Best Affected Poems
Awake in the darkness, curtains are not drawn,
sky a deep Prussian blue, with no sign of the dawn.
Daybreak six fifty-five, two more hours to go
'till sunrise at the speed of thawing winter snow.
Window slightly ajar, letting in the night's hush,
dawn chorus spasmodic, birds are not in a rush.
Seeking out signs of sunrise I take in the views
like a soldier's wife, patiently waiting for news.
Bedroom light left switched off, no comfort from its rays
giving scant consolation on short Autumn days.
On the Eastern horizon now a band of Azure,
I hungrily take it in, praying for more.
Greedy clouds cloak the sun as they muddy the sky
stretching out my torment as the minutes tick by.
As the gift of a new dawn is slowly unwrapped,
night time's bookends draw nearer, the shorter day trapped.
I shall revel in daylight, no minutes shall I waste
but savour the sights and the sounds and the taste,
for my mood feeds on sunlight at all times of year,
which is why, in the winter, I swap it for beer.
Flickered fingers;
Can't dial ringers;
Telephone calls;
Babies cry and crawls;
what do you do?
what do you do?
When their diapers fall?...
6/8/20
written words by James Edward Lee Sr.©2020
"I PROUDLY PROCLAIM:
I did it for me! Not of guilt, nor shame.
A simple desire to end Heroin's evil reign!
For once in my life, I gave "Change" a fair chance.
Because one can only move forward, when willing to advance.
With each new passing day, life gives itself back.
The train that I derailed, returns to its tracks.
Still...
I left countless souls scattered in my addiction's wake.
Ruining in only seconds, what took a lifetime to create.
With every shot I took, my family who bled.
Left Sleepless wondering, "Is my son Dead?"
We pretend our disease afflicts us, and us alone.
Loved ones suffer too under Addiction's heavy stone.
No matter our strength or will, our misery we cannot contain.
Everyday we spend using, others will share in our pain.
I know...
Not everyone will forgive me, accepting me a new.
And, some of my dirty deeds, I can never undo.
But, the battles not over, until our efforts forever cease.
Every day we keep trying, brings us closer to our peace."
I was affected by your voice when we first met
I was also affected by your looks.
We were affected by other people;
Both of our hearts were wounded and damaged.
I was affected the night we kissed and the nights we
passionately got lost in each other between the sheets.
I was affected as we started to fall for each other.
my heart wouldn't stop skipping beats.
my mouth was always in a smile when we were happy
and my eyes were always wet when we were doing
bad.
My body was affected by your touch.
Now my heart is affected by your absence.
We don't talk, we don't touch, we don't
do anything that used to be us.
I hold back tears during the day because I have to be strong.
but at night with only my pillow as a witness I let them
fall.
I was affected by you. I can admit that now.
Intricate dull summer, autumn's scourge,
Dog day noons, sultry dusk undress the night,
Mirage, sweaty foreheads entertain an oasis,
Rise of Fall, leaves, plot ere barked disguises,
Autumn's quarrels, chartreuse hawks verdant green hue,
Spar shades, tones, pigments re, imagination,
Expelled from hold, abandon o'er cold,
Huddled neath shedding sunshades,
Sun pierced, stains owned ardor brown,
Wrinkled facing fertile lengthened passage,
Refreshed, sprouts anew,
Laments a stabled tree near a rippling brook,
Transpires driven, meaning sustained, neath or aloft,
Gravitation charters its progress,
Ingenuous source served natural throat that thirsts beyond,
Prompt wintry ice, obscure its way, not bar its exemplary flow,
Gratification expounded, outpours inside the expanse,
Breeding fluidity, according to varied species of life on Terra.
2019 October 07
howmanysyllables
14 lines x 10 syllables = 140 syllables
SAD or Seasonal Affected Disorder
May affect us and we don't realize it's horror
Can make us depressed
As you might have guessed
Lack of sunlight is the key to this torture
© Jack Ellison 2016
The scent of ascent
To dizzying heights sometimes impelled dark nights
To invade spaces and faces that sent
Shivers and quivers that brought down knights
Drunk on ubris
Expecting fame
Catalyzing a crisis
Drowning in shame
From which no escape route
Drew nigh the harder knights beat chests
When the glint from their boot
Failed tests
Reliability and validity in human warmth
Couched in solemn language
Dwelt not in vintage cloth
That couldn’t and wouldn’t conceal the seepage
Emptiness in cold hearts
Wept
In radical ramparts
Kept
Multiplying in moves so inept
Peasants and passersby
So adept
Perceived as dry
Manifestations of lost souls
Without an agenda of sympathy and empathy
Whose gregarious goals
Suffered irreparable atrophy
Cos knights reforms they repelled
Advice for improvement they rejected
Friendly folks from vicinity they expelled
Until ubris pushed to limits of insanity knights affected, infected, respected and projected.
