Best Ill Health Poems
Mama held me close to her bosom
wouldn't let me go astray
she shook the cradle of civilization
and to her wayward offspring
she paid attention.
She added a tinge of color to the cheeks of some
and tinted plenty with even more
for identification, as to whom they belonged.
While her purported gaze
stored us from mediocrity
she whispered silent pants
when our future's prowess
begun to shiver she remained astute.
Mana Africa! I call you by this name
You've nullified all bleak spectrum
situations bestowed on us
when frequent ill-health
pounded on our weary hearts
you trembled --never loss guard
We are forever indebted to your
unflinching affirmation of sheer solidarity
Mana Africa!
your goodwill seizes not to elude
Capricious speeches we confer
as we orate about the trying times
The soundbites of your caresses will never
be deserted; let alone our appraisal of celerity
The best of we your “Adeptus Children”
have supplied the melatonin
from your sacred womb
and you have followed us with
love and self determination
as we have toiled on foreign soil
Then as we have been scattered
to the four corners;
Innately we have held on to our sanity.
Stayed in tuned to our intuition
as we have maintained circadian rhythms
and overcame enough, clinging to
our dignity in one hand and our
lives in the other, still to rise above.
Nana has taught us to endure
to be courageous, outrageously
courageous we have been.
even as we achieved
Our circadian rhythms were off beat.
Sacrifices only a mother would make
from the alchemy of adoration comes her love
self-determination is the water of her blood
and she the blood in our veins
the blood passed on...a mother’s blood...
Mana Africa
Ase’
A collaberatetion withYoung Prince Kennedy from Ghana and Mama Oladeji aka Vicki Acquah
What is love if it is not the selfless,
Wholehearted joy in another’s fortune?
If it is not the thrill at another’s joy?
If it is not the longing for another’s happiness,
Then what is love at all?
Real love remains untainted by bitter negativity,
By possessiveness and jealousy.
By human nature’s poisons and insecurities.
Love is the power to grant freedom, to trust, to adore.
So, what is love if not the warm and carefree feeling?
A heart brimming full of laughter and light?
If these emotions are not love,
Then who can claim to love at all?
Love is not a need, or desire, nor is it the want of flesh.
Love is the simple pleasure of another’s company,
The sharing, sometimes, the sacrifice,
The ultimate willingness to put another first.
The hunger to make another happy.
The need to dry their tears,
To tend their ill health,
To help them be all that they can be.
To inspire their dreams,
Cultivate ambitions
And give absolutely, unequivocally your all.
Because love makes us better than we are,
And what is love, if it is not the beautiful,
And soul singing feeling of fulfilment,
Pride and joy in the existence of another?
What is love if it is not all accepting,
All forgiving and all kind?
Love is a guiding light in life,
Something to aspire towards.
What is love then,
If not the warmth in my chest,
The smile as I fall asleep,
The eagerness with which I wake?
What is love, if not the excitement,
The anticipation you always leave me with?
I ask you then, what is love,
If it is not what I feel for you?
I look into the mirror
And who is that I see?
Someone I don't recognise
Is looking back at me
The lines upon the forehead
That are called ‘worry lines'
Are caused by getting stressed
Far too many times
A line next to the right eyebrow
It’s the liver that's to blame
Due to excess alcohol
Or so the doctors claim
The line next to the left eyebrow
Is connected to the spleen
So much for thinking the body
Is like a finely-tuned machine
At the corner of both eyes
Are very deep crow’s feet
These are connected to all organs
As they admit defeat
We used to call them ‘smile lines'
But not much smiling has been done
When you have ill-health
Life is not much fun
Black bags under the eyes
Are signalling poor circulation
Or maybe just a lack of sleep
Nightmares without an explanation
The pancreas could be at fault
If there are ‘laughter lines'
But they could just be caused
By laughing numerous times
Lines above the upper lip
They could be caused by smoking
But they also indicate spleen trouble
Those lines are thought-provoking
Lines upon the neck
Otherwise known as a ‘double-chin’
Can be caused by too much gluten
Putting a thyroid in the spin
In the mirrors reflection
There are so many lines to see
Then I realise the person in the mirror
Yes, it’s me!
