Best Fate Poems
Courage of Youth, Battle of Ypres, Flanders Field
(A Tribute)
Tough as nails young man with a red right hand
red-fire and whiskey ran in his blood.
Courageous seed of vast and cold hard land
quick temper, power of a surging flood.
Seeker of life, its promised mysteries
rash gambler with all he would ever own.
Born on ship in high wind swept, roaring seas
toughest warrior his town had ever grown.
Met his fate by volley of red-hot lead
buried on ground scared and battle blasted.
Aye boys, fodder that machine guns were fed
fools marching to death, long as it lasted.
Now flowers cover up and Time denies
scenes of battle torn soil and blood-red skies.
R.J. Lindley
April 23rd, 1975
SONNET-(DEATH AND WAR'S FUTILITY)
Tribute to Courage of Youth-- Second Battle of Ypres, April 22nd 1915 .
Note- added - 8-26-2017
Wiki-
The name Flanders Fields is particularly associated with battles that took place in the Ypres Salient, including the Second Battle of Ypres and the Battle of Passchendaele. For most of the war, the front line ran continuously from south of Zeebrugge on the Belgian coast, across Flanders Fields into the centre of Northern France before moving eastwards — and it was known as the Western Front.
The phrase originates from a poem titled In Flanders Fields by Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, inspired by his service during the Second Battle of Ypres. The fields were not maintained for years before they were made into a memorial. Today Flanders Fields is home to thousands of poppies.
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Found this while rummaging through some of my old poems. Decided not to edit it. Leave it as it was composed over 42 years ago..
Added the note for those not familiar with that battle and its horrific carnage, primarily from the insanity of large bodies of troops marching into direct machine gun fire.
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Note:
This poem was selected and requested for teaching purposes at Cambridge University. Permission was granted for educational use.... RJL
"I wandered lonely as a cloud." William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a boat
a shallow dingy left behind,
alone in marsh of reeds remote
my paint now faint so unrefined,
my only hope the next high tide
on brackish water then I’ll ride,
in aimless drift left up to fate
the wind and wave upon the bay
on rhythmic swells, I’ll grow sedate
with naught to see through mists of gray…
on ripples pale so soft so free
my destination out to sea;
that distant place where lay the sun
across the sunset waters west,
the ambiance of cirrus spun
to brush with colors every crest
where I can bathe in shades so bold
of melting solar marigold.
Yet — let go I must of wishful dreams!
My lifeline dispossessed I strayed
and followed streams with other schemes —
now lofty tide cannot be swayed,
a rustic wreck in reeds reposed
their wind-song whispers I’m imposed.
There’s no escape their soldiers’ lance,
the blades of green so tall and crisp,
with waves they undulate in dance
and breezes ruffle tassels’ wisp,
though swans find beauty mid the reeds
—a wistful coward’s bitter weeds.
Susan Ashley
January 14, 2023
~ Second Place ~
Contest: 2022 Poetry Marathon Mile 25
Sponsor: Mark Toney
~ Poem Of The day ~
January 16, 2023
Poet’s note: this poem was inspired by, but not written for, the contest: “I Wandered Lonely As… Challenge”, sponsored by Natasha Scragg and judged on September 24, 2022. Thank you, Natasha, for the beautiful William Wordsworth quote and for the poetic inspiration.
Photo: gettyimages; Jay Fleming
to my kindred soul
...i know you are out there
somewhere on the other side
across cobblestone streets
that scorn my feet, like hearts
on the pathways and wrong turns
of so called love
i've been kissed
but not by your lips
nor with the same passion
as the skies at dawn
i've been wrapped
in the contours of arms
much like the bitter winds
of autumn's sweeping nights
shivering beneath the touches
that left me stranded
on the journey towards you
i hold you in my dreams
on the other side of streams
where tears trickle over the rocks
and the dams hold me back
i searched for you
beneath the lambent moon
through shadows on alleyways
always losing sight
in the harrows of night
i've danced
silently with death
in silhouettes
upon mind's walls
always breaking free
running away, lost
on these sidewalks
of chalked thoughts
yet sometimes i wonder
had i held his hand
would he have led me to you
in another place
another time
does fate await our destiny
on the other side of life...
