Best Fides Poems
I That Expose Heaving Breast To Harrowing Night
(BORN FROM NIGHT BATTLES IN YOUTH FIERCELY FOUGHT)
I that expose heaving breast to harrowing night
Daring to curse fate, defying its awesome might
Live in this world as an old and cold lonesome stone
After midnight face those horrendous beastly moans
Do so despite broken sword and battered shield
Fight in dark realms, void of any flowering fields.
With ancient scarred shield, and heaping acres of hope.
Scribed with Latin words, proclaiming truth to cope.
I that have deep, gashing wounds that refuse to heal
See the busy, blinded crowds wonder how that feels
Thank our God for that respite born from words of praise
Summon angels to sing out to him God did raise
Asking that I may live to see another day.
With ancient scarred shield, and heaping acres of hope.
Scribed with Latin words, proclaiming truth to cope.
I that expose heaving breast to harrowing night
Daring to curse fate, defying its awesome might
Live in this world as an old and cold lonesome stone
After midnight face those horrendous beastly moans
Do so despite broken sword and battered shield
Fight in dark realms, void of any flowering fields.
With ancient scarred shield, and heaping acres of hope.
Scribed with Latin words, proclaiming truth to cope.
Robert J. Lindley, August 11th 1996
Rhyme
( In quibus virtus et fides coniunguntur ad victoriam reportandam )
Note: 12-18-2021
Found this poem from back in the 90's while researching past
creations to inspire myself to write today. And I did write today
but then I decided to go ahead and present this oldie. I hope it
may inspire somebody and give courage to endure travails this
dark world may have thrown their way..--RJL
Categories:
fides, conflict, faith, fate, hope,
Form:
Rhyme
Does it make you sad too that Republicans say
That no man is my 'brother' who won't make me right, (1)
That diversities' bona fides died.
Parties punish a member who won't smoke their 'joint, '
It seems all that they care about's winning the fight,
Not their fault if your conscience gets fried.
World of politics now is a loyalty test,
And debate on the merits becoming passé
For the devil one knows has to win.
Give the devil his due, listening's a lost art,
It seems compromise shouts you're the ponce of the day
For 'both parties to win now's a sin!
So where did we go wrong? One place, Nixon's disgrace!
For the party of Lincoln an act to explain,
(After that public trust, a lost cause) .
And then Kennedy died, Camelot crucified,
'Great society' born on the wave of that pain,
'Brother love' was attempted though laws.
Man's distrust, no concern, it was too much, too soon,
Though the pen may win scrimmage, at last, the sword wins,
For no logic can conquer the heart.
It's utopian plan, write a law, change the man,
Human fate sits uneasy on needles and pins,
For real peace needs goodwill from the start. (2)
I am not saying here that I'm sure that you're wrong,
But I do want in goodwill to caution us all,
Clear in scripture, to love men, serves God.
Yes, to honor your family's part of that task,
But the service of others is how you stand tall,
Independence suggests you're a fraud.
Long Tooth
April 28, 2018
Poet's notes:
(1) Politics is supposed to include "horsetrading! " It is a venerable
tradition in this country and essential for governing to work as it
should. Those, of either party, who demand that their members
follow the parties' desires and not those of the member's
constituents are a new kind of modern day terrorist and have more
in common with the Taliban than with American ideals.
(2) When Republicans announced (without shame)their intention to
sabotage every Obama (Democratic)piece of legislation in principle
(even if they liked it), they committed an act of treason against our
country and democratic ideals in my opinion. May God and the
nation forgive both parties for such crimes and try to deal with the
thinking that brings on such egregious evil so that we might move
forward together!
Categories:
fides, bullying, forgiveness, political,
Form:
Rhyme
I couldn’t sleep. I was lying in bed watching the patterns reflected moonlight made on my ceiling when I heard the faint beep of the kitchen microwave. I smelled popcorn.
I decided to fill up my water bottle and see who was up. I slipped on a thick, terrycloth robe I’d gotten from Lisa last Christmas. It must weigh 15 pounds and it’s so warm and heavy I seldom wear it.
I silently glided into the main room. Leong was standing at one of our two large picture windows staring out at the night. Her left arm cradling a bowl of ultimate-butter popcorn. Anna told me last night that Leong and her long-time boyfriend, who’s back in China, had broken up. They’d been together forever and had been expected to marry.
A bright half-moon was hanging high over campus, an electric ornament on a velvet background, its moonlight glint painted the world, like ice on mountaintops.
“I heard about your breakup,” I said, “what does it mean?” In Leong’s world, who you dated was of family interest. That person had to be approved, their bona fides proven - they had to fit into some long term plan.
“It means I can’t be tamed,” she said, with soft bravado. After a moment, she spoke again, more seriously. “It’s better this way - for now - someday..,” she trailed off.
I understood. All of our hopes are resting on someday, like so many wagers at a casino. I imagined some gambler, stepping up to a betting window, in an old black-and-white movie, saying, ”Gimmie 5 bucks on Someday to win.”
