Best Ngoma Poems
Poetry Soup Hero's
Poets with golden ink and pens
You make us move forward with your inspiration
With kind an honest, encouragement and compliments
Small act of caring all which has the potential to turn a life around
Peter Duggan
Vera Duggan
Michael Tor
Demetrios Trifiatis
Broken Wings
Andrea Dietrich
Carrie Richards
nette onclaud
JAN ALLISON
boddie, eric
John Wulf
Sandra Haight
Casarah Nance
Emile Pinet
John lawless
Abdul Malik
Julia Ward
Kim Patrice Nunez
Olive Eloisa Guillermo
hunjeri, njeri
Anne Lise Andresen
Dr. Upma A. Sharma
Ian Guyler
Mystic Rose
Tim Ryerson
arthur vaso
Paul Callus
Frederic Parker
Keith Trestrail
Richard Lamoureux
SEREN ROBERTS
Joseph May
Robert Stoner Jr
Silent One
Laura Leiser
Faye Gibson
Viv Wigley
Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Lycia Harding
Bev Smith
Tim Smith
Poet Destroyer A
Janice Canerdy
Robert L. Hinshaw
Teddy Kimathi
Kim Merryman
Thabang Ngoma
Connie Marcum Wong
FJ Thomas
Judy Konos
Sneha RV The literature lover
James Inman
Sara Kendrick
Eileen Manassian
Adam Hunter
Bill Lindsay
george seal
Barbara Campbell
Kelly Deschler
Robert Lindley
Carol Eastman
David Fisher
Barbara Gorelick
The Grahamburglar
Shadow Hamilton
david mohn
Pandita Sanchez
Isaiah Zerbst
Balveen Cheema
peter holmes
SKAT A
len carber
Warner Baxter
Darlene Gifford
CayCay Jennings
Deb Wilson
Alexis Y.
Jerry T Curtis
Aiyah de Torres
James Fraser
Anoucheka Gangabissoon
Debbie Guzzi
craig cornish
harry horsman
Ruben O.
Charlotte Jade Puddifoot
Mohamed Adel
Lee Carter
Dan Cwiak
Leonora Galinta
olusegun Arowolo
Edwin Hofert
Roy Jerden
Diane M Quinlan
john beharry
Carolyn Devonshire
Mark J. Halliday
Joyce Johnson
Hannington Mumo
Anulaxmi Nayak
Mary Oliver Rotman
Lei Strauss
michael tor
Mark Trichet
Mark Woods
Ronald Zammit
Laura Breidenthal
Andrew Crisci
Raha, Miraj
Phool, Maharani
Johnson, Megan
Graves, Allan
Ngo, Meline
Ramos, Tiffany
Rosenthal, Allie
Borghei, Niki
Tripp, Criss
Reyes, Thomas
Rajaratnam, Gunadevi
Braxton, Shanda
Barry, Stephen
Prophet, James
Titus, Luwi
Leach, Michele
LeBlanc, Michelle
maximax, nicole
Kwinana, Ndikho
Turse, Patricia
Dazh, Ezell
Luke, Neena
Brown, Verna
Catie Lindsey
Bongani Zungu
Eve T.M.M.
Lin Lane
And so many more!
Team Poetry Soup :)
Not For Contest
Savoured roots at the tip of a spade
Dying leaves escape their own tree’s shade
We’re in a draught, spare me your tears
Unless you’re a portfolio full of shares
The land is levelled by green boots
Their orders given by black suits
Does anyone know who invented the book?
The written word whose hand knowledge shook?
I'm the wailing guitar's disconnected speaker
The cure found in the slip of a broken glass beaker
The trillions locked away in a vault of greed
The billions our fear safely breeds
I'm surrounded by a heat of hatred
My peaceful world's smouldering and defeated
Deep in lack of love's crippling frustration
Sunny days clouded in cold perspiration
Life is crawling down the barrel of a gun
In the firing line of death rays escaping the sun
I count my enemies in each empty shell
I pick it up to glimpse down the bottom of hell
I'm seen in forgotten memory
A lost entry in a 1939 Nazi diary
Left out to wet and dry like an old newspaper
Let me fly this wind fate's prepared proper
I was searching for peace and quiet
I couldn't afford to pay a requested quote
So I live up the slippery walls of a bleeding nose
Along the ear channel’s tunnelled noise
I hear whispered dark secrets
Confessions and prayers hummed and sacred
Shouted insults and empty threats
The clearing and swallow of a dry throat
Thabang J. Ngoma
13-12-2015
John lawless’s Where Echoes Hide - Poetry Contest
In the dead of night, the crickets holding their breath
Our love brooding the full moon's tide on our anniversary
The wind stirs our risen ashes and revived passion
That had remained dormant down eternity's timeline
Tonight, we're reunited once more as we'll be forevermore
Our ghosts dance in the shadows of our old, forgotten steps
Down this moonlit, memory paved path to our short lives
Past the traces of chalk where we laid holding hands side by side
Thabang J. Ngoma
08-30-2015
Nette Oclaud's Sense of touch contest
Sailing the seven seas
On true love's eternal tide
Expressed on a wave
Thabang Jan Ngoma
22-07-2015
Sponsor: Frank Herrera
Contest Name: LOVE IN A FAR OFF PLACE
After Daktari kugoma
Aty juu amesoma
Mpiga kura huyoo amecoma
Mp wangu alisafiri bungoma
Alialikwa kukula nyama
Huku nikiteremsha mahindi choma
Alicampaign tukiwa kwa Chama
But juu ya njaa wacha niweke comma
English verse>
gimme sum mutual praise
gimme sum mutual praise
gimme sum mutual praise
All them there people's of the world;
Coastal dwellers praising; All day long, all the day long;
Rejoicing, and repenting of their wrongs.
