Best Insurmountable Poems
Like no one before, nor since
you painted that starry night in oils
superimposing your life story.
I feel I know this idyllic village
blanketed by tranquil rolling hills
embraced by calming olive trees
their very branches a symbol of peace
the steadfast church steeple
a sacred echo of the stalwart cypress.
But never have I witnessed
hills so inflamed - burning to tell the world their history
a moon so agitated - suffering from an incurable insanity
the night sky so frenzied - seeking answers to life's suffering
such undulating indigo eddies of despondency and confusion
or stars radiating with such feverish beauty - concentric circles of passion.
That starry night
you painted stars that, like you, are light years away from anyone else
looking on the serene village scene from an insurmountable distance
for you saw things, Vincent,
like no one before, nor since.
[free verse ekphrasis of the painting "The Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh]
Written 5 Jul 2020
Categories:
insurmountable, art, depression, night, passion,
Form:
Ekphrasis
This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence ~ Psalm 73:12-13
A wise man long ago bemoaned the thought
that those who seek the paths of righteousness
so often struggle mightily. Their lot
seems only to be wreathed in hopelessness.
Meanwhile, the wicked reap rich dividends
while disregarding others' poverty -
they'll use whatever means may suit their ends,
neglecting justice, love, humility.
Believers know "these three remain" to guide
up peaks appearing insurmountable:
Faith is that trust in Him who walks beside;
Hope is that blessed wealth uncountable;
and Love, which guides us to eternity -
For "God is love", the greatest of the three.
Categories:
insurmountable, poverty,
Form:
Sonnet
I AM
A Father.
A Son.
A Brother.
None are just titles.
I live those titles every day through my actions.
I am successful at those roles every day.
I possess unconditional unwavering love .
I AM
A Director
My profession as much as my titles defines me.
It is not just my career it is my love.
Directing theatre has my unconditional unwavering love.
I am successful at this role every day.
I AM
defined by my actions.
I act on my beliefs.
I AM
defined by my beliefs.
I believe in the fiber of someone's character
not their words,
in their intent not just their actions.
Peoples needs are important to me not just my own.
I AM
committed to forgiveness,
Humans are basically good.
The forest is dense predators lurk in the shadows.
Fear plays too important a role in too many lives.
I help others rather than judge them negatively.
I believe
Even though the task ahead seems insurmountable
we will find our way through the black of these days.
People with completely different views can and do bond.
I believe
We must learn tolerance for without it we are lost.
I believe
in priorities
I do not give too much importance
to words and ideas.
I learn from nature
like the mighty oak
I can bend with the wind.
I prefer more round tables,
less round 'em up.
In less locks
more open doors,
in more heart
less knee jerks.
I have the strength to accept I die
the will to live every day.
I worry about the incredible suffering
exists away from North America.
I Am
Love
above all else
Love
It is about put up
or shut up.
I am anything but silent.
I Am
one of many
in the end
that is who
I Am.
06~11~2014
Sponsor: frank herrera
Contest Name:"I AM"
Categories:
insurmountable, introspection,
Form:
Narrative
I formed the poet to be my clay pen
To dance on the pin tip of my understanding
I delight in words
All things came into existance through my words
The planets
The stars
The moon
The sun
The universes beyond what you can see
They are tethered by my imagination
I am a God of order
I delight in repetition
My ways are perfect
What you see a chaos, fits perfectly into my plans
I occupy all the spaces
I exist within each breath
My energy flows from beginning to end and back again
I allow you to glimpse my shadow
For my full Glory would consume your human form
I am beyond your comprehension
Yet I wish you to know me
Ponder me
Come into my loving arms
My words are written on ancient scrolls
Each verse contains my essence
My invitation to a wondorous feast
Taste the succulence of my bounty
The flavours my affection
My consummate Love
Do not be concerned with the temporary
Trust in my grace
For I know all your needs
This world will one day disappear
Paradise will reside under your feet
I will be your completion
Dancing will have new meaning
Rivers will sparkle like diamonds
The skies will no longer need the sun
For I will be your light
We will walk through a new Jerusalem
Streets of gold
Buildings encrusted in precious gems
Trees will be laden with fruit
No hunger
No tears
My children will know freedom
Strength will course through veins
Angels will walk in their midsts
Age will no longer be their enemy
Death will be a forgotten memory
For I am God
My words
My poetry
They can be your reality
Make use of your free will
I am bound by my own promises
You must choose my path
Be a vessel of my Love
You my clay pen
Can flow
With golden ink
For this contest I am asked to write from the perspective of God.
It is an insurmountable task for one as limited as myself. I humbly
submit this attempt and pray that it honors my heavenly Father.
Categories:
insurmountable, faith, god, perspective, universe,
Form:
Free verse
THE SWAINS
Under cumulus clouds, grew cauliflowers.
He planted them with love because I adorn them when they were harvested to the table of healthy man, my husband; sons; and brothers.