When I was fifteen
Many years ago
I was in a car accident
Which left my right arm paralyzed
I began to get so depressed
I was below anyone’s imagination
I was in pain
Then I finally discovered something
Poetry was in my blood
I wrote and wrote and wrote
Creating many therapeutic poems
It saved my life
And many occasions after that
I wrote to save my heart
And to keep it going
Even after terrible break-ups
And new beginnings
I wrote about the sunrises
And the sunsets
I discovered I have a talent
Of expressing myself
Through poetic words
I fell in love with poetry
It became such an integral part of my life
Not did I just have poetry
But poetry had me
I began to write for other people as well
And saw how it impacted their lives
I saw that I was actually good
At writing
So I continued for many years
And I’m still
Living in its light
Entered Michael J. Falotico's ""How Poetry has become You" contest"
3/4/2013
A drop tickled his head; he ran like a rabbit;
Showed each one; they rubbed off as it's his habit;
He collected his pitchers and pots and stood out,
Morning went; noon went; evening too; same drought, O, drought!
It's one drop on his head next day; other on cheek;
In aromatic breeze there's unique streak and squeak;
Pitchers and pots doubled; Clouds seemed to roam in doubt,
Morning went; noon went; evening too; same drought, O, drought!
Third day went; the fourth and fifth flew away as well;
Drops many fell on him; who could he freely tell?
Monsoon, for them, is like surprise wedding dine-out,
Morning went; noon went; evening too; same drought, O, drought!
Lo, like a dam broken, rain torrents poured at last,
Was it owing to his prayer, penance and fast?
None thought of any umbrella; they can leak rout,
Morning went; noon went; evening too; where are you, drought…?
10 November 2022
Inspiring Rainy Days Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Sotto Poet
Don't try to take another away from their purpose.
You will lose every time and that is only the surface.
If you both don't align you will be redirected.
Even if you move them across country it will fail & in the end it's only the both of you that will feel completely affected.
Surrender to the process or just leave them be.
Because if you don't karma may hit in a way where even you did not foresee.
Proceed with caution...
Affected By A Quote
We all were affected by a quote;
Vividly did see results of my vote;
Made me wonder;
Pressure under;
Skipped town and jumped the boat.
Jim Horn
Am reading 1776 right now which
is affecting my poetry output.
enter dead of winter
was death to each dissenter
groups which would splinter
combat they would meet
defeat followed each defeat
God the dead did greet
from fires be freed
along with growing wild weed
God should take the lead
(Caused Chaos to Lake Meade.)
about cynical
those who are tyrannical
of hope pinnacle
when we want a perk
on another book will work
in my mind does lurk
The winds of today affect all tomorrows
As the sands on the shore are changed today
Throw to the winds any and all sorrows
Knowing your change will prompt the new way
Giving you hope, your reason to stay
Allowing new light to blot out the darkness
Exposing the truths you’ve been waiting to see
What used to be dull is now seen with sharpness
For the light there to guide, offers clarity
Giving you now, your reason to be
To the ones that fell, to the ones that stood,
to the ones that loved and the ones that could.
To the ones who couldn't get away, and the ones who escaped,
to the women that fought and the ones who were brave.
To the dancer and the dreamer, to the beater and the abuser,
to the viewer and the hater– 'You ing loser'.
To the ones who stopped and the ones who covered, let these words be free,
not bound by any sea. Let them be uncovered.
To the ones who fight, to the ones who lose.
To the ones who fought, and the ones who lost.
To the ones I loved and you loved most...
2026.03.31
End of March, I applied to study a program,
At the RMIT city campus Victoria Melbourne.
Learning a numeracy, professional and administration course.
I planned to get the certificate IV,
So, I could help the people more.
How long did it take me all,
To complete the entire enrolment's procedures.
No where near under four weeks period.
What went so terrible wrong with it?
How come it take far too long.
First, the staff of Study at RMIT,
They applied for me a wrong course.
I must speak the Auslan language first,
Before learning their signs language of interpreting.
Went back to them through another hurdle.
Was there avaibility to do part time?
Study face to face or on line?
Finally, I was sent to VE Student Connect.
Back and forth with tiredsomely and exhaustedly.
What a gruelsome journey before attending classes.
Hold one horse, I have not finished,
Made attempts to complete the LLN tests.
How many times over how many days?
Loss count. Half a dozen? May be.
While all that happening, guessed what next.
Potential duplicate of the student identification numbers.
One in 1984, another a decade later.
That put a hold on a week,
For the Administration to thoroughly check.
What a rough interesting journey so far.
End of April, I decided to enrol.
Mind me, I had to do it,
With the assistances from the Student Connect.
Then back to VE Connect building 94,
To select the classes for 1st semester.
With all that how exhausted I was.