Best Tarnishes Poems
Bastille
Many years ago
They stormed the Bastille
Two hundred and one lost their lives
The tennis court oath however survived
Jacques had his heart with the masses
Necker could not be dismissed so easily
The storming of the Bastille was to be
The birth of a nation for all men free
And free men they were
Running naked through the streets
What they lacked in cake
The made up with in red wine
The Republique was born
A democracy in infancy
Would grow through trials and tribulations
To become a multicultural great nation
Lone angry men filled with such hate
I welcome you to Bastilles’ gate
Of medieval prisons long ago
It is there, you I shall throw
You kill in the name of a God
A God you do not know
Love has escaped from your very soul
Only hate tarnishes your bitter heart
The ghosts of Bastille are mocking
The coward who is filled with such animosity
There never shall be an escape
The soul of the dead shall eternally taunt you
A criminal with no compassion
You have only given us our determination
To battle for the peace of this great nation
You bring us tears; alas we shall turn them to wine
Naked through the streets we shall always dance!
How many people on this planet may
be able to declare they’ve known true love?
I do not mean the kind that goes away
when things get bad because there’s plenty of
that kind of love! It’s often based on lust,
for give it time. . . the sparkle it would show
soon tarnishes and then it turns to rust.
Hollywood romances. At first they glow!
You see them in the headlines. Do not think
to envy them! So few of them survive.
Regard the couples who when on the brink
of chaos still stay strong! Learn how they thrive!
Through good times and through bad you will know bliss
if you can say you’ve tasted true love’s kiss.
Feb 5, 2020 for Brenda Chiri's A Sonnet True Love Poetry Contest
Written: May 06, 2026, for contest sponsored by Brian Strand
10th place contest winner
****************
If you wish for
your joy to wander on—
treasure it as a precious gem,
a quiet secret,
Cosmos cannot clone.
Guard it
akin to flame
trembling in the wind,
an elfin, sacred brightness
that warms everything
It touches.
Hold it close
when the days grow loud;
don’t expose it
to careless hands
or let routine
rub away its luster.
Don’t let it fade
into the ordinary—
Love is not common
unless we deem it so.
And if it tarnishes,
as all precious things do,
polish it gently
with tenderness,
with patience,
with the soft persistence
of someone who remembers
Why did they pick this heart?
It will gleam again,
bright as the first day
You held it—
brighter, even,
for having survived the storm.
For love,
when cherished,
does not merely endure—
it deepens,
it sweetens,
its radiance swells
than the moment
It began.
What are the things that tarnishes wishes
Which is when I became deeply suspicious
Was it a word in a poem I recently read?
Which way by word was I being lead?
Maybe such a word was useless and trite
In poem not perfect or fit exactly right
So at it decided to take another look
With only one word could I write book?
Should word be would or possibly could?
How about clear or maybe misunderstood?
Either left, right, sight or only pronoun me
Going on a strike or out when there are three.
Then there is winner, loser, keeper and goal
Weeper when ball was not between each pole
In football there is such a word as intercept
Not on purpose but poor player was inept.
Which one of these words should you choose?
And if not properly interpreted, you will lose
And why do some people appear to be dumb
When in England word mom is really mum.
Is that why we here in America always say
mum's the word?
James Thomas Horn, Retired Veteran
Everybody lies; it's part of the norm,
for truth, like a coin tarnishes with age.
Honesty, being a stickler for form,
is best portrayed: in movies or on stage.
Everybody cries; it's what humans do,
it is all part of love's ultimate price.
And the pain of betrayal's nothing new,
lovers oft break up, like a sea of ice.
Everybody suffers to some degree,
yet I can't ignore the pain in my heart.
And if my feelings were to be set free,
they'd undoubtedly tear my soul apart.
Everybody has felt the pain I feel,
so, why do I think it's such a big deal?
He is an ant,nonentity and an entertainer,
He walks half naked in torn clothes,
dance openly in the market square
to music that is not there,
The crowd applaud with amusement.
He has no home
dump hill or underground tunnel serves as his niche,
has many relatives who come to
watch him display,
He soliloquizes,so they think;
seeing things that are not there;
Is he mad?
He eats 'fresh' food from dust bins and incinerators,
He looks healthy, never sick;
Freedom to move without hindrance,
He communes with astral beings,
he has no fear,no sorrow nor pain;
His teeth is darker than amber and
the smell from his mouth is 'pleasant and killing'.
Then comes another being-
a lion,a he-goat and a lover of money,
He prides himself in luxury;state house is his abode,
Many surround him to watch his display,
sixteen luxurious cars,with five duplexes
and a private jet,with many concubines,
Is he mad?
He eats 'fresh' meat from silver or gold plates,
he looks fresh and healthy,but sick in the mind,
cannot move freely for fear
of being molested or killed,
Is he sane?
Wasteful spending is part of his trait,
Corruption and embezzlement are his garments,
Spends money overseas;establishing industries and hospitals
in foreign lands,
while at home,many are jobless,hungry and dying;
dying from lack of medical care and facilities,
dying from poverty and malnutrition,
yet,he throws golden coins around,
Is he wise?.
Whether an ant or a lion,
The spectators will disappear,
the ovation will stop,
the blood will cease flowing
and the air will stop circulating,
the clean or dirty body will decay,
Just one day,one minute and a second;
the luxury tarnishes and
golden fleets varnish into thin air;
The two will enter the belly of the earth,
"dust you are, and dust you shall return".
Then,if that is the case,
Why accumulate wealth at the detriment of many?
Nitwits!and fools!;people with myopic visions,
They have little understanding;yet,they are educated,
Between the ant and the lion,
who is really mad?..
