Best My Weary Soul Poems
Conducted by the Hands that gave them voice
Sweet songs of evening soothe my weary soul.
Oh, how I love to hear the birds rejoice
As frogs and insects hum adagio.
Each night I sit and watch the sun go down
Accompanied by song that has no score
Each night His orchestra holds me spellbound
That's why each night, I come right back for more.
Yet I am just a simple country boy
These nature songs were my first lullabies
E'en to this day they bring my heart such joy
And on occasion tear these simple eyes
When moon appears to watch the sun depart
My only thought, "My God, how great Thou art."
Daniel Turner
Your laughter dances like the morning breeze,
A gentle balm that heals my hidden pain.
Your touch, a summer's kiss upon the trees,
Brings life to places cold as winter's reign.
Within your gaze, a universe unfolds,
A symphony of stars that brightly gleam.
In your embrace, my weary soul finds hold,
As if the world exists within a dream.
Each whispered word ignites a tender spark,
A language only hearts in love can know.
You light my path when all around is dark,
And teach my soul the way it yearns to grow.
Forevermore, our hearts shall beat as one,
Bound by the light of love that ne’er is done.
My mind to arms to hands to oars to lake
I cleave the sunrise glass-like surface, still
With just my lonely friend, a mallard drake
Thus set adrift, my thoughts, upon the wake
So buoyed by the breath of morning's chill ...
Oh, how I long to know the somber deep
To let my weary soul sink with the bream
But I have many vows that I must keep
My web-toed friend and I have loves to reap
And many lochs to row before we dream ...
Yes, many lochs to row ... before we dream.
~ 1st Place ~ in the "Standard Contest Number 135 Any Form Or None" Poetry Contest, Brian Strand, Judge & Sponsor.
~ 2nd Place ~ in the "Rhyme Time II" Poetry Contest, Laura Loo, Sponsor.
If only this path would lead somewhere,
To rest my weary soul there.
A place on the way where I could stay,
And look back over my shoulder and say,
Thank you for the path I’ve walked,
And thanks for the lessons you’ve taught.
In this ancient forest I gaze about,
And see only love is needed to sprout.
With all the critters that whisper to me,
The voice I hear is my love to be.
So on this path my soul carries on,
Hoping my love by my side comes along.
Together we’ll venture far and wide,
And in each other we shall confide.
Passing through low valleys we’ll be,
Then atop the highest mountain we’ll see.
Our hearts as one for eternity,
For I love you and you love me.
i repudiate this clock on the wall
each moment frozen of time
lashes back in internal strokes
against my weary soul
its ticking erupts
like thunderous echoes
within the confines
of my tortured mind
on this darkened night
i slip 'neath the shadows of past
running in circles
trying to escape
the grasp of hands
that taunt like death
eternal torture
through infinite seconds
that beat like this heart of mine
as the pace amplifies through mind
bereaves me of the present again
as i face my own fears once more
unkept from another sleepless night
i arise with the same fury as a sun
beneath the bloodied skies
denouncing the storms
as they rage on
July 2, 2020
Time 8 word Challenge
Sponsored by A Dear Heart
When I need an uplift for my weary soul and to clear my muddled mind.
I slowly cruise along a country road to see what treasures I might find.
I leave behind the frenzied traffic on the four-lane interstate,
To enjoy bucolic vistas along a gravel road, my languid soul to sate.
I see old barns with Mail Pouch Tobacco ads now faint due to age,
And remnants of Burma Shave signs with their charmin' adage.
Stately homes with white picket fences grace the country road,
With roses of every hue surroundin' emerald lawns all neatly mowed.
I cross a rickety wooden bridge 'neath which country boys are fishin',
And for long ago summer days of feckless youth, it gits me to wishin;!
A lady waves to me as she hangs her laundry on the clothesline to dry.
A sign on the old country store reads, 'Wave If You Can't Stop By!'
Farmers on John Deere tractors wave as they tend their fields of grain.
They sure kick up lots of dust and I reckon they're prayin' for some rain.
