Best Thoughtfully Poems
Well hopefully you've read the last "Poetry for Poets", now here's the one I wanted to write, enjoy...
POETRY FOR POETS
(I own this- edition)
Poems
more organic than fertilizer
rooted in the **** of life
manure
Some grow wild
seeking their light
through a gnarled thicket
of images
and symbolism.
Ill watered
or sprayed with chemical defoliants
they strangle themselves,
few
managing to blossom.
Manicured
Poems thoughtfully precisely planted
to achieve optimum yield
banquet
though occasionally
poems require to be forged
beaten into shape
like a horse shoe
with a few holes
accurately placed
ensuring they will be nailed
to their purpose
Pruned
dead words and metaphors
selectively snipped away
stunning display
There are times when it’s best to live with your poetry
Cover yourself with its words until they stretch and become sloppery
For its comfort increases as the stanzas begin to fray
Patched elbows illuminating what you intend to say
And eventually you’ll have a poem to slip into by the fire
To savour with hot chocolate as it ignites your desire
Poems
more organic than fertilizer
flourish when tendered
with love
Categories:
thoughtfully, creation, metaphor, poems, poetry,
Form:
Free verse
I remember the tree verdant in spring
Those years stretched out could be filled with anything
I had dreams of strong limbs and plenitude
Thoughtfully give limbs for nest and bedewed
I saw you change in fall to colors rare
The frost touched your leaves and limbs unaware
I saw winds swoop from the north stripping pride
Then run its course, your fears you tried to hide
I wonder what will happen to the tree
Though life issues idiosyncrasy
Written: 8-26-22
Contest: Dot Your i's and Cross Your t's
Sponsor: Hilo Poet
Categories:
thoughtfully, family,
Form:
Couplet
The last time I had seen this particular cousin of mine, I was still in college and he had a head full of hair. In between, there had been three funerals, two weddings and four births in our Trojan royalty of a family. I had been a university graduate for a year, and the prospect for a job, a decent one at that, had started to grow dimmer by the day. He asked, “Will you tutor my daughter?” “Yes!” I said. And we set out immediately. He, on his bike and I, on my motorcycle following him. We took a right turn at the famous landmark of the statue of demoness Putana, sitting on the grass with her bosom out and legs spread forward. He introduced me to his wife and daughter. Telling them to stand side by side, he told me, “She's only eleven, but look at her! Already equal in length and width to her mother, who is no delicate petal herself. Do you think you can teach her GK?”
The universe wasn't made with dissent. Plus, the chicken samosas were really delicious. I tried on a grin while the overachieving pre-teen bustled around the room showing me her accolades for painting, singing, studying. As I left he pointed at a tree, “Do you know what tree is that?”
“Bael?” I answered thoughtfully.
“Apple. That's an apple tree.”
“Oh! Does it bear fruits?”
“Not in this climate!” He laughed out loud.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 30 / 11 / 2016
Contest: James Tate
Sponsor: Space Cadet
Categories:
thoughtfully, family, humorous, life, metaphor,
Form:
Prose Poetry
A Hat is a Personality
Tip it forward, graciously
Angle it sideways, rakishly
~ Tilt its brim back, thoughtfully
Categories:
thoughtfully, character, fashion, people,
Form:
Personification
I have never lost my zest for fun and laughter
Though long since I could jump a rope
Still enjoy the punchline remembered after
I have forgotten the story leading up to it
Down deep inside is this little boy
Who tells the old man, “It’s time to sit!”
I have often sought from that child advice
When new, fresher approaches are needed
My inner child seldom pauses to think twice.
I have never hesitated to thoughtfully resort
To that little boy inside who never grew up
Who loves the fun and games of a sport.
I have that appreciation for a kitten or a pup
Love to play in the meadow’s creek, and though
Nearly eighty, fight like the dickens to never grow up!
FIRST PLACE TROPHY WINNER
written August 31, 2021
especially for "Your Inner Child" Poetry Contest
sponsored by Chantelle Anne Cooke
Categories:
thoughtfully, age, child, identity, introspection,
Form:
Rhyme
Having left the company
of surprisingly easy difficulties,
I had dismayed at the fools,
eased through the shallows
and been thoughtfully left behind.
Having done with the fools
and the shallows
and the thoughtful leaving behind,
I returned to the company
of unsurprisingly difficult faces
in a place I knew to look.
I reconciled to the judges.
They would not reconcile to me.
This is the truth of kin,
I at once told myself,
but some kin are better pleased,
thank God one of them
was better pleased,
and thank God - God forgive me ! -
the last was not there at all !
I hurriedly turned to leave
(one out of three would do).
Did I return to the shallows
or vanish into the deep ?
16th August 2020
Categories:
thoughtfully, family, love, memory,
Form:
Free verse
"We have more ability than willpower, and it is often an excuse to ourselves that we imagine that things are impossible". Francois de La Rochefoucauld
A fresh year is upon us, and the counter is ticking,
I carry out my recent resolutions for year-picking.
