Best Exceeded Poems
clouds like sheep
grazing in the blue
scatter on the breeze
How marvelous was the first week of March in my state. The temperatures exceeded my hopeful expectations. If the old proverb is true, perhaps this month will go out with a lion’s roar, for I’m pretty sure it came in with the bleat of a lamb! Daylight Saving time also has arrived along with St. Patrick’s Day and the wearing of the green, and Easter and our Mother’s Day will follow. The day I most look forward to, however, is that day which turns my front yard into a bright fiesta. Right around the end of week one or two of April, my ornamental pear and plum trees always undergo their annual transformation.
pear tree’s white petals
pearlescent in the sun . . .
plum tree’s blush
Yes, each April it never fails to amaze me: nature’s orderly sequence of events which so beautifully welcome spring’s warmth. Birds whose nests are so well-hidden in each tree’s branches will decorate my yard with their flashes of color as they soar to the sky and then flit among the leaves of their new-found home. I enjoy catching glimpses of the swallows’ shiny dark wings and the red of the robin and of the occasional cardinal. Even more special are sudden glimpses of bluebirds and hummingbirds that I rarely get to see! These sightings so excite me!
lion or lamb -
spring turns me into
an April fool
March 21, 2021
for the Springtime Haibun Contest Poetry Contest of M. L. Kiser
Now for Brian Strand's 'ALL YOURS (Apr 12)' Poetry Contest
Categories:
exceeded, spring,
Form:
Haibun
Gary's Yard Sale, the story
Authored by Chuck Keys
Among the rustbelt cities of yesterday,
Along the edges of the Detroit River,
A short distance to the side,
Resides a slice of Victorian times,
Excesses exceeded needed,
Where age confronts time,
The day before meets the day of,
And greets tomorrow.
Those in the hood
And outside,
Meet and greet among
The scraps of forgotten memories.
Lawns filled with bygones of size,
Tables filled with important somethings,
Maybe everythings,
For important that evolved into history.
Where memories become linked,
Each to a stored thought,
Treasured, pleasured or disdained,
To a person,
Of late or present,
To a future of who knows what.
During the day,
The history-of and the future-of talk,
To each,
Of where they were,
And where they hope to be,
The dust is blown off with the wind,
From the east, west, north and south.
The yard sale, the graveyard of the past,
The arena of the present,
Life and death of the sale,
Dance together, coupled,
Where Mine, becomes Yours' while
Gary the Conductor, orchestrates to perfection,
The operatic enjoyment of history,
Buyer meets seller, exchanges
Are made. As is today.
Bravo! Bravo!
*This poem is dedicated to Gary and Ann Harris of Northville MI USA – May they and
their Yard Sales age forever!
© Charles H Keys, 2010. All Rights Reserved. V1.4.09252010
Categories:
exceeded, nostalgia, people, timeage, age,
Form:
Free verse
Being sensual isn’t necessarily about sex.
I recall a night of such immense innocent delight
that all my senses -heightened- far exceeded
my teenage expectations of romance.
My sense of sight had already been triggered
from the moment I first met the young man
whose eyes so flirtatiously met mine.
As sweet as chocolate, his eyes melted me.
His smile was honey and his voice too,
which dripped with an accent which was French -
instantly attracted my sense of hearing.
In the front seat of his Buick Riviera,
this boy from Quebec taught me the allure
of taking time . . .
taking time to gaze into each other eyes,
taking time to feel . . . to really feel
each little nibble on my ear lobe
and the sweetness of his breath
at the nape of my neck; to feel his fingers
as they softly traced the features of my face -
worshippingly -
as if I were a goddess he was touching.
Even my sense of smell was aroused by his colgne.
Taking his time . . .
such lingering precious time,
he arrived to that first anticipated kiss,
and my sense of taste was then aroused,
for his kiss was ambrosia of the gods.
To touch his silken skin and hair,
and then to feel his lips moving smoothly over mine!
In synche with him -
romance was nothing but sublime.
All the while his hands – so magical -
caressed my hands, my arms, my shoulders,
and my back down to my waist.
Feelings I’d never experienced before
overwhelmed me with bliss.
I was still a virgin, and he knew exactly how far
not to go.
Keeping me at the brink
of something I was not to know till I was married,
I was more than satisifed and never before in my life
had I felt more cherished.
Every sense of mine was totally engaged
by his dulcet whispers
and the beauty of his eyes, his nose, his mouth,
and his entire tall slender body.
