Best Frailty Poems
...Apologies to Heraclitus and W. H. Auden...
We, defeated by the merest things,
in defeat, endure...for now.
No abiding truth in faith:
origins and destinations
we cannot differentiate,
all random, unguided
by any prescient power;
but, not illogical
(there is no illogic.)
We impose all universal order,
influence what subsequently occurs,
to learn, or not, through endless repetition,
endless failure...and we are
but a current iteration,
here for now -- in constant flux,
defeated by the merest things.
Courage and nobility derived
from continued confrontation,
continued endless struggle,
let us show an affirming flame.
You never knew
what it was like to be bruised.
So obviously broken,
exposed to the open.
Sutures from past scars you hide
like nakedness in your eyes.
Something to be ashamed of.
Something to rise above.
Such a beautiful thing
is human frailty.
What a relief
to learn I'm only me.
The world's success doesn't start with me.
Other's stress has nothing to do with me.
The weight of the earth doesn't rest on me.
After all I'm only...me.
Deilcate and fragile qualities
molded, taught and made me
who I am
who I am.
Please God,
make me weak for love.
Make me sad for loss.
Make me lose it all.
Make me feel so small.
Make me cry too long.
But God, don't make me strong.
Beyond Despair
despair
heavy, discordant
stomping, injuring, impeding
stamina, outlook, impulse, dreams
refreshing, aiding, inspiriting
priceless, heartfelt
hope
Precious Life is a Flower
Unfolding to the Sun;
Cast a shadow 'cross its petal,
Poof! Its bloom is gone.
Frailty of Power and Strength of being Modest
Whoever is doing business
Eye for detail must have
One could be doing dizziness
Should one misbehave.
*
Our errant Town Councillor
With all majesty endowed
Needs a Social Counsellor
To secure honour bestowed.
*
Not least unruly Preacher
Who, from sin must reform,
Would he not want a Teacher
For nurture to conform!
*
Also the mystified Minister....
Who is here just by chance
Orientation to administer
And stir him from his trance!
***
Why can’t us from student
Modest, we lower or spurn,
Yet, humble and prudent,
Big self, one or two learn?
*
Demetrios’ *cry for wisdom
Yearning not for power.....
Wealth and the Kingdom,
Will reward this Follower!
*
Humble and loyal as a Dog
Dog, a Man’s best Friend;
You may flog it with a log
It won’t stop or relent!
*
When Solomon prayed
Wealth poured forth.
Anania an’ Saphira strayed
They begot their worth!
*
From the mouths of babies
Salvation forth will pour-
He cursed wayward sages
Who, Humility did deplore.
*
I learn it all from nature; +
A bird at flight my Tutor
Bird song gives me stature
To serenade my Suitor!
*
Open vista of the waves +
With briny water creases
Idle mind mine it raves
Praise of He it releases.
*
Love of mother leopard
To its nimble litter....
Mine, would I not Shepherd
To bow to the Creator?
• With humble reference to Demetrios, the Epigram Icon’s Poem: SEDUCED BY.
+ Inspired by Mark Peterson’s Poem: NO WORDS
JM
30th Oct’ 2013
The young know not their limit, for it soars above the reach of their hands.
Upwards and upwards on gusts of wind
Rising above the Atlas Mountains, dancing on the swollen snow covered peaks.
Further it goes until the very stars become its brethren
Resting forever in that cosmic soup
From below the old observe
Quietly watching their children play
Us humans are delusional, in believing that we are the most superior
species than the rest of Earth's inhabitants. We are absolutely wrong!
We Exist
We exist and with fragmented knowledge proclaim
Power that bestows life most insouciantly measure
Beneath bones desires flourish inside a tumultuous
Paradise nurturing addiction and corporeal pleasure
Any notable achievements in no way measure up to
Towering ancient sequoias blind eyes must treasure
Pterodactyls soared first however mankind callously
Utilizes deceptions to shield indelible lies and failure
We exist and affirm that evolution manipulates form
Breathing or frozen designed with a magical process
Considering last Earth dragons significantly primeval
Man still heralds his species the apex amongst races
Creatures pervaded with such a narcissistic obsession
Convey and define this very biased principle pointless
Relinquish the crown and abandon a tyrannical stance
Or inexorably descend to the void of meaninglessness
Penned: Year 2009
West Palm Beach
Florida USA
Frailty, thy name is oft mistaken
By those who seek triumph over weak
Burning with hatred's lone desire
To conquer the very mild and meek
Yet Frailty knows strength resides inside
Falling in tears from eyes filled with pain
In suffering, strength does truly lie
From this strength, Frailty derives its name
One must carry the burdens of life
Bearing painful scars upon one's soul
For to feel the pain of your brother
Instills the strength of both young and old
Knowledge gained through the harshest of times
Provides the deep well from which to draw
Lending the stiff fortitude needed
From Frailty's hidden depths, strength will claw
Tis true that Frailty is redemption
To feel, is what heart was meant to do
Without Frailty, heaven disappears
And Hell-fires, will only burn for you
Frailty, thy name is oft mistaken
By men blinded by the strength inside
Claiming their superiority
Seeing not past their own weak divide
Winter's branch may be frail, but clinging to it gives the leaf fine strength.
