Best Equal Footing Poems
on equal footing we face our horizon. . . be it high tide or low
Written march 14, 2016 for PD's (monoku #9) write what you SEE or FEEL - Poetry Contest
A man's lot is not for a woman to bear,
A man's lot is not for a woman to replace,
A man's lot is not for a woman to excuse,
A man's lot is not for a woman to direct,
A man's lot is not for a woman to belittle,
A man's lot is not for a woman to cling to,
A man's lot is not for a woman to pigeonhole.
A woman's lot is not for a man to own,
A woman's lot is not for a man to decide,
A woman's lot is not for a man to discourage,
A woman's lot is not for a man to define,
A woman's lot is not for a man to pity,
A woman's lot is not for a man to despise,
A woman's lot is not for a man to fear.
Nor is it a man or a woman's job to to dictate,
What these lots mean to any one man or woman.
The only thing that should define either role,
Is respect for a choice made freely and willingly,
Without coercion or lack of opportunity,
With passion and love the driving force.
Will making fifty/fifty calls,
For women and Men without passion,
Or love of the choice made in their name,
That makes men ashamed to be men,
And women ashamed to be women,
Really be the path to a just society.
Can we not look to the great women of the past,
Who let passion and love,
Be their guide when mountains had to be climbed,
Men had to be convinced,
And social norms ignored.
These trail blazers who were not ashamed of their sex,
Who fought not to take over but to stand alongside on equal footing.
Will we ever understand that equality equals opportunity?
Opportunity equals progress,
Progress equals commitment,
Commitment equals Love, respect, passion, understanding,
Understanding equals lack of shame or guilt about a choice,
We should all be free to make by and for ourselves.
Only when we have learned the meaning of these words can we
Hope to one day reach the top of the mountain,
And see what grows where Love and Passion alone,
Are the driving force.
In opposition they criticize all that is wrong
and all that is good, according to their agenda.
They put clogs in wheels, aided by defiant unions
and often bringing the country to a standstill
with senseless strikes and organized protests.
Mud is thrown at government and individuals;
much of it sticks; the end justifies the means.
During the run-up to elections they use the media
to their advantage; the message drummed over
and over during house visits and heated mass rallies
rousing the rabble with heartfelt oratory.
They promise transparency and accountability;
fair sharing of wealth, help to the homeless and
to the needy; curbing favours to friends of friends
by resorting to the ideal concept of meritocracy;
lowering taxes and bills and introducing new social
benefits that would put all on an equal footing.
Most of all they harp on the eradication of corruption.
They hold roadmaps to solve all the country’s woes.
They promise heaven on earth; they promise Utopia.
Glittering manifesto is presented with much fanfare.
The gullible, switchers and uneducated are brainwashed.
As expected, election produces the desired results and
the party in opposition gets in power...on promises!
Promises that cannot be kept. The devil wants his due.
He grins, pointing to the small writing on the manifesto...
The majority had failed to notice it. It reads...SUCKERS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Contest: I Can’t Breathe
Sponsor: Cyndi MacMillan
Placing: 1st
Man,
The self proclaimed genius,
Figuring out the best way to build a campfire,
And then announcing to the stars
That he is on equal footing with the gods.
