Best Shuffled Poems
Metallic city howls like a wounded animal
scraped by nocturnal vigils
of grandchildren and elders
emaciated like tuberculosis lungs
gasping from chug-chugs of tobacco soot...
and the face of a night is hammered by
ripped moans like plucked strings in motel rooms;
pagan women opening limbs for a meal in silent fury.
This is the other side of town, so real...
beggars peddling hope; factory shoulders
ranting over shuffled cards and fired gin
as wives’ blistered fingers
clean rented pots, gibbering same monotone of hymn,
“give us daily bread, daily bread”.
Outside, the pier coughs off
the commercial honks of weighed cargo
reeked with labor’s perspiration,
where pawnshops buzz with greed's snicker...
the evening owl attempts winks
under the grime of bloodied moon…
it spits the larynx of tenants’ raged hoots
wishing morsels of fresh sunset
would pour some grace of life’s salve. I weep
before the shrill of red sets in... again.
------------
Truth Contest sponsored by Anthony Slausin
Re-post 5/28/2019
Categories:
shuffled, anger, angst,
Form:
Lyric
My poetry garden of late has lain untended and forlorn.
I succumbed to shock and dismay upon entering recently, for I observed that
great disagreement had erupted and now vehemently
raged among adjoining unmade weed-filled beds of subjects and verbs.
Modifiers that had been dutifully arranged and carefully
kept in check upon their trellises now dangled everywhere.
Sentences had spilled out of their beds in fragments or running
on and on while cases of subjectives and objectives shamelessly
intermingled and were now easily mistaken one for another.
Grammar, whose care I had entrusted to first, second and third
persons, lay in shameless disarray, as if no one could tell the difference.
Gerunds casually consorted with infinitives, many
of which had split. I recalled with a sigh how many years it had taken
me to tightly bind them. [To bind them tightly is what I meant.]
Commas were everywhere, rendering those in appropriate
position practically unrecognizable, which I suppose was better than
what had happened to the capitals, now completely ignored.
No reason for the rhyme with forms confused or misplaced altogether.
My lines, unpruned, were of disparate length and hideously incompl
An unfortunate mis-spell had been cast and provoked an infestation,
such that many of my friends had departed without comment.
The contest entry was blocked, so I bowed my head in shame,
turned around and shuffled silently through the exit marked N/A.
Posted July 24, 2014
'Let the Pens Flow - Narrative' Contest
Jenish Somadas
Categories:
shuffled, garden,
Form:
Narrative
She shuffled by our house, so slow and bent,
No second thought of where the lady went.
On her return, no one around to see.
A shaded path, she blended with the trees.
We children always giggled, as she passed.
A group emboldens others to harrass.
Our high pitched jeering from a hidden niche,
The frail, sunbonnet lady, we yelled "witch".
One day a fever kept me home from class.
I saw her weary shuffle down the path.
My over-active need to know convened.
I followed with excitement and unseen.
A house engulfed by weeds grown thick and tall,
As vines of every species claimed the walls.
Around the side, a window to peek in;
A man in bed with twisted, throbbing limbs.
.
The lady rubbed a salve to ease his pain.
And hummed a long forgotten song's refrain.
I blurted all I'd seen to mom and dad.
He stood in shocked alert and mom grew sad.
How soon the path was plowed into a drive,
A grocer truck and red-light cops arrived.
I last recall a fancy bike, brand new.
Events seem blurred, with growing up to do.
.
Gene Bourne.
07-17-14
.
Categories:
shuffled, age, body, bullying, care,
Form:
Iambic Pentameter
Children placed in foster homes are
swiftly shuffled from heart to heart.
Breaking links in a chain of love;
goodbye; precedes every new start.
Wary eyes scan every fresh face,
trying to catch a glimpse of hope.
But intolerance and half-truths;
aggravates their plight, so they cope.
Love sounds like an empty promise;
delivered by a silver tongue.
For it's either misunderstood,
or disbelieved in hearts so young.
They've been suckled on hope and fear,
feelings felt from an early age.
And on realizing their fate,
they oft succumb to inner rage.
They remain undesirable
right up to their eighteenth birthday.
Upon which; labeled a burden,
they are abruptly sent away.
Categories:
shuffled, care, child, emotions, family,
Form:
Quatrain
broken families like fractured glass
scattered, sharp edges
cutting, bleeding
once-perfect images of harmony
now lives severed by pain
mom at one end of the boxing match
dad on the other side
torn children shuffled in between
into a holiday lens they once smiled
picture-perfect family greetings
discarded in shards
joyful season ends
Categories:
shuffled, family, sad
Form:
Free verse
Green…you always reflected in my peripheral
And kept watch as I tried to color my world
But there I lay in my blacks and my blues,
lifeless and faltering In monotone hues.
