CROW
Upon the wire
Barbed and black
A crow stood watch
With feathered tact
A sideways look
An eye of glass
Mud, red, blood
Flesh flailed back
The few that stood
Did notice not
The crow gave wink
A friendly nod
They carried wood
With hooks tied fast
They dragged the dead
From jaws made slack
The clubs swung low
They arced, the night
Was filled with bone
In naked sight
The crow cawed once
He nodded twice
He'd have their souls
When he took flight
Still others came
The weary arms
Those that shame
Could do no harm
Again they dragged
Again they swung
Still the crow
From midnight hung
He cared not
The where or why
What human sin
He watched close by
He had no need
For cloth or thread
But flesh and bone
Blood stained red
To tally souls
To eat and fly
Black as coal
The midnight sky
A photo that was taken in Treblinka I saw as a chid and never forgot.
Over and over I was beaten and battered
And my idea of a perfect home life shattered
But I was one of the lucky ones let there be no doubt
Because I was one of the few who made it out
I could have died at the hands of my mother
But not just me also my sister and brother
So I'll take a tough stance with no apologies
Because we're still alive with no eulogies
Sometimes true evil is a devil in a dress
And children are the ones in distress
In foster care I used to hear the stories
From the sad and suffering it was so gory
A tale I never truly wanted to tell
But if I have to I'll scream it from the gates of hell
If you stand with a demon it taints your soul
Turning it from white to black as coal
Sadly experiences like mine are common tales
And all over the world children suffer when society fails
Blessed by angels I broke the shackles to be free
And grew up in a loving home allowed to be me
Look into my eyes
And tell me when I'm saying lies
We were just three souls
Thankfully saved from a heart of coal
Lillies placed upon your chest,
beneath the earth you're laid to rest.
I visit with tears to heal my soul,
they water the soil that's black as coal.
The earth is moving beneath my feet,
Your lillies have popped up from beneath.
I smile and take a refreshing breath,
The lillies have grown from your chest.
Straight from the womb and your heart,
You gave the lillies a good start.
We are strong and bold and beautiful,
My tears reached your soul it's undisputable.
In thy untroubled ashes may our distance be light.
We live in one another still.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn cracks like thin ice~
January’s icy breath still claws
through the naked bones
of the maple tree
A single grackle, black as coal,
drops a single note into the cold.
Frost-etched windowpane~
a spider's thread trembles, gold
in the newborn light.
The world holds its breath, then sighs:
the last January dawn is here.
Frost scratches the window~
dawn cracks like thin ice, bleeding
pale January light.
The heater still hums its wintry hymn,
while night still clings to my bones.
Destiny any, there’s a common thread
in the unique journey of every soul,
going through life, playing their ordained role,
attachments gripping fickle heart in dread.
False is the narrative which we’ve been fed,
ego the villain, who inner light stole,
veiling soul’s sheen with thoughts as black as coal,
negating heart’s love by living in head.
Melding head with heart, we exit the maze,
making in staid silence, our eye single,
whereupon by shifting into the void,
our inner presence wakes up from its daze,
rapture heightening as bliss spasms tingle,
revealing our Self, pure and unalloyed.
hate,
cruel
acid that
corrodes the soul
and turns it as black as coal if carried
too long in one's heart; hate can be unlearned,
driven out with...
love should it
consume
thee
Eternal Pain
Raped, beaten and taken from me
Body stretched out, hand and knee.
Blood on the door, blood on the wall
Eyes open wide, but nobody saw.
One life, two lives denied,
A second soul, awaking inside.
A son, a legacy, and things unseen
My hope, my soul, and my dream.
Two lifeless bodies, one slain soul
One dark heart, black as coal.
He’ll never know, just what he took
Closed casket, closed life, and closed book.
Her last night, nothing to gain
My ball, my chain, my eternal pain.
Often, dark and grey; sometimes dark-grey; then, as black as coal
In the shadow of the sunlight, gloom seems to be the soul.
As shades of Banyan trunks fall on yellow-green carpet grass
A broken self, knocks at the collapsed castle's doorpan glass.
My inner self, which gets mingled with the shades of rainbows
It grows fast until it resembles gold-red volcanoes.
After a cold blooded murder, is black blood poured like dregs?
The head is mixed with hands. Corse amalgamate with the legs
Self, like a dwarf, walks, runs, sings, and dances behind broad busts.
Sand streams, like whirlpools, seem to flow all through dissension's crusts.
Scenes change. Colours, like strip lights, fail to expose the faces.
Each creature is condemned to involve in cutthroat races.
