Best Personhood Poems
My one burning wish -
I want not to fade away
like rotten lace, dumped
onto a trash heap and forgotten.
I want to leave myself behind,
for those who come after
to inhale during breakfast.
Not money, like my mother,
who judged it to be the only thing
of worth she had to leave behind,
as though her love meant nothing,
as though her virtue didn't count.
A nonpareil pattern of motherhood,
of personhood for that matter,
written in permanent script,
propagated in layers of goodness,
flung onto her progeny
with the glue of infinity.
As long as I live, so will she.
I want that,
when it's my turn to go.
Confronted with conflicting self-forces
my flesh groans in adversities’ braces
gripped by haughty human nature that reigns
over flawed sinful carnality strains.
Granted with grace of redemption by Christ
my soul owns His eternal life, blood-priced
along imputed righteousness divine
changing me from iniquities’ design.
Quickened toward God-consciousness delight
my spirit yields to Almighty light
striving to win own personal battles
smiting selfishness, pride and greed rattles.
Settling to choose best in dilemmas’ test
my faith seeks truth from Scripture wisdom nest
believing immutable verities
learned well from discipleship certainties.
Created in God’s image: wondrous deed
my essence is complete through Him indeed
made functional through ministerial acts
living for Him, reaching-out midst peace-pacts.
Staying in the center of the Lord’s will
my heart contented, with love He does fill
while satisfied by His faithfulness’ bliss
prospered in glad service I cannot miss.
Blest with uniqueness of distinct beauty
my being finds worth in Jesus’ bounty
He values me through His compassion wealth
enriching* personhood by divine health.
*2Corinthians 9:11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
January 26, 2021
6th place, "Non-judgmental Eye" Premier Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Unseeking Seeker; judged on 1/29/2021.
For this tribute poem, my heart exclaims:
Dad: you’re my greatest human fortress, steadfast indeed
The Almighty I praise for your legacy, thriving with blest breed.
Mom: being the virtuous woman who molded my personhood
You exemplified essence of love and wisdom in your motherhood.
Siblings: Manong Rhud, Ading Bert, and Sis. Ming, “kapatids” so dear
How fortunate am I to be assured of your presence so near.
Relatives: cousins, aunts, uncles within and outside clan’s group chat-brace
God’s blessings be with you, reached-out by His redemption grace.
Mentors, teachers, leaders: your earnestness of life-building impact
Keeps me fulfilling influential educator-role by faith with blissful act.
Friends: Actual and virtual, online and on-site ... you're appreciated
Midst your warm partnership for which I'm gratefully elated.
Brethren and sisters in the Lord: let’s fulfill His will, exalting His name
Serving as light and salt by His enablement, advancing heavenly aim.
Orphanage family: with the Saviour’s compassion and provisions that abound
You’re my home where His grace is maximized till we hear the trumpet sound.
The ALPHA AND OMEGA of my being: Without YOU, my GOD, I’m nothing
Since You’re my life, my all-sufficiency*; thanks for everything.
*2Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.
November 11, 2020
Nostalgic angst…
keeps on gripping my soul
while apprehended by the question:
"Why are we here?"
Yes, I confess that my soul repents
for wasted opportunities and chances I missed
toward functional learning
along healthy vibrant well-being...
Yet flash back scenes
eventually make themselves vivid
while presenting significant persons
though I neglected, but have helped shape
my personhood to become who am I today...
Throwback episodes
now linger while my heart strives
to be conquered with joyful reminiscences
each striving to a show a precious memento
that I am here for a purpose: to be a blessing to others...
Reflecting on catching up-pursuits
I must move on triumphantly
as faith* in the Lord empowers me
for meaningful ministerial path of reaching-out
marked by great encounters beyond mere survival.
*Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
August 12, 2023
1st place, "Why are we here" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Unseeking Seeker; judged 8/20/2023
The rational subject
Dances in duality
Stripped of earnings, personhood urging
Marked by contract, on paper
Life transforms into property
Belligerent because of tooth enamel-
That unexpected biological decay
Proves that mind stands still
We've built up a hoary artifice
Exclaiming our particular version of truth
Covering the ground with gridwork and lines
Mining jewels to keep the helium high
While filling quotas to make the ceiling rise
I hear the great man/ nature divide
Residing in our pattern of life
Speaking out a vast anguish
Birthing pains of a new era
We will make it through the womb
Our power lies in our pleasure
As mankind always traverses
An uneven terrain
Grateful am I to God for America’s great legacy
wholeheartedly enjoyed with freedom-bliss
in my country, regarded as the “Pearl of the Orient Seas.”
Joyful am I for America’s great contributions to my personhood:
my being conversant with the international language
first passed on by the Thomasite teachers to our educators;
then, having heard the scriptural Gospel* for eternal redemption
steadfastly preached by American missionaries
nurturing my faith to reach-out to others, sharing blest peace.
Now, I entrust America to the Lord, with earnest prayer
envisioning her to prevail upon truth-propped liberty
along stalwart biblical constitution exercise
midst sterling dignity as “land of the free”
marked by her “In God we trust” seal.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.
November 14, 2020
8th place, "2021 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA VISIONARY" Premier Contest
Sponsored by L MILTON HANKINS; judged on 11/24/2020.
“You can’t make homes out of human beings.”
— Warsan Shire
Wishbone
He appraises me as though my bones
were fashioned for breaking,
two limbs diverging from a sacred centre,
his hunger already choosing
which half it intends to keep.
There is an unfeeling felony in such looking,
the way desire can undress a person
until even personhood becomes superfluous.
He makes an altar of my anatomy,
then calls appetite reverence.
He would tie me to his tongue
and still not know the aptitude of my name.
He mistook possession for intimacy,
lust for fractured divinity,
my body for some reliquary
he might prise apart for providence.
His eyes of penitence arrived too late.
Beneath fractured halos,
what hollow absolution resurrects
a woman reduced to portions:
mouth, waist, thighs,
the convenient mathematics of flesh?
He had already tested where I was weakest,
where the bone would give,
how much wanting could be mistaken
for tenderness before it became cruelty.
That was the anatomy of absence:
to be entirely present
inside a body someone else
had already erased me from.
I was no omen for his wanting,
no little bone upon which
he might wager a wish.
Yet he still broke me.
But he did not know what wishbones remember:
that they once belonged to wings,
that fracture is a hinge, not an ending,
that some things split
without surrendering themselves.
He expected two obedient halves,
a clean division,
something small enough to possess.
Instead, the fracture disclosed
what his hunger had failed to comprehend:
I had never belonged to the bone.
And if time turns,
will scars stain the sky?
Let them.
The larger fragment in his fist
never meant he won.
It was only proof
that possession leaves evidence.
He had to break a thing that flew
to believe it was his.
designed elections
a corporate personhood
money is free speech
Edward J Ebbs - 02/28/2016
The problem of the inclusive pronoun is still very much a problem for the writer, and needs an accepted solution. I tried for years with a suggested one of my own, but it never caught on. So here, I have simply alternated them--over and over!
Your Best Friend
You may not know him very well
and often slighted her at times
you needed him the most.
You neither heard nor gave a thought
to all the wisdom packed among
the secrets of her mind.
He fades from time to time,
and often thinks she is not wanted, nor
quite sensible enough to speak out boldly,
lest he bowdlerize the common sense
proclaimed by gilt-edged saints
enshrined in texts the priests
bear high above our nodding heads...
and would she dare to disagree?
But there he is--
and all the little thoughts churn
endlessly, and quite in vain.
She is your friend, conceived on skeins
of common cloth; his sources are
the mysteries the ages pass
to everyman, the flying residue
of concepts born of the enlightenment
that generates upon prolific shores
unseen--some call them mansions
of a heavenly domain where God resides.
I will not reduce such visionary
to a royal personhood, give him a sex
nor place him on a throne. She is
too much for anyone to pray to, bow before,
or lovingly array in ermine robes
and facial hair,
and that best friend denies his pedigree
to so assume.
