Best All Hell Breaks Loose Poems
Lili Marlene
In times of war, love can subdue cynical
(Men separated from their vocation, now filled with hatred),
And quell the beast inside their misdirected hearts,
And free their consciences to allow sorrow’s comfort.
A noisy silence pervades the barracks’ atmosphere,
Where soldiers stir, stuffing duffel bags with miscellaneous items,
While others reminisce, writing letters; maybe their last,
And await deployment orders for the Western and Eastern Fronts or Africa.
Belgrade, a woman’s voice over the airwaves is transmitted,
Allowing for a moment of silence and reflection for those listening
Alone; spiritually uplifted by memories of better times,
They seek a reason to justify this madness of sacrifice.
“My Dearest Marlene,” the pen begins when all hell breaks loose.
By bombs flashing bright, bloody hands write, then the pen stops:
“Until we meet again underneath the corner light,
Like we used to do, my Lili Marlene.”
***
Note:
"Lili Marlene" is a German love poem set to music by Norbert Schultze (1911–2002) in 1938, based on the poem “The Song of a Young Soldier on Watch,” written by Hans Leip (1893–1963) in 1915 during World War I. The song was first recorded by Lala Andersen (1905–1972) in 1939 under the title “The Girl Under the Lamps,” which became popular during World War II (1939–1945) among both the Axis and Allied troops. The song was first broadcast by the German Radio Belgrade station throughout Europe and North Africa, following the Nazi occupation of Belgrade in 1941.
Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992) was the daughter of a Prussian officer. She refused to work in Nazi Germany and was branded a traitor by Nazi supporters when she became an American citizen in 1937. She gave over 500 performances entertaining Allied troops from 1943 to 1946. Marlene Dietrich recorded the song entitled “Lili Marlene” in 1944 for Decca Records (US) and Brunswick Records (UK), which was released in 1945.
My day has just begun,
and it will be amazing.
It will be terrific!
It'll be wonderful!
It'll be the best day ever!
I will capture a dream
today!
I will soar high today.
I will not let anything,
get me down today.
I will lend a helping
hand today.
I'll release positive
energy today.
I'll let joy fill my soul
today.
I'll laugh just because
today( And I didn't go
bonkers I promise).
I will walk with my head
held high today.
Sometimes(often) we
must speak and say
positive things,
Declare what type of
day you want to have.
The power of the spoken
word is effective.
It will sustain you when
all hell breaks loose.
10/04/19
Alexis Y.
The swings you go through with a child
Are not unlike a coaster wild.
The terror, stark, when they arrive:
“How do I keep this kid alive?”
“What idiot allowed discharge,
And placed with me a care so large?”
When you have lost all hope of sleep,
And dark depression settles deep,
Then you will wonder in despair,
“How long, O Lord, too much to bear!”
But then, when first she smiles at you,
And suddenly dawn’s light breaks through!
Until the day you feed her meats
And gagging, retching, white as sheets,
You’re sorely pressed by toxic waste,
And all that fondness fades, erased
By thoughts you banish from your mind,
“How could I ever been so blind
To think this nasty little brute
Was a delight, a darling, cute?”
But then she talks, she says your name;
You’re launching to the moon again!
This surely is the pinnacle,
Parental heights you’ve scaled in full.
But comes the dark night of the soul;
Your daughter’s now thirteen years old.
Who is this alien life form?
When will your days resemble norm?
The slightest thing; all hell breaks loose:
A train that’s led by its caboose!
Back on the tracks, to wreck again,
Of late, you pray, “Why, God?” and “When,
When will this horrid phase be through?”
Completely unbeknownst to you,
This phase, designed, the needed fuel
To send her, gladly, off to school.
And then you sit, an empty home,
Berate yourself in brooding gloam
As night falls on parental days
And you imagine all the ways
that trouble will befall your child,
How by the world she’ll be defiled
And grieve and want her in your arms
In safe protection from all harm.
