When the Tides Roll In: A Collection of Poetry by Aj Peters

By AJ Peters

these poems describe the
bittersweet feelings of losing the
innocence of childhood, the
heartbreak and frustration that is
involved as one comes of age,
societal struggles, and more. this
collection highlights that there
are some good days and some
bad. a read for people of all ages,
especially those going through a
personal struggle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728371160

Book preview

© 2020 AJ Peters. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/28/2020

ISBN: 978-1-7283-7117-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-7116-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020915903

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

I. the sailor

man

i stand here

standstill

part one

inside

inner compass

the curse

i know

protecting you

scare

what i miss

silent

to a sister

the lone ranger

her piece of pottery

recovery

hurting me

forgiving

knocking

the lion

accepting

finally free

part of me

i am not

lost beings

the sailors

dearest

now

a fragment of my mind

two a.m.

at the time

gladiators

her path

II. the ship

surgeon

to think

lies

part two

to define a fall

forever and always

dreaming

the wind

splatter

promises

secret

forever mine

to hold you

texting

for you

folktales and fairytales

goodbye

where is my key?

fright

fading away

driving

change

erasing you

why?

tick tock

back in the day

finding him

learning

heart on my sleeve

my light

a blithering beacon

fine mist

III. the sea

romance novels have it wrong

446 red river drive

fear

part three

clouds

leave your desk

physics

growing up

young love

someone new

the idea

losing you

who is the childhood monster?

hate

channel 20

sailing the sea of anxiety

catastrophe

Death

stop and stare

you are not the one for me

a letter to a pageant queen

falling

the feeling

waiting

how many more times

ruling the world

you can’t see

a world of shadows

world

the thing

we are the next

About the Author

this collection is dedicated

to those who are and will always be my forever,

to those who have made me who i am today,

to those who have never given up on me,

to those whom i love –

and to Helen Pardee,

the woman who gave me my poetic genes

and watches me

from up above.

my friend, before we begin,

i must ask you –

have you ever heard the sea breathe?

the sailor

like the brightest constellation

guiding you by night,

you are unique.

man

man has always known the risks of falling,

but we dance along the cliff’s edge anyways.

man has always known the risks of dying,

yet we treat life like it is nothing, day after day.

our guns and grenades

take precedence over all else.

man knows the risk of running,

but we run away from our fears every day.

we have, you might say, perfected our ways of war –

our craft, our siege, our hearts –

to slaughter and put our brothers and sisters in pain.

man has made it clear

that we are not to be approached.

if you see us roaming the hills,

arguing behind white picket fences,

run far, run fast.

one day

when the sky turns to a bloody shade of sober,

we’re going to find ourselves lost in our wars,

left behind.

i stand here

i stand here, alone, in a swarm

of once sweaty bodies and sore hearts;

where the air is dense,

and the atmosphere enclosing us is heavy.

i stand here, cold, despite the millions

of limbs entangled with mine;

whose purpose was once important,

but now is just a thought

left behind.

i stand here, broken,

with the burden

of all of my memories –

there is no light

on the other side of the ocean.

standstill

sitting,

time is at a standstill.

hazy clouds fly overhead,

the sky breaks open.

i lay there on the grass,

dreaming.

sitting,

at a standstill –

wishing you were still here.

part one

i find it nostalgic

to look through old photographs –

my favorite

are the ones that have the tears in the corners,

the frayed edges,