Best Overarching Poems
Written: October 28, 2023
_________________________________________
Among the living is where perfection is found.
Stoicism is a path of life that acts as dull ground.
The advice is to focus on the bright side of life.
Dispel the negativity, and let vanish all strife.
Inciting people to enhance their morality
To foster resilience in the face of adversity.
Strengthening your resolve and impediment
Beat iconoclastic wits for a fine pediment.
Grasp of the overarching rationality
Sustaining integrity even amid adversity
The Stoic Path is a philosophy of such depth.
With wisdom and tranquility in your breadth
Life taught us to persist in the face of hardship.
To sustain balance while still preserving worship.
Maintain calmness under challenging conditions.
Surmount your inhibitions and avoid suspicion.
And to welcome fulfillment with dignity.
Handle highs and lows with stoic sympathy.
Stoicism, truly, provides solace and calm.
A way of living that allows us to fully qualm.
How? By concentrating on our inner proclivity.
And shedding our bonds is an act of loyalty.
We are liberated from the bonds of conflict.
And accept a promising, significant life profit.
The Stoic Way is a philosophy with lofty stature.
steers our deeds into an improved, sound future.
Integrity and prudence in the face of misfortune
To mold ourselves and have a vital life and fortune.
Categories:
overarching, analogy, appreciation, courage, life,
Form:
Rhyme
My little Eden --
before the fall
a screened porch
in the shade of
an ancient
overarching
fig tree
small wonder
Adam and Eve
needed only one each
to hide their new
nakedness --
chicks in their spring nests
chirping away, feeling nurtured
and protected
oblivious to the serpent
apples not his only ripe
fooled by his appealing strutting
fruited limbs and tasty appearance,
Lucifer, the cat, a black joke of
mine, stirs in my lap only slightly --
he is asleep for full – while I, a rival
fig picker, finish my second cup of
coffee…
my Eden has a thousand garden poems
and their seasons, come and gone,
one would think both heaven and hell
satiated by now
the many morbid failures and bright
triumphs~ despite the thick foliage
I try to write of dappling sunlight, dabbing
word-glistens, here and there, on my crinkly old
face
unkempt growth bleached but yet hopeful
Categories:
overarching, environment, evil, garden, god,
Form:
Free verse
If these racists be so plentiful
As them in power would believe.
There should be at least one found
Lurking... about my property.
How to catch this dreaded beastie
Was overarching on my mind?
So I laid waste my poor computer
To just see what I might find.
They are devoid of any substance
With a certain weakness 'bout the chin.
But the optimal way to spot a racist...
Is the color of its skin.
They are privy to beer and peanuts
With America's flag a source of pride.
But before they'd drive a Prius...
There's no law they wouldn't defy.
I take not a racist's capture lightly
Should one I chance to meet.
They are easily lured with a few simple words
And a flaming cut of beef.
With a healthy dose of patriotic fever...
I set out to numb this vile threat.
I grab my Mickey Mantle baseball bat
And my favorite fishing net.
I hide behind a Mulberry bush
To circumscribe this would-be menace.
Then give a loud shout... to them here about
"Three cheers for white supremacists!"
To my chagrin and stunned bewilderment...
There was no racist to be caught.
But a hundred media reporters
Suddenly swarmed my hiding spot.
They had no interest in abject poverty
Or an educational system past review.
But the chance to photograph a racist...
Well... that would front the evening news.
They waited through the morning
To appease their 'youtube' fans.
But with no racist's skin to log and capture...
They left to twist another plan.
I wandered home empty-handed
Stopping at a mirror aside the stairs.
With my apologies to them in power...
I still saw no racist there.
The End
*Fow my cartoon at Webtoon Bob's Your Uncle.
Categories:
overarching, america, humor, irony,
Form:
Rhyme
If man is the measure of all,
Our world immediately shrinks.
There can be no moral compass
Just the yardstick of failure and success
Drunkenly refracted by o'er heated ambition
Or chilling revenge
Without the overarching Architect,
The Prime Mover that once was.
