Higher, through this loftier
Discretion of mind
Than what does flash, sky-winging
To Earth's space confined
Places one, which bright state in
Is joy's true Heaven.
Clearer, purer. Whose source is
God. Ever risen.
Lyre-clasping, a warbler, too
Myself, of love songs.
Miss, smiling meek, attested!
Which trait there belongs!
You're such a beautiful woman
You're truly one of a kind
I always think about you
You're forever on my mind
You consume all my thoughts
Even those while I'm asleep
This is the reason I know
You're the one I meant to keep
Maybe you were a gift to me
A gift from God up above
To show me how to live
And to teach me how to love
I'm certain you're an angel
For me it's plain to see
You are the greatest thing
It has ever happened to me
I've been to the deepest darkest depths of my own despair
And still managed to find its peace hidden deep, that was always there
I've walked into the murky waters of true hopelessness
And still know that life will thrive in the roots of a broken and tattered mess
I've walked alone, my heart of stone
And found the footsteps of someone I had always known
And Grief will try to keep me on the edge of an endless sea
But knowing how to swim will be the safety that carries me
Midst midnight flashes
a poet’s pen shattered
in the hand of him who simply muttered
O, for a sign from above
O, for a sign from above
Creatures howled ‘bove his window sill
the poet clutched a box of pills
that grew a pair of purple gills
O, for a sign from above
O, for a sign from above
Ah, a fiberglass arrow split the air
Jezebel’s or Beezelbub’s he never knew
when his hands and feet began to mew, he cried
O, for a sign from above
O, for a sign from above
Today, I took a deep, sweet holiday to rest,
To listen to the silence inside my own chest.
A single glass of wine, all by myself,
And sweet, spicy rice cakes from the kitchen shelf.
The moment I take a bite so sweet,
The ceiling starts shaking with heavy, dancing feet.
Ah, the neighbor above must be possessed today,
Dancin' like a witch, chasing spirits away.
"Surely, this wild dance will soon be done,"
But the thunderous beating has only just begun.
It strikes my poor heart, so loud and so near,
And the taste of my wine and rice cakes disappear.
Without even knowing, in the middle of the deep,
With drool on my cheek, I drifted fast asleep.
In awe-
a red-haired soldier
takes in the view,
unknown of his future fate.
He comes to Elbe Sandstone Mountains
for reflection, spiritual guidance
to connect with the natural world.
He is unaware
of what lies beneath the fog,
the jagged peaks of mountain
and the unforeseen challenges they set.
He stands in solemn beauty
gathering his thoughts,
that seem to change
as the fogs intenseness does to.
He keeps looking farther,
but the hauntingly beautiful landscape
creates more mystery then answers.
For the moon, rocks and ocean
flow together
like a mirror mirage across the fog.
And he wonders-
will the fog ever lift
like the uncertainties in his life?
O agents of the twilight sky, you glide,
With wings woven from the dream of night,
Sentinels of secrets, soft as whispered sighs,
In your watchful gaze, the world finds light.
You paint the horizon with threads of gold,
Where shadows linger, you break the chill,
Your laughter, a melody, bold yet untold,
Carries the promise of solace and will.
Beneath your vigil, the weary find rest,
In the cradle of your cosmic embrace,
Each star a beacon, a luminous quest,
Guiding lost souls through the infinite space.
O agents from above, in your grace we trust,
Mending our hearts, as the heavens combust.
Worst verse
The Circular Tyrant Above My Bed
The circular tyrant above my bed,
Ticks from dawn till I wish I was dead.
The clock laughs like a joker on the wall,
I can’t get rid of this clumsy fellow at all.
Hammer of time, smashing my dreams flat,
Pressure cooker tick-tock, imagine that!
Effervescent minutes, transcendental shock,
Turn my pizza dreams to wall clock block.
Chili sauce thoughts drip down the wall,
Why did some genius invent this thing at all?
It runs like a marathon, no rest, no pause,
My sleep is murdered, give applause, applause!
A baby is born
from a comfy womb torn
Many years later the baby dies
put into the earth with maggots and flies
In the time above ground
baby has ‘his day in the sun’
I have witnessed the amazement,
The wonder of mortals I have met.
Made and molded without trappings,
And less likely to be trapped in nets.
They are far less about themselves,
But about others often locked in cells.
Not cells made of brick and steel,
But of blighted souls and broken hearts.
I am inspired by these selfless ones,
And encouraged by their sacrifices.
I am made the better and enriched by such
Who pour out their lives for God and man.
We stand on sacred land,
We falsely call it ours.
We’ve ripped the soul from Mother Earth,
We’ve weakened all her powers.
We grind her bones for steel and flame
We have stripped her skin away
We make it feel like a game
The waste is left to decay
We build more houses and roads
We swallow the land without a care
This land corrodes
Is anyone even aware?
Let’s hold the land above
Our greed, our haste, our fears?
The land really needs our love
We should listen for her tears
Why does it feel like no one hears?
Why not hold the land above ourselves?
Go fikelela marung,
Oikemisetsa tsa godimo.
To reach the clouds,
set your sights above.
Go tswa mo go se tsebego,
o tsoma ditsela tse mpsha,
Step from the dark to find new paths,
O rotogela godimo,
o koba mellwane,
o dula gare mellwane.
And rise,
rewriting limits,
Living on the edge.
Amogela bophelo ka mo go lego ka gona.
Embrace existence exactly as it is
Ke tsoma tseo di sa tsebehego,
ke kgotsofetse tseo di tsebegego.
I chase the mysteries,
content with what is clear
Rising above
self-pity
I restore myself
from the grief and sorrow
of a long life
to reestablish
the me
I used to be
True love
Above
Kind mind
Fact act
“Death makes gone a good Daddy’s body but not their light strong enough to spend endless time shining for their child." .... poet
Not one time
had weighty concerns
claimed his face.
No doc words
seized confident displays from
his eyes or gestures.
Hurt hit her
hard while her dad lay
pondering
it seemed each
health test result returned but
not with fear or scorn.
Eyes on hers,
He last sighed, ‘daughter,
when I go
I shall stay
close and above as star glow,
sparkling joy for you.’
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.