Best Promptings Poems
I look and ponder, watch you grow in haste
Explore with wonder, new experience taste
No fear encountered as you learn the ropes
Your sails adjusting, full with winds of hope.
But there are moments when the seeds of doubt
Without much warning spread and start to sprout
Then you need guidance, words which shed some light
Advice and promptings which once more excite.
I weigh my options when the waves rise high,
Stay in the background, tactful, on standby,
Not interfering, yet with cautious eye
Give needed help should threats intensify.
I am a lighthouse built on sound terrain
In times of darkness, you won’t call in vain.
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This poem has been published in a PoetrySoup Anthology:
“Radiant Verses” Nov 2024 (print)
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Placed 1st in Contest 540 Hosted by Brian Strand in Jan 2019.
Lighthouse Poetry Contest Sponsored by Eve Roper Placed joint first POTD on 24th Dec 2018 © 22nd December 2018.
Note: This is a poem dear to me, as the title would suggest, so receiving a POTD award undoubtedly brought added satisfaction.
Categories:
promptings, grandchild, light, trust,
Form:
Sonnet
While November pleads with the heart, a sense of pure praise stills the light, comforting the rising rhythms of trembling beats, the cadence of autumn seeping into winter… by poet
In the doorway of November, still and quiet
Listening for the first flakes – silent
Soft and feathery snow, motionless on the night
While the bursts of stars peak and wink,
Beneath an enchantment, so startlingly white…
In the entrance to November, healing
Each heart wrenching burden,
Urging the freedom, blazing with eloquence,
Pouring out hope on the purpose of a winter’s
Knowing, bursting with frosty whispers,
Melancholic and remembering…
At the start of sweet November, softly
Breathing out the poetry, the psalms the praise
Arising in the fiery moments before words
Know the promises, the promptings, the pieces
Of a heart, a soul, a spirit…
Arising on the starlit moments, wishing
On stars, glistening in the skies, heavens alive
Like the alabaster sighs, rising, rising…
In the heady grace of a November day,
Blazing like the pangs of grief,
Stifling the wings of a poet’s need – starving
For the way to say what needs to be said…
Pouring out feelings, blessings, regrets
Meanings that remember where we were,
What we said…
Before November started to bring her rest,
Before she cried, before she begged
From the music of a teardrop, startling
The easy flakes, blowing in
Winds of light, wings of faith, on slivers
Light, wispy as crumpled patches of snow,
Falling, blowing, blessing away the drifting
Griefs, the seething, burning
Echoes of moments before November spun
Out of control and startled the heart,
The feelings, the belief….
That fated moment when November sees
Light falling, blessing, erasing
The gray and soundless echoes
So we can see… the still, cool grace
In November’s presence,
November’s p r a i s e … praising the Creator
Of all those November days!
Categories:
promptings, appreciation, autumn, nature, november,
Form:
Free verse
Who coined this term?
Who decided to limit one’s spirit?
Who decided to deprecate those qualities that remain hidden?
Out of my league…
What is the measure?
Who created the scale?
Is it beauty????
There is an inner splendor that defies the term
Is it grace????
There is the graceful movement of the soul that
moves beyond the boundaries of description
Is it shapeliness???
The shapes and forms of the mind, the curves and lines
Are unclothed in words and unseen by eyes
Is it sexual dynamism???
The body may be painted by an artist, but it has no power to satisfy
desire unless it succumbs to the promptings of a sensual mind
Is it wisdom???
There is the wisdom verified by degrees and the wisdom of the world
which is broader and at times deeper than the few letters at the end of a name
Is it wealth???
The wealth of the world does not even begin to tip the scale
In comparison to the wealth of human character…integrity, loyalty, mercy, and love
What is it???
What is that illusive quality
That demands the stamp of
“Out of my league?”
I defy it
I renounce it
No one can label me…
Yet...I am in a league of my own
Beautiful
Sensual
Shaplely
Wise
Wealthy
Dynamic
A dynamism that a label cannot hold
A wealth that cannot be weighed
A wisdom that guides inner spheres of life
A shapeliness that flaunts the norm
A sensuality that inflames thought and movement
A beauty that shines in its own right
Yes! I am in a league of my own
If you are turned away
By outer appearances
By lack of wealth
And the trappings of prestige
You are missing the treasure
The sheer enigma
Of a mind that is deep, unbound, free
In this league that I live and breath in
This league of....ME!
