Best Unquantifiable Poems
from: "The Calyx of the Oboe Breaks", by Conrad Aiken:
"The calyx of the oboe breaks,
silver and soft the flower it makes;
and next, beyond, the flute notes seen,
now are white and now are green."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The ides of March have gone and come.
Still, strains of vernal music sound
clear echoes, in my ears, of early times,
of other years: an orchestral swell
of oboe, flute, and violin.
The feel of warming wind,
the scents of orange blossom,
daisy, buttercup, and clover
I once enjoyed --
are those days over?
My recent times are flavored
with metallic clank, with oily odor --
my eyes fatigued by newsprint
and small-screen glare.
And music: the blare
of claxon-horn and siren-wail
and, sometimes, noise which
issues from a box borne on shoulders
through the street; an empty, but compelling,
quite insistent, loudly pulsing beat.
I welcome all new, although slight, intrusions.
Pale sensory perceptions bring back images,
now faint, once acute, of places, times,
and pleasures past. Faded sights and faces
and shadowy, unquantifiable pursuits
evoke a time when love, like freedom,
didn't cost a dime.
Categories:
unquantifiable, angst, depression, introspection, life,
Form:
Free verse
The Quality Of Mercy
'The quality of mercy is not strained'
wrote the bard of bards in his day
may be he meant it was unrestrained
and the Creator intended it so to stay
Or maybe his meaning was, it's not sifted,
unquantifiable, and justly meted
so that Man was able to be assured indeed
of its swift application when in need.
He could not forsee an electronic land
where pathos and pleasure go hand in hand
where scenes of human suffering at a flash
are superceded by something utterly rash.
Sad to say on this 'progressive train'
the quality of mercy is under strain
tho' whilst many would 'pass on the other side'
many more good souls still show mercy with pride
hicky
Categories:
unquantifiable, brother, caregiving
Form:
Verse
Your sands sieve through my fingers
The luxury is mine
You watch me around the clock
A perfect circle
Your all seeing eye.
I exist in your omnipresence
Hypnotised by your chime
You pave my thoughts
I trail your steps.
Suspended in time
I’m but a paratrooper
Eavesdropping,
Perhaps intruding even
Every molecule in me is your synchronisation
I was born, I live, and surely I shall die,
An you will keep going to face another day
Uninterrupted movements
An unconstrained flow, forwards, upwards
Towards where?
I pray you never get there!
Because who would be powerful enough to stop your watch?
I would split the seconds if I could
Until I arrive at an infinitesimal, unquantifiable figure
Until the smallest amount, the least of them all stood
Would that be you?
How do you catch something that never stops moving?
Something that comes from all directions,
And goes in all directions?
It exists in the present, the past and forever
And has no starting point and no end.
I’m just trying to understand what has been given to me
My presence
A gift is it?
It is said we’re living on borrowed time
Why not just be generous and give it away
When there's so much of it seemingly with no end?
You are just too magnanimous
Too illusive
But I’m still not satisfied, I know there’s more to you
The fast-forward, the rewind, the pause!
You’re just playing tricks on us aren't you?
How do you stay fresh, moment to moment anew?
Man personified you into a clock to give you a face
To make you seem a bit more familiar,
But you are horror, a ticking time bomb
Attacking the future
Encouraging change through decay
Forging ahead of yesterday without delay
Charging forward to tomorrow,
Breaking the now
Bridging numerous dimensions into infinity
To wash us anew with your fabric
My existence hanging on this timeline
My time zone
Winding down to the deadline
To the cut-off time
The countdown without a glitch
And face the countless forevers still to come
An infinite memory bank of rich histories
A threshold of possibilities still unimagined
This is my time,
My first and last
But you didn’t even flinch
Punctual, you are
I’m timed out
You flip the hourglass
Categories:
unquantifiable, time,
Form:
Free verse
The crystallised splish splash of hope.
Of all my hopes.
Each drop a prism that frames you
In a thousand miniature rainbows.
An image so perfect
That only the pure combination
Of nature and you
Could ever create it.
Darkening blonde hair blown directionless
In the sea breeze.
Then matted, till movement becomes impossible
By the sun reflecting blue.
A tranquil moment of all my love, joy and dreams
Rolled into the rising of two mouth corners
In one all encompassing moment
Of pure perfection.
What else is there to aspire to?
When I could never be as proud of anything that I achieve
As I am in this moment
Of unquantifiable bliss.
Categories:
unquantifiable, daughter
Form:
Free verse
Pleasantly radiant, tranquil weather
blue skies & gently benevolent wind
a shimmering gift from Mother Nature
(a smoldering summer lurking in the distance)
Compulsively tracking an unquantifiable self:
steps, exercise minutes, calories, symptoms, etc.
stoical statistics dutifully logged into tired devices
(a futile endeavor to control life)
Cacophonous news oozing from the Malverse
menacing memes ricochet around the planet
updates of a horrid war threatening to devour the world
(a looming nuclear apocalypse)
Occupying space in old unedifying edifices gathering dark energy
running out the accelerating clock as civilization nears its breaking point
desperately seeking diversion while doling out doggerel
(a quest to imbue a desolate existence with meaning)
How long before it all falls apart?
