Author’s Note: 

This piece is inspired by “The Common Journey”, by Josh Bond, the fifth poem of thirty, selected by Veronika Bond. This poem, as with all of Josh’s poems, is filled with literary intricacies and mechanisms, from the subtle to the more pronounced, which he uses, adroitly, to pace the poem and create an ambiance for the message he is seeking to convey. 
I love how he uses shortening lines and repetition to bring the reader right in, as well as lengthening lines, to bring about a greater scope of vision, understanding and wisdom.
The metaphors in this piece are exquisite. 
The lengthening stanzas portray, on a structural level, a lengthening journey. There is no rhyme in the poem until stanza five of six, where appears a turning in the poem, mid stanza, just dazzling wordplay, bringing the reader into a deeply satisfying resolution.
The sparse punctuation emphasizes the smooth flow of the poem. 
The jutting line lengths and lengthening stanzas, with white space, give the feel of waves and the northern lights, settling into consciousness and perception.
In thinking about this NaPo, what I might write, I thought to write poems inspired by Josh’s poems. 
I wasn’t shore if that was the right thing to do. 
I was thinking about it…
At DeepUndergroundPoetry, the site we all belonged to… 
[There are some of us still around…]
At DUP…
[Twas a place worthy of legend and song… :ppp]
Actually, I have been pondering how I might write a story about it. 
But yes…
I was thinking about when one of the members, Jade Pandora passed and LDF wrote poems inspired by poems from one of Jade’s published works.
I was also thinking of when Eerie passed, during that NaPo, last year, 2025, which was in Eerie’s honor, Wally (Sir Walter), wrote all thirty poems, as poetic responses inspired by Eerie’s poems. 
Twas a beautiful thing seeing humans do cool stuff for humans. 
Poets do cool stuff for poets. 
So I decided I will write poetic responses and poems to Josh’s NaPo poems. 
The sharing of poetry is such an intimate thing. 
Such next level communication. 
Truly. 
Writing poetry to poetry… 
Is next level to next level.
I have been goin deep in my communications with Sir Joshua. 
(On a side note… My son’s name is Joshua. Which is the best of things.)
I am grateful for this call to adventure, these calling of the currents.
____________________________________________

The Common Journey By Josh Bond 

Piecing together the mystery 
of one's own life can take 
an awful long time 
sometimes

Sometimes I mistake the dots 
that were meant to be joined up
for the perforations 
on the piece of paper
lined up on the left-hand side

Sometimes I dabble 
without thought or care
then my life lurches one way 
or in too many others

Sometimes I've had enough
want to throw out the towel 
with the dishwater and say
it's 
all 
too 
much 
this trying to make sense
of a life gone adrift 
got twisted and stretched 
itself far too flat 

perhaps the reason I then 
pull out all the stops
gather together 
whatever I find 
long lost bits 
discarded widgets  
shredded threads
and forgotten bobs  
all my splintered selves 
in clever disguise...

The real reason I'm willing 
to dig deeper
go further 
be brave 
and heroic 
driven by renewed 
purpose, vision, or aim is  
the common journey 
that binds us together
a knowing that we 
are never abandoned
for in shared experience 
we meet self and same
_________________________________

Clouds Without A Home By Pablo Cipher_O Martinez

“Each of us is a traveling cloud, containing the rain of our pain. Each of us is a traveling cloud, keeping each other in the sky so that we might fly.” – Cipher_O

Clouds Without A Home

The poet roams the night

time city scapes
in steps

Late night head light

from afar

to

close. light

on

in car. unknown

star

getting composed

drifting – disappearing: out of sight

Shadowed by a being on a bike

urchins

of

the night
night riding – Out of sight

Unraveling in the road less traveled
i travel

the side streets

and

secret paths

where seers meet secret pacts
and secret

seals are formed

from

secret acts

It took me a long time to be found by being lost

every street

met

by these

feet

carries arrays

of everyone’s

varied

ways

i see

everyone’s

variations

varied across the days

Clouds Without A Home

***

Cipher
Pohms
***

5/30