Best Rite Poems

Brains and guts orbit the soul—
that polar star searing in the marrow of being.

I was born somewhere between Einstein’s neurons
Ginsburg beat poetry, the birth of rock and roll, revolution marches,
and the calloused hands of a carpenter,
where ink stains fight oil slicks,
where the soft susurrations of...

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Nothing stirs the blood more than lies


I stand upon sacred ground of honor
Defend the truth with my soul's honest sword
I'll hold character before dishonor
And cut away at any lies discord
Face with an angry voice, all lies that creep
That hides inside minds of a human throng
Who...

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Rite Of Passage
          *
My Walk to Remember

My father takes my hand,
   tucks it in the crook of his arm
      and smiles at me as we walk through 
 ...

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Nearing the end of their fleeting days,
short-inhaled lives infirmly await the long dark
Garrulously tilting fermented liquids in a park,
they watch their former youthful ways

Addled memories of a once robust stride
keep the brown paper covered truth hidden well
Selfish pleasures have left their flesh bodies frail,
weary envious...

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Mild 
drizzle
soaks on pane;
and hums gently
like  day’s cleansing rite
easing  breaths, tired:
heart  lifts  up
as  mist
floats.


8/7/2019
August Ninette Contest of Caren Krutsinger...

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i journey chasing
imaginary wisps, in
reality bound....

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We seem to have it all
As we want for nothing
In the darkness of the womb 

We are evicted into the light
Sadness, then happiness 
Unaware of the looming doom

We seem to have it all-
Sadness, then happiness
Cloudy-vorfreude abloom 

We hustle, we jump huddles 
We cry, we hate,...

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Try to imagine the Alice Cooper song "School's Out for Summer" as you see these words. I tried to match the rhythm of that song to this jingle:


Well, I need to eat,
but I’m in the mood
for some seasoned meat
and the world’s best food.
Well, I can’t...

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Seasonal petals,
Anointed by dawning dew:
Morning baptism....

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The name of my sidekick was Benjamin, a fellow church member
An ornery, brown haired boy who had nothing in common with me
Save for his sudden sense of adventure and exploration
He asked me, “Laura? Have you ever been up there?”
I said, my voice soft, innocent, and...

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Is it any wonder that on a recruit's first day of service he is befuddled?
From day one he's told to do things by the numbers and his brain is muddled!
From the moment he stepped off the bus, mean ol' sergeants began to yell!
Sergeants, it seemed,...

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Yes, I love you child
more than you'll ever know
Although you don't understand me right now
because you're only one-year-old

Rest assured,
rest assured

Yes, I love you dear
more than you could possibly know
Even though you're smarter than me
when I was ten-years-old

Keep your heart,
keep it pure

Yes, I love you daughter
in...

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The truth was, we very well could go back,
But there was sudden authority and determination in his voice
It was the first time I ever respected Benjamin
The first time and only that I ever liked holding his dirty boy hands

“Well let’s go, scaredey cat!” I giggled,...

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mountain of esteem
low valley of perceptions
platonic plateau...

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Last Rite of Passage
(for Elizabeth) 30th January 03:11am

Through towering colonnades of stars
She rises with the daybreak's fire,
As angels strum on lute and lyre
And frost sparkles like fractured glass;

And when dark clouds have filled your eyes
Pray do not yield to let them cry;
For she is where...

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