The touch of him, the feel of him,
and the feel of MY burgeoning emotions -
for me this was a virgin’s dream
of sensuality.
Feb. 3, 2021
for the Sensual Poetry Contest of Charlotte Puddifoot
Categories:
exceeded, sexy,
Form:
Free verse
A Prayer for my Wife
Now I’ll tell you all the details if I can keep from sheddin’ a tear
Last night when it got late and really quiet around here
I got down on my knees, crossed my heart and began to pray
And in the darkness between me and God, here’s what I had to say
I love her so much Lord and I just don’t know what I’d do
I’m afraid that she won’t make it, that’s why I’m coming to you
Here with my heart open, at your mercy down on my knees
I’m begging’ you with every heartbeat, Oh Lord hear my pleas
I don’t know what your plans are or what you have in store
And I know I don’t deserve her and that she deserves much more
And don’t misunderstand Lord, I don’t assume any obligation
For your bounty in our life has exceeded all our expectations
But please allow her to live and me to be a part of that life
And I swear I’ll make this beautiful woman proud to be my wife
And if it’s not in your plans Lord then I pray that you take me instead
Cause’ I can’t live without my love, I’d be better off dead
And no excuses for my past Lord, but I’ll do better than I’ve done
I ask you only this, my lord, in the name of your Son.
I wiped my tears as I said my amen’s and prepared myself to stand
Stepped up next to your bed and began to caress your pretty hand
I stared off into space as all the memories came flooding in
Reliving each and every moment, over and over again
And as the first rays of sunshine, streamed in past the curtain
I felt an overwhelming peace calm my mind and ease the hurtin’
I felt compelled to kiss you so I pressed my lips to your face
And it seemed the room was filled in the beauty of God’s living grace
And you slowly opened your eyes and smiled for me to see
And I knew the Lord my God had given my sweet wife back to me
Categories:
exceeded, angst, caregiving, death, dedication,
Form:
Couplet
Tax Time
File by April 15th,
avoid penalty and interest.
Declare all income from:
gainful employment
investments
state refunds
poker winnings
bingo winnings
jury duty
or even if you sell your old jalopy
to your cousin.
But your losses are not fully deductible,
must be reduced or prorated,
spanning future years.
There are limits, you know -
and those limits - well,
tax credits apply to others,
in every case . . .
you've exceeded the limit.
So dig deep . . . and pay up.
Categories:
exceeded, april,
Form:
Free verse
Upon a drunken path I seemed to be confronting doom
Upon my shoulders I seemed to be carrying a cloud of doom
There I fell crumpled and spiritually shattered
Coddling a heart beaten and battered
Lonely pleas of mercy escaping me
Trembling inside
Begging to be free
Warm winds of wisdom sweeping me away as New York Swagga approached with a smile
Whisperin', "Let's talk for awhile"
I reached out in cautious distress
Circumstance being our first test
His open ears and honest eyes being my beacon of light
His warrior mentality kept me safe that night
Warm winds of wisdom loved me until I could love myself
Warm winds of wisdom dusting off my heart and removing it from its lonely shelf
Nurturing loyalty shaping me
Chivalrous compassion guiding me to the girl I can be
Within warm winds of wisdom I have grown
Within warm winds of wisdom I have found a place I am proud to call home
From the streets to the sky
There be not one reason to cry
Upon a drunken path all seemed lost
My soul had been sacrificed at the highest cost
A feeble prayer was all i could say
Whirling warm winds of wisdom forever blessed me that day
From stumbling to sobriety
From cynical to serenity
From fear to everlasting sanction
My life today has exceeded every expectation
Categories:
exceeded, hope, me, heart, prayer,
Form:
Free verse
In the small verdant village of Kora-Kay
Live peaceful folk who fish, eat and play
At sunset they dance around drum circles and sing
Of yesteryears’ joys and what tomorrow may bring
The words fame and fortune are never needed
As their bounty—food and friends—cannot be exceeded
At death, forever with loved ones they’ll dwell
Knowing of heaven but nothing of hell
One night a group of strange men wander in
Their translator tells them all about sin
There will be no family to greet them up in the sky
Only hell if they believe their own heathen lie
In hell they will burn in eternal flame
For their unrepentant, filthy, naked shame!
