Best Sept Poems
Seven Years Rachel*, Translation of Pierre Emmanuel’s Sept ans Rachel by T. Wignesan
For seven years Rachel remains sealed
By the kiss she received from Jacob
For seven years she keeps her eyelashes lowered
Under the impact of their unique encounter.
When he saw her on that one occasion
He was reduced to tears,
So very much of her sweetness was revealed to him
The blue tint of the nocturnal sunset
Reminiscent of God.
There’s no love without nostalgia
When will I seize what has gotten hold of me ?
You’re as beautiful as the fleecy Rachel
When the immense army comes together.
You shine on up there like a moon-like pebble
At the bottom of a well.
You are unreachable further than the stars
An a priori hint of Him.
From the moment your gaze comes to rest on me
It lights up the fires of Bethel.*
I have seen God enthroned in your pupils
And all the exit paths in the world
Converge upon you.
The désert which has pursued me close upon the heels
Hardened roused till it reaches you
Until my return to the fold
That was a spiraling tearing apart of the fire
Hatched from beneath my entrails.
O ladder which consumes me O flame
The dwelling by whom my insides burn
You are the native home of the soul
You are the mother’s smile come to rest on the child
Yours is the infancy of God over this world
Virgin speech like God’s own gaze
The unruly smoothness of fire.
(from Jacob, O.C. t. II, p. 62)
*The poem alludes, draws and constructs itself on the imagery relating to the « legend » of the biblical Jacob’s dream and the ladder, recorded in Genesis, key symbols in the interpretations of Judeo-Christian and Islamic religious concepts and history.
• Bethel : (Lit.) « House of God »
© T. Wignesan – Paris, October 17, 2014
Twisted matter within my mind,
Calling, screaming, struggling to be free.
It knows not what it has to find,
Or what it has to be.
Turned loose, it runs, a life it found.
To be a force of mind and thought,
Then to find it lost and bound
To it with heart and it its' thought.
Then to me, back it comes from her
To tell of learning of a life
That I could find in her,
Telling me of love and life.
The years have
gone by, but it's
still clear as day.
Recalling painful
memories, brings
tears down my
face.
An act of terrorism
took a hold on our
way of life.
Eyewitness news,
while others paid
with their lives.
Freedom isn't free,
were hated on by
our enemies.
We're all people
of flesh and blood.
Killing each other
with no remorse.
How much more
can we take, united
as one we will always
reign.
God watch over us,
baptize us in your
love.
Let our enemies
see the beauty of
life through us.
Let our angels from
9/11 encourage us,
as we keep their
memories alive in
our hearts...
As we reach for
the stars, in search
for a better tomorrow.
Written by: Poet Shi
To the victims of 9/11
Whose souls are watching on from heaven
Know that your memory lives on
Forever, regardless how long you’ve been gone
As family and friends grow old
Their daily lives you still behold
As your spirit walks alongside, in silence
Hand in hand…always there for guidance
Your loved ones still feel your presence near
Memories and heartache still bring a tear
Abating are their feelings of guilt and hate
This was God’s will…for some reason this was your fate
Ten years have passed since the War began
The War on Terrorism…they had a plan
A decade on there’s not much to show
Except Bin Laden’s Death – an Al Qaeda blow
Nobody wants your deaths to be in vain
This horrendous tragedy forever a stain
In the hearts and minds of humankind
Surely though it’s time we put revenge behind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***I wrote this poem on the 10th Anniversary. Every anniversary feels as sad as the very first!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
©copyright Juanita Torr
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Descend to join me now in Luna’s sept
Before the summer storm’s pale vision
Disturbs the bed of glory where you slept
And sighed at passing time’s derision!
Arise and sow your wonder over hills
Where free birds can outlast the wingless,
And grass unweaves so gently over rills
Whose timeless flow is quick and listless!
Unending hours advance while tearing off
Astrologers’ ill fancies, deader
Than fragments wrought and torn away by scoff,
Whose broken vows are Hope’s beheader.
All envy shrinks, for you are like the spell
Which thaws cold marble into living
Decay. Descend, illume our moon-beamed dell,
For memories can foil misgiving!
Find my poems and published poetry volumes at www.eton-langford.com
Late Summer thunder,
Humid with a lovely breeze,
Past thoughts are now gone.
for Mexico City after earthquake, 1985
It's almost total dark tonight, before
a moon in our Green Valley. No buildings
collapsed. I'm just walking my dog—
and I'm back there. Storefront spilling
shattered glass can't glitter in so little light.
Streetlamps out. Department store.
I aim a flash-beam—human figure
sprawled inside the door. How can my dog
just step over it, and move on? But it's
only a mannequin, high-heels
scattered among beads. We’re searching
for a survivor among so many
dead. 26 years later, I'm still trying to fix
the image, to find words. Crawl
out of the ruins with someone alive.
There…and Here, 9/11
Never. In all
my days.
(I was at work,
as a nursery
manager, watching
over a dozen tots.)
On my TV, the
meteorologist
was exalting the Most
Absolute beauty
Of the day there
in Manhattan.
Just as it was here
In Kentucky.
A truly clear, bright,
Sunny blue,
Unforgettable day,
Just as you always
Dream of, wish for.
God’s created
Perfection.
But, then, there,
Human-made terror:
Two planes
Striking into
Our tallest, proud
Towers…moving
Us to screams of fear
And pervasive grief.
And anger…
The worst day of
Our lives
From there to here.
For all the ages.
For all ages,
It so suddenly
Did not matter
If the sun was shining.
—————————————————
(c) sally young Eslinger
(c) 9/10/202
Thanks be to God
O' September 11th...
