Best On That Poems
On that rainy night
Near her home,
At the distance,
A lone electric lamp shone;
Raindrops dribbling ,seen
Flickering in its light.
She might have been sleeping then.
I was driving my car
In the rain
towards my distant home
in the city.
Categories:
on that, love,
Form:
Free verse
AND ON THAT DAY…
(APROPOS MLK: PART 1)
And on that day we will rise
And raise the hued shades of ignorance
And let the light of truth shine on our souls
And purify our hearts with warm rays of hope.
And on that day we will rise
And see rumors of wars sucked into black holes of peace.
And the phoenix birds shall give birth to cooing doves.
And on that day we shall confront our humanity
And boldly say to it, you must become all we can be;
And seek forgiveness for the acts that trampled the will of God;
And hope for redemption for the shredded dreams deferred.
And on that day America shall awaken from her slumber
And stretch forth her weary arms yawning a Nicodemus yawn.
And that day shall be the dawning of new beginnings;
And the chameleon shall change its colors no more.
And each hued hope shall be woven into the fabric of common destiny.
And the wheels of time shall roll us over into the New Jerusalem…
And on that day America will sing a new song;
And it shall be: My country’s tears to thee…
And on that day God will say: Well Done!
Categories:
on that, africa, appreciation, black african
Form:
Prose Poetry
Like most we wandered and wavered
and fell for the devil's wily ways
But not on that day
On that day all sins were forgiven
Curses dissolved into blessings
Tension melted in the glow of good will
Evil evaporated in the light of truth
Grief fell victim to delight
Death succumbed to life
Sipping on Eggnog spiked with Rum
Hugging our sons and our daughters
Gently scolding wayward grandchildren
Slapping old friends on the back
Bragging and telling tall tales
Laughing hysterically at our lies
On that day there were no missing pieces
On that day the wounded world was healed
On that blessed and blissful day
it all made sense
Categories:
on that, christmas, grief, joy,
Form:
Free verse
Location: My oldest daughter’s house
Date: 2008 - 7 months after her death
Age: 59 years old, feeling more like 80
Event: Traditional Christmas Eve party
Emotional status: It was finally sinking in...
and so it was that:
Like most we wandered and wavered
and fell for the Devil's wily ways
But not on that night...
On that night all sins were forgiven
Curses dissolved into blessings
Tension melted in the glow of good will
Evil evaporated in the light of truth
Death succumbed to life...
Hugging our sons and our daughters
gently scolding wayward grandchildren
sipping on Eggnog spiked with Bacardi
slapping old friends on the back
bragging and telling tall tales
laughing hysterically at our lies
On that night there were no missing pieces
On that night the wounded world was healed
On that night, on that one blissful night
it all made sense...
Submitted for: Kelly’s ‘Christmas Past, Present or Future’ contest
Categories:
on that, christmas,
Form:
Narrative
Torrents of misfortune rained down
Swollen rivers of grief overflowed
threatening to sweep us apart
but not on that day
On that day all wrongs were righted
Curses dissolved into blessings
Tension melted in the glow of good will
Evil evaporated in the light of truth
Despair fell victim to hope
Death succumbed to life
Sipping Eggnog spiked with Rum
Hugging our sons and our daughters
Gently scolding wayward grandchildren
Slapping old friends on the back
Bragging and telling tall tales
Laughing hysterically at our lies
On that day there were no missing pieces
On that day the wounded world was healed
On that welcome Christmas Day
it all made sense
Categories:
on that, christmas,
Form:
Free verse
Christ is born
He's in the manger
Reigning from His humble stall
Immanuel, come to reedeem us
Salvation, here for one and all
Tenderly his mother holds him
Men will seek the newborn King
Angels praise the God of glory
Shepherds, wise men, gifts to bring
Love from Heaven shines now on us
Over hill and valley bright
Victory's song rings through the ages
Ever since that blessed night
*For submission in Brian's contest
Categories:
on that, faith, inspirational, love, peace
Form:
Acrostic
On that long train ahead
On that long train ahead, I am always the caboose.
The long train ahead reaches, out into infinity’s heaven.
The Holy Spirit often like an engineer, guiding its destination.
The locomotive makes the most noise, gets credit for the job well done.
The cars in the middle so coupled, mingle with one another so tracked.
The caboose at the end of the train coasting forward, knowing no ending.
On that long train ahead the caboose not seen will be there, the conductors
“All aboard” knows.
John H. Hardison..
Categories:
on that, journey, life, self, spiritual,
Form:
Narrative
Brighter,light hearted,looking upward
reaching out..to listen and hear
words of renewal..borne on the wind
Categories:
on that, allegory, christian,
Form:
tristich
Lyrics sung by Johnny Cash in "The Long Black Train"
"I said cling to the Father and his Holy name,
And don't go ridin' on that long black train."
there's a conductor
waiting to take your ticket
for a pleasure ride. . .
johnny cash said no can do
his chariot is the clouds
For the TRAINS AND FANTASY Contest of Mystic Rose
Categories:
on that, religious,
Form:
Tanka
********
On that day where
He..
Shall come' for Me
------
I will be free..
------
A Mighty Trumpet
- Or -
A Mighty Sword
An instrument for Thee
Fore
To travel with Him
Would make a
Glorious' Sound
Unto the Lord...