Through kaleidoscope eyes, I envisioned my skies
But the pot at the rainbow was storybook lies
so with nothing to gain and nothing to lose,
I just shuffled around In my blacks and my blues.
Never did I imagine you!, Green… to be my savior
But there you arose, out of my dark abyss
With your bottle green dress and scarlet kiss
Your emerald green eyes and unbridled bliss.
Now my kaleidoscope dreams have all been unfurled
Since you Green, have colored my world
You rescued my heart, Green
You rescued my heart.
Categories:
shuffled, love, metaphor, romance, green,
Form:
Quatrain
Drumming along on steering wheel
And dashboard, to rhythm and beats
8-track drowning out giddy squeals,
Till butts plopped down in venue seats.
The buzzing crowd was everywhere
All walks of life surely present,
Deluge of Tie-Dye and long Hair,
Smoke wafting thick, the oddest scent.
When all light vanished, cheers ensued
As silhouettes shuffled on stage,
Anticipation…all eyes glued,
Mind numbing sound, coming of age!
They’d rocked our years, and now this night
Fans singing each memorized word,
Dancing, laughter—our teenage rite
Of passage, forever conferred.
Ten thousand flames, begged one more song
Two mega hits offered instead;
Then bows before worshiping throng,
Ended the show, farewells widespread.
Categories:
shuffled, adventure, music, people, song,
Form:
Rhyme
Such a beautiful feeling
I see the sunrise,
and it's no surprise
that,
I see the love light,
that shines in your eyes
I feel like I'm dreaming...
and it's,
such a beautiful feeling!
I greet the new day,
sending kisses your way
so happy just knowing
that you'll always stay
Now,
our sad hearts are healing...
and it's,
such a beautiful feeling!
Chorus
I've never had this feeling before
but it feels so wonderful,
every day I love you,
more and more
and it feels so beautiful!
Now, I see you there,
and I stop and stare
It's a wonder just knowing,
that you really care.
Our shuffled hearts,
we're now dealing...
and it's,
such a beautiful feeling!
You know it's true,
I'm crazy for you,
and I'm pretty sure,
you're feeling it too.
Now,
your love's got me reeling...
and it's,
such a beautiful feeling!
So I wrote down this song,
so glad I belong,
to someone so special,
who won't do me wrong.
Now,
true love is revealing...
and it's,
such a beautiful feeling!
Chorus
I've never had this feeling before
but it feels so wonderful,
every day I love you,
more and more
and it feels so beautiful!
Now, your love's got me reeling
and it's, such a beautiful feeling!
Yes, it's such a beautiful feeling!
Repeat two times
fade to zero
John Derek Hamilton
June 20, 2017
Categories:
shuffled, beautiful, feelings, happiness, repetition,
Form:
Lyric
Adrift upon the ocean
bob a bunch of resting birds.
What is it that they call themselves?
A flock or school or herd?
Could it be this feathered colony
is a band or horde at best
No screeches, calls or gaggling,
they don’t brood or crowd or nest
Spread out like black freckles,
birds are shuffled by default.
Flavoring the ocean
dash of pepper to sea’s salt
Not gliding like mighty albatross
with wingspan strong and wide.
Or dancing with the currents
right by the dolphins side
Just floating in the middle
between the blue and green
Neither soaring in the heavens
or a coral dance routine
And there, what’s that beneath them,
beyond their paddling feet
Just some strange attraction?
Or friends they’re yet to greet.
A sudden splash of water!
Could it be a pod of whales?
Or the giggle of a baby seal,
nipping at their tails.
Will they look right through the jellyfish,
that flash and throb and group
to the gathering bunch of mackerel
congregating in the soup
But no, they’re not much bothered
by the party in full swing.
They just gossip amongst each other
While cleaning weathered wings
Waiting for the wind to change
On the ocean they sit tight
Regaining all that energy
needed to take flight
So what's its name, this party?
Of primp and craning necks.
In the skies they flock together
On the ocean, they’re a wreck!
Categories:
shuffled, bird, children, nature,
Form:
Quatrain
WHEELIE BIN JOE
On the north side of Brisbane lives a man who does no wrong,
He pongs a bit, he's grubby and his beard and hair are long,
He sits upon the footpath mid plastic bags all sorts,
Black garbage round his shoulders and white ones on for shorts,
A yuppie down the footpath tripped,
and soon fell over Joe,
Recoiled in shock as horror gripped,
climbed off the "so and so."
So now they leave him on his throne,
cross the street to the other side,
From his house front boards, the nails have flown,
weather boards have gone to hide.