Take me through what you desire,
Those memories that burn like fire,
All the qualities that you admire,
And all those dreams that backfire,
Walk me through all that pain,
Those monsters you tried to tame,
All those secrets that are aflame,
And all the demons you can't sustain,
Lead me through your darkened mind,
Those hidden boxes that you've designed,
All those issues you've yet to find,
And all the times that you were blind,
Show me how many times you tried,
Those quiet moments where you cried,
All those times you could have died,
And every moment you broke inside,
Walk me to the pits of your dispare,
Those people that pretended to care,
All those times into nothing you'd stare,
And every betrayal that left you unaware,
Lead me to that trap deep in your soul,
Those desires that are as black as coal,
All those chances you should have stole,
And every nightmare you can't control,
Now take my hand, let me show you,
That special light, shining through,
All those storms, yet stronger you grew,
Overcome and battle, it's what warriors do,
You have not an idea, not even a clue,
Your rarer than stardust, if only you knew.
His heart was black as coal a cantankerous soul
So cruel and so unkind
He was ever so clever but never would ever
Reveal what's on his mind
It was commonly known was a cad fully grown
And a savage from birth
His only decision and only one vision
Was to ravage the Earth
Then one night in a dream the most devilish scheme
Ever devised by man
On a day in December a day we'd remember
He hatched his evil plan
With his hatred alive he then took a long drive
Down to the hotel Ritz
Soon his plan implemented a bomb he invented
That would blow it to bits
As a matter of fact he thought the hotel was packed
But it was empty instead
By the light of the moon the bomb blew up way too soon
And brought it down on his head
The news got the story it was ever so gory
But we all know the rest
No longer no trouble lied dead in the rubble
The hotels only guest
The wagging tongue, a weapon is,
when vengeful words like arrows whizz.
They pierce the heart and wound the soul,
No surgeon's stitch can heal the hole.
Sharp words can wound and cut like a sword,
and make one feel like they have been gored.
What harm is done by spiteful speech,
When weapon words their target reach.
Like sparks that kindle forest fires,
are words that leave the lips of liars.
They betray trust and sear the soul,
leaving scars that are black as coal.
The tongue is a source of death or life,
So do not use it like a knife.
Make it your goal to praise and bless,
with every phrase your lips express.
If the tiny tongue you do not tame
It will rule your life and bring you shame.
Like the small rudder which steers a ship,
Your wagging tongue will make you trip.
Dotty doggy duo, daily derring-do,
descending leaves decorating yard,
Beau-black as coal,
brown-eyed batty Gus,
barking brazenly, bounding,
both bonkers?
a boisterous, "You betcha!"
Kings of calamity-
canines of chaos,
squirrels scurry for sweet sanity,
scolding silver September
acorn gatherers,
sedulously seeking sedatives!
In the shadow of death, his darkest secrets hide,
A devil’s bargain, where foul hidden dangers lie.
His vile whisper in the night, a most sinister plea,
Temptation’s dance calling, “Come waltz with me!”
His eyes as black as coal, with his sly, wicked grin,
The devil beckons you close; then he lures you in.
A Faustian deal to strike, with willing souls to sell,
For abundance of power, and untold riches as well.
O mortal hearts, O please heed all these warnings,
The devil’s deals are so hard, even for his darlings.
For momentary wealth, fleeting powers, and fame,
You trade your eternal soul, for perpetual flames.
The cost is too high, forever too long, fire too severe,
Weeping, gnashing of teeth, while you writhe in fear.
A devil’s bargain, the broadest primrose path of sin,
It will leave you with nothing, save darkness within.
So forbear the appeal, of the devil’s treacherous deeds,
But choose God’s light instead, if your soul is in need.
Take some advice, sage words from this wannabe poet,
A devil’s bargain lures assent, before you even know it.
I want to paint a portrait of you
I have a brush, but what do I do?
What is the colour of your soul?
Is it really as black as coal
Horse hairs paint your insides out
Your heart is what you’re all about
I see it yellow, red, pink and blue
It’s the warmest part I ever knew
Your eyes are deep velvet brown
You’re wrapped in a devil’s gown
Your hair shapes an angelic face
Your body arches with elegant grace
I discard the brush onto the floor
Out of paint, I don’t need more
Because here you are next to me.
Brushes and paint fleshed reality
David Cox 13/09/23
Love is a rose, so beautiful and bright,
A symbol of beauty that shines so right,
Its fragrance so sweet, it captures your heart,
And fills you up right from the very start.
But beauty can hide a much darker truth,
Inside the petals, there's more than youth,
The thorns that prick as you reach for the rose,
Are like a warning that nobody knows.
For inside of us lies a different story,
Full of sorrow, pain, and not much glory,
Our beauty shines out, but it's not the whole,
For the essence of love comes from the soul.
And when the petals fall, and death takes hold,
Our true colors are revealed, black as coal,
The love that once bloomed now withers and dies,
And all that's left is brokenhearted sighs.
So don't be fooled by the beauty outside,
For it's what's within that counts, not just pride,
For the essence of love is truly pure,
And lasts forever, of that you can be sure.
Jacob k.s
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.