Eileen Manassian Ghali
Categories:
promptings, identity, image, self, integrity,
Form:
Free verse
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.
Categories:
promptings, faith, inspirational, uplifting,
Form:
Rhyme
Are you going to make up for this present
Loss?
Work it out and tell me what all that
Despair is for?
They say wherever there is a will, there is a
Boss.
Mind them not, be a man and swim to the
Shore.
I still remember the times and the
Promptings of life.
I still remember the spaces and the things
They encompass.
You can make it and bring joy to this
Husband and wife.
You can stand again upon your feet and walk
On the grass.
Yet, should you fail, rise up, please, and try
Again.
Only those who do things make beautiful
Mistakes.
Those who fear have no taste and then leave
No stain.
Let us live and love. Let us try again.
Now, time it takes.
Chokri Omri
Categories:
promptings, devotion,
Form:
Verse
One way to celebrate as a family
begins with everyone’s availability;
a reality to fulfill, a joy to keep
that enables one to take part
and be present with everybody.
It’s interesting to see and
be part of their identity,
a family member, a sibling soul
or a companion in a journey.
Engaging mem’ries draw –
the heartstring of love, humor
commitment and intimacy.
a great experience worth mentioning
an interaction suffused with meaning.
In the language that’s clear,
open, sincere and warm,
relationship sets the tone for everything
its interconnectedness that provides undestanding
as a common belief and a pillar
to God’s covenant of faith.
With the promptings of God’s spirit within,
generate the message to be shared
a word to live, a revelation to uphold
that a family is God’s reflection of the Trinity.
No wonder why relationship matters
in every context or sharing of truth
it’s God’s gift that grows deeper in faith
it’s God’s gift that brings unity to worship.
Categories:
promptings, family, life, family, family,
Form:
Concrete
Elsewhere in biblical literature or in many human experiences
the act of being in the world with others speaks volumes
about who we are and how we form our interconnectedness;
as men and women who walk with our God –
the giver of Life, source of hope and love.
Along with prayer and listening to the promptings
of the holy Spirit – there lies the hidden wisdom
that helps us nourish that sense of otherness within us
henceforth, this leads us to connect with our loving God;
with a deeper value that leads us to the mystical otherness.
Our Lord, our God whose radiance in our hearts
keeps us aligned to the perspective of being one –
one in faith, one in a life of spiritual engagement.
Our prayer, contemplation, meditation, and solitude
enable us to see beyond the mystery of God’s otherness.
His life-giving presence and sacredness within
oh, like a mountaintop experience of that of Moses,
of Peter, James, and John when Christ transfigured before them,
even those two who’re heading for Emmaus;
Moses glowed and these disciples too turned out with awe,
a miracle of wonder, a deep experience of God’s presence.
Note:
kaddosh - In Hebrew it means “otherness,” a radical separation. Indeed, this sense of the Wholly Other cannot even be said to ‘exist’ because it has no place in our normal scheme of reality.’
Categories:
promptings, faith, inspirational, life, god,
Form:
Narrative
How I wish I could have cuddled,
all the nuggets and wisdom
he gave me through his lifetime---
but some went in the autumn anvil
and out the other ear ,and got
away somewhere in drifting smoke.
Since then, as the years passed by
they came as ghosts of remorse,
and the time I spent whistling to the birds
did not make it easier in the spaces
of the heart. I know, know.
Most of Dad's promptings built my will
and has buttressed my youthful days
embracing them in times of doubt---
now, I find myself meandering alone
recalling how tender his voice was,
a spirit whistling beyond holy ghost's clouds.
I Ain't Afraid Of No Ghosts
Contest of Casarah Nance
6 June 2016
Categories:
promptings, father son, remember,
Form:
Dramatic Verse
I heard the
rustle of
the wind
I heard the
laughter of
the frond
I felt the
calm of the
night
I smelt the
fragrance
of the
flower
They
worked on
my heart
in gentle
promptings:
love muses
of the night
they
worked on
her as on
me
And in the
harmony
of things
I saw
desire rose
in her eyes
I saw her
lips
trembling
And I
moved on:
I lay my
first kiss
Categories:
promptings, introspection
Form:
Blank verse
To gain happiness
And have a joyful heart,
Follow these suggestions
And you will know life’s purpose
Seek
Look for God’s guidance.
Gaze into the beautiful Heavens.
Ask the Lord to testify of His truth.
Read
Open your mind to God’s teachings.
