Best Sweep Up Poems
The sandman will take pause and say a prayer
Then reach in to his special bag of sand
And with a sweeping motion of his hand
Bright glitter colored stardust fills the air
It falls to bring a dream beyond compare
Where castles in the sky are gold and grand
A momentary glimpse of "Beulah Land"
As we envision life beyond death's stare
And with that thought we'll take a rattled breath
The last tear of this life will find release
We'll see our shooting star, a passing flash
Exhale our soul and welcome life in death
Then build our castles on white clouds of peace
The sandman will sweep up our sparkling ash
by Daniel Turner
Categories:
sweep up, death, dream, poetry,
Form:
Italian Sonnet
There are those who will not hear the siren's wail,
But will know the wheat has turned pale.
Winds will sweep up from the south and the west,
His chorus of trees swaying bravely are Blessed.
Shields aside, faces lit in harmony,
Destiny, homogeny, all God's Children once more free.
Lightning, earthquakes, tsunami seas,
Herald His Coming while evil flees.
Shooting Stars, like hail from above,
Will cleanse us from sin on Wings of the Dove.
And balance in nature will sweep o'er the land
With God in His Glory
Grasp all in His Hand
12/12/21
Categories:
sweep up, visionary,
Form:
Couplet
1. INCIPIENT
the smell of burning body helps me sleep at night
i'd rather ignite this spark in my stomach than shove bread down my throat
singe this hollow home
choke these lungs with bone dry soil so nothing can grow
and maybe they brainwashed me
or i did it to myself
but all of my dreams lead to being skin and bones
the humming of crackling wood whispers
"starve"
i listen
the humming of crackling body whispers
"this is all your fault"
2. GROWTH
this skin is getting too hot to live in
i, the embodiment of a fire breathing dragon
i hunch over
choke on second hand smoke
and misconceptions
there are so many ways to feed into desperate
too many ways to swallow yourself whole
i let this esophagus sizzle and cry
i lie arms spread naked on the bathroom floor catching my breath
a slab of meat thrown onto a cackling grill
fatty and full of blood
sized up and bitten into
violated by my own opinions of beautiful
where bitter
where acidic
where a dysmorphic enemy does not linger
nibbling at my tonsils
3. FULLY DEVELOPED
i am engulfed in flames
these charred hands stain my body with words like
"bony"
like "thin"
like "sick"
this flesh can't escape the freezing creeping up on my being
the trembling of limbs
the chattering of teeth
is a physical trophy
"congratulations!" you are one flicker away from broken
winter almost melts me
christmas and thanksgiving
piles of food fresh like flesh mocking me
rotting in front of me
a mirror image of my organs and intestines
abandoned and squeezed
some sort of puzzle
pieces twisting and breaking
i sit quietly
they ask "aren't you hungry?"