And after school, she needs you less
Until it’s time to buy the dress.
For her, elation and much joy!
For you, “And just who is this boy?”
But as you learn, she’s picked a man,
All goes according to the plan,
And you have this to comfort you,
For it is clear he loves her too.
So for a time, you are at peace;
The cycling has much decreased.
And yet, when they have fully grown,
Then suddenly you want them home.
You yearn for time spent with their kids
At intervals the miles forbid.
And if you’re being honest, too,
You’re hoping they’ll take care of you.
But looking back, it’s all a win;
You’d gladly take this ride again.
Whence diplomacy fails mankind.
Soldiers amassed with patriotic duties to fulfill.
Some willing, some underaged, some desperate.
Weaponry and vehicular production overdriven.
Military strategies drafted that await execution.
Prayers flood the heavens, farewell letters penned vigorously.
None prepared for what’s to come, sweet talk is all they have.
Come dawn, they depart for the frontlines.
Unto the battlefield where the enemy lies.
One step forward and all hell breaks loose.
Gunshots pierce, artillery’s shrapnel far-reaching.
Mangled corpses sprawled for families to mourn.
Commands roared but not followed for fear fuels the men.
Chaos ensues ruthlessly with no end in sight.
Death and blood saturates the gruesome battlefield.
Oh dear God, do you hear the cries of sorrow?
Oh dear God, do you see your land blood-brimmed?
Who will you aid when good and evil are indiscernible?
Countries conquered, engulfed by terror and atrocities.
Air raids never ending, bomb shelters becoming the second home.
Civilians contemned, slaughtered like pigs, experimented on like rats.
Prisoners of War starving to the bones as they labor restlessly.
Anguish ever present but naught can be done to rid it.
Oh dear God, do you witness the atrocious brutality?
Oh dear God, will you show them mercy and end their misery?
Homeward, anxiety ravages mercilessly like a plague.
Will my beloved return for college?
Will my darling return to love?
Will my dearest return to tuck me in?
Answers undetermined for life preaches uncertainty.
Politicians stand unscathed whilst comrades lay crippled.
In the perpetual bid for peace, the world drowns in blood.
Let me tell you my story about my behind bars blues
For doing something I shouldn't, now too much to lose
It all happened quite a few years ago when I was a boy sixteen
Living on the Dublin estates, where you had to be part of the scene
Gangs became part of the culture, live here you'll see what I mean
Generation after generation, it appears to be in our genes
I close my eyes to recall, whilst a shiver runs down my spine
As I follow my steps that night, still scared of what I'll find
We, me and my gang, readily terrorised our streets
Frightened of no one we were, no matter whom we'd meet
Then came that Friday night down at the local bar and grill
A Rock Band played in the corner, Thin Lizzy, their guitars spill
Next thing all hell breaks loose, a rival gang enters en masse
No prisoners were taken, no creed, colour or class
Amidst the chaotic scenes you could hear the flick of a blade
Into flesh that was previously perfect, a member makes his grade
Scattered echoes resonate, shouting and cursing extends
Screams of fading life bellows, as another knife internally bends
Broken glass now glistens in pools of crimson red
Dishevelled clothed creatures, lie punctured close to dead
Sirens out of nowwhere wail, flashing blues descend
Another Friday night downtown, societies current trend
I stand in frenzied stare, a redded steel gripped in my hand
Me becoming one of many, that a parent had never planned
At sixteen years old I have been taken, but I see another day
There were three on that fateful night, who never came back to play
Liberty was never a word, that ever entered our thoughts
Or even the others we inflicked, whom we brought to nought
The day I stood in the dock, knowing behind bars blues were near
At sixteen years old going inside, it's now my turn to fear
* For Miranda's "Behind Bars Blues" contest *
What can I say about my mother-in-law?
She’s loud and crabby and four feet tall.
She comes in my house and wrecks my dinner,
then has the nerve to ask me when I’ll get thinner!
