fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Why Use Queue Management for Brick & Mortars
By: Martin Hildgen
Tags: Retail, Queue Management, People Counting Camera, Conversion Rate

No one likes to wait in line. Retailers experience revenue losses of up to 39% due to long queues; one in every three potential customers leaves the store without making a purchase if they have to wait in line for more than five minutes to pay.

With a Queue Management system, businesses like retailers and supermarkets can accurately calculate the number of customers at checkout queues to eliminate abandonment.

Discover how your retail business can benefit from a queue management solution.👇

#Retail #QueueManagement #ConversionRate #PeopleCounting

https://v-count.com/why-use-queue-management-brick-mortars/
Preparing for January: Creating Demand for Beverage Alcohol After a Fruitful December
Tags: Alcohol, Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Retail, Advertising

After a long and tumultuous 2020, it’s valuable to head into 2021 prepared.

Data from the past five years has shown that there is almost always a sharp drop in sales after the holiday season peak. Knowing what to do with inventory and resources to combat the January slump will set retailers up for success in the new year.

Throughout this transitional period, perspective is everything. The 3x3 Retail Network saw sales drop by almost half each year from December to January, with a $64M drop in sales from 2018 to 2019 and a $56M drop from 2019 to 2020.

The loss of sales in January is difficult through any lens, but especially in comparison to the high revenues of December. This is especially so in 2020. Total beverage alcohol consumption is projected to go up 1.8 percent this month according to Wine and Spirits Daily. For the off-premise, the sale of gifts — which started six weeks earlier — is playing a larger role than normal this holiday season. Many professionals are cautiously optimistic about the 2020 holiday season, seeing potential for savvy businesses that adapted to the altered landscape.

After those projected successes are realized and January dawns, inventory should stay light and budgets should refocus on internal improvements and digital marketing.

Think of it as time to work on the business rather than in it. Improve functionality and take stock (literally) during any downtime. Then, start building demand.

Off-season success depends on an early investment in digital marketing to foster continuous communication with customers. Social media, email blasts and loyalty programs are great ways to maintain relationships with current customers, but generating new customers requires investment in digital advertising.

3x3 helps brands direct their ideal customers to buy at nearby stores using Precision-Guided Shopper Acceleration™. This style of marketing expands the net. It broadens a retailer’s shopper network, which in turn can drive more traffic for brands and retailers.

“As independent retailers develop and expand their e-commerce offerings, it will be important to highlight their diversity both in terms of services and product offerings,” Mike Provance, CEO of 3x3, says.

“Retailers should push themselves to think differently in order to set themselves apart and recreate the discovery and engagement online”.

To that end, 3x3 dug into the strategies, trends and products that drive demand (and sales) in January. Get retail recommendations, marketing suggestions and insightful analysis in this exclusive report.

—

To learn more about 3x3 and current service offerings, please visit 3x3.us. To gain further beverage alcohol social media insights, sign up for our weekly newsletter, Retail Untapped.
UK Baby Care Products Online Sales
By: Kemal Sidar
Tags: Amazon, Retail, Sales, Ecommerce, Marketing

Sales trends, statistics and market insights of online baby care products business.

Photo by Ryan Fields on Unsplash

Market value of baby care products in the UK demonstrated a decreasing pattern between 2012 and 2016 declining to £14.9million in 2016. It increased to £17.8million in 2017, and reached £21.2mn in 2018.

Although consumers’ favorite brands for baby care products are Johnson’s and Pampers, more than half of the respondents declared that they do not have a favorite brand for baby products.

Nappies, baby milk/formula, as well as baby and junior food are three main segments of baby care products. Although showing a downward trend over the course of 2016–2018, the number of people using disposable nappies in the UK are found to be around 3 million. In 2018, number of people using normal nappies were 2.3 million.

Asda, Pampers Baby Dry and Huggies were the most preferred brands in 2018. Tesco, Pampers Active Fit and Pampers Easy Up Pants come next in the ranking with a number of users close to each other. Adding updifferent variations of Pampers nappies shows that Pampers was the mostly preferred nappies brand in the UK.

In the UK Pampers is the favourite brand for baby nappies and is preferred by 21% of the respondents. It is important to underline that more than half of the respondents do not have a favorite brand for baby diapers.

Number of individuals using baby milk shows a downward trend over the course of 2013–2018 with the demand for liquid baby milk being half of the demand for baby milk in powder form.

Favourite baby milk brands in the UK are Cow&Gate, Milupa Aptamil, and SMA.

Demand for baby and junior foods in cartons or pots showed a downward trend over the course of 2013 to 2017. On the other hand, demand for food in packets, tins and jars demonstrated a steady trend in the same period.

Cow&Gate, Ella’s Kitchen, Heinz and Hipp Organic are the favorite brands among baby and junior foods products.
New Year’s Resolutions for Your E-Commerce Business
By: Abigail Dunn
Tags: Retail, Ecommerce, Business Strategy, New Years Resolutions

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
B.B. Fowler — ‘Investment’ opportunity
By: Maury Thompson
Tags: Newspapers, Marketing, Retail, History

The B.B. Fowler dry goods store in downtown Glens Falls was a destination retailer in the 19th century.

Fowler was a cross between philosopher/poet and All-American pitch man in a July 2, 1886 Granville Sentinel ad aimed at attracting shoppers from Washington County.

