Best Litany Poems
Lighthouse Litany
Statuesque and stalwart in your seaward gaze
There's such comfort in your beauty, you amaze!
Seafaring ships lost in wayward windswept seas
Conjures fears of drowning in crews prayerful pleas
As sailors catch sight of your luminous light,
You guide them to safety on a moonless night.
Your gift of guidance upon this rocky shore
Lends soulagement to nightmares of mystic lore.
To many you’re deemed an angel with Lord's light
With your elevated beam into the night.
So beloved also by those upon the earth...
You've earned the honors bestowed upon your worth.
12-23-18
Lighthouse Poetry Contest~Third Place~
Sponsor Eve Roper
Categories:
litany, light, sea,
Form:
Couplet
The sorrows we borrow,
the sorrows we keep—
are debts of the dead,
replayed in our sleep.
Blood writes the tally,
blood writes it in red;
tomorrow collects
what yesterday bled.
The sun drags its shadow.
The sun drags its shroud—
darkness advancing
cowering aloud.
Dry eyes at dawn.
Ashes inbred;
a prayer in the dust,
a prayer for the dead.
The sun flares faintly,
a wound in the sky.
The clouds part briefly,
yet cold will not die.
What was served yesterday
lies rotting today;
a banquet of abstinence,
a plate of decay.
Tears must be borrowed.
Tears must be sown;
the covenant is endless,
the debt as ever has grown.
I am summoned.
I am again sworn—
to gather the blood,
to nourish the thorn,
to water dead flowers,
for sorrow's reborn.
Categories:
litany, moving on, sorry,
Form:
Lyric
HALLELUJAH
Praise be-
God made me
Praise be-
Jesus set me free
Praise be-
Holy Spirit helps me,free-to-be
Praise be-
with new eyes I see
Praise be-
a kingdom child,I,yours,truly
Praise be-
ever,only,Thee
As in worship,these hands I raise
from this mouth,these words in praise
Categories:
litany, celebration, christian, poems, prayer,
Form:
Didactic
The highway bridges
Remnants of conversation
Clothed in ethereal blue.
Variform clouds
Stark white or gray
Bandage my heart.
Brother’s litany
Of thanksgiving
Floats above my head.
Mom and dad were
Good parents.
They worked hard.
Cemetery gates swallow us
Sleek and black
Like a raven
Plucking its prey.
Attendees’ musings are
Wetness on the
Road’s cheeks
Tactile as a
Cat’s tongue
Freshening the spirit
Words of gratitude
Misty as memory’s yesterday
Rich worked hard
He did very well for himself.
Puzzle pieces fit tightly
Brothers’ faces, Sister’s words
Cathartic like a cloak’s
Feathery embraces.
Drops of rain
Shower blessings
Prayers of thanksgiving
From another time
Diane is a beautiful girl.
Bill is smart.
How is Maureen?
Is he still here?
Yes.
How do I know?
Sunshine branching
Apple twigs glimmering
Meanwhile traffic
Normal as a busy
Day’s waking and sleeping
The wrought iron gates open
Spilling family out
Like white markers with
Blank dates
Categories:
litany, bereavement, brother, death, faith,
Form:
Free verse
Live for life
Live for love
Love for keeps
Love for all
All is well
All is good
Good confesses all
Good resides in truth
Truth or consequence
Truth or dare
Dare to win
Dare to conquer
Conquer hate
Conquer fear
Fear no evil
Fear God
God is love
God is peace
Peace rejoices in you
Peace be with you
You hate
You lose
Lose your hatred
Lose your sadness
Sadness drains
Sadness drops rains
Rains are fears
Rains are tears
Tears of joy
Tears of victory
Victory is not for quitter
Victory is for the strong
Strong survives in truth
Strong reaps in strength
Strength is power
Strength is justice
Justice for all
Justice for freedom
Freedom of religion
Freedom of speech
Speech delivers peace
Speech propagates harmony
Harmony is order
Harmony is growth
Growth is multiplication
Growth is addition
Addition is operation
Addition is accumulation
Assimilation is accumulation
Standard of operation
Categories:
litany, change, confidence, culture, family,
Form:
Blitz
The truthful liar mesmerized no one
Even his most fervent followers fell short.
We watched his interchanges which seemed crazy,
And his bragging and grandiose plans abort.
