Best Tenaciously Poems
You were the oak in our family tree,
With roots that were strong and true,
Holding on so tenaciously
No ill wind could topple you.
We nestled under your branches, Daddy,
In the shelter of your girth,
Until our own roots were established and
We survived by our own worth.
Daddy, only then did you waver
Only then did your roots release.
God seeing how very tired you were
Took you to his home of peace.
Dear Daddy on this Father's Day
I am wondering if you knew
Just how much your daughter loved you
And that she's still missing you.
Categories:
tenaciously, dad, daughter, father,
Form:
Rhyme
Across the Sprawl of wistful Fall
Through capricious Skies of broken Lies
Naive sweets leave tongues of the young
As the last leaf of summer dies
To Escape the Scrape of leather feathers
And Trim the Rim from fallow snows
Tomorrow's Flowers count the Hours
In the Bleak Mystique of departing crows
Where the cold unfolds Tracks of wolf Packs
The remains of rain Returns the Ferns
Despite the Spite of cynic's delight
The wheel of days tenaciously turns
When a green dream Soars through golden Doors
Each Sunset will Reset a pristine dawn
As Tender as April's fragile Splendor
Hope Stands as Grand as a fresh-eyed fawn.
11/15/20
In Rhymes Sublime contest
Sponsor: Joseph May
Categories:
tenaciously, hope, nature, seasons,
Form:
Rhyme
Inspired by Edvard Munch's oil on canvas painting - Ashes (1894)
The fire of passion between us has burned itself out,
These woods taunt us with their vibrant whispers,
I am tired of listening to the leaves laughing
and the trees teasing us,
Oh! What have we done?
My whole life has come undone!
Shame squeezes my soul,
Despair clings tenaciously to my being,
Frustration at having fallen into this hopeless pit!
Look at me and answer -
Is there any redemption left?
Any way to go back to life as it were before?
Why has Fate tempted us thus?
My heart aches for all that is lost between us...
How have we succumbed to the lust of the flesh!
Beyond repair, beyond rectification!
My wild hair is testament to how I feel!
I stare blankly at my bleak future
(if there's any left!)
You hide your face now!
Why didn't you think of the consequences
before doing the deed?
Why did you lure me into your lustful trap?
Ah, Me! I know I am equally to blame!
What I thought was 'love' completely blinded me!
Now I am left to mourn...
No! now WE are left to mourn
this 'blazing' passion that has burned us,
this 'fire' that has consumed us,
this useless heap of 'ashes' left behind!
Categories:
tenaciously, art, inspiration,
Form:
Ekphrasis
Who can resist the strangulating grip of time?
That which exists today may not be there tomorrow
Like shooting stars which vanish in the flicker of an eye
Life comes and goes quicker than a darting arrow
The only constant in life is its inconstancy
With time, even our existence turns a myth
As every sunrise follows a sundown,
Each birth leads to an eventual death
In the fluidity of time, we are in a state of flux
So don’t obdurately hold anything in your arms
Instead loosen your grip and let things go
With the ease of water through your open palms
Every lovely flower that blossoms once
Fades in time and eventually turns to brown
Even a leaf that clings tenaciously to the tree
When autumn blasts strike, falls down
Impermanence being in the grand design of things
To nothing in this world, one can permanently cling
So, willingly give way to herald in the new,
As autumn leaves cannot be laundered for the spring!
Feb.22.2023
~ Placed Second~
Inspired by Robert Frost’s ‘Nothing Gold can Stay’
Poetry Contest
Sponsor JCB. Brul
Categories:
tenaciously, change, death, truth,
Form:
Rhyme
Do not let the ray of his meek sun fa me shines alone So
Seek O, the favor of the Creator on his templed throne, eke
Favors of mercy Lattitudes of grace; lo the patient Savior’s
Heart pines through tedious days for us, rich joys to impart.
Do seek tenaciously lakes solacing familiar pains. Meander
In his goodness, his ray of peace shines for you. Flee the sin
Shackling us to self-delusions of pride. A doe may blunder
Before the hunter’s scope, but mercy renders a shift of wind
Raining reason not inborn, meaning for praise fore fallacious
Certainty of some evil heart. No weapon formed against you
Shall prosper. Lark the sky with praise, team hearts O to do
His will and sing: Doh te la so fa me ra doh, O Lord I am all
Prepared thy will know; through my night let bright rays fall.
Here me call when I groan: do ra me fa so la te do ... let me
Feel thy lattitudes of grace bringing me in embrace on my knee.
Categories:
tenaciously, faith, inspirationalme, me,
Form:
Verse
~What Make A Best Friends~
Best friends are hard to find
Just like among the lovely stars at night we’ve to pick the best one
A priceless gem of God’s Loving Divine.
I finally found you Linda (aka pd)...
My heart is in triumph
My desolation is gone
You’re not only like a star, but my rising sun
Someone who tenaciously raises me up when I’m down.