Red Wall
Give they money and ask me to bring
Some tools, tables, chairs or ladders
Near to the red wall with fine pieces of art
To lift up those who are short
To make them strong they are required food
And to make them healthy who are weak we required medicine
And a request is sent to the trainers to train people who are unskilled
A teacher is also brought to them to enhance their learning
Pneumonic science is also applied
So that they can hone their capacity of memory
The money supplied I do not spend on anything
Neither is the money for my consummation
I am provided to give them coaching and means cum merit scholarship
Rest of the money is spent as dole just to make them financially sound
As some competitors happen to be super rich
As there could not be any contest
Between poor and rich
Between strong and weak
Neither could be any race between taller and who is short
This is very unfair rather it’s a complete lie
To ask all to compete among the unequal
As alone freedom and equity or equality won’t work
So I place my bricks below the feet of them who are not having well height
To give them equal footing, a platform of equal length and width
Rays of the same brightness with same angel
Rain of the same quantity and quality
Same barometer of the wind pressure
If I do not forget to mention the same humidity and temperature
To do justice to all with unbiased mind and attitude
As mere freedom or mere equality I believe is a trick played
By the of people who have upper hand in the society
Next I give them some of my inspirational poems
To have them all same level of psychological boost
All are now on the same height
On the same line with same length, width and breadth
The area or angel of them is no different
I believe to think all out and all round justice is done
Secretly I blow the whistle
Everyone is free to see their goal prancing like a colt
From now on and without any obstruction
Let them all view their finishing lines which lie over the red wall
“Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world:
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in God’s sight…
Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
Our kids’ Sunday School chorus
reverberates with this simple message:
love of God for and to all He created
anchoring equality’s verity
defying racial discrimination-attitude
springing from vain arrogance
over “my color is better than yours.”
Having exactly the same Source of breath
designed to bear the Sovereign’s image
we are encouraged to optimize
granted grace and blessings
since we are on equal footing, enjoying free oxygen
wafting freedom toward functional progress
bestowed by the Creator of heaven and the earth.
Being vessels of love
endowed with hope’s gladness
we children can fulfill varied roles with utmost best
midst faith that propels assigned tasks and chores
never affected, not even afflicted by races’ distinctive traits
since we complement every one
for great global blending.
We are the next generation
taught to respect one another
starting from our family’s legacy
of good partnership sealed by kindness
treating brothers and sisters with care
marked by sharing and helping
since all of us belong to one human race.
“Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world:
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in God’s sight…
Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
*Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
June 24, 2021
7th place, "Critical Race Theory" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Anthony Biaanco; judged on 7/21/2021.
The Candlemaker’s Office
was sparsely filled.
The worn brass door knob —
a patina
countless hands
slipping over its surface,
polished and discolored
by each touch.
That oak door —
turning my wrist
lean into it
fighting the rub
door against frame
hearing single pane glass
rattle —
I’d pushed through.
His wall —
dirty darkened oak
framed a wall of glass
allowing The Candlemaker
to gaze
upon
people
machine
if he chose —
yet his view
on equal footing
not elevated
a humble oversight.
Flooring —
off-white asbestos
set in squares
dark from factory dirt
moved by the feet of workers.
A lone green metal desk —
flanked by a single gray file cabinet:
adding machine,
rotary phone,
worn desk blotter,
barometer,
a nameplate
should you not know who he was.
Similar version previously published by Ink, Sweat and Tears 2019
“All minds and hearts connected with love and light of universal consciousness, in a flicker free continuum ~ what does life on such a planet look like?”
- Unseeking Seeker
Together as One,
One voice and one song,
One goal they pursue,
This heartedly they do,
A mission to accomplish.
None indulge in recrimination,
Turbulent waters abated,
War is not an option,
None is at loggerheads,
Crime does not lurk around.
Equitable distribution of resources,
All stand on equal footing,
Benevolence is at the helm of affairs,
The strong aid the weak,
The mighty prop the weary.
Fabrics interweaved into one colourful piece,
Cultures integrated and tolerated,
Hands in hands they push against the tide,
The table is set for all,
There’s room for everyone besides.
A world we dream of,
Speculative future we envisage,
Tomorrow’s cities beyond our view,
Their internal architecture, classic and ethereal,
Rays of hope permeate the space.
May 29, 2022,
Unity Consciousness Poetry Contest,
Unseeking Seeker.
I wish to wake up and see a new world,
I wish to wake up and see a new system,
A world free from ills and pills,
A world free from corruption and misappropriation,
A world free from war and air strikes,
A world free from genocide and servitude,
A world free from oppression and depression,
No hungry mouths to feed,
No one is in dire need,
No mass shootings in the day,
No raiding at night,
No one stands to obstruct his brother,
His rights are not trampled upon,
Money is not on a futile chase,
It is not owned by a selected few,
Everyone stands on equal footing,
The table is set for all,
If only my wish would come true.