i don't tell them that it is too late for this fire to be put out
or how often i dream of drowning
4. DECAY
a guilty arsonist
i toss my lights and my matches
sweep up the ashes
what is left of my home
and i start building
i blow out the candles
shove my hands into the wreckage and chew it up
i won't spit it out this time
i fill myself up
i introduce myself to my reflection
say,
"hello. i am healthy"
say,
"i've missed you"
a phoenix flies over a body she burned
a city she burned
a world that she burned
says
"go. go find out what happiness tastes like"
Categories:
sweep up, food, health, moving on,
Form:
Free verse
The truth
It will destroy you
An August day
While you sweep up
rose petals
On our Sun drenched
porch
You look at me from
under heavy lashes
And say it's ok
You don't wish to be
without me
It's ok your always
want me
Your never stop
I'll bask in this
glory
Thanking God for you
loving me
As tears prick the
back of my eyes
The hand around my
heart squeezes a
little tighter
Until I am
breathless with it
In time
There is a
difference to us
Making love is no
longer rushed
After
I look at you,
looking down at me
But neither of us
say it's pointless
Your days a little
darker
A little longer
Things a little more
useless
The hand around my
heart squeezes a
little tighter
As the truth picks
away at your dreams
one by one
At Christmas we
pretend we are still
happy
Completely in love
While in the garden
with your sister
The truth pours out
of me in great sobs
She says it's ok
your get through
this
We both know she's
lying
Inside she's crying
I had no right in
making you love me
So the hand squeezes
a little tighter
round my heart
Somewhere along the
way
Anger rises
The tension
surprises us
You begin to resent
me
Hate me for letting
you love me
And I am sorry
I stayed a little
too long
Cared a little too
much
I needed this
whatever it was
So the hand squeezes
a little tighter
round my heart
Invisibly I collect
my possessions
Storing them
They lay in wait
Courage appears
At three in the
morning on a Tuesday
Quietly I get my
things
Wait by the window
for a taxi
As the hand squeezes
a little tighter
round my heart
The knowledge
erupted
Watching you hold
your new Godson
Looking at me
longingly
Knowing I can never
give you this
Tears glazing your
eyes
Looking so proud
It's wrong for me to
keep you
With me this is all
your ever be
A childless man
In your hallway
You help with my
bags saying nothing
I will never be
wife, bnever be a
mother
Without you I'll
never be anything
As the cab pulls
away
You say your always
love me
I say I know
But I have to let
you go
I'm giving you a
chance of what I
can't give you
The most precious
thing
A family
So the hand
completely squeezes
my heart
Categories:
sweep up, break up, farewell, heartbroken,
Form:
Free verse
I walk no more on soft green mosses,
Under the trees where green branch tosses;
Where scent of leaf and red rose flinging,
Perfume the wind with soft scent clinging.
I walk no more by the ocean dreaming,
Where sunbeams fly with grey gulls screaming;
Over the cliffs where wild waves falling,
Sweep up the sound in echoes calling.
I hear no more the sea shell's story,
Along the shore with sunset's glory;
Only the song from the dark cave's hollow,
That siren song I dare not follow.
Words you spoke leave me broken hearted,
For now I find you have departed;
For I loved you well but you left me lonely,
How could I tell if you loved me only?
Categories:
sweep up, lost love, me, song,
Form:
Rhyme
see the birds in circled
flight
gliding and drifting with the wind
this way, that way, way up high together
high high touching the azure sky
lost inside white puffed up sailing clouds
then, just falling
fall and falling here they all come
sweep up in a whirl
soaring in a silent bird ballet
twirl
do a perfect figure eight
around around again
who is the leader and who is the follower
and like the birds in circled flight at dawn
my words fly up into the sky on wings (of love)
glide with the wind
then, do come back onto my page
not quite finished words
with you
so so impatient you are to fly wild
I will try to gather you up
anchor you if I must
oh, do stay still . . .
now- my dears I am done with you
time to see you fly
gliding and drifting with the wind
way up high
touch the azure sky (fall and fall)
whirl and twirl again again
you will figure it out
yes, in circled flight spread your wings just
fly . . . words.
________________________
May 31, 2018
Poetry/Free Verse/just fly words
Copyright Protected, ID 18- 1027-408-01
All Rights Reserved. Written under Pseudonym.
Submitted to the contest, Best Free Verse in May 2018
Sponsor, Laura Loo
First Place
____________________________
For the contest, Poetry For The Sake of Poetry
sponsor, John Lawless
Fourth Place
Categories:
sweep up, poetry, words,
Form:
Free verse
You can't sweep up tears
nor can they be blown away
only held and seen.
Categories:
sweep up, sad
Form:
Senryu
I know where you are,
I simply can't find you .....
alone and together
we silently sway .
You sit in the lamplight
in front of the embers,
yesterday's answers
asleep on the floor.
I sweep up the fragments
of years in the evening,
laying them gently
on top of the coals.
one bright flaring moment
alive in your pipils,
a memory burning
like dry leaves
in Autumn,
a smile on your face
that you wore when you found me
lost and alone
as I am here today.
