Best Fend For Poems
I was blessed to know a woman in my life
Who faced hard times, struggle, and strife.
A Chinese immigrant, she came from a poor town
Lost her husband, was kept from her daughter, but not kept down.
She had three other children who were born here
Getting them a better life was her biggest fear.
She had to fend for herself and them alone you see,
Speaking little of the language in this foreign country.
But, she had always lived a determined life
So she fought back...with a fork and a knife.
She opened a restaurant in a small community
Where her gracious manner made her friends instantly.
Her children would grow up in town with new friends
The restaurant she opened was the mean to her ends.
She worked very hard...sometimes eighteen hours a day
She never complained because that was her way.
Her life's expectations knew more successes sublime
The restaurant grew...one egg roll at a time.
She once told me of the anxiety she felt at the money she'd spent...
Laughing said, "My uncle said sell 2 qts of Chop Suey/Day...you've got the rent."
She was a woman who chose kindness as she felt had to her been shown
To people far and near her generosity was known.
She was thankful that she had the opportunity
To give back with love rather than animosity.
I first met her over some 30 years back
She struck me from the that moment as a person who had the knack
To make others feel at home though strangers they be
She certainly did, because she did it to me.
I still remember her caring for me...it was shown
Once caught in a blizzard, she opened her home.
So often was there a path to this woman's door
Though she stood, less than 5 foot 4.
Her heart was as big and wonderful as one would want
An earthly angel, she was heaven sent.
Though her health began to wane later in life
She never gave in to that world of strife.
Her eyesight began to fail and it was difficult for her to see
But that didn't stop her or her generosity.
She loved people and filled everyone with cheer
Ever thankful that she had had a life here.
Though she is gone I'll never forget her face
Or her love of life, devotion to family, and unstoppable pace.
To me I'll ever be thankful to have had the joy
Of calling her "Ma" ... ONE IN A MILLION~was Connie Moy!
1st Place Winner - "One in a Million" Poetry Contest
I sat quietly and waited, making the noises he had come to know, calling him in his newly given name. His face would appear, cautiously calculating my intent, he would approach. The promise of food and gentle touch too much to deny. And so we did the “Little Prince’s” taming dance, each aware of the other and the possibility of betrayal.
cold eyes, empty heart
frost forming on life’s edges
winter’s numbing kiss
Our meetings continued, less cautious greetings, more welcome contact, minimal conversation. His coat was becoming more ragged in spite of attempts to keep it up, his gait slowing as our good-byes became short walks together. He could not leave his place, his home, even though it had left him – alone, to fend for himself.
hoarfrost in retreat
sunrise gently awakens
friendships warming blood
He withdrew – I would wait, quietly, whisper the name he had come to know, make the sounds that signaled “all clear”. I searched for him, stood silent and listened for his weakening call, shed tears in the cold rain of November. His last call, a feeble attempt at good-bye, led me to him. Alone, cold, hungry, he lay there, rolled his eyes as I cradled his cold and fading spirit. He shivered – and left.
winter’s cold cradle
ice encasing a friendship
a thawing of hearts
10/20/2015
submitted to – Creative Haibuns – Poetry Contest
sponsor – Charlotte Jade Puddifoot
Fight hard
as long as you're not too defensive
or worse, stronger than him
so we can't tell that he hit you
so we don't have to pick up your slack
Speak your mind
as long as your voice isn't louder than his
or worse, too assertive or contradicting it
so you say something worth listening to
so he can get his word in edgewise
Make it rain
as long as you don't make more than him
or worse, take his
so you're not a gold digger
so you can't get out from under his umbrella
Be a damsel
as long as your inevitable distress doesn't cause unrest
or worse, distract from his
so you know how to fend for yourself
so we don't have to hear you whine
Stay in shape
as long as your muscles aren't too bulky
or worse, bigger than his
so you're easy on the eyes
so you don't hurt his pride
Seduce sweetly
as long as you're not a ****
or worse, a whore
so he wants you
so you think that's what your worth is
Make this house a home
as long as you don't forget who makes the bread around here
or worse, forget to put his dinner on the table
so that you're a good homemaker
so that you have no valid claim to what he makes
Be everything
Be nothing
Dedicated to my Dad Jerry W. Niday 3/20/1952 - 6/18/2013
I am who I am because of him
He’s the reason for my son’s name
He gave me my courage & my strength
To stand tall even when standing wasn’t easy
Stand for the ones who can’t
To think and fend for myself
I’m my Daddy made over
Taught me to fight back
To never back down
How to pick myself back up
When I’ve been knocked down
Fight for what I believe
I’m my Daddy made over
He gave me my stubbornness
Gave me my pride
Gave me my temper
Taught me not to take crap
To speak my mind to no matter who
Work for what I want
I’m my Daddy made over
How to keep my emotions in check
How to handle large amounts of pain
When in trouble he always had my back
He knew how my mind worked better than anyone
I got it from him
I’m my Daddy made over
Even though he’s gone
I’ll stand and continue on
I may stumble I may fall
May even get hurt along the way
But I’ll pick myself back up
I’ll dust myself off and stand tall
I’m honored and proud to say
I’m my Daddy made over
Education you 're the champion of the poor
You're a roof under which people who love you shelter
You open the eyes of the ignorant, so that their ignorance is no more
You're a pot of those who loves to cook their brains into perfection
So that their brains can be perfected to think like you
So that they can learn to negotiate the hazards of life and fend for themselves
Education, you provide shelter, clothes and transport to those who worship you
You are the king of those who adores you
Education, you are the conqueror
You've conquered poverty
Poverty says brother to you
You sent poverty to an early rotten grave
Poverty has gone to an early grave because of you
Run poverty run!
