Crimson Roses, Hues of Blue
Crimson roses, gentle hues of blue,
Each moment with you feels refreshingly new.
Your smile brightens my life, your touch soothes my nights.
In your embrace, I’ve discovered love’s delights.
Your eyes, like stars, sparkle in the dark,
Guiding me through, even without a spark.
Your voice, a sweet melody, pure and true,
Expressing your love in all that you do.
Our hearts beat together, in perfect time,
In this dance of love, forever you’re mine.
With every new day, my love for you grew,
Crimson roses, gentle hues of blue, I’ll cherish forever, just being with you.
© Dereck Pritchard, 2024. All Rights Reserved. Okay to share in full with clear credit to the author. Partial excerpts require written permission.
Promise of Now
With fleeting breath, find my ground,
Promised heart wound tight, spellbound.
Answers I hold, though none are heard,
Answers lie within, just not with a word.
Looking back to past mistakes, they call,
Can’t dwell in this past long, it’s a wall.
Firm roots, planted on the ground,
In shadows past, new wounds abound.
Eyes dart ahead, the future in tow,
Endless promises, o how they glow.
Firm roots, planted on the ground,
In mirrors light, now will be found.
In the present, I find my place,
Shadows stretch, I need not chase.
In the present, I find my grace,
Mirrors light, should not race.
Pasts behind with future unknown,
Promise of now, I do not walk alone.
Futures ahead with past time shown,
Promise of today, will not disown.
© Dereck Pritchard, 2025. All Rights Reserved. Okay to share in full with clear credit to the author. Partial excerpts require written permission.
Echoes of Insomia
Preface: I wrote this on a restless night. Part funny. Part serious.
Boom, Boom, Boom. The Noise fills the Room.
Drip, Drip, Drip. Am I going to slip?
Tick, Tock, Tick. Let me go to sleep quick.
Snap, Crackle, Pop. This isn’t the time to shop.
Bang, Bang, Bang. In unison, the door and wall sang.
Mistakes, Mistakes, Mistakes. Yonder, daytime breaks.
Restless Morning. Side eyes glaring, waiting wistfully for this somber night to calm.
Carefully examining the warning given by the clock. Tick, Tick, Tick.
Morning will come soon with an aching dawn and morning dew. Sleep, Sleep, Sleep.
Will the waking calls of the morning be enough to wake me? Snore, Snore, Snore.
Buzzer rings. Waking alarmingly. Time for another day. Shit, Shit, Shit.
© Dereck Pritchard, 2024. All Rights Reserved. Okay to share in full with clear credit to the author. Partial excerpts require written permission.
The Weight of Tolerance
Tolerated, like chalk on teeth,
we bite our tongues, breath is weak.
“Love the sinner,” they smile and pray,
while shoving our full selves away.
Patience frays, a threadbare shroud,
as whispers slice through Sunday crowds.
“Just endure,” the robed ones press,
while our bright edges come unstitched.
No more bowing at pulpits’ feet,
our worth was ne’er theirs to keep.
We rise, not as their unwelcome guest,
but wholly ours, and self-possessed.
Let them clutch their hollow creed,
we’ll plant our truth like stubborn seed.
Not tolerated, but embraced.
We stand. Unmoved. Unchased.
© Dereck Pritchard, 2025. All Rights Reserved. Okay to share in full with clear credit to the author. Partial excerpts require written permission.
Where the Night Holds me
Scars of my past, bruises to my name,
Where can I go to get rid of the shame?
Past stays in its past, where silence lay,
Bullshit, then why is it here but to stay?
There was a time when dreams laid bare,
When people only met me with a glare.
Nobody ever said life was safe from loss,
Determined as I am to obey the cross.
Thoughts I’m not enough, or too much,
These are the things I aim not to touch.
Thoughts are loud, calling me through,
Mustn’t believe them, in minds queue.
Breakthroughs occur on nights delight,
Not all healing journey’s in minds sight.
Feel grief, feel pain, where day shines,
By nights dark blue sky, it gives signs.
© Dereck Pritchard, 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Okay to share in full with clear credit to the author. Partial excerpts require written permission.
Not Built to Stay
They say it’s all in my head.
Yet I walk through quiet dread.
If only I could name the fear,
With shaky hands, shame so near.
My heart rate begins to quicken.
The air around me starts to thicken.
Muscles tighten, spine on guard,
Spiral pitfalls pulling hard.
Gloom and doom, make more room.
Misery blooms company in this tomb.
My mind claws to make sense of it all,
But stumbles first through panic’s fall.
Fog rolls in with a tonal shift.
Thoughts begin to blur and drift.
“Gone, gone,” echoes through this space.
“Done, done,” with sweat upon my face.
A moment of clarity begins to form.
Maybe… I can just weather the storm.
Even as dread continues to bloom,
I ask: can I take this out of my room?
The air feels just a little lighter now.
Fear still lingers, but eases my brow.
This storm was never built to stay,
I was never meant to hold all this at bay.