Best Divisiveness Poems
Here appears diversity and divisiveness --
Similar words with different meanings,
I must not allow them to come between
Those folks who exhibit different leanings.
Diversity is a good thing, expanding my mind
Divisiveness frequently foments contention,
While it seeks to enforce its firm beliefs
Often giving no opposing views attention.
Diversity must be differences understood
And appreciated as a part of our culture,
Not thinking of differences as dividing
But enriching, becoming part of our nature.
I can never see everything as others do
For I am constantly formulating my ways
But I will try my best to understand you
And accept you, as you are … always!
Written October 4, 2022
#47 on the Best New Poems List
Poetry Soup
October 6, 2022
#42 on the Best New Poems List
Poetry Soup
October 26, 2022
I won't pick out one special Poetry Soup poet
None of us are worthy of being a poet Laureate
Choosing just one who has skills shouldn't be a goal
It's like separating a favorite sheep from the foal
Saying its wool has the most beautiful fleece
doesn't seem to be the right way to have peace
There are many poets who write with quality
and if I choose only one, I'd owe an apology
to those I didn't honor by using their name
I don't want to be guilty and won't take the blame
for entering any contest on Poetry Soup
that might hurt someone's feelings in the group
Picking a favorite could cause further division
I don't think alienating any poet is a good decision
Congrats to those who earn it with great writing
No one deserves to be overlooked by slighting
It's my opinion so I have the freedom to say
If peace is to exist in PS, it won't be found this way
Some great poems are written as lyrics to a song
but naming one above the others seems wrong
Tell those you admire by making kind comments
Prevent hurt feelings and ill will before it ferments
Such divisiveness might hurt another poet's heart
It's not pleasant to taste buds, too sour and too tart
My old friend Gettysburg came to visit me tonight.
He indicated that he has been troubled about many things.
He begins without hesitation to speak to me with passionate expressions. He said that he was feeling both patriotism and pride but also consternation. He thought about how different '4th of July' celebrations might be this year.
He is whispering to me about both freedom and sovereignty.
He is shouting to me in tears about divisiveness and unity.
He tells me of his being ripped apart in every section and direction.
His north is pulling; his south is pushing; his east and west are frozen.
His total being is being disconnected; his pain is unbearably excruciating.
He ponders the complexity of such beauty being on the brink of destruction.
He remembers the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, and the Boston Tea Party.
Presently, when thinking about Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, he weeps.
He locks his eyes to mine and questions, "Whatever happened to the love of life, love of family, love of neighbor, love of the church, love of country?"
Gettysburg believes in America and thinks we will find our way forward.
He reflects on the Declaration of Independence and the many sacrifices.
The Preamble to the Constitution is weighing heavily on his confused mind.
He prays that the dream doesn't die, and he rejects any nightmarish thoughts.
Gettysburg believes in God, and that He will turn the tides and calm the sea.
He utters his last words to me by quoting the Preamble to the Constitution of the USA. "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of ...
061520PS
Forgive me for feeling the need to say
I am neither a Communist nor a Nazi,
I’m a red-blooded American who served
My country in the U. S. Air Force, and,
I have always stood up for what’s right,
And, when bullied, I am up for the fight.
Divisiveness here is getting out of hand,
And probity is not at all being observed
Even hinting that I am a Nazi is crazy!
Forgive me for feeling the need to say.
written December 11, 2021
[written in my reverse rhyme format]
The sky is blue, so please do not lie.
If it is not, then we shall all die
Like Sampaguita when it is burned:
Its white petal is life; ash is death.
Stay thin, O cloud above the Earth,
So seeing the color is not hard.
Being low is not humility
When other lower eyes cannot see
The real colors of the ones that fly.
It is a wall of divisiveness.
Stay thin, O cloud below the sky,
So that the Earth can see real blueness.
But you are made of the way you are.
You could not hear the voice from afar.
The science of skepticism
Runs through your veins like the human blood,
Develops objectivism
Of how sky's hue may be understood.
As knowledge thickens, so does your doubt.
You hide the blue sky at day, O cloud.
You pretend to be stronger than wind.
But you fall down in the form of rain.
Many lower eyes you made blind
Now see that the sky is blue again.
Have you ever known a sorer loser than Donald J. Trump?
Still going around the country promoting his big lies,
Unable to deal with his most evident political demise
The GOP is still asking how high he wants them to jump!
Such a disgusting narcissist, he’s still promoting his scam
He cannot bear to be a common citizen like the rest of us
He’ll throw anyone who disagrees with him under the bus
As to the American people, he really doesn’t give a damn.
He has done so much to promote divisiveness in our land
Yes, on January 6th, he encouraged a political insurrection,
Attempted to overthrow a free and fair presidential election
Thank God, it did not go as he and his followers planned.
Will the American people foolishly allow his return to power?