When she enters a room all hell breaks loose,
she makes me pick sides, which in-law do I choose?
She brings over dinner I end up on the couch catatonic,
every year the Thanksgiving turkey makes me vomit!
Unexpected visits and I welcome her in my house,
but her voice so squeaky like an annoying little mouse.
So I give her tea and offer her a vanilla cupcake,
but chocolate is her favorite, how much more can I take!
She comes over to see her granddaughter Ella Rose,
acting so very sweet as she tickles her nose,
but I know she desperately needs something from me,
so I wait for a minute… “Can I borrow some money?”
She owes me a thousand dollars from my retirement fund,
when I ask her to pay me back she looks angry and stunned.
Oh…so much to say, but now I’m stressed and must rest,
from writing about my MOTHER-IN-LAW...
the UNWANTED GUEST!
An Unwanted Guest
March 1, 2017
The Hitman
His blood runs cold as he walks through the fire. But he knows it’s not a game, he’s just a gun for hire. Watching every move like a black widow spider. He knows he’ll never be the man he was before. He throws back a shot as he waits for his mark. He’s been to the edge and he knows the score, maybe this time it’ll be the end, but tomorrow there’s always just one more.
With only a picture and only a name, and cold blue steel as his tools of the game. He’ll hunt you down and it’s not for the fame,
It doesn’t come easy, but the money’s all the same.
Not wanting to know the reason why. It all comes down to money on the line. With a glint of steel from a Colt .45, all hell breaks loose in the blink of an eye. Bullets come fast as bodies hit the floor. But his aim is true as the trigger is pulled, and he adds to his list of just one more.
He never bats an eye as he walks out the door, no one knows why, but they’ve seen it before. Memories are lost, the moment is gone. No one seen anything is the way it’s got to be. To stay alive here is to never play along.
V.M. Tackett
Miles and miles of dry brush, a tender box for fire
Just a spark and the inferno is burning
Smoke clouds and ashes billow high, in Hell's exhaust
The wind is the fuel for the wildfire
Firefighters fight with all they have, in hopes of turning
All wildlife are on the run, they hurry and scurry
Trying to escape the monster that throws flames
Their homeland, now a to a smoking ember
If they could talk, in their eyes you can see the worry
Yesterday it was fun and games
But not this hot September
Thunder rolls, lighting crashes down from the sky
A pine tree explodes, and all Hell breaks loose
Flames stampede, like a crazy herd of Texas Longhorn mavericks
And the animals wonder why?
Choking like they are in a hangman's noose
The old Devil smiling at all his old tricks
Burning for day and weeks, until it can burn no more
Leaves a scorched path, of a lot of timber
A scar, branded deep by the fire
There are no winners, just the final score
Memories, that they will always remember
That damn old wild fire
Rwanda
And man will fight with murder and destruction
When peace and negotiation can go no further
Heaven shed many tears; to see that man
Does not even try to find peace if he can
For man has turned against each other
Heaven is full of sadness; and brother against brother
Humanity await his greatest fall
While heaven pray for us all
In the midst of this madness and pain
Everyone should remember Abel and Cain
Save six thousand;one man, General De Lare
Risk his life, has love to share
As Belgium rules Rwanda, the child
The sibling rebels, revolts and runs wild
The Rwandan president is dead; his plane is shot
All hell breaks loose and the temperature gets hot
The Hutus,supporters of the foreign government
Decide to bring genocide on the peaceful Tutsis without armament
Men women and children,are mowed down with machete and guns
And so instead of helping, the Belgian army runs
France, Italy, Belgium and the Vatican see the massacre of a peaceful people
The catholic church loses its steeple
They turn their backs, turn up their noses
The people die and their families are forced to smell the roses
To take their ex patriots, the French, Italian and Belgian appear
And after they leave, hardly a Tutsi is found standing there
The United Nations Pull out, no diplomacy, no oil, no solution
Things turn seriously grave, the Tutsis are swallowed up in this revolution
When eight hundred thousand Africans dead
All across the world, not a tear is shed
In every nation, love leaves, and enters hate
Atlantis revisit, as man does not see his terrible fate
.William Morrissey 1/28/07
Female parts can be so appealing
The mere sight of 'em tends to send me reeling
I pant and I drool
As I enter her vestibule
All hell breaks loose and I start cartwheeling
All is calm, it is Christmas night
Time almost still in reverence
Shutters pulled, streets empty, bare
A Holy silence reigning
Holding it's presence to celebrate a birth.
