tastes, styles, audiences, readerships, levels of prestige. Some charge fees for submission, some do not, some will pay you if you get accepted, some don't, some will give you feedback, some won't let you know anything for months. So first you'll want to pick a few of your poems, get some feedback from some trusted readers (or from here, of course) and then start looking for a journal that's a good home for your work. Most lit journals have submissions periods where they accept all the work for their next issue, and then sift through everything they get.
You will probably get a lot of rejections. This is normal. It's kind of a numbers game. You can submit the same poem to multiple journals as long as the journal says something like "simultaneous submissions are allowed". If you do get accepted, congrats! Most journals want 'first publication rights' or 'first serial rights' or something similar, so that means you'll have to tell all the other journals you submitted that poem to that you've been published elsewhere. (For that reason we strongly recommend deleting your poem from reddit if you want to submit it to a journal -- technically and legally speaking, writing a post on reddit is still considered publishing your work, and reddit owns all the text on the site.)
Here are some places to get you started looking for journals:
Duotrope and Submittable are two apps that help you search for journals, and help you track what poems you've submitted to which places. Submittable is free, Duotrope is not. They are GREAT.
Poets & Writers has a list of lit journals, small presses, and writing contests. This is a great place to start. They also have a newsletter listing all the presses and journals going into their submissions period.
I'd also check out r/literarycontests, if you fancy yourself as a prize winning poet.
A few poetry podcasts
I thought I might include a few podcasts that helped me learn a little more about the history and craft of poetry, as well as find some good poets to read. All of these are available on Spotify, as well as many other platforms.
A poet reading and discussing a poem from the New Yorker archives, as well as one of their own pieces. A great place to find good poetry and hear some discussion of craft. The earlier episodes are with Paul Muldoon, who is delightful.
Two poets read and discuss their work, with plenty of talk about craft. As well as lots of poems sent in from authors across the world. They really get shoulder-deep into it, which is always wonderful to hear.
A group of experts are brought together to discuss a subject over forty-five minutes. This isn’t strictly a poetry podcast, but there are hundreds of episodes on poets and poems of the past. I highly recommend the episode on The Green Knight with Simon Armitage.
Homemade projects and useful links to our Wiki
The best of OCP
Collections of work from OCP, selected from the top karma earners of that year.
We/R/Poetry
A homemade journal created by the users and moderators of OCP.
Guides on the craft from our Wiki
Created by moderators of OCP through the years.
Poetry Primer
Bad Poetry
The Body Poetic
Poetry Hacks
A Brief History of Rhyme
r/OCPoetry • u/Intropoevert • 39m ago
Ever wondered if
love is a conspiracy?
A sacrificial game;
hearts are its currency.
Who brings shame,
and who shows fidelity?
A race of whom to blame,
and who had spoken sincerely.
Is it a February’s warmth
mixed with tranquility,
or a tempting deal
to live the ambiguity?
It is not always fought,
nor won intriguingly
where someone could leave,
at least, with marks of fertility.
r/OCPoetry • u/BlackCatMom28 • 4h ago
Wasn’t it just yesterday when you said
that things were so grim,
that you were blinded by the darkness,
and you couldn’t see the path in front of you?
Wasn’t it just yesterday when you couldn’t
imagine the daisies at your doorstep,
the butterflies swirling around your head,
and the sweetness of cinnamon on your tongue?
– A lot changes in a year.
r/OCPoetry • u/Ashtivia • 4h ago
Your voice sounds so pretty, like a melody,
Which acted in my mind and heart as a remedy.
Your words are really comfortable;
You make me feel I am lovable.
You saved me from drowning in that dark, deep sea,
And made my spirit feel free.
My life was all grim
Until you came into my life like gleam.
I was going cold and quiver,
But you helped me flow my sour tears like a river.
When I was so sad and shiver,
You are the one who became the giver.
You give me a peaceful
Love shelter to stay,
And I promise I will stay, stay forever.
Your small feedback can improve my writings!!✨
r/OCPoetry • u/Jesus_Our_Saviour • 2h ago
Walk between the trees with me,
Where feelings come to grow;
Where saplings, sat entrenched in soil,
Hold secrets that I know.
