Best Risked Poems
Many eons passed on Earth, who only saw your face
Untouched your virgin body, floating there in space
Waxing, waning, gibbous, crescent, quarter, full and new
Selene the Greeks would call you; Diana, Caesar knew
Who would brave the ether, who would cross the void
To agitate the tranquil sea you had so long enjoyed
To softly kiss your ravaged face and return to tell the tale
Of Luna's hidden secrets beneath her powdered veil?
Three heroes took the final quest aboard their fiery steed
In Apollo's silver chariot proceeding with godspeed
Three days and nights they voyaged to their opalescent goal
On Earth they watched and worried in the halls of ground control
One held the craft outside the reach of Luna's jealous grip
While Eagle's talons cradled two who risked the final trip
They timidly approached her through the shadowy abyss
Luna waited patiently and received the Eagle's kiss
Nations watched and cheered on Terra's distant shore
As one man finally took a step no one ever took before
In our hearts and in our minds his words will be enshrined
"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
Categories:
risked, adventure, space, travel,
Form:
Rhyme
I welcomed you twenty twenty, a brand spanking new year
But all you brought with you was death, misery and fear
So I'll be glad to see the back of you and cant wait 'till you're gone
And I hope for better times in the year twenty twenty one.
You've left behind some' bad stuff' like covid nineteen
But hopefully it'll be defeated when they roll out the vaccine
Wearing masks and not seeing family, well that's been quite hard
But while you still lurk about, I won't drop my guard.
World leaders were floundering, not quick enough to act
Putting their economies before people and that is a fact
If only they'd looked at history, like the great Spanish flu
They'd have been a lot wiser and would've known what to do.
The news reported acts of kindness in every country
Like front line health workers who risked their lives for humanity
Sadly many of those brave heroes died needlessly
Because governments were too slow to provide proper P. P. E.
Viruses are nothing new and they'll come back again
We must stop destroying mother earth for financial gain
Upsetting natures balance causes these viruses to thrive
Mankind really needs to take notice if he wants to survive.
Cramming animals into cages is a pitiful sight
But mother nature is watching and is preparing to fight
Razing forests and dumping rubbish and polluting the sea
Is a recipe for disaster that'll bring untold misery.
So good riddance or go do one, many people will say
I'd remove all records of you if I had my way
People will always remember you for bringing misery and tears
And there will be much joy and relief as twenty twenty one nears.
When the clock strikes midnight, so happy I'll be
As twenty twenty sinks into the dark annals of history
But stay awake mankind and listen to the experts that know
I don't want to be the one saying "well I told you so".
Written 27th December 2020
2020 to 2021 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Mohan Chutani
Categories:
risked, death, goodbye, new year,
Form:
Rhyme
It's Christmas Eve and through the house
there creeps a curious little mouse.
He climbs into the big arm chair
and finds the cookies waiting there .
He only takes the smallest bite.
Santa will find his treat tonight.
He gazes with wonder at the tree
and the bright wrapped gifts left there to be
a mystery tale to tell his spouse,
when he gets home, this curious mouse.
What an adventure it has been,
he has drunk of some spilled gin
that had been left upon the table.
His wife will think it is a fable
he has concocted to amuse her.
She is homebound, we must excuse her.
He once came home all out of breath
to say he had been scared to death
by a huge rat with fluffy tail.
She noticed he was very pale.
"While I was nibbling off some cheese
to bring to you, my love, to please,
he almost had me in his paws.
I'm sure he wasn't Santa Claus".
But this night is so very quiet.
He spies some fruitcake, has to try it.
It reminds him of that sip of gin
and wonders if his head will spin.
He hears a noise, runs for his life,
carrying fruitcake for his wife.
Christmas morning, spread before their eyes
for the baby mice, a grand surprise.
Their mama had fixed a Christmas feast
from food their dad had saved from beast.
A bit of butter, a glob of jam
and a fairly good-sized piece of ham.
