Best Refuge Poems
She’d dwelt within a palace, and outside
it, geese and brilliant peacocks used to strut
inside a fragrant garden. As a bride,
she’d said her vows beside the roses, but
today no scent of blooms perfumes the air.
The terrace sculptures, rubble now, are strewn
across the floor. She gazes eastward where
the mangos’ branches danced beneath the moon
when zephyrs softly blew. Like poison, now
a vapor comes, beginning to enwreathe
her husband’s realm. There is a smell so foul
her heart wells up with dread; she cannot breathe.
As ashes drift around, she hangs her head
with certainty her one beloved is dead.
Written by Andrea Dietrich Oct. 11, 2014
for the Top Gun Poetry - Structured forms - Iambic verse III of Giorgio A. V.
Form: Iambic Pentameter in an English Sonnet
Cat door swings open
Field mouse scampers in --
Tiny feet warmed
God is our refuge and strength,
in a time of trouble.
He's there to pick me up...
when I fall and stumble.
I will not fear, though the
whole earth be shaken.
And the mountains be thrown into
the ocean's deep basin.
Though the waters roar, and the trees
shake with fear;
I am never alone....
for God is always near..
There is a river, whose streams
bring forth gladness.
God is in it's midst and
brings true happiness.
Let the heathen rage...
and the whole earth melt too.
The Lord of hosts is with us,
and shall protect YOU!
Behold his works... and see
what he has made.
He has caused wars to cease...
& destroyed weapons displayed.
Be still... He is God and is exalted
to glory up on high.
He is our protector.
He is El-Shadaii!
The Lord of hosts is with us...
all of heaven does proclam.
The awesome power and glory
there is... in HIS majestic name!
By Jim Pemberton
Psalm Ch. 46
When I cry on my bed
You hear me, Lord
The shadow of Your wings
My peace restored
I cast all my worries
Upon Your care
You're my Refuge and Strength
Your love is rare
Broken-hearted I come
Hide me in Thee
By Your grace lead me on
Make my heart free
Love is conditional
In this sad world
But You love me for me
Mercy unfurled
I rest in Your promise
You are faithful
You're always there for me
I am grateful
02.11.2021
I hid in plain sight
Mocked the censors
Defied the preachers
Chuckled
At their ineptitude
Took refuge
In the blank page
Hiding myself
In swirling lines
Dancing
Along the borders
Of truth
Cursed them
In muted metaphor
Defied them
In metered verse
Challenged them
In rebellious rhyme
Laughed as they counted
Syllables and iambs
Punctuated
My verses freedom
For they were frozen
And I a seething cauldron
Of love and hate
Struggling youth
Battling
The lunacy of life’s
Illusions
Thus I wrote
And hid
In plain sight
On a blank page
4/3/2023
Writing Challenge – ‘R’ Words Poetry Contest
Constance LaFrance - sponsor
A Psalmody of Psalm Ninety One
God is our refuge, He is our shelter
Kept safe from demons are those who’re blessed
Beneath wings of the Almighty that cares
Spared from the snares of unwanted foul quests.
Fear not nightmares or terrors of darkness
Under presence of angels we’re redeemed
Freed from toxic perils that come by day
All being as seen in heavenly dreams.
Our God sees everything below the sun
The wicked face trial before one’s eyes
What goes around comes back around it’s said
Evil ways will always be recognised.
Those who love as the Lord said we all should
Will never become trampled underfoot
By any human man, woman or beast
Daredevils who tried would land up as soot.
Our dear Lord saves those seeking salvation
Call God by His name and you will be found
The shepherd will always find his lost sheep
From that day on one shall be glory bound.
26th September 2021
Ghetto me be a bleating poor refugee,
albeit I’m Goshen rich in faith
Got a manger stall in the USA,
Pilate shepherd of the Cesarian peace
Time stamped stillborn delivery
tis iron Roman numeral four C
Furnace cast existence: bane brand bound
Babylonian condition, a marketplace sound
Fleeced heritage ... sob separated,
I am just the latest stolen cargo generation
being cerulean cloth asphyxiated
By legion overseers of an ungrateful nation
These pyramid gnash, link bled bones
twas being Pharaoh oppressed: Prey worked to death
in a Memphis factory plantation owned
Where noxious hate suffocate poverty-cuffed breath
Be daily double tasked in a graveyard shift
Those pale hearts so addicted
to the golden flask, err tilted
Drunk on power, they cull with a siren sift
O miry, downtrodden me ...
temporally chained to this wavy treachery
Verily, a wretched place for a black sheep —
such cotton weary misery!
So after four centuries of Cain deluge,
I do still tearfully seek
A rainbow ark sacred place of refuge
promised to the meek
The pain in my chest wont stop pounding.
My salty tears wont cease to flow from my blue eyes.
I get cut by a razor every time some one tells me the truth.
Yet here I am, once again seeking refuge in your arms.
It's crazy to think I keep running back to you.
Maybe every one is right and I am just a child.
Could they be right about me and you?
I hope for my heart they are not.
They say your a liar, you wont leave her.
Especially for me they say, and I can tell what they mean.
I'm no where near as good as her.
I just hope you can see that I would give anything to you.
