Best Locate Poems
To do justly in a world of injustice,
to love mercy though wanting revenge,
to walk humbly through forests of arrogance,
to speak softly and not to avenge.
To give kindly to any with physical needs,
to comfort the lonely in spirit,
to hold trembling hands of those grieving a loss
and hear hope sing although they can't hear it.
To locate the beauty in chaos,
to craft the humane out of tragedy,
to respond to tornado by building a home,
or to fire by planting a tree.
To never lash out at the ignorant,
to not ignore homeless or hungry,
to not grow impatient with those who are young,
to not be angry at the angry.
For I was once hungry and grieving,
I was once lonely and ignorant,
I was once vengeful and too blind to see
that I too was young and still arrogant.
But somebody wise came beside me,
saying, "Life isn't fair... but you can be -
live simply and give from abundance,
do the good that you're wanting to see.
Follow the Golden Rule always,
work hard - don't expect to be served,
be humble, treat others with kindness,
give honor wherever deserved."
These were the words of my parents,
who through War and Depression grew strong,
so whenever I make resolutions
their wisdom helps sort right from wrong.
written 15 Dec 2022
Categories:
locate, new year,
Form:
Rhyme
Okay, okay, I confess. We stole the only hyperdrive ship that wasn't destroyed in the war. But what choice did we have? Our world is on the brink of annihilation. For hundreds of years my species has polluted the air, soil and water. Global wars have decimated once thriving metropolises. Crime and pandemics are rampant. Our only hope was the construction of spaceships capable of interstellar travel so that we might locate a new world, a new home. But the bombs took them all out, save one. After seizing control of the space station, we did what we must to survive. And so here we are, travelling through the void of space, searching for a suitable planet to make our new start.
Ours was once a proud race whose cultural achievements were of the highest order. Surely, we can reach that pinnacle once more if given the chance. Our sensors have located what appears to be a living planet in a solar system beyond our own. We have engaged the hyperdrive engines and expect to reach our destination momentarily. The excitement among the crew is palpable. We enter the atmosphere and achieve a perfect, soft landing atop a large promontory. Eureka! Our new home, a paradise. The sea is vast and pristine, the skies are azure blue, the air sweet with the scent of the local flora. No more wars. No more pollution. Never again will guns and bombs and disease plague us. Just as we are contemplating this glorious future, we espy a message being written in the sky by some type of primitive aircraft and in an alien tongue.
WELCOME TO PLANET EARTH
the search is over
new start for a dying race
hell is for dreamers
Categories:
locate, destiny, hope,
Form:
Free verse
Into the depths of my soul I searched once
The happiest day of my life to find
Difficult to locate wasn't at all
For was the day that love our hearts enshrined!
© Demetrios Trifiatis
09 October 2019
P.S. I would like to thank all my friends for their support as well as
the officials of PoetrySoup for the honor of POTD!
ATTENTION: S O S!
I am away because a good friend of mine suffers from Myelodysplastic Syndrome which as you know causes Leukemia. She has tried all known treatments but to no avail, now I help her to find an alternative treatment. PLEASE, if you know someone or something that could help let me know for the time is pressing! This goes to everyone who reads this poem! God be with you! Thank you!
MY FRIEND, LIA, HAS ASKED ME TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS. SHE IS VERY MUCH TOUCHED BY YOUR RESPONSE AND YOUR CARING. YOU HAVE GIVEN HER ADDITIONAL COURAGE AND FAITH THAT ALL WILL BE FINE! SHE WISHES TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES HEALTH AND HAPPINESS! GOD BLESS YOU!
Categories:
locate, happiness, life, love,
Form:
Quatrain
Is my fate to go on living in this impervious place
where everyone dons a mask to conceal his face?
I'm floundering in this troubling tenure of time,
in which no one understands the rhythm of rhyme.
I need to search the deepest corners of my mind
for a region where oblivion is no longer defined.
I hunger to locate a habitat where I can be me,
a sanctuary where my inhibitions can be set free.
Mankind has become such an abstract machine,
all walking to the beat of the same tambourine.
Egotistic are those blind to the needs of others.
A depth of indifference that stifles and smothers.
When did it happen, that it became a world of greed
where everyone wants more than they'll ever need?
Bump into me on the street. No one seems to care.
The oblivion in society is greater than I can bear.
I cling to the prospect of a world in which I behold,
a race of benevolent humans, in stories long foretold,
where no disguise is ever worn to conceal a feeling,
and no secrets are kept for embarrassing revealing.
If there is a place where these human qualities exist,
it's an Eden in which I could more than just subsist.
I wish to withdraw from this callous, obdurate place,
to live where people do not behave as a robotic race.