Examine the Holy Scriptures often
Ponder each verse.
Become a wisdom sleuth.
Study
Learn righteous principles
Line upon line
Then practice them every day.
Pray
Give thanks for the good in your life.
Ask for understanding and guidance.
Beg for strength when tempted.
Allow God to help you.
Listen
Feel and acknowledge the Holy Spirit.
Pay attention to righteous promptings.
Afterward, do according to God’s will.
Share
Bare your heart to God, often.
Honestly tell Him your every thought, regularly.
Then, share your goodness with mankind.
Live
Wholly committed to the Gospel,
Forgiving yourself and others of errors,
Be faithful to God and endure until the end.
Then, happiness will be yours…forever.
© November 15, 2011
Dane Ann Smith-Johnsen
Categories:
promptings, faith, inspirational, life, god,
Form:
Didactic
Most often, I would affectionately ponder and recall how magical times were
in our farmhouse— daisies, herbs, and even pebbles glossed by the amber of sunlight, while Grandma would ramble about compassion or patience in times when difficulties seemed to overwhelm my very instinct ;
her fingers curling through my youthful thumbs: yet at 21, the rebel in me defied all stories on kindness, her croons entering the anvil then out the other ear, to whiff away in autumn’s breeze...As years rolled on, Grams’ promptings built my will-- buttressed my days, my adult days through crossways of doubt.
Relishing how gentle her laughter was, our moments together make it harder now in spaces of my heart as I lay daisies on her crypt. I know, I know... I weep.
9/29/2018
For Silent One: Lines Of Ten That Remind You What It Was Like Back Then Contest
Categories:
promptings, farm, grandmother, remember,
Form:
Narrative
The phoenix has died
I can see that now
I can see it in your eyes.
Those bright blue, youthful eyes
once so hopeful, now restless...unfocused.
Once you were a phoenix
on the precipice of flight
with the promise of love and life
oh, how I yearn to see
that life in you again!
She pulled you back, yanked you
strangled you with her apron strings
hung you, squeezed the life out of you
clingy, whining
a cesspool of anxieties
belched out and incessant.
Too caring, too conscientious to resist
you conceded, and the promptings
the promptings of obligation
overwhelmed.
So you froze fast in a nightmare
a nightmare of anxieties
trapped
sucked into a black hole
believed the lies
kept the security blanket
and sank in the quicksands
of stagnation.
The phoenix's wings were clipped
no longer a phoenix... no
but a goldfish in a glass bowl.
Now you languish in anonimity
never to make your mark
mugged by a mother's insecurities.
The phoenix has died.
Written on 2/11/2017
Categories:
promptings, angst, anxiety, mother son,
Form:
Free verse
Déjà vu
Your brain merely catching up with memory
familiar dreams, strange places--sensory
elusive moments between consciousness and sleep
free- falling frames-inadvertently we leap
Unwittingly knowing we’ve been there before
people, places, ambience—a distant shore
flavors, aromas, scenic common customary things
faces, names, colors reminiscent—proverbial promptings
Do we subconsciously remember paramount episodes
leaving out incidents--someplace insincerity abodes
past lovers, broken promises, forgotten pain
recollections have preferences- déjà vu’s domain
Categories:
promptings, memory,
Form:
Rhyme
Go into the silent deep
Fall within an ancient sleep
Leave the noisy echoes here
Watch how stillness brings true cheer
Journey beyond thought and deed
Remember a place that seeds
Drop all projects ego styles
Find the still silence worthwhile
Keep your focus deep within
Find sure meaning yet unseen
Come to know love beyond prize
Feel soul promptings that speak wise
Make time for stillness and health
Love the pure joy in true wealth
Leon Enriquez
06 March 2015
Singapore
Categories:
promptings, beauty,
Form:
Couplet
Lying in the dark I see
Another piece or part of me
It's within reach of my small hand
But requires the journey to another land
I think I need it to become more
Not merely a trinket from a trendy, new store
I obey the promptings and get on track
I walk forward, onward- without looking back
Years go by as I find myself
Rotating endlessly from shelf to shelf
I don't stay in one place for long
But each day I learn a bright new song
My heart is as happy as it could be
And I prance and skip about merrily
And lying in the dark that night
Made my weak soul take off in flight
I journeyed to a distant land
So I could hold happiness in my hand
Categories:
promptings, dedication, happiness, life, dark,
Form:
Rhyme