Bread crumbs saved from other forays.
They had enough to eat for days.
Those little mice would never waste it.
If they didn't like it, they'd still taste it.
This food their mama set before them,
their dad risked his life to get it for them.
11/22/14
Categories:
risked, adventure, christmas,
Form:
Narrative
To all the fallen of Covid 19
whose deaths were unrecorded and unseen
To those who languished in intensive care
where Fear unmasked itself to mock each prayer
To mothers shedding tears from dawn till night
while clutching keepsakes of their children tight
To fathers who must raise their kids alone
who stoic in their grief, suppress each groan
To nurses, doctors, first responders, all
who risked their lives in answering the call
to face the mayhem, doing what it takes
Yet every day the virus raised the stakes
To those deprived of saying their goodbyes
who could not wipe the tears from closing eyes
To those who stood alone beside a grave
who mourned the youth that doctors could not save
To you now isolated in your house
who care for stricken child or unwell spouse
To you whose nightmares will not let you sleep
who plead of God your loved ones' souls to keep
What comfort can I give you who remain
when in the news there's talk of a new strain?
Just this that Covid 19 will not win
To let it crush our souls would be as sin
One day we're sure to leave the "hiding place",
and not to face our deaths, but live in grace
Though normalcy may not be like before,
I know that there are blessings still in store
Our faith and dreams remain pandemic free...
These Covid cannot steal from you or me
Humanity has learned what things are dear
We found new ways to keep our loved ones near
Eileen Manassian
Categories:
risked, tribute,
Form:
Iambic Pentameter
Dirty fossil fuel
Extracted from deep earth crust
By men who risked life and limb
Today cursed by many
Gave us this civilization
16 August 2019
Second Edition of Wayra
Sponsor: Nette Onclaud
Categories:
risked, history,
Form:
Free verse
Amani the peaceful warrior
A woman who risked her life
To save mothers and daughters from the notorious war crimes
Deep in the jungles of Congo
The continuing human rights violence
The rape, the discrimination and the children armies
The non stop crisis that seemed to worsen with each dawn
Amani the peaceful warrior established safety homes for the victims
Through varying trainings the mothers and daughters were taught farming, knitting, cooking, simple medical training, arts and crafts and many more
With counseling she gave back the victims the power they had lost
Their smiles grew, their hearts shone
A rose garden was planted to show this victory
And as the smiles grew, so did it
They heard of Amani and in one of her rescue missions, she was captured
Her hands and legs were tied
He said, "these hands have to go"
To humiliate her and her course
To destroy her and her dreams
But even as she left, her legacy lived beyond the pain and the torture.
*Fictional*
Categories:
risked, africa, beauty, inspirational, peace,
Form:
Free verse
Where will tomorrow take us
Only God alone can tell
A brighter future a cloudless day
Or an earthly living Hell
How much of its our doing
How much is down to me
Is the fate laid out before us
A future meant to be
I know I've tempted fate before
At least a time or two
Risked life and limb and maybe more
I'd risk it all anew
Cos life for me's a wonderland
A journey to behold
A beautiful utopia
For the young and for the old
Til man exacts his dominance
Over everything he can
And mortgages each single soul
Of every living man
A banking led dystopia
Indebtedness their aim
We're caught here in the crossfire
In a costly Rotschild game
The year is sixteen ninety four
And a deal is on the cards
The notes are shilling loudly
From the moneylenders bards
Twelve hundred thousand reasons
Mortgage woman, man and child
The deal's been done, the trap's been sprung
The laughing Joker's wild
The Devil dealt a crooked hand
The rules weren't Heaven sent
The loans they pays a kingly ransome
The bets at eight percent
Inflationary stirms prevail
Nations drowningbin the flood
The odds now stacked in favour
Of a deal they signed in blood
Now money's just a token
The game is truly up
Their sleight of hand's been deftly played
They fill their debtors cup
Human lives collateral
As the game stacks in their favour
No money's needed anymore
The game is theirs to savour
Where will tomorrow take us
Only God alone can tell
The Devil deals in dying folks
His deals a living Hell
The game's a crooked one we know
It's plain for all to see
And the fate laid out before us
Is down to you and me
Categories:
risked, business, corruption, depression, evil,
Form:
Rhyme
My mother and aunts
All suffered from breast cancer
Mom’s right breast removed
She had the choice to abort
But she risked her life for me
Categories:
risked, family,
Form:
Tanka
A CLASSIC SUMMER IN GREECE
Viciousness and mystery erupt on arid soil.