September 23, 2021
"O" Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Constance La France
Categories:
locate, future,
Form:
Rhyme
IT TAKES TIME TO SEE THE LIGHT
Death is best taught in the dark
Fetching sticks, setting sparks
Its bag of tricks: sickness and hope
A black curtain vanishes
The magician leaves you with a moonless night
A lonely night without stars
And you work to locate those sparkling crystals
And place them one at a time back in the sky
But tears fall like glass, resetting the progress
You need to accept the inevitable
But no one can do the Impossible
So cling to the possible
Surround yourself with an armloads of friends
Let them take turns dabbing your mascara
As their handkerchiefs turn from white to black
One day you’ll find the moon back in its place
You will wonder how long you missed it
1st Place
4/7/2017
DIDACTIC FORM
Categories:
locate, death,
Form:
Didactic
Just because you broke my wings,
Just because you threw thorns in my path,
Just because you cut my throat with your ego,
Just because you gave your best to put me down,
Does it mean you accomplished your mission?
Why are you searching for me in the dark cellar?
Why will I even go to the lonely moor and cry?
Why will you find me in the stillness of the air?
Why will you find my eyes shut under the blanket of the dark winter night?
Do you think you can merrily look for me weeping under the shadows of your strong paws?
Are you shocked for not finding me among the torn pieces of hope?
Are you tired of searching for me in the haunted house of your hostile humanity?
Is it your madness to look for me between the waves of dolour?
Why will I even give you a chance to find me rafting in the river of recession?
Ok let me help you find me.
Trace me in the colours of free flying butterfly
Look up to me in the glory of the rising sun
Find me in the ferocious flight of high rising eagle
Look for me in the light of rejoicing full moon
Find me in the strength of a soldier's muscle
Spot me in the sweetness of the hard-earned bread
Find me in the sweat of an honestly tired face.
Locate me in the glister of the creative mind
Catch me in the confidence and valor of an educator
Feel my presence in the words of an inspiring leader
Fetch me in the smiles of a successful student
See me in the pride of a proud parent.
Instill fear in me, I will come up with a smile
Pierce needles into me, You will see fire in the mirror of my blood.
Put me down to the core, I will rise to the sky with a roar.
Mind YOU!
It's ME
THE UNSUPRESSIBLE.
Categories:
locate, courage, inspirational,
Form:
Free verse
I fear people have lost their way;
now, hatred and lies rule the day;
our morels faded over time.
Purchasing political will;
cult leaders are prepared to kill,
perpetuating fear through crime.
They claim that they believe in God,
but that declaration is fraud.
Faith has morphed into a pastime;
a mockery of true belief.
Exploiting people's pain and grief;
greed fuels anxieties climb.
Alternative truths are all lies,
merely bigotry in disguise.
"Love thy neighbor" was God's decree;
not manipulate them through fear.
Such behavior warrants a tear,
and I believe God would agree.
And yet, evangelists, meanwhile,
preach all immigrants are hostile.
Heaven's locked; love's the only key,
and no other will get you through.
On judgment day, God will judge you,
that's Jesus's Divine guarantee.
Search your heart to locate your soul;
work to heal one another's pain,
refuse to be led; take control.
Categories:
locate, america, angst, anti bullying,
Form:
Verse
Vacantly staring into the night sky
She saw big bellied clouds drifting away
Are they fleeing away from the luminous moon?
Or mercilessly driven out
After being robbed off everything?
Once again she looked at her expanding waistline
And felt the pulse of life beating within
It sent a lightning of terror through her
The chapters of her life flipped past her eyes
With several scenes reeling one by one
"You are my sky
The ascending star of my soul in the dawn
And the bough of my homing at night"
Those words that sent goose bumps all over
Now rattle in her skull like worthless coins!
Never had she thought she would be
Thus cruelly betrayed!
How she had once wished the time to stand still
Now she sighs seeing the needle of the clock
Crawling at snail's pace!
She thought the deserts of her life
Had been turned into grass lands
When did the cruel frost fall
To suck up all that was green, she fails to locate!
But she remembers clearly when she had fallen
From the perilous heights of the cliff
Into the precipitous depths of the ravine
It was in excitement, she confided to him
That his seed was growing inside her
Was it with disbelief or bitter annoyance
That he heard those words, not quite sure.
For days, she heard nothing from him
Though worried, she tried to light up hope
One day as a bolt from the blue,
She got a curt message from him
‘We now go our separate ways'
She felt drowned while diving for pearls!
With a mutilated heart, the star crossed girl
Lives on....
Without knowing, time winging away
And the curse of the dead albatross
Hanging heavily in her neck!
But she shall live...............
Clutching desperately to hope.
Live for the poor ‘bastard' growing inside!
Categories:
locate, angst, betrayal, depression,
Form:
Free verse
The Perfect Story!!