Everybody on the islands;
Everywhere on the coastal Regions on the seas, lakes, oceans, everywhere;
Sahil praise;
Sawahil praise;
Boundary dwellers
capture to the heavens bound;
Islanders playing bongo-drums and tambores
Imani-faith
Kusudi sabatu purpose, purpose
Rejoicing, and repenting of their wrongs.
Everybody on the islands;
Everywhere on the coastal Regions on the seas, lakes, oceans, everywhere;
Sahil praise;
Sawahil praise;
Boundary dwellers
capture to the heavens bound;
People dancing, praising and praying all day this is their Swahili praise;
Swahili verse>
jumla Gimme kuheshimiana sifa
jumla Gimme kuheshimiana sifa
jumla Gimme kuheshimiana sifa
Kwao kuna watu wote wa dunia;
Wakazi wa pwani kumsifu; Mchana kutwa, mchana kutwa;
Kufurahi, na kutubu makosa yao.
Kila mtu katika visiwa;
Kila mahali katika mikoa ya pwani ya bahari, maziwa, bahari, kila mahali;
Sahil sifa;
Sawahil sifa;
Wakazi wa mpaka
kukamata mbingu amefungwa;
Wakaazi wa visiwani kucheza bongo-ngoma na tambores
Imani-imani
Amejenga sabatu lengo, lengo
Kufurahi, na kutubu makosa yao.
Kila mtu katika visiwa;
Kila mahali katika mikoa ya pwani ya bahari, maziwa, bahari, kila mahali;
Sahil sifa;
Sawahil sifa;
Wakazi wa mpaka
kukamata mbingu amefungwa;
Watu kucheza, kumsifu na kuomba siku zote hii ni sifa yao ya Kiswahili;
09/22/17
written by James Edward Lee Sr.
from anthology "Swahili Praise"
written by James Edward Lee Sr.
In life we face many battles...some challenge us in new ways we did not expect. The will is tested, but never defeated. We’re mocked and humiliated, but stay humble. Such is the tiger, efficient and silent.
Leaking gaping wounds
Coughing fur balls to laughter
Beware the tiger
The tiger is the most evolved of all the cats, dare I say of all the land predators.
Proficient on land and in water; in pitch black, twilight or at dusk; in the tropicas or in the tundra...the tiger adapts and dominates its terrain.
Darkness is haunted
Impossible is hunted
Eye of the tiger
Thabang Jan Ngoma
22-07-2015
For Contest Name: HAIBUN
Sponsor: Scott Thirtyseven
gaping mouth kiss to canvass
on my jugular death’s caress
my spirit’s quenched combust
a champion in defeat’s bust
eyes swollen shut, “and he’s out!”
down for the count on my gut
prey food to a superior predator
beneath the boot of my victor
ear compelled to my new level
to the maniacal laughter of the devil
gasping bloodied snot for breath
choking on own uprooted teeth
flashing a mockery of embarrassment
cameras capture my lowest moment
in my fading hour...falling apart
in living colour...creating art
twelve rounds in life’s gruelling bout
going toe to toe with an unfair lout
to be counted out of existence
I will accept with reluctance
“one, two,” referee takes a closer look
eight seconds to be written out of the history books
“...three, four, five, six, seven...” don't hesitate
...and I’m up at the count of eight!
