Like a bolt,
a sad news arrived -
sent by her delinquent son
who had deserted home.
Her mother was concerned,
nervous and afraid;
her fear couldn't be allayed.
Reasons refused,
but she herself found a way:
remembered the soothsayer she knew,
changed her clothes,
rushed to him -
fear lingering, weak and shaky,
her sight blurred,
seeing nothing but the way.
The soothsayer performed the prayer,
invoking the deity,
told of the spirit
dwelling in her son -
but there was still a way.
He prescribed a ritual
to ward off the spirit
next day at his home
without fail.
She took a long breath,
somewhat relaxed,
paid the sooithsayer his fee.
Now better,
she resumed her household chores.
With empty capacious containers
the living entities
arrive arrogant
and depart desolate,
in between turn into
greed slaves to snatch
the unearned fortune,
getting sucked spellbound
within abyss of temptation.
In the inferno of
corporeal passion temporal,
the frenetic flare
laced by luring lust
debases the fervent feeling
of platonic pining,
but in blooming love
it can sparkle sublime
with the patina of penchant.
The chase of mirage
in the deceptive ego desert
etches the fragile footprints
of delusive dominance
with sandstorm trajectory,
but the squall of strife
over the dune of dwindled life
subsides in the inner space
of latent love configured
in the conceded cauldron
of self-less surrender.
In the blazing realm
of connived conflict
sane senses of sobriety
turn into cinder,
flaming the fiber of prudence,
but the shower of sagacity,
spurting from love fountain
with divine flamboyance
douses the fire of disdain
and
with the allayed ashes
fabricates the framework
of cordially congruent
epitome of existence.
You say I'm sweet
but
it's you who tames
the Wild Beast.
It's no lie
until I met you
I had so much
rage deep inside,
so much anger
I couldn't hide.
Then you came along
filled my lungs
like a beautiful song,
turned something weak
into something strong,
allayed my fears,
dried my tears.
You chased away the rain
and suddenly all my
efforts ceased to feel like
they were allin vain.
Basically what I'm
trying to explain is
that having you around
made me less insane.
You who are
the beauty to my beast
the flour to my yeast
the day to my night
the savior to my plight
the right to my wrong
the sing to my song.
Now, I think you can see
where this is going
maybe next time you say
"you're so sweet"
you'll understand why
I sigh and smile
and shake my head
then we won't have
to go through this
all over again.
©SamHarty
The quiet words, the trembling lips,
we’ve heard it all before.
Keen questions dwell within our minds,
like who’s behind the door.
We saw the lights, heard voiceless words,
asked, “Is there any more?”
The speaking’s frail and actions flail,
but who’s behind the door?
The Wizard drew his curtain and
he fooled the land of Oz.
But when the curtain opened up
they saw just who he was.
He turned the wheel, he honked the horn
he put on such a show
The room was filled with smoky light
and braggadocio
As cultures clash and leaders stall,
great fearfulness prevails.
When people feel they’ve been left out,
then lo, their system fails.
All people want to feel secure.
They want their qualms allayed.
As leaders walk on shells of eggs,
the folks feel sore afraid.
We feel compelled; we have to know,
real answers, we implore.
Please tell the truth and let us know,
Who’s that behind the door?
A Cowboy And His Thoughts On Dodge City
In the razor whip and faster gun
the flaming sun, the fertile fields
the rose-felt day
I walked alone
along the barren street
beneath bramble shields
A heart that swore to the purest truth
the eager thrills of wayward youth
With stripped heart allayed
steps taken and no holds barred
through soggy marsh
and burnt out corn
the west stands its ground
from eastern ridge and western sky
my horse knows well the way
six-guns speak,
roulette wheel creaks
the cowboys force their way
O' please, be thee still
as men attempt to force their will
and looks like no rain today
we wait for dusk and night
death be the greater fright
the dead buried at Boot Hill.
Robert J. Lindley, Aug, 10th 1972
Note- One of the greatest themes in movies is the Western and the cowboy.
Rawhide, Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and others all preached the moral theme of fair play and law and order. Think what theme movies teach today! Certainly not that, imho. RJL
I may not be plagued by vices,
I may not be inundated with foibles,
I have my disparate troubles,
I have my recalcitrant midnight.
I have sought a way through the woods,
A way out of the tempest that trails me,
It’s been an uphill task,
For this, a plethora of questions I ask.
Have I been yoked with my incessant turmoil?
Have we entwined like a woven fabric?
I fight the monsters that walk into my day,
Yesterday’s conquest hasn't allayed them.
My mind is a valley of turbulent streams,
It’s a waterfall of thunderous claps,
I'm encompassed by the untold,
As dawn awakens they unfold.
Some things are beyond us,
Some things are unknown,
They give us a different view,
They sculpt us for the dark days.
May 4, 2023.
Memories from 2020:
I don't know who needs this right now.... But if you've lost a loved one, know that you will be fine and that they are well.
Hope springs eternal.
Love lasts forever.
