Best Unprofitable Poems
(As Galileo left the session of the Inquisition
at which he had been forced to deny his own
discovery that the earth orbited the sun, and
had to "admit" that the earth was static, he
murmured, "eppur si muove" ("but it moves").
It's hard to live in Lilliput, I find.
I have to cross my fingers, play their game.
Their billing, filling, drilling daily grind
sits ill with me. They all trot out the same
tired cliches. Passing a painting, never fail
to comment on the squareness of the frame.
Unprofitable, weary, flat and stale.
You can't earn prizes here. These fools prize earning.
No sweets to eat. It's one long dreary tale
of condemnation, disapproval, spurning.
The Sunday supplements determine taste,
all tearing down, forbidding, banning, burning.
They're sealed in heavy metal, concrete-cased
austerity. They put the "die" in "diet".
What will survive of them is nuclear waste.
Denounce, detract, dismiss it and deny it.
Don't look for clover - look for cloven hooves.
Excoriate it, flay it, vilify it.
They'd love to let life lurch along in grooves,
the gauche, perverse, unruly human mind
trapped tidily in aspic. But it moves.
Categories:
unprofitable, satire,
Form:
Terza Rima
Altogether unprofitable sentimental but no fool they call him an old sap The taste of knowledge to him is sweet to get more valuable than sap to a tree even more valuable than the gold that runs from seven hills prolongs the days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. The Lord does hate pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom with an expected end pure love as God gives the increase I have tasted the Lord is gracious A strong warning from the savior Jesus He is Lord whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire some may say the old sage is just saber rattling Essayage the shoe on the other foot walking a mile in someone else shoes who has two left feet and one leg longer truly your feet are bound to get sore circling around the mountain just assaying the metal who is your maker I know mine For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory I am not straining gnats just spitting out the the filthy camel Love the Lord God Jesus and every man your neighbor all the glory of man as the flower of grass like sagebrush God made foolish the wisdom of this world put your faith and hope in God and not in men though man's urban inflections change the Word of the Lord stands sure Everlasting superior are God's ways than man's momentary dullness
Categories:
unprofitable, allegory, devotion, faith, fear,
Form:
Prose Poetry
Like his fathers before him, he was a tiller of the soil.
He loved the old farmstead that was built with sweat and toil.
He farmed with Clydesdale horse and cantankerous mules,
A sickle bladed mower, sulky plows and other John Deere tools.
He rose before the sun was up to milk his Jersey cows,
To feed the fowl, his cattle and the Poland China sows.
This was a way of life for him, never taking any vacations.
He cherished the farming life despite its many frustrations.
Tho' he'd seen unprofitable years, floods, hail and drought,
With indomitable courage, he chose to press on and see it out.
He knew the successful fruition of crops was a roll of the dice,
But he steadfastly labored on taking his chances at any price.
His fields of corn, wheat and oats were a beauty to behold.
He prayed he'd get top price when his various crops were sold.
At harvest, his mows were overflowing, his bins flush with grain.
Come next Spring he and his horses would begin the cycle again.
In overalls and an old straw hat, he toiled 'neath the Hoosier sun,
Laboring from dawn to dusk - it seemed his work was never done.
He clad his little son in overalls and assigned him simple chores,
Saying, "Work hard my boy - someday this will all be yours!"
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
(© All Rights Reserved)
Categories:
unprofitable, on work and workingold,
Form:
Rhyme
The man looked at the unprofitable world
Then decided it was no place for him,
Toughen up his mind to go, to a fool's paradise;
Twined his neck in rope to heaven,
Waving and twisting like a ripe calabash to get
The tight noose out of gullet,
And there, it has past that stress eroded life;
Moved on biting his forefinger like meat,
What about mama and her cradle child,
She prevented it to come to the world not
To smell the prepared poison that man has made,
And it came after all
To fulfill all naturedness;
And she chef a pot
Of pudding on fire,
The baby swam head first,well cooked
As it last, mourning
Mama shed a rhino tears.
Categories:
unprofitable, confusion
Form:
Light Verse
When ruling orders are given,
subordinates must make it so
If they are evil decisions,
then lesser ranks should not yield their integrity
They should have enough moral fortitude to say no
A Jezebel justification
is an ancient war crime against humanity
A Nuremberg notation,
is it's modern day footnote in European history
If you were a patriotic German soldier in WWII,
did you blindly do what Hitler ordered you to?
If you were a loyal Nazi partisan,
did you without question
kill Jews who were innocent?
Party politics sometimes play morality tricks
Before you follow the leader,
do you examine their moral views?
Weigh whether they’re healthy or sick
Don’t let political cowardice
get medals of dishonor pinned on your chest
Don’t let fleeting power greed
record you as a Jezebel flunkey
in the annuals of history
A Nuremberg notation
is a reminder to every civilized nation
Follow not a multitude to do evil,
let your conscience be your warning bell
Obey not the wicked voices uttered by sons of Belial,
for they will lead you down the path to hell
Exercise your freewill ...
don’t be a robot who only marches
to nationalistic pre-coded programming
Reject a devilish deal ...