I rolled down the windows to savor the wonderful scent of new-mown hay,
And slow to let an Amish family in their buggy move along the way.
Fat cattle graze on lush meadows, each with a meanderin' stream.
Horses gaze at me over fences as they look askance and dream.
I loathe interstates where folks think they're in the Indy 500-mile race.
I prefer old country roads where life is enjoyed at a much slower pace!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
(c) 2015 All Rights Reserved
In draining sand I trace the line
the tide has made in bubbles, fine,
where scalloped wavelets sloped in foam,
halt the ocean’s wide roiling roam.
Pale seashells shimmer in bright sun
and tiny crabs sport sideways run;
whitecaps dancing, turquoise to green,
toss at my feet a glossed sea bean.
Solitude, loved quiet and calm,
give to my weary soul sweet balm.
The mornings that I stroll the beach
seem like heaven slips into reach;
I pause to rest on driftwood bench
drink in the sea, my soul thirst quench.
Copyright, August 21, 2016
Faye Lanham Gibson
This barren desert hot and dry
as noonday sun is beating down;
I’ve walked for miles, no one in sight,
and over head the buzzards fly
awaiting death to end my plight.
My throat is dry, my skin parched brown
while on my face I wear death’s frown.
I long for water wet and cool
to quench the thirst of this old fool
who took off on this trek alone
to cross this desert on his own.
But wait...what yonder do I see
off in the distance, lush with tree;
perhaps some water could it be?
And shade to cool me from the sun?
It can’t be far until l’m done;
I guess it not but just a mile
before I reach this desert isle.
But wait...what grief as I approach
it seems oasis growing dim;
the visions on my dreams encroach
and disappear with reaper’s hymn.
My gait is lessened to a crawl
through desert sand on hands and knee
that burns my flesh as I advance.
With weakness, on my face I fall
and wonder why I took the chance.
But still in yonder sand I see
the lush oasis luring me,
yet in my mind I know not real,
this damned mirage my dreams to steal.
My life is flashing ‘fore my eyes;
the end is nearer I surmise.
I think of her, the moments shared
and her vile voice that said she cared;
I thought our hearts forever paired,
but like this vision in the sand…
‘twas mere mirage on barren land.
The noonday sun I cannot bear
as grains of sand mix in my hair,
and now I know that doom awaits;
the buzzards lurk as death bells chime;
my weary soul left to the fates
as reaper’s hymn tells me it’s time.
January 4, 2020
Sapphire clouds on pink mountains
Sky of lemon
Deeper into the inversions of my mind
Reality is this vivacious hum
Singing the blues
My prayer book of gold
Contemplation....
Eyes watching the moon wane
Waves, lush tides to soothe a soul
Shall I ascend to the next level?
I only stopped to pause and reflect.
I remember sweet silken moments...
The sweetness of succulent wine
I passionately love you.
I believed in you.
It was so unexpected that you would leave.
And then I stayed too long in the valley of sorrow
Wondering what might've been.....
It drove me mad and sad almost to the point of no return.
I shall not carry this sorrow alone
Venus shines through the pines
Illustrated hope hangs on the cypress
Serene swans like cryptic poetry.
Death is not romantic
Life soars above the planets
White lilies sing amidst the fireflies
I have heard the voice of peace
Now the stairs before me beckon me
To climb to the next level where the view
And fragrant red roses will delight my weary soul
You might even be there to dance with me one more time in the mystical mists of eternity.
This Load I Carry…
Along the road of life,
I carry a large load…
It feels quite heavy…
As I travel a “bumpy” road.
This load I carry is often
difficult to bear…
At times, I stumble…
And caught “unaware…”
The trials and hardships
of life… I shall endure…
I’ll try to stay on a path
that is “safe” and “secure.”
There are times, however,
when I get in a hurry...
As the storms of life often cause a “flurry.”
During my travel… As I look up
to the darkened skies…
I can almost look into
my heavenly father’s eyes…
As God reaches down
his arms so strong…
He’s there to lead me
when things go wrong.
The Lord is there to help
with my heavy burden…
He’s also my guiding light…
I am most certain!