All were vegetable farmers of California.
We woman loved cooking for them.
They say there never was a better meal than this one every time we cooked.
That was each day of the yield.
Spirits were high as hell.
The profits were insurmountable.
They increased each year.
The sunshine brightly and this eased our fears.
We became wealthy and retired well.
Our children went off into the world.
Both sons became Attorneys of Law.
_____________________________|
Penned on October 30, 2014!
Categories:
insurmountable, appreciation, farm, good morning,
Form:
Free verse
Rising
I climb towards the pinnacle of my mind
Slipping on my inconsistancies
Grabbing at the edges of my understandings
Afraid to look down
For fear I will fall into my abyss
My feet hold fast
Pushing me upwards
Extending my reach to the next crevice
My brain’s intricate folds
Jagged memories
This words I hold onto
They slow my ascent
My not good enoughs
My cannots
My I've always been this way
Here I am hanging upside down
Telling myself
I'm tired
I can't hold on
It's okay to let go
But wait
I grasp
I reach for the I can
Until I pull myself to solid ground
I stand upon my finite understanding
Now I realize I was never alone
Ropes of hope had held me in place
Over the landscape of my life my eyes trace
Seeing clearly my yesterday
Each step that led to today
All the people that helped me find my way
I realize I have not come to the end of me
My landscape is ever changing
I flap my wings and rise above my mountain
My possibilities are endless
For now my mind is free
In the distance
Eternity
Time is not insurmountable.
Categories:
insurmountable, change, freedom,
Form:
Free verse
I TOLD YOU
I told you that Uncle Danny touched me
It hurt and made me cry
I told you I didn’t like him
You said I shouldn’t lie.
I told you my bra got snapped in class
That I was treated like a toy
Your response was simply
That boys will be boys.
I told you I was raped
By a man that I knew
Despite my tears and anger
You asked what did I do.
I told you a man came in my dorm
Violated me after breaking my door
When I reported to campus police
They asked me what I wore.
I told you my boss
Grabbed my breast at work
I wanted to file a complaint
You replied just ignore the jerk.
I got groped at the club last night
By this guy who was a punk
I wanted to call the police
You told me that he’s just drunk.
I’ve been telling you these things
Happen year after year
You say you are listening
But do you really hear?
I told you these things happened to me
As you laugh, scoff, and snort
Blaming and shaming endlessly
And you wonder why we don’t report.
I wonder when these excuses will end
Even though the road seems insurmountable
When will society stand
And start holding abusers accountable?
Until then I will continue forward
With my words as proof
I shall walk in the light
And stand in my truth.
Categories:
insurmountable, abuse, anger, child abuse,
Form:
Quatrain
I am poet
I have lived many lives
I have walked down ancient corridors
Climbed insurmountable obstacles
Held universes within my hands
Gravity does not hold me
I breathe among the stars
I dream the dreams of kings
While kissing the lips of angels
I have spoken with the prophets of old
For me time is of no consequence
I am somewhere and everywhere
I live a hundred years in but a few moments
Fly along my verse
Be transported to the impossible
Shed your limitations
Know the freedom of the mind
Taste and touch the incredible
For you too are poet
Dream beyond the obvious
Create all your happy endings
If you cry
Let it be a magnificent sadness
Write beyond your tortured walls
You choose
You be
The one
Who lives many
Extrordinary
Wonderful
Unbelievable
Lives
Inspired by Eileen Ghali's poem
"Another Somewhere"
Categories:
insurmountable, freedom, universe,
Form:
Free verse
Beware of those vampire chickens this Halloween season.
Their thirsting for your blood is the primary reason.
These black nocturnal creatures fly into the night.
After the stroke of midnight, they cause insurmountable fright.
These evil birds come right up from hell.
They make the average bat look like Tinkerbelle.
It is a well-known fact that chickens have no teeth.
Blood sucking ability is something they will not bequeath.
If chickens really were so evil and devilish,
the late Colonel Sanders would have made his fortune selling fish.
Categories:
insurmountable, fantasy, holiday, halloween, evil,
Form:
Rhyme
Often your tasks will be many,
and more than you think you can do
often the road will be rugged
and the hills insurmountable too.
But always remember,
the hills ahead
are never as steep as they seem
and with Faith in your heart
start upward
and climb til' you reach your dream.
For nothing in life that is worthy
is never to hard to achieve
if you have the courage to try it
and you have the Faith to believe.
For faith is a force that is greater
than knowledge or power or skill,
and many defeats turn to triumph
if you trust in God's wisdom and will.
For faith is a mover of mountains
There's nothing that God can't do
so start out today with faith in your heart
and climb til' you reach your dream.
