Friday, June 5, 2026
Thursday, June 4, 2026
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Seduction
Seduction
(A sweet voice from The Seventies, sings. Can you hear him?)
Hey... Turn those lights down low
Come a little closer, baby Nice and slow
Let's dance together
On our own dance floor
Hold me in your arms tonight
And love me a little more
Move and sway
To the music playing soft
Like a dream that's floating by
And carrying us off
Touch me gently
Let that sweet fire start
Burning through the night
In this heart full of longing
Turn those lights down low
Don't let this feeling go
Hold me close and never let me go
Turn those lights down low
Baby, nice and slow
Tonight we're lost in the glow
Turn the lights down low
Let's slow dance across the floor
Before we kiss
Like we've never kissed before
Turn the lights down low
Move a little closer still
For a love like this
Gives my heart such a thrill
And while the music plays
We'll hold each other tight
Praying this love is real
As we dance into the night
Move in closer
In every little way
Let's forget tomorrow
And live for this moment today
Time stands still
As the record softly spins
One of Teddy's sweet love songs
And the magic begins
Turn the lights down low
Let's slow dance across the floor
Before we kiss
Like we've never kissed before
Turn the lights down low
Move a little closer still
For a love like this
Can only end in bliss
Can only end in bliss
Can only end in bliss
Tonight
In bliss
(C)
Copyright John Duffy
Image shared under fair usage policy.
Friday, May 29, 2026
Loneliness
(A lone voice whispers)
Hey you...
It's been a long, long road
Since I walked away
When it was getting real
And I never found the words to say
Hey you
I know I left when it was getting real
And now I finally understand
Exactly how you feel
I've spent some lonely nights
Walking roads I thought I'd own
But every mile I traveled
Just brought me back alone
And the rain keeps falling
On the mistakes I've made
Some memories fade away
But yours refuse to fade
I know I left when it was getting real
And now I know
How you feel
What was ours
Can never be the same
But while we're standing here
Calling each other's name
Maybe time can heal
What pride tore apart
Maybe we can start again
Right where we are
And though the seasons change
Your love still grows in me
Like an old oak tree
By a river running free
We were young
And chasing dreams we couldn't hold
I thought freedom meant leaving
Now freedom just feels cold
The echoes of your laughter
Still linger in these halls
And every little memory
Still hangs upon these walls
If forgiveness has a doorway
I'm standing at the frame
Not asking for forever
Just hoping for your name
I know I left when it was getting real
And now I know
How you feel
What was ours
Can never be the same
But while we're standing here
Calling each other's name
Maybe time can heal
What pride tore apart
Maybe we can start again
Right where we are
And though the seasons change
Your love still grows in me
Like an old oak tree
By a river running free
If tomorrow never brings us
Back to where we used to be
I'll still thank Heaven
For the love you gave to me
And if friendship is the only road
That's left for us to take
I'll walk it with a grateful heart
For old time's sake
I know I left when it was getting real
And now I know
How you feel
What will be
Will be
That's plain to see
But your love tree
Still grows in me
And every branch reminds me
Of what we used to be
Your love tree
Still grows in me...
Hey you...
I finally know
How you feel...
"I know I left..."
"When it was getting real"
"And now I know..."
"How you feel..."
(C)
Copyright John Duffy
Image shared under fair usage policy
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
What are you looking for?
(A lone voice whispers)
Tell me…
When the noise finally stops…
When the advertisements no longer speak…
When the glowing screens go black…
When the crowds disappear into their homes…
Who remains with you then?
Who are you…
Without performance?
Without your carefully arranged masks…
Your titles…
Your curated moralities?
For many walk this earth believing they are free…
Yet every movement…
Every opinion…
Every hunger…
Was quietly placed inside them…
By unseen hands.
Families.
Governments.
Religions.
Algorithms.
Tribes.
Invisible architects of the inner cathedral.
And so few ask themselves…
Which thoughts are truly theirs.
For self-knowledge is not comfort.
No…
It is excavation.
The sacred horror of pulling stone away from your own buried face.
To look inward long enough…
Is to eventually encounter contradiction?
Darkness beside light.
Mercy beside cruelty.
Desire beside holiness.
The wolf…
And the lamb…
Drinking from the same black river.
And still…
You continue.
Because somewhere deep within the human spirit…
There exists a longing not even modernity could extinguish.
A yearning for mystery.
For initiation.
For meaning.
For something greater than consumption.
This is why ruins fascinate you.
Why abandoned churches still feel sacred.
Why candlelight softens grief.
Why storms make poets of the lonely.
Why the sea reminds you of eternity.
You were never designed merely to produce…
Consume…
And vanish.
Your soul rejects such small prisons.
And perhaps that is why you are here now…
Listening from some quiet room…
Some sleepless bed…
Some moving train beneath a dying evening sky.
Searching.
Not for certainty…
But for recognition.
To feel seen…
By something unseen.
And maybe the abyss people fear…
Is not death at all.
Maybe it is silence.
For in silence…
There is nowhere left to run.
Only remembrance.
Remembrance of who you were…
Before the world told you who to become.
So light your candle carefully, traveller.
Guard your inner flame from false prophets…
False saviours…
And false selves.
For not every light leads upward.
Some merely illuminate the cage.
Nosce te ipsum.
Know thyself
And if your reflection trembles in the mirror tonight…
Do not be afraid.
Many things awaken…
Once truly observed.
Blessed be.
What will be…
Will be.
Velumbound.
(C)
Copyright John Duffy
Image shared under fair usage policy
Monday, May 25, 2026
Relationships
Senryu
At the very core
Is yearning to be cherished
Our endless desire
575
(C)
Copyright John Duffy
A poem exploring the fundamental human need for affection, validation, and emotional connection within relationships.
Universal Truth:
Line 1.
Vulnerability is the foundation of intimacy.
Human Condition:
Line 2.
The pursuit of love is an infinite, lifelong journey.
Emotional Core:
Line 3.
Strip away conflict, and only the need for belonging remains.
Image shared under fair usage policy.
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Saturday, May 23, 2026
Rebirth
Sometimes, all you can do is smile as the world turns. As your old world burns.
(C)
Copyright John Duffy
Sometimes, a smile is the only way to find your footing when everything around you changes. It represents acceptance, resilience, and the quiet understanding that an ending is also a beginning.
Monday, May 18, 2026
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Friendships
Senryu
Title.
Friendships
Sometimes in darkness
You need a bright human light
To guide quietly
575
(C)
Copyright John Duffy
Senryu are 3-line, unrhymed Japanese poems (often 5-7-5 syllables) focusing on human nature, irony, and humor, rather than nature.
Known as "human haiku," they offer witty, sometimes cynical snapshots of daily life and human flaws.
Image shared under fair usage policy.
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