i still search for you
down cobblestone streets
through the passages of time
as it shifts beneath my feet
stranded, alone
until we meet....
inside my dreams
Written 10/25/2019
Best free verse July-December 2019 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by John Hamilton
Entered December 8, 2019
I wonder about her
as I shave suet and place thistle seed down -
once again
she reveals herself to the corner of my eye
a slight movement caught in the slant of a sunray
just enough to separate her shy form
from leaf litter camouflage
I turn to look at her
demure and just out of reach - yet
she seems to know I feel for her..
I regard her presence for a handful of heartbeats
before she hastens away in a certain way
head moving forward first then feet catching up
..rustling the earthy rust of gold;
fallen maple stars strewn beneath an arborvitae row..
a wing hanging down by her side
like a gate with a broken hinge
her gateway to freedom gone
she’s become a body bound to soft soil -
flesh and bones destined to feed the trees of life
soon her feathers - like thistle down - will animate aloft
weightless in soulful breaths of a swirled November wind..
pearls of muted beauty lost in innocence
given back to the skies
I wonder about the tender fragility of a tomorrow
in an air where mourning coos
are watered down by whimsical tears of gods
and stirred by a mortal’s yearn for return to natural flight
I commiserate with her silently —
for I am broken too
Susan Ashley
November 17, 2020
~ First Place ~
Premiere Contest: Brian Strand No 1175
Sponsor: Brian Strand
~ Second Place ~
Premiere Contest: 2022 Poetry Marathon Mile 17
Sponsor: Mark Toney
Frozen flames pressed between each sheet
I flip every page while taking notes
Censoring every event in my past
I fall deep when staring at the painting on the wall
Every blink feels the same when in love
However, on this one night, I stumbled
On a certain page, I found my heart beating twice
The roof at this moment allowed the moon to illuminate inside.
A memory unfolded while I held your hand,
Repainting our years, a devoted love
At the heart of everything, I've forgotten this feeling
The canvas opens more than an old chapter
the beautiful canvas, tied by solid gold.
Flames brush every wall as we age as one
In perfect harmony. TOGETHER
Laminating our love forever
1-06-2016
In a moment of juvenile jealousy
he envies his red rival
with its intimate and greedy embrace of her angels’ share
of honey and vanilla spice
as wet stretchy hands of fervent fabric
possessively cup
her brandied beauty
amidst wistful notions
to revive his parched heart
he craves to be ladled with her ardent spirits
to be cradled in the tulip of her essence -
evaporating every chill from the calyx of her sweetened cordial
warming her in the hearth of his hands
as she melts
like buttery sunbeams
intoxicating the bleached beachy sands..
his dreamy grin falters and his tantric trance fades
as tattered edges of reverie unravel -
a haze beclouds his aged green-eyed gaze
graying his white periwinkle pipe dream
as he sees that his best days are long past
Susan Ashley
July 18, 2018
The waves calm me down as I sit and wonder
For my love is lost in the stormy scurrilous sea
And I know my hapless heart to be torn asunder
As I wait for my true love to wash back to me
~~~
The clouds move in to hide the paralytic pain
And the thunder muffles the beat of my heart
Within entangled emotions that silently drain
Toward the wounded waters that keep us apart
~~~
Perhaps in the deep distance, there may be hope
For the shore surrenders its secrets of the mist
I’m sinking in the sand of eternity trying to cope
Digging upon dreams of the last time I was kissed
~~~
Thus now the Earth begins to shake and wobble
For it brings forth to me, my message in a bottle.
Nov.01.2018
Tell Me A Story 2
Sponsored by: Brenda Chiri
Placed 2 [4'th of 4]
A homeless man played his guitar,
for coin rewards put in a jar.
A lonely life he always led,
but in his heart a love he had.
This love he thought of all the time,
during the cold days brought sunshine.
His songs were of a girl he loved,
he sang to her, with stars above.
So many years had gone on by,
but in his heart, and reasons why.
There was this hope that would not die,
the thought of her just made him cry.
