Best In Place Poems
Place and Time, Time in Place
I hear the mourning dove, her lonesome call
cooing softly, somewhere in the shade.
The sum holds steady
strong and blinding, high straight up in the midday haze.
The days of summer
creep to an end, as August sheds its heat.
In short and distant days ahead
autumn reaches in, with change and dying, withered leaves.
Each season takes its place and time
not overstepping, awaiting its turn.
Soon enough
too soon, perhaps, the seasons pass.
Time stands still
for no one, nothing, allowing only seasons change.
Moving forward, ever forward
years, decades, centuries, bringing all things, all futures, all pasts
to stake their place and time
while history alone, holds time in place.
Stones come in all varieties of colors
Dazzling and uniting passionate lovers
Stones are what foundations are based
Through time and space many have raced
Stones come in all shapes and sizes
One can only guess of it's many disguises
Stones make you wonder where it all started
Where they stand once we've departed
Inspired by Rick Parise and contest named Stones
A house is a home when love is in place
And children are singing songs of delight.
Laughter comes squealing with grins on each face.
Parents and children with wide eyes embrace.
New hopes and sweet dreams on youngsters alight.
A house is a home when love is in place.
Fears and bad dreams may on some nights encase.
Wise words, good parents, can rub out night’s fright.
Laughter comes squealing with grins on each face.
There is no love that could ever replace
Mother and father with love shining bright.
A house is a home when love is in place.
If ever you think your heart has no grace.
Stand by your family; never take flight.
A house is a home when love is in place.
Laughter comes squealing with grins on each face.
12/23/2016
Is my mask in place?
Do I appear normal?
But am I their normal?
Will I pass?
I could announce myself
in a variety of interesting ways
and explain myself by showing them
my doctor's notes
But am I not vulnerable enough?
Do I not already have enough labels?
Do I need to give them another reason to detest me?
Do I want them to know how truly different I am?
Is my mask in place?
Is yours? What about Sylvia's mask?
And Tom's? We all need them. Not just one of us.
I am taking steps heading upward
On an escalator going down
Expending all my energy
But staying on the floor that’s on the ground
No matter how fast I run
The faster the treadmill spins
And after running for many hours
I stop just where I did begin
I am stuck in my cage
Spinning on the rotating wheel
I can empathize with the guinea pig
Knowing just how he must feel
And yet I keep on moving
As if to stop would mean to end
I must put food on the table
And pay the bills that keep coming in
Even though the scenery never changes
And I never seem to move too far
I guess there is a sense of security
In knowing exactly just where we are
Pride will not let many see their own arrogance
they hate to budge knowing hell awaits for the false teacher
is it not everyone's duty to warn of the dangers
showing some sort of remorse admitting to sin
and seeking forgiveness in the act of Divine Mercy
Many speak of sin as if no longer matters
that in itself is a mortal sin directing souls on the wrong path
they deceive the very existence of hell to speak Holy
those that surrender to the beast acknowledge surrender
In our Lord's words sin will always be sin
time will never change the rules to suit man
those craving sinful pursuits will never be accepted
Descending war pile on my threadbare past or
I’m losing my grace, for the puzzle’s not solved or
My gallant blessing is never done working or
My ideas are like heaviness across blinding sky or
My oasis splashes upon the canvas of wall or
My sunny angels tangle out a single smile or
The disturbance prevails the numbness of my existence or
I’m screaming, trying to build the confidence and
I felt like blooming in pleasing joy
I felt confident again…
I felt as if I belonged for only a few hours of my life…
I felt I was being held and fed with love
I felt as if I had a chance, but not in this world
I felt I was a stranger handling faith
I felt like I’ve changed—in a good way
You feel stuck in place
You’re silent, tearing down the hesitation and
The serenity fails the sensation of your extinction and
Your rainy demons unravel in multiple frowns and
Your desert dries out the imageless liberty and
Your banalities are like weightlessness around visible earth and
Your cowardly curse is always resting and
Your gaining your disgrace, for the riddles are solved and
Ascending peace unload off your renewed future or
You feel like wilting in displeasing sadness
You feel unsure for once
You feel as if you are isolated always forever in death…
You feel you were dropped and starved with hate
You feel as if you had a chance, in this world
You feel like you’re a friend juggling doubt
You feel like your constant—in a bad way
I felt free in space
(a poem my sister and I created)
°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°
Kris, so miffed having heard Blitzen say,
"You must shelter in place, Christmas day!",
drew a sip from his flask
through a rip in his mask,
then threw every last gift off his sleigh!
