You'll need a vanity mirror..Is my current opine.' Mind you that might change.? As it
Goes.' I'm sure it will..Hold yet you will not
Forestall either it, nor desire, for all lies beyond our human will ' as eons present
And expand..Yet will perhaps; also expire.?
Stand up strong, let courage lead,
Be the force the world may need.
Though it may leave you weak or bare,
Embrace the cause placed by His care.
The difference you make will never fade,
Through waters deep and unafraid.
Though trials strike and illness rise,
Heaven’s wisdom never dies.
The fleeting earth will fade away,
Yet God’s strong tower stays steady.
Whatever comes, we will live eternally,
His eternal promises, stand firmly.
When old traditions fail to show what's right,
Let His Word bring endless light.
Rise up now, don’t fear or wait,
Be the voice that echoes great.
Let your passion shine with grace,
Seen so clearly on your face.
Do you remember it all? Every word, every whisper, I see them clearly,
Somewhere you erred, somewhere I did too, in a lost, ephemeral time,
I remember everything, I don't let memories die in the silence of forgetting,
Praying that life doesn't become a bitter burden, a bitter longing.
May we never reach the place where the sight of you becomes a burn,
For I remember everything, every glance, every secret quiver,
Your selfishness, not as a reproach, but a quiet observation,
Perhaps I was naive, lost in the mist of an illusory paradise.
But when reality struck, paradise transformed into flames,
All those moments of laughter, burned like fires of eternal memory,
Reminding me how, from heaven to hell, our path has changed,
How from the light of love we stepped into the shadow of a lost love.
Now I'm left with memories that dance like shadows on old walls,
Each smile, each tear, like echoes in my soul,
Telling me the story of a time that never returns, a lost time,
I remember it all, every word, every whisper, like a melody.
Cashier
Change will make me hesitate
Cause me to equivocate
Clearly I can’t handle change
Customers will find this strange
Some years ago I met a young lady
Looked unhappy, a definite maybe
I also found her pretty ugly too
Never smiled or interacted with you.
One day came modification in her
She chatted and laughed as never before
With a glow in her eyes, a smile mile wide
And a happiness she just could not hide.
The reason for the turnaround I found
She’d been alike a prisoner, housebound
On edge, just in case her shackler appeared
She’d come to find sense and run from her fears.
So I had clearly misunderstood her
Which taught me a lesson that I deserved
Never to judge anyone on their looks
One doesn’t foresee who’s on tenterhooks.
The young lady’s fabulous, honestly
It shows how disfiguring fear can be
Happiness is the ruby in one’s crown
Especially to a girl around town.
What do you write when your brain's in dark fog
You scratch your head and search for some words in vain
That is when you sink deeper into black dog
How you now howl,whine and whimper with great pain
Until suddenly your new vision you unclog
To set your fresh poem alight and in train
Joyfully your poem is live on the page
Creating a bright opus that is all the rage
i thought i could see clearly
clearly was an overstatement
there you were
an intruder in my concealment
leading me astray
insidiously blurring my vision
yet i pursued you without hesitation
uninterested in the warnings
how could i be so careless?
you brainwashed me
fed me lies upon lies
how could i be so stupid?
you made me feel precious
somewhat valuable
i took a chance on you
you were patient with me
carving away at the wall i had built
vulnerable,
i let you see the real me
you told me you were different
i believed you
we laughed together
made memories
i felt at ease with you
you told me you loved me
i believed you
all along
i was chasing a mirage
was it all a coax?
i reminisce about the smirk on your face
seeking your port in a storm
i wasn't the only one you made feel precious
there were others
i thought you loved me?
you told me you were sorry
but the damage you did was irreparable
you finally revealed your true colours
i couldn't forgive you
and suddenly
i could see everything clearly
Your unique identity, a priceless gem,
Will shine with brilliance, shall never dim.
For God, in His goodness, shall be by your side,
Instructing you with His mercy being your guide.
Divine destiny, wrapped within your soul,
No evil eye can alter, no darkness can control.
For angels are released, to guide and protect,
God, your rearguard, His love will not neglect.
His presence goes ahead, like a beacon of light,
Illuminating your path, banishing the night.
His mercy and goodness, companions on your quest,
Faithfully heavy lifting, as you give your very best.
Within you lies fountains of creativity, waiting to bloom,
God's Word, the secret in you, dispels the gloom.
With divine interruptions, He reshapes your way,
Unleashing creativity, day after day.
Elohim, the Creator God, infusing your core,
With His divine presence, you will explore.
Responding to His light, embracing the healing glow,
Seeing your path clearly where miracles flow.