June 19, 2022,
If Only My Wish Would Come True Poetry Contest.
with no room for regret
this power yet to be met on
equal footing?
these divine vibes hurled-
from dormant dream...
no time to be cautious...
surrender softly with relentless desire...
stellar driven - passion influence...
this spark discovered ignited!
resolute disarm your inner doubt...
explore intense heat chasms
ember filled...
A new world,
A new home for all,
Everyone on equal footing,
Even distribution of resources,
None needs necessities,
I’m not held by the pangs of hunger,
My brother doesn’t dwell in shanties,
The world is not ravaged
by sicknesses and diseases,
Crime and hostility
do not lurk around the corner,
We don’t indulge in recriminations,
No one takes a pound of flesh,
Guns, bombs and missiles
are not wielded by us,
We don’t hurl them at each other,
We raise no walls,
The air is clean and conducive,
Nature is in its pristine state,
Unharmed and not endangered,
I’m not at my brother’s mercy,
I’m not his puppet,
A world for the weak and strong,
A world for the low and mighty,
A world for the gifted and paranormal,
Brotherliness entrenched,
United with one voice.
She moved my pen and made it dance the tango
She spoke to my restrictions and whispered let go
Unknowingly she gracefully inspired me
Igniting a passion gently yet forcefully
No wall could withstand her might
No corner could escape her sight
She motivated me
Reflections of history shimmer through her glance
Our drive intertwined until it was declared to be a romance
This is our world
We speak through words unknown
We have dialogues with sentences unspoken
We leave common sense twisted and normal broken
My dark wants her in, my light wants her to win
My ego wants to overcome, my compassion whispers my time is done
She motivated me
Her words painted a picture on a canvas stolen from angels
Her style made books close themselves
And she … has the audacity to tell me that I am on equal footing
But mere numbers clarify for me that she is lying
But who cares … SHE motivated me
An occurrence, a miracle, a wonder an event only reserved for a few
But this is what geniuses do
They inspire to create, they leave you in a state of awe
And while certain lines will punch your jaw
A real genius leaves you seated in a chair of dumbfounded
And this is what she does to me …
She motivated me
So when my work exceeds the boundaries of reality
When my words bring gods to their knees to plea
When my pieces make the sky crumble
When my sentences dim the stars
When my titles are written with clouds
Tell the next generation it was not my fault
It was her
Women have begun to flourish in the past forty years.
They are taking honors in directing, publishing, and writing.
They are fearless in showing their voices.
Women are not content to sit back and allow others to live.
They are grabbing a little gusto for themselves
Feeling they have earned it, and they are correct.
Women are on almost equal footing with men now.
My granddaughter played football this year on an almost all boys’ team
I was not crazy about that, but I admired that the team welcomed her.
Women are vice presidents and presidents of corporations.
Women are on the front lines during battles.
Women are free for maybe the first time ever
Free to be the best person they can be,
And free to build up their men and their children
Free to live
What is this strange place we find ourselves in,
Trapped in the open, we are free within,
Free from the troubles around,
Free from the troubles that beset,
We stand here unfettered and unchained,
A pristine world where the
future holds no fear for us,
We are not saddled with a monstrous task,
Our desires do not trample on others’ rights,
No ill is closing in on us,
Our shadows do not run ahead,
Avarice does not override altruism,
We stand on equal footing,
Gloom dispersed by light.
April 8, 2022.
when we are without our clothes
no one knows our rags nor riches
no one knows our highs nor lows
when we are without our stitches
when we are all naked stark
no one knows just who we are
nor do they know the part
that we play in life's shopping cart
you may ask what am i suggesting
perhaps we should all go naked
we'd then be on equal footing
and wouldn't that there be a blessing