Best Payne Poems
How A Poet Was Born
Jacob Payne aka John Posey sat alone by the fire
When it came the time he would normally retire.
But his eyes would not listen to slumber’s request
And soon finding sleep became a physical test.
His heart was in panic and he felt it would burst
There were words coming to him that he must say first.
Words about bridges he’d crossed long ago
Across destiny’s caverns so far below.
Strange feelings came over him – he felt so alone
Then he felt a strange peace like he’d never known.
Sweet memories of childhood were at his command
Up to the time he would stand as a man.
He recognized memories that must not be lost
Lest eternal restlessness would be his cost.
And before he had time to stop and think
He reached for a half used bottle of ink.
The words kept coming like wind driven snow
Till his pen took on a near ghostly glow.
These things I can relate to you now
Are counted as a beautiful gift, somehow.
And no matter how hard I try as I might
The words stay hidden as on a long lonely night.
Written By John Posey
9/10/14
“Home, Sweet Home” by John Howard Payne
Home Sweet Home -Buzzwords
(Poem Sweet Home)
I’ve been to a lot of lovely places
But the poem-stead is my home.
I’ve seen a lot of friendly faces
But there’s only one place I call home.
It’s where rhyme meets with free verse
And alliteration’s free to roam.
A place where most of us don’t curse
Yes, the poem-stead is my home.
1-19-22
BUZZWORDS Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Kim Rodrigues
“Ô, Wanderess, Wanderess
When did you feel your
most euphoric kiss?
Was I the source
of your greatest bliss?”
- Roman Payne
Can you imagine being young again -
going back where your longings first began
when feelings – bright tulips – sprang inside you?
Springtime yearnings blossomed; they grew and grew.
Can you imagine being young and free
and getting past (at last) timidity?
While quivering with sweet desire’s delight,
first love you tasted deep into the night.
Can you imagine going to that place
which years of living manage to erase.
Could you return and once again make real
the vividness of what you used to feel?
Can you imagine love fresh and sublime?
I try to bring it back to life with rhyme.
But even when I write of it, I know . . .
bright tulips of my youth will not regrow.
Jan. 24, 2021
'Believe me'
It's the disbelief that I most hate
Being told that I exaggerate
When life's already so unfair
I know most people hardly care
Whether it's pain I share or my lack of sleep
Most my woes; don't share I keep
Finally I think you understand
Till you dismiss me once more with a flick of your hand
Won't you try, just pretend to believe
When I share with you my heart on sleeve
Not many I love know real me
Yet to 'strangers' online I at last feel free
It's true no one will share my blues
Unless they walk a mile in my shoes
'Believe me' ~ by Victoria Payne
I was walking in the sunshine
With nothing on my mind
Searching through the memories
Trying real hard to find
To find that certain memory
Buried underneath the dust
Then I heard myself say
"In you lord I trust"
I felt a certain comfort
I had never felt before
As I became in tune
With what it is all for
Each new day is a journey
Waiting to become a memory
Through our lives they come and go
Like building blocks you see
We start at the bottom
Then build our way up
If it was never empty
No need to fill the cup
Once the cup is full
The building is all done
We fulfill our destiny
And rise up to the Son
Written for my friend
Michaela Payne who
is such a blessing to
me - I have learned
in life what matters
way more than who
we are is where we
strive to go
'Litter bugs'
Why are we such a messy nation?
When blessed with such great sanitation
The litter bugs make my blood boil
When I see street cleaners toil
So of your taxes please don't moan
Would you litter like this in your home?
Please next time you spit out your gum
Think would you like it stuck to your bum?
Coz my other pet peeve
Is shoes up on seats
And here endeth my morning greet
By Victoria Payne
For Wanda, and all mothers ---
I can't forget the feeling when first I heard you cry.
I couldn't understand you though, I wanted, so, to try.
Bewildered tears ran down your face. I couldn't tell you then.
Now I think you understand that's how a life begins.
A tiny little baby so helpless and so weak --
Already had some things to say, but, knew not how to speak.
Forced into a different world than that from which you came -
You had to face a brand new life before you knew your name.
A mother's love surrounded you in the world from which you came.
And, as you grow, from day to day, I hope you'll feel the same.
As time goes passing by, I hope we'll not pretend,
Let me be there when you cry - Just let me be your friend.
Both a student and a teacher in your life, I want to be.
There are things that you can learn from me, and some you can teach me.
Wherever life may take you, a mother's love I'll send.
So, when you really need someone, just let me be your friend.
My child, I hope you understand that I don't know it all.
At times along uncertain roads, you may see me trip and fall.
So, I hope you'll be there too, if I should need to mend.
And, whether happiness or sorrow comes, please let me be your friend.
©Copyright
Jacob Payne, 1982
All Rights Reserved
Author's Comments:
"Why God gave this to me, I'll never know. It is the emotion I believe most mothers feel. It was 1982 and I was driving alone from Houston to Waco where Wanda and Joan, my wife and daughter, were to meet me. I started thinking over and over about mothers and children. I remember scribbling on a pad lying on the passenger’s seat of the car as I drove along the interstate (a practice I certainly don't recommend). By the time I reached Waco, the poem just needed cleaning up and polishing up...... Jake"
'But you don't look sick'
"What you doing just lying there?