.
ingredients.... How to write the perfect story?
Tonight I close my eyes, enter the realm in another form
Dig deep inside to find the ingredients for you~ "the Perfect Story?"
Find the enigma behind every expression of beauty
Locate the inspiration of the world your heart seeks
Take your mind deep and far beyond every star
Position my thought with the best ingredients,
that afflicts the unique worlds only I experienced
***
***
First add the ingredient of self-attitude. ( POSITIVE )
Next unlock the skills that hold the masterpiece
Exercise the role of timing, when setting the perfect line
Find a sidekick to help intervene every step without falling
Meet and bond with every word that makes the story unique
Feel the motion in both hands, while perceiving every step
Show off the ability that one can see more than others
Provide the details that feed the readers appetite
Hold a form of originality, impressing the readers imagination
Last create a mystery like no other, evoke the reads curiosity
"TO WANT MORE!"
Wait a second, you asked for A Story,
Not, my inventory!!!
:)
Categories:
locate, addiction, adventure, beautiful, passion,
Form:
Light Verse
There's one who acts like a righteous queen
Prattling peacock, she loves to pose and preen
She is surly and gruff
Heckling slurs with a huff
And denouncing the life-saving vaccine
The haughty queen is quite aloof
and sometimes she acts like a goof
Should she be on trial
For covid denial
Believe me, I’ve seen lots of proof
She's favored by one, her Prince Demonic
He bows to her highness, Queen Sardonic
Praising her fortitude
Conspiring to collude
Feeding her compliments that are moronic
Her majesty thinks she was perfect at birth
Pompously aggrandizing her self worth
It's tritely ironic
Her hubris is chronic
She's filled with bitterness but little mirth
Prince Dom is seeking attention
Pining for the Queen’s affection
Their words are debunked
They both have been plunked
So much for the Queen’s perfection
The old Queen stood tall and haughty,
Gawking at me, judging me naughty.
Expected me to bow
And she called me a sow,
I refused, calling her throne a potty.
Anonymous PS poet
Our soups matriarch, started an almighty feud
By decreeing she's perfect, the queen of her brood
This flawless diamond
Reigns on Shutter Island
Even insane Leonardo's, pleading to be moved
Another anonymous ps poet
The queen poses behind a shadowy façade
Thinking she is perfect before Almighty God
Disgusting as a wicked witch
Cannot locate a worthy niche
Here among good poetry mortals of the sod.
Yet another anonymous ps poet
Jan Allison and Mark Koplin have joined me in this limerick collaboration. We're not telling who wrote which verse, but you're welcome to guess.
If anyone wishes to join in this collaboration, please send me your addition through soup mail.
Categories:
locate, parody,
Form:
Limerick
When the fall came we knew everything had changed. Whispers through the Aspens became a shrill voice of winters warning. He was changing like the seasons. They didn’t understand it at first but it became more apparent as time went on. The old man was tied to a cycle and that cycle was the changing of the seasons. In the fall he was anticipatory and melancholy. Sometimes irritable and other times reflective of his life. He had lived here for 20 years. Twenty years in a nursing home…who would do that to a man? But he took it all in and lived on despite the wrongs done to him. He was usually a gentlemen but he had his temper and God hope you weren’t working that shift. Christ. But as time went along he came and went and we all got used to the cycle. And he didn’t seem to notice. He had cancer and it was going to kill him. Sooner or later. He was working on later.
He used to say, “There is a spring that flows eternal, and I am swimming in that spring." He told us he would out live all of us and see us in that spring if we were good people. I’m not sure how good or bad I am but I would like to see him in that spring, if only for moment in time.
I can’t do it anymore. I can’t go and see the old man. He's almost gone and I don’t know what say to him. Brown tobacco stains run down his chin and he’s all dressed up on like them old people. It hurts me. It really hurts me. He is my future and my end and my beginning. It’s a cycle that was invented by a sadist. But he lives on. And I think of that spring and wonder when I will be swimming in it one day. Will I see him and all my children? Will I be able to locate my dogs? I hope so. For living on earth is heaven but crossing the river and getting to the other side in one whole piece must be paradise. I pray for those around me. And I hope that I have not done too much wrong that will keep me in this dark place I loath.
Categories:
locate, dad, death, life,
Form:
Narrative
I play with sorrow hide-and-seek
For love will hide and I am weak,
And when I locate the pot of gold
I find the rainbow has been sold.
I explore the real life of this fairy tale
The gingerbread house is up for sale.
The frog is not what he proclaims to be
A wolf in grandma's nightie is all I see.
The prince is having a bad hair day
The beauty is not in the beast I say.
The carriage 'till midnight will not last
I'll have pumpkin pie to break my fast.
I climb the beanstalk way up high
Open Sesame I cry and cry,
Look there's a dragon at my door...
