Best Tread Water Poems
Life is like being a passenger on a luxury ocean liner
That is sails across a Sea of Turmoil.
Passengers feel safe by putting their faith in the sturdy construction of the ship’s steel hull.
Their senses are enveloped by the beautiful gold, silver, brass, wood that accents the interior of the ship.
There is a Spector who‘s heart is dark as black satin and as cold as an iceberg.
Who is rarely seen by the human eye, for he stealthily move under the cloak of night,
And dwells in the shadows by day.
His nature is deception and violence
His power are death and decay
He Rome’s and back and forth on the sea of Turmoil, stalking luxury ocean liners.
Sometimes He will play cat and mouse games by enoying the passenger slowly picking their ship apart with rust and rot.
Other times he will crush a ship with a title wave,
Or blow a ship apart by an onboard fire.
The Spector evilly snicker when the survivor have to abandon ship and try to tread water.
The passenger try to cling on to their strange Theologies and Philosophies to keep themselves afloat.
The Spector stirs the sea of Turmoil with his crooked finger to create great tempest to try and drowned his victims to transport them to the lake of Fire that lay beneath the Sea of Turmoil.
The passenger’s desperate out cries for help reach the ears of The King of Light.
He send His Son by His swiftest ship
To rescue anyone who will receive their help.
The Son will transport His passengers to the shores of His father’s kingdom
Where they will be made heirs with the Son.
They will dwell in the eternal golden city of The King of Light.
The King of light will forever remove the Spector of Darkness and His domain the Sea of Turmoil.
Writen by Stephen J. Vattimo
July 12, 2016
Dug deep down inside
and pulled out the memory file
about being a child
with my family for
a rare outing at Jones Beach,
we were all there with
my Moms picnic basket,
just in case we got hungry,
we'd eat one of her special treats,
My Mom didn't like the water
and especially the ocean,
so she sat on her beach towel,
applying suntan lotion,
the rest of us going for
a swim for some cool relief,
my Dad diving in first
to show his swimming techniques,
from how to tread water
if we couldn't land on our feet,
to how to cup our hands,
and stroke with our arms
in a nice easy rhythm,
I could tell my Dad was on
a teaching how to swim mission,
then some of us took a leisurely
stroll on the beach shore,
while some of us ran when
we noticed horseshoe crabs
eerily congregating,
my Dad picked a couple of them
up by their tail,
and after inspecting them
threw them way up in the air,
where they'd land somewhere
in one of the waves,
landing precariously with
a very loud splash,
I thought to my 7 year old self,
with pride and love in my heart,
my Dad is so very brave,
when were on the beach
he is my hero because
he makes me feel so safe!
Addendum: My deceased Dad was a terrific swimmer who worked as a police officer on a police boat for the Marine Bureau on Long Island, N.Y. from 1955-1985…rest in peace Dad. We love and miss you...
I desperately gasp for you to save me,
as your indifference begins to remove all remaining traces of oxygen from my searing lungs.
Asphyxiation becomes more imminent.
Cortisol burns through tearing muscles,
ripping the marrow from aching bones, flailing to tread water.
Exhaustion floods in; saline-soaked clothing weighs heavier.
A siren’s call pierces through obscured waves,
crescendoing under a stygian sky,
tempting me under.
Dread replaces pleading.
Hope of survival is now beyond any comprehension.
Your voice no longer lingers;
it’s superseded by forceful whispers:
“If to love you, I must drown.”
Realisation hits like a tsunami crashing upon an unsuspecting ship.
To truly love you, I must love myself.
You were never my salvation.
So I must drown in this sickening sea of anguish,
let all the trauma pull me down into sheer oblivion.
Feel my body thrash as the light leaves my submissive eyes.
In order to be reborn, I must ascend way below.
I wait for the deluge
To see Arizona's Coast
Join hands, tread water.
FISHING SHADOWS © Haiku
Two fins tread water
Fish swim the shadowed shelf ledge
Breathing from its gills!