Dedicated to my
daughter Ashley...
Michael Tor
Ah, weeping leaf I feel your grief
as Autumn hides the sun in clouds;
battalion’s shadow, like a thief,
disguised in dark-sky nimbus shrouds
have kidnapped light and your belief
in summer days of green serene,
when willow’s dance did celebrate
and morning’s mist, it’s blurry sheen
embraced your rippling blade ornate
till… winds then twisted serpentine
and soon you'll fall, I feel your plight,
a wistful tear your dreams now wan
as daylight dies into the night
and you let go, a wilting swan,
you realize you’ve lost the fight
…that you were just another pawn.
Mirabelle orb ascends,
under clementine and pomegranate skies.
Absent,
in delight of daylight.
Eyes set adrift in dawning daydreams.
Calm heart is an oceanic concerto,
flowing along sapphire tones.
Deep breaths walk upon water,
caressed by Poseidon's piano keys.
Pulsating palpitations beat eloquent echoes,
rousing freely along rhythmical ripples.
Searching for symphonic serenity -
composition of waves, amicably,
pave a path towards destiny.
Hope vibrates like Apollos's lyre and lute strings,
as winds whistle lost tunes from Athena's flute.
Melodies of the silent sea summon torpid tides,
as desire merges in harmony with the harbour -
passionately embracing barren shores.
Aroma of dusk's dew cools in night's velvet sheen,
as sinking sun is submerged into the deep blue sea.
Sprinkling of pearls appear - their reflection
shimmering upon watery midnight blue stillness.
In silent clarity of blackness,
flowing footfalls of fate purify -
awakening mind from its reverie.
The Silent One
6 September 2020
Mirabelle - a plum, also known as mirabelle prune or cherry plum, is a cultivar group of plum trees of the genus Prunus. It is believed that the plum was cultivated from a wild fruit grown in Anatolia.
Poseidon, in ancient Greek religion, god of the sea (and of water generally), earthquakes, and horses.
Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the Sun and light, poetry, and more. His two musical instruments were the lute and the lyre.
Athena was a talented flute player, as she created it, but others ridiculed her when she played due to her cheeks. In disgust, she threw away the flute and said whoever picked it up and played it would be severely punished.
Hope, A Little Remained
She walked the creaking floors of the rat-infested room,
trying to remember what tragedy had sent her to this shabby place.
Her heart felt the desperate pains, that lost love sends in aching waves,
praying her sleeping infant does not wake and cry out from its feverish thirst.
He paced the cold cell, languishing in deep misery, heart shattered,
each step an eternity echoing curses, a testament to his broken pride.
Although thousands of miles apart, he felt her loss, never-ending sorrows,
dawn would come, priest would take his last confession, yet Hope remained.
7-03-2018
For Silent One's, eight lines of fate, when you wonder if it is too late.
A Last Poem for You, My Mate
If Death comes calling in colorful spring
I hope it will come in the month of May
When our garden is filled with fragrant blooms
That you have tended in your caring way.
Pansies and daisies with their sweet faces
Look up to agapanthus lofty height.
Each bloom as diverse as we are humans,
Each offers beauty to my love's delight.
Please don't come in summer when school is out,
Time with our grandchildren I cherish so.
I can't think of ruining their fun time
I'm pleading, in summer, don't make me go.
The times that we share at the pool or parks
Is precious to me as watching them grow.
They fill my heart with such laughter and joy
I feel their love too...I'm letting you know.
Oh Death, come in autumn, my favored time.
When green leaves turn scarlet, orange and gold.
My eyes feast on beauty of changing trees,
Grateful for my seasons of growing old.
Autumn transcends my soul's true endeavors
To leave with you poetic words, my mate.
My legacy...to our generations
As we must all accept Death as our fate.
In winter, a time of quiet and rest...
When reflections of past mirror our views
And we watch as our life spreads before us
If it’s time to leave, I wish I could choose.
However Death, should you come in winter,
When the Earth like my hair is bathed in white,
I'd embrace your visit in my winter
To dwell forever in God's divine light.