Yasmin Khan; Monoku
monstrous sound slashes silence
the bellow of a giant beast,
or the flutter of a thousand wings
elevations and indiscriminate creed will not heed
sinister stirs the mix, the rise of wicked’s extravagance
black feathers flutter and bewilder against the palest frontier
the mock of a starlings flight, the fall in a sparrow’s might
countless sullen wings unfold, to rally their squadrons for show
a mobbing cry meets a redeeming sky,
their rising tones mimic heaven heralding high
contrast to the core, countless black rap-tor destroy
the fading blue sapphire display
a rebel twist in the storm suspends them again, harbingers dawning
a verge of wonder, stands close
the small dark outlines, bask a golden shine
peripheries slight motion, a graceful shimmer
perched as an alert, the slight snap of fingers
a single feather cascades, turning in the elegant dance of a ballerina's descent
laying at the step vaguely pointing to the entrance,
the pride of a black bird,
there is no place for an Omen here,
the last frailty, is my secret near and dear
Terry D’Arcy-Ryan
I lay within my bed, a testament
to frailty. The last lights of life
slowly escaping my sight.
As I wait for the inevitable
punctuation to life's great quest,
I find myself thinking of what
I've done.
The list is short. It starts strong,
but all at once grows so sorrowfully short;
the sort of shortness only brought by
tragedy.
I look past the weak russling of my
thin, grey curtains to the world outside;
the world my body wishes
no part in.
The thought of all I'll never do
breaks me. I turn my head, a task
that takes an age.
I look at my curtains, watching.
they slowly sway in the breeze of the dusky
afternoon. They move dutifully to
it's commanding force, for they are
to weak to move on their own.
The curtains are a sad sight, limp
and dark, unmoving. Not for lack
of want, but of ability, for their
bodies are far to weak.
Suddenly, I gasp.
Everything grows sullenly quiet.
The breeze no long blows and
the curtains sway as if nervous.
It grows dark. Everything is pitch;
all but the curtains.
They shine like a beacon on the
backdrop of my now dusk world.
Then, as if from the shade itself,
the breeze gusts fiercely-
the curtains fly from their hinge-
Rapidly falling to the floor;
signaling my fall into
everlasting.
The curtains were a very frail
thing.
The frailty of my body reminds me
Of my weaknesses and mortality
It reminds me of my limitations
Of my dependence on God's provision
When ailments take my voice away from me
When my hoarse voice can't sing of Your glory
My heart lifts up to You a silent song
It's You who's helped me sing all along
The frailty of my body reminds me
Of Your strength and immortality
One day, You will make all broken things new
Restore this world with the freshness of dew
In Jesus, we are a new creation
We're citizens of a holy nation
Though we're not perfected, let's fix our eyes
On our true heavenly home in the sky
Like sparrow wings, brittle bone webs,
intricate as nuclear physics,
complex as the ways of love,
your frailty soared bright in my mind,
drew razor blades across my sinking heart.
How I cried, then, howled silent prayers
to whatever gods would receive,
and beseeched some Olympian deity
maybe catch the screaming gist.
I know not by grace of who or what
hooked you from the abysmal brink;
or could it have been my ferocious
mother love that willed you
back to life, fierce with psychic anchors?
I know, I know, it seems so unreal,
yet deep down in my very womb,
I ache with how much I love you
and how I would have died by
the hands of stygian grief
if you had not come home.
Familiar victim dancing in the damp darkness
Seeker made, marked, miles of skin
Fashioned into the perfectionists puppet
Tool, temptress, tornado
Fraudulent construction, masked self destruction, every mile mattered
Prison, power, machine
Dumpster of record
Entertainment, goddess on screen
Supporter, tyrant, jester in one
Pretty, pitiful, puppet of miles
Interpreted easily all or none
Oppressor mesmerized by the liars light
Mute, mime, servant in the night
I am complete when I am worthless
I am unrivaled when I am weak
I am unequaled when I am dependent
I am acceptable when I seek.
The one thing that You can't see
Behind the barrier in which I hide
Obstructing your vision and your sight
Is my incessant and flippant pride.
I am pardoned when brought low
I am free when plans get shattered
I begin to learn with much sadness
I transpire, beaten and battered.
How can I turn your face towards me?
When will you return and reappear?
Where can I go and you'll be found?
How can I draw you close and near?
My character is honed when I surrender
My candor is present when I give up
My maturity grows with a tender heart
My clarity emerges with an empty cup.
A warrior's confidence is his strength
And his training supports his mind
But the champions efforts are short-lived
If he is not with You aligned.
I am upright only when humble
I am virtuous when I decrease
I am pure when I forfeit
I am guiltless when You Increase.