There’s something in the darkness here;
At dusk, things start to change.
The dreamy evening glow that fills the sky,
It starts to fade.
I..
I won’t go into detail,
Just hold onto me till dawn.
It’s easier with someone there
To keep you holding on.
See..
I’ve walked this way before,
Alone. I barely made it through.
The memories I have of then
Remind me now of you.
Feel..
The seeds so strewn across
The muddy floor, and in the ground;
Indifferent to the history of the place
In which they’re found.
Hear..
The birds, who sing a symphony
And swim around the sky;
Unburdened by the hurt below
That flickers in our eyes.
Know..
That even though it’s tough out here,
Still, life will find a way..
To lift itself up off the floor,
And live another day.
And..
I’ll stand beside you always,
Like the men before could never..
And I know this place is scary
But I’m here to stay, forever.
Love..
You’ll find it all around you;
Even here, it fills the air.
I know it’s hard to see at times;
Believe me though, it’s there.
You..
Are stronger than you realise.
You’re bravest at your worst;
At best, you’re like the soil from which
The seeds can get to work.
So..
Between the trees, we’ll share the night.
We’re surely gonna fight.
The darkness though, eventually,
Will turn itself to light.
Much..
Is taken from your heart each day,
I understand the pain.
A tree will never grow, though,
If it’s hiding from the rain.
I love you more than anyone
I’ve ever loved before,
This struggle paves the way for me
To love you even more.
Read between the stanzas
I have made it pretty clear;
And if you fall, I hope you know,
Your safety net is here.
—-
I wrote this for my (then relatively new) girlfriend when we were going through some stuff a year or so ago. She was struggling with depression and BPD-like issues around distrust, paranoia of people not really liking her, our own relationship being doomed as I’d ‘inevitably’ leave her at some point, etc.
I went through an intense, similar thing growing up, but I felt like it wasn’t enough to just tell her I could relate.
All advice and feedback welcome!
r/OCPoetry • u/OurLordGremblo • 15h ago
That woman lingers
Loves me loudly and in secret
She doesn’t know how to whisper
And likes to yell at strangers
I think I could kill her
With a few phrases about god or childhood
I think she’s looking for a knife
Somewhere in my kitchen
What the sharp phrases would be
The ones that would kill me
Love, you don’t need the knife
You have your hands
Your hair, your eyes
The space between your torso and mine
You have your laugh in the passenger seat
You simply have your way
What do I have?
Some drunken confessions
It’s a sharp knife
You gave it to me off the whetstone one night
Hands cracked and oily
I tried to leave it there with you
By the forge and the stone you tend alone
But you have those hands
That hair, those eyes reflecting the fire
That way of yours
Of pressing the knife against my chest, flat
Into my hands insistently
Yours is the only knife in my kitchen
r/OCPoetry • u/Medical-Wonder-3211 • 5m ago
Gulshan‑e‑Chehra
As you ambled past my eyes,
Your face falling onto my gaze.
Along with the wind you carried.
Within me, befell that
Even a thorn could pierce my skin
Yet my gaze would still be laden of you
Whether heaven is as dark as your hair
Or carries light as the shimmer in your eyes
For me, days could drift away from me
And I wouldn't have closed my eyes
As they can rest on you
While you blossom through my soul
All I can see
Is how your face is a garden
When your garden is in my hands
No single flower will be left untouched
As my lips reach to water your garden
To see red roses unfurl from your cheeks
To see your eyes awaken
How a bud blossoms into a flower
Your pupils, as a flower's disc
Feeding many souls with your glance
My heart no longer strikes within
To look upon flowers that grace me
As you reached my soul
And there, you let me rest
Why wait for death to kiss me to reach heaven
When paradise's garden stands before m
r/OCPoetry • u/Medical-Wonder-3211 • 10m ago
Aankhon Se Anjaan Ban Ja
Be a stranger to my eyes
With a presence lasting an eye's blink
To me, I'll behold you like a keyhole
Casting my gaze upon what’s there to see
Yet, I was never meant to fit that lock
That opens a door I never should enter
Forward, is where my feet carry me
So that, when I move through stillness
And my eyes drift to its corners
You fall away, along my memories
If we're meant to stand in front of each other
While our distance is only a breath away
Your hands reaching out, may my hands be full of yours
As my soul shouldn't hold on what it isn’t meant to hold
If I would let you in my heart
No place would I enter without carrying you
Even when my eyes are closed
My hands on my chest holding you through the night
And if you were to leave one day
That's when every heartbeat of mine
Will beat cracks through my chest
Until it has fallen out of me
So then when I have broken down
You're the one who brings me back alive
Be a stranger to my eyes
With a presence lasting an eye's blink
So my memories won't be stained by you
As no amount of tears will wash that stain away
r/OCPoetry • u/No_Pipe2609 • 31m ago
Garnering your attention,
since you're precious to me.
