Best Tough Poems
He said, “Chick-flicks I do not like.”
As they settled into place.
“I need violence, shoot-up scenes,
And at least one good car chase.”
But he promised to watch with his girlfriend
Full of embarrassment and disgrace;
Half-way through the movie
Tears streamed down his face.
“Why was he so mean to her?
And those girls sure were good friends.
I didn’t think the illness
Would consume her in the end.”
He tried to hide his sniffles,
So a cold he did pretend.
She knew he had a touched heart
Every time he squeezed her hand.
Now every one of his Friday nights
Is a movie night with her.
An emotional outpouring
Is surely to occur.
He wonders all week long
What new story might be offered.
Cuddled up on her living room couch
Is the venue they both prefer.
Stoic, is my demeanor
Masculine through and through
I’m as tough as the tough guys come
More manly than all of you
Emotions are for sissies
My tears had never flown
Catastrophes, I greeted with smiles
Heartbreak I’d never shown
She was all of five years old
The sweetest child I’d ever seen
To be told that she is dying of cancer
Was a diagnosis too obscene
Forty years of pent up feelings
I had learned to keep inside
Putting up a manly façade
Not even knowing what I did hide
And then the door flew open
As wide as wide could be
The dam holding back my humanity
Broke down inside of me
I shaved my head to be like her
I held her little hand
I would cry and laugh and giggle with her
Every moment that I can
Being a man doesn’t mean pretending
That your heart cannot be touched
It means being there to share your love
Helping others when life gets rough
It took a five year old, little girl
To really show me how to be a man
The courage she had to fight her fight
Proved her to be tougher than I am
I no longer hold back tears
I say, “I love you” all the time
Showing the world exactly what I feel
I no longer view as a hideous crime
I wept at her funeral
And, I’ve cried every night since
That door remains wide open
A tough guy’s recompense
Being seen
With poker face
Mistaken
As who does not give a damn
Cool and distant
Unfriendly aura
On the way
With people's stares and whispers
That she is a bad person
That is funny
Why judge
They do not know about her
Alone her name
Little they know
About the experiences and traumas
Mould her this way
No strength to make facial expression
With little energy
Left in her
Only use
This remaining will of hers
To live and face on
It is precious thing
She will keep at all costs
With friends she trusts
And faith she holds to believe
Those who love her
A rare privilege
Seeing her real self
Wild mind
Innocently gives love back
More than she does to herself
Because she feels safe
Knowing there is nothing
That will bring her down
© Sue Sanzz 2020
Put your hands up baby
let them dukes fly
If you’re wanting tough enough
then I’m the right guy
I’ve got the swagger
I know what you need
Let loose those demons
on me they can feed
It won’t be a torture
my skin’s made of steel
If you have some courage
I can help you find real
So put those hands up baby
Let them dukes fly
I’m much more than enough
Trust me to be your guy
I’m tough and gentle
set your burdens on me
The anger and memories
From them you’ll be free
Put your arms around me baby
Spill those teardrops and cry
You’ll find answers to questions
Your who, what, where and why!
Sometimes life's a competition of how far we can throw,
Or simply having the greatest mind to win an intelligence show.
Certainly, there is still one thing to know,
Even the toughest or smartest of man contains a piece of his heart that is soft as dough.
The variety of flavors and sizes we come in are wide and plentiful.
Underneath our regenerating skin is one pretty tough skull,
As we are all created from a genetic code that was once considered a solid whole.
Now remember each and every one of us contains a different life goal,
And even the craziest of extremes can seem like someone else's version of dull.
Even if we are children for the first time learning the ABC's,
Or possibly someone who has spent a lifetime beating up their knees.
Somewhere there is an expert teaching the up and coming rookies,
As the fact will always remain that we are all just a bunch of tough cookies.
Book: Perspective is the Objective
I found this site called Poetry Soup
Here you can get applause from a group
So I started writing poems, none make the best
My family tells me to "give it a rest."
I need some tough love, some commenter to say
"Your talent is poor, go outside in the day."
Instead, the site policy is to always give praise
Can anything save me - I hope it's just a phase.
Every time I say a sentence, I think of a rhyme
For instance, "dime, time, buy some outshine"
Can't stop rhyming, can't stop writing
I can't get a life that is more exciting.
So to all you young men, sitting on that stoop
Stay away from Poetry Soup
Find yourself another hobby, get some fresh air
Don't be like me, stuck in this creative lair.
Searching for a word, sinking in despair.
Pandemic crisis
Hospital overload
Unprecedented
Panic mode
Double shifts
No time for tears
No one signed up
For a suicide mission
Heroes collapsing
One after the other
Earning their wings
And our respect
AP: Honorable Mention 2020
Tough Love
Sometimes with such strict parents, a tendancy to lend;
overlooking boundaries crossed to be your child's best friend.