I think not; in fact, I do not believe he’ll seek his former seat
He could not bear to go down in another humiliating defeat
Our country will be better off if he retreats to his ivory tower.
Written May 21, 2022
How can life be so beautiful
and so horribly ugly all at once?
This is the juxtaposition of all
juxtapositions.
The breathtaking beauty of
a sunrise or sunset,
the sounds of birds in a forest,
the sound of waves crashing
against rocks,
the soft velvet like skin
of a baby-
the look of love in your
loved one's eyes.
Things you never want compromised
but are often taken for granted.
It all comes down to the
good, the bad and the ugly.
I never want to see mass shootings again-
had enough of those to
last a life time.
But I do love seeing people
come together for a common good.
I never want to see children
taken from their parents and
locked up in cages.
But I do long to see walls torn down
and a welcoming to all
humankind.
However, in this life there will
always be a constant friction
of divisiveness
of hearts.
It's up to each of us to decide
which mirror we will
reflect.
I have wandered into a human stew of inopportunity, as my marriage/love/parental life have all come to an abrupt closure, noncompliance and final withdrawal from any real meaning. Am I dead yet? Not necessarily, but it seems that entity is not so remotely absent from my thoughts, as it once was given the supposed social tenure of our powers to control our nature, so now it seems "stupid" to even begin to engage a strategy, plan, answer to reclaim that "Lost Horizon" that will put me, us back into a Nirvanal state of eloquent bliss so aptly stated in the substantive, ****, vows we still take when we engage, marry, obligate, consumate, consecrate, and you know the rest. Grandchildren as quickly as possible. Forget the "Happy Couple" and all of their existance desires/wants/needs. Thank u socialization/domestication for ruining the fertile pastures of real love and affection. Feed the economy, we need workers/bosses, CEO's, sell, buy everything, produce, produce and produce. Keep us ever informed with all the trinkets which keep us isloated, unemotional and spur inhumanity to all that terse that tricky transient torment of T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z bytes, or in whatever compuscale u eat, that only serves to further the noncommunication life of our species. I only exist within myself in this space. Are my thoughts my own or just a reflection of what I receive? Do I exist? When I answer, am I being true or is it a stated recording of past sequences that are familiar in a patterened sense of my former being? My salience, remorse, continued presence upon this Earth is at best questionable? Meaningless? For me, the current standards of being have become to contentious; the stupidity, too overwhelming; the ignorance, too unbearable; the incompetence/divisiveness/poor judgement/antiquated/uneducated thinking/acting/feeling, our illustrious president, his supporters, henchmen, cronies, nepotism, DFA and their anything-but-a proactive approach to problem solving for the benefit of us all, leaves me in a lackluster quandry of whether, "To Be Or Not To Be? Believe me baby, that is MY question! My God, and I am not a religious person, but in the fin al analysis, you will reap what you sow!!!!!!!!! And I will laugh. I like "mushrooms" with my atomic grilled steak. No waiting.
It matters not whether I sit, walk, or stand,
I feel the cloud of witnesses from the grandstand.
I do my best to understand, and I realize that God
is always extending his hands, but still, I see something
ahead and it looks like there's 'a sinking' in quicksand.
As I gaze upon this painful sight, I weep inside with
a prayerful plea, hoping enough others will someday see
the very same 'sinking' of America that I am sensing.
There's a longing in my soul that greed, pride, and
selfishness would flee, that common sense and
the common good will have their say before the
unimaginable awaken to rule the day.
So often, we stare at 'the sinking' and then we rise up
again to play, never realizing that 'the sinking' is our
'Wake-up call' and must compel us to love again and pray.
I pray that we will be enlightened by our history whose
stories are void of mysteries and whose light reveals
the curses of divisiveness, hate, and ignorance.
060724PS
Our society may be crumbling before our eyes
As foundational structures change dramatically,
Families are not cohesive units as they used to be
Seldom we experience those extended family ties.
Sunday church attendance is at an all-time low;
Non-religious stats show fewer people in the pews
And the news media is often less news than views,
Amusement parks are the Sunday “in” places to go.
Educational systems are constantly under attack
By parents who want control over what is taught
As COVID rages, new teaching methods are sought
And our healthcare systems are sadly out of whack.
Our federal government is an ineffective nightmare
With partisan divisiveness the order of the day,
So, honorable leaders don’t want to enter the fray
And larger numbers of citizens polled no longer care.
Since the mid-nineties, we’ve been seeing gloom
Talk of zombies, disasters, killings, even Apocalypse
The economy always seeming to teeter on collapse
It’s hard not falling into the habit of predicting doom.
written January 15, 2022
IMAGINE IF YOU WANT TO
Was at a lovely concert last night,
love was the message of the night.
Love, peace of mind, of mankind are
what the world desperately needs so far.
