Besting Poems | Examples

B Tongue Twister

bragging, boasting, brainy Barney Blithe brought buxom Betty Brown
braised, boiled, baloney. Beaming Betty Brown bestowed baked berry
baklava on Barney, besting bragging, boasting, brainy Barney Blithe.

Waving

Troughing and cresting 
Cresting and troughing 

Going down a bit, to rise again 
Feeling the jolt but not yielding to the strain

Riding through and roughing it 
Steady on the board and rising through it 

Not staying low for long 
Just riding through, sturdy and strong 

Gathering momentum to catch another crest,
Owning the board, rising no less 

Not getting too comfortable while floating above 
Steady on the board is key___
Owning it and riding free with love 

Feeling the splash and the zeal
Embracing and embodying the thrill 

Cresting and troughing 
Troughing and cresting

With each wave, keep learning and besting

Latter-Day Don Quixote

When and how
did we see chivalry last
or is it now
a thing of the past
and honour among thieves
is no honour at all
while beating my brains
against the wall
besting the dragons
at City Hall
am I wrong in thinking
it's my fight
or am I errant
as a roving knight
exhibiting gallantry
within a crowd
of apathy
indifferent 
to the powers that be
outnumbered and outgunned
Sancho when needed oh where is he?

With apologies to Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547 – 1616)

easter reading

Easter Reading
In Lima – Peru- a hippo was pulling the tram car with
 its best friend, a water buffalo. They had ended up
 here, far from Africa, after the great flood ebbed and
 had been blessed with eternal life, only being mere
 animals, they didn´t know this. In Lima, no one made
 a big issue of this, but when the wider world knew
 and some adventurers set about trying to kill the pair,
 in vain, the Lima people took another look, especially
 since the church thought they were the devil´s own
 handiwork, god would never have allowed beasts
 besting man. Angry people took to hurling mud and
 stones at the animals, also calling them rude names.
 From the mountain came a man dressed in white
 burnoose, and spoke to the people:
 “For years, you respected my creation, the hippo 
 the water buffalo, with respect and care, I thought
 well of you and decided that the archbishop of Lima,
 when the time was right, would be the new pope, but you
 have disappointed me greatly, hence the new pope
 will be the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina”.
 The man, in white burnoose, paused and said
“It is also the time you electrified the tram system.”

Warp, Inc

I work for Warp
It’s a warporation
That builds for war
And our warring nation

Financed by banks
With no inclination
To give their thanks
For the world’s cremation

Wily banksters
Have mastered inflation
Besting gangsters’
Fake money creation

They were dead set
To make a cash fountain
That’s based on debt
Higher than a mountain

Which is a boon
For us workers at Warp
Where we’ve ballooned
Into a mega-corp

Yet have no fear
Unless you short our stock
If then, oh dear
We may blow up your block

A Chunk of Wisdom

Do not develop the habit of spying and prying on people, trying to compare yourself and getting mad if you see something that you don't like or someone better than you. If you do that everyday, you will die in no time. For, life is not all about besting others, it's more about besting yourself. 

February 19, 2023

Joy In

Joy in the hazy moon
and sunny afternoon.
 
Joy in all seasons’ birth
bursting forth from the earth.
 
Joy in the dazzling sun
before day’s work is done.
 
Joy in the argent stars,
besting all other pars.
 
Joy in all I see and do.
Glory and praise go to You!

Her Name Was Regret

Her name was Regret, with a rocket step
She was chestnut flashing, released lightning
In a century past, an age of side saddles and corsets
She was feminism set free, blazing down racetracks

She matched the undefeated wind
Besting the boys, again and again
Her arduous suitors, fools for the chase
Fell, one by one, under her pace
And, left to shade of golden wings flown
Had to settle for escorting her home

She was the first queen to display the red
Of Kentucky Derby roses around her head
Her exploits so adroit, she won her peers
And named American Horse of the Year

Her place in racing legacy, set
Not bad for a filly named Regret.

(in 1915, Regret was the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby)

10/14/21

A Notable Horse Premiere contest
Sponsor: Robert James Liguor
Placed 10th

Poem of the Day
10/15/21

Cold Hard Besting Heart-

O' Tatted heart 
often beating and sluggish starts 
and muscle tis faults
 clogged with hatred scarred with despair 
there's no love there 
blood that's clear 
then turns to black hand held muscle filled 
with much hatred 
convalescent it's not 
along with his mind 
there's no trust smooth brain no wrinkles there thoughts-
 provoke none, naught do care often guile hatred spins 
in the soul of heart 
condemning I stand afraid in the glimpse of not 
I have a cold hard beating heart

1/23/21
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr © 2021

Time Conquers All

Time Conquers All
By: Miracle Man
7/1/2020

Neath the Pin Oak’s shadow i boldly stood,
observing abstract pictures on the ground.
A tree Dad planted during my childhood,
seventy one years later and we're still around.

