Best Change Course Poems
The Dilettante Diaries: “Freshwater”
This is how it begins
Opposite side of the chequered board
Black and White, a game to win
The 50 Move Rule flirts consequences
of a burning mind
Through windows
Freshwater
is now lapping at his shores
She calls his bluff
Menu: Sardinian
he’s a soft Diamond in the Rough
Two travellers -
A Writer and another Writer
change course,
Two travellers on a journey
turn around, tack inwards towards the other
change the plot, rhyme and verse
Freshwater
The 50 Move Rule flirts consequences
of a burning mind
Opposite side of the chequerboard
This is how it begins
Black and White, a game to win
No Deer in the Cross Lights
She smiles
He grins
Freshwater
Lunch and a swim
(Lovejoy-Burton/September, 2018)
"Slow Air", Still Corners
https://youtu.be/h10-Q4vJGVY
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifty-move_rule
2. Pilu, Freshwater
Categories:
change course, adventure, imagery, journey, muse,
Form:
Romanticism
Walk this road with me by your side;
never will I lead you astray.
Yes, it’s I who whispers to you,
sometimes nudging you to change course.
When you're headed in the wrong direction,
I strive to offer input:
“What if you put your life in God’s hands
and let Him choose the path you take."
I’m here in the afterlife,
waiting to escort you through Heaven’s gate.
Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to myself,
so silently I attempt to guide you.
When you were born, I was charged with your fate.
Help me succeed, just as I strive to assist you.
You may think of me as your conscience, your mentor,
but I know Who sent me to make life’s journey with you.
Sometimes you make my task difficult,
yet just like you, I am no quitter.
Try if you must to put me on the shelf
when temptation is overpowering.
You will fail in this effort;
I won’t let you turn away from me.
I’m the shadow you cannot see,
your guardian angel, holding eternal life’s key.
* Written for Paula’s “Who Am I” contest.
Categories:
change course, introspection, me, me,
Form:
Free verse
'Twas a dark and stormy night on that dark and stormy night!
HMS Blunderbuss plied the billowing seas just off the Isle of Wight!
Able Seaman Steer manned the helm when dead ahead he saw the light!
He woke the snoozing Officer of the Deck to apprise him of their plight!
Captain Ironbottom (who happened to be in the 'head') was duly alerted!
He dashed to the bridge in his drawers to ensure that disaster was averted!
"By jove!" he cried, "Her Majesty's ships turn aside for no one, I say!"
He grabbed the radio, "Ahoy there! Turn east 15 degrees! Out of my way!"
From out of the ozone a voice retorted, "Suggest you turn west 15 degrees!
I'll not change course for anyone, so heed my warning if you please!"
"This is Captain Ironbottom of the HMS Blunderbuss!" he thundered back!
"I know the rules of the road! Turn now or I'll see you hung from the rack!"
Able Seaman Steers' eyes grew as large as saucers knowing not what to do!
Communication between the captain and the mysterious light was turning blue!
As the distance narrowed between them, neither would give a nautical mile!
The white-knuckled Officer of the Deck was turning pale with a sickly smile!
"This is Captain Ironbottom again! Are you challenging Her Majesty's might?"
"Yes sir" was the reply, "You see, this is the light house on the Isle of Wight!"
Today the mighty HMS Blunderbuss rusts upon the Isle of Wight's rocky shoal.
Captain Ironbottom faded into oblivion due to the folly of his last patrol!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
© All Rights Reserved
Categories:
change course, dark, funny, light,
Form:
Rhyme
Life is a winding road
Moving through lovely territory
That inspires dreams and goals.
Then it enters rough roads
Treacherous terrains
Wild rivers under tornadoes
That eat at our resolve
And threaten to destroy the hopes
We had embraced when the way
Ran smooth by flowery meadows.
When we have been let down
By those we had believed in so
We often choose to change course
To avoid bumping in the same inferno
But no matter, every road we take
Will have its own inferno.
