Best Wretched Poems
Wretched is the man, who has not seen the sea, of day
Who has not heard the seagulls cry above the waves,
Who did not walk long hours to think, or dream
Who has not seen the ships sailing for distant Egypt.
Unhappy is man, who does not think of the sea, often
Who has not rested his soul alone by languishing dreams,
Of the pale-faced, and sweet and benevolent smile,
Who has not been lulled by the soothing music of a beach,
Wretched is the man who has not seen the sea, of day
Who has not seen the albatrosses hover over science,
Unhappy is the man who never lost, mystic
In front of the immensity and infinite grandeur of the Atlantic Ocean.
Malheureux est l’homme, qui n’a pas vu la mer, de la journée
Qui n’a pas entendu les mouettes pleurer au dessus des vagues,
Qui n’a pas marché de longues heures pour penser, ou rêver
Qui n’a pas vu les bateaux appareiller pour la lointaine Égypte.
Malheureux est l’homme, qui ne pense pas à la mer, souvent
Qui n’a pas reposé son âme seule par des rêves languissants,
De vahinés au front clair, et au sourire doux et bienveillant,
Qui n’ a pas été bercé par la musique apaisante d’une plage,
Malheureux est l’homme qui n’a pas vu la mer, de la journée
Qui n’a pas vu les albatros planer au dessus de la science,
Malheureux est l’homme qui ne s’est jamais perdu, mystique
Devant l’immensité et l’infinie grandeur de l’Océan Atlantique.
"The Wretched Prince"
You were my hope
And all my dreams,
But all of that has changed,
It seems
Because I treated
You so bad,
Destroying everything
We had
And if I could
Just turn back time,
I'd claim you and,
I'd make you mine
I'd treat you
Like a Princess fair,
Hold you close,
And stroke your hair
A precious jewel
You would be,
Honored, Treasured,
Loved by me
I'd be your Prince,
Your Hero true,
And nothing
Would I keep from you
But this is not
A Fairy Tale,
I missed the mark,
I lost the trail
Your "Prince" was just
A wretch, it seems,
Quite capable
Of killing dreams
A Hero?
No, I failed that too,
You got much less
Than you were due
I rack my brain,
I beat my breast,
Realizing that I failed the test
And I know this,
You played no part,
In the reckless murder
Of your heart
We had it all,
We were "that pair"
I ruined that,
It wasn't fair
I promised not
To play that game,
But in the end,
I hold the blame
You were "the one"
I always said,
Then cruelly left
Our love for dead
Your faith in me
Was rare and just,
I finally ground
It into dust
I crushed your faith,
And acted small,
And caused a bitter rain
To fall
I hurt you love,
And I regret,
The pain I caused,
You can't forget
And if I could
Reset the clock,
Erase the pain,
The hurt, the shock
I'd do it now
I swear it's true,
Undo the harm
I did to you
But time moves forward
I am told,
It leaves me sad,
And feeling old
With words too little,
And too late,
I took your love,
And left you hate
These words I offer
Unto you,
With hope you can
Believe they're true
You were so strong,
Yet fragile too,
I tore a precious thing
From you
I pray that God
Will soon repair,
The heart
I was so quick to tear
I thank you for
The strength you shared,
The love you gave,
And how you cared
Your courage helped me
To go on,
When all of mine
Was dead and gone
All I left you
Was pain and strife,
And I'll regret that
All my life
Please know your tears
Don't fall alone,
I miss the place
We once called home
This wretched "prince"
Will hobble on,
No longer part,
Of your sweet song
A Princess,
I can never claim,
But I will not
Forget your name,
My honor, blanketed by shame,
But I will not forget your name.
