Best Wisdom Poems
Each day Annie Lesley opened a can
Her eighty-six-year-old hands trembling
As she sat with her cat and ate pet food
What is wrong with this elder’s rendering?
Pride swallowed to remain independent
Large, sunken eyes peered from her weathered face
Her late spouse a decorated hero
Annie’s lifestyle a national disgrace
More enlightened cultures all over the world
Have revered their seniors throughout history
Asians and Native Americans
Are just two who honor their ancestry
Polynesians, other Pacific tribes
Respect the wisdom that comes with age
Seniors are welcome in family homes
But here in the states they’re placed in a cage
Bone-thin Annie Lesley chose to be free
Amazing neighbors with her endurance
When social services tried to intervene
She fought with remarkable resilience
Old photos on walls told many great tales
But only purring Tibby was listening
Each morning she rose to care for her cat
Until the day that Tibby went missing
In tears she claimed he must have been poisoned
Though in cat years he was older than she
Each day she sat by the window, staring
Awaiting the homecoming of Tibby
She’d been abandoned by society
Lost in the world’s most “progressive” nation
For sacrificing her spouse in World War II
Annie received little compensation
This widowed war bride never had children
Her mate had met his fate in Normandy
Posthumous awards she dusted each day
Annie’s life was defined by loyalty
To a man and a cat who never came home
And the vigil she kept all alone
Ended quietly one warm summer night
When an angel came to take Annie home
With a can of cat food in hand when found
Annie had nothing else to eat in her house
This is the way a veteran’s wife died
And tear stains had blemished her faded blouse
Although seniors’ wisdom is heeded
In societies that grow from history
Too many like Annie lead lonely lives
Wisdom untapped, they die in poverty
Dwell not, O soul, on yesterday,
on sorrows past and gone -
the sketch you drew so long ago,
today may be redrawn.
Dwell not upon tomorrow's wars,
nor borrow from their pain -
that energy you need today
let not your worries drain.
Dwell not, O heart, on failures past
though each one left its scar -
rich lessons you have learned have forged
the person you now are.
Dwell not upon your victories,
for those shall also pass -
let not your pride construct a shrine
to trophies made of glass.
Dwell not, O soul, on others' gain
nor envy those with much -
contentment, paired with gratitude,
brings peace no wealth can touch.
Dwell not on anyone's downfall
as though it lifted up
your own estate; we're siblings all
and drink from the same cup.
So what is left, O soul - where does
the prudent soul pay heed?
Become less of a taker
always give to those in need.
Which seeds are we to plant
upon this plot of ground we plow?
Sow seeds of love, be brave, and dwell
in the eternal now.
Written 6 Dec 2020
sometimes
we are afraid to jump
but we take the leap
sometimes
when we fall deeply
it's not our limbs injured
sometimes
what is meant for us
hurts too much
sometimes
nothing makes sense
confusion reigns supreme
sometimes
we only have tears
to express emotions
sometimes
some see the facade
only a few see reality
sometimes
our heart breaks
but we love again
sometimes
we die inside
but we still breathe
sometimes
we become machines
but we are still human
sometimes
we see the stars
but not the moon
sometimes
when we follow the moon
we forget the stars
sometimes
we look back in regret
but we move on
sometimes
in metaphorical storms
we have poetry
always
when we are silent
we have our words
just going to church every week ~ does not make you a better Christian
be grateful for everything that you have ~ because many have nothing
love and respect are not something that you can buy ~you have to earn them
our world leaders and politicians ~ do not bear the scars of battle
your clock of life is ticking and does not stop ~ do not waste a second
surely it is not the end of the world ~ if your team loses a game
always accept a gift ~ don't hurt someone's feelings by refusing it
the reward for kindness is the joy you bring ~ to someone else's heart
it is inevitable that you will grow old but think young ~ stay young
the only true winners in wartime ~are the arms manufacturers
machines make life easier ~ but cannot function without your input
Written 14th March 2021
WHO I’LL BE TOMORROW
If what I am,
And what I do,
Makes me who I’ll be tomorrow,
If what I say,
And what I don’t,
Makes me who I’ll be tomorrow,
If what I think,
With heartfelt wisdom,
Makes me who I’ll be tomorrow,
If what I see,
And what I feel,
Makes me who I’ll be tomorrow,
If what I speak,
Be it right or wrong
Makes me who I’ll be tomorrow,
If I am ugly,
To those I love,
Makes me who I’ll be tomorrow,
If I could dare,
To hide a sin,
Makes me who I’ll be tomorrow,
If I only take,
And never give,
Makes me who I’ll be tomorrow,
I’ll have to stop and think,
Who do I want to be tomorrow!
