Best Reluctance Poems
The Reluctance of the Young Runner
by Edmund Siejka
He was a gawky teenager
On a high school track team
Intimidated by his coach
Who exercised almost total control
Over him.
He was examined
Tested
Questioned what he ate
How much he weighed
It became too much to bear
That he couldn’t tell anyone you
How lonely he felt.
Running at a track meet
Neck and neck for third place
The finish line seemed unreachable
His parents, watching from crowded bleachers,
Were proud
Impatiently calling out his name
When suddenly he fell
Tripping over some unknown thing lying on the track.
Falling, his long legs cascaded over the white lines of the track
Colliding with the front runner
Who had the looks of an actor
And the temperament of a snake.
The coach was angry
Thick fingers pummeled the young runner’s chest
Because he fell
The team was disappointed
Not so much for him
But for the lead runner
Who struggled to third place.
Facing dismissal from the team
An inner smile caressed the young boy’s heart
No more coach, no more watching
Waves of relief gently cascaded over him
Bringing with it
A sudden realization
That he would no longer
Have to hide.
The Reins of Reluctance
Stashed somewhere in the shadows
Of true love and pure romance
He hides his heart and hungers
For the strength to take a chance
He hopes hard for a reason
Tries to find the circumstance
So he can finally tell her
How she has him in a trance
But fear of her rejection
Always hinders his advance
So she only sees him smiling
As he settles for a glance
Which fuels his desire
With the emotional finance
That will keep the battle going
With inhibitions and I can’ts
If fear is all there is to fear
And the virtue is patience
He will always bear the burden
Of his reins of reluctance
By: Jeremy Siedlecki
3/10/15
Shut up if you're a racist
I'll kick you with my Aasics
Then leave you inside the matrix
Because I'm so tired of seeing it on a daily basis
Especially after what happened to so many innocent natives
That were just trying to live and be creative
In a place that was more than spacious
Far too many were ungracious
Because they only cared about being famous
Within this vast space
The Earth spins at such a fast pace
But have faith
Even if you always wind up in last place
Being able to adapt makes
Better paths to take, or so the facts state
Even though some just care about their cash safe
And staying half baked
That's great
Because it makes them look even more like fat snakes
Like so many others from past dates
As the rest moving across the grass race
Over and beyond every one of the brass gates
Because of Columbus
I look at most of these holidays with reluctance
Since he murdered hundreds of thousands without justice
Her book was disturbing,
in an antiseptic kind of way
Cleansing words of their reluctance,
periods gone—commas laid
“Tribute To Joan Didion’s
‘Slouching Toward Bethlehem’”
(Villanova Pennsylvania: August, 2017)
Before the Deluge,
God had forbidden
His chosen people
to eat animal flesh...
it was after the Big Flood
that He ordered Noah
and his family to eat it.
Why be reluctant to eat pork
on New Year's Day...
is it dirty and disgusting?
But isn't poultry or beef
any cleaner that pork is?
Let me have this tasty meal,
and ridicule those who won't:
hypocrites, I say shamelessly....
don't call me a guiltless pagan,
I read from the Holy Scriptures
as God spoke so adamantly.
Let me have sour kraut
and black eyed peas along
with red wine and crunchy bread:
to celebrate what the Lord created
and the Earth abundantly gives!
i represent an
invisible wall to
you
everytime you walk
by
i wish i was a
magician only for
you
everytime you walk
by
i would create the
most amazing art for
you
everytime you walk
by
i would totally
erase the maze of
confusion for you
everytime you walk
by
the bridge of
rejection sends my
inner fear into
ascension
i want to fall off
intentionally when i
imagine the natural
scent of you
internally i do
jumping jacks
internally i do
squat thrusts
externally i do
speed walks
externally i do the
shy guy stroll
everytime you walk
by
i guess i deserve to
be the ghost as
practice for the
sport of your
resistance
i wish i had a
pickaxe
i wish i had a
mallet
i wish i had a
poker....anything to
to help extend my
arms
everytime you walk
by
now the day is done
now the night
becomes the
masterful bully
now the dawn of day
teases me with its
indecisiveness
now the apex of the
torture begins for
me again
everytime you walk
by
Reluctance and Relentless
Some fear criticism and have a reluctance
To speak while others efforts are relentless;
Never stopping,
To go shopping,
And are always trying to make much sense.
Those in parade trying to make thoughts felt
and heard as they occurred and never absurd.
Jim Horn
(Verse 1)
The moon hangs low, whispers through the trees,
Your hand in mine, brings me to my knees.
The night is soft, but time moves fast,
I wish this moment could forever last.
(Chorus)
I don’t wanna go, don’t wanna say goodbye,
Let’s freeze this time, just you and I.
The world outside can wait, let it be slow,
I don’t wanna leave, I don’t wanna go.
(Verse 2)
The first light dawns, paints the sky in gold,
But in your arms, I feel so bold.
Each passing minute, a bittersweet fight,
To hold on tight, to this fleeting night.
(Chorus)
I don’t wanna go, don’t wanna say goodbye,
Let’s freeze this time, just you and I.
The world outside can wait, let it be slow,
I don’t wanna leave, I don’t wanna go.
(Bridge)
If the morning comes, and pulls us apart,
Remember this night, close to your heart.
No matter the distance, no matter the time,
I’ll be with you, in every rhyme.
(Final Chorus)
I don’t wanna go, don’t wanna say goodbye,
Let’s freeze this time, just you and I.
The world outside can wait, let it be slow,
I don’t wanna leave, I don’t wanna go.
I was reluctant for a second
To risk my soul
by tossing down her contents
onto a page for the world to tear apart
expecting turkey vultures to kill and eat her
and me later
Real poets were kind, so I began to open a bit.
The blossoms of my poetry were soon sparkling
with confidence, and I was not flinching
when I thought someone might disagree
or say something mean
The kindnesses kept coming, so here I am
three and a half years later, tossing down poems
all over the place, without any woe.
Not worrying about who likes or hates them
Only caring that I like them myself.
As October's ripened leaves
Reluctantly flutter and fall to the ground
So do her fragments and feelings
Of hope and possibility
Despite the shrouded, woolen veil
Pulled over otherwise-tempted eyes
That sacred bond between exists
Amidst heartstrings' tug and twinge
Mother Nature heeds her perfect timing
Signaling autumn's graceful end
Routine, perpetual and old-fashioned
Winter's wonderland begins
She too, must allow herself some space
To hold those longing thoughts that linger
Then, with kind and tender, loving care
She lets them go like November
November 19, 2021
This can't be my age!
I am still young at heart
The life of a party
Though hitting the bed by ten
Gained a few kilos of weight
But can fit into my youthful jeans
Grew sluggish and shorter in height
Although ready for a morning jog
Have to wear glasses now
As the print size has become smaller
A few grays in my hair don't tell my age
Merely a fashion statement
That adds a touch of elegance to my carriage
My knees hurt from the cold not stiffness
The reflection in the mirror shows what I'm not
An elderly haggard lady
With baggy wrinkled eyes and sagging jowls
As my passions still drive me forward
And I am still living my dream
For age is just a number
It's only the spirit that counts.