Man Walks In Darkness
Sad excuse, not a plus
just ask Simon Cowell
Freedom found on a bus,
words of Colin Powell
Darkness and deceit, joined happily racing hand in hand
Death, destruction and misery follows war's pounding paths
Such cold-bloodied black that it tarnishes even the land
Encouraging follies from man's feeble, indignant wrath
Lies accepted as art
where educations lays
Those blinded do their part
in clouding sunny days.
World brings its hate and pains
hunger aches, no relief
Wicked births aching stains
living with no belief
Fear ye not, saving light sails forth when sincere pleas abound
destroying vast raging seas of poison and rancid brine
Even without heaven's sweetest angelic trumpeted sound
recoveries and miracles bring blessings very fine
Man will find lit paths true
shielded from temptations
His word reigns over you
Love's greatest sensations.
Robert J. Lindley, 5-19-2016
Syllables Per Line: 6 6 6 6 14 14 14 14 6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6 14 14 14 14 6 6 6 6
Total # Syllables: 208
Total # Lines: 25 (Including empty lines)
Words with (syllables) counted programmatically: N/A
Total # Words: 136
Written in Peter Duggan's new form with slight deviance
made by author..
I hope that I may have done it some justice my friend.
Statue and Mercury
Statue
mono-lithic, massive
Shining, captivating, radiating
Glimpse lifts soul ; tarnishes precious gold
Dissolving, poisoning, reacting
Silvery, liquid-metal
Mercury
©Copyright Anulaxmi Nayak,2015
15th September 2015
I cry for you democracy dear
will i ever see you, ever
i mourn for freedom that will never be
my people are all over the world
with no place to call home
i cry for you mother land,the land pf my fathers
i long for the milk and honey we used to have
degeneration of my land caused by greed and power
the nation has more weapons than people
that is the evil that tarnishes the image of my country
i cry for you democracy dear
teach me how to be free,how to chose what is best for me
come, heal this cancer of corruption
come along democracy dear
i fear more blood will be shed
i fear my people may never be marry
for how long will my people live like this?
come democracy,help my people
help us defuse this ticking time bomb
i cry for you democracy dear
i wear this ring of rage like a noose around my neck
i tightens round my twisted thoughts until my mind's train wrecked
i wear this ring of rage and it cuts off circulation
love and light seem dark and dire
i'm headed for destruction
i wear this ring of rage and it tarnishes my spirit
i cry to God as my soul gets robbed but my prayers get lost in static
i wear this ring of rage,once new now old and tattered
like barbarians on brutal warpaths
i get beaten,bashed,and battered
i wear this ring of rage like a mark of misery
i climb to the top then i fall to the bottom
like a cycle of defeat
i wear this ring of rage now i cut it off my finger
cause it's never too late to leave this life where lonely ghosts now linger
that ring it turns to fire as i drop it to the depths
i can hear Gods angels all rejoice
i can hear the devil hiiss
i wore a ring of rage now i wear a gold peace sign
once savage and depraved now joyous and divine
[email protected]
Life at its beginning is white for all
Cleanly and perfect- singular in design
Warm fed and comfortable
But life through the ages tarnishes the white
Sometimes as sudden as a bucket of black paint
Drenched and permeated and you soak for days
You try to get white and clean but
There remains the tail-tell signs of grays and blues
Creviced in the minds and hearts of all who were in your studio
Friends acquaintances family and strangers
Know and see the tartered canvas of white
More often than not a white with blotch
So who can make me white again
“Not be the hairs of my chinny chin-chin”
What can make me white again
“Nothing but the blood of Jesus”
As the tree loose its leaves in winter and hibernation draws closer
And the clock of time speeds towards the end of my life
I hope you will be patient with me
Understanding that old age slows you down
Steals your eyesight
Consumes your senses
Tarnishes your pride
Diminishes your spirit
Break your self-respect
Leaving you broken and worthless
So my dear child remember
In case I smash a saucer
Or spill tea all over the kitchen floor
Here’s hoping you will be sympathetic
Remembering that old people are sensitive
And when you whisper you love me
And it looks as though I am staring into space
Remember old age has taken my hearing so don’t call me deaf
Be caring always and remember to ask me to write it down
I am sorry my child that I had to grow old
And could no longer walk along the shores of the beach with you
Holding your hands and watching you play in the sand
Time has stolen the best of me
But as the breath of life fades from me
I want you to know that you and your sisters was the best thing that ever happened to me.
There is a universal catastrophic problem.
No nation or continents want to help solve them.
There are deft defying tribulations.
This affects us all not just those poor nations.
Famine and diseases plague every form of life.
I pray to my Lord Jesus Christ.
We as a people pretend to care.
I think because we all live in “What If” fear.
But lack of sympathy tarnishes the human spirit.
At night in my sleep I hear cries for help; I wonder also do you hear it.
When I awake in the morning my face is soaking wet from tears.
As we colonize planet earth now and in the future; these will not go away.
With time on earth ending day after day.
So what is the final solution?
It’s certainly not war and pollution.
It should’t take tsunamis, brush fires, mud slides, floods, and earthquakes.
To make us as a human race help because this soon will be our fate.
James 5:13-14 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy?
Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of
the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Being a prostitute,
Is not a substitute-
When one is destitute,
Cos it tarnishes the image, one constitutes!
Adelaja 2011…
Poetry on poetry contest.
the world lulled into a waltz
tis blurry who talks the talk
hopscotch scrawls who walks the walk
future visions blow hot and cold
life with no purpose gets mighty old
seems high five awes don’t erase the flaws
lessons with no plot get no applause
lackluster society doesn’t connect the dots
this dilly-dally world tarnishes the bot
gumption and prudence still adrift
mankind’s journey a repetitive tiff
repeat after me, life’s still a gift