12-12-18
My Muse Mortal Poetry Contest~ Premiere Contest Third Place~
Sponsor Gregory Barden
POTD - 25th September 2024
Synopsis -
A bitter-sweet, hauntingly romantic and heart-wrenching ballad that follows her journey of sorrow and longing, as she searches for answers to a love torn apart. Watch as the story unfolds, revealing the depths of her heartbreak. Thank you for watching.
For my full playlist, and your entertainment pleasure, click the above 'watch on' YouTube icon which will take you to my YouTube channel - Poetic Rhythms.
Love Hurts - Bound by Love Broken by Fate
(Extracted from my Poem ‘The Train’ and made into Lyrics and a video.)
Mesmerised by the candy-coloured rainbow
Coy behind the fairy floss clouds
Through shimmering sunbeams, we gazed
My senses in overdrive
As memories surface
And hover back to
That one day
Boarding this very train
Squeals of joy
As cloudbursts unleashed rain
Chorus
But you left me
You took my heart and locked away the key
Squeezing into one seat
Wrists caressed and kissed
Floating to that intimate space
Sensual lips taste
Whispered promises
Sparking bright eyes
And blushing rosy face
Softly against my ear a hum
Our song
Fingers daring to trace
Burning paths
Through shredded threads
Faded jeans
Breathless on the high line
Us, giggling teens
Chorus
But you left me
You took my heart and locked away the key
Speeding through fields of wildflowers
Sparkling like diamonds with the fallen showers
The train hooted in joy
Through the rain splattered window amazed
Mesmerised by the candy-coloured rainbow
Coy behind the fairy floss clouds
Through shimmering sunbeams we gazed.
Chorus
But you left me
You took my heart and locked away the key
on the threshold of tomorrow
through countless sighs
i wait for you
stranded in the pools of fate
as the seconds fall grounded
like tears of all my yesterdays
in the swells of invisible ink
you shimmer in the shadows of thoughts
beneath the lambent light of this full moon
as it looms in the obscurity of clouds
on the flickers of trailing stars,
i wish for the contour of your lips
to brush against mine
my spirit is a forbidden fruit,
i lie prostrate,
perturbed by pitter, patter
of raindrops bleeding through
the windows of my soul -
only you can kill the silence
if only you were a falling star,
gravity would carry you into my hands,
we would illuminate like wild fires,
but in the deception of dawn
all that would remain is stardust -
me whispering your name
so i remain cursed
by yesterday's today, languishing
in the shadows of your ghost.
A collaboration with Silent One
In the realm of battles waged by fate,
Where heroes rise and villains bait,
There dwells a force, unconquerable, vast,
A nemesis, whose shadow is cast.
With nefarious intent, it seeks to harm,
An archenemy, a symbol of alarm.
It weaves its web of darkness deep,
Inflicting punishment vengefully does creep.
No hero can escape its relentless grip.
It thrives on conflicts, which none can skip.
A generic motivation, it lacks,
Driven only by the thrill of attacks
Its hubris knows no bounds; it knows no shame.
It believes it is beyond any blame.
But in the realm of battles, there lies a truth
Hubris and nemesis are intertwined, as wisdom and youth.
The nemesis, with its cunning ways,
Lures hubris into a treacherous maze.
It tempts the ego, fuels the fire,
Until the hubris burns, consumed by desire,
In the face of adversity, heroes must stand tall.
To face the nemesis and conquer it all.
But beware oh brave ones, of the hubris within.
For it blinds the wise, leading to their own sin.
In the realm of battles waged by fate,
Where heroes rise and villains bait,
There dwells a force, unconquerable, vast,
A nemesis, whose shadow is cast.
With nefarious intent, it seeks to harm,
An archenemy, a symbol of alarm.
But through perseverance and strength of will,
The heroes rise, and versus all odds, they fulfill
They learn from the past, the mistakes they've made,
And with newfound wisdom, they start to evade.
Word Bank
1/ Hubris: Excessive pride, presumption, or arrogance
Grandiose belief in one's personal ability, privilege, or infallibility
2/ Nemesis: A long-standing rival, downfall, or ruination of someone or something