Best Unenviable Poems
I see you every morning
skipping on your way to work,
a mundane task for anyone
but not you, it being your release
from your world of simplicity
and retardation.
I’ve often wondered what
goes through your mind, as
you search for the faces that
fit the scurrying movements
of your work mates, as they
dart about like misty forms
before your fragile eyes, your
unenviable task of groping for
your blue dot, it being the
prominent feature on your
clock card. It is easy to feel pity
for you, but not I, it is envy of
your simple ways, in this, an ever
increasing pressurised world,
because you’re always the same,
no matter what equations these
precarious days throw at us all.
Mathew, your gift is unique,
If one only had the time to ponder.
© Harry J Horsman 2020
There is a Facebook page called BULLYCIDE, a campaign to try to end bullying in all forms. They ran a poetry competition about 3 years ago on their page and I had the unenviable task of judging it. Then, the winner was turned into a song by me which then became the pages' theme tune...this is the winning poem.
Redemption Over, Forgiveness Denied
A broken child or a helpless teen
An empty place inside when hope might have been
A bully scorned, a crowd that hates
No one to turn to now, it's far too late
Actions taken, never justified
It doesn't matter how many tears are cried
Redemption over, forgiveness denied
The person you tortured chose death over life
You took advantage of a damaged soul
Destruction of innocence, an empty goal
You never thought that my child's fragile heart
Would cease to beat forever once you did your part
Actions taken, never justified
It doesn't matter how many tears are cried
Redemption over, forgiveness denied
The person you tortured chose death over life
Don't ask for forgiveness, it's not mine to give
You took my child's life, it's unfair that you still live
All I have are memories, the potential gone too soon
You are tied to me forever by a thread I'd rather burn
Actions taken, never justified
It doesn't matter how many tears are cried
Redemption over, forgiveness denied
The person you tortured chose death over life
My child was dearly loved, their memory remain
You may have been the one who made them break beneath the pain
But the fight against Bullycide grows stronger everyday
And your name unimportant now will slowly fade away
Actions taken, never justified
It doesn't matter how many tears are cried
Redemption over, forgiveness denied
The person you tortured chose death over life
Cribbar
I stand on the precipice,
I drink her eagerly from atop the raw stone.
Her jaws split open in bursts of pure, vicious foam around the feet of civilisation;
I stand caught between worlds, my soles firmly planted in the accountable world of men, While my soul whips and dives in her implausible depths.
Her salty rage spits in the face of the gentle sun, a fine mist of dehydration threatening the lips of those who dare to behold her.
I stand among the bruise budding Squill and blushes of Thrift,
I muse,
I contemplate what place I could have amongst giants.
The march of progress forgets me while I stand, betrays my begrudging loyalty and steams blackly ahead like her inevitable, unenviable swell.
Yet I do envy you mistress;
I long for brine and gelatinous, matted tangles between my toes,
I crave the sharp husks of the shore drawing blood from my feet.
How long must I withdraw from you behind layers of polluted humanity?
When next will I taste your sting as you wash mankind from my body?
When will you reclaim the land? Force the sin of civilisation from your coasts?
Your power unbridled against even the unshakable.
Until then,
I stand,
Until then, there's always next time.
I saw the puppy, when I awoke behind the dumpster,
Playing with a piece of trash, snorting and woofing at
The imaginary beast and I wondered what brings the
Little gift to me to enjoy in this world of the unenviable.
I studied him awhile and he studied me, each of us
Not moving yet but wanting too....two lonely scruffs
Wanting the companionship of trust and maybe love
In this loveless life of alleys and trash cans.
He let me move toward him ever ready to run
To nowhere.... I touched him gently and smiled at
The softness and smell of him and he licked my
Hands in return....we found each other and the day was right.
We were inseparable this little wingless angel of
The grey streets sharing our turmoiled lives and
Food for a time, with his little piece of rope around
His neck with a decorative red bandana.
