A boom A bang Not the big bang theory A clashing of one's self I ran into a version of her Not the warrior slaying giants or the soldier detonating bombs more like the banner after the battle standing alone on a field of the fallen where voices call from the otherside of surpressed stresses forgotten failures memories of miseries and we wrestled with identity collided with her looked her in the eyes Wept with her Today we are not poetically or politically correct We are just standing like the banner on the battlefield Simply saying We are still here. @ Copyright, Tolbert, M D., All rights reserved

The Peace I Chose Peace didn’t come and find my door, I had to choose it, nothing more. I had to walk away from noise, from broken love and borrowed voice. I had to let what hurt me fade, release the deals I never made. And in that letting, slow and deep, I found the peace I had to keep. Not given, not from someone else— but built inside my truest self.

Let's give a huge congratulations to Cynthia Keffer on the launch of her brand-new community, Cindy K's Story Corner! 🎉 If you love children's books, encouraging young readers, and the magic of storytelling, be sure to stop by and show her some support. Congratulations, Cindy! Wishing you an amazing journey as your community grows, one story at a time. ❤️📖

Poets see the world through Haikus: Micro‑vision, Flashes, Tiny shifts — Like children’s laughs rippling across rivers, Summer caressing the skin of winter. Sometimes, Sonnets: Structured in deep emotion, Conflict and resolution, Symmetry of thought Like stained‑glass windows, Longing, devotion, Love and contradiction Lyric sight is rhythm — Breath, And the music of feeling, Sound on a page, A song made of ink. Seeing through Free Verse eyes Is wild, intuitive, Raw, boundaryless — Truth between lines, Speech without performance Sometimes we see a narrative: A story, a plot, Characters and choices, Motives behind actions… A poet’s eyes shift, No form holds it all. Seeing the world Not as it is, But as it becomes. @ Copyright, Tolbert, M D., All rights reserved

Went to the forest for a walk No one to hear, no Facebook to stalk Just me and nature for a spell Went down old paths, found a new trail Soon I found I was lost All paths I did exhaust It turned dark as night Thank goodness I had my flashlight Every direction seemed the same Should have paid attention, myself to blame I kept hunting for the sun Yet I couldn’t find even a glimmer, none I walked and talked to myself, silly me How in the world did I get lost so easy? I tried to remember landmarks I’d seen Every where I looked it was brown or green Nothing stood out to me so far Oh how I want for my car My phone has no signal at all So who in the world could I call Just as I think I am doomed A car horn blows or I assumed I head towards the sound with speed Only for my disappointment to feed A man blowing a horn yes Car horn was a bad guess A bear horn he was blowing loud I didn’t see a bear amongst the crowd He was teaching hikers what they should do Should they meet a bear with their crew I could clearly see which way to head They were going in I was coming out instead The forest is a wondrous place to wander But be careful not to lose your way as you ponder. CDK 6-29-26