Best Forward Looking Poems
‘Sankofa’ In 'Safranbolu'
This bird from Ghana’s legends flies forward looking backward
In the Twi language twinned with indigenous souls and wisdom
the feathered friend suggests to go back and get it and I suppose
some fly backwards while looking ahead but then life is not only
Chronos but 'Kairos' with the meter entwined and composed
At this precise moment not alone in this moving instant it waves
and oscillates conjoining what was and will be when the present
is the past in a flash and one cannot step into the same river again
yet the future is shaped by the past the here and now a 'Kairometer'
transcending artefacts and boundaries into ‘truths’ and reality
The bird flies and time flows back and beyond near and far
further on wings and pinions with roots at heart
In ‘Safranbolu’ the ancient Ottoman town on the Black Sea Coast
and thus close to Ghana in real time place and connection
the old man had been tending the clock in the tower both man and
the turret free standing and wise still present and one
‘Seventy years’ as he explained pendulum hands and the wheels
What memories pride mechanics precision preserved aspiration and
dignity flying into the face of the clock and the distortions of time
Mustafa had climbed those steps so often had rung the bell
oiled the time keeper had not forgotten a day of his duties
had become one with the time piece and stood still many times
in awe of monument and pacing the sleepy old town yet
he flew forward so peacefully looking back in retrospect and respect
He has watched birds history duration impermanence imprinting the
meaning of a life worthy of living in honour of what is the present
20th November in all past and future revisited
"A child, more than all other gifts
That earth can offer to declining man,
Brings hope with it, and forward-looking thoughts."
W. Wordsworth
I am your grandmother.
I spent 24 years making
parenting mistakes, so I think
I'm pretty well trained now,
pretty worn down, open-minded
and accepting.
I think we'll be good friends.
At sixteen, your mother
said she was having a baby
and held up to me the blue pastic
device that tested her urine stream
like when she held up the blue ribbon
she won in kindergarten for the best
easter bunny nest made from marshmallows
and dyed yellow coconut.
Then she threw the blue device out
into the space between us on the bed,
like it was the best card in her deck,
her ace in the hole.
Your father waited in the other room
sitting in the thick silence,
afraid to breathe and miss
my response.
You and your mother did all the work,
but I was there at your birth,
Standing alongside, coaching your
mother to good contractions until
I was exhausted from gritting my
teeth and pushing too.
And your dad was there, too,
but closer to the business end
so he could be the first to know the sex.
An unsolicited psychic had told us
you would be a girl,
and when your dad was told,
he sulked all day
like it was a conspiracy
between the women to produce
only other woman.
He wanted another guy,
someone to give the men the edge,
a male child.
When your mother's body could
keep you from the world no longer,
your head appeared, eyes tightly
shut and a pout on your lips.
Your dad was watching closely,
the shoulder, the belly and then
his arms flew up in the air
like he'd made the touchdown
and he cried, "It's a Boy,
I told you, I told you,"
like he and I had placed a bet.
But then he saw how much
I could love the boy child.
I'm a pretty good grandmother,
and I think we'll be good friends.
Paul said to press on forward
Towards the heavenly prize
For if we run the Christian race
We will come to realize
That in spite of the prisons in our lives
Keeping us in mental and physical chains
With faith in God our course of action
Will no longer be tethered not restrained
We might need a spiritual upgrade
To function at full capacity
And every new day we need to freshly pray
With a renewed tranquility
Now some people say they don't have enough time
But time is a tangible commodity
We need to learn to structure our time
Using our Christian agility
It's most essential we put God first
And always remember the grace
And mercy that on us He's bestowed
For no man nor woman on this earth
Has the power to help you spiritually grow
When running the Christian race
We need to understand
That if we want to make God laugh
Just come up with a plan
As God has a destiny for each of us
One full of humility and grace
And in spite of the circumstances in our lives
He'll help us run this race
By looking at the Lord and not at the load
By keeping our eyes on God and not on the road
So run the good race with encouragement
From the Holy Spirit anew
And with Jesus as the wind beneath our wings
There's nothing we can't do
So press on forward looking through
The windshields of life
No longer using the rearview mirror
Just laser focused on Christ
riding the waves and forgetting
erasing the thought of time from my mind
becoming one with nothingness and it delight
God is here wading in the water with me
riding the waves and forgetting
being taught that i am not the only one
becoming even more schooled of the many facets of relaxation
God is here wading in the water with me
riding the waves and forgetting
looking forward to forward looking
becoming content with the clear definition of Me
God is here wading in the water with me
riding the waves and forgetting
finding the true meaning of blissful serenity
uncovering the secret to the marine vibrations of divinity
God is here wading in the water with me
riding the waves and forgetting
clearing my head of any dark, dreary thoughts
removing the blanket that i allowed to blockade my every view for way too long
God is here....wading in the water with me....