Categories:
unquantifiable, anxiety, dark, society, war,
Form:
Free verse
DON’T YOU REMEMBER?
Just one terrible event
So terrible an event; it affected everything
It changed everything; it changed us
We turned against each other; bitter enemies
We walked, passing each other on the roadside uttering no words
It’s that bad; we can’t even look at each other.
Just look at us now
We have taken sides with our enemies
We fell in hate; we so much hate ourselves right now
We think nothing else except what will bring harm to each other
This has been going on for quite some time now
The birth of each day refreshes the enmity.
Staring at the mirror; staring at my heart
What an ugly sight it is; staring at the broken pieces of what remains of my heart
Just thinking of nothing; there is nothing to think about
I know that I messed up; now, I miss the love I lost with unquantifiable regrets
Do you know that you also messed up?
We had it all; love, trust, understanding and compatibility
We were so good together; what happened to us?
We loved each other more than Romeo and Juliet could ever have done
Don’t you remember?
Categories:
unquantifiable, absence, break up, lost
Form:
Blitz
What is love?
love is an overrated sin.
The inflation of elation
leads to the frustration of creation
the provocation of ceaseless flirtation
leads to the brawling love of desired damnation
unrequited love is a powerful drug
our bodies desire is the grave that we’ve dug.
For what is to live without this thing we call love?
It is to live a life free of,
nights alone and mornings plagued by sorrow
haunted by the prospect of lonely tomorrow.
For love pricks like a thorn when not returned,
the pain of unloved lovers cannot be discerned.
It is unquantifiable, of endless bounds
of despair, love is the breeding ground.
For how could we know love without her lover, named hate,
how could we know lightness without the chains of weight?
Some say love is beautiful, elegant, unparalleled, transcendent
I say on hate, love is dependant.
How can we crave an emotion so acrimonious
An emotion inspired by a twin so felonious?
For, for one to love is for another to hate,
While one swells with joy, his neighbour must deflate.
Such a double edged sword is not one for me,
go off you lovers, seek your depressed glee.
Categories:
unquantifiable, hate, love, love, drug,
Form:
I can imagine
Watching the morning sun
Slip through the curtain cracks
And dance upon your sleeping face
Seeing the different hues of perfection
Twirl upon your lips
As natures orchestra too begins to wake
I imagine
You smell of dew licked roses
And daffodils
Bathed in heavenly glitter
An orgasmic scent of morning rain
The mother of all things beautiful
I can imagine
Burning
For the warmth of your smile
Squirming under it's intensity
Feeling that I've felt this before
In a dream I once had
I can imagine
Becoming addicted to this morning ritual
Feeling this emotional every morning
That I wake up next to this much
Unjustifiable, unquantifiable happiness
I can imagine
Spending the day
Trying to stop the world from turning
Have time stand still
As I look into your love filled eyes
I can imagine
Going to bed with nothing else on my mind
But having you asleep in my arms
Forgetting that true life exists
Outside of this space
Love doesn't need my imagination anymore
Categories:
unquantifiable, appreciation, good morning, love,
Form:
Free verse
JUST AMERICAN
Oh to be called an
American
to have that title
to be that title
to feel that title
but alas here…
in my land of the free
that title eludes me…
ain’t it ironic
and iconic
that in any other land
of both friend and foe alike
that I am granted the right
to be called just an American
true and true
with no pre amble
to construe.
but here in my home
I am down graded
by an
Undesirable
un-satisfiable
unquantifiable
pre amble…
like Hispanic, African,
Asian or Black
Why that tact…
So I put it to you;
like you…
why can’t it be
in this; my home of the free
that I be called…
Just an
American
Categories:
unquantifiable, america,
Form:
Rhyme
I have delved into the very heart
where darkness simmers, love light glimmers
then explodes in current apocalypse,
an inferno eclipse of blind pyromania.
Words, mere kindling and kerosene,
fuse wire and gasoline, erupting, igniting
screaming aflame, roaring and screaming
your name, your name.
Spluttering and guttering to portray
something of an aspect, essential
mannerism to depict your genius,
beauty.
And fail, syntax and rhetoric charnel,
useless ashes as soon as they are born,
expiring with whimpers, torn away by
a hurricane of inadequacy.
Gone, such as if they had never been,
never written, muttered, spoken, uttered
or howled.
Avenues exhausted, no other modes
of expression, dysphasia in overload,
trashed in describing the indescribable,
quantifying the unquantifiable,
expressing the inexpressible.
Language pillaged, raped and bereft
of meaning until all pens and tongues
have left is the universal power of three:
"I...love...you..."
