Best Pass Up Poems
Radio Music
I sense this music has a soulful touch;
A special purpose that only lyrics
Possess to enchant my inner being.
I oft pass up soft, soothing sleep late night
To marvel at the magic of some songs;
Tunes that draw me into deep moments of
Raw emotions that tease and test the kind
Of person—I am or wish I could be!
What else could one expect from a cosmos
Laden with such lyrics, music, and God?
Gary Bateman, Copyright © All Rights Reserved
October 2, 2017 (Blank Verse)
The tree of my ritual was old and tall,
though not a true giant;
the next one may be, but needn't.
It possessed consequence in its bough
and the places around it,
which may have been occupied
for one of any number of reasons.
It was a fine tree, and my ritual was,
I hoped, appropriately reverent.
Respectful, yet uneasily godless,
my incantations whispered
with the light and gravity of the shade.
Hopeful, yet sorrowfully faithless,
my supplications revolved patiently
and drifted irreversibly into the air,
seeped deep beyond the bark,
sank into the soil and the root.
Godless as I was, I would not pass up
a fancy of random thought;
if it was a fancy of still unknown truth,
it would need nurture,
dutifully I would nurture.
Only such a tree could be worthy
of such faithless supplication.
18th October 2018
Oh I would give Christopher Higgins a peck..
as I read the words penned by John Heck..
and there just would not be such a spark without
the writes of Michael Degenhardt...
just like it would be a sin, not to feel the words
of Mohammad Yamin...
John Loving, Sean Kelly and Des Juan
the writes of these makes a duckling feel like a swan...
now it seems as if this one is too important
to pass up the likes of Michael Jordan..
and always one to write with good sense
I can't forget my man whose name is Vince...
now it would seem such a shame, to forget
my friend John Rhinem's whole name...
also it just makes no sense to forget the
writes of Joseph Spence..
and how could you not understand
that Brian Strand is the man...
let's not play games not one to poke
don't forget the talents of Mr. James Foulk...
and for that matter how could I forget
my friend Daver..
oh and yes let's close the curtain
but let's not forget the writes of Derrick burton...
these men can truly make the words cry
if you think I'm lying be my abili..
with this list I can always continue
so much great talent on this soup's menu..
if I've left anyone out, I apologize
it's not a smite, and not a guise..
these are a very talented group
that represent on poetry soup.
P.S. THIS IS DEDICATED TO ALL THE MEN
OF POETRY SOUP
This situation seems quite dense
But don't make half the sense
But it happened two times in cadence
I'll try to shorten it so I won't trespass on your patience
So here's the deal
It's becoming hard to express how I feel
On the real
An unread love letter that remains unsealed
As cliche as "looks can kill"
You heard it before so you know its real
Anyway, this is how it goes
The unbearable love that nobody knows
It numbs the pain of your heart piercing the soul
With a high on poetic flow
So sick your eyes stay low
You'll be on straight lean mode
You know
My thoughts are paced
Til faith illuminates
The pain it takes
To repair a heart that's easy to break
Here to keep
Through ideas incomplete
His kisses bleed
To a place too deep
Even love couldn't reach
Where fear consumed me entirely
Fear of what?
Well, fear of you
And what your body can do
And I can't shake the feeling that you think so too
And I realize love is a choice that affects time
And to give in to it is matter over mind
Such seductive memories left behind
Guilty and convicted by a 3-word line
Now it's my time
As I mortify this rhyme
To pass up something so kind
Or maybe sublime
Cuz his time's out of love and my love's out of time
If the promptings in you are the works that you do
And you trust in the Word that is free
Then you live by the light, and you do what is right
For the sake of a world family
You may question your worth and the good of your birth
Or the views of such people as me
But the vision is true, and the power in you
If you trust in the one you can be
For the love in your heart is a good place to start
When you strive to be honest and true
You will pass up the worst in a race to be first
In the faith of the humble and few
In the heat of the night you will put up a fight
In defense of the cause that you serve
But you never stay down with a permanent frown
If they throw you a strike or a curve
You will run with the best and be up for the test
Of the hardships that plague you the most
But you never will hide, as you take them in stride
With a smile instead of a boast
You are patient and kind, like the others you find
In the faces who want you to win
For they love you and more, they will help you to soar
When you suffer the anguish of sin
There is love all around, but the future is found
In the blessings of God and His Son
For the person you'll see, is the one you can be
When the sheep and the shepherd are one
You may fall by the way in the heat of the day
For the dearth of a lake or a tree
But the way is assured by the truth of His Word
And the promise of what you can be.
Auntie
In her lofty ways, she was always
the best example of
the stars out-shining the moon.
Her ways of doing things always
correct and proper
she was a student of the Queen.
Place setting and
the china on the table all had to
be per the law.
And no PHD could outwit her with
her twelfth-grade education.
She though dignified and learned
always quoted un-biblical quotes
from other bibles.
"Cleanliness is next to Godliness ".
I would say well didn't
God make dirt too!?
Don't be asinine she would say-
Seemed as if the emphasis
would be on the "ass"
I would laugh... and when
she thought
I was not looking
she would laugh too.
