Best Oppresses Poems
In a province exploited
by prejudiced seasons,
a minority ebony rose
is taunted by prominent
i v o r y l i l i e s.
Biased blossoms ridiculing
tones of its charcoal petals,
yet blooming in the same
quilt of soil as each other.
Soothing raindrops
never discriminate though,
as scents of petrichor
fuse with floret elegance,
nor does the sun only shine
for the privileged,
as all flora sunbathes in
the passions of its rays,
refreshed by the same
migrating gentle breeze.
Scarlet beetles
munch upon lily leaves,
whilst aphids suck
upon rose sepals.
Creepy crawlies
unconcerned with
a p p e a r a n c e,
massacre and spread
like an epidemic.
Until the arrival of
feathered immigrants,
who feast upon an
assortment of morsels.
In any garden,
birds care not for
whom they sing.
They defecate on all flowers,
aware all will wilt eventually.
Winter frost oppresses
regardless of culture,
so birds flee.
But, when roses crumble,
they re-emerge
fresher and brighter,
as their red thorns remain
protecting their right
to flourish freely under
fresh blue skies..
F O R E V E R
Categories:
oppresses, analogy, community, discrimination,
Form:
Free verse
We worship* You, Lord … praising You for Who You are
majestic in Your radiance, verily magnificent
splendid in Your goodness, constantly present
wondrous in Your glory, drawing us near to Your altar.
We worship You, Lord … trusting You and Your might
subduing our problems midst persecutions and trials
fighting our fears by Your omnipotent portrayals
meeting our needs with Your provisions' delight.
We worship You, Lord … listening to Your instruction
truths helpful to our miraculous transformation-seal
statutes ready for our revival with rejuvenation-zeal
precepts vital toward our maturity and sanctification.
We worship You, Lord … clinging to Your promises
faithful are they like Your forgiveness, greatly triumphant
immutable, remaining steadfast with Your bestowed covenant
reliable, though unbelief within us, intermittently oppresses.
We worship You, Lord …thanking You for Your counsel
guiding us through life’s puzzle to vanquish skepticism pout
leading us against vanity’s dazzle to learn from challenges' bout
teaching us to flex spiritual muscle to build divine testimony-castle.
We worship You, Lord … submitting to Your will
perfect in its entirety for us to enjoy serenely
holy in every angle where You direct us persistently
blessed in each aspect moving us to work, while Your purpose, fulfill.
We worship You, Lord … waiting for Your coming
reminder for Gospel sharing that grants everlasting life, indeed precious
inspiration to labour, propped by Your mercy, always gracious
excitement of eternal fellowship, truly heart-warming.
*Psalm 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
August 8, 2021
1st place, "Your Favorite Rhyme Poem in August 2021" Contest
Sponsored by Constance La France; judged on 9/2/2021.
Categories:
oppresses, blessing, christian, faith, god,
Form:
Rhyme
In Heaven
You're in a better home.
There are no vicious attacks there
but beautiful angels sing.
Assured by the florist.
Roses have no thorns,
sorrow is always banished,
discomfort exists not more.
The weather is always mild
and butterflies abound,
flowers produce perfume,
pollen clogs no lungs.
Down here the thunder rumbles
the storm distorts the roads.
Birds hide in their wobbly nests,
fog oppresses our chests.
Still we leave some flowers
beside your cold memorial stone.
Then we tramp back home
across the snowy moor.
Sad but consoled.
Categories:
oppresses, heaven, lost love,
Form:
Free verse
The grey oppresses;
surrounded by fog,
I traverse this shadowland;
Dorothy in reverse,
stuck in this land of monochrome
Xerox grayscale in 2-D.
Hoping it is but a dream,
valiantly, I stroke in Technicolor
Only to see it erased, again
It is no more real than the specters
haunting my thoughts.
Still I stumble around searching;
hues of hope hover out of reach
as these low-lying clouds
cast a pall-- blinding me to joy.
Perhaps, I'm trapped
in Tim Burton's sketch board;
these monoliths of grotesque
caricature evidence such.
At every turn there is a new one,
popping out of the mists.
Large, unmoving blocks of black granite
ring me like Stonehenge-- surrounded--
Leaving me wandering this maze of dark surrealism.
Glimpses of color reveal themselves
in the distance through the shroud,
ephemera teasing my senses.
Blow! benign zephyrs;
sweep away the haze
invading my peace.
Rescue me the confines
of my self-induced prison.
Let me walk in daylight, once again.
