Best Unnerved Poems
Let there be no hidden or disguised facades
Let there be achievable dreams; not hopeless mirages
Let there be no sorry but sunny days of happy faces
Let there be no hatred and separation between the races
Let there be an abundance of bright lights and starry starry nights
Let there be a fully promoted and always protected Bill of Rights
Let there not be assaults of, but encouragement of Free Enterprise
Let there be more Term Limits of politicians and less special privileges
Let there be the exaltation of the individual
Let there be the expansion of Entrepreneurship
Let there be no loss but multiplied gains of greatness
May politicians always be servants of, and not superior to the people
May I not be afraid of 'my government', but may it be 'afraid of me'
May the constitution be upheld, and all religions free to teach and tell
May justice be freely served and never a mortal abused or unnerved
May the Bible not be seen as a threat, but a friendly guide to paradise
May every American be filled with hope, and duly take note;
America's future and hope lie far above and beyond the vote
111120PSCtest, 2021 United States Of America Visionary Poetry, L Milton Hankins, Sponsor. NA
Categories:
unnerved, america,
Form:
Free verse
Written: December 23, 2023, For Robert James Liguori Contest
________________________________________
Life must be navigated without family pain.
Sins that grab the dirt below leave a stain.
Wrongdoings profoundly wound the heart.
Wrongs compel us to feel like targets apart.
Can we avoid future wrongs if we forgive?
Is it better to let go of grudges or to sieve?
Life is full of hurts and scars that all us face.
Disdain, pride, criticism, sarcasm, disgrace.
No type of love that can weather any storm.
A display of virtue outrivals a hatred swarm.
We are in an era when love is seen as a delight.
A bond falls when there is no sense of insight.
Rejecting wickedness is a crucial life insight.
If a smart person bears evil well, we can fight.
The grace to endure affliction and shame.
To fight off evil, avoid reprisal, rage, or declaim.
Was forgetting a condition of forgiveness?
To ignore it is to miss the tip: lenient grimness.
A major harm can't be erased from memory.
Pardon is a duty to offer optimism and reverie.
To some, forgiveness is a sign of weakness.
Forgiveness needs heroic work and boldness.
Furious individuals escape quite easily.
Creative dialogue solves this issue gleefully.
The best approach to surviving this world.
is to request forgiveness and be unnerved.
A balance is present in this chaotic universe.
Just let life happen and live it without a curse.
Allow God to handle the care of the wrath.
Love is the central theme; it paves the path.
By forgiving injustice, humans can heal.
Man needs time to forgive; thus, mercy is a deal.
5th place contest winner
Categories:
unnerved, analogy, angst, appreciation, forgiveness,
Form:
Rhyme
As scented air aroused my misty mind,
a shadow broke the early morning Sun,
aromas wafting from the morning’s grind,
assured the senses morning had begun.
I felt an airy presence from afar.
Unnerved, I sought some comfort in my joe
when then appeared this early morning star
with beauty that would set the dawn aglow.
She passed with nonchalance and without glance,
and as I gaped, she simply stared astray,
her exit, with a whim and fickle prance,
fanned arrogance that whisked my breath away.
I contemplated thoughts of giving chase
though in a haze I let her slip away,
but like the Sun, this path she may retrace
and destiny could pass again my way.
And as the morning’s essence ebbed and waned,
her image kept returning o’er again,
the vision twisted aimlessly in vain
as sunrise caused her beauty to transcend.
I finalized my mundane morning rite
then pondered how its remnants would unfold,
and knew… that I had seen the Morning’s Light
and hoped once more its beauty I’d behold.
Categories:
unnerved, allusion, beauty, morning,
Form:
Rhyme
A mountain madness, Colorado Springs'
Pike's Peak, some twenty miles to summit's top,
with roads like winding snakes that coil like rings
and at the open edge, steep cliffs of rock.