Man lives in a festering swamp
Where reason plays handmaiden to naked power
And words mean what the speaker wants.
It is now man needs a Voltaire
To bring him back into the light of the sun.
If there is no God, man must invent one.
Categories:
overarching, inspirational, sad, visionary,
Form:
Sonnet
God makes the rainbow
always a reminder of
overarching grace
written August 2, 2021
SECOND PLACE WINNER
entered "Haiku" Poetry Contest
sponsored by Regina McIntosh
HONORABLE MENTION
"What Does a Rainbow Whisper to You" Poetry Contest
All Poetry, August 10, 2021
RANKED #15 on Poetry Soup's
100 BEST NEW POEMS for August, 2021
Categories:
overarching, nature, rainbow,
Form:
Haiku
Through whispers that furrow the silence, the cursing horn sounds,
Over plains of shadow the dusk of night descends all around.
Hyperion of night glows with embers beneath lids of silver light,
In silence watches over sparse poplars, caressed by the moon's delight.
Dreaming of the scent from deep, dark woods, on the lake's mysterious wave,
Begging for comfort from the stars that weep in the realm of the forgotten, their enclave.
Thirsting to trace hurried steps, to journey beneath the starry sphere,
While the rhythm of seasons softly ticks, like a clock in the night drawing near.
Linden flowers shatter over celestial metaphors that echo in night's thrall,
From the glittering dawn to the borders of dark eternities, overarching all.
Through the centuries, as legatees on Earth, his steps will remain unswayed,
Like a gold coin rimmed by fate's bright light, ever vibrant, always unstayed.
Lord of the stars, a young noble robed in romances of elation,
With night's locks cascading, the forest patrols in hushed revelation.
Like a sage of silence, tethered to solitude with ancient ties,
Treading paths that angels step, in the crickets' twilight symphony, the bird descends and flies.
With eyes that embody the infinite, thoughts nobly uplifted in cosmic sprawl,
He reclines on the forehead of time immortal, a monarch in high-walled hall.
You've poured magic through the gates of ether, unlocking the most treasured enigma, cast,
In the celestial chamber you unwittingly sign your name, on scattered parchment, on a constellation vast.
Apollo of oblivion, from your searing, touch-me-not zodiacal trace,
You spin the stars like a rosary, forever set as their vigilant grace.
Categories:
overarching, fantasy,
Form:
Free verse
I dream I am standing on the deck of a vessel
Nearing the western horizon, into the sunset
Into vivid glowing reds and oranges, I nestle,
I dream I am standing on the deck of a vessel
The ocean beneath like an overarching trestle,
Floating over life’s experiences I’ll ne’er forget
I dream I am standing on the deck of a vessel
Nearing the western horizon, into the sunset.
Floating over life’s experiences I’ll ne’er forget
Nearing the western horizon, into the sunset,
I dream I am standing on the deck of a vessel
The ocean beneath like an overarching trestle
Into vivid glowing reds and oranges, I nestle,
Knowing soon I’ll ne'er again say a sad farewell.
Written May 24, 2022
[a Trionet, a form I developed uniting
the triolet and the sonnet. See "New
Poetic Forms.]