Together we were the gypsies of the block of
Cement squares having conversations with words
And uplifted eyes perhaps sharing a tear or two when
The moment came....I live you because you love me.
Stringy little brother who had no name left one day
For no particular reason as we do in this underworld
Of spent offerings....I looked but could not find him.
Once Kore emptiness fills my heart.
She was original
And irreplaceable
Does no wrong to me
Maniacal yet adorable
Addicted to her very soul
Never could she be soluble
When she cries it brings storms
It is ironical never gives forewarns
The the she breathes the feeling of my heart torn
How iconic she is when I hold her tight
Oh how I long to see her again
Unenviable she was meant to be
The wind that held me from losing beat
Although she escaped my grasp
Presence of her could never last
Reality and eternity forever hold me still
As I look to the rocks underneath this hill
Yesterday seemed so surreal without her by me there's nothing left to feel
Enjoying the view what else to do perhaps i should dive in
Reality and irony the pullers pierce my heart filling me with eveverything she had torn out
I woke up this same morning and you were gone without warning
I ignored all of the signs, thinking my behavior was fine
But I missed you as soon as I crawled out of bed
And ever since then, you haven’t left my head
Well back then I was just a punk, staying out late and getting drunk
I wish you could see that I’m changed now, come back to me and you’ll see how
Tonight I need to disappear, cause I sure as hell can’t stay here
Your ghost has got me down, I think I’ll go out on the town
Now I’ve found myself sitting in a bar, wondering where in the world you are
I wonder if you’re as lonesome as me, baby I love you, can’t you see?
Even though I’ve got these eternal blues, I’m so glad that I fell in love with you
You’re the only girl that I’ll ever miss, I’d do anything for another kiss
I’d make all the right amends and let go of all my wrong trends
This same morning you were gone, and my heart can’t seem to move on
Baby I’d do it all again, even if it had the same end
I’d do it all over again, just to be your boyfriend
I’ll see you when the waves leave the sea, don’t forget me
Luna appears
pale, pocked,
and blemished by time;
rising majestically above the horizon
to traverse the ebony dome
of the night sky.
And as a Goddess,
She sits high above the planet,
monitoring the comings and goings
of humanity:
an unenviable enterprise.
For Man is a pernicious invader:
polluting the pristineness of space
with thousands of bits of accumulated junk.
And yet, it seems, nothing can dampen
Man's enthusiasm
for the exploration of space.
No matter the irretrievable, encircling debris,
left orbiting the Earth in His wake
as He attempts to touch the face of God.
Grace is what we don’t deserve
Due to the mercy of our Father
As He knows our condition
He’s rubbed shoulders with our brothers
Grace is the covering
Of His righteousness so white
It covers our sinfulness
In our unenviable worldly plight
Although we don’t deserve it
God gives us this gift
Because He loves us dearly
Like the gold miner, He does sift
To find a few souls worthy
Of receiving His grace
Because we shun the world
And accept His warm embrace
Grace and faith are partners
One gift goes with the other
Two gifts in one package
Our mortal sins to cover
Without God’s gifts of grace and faith
We never would be found—
In the Book of Life
Except God’s love abounds.
Copyright © Maureen LeFanue 2007-2012
Children are not allowed inside the casino.
Because they are underage, they cannot go.
While playing, it’s easy to lose track of the time.
Leaving your children in the car is a crime.
It comes with a stiff fine, and some jail time.
If the police see your auto in the parking lot,
you will be placed into an unenviable spot.
Next time, if to the casinos you want to roam,
for safety’s sake, leave the children at home.
Inspired by a local news story
This satanic one lives in a dark, lonely place
He’s thoroughly engrossed in pelfishness,
Utterly devoid of virtue, principle, and grace
He is lounging in narcissism and selfishness.
While he views other leaders with disdain,
Claiming his greatness with disgusting ego
He clearly cares only for what is his domain
And those who recognize it will rate him a zero.