Categories:
sweep up, loss, sad,
Form:
Free verse
Shattered dreams like shards of glass
thrown wildly on the ground,
part of a soul reflected in each one;
"Dare to dream" they shout,
empty words...missing persons.
Blood flows freely along the ground;
A river to nowhere,
a life of nothing.
Where did the directions end?
When did the breathing stop?
Take away the dreams
every last one;
Take away the light
for darkness hides the shame;
siphon the last drops of blood
let no river flow;
sweep up the glass
for no reflection shall ever show.
Categories:
sweep up, emotions,
Form:
Free verse
If Nature’s wrath we could appease
By sacrificing noble trees,
Then She should well be satisfied,
For scores of trees have up and died.
I reconnoitered city blocks
Where people stood, absorbing shocks
Of once majestic elms and oaks
Destroyed by Mother Nature’s strokes.
Some split in half, their branches strewn
And lives extinguished, years too soon;
So helplessly they languish, prone,
Their false facade of vigor blown.
The storm recedes, the damage done,
The clean-up barely just begun;
But roots and hearts alike were torn.
We sweep up limbs and leaves and mourn.
Categories:
sweep up, natural disasters,
Form:
Rhyme
a smashing success -
diamonds and emeralds
in the jaws of thieves
left to sweep up shards of glass
eyes wet and red as rubies
Categories:
sweep up, angst,
Form:
Tanka
Times are ticking, clocks stand still,
Yet memories flood, and flood they will.
Although the past comes trickling through,
The future is present with things to do.
Though hello is easy to say,
Toward departure I'll have to sway.
For holding up my conscious gloom,
Is no good to sweep up what is doomed.
I have parted, parted I will,
No one can make the clocks stand still.
Categories:
sweep up, farewell, goodbye,
Form:
Rhyme
Life
Life is often
Like a shattered vase
On the tile floor
Scattered fragments
With jagged edges
Clinging to the floor
In a puddle of water
All it takes is one nudge
One careless bump
One poor choice
Sends it spiraling down
Scrambling to fix it
Fingers brushing glass
Pain erupting along your hand
Glowing red-hot pain
You wish you could fix it
Hold it together
Cover it in tape
You wish
With sore hands, you walk
To the sink
Running hands under the tap
Pain smarting in your palms
Finally, with bandaged hands
And a sore heart
You sweep up the broken fragments
Into a little pan
Slowly
you paste
The little shards back into place
Filling the cracks
It doesn’t happen overnight
But after a while
You no longer remember that it was broken
It looks almost the same
The cracks do show
But the vase holds
Standing proudly in the window
Holding firm to the sill
And the marks on your hands
They fade
And you almost forget the pain
And the vase remains
Categories:
sweep up, beauty, life, loss, pain,
Form:
Free verse
The world out there so big they say.
The one inside grows smaller each day.
Where once stood the crowd I knew.
Empty space and a remaining few.
The dreams so grand, with limits none.
At my feet I find not one.
Where the endless expanse of days.
Spread before us like crashing waves.
Now a night that draws us nigh.
Time to sleep that gentle sigh.
So sweep up the memories, throw out the lies.
Hush now my friend your frightened cries.
It was so sweet all I tried.
So scatter me far and scatter me wide.
Its true, no man ever went so far.
Travel by foot, bike and clanging car.
The people, places and things I’ve known.
The joy, my children, to my heart have shown.
What man should lament his having to go?
For it merely be what we are born to do.
Ain't life a wonderment???
Categories:
sweep up, peaceme,
Form:
Prose Poetry
There is a door to my mind
It is open all the time
Waiting for words of kind
Hoping you say you’re mine.
As I travel through rivers of sleep
Hearing you call from the deep
I sweep up the words you speak.
When I am alone I peak
Through the door I seek
These words from you I keep.
Categories:
sweep up, love,
Form:
Rhyme