Dorian portraits sold by a con artist
are a most unprofitable thing
Remember well, this historical footnote:
At Nuremberg,
on trial was a question of treason and loyalty
Nations come and go —
that is the way of creation
In the Book of Life,
if a blood-red tear stain be next to your name,
denying you eternal salvation
Then, God has cursed your soul ...
marking it with a Nuremberg notation
Categories:
unprofitable, evil, history, judgement, truth,
Form:
Dramatic Verse
A worthless worm…writhing in wretchedness
Hell-bound creature because of iniquities
That was I: doomed to everlasting torment
Condemned to suffer forever…
Yet, God Almighty with His grace and compassion
Reached down to me wondrously…
…He lifted me up from sins’ quagmire
Transforming my life miraculously;
Now, like a butterfly, peaceably beauteous
I’m freely doing His entrusted role as His called steward...
Thankful to His blessings, spread like "every grain of sand."
With righteous deeds likened to filthy rags
Imprisoned was I to my hypocritical beliefs
Such was I: verily unprofitable according to Scriptures’ gauge
Midst my self-glorying domineering conceit…
Yet, the Saviour with His truth and mercy
Imparted to me His divine nature……
…He rescued me from corruption by His holiness
Unchaining my soul from the clasps of religious dogmatism;
Now, I’m justified… acquitted from transgressions’ punishment
Freed indeed*, clothed with virtues for Christ-driven service...
Appreciating His magnificence shown by "every grain of sand."
*John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
April 3, 2019
Edited on May 7, 2019
4th place, "Musical Inspiration" Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Joseph May; judged on 6/6/2019.
Categories:
unprofitable, appreciation, christian, courage, freedom,
Form:
Dramatic Monologue
Affection and solicitude
rises in my eyes,
shaped into tears
as fresh as dew,
she was first and new,
lays calm and motionless
touch lost, ways parted,
Best of moments passed
as a flash of light,
an absolutely unprofitable life,
Rosy cheeks,
glittery eyes,
knee long silky hair,
tall and perfect thin,
why lay quiet ?
Who provoked you ?
Why been so impulsive
to quit ?
Did I mean a hurt
That you harried?
I drown deep into,
love that's like
suicide in river,
prick of a thorn
to body with no soul,
love is still hung
like a crystal before me,
I can feel fragrance
of your eternal breath,
My beloved sweetheart !
Fire burns in my heart
tranquilize,
flowing emotions
down my cheeks,
pacify,
My love, my inspiration,
how could u take leave of,
and leave me alone
in world to suffer
You ought to reply !
My beloved sweetheart !
written on 3/5/14
sponsor- Amy green
Categories:
unprofitable, bereavement, devotion, sorrow,
Form:
Free verse
By virtue of its peculiarities
The gaze is at liberty through
chains of fragmentary images
The eternal light captures the attention
At sunset rise, with mystery of increase
Truth is mightier than the shroud of sin
Without confusion and uncertainty,
double-born in eternal love
The shadows of the earth in unprofitable strife
the silence reflects the sinful song
A living beauty all divine
twin tears of gratitude filled with the light of heaven
Categories:
unprofitable, beauty, blessing, celebration, religion,
Form:
Free verse
Life is too short for quarrels and fights,
Time passes fast, so do days and nights.
There is never a replay or a rewind,
So don’t leave any opportunities behind.
Time is racing faster than fast,
Soon you’ll reach your last.
So do all that you must,
Before you’re turned to dust.
Don’t waste precious days,
In unprofitable ways.
Do it right while you’re still alive,
Be good, aim high and strive.
There is so much to accomplish,
And not enough time on this land.
So go ahead and fulfill your wish,
Before the chances, slip out of your hand…
Categories:
unprofitable, deep, how i feel,
Form:
Rhyme
I thought of emotion. I thought of desire.
What of that, you say?
Plan as we may for what is to come,
it does not exist, has not, will not.
And there is the only significance
as it rolls like thunder down forever.
Less than the void, there is no returning.
There is only now.
Yes, there are the solemn tears,
some feelings of regret, some crashing
into the sort of history we build
from tiny blocks of homemade clay,
then tear apart like the children we emulate.
There's not much room for me.
I worry. You chuckle.
And no one would blame you, including myself.
If it is based on merit, my place is overgrown
with weeds--not much to offer the world.
My single New Testament talent is quite alone.
I am un unprofitable servant.
Desire is it? No. The dream as well
is crushed. The fragments will
not ever be enough to fill the space.
That does it. I have no place at all.
~
Categories:
unprofitable, history,
Form:
Free verse
I have lived a thousand lives
I have fallen but I rise.
I have seen what most cant bare
Many moments brought a scare.