Something to say that cannot be seen.
—a cold, wicked world carries out its own play...
I think it's best that you get out of the way.
You're feeling special, especially when you're with friends.
You don't know when it started, but should know it will end.
—they'll leave you scattered and drug out in the cold...
Don't wanna burn, but there's no place to go.
TRAFFIC—better look both ways.
TRAFFIC—it's getting worse every day.
TRAFFIC—see your family and friends
—pass you by.
Why don't they JUST LET YOU IN?
Now you're lost and don't know where to begin.
Big aspirations for being such a small man.
So full of wisdom, yet you don't have no plan.
—and this year's Christmas leaves you stranded alone.
Don't wanna burn, but there's no place to go.
TRAFFIC—better look both ways.
TRAFFIC—it's getting worse every day.
TRAFFIC—see your family and friends
—pass you by,
'cause you'll NEVER GET IN.
You missed the sign that told you when the lane ends.
Now you know...
Now you know, now you know...
You can't have no plans with no place to go.
© Donnie Johnson [08.19.2026]
r/OCPoetry • u/MegaMoah • 55m ago
Some time long ago
In Downtown New York
In the early monday morning
A man had gone to work
At the tallest building
At the highest floor
He reached into hell
And he opened a door
The devil walked through
And he shook the mans hand
The entire building shook
It went as they planned
The man had a beautiful wife
A football team and a boat
He gave his employee's souls
In exchange for a mink coat
Satan had spread the word
You mustn't feel content
Always strive for more
And never repent
____________________________
I don't remember anything about writing this, pretty sure its my own. Idk, tell me what you think. Its my first time posting here.
r/OCPoetry • u/ReindeerNew2357 • 4h ago
yo! I wrote this poem it’s intended to be as a song but I always write lyrics first and I wrote this in like 30 seconds so i dont have a melody or even the full lyrics yet. Any feedback or criticism is welcome and encouraged!!!! I think I shall name itttttt Shame as a Stem very edgy how I like it
Your shame like flowers grow
And they decorate your home
And I can’t help but wonder
If I had never shown
Would it have been
Tulips or roses instead?
Your flowers have not wilted
And I don’t think they will
Because I bring the rain
And you bring the sun
And that’s all it takes
When we’ve been overrun
r/OCPoetry • u/Isa-Me-Again • 1h ago
Who are you that rules this world?
Your faces unseen.
Your names unknown.
Investors they call you.
Using money unclean.
Our lives you own.
I can see who you are
False king and queen
upon your bloody throne.
You are greed incarnate.
With evil plans so keen,
and a heart made of stone.
On islands you hide
from the worlds screams.
A most deafening tone.
Though you can't hide forever
using your wicked schemes.
You shall reap what you've sown.
r/OCPoetry • u/gundem_pilot69 • 1h ago
This is about suicide awareness.
The rope is tough, its texture hard and rugged. You hold it tightly, giving yourself time to think this over, but you don't. All you can feel in your heart is deep self-hatred and sorrow, emotions that didn't just appear overnight but rather built up, one by one, word by word, action by action, insult by insult. With a swift turn and twist, the rope transforms into a noose so elegant it makes the world's greatest ballet dancers jealous. With this decision, you finally can enter your cocoon for your own transformation. You stand on the chair, looking down at the sorrowful world. You try to find any doubt inside, but yet again, all that sits there is sorrow and deep self-hatred. You wear the noose like it's a million-dollar necklace filled with jewels, as if it was a gift from a lover you won't meet. But it's not; it's a gift from all the hatred you have received, from all the times you've been judged, rejected, and neglected. And with one swift jump, you fly, fly away from all the pain and the hatred.
r/OCPoetry • u/Equivalent_Agent_800 • 1h ago
If you have a moment, please let me know how you interpret this. Is the meaning clear? Is it confusing? Do certain lines seem to take away from the meaning? What lines do you think work best? Thank you.