°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°~°°
It's hard to feel like
your growing up when you're moored
- sheltering at home.
I am patiently
waiting to take the helm of my
life's navigation.
My life, so far, is
prelude - I long to cast off
and exit the slip.
Such Dreams, Hold In Place My Grieving Heart
A gentle song in your voice, only I could hear
loving you my choice, losing my greatest fear
Grabbing that light coming from your soft eyes
was touching a rainbow in clear blue skies!
Your beauty, stream growing splashing flowers
my heart beating for our time, midnight hours
Your glowing soul, baby steps into my realm
your kisses given, my heart they overwhelm!
Memories tell me, you are still by my side
to hold these, your death my mind does hide
Some sweet nights, I feel your soft touch
those are the nights, I embrace so damn much!
Such dreams, hold in place my grieving heart.
Prayers begging, begging our love to restart!
R.J. Lindley
Feb, 25 1981
Note--Old sonnet, found folded in an old poetry book.
I must have placed it there and forgotten long ago.
I did edit out some personal references and shortened it to be a sonnet.
Author's privilege cited..
My only form of escape
Is to run away
I have been running all of my life
I run instead of standing up for my self
I run from the truth
That will set me free
I run from whats holding me back
And pulling me down
I give up my rights to stand up
And fight
I run to keep out of mind and sight
All that mess of long ago struggles
I run to find in easy short cut to come
A cross and finish
And not run blind on a straight line
I look for ways to run
To drop the load thats slowing me down
I run so that i dont have to explain
Why the sun dont shine on my face
Why the rain takes the place of my tears
Why this frown takes the place of my smile
I run to hide whats locked deep inside
And someday die then i can say
Aim done running
The only thing I fear
is when you're not near
I cant stand to suffer through this pain
and all this stuff is making me go insane
I'm gonna do anything just to be with you
I'm gonna try to hold my ground, be bullet proof
ill never let you down again
and ill do anything just to make amends
sitting here and dazing
of why things aren't amazing
the path I've chosen to go
became so lonely, so cold
all of the sacrifices that I have made
ill do anything just for you and me to stay
I'm just so sick of all of this
its pointless, ridiculous
I stand here and try to hold myself together when I cry
I hate this feeling, like I wanna crawl up in a shell wishin' to die
it feels like this is turning into a routine
saying things, doing things that we don't even mean
and I stand here to feel myself burn
freaking out cause I don't know which way my head should turn
this relationship we got isn't a game
so stop playing and causing each other pain
I wish I had a time machine and turn back time
when everything was still in shape, still in place, still in line.
A marionette
A puppeteer
By hand divine
I must appear
To stumble for
A crowd besmear
And languish in
My aging year
What joke did play
This puppeteer
To seize the strings
To watch them leer
My wooden heart
Hush beating near
In time opposed
I see my fear
What good is good
When gray has passed
And He has taken
Every last
Should sing an all
In parting song
And youth recall
Incessant wrong
But leaving time
Senescent end
A puppet all
By string descend
And taking up
In hand does He
Another life
And jest to be
A marionette
In place of me
When the pandemic lockdown is over
I will be springing from my cage in leaps and bounds.
I will run down the street hugging all the neighbors I have never met
I will be driving to my grandchildren’s homes to smother them with kisses.
I will hunt each and every grandchild down no matter how far I have to drive.
Drive! Wait! I can still drive! Hooray for that; I hope so anyway.
When the shelter-in-place is over I will go to the stores I used to pass.
I will go in and out of every one, to see everything I have ever missed.
I will drag home some things I will never use, just like before.
I will try one some clothes at fancy clothing stores.
I will buy art supplies, and I will paint my happiness all over my house.
For when the Pandemic lockdown is over, I will fly from my cage and be free!
Home is where
She is under his gun
***