V. Putin -- of such pitiful, unenviable nature,
Alone in his well-protected, Moscow capitol
Fearing for his life, his most prominent feature,
While his smirking arrogance is quite classical.
Despicable, this loathsome, murderous creature
He’s even worse than a hypocritical preacher!
Written March 17, 2022
A red bird, motionless
A cardinal rare to my city eyes
And almost indistinguishable
From it’s neighboring autumn leaves
Crimson and rusty,
Feathered with impatience
For winter.
A red bird
Silently invisible
Aside from a telling
Twitch, or a quiver, or the flexing of wings
The blink of an empty eye.
A red bird
Enviable and unenviable
And all to itself as it
Considers not a thing
Except whether to take flight
Or stay perfectly still.
If they draw too close, I will call your name
Echo—lame
An unenviable feat despite a large crowd
Echo—proud
A brotherhood against fighting for love
Echo—shove
Because everyone seeds the same fruit
Echo—root
Each lifespan is an echo of the one before
Echo—door
They used what they learned to find a better
Echo—letter.
As it's our time to be silent, we may pray
Echo—astray.
The truth our voice carries will last forever
Echo—clever
Lengthy lyrics imply that life is a dance
ECHO—trance
Randomness is just one heartbeat away
Echo—pray.
Aerodynamically, we float alike butterflies
Echo—skies
breath along with your silent words
Echo—swords
Written: February 11, 2023
A Brian Strand Choice No 1185 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Brian Strand
ECHO VERSE The formula for echo verse is rather straightforward: Repeat the last syllable (or syllables) of each line. Sincere gratitude is extended to Brian Strand, who pioneered the use of this format.
"You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far." -- James Baskett
Marathon Man
There goes Mr. Marathon Man again
He's the world's fastest man now
He finishes races when most only begin
So fast one can't fathom how
He passes us running every day
But to get so fast he had to pay
Mr. Marathon Man's life is unenviable
With his inner-turmoil crippling his will
Experiencing pain that is incomprehensible
His demons crept in for the kill
Rather than face them and put up a fight
Mr. Marathon Man turned and took flight
He started to run to rid his pain
He thought he could out run anything
He continued to run to clear his brain
He wanted to escape all life could bring
Each day he grew faster than the last
Always hoping to put his problems in the past
And so he pursued his master plan
He thought it could work all too well
But it's sad to see Mr. Marathon Man
As he runs though a personal hell
For he misses life's joys by avoiding what's tough
Never realizing he can never be fast enough
Grace
“But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.” Rom 5:15 NKJV
Grace is what we don’t deserve
Due to the mercy of our Father
As He knows our condition
He’s rubbed shoulders with our brothers.
Grace is the covering
Of His righteousness so white
It covers our sinfulness
In our unenviable worldly plight.
Although we don’t deserve it
God gives us this gift.
Because He loves us dearly;
Any other love’s just makeshift.
We are all capable
Of receiving His grace
Should we shun the world
And accept His warm embrace.
Grace and faith are partners;
One gift goes with the other.
Two gifts in one package
Our sins forever to cover.
Without God’s gifts of grace and faith
We never would be found
In the Book of Life
Except God’s love abounds.
Copyright © Maureen LeFanue 2007-2012
www.maureenlefanue.com
Unavailable for work,
Unbeatable prices,
Uncertain times.
Undetectable fraud,
Unenviable tasks,
Unfathomable crimes.
Ungrateful children,
Unhelpful comments,
Unintentional consequences.
Unjustified dismissal,
Unkind acts,
Unlimited credit.
Unmentionable briefs,
Unnecessary accompaniments.
Unopened mail.
Unpronounceable words,
Unquestionable loyalty,
Unreasonable requests.
Unseasonal weather,
Untroubled teenager's,
Unusual behavior.
Unverified reports,
Unwanted attention,
Un-x-rayed patient.
Unyielding bolt,
Un-zesty pizza,
For unproductive people, uninterested in undivided attention.