look, dreams turn into frost flowers here only the flight of birds pierces the glow of sunset, then the moon spills its lexicon of silence over the forests oh, I taste this paradox I am fully a self only when I can let go of an I when I am you, this silence, this voiceless pain and I don't need a self to be mine look, here only I and the birds know the elevation of silence and your hands know the monologue of time
Stop lights bleeding through wet windows, the kind of blue that tastes like cheap ***** and shame.
He sat on the curb, penny loafers scuffed, socks lost from last night’s debacle. A 40-ouncer Schlitz precariously balanced between his knees.
An old, orange tomcat scurried past, chasin’ a rat that took a wrong turn.
Somewhere, a woman’s cackle echoed off the walls of the bar, or maybe it was in his head, debunked by *****.
He slumped against the slick bricks, hands wet from the Schlitz, and thought about the highways he'd never been on. Cities that smelled like old typewriters and thrift stores. Streets lined with glittering promises he might finally write down.
He prodded a beetle with his finger, trembling, cold, looking for a line out of the lunacy. Looking for the words that might stick and breathe, the sentences that might make someone taste a little bit of the ache he carried like a carnival souvenir.
His reflection shimmered in a puddle. He thought about Narcissus, and the dog with a bone growling, and he thought maybe he could still write it. Could still leave his mark before the night ate him— like a Coney Island hot dog.
Thank you for stopping by. I just posted a new long-form video reading from Aluminum Cowboys, along with a few gritty vignettes I wrote recently.
You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/QzS2hIl5HOU
If you’re interested, Aluminum Cowboys: Poems and Short Stories and my other recently published books are available on Amazon.
Thanks for reading, watching, and supporting the work.
~ January 2026 HP Poet: Druzzayne Rika Age: Late twenties Country: India
Question 1: We warmly welcome you to the HP Spotlight, Druzzayne. Please tell us about your background?
Druzzayne Rika: "I grew up amidst the relentless pulse and towering ambition of Mumbai, a city that provides endless contrasts. My professional life is rooted in data engineering, which has given me a unique lens: I spend my days working with vast datasets, often feeling that we are all reduced to numbers in the larger scheme. Yet, this intense exposure to data only reinforces my commitment to poetry, where individual self-expression reclaims our identity. The urge to write has been with me since early childhood, around five or six years old, long before I understood poetry as a form. This early compulsion has simply become a lifelong necessity."
Question 2: How long have you been writing poetry, and for how long have you been a member of Hello Poetry?
Druzzayne Rika: "My earliest attempts at writing date back to when I was six, though those initial efforts are certainly amateur. I truly found my community when I joined Hello Poetry around 2014. This site has been a crucial space for growth and sharing; it genuinely feels like a second home to me now."
Question 3: What inspires you? (In other words, how does poetry happen for you).
Druzzayne Rika: "Poetry is an extension of my thoughts and a necessary outlet for a mind that is prone to overthinking and over-analysing. Inspiration is drawn directly from life, a concept I read, or anything that acts as a trigger, sending my mind into a thoughtful spiral. When these complex, confusing thoughts are finally laid down on paper, the act of creating the poem allows me to understand my own mind and confusion in a better way. The poem is the tangible result of processing the immense input I receive daily."
Question 4: What does poetry mean to you?
Druzzayne Rika: "Poetry is my mind's safe space. It is where I don't need to adhere to the rigid, articulate logic of my professional life or the correct articulations of external reality. Instead, I can capture truth and emotion in a beautiful, subjective way. It is the one place where my analytical mind finds solace in structureless feeling."
Question 5: Who are your favorite poets?
Druzzayne Rika: "While I am apologetic to admit that I haven't consumed a vast number of classics, my deepest connections are often formed right here within the community. The poets on this site provide constant, contemporary inspiration. However, I have a special reverence for: Rabindranath Tagore A.K. Ramanujan"
Question 6: What other interests do you have?
Druzzayne Rika: "Beyond the world of writing and data: Long Walks and Nature Exploration: I enjoy going for long walks and actively seek out the hidden pockets of nature that exist within the relentless hustle of Mumbai. These moments of quiet green are vital counterbalances to the city's noise.
Reading: I am an avid reader and enjoy consuming all kinds of books, broadening my perspective across genres and ideas."
Carlo C. Gomez: “We would like to thank you Druzzayne, we really appreciate you giving us the opportunity to get to know the person behind the poet! It is our pleasure to include you in what looks to be a continuing Spotlight series as Hello Poetry carries on!”
Druzzayne Rika: "Oh, nice to here HP lives on."
Thank you everyone here at HP for taking the time to read this. We hope you enjoyed coming to know Druzzayne better. We most certainly did. It is our wish that these spotlights are helping everyone to further discover and appreciate their fellow poets. – Carlo C. Gomez
We will post Spotlight #36 in February! ~
Below are a few of Druzzayne's most favorite poems and links to each one:
a part of me doesn't want to go a part of me don't want to leave I don't want to let go... to let go of you. I don't want to meet the love of my life on rooftop parties, because a part of me wants it to be you, but it can never be you...
