Best Bedridden Poems
Buried Alive
These walls....
they laugh at me but no one else hears
They steal the very breath of me
...but no one seems to notice
They blare a suffocating silence
Leave invisible abrasions from unseen restraints
These walls I once called home
These walls have become my coffin
~FJ Thomas
Most of us run through varying emotions at times. It helps to jot them down and get them out ;) These walls can be emotional or very literal. Usually the one causes the other to collapse in along with it.
The important thing is to remember that there are others who very much understand how you feel; you are not alone. So never give up!
The pains of those ailments that grab us at will
Once better, like stalkers, can linger on still
But it’s patently true that life’s bitterest pill
Is the pain when it’s someone you love that is ill
When struck down, bedridden, we try to be brave
Though we feel our survival might be a close shave
But we’d gladly accept our God’s beckoning wave
If that keeps our loved one away from their grave
*
And so when I hear that slight tremor of fear
No hug and no words for the one I hold dear
Can bring forth a smile full of genuine cheer
And that forehead kiss… conceals my own tear
At night, to the God in whom I don’t believe
I sheepishly say, “I don’t want her to leave.”
I snuggle up close, I’m not ready to grieve
And I smile in the morning as I hear her breathe
The doctors I’ve trusted I must trust in still
For they’ll mend her again; I’m sure that they will
But it’s patently true that life’s bitterest pill
Is the pain when it’s someone you love that is ill
My heart is heavy...
heavy with memories of your booming laughter
your mischievous twinkling eyes
and your engaging banter
My heart is heavy...
heavy with hope
that this is not the end
that I'll see you again
in that sweet never ending day
My heart is heavy...
heavy with love
love for my father's brother
my second father
a man of faith
dedication
and service
My heart is heavy...
heavy with sorrow
heavy with a subdued joy
for death is not the end...
not for those who believe
those who grieve
will be comforted....
My heart is heavy...
heavy with the promise
of resurrection morn
where I will see you
not bedridden
not lost in Alzheimer's confusion
but young and strong
remade in His image
My heart is heavy...
My heart is light...
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (I Corinthians 15: 55-57)
The righteous perish,
and no one takes it to heart;
the devout are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.
2 Those who walk uprightly
enter into peace;
they find rest as they lie in death. (Isaiah 57: 1 & 2)
As days go by,
And the pain gets worse,
I long to ride,
In my hearse
That "Exit Sign"
Above the door,
Calls to me,
Like never before...
I'm not a coward,
I'm not a fool,
But living with pain
Breaks the rule...
I hold back,
in fear of God,
And, I guess,
that's kind of odd,
Yet constant pain,
Just gnaws away
Makes me wish
Today's my final day...
And effects on loved ones,
Escapes me not,
To make them sad
Not a desire I've got
But pounding, twisting
Endless agony
Makes me wonder
How much more for me
That "Exit Sign"
Above the door,
Entices me,
Promising no more
Writhing pain,
Pulsating misery,
So very tempting,
Believe you, me...
Homebound,
Largely bedridden
The meaning of my life,
Seems so well hidden
To die alone,
And in pain,
My destiny,
A life in vain.
SHALL I ANTICIPATE APACE TO THEE A STORY,
THROUGH MY HEART TO MIND, FROM NIGHT TILL DAWN YOU WERE A GLORY,
THOUGH BEDRIDDEN, IN MY SENSES AND FEELINGS THOU TOOK A JOURNEY,
PAY ATTENTION AS I VERB THE ANECDOTE OF MY AGONY.
IN MY EYES YOU SMILED AT AN ANGLE,
BUT STILL, YOU’RE BEAUTY!! YOU WRESTLE WITH AN ANGEL,
GENTLY CRAFTED AND CURVED AS A GOBLET, I MELT LIKE A CANDLE,
QUICKLY VISITED MY DREAMS FOR A HUG, AS A SOLDIER WHO RIDE FOR HIS CASTLE.
YOU WALKED LIKE SPRING,
YOUR SOUL COOL AS WINTER AS ITS LAST LEAVES CLING,
AND SMILE LIKE SUMMER WHEN YOU CALL ME YOUR KING,
TO ME YOU’RE EVERYTHING BY EVERYTHING I MEAN ANYTHING.
