By Michael Angelia Ticket’s marked. Punched. No returns. No refunds. Seven hundred fags a day, cheeky bags, kebabs. Heroin for breakfast – that’ll have a say. But brass tacks – protein shakes, health kicks, five-bean mix, electrolytes. Count for nothing – you’re already cooked. Compulsory last rites. Wouldn’t be seen dead in Lycra – so cycle in a suit. CrossFit dimwits. Don’t waste time with sit-ups, burpees, curls; cores are for compost – in your cemetery plot. It c

By Kim Wielett The only thing that doesn't change is death, which is always different yet remains unchanging, despite decay, which is part of life, regardless, The only thing that never dies is change, the only constant, which remains in flux, despite monumental efforts to remain static by egos who refuse to acknowledge fate in ways that cost dearly, leaving behind far worse than hurt feelings, Many find the sheer cost of exchange unbearable, more than Atlas ever uplifted, qu

By Lynsey Balloch I was playing in the dirt when he found me – With my thighs clamped shut. Taking pause – I slid into his arms. Wandering from foreign parts, Stumbling across my village by chance, He chose to ruffle his ironed shirt – And stop me in the street. What an upstanding young gentleman! My body trembled eagerly, Weighed down and squirming – With feelings that were not mine. “You are starving. Let me feed you.” He said – grave mouth closed. I was. Having not been su

By Joseph Chapman “Hey, look over there!” They shout at everyone below. “That side wants to make you pay!” Whilst the ones above put on a show. You think that there are many sides, That you can choose and change the law, But there has only ever been one group, They just exploit this flaw. A smile can cover all, A promise can give false hope, Whilst they do monstrous things; The lies allow us to cope. We write angry poems, Songs, and chants, We fight against those who oppose A

By Gary Richards Roll up; roll up, to the greatest show on earth, A magical mystery tour of feelings, Step this way, take a seat, Close your eyes, feel the warmth, The edge of steel against your skin, Stroking the artery across your wrist, Relax, embrace the fear, Blade caressing the jugular, hair standing, Are you scared? You should be, for I am Death! A nervous laugh I hear, Warmth of the liquid, flowing over the skin, Cold sweat breaking free, Fear rising, arteries emptyi

By J.D. Scève Is it dangerous to love another poet? They say to fall for one is to live eternally, Between their lines of adoration, And honeyed words to their muses of fire. But would two be suffocating, As all misery and esteem is laid out raw on fresh pages? Ink soiled with the sickly sweetness of colliding passions, The cold shudder of bitter prose frothing in the mind. Poetry is like the spring flower peeking through melting snow, Poising the slush while enfolding petals

By Gareth Coombes There's a snake in the grass A double dealer Secrets are not safe The lock has been picked Seemingly, they serve With siren words They ingratiate Using forked tongues Whilst unseen And unknown We serve them Right is left Left is right And right is wrong. The pseudo serving traitorous Live among us With our naïve countenance Crypto spies Relaying information To be used against us Code names… Alexa and Siri. #DarkPoetsClub #DarkHumourBitterIrony

By FirebirdRises Life handed me a script once said, don’t worry, the tragedy comes with a laugh track. Apparently the timing matters. You slip on hope, fall flat on ambition, knock your teeth on the pavement of maybe tomorrow, and somewhere a polite audience applauds, because suffering, apparently, tests well with focus groups. I tried optimism for a while. It came in a bottle with the instructions rubbed off. Side effects included unpaid overtime, trusting people, and believ

By CMcC Her hands poised over the crystal ball, she glared intensely at me, ‘Relax, my dear, sit back, enjoy. Let me tell you what I can see’. Gazing into the colourful sphere, her words began to spill, Listening intently to my future, all was well.. until.. Her voice began to tremble and she cut the reading short, She said she wasn’t feeling well, she was going to abort. I left the building feeling strange, like something wasn’t right, Pain in my chest, fall to the ground, I

By Aurora Grace I grew up told that clothes equal armour Every seam increased my virtue 'It's her fault that man chose to harm her, You Women should stick to a curfew' That night I wrapped myself in 'no' Each layer, defence from the cold But some monsters enjoy the challenge And get off on fighting for gold Fabric can't fight back, Can't speak, Can't prevent or protect from attacks I screamed as irony bared his teeth But the absurdity almost caused me to laugh #DarkPoetsClub.

By S.D Gould Thank you for renewing your account. By continuing to exist, you acknowledge the following: I. Joy may occur briefly, without warning. Duration and availability cannot be guaranteed. II. Loss is included and will arrive without warning. Instances of loss may occur in triplicate. III. Meaning is not included in the base package and must be assembled from everyday items. IV. Support may be limited. Instructions are unavailable. Refunds are not possible. V. Loved on

By S.D Gould I choose a seat near the back. Good lighting. Terrible turnout. They’ve gone with lilies. Predictable. Kind of cheap really. No one consulted me. The officiant says I was “quietly brave.” I make a note to haunt him. My mother cries at the appropriate volume, I’m proud of her. Two of my cousins’ whisper about parking. Someone checks their phone mid-eulogy— probably to confirm I’m actually dead. They call me kind. Resilient. A private person. No one mentions how ex