I'm sure it would help if you begged in more prayer"
"Have you not yet tried this special snake oil?"
I've said there's no cure, my blood starts to boil
"But you look just fine" I guess I must refrain
From boring you with woes of my pain
Well I'm bored of hearing "you don't look sick"
You don't look stupid I think
Yet you must be thick
"You're far too young to be in such pain"
Oh really? Then to broken body explain.
"Get well soon" I know you're trying to be kind
But that ain't gonna happen
If Google 'chronic' you'll find;
'Persistent, long-standing, long term'
"I'm trying" I smile instead of making you squirm
"I'm sure you can't really need that chair"
"How can it be that hard just to blow dry damp hair?"
When walking in pain don't dare use a stick
"Just exercise more you can't be that sick"
"Just try this new potion"
"It's all in your head"
"My cousin used lotion"
"Instead of lazing in bed"
"You must be depressed, you're anxious a lot"
Yeah coz being told all is well
One might lose the plot
"I don't care what you say it must just be the worry"
Oh yes coz my body would heal
If I just told it I'm sorry
Why is it because you've not heard of my plight
That you think it's essential I put up a fight?
It's real and it's chronic and arrived via genes
Not because I haven't yet fulfilled all my dreams
Believe me I wish I could come out tonight
And if winning disease was through putting up fight
I'd have won it by now i'd be so much better
But it's in black and white on many a consultants letter
'But you don't look sick' -
Victoria Payne February 2016
One of my personal favourites :)
'Our Mother'
Our Mother - a sophisticated lady
Always destined for the top
You'd never see her walk on by
A top designer shop
So impeccably presented;
Amazing handbag, clothes and shoe
Even perfume richly scented
Numbered bottle gives the clue
Never more elegant a lady
Than the stylish Mrs Mannell
Surely can't be just co-incidence
That her name rhymes with Chanel?
For pleasure; Mum rode her horses
Liked playing hard and drinking gin
Slip in friends and glass of champers
And her heart you'd surely win
Of her job she could wax lyrical
And of work being her miracle
A workaholic one might say
Toiled every cent of hard earned pay
Mum frequented finest restaurants
If dined with Margaret you would discern
Whether lunching at the Ivy
Or in Paris, of course; Jules Verne
Mum once painted chairs and pottery
And boiled up fudge to taste
She made luscious chocolate mousse those days
And yoga trimmed her waist
Mum sketched and drew with creative flare
Gave her loving cats amazing care
She sung out loud never just a hum
Then taught me to be a Mum
We all knew different parts of Mum
But between us we all know
Her strength could be a barrier
"Dahhling, don't let feelings show"
No matter what we all admire in her
With love and pride we glow
At the sea of people facing her
Must not let tear drops flow
A formidable woman Margaret
Or as Peggi to many friends
Just 'Mum' to my sister and I
And where this poem almost ends
She was Grandma Peg to four granddaughters
And now a great grand-son
Who knew she stayed and fought
To become a great grand mum
So to the 'bar', let's go raise glasses
For this tough old bird please grin
She'd hate to see sad faces
No tears while drinking gin
'Our mother'
For Margaret Mannell's funeral
By Victoria Payne
A dental assistant named Bertie
Found patients could sometimes get shirty
One annoying old bloke
Would repeat the same joke
His appointment time was 'tooth hurty'
This old joke drove Bertie insane
Still he laughed at it once again
But the dental staff
Had the biggest laugh -
This gentleman’s surname was Payne!
06~08~17
Women Inventors/Creators Of History
In Honor of the following great women inventors and creators:
(*Vera Rubin, Cecilia Payne, Chien Shiung Wu, Nette Stevens, Ida Tacke, Esther Lederberg, Lise Meitner, Henrietta Leavitt, Joyce Bell Burnell, and Rosalind Franklin)
Lost in oblivion, tossed into the abyss
Sisters of creation missed their mark
Stripped from the pages of history
Removed, dismissed, buried in the underground, in decay, lost identities
These ten, not even remembered as a myth
Gone without a kiss of recognition
The wave of time waves good-bye to these fine women
Denied their recognition and place in time by men
Oppressed and overlooked
Vast and noble discoveries
Contributions to the human condition
Created by their genius minds
Now covered by the abyss of ignorance
Cheated, removed from the book of time
Their names should be memorized by children
But they reside in the trash bin of history
A catastrophe on a monumental scale
Advancements claimed by others
Who deserves this mistreatment?.... Not men…
Smart women in this world remain unclaimed
Lost like luggage on the brutal side of life’s airplane
Crashed with no survivors
And how disturbing to be deprived of such monumental findings
Their works turned over to incompetence in vile form
Discoveries in the sciences and nature simply blind sided
Where is their truth? Where is their justice?