HOW IT BEGAN, WHETHER BY ME OR THEE I DO NOT KNOW,
FACE AND LIPS TRY TO REACH, BUT SOMETHING TRIES TO BLOW,
ITS 08:15 IN THE MORNING, MY ALARM RANG BEFORE MY LECTURE GAVE ME MY LAST WARNING.
BIO MODIFIED - SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN
Southern
Being courteous, sentimental, compassionate, helpful to others
I love Jesus, Southern Gospel Music, and Family
It is my plan to buy a new car, travel, and be on my own
Blessed to feel content, at peace, and filled with joy
My fear is not being ambulatory, losing my eyesight and being bedridden
Meet President Trump, restore late model cars, and sing bass in a gospel quartet
I am a resident of the great State of Georgia, one of the original 13 colonies
Gentleman
18 April 2020
For the contest sponsored by Dear Heart
A Pretty Sound-Hit Me With Your Best Shot
By: Aidan Gilbert
At the park swinging
I heard my phone ringing
Picked it up and heard my Mom crying
The cancer spread, I was told I am dying
It sucks to know you only have two weeks
And to live them in a hospital bedridden too weak
Staring at the ceiling colorless eyed
Hiding the question that burns my jumbled mind
Why did God choose me to die
My parents sitting at my dying side
So quiet I can practically hear my brother two stories down trying not to cry
Taking the elevator with my grandparents to see if his only sister is alright
In my dreams I scream at God
Why did you do this?!
Was there some pretty picture on my way here I missed?!
Well you hit me with your best shot
My remaining cheerfulness you get to watch rot
All of this broke me down
For the first time calm lying still in my hospital gown…
I just wanted to have heard a pretty sound
I was taken by something out of my sight
But I wasn’t truly hurt that I wouldn’t be able to put up a fight
It was me as a fifteen year old girl and being robbed that right.
Decades of a formula that only he knew about it and drew,
Cascades of his artwork came to a head in his last years,
Glissades of a swan in a lake that only a handful had seen,
Tirades made its mark on him, distant from fellow peers.
~~[Van Gogh]~~
Impressed of his art garnered some interest in his style,
Oppressed, a constant companion only he can befriend,
Obsessed by what he drew insanely violent he withdrew,
Distressed he found salvation in asylums to not descend.
~~[Wheatfield With Crows]~~
Crows, black gawking, feed in a meadow ache for harvest,
Know that art needs to be made, scheme food for thought,
Those sinister birds, a murder of crows festering the grain,
Throes a fit mocking 'em, flys, pained him more than aught.
~~[Starry Night]~~
Bleak sky of blues, stars gave rise to a miracle been made,
Streak of a sprawl unfurls his heavens tethered madness,
Speak not lest he loses his concentration, maintains focus,
Meek town his groundwork, lofty jewel amidst the sadness.
~~[Bedroom At Arles]~~
Red, that laid on a bed, table, chairs, paintings on the wall,
Said was where he severed his ear, water bowl mirror hung,
Head bandaged where he bled, he does a self-portrait of it,
Deadman walking, Gauguin part ways, no song to be sung.
~~[Self-Portrait Bandage Ear And Pipe]~~
Drew closer, when they were both young, be such friends,
Few friends Van Gogh had, Gauguin was at that moment,
Grew apart after Vince shaving Paul, Vince wanted to hurt,
Knew time together was getting just a bit grave and potent.
~~[House At Auvers]~~
Return to Arles made Van Gogh happy for good times there,
Upturn spirits was a rarity, too few and far in the middle,
Discern with him was questionable because he's unstable,
Concern for his good, art kept him busy, else is second fiddle.
~~[Doctor Gachet]~~
Fields back of the house, a pistol, he plans to shoot himself,
Wields his pistol, shoots, nobody hears, years gun lays hidden,
Yields his brother Theo to his side as doctor aides him little,
Shields truth futile, his art was world-renown, dies bedridden.
In the middle of the night, you came, oh, death,
Wishing my soul to harvest
Vehemently, I refused to surrender it to you
Fact, that made you so angry.