On governed introspection’s gaze By winding through that zigzag maze I saw my past, both guilt and glee And I know why you ran from me.
My heart, though closed to outside threat, Still yearns to pay some endless debt It hurts to feel and hurts to see Since I found why you ran from me.
This inner fight takes all my steel ‘tween minds that think and hearts that feel These circled paths can’t make men free So I know why you ran from me
Hushed turmoil builds, still buried deep Both makes men seem and feel asleep It leaves no room for reverie Still I know why you ran from me
The unfurled flags grow redder still While planted on this war-torn hill Now I know why you ran from me For you saw codependency.
I have written poetry intermittently as I've been inspired by life lessons. Writing poetry helps me to understand the world more clearly. I wrote this poem after being turned down in what seemed to be a promising relationship. It took me time to understand why I was turned down, but with time the event helped me realize a flaw in myself that has encouraged me to become healthier in my behavior with myself and with others. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Waiting for tbe ball to drop? 1125 pm waiting for Midnight Reminders of what was Let it go See it through What will be? Make the very best of the situation Execute Find a way to move forward Yes you can Deep Breath
I was eleven years old, sitting out back on the deck with my old man. I can still remember that day well— because in that moment, I wanted to know what it was like to live every day unable to see, to hide all that pain behind a joke or a smile.
So I asked you, “Is it tough, Pops? Having to struggle like this?”
And right then — you broke. There was no room for anything more. You poured out every last tear. That moment became a part of me, etched deeper than anything else.
The strength you carried — to endure all that pain, and never feel sorry for yourself, never complain, day after day — you pushed back a little harder, refused to give up, refused to give in.
When most would have quit, or drowned themselves in pity, you challenged life instead. You kept getting up after every hit, no matter how hard it was. You refused to stay down. You refused to be kept there.
Now it makes more sense to me. I’m in the fight of my life, Pops. All the pain and suffering is finally coming to light. I can’t bury it anymore, can’t hide it or outrun it — it’s forcing me to face it. And maybe, I’m close to accepting it.
I just wish we could talk. What hurts most is losing you at twenty-five. Twenty-five years, that’s all we had, and I’ll cherish every one of them forever.
I love you, Pops. And I miss you — every single day.
Farewell to 2025, It has been quite a ride, We thank you for the blessings, and for all that was provide, but now, it is time for you to go, about time for you to leave, to make room for the new year, WE ALL CAN'T WAIT TO SEE. 25 is dieing out, and from this WE WILL NOT GRIEVE!!! It has been pretty rough, and SATISFACTION is what WE ALL NEED. We have had GOOD, and BAD DAYS, SUNSHINE, and CLOUDS OF GRAY, TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS, the UPS, and the DOWNS, HAPPY TO SEE IT ALL GO AWAY!!! As the going gets tough, seeing you leaving, relieves us, It is time to get it moving, and ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!! SO, FAREWELL to 2025, as we part ways, and SAY GOODBYE, As we ALL WELCOME 2026, and CONTINUE TO KEEP HOPE ALIVE!!!!
her skin is amphetamines I feel her on me the next day her scent dancing in the room she tears into me down to the marrow so close and so deep I beckon for her and she answers everytime
. A / \ St ar etc hed I N T O .park benches. + busses + Old fences. Every S. O Body . K. N O. W S I. "W. A S .-" T He .r E T Ag. ge D P .ei ce. S | O" "F | / .-M Y-. \ HIS" TORY
This looks much better on the place i wrote it rip
What if our sight is limited, narrow and small? Preventing us from seeing the universe's grand plan, after all? Miraculous ways, hidden from our view, Bringing desires to life, if we just believe it's true.
A paradigm shift, a change in our mind, Trusting the unknown, leaving control behind. Our conscious minds, amazing, yet limited too, Can't grasp the complex workings, the universe knows what to do.
Trusting the unknown, not giving up control, But tapping into wisdom, a higher, wilder role. Orchestrating events, beyond our wildest dream, A symphony of life, where magic's the theme.
Let go, and trust, in the unknown's sway, And see the universe, bring your desires to play.
I’ve never been good at decision making Even when I was younger My mother advised me to even get the decision making stone Yesterday she told me to make a decision I think I’ve made one I wanna die
Uhm random im totally okay guys totally not having a panic attack and sobbinh im powerpuff girling right😭😭😭
i was there the whole time, you didn’t even care, your eyes were both on her. she was crying but never as much as me. she seemed far more loved than me. i’m scared she makes you happier than me, also scared you hurt her more than me. but she’s like you and she loves vanity, all i endlessly fear is you will prefer complexity.