This mountain madness soon directs and reigns
along its highway somewhat heaven bound;
a narrow road with two-way traffic lanes
and many curves that zigzag and astound.
We held our breaths while driving, quite unnerved;
an hour and more to reach the mountain peak.
Just one wrong turn along a sharp, tight curve,
right off the cliff, we'd fly into a heap.
And, yes, this has occurred...a hazardous
slow, rugged ride that leads to awesome rise;
with mountain madness, you must pay with trust
and take your chances earning nature's prize.
And one more mountain madness to unfold,
we started out in warm, eighty degrees;
but when we reached the top, it was so cold
and snow was whirling with a blizzard 'breeze'.
Yes, mountain madness, Colorado Springs'
Pike's Peak, a steep, fourteen plus thousand feet;
America's most famous mountain brings
adventures to explore and goals to meet.
Sandra M. Haight
~15th Place~
Contest: Mountains
Sponsor: Julie Rodeheaver
Judged: 08/15/2017
~2nd Place~
Contest: Screwed XVII
Sponsor: Rob Carmack
Judged: 05/18/2017
Contest: At The Mountains of Madness
Sponsor: Timothy Hicks
~Honorable Mention~
Judged: 05/24/2016
When we visited Pike's Peak in 1995, the highway was not
paved and there were no barriers along the side. I believe most
of the highway is paved and there are barriers at some of
the curves today.
Categories:
unnerved, angst, journey, mountains,
Form:
Iambic Pentameter
How regretful was I
To see my dead body from the sky
How regretful indeed
Why, with utmost sorrow, did my spirit bleed
In my early thirties was I still
Life, had I lived it according to my will
Yet, so many things were there for me to do
So many things had been left unsaid
I still had not published my works
I still had so many things to write about
I still had to say sorry,
To remove from my enemy's face that pout
I still had to make the world understand me
That I was but a creature of humility
That proud I never had been, even if I had not mingled often
Even if I had always preferred to be alone
I still had to say I love you
To those who had wanted to be with me
To those who had helped in shaping me
To those, who, again, had never been able to understand me
I still had so many opportunities left
Yes, I had wanted to clear this world of its ill health
I had wanted to make my voice heard
As one with a vision, so unnerved
I still had to buy that fashionable dress
Even if it did cost more than what I did gain each month
I still had to please myself
For I did know that my life, as all the others, would last only a while
I still had to forgive
Those who did cause me to grieve
Those made of blinded arrogance
As to have caused me to choose, from them, another direction
I still had to learn
This world is so vast
That it is not easy to master it
Why, of its many secrets I had always wanted to be treated
Joyful I became though, when I saw in front me, the gates of Heaven
Thankful, for at least, while living, I never was mistaken
I did choose to believe in my faith
I did choose to bask not in that known as sin
Looking back at my lifeless body
I suddenly wished to be granted another chance
Another chance in this mundane reality
But then, the gates of Heaven did open
And I simply let myself get overwhelmed by its glory
Pray, have I always read in those books of faith
That one should never regret the mundane
For it was all false and illusory
So I walked on in this beautiful city
And forgot all about Earth
Indeed, life shall now be different
At last, Heaven was there for me to enjoy!
Categories:
unnerved, death, life, paradise,
Form:
Rhyme
The pieces of peace were handpicked
Picked in the heart of the night
Shredded for an aspiration
To clutch the lone torch contained by the dark
A glimpse for some unusual rank
Then comes the arrival of time
With the angst that grow by day
Comes the fast ticking of time
Hastening all; unnerved in the bay
At this moment
Love was censure by lust
In the euphoria of the game
Featured by despair and shame
The eventful spar between the dogs and the baboons
And then comes the contest of blood
The Spartans, the spectators all flood
Melancholy yet to befall
Then it begins
Passing through the span of day
Scotching rage of the sun
Little rain, little dry, little sounds of gun
But the dogs and the baboons
Tailback in fear; scowl
And little by little
Comes casting and counting
And after a little while
Anger was unshackled
Accompanied by lament
Yet, not enough raison d'être to toss away the tot and the bathing water
Then comes the voice of command
We were deprived!