Self-discipline or staying in touch with family.
The family lives in the eternal heart, happily.
I will strain harder to retain my resolution,
to improve our planet for peace and evolution.
Faint waves of grace may clump a long way,
Conjure us a stable place and restrain evil at bay.
I wish to improve my family bonds this year,
They bestow concord, spirit, and a loving ear.
This year, I ought to transmute what I say,
Misunderstood words often ruin my day.
I'd aped to yield up even minor desires this year,
for they rarely come true and only wreak fear.
I wish to savor each moment with awareness.
Thoughtfully, I wish to increase my happiness.
The nonce ticking down to 2023 and midnight,
The preceding year viewed so much plight.
If I pick one resolution, it will be to be positive.
My cup half full stars glitter brighter, evocative.
No more premature sleepless nights are due,
Worry over the obnoxious, resentful few.
Learning to be grateful a million times over,
sharing prosperity with loads of delight sower.
My New Year's resolution was revealed in the past,
I hope that the year twenty-two will be our last.
I hope that the huge ball will achieve something,
It crushes the epidemic and the anguish it brings.
Written: November 26, 2022
Resolutions for 2023 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Anoucheka Gangabissoon
Categories:
thoughtfully, analogy, appreciation, dream, new
Form:
Rhyme
He crosses her lush yard pensively
brushing nervous fingers through his hair.
With eyes meditating on his desire,
their feelings of love are pure and rare.
She quietly tends to her blooming garden
and pulls the stubborn weeds one-by-one.
Drawing near, he keeps her in his gaze.
A dream of vows takes flight chasing the sun.
She looks up at him, smiling thoughtfully.
His heart melts in puddles as he turns away.
He loves her too much to steal her from her home.
Right here with her, he must patiently stay.
She stands and knowingly walks over to him.
With a soft kiss on his cheek, she beams.
He will wait for her 'til blessings are given
though his tender heart bursts at the seams.
Where she goes, he will go.
Where she stays, he resides.
His love is not fleeting.
With devotion, he abides.
By Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Categories:
thoughtfully, devotion, love, romance, heart,
Form:
Rhyme
So thoughtfully busily going to the tomb
Were you enamored with words from the womb
Verbally gurgling did you succumb
Or did it come later in life
Likened to lightning spelling you under
Suddenly there before hearing the thunder
Rapidly vapidly words in your head
Were ringing and clamoring yet to be said
At work in your garden editing hedge
Trimming unwanted excess
It smacks of sedition this growing ambition
To put plants in orderly rowed inhibition
Sun reaching in silent distress
The beauty of discipline held up to view
In close captivated submission
In ranks and in rows uniformly disposed
Earthbound and holding attention
Yet openly Stubbornly free
They continue to grow.
To Flander's field poppies
And crosses akin
They are harvests of memory to reap
Promises planted to keep
Categories:
thoughtfully, inspirational, introspection, nature, on
Form:
In Memoriam Quietly Always Close
Are they whispers, then, settling
So gently upon that slightest breeze wending
Over the granite crosses and statues of cradling angels,
Which stand in their long cemetary rows?
Stating each name of the one passed on with
There-on etched, too, the noting of time alive
And telling of the beloved, who hum there their slow laments;
Who send up colorful balloons to celebrate their love and
Take far their silent greetings in the sky.
Are they lullaby heartsongs, which
Rise on sprigs of heaven-bound light,
So tunefully sweet for love’s addressed, aided
By a league of angellic composers
In their lyrical rounds from above our earthly sphere?
Are these the places of our hushed sympathies?
The places we lay over our dear ones
All the broken pieces of the grieving heart’s still longing
To stay in some way forever near, and, so, we linger thoughtfully
Criss-crossing the undulating final verdigris
Landscape, which embraces the last remains ~
Resting on in heaven’s wait for that further journey going on.
Are these faint mists surrounding
So many hours of our own remaining days —
Which are spent summoning back the stories, the touches,
The eyes that happily cast their glance into our own —
Not truly our tears
Being turned to magnifying memories,
Prayerfully appearing with each
Dusk’s close of day and placid rise of the radiant moon?
Do see that the soundless falling is our aching?
Is a furor — burst of pure, white snow:
A flash of a blizzard, looking nearly weightless,
Landing in silence, but
Incongruously, falling heavily down, into those forming crystalline layers
To dress a seeming lace-like çover over all the stone markers
With a luminous beauty, revealing a metaphor, ineffable
~ Blessed markers of life itself set here before us
Within reach of meeting the Divine.
—————————————————————————————-
(c) sally young eslinger 6/5/2023
(Written for Jennifer Wilson & Maggie Hopkins in loving
Memory of James Hopkins, spouse, father, & friend) Also written with the inspiring power of images of the 9,000 marking gravestone crosses in Normandy, France, and sights of Arlington Cemetary, Washington, D.C.