The Lord is my shepherd
and is with me where I go…
He’s brought strength and
rest for my weary soul.
This load I carry may be full
of so many things…
But grows lighter because of the love
that God brings!
By Jim Pemberton
Breezes of a summer night,
gently blew into my open
bedroom window as i
laid there so restless and
desperately trying to bring
sleep to my weary soul.
Eyes closing, sending me to
a land i once walked,
places where i lived,
peace and contentment,
flooded my soul as,
i saw my mother's smiling
face. of her telling me,
how she loved and missed me,
hoping i was getting along ok,
feeling of joy swept me away,
as a sun beam touched my face,
to a most dear and beautiful day,
felt better than i had in years,
knowing life had more things in store
for me, that i needed to move on.
wrote 3-29-11
this clock on the wall, echoes through my heart's lonely walls
it laughs in seconds the pulsation of years long past
its hands stroke the circumference of my soul it thralls
it writhes against my memories in an outward cast
if only to rewind this torturous menace of time
step rearward beyond the past where you claimed my weary soul
to love you less, free my heart's chambers from this frozen clime
reclaim myself from your shadowed clutches and emerge whole
would pathways of my strides vestige less in absence of you
or become aberrated in the distance of time's beat
would my soul escape darkness and linger in brighter hues
or remain lost in the echoes of this clock's haunting bleat
October 8, 2019
If only we could turn back the hands of time Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Silent One
The River carries words softly,
her rhythm, my cadence,
her flow, my home.
I drift where the stars fall,
their light a map I cannot follow—
only feel.
Deeper now, the River’s current hums.
The Poet has run out of lines—
their ink dissolving into the tide.
Her banks disappear,
leaving only sky and salt,
an estuary too wide to hold.
The River’s lifeblood carries me,
not to drown—but to bear
my weary soul onward—
where breath becomes wind,
and the words to render
never really end.
Heaven knows we need recovery from life
like wounded birds of prey we need respite
from those cankerous inkly thoughts of night
for when a tree falls all creatures live in rife
Only a bright star knows how much we long
for pearly doors ajar and welcome arms
I can hear him whilst below whispering be strong
as my weary soul goes setting off alarms
Gladness beams in my heart as the moon smiles
and even the birds soar again, in confidence
I follow His teachings and walk mile upon mile
onto the heart of His forest, onto His dense
God only knows how much I needed his grace
and how much I longed to see his radiant face
In the depths of my weary soul, I ponder,
Upon the choices made and paths forsaken.
A wistful whisper echoes, a song of wonder,
Of the road I did not take, now left unawakened.
Through veils of time, my memories unfold,
To a crossroad nestled 'neath a golden sky.
Two divergent trails, enticing and bold,
Each beckoning with a promise, I can't deny.
The first, paved with comfort and known terrain,
Lured me with familiarity's gentle embrace.
A steady path, devoid of fear and strain,
A life of ease, a tranquil resting place.
But the other, oh, the other was wild and untamed,
An uncharted journey, fraught with mystery.
Adventures aplenty, untold stories unclaimed,
A tempest of emotions, rapturous and free.
Yet fear gripped my heart, with its icy hold,
The uncertainty of the untrodden way.
What if I stumble? What if I grow cold?
What if my dreams falter, and my spirit wanes?
Regret now whispers softly in my ear,
Of the road I did not take, the path unexplored.
Its voice grows louder, fueled by the years,
A haunting echo of dreams forever ignored.
For life is a tapestry, woven with threads,
Of choices and chances, both great and small.
And though I've embraced the path that I tread,
The road I did not take still echoes its call.
But fret not, my weary soul, for it is not lost,
That road untraveled, its magic still remains.
For in dreams and musings, its beauty embossed,
A cherished longing, forever ingrained.
So, let me celebrate the choices I've made,
Embrace the road I have ventured upon.
For even as I wonder, my heart unswayed,
The road I did not take has made me strong.
And as I journey forward, with purpose and grace,
I'll carry the lessons of paths left behind.
For in the tapestry of life, every road finds its place,
And in the end, I'll cherish the road I did not take.