It is our time!
Kill them anywhere you find them!
Rigging, rigging, rigging!
Peace was shattered
Broken into pieces
Like a bowl that fail out of safe
And pandemonium overtook all
After a little calm
Scores of guiltless essences met their Waterloo
Mostly in the cities they ad-hoc
Like those trapped for a catch
And their figures continue counting
Some unassumingly lost to the swampy woods
Searched by trained dogs and their masters
Into the depth of the swampy woods
Bled; death; covered in mud.
Categories:
unnerved, political,
Form:
Light Verse
But later that night the girl tip-toed out,
And went down to the registry desk.
She picked up the ledger, poured through it all,
There was something that she had to check.
Back upstairs she went, content to wait
Her quarry had not yet arrived.
He loved was awake, and smiled at her
The kind the makes a man feel alive.
She smiled back and asked for his name,
She’d forgotten to ask in the rush.
He said ‘Clarence Stone,’ and out came her gun,
And she pointed it straight at his gut.
She said,’My name is Ellie-May Burton,
Sent out two months ago on this path,
To track down a Stone who ran to the west,
Hoping to escape our wrath!’
But he heard a catch in her harsh tone,
And in her gun-hand a slight shiver.
He couldn’t forget the warmth of her touch,
So one final chance her did give her:
He nodded and said,’Then fire away,’
With a coldness that made the soul quake.
The gun fell from her hands, and she lit out,
Running from the hotel without break.
Come morning he road, pointed northwest
Unnerved, but his decision remained,
To return to Kentucky and die in a feud
Was a choice not made by the sane.
In the bright prairie light a rider appeared,
A familiar woman on a mare.
She rode up slowly, face red form tears,
No weapon upon him did bear.
He moved closer slowly, hand on his gun,
But she said,’Clarence, there’s no need.
I’ve been thinking all night on what I’m to do
Of the future and of dark deeds.’
‘Of a good man who stood, fought by my side,
And put on a fine show in bed.
Yet my family demands, for forgotten crimes
That I put a bullet in his head.’
‘Perhaps it is best, what you’re doing now,
Riding out a free man to the wild.
To be ride of the hate that has put kin in graves,
Since the days when I was a child.’
‘They say that a woman needs a good man,
And the good men need themselves a wife.
I may not be so good, but I think you and I
Could ride out and build ourselves a life.’
Then she went silent, he waited and thought
Of the chances and of the risks.
But the pain in her eyes told the whole truth
She he rode close and planted a kiss.
They moved out at a trot, both realizing that
Amongst the worst you sometimes find the best,
And to this very day countless Burton-Stones
Are scattered all over the west.
Categories:
unnerved, adventure, conflict, growth, lust,
Form:
Cowboy Poetry
As I stepped out
onto the porch this evening
I felt unnerved
by the atmosphere
There was nothing but
calm stillness, and yet-
it bore a hint
of turbulence so small
as to only be perceived
in an odd sensation
on my skin
Thinking of the calm
before a storm
I hastily scanned the sky
searching for an ominous sign
But the sky was clear
albeit a weird mixture of hues
with too many shades of
Barbie pink overshadowing
the dusky purples and blues
The yard itself seemed
normal-but-surreal, too...
and looking at the
technicolor-green grass
I felt overwhelmed by
a heavy stillness in the air
As though I were trapped
in a vivid photograph
the only thing still alive
still moving- and suddenly
utterly oppressed
by a feeling of uselessness
with no idea of what
to do with myself
I felt a crazy impulse
to run away; as if
my presence there
was the problem
and that by leaving I might
find my way back
to other living (moving) things.
