Best Open Letter Poems
Open Letter to Thomas Jefferson
You sir, destination unknown, I dare
To address. A son of worthy causes
For land vast in majesty and vast as
Vast can be in matters of liberty;
With ideals so prim and suffused with
Philosophical forethought derived from
Your bumper harvest of keen knowledge from
Poetry to paleontology;
You the offspring of music and science,
Master of the whims of public forum,
Framer of destiny of the nation,
Bearer of the conscience of masses and
Winning hurdler of political kinks.
Now, the moldering public discourse is
Unbearable. One can no more cover
One’s nose. Nowhere is a silent shelter
From megaphone of ubiquitous din.
Where is a refuge? Simply, know not I.
I beseech you, sir, for learned counsel.
As thundering wildebeest migration
Clouds the slopes of national horizon:
Tulip of your acclaimed Law of Nature
Lies in the path of a roaring rampage.
I beg to ask, why uncanny tactile
Projections of your mind failed to measure
And forecast proneness to such afflictions.
Sir, you did not proscribe such maladies,
Or provide cautionary bells, at least.
Where have all the magistrates gone, I ask?
As I flip pages of your Summary View:
Prefaced by a motto of Cicero:
“It is the indispensable duty
Of supreme magistrate to consider
Himself as acting for community,
And obliged to support its dignity,
And assign to the people, with justice,
Their various rights, as he would remain
Faithful to the great trust reposed on him.”
Your pristine flora of the applied skills
In statesmanship and proper decorum
Is being supplanted by scurrilous
Scions of egocentric rhetoric.
Pails of justice are perceived as empty
By the parched sectors of land of plenty–
Await quenching rain of tenderness, but
Clouds of compassion remain unseeded.
Please forgive the outburst of my verses.
To rein my pen is to muzzle my soul.
I’m sitting at my desk typing on my computer.
My head is a satellite broadcasting a disrupted signal.
I can’t get a clear picture of what I want to write.
The channel keeps changing as I switch between memories and then it happens.
A message alerting me that I am now off-line and the “system is reconnecting.” It’s something to be said about how being unplugged charges you up. I soon began to pick up on a signal as clear as the sound of the bell when school is dismissed. The freedom to express myself is like a jolt of energy.
I was shocked.
I realized in my disconnected epiphany that containing written poetry, with procedural processes for seeking approval, and being paid a cash payment for placement, down to one page is preposterous.
All the glory of poetry and its ability to take life’s pie and divide it into figurative slices is so fulfilling, and to think, I’m usually greedy, however, I’m willing to share my last slice of pain topped with passion and joy but it seems that you’re on some type of “character diet.”
I guess the paper weight was too heavy.
I guess my head was in the clouds.
I guess it was just pie in the sky.
Approximately 250 words can fill a typed page double-spaced.
100 words of love, 100 words of rage carefully placed.
50 shades of feelings reverberating self-induced healing, metaphor after metaphor leaving a reader reeling, the way words and their syllables intercourse with double meanings creating couplets on paper kneeling as if they were proposing to your intellect.
With these words, I thee wed. I promise to be faithful and true, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, till death do us part, so help me, poetry...
I am sitting at my desk typing.
My mind is a sweet tooth that’s tasted a slice of heavenly pie.
Unfortunately, you have to watch what you read and count characters,
and I am done sharing.
Atheists open letter to God
Dear God
I don't know how to begin...let's see
how are you today? (no he doesn't exist...oh yeah)
I am writing you today...to clarify a few things!
First of all, the fact that I am writing you this letter,
does not in any way shape or form indicate, confirm,
affirm, or testify, or give testimony, or bear witness
to a belief or conviction that you exist, in any form whatsoever!!!
Speaking about your existence...I have denied your existence
and I wanted to know why you have not accepted my denial!
Don't you understand that my denial of you, (now as a consequence
of aforementioned denial) you are hereby obligated to not exist.
My detailed analysis of facts as I understand them lead me to conclude that there is no Creator, no Intelligent Designer, and also I concur, believe, am convinced, have the conviction, that we(humans) are the product of evolution and random selection, after the big bang event.