Categories:
oppresses, dark, depression, introspection, sad,
Form:
Free verse
(No Hope)
The alone...
oppresses me.
She settles inside of
the life she has stole,
leaving the shell of me,
as cold as stone.
Oblivion so close
I can feel it's low groan.
For my sadness and sin
you now make me atone.
I can't bear the weight
of the cost of your toll.
It presses me down,
my body left prone.
I try and I try
to escape my hellhole,
but scream as I might
no one will come.
My courage betrays me
and I'm chilled to the bone.
I fear deep inside me
I can never go home,
like leaves on a breeze
my hope has now flown.
The alone...
surrounds me.
She beckons me,
emptying my soul.
Her darkness engulfs me,
everything gone.
The nothing inside of me,
but dark seeds you have sewn.
The sorrow so thick
I can't breath on my own.
I wade through the mud
of memories you control.
My heart has withdrawn,
lost in the unknown.
Deeper and deeper
drowning in this hole,
I scratch at this pit
till my fingers are numb.
My story but a book
of indifferent monotone.
No escape can I find
from this perilous tome,
as my spirit lies dying
beneath this tombstone.
12/18/15
Categories:
oppresses, dark, depression,
Form:
Rhyme
"'Cause when your back's against the wall
That's when you show no fear at all
And when you're running out of time
That's when you hitch your star to mine
We won't be leaving by the same road that we came by"
~Keane - My Shadow Lyrics ~
------------------------------------------------------------
There is no celestial place for you to guide my thoughts
Can you not see that I am free from you?
I am a black bird perched high in the treetops
You will hear my crowing and you may hate it
But my dear, you cannot take away my voice!
Yet still, as fire oppresses forests of life,
You can abuse my freedom to find your glory
You may discard these words for your love of gods,
And in so doing you may simply ignore
All the cries that I so passionately utter
But my infectious species will guide your mind straight back
To that once so lonely treetop where you merely glanced
And there will be multitudinous, oppressing thoughts
That shall enslave you and bind you unwillingly
The crows will only grow louder when you turn away—
When you pretend to ignore with your remaining, strangling pride
For my voice is a production sent from above
Dispatched to judge you pitilessly for your swelling lies!
And the choirs of ferocious beaks shall open forever
Harmony and dissonance as one
Categories:
oppresses, absence, abuse, analogy, anger,
Form:
Free verse
The times are fast changing
The certainty of season is
evading
The sure signs of weather has
for long disappeared
Along with our cultures and
moral values has smeared
Oh Arike! may my eyes not see
the evil the day brings
The scorching sun burns so
hot at day
The chilly cold oppresses no
less at night
The youths and young ones
has missed the way
Groping blindly around with
vain confidence in the light
Oh Arike! may you not be deaf
to the wise words of age
Life in the world now seem
strange
Young men move around
deranged
Treating our words with
hapless disdain.
Basking in their own fooly,
prolonging their pain
Arike my daugther! may you
never miss your way.
Day after day our wise words
are ignored
Seconds in minutes
out;pollution permeates our
atmosphere
Caution is thrown to the wind
And we fail to realise the fact
that the man who eats his cake
will never have it.
Arike!Arike!! Heed my words
Like our elders will say;
If the sun claims to be brighter
than the moon,tell me why
doesn't it shines at night?
If the youth claim to be wiser
Why dont they pull a strand of
grey from their hair
Arike! Its high time our words
are heeded.
No man heeds the wise words
of age and still misses the way.
Experience they say is the
better teacher
Lessons learnt from
experience are treasures to be
guarded jealously
The young man who glorious
foolishly in his strength
Is no sooner consumed by
pride than by an adversary.
Arike my daughter! Heed my
words
Follow the path of destiny and
see where it leads
Follow the creator who set out
your life from the outset we
earnestly plead
Heed our words,the wise
words of age
Even though we know it is not
the grey hairs that makes one
a sage.
Nevertheless,it does matter in
the end,b'cos we have been
there in your shoes.
Arike! Arike!! Arike!!! Let it be
known that we played our part
Before the time finally
changes,and the certainty of
season departs
Heed our words and desist
from your actions
He that has got ears,let him
hear...
Categories:
oppresses, youth
Form:
Rhyme Royal
I aim for wondrous victory*
Thru my very best by God’s might
In pleasing Him with faith-lit sight!
Midst struggle-fueled misery
I yield to my soul’s Conqueror
Who safeguards me from fear’s terror!