I turned away to hide my tears when his eyes were blurred
and frowned with a sigh each time his words were slurred
Foolishly, he thought by closing his door I wouldn't know
that he'd given in to the demon causing sorrow and woe
He was drowning himself in whirlpools on the Vodka Sea
I wanted to save him from the haunting plague of misery
I begged and pleaded for him to get the help he needed
but my pleas were met with blank stares; left unheeded
When sober he said, "I love you. I'm sorry for being weak"
I smiled as my tears spilled, but no reply did I try to speak
I swallowed the words that would sound condescending
but no longer did I say, "It's ok." I was tired of pretending
Pensive at finding bottles he thought were cleverly hidden
I cursed the temptation that should have been forbidden
In loneliness I lived, although he lay sprawled on the floor
in the room he shared with a friend, behind a closed door
He once told me that before seeking help, he'd rather die
My heart was wounded and scarred when he refused to try
It was a bitter day when I walked away; sullen and grieving
The hardest decision I ever made was staying or leaving
I've often wondered if there was more I could have done
But reflected that each day would be a continuous rerun
of his fight against the demon that ruled his mind and soul
In time I realized that his addiction was beyond my control
How wretched a prison it must be for him to wander alone
Willing or not, he forfeited love that had been deeply sown
I wept for what could have been a marriage, forever shared
but torn asunder by harsh words when his temper flared
Now, when I hear Adele singing, "We Could've Had it All"
I'm engulfed in sadness knowing he couldn't stop his fall
I heard he nearly died a few months back, and what I felt
was pity that he still played with the hand his demon dealt
December 26, 2020
Addiction Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Rob Levasseur
I was born in freedom’s graveyard
‘neath a tombstone where my name scarred
the edifice, cold stone and bone hard,
wrapped was I in burning flag.
An empty stomach, angry, held tight
Another hand to clutch the long night
Another head fixed ‘twixt the gun sight
Just one more toe to tag.
Raised by ashes in dirt and dust
cutting teeth then flesh on rust
they send to teach me what is just
the oppressors’ fists to kiss me.
And when I drink their awful wrath
kicked down that darkly chosen path
I’ll see it boils down to math –
how many I take with me.
Putin, Putin, yes I want you,
A marked man, with another few,
So busy creating your own demise,
Brazen, proud of your war, no disguise.
Putin, Putin you are going to hell,
And your marching clones, I foretell,
Will all, hear the sound of the calling bell,
For where you are bound, is no hotel.
Putin Putin, yes I want you,
A disgrace, is your heartless robot crew,
Inhumane cruelty is your only way,
The devil in blood he’ll want you to pay.
Putin, Putin you’re going to hell,
Hear me, your flesh will burn and smell,
You have won no war, you will succumb,
History will refer to you as infamous scum.
I hope one day your heart knows sting of pain
I hope to see you writhing in your guilt
I hope to God your tears are acid rain
I hope to see your blood on alter spilt
I hope to be there when you cry for love
When lonely and confused your long for care
I want to hear the silence from above
I want to see your heart lie crushed and bare
I hope someone rips out your every dream
And makes you lie on thorns instead of bed
I hope one day to hear your anguished scream
And see you look to life with living dread
For you have turned my life to misery
I hope you taste the bile you’ve offered me
Eileen
when it is sincere
there's nothing else more power
full than 'couragement
~~~~~~~~~~~~
thanks, my friend, agape and namaste ~N
Not content with just penurious loaves
Wretched pauper for richer diet strove
Seeking treasure from a wealthier trove
Delicate crumbs from hearty stoves;
Pungent fruit from well-stocked groves
Poached sustenance frail body did gladly receive
Yet of better fare covetous mind did conceive
Then with guile from gullible hearts lucrative profits deceive
'Til stitched threads a fine, seamless tapestry did weave
O'er time malfeasance with cankering anger did twain
With licentious craft bartered for wanton gain
Still, embittered spirit did all the world ruefully disdain
Tethered to earthly mammon; eternal soul did enchain
Moral, be content with the goods you have
A shriveled piece of bread better than a poached calf
With tendered tissue your festering wants salve
Lest infectious greed spread to heart's valve
SKETCH OF A WRETCHED WOMAN
She sat there demurely, her eyes closed shut,
With a formidable weight on her mind,
About to crack up like a brittle nut,
She was in a rather tenuous bind -
Her life's interlude from all love resigned;
An immutable fact caused deep heartache,
She had a unique psyche, no man would take,
Alone in her sea of tears, she was left...
Though her brilliant sketch, an artist could make,
None could portray how she felt - all bereft.
**************
11/01/17
Placed 2nd in "Eight word challenge-5" contest,
sponsored by John Hamilton
Like a spell with no remedy
The strong movement of the wind
Accosted by volcanic ceaseless water
Stuck and struck endlessly
It held grip to all that ever
Existed in New Orleans
It reminded me of the
Beginning when the earth was
Without form with void and
Darkness dancing upon
The face of the deep
Katrina did jogged my memory
Fifty of thousands were
Hurriedly caned by Katrina
Katrina the Armageddon lover of Rita
The pump ‘pumpeth’ not the water
The levels refused to be increased
Expect for levels and water
Of calamity and catastrophe
The bush judge gave out a
Blank cheque of cut in social spending
All to no one but Katrina
They refuse to manage the emergency
Came knocking the chilly insurgency
Thousands died like fowls
By the avarice of the Bush fowl
Whose feckless sprinkles only foul
As innocent people were fouled
In a preventable surge of Katrina
The National Guards meant to save lives
Had been forcefully ‘hurricaned’ to Iraq
In a ‘Kill for Oil’war of the fiendish
As they “Kill for Oil” in Far East
Katrina hurriedly caned our
Kinsmen in Arizona
As the mad drive for profit and surplus
Pervades the system everywhere
It hovers on us the more
That the structure places us nowhere
Unless we are determined to change it now.