Yes, what the world needs right now
can be done, if you want to, somehow.
If you want to, if we want to, if you want to.
Open your mind, your heart and look into
your soul and think or ponder, if you want to.
You can see or be blind, if you want to.
You can hear or be deaf, if you want to.
You can feel or be numbed, if you want to.
You can also smell and taste if you want to.
You can see all the bias going on around you.
Be it political, racial, social or religious at times
is hurting everybody, somehow, sometimes.
You can hear the results everywhere, any time.
You feel something when you see, hear at times.
Feel sadness, feel nothingness, hurt sometimes,
or you can be blind, deaf and numb sometimes.
How can we have peace, when everybody hurts?
You can if you want to; dream, imagine to convert
your mind to unity instead of hostility, divisiveness.
You can if you want to; dream, imagine wholeness.
You can have love and peace, if you want to.
Show your love to people around you, if you want to
Dream, imagine peace within yourself, if you want to.
Imagine love and peace if you want to. I do want to.
1/3/22 Submitted
A Strand (1045) Poetry
Brian Strand
10/4/21 Written
*My beloved Oval, I fear that my words fall short of what I am feeling in my heart. May you accept these few lines of love as my best effort of expressing my concern for you. I have heard much about you, but I have yet to visit and meet you in person. The pictures of you are rather striking and stunning.
It was during the 90's that I first became gravely concerned about what seemed to me, 'a tarnishing' of your office. Circumstances surrounding your occupants caused a great deal of weeping in my soul. It appeared as if the dark clouds of contamination were setting over you, and determined to drive out the awe and aromatic presence of your enduring reverence. Nevertheless, like the giant I always believed you to be, you came roaring back to a place of renown in the early 2000's. And Oval, it was so good to have you back. A new leader so deserving of your atmosphere took great lengths to restore the sacredness that was so rightfully due. I tell you Oval, the reality of your presence and power is so pervasive that it extends far beyond your palatial walls. For centuries you have adorned the shoulders of presidents in attire befitting their sacred trust.
Again, I stand aghast that I am observing a cloud of low regard for your office. Oval, this concern is not about presidents. More than 40 presidents have sat in your room, but you are still here. Presently, you are the one I am concerned about. It's my duty to speak up for you at this "high tide" of divisiveness.
Oval, in closing, there are many forces parading through our country; and it appears that these opposing forces are conspiring for a 'perfect storm'. Be advised and encouraged that much prayer is also invading the air waves. I see indications that not only shall we prevail and survive, but we shall also thrive because of God's Good Graces and His magnanimous mercies.
09292017 PS Contest, Early October Standard, Brain Strand Personification Form *Oval: The Oval Office in The White House
I am a christian who also loves baseball and apple pie. I have serious doubts about politicians who promise to never lie.
I am neither a male chauvinist pig, nor am I a card carrying antagonist. I can be pessimistic about some things, but basically, I am a true optimist.
I am certain that my complaints about men far exceed that of women. I am not weary but simply tired of all the divisiveness being thrown around.
It's not that we Americans only recently discovered our differences, or became fixated on our complexities; but it seems we are more willing to rant and
rave about anything or anyone whose persuasion is different from our own. America please! Breathe in, breathe out! Let's first find out what it's all about.
Let's pray; take a walk; smell a rose; and take a 7th inning stretch! The earth is still round; blessings yet abound; and the sun still shines on all of us.
So why can't we love one another? Out of love, God made us all from the dust. The life boats are few; The Titanic is leaking heavily and going down rapidly.
Some may consider it pessimistic to speak of the sinking of a ship. The wise think otherwise, and realize that only God can save our ship.
05152017PS;Contest, For Poets Identified As Men, John Lawless
In this open season of divisiveness and hate,
our President is being diminished like fish bait.
People forgetting his accomplishments and character traits.
They lack empathy for what's been on his plate,
show loyalty to the one facing a criminal fate,
that one who is afraid to debate: the liar,
the racist, the cheater, the snake.
The hot air balloon they elevate.
Lately I’m beginning to think we don’t have a prayer
What happened?
The only recourse besides rebellion is adequate representation
This country needs to be together and all I hear is divisive
Liberals and conservatives together pointing fingers
The bureaucracy is staggeringly over balanced
Pork Barrels carry Care Package Labels
(For the children)
Even I can see smoky mirrors spin too slowly
Intelligentsia seems to have stolen the supreme court
Who else would usurp home rights
Or separate God and Country
What manner of man would run for office
To try and bring order out of collegiate chaos?
Has no-one seen the disruptive power of French Canada?
Protestant Belfast?
Catholic Terrorism?
Dare I mention Twin Towers
And the divisiveness of how to build a memorial there
A normal Yank would have rebuilt bigger already
Lest I forget
We don’t have a prayer
United States? In a Pig’s Eye Porky