“Oh fortune, thou fickle goddess, how often is misfortune attributed to thy frown, which is but the result of wasted opportunities?” he mused. “Thus the man who has offered him gold dollars at seventy-five cents and waits for further depreciation to purchase should not blame fortune for his pigheadedness. He has simply wasted his opportunity.”

Don’t think of the upcoming “Great Slaughter Sale,” with quality merchandise discounted 21 percent or more, as shopping, but as an opportunity for investment, Fowler suggested.

“This may be far too important a sale to be casually noticed. This may be your opportunity, my friend, to make a paying investment. It won’t cost you anything to get the details.”

Click here to read the most recent previous B.B. Fowler history post.
How to Make Your Customers Spend More Time at Your Shop?
Tags: Retail Store, Shopping Center, Retail

Retail sales staff:

Your sales staff is significant in making the in-store experience that gets customers to remain longer and eventually spend more. Train your retail sales staff to make intriguing and brand-valid client encounters.

Food offerings:

Serving food is a great way to increase the frequency of visits and share of wallet.

Have you ever gone to IKEA and stopped in the food court to have a quick meal?

If you have, then you are among many people that have helped IKEA to become the world’s sixth largest food chain. With the popularity of its food offering, IKEA started testing food delivery in Paris last year.

Add technology enhancements:

Technology is a broad topic. It can range from offering a phone-charging station to creating VR/AR in-store experiences. Technology can enhance the customer experience, regardless of what sort of store you have.

You can also make customers spend more time by offering complimentary in-store Wi-Fi (to make browsing your e-commerce store easier).

Hold in-store events:

Hosting events at your store is a known traffic-driver. It gives customers a reason to visit your space and engage with your brand in person.

Also, events can help you drive brand awareness and create a network.

But beyond those benefits, hosting events is a great way to get customers to spend more time in your store.

Optimize your store layout and design:

Your store layout essentially sets the path that customers will take through your space.

A very much planned layout will give clients a clear path, encourage discovery and interaction (read: increase dwell time), highlight products, and ultimately drive conversions.

Bottom line:

In the crazy world of business, it’s relatively easy to use clever tricks that make shoppers spend more.

After getting to know your target audience and their needs, you should be able to choose which of the above tactics work best for your unique shop.

If you are looking to meet your customers at a well-known shopping centre, Marked Lane offers you the opportunity to showcase your products at a fully completed stall in a prestigious shopping centre.
Getting the Shoplifting Under Control
By: Aj Dayo
Tags: Shoplifting, Retail

A major problem in the retail world is shoplifting.

The Galleria mall is a central hub for people from all over the world that visit Houston to come gather, spend time with family, eat and ultimately shop.

According to VisitHouston.com, an average of 24 million people visit the mall each year, catering to up to 375 stores. Because of this large of a scale, the mall is a major hotspot for shoplifting.

Spencer’s Gifts, known simply as Spencer’s, is just one of the many vendors that is no stranger to retail theft.

As a novelty store, Spencer’s carries a selection of products that appeal to people of all ages. From pop culture apparel to mature collections of adult interests. The store has it all. Their diverse line is what drives the company’s success, but it’s also the reason behind the interest of a shoplifter.

Nicole Wagner, an assistant manager at the store, has had numerous encounters with customers that come to shop but actually have ulterior motives to steal.

“I have worked in retail for 13 years, and it’s pretty bad how often people come in and try to steal,” she says.

Wagner has been with the company for over 4 years and had recently transferred to The Galleria mall location. She explains that she has never seen such a high-risk location as her store because it’s in one of the busiest malls in the district.

Her store’s shrink percentage is just barely below the company’s cutoff. Shrinkage, or shrink, is a retail term for “loss in profits.”

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) 2020 survey, the retail world suffered a $61.7 billion shrinkage. This a record all-time high for the retail industry. Store’s that have a high shrink rate undergo the target program. The program pushes for better loss prevention methods in order to avoid any more loss in profits because of theft.

“We’ve been on the target program before, but we’ve learned to be more consistent in implementing our loss prevention procedures daily,” says Wagner.
How One Sporting Goods Store Has Defied Odds Amidst Pandemic
By: Kevin Zelicskovics
Tags: Covid 19, Retail, Sporting Goods Store

Another thing that helped Academy weather the pandemic storm was how the business adapted to COVID-19 safety measures for staff and customers. Following CDC guidelines and COVID-19 protocols, plexiglass was installed on all cash registers. In accordance with those guidelines, a mask mandate was instituted and signs placed in front of the stores reminding customers to wear masks.

Employees had to test negative for the coronavirus in order to keep the work environment safe for all individuals and sanitation was a necessary action that Academy had taken advantage of as well. All work stations were sanitized and bottles of hand sanitizer were placed in the front of the store, and near every cash register.

An employee at one Houston Academy store who only gave his name as Eric said the items selling well during the pandemic are in the fitness and exercise equipment, fishing gear, camping gear and biking equipment categories.

Overall, sporting goods retailers have reported a similar spike in sales with items such as bikes, exercise equipment and outdoor equipment seeing an uptick in purchases. Customers dealing with a pandemic would be looking to upgrade their gear since there is more time to do certain outdoor activities, and Academy drives that notion.

