Best Stripes Poems
"America First",
is the worst.
Should not thinking of others,
be your thirst?
Those who are selfish,
end up being cursed!
Soon they'll be last,
instead of first.
Who among you,
prefers guns and war?
Do you really have freedom,
shore to shore?
If most have less,
are you happy with more?
Should the privileged few,
be guarding the door?
Protectionism,
rots you to the core.
In the end,
you won't know who it's for?
What does it mean,
to be "Great Again"?
I'll listen to learn,
try your best to explain!
Were there fields of cotton and sugarcane?
Was it back of the bus perfect,
everyone staying in their own lane?
A pain striped passport,
for those on the soul train.
If you know the truth,
please speak it plain.
I want to find great,
I've wracked my brain.
Whose America are you trying to regain?
Last year, her imagination went double
so she ignored her previous schedule.
She put all her dreams inside of clear jars,
decorated with different, assorted stars.
She believed if she always kept things rounded
she would also succeed in keeping life grounded,
So, she would circle every found square
believing it demonstrated her constant care.
Plastic, colored eggs hung from her ceiling
to keep her floor from creaking and reeling.
Pale pink and bold gold stripes on her wall
recorded every received telephone call.
She worshiped and loved both the sun and moon,
but only from inside her living room.
She feared really being observed outside,
a place where stray cats were known to hide.
She always loved to dance, but during this year
she’s been dancing to music only she can hear.
All these things bring her secure nuances near,
but make her sanity less and less clear.
STARS & STRIPES
I know the Treasures held by the snow
I know pleasures unknown
And the measure of the shadows below.
They said Look what you've become.
Red, I replied I know. I've grown numb.
More dead than when I was young.
Who can control when I explode?
I know the warmth of the Hot Springs in Old Mexico.
And the endless cold in the Mountains of Colorado.
Who placed the stars above the summit of Chimborazo
Who will decode my name like Nero?
Who can harden the heart of Pharaoh?
Do you know the Pain of your Pueblo?
Their cries are as the Rain, I can hear their echo.
Our blue skies are high with black crows.
Our white clouds turn gray and say "No."
Just like the red ants to the green geckos
And Woe to the men, women and children,
the beasts and the buffalo.
All you have to show is everything hidden.
I've endured below zero temperatures. The Cold whispered wisdom.
Saying "Christ is risen and will come again. As it is written."
20 years later I am forgiven.
20 years ago, I forgive them.
I am raised from perdition.
Being a Christian is not a Religion.
It is a division from evil decisions
And submission unto Christ, my physician.
My Life is given to Him.
I have my stripes.
I know torture and malnutrition.
Complex Post Traumatic Stress and mental conditions.
I've been Locked up with the imprisoned.
I know, the plot will thicken
I know our sins are as crimson.
Seek the face of the Lord.
Who is the Word of God?
I Know, so now I ask you to Listen.
They make me wonder---
What fingers wove the tapestry of their being!
The splash of violet here, mauve there, white with red stripes—
They stand tall and do not bend till the wind forces them to.
Though soft, they manifest dignity.
When stress and depression shoot their thorns,
A glimpse of these beauties spell discipline.
‘We are of the earth and we belong to her.
She has given us beige, yellow, red and has waited
For us to grow, in effort and ecstasy.
When butterflies, birds and bees hum around
We greet them with glee. We fear not.
We bear the heat, the dust and the cold--
Even in pain, in disdain, we find the sun.’
In their company, I find freedom. And
In their being, my soul.
It has always been said that a zebra can't change his stripes
I wish that I can change mine seeing that I can't do nothing right
I don't see the point in being who I am because it's never acceptable
Everyday in life I feel that I have to change and stay adaptable
I can't find a happy medium and appear to be too extreme
I'm always misunderstood and no one knows what I mean
There's never a time that I'm not being told that I'm way too serious
Looking out for the feelings of others makes me appear delirious
What would happen if I decided to change my stripes
If I decided to take life as a joke and didn't put up a fight
Doing just what is expected of me but not too much
Completing the task given to me minus the finishing touch
If I stop going above and beyond to satisfy other people
Stop yielding to broken authority but instead try being their equal
Learn to start breathing the air others take in and not care
In this world people like me never win which isn't fair
Like our unique finger prints no two zebras share a match
I can appear overly emotional to those who don't know the facts
It hurts to know my personality
causes me to appear unstable
Just because I aim to please I'm also gaining a losers label
I seem to hurt myself trying to make other people happy
Losing my self respect while others are laughing at me
That day will come eventually when this zebra would change it's stripes
Something is going to snap and cause my emotions to go on strike.
They both wear black and white,
Sport’s fans will see some tonight,
As one type skates on frozen water,
The other keeps a herd in order.
The man can get caught up in media hype,
Each has the same angle of stripe,
Only one has them down to the toes,
And tries to out run the foes.
