Best Confronting Poems
I see you coming, old age
Approaching, at an ever-accelerating pace,
Your face is so grim
Your expression is so austere
Your look so menacing,
A frightening sight you are
Many battles I have fought in life
With vigor and youth at my side
Thus victorious I emerged
But
Now that my allies slowly abandon me
One after the other,
I am left alone in the last battle to fight
A battle, I know beforehand I am bound
To lose
However
At this moment as trials begin
When all seem to get tougher by the day
A new ally I have found, willing to help me,
All my courage to amass to confront you,
Oh, merciless old age:
The wisdom I have acquired all these years
Roaming the planes of experience and
Learning!*
© Demetrios Trifiatis
18 June 2017
* This poem was honored as POTW on the 25th of June 2017. I thank everyone who has appreciated it as everyone who visit me and commented for without their love nothing would have been possible. THANK YOU, PS!
Facing a street kid pleading for bread, I was gripped with mixed feelings, especially that I had in my possession purchased goods for our orphanage from a grocery with this label: “the good life you can afford.” Oh, the social worker in me could not escape being confronted with this question: “Why does a child have to beg for a basic necessity... when it can be afforded?” By God’s grace, I have settled myself with the answer while fulfilling my commitment.
emotions clashing
grieved midst reality angst~~~
still love* and care reign
* 1John 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
April 17, 2021
2nd place, "Moments Of Reflections - Haibun" Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Malabika Ray Choudhury; judged on 5/11/2021.
Most shadows are good. When light hits a tree,
shade will encircle it. You can find
relief from the summer heat by
sprawling yourself on cool grass.
Embrace shade as your friend.
When shadows creep at
night, let them, with
stillness, lull
you to
sleep.
At
other
times, shadows
are metaphors
for sinister things
which envelop you like
black fog. If they ensnare you,
summon your faith; call upon God
with all your might. Confronting shadows
means stepping into the light of the Lord.
On a dusky evening long time ago,
When shadows huddled at every corner,
When rain had gone and birds had roosted,
You held me close and whispered in my ear;
“In your eyes I see, the blue of the sky,
In your soul, you hold the depth of the seas,
Love swells, like tides on rise,
My life, I vow, by Jove, never to part”
Your voice, like a tremulous rivulet gurgled,
We stood staring at each other in a warm embrace.
With passion sweet, your eyes glowed.
Like a blue lagoon, they were deep and peaceful.
On your dimpled cheek, a kiss I planted,
A gesture warm with abiding love.
Crisscross lain as warp and weft,
We hoped to weave the garb of life.
Words and deeds that served as balm to the soul!
Still, they repeat, gushing a flurry of thoughts,
But alas! To a far unknown land you fled,
‘From whose bourn, no traveler returns’,
My life has moldered and mildew grown,
Where my Love! Whither have you gone?
Who bid you slink into death’s secret hide?
Why left me to languish in a world of shadows?
Seasons roll and years glide,
Youth has withered and memory fails,
Now I wander through a dim shadowy world.
I feel so trapped and lonely, as twilight grips.
Like embers flickering low, yet stocked by the breath of fire,
I hope, we shall meet one day at the Golden gate,
Where no shadows shall lurk and time shall stay eternal
And silence sparks the language, the ears want to hear.
_______ _____________ _______
When rain is gone and sky gets clear,
When night turns deeper and silence creeps,
I transverse back to that dusky eve,
To retrieve those moments, I sadly cherish!
Written: September 2nd, 2023
______________________________________________________________
In the depths of one's mind, foes reside.
Within oneself—a war cannot be denied.
Refers to individuals—their internal strife,
Struggles and spurs that shape their life.
In the realm of views and desires so deep,
Fear and doubt bestir—akin to demon creep.
Inner blows waged in the darkest nights.
People tilt with doubts—their inner fights.
Self-fuss, the first foe fated and faced,
Wariness whispers, leaving hearts displaced.
People may be snared by doubts so real,
But in besting them—true strength they reveal.
Inner demons lurk, negative impulses arise,
Anger, jealousy, and addiction—their disguise
Moral dilemma salient constant scrutiny of will,
Still, culling what's right or what's usable, still.
Emotional turmoil, a storm within the soul,
Grief, guilt, and gloom are taking their toll.
Complex emotions that can't be ignored,
A salient casus belli that we can't afford.
Dealing with this zeal is a joust to be fought.
But it's in facing the slam—that swell is sought.
Solitary sabotage that is self-saboteur.