So in conclusion, I would like to ratify my belief that you do not exist, I concur, and agree, and am bound by this letter witnessed by me, stating categorically, unequivocally, that you do not exist.
Please refrain from indicating, manifesting, proving, supporting, in any way that you exist. Please respect my declaration of your non- existence and comply forthwith.
Not yours, not so sincerely,
An unbeliever
P.S If by any chance I am wrong...please disregard the aforementioned letter
with my most sincere and humble apologies.
John Derek Hamilton
July 20,2016
All the days of my life, nobody helped me with money except myself and limited, recognized number of family members. I never asked any favor from anybody, but I'm very grateful to God for having very few supportive and loving family members and friends who are still around for me. I may have helped or assisted some people in this world, but I never asked for anything in return.
Your precious time, reading all my works and writings, is already an acknowledgement and appreciation of my presence.
I am still poor with material things up to this day. If you want to help me, any small donation will do.
Thank you for your prayers and GOD be with you always!
Cliff
P.S.
For many years I never had a social
media account -- no Instagram, no
Tik Tok, no FB. Up until today, I don't
have one. I don't write anywhere else,
only here on poetrysoup.
Dear trafficker,I am on the run
With face emitting fear
Worn in clothe surged into rag
By the scissors of rape
linen scars
With the screech from angry nails;
narrow escape.
Do not ask why I run
Like a prey dodging the hunters’ gun
from thick darkness I run, in search of sun
I am but a derelict
Worn in tattered smock
As the whirlwind stirs frustration
and my hopes remain forlorn
I would relish the scary street
Here is better than your hell
No more shall your contractor waylay my ardent strife
Fruitless life
Sweat in shambles
Still I boast of no life
I wouldn’t come,
Without the credence from your tongue
You said the pastures are green
and life is but a melodious song
Meanwhile you had it planned all along
To make laborers from our clan
The poorer we are, the richer you become
I am only sixteen,
Devoured by manly mantle
For sordid pleasures
My pride will they rumple
and vowed that I shan’t see the morrow’s dawn
If I dare relinquish the place of a pawn
As heeds the rivers’ wave and tide, the coxswain
So do I heed commands that deepens my pain
I am stocked
Can’t move forward, nor to the back return
I am disheartened
With no hope of a glorious turn
In the street corners I shall lay
Where wanton mosquitoes fly
I lay in the spring of tears
Till heaven hears my cry
Trafficker as I lay with earthly stings
I know you are somewhere
Feeding on chicken wings
I run for a place to lay my head
If it means to bunk on grass in exchange for bed
I would anything, than stay in my mistress’ den
Where I am a meal to many men
Daemon! You orchestrated my fall
You took my harvest and careless if I perish
You said papa will be fine when I work
This is all for papa and you know
Why then is my story so
Tell the kids in Togo's loitering street
and all the troubled ones in Africa
When a man like this beacons
Please resist his soothing tongue
For he is darkness in array of light
As he would cajole, to cast on you a lasting plight
He is a coward,
whose fortune depends on our sweat
and in greed, would he have some souls to-let
Trafficker, don’t from your evil schemes relent
Till justice come, and then you’ll have no chance to repent.
You see me,
But in a while
You will not;
I become one
With the wind and the rain.
We touch,
Relish the warmth and passion,
But when the clasp breaks,
I reside in the quiet
Of your heart.
On your bad days,
I am your friend;
On good days,
We laugh and play
As before, but here's a clue:
Nothing has really changed.
You don't need a psychic
To relay from " beyond";
Do you wonder where I am,
Or if I'm OK?
Listen: I will tell you.
Tears come,
But I'll let you in on a secret:
I have never left;
No, I am not here as before;
If you look at the sunshine,
You will see me smile.
The key, may it be
One that lets us see
The soul and it’s light
For it is only right
To plot the course of life
That we have set
To remain in-between love
And happiness
For at times life is mete
By minutes that last a lifetime
So let us begin to the path; to
Set forth with open minds.
Guided by our body and soul
Let, no one tell us different;
For…the past lover
No longer plays that role.