Don't dwell on what could have been, better it is to dwell on what can be...
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Never give up trying, or your life book will have pages of regret...
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Use water sparingly because somewhere in the world, there is a drought...
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Don't be disheartened if you lose the race, be happy for the winner...
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Getting old brings aches and pains, but brings experience and wisdom too...
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Good relationships need a firm foundation, plenty of love and trust...
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Always help the unfortunate, one day you may be unfortunate...
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You are responsible for your mind and body, take great care of both...
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We should all treat our earth with respect, its the only home we've got...
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When there are no words, offer a shoulder to cry on, it speaks volumes...
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A gun full of bullets can't kill you, only a person can do that...
Written 25th June 2021.
I hear much joy in the music,
View elation in the dance
Feel happiness in the laughter,
Soulful spirit in poetic romance.
I feel love in the language
Swelling in my heart.
Reverence for God and Goddess
In beloved families far apart.
I love the customs and the people
As they celebrate each day
Living life to the fullest
In their honor I wish to pray
That I may learn to be as humble
As loving and as kind,
To be blessed by elder wisdom
In every senior that I find.
This is a gift to give my children
To open their sleepy little eyes.
To see the value in rejoicing,
To reach for stars up in the skies.
When they learn this knowledge
To listen well to the sages,
They will know of sacred secrets
Handed down through the ages.
© 2014 Connie Marcum Wong
A solitary man
I make my way up the mountain
One step at a time
The life I know further and further behind
I wish to be alone
away from the busyness
the incessant noise
my many responsibilities
life’s never ending activities
work that is never done
all of life’s many conflicts
I reach the top
sit down and cross my legs
As I look out at the landscape
my village is a small mass of thatched roofs
the people barely seeable
I see smoke rising from a central fire
wondering if I will be missed
From this distance the lake appears so small
I imagine it fitting into a wooden spoon
The horizon surrounds me
stretching my eyes
distracting me from the pebbles beneath me
blades of grass are now myopically large
I watch as the ants toil
Are our lives not the same?
Seasons change
Summer to fall
Winter to spring
I witness it all
My beard lengthens as my mind enlarges
Secrets have been revealed
Disconnected yet I am a part of all
I grow downward into the ground
Others come to the mountain top
seeking wisdom
They sit with me for a while
never staying long
Each takes from me so that they may give
I am a man transformed
Arms outstretched reaching to all the horizons
covered with foliage
The seasons continue to change
I send my leaves down to the village
beconing them to come to the mountain
no longer do I want to be alone
"Come sit beneath my branches
caress my bark smell my scent
know my soul."
You come to the mountain top
But I am no longer able to audibly speak
All that I know resides in the rings of my seasons
Still you partake of my wisdom
Putting your ear to my trunk
You can hear my lonely heart beat
aware of my breath whistling through leather like leaves
I attach my seeds to your woolen coat
You are a solitary man
making your way down from the mountain
One step at a time
Closer and closer to our village
To the ones you love
As you walk through the village you shake your coat
Seeds fall on the fertile ground
Finally I have come home...
Sonnet I
In realms of emerald hush where sunlight strains.
Through veils of green. A silent throng takes root.
A clovered congregation on the plains
Their stoic forms a timeless lushful loot.
No melodies from throats unseen they sing.
No pleas for mortal ken their silence breaks.
Yet in their rooted quietude they bring
A symphony for Nature's gentle stakes.