The prophet peers from neath his robes,
bags plastic shuffled flies,
In trance the seer discards his clothes,
as fresh plastic he applies,
Oh he'd tell us all of what he knows,
If he perchance did speak,
But plastic fumes get up his nose,
and cause his brain to squeak.
So if you pass the prophet there,
do spare a thought for him,
see his waiscoat's very shiny glare,
but the plastics getting thin.
The winter wind it whistles but Joe has cause to grin,
for the masters call, he's waiting to right some deadly sin.
Sponsor Paula Swanson
Contest Name Do You Know The Cardboard Man?
Categories:
shuffled, adventure,
Form:
Rhyme
She knew they
were easy marks midst
her beguiling cunning
had it in spades,
they thought they had
the better hand,
stacked the deck in their wager,
til she bet them all
under the round table
with token trick
aces up her skirt,
they didn't realize
she had already gambled
her jacked-up savings,
this was merely a player's
penalty game of suits,
she'd never get beaten
nor shuffled again,
pocketed kill in dealer's turn of a card,
outmaneuvered the joker's clubs
broke the bank's seven-card studs
trumped the king,
walked away the Queen
decked out in diamonds
Categories:
shuffled, allegory, hyperbole, satire,
Form:
Carpe Diem
One day my half brother Eric
From Oklahoma, visited us
He brought with him some fake vomit
Just to see who he could disgust!
When he was close to my grandma
He heaved and dropped it on the floor
We laughed at the look on her face
First a giggle, then up to a roar!
Then we saw her sweeping it up
At the trash can she threw it in
Even though we said, "It's not real!"
She shuffled off, and I saw her grin!
Categories:
shuffled, boy, grandmother, humorous, relationship,
Form:
Quatrain
So many times you’ve shuffled the deck,
I don’t know which card will turn up next
So many times you’ve poisoned the well,
I don’t what lies you’re going to tell
It’s not fair --
Your keepin’ us all in the dark
It’s not fair --
The snuffing out of every spark
So many times you’ve dumped your oil --
A truly dead sea and no arable soil
So many times you’ve tilted the table,
With a heart of steel you made our lives unstable
It’s not fair --
You promise renewal and repair
They’re not there,
But to you everything is fair
Fair game
Against your false visions
And lying divinations,
Let us raise up our hands
As a unified nation
So many times you questioned our minds
As though it were us and not you who is blind
So many times you’ve tilted the table,
Your heart of steel made the machine unstable
It’s not fair --
The way you shattered our promise
It’s not fair
‘Cause it’s too easy to be dishonest
Categories:
shuffled, america, anger, betrayal, bible,
Form:
Political Verse
Butterfly wing door vestibule builds anticipation
Shuffled, carpet muffled greetings, familiar embraces
Piloted by Holy Spirit, seated hushed congregation
Ritual of ornate cathedral thanks hidden crypt rib cage
Enduring centuries, pliable sandstone testiment
God's following holds time proof tenacity
Flared proud corners, pyramid reminiscent
Honour continues amidst shifting society
Solid oak panelled door on wrought iron hinges
Greets round barrel key bearer with ominous groan
Down four slouching stone steps from street edge
Solo visit in sacred space never partaken alone
Curved bookcases cater for leather bound learning
Volumes of theology define best ways
Nook with desk lets liturgist imbibe God's word
Tall back chair, acorn emblems engraved
Beneath majestic vessel, clay damp chamber
Rhubarb velvet curtain, tassel tied to sides
Strongest entity relies on the Lord as Saviour
With worship's dedication, faith survives
In expansion, searcher emerges at alter, cleansed
Hive of etched arches tribute precision architectural
Vibrant robes, sashes draped, silken beacons
Of preparation, celebration of overcoming, renewal
Pulpit's ingrained memory both daunting and welcoming
Deep set lead light showers sombre pews in intimacy
Haloed Christ holds baby, shares parables with children
Crease covered hymn books strum procedural symphony
Written July 2020 (no previous submission)
Submitted for : Brian Strand
Completely New Volume 23
on 18th August 2020
Categories:
shuffled, baptism, bible, celebration, christian,
Form:
Rhyme
Growing up she got shuffled around,
not really gaining any family bonding ground,
her foster parents always cutting her lose,
too much to handle was always the excuse,
she felt neglected and emotionally abused,
Her social worker told her to be more polite,
maybe she'd get adopted because she was bright,
on her 18 birthday she gave up the foster plight,
becoming tough she said I'm able and I won't ever quit,
I'm going to make it in this world even though I'm a misfit!
11-22-16
Categories:
shuffled, growing up, heartbreak, moving
Form:
Light Verse