Swimming Fish © Haiku
Probing fish swim near
Fins redirect the swimming ‘school’
And a baited worm waits!
Safe Place © Haiku
Deep broken ships lay
With some hiding fish
Far from unseen predators.
fish
Hooked Fish © Haiku
Fish fins steer the swim
Far from hidden predators
And baited worm hook-lines!
fish
FISHING SHADOWS © Haiku
Fish under the sea
Breathing from two gills
While fins tread water!
fish
Swimming Fish © Haiku
Safely from death's door
Fluttering fins steer the swim
Predators are seen!
fish
DARK SPACES © Haiku
Bidding fish on sunken ships
Lay in gloom from lighted dark spaces
Way far from death's floor!
We Bend but Never Break
Stand your ground the Monarchs cry
defend our power, do not ask why
Know we rule by our divine right
murder so easily with our might!
Bow down to kiss our Godly feet
we are the best you will ever meet
Know your place and all is fine
now pick the grapes, stomp the wine!
We stand above the shining light
ordering peons to slave and fight
Get cracking , do as you are told
if lucky, you'll work until very old!
the refutation......
Stand there in your deep disgrace
vainly thinking to be a better race
We searched and found freedom's call
you bow or else you will fall!
On bended knee beg for our help
bark, bark , you surly little welp
Learn your place to stay alive
tread water or else take a dive!
We stand in great defiant cause
no longer obey your stupid laws
Obey meekly and you just may live
that's most you get , more we'll never give!
Robert J. Lindley, August 3rd, 1974
Written when I was 21 years old, so full of piss and vinegar!
Youth has the advantage of - energy and eagerness....
“Go BANG!”
"Is that a gun in your pocket?"
She said
"Careful, I recommend
you need to be undercover,
and soon, call it Espionage M
You’re so disjointed
It's exasperating
but endearing"
He said
"Danger is Your Middle Name
You’ve been decoded!"
She said
"But rest easy, so far
not defrocked
We need you triggering
pistols, and playing
Russian Roulette
and Shuttle Cock -
it will assist me
if your outcome is
alive not dead"
He said
"Dear Badminton,
Is that the same as
being decrypted in bed?
Of course, if you prefer,
we could -
tread water naked
with sharks instead"
She said
"I love it when you
split hairs over slang
Special Agent,
leave the Latin for Corsica,
Confessions remain
secrets left unsaid -
Let’s go vesper
riding full monty
with the high priests of
soliloquy instead...
By the way, you failed to
answer my question -
Is that a gun in your pocket?"
She said
He said
"Come here and pull
the trigger, it’s a
lethal weapon
consider it a
suave kind of
special Agent thing...
Your mission, dearest Cabin Fever"
he pushed the envelope towards her,
"should you so wish to proceed here…."
"Go BANG!"
She said
(LadyLabyrinth / 2020)
"Go Bang" / PNAU
https://youtu.be/PIn4SCgeHsw
"Chameleon / PNAU
https://youtu.be/s2pp_ZAk6Uw
Lyrics:
"Chameleon" / PNA
https://genius.com/Pnau-chameleon-lyrics
"Go Bang" / PNA
https://genius.com/Pnau-go-bang-lyrics
When he was a child, He threw my belongings out the window
Gazed upon me not knowing, Where I would go
Belt welts for my belongings, He did not know where about
Dwelling in a cold city night, They looked for me in my fright
When I became a teem mom, He embraced my change
Knowing I've always been like a mother, Even when not holding the title of her name
When he realized he beat me, He was not naive to see
However his mind was not developed enough , To see it was breaking threads
He adapted to my change gradually, Seeing it as the norm
Eventually seeing the sister he once knew, Becoming someone he now mourned
As he grew he pushed harder because he knew, My hopes and dreams for him were true
Occasionally falling off track, He intensely fought back
So that he to could give up, But he continues to strive
Graduating first, Meeting the finish line
He knew he made me proud, As an adult expressing I was heard cheering all along In receiving my approval, Formulating his grind
When I gave up, In my energy he drowned
Helping me to stay afloat, Encouraging me as his life boat
I continue to tread water, Within tsunamis in my head
Now using him as the outlet, In which I express my purge
My deep darkest fears, Managing the currant so I can breathe
Helping to improve my strokes, Through his knowledge of swimming
When younger siblings step in, In pride we should not be led
Through an Ego filled mind, Remember they've been watching you the entire time
My Lil Big Brother
A wall of chill and bleak desire
are all that's left me now.
