Lmst

#BornBattleReady - desperation
#BlueSkyArtShow - new year
#vss365 - abstraction
#thingstowriteabout - home
#WritingCommunity #poetry #Photography #KBFPhotography
@vss365 @writingcommunity @poetry @photography

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Desperation

When life became an abstraction,
reality crumbled.
When upside-down was the new normal,
home became an abstract.

While this was a horrible experience,
it wasn’t the worst part.
What really caused desperation,
was the ignorance.

The isolation this caused,
was not...

1/3

Desperation

When life became an abstraction,
reality crumbled.
When upside-down was the new normal,
home became an abstract.

While this was a horrible experience,
it wasn’t the worst part.
What really caused desperation,
was the ignorance.

The isolation this caused,
was not abstract.
It was a solid reality.
Every. Single. Day.

Sometimes, we have to let go
of ourselves,
of what we love,
to find it again.

This was not how I imagined it.

A new year came,
a new year went.
Things got worse,
and even worse.

Since the fall
I keep rebuilding myself,
falling apart again,
coming back weaker, yet stronger.

Weaker, because
physical health keeps fading.
Stronger, because
I feel more, and more, home within.

It's not a split
that bridges these two.
It's the acceptance
of both being there.

This is not how I imagined it. Yet, here I go.

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree

A desolate looking path in a snowy park with falling snow partially obscuring the view.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

Let Me Be

Now, let me be candid with you
without fuss or further ado,
no mask, mirage, obscurity.
A mere, raw "you get what you see".
And what you see is what you get,
just you, and me, no props, no set,
no role, no game, no stage to play.
Pure beingness - my holiday.

-
#WritingCommunity #poetry
#Photography (DSLR / Nikon)
#BornBattleReady - candid
#BlueSkyArtShow - holiday
@writingcommunity @poetry @photography

A close-up of snow-covered, red barberries with ice on them.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

#WritingCommunity #poetry #Photography
#KBFPhotography #MobilePhonePhotography
#BornBattleReady #BlueSkyArtShow
#vss365 #BlueSkyRelay #DailyPictureTheme
#PennedReveries #firewords280 #BraveWrite
@writingcommunity @poetry @vss365 @photography

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Another Year

Another year is ending, making me wonder how I got here, so fast.
A lot of waiting, though expanding the moment, accelerated the timeline.
Waiting for what?
Waiting for things to move that were beyond my control.

Another year is...

1/3

A close-up of the brown, black-banded shell of a groove snail on grey asphalt.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

#WritingCommunity #poetry #Photography
#DailyPictureTheme - patterns
#BornBattleReady #BlueSkyArtShow
#vss365 #BlueSkyRelay
@vss365 @writingcommunity @poetry @photography

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Favourite Things

The things I love aren't bold, or fancy.
It's rather the shy, and silent aspects of life, that draw my attention.
A wisp of sunlight falling through the blinds, offering a spotlight to dancing dust particles.
The rain thrumming a soft beat on the roof.
Branches of bare trees drawing patterns into...

1/3

Favourite Things

The things I love aren't bold, or fancy.
It's rather the shy, and silent aspects of life, that draw my attention.
A wisp of sunlight falling through the blinds, offering a spotlight to dancing dust particles.
The rain thrumming a soft beat on the roof.
Branches of bare trees drawing patterns into a wintery evening sky.

I don't get excited when people gather around the fire to sing the day's reminiscence away, playing it cool, making memories hastily deposited, never reaching the night's successor.

Contently, I watch them being swept away by the light of day, while I slow down a little more, to let the world fall away.
I'm not even waiting.
I just let it appear.
This gap in time, and space.
It is where I always meet you.

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree

Bare tree branches drawing patterns against an evening sky.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

#BornBattleReady #BlueSkyArtShow #vss365 #BlueSkyRelay #OurPoetryX #FoxProse #fairytalepoets #PennedReveries #FromOneLine 397
#WritingCommunity #poetry

@megwaf
@vss365 @writingcommunity @poetry

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Should We?

We should have stopped the moment it started. Alas, we didn't. 'Neath a vespertine sky, we moved towards the foreseeable destination, as if ache, not chivalry, was the best morning gift awaiting. Everyday miles unending, I am learning with age, to close the door faster. Gladly...

1/2

Should We?

We should have stopped the moment it started. Alas, we didn't. 'Neath a vespertine sky, we moved towards the foreseeable destination, as if ache, not chivalry, was the best morning gift awaiting. Everyday miles unending, I am learning with age, to close the door faster. Gladly sowing the light, I am not going to jump into the abyss, any more.