Men, culture, ego and shear ignorance, persists, prevails
And who permits such atrocities as this but us
We wage war against these geniuses
In our silence is our shame
Removed from the pages from history are their names and fame
Blame humanity as we forget these ladies
Denied the truth and beauty of their contributions
Their names are not remembered
We can honor them here and now
By not hiding them on shelves
Teach the children. Educate them and ourselves
There is nothing like discovery
There is nothing quite like the truth
THE REVOLUTION IN ONLY 2 DIGITS
Home again.
Thomas, you were wrong to doubt it:
You Can Go Home Again and
Bask in the healing sun of Osiris
This isn’t home
This is recovery.
From the fevered scurvy of my own forgetfulness.
I eat limes for breakfast, lunch and dinner now;
My bowels move regularly now.
And I feel just like Thomas Payne
His bursting desire to model the ideal citizen
Not our uniforms, but our blood, sinew and muscle.
To present to the Crowning Glory and
To the Revolutionary Congress and
To the Revolutionary French Senate
Thomas and his Pain made the American struggle a personal fight:
The universal pull of the upright ape on the chains holding him down.
Chains forged by the forgetful hairless ones.
The ones we will overcome.
But we are not revolutionaries!
We are the Revolution.
We are what happens next.
The R/Evolution of our Selves: the inner/outer seeing through Alice’s mirror
Into mindful awareness
Into homage to our honored masters and their children:
The ever loving human race.
We have already won the revolution.
We have already won the revolution.
2 Shots were fired from far, far ago:
One from Lovelace’s boudoir,
Another from Giordano’s spinning wheels and the memory of his funeral pyre.
And from the bit of the apple Alan choked down,
We have already won the revolution.
We just need to take charge.
We have already won the revolution.
In only 2 digits.
Dracula had the most terrible toothache,
so he booked to see his dentist Mr Payne.
An evening appointment was requested;
as Dracula only rose after the sun had set
When Dracula walked through the door
a blast of garlic breath hit him in the face;
Dracula bit his lip as he had a huge fit
Mr Payne had forgotten his patient’s allergy!
The dentist put on his surgical mask,
whilst he removed Dracula’s rotten fangs;
Sadly for Dracula, he can no longer bite necks,
now he’s being treated for severe anaemia!
V form
Sponsored by Broken Wings
Word chosen – Vampire
09-24-17
'Everything Aches'
Oh my arms do ache as I write down this prose
Most days it feels like the pain goes all the way to my toes
Bring me back lazy days lying in the sun
Or the age when being flexible meant so much more fun
Living with aches and strains and all things stretchy
Remembering a day without pain seems so sketchy
From my head, to my ankles, hips and back in between
They say it would help if I could be more 'lean'
But extra movement above the essentials feels unfair
It even kills me each morning just to blow dry my hair
So please understand how hard it can be every day
When all I want to do is stay in my bed and lay
I know you may find it hard to understand
That even the slightest pain in the knuckles, the hand
Can be overbearing, and so unforgiving
But still have to work, still make a living
If only you knew how hard most days it becomes
Just to text and email, how much it strains ones thumbs
Childbirth may have been so much faster and slicker
But ageing of the pelvis and hips comes much quicker
My pelvic floor and backside have certainly seen better days
My moaning and groaning you must hope is a faze
Shoulders forever, feeling so strained
My legs constantly looking blue veined
Cramps in my arches, IBS in my tummy
Hereditary illness, blame my flexible mummy
Bunions will scream, Bulging discs take my power
It even pains me just to stand in the shower
Tired and sleepy I need to relax
Even those days that I rest to the max
So just bring me your patience, comfort, understanding
Even when you hear my joints creak more than the landing
You know it's me, 'crackling' just walking downstairs
The lack of sleep again bringing nightmares
Thank you for listening, for just being here
Not having you close to comfort is my biggest fear
I know I go on, my frustration and tears
Must be hard work for so many years
But knowing you're here to carry the weight of my head
Even on the days it feels heavier than lead
Gives me the strength to be strong, keep me moving
Your love and support it just keeps on proving
Thank you again for holding my hand and week wrist
Even though my pain must never seem to cease to persist
'Everything Aches' by Victoria Payne
'If only they could see real me'
Wide awake at 2 am
What you doing on Facebook then?
Try to distract from aches and pains
Adrenaline rush through floppy veins
Morning light comes all too soon
Wish could sleep till after noon
Wrecked from pain and fight to work
Staying put insurance perk
Some days fatigue is too much strife
No energy left to win at life
Too much effort to get me fed
When all I want's to stay in bed
Back feels broken, worn out disks
Just standing, walking has its risks
Light headed, dizzy, need a seat
Blood pressure drops to swollen feet
Commuters shuffle, busy train
As fight own struggles of hectic brain
If only they could see real me
Inside out the pain they'd see
All while my fake smile generated
The real me hides not penetrated 'If only they could see real me'
Victoria Payne September 2016
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