Summer heat and idle time can make the spirits boil.
Languishing in stuffy rooms with very little sleep--
Night time flickers of the light-- imagination leaps.
Heat that beckons times long past invade a fevered head—
Athena pleases lovers mid her goddess silken bed,
Grecian legs march bravely –- prelude Olympian races--
Soldiers dream they sail away to see exotic places.
Heat waves shimmer landscape –men will do what they are told--
Spearborn soldiers helmeted sing down a dusty road.
Tho in mind they join their lovers whispering by the sea,
Drink of mountain waters --rest their head on sweetheart’s knee
Helen, when she sailed away –a wayward selfish wife
Without a backward glance she risked the cost of human life--
Was it the heat that made her crazed to do this foolish thing?
A fit of summer boredom could create this witless fling.
Autumn winds are blowing now-- Troy’s nights turn cool and fair--
Does Paris try to ditch her --as naked Helen combs her hair--
Does Hector tell his brother--get this woman out of here--
Does Helen beg to stay-- and tell her lover not to fear?
Heat can play the brain and make it dance a backward tune--
Clarity as sun tricks down—repeats a former June,
Perhaps there is a lesson learned from heat that sears the soul--
Summertime romance will write us each a tragic role.
Victoria Anderson Throop ©
1/11/13
Categories:
risked, life, lost love, love,
Form:
Couplet
G rowth requires the reins of pain, the curing singe of fire
I nside we shrink, we quiver, quake but we rise inspired
V ictory through vice, challenge hardens resolve, lifts higher
I nnocence belayed, tried, can raise us whole, entire.
N ever damn the pain, decline the fight, rise, with life conspire
G od knows what's best this I believe what comes must transpire.
T he faint of heart, will never know the crucible, the pyre
H aving never risked the plunge, never left the flowery briar
A nd angrily bemoaned the dark, the pain, the fret conspired
N ever giving thanks for the test, the trials which seem most dire
K iss the ring, the ground, blow kisses skyward to the Holy Crier
S uch gifts as these diverse and free, all necessary and desired.
Contest Count Your Blessings
Date: 11/14/12
Categories:
risked, faith,
Form:
Acrostic
A woman of great beauty Esther was,
chosen queen of a Persian king! Unknown
was Esther’s heritage she hid because
it was not safe to claim she was a Jew.
a plot to kill her people she was shown
by Mordecai, who was her cousin too.
An evil minister named Haman called
for genocide of Jews; the king agreed,
but Esther changed things, for the king, enthralled
by his dear wife, to Esther’s words paid heed.
She told the king her truth and risked her life.
Her people lived, and Esther stayed his wife.
Categories:
risked, bible,
Form:
Rhyme
I fell in love with you from a social site;
the words you wrote,
how those words made me feel,
things you adored,
your life's experiences.....made
me fall in love with you deeply.
We exchanged contacts, and
started to talk. Your voice felt
sweet like custard cream!
I booked a bus,
and came to see you. I didn't
follow my mind's caution
or hesitation. I followed my soul's
wish to meet you. I flew to your
warm embrace, like a magnet
attracted by a stronger magnet.
I risked all my mind's doubts
and fears,
to meet someone my soul
was certain about;
familiar as though we had met
in another past life.
Now, I'm so proud to have you in my arms,
as a Soulmate.....