Categories:
insurmountable, inspirational, faith,
Form:
Imagism
How fast time has fled in limitless wingspan
How months and years have merged into eons
Bringing such changes, so awesome and spectacular
I have come swinging open the iron gates
Of the Netherworld where I have been asleep
For over the last four centuries from now
From my prolonged slumber, I am just awake
With my memory intact as in the days
I walked the London streets on my way to Globe theatre
And roamed through the streets of Stratford on Avon
Here, I stand stunned like a Rip wan winkle
Wistfully staring at a world so strange
Wondering how in place of shacks, skyscrapers stand!
How the serene villages into bustling habitats made!
How the frilled frocks into jeans and shirts changed!
Seeing the changes that have come over now
I can only remain perplexed and “tongue tied”,
An expression I used long time back, but still in vogue
Happy I am to revisit the literate of the world
Especially members of my own clan;
My friends of Poetry Soup who wield their pen
To see words are latticed like filmy cobwebs
In diverse poetic forms, on themes and subjects varied
And in rhyming sonnets, my favorite poetic form
Though I stand in a remote and distant tract of time
So happy you still remember me and hail me as an immortal bard
And you name the young lovers- 'Romeo and Juliet'
And write on their amorous romance in honeyed rhyme
You call selfish and cunning people as ‘Iago’
And exclaim on being betrayed- “You too Brutus”
When you are confronted with problems insurmountable
Like Hamlet, you ask the million-dollar question-
“To be or not to be”
My friends, this is my parting words to you
You may live by fame as I do
Through verse, your name you eternalize!
When dead and in solitary vaults you lie
May your verses ring clear in umpteen hearts
And produce echoes that time cannot stifle.
Jan. 13.2023
~Placed First~
Shakespeare in 2023 Poetry Contest
Sponsor- Anoucheka Gangabissoon
Categories:
insurmountable, appreciation, change, poetry,
Form:
Free verse
When life's treacherous trek becomes more than I can bear,
And it seems there is no deliverance from my deep despair,
I repeat these words of reassurance that will soothe my woe:
"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength!", I know!
When I am faced with seemingly insurmountable goals,
And my dreams and aspirations are dashed on desolate shoals,
With these encouraging words I can conquer any foe:
"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength!", I know!
(Philippians 4:13)
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
© All Rights Reserved
Placed No. 1 in John Freeman's "Faith versus Poetry" Contest - December 2011
Categories:
insurmountable, faith, words, me,
Form:
Couplet
Insurmountable
These feelings seem to overpower
As your breath seduces me
Calls to me
Excites the very part of me
That seems to always seek more
And needs more
I am enamored
Brilliantly blinded by beauty
Sensually, silently seduced
Reacting quietly, yet fervently
Heated to reactive tendencies
Letting my mind erupt in fantasy
As thought turns to reality
Categories:
insurmountable, love, passion
Form:
Free verse
Corona
--------
Oh ! Aghast ! This is the deadliest
treacherous , relentless war ever
waged against humanity by that
invisible satanic overlord virus Corona by name;
the virus of seemingly insurmountable
energy of vengeance and hatred out
to wipe out humanity
Rise mankind! Rise now !against
this demonic Corona .to
fight a battle of wits- for your survival
mankind you must confront
and destroy this hater of human race Corona
fight gallantly with all your might
with prudence utmost , courage and brevity
to quell the venomous pangs
of this invisible snake …..Corona ,
render it useless and headless to
to quit into
a realm of oblivion or 'no man's land;
and never ever to show its ugly face
to restore Earth's peace and serenity
Let this Earth remain for ever the land for
the human race and human race alone
L
Categories:
insurmountable, destiny,
Form:
Free verse
I walked the garden path holding all the intimate hands,
nurtured in the impermanent world the hope of durability
of me loved and belonged, and me owning and retaining.
Times changed, didn’t know why storm of dismay surged.
The garden got ravaged, the trodden flowers tarnished,
I now walk a lonely walk in the garden turned wasteland.
The crushed thoughts rise from debris in the void mind,
blankness drags dreams down to the edge of extinction.
With the submerging spent sun in my melancholic sky,
the twilight colors of my listless life slowly sink to oblivion,
night waits for my moon at the fringe of the hazy horizon
to ascend across the insurmountable span of the onyx rift.
The wisps of disappearing cloud tinged with fading hues
weave for me the fading tapestry of the departing day.
Behind the shroud of the nocturnal gloom my stars hide
beyond the edge of the immeasurable distressing gulf.
The dust of despair drizzles in darkened supine skyline
from the descending night enveloping the ebony future.
My mangled mind can’t recover the dwindled dreams,
lost in the unfathomable depth of the agonizing abyss.
In my splintered mind at the edge of hope I search,
discover the inner light showing the reality of reason
God has given me to subsist in this life so beautiful,
there’s no cause greater, no motive better than to live.
My fragile footprints fade in the threshold of ashen dusk,
as in lengthening shadow of obscurity I walk the last mile,
hoping to feel God’s grace in the rays of the new sunrise,
I stand too close to the edge of the unbridgeable chasm.
Categories:
insurmountable, analogy, angst, introspection, life,
Form:
Free verse