Best Agonizes Poems
An old man looking out his door,
gaze fixed on a distant shore,
reminiscing to a time, not of happiness,
or, the prospect of a bright future,
to when he was sick to his very core,
to when as a youth, he went to war
A time before infallibility had meaning,
patriotism and bravado the craze,
the future was still unknown,
vigor for life at its all time high,
a time for romance, partying, buying,
no thought of pain, deformity, dying
Too young to understand or question,
ship to foreign shore, medals abound,
will impress the girls next time in town,
sacrifice not temporary,
forever more,
a legacy etched into a wall, few will remember,
flesh shredded, burned, torn,
families mourn
A time, when he willingly went to war,
will happen no more,
all lost in youth, now unrelenting,
no blind obedience,
minimal risk,
long life, his number one ambition
As he turns back from the door,
he thinks of the youth,
here now, soon no more,
lessons never learned,
the call to war,
to common the roar,
complacency the mood,
another generation removed
The old man agonizes
over what was originally not known,
war is preventable,
life too precious to waste,
the solution simple,
his vision, maybe too late
Send old men to the front to fight,
arthritis, heart disease, poor eyesight,
let the youth enjoy their life,
his near over, its only right
Send old men, to the front, to fight
ask them to give up their life,
patriotism and bravado, still alive,
will and desire would not last the night,
old men do not rush to death in their twilight,
failure inevitable, the old man smiles,
knows he's right
Wars not possible,
if old men, are sent to fight
He gave her a bunch of roses
deep red and highly scented
sweetly he romanticizes
With loving heart, her, he teases
with his love before her casted
he gave her a bunch of roses
Some may think he needs new lenses
for with comeliness not gifted
sweetly he romanticizes
With all her sweetness she cleanses
a pure soul she had been granted
he gave her a bunch of roses
Her sense of fun amuses
with her he is so enchanted
sweetly he romanticizes
Over which ring he agonizes
choosing one that could be flaunted
he gave her a bunch of roses
sweetly he romanticizes
I wrote this for a reading I am doing on Valentine's Day yet it is also for all lovers everywhere
Softly the breeze flows through scented meadows
gentle sounds of water from the rivers
and haunting notes of music crescendos
in the distant background from the speakers
A cascading shower of climbing roses
she waits for her lover impatiently
over his lateness she agonizes
at last his footsteps coming hurriedly
he catches her up in his arms and spins
round and round until dizzy they both fall
her heart and emotions are now tailspins
she loves knowing it could lead to downfall
For to another one he is promised
yet he tells her that his heart belongs to her
she knows that he is a materialist
at first it had seemed a great adventure
Sighing she tells him that he must depart
his plans of her seduction now thwart
Combatting attacks of spiritual dearth
My soul agonizes midst prayer plight
Yearning to be powered with divine might
As God opens floodgates of triumph mirth.
In overcoming supply-lack crises
My heart yearns for ready replenishment
And floodgates’ opening entitlement
Believing that the Lord timely blesses.
Struggling against discontentment sorrow
My carnal mind now demands grace to reign
While confessing doubts, causing woe and pain
Since bounty floodgates open tomorrow.
Reaching-out, sharing Gospel of hope’s call
My faith seeks the Saviour Who enriches
With trust knowing His hand widely stretches
To open* redemption floodgates for all.
*Psalm 118:19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD.
May 10, 2022
3rd place, "Pick-A-Title, Vol 30" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Edward Ibeh; judged on 5/29/2022.
Silence should have known better and understood truth was nothing it should fear.
The one thing to cause this chaos was the only thing to scare the tear.
The one tear I should have cried and the one dream I did not voice.
Because the silence never replied the tear never really had a choice.
It should have been a part of it; a part of the river which did not weep.
Now silence agonizes with no redemption and the dream only lives in sleep.
A place where silence can live in harmony because there is no one there to be denied.
Now this silence is entirely too loud and the tear yearns to have been cried.
A lean figure, bearing love
Burdened by a need for belonging
Starved by abandonment and disregard
With eyes of plea that look upon man
Rejection's curse; an unmet gaze.
The cold, the toll
An attempt to live diminished by ignorance
Loyalty pledged, discarded by the heartless
A tale of sorrow; a tail of fatigue
Walking away, a strained wish - running away, an insuperable thought.