Thought I would, didn't you?

Watch me keeping my standards.

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree

A cloudy sky with an even pattern, and patches of blue shimmering through.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

#WritingCommunity #poetry
#BornBattleReady #BlueSkyArtShow
#PennedReveries #BrknShards
#FoxProse #OurPoetryX #fairytalepoets

@writingcommunity @poetry

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All The Trimmings

All the trimmings spread
over walls, and windows
I'm coming up for air

Apart we languish
though they glow
like fragments of nebulae
for me to find them.

Untold stories press
against my bruised heart
attempting
one more time
to break it
open

When my love blooms
all the tiny sparks
rejoin to one nova
...

1/2

All The Trimmings

All the trimmings spread
over walls, and windows
I'm coming up for air

Apart we languish
though they glow
like fragments of nebulae
for me to find them.

Untold stories press
against my bruised heart
attempting
one more time
to break it
open

When my love blooms
all the tiny sparks
rejoin to one nova
illuminating the nightly sky
and I can feel
the warmth again

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree

Retrograde

When things
get brighter
I sometimes
go retrograde
and fall into the gap
between now
and then

The way
you hold space
for me
when I do
inspires me
to hold this space
for me, too

---
#BornBattleReady - retrograde
#BlueSkyArtShow - bright
#WritingCommunity #poetry

@writingcommunity @poetry

A close-up of two backlit, orange maple leaves caught on a hedge.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

My contribution to this week's #BlueSkyArtShow, #BornBattleReady, #soulseedlove & #inkMine.

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#WritingCommunity #poetry
#KBFPhotography #MobilePhonePhotography #Photography

@writingcommunity @poetry @photography

-

WHISPER

One evening
fall fell upon us
like a curtain across rainbows

For a while
we sat in ambient dim
illustriously removed from the world

Till one night
darkness fell upon us
like a curtain of brimstone

...

1/2

The upside-down reflection of bare trees afore an evening sky on the surface of a body of water.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

WHISPER

One evening
fall fell upon us
like a curtain across rainbows

For a while
we sat in ambient dim
illustriously removed from the world

Till one night
darkness fell upon us
like a curtain of brimstone

One morning
after bone-eroding, endless gloom
I noticed a wisp erode darkness

There was reason for hope, after all

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree

#BlueSkyArtShow: evening
#BornBattleReady: whisper
#soulseedlove: fall fell upon us
#inkMine:
ambient, illustrious, curtain, encourage, across, rainbows

Entering Life's Autumn

My contribution to this week's:
#FromOneLine 395 - 'Last night I saw'
#BornBattleReady - #corporeal
#BlueSkyArtShow - #Autumn
#inkMine - destroy, demolish, spite, void, simple, monster

---
#WritingCommunity #poetry
#KBFPhotography #MobilePhonePhotography #Photography

@writingcommunity @poetry @photography

View over a canal bordered with autumnal trees towards the Hamburg TV tower.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

A Faded black-and-white view over a canal bordered with autumnal trees towards the Hamburg TV tower. Written over it in white letters:

ENTERING LIFE'S AUTUMN

Last night I saw
How my life could be now
Void of hell's demolition
How simple things could still be
If health wasn't destroyed
How I'd enjoy my life's Autumn
In all it's glorious colours
Just to realise
The question never is
What could have been?
But only ever
What is now?
And if we are aware
of the choices presented

What keeps me from enjoying
What I can, now?
Is it really a monster of the past
Or is it my own spite
That holds me captive
Blindfolded to the beauty
That is ever there?

Would I feel different without hell's mark?
Of course, I would!
Would it be better or rather stale?
I will never know.
What I know
Is that I enjoyed yesterday's Autumn walk
In a way I haven't enjoyed anything
in a long time
Maybe never before
And not even corporeal hell
Could stop me from that

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree
© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

#FromOneLine 395:
'Last night I saw'
#inkMine:
destroy, demolish, spite, void, simple, monster
#BlueSkyArtShow:
Autumn
#BornBattleReady:
corporeal

I Don't Fight Demons

My contribution to this week's:
#FromOneLine 395 - 'Last night I saw'
#BornBattleReady - #corporeal
#BlueSkyArtShow - #Autumn
#inkMine - destroy, demolish, spite, void, simple, monster

---
#WritingCommunity #poetry
#KBFPhotography #MobilePhonePhotography #Photography
#Halloween #Samhain #Winter

@writingcommunity @poetry @photography

A black-and-white picture of a cut-off rose flower, some rose petals, and a few oak leaves on pavement.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

A faded black-and-white picture of a cut-off rose flower, rose petals and a few oak leaves on pavement. Written over it in white letters:

I DON'T FIGHT DEMONS

Last night I saw in my dreams a monster
It was giant with thick fur, and nine eyes
In this void it sat, looking tiny

Last night I saw in my dreams a monster
Tears falling from furry face between sobs
The monster growled: "Nothing is still simple."

