Low Wattage

Low Wattage

you miss a version of me 

who no longer exists.

the one who doesn’t 

shadow a room upon entering.

and for that, I am sorry.

but if you pause 

in your silent judgment,

you will find your hand 

on the switch.

Somewhere I Am Not

Somewhere I Am Not 

Let us go then, you and I. 

T. S. Eliot 

Broken. Repeated. Plagiarized. 

I am never gonna survive. 

Ready or not, it doesn't matter. 

I disturb the universe. 

Pinned, wriggling through life. 

I can't run away, so I take it slowly. 

Is this theft? 

Words from one generation or another. 

I can try. 

Quick now. 6 7. 

A third generation. 

What comes next? 

I know the I's already. 

I sit 180 degrees from the regular. 

I grow old 

But not yet at my breaking point. 

So I search for the mermaids singing. 

Coincidences with no consequences. 

If every meaningful sentence has already been spoken, 

What exactly am I supposed to do? 

Find me, lost, 

Knowing exactly where I am. 

Robert Lloyd

30 june 2026

In The Room

 In The Room

They are not as grey as I would have imagined
Neither of us wants to speak first
Unforgetting, small brown eyes follow my every move
Our fear of immediate discontent is palpable
I am amazed
There is enough space
For the three of us
We are avoiding the obvious
Its tail swishing with the tension
We are broken
The furniture ignores its size
Our hearts dull
Its trunk sways this way and that
Yesterday is no longer about tomorrow
Grateful there are no mice scurrying about
We think small thoughts
Ivory tusks majestic and white
There is no clear path
And all I can think
They are not as grey as I would have imagined
While avoiding a lovers' graveyard

By
Robert Lloyd

Hostage

"Hostage"

You held me in your hands as best you could

Me, a shell of who I was

Searching for love and redemption

My trust was that you would be ever so careful

You were my rebirth and that was unfair

No one figured it would be easy

Least of all us

We said we would be different

I guess I always knew

My created burden was too much

It seems I was too broken for you to fix

For you to carry

For you manage next to your own needs

I don’t fault you

I just pray my cracks have not spread into your world

I hope you smile beyond me

And without me

I release you from the prison my love has created

You are no longer mine

You are free

Robert Lloyd

Iceberg

"Iceberg"

I am floating along                           

And melting

The beautiful world that surrounds me

Betrays me as I cherish

and struggle

with each vanishing moment

My presence

My worth

My existence

It all fades with each new sunrise

I crave something it seems I am no longer allowed

More time with you

With your supposed forever smile

With your clear blue glances

With the thought that you could never tire of me

As I drift along

Further from you

From something that once was such magic

I tremble with fear

And my heart aches

I desperately want to travel back to before

To the time before we stumbled onto this false path

This stream that drags us apart

I want yesterday

Knowing what I know today

Rather than this cold fade

I am floating along

And melting

Robert Lloyd

Set Adrift

"Set Adrift"

The wind was peppered with a gulls cry

As her hair bounced loosely

Upon her shoulders

She stood alone

Challenging the world

Dressed for the occasion

Her thoughts were swallowed by loneliness

Who will catch me if jump?

She whispered with a sad smile

Her tears fell into the void

Tracing a well traveled path upon her cheeks

Her panicked heart beat began to slow

Calm replaced ache

It was an epiphany

When the wind faltered and stopped

Only silence remained

Robert Lloyd

Broken

"Broken"

splintered excerpts of life
lay scattered about the floor

they sting
they are shards of me
bloodied by my bare feet

i couldn’t tolerate the reminder
of my faults
so with my fists i struck hard
hurting myself
resolving nothing
multiplying my paranoia

seven is such a big number
now my pains and mistakes
haunt me a thousand more
ways than just the one
i could have easily turned away from

robert lloyd