And yet a modicum of faith preserves
a shred of confidence within
that she does not in plain reality,
so lead.
Your friend (and any God who may personify
himself) does so abound in unexplored
and virgin territory, that ready inspiration
is available to any meditator or philosopher
who stumbles over truth--best friend indeed!
No question is too much for her examination;
there are nuances to the myriad of answers
he may entertain, or at the least, confront.
No preachment is beyond her reach.
He leaves no clue to her identity, for
He is you!
~
Though you conceived me against your scheduled time
my tiny parts felt so secure inside your love vessel
I then invoked for your painstaking care
grateful that you chose to keep me---
---until my hospital birth exposure.
Though you left me to be cared by your grand mom
my babyhood was settled midst struggling milestones
I then invoked for your constant visits
yet you still decided to act out what seemed best---
--- that was not to see me anymore.
Though you let me grope amidst identity crisis
my genes could not hide your physical influence
I then invoked for your possible appearance
despite your subtle approval for my orphanage placement---
--- making me bereft of family-tree details.
Though you remain a mystery I can’t fathom
my personhood praises God for His love I’m experiencing
I then invoke that He would grant you peace
along forgiveness Christ assures to those who trust in Him ---
--- such is my faith while admitting this… I long to meet you.
I now invoke YOU, Sovereign Almighty for possible mother-son reunion:
please regard my supplication* with Your favour…
I invoke you, Mommy, in the name of the Lord:
remember me, your son, yearning for your hugs ---
--- ready to embrace you dearly.
*Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
October 26, 2021
3rd place, "Pick-A-Title, Vol 26 - Invocation" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Edward Ibeh; judged on 11/2/2021.
When I was 24, I would preach the gospel in Chicago projects, fearless and determined.
And I had a 2 year old, Autumn, that was mine by blood, and 3 boys that I mentored, Perrion,
Pierre, and Paris.
Every Saturday, we watched Cinderella featuring Brandi, the Sound of Music, and went to
NAVY Pier to walk and watch lake Michigan. I felt alive and strong and courageous.
Then in 1999 strange things began to happen in my head. Pretty soon I felt like I had fallen
off of the side of a mountain and broke of my emotional legs.
And I lost beautiful memories and things went black, and suddenly I was at the mercy of
healers who seemed to have neither the inclination nor the skills to get the job done.
And I was lost.
But there was one who was with me, who spoke to my soul, like Ezekiel did the dry bones of
this culture’s compassion, and brought water to my spirit.
But still I am afraid of fireflies and spiders, and I am afraid to walk in the very same nature
that I once embraced as a child in the Jersey Suburbs.
Yet this morning, I sang my youngest, a song from the Sound of Music, and though I could
not remember all of the words, I remembered that I am back on the mountain, and my legs
are almost well.
And though many accuse me and mine of self pity,
And though many would dream that all people were ,”strong and virile horses” who embraced
the “American Spirit of Competition” like racers out of the gates.
I tend to search for a more gentle solution.
For you know, I am not fully back on my best game, searching like so many for a past when I
was fully whole, hoping in a future where I am even more than I was before the beast had his
way with my personhood.
And in the meantime, I thank God for the journey.
For though there may be times when I see it as easier to walk into a selfish darkness where
the pain is gone,
When I see people on the street, I know at least some of their suffering, and I know that God
loves both them and me alike. For he has chosen us worthy of his loving touch and has given
us the opportunity to fellowship in his sufferings.
Amen.
I come not to enlighten you
but in my way destroy;
embellishment of personhood
gives me such little joy.
The dark I bring on wings scarred black
shall blind the morning light;
No trace is left to levitate
humanity from blight.
Tell parasitic paranoids
who need to bleed their hate,
I am the Hydra coiled to wrap
around their garden gate.
I'll feed upon the multitude
your little bastard brood,
to satiate the darkest fate
of my eccentric mood.
This universe in multiples
(beyond redundancy)
where thoughts are bound to mind around
a new complexity.