SPIRIT OF A CHAMPION
Thabang Jan Ngoma
22-07-2015
For Contest Name: Get Low
Sponsor: Casarah Nance
unbroken chains hold my steer
over bruised knees bled dry
off my second hand adventure
throughout scarred elbows
unbroken chains hold my steer
no.6—Bike
Thabang Jan Ngoma
08-06-2015
Sponsor: nette onclaud
Contest Name: A PRIZED REFRAIN
Locked in place on a high cross
Swords spoke the foreword
A quick glance at eternal peace
Combat defined his wounds
Only the pen of history
Penetrates his heavy armour
Behind his shield lies purgatory
At the height of an evil empire
Cracked dried lips to steel
Exposure to the kiss of death
Vanguard to a spiritual thirst
Glistening in the sun unsheathed
Doors open to unknown corridors
Momentarily blinded by a flood
Of light - vulnerable to carnivores
Engrossed in the scent of his blood
A costume designed to antagonize
Missiles of jeers from the masses
For the iron fist it symbolises
On their visibly anguished faces
Metal sparks fly to illuminate
The wide-eyed in the grandstand
Fireworks displayed in the court
On unchained blistered hands
A heavy heart to condemn
Stumbling in his reluctant march
Enslaved for the true price of freedom
A beheading at tip of Caesar's thumb
The first blow is on target
Sends his mind off on a tangent
Far beyond the castle walls
To a dream of a love lost and distant
Behind the lowered vice
Is a soldier wanted for treason
For gold and land promised, but
Never delivered for reasons never given
For centuries feared far and wide
The myth of a fire-breathing dragon
He relinquishes his mask – his pride
Lies dying of his wounds in the dungeon
When the battlefield still had honour
Before death became a spectator sport
For those with a twisted sense of humour
A gladiator once lived and fought
08-18-2015
Thabang J. Ngoma
A besieged torrent
Unveils a rainbow nation
Fluorescent smiles
Thabang Ngoma
16-07-2015
South Africa
Sponsor: SKAT A
Contest Name: In 3 lines, represent your Country or State flag
Eyes like silver beams
Emanate a full moon
Moonlight my dreams
Be my event horizon
Invade my dark room
Filter through secret’s curtain
Soak the sky
In a rain of tears
Heard a painful cry
Echoed a thousand light years
If I’m the reason why
I don’t deserve to know your fears
Chorus
I’m tide to you
You pulsate crashing waves
Rising to stew
Dragon slayer be brave
‘cos when all is through
We’ll savour true love
Engulf my desire
I crave your light
Hell, set me on fire
In my darkest night
On a whim so cavalier
‘cos girl I’m your dark knight
Trapped in your mirror
Captured in your heart
Your love reflects forever
Even if it's broken apart
‘cos to the apple of my eye
Girl you’re a shooting dart
Chorus
I’m tide to you
You pulsate crashing waves
Rising to stew
Dragon slayer be brave
‘cos when all is through
We’ll savour true love
Minds blown to the ceiling
Hearts still on the top floor
Can’t escape this feeling
Lost the key to the door
Seeking a higher healing
On a forbidden carnal shore
Let the moonlight in
Can't escape your glow
Love's fused in between
The open hands we show
Smoke the silver screen
To the stars above we go
Chorus
I’m tide to you
You pulsate crashing waves
Rising to stew
Dragon slayer be brave
‘cos when all is through
We’ll savour true love
Thabang Jan Ngoma
28-07-2015
“Taste desire
Burns within
Takes me higher
Spread my wings
Day transpires
Where I've been”
Prime Circle’s – Let The Night In
Sponsor: Silent One
Contest Name: Music to my ears poetry contest
Blowing in white noise
Listen to the people speak
A flag at half mast
Blacks mine gold bars
Blood diamonds stolen wealth
Africa’s rebirth
Blue skies green fields
Much brighter days lay ahead
On fertile grazing
Thabang Jan Ngoma
07-17-2015
From South Africa
Flag colours - black, gold, green, white, chilli red and blue.
Sponsor: Judy Konos
Contest Name: Your Country State City Flag
I’m a failed poet
A bowled out game of cricket
A boiled nugget in a poetrysoup to market
I rule my lines straight like a wicket
I am an insane bullet
On a collision course with a stuffed Muppet
Take me seriously like a moving target
You’ll find me famously like a flaming rocket
Reading a moment then leaving a comment
Never meant to torment
Did I draw your face
In my heads endless space
As I write with an unguarded hand
I paint vividly with my free mind
I draw you in and once within
And begin to take you on a thrill like a trampoline
We’ve laid down our swords
And hanged up our shields
But the war still rages on in our hearts
We’ve tamed the warhorse
His saddle rests in the stable
But his stride still charges our frontlines
Our trenches buried
A soldier never stops his march
It will continue to consume him to his own end
And all those close to him
Will be his unintended victims
On the battle brought to his doorstep
So we’ve built a war machine
To deliver nothing less than glory
Designed perfection in total destruction
He moves with stealth
His existence camouflaged
You’ll never see him crumble as he salutes you
Honourably discharged into a violent society
Opposed to his order and discipline
To endure sounds of gunshots and chaos in the streets
Forced to relive his nightmares
Of exploding missiles and discharged mines
Screams of the dying and the agony of the wounded
Staring into the empty distance
He sees the worlds he's helped destroy
Following orders to protect and serve his own
He understands the sacrifice
As he holds his child in his arms
How he gave new life with his gun’s final breath
Surrounded by loved ones
Desolate as an abandoned battlefield
Missing the lives he's lost...dreading the lives he's taken
Explosions in his head
Shrapnel in his heart
He's a spear thrown deep into enemy territory
...I salute thee brave knight
For I sleep inspite of war tonight
A war once ended peace will endure, but yours is uncertain
Tribute to the Soldier!
A brother, a warrior...a sentinel...a hero
Thabang Jan Ngoma
07-17-2015
Sponsor: Kelly Deschler
Contest Name: Men Only #2