False safety found in humanities' trenches
Malice offering an invite, with little reward
Torture imposed upon by a hand of crumbs
Survival, not a guarantee, fortitude, a hope
Blood that oozes for paper, congeals to mark.
Escaping acts an option that imprisons
Time slows but age shows
A sight of ruggedness in motion
Wounds that offer a feed, delved into
Movement that agonizes, inciting condescension.
Unsteady breaths, signaling an end
The search for an owner in vain
Brutality suffered in pursuit of a home
A last limp affording no sympathy, still
Callus paws giving way as love remains unrequited.
Form:
No one in this world , will take Ur place !!!
Seeing the horizon halfway drowned
As it looks all round
I wish U were around
To see the pain with which M actually crowned
Feeling the gentle breeze
Flowing through the seas
Sizzling rain drizzling away the lees
Always reminds Me of Our blistering memories
The moment I lost Ur touch
Anguish in heart increased such
Life suffered severe drought
Really I never thought
I would miss U so much
Depth of love with in Me still uncharted
As the days pass it gets smarted
Recalling the time We parted
Agonizes the soul, Leaving Me like a broken hearted
Can’t wait for the day
It’s really hard for Me to stay away
Dear,
I swear
Always wants to see
grace on Ur face
Within My heart,
No one in this world
Will take Ur place
--------yashu
How to abate the loathing
When words mean nothing?
There are moments
In human existence
When
Any resistance
against baleful fate
is futile.
When
One is left
with his thoughts
Forsaken
by all gods
Astonished immensely
by the world vile
which first
gave him birth
and now
devours him
with mirth
Agonizes he
in every spot
on the Earth
Where does his heart belong to
Never will he learn
How to console such a man
When all words would burn?
How to abate the loathing
When words mean nothing?
Awfully loathsome in its brutality
Hate's cruelty is evil in its entirety
As heart agonizes due to its torturous despicability
Belittling human dignity, affecting creation by its complexity...
With the attack of hate's cruelty
Unborn babes can't enjoy existence wondrous beauty
Abandoned kids face challenges in obscurity
Bullied adolescents suffer in their infirmity
Battered spouses weep silently in their afflictions' severity
Discontented husbands and wives fight with pride's importunity
Victimized children wallow in separation anxiety
Struggling homes waver in their solidarity's stability
Wrecked marriages fall toward dysfunctional futility
Bitter family members escape from reality
Toward disillusionment, questioning their identity...
As hate's cruelty undermines kindness-sensitivity
Chaos and turmoil can be felt, devoid of unity
Echoing envy, contempt, panic, anger, oppression's intensity
Indeed, affecting progress and prosperity
Robbing people of joy, victory and peace around safety
While instilling fear, terror amidst insecurity
Even animals are not exempted to experience barbarity
When their welfare is neglected midst uncaring community...
When unchecked, perpetrators of hate's cruelty
Continue with their aggression insanity
While victims in their martyrdom-superiority
Stay lamenting midst abuse-propensity...
Oh! I ask God for His mercy, grace and pity*
While my soul abides in His compassionate certainty
Assured that He enables me to overcome hate's cruelty
By His offered relationship I can trust throughout eternity
Which my very being can share with hope's serenity
Striving to spread genuine love that prevails along respect's tenacity.
*Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Dramatic monologue in monorhyme
April 16, 2019
Edited on May 20, 2025
9th place, "The Cruelty of Hate and the Consequences of Hate" Poetry Writing Contest; Sponsored by Michael Fulkerson; judged on 5/23/2025
I go unsatisfied
I vacation in discomfort
My heart will never be whole
My soul will never be free
I live in tragedy
Every second agonizes me
And I don’t know how to change it
Or if I even can
God, grant me serenity
The thinker
stares into the space inside himself
with some ignoble wonder,
"Who am I...and why?
"To found some mindless form of life
and blame it on my sculptor...
ah I see the timid wraith
who runs away from my presumption;
no they say it is awareness
that I would not face head on.
I simply stare at him, and he will flee,
Now could it be it is not life I see
but farther back into the swamp
with some finality to focus on its germ
that writhes and agonizes to prevail.