The time has come to end the end
begun so long ago;
the human race is baseless space;
corruptions putrid flow.
And I have countless duplicates
who rival even me;
lips drip to sip your succulence,
a feast consumed with glee.
If could grasp this world within
the palm of your right hand,
you will not be released or free
to walk this worthless land.
It is a universal vice
I share with you this day:
All life will ebb in ember fires
turned cold and powder gray.
You ask of Poets in my world?
I say they all are ONE,
each moving like a metronome
until their verse is done.
You pass these perfumed days of rest
'neath flowers round your gate;
but wretched stink of old decay
enjoins Mephisto's hate.
I write my rhyme in verse to curse
and tease with soulless ease.
Perhaps I write to steal your fright -
we Hydras love to please.
Now count the words for I shall not
and you will find them true -
I RODE THE ROAD OBLIVION
IN RHYTHM RIDE TO YOU!!
Confronted by conflicting self-forces
my flesh groans in adversities’ struggles
realizing that human nature lurks
then reigns to conquer carnality flaws.
Granted with grace of redemption by Christ
my soul received His eternal life gift
along imputed righteousness divine
freeing me from sin-wages’ damnation.
Quickened toward God-consciousness sublime
my spirit yields to Almighty control
striving to win in personal battles
vanquishing own selfishness, pride and greed.
Settling dilemmas in choosing what’s right
my faith seeks anchor upon Scripture truths
believing immutable verities
learned well from discipleship endeavours.
Created wondrously in God’s image
my essence is complete indeed by Him
made functional through ministerial work
living for Him, reaching-out to others.
Staying in the center of the Lord’s will
my heart remains contented* and peace-filled
while satisfied by His faithfulness’ joy
prospered in fulfilling utmost service.
Blest with uniqueness of distinct beauty
my being finds real worth in the Saviour
valuing me by His compassion wealth
enriching personhood despite weakness.
*1Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
January 26, 2021
1st place, "ALL YOURS (Jan 26)" Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand; judged on 1/27/2021.
Mother, you are God’s good and great gift to me indeed
Opening and offering to my personhood … realities’ essence which I need
Teaching and training me well through your word and deed
Hoisting up my mind with truth; hedging my heart with love, devoid of greed
Enabling and empowering me by your motherhood roles along Scripture-creed
Raising and rearing up my spirituality to grow in the faith from the Gospel seed!
Dear Mother*, I praise the Lord for you and your grace-anchored sacrifices
Expert are you in exposing me to God’s wonders by your awesome experiences
Ardent truly in prodding me to do my best against mediocrity-forces
Radiant always in cheering me up midst frustration distresses
Earnest constantly in admonishing me while enclosing me with prayer embraces
Steadfast in your devotion to God as seen in your worship’s praises!
Thank you, so much, Mom; I love you. Your presence---my heart surely misses.
* Proverbs 31:28-31 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
May 12, 2018
(Acrostic and Rhyme Forms)
Honorable Mention, "YOUR CHOICE TRIBUTE VERSE..." Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand; judged on 6/26/2019.
Mama dearest, by virtue of being my biological Eve
You are forever a part of me with the virtues you instilled…
Mother, God’s precious gift you are to me
Offering what’s best to nurture my personhood
Teaching and training me through gracious example
Hoisting up my mind with truth; hedging my heart with love
Enabling me by your woman*-propped empowerment
Raising and rearing up my spirituality to grow in the faith.
Dear Mother, I praise the Lord for you
Exposing me to life’s wonders midst awful realities
Ardently prodding utmost against mediocrity
Ready to cheer, hushing my frustration wails
Earnest in admonishing while enclosing me with prayer
So in time I can be like you: building lives with care…
Thank you, so much, Mom; I love you; see you in heaven.
*"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30 of the King James Bible
November 1, 2020
edited on March 29, 2021
3rd place, "Mother" Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Constance La France; judged on 3/30/2021.
1st place, "ALL YOURS (Jan 24)" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand; judged on 1/25/2021.