They will scream in torment, their pleas unheard
If they do not immediately accept the word
Each child cries and runs to their wailing mother
As elders give despairing looks to each other
Kora-Kay’s chief strolls in to solemnly say
We are a welcoming people, but you must go away
In the small verdant village of Kora-Kay
Dwells a peaceful folk who fish, eat and play
Written 5/29/22
Your Favourite Poem From The First Half Of 2022 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Julia Ward
Categories:
exceeded, community, conflict, culture,
Form:
Couplet
I stand naked wrapped only in the truth
you vile, loathsome reptile.
My contempt of you is limitless
as I have been force-fed your hypocrisy.
Your postulations are lost on me
as my insight into your repulsive nature
is exceeded only by the palpable stench of your aura.
Eyes opened to their widest apex,
ridiculously lends support to your “jokerish”
smile overly exaggerated in a…
Carol Channing kind of muse.
It seems your purse a revolving door
to his wants, has an ideally broken clasp…
Your shoulder, a never ending
tissue to his every sorrow should be waterlogged.
Which stands to reason why your legs
stretched open as wide as the earth’s axis,
“she-doggedly-in-heat” sniffs attention from him
and remains open like an all night 7-11 just to
provide “respite” in the name of “friendship”.
You find joy in slinking and scurrying through
the misfortunes and/or gains in our life,
all the while professing your love to him
and masticating on a stolen covenant
you have orchestrated in destroying.
There is no sector of my day
allowing me peace and escape from your
treachery and continued debauchery.
Your hair once a mousy shade of brown
now waxes blond in your further attempt
to assure he remains suckled at your breast
knowing his lust for blond haired, blue eyed
women that are six shades lighter than my ebony hues.
There is though, an appellative to my anguish,
which recoils from my tongue at
any attempt to voice this rage.
Escalating anger marinates and broils within
my breast as your ubiquitous presence
in my life has finally left me little strength
and no shelter from the uncloaked
vicious pain searing me to the core
in this deep abyss I have found myself in…
Unleashed fury beckons me, reaching back beyond now
when day was night and night was only imagined
barely controlling this hate and
the exigency to extract myself
from this nefarious, cheap, vaudevillian
show, which no longer can be ratiocinated
through your insipid lies before I...
Can’t imagine your expending this much
energy with your own household or husband because
you’re always living and breathing in mine!
Contempt has a name…and its malodor is…Linda.
Categories:
exceeded, black african american, lost
Form:
Didactic
The sun is alive and all creatures are awake
Even the green leaves seem to be breathing
And the air is crisp and cool and pure
Little black and gray birds sit on the bushes chirping
The squirrels are on the fence demanding nuts
The earth here and now is alive and trembles
And out of respect for this day
I will not turn on the tv or listen
To the horrors that man crowded
Overrun extended and exceeded
Beyond what has been brought into being
I need what the earth this day has given
A golden yellow morning, with small leaves quivering
As fresh air wafts through the house
Though the doctor calls early to ask
With a kind heart to make another appointment
I promise next month I will be there but not now
For the sun is alive and all creatures are awake
And I wish to honor what the day has given
Categories:
exceeded, blessing, earth,
Form:
Free verse
If I were a word,
I'd be on the point of Sharon's pen...
If I were a poem,
The young one would have penned me...
If I needed to show my heart,
I guess I would be me,
If I were to lay down wisdom,
I'd be John, Vince, Ruby, Christy, Maya
But, I wouldn't be me....
If I awoke in the middle of the night,
Wrapped in fear and uncertainty,....
I would be Tom Bell again,....
In desperate need of a friend...
If I have offended, I will volunteer
To cut off the offensive part...
If someone will remember me...
Somewhere down the road...
If I can create a smile,
or a wondrous thought,
I will have exceeded my aspirations
As a person, though never quite a farah chammah,
I will see the sun rise, I will see the sun sink...
I will pray for my fellow man,
Regardless of what others may think....
One life to live?
Nonsense, the Hindus got it right,
The cycle is repeated,
Until we see the light...
Yet the light is here at Soup,
It shines so bright that it could blind,
But blind most of us are,
We keep a closed up mind...
Lives end, lives begin...
They are virtually the same...
God kisses each of us,
And grants us a special name...
But time is oblivious to all this,
It has it's own agenda,
And we are powerless to influence it,
There are higher powers we'll never understand...
But the power of our words lives on...
That power will never end.
Categories:
exceeded, angst, introspection, life, mystery,
Form:
Free verse
Thrust in the centre of the storm’s wild roar,
Oh Lord, my Heavenly Father, you were near.
I relied on you and it was your kind face which I saw,
That you mended my torn spirit when fear did gnaw.
When wind howled loud and thunder boomed and burst,
In your mercy that exceeded all bounds, I did trust.
