Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

It has been destined for you to be with me, all through eternity!

You will be the one to kiss my buns, there’s no doubt; that we will have lots and lots of fun!

It wíll be my pleasure to wine and dine you, but first; I must find you!

Yesterday, the Holy Spirit put...

Performed by Val Cole

---

POEM:

A sea of people
around me, and
yet I have never
felt so alone.

Everyone keeps
surviving, as if,
my entire world
is not crumbling
before me.

How do I live
in the rubble,
where you no
longer exist?

A sea of people
around me,
and I am
drowning,

but everyone
kn...

Performed by Val Cole

----
POEM:

I.
In Oropos, a lone warrior rode
On horseback in search of a place to rest.
He had been on a long and weary quest,
So, he pulled on the reins and his horse slowed.
Up in the trees, the afternoon sun showed
Two doves huddled together in their nest.
He stopped h...

Reading performed by Val Cole

POEM:

It was in a small town in the Midwest,
Where the following story once took place,
Between a woman and a man.
Each night, she held a cross close to her chest—
Praying just as hard as one can.
Every day, he kissed the sides of her face—
To be married soon was ...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

I.
She was a difficult person, too smart for academia perhaps
and reluctant to self-promote
and angry that she was unsung unlike her acclaimed grad school chums.
As Little Edie said she was a “staunch woman”
and the world—or her particular subfield of art history—
j...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

Needing you still, I come when I can,
this time to the labyrinth
to share this circular path.

There’s no one on the trail today
as I make my way
a shroud of fog settles in.

These trees were strangers
stark with winter their bare limbs
bearing a striking silhouette...

Reading by Val Cole

POEM:

I find myself back at 3240
Where we used to sit at the back table,

Close to the bathroom in case we need
A hit of nicotine or a visit with mary.

They replaced the wooden tables
With cold marble, erasing

Our initials we carved
Into these tables on all those weekends...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

You keep me,
as if I were a monk
inside the monastery of your heart.

You keep me,
as the deepest secret dwelling
in the darkest part of your heart.

You keep me,
as the quickest sentiment sent and meant
to strike passion in your heart.

You keep me,
replaying insid...

Performed by Val Cole

Kathryn is facing the longest battle of her life, even with the necessary resources she's not only a victim but also an advocate for her own rights to find a way to stop her stalker from completely ruining the life she has left, after he had made her out to be the predato...

Performed by Val Cole

1) What is the theme of your poem?

Once, or Maybe Twice is about the longing for an absent person who cannot
be forgotten. The idea that the person is thought of periodically is tongue
in cheek for thinking about them constantly. Most of the imagery is set to
emphasize the...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

I came to him like Persephone –
A bloom half-rooted in the Underworld,
Hands dusted with the dark of longing –
He, the sun I mistook for salvation.
But I was not the first.

The pedestal bore another’s weight
Long before I climbed its slick, slanted edge.
Her name s...

Performed by Val Cole

Get to know the poet:

1) What is the theme of your poem?

Human Teddy Bear comes from a place of comfort and emotional security. At it's heart it addresses how a person can easily become a safe place whether it feels like the world is crashing down or just an all around ...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

Please respond the following questions with a number on a scale from one to five (one being least agree and five being most agree).

1. You would turn in your neighbor, should he be revealed to be an undocumented immigrant.
1 2 3 4 5

2. You would spit on him as he’...

Performed by Val Cole

Get to know the poet:

1) What is the theme of your poem?

Humanity staring into the mirror of AI — seeing both our brilliance and our blind spots reflected back. It explores the paradox of creating something that can echo our thoughts, amplify our vision, and also revea...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

Snow White,
Circling the sky
In search of messengers
To show them the way to newfound
Freedom

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

Years of betrayal
26 years to be exact
Holidays, vacations, children
Since the day they met

A long time coming
Waiting for the other shoe to drop
It didn’t hurt any less
Or make it easier to stop

On their family vacation
Cheating with him as she slept in their bed...

Performed by Val Cole

Performed by Val Cole

https://youtu.be/93mTwh2sGlY

Performed by Val Cole

Get to know the poet:

1) What is the theme of your poem?

My poem's theme is grief and the lack of understanding of others. This poem centers grievers and how lonely it is at times. People are not taught and often do not know how to interact...

https://youtu.be/68IL8F1Fu1s

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

Once,
There was a poor little boy
Not poor in coins,
But in comfort.
Not poor in food,
But in love.

He had a mother
Who held a bottle
Tighter than her children,
Who traded bedtime stories
For silence
And babysitters.

She didn’t know
T...

https://youtu.be/3CdabwJ-w-A

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

Like the tides, life rises and falls.
At times, you’re soaring—
High,
Reaching toward the endless sky,
Your crest catching golden light,
Dancing in the sun.

And then—
You’re pulled low,
Crashing down,
Breaking hard,
A surge of force,
S...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

Seated alone on the couch, weary from the day’s labor,
full of hard drink and a heavy meal, he was content this
birthday affair may pass without incident.

A bottle of twenty-five-year Scotch adorned his lap.
He made certain she saw him swallow the sleeping pill sh...

Performed by Val Cole

Get to know the poet:

1) What is the theme of your poem?

- The poem celebrates the vibrant, scenic, and lively essence of San
Francisco. Its themes include:

Natural Beauty and Scenic Charm: Descriptions of the bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, green ridges, beaches, and star...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

One may pave the sided streets from his neighbors guile,
To a diligence of a leader; or to an acid’s chyle.
This zephyr from the switchgrass of soulstice,
is unabridged by my mama’s veiled smile.
One’s true veilon is dogged behind the child.
Child who refused to fi...