Panic over, presents exchanged
Fairy lights peep through drapes
Little ones tucked in - depleted
Weary Mums sleep in easy chairs
Dad's still playing with toy trains.
Children come home from abroad
To rekindle after years of parting
They tell safe tales of life and travels
Mothers weep, joy and sadness
They look back, they look forward.
Fridges bulge with turkeys and ham
Free range this and free range that.
Fruit cakes iced with winter whiteness
Decked with ribbons on festive tables.
Empty port bottles awaiting recycle.
Newly weds share their first Christmas
Some couples share their last.
Thousands of red candles flicker.
Youths play board games and charades
In some homes all hell breaks loose.
The Queen of England is on television
She speaks of God and of the economy.
The homeless man is sleeping
Somewhere in the Kerry mountains.
A friend took him his Christmas dinner.
Adeste Fideles plays out the night
A leaf blows down the sleepy street
The festive lights sway in the breeze
Christmas night is closing in.
Days enter days amidst living
Weeks drift in constant flow
Thrown to times endless tick
Eroding breaths it's blow
Moments of bliss in highlight
Captured by glorious clutch
Then all hell breaks loose
Crimson caress, evils such
Such eruptions between pacification
Obliterates strewing strife
We then all become it's victims
Drowning in the currents of life
Always great fun at an intersection
With only a four way stop
You start, he starts, it's him no it's me
Nose to nose, where's a cop
You glare, he glares, nothing's solved
It boils down to a battle of wits
Like kids arguing over a colourful toy
“That's mine! No, it's mine!” and you sit
Even the ear shattering sound of horns
Has no effects on this yahoo!
All hell breaks loose, 8 guys get out
And a bloody fist fight ensues!
Standing back I watch the proceedings
Grown men acting like jerks
Get back in my car, I drive around it all
It's not worth being late for work
Four way stops are becoming quite rare
In this fast paced world we live in
Four way stops are now being replaced
Coz nobody's willing to give in
Speak No Evil
As I sit enjoying the penumbra of the crepuscular sky,
Suddenly all hell breaks loose, as I hear a sonorous cry.
“I have no room for jealousy or a cynical upheaval!”
With exuberant energy, my quick response, yet, I Speak No Evil!
Matters not the visceral thought behind this desultory exchange,
All minds clear, with visual halcyon recall, of an opulent coastal range.
Written By: Sarita A Milliner © 2/2/16
Love is beautiful , till the illusion remains.
It's sweet and welcoming,
And calms all your pain.
It sends butterflies that flutter by,
And slowly, it sinks deeper
Leaving you dazed and renewed, never once thinking.
Company, is what makes you stronger.
Untill the company is bored,
And wants you no longer.
That's when it begins.
A downward spiral,
That's when the illusion starts to end.
Suddenly, that exquisite fire,
Withers and dies.
It isnt exquisite anymore, it's just another pyre.
It burns, smoke rises.
Another illusion destroyed,
It falls as ashes, another army deployed.
The fighting, the screaming,
The bloodless bloodshed.
The crying, the weeping, make you lose your head.
Once it's gone , all hell breaks loose .
The saint becomes a sinner,
And the sinner has no fuel.
All promises , forgotten.
All false truth, revealed.
Suddenly , just like that, one becomes two.
LOVE, exists to rise and fall.
Real till it lasts,
Then it's an illusion thats all.
By
Amanda Miller