From dust they rise, by unseen hands embraced
To greet the dawn's first kiss, a deep-green dream.
Unfurling fronds that grasp the sun's warm face...
A silent pact with life's sidereal stream.
No eyes behold the light their essence drinks
No lips confess the air for which it thinks.
Sonnet II
Through fragrant whispers secretly softly pass
On unseen currents borne a cryptic lore
A web of messages that dance like grass.
A wisdom! newly sworn on Nature's floor -
No clash of arms? no battles fought in vain.
Yet messages they send on silent wings...
A language dovetailed deep, a copious chain,
A bond that knows no end, the green world sings.
With patient strength... they pierce the earth's cold hold.
A testament to will unyielding. Strong!
Unmoved by tempests' raging fury bold,
Their roots like anchors grip where they belong.
A silent war against the storm's harsh might.
A battle fought unseen, in verdant light.
Corona
A quiet war in bright green
A song for animals and plants
Listen to people in every green leaf.
No songs from hidden throats they sing.
Through fragrant, sotto voce... secrets softly pass
Their stoic forms a timeless lushful loot.
Couplet
A lesson composed in green, a truth to glean.
Where verdant nature creates and wisdom sings.
Listen
you who seek the secret of existence
your life is a thread in the Beloved's grand design.
Each moment a stitch each breath a color divine.
Do you see
how rain and sun kiss the earth?
Like morning dew they are one in the eyes of the Friend.
Embrace both
for in their unity duality ends.
You are the pulse of a seed sprouting through the stone.
In your veins flows the ancient wisdom of the soil.
In love's alchemy the seeker becomes the sought.
Feel how the wind of spirit shapes you
now bending like a reed now standing as a cypress.
In surrender find the strength that never wavers.
The heart's fire burns away all that is not love.
Desire, like wild winds, seeks its way to the sacred fire
in consuming they become the light they seek.
Each thread of your being sings the Beloved's name.
Listen closely can you hear the melody of oneness?
In that song
you'll find your true existence.
The fabric of your days shimmers with divine light:
Golden Joy. Silver Sorrow... all are His gifts.
In accepting all
you become... His perfect reflection.
O lover do not ask why some paths are sharp as thorns
and others soft as the dawn's first breath.
The Master Weaver's wisdom surpasses all understanding.
Let yourself dissolve in love's infinite sea.
You are both the wave and the ocean's depths.
In annihilation, find your eternal completion...
Beloved you are the quilt and the quilter
the song and the singer,
the dance and the dancer.
In this realization all separation ceases.
Now step into the garden of the heart—
where every seed sprouts with the faces of our Friends.
Here in agape love's transcendence
you will find your journey's end.
I was walking with two friends of mine,
when we saw a woman
who was tall, beautiful and black
They spoke lewd to her,
so she didn't speak back
In their rejected anger,
they cursed her in a cruel, mean tone
That's when I interceded,
and said leave the poor woman alone
My two friends looked at me
like I was some kinda traitor
That day we parted ways,
there would be no more days of "see ya later"
In a moment of truth,
will you stand up for the truth?
Or will you back down,
and keep your mouth shut?
It's moments like those
that reveal what manner of person you are
Will you be naked or clothed?
Will your spirit be dark,
or will it shine like a star?
Nobody ever said friendships are forever,
not when you have to compromise
your integrity in a matter
In a moment of truth,
don't keep your mouth closed
Let your voice roar
like a lion, strong and bold!
Nestling in my realm, as you host a daydream,
Reveling in breeze of my splendor evergreen,
I welcome you to my domain of rhythmic trills
Where roam the blue jays, robins, and crossbills
Feeding on berries, frolicking with hatchlings,
Singing gaily, serenading benevolent sanctuary
Amid bears’ huff, growl, and foxes’ feral-howl
Sheltered amicably from dry heat and rainfall;
Where trees reduce pollution, boost air quality,
Emit oxygen you breathe, by photosynthesis,
Bear flowers, fruits, nurturing your well-being
Temper climate cheerily, swaying with winds,
Hold soil in place, reducing runoff to streams
Protecting elixir of life in rivers and tributaries;
While you find balance in sanctity and peace,
Enlightened by whispers rustling in harmony,
That warn of deforestation ruining ecosystem,
And callousness that torches wildlife and trees;
Yet, I rise from ashes sprouting earth’s tranquility
For I am the forest of goodwill and sublimity,
Adorning every season, standing for you firmly,
Hosting you as you rejoice in salutary daydream.