I think of Squirrels it’s Acorns have raised,
It’s rotting trunk and Screech Owls nesting. 
Thinking back in time I become amazed,
at two tough old birds that time is besting.

Poetry Month Challenge: Forsake Careless Words of Death

I
English showcases Joseph Conrad, Dickens, James Joyce, Tagore
Conrad, once a Pole, Joyce may be Irish, Tagore -Indian of course
In political terms, England rocketed after 1558, besting the Spanish
Our 'lingua franca' changed from Spanish to the Queens English

II
That is all the good news, "I am afraid to say," -
Did you just hear me spout negativity
Conjuring up spirits,yes FEAR IS A DARK SPIRIT
That creeps in casually, as in pat phrases ("Watch and Pray")

III
Proverbs reminds us, "Life and death are in the tongue,"
And "I could kill myself I didn't know this early in life."
Again, the words that allow spirits against LIFE a welcome
Recall this, "My back is killing me," and "I would die for my wife!"

IV
Poets, there are stock Phrases: "idioms." They made me an idiot
About the Spirit world, shooting myself in my own foot (to boot)
So, I pledge to forsake words that speak of death and jovial killing
Because the Being inside us, the BE-ING, is also a "Human Doing"

Jewel That Took the Crown

A coral pink design on glistening ruby tapestry--
Reminiscent of ingenuity of sculptor's blueprints
In scarlet-orange tinges and teal-green imprints
Hanging spectacularly in the cosmic art gallery.

You are the brushstrokes of Florentine artistry--
Verses of poetry scripted in ornate vocabulary
Articulating the vision of a star studded galaxy
Flying in the universe on wings of your beauty.

The scent of purple heliotropes you often vied for
Lingers in search of your golden yellow persona
Since you left the earth floating on dream clouds
Ingesting dusty gases to forge your own replica.

Jealous are the stars of your blushing rose motif
Shaped like a monarch besting your surroundings,
An ornament you are, flashing your royal charm--
Jewel that took the crown from dying supernova.

June 10, 2019
Placed 3rd: Your choice (7) contest by Brian Strand
Placed 3rd:Nifty named nebula poetry contest by William Kekaula
Picture 1: The butterfly

Where There Is Love

Far away from her, far from comfort zone
He goes there, where life beckons him
Remaining true to purpose and meaning
Atop the mountains or deep in the valleys
Revering her love, as he journeys alone.

Maneuvering around life's dead-ends
In wayward motion of destiny's u-turns,
Avenues she illuminates besting darkness--
Being his street-lamp, patently she burns.

When forces somber aim to deter him
Bravely she appears readying her valor
Standing by him, in step with his shadow.

He sees her all-over, where there is love.

January 27, 2019
Placed first in ultimate January 2019 contest by Brian Strand

The Gilded Leaves of Autumn Sigh

When fleeting storm said goodbye
The darkened sky detected a lie
Besting clouds her thoughts host
Drenching doubts that block riposte.

As the cobalt sky and ocean meet
On the sapphire arc revelers greet
The changing season's vibrant theme
In golden attire of autumn's dream.

The sound of wind whirls in trees
Musical tones of rustling leaves
And the falling foliage flies with ease
Orange hues in autumn's breeze.

As the sepia tones enchant her eye
The gilded leaves of autumn sigh
On buoyant horizon drifting high
Where crimson vistas touch the sky.

Vivid vibes spell a brand new start
As blazing colors awaken her heart
And amber passions begin to reveal
Tinges of magenta in love's appeal.

September 2, 2018
Placed first in One in five (II) poetry contest by Joseph May
Placed first in contest #560 by Brian Strand

The River

Imagine being in a river,
Where the current is strong,
And you don’t know where it ends.
From the start, you’re thrown into it,
Only to be swept away.
As you slowly sink, you can see others,
Besting even the strongest current.
You float there and think,
“What is wrong with me?”
So you start kicking.
Nothing happens.
You try again.
Still nothing.
This time, you try your hands too.
Once again, no results.
You look to the others, mimicking them.
But it only sinks you deeper.
You’re desperate now,
Kicking as hard as you possibly can.
You look up, hoping someone will save you.
Instead, you see the other swimmers.
Laughing.
Mocking you.
“Is he really struggling that much?”
“Why isn’t he more like us?”
“Yeah, then he’d be able to make it.”
But you’re nothing like them.
You’re not talented,
You’re not good looking,
You’re not charismatic.
And so you sink.
Deeper and deeper,
Into the crowd of people.

• Short Besting Poems
• Famous Besting Poems
• Best Besting Poems
• Read Besting Poems
• Long Besting Poems
• Besting Quotes