As we determine to stay the course
We find that it is the road I must go
And when we go beyond the call of duty
We come to see the real hero
Within the fiber of our awesome fabric
Worthy to be called
Sons and Daughters of God.
By CarolineCécile
05.01.11
Categories:
change course, angst, inspirational, life
Form:
Free verse
A time for golfing after the crime
Crime committed but do no time
American justice is that what you call it
When guilt is determined by the size of your wallet
The government doesn't care if it's not fair
As long as they get their fair share
If Capone had paid his taxes long ago
He would have been Mayor of Chicago
If you have the cash, judges sit in awe
And put your actions above the law
A push for gun control is really hot
So their friends, the criminals, won't get shot
Hail the defendant, put his name in lights
Deny the victim his civil rights
For child molesters we need to change course
I would recommend a vigilante force
We can't fix organized crime and that's a sin
It's our own fault because we voted them in
American justice will never be the best
Until we enforce the laws like they did in the Old West.
Categories:
change course, political, social,
Form:
Couplet
Little by little
like a canoe in the deep,
Life sails on gently...
Though it may change course,
or wreck while sea-bound offshore;
often the truth saves!
Categories:
change course, life,
Form:
Haiku
Be gone!
Out of my thoughts
You who caused me distraught
I won't let my heart break by your
Arrows.
Be gone!
Won't let my soul
Fall upon these stones and
With the plight of volatile storms
Turn cold.
Be gone!
Out of my head
Raging thoughts that cause dread
Let me fly with the swallows and
Change course.
By CarolineCécile
Copyright © 08.13.10
Categories:
change course, angst, depressionme,
Form:
Cinquain
create a golden route for a poet like me,
let the embodiment of song carved itself
in the palms of the world beyond till lyrics
of faith light to ease the thought of my mind.
If you die before me, tell papa not to cry.
the shrine he left in my hand is still well
planted in the imaginations of his generations.
tell Fela &Giwa that Nigeria is no better,
tell Chinua Achebe that the water in our
throat cries of dry ground they stepped on.
we may not be a better cinematographer
capturing the deeds of this land but your
still photos can crop some timelines to go
with you till I come along to join your trail.
if you die before me, send a word across.
let me know the existence of heaven & hell
if Shakespeare & Okigbo & Buchi are there
so I can change course to path my emotion,
the artistic photography of the tales of hell
are the codeine conscience of anxiety in us.
we die before the masquerade halt in the air.
Husky tears would I drop on your grave
to be taken to Mandela & Luther King.
there are roses I will take from the clay pot
Of my father to your graveyard to give to Ify
my hearted lover in the morning of miracles.
if you die before me, this tattered call would
I make to our ancestors for a perfect survival.
this land is a disco dance hall you must tell
Yar'du of Fate & tears crossing our eyes
in a patterned way to be christened life's joy.
this land is a feminist like Chimamanda A.N,
this country is a pun star you must tell Ken.
tell my cousin Ezekiel to wait for me longer,
I am coming. to join him in benedicted rein of
our country.
If you die before me, I'll be on your graveyard
for a life time cracking up the foundation of
the world to find death. I will ask him if the
other phase is better than here before coming.
suffering is not meant to be dreamed twice,
Two week-ed weaknesses are the wink wires
connecting our lives in a radioed embryo .
this is my recap
a captured scene
Let's bake life and dreams
till death call us all to himself
then the world becomes empty
love finds love mingling in hands...
die before me & be my eyes beyond.
©John Chizoba Vincent
From_A_Pen_Refusing_frustration.
Categories:
change course, absence, abuse, depression,
Form:
Blank verse
Listen to the turbulent waters
as they cascade over the boulders.
forcing a path, so they can carry on peacefully
to find tranquility and peace ahead.
Life is like this,
as mist lingering over the open stretch of water
blinding you, making going forward difficult,
rough waters can force you to change course at times,
look back through the mist watch yourself re-appear.