Eric said his store also saw a big increase in online orders as well as orders that utilized the company’s curbside pickup offering.

“If 20% or 30% of those people continue with those hobbies, that’s a huge increase. Normally it would take years to grow that sort of business.”

If the trend in customers returning to sporting goods stores, sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it could mean more success for retailers like Academy. “People start fishing and get a starter rod and now want a new rod or reel,” Hicks says. “They went camping and have a small tent and now want a bigger, better tent. Those are things that will help us do well next year.”
Recent E-Commerce Cosmetics Trend
By: Kemal Sidar
Tags: Cosmetics, Amazon, Retail, Sales, Marketing

Recent E-Commerce Cosmetics Trend

Photo by Belle Beauty on Unsplash

2019 E-Commerce Cosmetics Trend research published by Photoslurp and Zinklar looks at the shopping habits of women in five key countries in Europe: United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France, and Italy. Results of this research reveal that more than 80% of individuals at age 16–54 bought cosmetics online in the last 12 months. This ratio even reaches 91.9% for the age group of 16–24.

In the UK, 34.8% of respondents declared that they buy cosmetics every few months and 22.3% declared to have bought once a month. Almost one-fifth of respondents declared that they bought cosmetics online a few times a month.

According to the results of 2019 E-Commerce Cosmetics Trend Research, 30.2% of respondents prefer to buy cosmetics online from Superdrug, where 22.7% prefer Amazon, eBay comes third with 13.2%.

Among cosmetic products lipstick, masks, eye shadow, eyeliner, concealer, foundation and make-up remover are regularly bought online.

Buyers of cosmetics products online attach utmost importance to discounts and promotions. Free delivery/shipping is the second most important aspect affecting buying experience of online customers.

As a natural result of online shopping’s characteristics, customer reviews are the most important element affecting consumers’ buying decision.
Am I not worthy of a call?
By: Peter S. Mohr
Tags: Retail, Entrepreneurship, Sales, Leadership, Wholesale

I find it interesting as an independent retailer (with a couple of stores) how different brands react when you reach out to them about the possibility of having them as part of your store.

I was inquiring about a brand that we don’t carry, I won’t use names, but we’ll call it brand U. I emailed the rep and asked if we could have a call to see if it may be a right fit for both of us. I received a form letter back asking for me to put together an hours’ worth of information with pictures, policies, and projections of why they would accept me. After all, they were looking for the “RIGHT” partners (and the rep used capitals to enforce it).

If I put in this effort and work, then maybe he’d grace me with a conversation, maybe…. if I’m “RIGHT”.

If we treated our clients with that kind of demeaning attitude we’d be out of business. Keep in mind, we’ve never even chatted yet.

Would you ask someone to marry you on the first date…. or better yet, without even meeting them? Where did having a 10-minute chat with a salesperson go…

Has social distancing taken away courtesy?

Have people working out of their home offices forgotten how to interact…..

Outside of owning shoe stores, I’m a business coach. I think I’ll be busy for the next 25 years, the future looks promising!
Why Wal Mart is So Successful
By: Tim Gebauer
Tags: Retail, Management, Leadership, Walmart, HR

Why Wal Mart is So Successful

photo by author, booklet by Walmart

In 1997 Wal Mart passed 100 billion dollars in sales, had stores in all 50 states, was in Mexico, and opened up China. They were closing in on being the biggest private employer in the US. They were on a roll.

How did they multiply their 1997 sales by over five times? (2019 sales over 500 billion according to Statista.com) A window into the past is one of the best ways to learn how companies are successful in the long term.

While cleaning out some old boxes I found a 1997 Wal-Mart employee pocket calendar titled Winners Win. It is full of company initiatives, directions, and tips.

What struck me was how current it still is, except for the calendar part of course. Inside the cover are five commitments. See if you think they ring true today:

Stock it. They will come! Price it right. They will buy it! Show the value. They will buy more! Take their money. They will return! Teach them. They will use it!

The specifics of how each of these works has evolved. They are as relevant today as they were in 1997.

The back page had their 5-year strategies: (summarized)

Exceed customer expectations Attract diverse quality associates Make Wal-Mart a fun and exciting place to work Aggressively take market share Taylor merchandise assortment to each market Improve inventory efficiency

Good notes for any retailer anywhere even today.
Livestream Shopping Spree 🛍
Tags: Tik Tok, Online Shopping, Retail, Business, Walmart

In 2019, retail e-commerce sales topped $3.53 trillion worldwide, according to Statista. As people have started using brick-and-mortar shows as a showroom for the items they will go home and buy online, the average person’s shopping habits have changed dramatically over the past few years.

For Walmart, this is just the beginning. TikTok announced that it will be partnering up with Walmart to introduce an all-new shoppable livestream event. On Friday, TikTok will host the one-hour long event where users can shop for Walmart fashion items featured by TikTok creators without leaving the app.

This is the first time TikTok will host something like this in the United States and what better company and brand to kick things off with than Walmart. According to Walmart’s Chief Marketing Officer William White, “it (the event) gives us a new way to engage with users and reach potential new customers, while bringing our own brand of fun — with the help of fashion loving TikTok creators — to the platform.”