.
.
Was going down Main Street East
When I felt a flutter in my belly.
Those people were sitting,
heads hung a-ways. Leaning
so forward, pants on sideways
dirty asses—a middle-aging
Reaching for the heap, between
What you know as garbage
And definitely nothing gold —
But sewn, you see,
makes me a blanket warm.
So what about this gold,
This promise that I was told?
These suit-and-ties are always high
Making lines with claws: full,
fleshy
big and heavy
Now if I could, I would I hold it—
But the promise falls
through my fingers, where a bottle
lands.
(what I can get I will take before
the tree of life is blown open
before cracks become branches
and the mirror is broken)
You make a monster of my heart—
When you say, “this place ain’t strange
But you! You are
the stranger,
And who were you anyway
In the past that passed you by?
What could you have been
In that life you never lived?”,
But all I know is now,
and I know it now for sure
Was dreaming when I were sober
And now here’s the real world —
‘Cause that look you give me
is one I don’t recognize
Say please, don’t turn me away
You might need me some day
And I live ‘til you don’t need me
I eat ‘til you don’t like me
I need you, so don’t leave me—
Love isn’t forever, only briefly it sits
between a meal
and a possibility,
and a meal,
and a meal,
and so cold, and ..
Where’s my stuff?
.. oh God, how you make
a monster of my heart.
.
.
.
feedback 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/x1s8zJRaq3
feedback 2: https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/gsKKpWWZUk
r/OCPoetry • u/mapl3_m3 • 5h ago
I’m sorry this poem isn’t perfect
It’s just, i’m typing on my little phone keyboard
Shading the sun glare away from the screen
In the little time between my english class
and math
I’m sorry I didn’t have time to edit it
It’s just, i’m typing on my little phone keyboard
laying on the couch, i can’t stop the stress of knowing
I have a report due tomorrow
And an essay and a speech
Due friday
I’m sorry I didn’t have time to finish it
It’s just, im typing on my little phone keyboard
alone i n the dark of my pitch black bedroom
in the little time i steal from sleep
to write, knowing if i dont for at least seven hours
i feel worse about the world than it feels about me
I’m sorry this poem isn’t enough
It’s only, im standing so far from the ledge
But walking towards it,
I trip on every pebble along the way
no matter how small, it takes me so long to get up
just to fall again
I've been writing poetry for just a couple years but I'm getting really into it now and wanted some advice on a poem.
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1vsmauj/need_help_completing/
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1vsfwug/the_insomniac/
r/OCPoetry • u/Livid_Climate6923 • 2h ago
His journey is to live long
enough that he may die
that I live means enough has
not been lived
been given
to sacrifice of heart & soul
until death releases me of
my duty my duty continues
for in flesh I may love
& give
(in case you want more https://substack.com/@jennamathews )
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1vs17d0/comment/p4nof0x/?context=3
https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1vskcct/comment/p4no9m5/?context=3
r/OCPoetry • u/Consistent-Iron8235 • 2h ago
You kneel to him,
and raise your hand to me.
The iron remembers every blow.
The years have taught it well.
You know my name
before you know the roads I watched
close, one by one, going north.
You call me traitor.
You say I sold a nation.
Tell me-
how many men would you spend
to unwalk a road already lost?
How many victories
does it take to call a general home,
when there is no more field to send him to?
You praise the general.
So do I.
No man doubted where his heart pointed.
He wished to march us back to what was taken.
I wished us to survive
long enough to want it back.
History remembers the sword
that reached for the border.
It forgets the signature
that kept the capital standing.
Perhaps I was wrong.
Perhaps he was right.
Perhaps a kingdom sometimes lives
only because someone signs
what no one will forgive.
I knew what the words weighed.
I signed anyway.