His love seemed wrapped up in his loving buck,
Stealthy snake-like purport with enemies he would consort.
Boom! He was on the TV. Crash! He threw out a tweet.
Snorting, chortling, boredom ripe for a big red port.
We watched him boast and brag, some disgusted be.
Formative finance foreman finds a forever fort.
Political dissonance turning our country upside down.
Misogynist buffoon yelling fake news as a new sport.
Thy vileness and thy nastiness befouls thyself,
Thy fantasticalselfishness flamboyantly galantort,
Reinforces our mindfulness that being President is just a sport.
Lines 1 oxymoron 2 enjambment 3 homographs 4 inversion 5 homonyms
Lines 6 internal rhyme 7 onomatopoeia 8 consonance 9 hyperbaton 10 alliteration
Lines 11 metaphor 12 allusion 13 archaism 14 neologism 15 dissonance
Written 8-19-2018 Contest: A Litany of Poetic Devices
Sponsor: Line Gauthier
Categories:
litany, poems, poetess, poetry, poets,
Form:
Free verse
I feel the warmth of early morning sun.
The blackbird, singing in the cherry tree
Entrances all with matins just begun –
Ethereal plainchant, plangent melody.
The snow-white blossom hides a darkling bird
From eyes that would discern this source of joy.
Though nothing’s seen, his heartfelt song is heard,
His mate to charm; his rivals to annoy.
Charmer of worms, I see your yellow beak
Now opening to disgorge divine enchantment
To humans, who the charms of Nature seek,
In troubled times, for solace and contentment.
Your pastoral serenade surrounds me all day long;
The sun is sinking fast, and so, to evensong.
Categories:
litany, bird, nature,
Form:
Sonnet
The night peevished in silence
Here on the grass I sit-but my heart stood
I hear my tiny thought tingle
It fluttered in my head like the wings of a bird
But, will this peace that I seek find me?
Even the sea is a lion that dares the dry land
Tick tock the clock sounds endlessly
Everyday was never a happy day
Fightings fightings killings
What a sad joy
More dead at hand. Souls finding the sole way to live
Whilst every smile was a pretense, there was more pains to harbour
The world drift slowly to its extreme end every seconds
But, will wait man, patiently , till love and unity king again.
1. Personification ( the night peevished in silence)
2. Antithesis (here on the ground I sit -but my heart stood)
3. Alliteration ( I hear my tiny thought tingle)
4. Simile (it flutters in my head like the wings of a bird)
5. Rhetorical question (but, will this peace I seek find me?)
6. Metaphor (even the sea is a lion that dare the dry land)
7. Onomatopoeia (tick tock, the clock sounds endlessly)
8.internal rhyme (everyday was never a happy day)
9. Repetition (fightings fightings)
10. Oxymoron (what a sad joy)
11. Pun (souls finding the sole way to live)
12. Archaism (whilst every smile was a pretense)
13 tautology (extreme end)
14. Inversion ( but, will wait man, patiently, till love and unity king again)
Categories:
litany, celebration,
Form:
Free verse
Fashioning the favourable foul,
Cutting the caustic cordial,
Rearing a rabid recall.
Pardon the potion
When blind and blundering
We fathom the favourable foul.
String along the slug
When casually and crazed
We concede the caustic cordial.
Split the sauce
When tardily and turbulently
We receive the rabid recall.
Behold the botheration of the booze!
Jilt the jitters of the jug,
Surrender the stress of the spirits.
Do this in the name
Of the bright, the blue
And the holy camera eye.
Amen.
© 2016 Margo Cami [www.margocami.com]
Categories:
litany, addiction, wisdom, word play,
Form:
Alliteration
Starlight
Starbright
Radiance in the shadows.
Starlight
Starbright
Shining high above the gallows
Starlight
Starbright
Guide our men at sea
Starlight
Starbright
Bring them on to safety
Starlight
Starbright
Across the seven seas
Forever shining upon their sails,
Longboat in tow, sword in hand
Valiant at arms upon the rails.
Each man a brother in this band,
All willing to die with a word
Hanging heavy upon their lips.
-----Pirate-----
Categories:
litany, adventure
Form:
Louisiana Litany
Bobby Jindal
Appeases christian rightists unlike William Tyndall.
