Oh, Africa, a vast and varied land
Yet overshadowed by IMF's hand
Structural adjustments they decree
Yet bring nothing but misery
Forced reforms they demand
Leaving nations bound in financial quicksand
Economic policies, cold and stern
Often leave the people for more they yearn
African soil, rich and ripe
Yet resources drained in IMF's grip tight
Development hindered, dreams deferred
As IMF's demands go unheard
Structures shattered, communities torn
As IMF's programs leave them forlorn
Debt burdens heavy, futures bleak
In the name of progress, the poor they seek
Yet the toll on Africa's heart
Tells a tale of IMF's misguided part
Forced adjustments, a bitter pill
Leaving scars that linger still
Is slavery actually long gone
For the burden of debts we still borne
Ensnared in shackles of disgraceful loans
Why can't we just be left alone?
Categories:
adjustments, 12th grade, africa, allegory,
Form: Free verse
Stir up the roots, let them come alive
For in this season, we will thrive
We will learn, develop and see
In ways we never thought it could be.
Amidst great adjustments, we will steer our way
For in Him we are strong, we will not sway
We will change our minds to think like Him
The God of the impossible, the faithful One.
He is Elohim, the God of amazing miracles
With His grace, we will overcome obstacles
When troubles roll in, and fear takes hold
We will stand in His promises and be bold.
For there is a place where we can stand
Where the foundation is steady and grand
We will step back into that new place
Where His love and grace we embrace.
Rains may come and winds may blow
But our faith in Him will continue to grow
For our house is built on the firm foundation
In Him, we find safety and timely consolation.
Categories:
adjustments, blessing, prayer,
Form: Free verse
Suffocation, is that the word
For this lessening strength within?
This discomfort needing fresh air
Gently stirring, encouraging
How can I pack treasures to move?
"Stuff" to go, and then, begin.
-EvelynPearl Anderson
Categories:
adjustments, age, change, feelings, moving
Form: Rhyme
Thermostat changes
adjust as temperatures
chill my poor old bones
Categories:
adjustments, change, nature, time,
Form: Senryu
A hard earned lesson:
We’d like things to last
But we have to accept
The past is the past.
It was good to see old friends
And join in the catch up game
But even after being away a year
Their gossip was still the same.
And, then the chat seemed to fade
Because what did I have to say
About strangers they didn’t know
From a world a million miles away.
All these friends there to greet me
And it seemed rather strange
No matter how hard they tried
I was now just on the fringe.
With the older people in the village
The distance was so much more
Many had seen active service
Having served in the last war:
I served in a Europe
United and new,
They saw those things
From a very different view.
Still a child of the village,
That could never be taken away,
But from now on I’d just be
A visitor temporarily come to stay.
My leave passed pleasantly by
Maybe with a little agony and grief
And I think we all said our goodbyes
With just a shade of mutual relief.
The next time I came back
All the awkwardness had gone:
We’d all made our adjustments
Learned to let things move on.
Categories:
adjustments, absence, change, friendship, growing
Form: Rhyme
From age one to three
Your life's barely startin',
But it kicks into gear
When you clear kindergarten.
Then on to primary, grade school,
And each stage in between,
'til you make it to twelve,
And then finally thirteen.
You've had sex once, you shave,
You think life has begun
When you burst out of twenty
And into twenty-one.
Then something horrible happens,
It's the end of the line.
OMG! You are thirty,
Whither, whence twenty-nine?
From thirty the decades
Fly by in a wink,
But before into dotage
You totally sink,
Try thinking of eighty
As the new forty-two,
And get up off your bum…
You've still got things to do.
Categories:
adjustments, age, humor,
Form: Light Verse
Goals never sleep; dreams never die.
Though youth may set their goals sky-high,
then find some vows are hard to keep,
dreams never die; goals never sleep.
Needs pass desires along the way,
with work to do and bills to pay.
Much perseverance life requires.
Along the way, needs pass desires.
The wise will make a compromise;
those lofty dreams, they will revise—
not bury, so their hearts won’t break.
A compromise, the wise will make.
July 21, 2020
entered in the Strand Completely New (12) Poetry Contest
Categories:
adjustments, change, dream,
Form: Quatrain
Make those adjustments
To improve your skill
Reach for the sky
Have that strong will
Get back on track
Be bright as the sun
You have the power
Strive to be number one
Categories:
adjustments, courage, encouraging, inspiration, inspirational,
Form: Free verse
Cramp
In leg
Made me jump
Out of bed quick!
PAIN!!!
Categories:
adjustments, funny, recovery from...
Form: Lanterne
Jason grab the fleece
Set it squarely under there
While Murray tightens the girth
Madge how many tries does it take to put on a bridle?
I don’t care if the nose armor’s low
So long as it’s straight
Where is Jacques with that damned chain
How are we ever going to be ready by nine
They’re carrying him in now ?
Streuth! The tail wrap’s slipped
Elmwood you’d better pray
he can’t see through that new visor
That saddle horn is duller than Clyde mud
Where is David with the shield grease?
What’s wrong with you people?
The tourney’s about to begin
and Gods Hammer we’re third in the grovel line
Again!!
Who has the lance duty today?
Shards and Sweetness Victor
What have you been feeding this steed?
Categories:
adjustments, history,
Form: Dramatic Monologue
The druid's laughing in my head
Awake enjoying new life
No fears no need of any dread
A pair of fools to entertain
Ancestral ghosts that yet remain
Reflective in my brain
As all my life I've lived to see
That they be ever proud of me
As now we turn to poetry
Responsible and free to earn
The daily bread of history
Categories:
adjustments, faith, imagination, life, nature,
Form: Iambic Pentameter