But wait, I feel you in me here
within my heart somehow.
This feeling deep inside my soul
is more than I can bear.
The loss of you just took me down
a dark and twisted stair.
As I tread water in my life
to keep from going under
those precious pieces of your heart
are a litany of wonder.
Now velvet breath upon my cheek
from heaven's grace above
does speak to me and lets me know
I never lost your love.
written by Deb Wilson 11/8/2013
for Gail's contest "Eternal Breath"
When he was a child, He threw my belongings out the window
Gazed upon me not knowing, Where I would go
Belt welts for my belongings, He did not know
Sorry my brother, My Highs reached your lows
When I became a teen mom, He embraced my change
Knowing I've always been like a mother, To my Lil Big Brother I reined
When he realized he beat me, He was not naive to see
However his mind was not developed enough, To see it was breaking me
He adapted to my change gradually, Seeing it as the norm
Eventually seeing the sister he once knew, Becoming someone he now mourned
As he grew he pushed harder, Knowing hopes and dreams for him were true
Occasionally falling off track, Doing what he had to do
Graduating first, Meeting the finish line
He knew he made me proud, As an adult expressing his mind
Helping me to stay afloat, Encouraging me as his life boat
I continue to tread water, Within tsunamis throat
Now using him as the outlet, In which I express
My deep darkest fears, He wipes away my tears
When younger siblings step in, In pride you should not be led
They to know whats best, While maintaining our thread
"Pulmonary"
Revelations burn pulmonary
when all the bees no longer roar
life drowns in blue-green
Clairvoyants dance in time
with prophets to flux events
Light folds Dark inside out
Lizards Popes and Politicians
tread water in their black oceans
looking for an open door
Revelations burn pulmonary
when all the bees no longer roar
life drowns in blue-green
(LadyLabyrinth/2020)
llb/gvlm/mlb/klb/jk,ak/io,to
"Dance of the Clairvoyants" (Mach I) / Pearl Jam
https://youtu.be/xJwuP5wPCLQ
“You don't need an ocean to feel like you're drowning.
You feel it, between your chest and your throat,
the weight of it stretching you outside your self,
like a dead fish on the shore.”
“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe,
then man would have only four years of life left.
No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants,
no more animals, no more man.”
“The bird, the bee, the running child
are all the same to the sliding glass door.”
Rev 8 (NIV)
Zeph 1:3 (KJV)
1. Fish
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/murray-darling-thousands-of-fish-have-died-in-nsw-in-past-two-weeks/ar-BBZylHg
2. Bees
https://alumninetworkhungary.hu/magazine/blogs/yes-bee-extinction-could-mark-end-humanity
3. Bees/Wildlife extinction
https://www.wsj.com/articles/australia-fires-imperil-populations-of-green-bees-honeyeaters-and-potoroos-11578997803
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulmonary_circulation
Lyrics/ "Dancing with Clairvoyants" (Mach I) / Pearl Jam
https://genius.com/Pearl-jam-dance-of-the-clairvoyants-lyrics
Adventures in the underground
did that grow up or down
Light on my head starring into the dark
what a funny word to be called as I imbark
Could it be because I tread water and guano up to my knees
or the sound I would make if I took a wrong step aiiee
Like an aztec two steps which way do I go
looking across the vast pothole
As I am pitching and squeezing back to the top
I am know speleologist but has any one seen the cave cop
I can see the light of day from this cavern
maybe next time let's just talk about it at the tavern
For I am filthy and dirty but not the word
maybe only to a caver if you have not heard
oop oop shake it up baby
oop oop and i don't mean mabye
now that i can dance.....
