Best Provisional Poems
Dear anxiety
Nemesis to my reality,
mental manipulator of tentative trust,
massacring my once sagacious soul -
you cut me into a slice of loneliness.
The fault is in our thoughts,
so I am haunted by the things you never said.
You remain silent to society's subjective eyes,
but a glimpse of a poet's soul shivers,
to these vivid verses held by ghosts -
echoing a repetitive chorus in a cathedral of screams.
I'm an uninvited guest in an audience with you,
so I drink poison in every line I write about you.
These words burn my vocal chords,
but I swallow them anyway,
as my paper heart pumps onyx drops
crying through my veins to heartache's recital
of an infected celestial mind yearning for a remedy.
But life is a cupid cruelty in dulcet disguise,
when your heart is a sinister seashell,
oblivious to potions of omen brewed in pigments of pixie-dust.
You're an unwelcome melody to my mystic,
composing an internal deadly demeanour.
I am the ink stuck in your cage,
dissolving like acid in your controlled carnage,
confined to trembling bleeding intuitions,
lost in corridors of horrific obscure mirrors,
whilst paranoia palpitates in a whirling haze of
magnetic ice warmth, melting my sanity,
amidst crumbling stars that lure cavernous comets
of silver grief to pirouette above frozen seas draped with
a fluorescent creme of skies.
As oceanic tides of topaz rise and fall,
flatlined into pewter streams of emptiness.
The moon coruscates in coral blue lies,
passing through intractable phases of trepidation,
abandoning light in black tourmaline nights -
pivoting into a psychedelic trance.
Rainbows fade before we can embrace
their colorful showers drizzling jade jewels
that rhyme with kaleidoscopic kismet,
as life through rose coloured lenses turns
into a provisional poetic manifestation.
If only I could escape this self-inflicted dungeon,
but you pursue like a perpetual predator.
I'll forever expose your oppression through my poems,
confessing how I never asked for this enforced affair.
I know I'm my own storm, I'm my own calm -
I just hope this is the last time I write about you.
Categories:
provisional, angst, anxiety,
Form:
Free verse
Brick by brick I built my walls,
despite fires raging,
I preserved paths that connected
bridges between our breathless existence.
Now that my heartbeats
have reached a dead end street,
let me rest my jaded head
upon your chest -
for fate has foretold it as my abode to forever sleep.
I was the melatonin to your insomnia,
you the immunity to internal inflictions.
If only I could have drank your infatuation,
as a remedy for my antagonising agony.
Poetry was only a provisional potion,
yet it distracted from all negative notions.
We weaved a blanket of words,
where you adored the moon in nocturnal notoriety,
whilst I portrayed the beauty of sunrise in your eyes.
I guess nothing illuminates forever.
If this was my last love poem,
would you forgive my silence?
Would you still bless me in your verses,
or let my memories wither
like the petals your promised
to bloom in our poetic garden?
Would I be your last metaphor,
in your final spill of tears?
Or would you reveal to the world,
the greatest unfinished love story.
In manipulation of manifestation,
I was your willing wordsmith,
protecting you with my shield of sanity -
in the hope I slayed every demon who desired you.
If it was a crime to love you,
then I was content as a criminal,
awaiting my destiny on death row.
Categories:
provisional, death, love, poetry,
Form:
Free verse
Like an albatross enfolded around my silencing throat,
squeezing ever tighter,
asphyxiating on sins not of my own.
A scarlet letter has been placed upon my weeping chest;
without hesitation, punishment has been handed down.
Rusted shackles placed around pleading ankles.
"I'm innocent," I whimper,
yet the hushed cries land on deaf ears.
Led to my provisional prison,
an iron-wrought door slams shut.
The glow of a makeshift torch illuminates the dirt floor.
As my eyes adjust, I see it's covered in blood and hay.
Suddenly, surges of panic course through me.
Collapsing to my knees, I vomit,
while tears of anguish slide down my cheeks.
Like an out-of-body experience,
I'm transported back to that fateful night—
his menacing presence looming in the shadows,
following footstep for footstep.
I run faster, no time to look back,
but I feel this is all for naught.