I knew you couldn’t turn your face when your child,
Held in utter helplessness was crying for aid.
When fear and anxiety swivelled and raked me
Shaking me and sinking me into the depths of the sea
You anchored my soul to faith that made me proclaim-
‘Jesus alone is my sole refuge and no other name’.
Thrust in the eye of the storm, when I was with fear rife,
And when no one was around to save my life,
I saw you standing lovingly within my reach,
With hands held out to me, ready for outreach.
When tossed by the currents of fiery storms
Lord! You made me seek the safety of your arms.
When I was drowning in the sea of escalating pain,
You strengthened and sustained me and kept me sane.
Make me feel, you are there in every rhythm of my life.
More when life becomes burdensome with problems rife.
Over the arid deserts and the stormy turbulent sea,
I pray to be by my side as an abiding presence, piloting me.
Categories:
exceeded, angst, confusion, storm,
Form:
Rhyme
he stood …
atop another world
another …
promethean creation
ineffable beauty and innovation spread at his
feet like a glorious carpet of progress
a macrocosm of concept and imagination
that surprised even HIM
he had, again, exceeded his own
undefinable ingenuity and prospect
and the result took his breath
but are gods truly thus if
they’re unpredictable
stochastic, even -
if they’re capable of astonishment?!?
he must have expected this
deep-down …
what’s the point of genesis
if it’s not to improve
or at least applaud?
he spread his arms and gaze
swept it all in with a breath
such incredible accomplishment
such grace and grandeur
yet …
now must come the little creatures
to behold it all
to adulate and worship
to extoll what was to him but a
waggle of his finger
poor little things
he pitied them, really
(though he thought THEM marvels … once)
to be so … insignificant -
so lamentable and small and … well …
limited …
but they DID serve an objective
for without their rather pathetic existence
he’d be left with a question
unanswerable
only one …
why??
Copyright © Gregory Richard Barden, July 18, 2023
Categories:
exceeded, allegory, analogy, creation, deep,
Form:
Free verse
SONNET FOR BARBARA
As the prettiest girl in class it was no wonder
That you were chosen to play the sleeping beauty
In that little haven of peace in a world torn asunder
And I as the wake-up prince fulfilled my duty
At such innocent time the embrace was restricted and chaste
With lips placed on hand to achieve the magic reveille
Yet even this care I exceeded lest I be shy faced
And placed my hand over yours for the grande finale
Your qualities now prized are far from the somnolent
Your energy and charm still attract and delight
They combined in a way to create this happy moment
And have given us occasion to reunite
Bringing recall of chances taken or sometimes missed
Including one with that pretty girl I almost kissed
25 January 2018
Categories:
exceeded, memory, romantic,
Form:
Sonnet
10/15/2023
Who ever declared you cannot?
Is a full blown, liar I promise you.
In their lives, they failed at some task.
And now?
The unmitigated gall, to drag you
into heartbreak row?
Do not buy losers' stories!!
To those with fortitude and gall ~
Comes an entirely, different story!
One where there was loss and
then came great glory.
I have experienced this myself
and know the joys of victory.
Odds are many poets are just like me.
Not weeping over lost loves with
a handkerchief under an old tree.
But finding new love, better than
they ever dreamed would be.
Their lives exceeded their original
schemes.
They go on and envision new dreams
Their truest friends stand by them
whilst their phony friends stroll so
casually and heartlessly away.
But, dear friends, know, please.
The dreamers will out do you in every way
With joy and greatest possible ease!
GO DREAMERS!
Categories:
exceeded, dream, encouraging, how i
Form:
Verse
Who ever declared they cannot?
Is a full blown, liar I promise you.
In their lives, they failed at some task.
And now?
The unmitigated gall, to drag you
into heartbreak row?
Do not buy losers' stories!
To those with fortitude and gall ~comes
a different story.
One where there was loss and
then came glory.
I have experienced this myself
and know the joys of victory.
Odds are many poets are just like me.
Not weeping over lost loves with
a handkerchief under an old tree.
But finding new love, better than
they ever dreamed would be.
Their lives exceeded their original
schemes.
They go on and envision new dreams
Their truest friends stand by them
whilst their phony friends stroll so
casually and heartlessly away.
But, dear friends, know, please.
The dreamers will out do you in
every, conceivable way and with
the greatest possible ease!
GO DREAMERS!
November 9, 2019
Categories:
exceeded, dream, encouraging,
Form:
Rhyme