Seeing far away is their asset,
Always watching out for a threat,
While the other kind may need to hide,
Making some calls they seem crossed-eyed.
A zebra is born looking like this,
All the while, hoping their enemy will miss,
Linesmen and refs are known to make a bad call,
In the end, it could be a team’s down fall.
By His stripes I am healed
By His blood I am washed
I am a new creation
And forever I am free
Wash me in your spirit
Purge me from my sin
Take away the shame I feel.
And bring me into peace
Cleanse me from all wrong
Thoughts and attitudes
Cleanse my body, make me whole
Wash me clean with your power
Make me the child who can be taught
Who is willing to be led
Let me eat of the living word
And truly well be fed
Let your healing flow through me
And touch another heart
Show your loving grace through me
And let them truly see
You are the son who sets them free
When in faith they bend the knee
You have come to give them life.
And give them all eternity
My tiger stripes contrast bright blue
Those butterflies dance to their own tune
Silly butterflies entice me true
Butterflies let's dance 'til the new moon
Those butterflies dance to their own tune
Flit and flutter upon the wind
Butterflies let's dance 'til the new moon
Upon agile paws whirling spin
Flit and flutter upon the wind
Silly butterflies entice me true
Upon agile paws whirling spin
Where tiger stripes contrast bright blue
Personification Pantoum
Kitten And Butterflies
Written: March 11, 2016
When the drums beckoned from Accomgpong Town,
my grandfather run, and run, and run;
my grandfather ran at high speed
over saw-toothed terrain
with vicious rocks hacking at naked soles,
and blood-hounds mauling at his heels.
My grandfather wore stripes
like the red, white and blue;
and when the hot sun rides raw waves on his back,
my grandfather stand tall to wipe sweat from his brow,
then my grandfather wear whips
that echoes louder than the drums
that called beyond Mount Diablo,
but no one was running to his rescue.
STARS AND STRIPES
Majestically upon the wind,
your vibrant colors fly,
red, white and blue, stars and stripes
across an open sky.
You symbolize solidarity,
of country which is great,
with threads of strength that unify
every separate state.
Loved by all you shelter,
or those who under you may dwell,
respected by all others,
who don’t know you quite as well.
Found within your fibers,
a woven tapestry,
of beauty, culture, freedom, strength
and opportunity.
Gentle as a single cloth,
waving in the breeze,
yet powerful enough to bring
a nation to its knees.
The Stars and Stripes
By Franklin Price
9/3/2016
The Stars and Stripes our nation's Flag
Represents “for which it stands”
Not for the issues facing us
Here and in foreign lands
Represents not what out country is
But what it ought to be
A shining light for all the world
From sea to shining sea
Through many battles overhead
Flew the red, the white, the blue
Many died respecting it
You should respect it too
Not a soap box on the ground
But in the wind to freely wave
How some are using it today
Has founders turning in their graves
If you can't give it honor
Maybe you should leave this land
Don't sit stupidly in protest
When it's honored by the band
Stand and place your hand on heart
Sing the anthem if you will
Leave this country, if you can't do that
You have no respect, I've had my fill
One who fights for your tomorrows
One who suffers for the day before
One who waits in sorrow
One who makes America more
What else can I say for every star and every stripe.
He's for America all the way now...
Wounds and Deaths
Blood and Tears
No Running Back
just from fear
Keep it together
In the cruel weather
You must go on.
Behold our waving flag and what it means.
Our young soldiers have fought and died for liberty.
When their remains are carried home across the seas
As loved ones mourn their loss it’s plain to see
The pride for these brave souls behind the tears.
Their flag covered coffin pays homage and respect
As a twenty one gun salute rings in our ears,
We know they fought and died for us, to protect
Our freedom with their great love for the U.S.A.
Too soon they are laid to rest within the ground.
With honor, the flag is folded and we say goodbye.
We bless their souls as they are heaven bound.
We’ll never forget the sacrifice they made.
The last image of the flag burned in our eyes,
With grateful hearts we pray they rest in peace
As our flag represents their glory in our skies.
©2011 Connie Marcum Wong
I thought I would post this poem in honor of Patriot Day.
Zebra Stripes
Zebra Stripes, Tiger like,
Various patterns of optical illusions,
Distinctive covering from head to toe,
Camouflage looks of mass confusion!
Alternating hues of color,
Black fur, white patches throughout,
Animal identity housed within its stripes,
Like fingerprints or a birthmark beauty spot!
The visual stripped suit of the Zebra,
With its design abstract and unique,
Natures’ portrait of sophistication,
Through wonders of genetic mysteries!
Written By: Sarita A. Milliner © 12/10/16
Depression is my secret
It changes yourself for the worst
It makes you cry, cry all night
It makes you feel numb, oh god so numb
But, because of this thing
This thing called "depression"
It made me earn my stripes
Because I am a goddamn tiger, who has earned her stripes for life