The more distance I try to put between us,
the more I feel his putrid breath on the back of my neck,
until he is on top of me.
My mind dizzies as I black out,
waking up as the rain descends upon me.
I'm back in my cold prison,
plagued by memories that are still unclear.
The gallows await me, for transgressions of a monster's doing.
Categories:
provisional, dark, death, extended metaphor,
Form:
Free verse
Americans have overcome many great trials,
But harbor too some persistent denials.
Stubbornly clutching long-held positions,
Over time have become national traditions.
Pride in the sanctity of individualism,
Elevates in stature, creating a schism.
Unresolved core beliefs, rationalization,
Test the thinking of this citizen nation.
Answer Me This:
Why do so many use the credo that "the ends justify the means"?
Knowing that this is not always true is not a revelation.
Similarly, two wrongs do not make a right.
Provisional right and wrong are practically necessary.
Short-term gain cannot be exchanged sacrificing long-term integrity.
Answer Me This:
Why can't we resolve gender, race, religious, age and sexual orientation biases and discrimination?
Most of the world understands, we lag behind.
Nearly 7 billion people think of us as one human family.
Much of America still does not agree.
Answer Me this:
Why can't we balance individual self interest and collective interest equitably?
When individual interest substantially effects the health and safety of the collective, it must give way.
Answer Me This:
Why does our foreign policy say "my enemy's enemy is my friend"?
This faulty logic does not allow that the enemy's enemy may be another enemy.
This can lead to dire diplomatic consequences.
All these basic questions are easy to dismiss,
Eventually representing an intellectual abyss.
Our people have shown courage under duress,
Demonstrating kindness to others and selflessness.
Our ability to think, innovate, create,
Is really no matter for international debate.
The world sees our achievements one must confess,
Over centuries no other rivals America's progress.
So why, after all, can't you answer me this,
These things that we do and continually miss?
Categories:
provisional, america, community, discrimination, gender,
Form:
Free verse
It was apostolic tradition that the Church discerned writings
To be included in the list of Sacred Books
This complete list is called the canon Scripture
It includes 46 books for the Old Testament
45 if we account Jeremiah and Lamentations as one
The Old Testament is dispensable part of Sacred Scripture
Its books are divinely inspired and
Retain a permanent value
For the Old Covenant has never been revoked
Indeed
The economy of the Old Testament was deliberately so oriented
That it should prepare for and declare in prophecy in the coming of Father Christ
Redeemer of all men
Even though they contain matters imperfect and provisional
The books of the Old Testament
Bear witness to the divine pedagogy of Eternal God’s saving love
These writings are a storehouse of sublime teaching of Eternal God and
Of sound wisdom on human life
As well as a wonderful treasury of prayers
In them
Too
The mystery of our salvation is present in a hidden way
Christians venerate the Old Testament as true Word of Eternal God
The Church has always vigorously opposed
The idea of rejecting the Old Testament
Under the pretext that the New
Has rendered it void (Marcionism.
Categories:
provisional, bible, christian, devotion, faith,
Form:
Prose Poetry
Is it the West Wing is not the Best Wing?
Is it the White House is not the Right House?
Is it the President needs a New Residence?
Is it the Democrats the “New Aristocrats?”
Is it the Different Changing or Staff rearranging?
Is it the Many allegations leading to terminations?
Is it the Confessions? The firing of Jeff Sessions?
Is it the Twitter Sitter has gotten bitter?
Is it the Fast and fury of a President weary?
Is it the Things going on that’s so unstable?
You should all be able to resolve the issues and sit at the same table
Is it the CNN banning from the White House?
What happened to Freedom of the Press?
So many things going wrong, it is just a big, hot mess
Is it the Migrant caravan which is said to be an “Invasion?”
Is it the Diversity of the Black, the Chinese, Hispanic or Asian?
Is it our election process and how it was done?
Nine days after and still unsure who won
Is it the Provisional ballots and uncounted votes
That’s making other countries look at us and take notes
Of what it is that they should not do
What happened to being the country that the others looked up to?
When it comes to the friction, what's really going on? Everyday there's something new, but nothing better. Right now there is no control, so much is out of control, so many wanna control. The conflicts, disagreements, war of words... really yall??? We are so much better than the behavior being demonstrated.