Indeed
Poet Author
Gary Fields
Categories:
on that, adventure, art, caregiving, faith,
Form:
Bio
The midnight sun
and the midday moon
soon scurried
across the purple sky
searching for you
and our ill fated love
You left that sweaty night
and I haven’t seen you since
I felt we were one
I know you felt it too
I guess some loves can't be kept
Loving moments in time and space
dissolve hearts looking for honesty
As the lovelorn do
It was that one special moment
That one time, that sweaty space
Where we found each other
And I lost you
Categories:
on that, lost love,
Form:
Free verse
On that dark alley, the wind whispered
Listen, it said, I am the bringer of news
Goosebumps on my arms, I stood and heard
This creepy voice and looked for signs of cues
None came except this cold voice, so angered!
That dark night, I shook with fright
Yet obedient, I gave the wind my audience
I am sick, it said, sick of this birthright
You humans, have taken to abhorrence
Look at the plight of this providence!
Pollution, everywhere and anywhere
Nowhere, can I flow as free as air
Nor can I breathe purity
Nor can I sense chastity
What has happened to humanity?
As the wind lamented, my fright disappeared
It shook and pity overwhelmed my heart
But the wind talked once more, as I feared
I shall bring forth destruction and down shall be those smart
Those who think the world is made up of their sole part!
Be prepared, it continued, be prepared for the havoc
The world should be cleaned in each block
I shall do so via a shock
The time shall come with the clock
Be prepared for the rejuvenation!
On that dark alley, my blood turned cold
And my heart for my likes become hard
Even if with love and care it is mould
I pray for the coming of the Bard
The one to cure the world of this negativity!
Placed 3rd in the contest.... :)
Categories:
on that, adventure, life, mystery, natural
Form:
Rhyme
On that faithful day;
A day that will never be dismissed from the mind.
It was a beautiful morning,
And from the city I watched the two glaring towers,
Standing body to body like twins,
As the sun passed through them to shine.
I imagined my likes inside these towers
Going about their usual calls for duty,
And the next minute in a blink,
The attack whooshed in and spared no foe.
Some rescued but not as they were;
Some turned ashes and went with flames;
Others buried by the beautiful towers,
as they crushed down with little or no help.
What is happening to us?
Is the world coming to an end?
Cried every mind running insane,
As toxic palls went after them like a monster;
People running helter-skelter like aroused ants,
As their nostrils seek a protective refuge,
Not to be the cause of more death.
Homes taken over by smokes and heat
Leaving residents out in the street;
Children screaming to cling to their mothers,
But mothers no where to be found.
Oh! What a day that cursed parents childless
And made children orphans;
Day and night so far as foes,
As the day was so long that find the night.
Fear became the only feelings of the heart,
as the beautiful day turned an ugly night.
If I were to make a wish,
I would have wished the day never came;
I would have wished 9/11 was but a movies caption
Handsomely taking home an oscar.
Have I powers enough to hold back the hands of time,
I would have stopped the day that came by night.
But behold, it was but a horrible day,
Claiming every life it could find
And flaming the city in destruction.
And for the deceased noble authorities,
What would you have done?
Other than giving your lives for a life,
To save the nation from the dark day.
Minds will always remember your selflessness,
Your bejeweled monuments will always be flowered
And never anniversaries cease to bear your memories,
For the lives you died to save
On that dreadful day.
Categories:
on that, funeral, day, beautiful, beautiful,
Form:
Verse
who's that ole fool
sitting on this bar stool
stareing back at me
from the mirror on the wall behind the bar
just whom do I see
where has all my living taken me
on this long journey
what will I have left behind
to mark my life and human stfife
wrinkles are so many
hair he doesn't have any
a tooth or two is missing
he's probably not going to get a lot of kissing
with a sad down turned smile upon his face
wondering if he is still apart of the human race
bartender another double shot of Jack
with water back
Jack you see he's been an ole friend of mine
for a very long time
the only friend I know
who understands my sorrow
sitting on this bar stool as one
isn't any fun no more
like so many times before
just hoping that a lady may sit down by me
a little conversation would make me happy
but to my dismay
its the end of another day
closing time just past two
I'll except my reality
and go home alone again
and restart this life tomorrow
about a quarter past ten
this is just a poem about humanity
not any reflection of me or who I am
Dennis Davis
winter of 1998
Categories:
on that, angst, friend, life, me,
Form:
Epic
He said he’d watched a tutorial.
He said symmetry was a myth
fueled by Big Geometry.
I laughed. That was my first mistake.
My second was passing him the scissors
without asking him about his dominant hand.
(It was vibes. His hand was vibes.)
Snip.
He called it edgy. I called it
accidentally spiritual—
because seeing your own scalp
before coffee
is a kind of awakening.
He apologized by making pancakes
in the shape of angels.
I joked, You know these look like ghosts.
He replied so sincerely, I don’t see it.
And that was the moment I knew:
this is who I chose. The kind of man
who conflates confidence with capability,
specters with satiety, and bad haircuts
with love.
I could have done worse.
That bald spot grew over,
like a lot of mistakes—
as if nothing had happened.
But when I hear the snip-snapping
of blades testing the air, I still flinch.
Just a little.
Which is to say, I’m older now,
but still not immune to vanity,
or apology, or pancakes,
especially when they’re fueled
by good intentions.
Categories:
on that, devotion,
Form:
Free verse