Will you be attending the event? If not, users will still have the change to shop for the items featured in the event once it’s over by visiting Walmart’s TikTok page.

I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.
How COVID-19 affected retail, people, and their spending habits? Part 1
By: Narrative Bi
Tags: United States, Retail, Covid 19, Data, Analytics

As we can see from the graphic above, credit/debit card spending decreased by 11% in March-September 2020 compared to the same period last year, time spent at retail and recreation locations (-17.6%), job posting (-19.8%), net revenue for small businesses (-26.7%), number of small businesses open (-27.2%), time spent in workplaces (-32.9%).

At the beginning of the year (Jan-Feb 2020), credit/debit card spending was only a little bit slower than a year before (less than 0.5%). Still, in March-April, when coronavirus arrived in the United States, there was a significant spending drop on the West Coast (California -34.8% and Nevada -33.4% in April) and the East Coast (Vermont -37.8%, Rhode Island -36.4% and Delaware -35.6%). Red — worse than average, white — average, green — better than average.

There is a huge drop in the level of the job posting. We can see that in April, almost all states demonstrated from -25% to -45% drop. Nevada (-45.2%), Ohio (-39.6%), Mississippi (-38.4%). There was a comparatively good scenario in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island in April.

Thank you for reading our article. we can’t wait to hear your thoughts in the comment section. 😃

Next time, we will discuss five economic scenarios for US states in 2021. Stay tuned and subscribe so you won’t miss new posts!
Prevén que “e-commerce” aporte 15% de las ventas del retail en tres años
By: Julio Camacho
Tags: Ventas Online, Retail, Ecommerce

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
Creating a Press Release for Opening a New Store or Business
By: Jennifer Heiner-Pisano
Tags: Running, Press Release Writing, Press Release, Retail, Marketing

A graduate of Lehigh University, Jennifer Heiner-Pisano has served as the retail director of a successful New Jersey running company since 2019. While at Lehigh University, Jennifer Heiner-Pisano studied all aspects of business, specifically marketing and economics, and has used that knowledge to help the owners of her current company to increase market share and to successfully launch new branches of their stores.

Having publications announcing new openings or launches is critical in reaching new markets or target audiences. This includes press releases in the local media, digital and print. The following is an example of such press release that would be appropriate for opening a new store in a new location.

(YOUR COMPANY NAME) OPENING NEXT LOCATION AT (ENTER YOUR LOCATION HERE)

New Jersey Based Running Retail Company Excited to Expand to (New Location)

LOCATION, USA, DECEMBER 16 — a New-Jersey based company, is excited to announce that it will be opening its latest retail location, the first outside of New Jersey, in the (Mall name here) next month.

(Including a brief history and background on the company, as well as a fun fact or two will capture the reader’s attention and get them interested to learn more about your brand).

As part of its exciting new opening, (Company Name)is looking to hire seasonal and part- and full-time sales associates to join it’s team. As a Sales Associate you would be responsible for providing a best in class retail store experience and would be working alongside an established team of highly personable associates to help our customers find the apparel and footwear that meets all of their active lifestyle needs. The right candidate would be a self-motivated, highly energetic individual who is comfortable engaging the public. You will join a tight knit group of key contributors who are actively working together to achieve goals and meet timelines to drive the business forward.

Please contact Company directly to inquire about employment opportunities, or with any questions about its store and product.
Wayfair 101: A Good Way to Start Dropshipping and Furniture Sales
By: Kemal Sidar
Tags: Amazon, Retail, Wayfair, Sales, Ecommerce

Wayfair 101: A Good Way to Start Dropshipping and Furniture Sales

Photo by Phillip Goldsberry on Unsplash

But who and what is Wayfair?

It is an e-commerce retailer which focuses exclusively on home goods such as furniture, home appliances, décor and pet accessories.

They operate in the USA, Canada, Irelands and the UK.

The online seller was founded by Niraj Shah and Steve Conine who started operations in America in 2002 and has become a leading marketplace for home goods.

Wayfair is one of the largest online-only home goods retailers in the world, it has over 12,100 employees and 15 million active customers.

Its base is in Boston, Massachusetts and after huge success in the domestic market it expanded internationally in 2007. It is ranked as one of the fastest growing e-commerce retailers.

In 2020 the retailer, like many other online sellers, increased its sales with many more people turning to online purchases during the pandemic.

The trend for buying home items online was already on the increase with 19% of buyers going to the internet to purchase furniture and home goods but it has really seen a boom this year.

Wayfair sells over 14 million products, many of these through its “house brands” which are not actually Wayfair brands, it does not manufacture any products that are sold, but are a collection of merchandise that fit into a certain aesthetics characteristics that fit the Wayfair image.

The way in which items are sold on Wayfair is through a dropshipping model, when someone buys a product on the website!

As a seller through Wayfair the process of selling means that Wayfair will let you know that there has been a purchase and you are required to fulfil the order making use of their courier accounts and the buyer then receives the item with the Wayfair packing slip.

Wayfair will negotiate a price with the seller and will charge a small commission for their services — it can be seen as a wholesaler when negotiating with sellers.

So, if you sell any of the following home items then you should consider Wayfair as one of your potential sales platforms.
E-commerce in the UK: Statistics and Beyond!
By: Kemal Sidar
Tags: Amazon, Retail, Sales, Ecommerce, Marketing

E-commerce in the UK: Statistics and Beyond!