The pain and tears would all be worth it in the end.
If I could only win you over.
Battle scars left on my pale skin wouldn't matter,
if you were there to kiss them.
This isn't some fairy tale, I can read from a book.
Its dirty reality where I'm on the front line.
How I wish I could be the one, who you belonged to.
Instead here I am fighting behind the scene for your love.
I once made you a promise
So long ago it seems a lifetime
Never again would you have
To face the darkness alone
It was a promise I would repeat
With each spiral and dark descent
I would never run away
No matter how much you expected it
Eventually you said goodbye
And it shattered me to pieces
But that promise never left me
Even if the muse behind it did
I worried for a while
Until I knew that you were safe
Then I focused on myself
And eventually pieces changed to peace
And now so much time has passed
But that promise isn’t void
So permanent its carved in stone
Even if I never need fulfill it
Like a cellar in a storm
A place of refuge from the wind
I'm not asking you always stay here
Just asking you know I'm still there
For storms are so destructive
The tornadoes, rain, and hail
So I'll always keep that promise
I will never let it fail
Quote By Poet "I am living on earth and waiting for heaven to open up."
I find my refuge in your word
reading until my eyes become blurred
Easter is almost here
face the world with no fear
always remember "Love" is your password
Is this about the refuge life,
Leaking the essentials of being submissive…
Or shall the death defy your conscience
In being a human
Imagine the world without eyes
That sans a tiger, a cuckoo, and humanity
Kill the trees, dethrone the kings of jungle
For it seems the idea of thy existence
And now shall thou laugh,
Splintering the grins of progress
A time shall come
even thy smile will be pungent
“I wish” reiterates itself
In an infinite loop
To the screams and knuckles
Of a blemished self-indulgence
Your sanity goes beneath the surface
So does thy shelter
Thy mother nature you seek’d to conform,
To captivate and disassemble
The one that thou sought as a humble alimony
Comes back to seek the answers of questions that were long forlorn
And you’re numb for thy dumbness
so hapless you are
Here goes the world in tatters of pride
and you wait for thy death
lips closed and eyes open wide….
I am a refugee
Can you see me
I am not Australian
Not of your nation
I'm fleeing, I'm running, I'm running scared
I'm tired of running
How far have I come
To find a new home?
My babies, my woman I've left behind
With promises of hope
That at last I would find
A people, a land, a new community
That would give immunity
From oppression
Where my children might grow
With the dignity
That is the right
of all humanity
God Is Our Refuge And Strength...
God is our refuge and strength,
in a time of trouble.
He's there to pick me up...
when I fall and stumble.
I will not fear, though the
whole earth be shaken.
And the mountains be thrown into
the ocean's deep basin.
Though the waters roar, and the trees
shake with fear;
I am never alone....
for God is always near..
There is a river, whose streams
bring forth gladness.
God is in it's midst and
brings true happiness.
Let the heathen rage...
and the whole earth melt too.
The Lord of hosts is with us,
and shall protect YOU!
Behold his works... and see
what he has made.
He has caused wars to cease...
& destroyed weapons displayed.
Be still... He is God and is exalted
to glory up on high.
He is our protector.
He is El-Shadaii!
The Lord of hosts is with us...
all of heaven does proclam.
The awesome power and glory
there is... in HIS majestic name!
By Jim Pemberton
Psalm Ch. 46
I find myself in the middle of an ocean
Lighting, rain and waves crashing
No land in sight
No refuge in sight
No beacon to point me home
I struggle to stay afloat
The water so cold and black
How did I get here?
Where do I go?
What can I do?
Frantically I search
I look all around
But there’s nowhere to turn
I shout with all I have
But there’s no one to hear
The storm is relentless
The waves continue to roll and splash
Trying to shove me under
I can taste the saltiness of the water
As a wave catches me
Slaps me in the face
The water burning my eyes
Blurring my vision
Making me panic
Making me want to fight harder
To keep my head above water
But my legs are growing weary
My arms are starting to tire out
My feet are like cement
My breath ragged and fatigued
As the rain beats down
I cry out again in desperation
As I start to sink
Down to a watery grave
Into the depths below
The water so icy and wet
In my mouth
Down my throat
Burning in my lungs
Fully submerged now
I look up at the surface
And I see hope
I see refuge
I see a hand
Reaching down to me
Tightly grasping me
Pulling me against the force
That’s pulling me under
My head breaks the surface
My eyes open wide
As I gulp in the air
Pulled free and rescued
Not a moment too soon
Not a moment too late
Driving a desert road
touring the landscape
discovering a new world
Overwhelmed by the sight of
rocky gorges and sheer plateaus
striking with bands of white, yellow, orange, and red
fading in a blur of shimmering heat
A brilliant strobe of light flickered
lightning flared up in the clouds
the roar of kettledrums struck
followed a couple of heartbeats afterwards
The roar jolted me out of my seat
Without warning clouds start rolling in
opening up with pounding rain
zero visibility, where to pull over
F-L-A-S-H-F-L-O-O-D!
Refuge from the deluge
8/30/2016
A Deluge - Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Julia Ward
True story, about 12 years ago in Arizona on monsoon season, another reason I hate thunder……