To me personally, it's not about the Democrats winning or the Republicans winning if when it's all said and done, the country is losing.
The Constitution of the United States (Preamble) begins by saying, “We the People…” Which means, it’s about coming together, uniting and winning for The People! It is about us! FIGURE IT OUT!!!
The bickering and fussing, it all just needs to stop
Let's get this country where it belongs - And that is back on top!
Categories:
provisional, america, change, leadership, people,
Form:
Narrative
Born in Korea,
Saw Korea being annexed.
Went to China,
Provisional government was made.
Had many dangers of losing life,
Didn't give up his acts.
his existence,
the strongest shield that has exist.
also known as BaekBeom,
which means people with lowest identity.
wanting to see the country boon,
Saw each problem with the eye of person that have lowest identity...
Kim Koo did his best to help Korea have independence,
and the name "Kim Koo" is still in our mind, with thankfulness...
Categories:
provisional, meaningful, tribute,
Form:
Verse
What is fear?
It clutches and binds you;
Its clinch constricts your conscience and gestures.
It degrades and damages you;
Its triumph abolishes your own proficiency to prosper.
It stops and holds you;
Its impeccable knack of holding you still is impassable.
It overcomes and you surrender;
Its will to thwart your approach has you anxious to ensue.
It is burdensome and palpable;
Its load weighs you down and disables your efforts.
It is real and ever present;
Its nearness is felt in your existence as it hides in wait.
It is debilitating;
It is maddening;
It is caustic;
What is fear?
It is controllable and facilitated;
You can clamber over the hindrances it extends you.
It is fallible and erratic;
You can perceive its shifting deeds as it scours for a way.
It is provisional and remedial;
You can tolerate its manifestation or expel it into a void.
It is daunting and probable;
You can be valiant and foretell its vain efforts against you.
It is frail and cognizant;
You can be assured that fear fears itself; it is casually ended.
It is short lived and perpetual;
You can sustain longer than fear, you can evolve as it ruins.
It is ignorance;
It is a curtain;
It is cowardly;
Fear is crushed with the knowledge of the entirety of a state. In these periods of terror we must cast fear in its just position, behind us, and trudge headlong against those who intimidate and threaten the beliefs for which we have battled arduously to safeguard, preserve, and be tolerant of.
Fear is…
Not an option today!
Categories:
provisional, fear, power, war,
Form:
Dramatic Monologue
[Continued from Part One]
Was this town a phantom heaven,
an imaginary sweven?
Oh deluded humankind!
It was a figment of their mind.
We are here; it’s where we are—
no use wishing on a star…
Still, this sweven heaven’s real—
more than just a way to feel.
For this city, where we dwell,
is the treasure land as well.
If we choose to take the helm,
tap an all-pervading realm
of utterness, we can attain
a destiny that breaks the chain
of suffering, once and for all—
a state within that will enthrall!
Why put it off; why do we stall?
Difficult the road to follow;
often all our dreams seem hollow;
but the gateway of this Dharma
is the path for changing karma.
Hard to believe and understand,
yet there lies the treasure land
in that theme and title sound
of the Sutra most profound.
So, let this be our parable,
when the world’s unbearable,
and our life feels terrible…
For the Dharma flowers grow
and enlightenment will show,
if we only onward go
with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo…
~ Harley White
[Inspiration for the poem ~ (Buddhist) Parable of the Imaginary City (or Parable of the Phantom City and the Treasure Land) ~ found in the Seventh Chapter of the Dharma Flower Sutra (aka, Lotus Sutra) . It is a famous story that illustrates with a parable the doctrine of the 'replacement of the three vehicles, i.e., provisional teachings, with the one vehicle'.]
Categories:
provisional, allegory, allusion, deep, imagery,
Form:
Narrative
Sitting in silence
surreptitiously meditating
on everyday turmoil
and confusion that repulses
even the most hardcore
reality driven populists
Thoughts come and go
within the realm of
preposterous assumptions that convey
nothing of importance
just pass the time
as you ponder what appears
to be insignificant in comparison
to the worldly
order of things
It's random expressions
within the provisional games
that are constantly played
the function perfectly
without tension or power
that consume the
earthly paradise
that you have constructed
in your wild imagination
Categories:
provisional, imagination, life, surreal,
Form:
Free verse
You cross my path today
In solitude and silence
Then you Smile, and floated away,
Giving my heart a brief indulgence.