Last night I saw in my dreams a monster
Longing for Fall in a space demolished
There was no spite, just grief corporeal

Last night I saw in my dreams a monster
That was so scared that it was not scary
And I learnt how love's absence destroys all

Last night I saw in my dreams a monster
My own demon I let it devour me
Chew up the pain till I came out rear end
Free

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree
© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

#FromOneLine 395:
'Last night I saw'
#BlueSkyArtShow:
Autumn
#BornBattleReady:
corporeal

#inkMine:
destroy, demolish, spite,
void, simple, monster

Halloween 🎃 Samhain

Inside My Book

My contribution to this week's #BornBattleReady ( #vellichor ), and #BlueSkyArtShow ( #inside ).

---
#WritingCommunity #poetry

@writingcommunity @poetry

An antique, unlabelled book on a wooden surface with a modern postcard that pictures a pink rose partially sticking out of it. All colour except for the pink hues have been washed out.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

The close-up of an unlabelled, antique book cover lends the background to a poem written over it in white letters:

INSIDE MY BOOK

I take stock in the library of my life.
Walking by each shelf,
taking each book into my hands,
I take in the vellichor of my history
with all its great events,
and all the little notes in the margins.

Some books are more used, than others.
Some have leaves, or flowers, pressed
or postcards stuck
between the pages.
Some have been borrowed,
and never found their way back.
Others were forgotten
by somebody else
or even by me.

Some stories are told in words,
others are told in pictures.
Some books are talking about events
that came to pass
before my birth.

I take stock in the library of my life.
Feelings pass through,
add petrichor.
Breathing in the dust of the past,
right here,
right now,
I ask myself:

Is this the story I want to tell?

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree
© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

#BornBattleReady - #vellichor
#BlueSkyArtShow - #inside

Dimension

My contribution to this week's #BornBattleReady ( #shroud ) & #BlueSkyArtShow ( #vertical ).

---
#WritingCommunity #poetry
#KBFPhotography #MobilePhonePhotography #Photography

@writingcommunity @poetry @photography

An otherwise black-and-white picture of a yellow sunflower blossom against a grey sky.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

An otherwise black-and-white picture of a yellow sunflower blossom against a grey sky. Written on it in black letters, a poem:

DIMENSION

The sky
shrouds itself
in grey

A canvas
to the flower
standing tall

despite all

A landing place
to bee
and hoverfly

A light
shining through gloom
and rain

despite pain

Creating
a vertical reality
in a flat world

Adding
a dimension
were others are blind

staying kind

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree
© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

#BornBattleReady:
shroud

#BlueSkyArtShow:
vertical

Vertical

My contribution to this week's #BornBattleReady ( #shroud ) & #BlueSkyArtShow ( #vertical ).

---
#WritingCommunity #poetry
#KBFPhotography #MobilePhonePhotography #Photography

@writingcommunity @poetry @photography

A yellow flowering weed standing on a beige wall.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

A yellow flowering weed standing on a beige wall. Written over it in black letters, a poem:

VERTICAL

Experiencing
my personal hell
I escaped the shroud
of ignorance
that almost got me
six feet under

I escaped the shroud
of screaming silence
when watching my home
turn into hell
while everybody else
was not

When watching my home
fall apart
like my body
like my soul
I fell, too
and could not get up

Like my body
my world fell apart
I could not stand
so I crawled
and cried
and threw up

I could not stand
to crawl in my puke
so I laid low
until I got better
and now, at least
if not tall

I stand

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree
© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

#BornBattleReady:
shroud

#BlueSkyArtShow:
vertical

I Didn't Glow

My contribution to this week's #BornBattleReady ( #porked ) & #BlueSkyArtShow ( #glow ).