Bewitching in behaviors that baffle our allure.
Success and well-being, they strain to impede,
But by owning the patterns, we can succeed.
The battle within, a constant struggle each day,
Enduring our inner demons, we find our way.
Through the depths of our minds, we forgo,
Facing gloom and letting pure selves show
In this inner enmity, we find sheer strength,
Conquering our fears, extant to any length.
No matter the challenges we may face,
We have the power to rout and embrace.
So let us defy our inner rogues with might.
And loom victorious, shining with core light.
So let us face our fear, doubt, and desire.
And ignite the fire inward that will never tire.
In the abyss of our souls, we hold the scope.
To rise beyond moils and let bloom hope.
My biggest challenge of my life
occurred in 1998 a year of strife,
routine mammography displayed a buckshot
spray of calcification which displayed a lot
of cancer within its maudlin picture show,
removal of my right breast proved to be a torturous blow.
It turned out to be a Trans-flap operation in which
a surgeon did a miraclous and incredible switch,
I ended up wearing part of my stomach as a new chest.
February 28, 2017. 73 words.
How I longed for and every morn,
For a decadent slice of cake,
At beginning of every dawn,
Was hooked, my heart did often ache.
Not fussy, fairy cake or bun,
To be sweet, I was for sure born,
Rain, snow, mist, hail or scorching sun,
How I longed for and every morn.
Traveled cities so far and wide,
At seven sharp did often wake,
To reach the famous pastry side,
For a decadent slice of cake.
Dentist warned, teeth are looking bad,
Are slightly yellow brown and fawn,
Stop or you will be very sad, ,
At beginning of every dawn.
You like to dress to always stun,
In your shoes you will one day quake
Say no, I have finally won,
Was hooked, my heart did often ache.
So, I became sober once more.
Did not touch cake since yesterday,
Yearning not as bad as before,
My decision made from today,
And every morn.
Poetry Contest Entry: Double The Fun Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Joseph May
Date; Thursday 6th April 2023
Confronting betrayal midst guilt admission
my soul accepts God’s instruction*
never redefining it based on my notion...
I'm warned of such wrong commotion
that can lead to my destruction---
Such gives my spirit peaceful jubilation!
Battling against conscience when holiness does shine
my soul succumbs to God’s design
stopping to pursue after my selfish dream sign...
I should consider that I can't resign
from the tasks to me He did assign---
Such propels my faith toward victory-ensign!
Facing consequence of disobedience when I'm incorrect
my soul is resolved not to neglect God’s project
and not to insist on my own prospect...
I take heed that I don't reject
His best for me in every aspect---
Such enables my servanthood of grand respect!
Overcoming carnal nature of slothfulness as His steward
my soul complies to God’s standard
while yielded to His strength for trust to soar upward...
I acknowledge pride’s pull downward
so I pray for His powerful safeguard---
Such shields my heart from arrogance-hazard!
Confessing total need for the Saviour for revival vigor
my soul worships God along His splendid honor
offering reaching-out deeds out from His loving savor...
I turn against worldly, fleshly ardor
to pursue after heavenly, eternal fervor---
Such frees my will against meaningless endeavor!
*Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
April 11, 2018
Edited on April 19, 2022
Rhyme in Didactic form
Featured as one among PS Poems of the week from February 20-26, 2022.
10th place, "Soul Betrayal" Poetry Writing Premiere Contest
Sponsored by Unseeking Seeker; judged on 4/24/2022.
Comes a time when I must face life's larger picture
On canvas of my mind, earth is kept garden
No one promotes killer weeds, God forbid!
Facing my Goliath; those stones were formed by One
Reverence for mother earth is linked to the Almighty
Only eyes seeing from a contrite heart, heal nations
No one should die of hunger or thirst of spirit
Today chimes a bell of new beginning, won't you join in?
In the deepest recesses of my mind, I see flames of love
Night became electric with clarity and transparency
God's flashlight reaches beyond time and space.
Seasons in all their glorious colors, captures the world
Yes, Captains will meet to delete drab colors of
Soldiers, of Systemic racism, praying to lesser gods
The rainbow goddess arched the heavens for all to see
Earth's unstoppable bloom of flowers favored the rainbow
Morning draped in silk, frozen hearts of hatred will melt
I'll stand with you on shores, where blessings flow
Can I get an Amen?
Right from the start, we were one, bred by the Almighty
Adam and Eve would traverse the land
Change remains the only thing that never changes
Islands washes away, but not The Word, life-sustaining
Some folks stray from glory. Humility is pathway home
My people, my people, vast as salts and sea, look up!