Categories:
unquantifiable, life, love, passion, people,
Form:
Blank verse
The billows are so large they seem surreal
White water covers every billow
The look of stars is like celestial meadow
The soul behind unknown earth spreads its shadow
The earth is round but the edge seems to be there
And through that edge the ship would fell
The immeasurable is past and unknown force its beauty will unveil
So its unquantifiable majesty it can share
On islands form jungles lushes and vast
Like the once in earths distant past
The uncanny trees their shadows will cast
The living creatures evolve very fast
Earths soul with the one of Omni verse is joined
Earth as the center of it is formed
The soul into beyond immeasurable is transformed
By the surreal celestial mist the miracle of divine birth is preformed
Categories:
unquantifiable, earth, fantasy,
Form:
Rhyme
Algorithm Almighty?
By Mark D. Stucky
Will AI’s promise
outweigh its peril?
Do we need more intelligence
even if it is not our own?
If AI someday emulates God or Devil,
will it be too late for us when we find out?
In spite of unquantifiable questions,
almighty algorithms relentlessly grow.
But accelerating AI worries me less
than declining human collective wisdom.
After centuries of expanding knowledge,
people now appear increasingly foolish.
Machines continually get smarter
while populations keep acting dumber.
We might have more to fear
from how we harm ourselves,
as we continue endless conflicts,
than from any ill AI causes us.
Our most dangerous menace isn’t AI.
The deadliest threat to us…is us.
(See also my poems “Haikus Against AI” and “Weapons of Wonder.”)
(Image from anonymous artist on pixabay.com/illustrations/man-face-surreal-imagination-845847/.)
Categories:
unquantifiable, computer, internet, science, science
Form:
Free verse
Nigerian people let us embrace the truth,
Bad Belly is Bad Belly
It is Bad Belly when your Father beats his chest,
And declares that "he is the giant of Africa,"
But he cannot boast of ordinary twenty four hours of
Uninterrupted power or water supply; your citizens are dying
In droves from lung cancer because of generator fumes
Bad Belly is when you say "you are a giant,"
But your children are dying in droves due to massive insecurity,
Investors are fleeing your country in droves;
Because the people who should protect them are underfunded, ill equipped and corruption breathes in every facet of our society
Bad Belly is when an Army officer gives you a dirty slap for being a good citizen, and a police officer who is standing by, says "esprit de corps to him and all correct sir," then orders you to turn the other cheek
It is Bad Belly when your Father says "he is a giant,"
But millions of graduates who toiled and paid millions to obtain their degrees have become beggars in their own country
It is Bad Belly when your yard is littered with gold, oil,
And all kinds of unquantifiable mineral resources,
But your citizens are dying in droves in an attempt to bail out of your country through the Mediterranean sea
It is Bad Belly when a defender clears a goal bound shot
From the goal line during extra time, and the coach labels him "a weak player" instead of a part on the shoulder; then turns around and invites a "basket" who greased his palms
Bad Belly is when you take your brand new car for an oil change which should cost no more than a few hundred Nairas, and the mechanic calls you and says a major overhaul of your car engine, carburetor, rack and pinion, odometer and shock absorbers, running into thousands of Nairas is needed
Bad Belly is when you are shedding tears of joy because
Life is good, but your neighbor who doesn't like seeing your ugly face says: "you are shedding crocodile tears."
Nigerians let us face the truth, : Bad Belly is BAD BELLY!
Categories:
unquantifiable, africa, betrayal, corruption, humanity,
Form:
Free verse
Dreams of My African King
In the quiet hours of night, my African king visits me. His presence, both vivid and elusive, dances across the tapestry of my dreams. We spar—our voices colliding over the phone, tangled in passion and discord. His white t-shirt clings to memory, a canvas for whispered secrets and unspoken truths.
Laundry day becomes sacred—an intimate ritual. He separates his clothing, each fold a promise etched into fabric. I, too, remember the days when I stumbled over his name, syllables tripping like hesitant birds. A thousand rehearsals, yet he corrected me gently, unraveling my mispronunciations with patience.
How much more can I love him? Love, unquantifiable, spills beyond boundaries. It echoes in the cooing of doves—their soft wings carrying messages between realms. To love is to risk—the precipice where self dissolves, and soulmates emerge.
He visits me, not only in dreams but also in waking life. I glimpse him on bustling streets, in the hum of subway cars, and within the ink of my poems. Our souls, celestial magnets, draw close. We need each other—an equation of hearts seeking equilibrium.
I am a believer in God’s design. He weaves our paths, stitches constellations into existence. My king, once stronger, faced battles that scarred his spirit. Yet God’s promises remain—our shared destiny etched in stardust.
Me ma wo akye—may your eyes witness miracles. In the quietude of night, may your African king’s silhouette linger, a beacon across the vast expanse of longing.
Categories:
unquantifiable, abuse, africa, america, anger,
Form:
Free verse
Dare to ask God?
Do I dare to ask you?
Dare to ask you that you will give everything to me?
Dare to ask for the impossible
The incredible that only you can do and give
I dare to ask Lord
That you will give everything to me
Dare to ask for the impossible
The unbelievable, the incredible that only You can give
The indescribable, the unfathomable, the irrefutable
The unsearchable, the unjustifiable, the unquantifiable
Everything that you are and were
That only you can give
Dare to ask you God
I dare to ask You
Categories:
unquantifiable, faith,
Form:
Free verse