When a shroud of gloom hangs over me,
You cheer me up
Whether you are far or near
Your listening ears give me a breath of wind.
You offer the loveliest rose in your garden
Smile…. Laugh and cry with me
One of those who anchors to the fulfillment of my dream
Hone-in-on to a friend’s sake
Offers a mighty shoulder to lean on
Or to stand to see further. --From: L.G.
-A dearest sis, from heaven send-
I share my muse, with your beating friendship
Never would I force you to answer or say something
When I'm hurt or crying, or feel like my life is over
Just knowing you are there listening, brings comfort--
--Whether you are near or far
I know you will be there caring in every step of the way
In you I see a woman who highly respects herself
A beautiful person who goes a long way, making others feel the light
I would never trade you for someone who can't prance and dance like you
Your best quality, comes from being yourself no matter who's around
This is how I know, you have the perfect ingredients
Of what makes a special best friend
So, fun, unique and interesting, Leonora you are so sweet
You understand, with support, you carry a soul of trust and beauty
You were there through my good times and bad
A positive shoulder to cry on
Without casting judgment on the things I've done,
I smile with glee, enjoying your sincerity
Leonora, my BFF, I hope you don't mind that I gave my secret away
The perfect ingredients, of what makes a best friend. --By: P.D.
Jan. 10-17,2014
- collaboration poem of Linda/PD and Leonora
~ It’s again my great honor to have been invited to collaborate with my most all time favourite, my greatest poet, loving poet sis and forever BFF, PD/ Linda. She's a very special poet sis & friend/BFF of mine . I’m in tears of joy to know that I’m also special to her. Word’s are inadequate to thank you enough for everything my dearest sis! My biggest & loveliest hugs ever to u! Lovem4evr sis & BFF Leo
Categories:
tenaciously, friend, friendship, sister,
Form:
Free verse
Her sad eyes and tear stained face evoked such ambivalent feelings;
I could barely stand to look upon the half-naked child in front of me.
She turned her face toward me with a pained look begging for help.
Maternal feelings welled up within for this pitiful tangled haired waif.
Gaping in abject horror, I observed the orphan's frail arms wrapped
tenaciously around a dead rat and held close to her dirt smeared body.
I sensed this sewer 'pet rat' had been her only source of comfort in life.
The one thing she turned to, when sad or hungry, would never again be.
While resisting the urge to gather her up in my arms and dry her tears,
still I desired to sympathize... whispering, "Don't cry honey, it'll be OK".
I lied, knowing it wouldn't. Besides what could I do with so little to give.
I turned and walked away not wanting to face my growing sense of lack.
I awoke with a start, shuddering, deeply disturbed and troubled to tears.
Sometimes the vivid images, like a horror movie returning to haunt me,
make me question, "Who is that wretched child so forlorn and dejected?
The memories shake my very soul, the hidden message still eluding me.
Categories:
tenaciously, allegory, dark, dream, emotions,
Form:
Narrative
Walking from the field, snow heavy on my boots,
the sound of water whispers beneath the thawing blanket
so tenaciously clinging to fertile mother earth.
Ancient furrows of past season's hope
plow through frozen dirt,
the veins that now flow gently
with blood of red clay and dark soil.
Patches of green I see, formed from lost seeds,
sown by invisible hands as winds reaped life
from last evening's sowing,
before mother pulled her white sheet
tight over hilly breast to sleep through winter's dream.
Green like season's beard to be shaved
before new seed can be planted.
The gate swings easily as I push it, the snow has melted here.
Looking back the awakened ground shimmers
like tomorrow in the morning sun.
Yet, there before me the rutted path
filled with frozen boot prints from years of fading memories
reminds me from where I have come.
04/22/2018
Categories:
tenaciously, earth, remember,
Form:
Free verse
A raging river tenaciously floods
Tannins and silts combine to dark blood
A hut, just fifty metres, occupying their sight
Two men, cold and wearied, stuck for the night
An adventure all planned, lasting a week
In the middle of nowhere with red deer to seek
Twelve-hours of hiking, commencing that day
Now trapped with some refuge a stone throw away.
Cracking of boulders being pushed by the current
Affirming the folly of crossing this torrent.
Necessities shaping a cold camp till the dawn
Just tattered old plastic, to use as an awn.
Soft moss as a bed but soaking from rain
Ferns as a pillow don’t cushion colds pain.
Dark of the evening only adds to the pall
Deaths favoured colour, as rain continues its fall
Shivering endless; bodies fighting the shock
Drops of clouds tears slowed to the tick of a clock.
Moisture still falling, no hope for them now
Prospects were mirrored by the dark of the hour
Subtly the winds whispered breathe in their ear.
Fight.
Rekindling the flames to survive their harsh plight
Packs full of food, swiftly emptied for fuel
Bodies recharged in spite of the cool.
Rain in the dark hours continued to pour
Sounds from the river commenced to fair roar,
First crack of dawn and they got up and away
Wilderness wins this particular day.
