Best Misread Poems
When I refused to ride with Death
He tied my hands and feet,
Then tossed me in with some poor guy
He'd grabbed up off the street.
Oh, what a hurry he was in!
He slammed it to the floor.
We sat in wide-eyed, abject fear,
Each clinging to a door.
While whizzing past the school, we saw
The children run and play.
We passed the fields where tractors hummed
On this, our judgment day.
We captives introduced ourselves,
Shook hands, and sadly talked.
When Death heard unfamiliar names,
He gasped, slowed down, and balked.
He made a sudden stop beside
A swelling of the ground.
He scratched his head, he murmured low,
And then he turned around.
" 'Tis centuries until your time!
I've made a grave mistake.
Seems I misread the pick-up sheet.
You're free, for goodness sake!"
Go ahead and make the first move,
but take care
One or two spaces so I can move
to my square
Game of life, I’m queen defending
my king
Pawns, so many seem such
insignificant a thing
I’ll stay in my castle with my
bishop for a lil while
As my knights ride to fight the
enemy in style
I’ll rush about you see when my
king Is in need
Watch for your next move, hope
I don’t misread
Sacrificing so many pieces attempting
to defend
Not a game it’s so real, you see
I won’t pretend
Soon the enemy will deplete my
trusted army
As they attempt to not let
anyone harm me
My role important, my moves
so unrestricted
Game of chance while their moves
I’ve predicted
I hate losing pieces but it’s for
me the Queen
End goal is to sit beside my
king ruling supreme
I’m very loyal down to the very
end, I will fight
Even when I watch fall my last
trusted knight
Each piece to the end will
fight so valiantly
Dying a noble death against those
who challenge me
I must keep my kingdom from
being overthrown
A mind game challenging so many
great unknowns
Hoping my king is truly the one,
and its fate
Because if not...it’s games over,
check mate
10/2020
Your kiss from heaven caressed my cheek.
It made me feel safe, yet a little weak!
Confusing thoughts ran through my head.
Is this for real, or just misread?
With the Risen Son, they claim I’m new!
But in my mind, I cannot construe!
I’m not standing on a small hill.
I’m still climbing, I just can’t be still.
That little hill became a mountain.
In my heart I cry out, shout’in!
“If the Risen Son has made me new:
Then why am I so sad and blue?
In the dawn of day, I just can’t see.
The dark of night won’t let me be!
This parched ground makes me athirst.
From whence will water be dispersed"?
With the Risen Son, newness falls!
And with it profound wisdom calls!
Your kiss from heaven is slowly fading.
In my mind, Satan is indeed raiding!
Oh my goodness what can I do?
I think I heard, spend time with you?
I just don’t have much more to lose.
I guess my bible I will use!
Many years, have since passed by.
But that kiss, still makes me sigh!
O’ that kiss, that touched my cheek:
Made me strong and not weak!
Because of it, inspiration grew!
With the Risen Son, can I be new?
I know from heaven your kiss came.
And with it, you took all my shame!
I gave nothing in return
Yet, for my heart, you did yearn!
In the Risen Son, I believe I’m new!
Could this really be my point of view?
Yes Yeshua, you have made me new!
Your kiss from heaven pulled me through!
You gave me strength within my soul.
In my life, I give you control!
I am now your devoted wife!
Jehovah, your kiss changed my life!
Stacey Brown
9-11-2013
Since Kash revealed "her" secret, I have turned red.
All day I cried onto the pillow on my bed.
I think the whole true awful tale needs to be said.
A tragedy! I now feel like a blunderhead.
And though she is a vixen, I have to say I led
Kash on that “love rail” with me. Bold-spirited,
with lustful Soupmail, eagerly I visited
this "lass", who seems so manly! Lies had been fed
to me by her. She’s not a man, and I misread
her amorous responses. All my hope has fled!
There’s more! I’m gay. My real name's Andrew. Now with dread
I face the fact I can’t have Kash. My poor heart’s dead.
(I decided I better put an explanation here because I wrote this more than a year
ago for a contest in which we were supposed to write a poem that could be either
a lie or the truth. After Kashinath, my good friend and a MAN, wrote a very funny
poem proclaiming himself a woman, this was my way of doing a fictional poem in
response to his funny contest entry! OH, the poem of KASH POET is called A SECRET FUNNY TALE, I hope you will read it!)
For Shani Fassbender's really cool contest: Tell Me a Secret
And now for PD's contest: Make me Laugh
Bowing head she begins, petitioning assistance, pleading earnestly:
“Forgive me lord, these feelings you inspire have long eluded me,
A stranger in your throne of divinity, I am distressed as can be
Regretful of bygones, replete in misery of blight-ridden streets
Where remnants of my foolish deeds lie dismantled and deplete
Near a battered graveyard, where in repose lies my father’s body,
Sorrowed I stood there, stilled as stone, grieving night all alone
Longing for his forgiveness for things I should have said and done
Choosing instead to be wild and undone, not caring for anyone,
In company of clueless friends where covenants of life I misread
Pretending to celebrate happiness in bonfires of souls wretched;
Sitting on this pew now, guided by invisible hand, I feel glow of light
Going back to my youth, recalling your halo on candles of delight
As feeble beats of my unborn child echo solemn words of prayer
Heartened by your revelations, while unconditional love I declare,
In repentance of contrite past, paying homage to a sanguine start
Gratified you blessed my child, donning enlightenment I’ll depart
In atonement you impart, humming your song in my grateful heart.”