Your brother education is here!
Darkness and light do not share cigarette
As success and poverty
Education, no one is like you
Indeed you're the Kilimanjaro Mountain
You're like an elephant
You're a well of wisdom and success
Those who worship you will walk tall and proud of their success
i am from you have to work for it
from worthless and invisible
i am from hatred.
i am from 7
from black and white
i am from not begin accepted for who i am
i am from you are who you are for a reason
from depression to anxiety
i am from i want to be happy
i am from Spanish
from puerto Rican to dominican
i am from slang
i am from Michigan to Indiana
from drugs and alcohol abuse
i am Tiffany (12.22.11)
i am from grandmas house
from Christmas tree to scary costumes
i am from big celebrations
i am from don't talk back
from sleeping in
i am you fend for yourself
i am from the heart and soul
from beat and rhythm
i am from hip-hop and r&b
i am from jeep music
from slow jamz to gospel
i am music
i am from Illinois
from small town
i am bloomington
i am from two human begins
from the womb inside my mother
i am Ayanah
RISE AND FALL OF FORESTS
Deforestation and mechanization,
Have vanquished,
Tribes and animals,
Have been banished.
United the world must stand,
Against those,
Who grab green land.
Corporations brazenly,
Partake in this nab,
Their only thought
To possess and to grab.
What do they gain,
In this pitiful game,
Only fear of a lion or tiger
Or man with a knife
Who has to fend for cubs,
Or a family of five!
The elite but greedy few,
Will be the target of revenge,
For Karma will be due.
Forest dwellers and animals,
Must sustain their livelihood,
When driven to an
Urban neighborhood.
They need to survive,
And will attack to stay alive!
Wouldn’t it be grand,
If we could be assured
That our forests remain
As precious green land!
Maybe it’s unacceptable
Live a life capable of a true fable
True friends never end
But take you back to where it all began
But hey misery gave us something to believe in
Stress became a greater award as we achieved sin
What could I say? Our savior died on a cross tough as pig skin
Never once cried over the loss
Forbidden fruit, Eden garden
Excuse me, my lord, I beg your pardon
And so what if these medics carry life in a carton
But I ain’t trippin
Simply because this is me until my dying day
Please stop crying, you know I can’t stay
I’m going to be the same until my dying day
Over in that casket is where I’m trying to lay
That’s right until my dying day
True lost souls from the dark side
Forever, we as mortals ride
Peace is nothing, I fend for quiet time
Rebels in riot lines
Previous high school graduates
Symbols of an adjective running toward fate
True personality suffer the privilege of inmates
How could you hesitate to ask
There’s no stranger under this mask
Lonely and unholy, who’s there to console me?
I want to get away, forever restless
You can see my similarities with the ocean
I’m stress less
Because this is me until my dying day
Please stop crying, you know I can’t stay
I’m going to be the same until my dying day
Over in that casket is where I’m trying to lay
My son, my friend
We are but pieces of eternity
Mesh on, mesh off
Even at our best times we’re soft
Who’s to say I’d regret my decision
To lead a sinners life without God’s supervision
On a one man mission
And I know I don’t come around much
Got my palms in reality
Searching for something softer to touch
Whisper in my ear, death makes me blush
And Hell only flatters me
One and one, through matter the winds scatter me
I ain’t trippin, baby girl get off your knees
You’re in the arms of a future me
And I can’t see heaven from a distance
Fire me over clouds like a piston
Marching through blood
But it’s all mud and water to Darkhouse
Stand still let me mark my spouse
Live my life as an outcast
How could you even picture me at my last?
Dear lord show some mercy on my followers
Bless those that swallow dust to follow us
No need to borrow sympathy
Unforgiving sorrow made my enemies envy me
I won’t shop Black Friday
because I’m not ready
to fend for my life
in a scene rough and heady.
So call me a coward!
You won’t see me fight ‘em,
and risk getting maimed
for a much-desired item.
Date: November 28, 2019
Contest Title: McWhirtle Me
Sponsor: Charles Messina
The little girl, that can't fend for herself.
The little girl that doesn't see reality.
The little girl that wants to come out.
The little girl that's constantly in doubt.
The little girl that can't stand you.
The little girl that doesnt stand a chance against you.
The little girl that you refuse to look past.
The little girl you said that grew up to fast.