Written to unaccompanied cello Suite 1 in G major, perfomer Yo Yo Ma
Thanks be to God…
Categories:
thoughtfully, grave, heaven, love, memory,
Form:
Free verse
Gems Of Reality
Gems of reality are thoughtfully
expressed thru imagery of poetry
to shape so earnestly and fervently
poems that formally shine artfully
reflecting history and mystery
of one's tranquility or misery.
Sandra M. Haight
~5th Place~
Contest: Rhymers Delight- Internal Monorhyme
Sponsor: John Hamilton
Judged: 01/09/2017
Categories:
thoughtfully, poetry,
Form:
Monorhyme
Scatters through strangers' scraps,
spoilt teens point and laugh,
she'll feast on left over snacks,
fills her belly & crashes on grass.
Her warmth at night, snugly blanket,
given thoughtfully by homeless stranger,
She's used to buses causing rackets,
sleeps in secret places, avoid the dangers.
She's like a needle in a fast society,
a sweetheart buried in debris
How does a mother abandon her honey,
junkie ignoring her daughter so hungry
Categories:
thoughtfully, society,
Form:
Rhyme
This one is going to hurt.
That is why it has taken me so long to write it,
Because a part of me still loves you
And thought you would call or write me.
I know you need your time;
You have your process, and I respect it.
But today, today, I was ready.
I opened the drawers.
I picked up your sweaters,
This time not to smell it,
But to fold it nicely and carefully place it in a box,
The first of many items, ready to go,
Because I am ready to let go.
Let go of the hope that we could still be.
I said my goodbyes to you slowly, thoughtfully,
Letting every memory of every outing and every snuggle
Flood my brain.
And with every packed trouser, shirt, and pair of socks,
I was able to smile and embrace
Every memory with nostalgia and gratitude.
You were with me through some of the toughest times in my life;
We uplifted, loved, and encouraged one another for four years,
And we loved through the laughter and the tears.
As I pack your things, I no longer have fear.
Yes, we have grown apart,
But the memory of us will forever live in my heart.
I am grateful for the time we shared,
And am proud of who we are.
Maybe in another life, we would have married and stayed merry,
But in this one, I am filling boxes with your things.
In this one,
I can only cherish the moments we had
As I say goodbye and wish you love, luck, and happiness.
Happiness, I, too, know I will find.
But know that a part of me will forever love you,
And although my heart is heavy, today, I know I am ready.
Yes, it did hurt,
But in the process, it also healed.
And the box is now sealed.
Categories:
thoughtfully, break up, devotion, hurt,
Form:
Free verse
"God's love fills me with gratitude" - Quote by author
Gracious Lord with love overflowing while devising,
created this universe mesmerizing
Every single element thoughtfully crafted,
an epitome of beauty, perfectly drafted
For safety our body is covered with skin,
All holes covered by hair, dirt can't go in
Our eyes have outer skin, eyebrows, eyelashes,
disinfectant water cleaning endlessly splashes
He manages internal functions of body
He has given us an automated body
Nature too functions independently
Every thing happens resplendently
Those who can't move like plant and trees
He provides for them, they live in ease
He gave utmost protection to every small seed
To ensure happiness blooms, organisms can breed
He created dynamic mesmerizing world to behold
He has given us much more than what we can hold
He has filled our life with multifarious sounds
Every time we hear them our joy compounds
He gave us variety in food and spices
So that our meal delightfully entices
Variety in his creation deserves acclaim
He ensured no two creatures are same
Still he doesn't boast, he has no ego at all
He works silently, we feel we doing it all
His love gently caresses me
I feel his presence wherever I see
God's love remains same
Whether we love or defame
We are sinning, destroying earth
Still his love has no dearth
Ever caressing wind whispers God loves me
Droplets of rain whisper he cares for me
Whenever I think how much God loves me
I am filled with exhilarating glee
18.07.2021
Categories:
thoughtfully, god,
Form:
Rhyme
Cut away the shame
The shame that drives us all insane
Insane animals we’ve become in our pain
Our pain is the oasis of your soul's spirit within
In the times of tribulation, always remember
Always remember to believe in yourself and as for me
As for me, I will ride the rollercoaster of tears inside
The tears inside are filled with fears and cheers of all kinds
All kinds of guilt engulfs me as a whole
As a whole, I feel so weak and useless
Useless as a rusty tool in the rain of grief that leads to naught
Naught is what I ended up with when I feel all alone
All alone in a sense…God forgives my rebelliousness and sees my innocence
My innocence is what He simply adores and oversees my sins of youthful days
Youthful days spent in the prison of my crooked passions and disarrays
Disarrays fade away…oh thank you, God…
God looks after me like a hawk to its prey; I am praying…
Praying to the Lord for you to be my moon of I’ll-see-you-soon
Soon enough, you and I will be together and make a friendship bond beyond our own
Our own loneliness hits us to the core
To the core is how you cut me deep
You cut me deep in shamefulness thoughtlessly
Thoughtfully, I am cutting away at the shame
The shame that cut you and I apart
Categories:
thoughtfully, emotions, endurance, youth,
Form:
Free verse