I have swam in unprofitable waters
Watch predators destroy our daughters.
I have endured torrential rains
Filled with the innocence pain
I have walked amongst the dead
Broken from words that were said
I have rolled around in graves
Graves that no one cared to save.
By: Sabina Nicole
Categories:
unprofitable, sad,
Form:
Rhyme
Subtle ineffable feelings of affection and solicitude,
Amorous as like swallow's ,
Ephemeral and unavoidable,
Too much like water of deep stream.
Throwing myself into love like suicide into river,
You entered into my life like a miracle,
Like a misty rain that falls softly but floods the river,
As fresh as dew, it was first and new.
I stand on your grave today heavy at heart,
Love is like a tear that rises in the eyes but falls upon the breast,
It passed between us like a field of light,
Seized me unexpectedly as did your sudden death.
White Lillies your favourite I hold in my hands,
Can feel your eternal breath inhale the fragrance,
Life is unprofitable as a ship without rudder,
Prick of a thorn to the body without a soul.
Love hung still as crystal on my bed,
As fierce as death, I thrive for your affection,
It bursts all over my physical being like sweat,
Kinship, a feeling of endearment and oneness,
Eternal breath !
Written by Dr. Upma Sharma
Categories:
unprofitable, anniversary,
Form:
Quatrain
Pessimism, I loathe your gloomy effect
Parroting vanity’s vexation in my mind that I’m unprofitable…
God I thank; by His strength* is great achievement as I do my utmost.
Negativism, I vanquish your vehement accusations
Taunting me of my failures, falls, and frustrations…
I praise the Lord for His compassion, pressing me on with optimism!
Skepticism, I conquer your attacking doubts
Robbing me of my sanity’s tranquility; torturing me mentally…
The omniscient Sovereign I trust as I settle myself serenely in His truth!
Criticism, I subdue your undermining, deceitful, hypocritical comments
Treating me as a loser in my service-commitment…
Propped by the Almighty’s power, I can be the best for His glory!
Evil thoughts, I pluck all your poisonous roots from my soul’s ground…
Thru the Scriptures’ exhortations, I can bloom and prosper
Triumphantly living for my Master, reaching others by His love!
*Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
January 21, 2019
1st place, "ULTIMATE JANUARY 2019..." Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand; judged on 1/30/2019.
Categories:
unprofitable, christian, courage, faith, god,
Form:
Free verse
Three faceless Misses
amble amidst vagarious March rains
under parasols / veiled in the anonymity of death/burial
Three / shifting between tangible lives
breathless bellies barely acclimated to first-life
Brown girls who were shadows before second death
Voiceless / ambassadors of disordered paradigms moved
past dangerous minds weaponizing skin/genitals/unlikeness
criminalizing the Creator who made all things well
Unnoticed whispers/ persistently noiseless as in their lifetime
holding umbrellas humbly against the falling judgments
of the colour-blinded masses - Why rains of sticks/stones/saliva
nooses to delete tar bodies
Yet hapless muses stumbled onto canvas
into dance/parlance
where they will become unabandoned
Savage Chronos buries memories in forgetting / turning them disremembered erased
Still / Three impossible princesses forge through moss
gray haze / dark puddles
swallowing uneasily their backbreaking grief over race relations
Daily / silently pissing peppers / hoisting parapluies
raiment raking wet roads
so saturated hems won't slap ankles
Three from carnal cages flew
haunting effigies rambling
seeking their paradise visions
Above Earth’s murky ways / umbrellas rise as masted ships
sailing the slender triumvirate to Elsewhere's ardent sun
cyan skies / immaculate time
when fretful flesh is shed / purified souls will travel in light
Three ancestral sisters became memory/myth/justice
bursting through Chronos’ forgetful fog
Lifeless / yet enduring / Three whispers:
“Justice will rain where it had condemned
the God of Creation is vengeful / He alone who’d seen us in a sightless world
humanity’s cheap lenses / unprofitable paradigms beg amends.”
Categories:
unprofitable, art, black african american,
Form:
Free verse
We became blind to His love for us
Failing to honor Him in our worship
His choices now offend us
And our offerings now offend Him
Our hearts refuse to take Him in
So, we go through the motions
For the appearance of respectability
We are hypocrites
Asking Him for His blessing
While dishonoring His name
We have turned back from following Him
Our speech becomes ever more sinful
Showing partiality in His instructions
Showing lack of influence by the Spirit
We are disillusioned
Accusing Him of injustice
Because the wicked are prospering
While our own service to Him is unprofitable
So, we withhold from Him
And become more self-assertive
Dealing treacherously with each other
We are lacking spiritual kinship
Yet, it's because of His justice
We still have space to repent
To return to Him and regain His blessing
To avoid the curse and coming judgment
He will send Elijah before that Day
To break the stalemate
Categories:
unprofitable, bible, heart, spiritual,
Form:
Free verse