Best Wheezed Poems
Plunging, lifting, plunging -as wind blew ashes all around -
the shovels' blades incised the cold and black encrusted ground.
Attached to shovel handles were the arms of skeletons - of men,
who pausing, hacked and wheezed; then bent and smote the dirt again.
With bruised decrepit bodies - and coerced - they struggled on
beneath a sky from which the sun for them had long withdrawn.
And seeping into nostrils came that too familiar stench
when shrieking had died out, and still - they toiled at the trench.
Perhaps they dreamed of tunnels; that the cracks within the earth
inflicted by their shovels formed a path to their rebirth.
What horror in the knowing there were no more tears to cry
or that their bodies - shoeless - might, in graves they’d dug, soon lie.
First posted 5/6/10
Entered in the '2022 Poetry Marathon Mile 8' Poetry Contest of Mark Toney
Entered Feb. 5, 2023
for 2022 Poetry Marathon Qualifiers' Final Placement Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Mark Toney
Categories:
wheezed, history, sad,
Form:
Couplet
This road is snake-like except
for the crusty scales of an intestinal
late dusk. A boy treaded on the
lane tracks lean and nomadic...
burnt shoulders grilled and toasted by
the sun, as if his coal skin sparked like
burning diamond weeds. In a flash, a tender
sorcery poured in my veins. There and then,
I longed to whisper a tune, play the tambourine or
partake of the loaf in my sack with him.
But he waited for paper clouds to ruffle his hair,
seemingly undisturbed by pilgrims like me
holding unto holy relics and bones of night. The gauze
shirt as his frock winged with the silver winds,
windblown stroking my ebony tresses with a whisper
hushed by his delicate omnipresence.
In a dimly lit bus, sand wheezed tribal notes
moist on my eyelids uprooted by uncontained
temples of longing, now becoming thick
as woolen destiny. If only for a flicker of time,
his eyelids met mine so briefly... parting saline dust
of sacred, smiling gazes. I was inside a cell
of a wombed bus. He was outside enlarged by a
hundred stars exploding dewdrops, inviting eternity.
For a fraction of silence, we met somewhere
between the fluorescent of our twin eyes. He, the angel
first fondly encountered ; I, the dreamer ever bewildered…
I remember...I was five.
---oooo----oooo---
(( P.D.'s " your Own Favorite Poem
by nette onclaud))
Categories:
wheezed, mystery, uplifting
Form:
Lyric
One day I delivered a poem
one that seemed to be premature
so I swaddled her up
and set her aside
to grow 'til I felt reassured
How she yowled and howled for attention...
how she cried so piteously!
How she coughed and she sneezed
whimpered and wheezed
then threw up all over me!
Still I tenderly tended her bedside
and lovingly nursed her along
determined to sacrifice everything
to raise her up healthy and strong
As she grew and recovered, she wandered
and crawled over everything
and I found I had trouble containing
my rambling, unruly offspring
She became an inexcusable bounder
a wayward and bratty ingrate
who despite all my love and affection
refused to make sense or read straight
She dallied in questionable places
she idled and shiftlessly shirked
lazily lagging, ignoring my nagging
while I selflessly, endlessly worked
Firmly applied discipline to her
and structure, and meter, and rhyme
but she bucked, and rebelled, and bit me
and stayed up beyond her bedtime
We wrestled, and wrangled, and brawled,
bickered in bitter altercation
if I didn't do something quite soon
she would ruin my good reputation
At length, I decided I'd had it
we had reached the end of the road
and although she clung like a wet paper towel-
I flung her and flushed the commode!
Categories:
wheezed, humor, humorous, silly, word
Form:
Rhyme
wheezed lungs of bare trees
panting against tight winds---
breath of moon dilates
Categories:
wheezed, nature,
Form:
Haiku
Thunder growls beneath fired sky
Crackling its way down street wires
As booms pound on our ceiling.
Forceful winds roughen wheezed noise
In a pitch quite deafening
While we huddle together;
Enjoying silent movies.
SEVENBITS Contest hosted by nette onclaud
10.02.2017
Categories:
wheezed, nature, silence, wind,
Form:
Verse
II.
Liesel spent months worrying about this,
about dark minions and young souls that hurt,
she even started fearing for herself
for questioning the teachings of the church.
She did not want to damn herself to Hell,
but she couldn’t believe that it was true
that a loving God would punish children
for something that they themselves couldn’t do.
How did it make sense that helpless infants
could be punished due to their parents?
Why would they suffer for another’s sins,
how in the world did such a thing make sense?
But Liesel kept this turmoil inside,
and tried to just keep on living her life,
didn’t tell of doubts that haunted her thoughts,
or worried dreams that kept hear up at night.
It all came to a head six months later,
her neighbor’s new baby died in his sleep,
The town gathered up for the funeral,
to weep loudly, and to pour out their grief.
Liesel loitered near the back of the crowd,
every so often she glanced to the woods,
until finally she saw the woman,
and decided she’d settle this for good.