We will never get to somewhere
Where we can quench our thirst for hungers
Rivulets of raindrops cut tributary streams
On the panes of the windows, running freely they cling
Stone faced and staring, motor skills corrode
Just snippets of memories in unbreakable code
Rumbles of thunder, sudden flashes of light
Draw no response to a once vibrant life
Surrounded by loved ones, faces without names
Words with no meanings are spoken in vain
Lost to a world of childlike innocence
Hopeless and alone with no pretense
All doors are closed, no forward or back
Now a question of time for this wretched attack
No need to hide tears for family and friends
Who suffer in sadness as cognizance ends
Such incomparable devastation and emotional drain
To watch someone you love, live so restrained
2015 statistics show 44 million worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's
1 in 9 Americans over 65- costing over 226 billion in the US alone
The 6th leading cause of death No cure!!
an original poem by the "Poemdog" Daniel Turner
Ship-wretched
Golden sand as far as can be seen
Lapped by an ocean, aquamarine
Sun blazing, high, in an azure sky
Another land hermit crab scampers on by
Palms edge the beach gifting welcome respite
from the heat of the day till the cool of the night
When the touch of an incoming breeze
Taps coconuts out of the trees
Out on the reef, lurk broken timbers
Phantom remains of his long ravaged boat
Each fitful sleep brings a new silver moon
And his silhouette yacht now afloat
But in the day those dank timbers sway
Like demonic arms seeking help
So it’s Snapper for breakfast and lobster for lunch
And supper is crab served with kelp
Each coconut lands with a thud
on his cabin of palm leaves and mud
Then drops to the cool evening sand
The coming day’s breakfast now planned
But the reef is a bountiful mark
Though the shark does his rounds after dark
So diving until the sun yawns
Brings dinner of oyster and prawns
Then someone dives over the side
Of a yacht that just anchored offshore
She gracefully swims with the tide
He isn’t alone anymore
With two passion fruits, that’s one each
He exits the shade of his tree
He halts as he heads down the beach
Dumbfounded at what he can sea
Naked she walked from the sea
Enjoying the solitude there
No swimsuit and no bikini
For no one can see that she’s bare... (Oops!)
His one overwhelming emotion
Takes over as soon as he meets her
He stares at her yacht on the ocean
And dreams of hamburgers and pizza
Wretched Creatures That Live To Deceive
Tis no wonder that some choose to just go
the bad ones certainly put on a real show.
They depend on those that just do not know
playing as if clean as wind driven snow!
No honor,lies and darkness in their game
doing just as they damn well will.
Nothing they do brings them any damn shame
getting by with dishonor, what a thrill.
Look about and see how sad some humans are
wretched creatures that live to deceive.
Their black souls just one large wicked scar
playing for any gain they can receive.
Sad that, such sad ,evil creatures win out.
They do because good people do not shout!
Robert J. Lindley, 09-26-2015
NOTE: I am quite sick of seeing rascals and liars win out
especially as they do so by mistreating others!
Clever in their dark deceit, ego's leading them by the nose.
Game players that truly win nothing with their lies and clever
plays.
Oh, wretched heart!
Lead me not to passions and pleasures I've forgot.
Set me free from those faces, times and places.
Don't speak to me in dreams of lovers lost.
Don't call to me.
I've paid the cost.
You led me on a merry chase.
You etched desire upon my face.
My eyes betrayed me with reflections of your constant imperfections.
Leave me in a state of grace until I reach that heavenly place
Where love and logic finally agree to a peace treaty within me.
By: Carole O'Terry Duet
Copyright: 2004
"All Rights Reserved"
The past uncut ties,
A dimly lighted candle in a distorted guise,
Confessions we try to melt inside lies,
Burn the brightest in our eyes.
The grave we carry around bearing its name,
Is written all over us just the same,
The things we let go of when we’re brave
Are the ones the wretched memories zestfully crave,
You don’t forget when you decide to forget,
How can you? When the candle’s light hasn’t been snuffed out yet?