Seems like yesterday
But with all intent
Seems like such a long time away
Remember! Everyone explained
From now on everything will be changed
It’s true—many things have changed
But has everything really changed?
Air travel has changed
Hearts, minds of Americans have been changed
Of that there is no doubt
Or is 9-11 just one more scarecrow
Of war and its sordid legacy, what's all about
To stomp out our freedoms foes
Ah' my generation grew up in the shadow
Of a menacing mushroom shaped cloud ha·lo
An ominous reminder of the destructive power fiasco
Unleashed at the end of World War 2
Another generation is growing up today
With another image
The image of crumbling Twin Towers disarray
The symbol of Sept. 11, 2001 visage!
as we commemorate the 10th anniversary of a day we'll always remember
over three thousand lives taken on the eleventh day of September
but for the grace of God it might have been me
to have been one of those lives taken away in the midst of that tragedy
life is a series of sequences and events that take place
and I know that as a child of Christ I'm living under His grace
at the time I had a job that was located in tower seven
but on that day I was in Brooklyn or I might have died and gone to heaven
safe in the borough of Kings working at the primary election polls
far away from the events that on New York took such a toll
the nation and the world were shook to their foundations
that anyone would dare to strike at the very heart of our nation
two airliners purposely driven into the World Trade Center Twin Towers
an attack on American soil in the early morning hours
and as I sit in church today on our annual Homecoming day
I reflect on the fact that many will never come home again
mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, co-workers, family and friends
and while I sit in this anointed pew
the awesomeness of the glory of God in me has been renewed
a day to remember as we share the communion of our Lord Christ
a day to also remember a day that forever changed our lives
The river was wide
Which varied with the tide
Hopefully the crocodile’s would be asleep
Cause I will be treading with my feet
The thought of being eaten alive
Is enough to make me strive
To stay alive a few more days
Let’s cross my fingers and pray
I bought a sowing machine yesterday
It’s an antique but will still work all-day
What my wife exactly wants it for
Still baffles me to the core
If only there was a bridge
To cross this dangerous ridge
The sowing machine is on my shoulder
It feels like I’m carrying a bolder
There must be a mystic bridge somewhere
To help me out of this nightmare
I’m up to my neck now in the water
It’s lucky I’m not any shorter
I’m half way across the river and all good so far
If I survive this crossing I may write a memoir
Then a splash of water spray into my face
Helps me realise that the river is not my favourite place..
Where were you on this tragic day
No matter what you were doing it made us all want to kneel and pray
I took a train ride to the city a few days before
Not knowing what the future had in store
I came off the train at WTC
In awe and splendor of all that was in front of me
A world of its own
Too good to be true
You'd would of had to see it for yourself
But
It was gone too soon
As i turned to my husband i said to him,
"Wow, We are really nieve to think this wouldnt be used as a terrorist plot"
A saying i wish i could have forgot
But
Look what happened just as a few days past by
A day to remember that makes everyone cry
A tragedy that will be forever in our hearts,
That happened to a country that can never be torn apart
So far buried beneath a mound of pain,
the surface now polished washed clean by the rain.
Carried through by the pre-manifestation's that dwell deep inside,
or is it the overpowering accusations causing the waterfall of tears I have cried.
The light at the end of the tunnel has burnt out,
only to be left with stacks of insecurity and doubt.
Lost in the dark with no ideas or visions,
all alone, scared and unable to make any of my own decisions.
My frame of mind has been setback to childlike stages,
with many countless unbecoming fiery pits of rages.
Helpless as can be, Am I'm loosing my mind?
Someday's I wish it's my entire life I could rewind.
If only I could get back to what I used to be,
A woman that was happy, wild, alive and free.
I used to carry my freedom securely and by myself,
with my fears locked away on the highest shelf.
I have already given all of my heart and my devotion,
with many tears, with many laughs, along with many other emotions.
I would trade anything to be "normal" again,
I pray most of everyday for a miracle, "Dear Lord, Amen."
Disfirgured flesh burns blood covered corpses black.
Undisguised enemy penetrates a mass killing attack.
Terrorized millinum pushing forth the diverted Holy War.
Hatred consumes all peace, opening up hell's locked door.
Creating choas, violent anarchy throughout the lands of earth.
Devoured harbors run rampant, with war at hands birth.
Nation of devastation, Invasion on annihilation.
Incarnation of abomination,
Incineration of creation.
Nowhere to hide, not even an escape into the mind.
Overwhelming pain force, unending death we find.
Extinction of humans, self indulging in ways of murder.
Intented destruction delivered, as we take mother nature and invert her.
Cities collasped, buring humanity forever down below.
Counntry fields raging fire, flames eridicate and grow.
Apocalytic doom, mass structures fall to dust.
Blood stained concrete, mountains full of rust.
Grey skies raining on, as they paint piles of ruin red.
Almost a complete massarce, billions are now dead.
Dedicated to kill each other, until no here remains.
Will goodness rule, or once again have evil in it's veins.
Windy day, Thursday afternoon clouds,
going for a drive, smells like rain.
Sky heavy and blue, searching,
pushing you out of my mind today.
SSHHH! Watch him...
There's a man feeding the ducks!
Hear the lake pressing against the shore,
there's resort living across the way.
Going for a walk, looks like rain,
there's no peace from you today.
SSHHH! See them...
Daisy chain islands in the blue waters.
Puffy green dots along the horizon,
isolated among the shimmering main.
Distant thunder, goosing flesh,
going for a swim, sounds like rain.
SSHHH! Hear me...
Leaving memories on the shore of Thursday afternoon...