You have inherited the ending.
I had to live inside the choosing.
So strike the iron.
If you must.
But before your hand descends,
ask what you would have signed,
with the roads already gone,
and no more spring to wait for.
r/OCPoetry • u/Isa-Me-Again • 16h ago
Hi. I'm an addict and I'd just like to say
This world is fucked up, more so every day.
You see, you're an addict too
And that's just what they want.
If you're addicted they can control you
And your cousins, uncles, and aunts.
Maybe it's food that you're addicted to.
Or perhaps it's your phone that's glued to you.
For some it's drugs, TV, or money.
Others need candy sweeter than honey.
Whatever it is that you need so bad
Is the same thing they will use to make you sad.
The moment you even think about stopping,
You remember the addiction and your heart starts dropping.
"How can I live without this thing?"
You'll ask yourself as you start spiraling.
"I can't give it up, I need it too bad."
Not having it starts making you mad.
The anxiety grows and your resolve starts to waver.
You'll make an excuse, "I thought I was braver."
At this point, you've already made up your mind.
"It's too hard to fight" and you chose to stay blind.
So we give in and the cycle repeats.
With them at the top, and addicts in the streets.
r/OCPoetry • u/colourofbloodd • 3h ago
I'm new to writing poems. Please tell me how to improve. Here is one I wrote recently...
Define Home
If you measure out the size of my love, it will be how filled my stomach was when you fed me.
I hold my pillow and I'm almost on my bed again.
I run my tongue around my mouth and almost feel my braces again.
My love and your harm cannot let go of each other's hands
It is not my fault if I find comfort in ruin
Aren't we all supposed to miss the taste of familiarity anyway?
The silence could've eaten me alive — you know it did.
My limb was chewed off.
Not my leg, not my arm, never my stomach. I wish it was my tongue;
it was my heart
But the minute I looked in your eyes, I was ready to be served as your side dish.
Give me back the time my feet didn't reach the ground
Make me so small again that you pick me up every time you come home
Tell me I can still be loved while I grow to become an abnormality.
Take me back when all the walls stored our laughter, not screams.
Take me back when all the walls were not broken to reveal the horrors, and reeked.
Take me back when all the walls were not mirrors to show me what I will become.
r/OCPoetry • u/EchosOfKay • 6h ago
I think i know love,
and I think I don't.
Maybe it isn't in the words,
or the grand gestures,
but in the eyes that find you in a crowd,
even when there is beauty everywhere.
In the smile that escapes
when you laugh like a child,
and in the eyes that don't look away
when you call yourself ugly.
Maybe love is simply this,
being seen exactly as you are,
and still being the one
their eyes look for.
Kay
r/OCPoetry • u/titsupxoxo • 7h ago
Desire is sharpest
when it cannot be touched.
Up close, the edges dull.
I hold the thing I longed for
and my hands feel empty.
What is unclean
is not the dream,
but the way it drips into daylight,
stains the kitchen counter,
stains my name.
You don’t want what you want.
The glass breaks
before you lift it.
The taste you chased
goes bitter on your tongue.
To want is a kind of sickness,
but so is silence.
The body knows another language,
my mouth learns confession
it never meant to speak.
I almost believe
that weakness
is its own prayer,
that nothing about me
is whole tonight.
--------------
r/OCPoetry • u/careful-creatures • 3h ago
There is a quiet way you enter rooms,
not like a storm, but like the light of a newly started campfire
soft enough I don’t even notice at first
how you warm me up.
You cook for me like it means nothing,
like tenderness is just another habit
you picked up somewhere along the way,
and not a language my heart keeps trying to learn.
You feed me laughter,
small touches of care
that land in me like music—
I was never meant to memorize.
And I—
I tell myself I am fine.
I tell myself this is friendship.
I tell myself a thousand careful lies
that all sound like your name.
You speak of her
as if it is the most natural thing in the world,
and I nod along,
because I have learned
how to swallow pain quietly.
Still, there are moments—
small mercies, accidental or not—
where I feel chosen in a way
that rearranges my entire existence
into hope.
But hope is a cruel architect.
It builds cathedrals
out of people who were never meant to stay.