The size of e-commerce market in the UK and Japan are relatively close to each other. There are statistics showing the UK e-commerce market ranked right below Japan. For example, from the revenue perspective, recent research conducted by Statista shows the UK ranked as fourth globally, following Japan.

The most recent data collected by ONS suggests that e-commerce sales by businesses in the UK non-financial sector were £688 billion in 2018 showing an 18% increase compared to £582 billion in 2017. This was also the largest annual growth in e-commerce since 2014 (comparable records began in this year).

The observed growth in total e-commerce sales in the UK has been mainly driven by an increase in website sales since 2014.

Another cause of the increase in e-commerce sales is the increase in businesses’ turnover derived from e-commerce. In 2018, the proportion of businesses’ turnover derived from e-commerce reached 18.4%, showing a1.8% points compared to 2017.

The distribution of e-commerce sales in the UK among B2C and B2B is also presented in the figure below:

Internet sales as a percentage of total retail sales in the UK has also demonstrated a continuous increase over the last decade.

However, the latest IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index suggests an all-time low increase in UK’s e-commerce in 2019, namely only a 6.7% increase. This low growth rate was mostly due to a low performance in the first half of 2019. Online retail sales grew only 5.4% in the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2018. In the second half, e-commerce sales grew 7.6 percent year-on-year, with showing an incredible performance of 16.4 percent year-on-year increase in November. Thus, this can be seen as a recovery from the performance in the first half of 2019.

As presented on the figure below, wholesale and manufacturing sectors are the two driving forces of e-commerce sales in the UK.

Results of an annual interview conducted by ONS in 2019, clothes and sports goods are the most popular goods purchased online in the UK. The results also suggest that more than 40 percent of individuals in the UK purchased holiday accommodation, household goods and event tickets online.
Velvet Labs: Christmas Grottos — COVID-style
By: Velvet Pr
Tags: Retail Industry, Christmas, Marketing, Retail

So here’s the thing: Santa’s been surfing (the net) when it comes to presents for years now, but online grottos? Well, this year, yes. We’re into all things retail, and this piece in Bloomberg Business Week was the inspiration for the latest in Velvet’s Labs series. As Velvet’s youngest, Alex Easlea was the natural choice to check out how traditional retailers are pivoting their Christmas Grottos in the wake of COVID. Here’s what he found…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbozTGh85yc&feature=youtu.be

Links and experiences mentioned:

The Santa Experience

Hamleys Christmas Adventure

MK Illumination
I DON’T WANT. How you make me feel as a natural…
By: Anina Evans
Tags: Spirituality, Love Letters, Breakups, Poems On Medium

How you make me feel as a natural woman.

I do not want you

I do not lay with dogs, to get up fleas.

I bring stuttering dudes to their knees.

I hate men that cheat on their wives.

A pimp is a disgraceful man, even in hell.

A pimp is a gay man with mommy issues.

Money does not make a man or woman.

Magic does not help either.

I do not want you.

Any more hairdressers willing to speak kindly of you.

I sense your magic, and your deceit.

Any more trips to spy on me?

Will you continue to call and hang up?

The Grim Reaper called me; and I answered.

I love God but I must destroy your joy.

I must eviscerate your entire being.

You serve Him downstairs.

I do not want

I serve the Gods and Saints, right Bernie Mac?

I have a message from your grandfather.

Forget it, continue to stay miserable.

I cared but now I do not.

I know she is sick, but I refuse to help her.

(Philomena Laveau)

I despise owls, including you.

I was willing to do whatever you asked.

I chased you to know avail, like an ass.

Playing the fool in love, for a duppy like you.

Now my love for you, has turned into volcano ash.

I literally loath you; you crossed the line.

I love to hate you.

I do not want you.

Guess what dragon?

You will never find love.

You will have everything but that.

I guarantee that, by the hair on my chin.

I do not want you.

God does not know you.

You serve Lucy and do not realize it.

He showed me your soul in a jar.

All of you are destined for doom

You should have been better to me.

I do not want you.

If I must become you, I would rather die.

I rather return to the sky where I came from.

I have angry ancestors, white and black.

Your time is running out.

I do not want you.

I wish I never read those lyrics.

I wish you never called.

I wish I never fell in love with you.

I am taking back my prayers for you.

My prayer of protection, Grace, and Mercy.

I hate you because I once loved.

I do not want you.
“Poetry is cosmic wisdom, buried deep in mental black holes.” I love this line. 🙏👏👏
By: Lennie Varvarides
Tags: Creative Writing, Poetry, Feedback, Appreciation, Poems On Medium

in The Bazaar of the Bizarre
All That is Lost in the Winter. All That is Lost in the Winter
By: Krista Mollion
Tags: Poem, Poetry, Death, Loss, Poems On Medium

Reflections on Loss

Photo by Elisa Coluccia on Unsplash

The autumn leaves have come and with it the cold

The wind whips around me

Chilling every inch of my slight frame

Mocking my shivers

Disheveling my hair

Pounding at my door at night

Like someone who wants to be let in

But there is no one there

Except for a rake that has fallen over

And the clothing line that keeps hitting the side window

Making me think someone is tapping their fingers on the glass

It keeps me up at night sometimes

Once or twice I’ve called out to you

“Papa?”