"I am a stranger in this shell,
a lark without a song,
an infant arrow with a consciousness unborn;
I am an instrument that tripped,
became a God upon a grain of sand,
that tumbled in a bowl
of some primordial soup
unable to decay.
"I do not like it very much...
that I alone must roar out to the edges
of my mushy little universe, just what is fair
and what is merely salty air
to birth in, breathe, and die.
"Or just...perhaps...there is another path
that leads to the discovery of me
back down the line, for at the basic level
I do not know myself; the past I had
did not rub off—it moved me just this far—
the night is very dark as if to smother me,
"or at the very least,
my curiosity."
~
It's all the way in the ignorant dark
I have my small steps put forth in my stride
As some light visible beyond blinds arc
Favoring the fear of strife, lest I hide
As many a mind have asked me to cease
For I leave them mine defiant deaf hear
To carve my concepts yet nothing to freeze
Mine spirits arousal lest I do fear.
Who knew when; what exactly excites me…
What agonizes …what inspires truly?
If ever I know, I would have conveyed thee…
For I dwell in doubt … I swear solemnly.
You''d have tried your hand on a poignant verse
If you have known what lie in thine deep tears.
a lamb roams the hillside climbing rocks up and down
to find the pastureland by his lost home,
overcome by the nameless fear of the long
and tiresome day’s slow moving time,
he asked the passing cloud
“can you tell me where about is the sky of my lost home?”
saddened by the pitiless cloud floating along
with no answer as if water streams without looking back,
the little lamb cries in the sunset’s glow
as darkness thickens in the valley
unbearable loneliness heaps up in the heart of the lamb
who is troubled by the unknown reason why he has to be here
in the remote hillside
and the heartrending cry of the lamb
who agonizes because he lost the way,
who is lonely because no one is around him,
echoes any more now in the abyss of darkness of the night
that would swallow everything
In the light of sunrise
a man who appears to be worn down
comes with heavy steps, and each time he steps the dew on the grass
becomes crimson so vivid that it smarts the eyes of onlookers,
his hands also stained with blood, held a lamb in his arms
furthermore, the man’s face stained as well
from mix of oozing blood from his forehead and the tears
on his cheeks, nonetheless, the eyes of the man who staring at the lamb
that is sleeping in his arms peacefully while roaming and playing on the grassland
of the home in his dream was shining with overflowing compassion, love and joy
The LORD is my Shepherd*; but I have goat’s charm
Thus, I shall not blame Him when I face dearth-alarm...
He protects me; yet in carnality, my body agonizes in pain
While He directs, my feet are stubborn in search for worldly gain…
He fires up my freezing soul toward spiritual revival
As my sins like filthy rags keep clinging to my survival…
Yes, I’m convinced of the Almighty’s presence midst attacking doubts
So I beg His rod and staff to smite my unbelief to win against fleshly bouts…
Cognizant of the Saviour’s blessings and bountifulness
“Why is my cup not running over?” cries my heart in faithlessness…
Indeed, God loves me, reaching down to offer His saving grace and mercy
Woe unto me if I neglect eternal life by not trusting Jesus, defying His clemency.
*Psalm 23:1 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (KJV)
December 23, 2020
3rd place, "COMPLETELY YOUR CHOICE (45)" Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand; judged on 1/19/2021.
I am a traveler in the pain’s domain
In its vast and abounding circumference
Whatever I sow gives a crop of pain
The sky overcast and a gloomy ambiance
My love, my longings are all in vain
Birds of hope deserted the tree of life
My body is a prison and soul in chain
The departing spring cuts me like knife
Moon peeps through clouds to brighten
My dark nights to keep me from despair
Flowers with their vivid smile enlighten
But my soul’s agony is beyond compare
Tears of a child make me melancholy
It hurts me when I see a withering flower
It pains me when I perceive a falling tree
I’m sad when human relations are sour
Conflicts and wars tear me down
I’m tormented by the people’s plight
Suicide bombers and killings in town
Vanquished honesty and the evil’s might
It agonizes me to see malicious deeds
The evil doer’s connivance & accord
My feelings meet my heart’s needs
For the kingdom of pain I thank my Lord