The Message
By Michelle Morris
09/02/2020
I found you there
On bended knee
All alone in
That cold, hard
Cemetery
Tears of sadness
Filled your eyes
God's plan for you
Seemed out of line
Losing that love
That warmth
That hope
Thinking you would
Never recover
Never cope
You asked for a sign
A dove appeared
The sun shone down
Allayed your fears
Remember this morning
Remember this day
God is always with
You
Just ask
He'll stay
Around you forever
Angel wings of love
An army of protection
From above
As above
So below
Balance is key
One day
You'll be united again
With your family
© Michelle Morris, 2020
I’m alone and scared lying in my bed
with a cold wet sweat running down my head
In heart pounding fear I will soon be fed
To a big hairy creature of my dread
A green ugly monster with long sharp claws
Yellow spotted teeth and powerful jaws
a long pointed tail and twelve massive paws
Who takes away children that break Mom’s laws
Then Mom comes in with a tuck and a kiss
Switches on the night lamp and fears dismiss
I peek 'neath the bed and find to my bliss
No monster lurks around, nothing's amiss
Now I can go to sleep, all fears allayed
Towards dreamland, I soar, no more dismayed
But I know this giant will not be swayed
And come back if I ever disobeyed.
(10 syllables)
27th March 2023
I’m alone and scared lying in my bed
with a cold wet sweat running down my head
In heart-pounding fear I will soon be fed
To a big hairy creature of my dread
A green ugly monster with long sharp claws
Yellow, spotted teeth and powerful jaws
a long, pointed tail and twelve massive paws
Who takes away children that break Mom’s laws
Then Mom comes in with a tuck and a kiss
Switches on the night lamp and fears dismiss
I peek 'neath the bed and find to my bliss
No monster lurks around, nothing's amiss
Now I can go to sleep, all fears allayed
Towards dreamland, I soar, no more dismayed
But I know this giant will not be swayed
And come back if I ever disobeyed.
Form: Rhyme (10 syllables)
27.03.2023
Darrell Rose and Joanna Daniel
I came across a distant memory
A dear old friend who once was close to me
We lived our teenage years so long ago
And to see him there, well, it set my heart aglow
We hadn’t spoken for so many years
Yet the warmth allayed my apprehensive fears
I imagined we’d be strangers from our youth
And we’d strive for things to say, to tell the truth
Losing touch was such an awful shame
His face was old, although it looked the same
As years go by you somehow grow apart
There’s still no reason friendships can’t restart
We talked about the present and the past
And got answers to the questions that we asked
After all these years we didn’t have to try
Because the conversation never seemed to dry
We laughed about our lives back in the day
And how some guys stayed and others moved away
About the pipedreams that we had away back then
And what we’d do if we had that time again
These friendships grow important as we age
Every passing day, life turns a brand new page
Those connections that we forge are filled with care
So hold them to your heart and keep them there
Misspent by inclination,
treed by ambition,
I fled the woods thirsting for the desert,
only to drown in a deep water ecstasy,
later to awaken in the vineyard,
free of fright, bound by the new day's light.
The unchained man bowed his head,
sincerity apparent, no deception transparent.
But the rock in my heart would not soften.
My suspicion would stay, no fears allayed.
This unblinkered seer,
this transcendental man,
had clean fingernails.
Draw your lines, number your principles,
look through me and ponder the stars.
Perhaps you do read future history.
In a world scrubbed white that coin may trade,
but you get no supper until I get paid.
The strange attractor left the table.
He blasted through the clover
and felled the shamrocks,
separating forever the last leprechauns in love.
Brutally, he balanced the books.
Now I see the unchained man's dream:
A land unfettered by growing things,
that sterile paradise where simplicity is king.
The numbers add up easily in a desert fantasy.
Convulsed with joy,
I close my eyes adrift at sea.
There are reasons
for changing seasons
Spring or Fall forever, you say
Consider if you had your way...
Gorgeous sunsets every day
Leaves' bold colors on display
Flowers blooming, hill and vale
Oceans dotted with billowing sails...
Are there reasons
for changing seasons?
Spring or Fall forever, you say? ~
My concerns allayed
May your wish be God's obey
Unlearning a reflex takes quite a while
As I cross the flooding Nile
Overcoming my thirst adrift in the sea
Mouth full of sand, blood too thick to bleed
I'm losing a staring contest looking at a mirror
And objects appear to get nearer and nearer
Unfortunately the end has not been quick
And my candle is running out of wick
The call of the void was getting very loud
Especially while mingling with the crowd
The mindless herd with their hollow words
Just chewing on cud and dropping turds
My knee-jerk reaction is to explode
I can not decipher the secret code
My gut instinct is to run for the hills
Instead of starting a battle of the wills
My untimely demise has been delayed
And most of my fears have been allayed
Another chance to get it right or wrong
To apply what I've known all along
Last in a long line of glaring mistakes
1st in a succession of decisions I must make
I can no longer succumb to temptation
So I must sharpen my concentration
On my way to heaven I had to visit hell
Many times over and more than I can tell
The last time I went is the last time I'll ever go
The beat of my drum now has a different tempo
allayed down the alley
streaked down every street
Rode on every road
languished with the lane
close was always loss
Avant guards the ave knew
squares were never around
Just tray revealing
She was angry with the daughter!
Lost her temper with the father!
Nearly to death, kicked the cat!
Called her only son “a little prat”!
Family was surprised by her mood,
They have never seen her this rude,
She was always so placid and calm,
Her behaviour today raised alarm!
She woke up with aches and moans,
Progressed soon to frequent groans,
Soon she was on the floor in a pile,
Vomiting lots and lots of green bile!
Worried they rushed her to the clinic,
It was all so sudden and all so manic,
That a nice person would transform,
From gentle soul to a human bomb!
The surgeon, Mr. Tan allayed her fear,
His voice loud, unfettered and clear
“Reason you are so mad and madder
Is because of an angry gall bladder!”
She was listed for Keyhole operation,
Nurse calmed her down with sedation
Post surgery she slept well that night
Next day she was calm and upright!
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