And she steps out into the night crooning lullaby to her beloved child,
A single mother pledging to revise pages of fate in epistle of destiny
Promising to unshroud yesteryear’s dawns in tomorrow’s sunshine,
Vowing to guard her unborn from flawed paradigms, vagaries of time
Poised to defy malevolence in sacred pact with benevolence of life.
October 25, 2021
Placed 1st: Pick-A-Title, Vol 26 – Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Edward Ibeh
Title chosen: Invocation
I walked down the hospital corridor
And a dragonfly I see
Staring through the window pane
Looking just for me.
My mind immediately took wings
And soared above the clouds
I looked upon the city huge
Where I was once a child.
Then the wind beneath his wings
Transported me far north
To the Nebraska Sand Hills
And the school I once taught.
Here a Cowboy riding tall
Caught my eye you see
Then I knew with all my heart
This land my home would be.
I drifted farther north again
To Dakota land,
Where we ranched and raised the kids
Our dreams to soon would end.
Back to Kansas we did go
A living was our goal.
For twenty years you worked so hard
Your health did pay the toll.
I traveled upward one last time
Our old place I see
Beneath me lies your garden site
With nothing left but weeds.
I soar over our new home
Your flowers and veggies bloom,
I picked your pretty coral rose
And brought it to your room.
The dragonfly blinked his eyes at me
His message I'd misread,
He wasn't here for me at all
But for my Cowboy, instead.
I need to thank my daughter-in-law Darcee for her help.
Cile and Darcee Beer
O'Dowd
An old hunter by the name of O'Dowd
Shooting tigers for fun made him feel proud
Had trouble with his gun
There was no time to run
Now lies covered on a slab with a shroud..
Jed
There was a frisky old man known as Jed
Took red pills so he wouldn't end up dead
But his notes were misread
He got blue ones instead
Now no longer does he fall out of bed...
Meat Pie
You ever thought what goes in a meat pie
I'll tell you and its no word of a lie
See the finest of meat
Is stray cats off the street
So give it serious thought 'fore you buy...
The Milkmaid
A milkmaid worked on a farm on Dartmoor
Had long blonde hair and her skin was so pure
Late for work she did hurry
Failed to see some fresh slurry
She skidded and went face down in manure...
Surfing
Some young lads went for a surf in the dark
To them it was a just a bit of a lark
But in the moonlight
They had a great fright
When they spotted the giant fin of a shark...
Written 23 August 2020
To some a light house was simply that,a house with a light
Though to the brave souls sailing the oceans it was a reminder
of many things upon the night
The light would remind them that someone was always watching and waiting
for the return of every soul.
A beacon of truth,trust,love and every memory of which it has no control
The keeper of the light,most will never get the privilege to meet
So much they have done for people that they will never get to greet
The keeper was a man of solitude because he was married to the sea
His mistress,the ocean,so what tangible love could ever be.
Such a symbol for so many things
To the Keeper of what the tide shall bring
Even the House shares a relationship between the fog and sea
Like a marriage problems will be
If you misread the light problems will ensue
Stay the the course,tighten the sails
Do what ever you must do
Just remember when you see the light
She has you safely headed home
That light should always remind us
Of that place where we all belong
''Find your Light''
Doc
~~
The truth was out there, but pitiful you
forgot to read the fine print
It seems you misread all the signals,
but here is a slight hint,
just in case you are wondering . .
what you mean to me
Your heart is mischievous and cruel,
I’ve had enough of it
You break every rule
and -
you use fancy words as your safety net,
but some words
I can’t forget
I am done with you,
we are through!!
You keep me close to the earth
holding my hands together
A prisoner to my own worth,
tied to the darkness of never
I am suffocating
underneath your shirt
Your heart is mischievous and cruel,
I’ve had enough of it
You break every rule
and -
you use fancy words as your safety net,
but some words
I can’t forget
I am done with you,
we are through!!
DON"T come back to me
because now,
I am flying free
~~~~
_____________
A little Scribble
It was the moment sepia bloomed into color.
I felt it in my fingertips as a tingling sensation,
like the warmth of the sun when it touched my skin
and allowed a gentle breeze to awaken within me
something that had caught me completely unaware.
There was a melody drifting on the wind.
I shared its lyrics with my heart but no one else,
afraid I'd misread what I'd seen in his eyes,
and unsure that somehow, I had misconstrued
what the gentle zephyr was conveying to me.
There were butterflies waltzing inside of me,
dancing with intense yearning that I wanted to explore.
It filled my mind and body until I could hardly breathe.