Penned January 19 2017
Categories:
change course, life,
Form:
Rhyme
A princess in a ballroom
Is every girls dream
Playing it over in our heads,
detailing the scene
A prince at our side
Determined to swoon
Confessing your the most perfect
one in the room
This is what's expected
Until we grow up
And find our dream has decided to
disrupt
Decided to change course
Causing more ache
Now we can't breathe without being
plunged with a stake
Or being rejected
Our only other option
Forsaking the world or choosing
adaption
Most choose the latter
Loosing there virtue
And cling instead on what guys
believe are true
Like "You're bangable that's for
sure
But certainly not what I would date
For girls are nothing more than
meat
An appetizer on our plate"
And instead of disagreeing with their
fact
Setting out to prove it false
We believe these lies and comprise
Decide to be used up, then tossed
But at what cost?
Is it really so wrong?
Just following the pattern of
american love songs
Craving to feel loved from this pitiful
world
Just to follow and become an
ordinary teenage girl
Now feeling alive and fresh in my
skin
Not focused on how guilty I feel
within
Could it really be sin?
But its so fun
Pursuing the guy till you find out
you won
Until the job is done
And you watch him leave
Now aware you stitched your heart
on your sleeve
And he's tore it off
Threw it in the dust
Tell me world, is this pain a must
Can it be fixed?
No it's too late
Might as give myself to the next
heartbreak
Now i'm stuck in the cycle
Caught in the mold
But too scared to step out, not
daring to be bold
Now my heart is cold
Thy soul is stone
Going from guy to guy yet feeling
alone
Following the lie
This is the only type I catch
Besides, there's no such thing as a
God destined match
Simple friend with benefits
But no one benefits
Following the status quo
Just tell him no!
Categories:
change course, angst, confusion, daughter, heart,
Form:
Free verse
"Fragments and crumbs of life, all the little pieces"
John Ruskin, 1853
I knew in the beginning
What I wanted in life
Where my writing might take me
Where I might end up
Only plans change direction
Paths change course, unwanted
When passion burns bright
It can set your heart free
Life's greatest triumphs and tragedies
Remain alive in our memories
Forever etched among my pages
Statements impacting others
To more than just survive
Wipe clean the subconscious slate
Prepare to be inspired by life's events
And the importance of all the little pieces
"I believed that life began when you believed in yourself"
Won 4th place
Written by: Shannon Deane
Contest: All The Little Pieces
Written: June 21st, 2011
Categories:
change course, introspection, life, on writing
Form:
Free verse
It is 5pm and I arrive from work
Things are changing, and I have visitors!
Storks are circling, checking their position.
They have returned to their second home.
The storks swoop in, one by one.
They glide in, silently............. gracefully.
I hear the swish of air through feathers.
They disturb the leaves and break the stillness.
They select their place on a branch of choice
Make hissing sounds, which is their voice.
It is dusk, and they have returned from afar.
Winged migrants will settle in pastures new.
I look up to view them on their branches,
They are dotted as singles, and in groups.
Heads drooping down with wings hunched up,
Each looking like a lawyer, pondering a case.
During the night I can hear some movement.
It’s amazing how they keep their place.
As they sleep away till early morning,
They are silhouetted against the moon lit sky.
In the morning glow they become restless.
The dawn is breaking through wispy clouds.
There was some rain again last night.
There is movement in the branches now.
Having filed their flight plans for the day.
They leave their roost in every direction
Some will change course and fly due north.
Where do they go for this days outing?
I see some later, but not near home,
But way out yonder, finding thermals and height.
Soaring, and circling round and round.
Until, as specks in the sky, they escape the eye.
Is this graceful display their form of relaxation?
I wish I could be so free and away from strife.
Categories:
change course, animals, nature,
Form:
Who Am I?
An answer so simple, yet so complex,
Not the reaction one normally expects.
“I am Jason”, but what does that mean?
To truly understand, I must go behind the scenes.
I was 10 years old and becoming obese,
It was then that my confidence would decrease.
Day upon day, suffering from verbal attacks,
My inner peace would melt away, like candlelit wax.