You said your divine right was to claim it
But still, your request I turned down
It was then that you thought it reasonable to incapacitate me
For your mission sooner to carry out.
The first step you took was my voice to silence
The second was my legs to immobilize
Thus mute and paralyzed, you fancied, I couldn't resist
So your prize would quickly be obtained.
For five days, in total muteness and bedridden, I remained
Yet, a gallant fight I put up to escape your embrace
But all my efforts in vain appeared to be
As the gates of eternity, I could gaze.
Late on the fifth day, a doctor of great character and skill,
He decided to empty the Hematoma formed next to my brain
Thus, a foot-long Craniotomy performed with great care
Hoping you, oh, death, to chase away.
Although now, slowly, I am recovering
Anticipating a few more years of life to enjoy,
I know very well in my heart, oh death,
That we together would be one blessed day!
© Demetrios Trifiatis
30 November 2021
* This is a biographical poem that narrates the events that took
place between the twelfth day of October and the first day of
November in the hospital!
I said to my mother, " together we are strong,"
mom bravely battled with illness for twenty years;
but the end came and her life I could not prolong,
I made the decision to pull the plug with tears.
Mom bravely battled with illness for twenty years,
never will I regret spending many years with her;
I made the decision to pull the plug with tears,
packed my stuff and moved in- and together we were.
Never will I regret spending many years with her,
we were always friends but became even closer;
packed my stuff and moved in- and together we were,
mom loved shopping 'till she fainted at the grocer.
We were always friends but became even closer,
first, a walker, then a wheelchair- then bedridden;
mom loved shopping 'till she fainted at the grocer,
I became her caregiver- with deep sadness hidden.
First, a walker, then a wheelchair- then bedridden,
but the end came and her life I could not prolong;
I became her caregiver- with deep sadness hidden,
I said to my mother, "together we are strong."
_________________________
March 12, 2018
Poetry/Pantoum/Together Strong
Copyright Protected, ID 18-1003-293-01
All Rights Reserved. Written Under Pseudonym.
Written for the contest, Together We Are Strong
sponsor, Silent One
First Place
When the gut says no; know that it’s forbidden
When heart repels the idea is forbidden
When mind think bad it is indeed forbidden!
When eyes look with hatred it is forbidden
When ears hears wrongs it is forbidden
When ways become to forbid one
Forbid the evil that tempts your innocents
Drift from the darkness that follows your shadow
Forbidden is the soul that plans nothing but evil
Get rid of the weeds that cripple your seeds
Stumble the block that rumble your rock
Bid to twist the bitterness into better
Forbid to be bedridden before you get ridden
Get rid when it last to let you lust
Forbid when it posses you and make you obsessed
Forbidden is the goal that aims nothing but hole
Forbid friends that frame your failure
Delete the deeds of those who deal with your defeat
Abide on your bid to forbid their beard
Reboot to release the strength to forbid the failure
Abort the abnormals to assess their assets
Research and rehearse before you react
Repent to repatriate their repel
But never regret to regulate their replay
Their bid is to beat you in your own game
Hence bid to forbid their forbidden bid
Best business needs the bold bid that bet the rest
Wrap and wrestle their wreck and leave them wrecked
Believe that a bit of bid that they get can get rid of your reach and forbid you to abide but leave you to abstain
From the best bid you are about to obtain
Be obliged to your objective to get rid of the obstacles
That forbids you to obstruct your oppressors
Don’t omit to offer your official bid that beat the beast
That bullies your battle
Bold on to build the gold that hold all the folk in a fold
Until they mould to mourn their forbidden moves
Remain content to your bid just to lift yourself a bit
And see the rest getting forbidden to face you!
Musing Lately
Let’s just say
with my husband now having heart troubles and my
being old (& bedridden while waiting for my new prosthetic-leg) makes for on-going thinking, remembering, observing, reflecting, tentatively concluding, believing
how the ineffable ultimately rules…and one’s
language (for all its commanding need to be used with a true Love ) finds w
o
r
d
s
to be less than their expressive task f
a
i
l
(despite even some i
divine inspiration)
n
g
to cast some light brighter
than the humble votive’s flame flickering in the heart —
Or more than the one tear — felt but unseen' — in the corner of the eye, bringing along its cathartic story …ready to fall down over the cheek…
Or to realize (especially after 40 years togerther) that devotion lives well beyond a 3-word statement in heights carried there by a tried, spiritual touching of our auras in the room: lives aligned for better or worse in the profound music that our closeness creates. The poems are born in being or feeling before the written.