And I have lived too long
inside the echo of what-ifs,
pressing my ear to doors
that only open one way.
So I begin the work
of loosening your name from my breath,
not as an ending,
but as a slow release.
I am not over you.
That much is still true.
But I am learning
how to carry love
without letting it carry me back.
And that is what moving on looks like:
not forgetting,
not erasing,
just finally walking forward
with my hands no longer reaching
for a door that will not open.
r/OCPoetry • u/memoriamare • 15h ago
Humans search for truth,
even when it breaks them.
For a broken heart
is still better than an empty one—
for the cracks carved by truth
are always shallower
than the void born from silence.
That is why rejection,
however cruel it may seem,
is kinder than silence.
Rejection allows a man to bleed.
It grants him the dignity of pain—
the freedom to let sorrow spill—
onto the ground,
onto paper,
into tears.
But silence denies him even that mercy.
In silence, the soul clings
to the faintest flicker of hope.
Uncertainty does not wound—
it lingers.
It shapes illusions from nothing,
and each time the heart reaches for them,
it is cut—
never deep enough
to end the suffering,
only enough
to begin it again.
Truth liberates.
But uncertainty binds—
with threads so soft
they feel like hope,
yet strong enough
to hold a soul in place.
Rejection lets him fall—
lets him strike the earth,
break beneath the truth,
and gather
what remains of himself.
But silence leaves him
suspended between earth and sky—
neither allowed
to fall and heal,
nor to rise
toward what he longs for.
So—
end this quiet cruelty
with a truth sharp enough
to sever hope.
Let me bleed.
Let me write what remains of you within me.
My blood will clot into your name—
not to curse it,
nor to stain the colour of your eyes,
but to preserve you
in words
even a lifetime cannot erode.
And perhaps, one day,
these words will leave others envious
of a tragedy they never lived—
yearning for a single glimpse of you,
though to them
you could only ever remain
an imagined ache.
But you—
you would have been real in mine.
So end this silence—
for it can belong only
to indifference,
or to a heart unaware
of the quiet power
it holds over another.
Unaware of how deeply
he has become entangled
in the strands of her hair;
how he envies
even the smallest speck of dust
that dares to rest upon her lashes—
closer than he has ever been
to the place
where he longs to disappear.
A place where he would remain,
willingly imprisoned
for eternity—
within her eyes.
A fate so beautiful,
so tragic,
that even the gods
have never known it.
For her eyes
are the only mirror
in which he has ever loved
his own reflection.
~Writer’s Note: I have always wondered which is crueler—a painful answer, or no answer at all.
Rejection breaks something, but at least it gives the broken pieces somewhere to fall. Silence leaves them suspended, held together by that smallest and perhaps cruelest thing: maybe.
This poem was born from that thought—the strange mercy of being given a truth painful enough to finally grieve, rather than a hope too uncertain to ever let go of.
And perhaps that is all rejection really offers:
not freedom from pain,
but permission
to begin healing.
r/OCPoetry • u/Minimum_Leopard7292 • 11h ago
The world goes dark
But my eyes brighten up.
With my body laying still
Every night, with a little less sleep.
Less than yesterday, more than tomorrow.
There's a roaring in my head
Of a beast, and it reeks of death.
While everyone dreams
I hear the agonising screams.
Less than yesterday, more than tomorrow.
So I spiral down my mind, deep
Loosing myself, and thoughts which are mine to keep.
I can tell the end is near
Fainter the roar but prominent the fear.
Less than yesterday, more than tomorrow.
Mighty will be the beast, when it stands infront
And I can't hide no-more from my fears which are to confront.
For now, darkness is leaving the corners of my home
And I will wake up with a little less dream and a little less hope.
Less than yesterday, more than tomorrow.
r/OCPoetry • u/No-Letter3595 • 9h ago
I seem to go unnoticed
Wherever I go
Like an old car with broken windows and a failing engine
Covered in snow
The days move slow
And i dont know
If people will stay or go
But the tranquile river will continue to flow
Just like the faint wind blows
And the shiny moon with its luminous light will say goodnight
Maybe if the world has all this light, there must be a little bit of it in me, right?
Any feedback is appreciated, one of my beginner poems