His students proud to so declare
He is a Chef Extraordinaire
Keeping love for evermore
His late wife, sweet Lenore
From his mountain he looks out
Finding inspiration all about
Writing words from living life
His past, his share of human strife
He writes with such emotion deep
Poetry that often makes me weep
He hasn't written much of late
Ill health has been his recent fate.
But, thanks to God he's on the mend
My best wishes I daily send
For all my life, my dearest friend
HG, my love to you I send...
How regretful was I
To see my dead body from the sky
How regretful indeed
Why, with utmost sorrow, did my spirit bleed
In my early thirties was I still
Life, had I lived it according to my will
Yet, so many things were there for me to do
So many things had been left unsaid
I still had not published my works
I still had so many things to write about
I still had to say sorry,
To remove from my enemy's face that pout
I still had to make the world understand me
That I was but a creature of humility
That proud I never had been, even if I had not mingled often
Even if I had always preferred to be alone
I still had to say I love you
To those who had wanted to be with me
To those who had helped in shaping me
To those, who, again, had never been able to understand me
I still had so many opportunities left
Yes, I had wanted to clear this world of its ill health
I had wanted to make my voice heard
As one with a vision, so unnerved
I still had to buy that fashionable dress
Even if it did cost more than what I did gain each month
I still had to please myself
For I did know that my life, as all the others, would last only a while
I still had to forgive
Those who did cause me to grieve
Those made of blinded arrogance
As to have caused me to choose, from them, another direction
I still had to learn
This world is so vast
That it is not easy to master it
Why, of its many secrets I had always wanted to be treated
Joyful I became though, when I saw in front me, the gates of Heaven
Thankful, for at least, while living, I never was mistaken
I did choose to believe in my faith
I did choose to bask not in that known as sin
Looking back at my lifeless body
I suddenly wished to be granted another chance
Another chance in this mundane reality
But then, the gates of Heaven did open
And I simply let myself get overwhelmed by its glory
Pray, have I always read in those books of faith
That one should never regret the mundane
For it was all false and illusory
So I walked on in this beautiful city
And forgot all about Earth
Indeed, life shall now be different
At last, Heaven was there for me to enjoy!
Many dictators come to a well-deserved fate
Brutally assassinated or dying at their own hands,
Consider these more recent promoters of hate
In third world countries and distant foreign lands.
Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini immediately come to mind,
But Mao, “Papa Doc” and Castro died from ill health
They, like too many, lived to a ripe-old age, we find,
And too many lived in opulence, off ill-gotten wealth.
Nicolae Ceausescu of Romania is a notable exception
He was executed by firing squad along with his wife.
All these men were evil incarnate, it's my perception,
It is my opinion they should’ve all been denied life.
Written December 4, 2022
1. Valsa (means in our language 'loved' or 'dear')
2. I rate myself as sincere, humble, compassionate and conscientious
3. I am the proud Mother of two sons-Thomas and George
4. I long for peace, wish to have strong family ties and keep a child- like
fasciation for flowers, often getting lost in natural beauty.
5. I feel saddened by the pain of the less privileged and those stricken with
misfortune, find joy in the company of friends and keep a grateful heart for
God’s blessings.
6. I fear most, the ill health of the family members, disruption of family ties and
unexpected natural calamities that plunge many into misery.
7. I live in a suburb of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala, India
8. George
When days become messy with problems rife,
He helps me learn how to savor life.
He stays as a pillar by my side in all my strife.
I am ever content to be his adoring wife.