At sixteen, I was ready to walk across that threshold
between adolescence and what was on the other side.
A smile brushed my lips each time I said his name.
When the heart feels the
weight of unvoiced verses,
as the verdant embers of Venus
follow the frozen warmth
and the permafrost flickers
of persimmon and cinnamon,
like poetry slipping through
tortured time,
I stand at the cusp of
withering wishes,
like the silver of Luna phasing
above the lamented lighthouse,
cemented with mistrust,
embedded with uncertainties,
afraid of the crashing crystals
cradling my claustrophobic psyche…
O silent scribblers,
scrolling through words of woe,
forgive my impulsive ink.
I’ve long been a runner,
fleeing familiar fickleness,
exhausted and drained
in the midst of melancholy
that lingers across forlorn pages,
like coldness amidst a summer breeze,
like darkness dwelling
in the driftwood dust
of dawning dreams and rising roses,
rinsed with regrets of musky musings.
I race through miles of solitude,
chasing nirvana,
escaping the shackles
of black-thorn springs,
where breathing seems
like a miscalculated
step to misery and interrogation...
I am a misread flame,
entwined with forgotten footfalls,
reveling in solitude,
where sonnets of love
and elegies of sorrow
no longer pierce my soul,
like rusted steel.
I drown in syllables of zen,
alone but not lonely,
silent but not silenced,
anchored in the aesthetics
of self-love and serenity,
hypothesized by
the hesitant galaxies,
as if I am the conceited constellation
that wanes when
storms stir my senses.
But I refuse to pull the stars
into the hellish arms
of vagueness,
so this is me
saving you from
sweltering soliloquies
while homing
fragments of lucidity on
my own astral avenue…
I watch her in the sky shining like a diamond chit
splashing her light around in the midnight sombre
she is more beautiful then all other things that orbit
this star, she's an insight to our inner world order
and a heartbeat pulse, I've never known to quit
Watch how she tails her glow above your head
reminding you of halos, sunrises and auric sheens
She's a polished scintillant, never to be misread
a navigator in full throttle a beauteous inbred
even Captains of the sea want her on their team
I remember when I was little me and my daddy
In the backdrop of summer, standing on a balcony
He pointed a finger and taught me about star poetry
I never could have met STARS without his guiding light
So when he died, I quietly sent him out into the night.
3/19/2020
I destroy it all
When feeling small
When I feel alone
I embrace the fall
True words come out
Without a doubt
I pitch a fit
I scream and shout
I make my bed
Like it’s been said
Though not quite fair
I’ve been misread
But no one cares
For scars I wear
I lost control
They point and stare
I’ll never face
An ounce of grace
For, I was wrong
And out of place
A Case of Sexual Harassment
By Elton Camp
Ms. Clark gave her analysis to the boss
For words of praise he wasn’t at a loss
“Honey, this work is as good as any man.
Doing a fine job is something you can.”
She felt his arm slip around her waist
And on her hip, his fingers he placed
Though he was crude, ugly and fat,
He gave Ms. Clark a playful little pat
“Just stick with me and you’ll go far.
Because I think I know what you are.
You have what it takes to get ahead
Sure my meaning you haven’t misread.”
“I’ll be quite glad to show you the ropes
And advance you over those other dopes.”
The boss gazed directly into her eyes
So that her reaction he could apprise
“A business trip I must take next week.
There is this hotel where I will speak.
I will be wanting some help you see,
So I need you to come along with me.”
Ms. Clark then very sharply did exhale
His advances she much wanted to repel
But promotion at work she needed too
Would she do what she’d come to rue?
For 47 years and 2 weeks
He was there by my side
Then the sad day came
When he up and died.
On my way home he was there
And as I turned onto the road to home
Garth Brooks began to sing "The River"
It's message was so profound.
Then at breakfasts some songs they'd play
Were messages to which I could relate
"Remember When," by Allen Jackson
And Garth Brook's song "The Dance"
Rascal Flats song "The Long Lonesome Road"
Could have been his life,
It's message I first misread
Until I opened up my eyes.
With "If Tomorrow Never Comes,"
Garth Brooks breaks my heart
But with his song "Sometimes Other Than The Night"
The message was quite strong.
And then there were times I'd go to town
Where usually business was involved
One of these special songs would play
To let me know he was along.
I'd even turn from station to station
To keep the signal clear
And yes, You are right my friends
One of these special songs would be there.
Yesterday it was "The Dance"
Today I learned the news
The bank had presented the papers on the house
So they could be approved.
Today I learned it had been approved
And Our things we'll once more share
We'll look from our window
And see the buffalo there.
I sometimes wonder if there is a message
In a song Leanne Womack sings
It happens following stressful times
And it's called "I Hope You Dance."
OUR HOME ON THE RANGE, will be just that
For now till the end of time
And I'll continue to read my books
Sharing the life the cowboys had
When the west was free and wild.
This morning when I was getting up I turned on the radio and Garth Brooks had just started singing "THE DANCE".