The Slide Ruler
As regulations rule this world from outside in and my time slowly
seeps away on this planet’s realm I gaze in awe at that once modern
instrument of calculation that dangles from the ceiling lamp in my
~ Study ~
In forward looking nostalgia my memories ambivalent a reminder of
words scripted on paper in fountain pen and blotting paper absorbing
the logic never understood derived from square rooted calculus’s incisive
~ Precision ~
I failed the examination maybe my hands were too clumsy or my mind
too entangled in quests of a different kind of looming poet trees
in onward advances flooding naive crafting knitting dreams and emotional
~ Liberation ~
I tried to run away and on track right by the start of a marathon
real and timed in a fast moving obsession I discovered my ruler sliding
into my fingers for a Euro in red plastic casing with figures organizing
~ Incomprehension ~
Metaphorical and analogue to a desire to escape from the dogma of science
eschewing the unquestioned paradigm of only one truth and one answer
only as well as the modern compulsion with bits and apps it reminds me of
~ Signposts ~
Trivial directives which lead me away and beyond of what can be counted
calculated in the hamster wheeling rat race of pretending to know
exactly what is an illusion in any case plastic or iron cased in
~ Rationalization ~
Nevertheless and because of what I could not understand with a
slide ruler and the pretence of computer colonized minds around me
I cherish not simply for all time’s sake that comprehension results from
~ Fragmentation ~
And thus found the whole kit and caboodle the complementation of
polarity synthesized opposites complemented diversity celebrated in the
festival of life and the living with brick a brack completing the meaning of
~ Life ~
24th October 2016
Old Jewelry Or Just Old Things Contest
The ragged precipice surmounted,
he stands, leaning forward, looking down
into nature's yawning rictus—
pondering flight without wings.
Restlessness in being,
he’s come unhinged in time
whose moments intertwine,
leaving him indifferent to his age.
Neither older than yesterday
nor younger than tomorrow,
life's review passes. Reaching out his arms,
he jumps...and simply floats away.
For years, the ominous signs were palpable
The deep fraternal mistrust festered and discernable
Propagated by colonial masters to divide and make Rwanda malleable
And left lingering became monstrous and uncontrollable
Snowballing in 1994 into an orgy of murderous hate
As Hutu brothers turned against their Tutsis siblings
For three cruel months respect for human life was obliterated
For three bloody months sanctity of human existence perished
As the government of the day made killing an obligation
And mobilized the population through official propaganda
To destroy all Tutsis and saboteur-Hutus
At the end of the Holocaust over one million Tutsis were sent to the great
beyond
Dreams and hopes were shattered
Loved ones massacred in the most agonizing and cruel manner
While the indifferent international community looked on unconcerned
Just like after the rain comes sunshine
The blood of the martyrs of Rwanda has irrigated and purified
The country of a thousand hills
Which has risen from the ashes of the gory tragedy
To a land flowing with peace and tranquility
To a Haven for tourists and investors
To a land of calm and forward- looking citizens
Committed to work and put their past behind
And queuing behind their charismatic Leader
They cry unceasingly and with one voice
‘’Never again shall bestiality descend in our clime’’
You eager commuters
you don’t see me
in the shadows shivering
Remembering that green door and the
warm baking bread smells
A king in a pocket sprung bed
Beside my abdicated queen
And the curly haired prince who
No longer hears my song
You eager commuters
Forward looking
I alone have
Wealth and friendship
Bottle shaped
No idle chit-chat
But whispering cold comfort in my ear
and warming the broken hollows of my heart
You eager commuters
understand
This nook is not a chosen one
Not for its smells of rotting waste
or its views of shoes and hemlines
Of swiftly passing people
Averting their lofty eyes
From this pile of rag and bone
That used to be a man with house and home
Looking forward, looking back
Wondering about the future
Remembering the past
Many experiences sent to teach
Many more yet to explore
All that really matters is the present
This is all that is in your control
The future will come, the past will go
Make the most of what you have, in the now.