CW: Rape

---
#WritingCommunity #poetry
#KBFPhotography #MobilePhonePhotography #Photography

@writingcommunity @poetry @photography

An otherwise black-and-white close-up of an orange Dahlia bud.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

An otherwise black-and-white, washed-out close-up of an orange Dahlia bud with a poem written over it in black letters:

I DIDN'T GLOW

That night he porked out
on my innocent flesh
I did not come home
with the infamous glow
but barely holding myself
together, alone

That night he porked out
on my innocent flesh
I lost it
ironic though
as it was my innocence
I did not give

He took it anyway

That night he porked out
on my innocent flesh
it did not break me
Instead
I fell apart slowly
for years to come

That night he porked out
on my innocent flesh
I did not make love
with him
or he
with me

It took years
until I realised
that I still
always held love
for myself
that I still
blossomed

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree
© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

#BornBattleReady:
porked

#BlueSkyArtShow:
glow

My contribution for #BornBattleReady poetry arena on BlueSky and Twitter:

Something Sacred Survived

Life plans collapsed when health abruptly lapsed...

(Click to see full graphic).

#BornBattleReady #Poetry #Rhyme #Sacred #Coffee #Disability #ChronicIllness #Loss

I designed the background in Canva (no AI) to be dark brown with coffee beans and a white steaming mug of coffee at the bottom of the image (stock photo). The graphic is much longer than it is wide.

The text in the foreground is plain and white, other than the title, the word 'coffee', and the line 'but one ritual remains entwined', which are in a scrawled font that resembles chalk. The title has what looks at first glance like a brown shadow, but it has different text.

The text reads:

Something Sacred Survived
(Shadow text reads: Coffee helps me survive)

Life plans collapsed when health abruptly lapsed
Had pined for vacation not full hibernation
Appointments, injections, and painful subjections -
Devoting days to healing is completely unappealing
Dejected dependence unseats independence
Beloved ambition seems mere apparition
Though new pleasures discovered until I'm properly recovered
My existence is redefined but one ritual remains entwined
Sacred in solitude with memories imbued
Each sip takes me back to the life I now lack
Advancing my education Concealing inebriation
And for every occupation arming me with motivation
Sunrise sparks anticipation for routine caffeine fixation
My tenebrous searing saviour teeming with warm blanket flavour
My morning mug reminds me life may not be all behind me
Silently, each sip I savour...
Coffee is much more than flavour

By Fiery Sun Song Fluxofmind.ca

My contribution to this week's #BornBattleReady ( #sacred ) & #BlueSkyArtShow ( #relax )

---
#WritingCommunity #poetry
#KBFPhotography #MobilePhonePhotography #Photography #monochrome

@photography @writingcommunity @poetry

⬇️

A black-and-white picture of flat rock in the shade next to other rocks, seen from an almost level position.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

SANCTUARY

There was a time
when I could relax
into my sacred space

A sanctuary
all my own
to be in ease and grace

I shared it once
it was beautiful
like coming home times two

That was before
the grave
shift

before
the desecration

before sacred
was turned
to scared

How to heal
from such a rift
I do not have a clue

But I do
one step
one breath
one iota
at a time

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree

Stand on Guard

I posted this poem as a contender in the Battle Born Poetry arena (#BornBattleReady) as hosted on BlueSky and Twitter. The prompt this week was "Guardian." As of writing this, I am lucky enough to be one of five finalists this week. (Will update this). You can check out their work on BlueSky or Twitter using the above links.

http://fluxofmind.ca/2025/09/29/stand-on-guard/

Guardian

My contribution to this week's #BornBattleReady ( #guardian ) & #BlueSkyArtShow ( #TheRoad ).

-
GUARDIAN

The road is shrouded, the view obscured
The world no longer seems the same
Do I let myself get lost
Will I give way to paths
Unseen, yet present
Transitory
Yet profound
I walk
On

---
#WritingCommunity #poetry #nonet
#KBFPhotography #DSLR #Nikon #Photography

@writingcommunity @poetry @photography

A black-and-white picture of a bare, twisted oak tree at the end of a misty path with a person walking by next to it.

© Stefanie Neumann - #KBFPhotography

GUARDIAN

The road is shrouded, the view obscured
The world no longer seems the same
Do I let myself get lost
Will I give way to paths
Unseen, yet present
Transitory
Yet profound
I walk
On

© Stefanie Neumann - @KokopelliBFree

Aligned

My contribution to this week's #BornBattleReady ( #untamed ) and #BlueSkyArtShow ( #angles ).

-
ALIGNED

Perspective matters, a look outside
Never afraid to shine a light
Well, yes, but there's courage, too
Always at an angle
And never in line
Untamed and wild
Yet aligned
Heart, soul
Mind

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#WritingCommunity #poetry #nonet
#KBFPhotography #MobilePhonePhotography #Photography