So, XYZ Company, after my five years of servitude and loyalty
you close the doors, you dissolve the department
with less than a day's notice, because, hey, that's all we deserve-
And it was no accident you announced right before Memorial Day
So you don't have to give us holiday pay
And of course you think that's fair
You would rather deny a dozen people their livlihood
Than deny yourself your vacation home in Hawaii
Or your Montana ranch, or your private plane
At least, you avoided the hyprocrisy
Of pretending to be sorry.
And what of our bonus, XYZ Company,
that you promised, oh so ardently!
Oh dear, so sorry, quarterly revenue goals
were missed by thatmuch
so whoops, can not pay bonus after all
And it would be super great if everyone
Could just develop group amnesia
that we ever said it was 'absolutely' on the way-
Oh, XYZ Company, you scammed us, you flim-flammed us
You lied and you know it and we know it
We were betrayed like an unfaithful lover
Burned like an untrue friend
But there is no illusion here of friendship, or respect, or trust
Or even professionlism
You have no future, XYZ Company, for you are dying
diseased, corrupt, and caving in,
squeezing pennies 'til the end
And I am glad to be long gone
When the collapse comes
When the avalanche of your ruin is complete
And you are done-
Submitted to 'The Gem that Slipped through the Cracks' contest on 2/09/21
Sponsor: Edward Ibeh
An Open Letter of Warning
So many ills are here in this world
Open the Facebook
On the thousands of pages
There is only blood
From the rapes and murders
From wars and occupations
This earth has been turned into red from green
Nearly every one is against every one
Madness has gripped the race of man
All are becoming the patients of lust and greed
Universities are less than the bombs and missiles
Nature is bleeding
Few are there to take care of
The roughs like termites
Eating us all from inside
Any time the civilization may collapse
Like a cracked up bridge
Or burst into flames
Or freeze into nuclear winter
As we are sitting on a huge pile of explosive materials
Any touch on a wrong button by any mistake
May leave us no one to see our own end
Revenge mentality is so strong that
We possess the dead hand weapons
So sorry to say
The sordid state of the whole mankind
And beg pardon to my own conscience to go so negative.
(Part 5 of 5)
And no more your kids will get a chance above mine
Because at my work I’ve never even met the bosses
You see we were able to hold our own before
And keep the wolves from the door
I could even see a future....for us all
But this we are now struggling to do since your
Husband and his friends have shut the door
This is not just yours and their country you know
Your playground, your way, you always first
The protection of power, privilege and money
Which you think you can have until the end of your days
No way
Why are your children worth more opportunities than mine?
Just because your husband happens to be called something like ‘Kensington-Smythe’
And why are they encouraged to get used to this from an early age?
What happened to every child born the same?
So what can I ask you wife to wife?
To help us all provide for our families a decent life?
No more fiddling, expenses, and for everyone to pay their fair share
You or yours want a duck house, pet food or **** (I don’t judge you) - just pay for it yourselves
No letting the rich off towing the line
Make them behave with the values I try to instil in mine
All we need is democracy back
Although there’s no denying that it will probably get your husband the sack
Because if they let us have democracy – one person one vote
No lobbing, ‘donations’ or spin doctors - what a joke
Just a ballot box and a voter
With a pen in hand
Making a fair decision as to what they think is best for this land
Without being pulled this way and that by promises that will never be
Supported by marketing, trickery and celebrity
But I don’t think this will be so
Because if they every gave us that
This would be when changes would start to happen
And I know that now YOU would be in fear
Because if we got democracy back in 2015
You wouldn’t be living like this time next year
Anna Archichek
Dear Darkness
You are trapped inside of me
And I am sorry.
I do not know how it happened.
.
Were you conceived of break-up?
Bullies?
Bastardization?
Backs bent over rocks?
Or did I eat you in the womb
Helpess,
Lifeless
Whole?
.
