Best Hard(A) Poems
HORSE
Hell-bent stallion muscles led the mustangs through the plain,
On their heels rode hard a hired man –his job to rope the best--
Rearing high the stallion—urging speed as autumn winds dance thru his mane.
Sheets of lighting limned silhouettes as they pounded toward the west--
Enchanted now the man reined in—this day let beauty rule his breast.
Here in violence and in beauty, living under the same moon
The beauty is so ancient, but the present violence here consumes
On one hand Afghanistan is all that it appears
Insurgents here are so deadly; through the land they spread fear
But a turn of that coin, would reveal a much different side
A land which contested the Great Alexander, and ruled by Shahs with pride
With its mighty Hindu Kush, and many rivers at hand
The graveyard of countless empires, its resistance that spans
The brave here fight hard, a fierce gamble, with their inheritance of wealth
Battling the Taliban with an opulence of old grit, using the hands they were dealt
Keeping Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i Sharif, and the capital -Kabul
Free from tyrannical domination, oppressed by Taliban rule
I’m in awe of these courageous Afghans, this country has come far
This is the Afghanistan which I see, who else will share where they are?
This poem was inspired by "Under The Same Moon" a three way collaboration by Poet Destroyer A, Chris D.Aechtner, and NIKKO P..
Written DEC 2013 in Afghanistan
I watch anxiety play across her face
my heart lurching
my insides upheaval laden
somewhere in the misty consciousness
it dawns
she carries my heart
and I weep
for there's no room to keep
the worry at bay
"I just think...this world is too hard a place for me."
I hear my own words reechoed
from a younger voice
a younger version of me
how can it be?
how can it be?
I thought she had more of him than of me
his calmness
his laissez faire fanfare of confidence
"let things happen as they will" exuberance
The..."don't obsess
no internal mess" productivity
It's not to be....
she carries my heart, I see
her voluptuous figure eaten away
to a size she's always wanted
but not from diet discipline
or extremes of exercise
not this time...
"I'm anxious, Mama."
What can I say?
My carefully crafted confidence in her
for being a stronger woman
than I've ever been or could ever be
is hit at the core...foundations shaken
Oh...why must she be
so much like me
and in secret, I weep
for the daughter who must keep
a heart
too sensitive, too weak
for a world
belligerent....bleak
"I'm anxious....
I'm anxious, Mama"
And I'm left with a week
before she goes away
to pull my wits about me
to know what to say
to fill her with strength
pulling on the reserves of sanity
still left to me
to set her free
Oh...to set her FREE
and let that anxiety
settle....settle...settle
enshrouding not her
but only...
......me
Eileen Manassian
You've seen that look before,
so many times that you lost count
It's the look of hopelessness,
the look of despair
Vacant eyes that no longer care
Who let the emptiness in,
who stole their zest for life
Who squeezed the vitality out,
who removed their heart with a cold butcher's knife
Was this travesty done swift and surgically,
or perhaps it happened incrementally
Bit by bit,
drip by drip
Everything they every cared about
got clean ripped from their hands
Maybe they lost their kids
on a drunk driving holiday
Maybe lost the spouse,
when forgiving them was too hard a thing to pray
Maybe lost the house after losing the job
Whatever the reasons, former associates and friends shun them now,
because maybe they think that they're cursed with plain bad luck
Maybe having no family to speak of,
got them thinking life sucks
Down on their luck right now
would be a kind thing to say
But in their heart they know better,
for every sin committed, there's a pound of flesh to pay
So they wander around lifelessly
with that vacant look in their eye
Just wasting the time away until the day they die
That is Some Hydraulic Brakes
One day at a food shop,
I met a man selling cakes,
For money he wanted to swap,
But I really wanted some hydraulic brakes.
"Got any hydraulic brakes?" asked I.
"For that's how I'll spend my money."
"No hydraulic brakes here!" said the guy.
He seemed to find it quite funny.
"We've got some lovely marbles,
I'll give you a very fine price."
"I'd rather have some barbels."
The man blinked rapidly thrice.
The man seemed exceptionally cunning,
And his manner was strangely amused.
He wasn't what I would call stunning,
The great disdain he noticeably oozed.
Like others, he thought I was odd,
Some say I'm a bit slim.
Still he gave me a courteous nod,
As if he thought I was plenty skim.
So in search of my goal I departed,
But before the food shop could I leave,
The man came running full-hearted,
"I can help you I believe."
"Cakes, hydraulic brakes, you shall find.
Marbles, barbels, you can get.
You must now open your mind,
And get down to Barker's Market.
So to Barker's Market I decided to go,
In search of the hydraulic brakes I craved.
The winds it did eerily blow.
But I felt that the day could be saved.
There were stalls selling cakes,
Apples in many shades.
There were even stalls selling rakes
People were scattered from many trades
I was greeted by a peculiar lady,
She seemed to be rather slim
I couldn't help thinking she might be quite shady.
I wondered if she was at all skim.
Before I could open my mouth,
She shouted, "For you, I have some hydraulic brakes!"
I headed towards her, to the south,
Past some marbles and cakes.
"But how did you know?" I asked,
"Do you want them or not?" she did say.
Silently, the hydraulic brakes she passed.
Then vanished before I could pay.
As I walked away I hard a crackle
Or was it, perhaps, a hushed cackle?
Ah Gabriel!
How hard a task was laid on you,
how hard the trust,
how hard
to travel through
the empty miles of space
unto a cloistered girl
who knew no man,
to startle her
and race her heart
past fear,
and then announce
strange words --
that she would bear a son of destiny
who would be named
as Yahweh's chosen one.
Was all the gospeling
the holy one commanded you to speak
some comfort to her then?
Or did her face grow white
as stone?
And did her knees collapse
with all the gloried weight of you?
Were you to her
a hollow wind,
within the tensing air
a shadow blurred,
a light askance
just there
beyond the corner of her eye,
an echo of a voice beyond the upland hills?
Or did she know you then for what you are,
God's able bodied one,
God's might,
and look you eye in eye,
and calmly kneel
in smiling awe,
amazed at all the golden splendor
in your wings and wake,
with gentle handmaid's reverence
and, grace inflamed,
said yes,
hands crossed
along her heart,
her belly swelling quick with majesty,
reducing you to tears?
In a pet shop, a female cat fell in love with a male dog. The dog was so irate and said, "Stop licking me or I will eat you!" For many days the cat was crestfallen and silent. She said to herself that a dog can never fall in love with a cat.
One morning, the dog was choking from the food that he ate, and the cat rushed to him. Knowing that the veterinarian was not inside the shop, she went on top of the table and pushed hard a plastic bottle filled with water towards the dog's head. The dog was relieved after being hit by the water-filled bottle.
From that day forward, the dog loved the cat for what she has done for him. Unlike other animals inside the pet shop, it was only the cat that cared for him more than anybody or anything else.
Hidden Truth
The truth is not told
from the way I look
cause inside my head
confusion's a cook.
It's boiling, steaming
and scattered all around
It's sizzling, bubbling
and no peace found.
It's questions unanswered
and fearing to ask
It's truths to tell
but too hard a task.
It's words unsaid
in fear of the tongue
and smiles to share
inside deep down.
It's feelings to reveal
direct from the heart
and anger to let go
like a piercing dart.
It's all these things
locked up inside
fearing to leave
the place they hide.
Dedicated to all those quiet people who keep there feelings locked up inside."I know how
you feel".......love Maryam*
My mountain man was born in June.
He could do everything, even lasso the moon.
No problem was too big for him to undertake,
Even if it was a fixture that he had to make.
He was like Paul Bunyan, chopping trees and cutting wood,
To keep his little house as warm as he could.
In business he was about as hard a worker as they come.
To be astute and shrewd was his rule of thumb.
He and his wife owned a business and did all right.
Lots of good things were bought to their delight.
But the most important thing that had the highest cost,
Was the love they had for each other they somehow lost.
Now the two people that loved each other for years,
Cannot be in the same room without valid fears.
What happened to their love that began years ago?
Greed crept in, and they did not even know.
They should have been retiring together, holding hands on the beach.
Instead they are going separate ways, and thinking of the breach.
Money is not everything, there is only so much life you live.
Value the love you have, and in your heart forgive.
So it’s onward I go through the wind and the rain.
Where I stop who will know in my traveling refrain?
Wide the world to be seen; high the mountains to climb,
In the green of my roving time.
Cloudy skies, glowing sun, moon and stars overhead,
Waterfall, river run, grassy mattress for my bed—
From the summer to spring, autumn leaves turning gold,
I shall sing till my story’s told.
Winter chill in the air, hard a landlord to bear,
For the cost of the frost— it can bite.
Still the splendors abound— angel fields, virgin ground,
When the snow paints the pastures white.
Solitude for a friend till the long journey’s end,
When my heart isn’t ever so lonely.
Can there be someone there, with a life I can share,
Who will find me the one and only?
~ Harley White
[Song lyrics to music of “Bouree” in E Minor, by Johann Sebastian Bach]
Typing a new poem, muse come cyber me,
searching for some keyboard poem mystery.
Text to my monitor, pixel the result,
if the rhyme is hard a web site I’ll consult.
Spell Check ever ready, I’ll dance 'round the lines,
verbiage will be strange, fonts in new designs.
Each lines meter flow will be of no despair,
my, Syllable Counter, always will be there.
If should error strike we’ll just delete the line,
diagnose the viral verse and redefine.
Alliteration always there to appease,
with words weight balanced wonderfully with ease.
My poem loads complete as some fine software,
like freeware beta, without a micro care.
If an errant form becomes a meg concern,
call it updated, old version we will spurn.
With need to please, each syllable I will tease,
any poet shortcut I will try to seize.
If my writers talent shows not up to code,
please do not be stressed, a fresh muse I'll reload.
Robert Gene Stoner Jr ©
2/7/15
The being , being of human in structure and form
O human being i have observed you, living lavishly
The being , being civil in manner and attitude but yet
Unable to maintain the civilian in the human being
Characterized by materialism , survivalism , then greed
O human being you have been short changed by your desires
The being , being separated from self i observed with great pity
Unable to deal with scarcity of resources , commodities , elements
The character of the human being is no different to that of a scoundrel
Driven by an unfulfilled longing of desires only known to the human being
In all the human beings trial and error on living , the human being speaks peace
But peace is not cheap , no bank in the world can afford the peace for the being
Being human in nature , the being is battling with self betrayal
The animals are better of , the plants are better of ,
But the human being , being human is a big price to pay
The being , being human has betrayed creation in all forms
The betrayal is hard a burden to bear living the being an angry human
Only time will tell what will become of human , as being is all we have.
Our childhood was selfish reign
did nothing but cause personal pain
our parents did naught for the self-worth gain
but ridiculed us into shame.
All our lives we tried to change
the internal dialogue negative was
rejection hounded like a savage dog
not able to let go of its forming fog.
We ran away to seek our fortunes
but self destruct was meant to be
life was hard, a test you see
the best wasn't meant to be.
The least we knew, but wanted more
why not settle the shameful score
because rejection sits at the core
keeping love outside the door.
I know the answer! Self-help books adorn
read with fever but left forlorn
happiness clouded as I now morn
left wishing I was never born.
Everything I've tried was to heal
this became my Achilles Heel.
The wheel of life, the circle done
I accept my lot, rejection won.
Get Up
The further I run into love I lose more and more of me
Seeing the water run off the rocks and not understanding the rain
Knowing that life has not aided the thoughts that I think
Endless breath can you keep a secret of do I keep quiet
It’s so lonely in here and I just want a confidant…
Looking out at the time of day it’s not day anymore
I close my eyes to see the light and its rays calm my soul
The heart rate lower as I sink into my chair of realization
Too close to emptiness and too far from declaration
The music soothes the fear that has taught my feet to run…
Grassroots grown in the topsoil of pain coach me
But how can I be what I will be if I continue to be what I was
Nostalgic hemorrhages touch the cool sweat running down my back
Coercing me to look there in the crevices of yesterday to see you
Find time to gather your senses and plan for the birth of yourself…
The road is paved and path is determined before you were born
Yet, so few minutes of the day has time except for desires just awakening
Panting for the light where seeing and knowing is life ever more
Paying so much to receive so little, not tired, but frequently desperate
Loneliness did this and when will I get the courage to open my mouth…
So blessed, but no one warned of the cost of the blessing
How hard a task to love beyond my love which is insufficient
Let me die so I can live for leaving me alone kills me
Why do I believe in the thing that abandons me so often
Only to reenter and cause me to believe yet again, O fool!...
Get up. Get up. Get up I say! You are not what you have become
LIVE! Yes, I said LIVE! Get up and speak to the Universe
Call unto the winds and declare unto the earth that you are alive
So much buried inside of you and so much waits to accompany you
Love found you lonely; not dying to self has found you lonely
Peace can’t understand you and hope exhausts herself with you
Weary man the world waits for no one, but God waits…
Yes, He waits to grant you your inheritance, so you must Get up now…Get Up!
Andra Westmoreland/2014
One day at a toy shop,
I met a man selling marbles,
For money he wanted to swap,
But I really wanted some barbels.
"Got any barbels?" asked I.
"For that's how I'll spend my money."
"No barbels here!" said the guy.
He seemed to find it quite funny.
"We've got some lovely bricks,
I'll give you a very fine price."
"I'd rather have some affix."
The man blinked rapidly thrice.
The man seemed exceptionally tall,
And his manner was strangely amused.
He wasn't what I would call natal,
Great disdain he noticeably oozed.
Like others, he thought I was odd,
Some say I'm a bit energetic.
Still he gave me a courteous nod,
As if he thought I was plenty pathetic.
So in search of my goal I departed,
But before the toy shop could I leave,
The man came running full-hearted,
"I can help you I believe."
"Marbles, barbels, you shall find.
Bricks, affix, you can get.
You must now open your mind,
And get down to New York Market.
So to New York Market I decided to go,
In search of the barbels I craved.
The winds it did eerily blow.
But I felt that the day could be saved.
There were stalls selling dresses,
Shoes in many shades.
There were even stalls selling excesses
People were scattered from many trades
I was greeted by a peculiar lady,
She seemed to be rather energetic
I couldn't help thinking she might be quite shady.
I wondered if she was at all pathetic.
Before I could open my mouth,
She shouted, "For you, I have some barbels!"
I headed towards her, to the south,
Past some bricks and marbles.
"But how did you know?" I asked,
"Do you want them or not?" she did say.
Silently, the barbels she passed.
Then vanished before I could pay.
As I walked away I hard a crackle
Or was it, perhaps, a hushed cackle?