I don't believe in fairy tales no more.
So tell the seven dwarfs to stay away
Tell the ogres I don't want to play.
The damsel in distress I'll never be
For I'm the ugly stepsister, you see.
Categories:
locate, imagination, lifefairy,
Form:
Rhyme
I’m noticing the seeds I like to buy
are running out in flavor “Nacho Cheese.”
They’ve got sunflower seeds in Ranch, but I
require my nacho cheese ones. Geeez Louise!!
I look it up on Google and I find
they’re selling out. I run to every store!
They’ve got that dang “Dill” flavor, but my kind
is not in stock and won’t be any more.
I know a service station that’s still got
those seeds I love. I’m off! The hunt is on!
I’ll buy up every bag in every spot
where I can locate them before they’re gone.
Some other stations carry them. I dash
from Pleasant Grove to Provo, brandishing
my credit card. I buy them. In a flash,
all seeds in Nacho Cheese are vanishing!
I’m driving south as far as Mapleton!
The chance of finding bags of them is dire
for fellow addicts. I’ve found sixty-one
to last a year before they all expire!
A true story that happened to me about five years ago
See "About Poem" above. When I love something, I try very hard to get it!!
For the Obsession Contest of Silent One
Categories:
locate, adventure, food,
Form:
Quatrain
When a child if gifted with a book it transforms into a key to unlock the mind. The gate to the secret garden of imagination is pried from its forgiving hinges and the child is free to expand their imagination to galaxy proportions.
The simple pages of a book provide a passport for a passenger seat next to the likes of Captain Biggles in his Tibetan adventures to locate the forbidden city of Shangri Lah, or a magical flight to Neverland with Pan and the lost boys. Who knows how each “child’s mind’s eye will envisage the loathsome creature that is Mr Hyde or the demure Dr Jekyll?
It captures the heart of a parent to witness their young boy, lying on his bed, engrossed in the pages of Stevenson’s Kidnapped. His imaginings transform him into the character of David Balfour, fighting alongside the Jacobite rebel, Alan Stewart. Such a comforting vision is a young girl, lounging on the couch on a rain soaked winters afternoon, fanning through a copy of Anne of Green Gables, engrossed in the character of Anne Shirley, wishing to emulate her outgoing spirit and giving nature.
The abundant bread basket of literary expositions act as a conduit, unlocking a child’s ability to make judgements about morality, injustices and an understanding of consequences in decision making. All the while the simple act of quietly reading procures an incalculable and surreptitious response to education for a lifetime to come.
The nostalgic aroma of floral vanilla and almonds that emit from the pages of an old book invokes a sense of anticipation to the imaginary adventures about to be embarked upon, creating an atmosphere of ambivalence.
An implore to parents across the globe to leave the television set and so-called social media, bombarding a child’s mind like a tidal wave, leaving in its wake a desolate landscape of nothingness. Embrace the tactile feel of pages in hand, gently stroking the mind, embedding feelings of, wonder and imagination. Read to your children every day and encourage them to jamb their noses into literary masterpieces from the likes of Stevenson, Doyle, Dickens and many more worthy exponents that have stood the test of time.
Categories:
locate, adventure, books, children,
Form:
Free verse
Let me keep day dreaming
for I do my best thinking
when I'm not blinking
Like a child's toy my thoughts are spinning
I float amongst the Stars
Big Dipper drinking
even when it feels like I'm sinking
Other worlds are my dominion
I'm not tethered to ego or opinion
I let a single star lead me to a billion
Some might think I'm nuts
Perhaps I'm Brazilian
I think about never
Until it bleeds into forever
Small things are my biggest treasure
I know and feel Gods pleasure
Traveling distances too far to measure
Although I work hard I'm a man of leisure
I can be and talk to anyone
today tomorrow or whenever
be rich poor or a pensioner
I can sing like an angel
Or boom like a Tenor
That's right
there's benefits to being a pretender
top of the heap bottom ender
I'll receive the signals
You be the sender
in fantasy lands I'm a dweller
Watch as my pupils increase in size
You see I carry my thoughts in my eyes
absorbing silly until I locate the wise
I detect the truth in people's lies
Within the shouts I hear whispers
I recognize when someone tries
Who cares if they're not one of the girls or guys
Traveling alone won't prevent them from reaching new highs
Happily ever afters don't end with goodbyes
Forget fretting the music never stops
no one truly ever dies
Watch how a bird flys
On an unseen current each spirit will rise
no logic applies
Be the me in "Me oh my"
not afraid to ask why
hear the music in a sigh
Join me in a day dream
There's room in my sky
Stretch your arms into wings
after all you too were made to fly
Categories:
locate, dream, introspection, symbolism,
Form:
Rhyme