*Based on a true story however my companion and I were stuck in the elements
for 2 days and nights. Another river flooded and blocked our exit.*
Categories:
tenaciously, adventure, earth, nature, success,
Form:
Narrative
Still clinging quite tenaciously,
a withered leaf on family tree.
The storms are gathering around.
In day or two, that leaf is bound
to lose its last courageous grip
and to its waiting brothers slip.
So sure now is the leaf to fall
we're waiting for the dreaded call.
We cannot count on one more day
until our brother slips away.
One generation almost gone.
Sister and I are on our own.
Won a first in Leaves contest
Categories:
tenaciously, family,
Form:
Rhyme
As I walk through the graveled paths
When the stinging stones speak to me
Of the pain thrust on trampling feet
I see you in the unlit alleys of my memory
As the wind blows from a covert hide out
Twisting and shaking the branches of trees
Causing them to break and fly off the trunk
I see you in the torn pages of my life’s tome
As I listen to the song of lone birds
And their doleful notes fall in my ears
I am jolted out of my bohemian ways
And feel a plaintive tone floating to me
Wandering along the sprawling beach
As I hear the roar of waves
And when a humdrum of voices fills me
I hear your voice distinct like the beat of my heart
Like the pain at a needle point that shall always be
Like an intruder, nudging to steal the inner space
Like the small tremors after a fateful seismic quake
I now know that in me you stay like sleeping fury
Even when I walked away from you
You stubbornly stuck to me
Like a leech tenaciously clinging to the skin
Oh! How hard I struggle to get you off!
Sept.13.2022
~Placed First~
Re submitted for- Your Second Chance 2nd Submission
Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Sotto Poet
A Brian Strand Premiere Choice Poetry Contest
Categories:
tenaciously, angst, conflict, love hurts,
Form:
Free verse
Anchored in the Aura of your loyalty, the
Breathtaking mood you enhance in me, for I
Cannot fathom the length of your love
Definitely not enveloped in envy but care
Every time that phone rings you race to it
Fervently like a worship, in offerings
Garnished with sacrifices and praises
Hammered by my hypnotic smile you hug
In, triggered by my endangering tear you
Jug ruthlessly into its source, instilling
Kindness and knowledge endlessly
Like a rugged professor, family is not
Mostly drawn out of blood, you have stood
Needlessly in my heart, because the bond
Overcomes every thorn that pierces our soul
Preciously evacuating every dead ash laying
Quietly in my heart, you have genuinely and
Relentlessly proven you are worth a million
Size too enormous to spill, your support
Tenaciously clench my wrist like a pillar of
Unraveling mysteries. You share vital
Visions and make us run with it like thieves.
Wondering amid primrose you glisten like
Xanthopetals, serenading your bloom
Yet unmarred flawlessly in Perihelion, let your
Zestful being be celebrated for being a true friend.
Categories:
tenaciously, best friend, care, celebration,
Form:
Abecedarian
Tall
Totally
Thoughtless
Tony
Tore
Tenaciously
Through
Tiny
Terribly
Timorous
Timothy’s
Twenty-two
Tofutti's
To
Taste
Those
Terrifically
Tantalizing
Treats
Oct. 25, 2019
for Eve Roper's Tautogram Poems Poetry Contest
Categories:
tenaciously, food,
Form:
Tautogram
Tuneful preludes play on whoosh of spring wind
as flowers spread their kaleidoscopic wings
Two quartets daze in awe while celebrating
a reunion with picnic and ballroom dancing.
The golden showers radiate and incandesce…
Tulips and jasmine nearby bloom so fresh.
Like utopia where ensembles are veritable
Birds of paradise hung their notes to warble.
Music plays…. in graceful moves…smiles scintillate
a luncheon together - each one will never forget.
Memories are all in photos with red roses
Big sunflowers are captured…jutting our faces.
I hold tenaciously an album in a bright clip
of families in garden party for close friendship.
July 7, 2014 11.10pm
Third Place
Contest: Garden Party: Verb-alized Noun-sense with floral accents
Judged: 7/15/2014
Sponsor: Poet Cyndi MacMillan
Categories:
tenaciously, nature,
Form:
Sonnet
CRY THE BELOVED CONTINENT…
(Apropos The Ripping Veil of Pan-Africanism)
In all her blackness
her soils run red
with the blood of her children
Whose bloated bellies
mock the pregnancy
of liberty
And her breasts
sag in union
with faces
of hopeless hopefulness;
While hollowed eyes
of mourners
gaze into the wholeness
of nothing---
Smiling death stalks
the narrowing corridors of
life---echoing souring laughs
to virgin wombs
screaming from the shadows
of the valley of death:
But believe brethren---
mock not the gods---
keep plodding;
for in the theism
of this imposed dystopia,
a wretched mother
tenaciously clings to time
and history.
Categories:
tenaciously, africa, black african american,
Form:
Prose Poetry