Inside once more
I now find the surreal stillness
has moved inside the house...
casting a pall over
the living space and
stretching down the hall
I fancy it has followed me
edging closer, stalking me
quickly closing in-
but as the feeling begins
to encapsulate me-
I am shocked to realize
that the turbulence feels
strangely familiar
I had only noticed it
in the stillness
away from daily distractions...
but it was within me
from the start.
Categories:
unnerved, anxiety, emotions, feelings, how
Form:
Free verse
*Image of Best Collapse by Giphy.
Pilfered Soulless House
Pilfered dawn occasions a soulless house, bruised
appeals innocence whilst porch screen once tended,
concedes whispers of dust calm quest of quarters,
~~views endured through time.
Some non-existent floorboards chanced ferns sprouting
rights, roots by an unnerved staircase, challenging
few, yon a blurred window, --rooms without a view
~~volumed sights, ventures.
Wilt garden fruitless seasons, its gardener
enshrined nigh, atop sits scentless plastics, stiffs
amidst squeezed breaths constants against a rosette,
~~hugging touched headstone.
Tempest strived roof musing o'er wealth perceived themes
of swayed hyperboles, midst shared rooms, aroused town's
tattlers year-long spread, wanes, delays one closed door,
~~course perused ruins
***porch, ferns, roof, rosette, staircase, window, garden, house, door, whispers
2020 July 13
*1st Place*
A BRIAN STRAND your pick
~~Brian Strand: Judged 2021 August 08
*1st Place*
Decaying House
~~Constance La France: Judged 2020 July 19
Categories:
unnerved, farewell, fate, house, imagery,
Form:
Sapphic stanza
As I sit back at watch the world become depraved
I think about the one foot I have in this instagrave
The countless angles, of shoot after shoot
Late night edits, trying to find my proof
That what I captured mattered
That it may mean something when all else is tattered
This step I may take, on the edge of sanity
Stuck with this vertigo and complimentary profanity
Like a video game exit menu asking if I’m sure
If I am ready to abandon all just to begin pure
What if I did do it and in turn make a book?
And all one had to do was just take a look?
To be granted the knowledge to free one’s self
At the cost of having to leave ones wealth
Would it even matter?
Or is this just another literary leaky bladder?
As I stand at the edge and look to the skies
I finally understand why the caged bird cries
To leap is a freedom only one can give oneself
It is a moment of truth, a moment of wealth
It does not matter if its flight or fall
The only thing that matters is that I gave it my all
And for just a moment I knew a dream deferred
One that no longer left me feeling unnerved
For that moment, I felt the sun on my skin
And for that moment, I knew my kin
I was a child running buck wild
My problems free to walk that green mile
Because finally this sandstorm in my mind
Grinds to a halt and stops in time
A hurricane of ideas in this place of mine
Can finally be touched explored and refined
All I need to do is step
And not worry anymore about those who wept
For today could be like thanksgiving with yams
All I have to do to have it is just delete Instagram
Categories:
unnerved, poetry,
Form:
Rhyme
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing
through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)
----------
I often wonder what we settle for
in texts handed down to us through the years,
so far removed in time from days of yore,
not recognized by those were first to hear.
I’m told that meaning is indeed preserved,
but not so much the nuanced words in play.
The process leaves me no small bit unnerved;
their spoken word, not what we have today.
For we arrive at faith by what we hear,
but only when that is the word of Christ
and so I plead, oh Spirit, do draw near,
deliver me a word that will suffice.
The message of the messenger is trust,
and so believe that I receive, I must.
Categories:
unnerved, faith,
Form:
Sonnet
Mack had been an over the road driver for sixteen years
And had never seen a leopard on any of his highways.
This one came leaping out of the middle of a thicket.
Stopped right in front of his eighteen wheeler.
He tried to brake but hit it full on.
The leopard sprang up to the windshield and growled at him.
Her teeth were huge. Her eyes a glowing green.
She had sprouted wings, and she looked menacing.
Her paws slammed against the glass.
He had been going to stop, but at this point he kept going.
She disappeared a second later. Not like falling off, but rather
dissipating in midair.
I have to stop drinking this coffee he thought.
His hands were shaking; he was unnerved.
Twenty two miles later a small black pussy cat was sitting in the middle of the road.
He tried to brake, but there was not enough time.
His truck hit something big with a loud bang.
He heard screeching and crunching of bent metal.
He got out to survey the damage.
There was no kitty;
but the front of his semi had a thousand dollars’ worth of damage.
He turned and saw the leopard watching from a hill across the road.
Next to the leopard was the small black kitty.
Categories:
unnerved, 10th grade, 11th grade,
Form:
Narrative
Original version:
Phone for the fish knives, Norman
As cook is a little unnerved;
You kiddies have crumpled the serviettes
And I must have things daintily served.
Are the requisites all in the toilet?
The frills round the cutlets can wait
Till the girl has replenished the cruets
And switched on the logs in the grate.
It's ever so close in the lounge dear,
But the vestibule's comfy for tea
And Howard is riding on horseback
So do come and take some with me.
Now here is a fork for your pastries
And do use the couch for your feet;
I know that I wanted to ask you-
Is trifle sufficient for sweet?
Milk and then just as it comes dear?
I'm afraid the preserve's full of stones;
Beg pardon, I'm soiling the doileys
With afternoon tea-cakes and scones.
~
My version:
Do phone for a pizza Norman,
since Olga is having a strop.
Then say that I want it delivered,
you’re not going down to the shop.
We’ll have to get Desmond to call in,
the sauna’s beginning to leak.
My microwave’s out of commission;
the hoover’s beginning to squeak.
I must send a text to Jemima.
We may get an email from Max
and when you’ve stopped surfing on Google,
do put some more bumph in the fax.
Now give me some thoughts for our party,
the one at the end of the week.
It’s got to be terribly ethnic,
all ouzo and feta and Greek.
I want to have proper moussaka,
souvlaki that’s straight from the grill,
oregano and fresh coriander,
all drizzled about with some dill.
Oh Norman! For God’s sake kick Olga,
she’s getting me rather un-nerved.
And tell her to open the pizza,
I do want it daintily served.
~
Taken from 'How to Get On in Society@ by John Betjeman for the Copy Cat Contest.
Categories:
unnerved, family, food, me,
Form:
Verse
I'm watching the downfall of the nation I served
Leadership bought by the middle East has me unnerved
Our flag waving in glory still makes this old heart swell
But our chance of survival is that of a snowball in hell
Our pride's been replaced by government subsidized laws
Free homes, free phones, free care, we no longer fight for a cause
Dependent on government we can no longer be called man
Just jackasses and sheep, no longer part of the plan
The end of an era with a system that's beginning to smell
Our chance of rebuilding is that of a snowball in hell
The state of the union has working Americans irate
Too many dreams have been shattered since 2008
Financially destroyed by a man on a mission, pray tell
Our chance of achieving is that of a snowball in hell
Categories:
unnerved, political,
Form:
Couplet
It was just another ordinary day
Scattered notes are all over the place
Drums trying to maintain a certain beat
Guitars either strumming or singing
Violins studying their scales and arpeggios
The piano pouring out its player’s soul
Clarinets and flutes blowing out harmonies
A mesmerizing vocal cuts through
A white butterfly flutters freely
Basking in the building’s flowing melodies
Students rushing in and out of the cafeteria
Sheet music in their hands while eating
Leaves of variant colors fall from the trees
The wind blows in one direction
Compensating for the scorching hot sun
Taking turns as nature takes its usual course
Old friends reconcile and greet each other
Re-living past memories and narrating the present
Speaking of profound concepts within their discourse
Anyone overhearing may be left confused
It was just another ordinary day
Scattered notes are all over the place
Many things happening all at once
Yet the resonant music remained unnerved
Categories:
unnerved, imagery, imagination, music, onomatopoeia,
Form:
Free verse