Date of Entry: 12/12/2016
Categories:
risked, courage, deep, imagery, life,
Form:
Free verse
RISKS
Scarred hills, risked mine shafts, dark and deep.
The plonk of a stone, dropped into water, far below.
Kids drifted to sounds of the gold-rush, pick and windlass.
But inside our school, Sir recruited afternoon classes into
battle. We piloted Spitfires, strafing Messerschmitts. Bingo!
The plane aflame, out of control. Drifting down, down. A spiral
of smoke.
Our teacher paced, face aglow. Alive to the tremble, the thrill,
in distant summer skies.
Windscreen hit, the scatter of shattered
glass. His odyssey of courage and blood …
At three thirty, older boys reminded Sir,
Time to go home.
Surprise in our mentor’s eyes .
His Spitfire hadn’t even landed.
Categories:
risked, 3rd grade, adventure, courage,
Form:
Free verse
STORIES TO LIVE BY
Oh! tell me tales that lift the spirit, energise the soul
Inspire a faith that gives the strength to drive toward a goal
Let not the story of the nation be a book of shame
That current generations may seek solace couched in blame
Though there may be dark chapters of our history beset
With episodes of evil we now view with deep regret
True annals yet tell stories of bold quests by those of daring
Who ventured forth with courage, thought of self-preserve foreswearing
To conquer craggy peak, cross frozen continent and sea
And some of grace faced tyranny, risked life to set us free
Let victimhood and pointed accusation not prevail
Nor guilt and self abasement write a gloomy new folktale
As every day a page is turned to quicken and advance
Our lives, should we not be the author of our own romance
Then one day hence we may recount in parable or fable
A legend that all may embrace to hearten and enable
Categories:
risked, life,
Form:
Couplet
At the cradle of my nightmares,
My future is a horror film,
I track my ghosts,
Like a junkie in withdrawal.
I am a true clandestine calamity,
A mass grave of silent suffering,
A candelabra of pain soothed by dirty money,
I hate the human race,
And I will never have a pet.
I am a loner addicted to silence.
I only write in the dark, to deathly sounds.
A mix of gloomy feelings,
I walk in the darkness of my imperfections,
My hands are no longer innocent,
Since I’ve handled weapons of war.
I am a child of the slums of the third world,
I know perfectly the orifices of misery.
Another damn sleepless night spent monologuing in the darkness of this cold room,
The devil covers his ears to the atrocities spilling from my confessions.
I’ve already used gunpowder
For a firework on the edge of legality.
I never agreed to sleep on an empty stomach,
I’ve risked my freedom since I was ten.
I’ve learned to walk among hungry beasts.
I’m already at war with my demons,
I know I’ll end up in the flames.
I know I have no right to trust a human being,
Being a slave to shine is impossible.
My enemies squat in my imperfect flesh.
I don’t smoke crack,
I don’t smoke cannabis,
I don’t snort cocaine,
I don’t drink alcohol,
I sometimes burn a few cigarettes.
I avoid psychotropics,
I’m not a poet,
Just a tormented mind,
Prisoner of infernal loops,
Where murder scenes repeat endlessly.
My tears stopped flowing down my cheeks
Since I saw my friend crushed by a logging truck.
I am an angry man with murderous impulses,
I commit suicide each time in this same nightmare that has repeated since my childhood.
I’m approaching fifty,
I’ve stopped meditating on the whims of the reaper,
I’ve stopped wandering in graveyards.
Let the universal force show mercy on my impure, tainted soul
By the poisons of lust,
I accumulate transgressions to have a throne in the furnaces of hell.
I don’t believe in paradise, but I know I’ll burn in the abyss’s celestial flames after my twilight.
A deep philosophical reflection in the ramblings of my delirium.
I hate the spotlights like those criminals on the run,
Too many regrets hidden in the closets,
A clean criminal record like the entrails of Christ’s mother.
I blaspheme to darken my divine fragment.
Categories:
risked, 12th grade,
Form:
Free verse