Maybe you’ve come back to see how I’m doing

I’d like to think there is an afterlife

I’m not afraid of ghosts

You are welcome anytime

Sometimes I think I see you in a shadow

Floating lightly over the wall

But when I turn on the light it is gone

Where are you now?

When will my turn be?

Will I ever see you again?

Winter has come

To remind us that Summer doesn’t last forever

Those sweet, mild days with all the flowers and ripe fruit

When we took our time for granted

All gone now

The ground is frozen and brown under the snow

Our beautiful trees are mere sticks now

Even the birds have no shelter there in the bare branches

It’s hard to imagine the way it used to be

It seems like a dream

To remember the lush grass and warm nights when we ate under the cherry tree

Laughing and the wine flowing, thinking it would last forever

The same cherry tree that was struck down by a violent storm one Fall

Just a stump is left to remind us it even once stood

The same tree that gave us so much good fruit and many happy memories

Your things are put away now

Your life all fits inside a few trunks

Folded with care

Closed but not locked

A smell of must is starting to grow

A whole life that once was

Tidy and stacked in a corner of the attic

Gathering dust

Everything now is separated between ‘last’ and ‘first’

Last Christmas of your life

First Christmas without you

The many of firsts and lasts of life

This is normal and expected

Yet it feels far from it

It seems I’ll never get used to it

Just like in Summer I can’t believe Winter will ever come

Or that after Winter the snow will one day melt

Life and death are mysteries to me

What once was can never be repeated

Yet the Earth keeps moving

The seasons keep changing

And someday it will be my turn to die

Maybe even today or maybe I have many years left

No one knows

All I can do is to cherish every day

To not fear death

To seize life

Summer will come again

And I’ll lay in the grass and smell the Earth

I’ll remember you, the cherry tree, and relish life

For I know too that it is not eternal

Thank you for the sun and the laughs and the love

I want to die with those in my heart

I close my eyes and I see your smile

And suddenly, it is Summer again.
In Absentia
Tags: Poems And Stories, Poetry, Nostalgia, Poetry On Medium, Poems On Medium

Photo by Marina Reich on Unsplash

Somewhere, there is a book

With your name, and perhaps

A scribble in your hand

Within its margins — I wish to

Drink this marginalia, this

Border dwelling thought.

Somewhere along the lanes

Of this margined city

There is a thigh-kissed wall,

Where once you rested your

Slight frame, in absentia,

Which now still stands,

Touched by unfeeling hands.

Somewhere there is a space

Which swallows you whole,

Then scatters your still-throbbing

Life into the labyrinth of that city,

Whose networks carry you aloft

On their front and backs.

I would have to drink this city,

Swallow whole its effluvia,

For a sliver of you.

© Nikhil 2020
O Children of Dawn
By: Murli R
Tags: Poem, Poetry, Poetry On Medium, Sri Aurobindo, Poems On Medium

O Children of Dawn, awaken to thy high purpose;

Thy hour has come and thy labour long.

Unbolt thy heart’s gates, be free of thy moorings;

Here comes Krishna and the reed of his eternal song.

Swagger in thought, swagger in movement, swagger in act,

Personify God’s gait and march upwards towards His sun.

O Children of Light, never pause or rest until thy task is complete,

And never to despond, never to shrink from battle unwon.

Thy faces radiant of God’s victory, thy feet enamoured of His swiftness;

Become wide-measured and wingless soar into His golden firmament.

O Children of Ecstasy, a rapture-sea of an immeasurable Bliss,

Thou a wave whole and infinite of His ineffable delight.

O children of golden Earth, fear not the darkness emergent,

Fear not the pain of blows hammered by the rowdy Inconscient.

Ride the storm, confront the tempests of death, become a victor,

For God within thee moves thy will, becomes the destined.

O Children of the coming age of a marvellous Light,

Be passionate of thy brood, Thy Paramour resides in it, happy and self-contained.
My first poetry collection
Tags: Poetry, Women Authors, Poetry On Medium, Poets On Medium, Poems On Medium

Blue: Twenty Poems From 2020 was named for the Karner Blue butterfly, an endangered little bug you can still see sometimes in places like Indiana Dunes National Park.
Love In The Times Of Corona
By: Pragati Mahapatra
Tags: Love, Loveinthetimeofcovid19, Poetry Sunday, Lovestory, Poems On Medium

Photo by Dallas Reedy on Unsplash

Love In The Times Of Corona

I’ve wondered often how love would be different

if the fingers didn’t intertwine⠀

in the solace of chirping birds and music of laughter,⠀

if eyes only met at a distance and faces were covered in half,⠀

where lips made no show and smiles weren’t noticed,⠀

if the only dreams you had of the person were ⠀

of them looking like a dream themselves,⠀

if handwritten letters were handled with care,⠀

and caresses were a stretch. ⠀

⠀

I’ve wondered long enough how love would be defined if⠀

Five Feet Apart were true for everyone,⠀

if the poems mentioned nothing about how they felt of touch,⠀

but only of warm stares and longing;⠀

if ‘I love you with my life’ wasn’t just a shot in the dark,⠀

but was the bottom line. ⠀

⠀

Now I know,⠀

and I wish I didn’t. ⠀
Flow
By: Jeffrey Flesch
Tags: Poem, Poetry, Poetry On Medium, Life, Poems On Medium