*
There was no day when he was asked
That he felt pride,
away, outside
A tree stood, a bird chirped, the wind howled
He meekly stood, anxiety masked
Outside a dog growled
His eyes were turned inside, but captured
That bird so bright
Its frame so slight
Sunlight danced sadly round his bouncing hair
He bowed slightly for his captor
And met his icy stare
***
Here is today, he speaks again in words
There is a fight
To gain his right
His fingers speak truth, his mouth supports
Eyes overflow, vision blurred
Confronting them in court
No child ever should have to be there
Should play outside
Never be tied
No child should be forced to face this
But no one asks, life is never fair
More a threatening abyss
***
March 22, 2017
Copyright © Darren White
When you said those things you said to me,
You had never given it a single thought……
About what might be going on in my life.
You assumed that I had done something on purpose
to upset you or let you down, to break your rules.
You never once emailed me to find out why I was absent……
All the while for days I struggled with the news,
not wanting to tell people that I care about this new “sob story” .
Like I haven’t had enough sob stories in my life lately to tell.
I feel contagious with negativity. Like I have leprosy…..
Poetically speaking.
Who wants to hang with somebody with troubles all the time?
But……I sat all alone in the doctors office shaking at the news given to me.
The C-Word…that dreaded word…..that word that my Daddy heard.
The ****ing C Word that killed him and now my turn.
Maybe.. Maybe
We shall see, It is in my Father’s hands and His will ... I serve Him.
And you, my “friend”, were IN MY FACE with some stupid accusation:
“Why did you not post a poem here or comment in so long?
Are you just too busy for us?
Don’t you know we need to have those comments?
Well, you can answer me within 24 hours or I will delete your page from my poetry site.”
I could not believe my eyes when I read that!
Are we going to learn to not judge others before opening our mouth to accuse?
Are we going to throw burning coals upon the maimed
that are already laid out as food for demons
and assume that they aren’t living up to our expectations?
ASSUME: making an ASS out of U and Me.
Where is the love that you said you have for me?
'Friend/sister?'
One thing I won’t tolerate: That is MY not forgiving you for the hurt you have caused.
I FORGIVE YOU and release you from this careless mistake.
But I also ASK you to learn something from it and not repeat it with another person who
maybe hurting.
NO! I don't want to get IN YOUR FACE in return.
And please, Forgive me when I don’t live up to your expectations.
When you crucify me or somebody else, you did it to Him all over again.
Are those tears falling from the heavens today?
Brazen you are,
how far is your
awareness. In
truth you couldn't
care less.
Things
were said things
were done, things
were even flung in
rage. Leaving a bitter
taste in your mouth
drawn from such haste.
A plea was made yet on
deaf ears it falls, it's never
your fault. As usual you rush
away, never confronting
your flaws.
Form:
They both have the same color of eyes,
one is funny, the other is not;
an error in judgment means a lot...
happiness or sadness I realize!
They both seem so honest and nice,
the younger one dreams in colors;
the older one whispers nuptial words...
will I be cheated or smile in surprise?
They both seem to care by being so tender,
not seeing the uncertainty in my glances;
I hate when the envious one just stares,
and the quite one brushes her frizzy hair.
And so alone confronting the dilemma of doubt,
I must diligently choose one to keep for a lifetime,
but things get worse and I act in pantomime;
with lights out, fears grows quicker than a sprout.
My destiny, fiercely,
I confronted the other day,
Complaining about the many obstacles
She has placed on my path,
Plus
For all the calamities and pains
That she has so, mercilessly, inflicted
Upon me.
She heard my protests with disdain,
But with them, she didn't agree, then
Angrily she retorted,
That the blame should not be put on her, but
Rather upon me,
Since ONCE she had heard me to
Exclaim:
"How beautiful life, in reality,
CAN BE!"
© Demetrios Trifiatis
15 October 2022
My soul in me to anger stirs, and I
Like a panther that cannot prowl my home
Pushed back from the forest invaded, to die
Edged by concrete; attacked if dare I roam
My own God-given habitat, shall then
I become another victim vile when
My claws unsheathed, spring unflawed the air
And revenge reeks its angry havoc here?
You do not know the primal power tamed
Within the forest of my frame, your greed
Has used me, habitat and fear, now gamed
The hunted the hunter may yet exceed
And not from concrete my cold claws may bleed
But from you trembling before me weak kneed.