I thought about that voyage,
That you will take from this hasty bend,
Then the path before me will submerge
Covered over, and come to a dead end.
Those brief moments will take silent shelter,
In provisional time the jewel of precious kind
Limit the power for us to spend together,
There is no better wish that I could find.
Where joy holds the candle in my heart
Until the day dawn when the light shines
Across the tracks where beauty smile bright
And the splendour of time gently chimes.
We will find words that knows no end
Breaking forth from around every bend.
Categories:
provisional, beauty, desire, destiny, dream,
Form:
Ballad
Stimulating her Emperor's savage
Aquisece defers demand of regal constraint
Furtive festivities provide passage
Into fecund gracing gait Autocracy ordained
Retreat from mastering insatiable masses
His thought voiding thaumaturge
Covers strident intellectual with molasses
Cater of paramour calms nerves
Unwound by compassionate exorbitance
Momentarily vulnerable assailant
Commits their heirs eventual inheritance
Renewed seasons abide nascent
Provisional Yazmin is his cleansing ocean
Advances invigorating strategy
Frequent fruitful visits denote her chosen
Monarchical surrender, sanctity
5th December
- Fertility -
(wily winding vines climbing collate grapes)
Categories:
provisional, africa, beautiful, first love,
Form:
Rhyme
The mining company
Has confirmed of a place
Its in the Alpha Centauri
Deep out into space
Their provisional scouts
Miners and Geologists
Declare seams of Unobtanium
In a jungle greened mist
Expedition and workforce
With their military men
Set of to this planet
To mine this precious gem
The day arrives
As their equipment scores
Months now having passed
Leaving incredible sores
Their expansion of greed
On this planet so green
Turns the indigenous Na'vi
Against man and machine
With their ingenious science
Of Na'vi-human hybrid
They create avatars
Entering their mental state grid
Infiltrating this species
To gain them on their side
So that mans greed can prosper
Whilst another culture slides
The inevitability of conflict
Indigenous against modern man
Bows and arrows against bullets
The fighting has just began
This species on this far distant planet
Who are in tune with their natures surrounds
Watch on in horror as mans flying machines
Bring their Hometree to the ground
This stirs up this indigenous nation
To rise up against mans greed
With their harmony with nature
Unites all the planets breeds
The might of modern man
Has met their match this day
And sent them back where they came from
For once a planet saved from decay
"I watched Avatar today and i was blown away with the colours, graphics and
the sheer imagination along with the messages of how we treat others"
http://www.thehighlanderspoems.com/avatar.php
Categories:
provisional, fantasy
Form:
Quatrain
Somber silly little Setter, English; painting trapped himself in the side yard whimpering, howling away wildly.
Sunscreen-on, moseying on over, in His tenderness He offers a helping hand. Hot Summers cool vapors the blessings found here, there to and fro leaning midst the still lulling; gentle calling of the Rains.
Yes the Grace of God, in His joy humming, arriving just in time, and so is Patience the greater venture I suppose the eminent virtue.
His Love always; Honest, Open... Willing already beholden... . Far beyond the wreck I make for myself and others... chains stretched bounded securing me yes, my freedom in kind stripped away from me given in the effort this provisional very prominence preceding me when in denial of these facts.
Categories:
provisional, animals, art, brother, caregiving,
Form:
Prose Poetry
Health experts advise us to consume only drinks that are MEDICINAL
Greed is a reason adduced for sellers of drugs that aren’t ORIGINAL
Law enforcement agents are after those importers just like a CRIMINAL
Where local producers make drugs, their license must be PROVISIONAL
Close monitoring of process is important even if the item is NUTRITIONAL
Producers may abuse approvals thus any waiver must be CONDITIONAL
© Wole Popoola 2016
Categories:
provisional, motivation, drug,
Form:
Rhyme