I love my son with all my heart just as he does his mother.
Tho the path that he was taking; I just could not go further.
Stunned and hurt when I said, "You have to leave my home."
He wasn't his kind loving self; always drunk or stoned.
I held myself together; to his back I closed the door.
Then litteraly went to pieces falling to knee's upon the floor.
I knew he would end up in prison or maybe even dead,
if he could not shake the demons messing with his head.
It took everything inside me to stick to my decision.
I wanted to run after him, again to him be pleasing.
With tear stained face and puffy eyes I prayed with all my might,
" Please Lord spare me the dreaded phone call that comes so late at night."
Only twice I've heard God's voice aloud, not just a sign.
He said as clear as crystal, "Don't worry about him." "He's mine."
Immediatly I ceased to cry, such comfort in those words.
I know God deals with us best when we are at our worst.
Driving late he had a wreck; two poles ran through his truck.
It was him left praying on his knees; survival was not luck.
The poles crisscrossed around his neck tho he was never touched.
Three inch splinters in his hoodie; didn't miss him much.
The road was rocky coming back but thank the Lord he made it.
God's protective hands covered him; so near a death evaded.
My parents too strict then I too laxed; he's balanced tween the two.
A wonderful husband and father; he began his life anew.
The hardest decision I ever made but I thank God above;
my precious son now understands why I chose tough love.
Just like football we’re hard hitting and rough,
If you want to hang with us, you’ve gotta be tough;
No sissies allowed, we don’t cry when we’re hurt,
We’re the kinda people that play in the dirt;
Daring each other to become more extreme,
Our bold eyes shining with a terrified gleam;
“I dare you to go slap that bull and run away”,
Is a typical thing we hear everyday;
Some call us crazy and they’re probably right,
Cause this bunch of friends is one scary sight.
~For Kristen Bruni's contest~
Today’s the day.
Our training is to be put on display.
Upon each is a test of the heart.
Guts to do it all from the start.
Here we go over the first wall, sublime.
Men and Women at the line.
Utter the words “HOO RAH” in time.
Determined to finish the challenge ahead.
Defined by how they react to others in dread.
Each of us who finish the course and stand.
Reach a new respect for those who sport the orange headband.
I never will forget in junior high
this girl who was a two-faced friend of mine.
I can’t remember now the reason why,
but she got mad for something asinine.
She said, “I’m gonna beat you up! Be at
the park, beside the water tower.” She
then told me, “Bet you won’t show up.” That brat
was MEAN! All day I fretted needlessly
of what could be a real bad episode!
So after school with my best friend, I went
And waited for that witch; she never showed!
With great relief, I then began to vent
to my best friend of things that we could do
to that “tough girl” - a chicken through and through!
*True story & dedicated to my junior high school foe, who later
went on to marry (and then divorce) the brother of my BEST friend!
Said contrary and crabby Miss Muffet
“Hey eight-legs! Kiss my bare Tuffet!”
From above and beyond, Charlotte dropped a fine line
And bit the old bag where the sun doesn’t shine…
For Andrea’s clerihew contest
Things may appear to be tough
But, you have to hang in there
Embrace those challenges that life throws at you
Build strength in order to persevere
Walk one step at a time
And monitor your progress
Rise above those dark clouds
Continue on your path to success
I wish I was a tough guy
The kind you meet in books
Made of rock hard muscle
With rugged hard man looks
A Raymond Chandler hero
Exuding macho charm
A super spy or villain
With a beauty on each arm
I’d love to be the kind of guy
That others see and fear
The bane of every coppers life
I'd look at them and sneer
I might fall for a sucker punch
Get beaten up or more, but
I’d meet them face to face
And then, I’d even up the score
Wish I could be like Marlowe
And ooze testosterone
Women falling at my feet
For my heart as cold as stone
I would stand up to the bad guys
When I’d won, I’d get the dame
They would say “who was that tough guy”
I’d say “Rupert, that’s my name”
Leanne was a farm girl at heart
She loved playing with her special cow
She used to eat her mums freshly made tart
Leanne didn't like her brothers sow
Oliver used to make the oil
Dan made the juice
Oliver used to oil up Leanne and the cows
Dan bit off her ear!
Leanne danced with the poodle
Leanne danced with the cock(erel)
Leanne's legs where like noodles
Leanne's ear went like a rock
I miss 'Bao to my bab' but Trish won't allow it
I'm scarred James will leave me
But Linda is by my side
I love Poetry soups!!!!!
----Dedicated to Linda (Poetry Destroyer A), and JB, you know who you're ;-) ---