Thinks Presidential aspirations a plus
To bring budget woes to US.
Categories:
litany, celebrity, christian, creation, political,
Form:
Clerihew
This is for Litany of Decay
All hope tonight is just a void
Th cure was lost so long ago
But I still dream you will lie next to me
Though you gave up on me so long ago
I miss the way the pain made me forget
I miss the way the pain made me Lose all misery
All hope tonight is just a void
Th cure was lost so long ago
But I still dream you will lie next to me
Though you gave up on me so long ago
I miss the way the pain made me forget
I miss the way the pain made me Lose all misery
All hope tonight is just a void
Th cure was lost so long ago
But I still dream you will lie next to me
Though you gave up on me so long ago
I miss the way the pain made me forget
I miss the way the pain made me Lose all misery
Your love was never meant for me
Nothing I was when you met me
Nothing I was when you left me
Nothing I am as I destroy myself
I must Live to face another day
To sing this damned litany of decay
My heart beckons for the grave
But there is no escape
So I sing this litany of decay
Don't mind me as I fade
Dance with me under the light of the moon
And sing to about my doom
Serenade me with an epitaph
So I might feel what it's like to truly die
I see your face, it takes all the pain away
But you suddenly fade into the darkest of shade
Your love was never meant for me
Nothing I was when you met me
Nothing I was when you left me
Nothing I am as I destroy myself
I must Live to face another day
To sing this damned litany of decay
My heart beckons for the grave
But there is no escape
So I sing this litany of decay
Don't mind me as I fade
Living is suffering
Homicidal with you
Suicidal without you
I understand if you give up on me
The burden will fall
Today I might, today I may
Set you free, from me
Your love was never meant for me
Nothing I was when you met me
Nothing I was when you left me
Nothing I am as I destroy myself
I must Live to face another day
To sing this damned litany of decay
My heart beckons for the grave
But there is no escape
So I sing this litany of decay
Don't mind me as I fade
Categories:
litany, allegory, angst, animals, childhood,
Form:
Lyric
Buzz, buzz, buzzing our work is never done;
gathering the nectar kissed by the sun.
Buzz, buzz, buzzing a familiar tune;
We sing in harmony, throughout the afternoon.
Buzz, buzz, buzzing in a magical ballet;
Our pockets filled with beads of gold, then we fly away.
May 28, 2022
For: Bee Creative Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Matt Caliri
Rhymes validated on Rhymezone.com
Categories:
litany, imagery, nature,
Form:
Couplet
Her black eyes allure you
Into her cloak if traps
Nothing is right anymore
Death encircles you but
Never finds you
They Want my curse of eternal
life
But all I want to do is reach
for the knife
In blood you rose
In blood I fall
forever I must sing this litany
dying in life-- let my find my
grave
'twas the myriad year
inducing a lucid fear
I can hear my coffin's cry
my body lies
there's nothing left to say
This Litany of decay
Free me, hear me, my death
where have you gone
I Drown in Vitality
Dying in my immortality
Just waiting for the stake to
reach my heart
Caress me with your pain
like the blood in rain
Your shell is breaking
Show them what lies inside
Witch of centuries
Witch of lies
Love was never meant for you
forever I must sing this litany
dying in life-- let my find my
grave
'twas the myriad year
inducing a lucid fear
I can hear my coffin's cry
my body lies
there's nothing left to say
This Litany of decay
forever I must sing this litany
dying in life-- let my find my
grave
'twas the myriad year
inducing a lucid fear
I can hear my coffin's cry
my body lies
there's nothing left to say
This Litany of decay
Categories:
litany, allegory, angst, confusion, death,
Form:
Ballad
I have never known alone
as when I lie next to you.
I have never felt orphaned,
unknown,
alien,
as when cramped within our zoo.
I have only become this dark
when missing not missing you.
I am breathing in
hoping to exhale, all through.
I don't want to want to hear you
when I look past your sad dark eyes.
I can't bear to sing this song
slow dancing echoed sighs.
I don't want to be this anymore
becoming drawn to close my door.
If you can love me as I am
please help me find breath's floor.
I don't want to play house anymore,
my soul wilts in air this poor.
I don't want to want to breathe us anymore.
I can't want to breathe this evermore.
Categories:
litany, bereavement, depression, loneliness, lost
Form:
Lyric