Auntie could hardly
pass up a good humorous
exchange no matter how
ostentatious or outrageous.
Her well-groomed and well
manicured demeanor
was not just for Sundays.
She served her God faithfully
in words and in deeds every day.
I have never known her
to beg or borrow.
Never seen her complain as
"Arthur" took his toll on her knees.
She was faithful to the end
and though she had no
children of her own,
she was nurturer of all us
children whom were
blessed enough to be
corrected by her or to
eat a slice of her lemon
meringue pie.
Anytime I think of her
I remember the sweetest
music coming from
the piano that displayed
her mood with music-
Her piano voiced her
thoughts in pitch and
range; as she became
one with the keys and chords.
There was no room for "I can't"--
and no excuse not trying.
She finally gave up on me
playing the piano -
That ruler had taken
its toll on my knuckles
and even if you failed at any
attempt to do things as right
as she wanted:
After a hardy reprimanding
Auntie was sure to have my favorite
food and clean bed waiting for me.
I loved her so much that
every now and then
I must write about this amazing
Sister to my mother.
Her name...
Rosella Faye Graham Derrickson Myers ...
And yes, she would say her whole ''title"
if you were to ask her, her name.
Her spirit lives on...
In all the lives that she has touched.
I am a high school graduate and a former college student
I have no children
No drug or alcohol addiction
nor do I have a home
I am one of Brick City's homeless
Many of the faces I've seen downtown are the same faces I see at the soup kitchen or the shelter
The same quirky, ragged, foul-smelling, quiet homeless people
But these aren't the only homeless people
Many of the faces I've seen at the soup kitchen or at the shelter,
I've also seen downtown
The same outgoing, inconspicuous and "average" yet homeless people
I used to assume I'd pass up to 10 of the same homeless people downtown
Now that I'm one of them
and pretty much every homeless person knows every homeless person
You'd probably feel blessed and highly favored when I tell you that the majority of adult pedestrian traffic downtown are homeless United State citizens
The majority are homeless
We're at the library, McDonald's, Penn Station, 18 Rector, 50 South Clinton, all Essex County Parks, 990, Red Doors, St. Johns
or the sidewalk with our book bags, purses, suitcases and our will, however weak or strong, to live for right now
We get in where we fit in
The most thrilling part of my day is knowing what time the next soup kitchen serves and when I'm unconscious and dreaming
Most are not bums
Most are caught in a cyclical cycle of destitution because they have a record and can't qualify for anything other than a 9-5
Or don't have a job because there are no jobs and don't have anyone to take care of them without taking advantage of their situation, be it sexually or by an unfair criminal or immoral request
Most of us just can WAIT until!
. . . and there's no one here to help me right now
I understand though:
It's likewise
This homeless lifestyle encourages me to keep dreaming, faintly hope and never expect anything
My high hopes and expectations left me ____ out in the streets of Newark
It's 4 o'clock
. . . On to the next soup kitchen
Long ago, in Fairy Tale Land, there lived a beautiful young girl
named Snow White. She lived with her wicked stepmother , the queen. The queen
was jealous of S.W., and when her faithful mirror began to tell her that she was no
longer the fairest in the land, ( the honor now went to S.W.), she had the young
woman taken into the woods and killed.
The kind woodsman couldn't do the deed however..and S.W. ended up in a
cottage with a bunch of unhappy Little People. The were, in no particular order-Vain,
Ungrateful, Grouchy, Stupid, Flatulant, Nasty and Petulant.
They were supposed to work in the mines..but rarely went there..instead the played
a lot of Texas Hold'em and sang.. " Whistle While you Malinger".
To cut to the chase..the queen found out and had Nasty feed S.W. a poison
apple. She fell into a deep sleep. Thinking she was dead, they put her in a glass
coffin in the deepest part of the wood. Well, who should come riding by but a biker
named Larry..he kissed her , as he would never pass up a chance like that. She
awoke, and they rode off ..never to be seen again .... but..it was whispered that
she had formed a group with 7 little guys and was performing on the strip in Vegas...
And they all lived happily every after...(except for the queen, who became an old
hag and in a rage took a hammer to her poor mirror).
The End
For John's contest
Never argue with a woman when she's tired or rested
One good turn gets most of the blankets
The qualities that most attract a woman to a man
are usually the same ones she can't stand years later
It's better to be looked over than overlooked
Definition of an ******: gland finale
Virginity can be cured
Sex has no calories
Did you ever notice that anyone in favor of birth control
has already been born
The problem with the gene pool is there's no lifeguard
Red meat is not bad for you, fuzzy green meat is bad for you
Never pass up an opportunity to pee
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday lying in the hospital
dying of nothing
No one is listening until you fart
Never hold in your farts... they travel up your spine to your brain
and that's where your crappy ideas come from
A man with both feet firmly on the ground is a man
who can't get his pants off
A lie travels round the world while truth is putting its boots on
Be happy while you're living, for you're a long time dead
A day spent in a well was a day well spent
My ex-wife still misses me but her aim is improving
I googled, “how to start a wildfire”... got 48,572 matches
I'm not as think as you drunk I am
Told my wife I was seeing a psychiatrist... she told me
she was seeing a psychiatrist, two plumbers, and a bartender
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand
A closed mouth gathers no feet
Eat well, stay fit, die anyway
When I was a young boy,
The radio would blast in my ears…
I would cheerfully sing along to a new song…
Those memories come back to me like waves approaching me
I sang along with my mother by my side
She’s the driver and I’m on the passenger seat…
In other words, I called “shot-gun!” first
I prize these recollections and they make me beam so wide
Old memories spent with you are still there in my mind
You’ve painted me a picture of what you get out of life
Throwing out all strife…throwing out all strife
We welcome the sun…we welcome the son!