May 22, 2022
Poem of the day on May 24, 2022
Placed 1st: Wisdom From Trees Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Anoucheka Gangabissoon
Narrate you own life's story
and tell you own life's tale
Don't leave it up for grabs
or even up for sale!
Write down your own life's story
before the others do
Wading through words and phrases
that aren't remotely true...
Plan out your own life's story
before it's done for you-
and you're stuck acting out a life
that you despise and rue.
Plot out your own life's story
or at least, Act Two (or Three)
Rewrite your script, if needed
to set your spirit free!
Dress yourself with color
costume yourself with care
Create the character you want to be
and strut with catwalk flair!
Design and build your life's stage
or at least, rearrange the props
and play your role with moxie
not caring if it flops...
Create your own life's story
as producer, director, star-
and then kick back & enjoy the show
no matter how bizarre!
Be your own show's critic
ignoring all other reviews
Lavish your life with praise
acknowledging cast and crew.
Become your very own fan club
awaiting each scene of your day
Taking joy in each thoughtful detail
of your glorious, quirky play!
About our first parents,
here’s something beautiful to know
Adam was created perfect,
and from out of him, Eve followed
God said to His Son:
You and I, We are One
Lets make them like us,
in Our image color them invisible
Give them one rainbow soul,
two spirits with hearts of gold
But the most precious gift of all,
God gave them a skin of faith
So they could live under the Son,
bathing in the bright rays
of His love, free and unafraid
Using invisible colors,
is how Adam and Eve were body painted
With a faith paintbrush,
their children were meant to be picture perfect sainted
God made us all in His image —
beautiful invisible colors
God said teach your children this one thing:
to love one another
God said to Adam and Eve:
your children are all sisters and brothers
For I have blessed them, you see,
to look like My Son and Me —
Pure and holy invisible colors
We were meant to be fruitful and abound,
growing in love for one another
And I will confess right now:
We are One ... everybody connected to each other
And I love you and you and you,
for you are all my sisters and brothers
Looking good in our spiritual skin:
beautiful invisible colors ...
beautiful invisible colors
Would you still love me ... perchance I was half a man?
My carnal, physical core torn from me like ragged raiment,
Off to war in courage and heroic sacrifice ...
Returned by God and country, as barely half of what I'd been -
The half that could never again join with you in passion ...
Would you still love me?
Imagine I was a monster ...
Deformed by happenstance or accident,
Still a man in the technical sense,
But with face and sinews that repulsed even himself,
Though the heart and spirit you adore still thrummed inside ...
Would you still love me?
What if the day came - a reality as viable as any,
When I lost everything of earthly value and worth -
All possessions, comforts, conveniences, and financial securities - gone,
The talents and abilities and experience to support even myself,
Blown to the four winds by careless fate or folly ...
Would you still love me?
Consider if I were human, inside-out ...
The abyssal and dark, troubled corners of my being
Worn on hapless bones like sodden skin,
The fearful ids and psyches, thus laid bare by illness or substance -
Free to dance like a demon for the porcelain moon ...
Would you still love me?
And pray, what if I were YOU ...
And you were the reflection of all that your dreams dare weave,
The horror and ecstasy that awakens you in the night -
Shivers and turns to ice on your faultless, barren skin,
Choking the screams from your chest ...
Would you ... could you still love me??
~ 10th Place ~ in the "2019 Poetry Marathon Mile 25" Poetry Contest, Mark Toney, Judge & Sponsor.
~ 1st Place ~ in the "Would You Still Love Me?" Poetry Contest, Edward Ibeh, Judge & Sponsor.