By God’s grace and for His glory
I vanquish guilt that oppresses
And seek peace from Him Who blesses.
While sharing Gospel story
Truth I assert with all my heart
Never from His purpose depart!
To win lives from evil’s fury
I trust my Lord, the change-Doer
Since He can with His great power!
I aim for wondrous victory
Midst struggle-fueled misery
By God’s grace and for His glory
While sharing Gospel story
To win lives from evil’s fury.
*1Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
June 14, 2018
15th place, "New Constanza Poems" Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Emile Pinet; judged on 7/16/2018.
Categories:
oppresses, christian, courage, faith, god,
Form:
Rhyme
Undesirable Now Robert Denton (September 23, 2014)
I feel like my life is over.
I'm caged, imprisoned, locked within
the confines of this broken container.
I'm undesirable now.
To be young again, and strong
Able to manoeuvre and twist and run and kick.
I would continue in stealth espionage
To eradicate cruel injustices.
But alas, only consciousness
Is the evidence of existence.
And so I wonder...
Can I exist without a container?
I resent humanity's slavery.
I resent the enigmatic slave masters.
I resent the unseen world
That manipulates and oppresses in the name of faith.
Awake! Oh inner sun.
Shine bright and rise above the mountain.
Release the truth chained by definition
To the rock named deception.
I'm caged, imprisoned,
Locked within the walls of a broken container.
I'm undesirable now.
I feel my life is over.
Categories:
oppresses, body, discrimination, life,
Form:
Free verse
A perfect plain in the Sub Sahara
Discerning screens, Japanese Madara
Your frame formidable despite design
Why shan't I sing aloud about your shine?
Your songs of praises serenades females
A wrecking train that never derails
Conquered jealousies try to bite your style
They lost teeth from treading your field of mines
You oppose disruptive dictatorship
A might that oppresses oppressors' grip
A real lion, the rest just copycat
Your tales get people wild like bank alerts
Your burning desire defies flame tests
But your heart I treasure here in my chest!
©2016.
Kunta.
Birth name: Olaoluwa Ola-Williams.
Note: Olaoluwa Ola-Williams is a resident of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall (also known as The Baluba Republic), University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Though not a pure sonnet, Kunta borrows some styles to make it seem like one. The poem is a tribute to the legendary hall of residence.
Categories:
oppresses, africa,
Form:
Ode
The contrast of the
bluest sky to be
and the crispest green
seen. Make one enjoy
the colors between.
From the petals,
whites thru indigos.
Robins red; Grey
squirrely fellows.
Outside you'll
find enough
to inspire.
Brightest
desires.
Spring.
Now
Summers
here.
The sunshine
beckons all
to appear.
Wave hit beaches
invite feet's splash.
Woodlands call fourth
picnickers cache.
Families spend time
together amidst
clear warm days, into
short nights. Sharing their
laughter with delight.
Sun releases grip,
days light compresses.
Winds cool relief to
heat that oppresses.
Colors wane begins,
from brightest greens
of spring to shades
of golds and reds.
Browns of the dead.
Fresh harvest
abounds with
a bounty
of thanks
from all.
Fall!
Cold
sets in.
Darkness's
hold begins.
Colors hide
beneath the
snows white covers.
There's beauty as
each flake hovers.
Each is unique
in size and shape but
together unite
as one. Same is true
for those who snuggle
until Winters done.
Categories:
oppresses, color, seasons,
Form:
Diminished Hexaverse
Little Light
Am laying here in this dark room dreaming of my bright future From where I am,
the light is Deem to shine throughout the night skies
It sees my closed eye illusion
Little light, little light in the dark, let me shine Little light,
little light in the sky for you know who am I
I see in private what ought to be
But my existence oppresses me
Little light, little light among the black you are white
I enlightened my thoughts with knowledge of the wise
But yet Little light, little light extract me from the blind
I was engulfed by darkness for I had no sight
Little light, little light you gave me power to fight
Little light, little light you were the hope in me that never died.
Categories:
oppresses, blessing, children, encouraging, friendship,
Form:
There are times when I wander in the dark,
unsure why darkness seems to claim my soul.
I'm overcome with sorrow from the things I fear
and reminded of scripture about a valley of shadows.
Can I walk in such a place unafraid of death?
Is it the temptation of demons that I dread,
and with the strength of a three-fold cord of hope
can I turn them away? In battle can I be strong?
The world has become a sea of madness
filled with moral conflicts and mental chaos.