I had reached my threshold; I could take no more,
It was my self-respect I set out to restore.
I was 13 years old and ultimately lost this weight,
At last, all the harassment would finally abate!
But I was wrong, and the attacks would soon begin,
Now at opposite ends of the spectrum, I was too thin.
I just couldn’t win; I felt that I was inferior,
I hated whom I was out on the exterior.
I was 16 years old and confused who I was,
Associating with gang members from the “Bloodz.”
I had found my acceptance amongst a life of crime,
But many were being arrested, forced to serve time.
Desiring a better life, I was in need of correction,
I surrendered my acceptance to gain a new direction.
I was 18 years old and lost with despair,
The journey thus far proved to be unfair.
Others knew what they wanted and went to college,
Without the slightest clue, I became envious of their knowledge.
I couldn’t foresee my future when I didn’t know who I was,
My hope began to dissipate as my life was at this pause.
I was 19 years old and my life began to change course,
It was at this point that I enlisted in the Air Force.
A new man emerged with pride and camaraderie,
With purpose and meaning, my future was no longer a worry.
The military was my family, raising me to be an adult,
My self-confidence was regained as a direct result.
I was 24 years old with a new “me” in vision,
Ambitious for college, I had made my decision.
Mentally prepared and stronger than ever,
I have committed myself to this newfound endeavor.
Having strong potential I refuse to let go to waste,
My ability for intelligence I strongly embrace.
I am 25 years old and continue to evolve,
But the answer to my question I still cannot solve.
Who I am will forever remain incomplete,
With each day passing is a part of me obsolete.
Like a waterfall, always subjected to new water flowing,
The flow of my experiences will forever keep me growing.
Categories:
change course, adventure, childhood, confusion, dedication,
Form:
Burden of proof lies squarely on the accused’s name;
The filer can exaggerate and overstate any imagined claim.
In Minnesota, Judges are forced to approve nearly every filing,
Driven by social movements and organizations beguiling.
Oft approved ex parte, temporarily, a future hearing scheduled,
This scorch the earth weapon, leaves most divorce issues settled.
Children are torn from their nuclear parent’s loving arms,
Under the malevolent guise they are protected from atomic harms.
Homes change hands before the ink dries on an order penned,
Leaving the respondent in the streets on their sore hind-end.
Given ten minutes under a Sherriff deputy’s mindful and glaring guard,
One can enter the house to take an armful never to return to the yard.
Future proceedings can take many months and in some cases years,
Simple items forgotten will not be given until the MTA clears.
Falsely accused, you’d think it would not ever get worse,
Until one discovers the plaintiff also firmly grasps strings on the purse.
Given days to mastermind and execute the unfolding of events,
The accuser never looks back considering recompense.
The use of OFP’s in divorce is not only legal,
Attorneys are even encouraged to inveigle.
No laws exist to punish use outside of the scope of legality,
Lawyers readily encourage the OFP’s use as a simple formality.
Even when the order is rescinded or released upon first hearing,
The status quo has been set in favor of the plaintiff endearing.
The state says they would like to minimize conflict in divorce,
Out of fear for real abuse victims they simply will not change course.
But, the moral of “The Boy Who Cries Wolf” ends in his grisly death.
Protect real victims, punish the abuse of the OFP use and breadth.
Categories:
change course, abuse, divorce, evil, family,
Form:
Rhyme
Such is your 'No' phobia, you repeatedly bite off more than you can chew
Stuck as a broken record on yes, you agree to things you don't want to do
sign up for things you hate
Such is your 'No' phobia, you vote no to the life you want
and vote yes to the life you dread
foregoing your power to others..... bearing their crosses
Uncustomised for surrogacey....feathering their nests while yours
lies in tatters
Such is your 'No' phobia, you think it's a swear word
left you lawless and no boundaries - gained you nothing
but users, takers and abusers
A yesaholic in need of a 12 step program
'yes', yourself made titanic
sinking rapidly, but for a 911 sea rescue to change course
Categories:
change course, metaphor,
Form:
Personification