The little girl you say is on the inside.
The scared little girl that won't reside.
The little girl that cries when she's alone.
The little girl that writes these poems.
The little girl that walks behind you.
The little girl that once became your shadow.
The little girl that once you get angry she runs and hides.
The little girl that cannot stand when you call her little girl till this day.
The little girl that tells you to leave but wants you to stay.
I run my hand across my wrist,
The rough scars feel normal under my fingers,
But to anyone else, they would be foreign.
I was a fighter, I had to be,
But everything has its consequences.
Running the blade across my own wrist was mine,
It was the only way for me to feel something.
Since I was small I was forced to be strong,
But a child should not need to be strong.
I wasn’t even 14 and I had to fend for myself,
I had to pick up my broken pieces.
The scars on my body tell that story,
They are reminders of my pain.
I run my hand across my wrist,
The rough scars remind me that I will survive,
I did before, and I will now.
Mom,
I love you.
I love you more than words would be able to tell.
Sometimes I love you more than myself even.
It just seems like I can’t ever really tell you.
I use the wrong words,
say it at the wrong time,
but I love you.
I love you more than the moon and stars.
I love you so much!
I’m so sorry that your life has been this bad.
I’m sorry that you fought with grandpa,
I’m sorry!
I’m sorry that what my grandpa said to you makes you feel unloved,
but as the song goes
you never need to be alone,
I will love you from dusk till dawn,
mom I’m right here!
I’m right here mom!
I love you so much,
I hate it when you cry,
when I make you cry I am so sorry.
I am right here!
I am by your side!
I will never leave you no matter how many times I get hurt!
I am so sorry for the life that you have lead that has brought you to this,
But then again I’m not.
It’s not that I don’t feel sorry for what has happened to you,
But that I am glad you went through it.
Had you not I wouldn’t have the mom I have right now.
The one that always is there for me.
The one that no matter what kind of day I have had will still be there.
The one that was left to fend for themselves.
The one that was unsure about everything
The one that couldn’t ever smile.
I am glad you went through all of that because guess what!
I got you.
The mom that cries on my shoulder when my brother laughed.
I got the broken mom,
but to me you are whole!
To me your pain is a sign of grit.
To me no one can replace you!
To me you somedays feel like the only one that I have.
Somedays it feels like you’re the only one to care.
You mom are all I need.
No matter what you say or do no matter
How many times I shatter at you saying something.
I love and admire you!
I don’t care how many times I silently cry,
I love you!
Your imperfection,
your funny laugh.
How you sing the wrong lyrics,
I love you!
You are perfect the way you are!
I love you!
When you walked out that door
You forgot to say goodbye
Or you possibly remembered
But felt no need to try
You left us here alone
To fend for ourselves
It is hard to stay strong
When you are 10 and 12
You said you had to leave
You needed a way out
Well Brother, you chose
A selfish route
Locked deep inside
The four walls of my mind
Is the rememberance of you
When you were once kind
Your heart burned with love
For your sisters so young
You promised to protect us
Your most treasured, we were among
Now you have been gone
For several torturing years
There will never exist a well
Big enough to consume our tears
Our heads filled with bruises
Our minds filled with anguish
To escape such harsh discipline
Our one prayer and wish
We have now grown accustomed
To aggression and pain
Our conversational deprivation
Has kept us chained
With these locks so tight
But the keys in our very hands
We chose not to leave eachother
On this you made a stand
Well now, Brother
She is leaving me as well
It is my time to greet lonliness
With more stories to tell
To be hurt by loved ones
Is nothing peculiar
But to fight this battle alone
Is to take hands with pressure
Smile at depression
And embrace solitide...
Abortionists are heroes in this Christian's book of man,
They save a fetus from a Hell that 'Christians' seem to plan!
A mother left to fend for self, with rapist's child to raise,
While many who claim Christian views, obtusely share a daze.
A bastard born of woman "has to be the victim's fault,"
While fetuses that "God Saves" are paved over with asphalt!
What proof that fetus has a soul when God treats some like trash,
Your claim to understand His will? Seems genuinely rash!
If Bible is 'the word of God,' 'your take' is not 'His Word,'
And when you say you understand you're 'giving God the Bird,'
Your fire to live a 'Holy Life,' may help you to survive,
The judgment of another's soul? May God's Grace help you thrive!
Some atheists live Christian lives; their 'faith' shows Grace I think,
Impossible to prove belief! But doubt has far less stink.
For 'Doubters' serve humility and display more restraint,
'The Saved,' so sure that they've arrived, own corners that they paint!
Brian Johnston
May 24, 2018
Poet's Notes:
I'm sure that this poem will make some folks angry, but I do not judge you (though God may). I submit this poem in humility (though you may feel condemnation), for I genuinely care for all of our souls and called on by God in the Bible to witness to others. Please testify back to me if you feel God calling you to point out any error!
She
Felt some
Emotion
Because she had been
Left orphaned, at age five
Her father died from rabies
Leaving five children alone
To fend for themselves,'til on their own