Photo by Mark Basarab on Unsplash

Comes and goes

A memory of a moment

When time stood still, and

Each step looked the same

As the one before,

Moving from the inside,

Guided by a light that burns

Bright

And never shies away

From the turmoil of this life

For, it’s inside the turmoil

Of life that coexists

A beauty

Beyond comprehension

In fact, language becomes

Hard to manage, yet it’s not

The description that matters

It’s the experience of life,

Each step, one and then the next,

Which catches our fancy,

Staying focused then

Is imperative, as is the connection

Within, which guides the way

As we continue to play

Each scene out

To the end, remembering

All the while, they

Are all connected, just as

We are protected

Even when fear arises

We must continue to

Play our tune, and have faith

In that impulsion, which we

All know, and

May call

Life’s flow
Time in the Heart
By: Erin Silveira
Tags: Love, Poetry, Time, Poems On Medium

Yet with the past, with my soured love, the last fourteen years flowed by and trickled and stopped. It was far too long, and it was just yesterday.

The daily minutiae and rejection cascaded, drowning me.

The standing water around my feet went filmy and undrinkable, leaving me thirsty.

Then I froze in the ice of his resentment.
The Little Red Ribbon
Tags: Poem, Poetry Writing, Poetry, Poetry On Medium, Poems On Medium

The little red ribbon, the ring and the rose!

The summer-time comes, and the summer-time goes —

And never a blossom in all of the land

As white as the gleam of her beckoning hand!

The long winter months, and the glare of the snows;

The little red ribbon, the ring and the rose!

And never a glimmer of sun in the skies

As bright as the light of her glorious eyes!

Dreams only are true; but they fade and are gone —

For her face is not here when I waken at dawn;

The little red ribbon, the ring and the rose

Mine only; hers only the dream and repose.

I am weary of waiting, and weary of tears,

And my heart wearies, too, all these desolate years,

Moaning over the one only song that it knows, —

The little red ribbon, the ring and the rose!
I AM FIRE (a poem)
By: William F. Aicher
Tags: Poetry, Poems On Medium, Poem

(painting by me)

I am fire

Though I may appear as ice

Do not come close

The heat is far too intense

A fire which scalds

Not keeps you safe and warm

For my thermostat’s busted

And the gas has sprung a leak

I am a boil

Waiting for my lance

Explosion imminent

Raise your shields and retreat

Come closer

Come closer

Come closer

I yearn

I plea

I beg from muffled soul

But I am fire

Though I may appear as ice

No locks pure as gold

I am never just right.
madness
By: Sébastien F. Dejean
Tags: Poems On Medium, Poetry On Medium

each morning

i wake up in a blur

suffused by anger.

pouring coffee

it tastes all stale

myself, out of scale.

explosion arises

inner destructiveness much obliged

happiness is after all, a mirage.

i marvel at the woes

now all exposed

from the moment I couldn’t let go.

so each night

martyr, i make of myself

a catatonic response to any lover’s plight.

madness occurs

deepens built-up sorrows

felling terrified, so it goes.
Enchanted Gardens
By: Imλbөпg Fλmiпц
Tags: Flowers, Poem, Poetry, Poetry On Medium, Poems On Medium

A field of flowers

Heavenly sights and sounds

A kaleidoscope of color

As far as eye can see

Heavenly scents assailing the senses

A heady aroma and grand perfumery

A field of flowers

A gorgeous landscape

Rows of blue, pink, and red

Yellow, white, and purple

Orange, gold, and green

Resplendent colors for miles and miles

A field of flowers

Heaven's creation to calm and treasure

Featherlight petals and milky softness

Splashes of rainbow hues and color

Like beautiful earth ornaments

Exquisite details from God’s own workroom

Roses and sunflowers

Tulips and dandelions

Violets and marigold

Carnations and hibiscus

Orchids and lily

Daffodils and daises

Lavender and primrose

Hazels and honeysuckles

Rhododendron and jasmine

I walk through a field of flowers

Immersing myself in a sea of vibrant color

Enthralled by the feel of delicate petals

Caressing my fingertips with whispy kisses

Inhaling the scents of a thousand flowers

More heavenly than any perfumery

A field of flowers

Such beautiful leisure

I could spend endless hours of delightful pleasure

Soaking up nature’s sights, sounds, and smells

Away from life’s hustle, bustle, and trouble

Amidst soothing sounds of silence

Rhythmic waves of flower stalks and whispering petals

Like wind chimes in the morning

Lulling me to enchanted dreams and slumber

© Imabong Faminu, 2020
In Jesus Name
By: T.R. Savage
Tags: Life, In Jesus Name, Jesus, Poems On Medium

Wake every morning, same thing every day

Two coffee’s and donuts gets us to the jerks

Typical morning, Boss Man screaming like a nut

Snort your break and drink your lunch, ready again

Afternoons drag like karaoke at an Opera House

Punch that clock when it’s time to get myself gone

Straight to the Strip Club tripping on G-Strings and Bud

Ten Shots of Quervo and then the Chasers for the fun

Evening end we pray to find our car, and then our home

Life, we choose to live each day, do we live it is Jesus’s name
The Earth Is She
By: William J Ritchotte Ii, Bastard Name, Ree-Show
Tags: Humanity, Earth Day, Poetry On Medium, Mothers, Poems On Medium

Image belongs to: https://www.salon.com/2011/04/14/japan_fukushima_environment_obama/

The land, sea, moon, and sky, prepared to watch the earthlings die.

