Best Settled Poems
two septets with rhyme
At long last, my friend, she bears no shame.
She spent a year seeking a soul-mate.
His eyes obliged her life to claim,
yet he could not, he would not propose.
Their calm ship was headed aground
for months she kept it together -
an ocean of hope, her playground.
Fisherman's widow! At long last
she reeled in and quit her searching.
She found her love had been miscast.
Two smiling faces fade from sight,
they travel on two different waves.
Feeling free, both alone tonight,
the settled sweetness of farewell.
inspired by a quote from Andrea del Sarto byRobert Browning,
"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,"
i feel so settled in your presence
it seems so definitively calm here
i want to go on excursions never experienced with you and just discover
once upon a time i was a lonely soul yearning for any type of communication
i remember the footprints in the dust at every corner that had the scent of stale talcum powder
i remember the cable fluctuating between being off and on every other another
i remember listening to my old walkman under a few layers of cover when the power was cut off on a very cold day in winter
i recall sitting in the dark of my dusty, cobwebbed apartment letting the streetlight conceal the truth of my loneliness
i recall the draft coming into the screen in the living room and becoming painfully dizzy from daydreaming
i heard creaks on the stair steps and crackling in the walls
even introverted the darkness has a thousand eyes to truly see
even in hiding i cannot hide the from the strong stance stare of the obvious
knowing this, i decide to take a chance to makes bells ring like the freedom flapping of each wing....
....i feel so settled in your presence
it seems so definitively calm here
i want to go on excursions never experienced with you and just discover....
she could have been
his sun
to light his path
to far away
meadows
he could not stand
her piercing
brightness
he settled
for the moon
the night came
the moon
dimmed him further
he groped
in the dark
and wished
for the sun
only the sun
was way beyond
the horizon
of his past
quietly
mooning
over another
in a
faraway land
lovely the brilliant
a settled day of sunshine
quiet rose petals
Slip, my soul, as sunset into the sea ---
settled to stay serenely shining
shaded by the Saviour’s starlight
shielded against stain of sin-sting sorrow
scintillating spiritedly.
Seeking succor from sufferings and strife
soul of mine, slip as sunset into the sea ---
surrounded with Sovereign solitude
secured midst salvation’s surety
subdued from stubborn self-centeredness.
Sweetly savouring satisfaction of sincere service
sufficed by the Supreme Shepherd*
sealed soul, slip steadfastly, as sunset into the sea ---
silenced against slothfulness-shouts with sleep’s solace
safely sheltered toward tomorrow’s steadfast stewardship.
*Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
April 23, 2020
1st place, "Alliteration 004 (I prefer old poems)" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by: Poet Destroyer A; judged on 5/14/2024.
1st place, "Slipping Soul Sunsets into the Sea" Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Chantelle Anne Cooke; judged on 4/28/2020.
You told me you had a career and a wife,
And no space at all for me in your life;
You made me no promises, so I
Settled for loving another guy …
Then you returned, so nearly free.
But I had my children – silly me!
So you settled down with one of your others,
And I was content as a wife and a mother …
But it did not last long – does anything do?
I could not feel for him what I still feel for you.
So, then I was free, but true to form,
You’d married her - a port in a storm …
So now we have settled, each for a half-life:
Me with my kids, and you with your new wife.
From my porch
Wrap up with extreme-cold weather clothing
The January sun bathes weakly through the early morning grounds
I seek alone by such astonished far-fat mountain-side
When some dared rabbits at burrow doorway gazing
Like a thief at the overheated clouds!
mountain top
i feel the lack of oxygen
stiller than a mannequin
atmosphere a reading lens
the smell of my heating skin
I can dodge the poison oak
jumped off the tallest rock
look into the heart of pools
almost heard the meadow talk
the silence speaks
language of the higher plane
echoes from a time before
buzzing in the summer rain
sierra: spine of the wild west
the red dust never settled
free lands never rest
moves beyond a human eye
motions set from centuries
beyond the moment presently
a lonely souls pleasantries
finite: this time is bittersweet
as far as eyes can see
the history is deep
yet mountains barely weep
unmovable and defining
a significance is made
down the rocky grades
life flooding our plains
we forever wish to tame
That's right little ole lady it's here
once again, your birthday is back so
let your aches settle in. What to get you?,
something old or new?, you kissed my
cheek and said, "your love will do".
To get a gift, it's not just for you, when
the one watching you open it get's
excited too. So I started out for
something unique, and that's
what she got... to say the least
I went for a walk, and I wandered
about, I kicked this old liquor bottle
and a genie came out
As startled, shocked and as scared
as I was, this gift would be perfect
for the woman I love
So I scooped the genie and
the three wishes up, I ran all the
way home while shaking him up,
sitting the bottle on the kitchen
counter, I unscrewed the cap and
never smelt anything fouler
The bottle fell over and the
genie rolled out, he got back
to his feet when he then passed out.