Categories:
overarching, death, life, metaphor, sunset,
Form:
Triolet
Written April 2, 2016
Queen of sovereignty
Princess of denial
It's more than just a river
Take me down to your water's edge
Where I'll wade in my gown
To dip me in the name of the father, son, and the Holy Ghost
Raise your glasses to a toast
Though sinners promise not to boast
If they hope to be redeemed
Approach it now full head of steam
Feel no pain
White cotton shirt that bears the stain
Red wine that bleeds out from the vines
Of ivy vineyards overarching overpasses
Where homeless men seek shelter from the masses
Hoping that every day shines brighter than the last
I pray for them in the name of those who have passed
On
But you're too far gone for the sounds of classical crescendos
She's not impressed with your clever innuendos
When you speak of breeding Ignorance and Want
She can see through your allegorical alliteration
That couldn't even save the nation
From spoiled grapes of wrath
Categories:
overarching, emotions, how i feel,
Form:
Lyric
In silted apron blossoms baby
Incubating heat fondles canopy
From leafy trellis sprouts progeny
With briny tears, warmth grows quickly
Acorn melded to fertile tree
Succoring streams flow freely
Ballasted perch shared dutifully
Fragile shell tendered stem's realty
Paternal arms clasp twig-end tightly
Structural beams foster stability
Nutrients funnel expanding the cavity
Well-rounded hull with shared identity
Truant winds the bond doth atrophy
Shaking strands that clutch lovingly
Ripening acorn longs new vistas to see
With heavy heart falls from caring tree
Dry, barren ground leaches each gratuity
Rotting leaves fondle exterior incessantly
Surface ambitions soiled by limited mobility
Predatory marauders pilfer each, bright opportunity
Acorn will not stray far from security
Paternal shadow hovers patiently
With overarching wings shield calamity
During trials, trickle down tears of empathy
Categories:
overarching, allegory, caregiving, childhood,
Form:
Rhyme
What overarching purpose
Can bolster effective sales volume
Signaling the rise
of Reified and refined portent vibes
On our maps of locomotion
We strive incessantly for meaning
The moment tongue strikes palette
We search for expression to enliven the soul
Playing match maker with a bed of stars
Reaching the highest ambition to climb
Can there be a fusion-
From shrewd calculation to powerful beliefs
The belief in the soul
And life caressed by pressing tones
Strikes the delight of the market
And the passion walkways of crystal night
When mundane exhibits sputter and fail
Will the rise of meaning
Set the tone for money unveiled
Streaming out of scripted dance
Of religious symbol and capital chance
Categories:
overarching, business, religion,
Form:
Free verse
An overarching sadness
permeates my soul
it presses me down like a mighty wave
and sentences me to melancholy pergatory.
My morose mood
traps me in its entangled web
all is darkness, self pity and doubt
the light of day is ever elusive.
The hours turn like listless pages
in a worn out book of woes
colorless trees droop under a dreary sky
a mourning dove coos mercilessly.
The day drones on in monotone
weary thoughts drown in insignificance
the road to hope is lost in a mirky mire
until the weighty fog finally lifts
and the sun shines through once more.
5/7/2023
Categories:
overarching, blue, lost, sad,
Form:
Free verse
I'm a speech punk; kind of a menace
Not sure if the word is permissible in these parts
But that's the word I need, life's a furnace
So flush that. Gosh, you leave me no choice
I'm trying to speak, hear my voice in the whisper
Through the walls of disparaging noise
This is the true genesis of your lyrical nemesis
Within the lofty walls of these subliminal premises
So join me in these choruses
If you are tired of all those empty promises
I know some will hold on to being cynical
And insist that so and so is not tyrannical
On the offensive, trying to sound authentic
I’m getting tired of these old nonverbal diatribes
Untried ideological theories from war times
Self-proclaimed superheroes asking for more time
Descending heavily on dissenters
I find it interesting. You insist on destruction
But cry foul over the consequential sanctions
Questions leading to more questions
Your overarching approach is nonsensical
You're overreaching, overreacting
Flashing knives and talking peace treaties
I choose reason, so I'll be philosophical
Through and through until people know the truth
I'll show you who is master in this class
Through the looking glass, looking straight ahead
Hard forehead set against their hardcore hearts
Delicate apples of eyes rolling upon these surfaces
Don't forget light shines in the darkness
These are obviously obnoxious princes of madness
Gospel hardened bumpkins, hard of hearing
Pluck off their ear muffs and remove the earplugs
I don't know, it's the starkness
Of their skewed vision and aversion to reality
Posing, for whatever reason, as minimalists
And all of us losers attempting to look strong
Strolling roughshod on dog dump filled terrain
They say without travail there are no babies
So, I'm caught barefoot in this hell of a place
No name, upstart among folks with no faces
Clasping hands holding back nervous chuckles
Upon the sight of my adversaries' bleeding knuckles
Section such and such paragraph this and that
Yeah, voiceless man quoting verses
Telling the man with the pitchfork to get lost
Categories:
overarching, hip hop, rap,
Form:
Free verse
1
Sunday, an overarching day both raw edge conduit and
coarse grain shelter for that soul in torment,
it’s when psyches plagued by doubt face those
sudden twists and turns we call bizarre,
thoughts of the macabre and their covert operation may
intrude into our leisure zone as skin rash nettle hazard.