Fickle fate turned their fate, beyond the pale their ignorance great.

They let so few control the rest, thinking this was how God saw them best.

An ancient people came from the sea carry all they needed to live and be

A story lost and people wail, “when oh Lord will their system fail?”

Wishes and dreams without action in haste, are what causes confusion, panic and waste.

Forgotten they have but for the witchy few, the Earth is a lady, in charge and most cruel.

Take your own mother, how still would she be, if you tore into her flesh and devoured with glee?

How fast would she raise, the hand, belt, or shoe setting your bee hind ablaze before she was through.

So before you can ask when the scourge ends, ask what you can do to stop the bleeding and mend..

The sun rises and falls, daily it trek, warming his children that orbits connect.

The worlds except one, her children askew, waiting for command to make them so few.

Stop waiting to be saved and go back to the lands, as one rip it out from evil hands.

Settle and grow like our nation once grew and trade like your life depends on it too.

Like grain and wheat given for milk, kindness, gossip and connection must fill.

The bellies of all, souls, and minds too, require food, light and knowledge from more than a few.

Every tale told Grimm, in a forest so black, has an ounce of truth, of people so whacked.

But the reason they were, had nothing to do with evil or darkness in people like you.

The forest was cut and the trees fought back. Mother is queen to us all mole, spore and pack.

You’ve been warned many times of your greed and your gaul, the god who comes will watch you fall.

The choice is now.

The world is not lost.

Don’t dream of the time when it’s through with you.

One simple decision.

One power that’s yours.

Make mother happy.

It’s as simple to see.

Because a snap of her fingers and you will not be.
My Apologies
Tags: Poetry, Prose, Depression, Writing, Poems On Medium

I can’t count how many times my tongue has pierced through people’s hearts. I’m beginning to think I’m truly cursed. If I was born like this, I guess I’ll have to get used to it. Should I get used to it?

I’m aware enough to know that no number of apologies will make up for the things I’ve said and done. I could say I’ll do better; I’ll be more considerate, I’ll think more. But I keep slipping and end up doing the opposite. It’s my circle of life. There’s no forgive and forget. There’s only pain and numbness.

In the end, I got used to it. You’ll get used to it. Both sides are hurting, and we don’t know when it will end. I wish I could forget, I wish I could erase all of it. But that would be unfair for you. I will carry this burden until the day I die. It’s the least I can do for you.

Not once did I ever think I was perfect or close to perfection. The world has told me multiple times that, no matter how much effort I put into something, it will still lack something. They never told me what was missing. How was I supposed to improve if I don’t even know what I’m missing?

The world is so harsh. I crumble every time. I’m sorry for being weak. I’m sorry for missing so many puzzle pieces.

I apologize to everyone.

But most of all, I apologize to me.

I’m sorry for never loving you the way you deserved to be loved. I was always busy with trying to impress other people. I neglected you for years. Now that we’re alone, now that I have nothing to distract me from the turbulence inside, I see how much rubble had fallen, how many glasses have shattered, and how many emotions have accumulated and flooded over.

What a mess. What a mess you are. I’m sorry for leaving you alone for years. I hurt so many people and never noticed that the person I hurt most was myself.

I’m so sorry. I don’t even know what to say. You poor little thing.

You deserved better. You all deserved better.

I will keep saying I’ll do better. I’ll make more promises. I’ll keep dreaming of a better life.

But we know how the story goes.

So, I’m sorry. For yesterday, for today, and for what will inevitably come.

This is my last-minute apology. Next year, I’ll write a better one.
At least, Start Living
By: Sukriti Gupta
Tags: Poetry, Nostalgia, Living, Life, Poems On Medium

I have an ocean of regrets within me,

Of “What I could have achieved", and “What I could have been.”

“What skills I could have mastered",

“What heights I could have reached.”

Now I sit here, feeling this feeling of past nostalgia and grief,

Wasting this present moment as well,

Forgetting that life is damn too brief.

But isn’t it the same with all of us?

We are so busy remembering the missed opportunities,

And all that we couldn’t do



That we forget, “We are doing nothing about the endless opportunities awaiting us,

And all what we can still do.”

So, let’s leave the past grief in the past



And, embrace a new start.

“Will there be challenges?”You would ask.

“Ofcourse.”

“Will you be all wise and smart?”

“Never.”

“Will the luck be by your side?”

“That’s not in our control.”

“Do you have the strength to never quit till you reach the shore?”

“Well, that’s in our control!”

The time is running so fast,

So, I should start crawling at least.

This life is just a fleeting moment,

So, I should start living at least.
‎ ‎ Alright, poets … For obvious reasons, kurt can sit this one out, but the rest of you … get to work! ‎ https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2020/12/21/girlfriends-sleep-talking-turned-into-poetry/ ‎ ‎ ‎…
By: Where Angels Fear
Tags: Poetry, Creativity, Writing, Poems On Medium, Writers On Medium

There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live and too rare to die.