She crept out of her parent’s house that night,
made her way slowly down to the churchyard,
at midnight the old crone walked to the grave,
and from her cloak removed some sort of jar.
She opened it and stood there quietly
for a long moment, then shuffled away,
Liesel followed, determined that somehow
she would not make this foul demon pay.
Through a dark forest of eldritch oak trees,
where brushy undergrowth scratched at her skirts,
across gurgling streams that wet her feet,
down dark ravines where the wolfpacks still lurked.
Amidst calling owls loud in the night,
she followed that old crone through the wild,
she kept a good distance, forty paces,
her feet bled, and she wheezed from the trial.
Finally she came upon a small glade,
to the center of it the crone did go,
right to an old cabin that rose up there,
Over the door was a sign that said ‘Limbo.’
Her heart froze as the old woman walked in,
she saw the briefest flash of light from inside,
all of her reason screamed out, ‘You should run!’
But she couldn’t, no matter how hard she tried.
Some great force acted deep within her soul,
she couldn’t say if for good of for ill,
but Liesel found herself approaching the door,
simply a pawn to some powerful will…
Categories:
wheezed, anxiety, baby, children, heaven,
Form:
Epic
Written: October 17, 2023
____________________________
breeze of zeal wheezed
the zephyr sings through the trees~
insight reach zenith
Categories:
wheezed, analogy, wind,
Form:
Haiku
The moon reflected on the sea,
A night more beautiful than day.
I wheezed and struggled up the steps
And looked out over Whitby Bay.
I saw the harbour far below,
And heard the splashing of the waves,
I turned around to see the church,
The ruined abbey and the graves.
I thought of Dracula, the Count,
Imagined him and Lucy there,
And then I saw a hulking shape -
But, oh, the menace in that glare.
He showed his fangs and hissed at me;
My feet were rooted to the spot.
I cried for help and waved my arms
At people on a distant yacht.
He lunged and bit into my neck;
I tried to fight but felt so weak.
And that is how I came to die -
And you’re the prey I need to seek…
for Darren's Bram Stoker contest
Categories:
wheezed, fantasy,
Form:
Rhyme
A pet more exotic I'd wanted.
A pet to be groomed and then flaunted.
not a dog or a cat
something cooler than that!
I began my search feeling undaunted
In a pet store I came on a ferret.
Such a pain he was! How did I bear it?
Under doors and through cracks
He'd escape from me. AAAACH!!
So I traded him in for a parrot.
Well, the parrot just wanted to fly!
And that bird knew more bad words than I.
When he called me a whore,
I threw open the door:
“Now you’re getting your wish, Bird. BYE BYE!
A boa constrictor I bought,
He’d like to be cuddled, I thought,
But he wrapped and he squeezed,
As I gasped and I wheezed,
And offered the rat that I’d caught.
A bowl of piranha I won -
I played Baccarat with a nun -
And they wiggled their bums,
So I tickled their tums,
But bones ’stead of fingers aint fun.
My elderly aunt sent a text,
Suggesting tarantulas next,
But my spider alas,
Took a bite of my ass:
My pet-owning hobby is hexed.
I went to the pet shop, I swear,
But nothing I wanted was there -
To my pets I am prey,
So I went on eBay,
And purchased a big teddy bear.
for Darkness' Grab A Partner collaboration contest, written with a good Soup friend
Categories:
wheezed, animal,
Form:
Limerick
Oh me! Oh my!
I think I'm going to die!
I bumped my head,
I'll soon be dead!
Oh me, oh me, oh my!
Oh dear! Oh dear!
I know my end is near!
I coughed, I sneezed,
and then I wheezed!
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!
What's that you say?
I'm going to be okay?
You haven't heard
a single word.
I'm at death's door today!
(This is a parody of someone I know who gets overly dramatic
when she doesn't feel well)
6/16/15
Categories:
wheezed, anxiety, funny, sick,
Form:
Rhyme
A pet more exotic I'd wanted.
A pet to be groomed and then flaunted.
Not a dog or a cat -
Something cooler than that!
I began my search feeling undaunted
In a pet store I came on a ferret.
Such a pain he was! How did I bear it?
Under doors and through cracks
He'd escape from me. AAAACH!!
So I traded him in for a parrot.
Well, the parrot just wanted to fly!
And that bird knew more bad words than I.
When he called me a whore,
I threw open the door:
“Now you’re getting your wish, Bird. BYE BYE!
A boa constrictor I bought,
He’d like to be cuddled, I thought,
But he wrapped and he squeezed,
As I gasped and I wheezed,
And offered the rat that I’d caught.
A bowl of piranha I won -
I played Baccarat with a nun -
And they wiggled their bums,
So I tickled their tums,
But bones ’stead of fingers aint fun.
My elderly aunt sent a text,
Suggesting tarantulas next,
But my spider alas,
Took a bite of my ass:
My pet-owning hobby is hexed.