I feel lost in the turmoil of my consciousness,
trying to drone out the crying of external sounds,
but I hear the incessant caw of ravens screeching,
and internally I struggle to make sense of it all.
Their foreboding cries foreshadow the end is near
and overwhelming angst is a burr in my soul.
I choose not to walk in a shadowed valley
for up from its depths, I may never return.
Desperately, I search for a way to climb the hills
and leave the prison of despair that oppresses me.
I want nothing more than to rid my life of shadows,
those that burden me with loathing and abhorrence.
Time to find the courage to face the soulless demons.
No longer laying in fear as the dark raven crows
I'll look for guidance from the one who knows.
Categories:
oppresses, emotions, fear, hope,
Form:
Free verse
August 6 Scripture Meditations Based on Lamentations 1-5
Key Verse – Lamentations 3:22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
MY GOD, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMPASSION TOWARD ME
Thank You for Your compassion toward me midst my misery
When I’m lonely, being pitiful and solitary
Feeling sorry as if enclosed around unbelief-treachery---
Here am I, seeking for Your love, full of victory.
Thank You for Your compassion toward me midst my affliction
When I’m weak, murmuring over dissatisfaction
Feeling sick in battling against worldliness-temptation---
Here am I, begging for Your help and direction.
Thank You for Your compassion toward me midst my bitterness
When I’m envious, magnifying scarcity’s emptiness
Feeling jealous about others’ resources’ bountifulness---
Here am I, trusting Your provisions of ready supply-goodness.
Thank You for Your compassion toward me midst my discontentment
When I’m frustrated, losing heavenly excitement
Feeling worthless in wallowing into vanity-predicament---
Here am I, reaching out to Your kindness’ fulfillment.
Thank You for Your compassion toward me midst my insecurity
When I’m fearful, trembling at faith-advancement opportunity
Feeling unable in moving forward, upward beyond any adversity---
Here am I, depending on Your strength’s great stability.
Thank You for Your compassion toward me midst my arrogance
When I’m haughty, pursuing over earthly fame and abundance
Feeling self-sufficient in my accomplishment-driven endurance---
Here am I, surrendering to Your majesty of divine elegance and extravagance.
Thank You for Your compassion toward me midst my distresses
When I’m dismayed, sinking deep into lamentation that oppresses
Feeling depressed in succumbing to discouraging discourses---
Here am I, praising Your name for forgiving my offenses.
August 6, 2022
Categories:
oppresses, blessing, christian, faith, god,
Form:
Rhyme
POLITICS AND LEADERSHIP
Chambers to Dais, Office and Palaces,
Coup d etats or electoral success.
Hereditary Throne or Law’s Clauses,
The roots of power has many sources.
One man’s oratories on a stage,
An inept fledgling of royal lineage.
Soldiers with arms or a religious sage,
Claimants to power of all rank and age.
A single party’s ideology,
Constitution, might or authority.
Islam’s fatwa, presidential decree,
Power’s voices or its cacophony?
But what is it that truly sets apart,
A tyrant fool from a righteous of heart?
In history’s face, both will play a part,
The latter it’s highlight, the first it’s wart.
The only power of tyrants they say,
Is righteous opposition kept at bay.
People held in fear have nothing to say,
Blindly accepting everything their way.
He oppresses all thoughts where freedom flows,
The avenues of reform he keeps closed.
Assured that to him everyone kowtows,
An independent life, is what’s gone most.
It’s indifference amid sufferings,
Never tolerating those opposing.
To cover the truth with brazen lying,
That marks a regime’s villainous ruling.
To become a servant of the people,
The soul must be pure and the heart, noble.
To all be fair, he must be capable,
In Rome’s dark hours, to stand not fiddle.
One who listens, equally to all sides,
Who upholds the law and protects the rights,
Of every one, for the oppressed he fights.
In dark moments, the torch of hope he lights.
He inspires from others fierce loyalty,
In accepting shortcomings truthfully.
He knows he’s mere human, not a deity,
But in crisis can act decisively.
He accepts others freedom to speak,
Listens to other’s without being meek.
Amidst all these voices the truth he’ll seek,
To temper the strong willed and help the weak.
His dreams are shared by people he governs,
Never recalcitrant, he always learns.
To serve as one best could, in his heart burns,
True Freedom for all is what his soul yearns.
By his example, many will abide,
First among equals, a nation’s true pride.
Honour due him can never be denied,
To ride his blazing sunset, glorified.
Categories:
oppresses, visionarydark, dark, freedom, power,
Form: