Best Unobtrusive Poems
amid scurrying feet,
in the whirling humanity,
with divided aims,
and sizzling brains,
she paused with singularity of purpose.
never in a hurry, more at peace,
on a park bench, alone,
bent and weird, she sat.
when she moved,
her bones creaked,
on rusty hinges!
ragged in dress, torn in body,
face scourged by Time,
its contours deep like ravines.
her withered breasts,
hanging like nests of tailor birds.
hair lying disheveled,
with eyes shrouded in mist,
she looked out into the sinking sun,
never dreading the darkness that falls.
the park bench was her temporary halt.
she sat there every evening
determined to live on,
with the coins habitually dropped,
into her outstretched hands,
by those sailing past her,
unobtrusive self.
like a monument of patience
she sat.
sat, so alone!
~ First Place Trophy Win~
Dec.16.2022
Brian Strand Premiere Choice Poetry Contest. No.55
Categories:
unobtrusive, angst, destiny, lonely,
Form:
Free verse
* - 1 - Free verse
I do not think I know so many brave people, really.
Dare to face your fears .... not avoid it
Fearless dare to tread into the unknown
Fearless ... To be able to do something you're afraid of
Go in a dark and unknown paths without street lights
Small, unobtrusive step towards convincing that one can cope
Realize that you have some 'skills' that it is time to put into practice
Give joy to a face full tear and sadness
Take the leap - Self-development which can be very demanding
Approach is that we are down here on earth both to develop ourselves
Also, to help with all the good things we
have with us in our luggage from all our past lives
Create your own life and not just survive
The one who dares nothing .... wins nothing
* - 2 - Ghazal
*** This is written with good help from a very talented poet
I do not think I know so many BRAVE PEOPLE, really.
PEOPLE dare to face your fear not CAVE, really.
Fearless PEOPLE WHO Dare to tread into the unknown
BE fearless do something you're afraid of BRAVE, really.
Go in a dark and unknown paths without street lights
TAKING small, unobtrusive steps YOU can cope, ask GRAVE, really.
Realize, you have some 'skills', it is time to put into practice
Give joy to a face full tear and sadness, really.
Take the leap - Self-development wooden can be very demanding
we are down here on earth bother to Develop ourselves, really.
Also, two help with all the good things we do in this journey
Let GO OF THE luggage from all our past lives, really.
Create your own life and not just survive
The one who dares nothing .... wins nothing, really.
10.11.2013
A-L Andresen :)
Categories:
unobtrusive, life,
Form:
Free verse
They say if you don’t use a thing for a year
It’s time to get rid of it, just to be clear
Feel free to sell it or give it away
But to get clutter free, just don’t let it stay
So, I checked my garage for stuff I could lose--
and found hundreds of words I simply don’t use!
Lilliputian and Sprightly stood on a shelf
Elbow-to-elbow with some wry little elf
Bucolic and Bumpkin were squirreled away
Beneath a big bale of bright yellow hay
Garish and Gaudy were in a glittery box
with Trinkets and Baubles set with fake rocks
Surreptitious and Unobtrusive tried to avoid being seen
But I caught 'em sneaking off with Clandestine
Beyond these loose words, which filled many a bin
Lay whole turns of phrase like Much to My Chagrin
I held up to the light a Gossamer Veil
Then dumped it in a Perfidious Betrayal
An Ethereal Cloud, glued to the ceiling
I scraped off with an Ambivalent Feeling
I rolled back the rug to see what I'd missed,
There before me stretched a Yawning Abyss
Into a huge crate, these big words I did toss
Bobbing on top were Flotsam, Jetsam and Dross
Fatigued by these labors, I took a short break
But that little respite may have been my mistake
Soon I was deep in most Pensive Reflection
On how Assiduously I had built this collection
In crept Myriad Doubts about so brash a move
What if I meet some Cad I need to Reprove?
What if some Craven Cur should Incur my Wrath
But words fail me due to this Ill-Chosen Path?
Well, soon that old crate was quite empty once more
And cluttered again were bin, shelf, drawer and floor
But one thing has changed, this is Palpably Clear
My Leviathan Word Horde I now Deeply Revere
Intrepid and Dauntless, I sling without fear
Iota and Mote.. I dust off once a year!
____________________________
by Brian McClain - Feb 2, 2016
Categories:
unobtrusive, education, fun, humor, humorous,
Form:
Rhyme
Hall of Silent Women
in valhala
in a far corner
of this martial paradise
is one small unobtrusive hall
above the heavy iron door
these words are faintly inscribed
“ the war department
regrets to inform you
that your son……
has been killed
in action, in defence of……”
women
silent
row upon row
straight backed, tight lipped, blank eyed
their amputated anger melting hearts
while words swift shot pierces soul
women
from life first stirrings
through vaulted cave to clapboard ranch
crouched sweating over birthing pit
to numbed white linen labour
in their pain and joy shudders steel shod feet
march through the womb.
women
ancient cauldrons
endless source of armoury
kept tongueless
then given tongue to teach
man made words
toy soldiers bleed rust.
in valhala
indeed in every martial paradise
there is one small unobtrusive hall
above the heavy door
words are faintly inscribed…
Categories:
unobtrusive, bereavement,
Form:
Free verse
FOREST SHOWER
From the steaming highway
Stopped for a light
looking through
A giant peering in
woodland so thick
and deep in thought
No thunder nor lightning
the mood is mild
Promenade
but a moment’s estimate
Thirsty forest trees with half-wet stature
hug in the dark forest glade
So quietly drenched the scene the freshness
a million tiny eyes within
without
The chatter whether angry or happy shelter
Drops from high above mingle symphonic
in the mist
Pristine
as it might have looked those past thousands
Serenely innocent
Perhaps a meadow
with sharp hooves plashing puddles
Happening on roses wild
a few
A stream trickled down from distant height
so marvelously clean unobtrusive
Oh to go down on both knees
drink from white hands
Wild flowers unknown uncultivated
a treasure of weeds
All is wed in perfect loneliness
An ancient hunter’s blood recalled
To run
To cool the feet
To bathe body and spirit
Just to walk through such weeping nature?
Oh no!
Sacrilege!
Invasion!
No!
Leave I must while the freshness the aroma lasts
A final glance
A shiver
Eyes fixed for a second
Stealing memory most dear
Seeping storing in soul’s special place
Categories:
unobtrusive, nature
Form:
Free verse
Animals teach us to love
They excel at all the simple things
Eating
Sleeping
Reproducing
but
They are no good at complex things
Making money
Reading books
Painting great art
Playing the violin
Making out income tax returns
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Building machines of war
When we ask animals to do any of these complex things
They look at us with such curious eyes
Do nothing
We value them for their unobtrusive simple ways
Feed them
Give them a place to sleep (often on our own bed)
Pet them
Pet them
PET THEM!
If this aint love I'm a rooster's comb and cackle!
Categories:
unobtrusive, animals, love
Form:
Free verse
There's beauty all around us,
In the trees, the flowers, the air,
And it quietly surrounds us,
If we'll make ourselves aware.
We only have to look and see,
For God has placed it there,
A quiet, gentle blessing,
Unobtrusive, patient, fair.
We find it most in nature,
In her woods and fields and dells.
We find it in the songs of birds,
The colors in seashells.
The power of the ocean's waves,
As they crash against the shore,
Or the way they gently roll in,
Once the storm is o'er.
The merry way they scamper in.
And lap against the shore,
The sun shining like jewels,
So different from before.
The silver of the rain drops,
Each one a jewel rare;
For who can make a rain drop,
Pray tell me if you dare.
The crystal, pristine beauty,
Of the snow in winter time,
And the warmth of home and family,
After a hard day's grind.
The joy with which my dog runs,
To meet me at the door.
No matter what my failures,
I know his love is sure.
So much beauty everywhere,
Surrounds us every day;
So important yet so simple,
That we don't appreciate,
How necessary are these things,
We take so much for granted.
I thank The Lord for all these things,
Rare gifts that He has granted.
Categories:
unobtrusive, blessing,
Form:
Quatrain
Life has become an amorphous mass,
Sans shape, sans structure.
And my mind is in total discombobulation.
I feel I am like a scrap yard.
My world has lost its tint and throb.
Defeated and decimated,
I long for an about-turn,
To reach back from whence I started
To get out of this quagmire
To restore all that slipped through my fingers,
In the tangled labyrinthine paths of life!
How I wish to curl unobtrusive,
Into the womb that bore me once,
To be reborn once more as my old self
To enjoy the peace and bliss, now alien!
As trees bared by the winter blasts,
Stay in wait for the spring to arrive,
I await a new life, fresh and new.
Before that, I must rip loose,
And peel away the covert mask
Sticking tight to my concealed face
Though it may cause me to bleed.
Exhale the soot of hatred,
Polluting my larynx and lungs,
The time is up for me to leave the stage.
But before I make the final bow
I should fit into a new cast,
And become a man again!!
Categories:
unobtrusive, anxiety, change, confusion,
Form:
Free verse
cold February's
rain saturates the good earth...
star magnolia blooms
A symbol of spring's resurrection are those early blossoms. The Daffodils spring up under the bright yellow Forsythia and beautiful pink tulip shaped flowers cover the Japanese Magnolia. Resurrection stated in the most subtle way. They say to me there is hope that the sun will soon warm the earth's soil signaling to all of nature to come alive.
red buds glow
decorating the roadside...
heavy fog cloaks all
Spring's presence can be unobtrusive slipping in like a lamb. One day it is winter then a heady essence wafts on a zephyr that aroma of pale lavender Wisteria announcing spring has sprung.
Categories:
unobtrusive, daffodils, nature, seasons, spring,
Form:
Haiku
You’re always dragging on me--
got your sticky icky leavings all
pver the place,
any place most inconvenient.
Always kind of spooky, nervous
but defiant too, back up
step out, get nose to nose
as if to say you’re here for good.
I know it’s you, at night, tasting
my eyes, making me wiggle
and a little itchy
squirmy but never squished, somehow…
One day there’s one of you,
lurking in a corner, the next, a window,
under floorboards, cupboards, skittering
all over my floor and ceilings
and in my clothes so when I undress
there you are, sitting like a star
right on my breast. Okay. I needed that.
To scream. Whack at something
so terribly invasive, biting,
so terribly unobtrusive, until
you leave your icky sticky leavings
as bumps all over me. When
were you walking over me, in the dark
while I dreamed, taking over
saying I’m a leaving little spider left.
Categories:
unobtrusive, animal, betrayal, environment, giving,
Form:
Quatrain
In a lovely place paradisiacal,
where the softest showers bring
blooms that open up their petals
and then begin to sing
and shimmer in synchronization,
with undulating hues,
vocalizing for their Maker their
sweet melodious tunes. . . .
is where I saw you first,
fair flower- among that radiant cluster,
echoing your praise
with all the fervor you could muster.
You resided in a spot,
slightly shaded. .. .on the border,
where ornamental shrubbery
lent an immaculate order.
Not amidst the pansies
or the other annual flowers
that glimmer for their time
but need rest at pre-set hours.. .
but there with the stalwart bushes,
unobtrusive in your pose -
A simple classic beauty;
for my guide, I picked a rose.
(For my mother, who is a very spiritual, faithful and modest
woman and a very immaculate housekeeper as well! This poem imagines
that we might select our parents before we are born! by the way, my mom turned 90 this past March 23rd!)
For A Mother's Love, Tributes Of Love For Mother's Day Poetry Contest
Sponsor: BJ Legros Kelley
Categories:
unobtrusive, mother,
Form:
Personification
Listen as I listen, I hear all your cheap talk of self flattery, attention seeking and shallowness. Why make it all so hard for the good souls?
I hear your speeches about the unjust things that exist, of the hardships life throws you and you deserve it. We all deserve it.
To be conscious is a quotidian battle, help will come from nowhere.
It is what we deserve.
We don't deserve you though, nobody does, you the vain, you the selfish, you the accuser of hipness, you the self centred and self loathing.
When will you leave the good souls alone?
A different time would have seen to it your dreams were caved in and it would have made for certain that it defiled your self projected image,
an image which pollutes.
Not once have you spoken words that are original, not once have you roared an interesting thought.
The demeanor you choose hides you well, I applaud.
This unobtrusive ovation I create, it shall be the only deference you shall receive from me.
Listen....
Categories:
unobtrusive, people, social, self, self,
Form:
Free verse
Lurking amongst shabby, impenetrable, undergrowth,
cloistered effigy is sheltered from casual view,
languishing, neglected, forgotten... but content.
No longer possessing a name; no longer serving a purpose;
whatever inscription once etched thereupon is
long-since faded, lost to the whimsical wisps of time.
In bygone years, its bronze cheeks would be flushed;
embarrassed, apologetic even, for its very existence.
Wriggled under the weight of myriad strangers' eyes,
recoiled from attempts to elicit illicit secrets,
perennial trepidation of exposure to ridicule.
But that was in the past... before the truth was embraced.
It can no more alter who it is than it can deter
the sun from setting, dissuade the tides from rising
or discourage the Earth from spinning on its axis.
And it has no wish to do so.
Feathered vermin perched atop its head defecate,
careless and carefree, contributing to the
guano collage caked on its carved countenance;
the similitude is not lost on it.
So it sits... silent and unobtrusive; stoic but stalwart:
the epitome of art imitating life imitating art.
Languishing, neglected, forgotten... but content.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Written 1 September 2017
Entered in "A Poem I Wrote and Sent Drifting" Contest, sponsored by Broken Wings (judged 11 October 2017).
(7th Place)
Originally for "Artwork" Contest (judged 6 September 2017)
Categories:
unobtrusive, analogy, art, character, growth,
Form:
Personification
She only wanted to see him reach his peak and he murkily nodded as if he too did
agree. She barked out orders and demanded that he stand at attention…He nodded his head
in a seemingly unobtrusive way, in an almost defiant face of dismissal of non-agreement with
her assessment of his efforts… as he struggled to keep up with her demanding pace.
She scorned him in attempted to shun him in front of his peers, in hopes that she might
spark some deep inner hidden desire for him to be at his best during the mocked games…he
gestured with a grin in an adverted attempt to act unashamed, his pride and desire to finish
out the mission kept him silent to her rebuttal and relentless claims that he did not put forth
any effort to do his best for his team. But little did she know, he was already a decorated
soldier of a battle he had won against cancer on his brains, just ten years ago at the tender
age of eight. Valor comes in many facets of people lives, some never known and some never
claimed.
Categories:
unobtrusive, recovery from...desire, cancer,
Form:
Light Verse
My thoughts reflect
upon the hour glass,
and knowing with the bottom mostly full
and darkness closer by,
the thing I was supposed to do
is undefined, retreating
in the now descending dusk,
a most sardonic eulogy, indeed,
There is a cadence beating
as I turn within. It echoes
as the triumph's hollow drums
would sound beneath the pines
along the Appian way, a counterpoint
to whispers that "thou art a man,"
a shell, a fallen leaf thrust by the wind,
accountable the least of all
to some inverted pride.
There is a song within such turning,
that is unsung, unending,
like a silent god, an unobtrusive,
still insistent art in parallel
along the corridor I walk.
It is the spectre that I also do not see.
It is the consciousness I share unborn, undying,
and the I-ness that I do not dare to touch.
And were I then to reach for it,
would you as well?
And are we not dependent
on the swell of every soul fulfilled...
Upon the hope clean ecstasy
may bring to sing at last
when all the silence bursts upon us?
Come, and bear with me
the crashing of the sea,
the fire emerging from beneath,
the planets crumbling,
the blackened sun--for that
we shall espy within
an endless cosmos of the mind
that cannot calculate the way to die.
~
Categories:
unobtrusive, allegory, art, art,
Form:
Free verse