Dear Darkness
Please stop scratching at my insides
Tugging at my arteries
Clawing at my ovaries,
I do not know if you want me
To love you
Or let you go,
And I do not know if I am capable of either
Let this be my open letter to you
if I don't do it enough
let this be my letter of dedication
to let you know you are appreciated
If there was a such thing as
happily ever after this is it
this relationship
this partnership
this gift
your presence is my present
it's a blessing to share
my life with you
I just want you to know that I
dedicate this to you
Everything about you is amazing
breath taking
I aspire to have your patience
the Goddess who brings life
into this world
you are my inspiration
while others have taken you
for granted
I recognize your worth
I'm in love whole heartily
so truthfully speaking
you are my first
you're the one who still
makes me feel shy
when we step out
but there isn't a doubt in my mind
that we deserve each other
we belong together
this is me not being able to
express to you enough how
important you are to me
so I had to write to you
my Queen this open letter
Part 2 of 2
Their fake values which may seem so true
Are just their best tool
To get you to do what they want
And this works time after time
For if you look back in history
This is nothing new
Every religion, every group intent on doing good
Is always infiltrated by those individuals
Who just want to do life the easy way
And they are so easy to believe, so intoxicating
But they are just conmen
Not working hard or investing in anything
You make all the running, they just talk
While you pay, in every way
They spout off their mouths from pulpits in every land
And now on the web
But their belief in themselves and power base is only so good
As long as you believe in them first and foremost
And not in yourself, your religion, and your own values
If you want change, come back
Or better still, don’t go
And work with those from all backgrounds
Probably people you don’t yet know
Irrespective of religion or no
Who crave the same good in the world as you do
And who don’t ask for fame or followers
Or make unreasonable demands in return
It’s a myth that those with no god are no good
It’s going to be a hard fight, I know
Change is hard won and easily lost
And although I am not religious myself
It does not stop me praying,
With everything I have got
Down on my knees
For a better day, a better way
One day, my friend, one day
The world will change
And I am steadfast in my belief
That this can be done without violence and wars
Which injure humanity in all its forms
That we can shun suffering, mistreatment and more
Introduce decency, fairness and honesty
And make a worthwhile future for us all
Anna Archichek
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE LEADER:
LIVE AND LET LIVE AT PEACE
To: Mr. US President
A man in the White House
Peace!
Dear Sir.
With all due respect to you.
To be frank with you, Sir
In my opinion there are many demagogues and agitators
Loitering around us
They speak about truth soundly,
Propagandize peace loudly
And voice love for all fluently
(they pretend they are peace-loving people)
whereas the point is
they persuade us to declare war
against our mankind
(I say to myself: The cowl does not make the monk.)
Mind the provocateurs!
Beware of such people!
Be careful with their instigation!
Do not let them cheat us out
Do not let them make us look foolish
Do not let them lead us be crack and split.
They do not do it all except for their sake only
Like jackals starved for sheep
Like demons causing man fall
Like beasts hunting kids
Like terrorists spreading out hostilities between us.
Let us live at peace
Let us live together
Side by side under the same blue sky
Let our heart be in love with each other
And be glad to work hand in hand
For raising our wheat crops and cattle breeding cheerfully
And building our sweet home with love and honesty.
For the love of the mankind
Just in such doing
Our life will really be happy
Because such is life!
That is the way of life which is the true peaceful one!
That is all.
Peace be with you.
Sincerely yours,
A man in the street
I know you won’t think so
But I do understand
Why you left to travel
To an unknown foreign land
Leaving everything you and I
Grew up with
Although I am not from your community,
Not Muslim
We both grew up in the same scenes
Went to the same schools with the same doors
Which were never really open for us,
Just ajar
It was designed that way
So that we would both have to stay
Irrespective of our clan
And invest in a system
That was not designed to pay
Money is colour-blind, so they say
I know the world seems weak
And you want to feel safe
By a show strength, and leadership
That it seems the only solution to this world of ours
Which has no sense of right and wrong anymore
That you want someone to take your hand to guide
To give you a worthwhile purpose in life
Guess what - me too!
And I know what you will say
This is something
In our country
Which seems determined not to change
Cannot be offered to me or to you
I know
But I fear their ‘truth’ is not so
That their image will not provide all you crave
If you only travel far, far away
To become a Jihadi Bride
Be the wife of someone with murder rate and a
Kalashnikov by his side
For belief and love is too often high jacked
By those
Who crave power, position and wealth
This policy, too often used,
Is good for no one’s health
As is ‘my enemies' enemy is now my friend’
And they will not stop
Until they have it all
Whatever they sell to you, to them
Good, your religion and morality is irrelevant
Please continue to part 2 of 2 thank you