I have presbyopia, astigmatism and more than a dose of dyslexia to boot
And so I have to break up my poetry into stanzas or my writing goes mute
I fall between the letters and get lost upon the page
and nothing makes any sense
and my brain begins to rage
My eyes get tired fast, reading a page of unrelenting text
with no line breaks or paragraphs
to collect the thoughts best
This simple punctuation helps me keep the meter flow
but it also helps me read what I wrote
and encapsulate the storys growth
So break up those pages a bit eh?
give those eyes a rest
People will thank you for it
if you don't make it such a test.
- Artimus 9/29/23 8:24PM (C) Susan Manley
("Eye of God", 2018, original encaustic mixed media - wax, pigments and mirror)
Clearly God Grades On a Curve
After several hours of working hard
finishing up siding a small sheep shed,
before winter comes and the cold winds blow,
I lay in the warm bath, seduced
to the edge of sleep by two sips of beer.
I’m roused by a rousing motivational speech
delivered apparently to all the minions
within my body-mind.
And like Whitman, it seems the multitudes
I contain are vast.
Workers, common laborers and skilled,
designers, engineers, and inspectors,
critics, loafers, the assorted homeless bums
and burnt out hippies fried by one too many trips
to who knows where, seeking who knows what…
Anyway, the speech I remember,
the part that woke me,
was the simple affirmation
that they’d all earned,
“An A for effort!”
And laying there half submerged
nursing my sore joints and tired limbs,
I realized with the calm assurance
of the mystic, that clearly
God grades on a curve.
(9/9/23)
Fair warning to you
My fellow brethren
As justified as your cause
May well indeed be
If you wish to take
The powers that be on
And state your case
Not only do they have and come
As standard uniform and issue
With a gun and bullets in tow
They also have
Something far more powerful as well
And that comes in the form of a Badge
And if you somehow manage to
Avoid that as well
You will have your day in court
That what which you set out to achieve
They will also then name
The time and place
Court and judge of their own choosing
And after that a jail and cell
To keep you quiet and teach you a lesson
And your likes suppressed as well
Because no one takes on the man and ever wins
No matter and despite how justified your cause
Because the deck is stacked firmly in their favor
And they hold all the cards
And they will simply dismiss you
And treat you as a
Joker
Trying to compete with the
Bad and Ugly
When you are quite clearly outgunned
In every conceivable possible way
Is tantamount to you
Bringing a toothpick
To a gunfight
I heard you clearly, for you struck my soul chords with truth
It is my truth also, and I recognized it as such, and it was great.
I have seldom found a person who understands things like I do.
Had given up on finding you, so of course, here you are.
God led you through the crowded auditorium to this seat.
Next to me, and I felt my heart jump a tiny bit. I felt your energy.
I knew we were going to be forever friends. This will never change.
We have known each other throughout many lifetimes, my friend.
Pour every second and every ounce,
Into a reality that cannot be actualized.
Try your hardest and go the mile;
You will be told it is not enough.
It's hard to find any solace in this world;
Your biggest achievements feel unnoticed.
If you can find the strength to realize your achievements are for you,
You perhaps can find enough peace to remember how well you have done.
You made it this far, didn't you?
There are many things I do not understand.
I do not know why some that I love can slam the door so quickly,
I do not know why some hurt eachother like this.
I know that the more love I splash on others the more love washes over me:
I know that it does not pay to be angry.
I know that you did your best,
I know you have regrets.
I know you have achievements,
And I know you deserve love.
It's just hard to realize you aren't the love I deserve.
You wise me up faster
To avoiding disaster
Gradually becoming a forecaster
Life's riddle painted me a master
But don't call me a pastor
Cum fasting, I ain't a taskmaster
The mixed differences of two
Can never be measured of blue
You love me, oh mine
Your trust on me assign
Duties beyond heart to fall in line
That factual auctions are redefine
In every activity of the vine
How atmosphere's spells shine
Thy love so genuine
Doubts couldn't ruin
I will remember now and evermore
These and more I heartily adore
To the needful core
Of mess not ignore
And fears you duly cure its metaphor
By which I conquered the mental war
Into background check
By which faults wreck
You lead me aright
Yet you never alight
From the bus of my mind; sitting tight
To continually beep the ray of thy light
Around my heart's sight
Dewing canals; not embracing its delight
You stare, my heart grasp
Gazing either cool or rasp
My soul and mind is now of concern
Even in uncertainty, I've got to learn
All your speaking
Gets brain seeking
Forgotten tales of old wisdom's root
Walking in the wilderness of ideas barefoot
My fearless daring
Assist me cheering
Adult choosing a thousand roles,
In all the roles sizable holes…
His official first Name was Dole;
In anger dropped for Mr. Mole,,
Because another Mister Dole
Had failed in a conducted poll…
His previous celebrated goal
In a stable keeping a foal;
To other targets tagging ‘Sole’
But last year for Christ won A Soul,
His Bishop’s Staff a pole;
His thanksgiving in bowl…
A Clearly Confused Man:
Comedies you won’t ban!
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.