Once again, we face a cross road
Filled with so many emotions we might just explode
Life seems to be a series of forks in the track
Never able to change our minds, or to turn back
Being chased down the path by time
Haunted by the ticking, by every chime
Time to choose, up or down, left or right
Fueled by our excitement, by our genuine fright
Make a choice, and hold on tight
Because this is it
You can't give up, you can't quit
Run down that dirt road but watch out
You'll face obstacles, challenges, and never-ending doubt
The only thing you can do is to run
Down that path, through every smile and every tear
Go on headstrong, face your ultimate fear
Eyes forward, looking to the horizon
Eyes forward, looking to the future
Shriek through verses
Occupied minded
Who would you call me then?
Insane by tone
Live in melodic
Who would you call me then?
Dwell within past
Love raged never end
Who would you call me then?
Forward looking
Overbold steady
Who would you call me then?
Time challenger
Needy in spirit
Who would you call me then?
Author's Note:
Answer: Poet, Musician, The Heart Broken, The Life Ready, Human
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4th place
Questionku Free Poetry Contest
Sponsor Richard Lamoureux
From where he sits presently, he is convinced that the choices he made, the paths he took, and the roads not taken were far and away, being guided by supernatural hands. That over a 50 year period his ship would dock so serenely, was highly unpredictable.
From the age of 14, he was very cognisant of the direction in which he wanted to proceed. That was the initial turning point in his life when he began to focus on his future, and without a doubt, the young man's dedication was set in stone. His will and determination were strong, and a forward looking pathway began to unfold and become crystal clear.
From the frosted winter's dawn to the steamy and humid days of summer, he fought back many a tear of melancholy. At the stillness of the gloaming, a friendly rest appeared to ease the day's toil; and deep into the night, hopeful dreams of the valiant warrior prepared him for the next day's fight. The hope- starved back fields of Dixie required one to be forevermore protected with the phycological shields of steel. His was a life destined to be one of substance and purpose; not one to remain bathed in a rich pathos of poverty.
No woulda's, coulda's, and shoulda's are causing him to be upset His is a free spirit and in his sunsets, there are no regrets
08172017PSContest, Eight word Challenge-3, John Hamilton
Byron didn't wait for me.
Across the hall Becky tried not to look.
Chalk was everywhere.
Knuckles was already suspended.
Trailing the varsity jackets I
Oscillated between chic and irreverent.
Someone yelled, "barf!"
Charades and hustlers cover every inch.
How am I going to find my locker?
Oswald points me to "304."
Oblong and wrong I walk there.
Looking forward, looking backward.
The pages are turning, one page at a time.
A story is written line upon line.
Echoes from the past pushing me forward even still
What is ahead I do not know, but something urges me to go
Life has its ups and downs and we must experience them all
With expectation, with some reservation I feel the call.
Not afraid to move ahead, standing still is not my way
So moving forward looking for to a better day.
Pausing only for a moment to look where I have been
Then continuing on to the next journeys end
Life is a story being told. a book full of chapters
Some made of pure gold,
We keep all the chapters, some good and some bad
For there are lessons to be learned from all that was had.
A mixture of tender moments, sadness, laughter and despair, teaching us who we are,
showing us how to care.
There is a guiding hand in all of this taking us to each level, each chapter of our lives, lifting
us up when we fall, pulling us up gently, speaking into our hearts a new song, a new hope
a new direction.
Mid Eastern Tales
Curtis Johnson
Long, long ago, along the corridors of history,
there lived two judges name Deborah and Samson.
They were great and very special people, real and true.
These bigger than life personalities were a God send. Judge Deborah and Judge Samson were uncommon and unrelated. Though from the same country, the two were separated by several hundred years.
Judge Deborah was strong in spirit and spirituality.
She was patient, wise, and forward looking. Deborah was also a warrior and
a mighty commanding general of her nation. Before her
demise, she had become a model citizen and great patriot.
She had become a national hero and also a singer of songs.
Judge Samson, on the other hand, was very strong in body.
Unfortunately, he was weak in morals and character.
He was inconsiderate, selfish, and irresponsible.
He was also impulsive, unwise, and shortsighted.
In their own way, they both succeeded as leaders.
But at a time when his country’s freedom was completely dependent on him, he divulged the secret of his power and was captured. Selfishness blinds us of the needs of others. He was personally disgraced and humiliated. By the time of his death, Judge Samson was blinded and imprisoned.
His demise was untimely. However, before his passing, he handed out hundreds of death sentences. He also became world renown and a national hero.
10232016 cj Bible, Judges 4 & 14 PS