(c) sally young eslinger 7/13/24**
In my youth, i was a devotee of James Joyce and Samuel Beckett. (Beckett even sent me a hand-written letter in response to one i sent him.). I pretty much memorized “Waiting for Godot.” Joyce and Beckett both saw words dissolving — into the ineffable. Some powerful poems lead us there, but that there, I’ve found is in the unspeakable.
In a dreary mood, bent and broken,
With an ailment that crippled my life
I lay bedridden for many a month
With every muscle weakened by arthritis
And every nerve radiating the pain
Dull were the days and sore were the nights,
Time slouched on in mechanical beats,
Mind devoid of any buoyant thoughts,
Senses shut to every cheery throb of life,
I lay awake, day and night staring at the ceiling.
Never a smile lighted up my face,
Nor a gleam of hope brightened up my brain.
Inertia crept over from head to foot.
I had long lost my zest for life.
With my life sap drained out like an empty well,
All I felt was the burn of scalding drought.
Nothing could move my grief laden soul,
None could lift the weight off my back,
Embers of fire sparked from the anvil of my heart,
Heaves of sighs escaped my parched mouth,
I wriggled and writhed in unspeakable pain,
My spirits sank deeper into a slithery marsh,
I saw around only a thick pall of gloom,
Or was it a projection of my own self?
Anguish gnawed my nerves and sinews,
Flames of pain danced within my spine,
I felt my head wobbling and reeling,
And the heavy weight of lead all around my neck.
Felt being pushed down to abysmal depths,
And the octopus tightening its tentacles all around.
“Who on earth will set me free?
What on earth can lift me up?”
With thundering force, the question shook my weary self.
I sprang to my feet and broke the binding chains,
I found I was but in self – exile,
A captive entrapped within boundless space.
I saw the door opening to infinite lengths,
And the arched horizon looming larger than life,
Unbroken, I spread my wings and propelled up,
And darted through the clouds to distant shores.
Who would have thought, my life would change this way!
(Own Story)
There is an orgy of fruit above our heads
Delectable sweetness falls unto our beds
We shall devour the sweetness so ripe and pure
Tantalizing encounters,
Angels so bright with amorous decor
Intercourse woven upon the forest floors,
Lustfully we be bedridden
Satisfying our wanton souls in the village of Sidon
" Education paves way for future financial security. By education I mean knowledge of subject matter not just marks" -
Rama Balasubramanian
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I was in teens
Father lost his job
Tough times for family
We had an ailing, bedridden grandmother
While father searched for job
Mother told me
You concentrate on your studies
You are my only hope for future
I want you to earn well
Finished schooling with good marks
Topped school, wanted to become doctor
We didn't have money
Took commerce stream
Did CA along with graduation
Would get up early and leave home
First college then CA firm
Come back home late at night
All free time dedicated to education
Was university topper
Rank holder in CA
Job offers came on their own.
When I gave my first salary to my mother she shed tears of joy.
Finally our family problems came to an end.
My hard work bore fruit
Now I am holding a top position in big company
I have house of my own and enough money
I tell my son education is important
Material processions are transient
Knowledge stays forever.
When I see college students not studying
I feel sorry for them
They don't realise the value of education
Education is essential for living
Education should be free for all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Knowledge makes you humble
With knowledge you rarely stumble
Knowledge makes you aware
With knowledge you know what to beware
Knowledge earns you respect
With knowledge many things you don't expect
Knowledge gives you confidence
With knowledge you aren't over confident
Knowledge makes you mature
With knowledge your future is secure
He who knows the most
Will never ever boast
He knows knowledge is vast
Very little he has amassed
Everything else may not stay
Knowledge in mind forever stays.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
15th March 2021
Inspired by:
Graduation Blessings contest by BJ Legros Kelley