So all I could do was laugh at the genie
Now pitiful and drunk, just needing
some sleepy
But now at this point there’s
nothing I can do, so I went
to mama and said,
"pick a hand... one or two”
The drunken genie man was the
hand she'd pick so I offered her
the hand with the half full bottle,
and told her to wash him down quick
with this foul smelling WHISKEY SOUR
Settled in the Saviour’s steadfastness...
...satisfied am I within His security.
Saved by God from sin’s wages...
...sure is my soul toward heaven's serenity.
Sealed with the Holy Spirit*...
...set am I to shine forth with Christian sincerity
Sanctified to serve the Lord...
...sweet is my fellowship with Him midst Satan's subtlety.
Strengthened spiritually upon Scriptures...
...studying His statutes subdues my superfluity
Set to spread His love with the Son’s compassion-stirring...
…striving am I since He separates me within His safety.
*Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.
March 25, 2019
The shock that I felt was enormous,
as the tab on the cat food I pulled,
a fountain of biscuits shot out of the top-
the box, it was actually full !
I stood, disbelieving, bewildered,
this never had happened before,
I finally came to my senses again
and swept all the bits off the floor.
'Contents are liable to settle',
I've seen it on loads of foodstuffs,
in some cereals, where half of it is fresh air
and what's left is just not quite enough.
And bags of crisps, don't get me started,
whatever the flavour or range,
seven flakes, powdered crumbs
which just coat both your thumbs
and then leave your tongue feeling short-changed.
Forgive me, for always believing
(and I think most folks do, by and large)
that the air we breathe in now and always has been
since the dawn of mankind, free of charge.
So why do the makers of products
include something already free?
Just give us lots more of the thing I paid for
and leave all the breathing to me.
And when my time one day is over
and no longer am in fine fettle,
the box I'm carried off in,
on the lid of the coffin
write ' contents are liable to settle'.
In God’s love*, I’m victoriously settled
Safely handled by His compassion
Against deceiving schemes causing downfalls…
Thus, I yield to Him, serenely joyous.
With the Almighty’s care is service-might
Prodding me forward in my stewardship
To bear fruits of sacrificial fervor…
Blessed by His grace in prayer-fellowship.
*Romans 5:5 …The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
June 25, 2019
A look back at the old western days
A time around horse driven carriages in their ways
Stagecoaches that travelled deep in mountain terrains
It was even during storms with heavy rains
Indians attacking over territory
But under the watchful eye of old glory
Here now continues our story
Settlers looking for a place to live
A new life where they could strive
Later tents were temporary put up
As work was being done in building permanent shelter houses
The houses had to be sturdy in all kinds of weather bouts
Stability is what I am talking about
Determination to stay put no matter what
The settlers would not be chased away
Having faith every step of the way
Traveling from place to place was quite difficult especially moving wagons through deep mountains
It was stuff, but the settlers showed they could be rough
Settled west, well that was enough
Survival in settling down, but being stability bound.
People say you have to give up
chasing after assets
to find your way to God
to find your peace within
Not true
it's nice to have your own home
it's good to work hard
and prove yourself
Hard workers build your home's
hard worker provide your cloth's
It's easy to talk and sit on your butt
when people pay you to talk
but you can find peace in your home
you can find love and success
you can be proud of yourself
from helping others succeed
granted if you slave for money
and build it up high on your list
you are a victim to greed son
perhaps it is time then to ditch
but peace come's to minds
that find answers
learn they with pride then to talk
peace comes to minds that have answers
when settled they find their beliefs
I'm sure that my mind has found comfort
it now is not searching for truth
I'm happy with what I have found now
I do not have questions I seek
My mind does not go
round and round now
I do not have questions I seek
yet truly I don't regret looking
I don't regret thinking to much
my mind found the truth in those session's
and now I'm at peace with myself.
Looking up, I see a swirl of dust in the air
Something isn't right
I close my eyes and listen to Earth's cry for help
She is screaming
I open my eyes and begin to run, faster than ever before
They are chasing me
After awhile my breath begins to stagger, and I cannot go much longer
So I fall
Within only a few micro-moments, they are on top of me, clawing and biting and ripping
I am screaming
With everything inside me I fight back, I keep fighting until my enemies are desolate
Somehow, this is right
My injuries are fierce and deadly, yet I stand and face the dust
It is chasing the wind
As I stand there with my eyes closed, unaware of time, I feel the rightness of what is done
The dust has fallen
The wind is gone, my energy depleted, and my life dissipating
Yet my hope for this world, though it is ending, is strong
And with one last breath, I thank Earth, for cleaning up after our mess
We can now start anew