When I was spending happy days with you,
I didn’t know they could fade so soon
I didn’t know time would pass up by like morning to afternoon
Changes were made and I can’t change that
Where have you gone? Are you feeling OK?
Talk to me…I wonder about you every single day
But, all these years we’ve spent it on leisure time has come to hunt me down again like a predator,
finally getting its hands on its first victim
You sing so sweet, nightingale in the nightfall
I’ve memorized your face when you walk in the gloomy hall
Hear me as I call…hear me as I call…
You melt me like ice cream, left in the sun
When you remind me of the segments of my past,
I just want to tell you straight-out that I don’t care to hear about it
I’m sorry to act so harsh, but you’re looking back again
Don’t break my heart…it’s not my time to die
Yesterday…where have you gone?
Yesterday…you’re a long lost son…
Yesterday…you’re in the grave
Tomorrow… will be God’s Kingdom
Tomorrow…the day will be handsome
It’s sad to see you go…
While my family and I are spending good, leisure time
It’s tough to let you know
You’ve made me sad ‘cause you’ve changed big time
Might as well listen to music and shut out all sound
I was just a useless toy all along,
Stomped on on the ground…I’m gravity-bound
But, I won’t even try to sing this depressing song
Besides, it wasn’t arranged for one
But, nevertheless, I prayed to God with all of my heart
My leisure time was well-spent! Thank God my young heart didn't break apart!
Twenty years have passed since that last cigarette.
Tonight, out of the clear blue, I craved a king-size ***--
The one thing out of everything I know I’d soon regret.
Suddenly, my forehead broke out in tiny beads of sweat.
I sat quietly, staring, thinking about the suffocating drag;
Twenty years have passed since that last cigarette.
Years swiftly pass and the mind still cannot forget,
It should be the first to send up the signal, the red flag,
The one thing out of everything I know I’d soon regret.
I was a teenager when the Marlboro man and I first met
In a hole-in-the-wall café where we teens danced the rag,
Twenty years have passed since that last cigarette.
At fifty I gave up smoking when my heart became upset
Over twenty-five years I have not had one, I must not brag,
The one thing out of everything I know I’d soon regret.
I know I would pass up that cigarette, even if I lost a bet,
Nothing would be worth it; the thought of it makes me gag,
Twenty years have passed since that last cigarette,
The one thing out of everything I know I’d soon regret.
Written April 8, 2021
Never pass up a good cartoonity This an encouraging stick about punting Charlie lay on the ground inflatus position Wondering why he lies at the feet of the pundit kicking this idea around in his head Why he is the receiver and never the punter and the kicker is just a squib, scrambling for the goal Flattening a big head is always funny Who can aaurgue with that Lucy’s swift kick in the pants, a lasting romance Tribute to Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000 1986: “You look forward all year to a special moment, and before you know it, it’s over” to the inspirational
I just want you to be a good person
To love the world and everyone in it
I want you to see others grief and their pain
And be thandful for what God has laid on your plate
I want you to want to help all who's in need
To love with all your heart,
And keep your brain on a leash
Be caring and giving and have empathy
Look to the sky and feel small and humble
I hope you persevere through stormy weather
And when the sun’s out don’t take it for granted
Love God in the valley as well on the mountain
I want you to be a good person, you see
Give all you’ve got to this world while you’re here
May people remember you by your goodness and cheer
Know that money isn’t everything, that love is all you need
I hope when you listen to music, beauty does exceed
Don’t pass up a masterpiece without an amazement glare
Travel around the world appreciating all that is out there
Don’t let greed, pride and jealousy be at your side
Give a helping hand; keep a smile on your face
And in time when you get lemons…I hope you look the other way
There are no greater walls that we'll ever find
Than those self imposed by our own fragile mind
To say I know all with the wall of hubris
Till skills are no more by our learning remiss
To listen to conmen - the wall of blind greed
Till felled by sheer ruin - left lying to bleed
To do what we're told without asking why
The wall of obedience - our freedom bye-bye
To pass up life chances - the wall of cannot
Till life says no more and we end up with squat
Build up all four to make up a sealed room
And just add a roof top to make it our tomb
In a field of red, purple, and white blooms
Sits a beautiful farm house that’s built well
All the windows are large, not one has gloom
There’s a brick chimney, gorgeous, I can tell
The old couple that lives inside won’t sell
It’s their pride to live in this farm house
Never would they pass up even the mouse
The soil here is rich, lending the good crops
The tractor can cause problems that will rouse
Couple loves this place, even the dewdrops
Russell Sivey