Something in her voice, a brittleness, precluded further questions. I looked at the clock, it read 3:47. I gave her a hug and yawning, filled up my water bottle from the refrigerator's filtered tap.
“See ya.” I whispered and headed off, back to bed. With any luck I could squeeze another hour's sleep out of the morning.
Categories:
fides, boyfriend, break up, humor,
Form:
Free verse
Words that do not speak to me
Fine poetry may very well be
My taste, middling mediocre
No literary bona fides
~ This wild card's a joker
Categories:
fides, humor, judgement, me, poetry,
Form:
Couplet
She first saw the light in the year of the dragon,
In a blissful morning in the month of the lion,
Water cleansed her soul in the same year of faith,
The angels up above have foretold her fate.
Her name exalts the heaven up above,
She is the symbol and the bearer of my love,
For I couldn’t ask for more
But her sweet smile that I adore.
Her name manifests my divine conviction,
Her eyes shed the light for my resurrection,
She is the meaning of the future and my past,
My love for her will forever last.
She’s my light from darkness that lasts till eternity,
Her face is a symbol of beauty and purity,
She’s my dream and my reality,
Just to see her bright face brings me ecstacy.
She’s the flower that blooms in my early month of May,
She gives life to my sunrise and a color for my day,
She’s my sun, my moon and my stars,
She’s the tower of my faith and the healer of my scars.
She’s the morning dew that damps my arid horizon,
She is the muse of my dreams and my vision,
She’s my glory and my consecration,
Just a moment with her is like my salvation.
Categories:
fides, inspiration,
Form:
Rhyme
In the house where I was born
We tied our laces in the dark
Then shuffled down the stairs without a lamp.
We breathed a foggy whisper
On a window webbed with frost
And we swore, and we swore,
And we swore the vows of knighthood every day.
In the house where I was born
We ate our breakfast standing up;
The better for to make the swill go down.
We dipped the dripping ladle,
Closed our eyes and swallowed hard
And we swore, and we swore,
And we swore the vows of knighthood every day.
Gravity, brevity, granite and lead,
War bread and horseflesh, a pillar of salt,
Tilt yard, curtain wall, tallow on slate,
Crossed swords with diamonds; Et monstro fides.
In the house where I was born
We swept the dirt beneath the rug,
Then nailed its ragged edges to the floor.
We strapped our monkish duties
Hemp and leather to our backs
And we swore...
CUM ET PIUS VIRTUTIS (With devout courage
ET SUPPLEX VIRES And humble strength
NOS PAREBIMUS DOMINUS We serve our lord
ET MONSTRO FIDES Faithfully)
Categories:
fides, dedication, history,
Form:
Blank verse
Mr. John Kerry is not to blame
As he prattles on about climate change --
"Much more important!" he warns, "than Ukraine"
Thus keeping his woke bona fides unstained --
Forgetting his hat out in the rain
JK contracted water on the brain
Categories:
fides, humor, rain, satire, sick,
Form:
Rhyme
“In God We Trust”
the dollar we must
Two-headed coin,
minted unjust
“Fides in Deum,”
our fortunes to blame
The past purloined
—the future inflamed
(The New Room: March, 2021)
Categories:
fides, corruption,
Form:
Rhyme
Although I could count the petals of a flower
the tree of my great faith doesn't cease from sight
like a seed of hope always seems to foster,
the echoing call that wants a praying answer in the night.
As I venture into Summer's golden warmth,
expecting a wanderer to sift through my heart
like an old folk delve into his youth,
and a slight hurry to deepen for comfort.
The splashing river grasps within my soul
as if I would find my inner peace
to let go the pain and its faults
with the sun shining on my face.
Having a desire to transform my life
into a love that is sweet as a nut
as I touched God's hands I felt completely safe
with a flower of pure joy leads me to shout.
As I find myself feeling strong and blessed,
thanking God for yielding me to the tides of strength
like a little sprout had been sowed,
Cum virtus invenit Amor et Fides.
(When Courage finds Love and Faith)
Categories:
fides, faith, god, love,
Form:
Rhyme
(Goddess of Faith)
F-ire of my faith
I-ron of my will
D-estiny of my fate
E-mber of my glow
S-oul of my spirit
October 6, 2022, 3:46 AM
For my daughter FIDES,
my primary inspiration for my works
Categories:
fides, tribute,
Form:
Acrostic
Prada, you are my queen
In my heart you always dwell
You don't need crown to be golden
You're more precious than any gem
Your smile is full of brilliance
You rob the sun of its radiance
You're the only light in my darkness
That shows my way to crest
*For my daughter Prada (Fides)*
October 20, 2022
Categories:
fides, child, tribute,
Form:
Rhyme
The calmer
the more confident
The more strident
the more insecure
The more natural the laugh
the less the self-importance
The harder the stare
the less of him we can bear
The more finger-pointing
the more righteousness
Hands relaxed at the sides
reveal humble bona fides
Categories:
fides, analogy, character, confidence, vanity,
Form:
Free verse