VANITY’S INSANITY
I have corroboration concerning my mental state
Let’s just say it ain’t great
I have confirmation concerning my cognitive skill
Let’s just say it’s lucky for me stupidity doesn’t kill
I mean one must begin with the premise that life’s all about choices and consequences
While I tread water trying to hang onto my senses
One must, in order to agree with me
Not possess a doctorate or a degree
Just common sense which I seem to severely lack
And it only gets worse when I sadly look back
Back when every request by anyone I'd deny
And the result is that I think something squared with an “r” is a pie
No, I don’t know nor do I care to know what kind of fruit
And not only that but the point about me being ignorant is moot
My left hand only knows what my left hand is doing
While a pain in my right hands tells me troubles a brewing
No doctor has ever referred to me as being narcissistic or vane
I however, at this point in time, have been diagnosed as being completely insane
© 2011...Phreepoetree ~free cee!~
"The Flow"
I walked into the Ocean today
the Wind was wild whipping up the waves
like lemonade white horses riding into shore
I tread water, the Aquamarine was a washing machine
While someone else’s kids raced by me out to the break
the wind bit my face, I submerged myself then resurfaced
I became sad when I thought about the Fraz
I swam out to the deep I was very brave
forgot about monsters with sharp teeth
dreamt they were all fast asleep
bellies full of other dreamers
Sharp Teeth were nowhere near my feet,
They were lying supine snoring at the bottom of the deep
Balmoral was a breeze I was free
feeling guilty it was me in your sea
I floated on my back and just went with the flow
had a little cry, the Ocean took all that salt in
there was nowhere better for it to go
the Sun burnt me up 3rd degree inside real slow
The Seagulls circled above grinning
Yellow crested cockatoos in the big Moreton Bay Fig
like tiny pterodactyls screaming, water crystal clear
angel fish, puffers and blue bottles spinning always near
One can only love
One can never save
But there is the grace of forgiving
I walked into the ocean today
I thought about being brave
Thought about visiting
the Mermaid’s Cave
another day another night
Finding starfish hiding under treasure rocks
Find Silverfin and take his fin
Fairy Bower and swim in your Fair Light
(LadyLabyrinth/2019)"HOME"
"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is HOME."
https://youtu.be/cbnS-1ZQPD0
https://youtu.be/lf_b_OCKL6I
https://youtu.be/b6d3ghgZuMI
"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned." Maya Angelou
(gvlm-scm)
Silverfin
https://youtu.be/eai_6DXKXtA
She called me her angel
A week before she died
I didn't see beyond the mask
I only heard my own sigh
Her cry was lost
Like her ashes now
The wind of fortune and future and change
Blew her away
But my memory is the deep pool she swims in
And we are angels together
Getting our wings wet
I loved her and she knew this well
I refuse to believe she fell
Heaven
Would be shallow indeed
Without the girl that first wrote
BFF to me
I did not save her
I let her be
Praying that the Lord would see
The beauty and purity and the natural face
She showed to me
I accepted her as she was
And wish she was still here
To hug
I love her
Her spirit bright
But when I dream of her at night
She is alive
Laughing
Her death
All a cruel cruel joke
But I'll forgive her
If she'll forgive me.
God knew her better
And only
He knows who we will see
Walking in His Paradise
Suicide is a mortal/moral sin
Not trusting God is an insult to Him
Explain it to me
Is it like drowning
Never coming up for air
Forced to suffer with no light
Cold and dark and agony
Until a bullet or a blade
Is the friendly fire of sweet release?
I've been there
But I tread water
I doggy paddle when I am too weak to do the breast stroke
I grasp the lifelines around me
Or I create my own
I don't give up
I want to go home
But I'll wait impatiently
For God to call me
Until then I'll plant my seeds
And enjoy the sweet cleansing power of the holy rain
Maybe I'll learn to do the Butterfly Stroke