I went to the pet shop, I swear,
But nothing I wanted was there -
To my pets I am prey,
So I went on eBay,
And purchased a big teddy bear.
For the "Grab a Partner" Contest. To see
who I collaborated with, read my comment
under the poem.
Categories:
wheezed, humorous,
Form:
Limerick
Me mate Jake is in a terrible state,
where he lays in a hospital bed.
His eyes have sunk and his skin is pale,
if he wasn’t breathing I’d say he is dead.
And the doctors are really concerned;
each test they have taken is clear.
Whatever Jake caught is unknown,
but I’d say that it’s pretty severe.
It is sad to watch mates going down,
the way that it’s happening to Jake,
it’s unfair for he’s really quite young,
so I’m praying he might get a break.
But his Priest is not holding much hope,
for Jake has received his last rites,
and his family is being called in,
now the angels are booking his flights.
With Jake laying there with his pain,
I spoke softly about better times,
when we fished and we drank a pub dry,
and stealing sheep was one of our crimes.
Jake grinned when I mentioned red lights,
where women were our sole obsession,
and Doreen, Jake’s wife had been listening,
so Jake insisted he will do confession.
But Doreen who sat by his Jake’s side,
declared “No Jake, you’re in too much distress,
but Jake wheezed and coughed as he uttered
“There are things that I need to confess.”
But Doreen being gentle and kind,
softly whispered “Jake, there is no need,”
but Jake is determined as ever,
to die in peace is Jake’s final plead.
“I have slept with your sister Doreen;
and slept with your best friend as well,
I slept with her friend and your mother,
and I slept with our neighbour Michelle.”
I cringed when expecting a tirade,
from Doreen who stood there with a smirk,
“I know you did Jake, but everything’s fine …
now rest up, and let the arsenic work.”
Categories:
wheezed, humor,
Form:
Rhyme
I soak in his wheezed language
drenching my breath ,as twilight rips
the lining of my skin; a massive fire
slowly rolling upon our chests…
as the lion in him kneads a melodious
rambling that the climbing heat,
the serenade of minstrel’s tunes
gushes on this day through a café’s view.
Then once, twice, thrice with gentle
stutter of outstretched whispers---
through the lure of a need humming---he
could not speak clearly beyond the gardens.
In a flash, like a hungry soul let loose,
my steady mate quivers in beats
as the singer drones ' The Way You Look Tonight.'
“ Will you carry my name and be
this guy's lifetime bride?” Secretly, the potion
of my craving finally explodes!
Sounds of The Day Contest
For Nayda Ivette Negron
Resubmitted 6/20/2016
Categories:
wheezed, romantic,
Form:
Light Verse
Today I stopped to smell a rose
And got a fairy in my nose.
She buzzed her little fairy wings
She kicked and punched and other things.
It kind of tickled as she fought
But all her struggling was for naught.
Like glue my boogies held her there
Her tiny frame lodged in my nare.
Some pixie dust she threw therein
And though she tried, she could not win.
It turns out I’m allergic, see
To all that dust she threw on me.
I hacked and coughed and then I wheezed
I snorted, sniffled…even sneezed
And yet despite those awful fits
Up in my nose, the fairy sits.
A nasal home where she must stay
Until she figures out a way
to climb down and my nostril breach…
She’s just too deep for me to reach.
So next time when you hear them say
to smell the roses on your way,
Recall the fairy in my sniffer
And know that my advice may differ.
05/01/15
Categories:
wheezed, fairy, flower, fun, funny,
Form:
Quatrain
Me mate Jake is in a terrible state,
Where he lays in a hospital bed,
His eyes have sunk and his skin is pale,
If he wasn’t breathing I’d say he is dead.
And the doctors are really concerned,
Each test they have taken is clear
Whatever Jake caught is unknown
But I’d say that it’s pretty severe.
It is sad to watch mates going down,
The way that it’s happening to Jake,
It’s unfair for he’s really quite young,
So I’m praying he might get a break
but his Priest is not holding much hope
For Jake has received his last rites
and his family is being called in,
now the angels are booking his flights.
With Jake laying there with his pain
I spoke softly about better times
When we fished and we drank a pub dry
And stealing sheep was one of our crimes.
Jake grinned when I mentioned red lights
where women were our sole obsession
and Doreen, Jake's wife had been listening,
so Jake insisted he will do confession.
But Doreen who sat close to Jake’s side
declared “No Jake, you’re in too much distress,"
But Jake wheezed and coughed as he uttered
“There are things that I need to confess,”
But Doreen being gentle and kind,
softly whispered “Jake, there is no need,”
But Jake is determined as ever,
To die in peace is Jake’s final plead
“I have slept with your sister Doreen,
And slept with your best friend as well,
I slept with her friend and your mother,
and I slept with our neighbour Michelle.”
I cringed when expecting a tirade,
from Doreen who stood there with a smirk,
“I know you did Jake, but everything’s fine…
Now rest up, and let the arsenic work.”
Categories:
wheezed, betrayal, humorous,
Form:
Rhyme