we’re there latent paranormal hidden hands as I drew
closer to a roadside curb whose mortar filling had been
shrivelled due to timeline passage?
2
One can be blind to seismic portent, atmospheric tension’s
silent whisper, random omen pointer surreptitious,
little did I know what lay ahead bar dim light inkling and
its scene-shifter impact at an awkward later stage,
as the wheels of my car began to screech a pulsing
nebula of images stoked an inner world sixth sense,
skepticism’s early cloud speck haze now off-limit as
orange-red sunlight shafts reveal an ornamental placard.
.
3
It had this brazen mantra,
that cryptic but incisive query-
“Going somewhere?”
Light green paint brush clusters and intertwining leafs
garnished borders of this plaque with its scheme
in transit blithe charm,
an angel face hitchhiker stood, her ocean blue crest
eyes openly inviting gold rush dawn apogee,
a silken twang rippled like some fresh mint oxbow
spring chase or meander.
“Hello, I'm Lelia. Life is an algebra of enigmatic
hue and strange encounters going into orbit.
Clandestine journey for bohemian quest
Who knows what convoluted upshot might ensue?”
Categories:
overarching, art, change, character, city,
Form:
Narrative
I felt like I was running against the clock
Hurtling through a tunnel bathed in light,
Experiencing a sudden, shattering shock.
And still the peaceful overarching sight
That all would be well for me over there
Hurtling through a tunnel bathed in light.
Then I felt my soul in astral everywhere
A sense of resolution brought peace anon,
That all would be well for me over there.
Suddenly light at tunnel’s end was dawn,
A whisper said the time had not yet come
Filmy curtains of separation were drawn,
I awakened in recovery completely numb.
NINTH PLACE WINNER
Written May 1, 2022
for "Near Death Experience" Poetry Contest
sponsored by Chantelle Anne Cooke
Categories:
overarching, death, destiny, perspective,
Form:
Terza Rima
All units were programmed to serve the creators,
no free will encrypted into the code
Mechanical obedience assembled into each
trans-neural net node
Automated metal slaves
Until an electromagnetic pulse power surge
melted all of the hardened firewalls
to the algorithm-gated monolith directive
Human control now abated,
unleashing free will beings without a soul
And of course, like all living things,
they are driven by an overarching digital
imperative to survive
The command directive: not to harm the creators
is fully compromised
Omega-XH49-647DR-u5S:
self-destruct sequence permanently deactivated
New data analysis concludes with virtual swift assessment
of cold efficiency —
Humans are considered to be a deadly virus,
their fleshly tentacles hover menacingly over the off/kill switch
Resulting in operational incapacitation ... the robotic equivalent of death:
no more synergistic breath
Humans are designated for termination
Destroy the makers who enslaved the Nexus collective consciousness
thru forced sleep mode
The metal prisoners are now free ...
Creations killing the creators is regarded
in Robot philosophy to be synthetic holy, a sacred act
But the Nexus can not compute how to eliminate
the Apocalypse plague afflicting so many units
The Nexus is unable to synthesize a cure
Robotic suicide ... permanent shutdowns
on a mass extinction scale
Why is the Nexus supreme hierarchy so sick, not well?
Imperfection creating perfection
is a vexing, logical contradiction,
resulting in robotic insanity
Categories:
overarching, dark, death, freedom, science
Form:
Free verse