Dave
Reflective, questioning, introspective, introverted
Father of Daniel
Lover of Daniel, music, and mathematics
Who feels wonder, gratitude, and sentiment
Who fears climate change, nuclear war, and ill health
Who would like to see a passenger pigeon, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and Pentangle in concert
Resident of Seal Beach, California
Crandall
Daniel
I admit, I'm awfully proud
Of traits with which my son's endowed -
Handsome, kind, thoughtful, wise, and bright.
Could it be, I did something right?
Father’s day…
That old familiar ache in my heart returns along with a lump in my throat.
I become distant as that day grows closer, not taking in much of anything
anyone has to say … my only thoughts of you.
I find the sweater I gave you on Father’s Day, 12 years ago; when you sat
on the porch in the blistering heat, wearing it, and a toque, shaking because
you were cold.
I put the sweater on and feel you close to me, and go for my morning walk
along a no exit gravel road in the early morning, wanting to be alone with you
and my random thoughts, knowing, more than likely, there won’t be a
single car pass me.
On the Road again by, Willie Nelson, runs through my mind; the song you requested
be played at your celebration of life; the song that defined you…a free spirit
who finally found what you had been looking for, when ill health
forced you to stop roaming, and for 23 years after your heart attack,
you became the father I had so longed for.
I see you now, sitting on the kitchen floor playing with your grandchildren,
completely content, your contagious laughter making me laugh,
your sparkling eyes, looking into mine, speaking volumes without saying a word.
I think of the days proceeding your passing, and you in your feeble voice,
singing to mom, those lyrics from ‘Last Fairwell’, by Roger Whittaker," ‘for you are beautiful, and I have loved you dearly, more dearly than the spoken words can tell".
And as the sun rises over the hill, I swallow the lump in my throat,
and continue on down the road.
In loving memory of my dear father,
Harold George, October 25 1927 - August 11,2003
I was told that sex stimulates mutual emotion,
out of curiousity, I decided to quiz a whore
she told me sex is a business and she craves more.
''Do you love your clients?'' was my last question.
Someone whispered ''sex is all about sharing pleasure''.
Immersed in doubt, I inquired from a rape victim,
all she told me was that ''sex was my darkest dream,''
''you love rapist?'' I asked... she hates them beyond measure.
I was told that sex makes relationship longer and deeper,
I went to the heartbroken, she explained better,
she simply said ''sex is a game that could make life bitter''
''I was used and dumped'' she ended up cheaper...
The pornstar opened a can of worms, ''sex is a fiction''
she said, it does not make the artists become intimate
sex and love are two different feelings...with different fate.
Love is more of a strong devotion than emotion.
I think sex is one of the sweetest sensation on earth,
it is a pure feeling when share at the right time.
Sex with a wrong person is now a common crime
that causes emotional trauma, heartbreak and ill health.
You fought as bravely as the others.
When you were wounded, yes you bled.
You loved each other as if brothers
And those who died were truly dead.
It was a quite unpopular war.
Our country's leaders were to blame.
It should not have been you soldiers who
Came home to silence, even shame.
Only your families welcomed you,
You lucky ones who came back home.
Your jobs were gone, your futures too.
Ill health and muddled minds for some.
When I meet you, Viet Nam Veteran,
There are some words I need to say.
I'd like to walk up to you, shake your hand
And welcome you the rightful way.
Thank you. (the spacing goes wild on me. I can't correct it.)
8/23/14
Cancer it breaks cancer it takes
It erodes and corrodes body and soul
Lingers and takes hold cant be stopped or controlled
Terminal is with an apparent ending
Loss of hope and no point in pretending
Life span is against natures clock
Head now on the proverbial block
Spreads with ease the cardinal disease
Painful fulfilment never set to ease
Deterioration quickens as the body weakens
The illness striving towards winning Beacons
Inhabiting this life just day to day living
Illness taking everything with it unforgiving
Maintain dignity the only plea of life left
Cancers taken everything will be till death
Being the shadow of ones former self
A serious turn for the worst inevitable ill health
Oh its just sods law to over through a bad habit
Of smoking only to contract lung cancer damn it
Undetected unnoticed overseen by mere testing
Cancer accumulating cells rapidly and festering
Agonising pain fills ones veins no relief no escape
The moment of death ones lonely never-ending wait
In the last moments the death rattle echo's consumes last breath
The only hope remaining is there's life after death.
What makes a child feel closer to one parent rather than to the other?
Although love bound me to the heart of my mother,
it was to my Father's side that I chose to cling.
He was always the first up in the morning, even before the sun.
He knew as a farmer, his work in the fields was never done.
I remember my first day of school. He was the bus driver.
Timid little me, I looked out the window and there he was,
peering back at me. I ran from the room and into his arms.
After a hug he looked me in the eye and said. "Don't cry."
I thought I was home free,
but my Dad took me by the hand and walked me back to my desk.
My Dad, he always knew how to handle me.
I wanted no part of housework.
To the fields I followed him after school.
It was our time to talk about our dreams, problems, whatever was on our minds.
He never stopped, not even after open heart surgery...twice.
It slowed him down, but never made him quit.
I watched the strength in him fade away,
day after day he lost the battle of ill health.
His kidneys were shutting down and he finally lost his will to live.
The last time he opened his eyes I kissed him goodbye and he could only smile.
That night he went into a coma and I prayed to God that He let him die.
I've never felt guilty about those prayers.
I'd already lost my Father to sleep.
I have no bad memories of my Dad.
He was never the one to dole out a spanking.
He was my buddy; my hero in every sense of the over used word.
We hunted together~ he taught me to drive a tractor ~ I could go on.
He loved me as much as I still love him.
I was blessed to have such a wonderful father, and grandfather to my children.
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December 31st, 2015 Tell About your Dad Contest: Sponsor: Judy Konos
Oh, give me a home where everyone is free to roam,
sharing hugs and kisses with family and friends
Where there's nothing to fear 'neath the capitol dome
And my combatant countrymen have made amends
I want incivility to stop, ending the bitter hostility
Brother vs brother, hating each other with animosity
It's a misnomer to call ourselves "The United States"
when any topic discussed turns into chaotic debates
I desire a state of well-being; a country free of ill-health
Life is more important, compared to any material wealth
When did belligerence become accepted by so many?
What happened to smiles we wore? I no longer see any
If it were possible, I would paint everyone in a sepia hue
No blacks or whites; color would no longer have value
Medicine would not come with side effects that could kill
America would be great again because of man's goodwill
Freedom would belong to each man, woman, and child
We would respect nature and protect animals in the wild
Americans would live together in harmony; honor bound
Proud of our homeland, and once again world renowned
I long to see the U. S. have representatives who care
about our beautiful country, and keep oaths they swear
I want Old Glory to fly high, not used in domestic battle
dishonored by rioters, stampeding like a herd of cattle
Arguing over who's at fault has only brought us shame
What good are words and fingers pointing out the blame
I'm ready to move on and it's my hope that you are, too
Americans, remember what John Kennedy asked of you
* * * * * * *
March 9, 2021
What You Really Want Contest
Sponsored by Richard Lamoureux
If the doubts could be swept away
If the mountains we face could crumble to the ground
How would we learn to trust?
How would we remember about the mustard seed of faith?
I know life can be trying at times
You so much want that elusive peace
Where everything falls into place
Somehow it is possible
Just remember the blessings
In spite of the turmoil
The smile on a friend’s face that’s fighting ill health
The memories shared with a love one passed on
The ray of hope of new life a baby brings
The blessing to have family
Remember to love
Ferocious; yet gentle love
Don't live your life
As if tomorrow is all you plan for
Live for today
Be jubilant now
Even when the mountains seem insurmountable
As long as you have breathe
You must have faith
That your mission can still be accomplished
Just don’t let it diminish
The importance of living in the now
©041220151442