when a heated argument finally ends
has anybody won
when the fight’s to the finish
seems both sides are done
when the smoke of battle clears
few and hollow are the cheers
when the war goes on and on and on
~ so does the con
Peace is the natural state
The source of rest and the result of entropy.
It is the zero point
Where everything comes and goes.
How do we know this?
Just look at our lives.
Each day ends and begins with sleep
The state of renewal without conflict.
Conflict comes naturally enough
In pursuit of our goals,
Position, power, procreation,
And all the things that support it.
Conflict arises from peace
Like ripples on the surface
Obscuring the mirror clear image.
Conflict is the first step,
But by the end
It is all that’s left,
Rage and frustration, chaos and division
With peace eclipsed.
Where is the natural peace then?
Where is the rejuvenating sleep
At the end of that day?
Waiting, simply waiting
As it is
Its nature to do.
(10/6/26)
OF LOST LOVES AND DASHED DREAMS
So many loves lost, choked, under the weight of words not spoken.
So many dreams dashed by the timely plunge not taken.
The seemly hour never arrives, neither does a second yearning,
only the feverish clock keeps ticking…hounding…reminding…
Faces turn hoary as the minutes slip by,
memories blur and fade, much like the mind’s canvas -
smeared and splotched by the tint of tirade.
I had fettered the wings of my youthful desire
to my cupped palms so tight,
all that remained was a splintered heart and a bleary sight!
***
As night approached
Pavement struggle
A Dog set alone
No shelter to sleep
No owner love to get
Observing passing car headlights
Stillness in the air
Neighborhood quite it
Night skies watch
Chill breezes
A Dog not feeling at ease
Feeling desperation
A world ignoring showing no attention.
It is dark in here
and I really fear
I’ve run out of things to say.
Sameness taunts me,
shameness haunts me,
I have lost the will to pray.
I am off the track,
my pen is slack,
I have nothing to relay.
Nobody has,
nobody does,
it’s all been said before.
Steal an idea,
make it appear
it stepped out of your front door.
They’ll think that it’s yours
and as sky-ward it soars
they’ll even come for more.
But don’t talk of doom,
of despair and gloom
and how your soul slowly dies.
They don’t wish to know
your personal inferno,
instead, just feed them lies.
Lies they’ll understand;
stories of dreamland,
alibis and lullabies.
Give them at any cost
the hope that you’ve lost
and the love you no longer feel.
Make believe it is spring,
praise everything,
let them think your verse is real.
Your sorrow don’t share,
beware, oh, beware,
nothing to reveal.
Land of Tacenda
I bite my tongue
I felt the responses churning in my stomach but
I bite my tongue
The words rose up to my chest, my heart beating in anger
I held my bark
The words reached my tongue, my mouth turning sour to the taste
I looked up in your eyes ready to berate
But instead my tail was between my legs
I had entered the land of tacenda
Better left unsaid than argue with a wall
Better left unsaid than start a war
So the land of tacenda welcomed me with a warm chant and a soft embrace
No more yelling no more screaming just once again put back in my place
Vladimir got into a barroom brawl
Where he pushed his rival into a wall
Vlad went back to his seat
Sat down to drink and eat,
He finished, flushed, then exited the stall
A ship sails away
Will a storm it delay
A plane's wheels leave the ground
Will it land safe and sound
Nations quarrel and fight
Neither is right
Lies rapidly spread
Will they kill the truth dead
An expiration date has been given
Like a common loaf you would bake
This one slightly differs, as past due is the date
Delve deep into the depths, where mysteries do lurk
To pluck out an answer, one might not think will work
You will find each foot planted, in a very shallow grave
Which one will get you there quicker, a choice must be made
But in the end it doesn't matter, the result stays the same
So now you must choose wisely, a balance must be paid
It all boils down to that inevitable, unfair trade
Pusillanimous
hosted pugnacious
~served Hawaiian punch
THE GOD MAN
What lone heart beats with cunning skill,
stokes other men of hope.
Contentious now to seize with ease
From god, to cliche trope.
A man of men conquest again,
and noted through that door.
As if the others ever could,
they would forever more.
Tis the oppositions drum beat
to set the god man's pike.
As though the others might abide,
a trite preemptive strike.
Yet on the other side of coins
resistance pale and weak.
Envious lace bereft of grace
to turn the softer cheek.
Narry a tempt to wrong the right.
Embraced hypocricy
Selfish nature takes without
accountability.
Strike! Strike!
Strike up the Band!
If you're brown
please beware
If you’re black
watch your back
If you’re yellow
dive for cover
If you’re red
you’re already dead
Strike! Strike!
Strike up the Band!
They’re coming to take us away!
They’re coming to take us away!
Raise high the flag
Raise high those stars and stripes
We’re Christians and Hindus
Muslims and Jews
We work, we sing, we dance
We play in parks
On Sundays after church
We’re neighbors
We’re lovers
We’re builders, cowboys
waiters, and cooks
We’re hot dog vendors
and ice cream peddlers
We hoe your fields
and pick your fruit.
We drive your trucks
and plow your fields
We cut your meat
and herd your cows
You wonder the price
You wonder the vice
It’s time to De-Ice
Rid us of these lice?
Strike! Strike!
Strike up the Band!
They came and took us away
away
away
away to Guantanamo
Sometimes my emotions snatch my breath right out of me and decapitate my reasoning. I feel like I might be slipping into another depression stupor.
Reality is overwhelming, and since I don't have anything to soften the blow, it explodes like a nuclear bomb, and the waves decimate everything around me.
All my senses intensify to the 10th power.
Every emotion demands to be felt while I sit in the middle of ground zero, going straight to DEFCON 3 mode.
A state of heightened alert that I know so well.
I try to keep the collateral damage to a minimum after my emotional fallout.
As I combat my fears and bury my demons, I walk through the fire and wreckage as the last one standing, refusing to surrender.
It took time for me to realize
I fed the wrong ego and paid the cost,
there's was no reward but a price;
I should be very happy and make a toast!
If all worthless things
suddenly come to an end,
there's little to understand;
let them be memories!
I've stopped waiting on you, charmer
the wonderful things you whispered were false,
not even one word matched your promise;
it was another wish on a wandering star!
I've reached the limit of my patience,
how can you hide your pretence?
If all worthless things
suddenly come to an end,
there's little to understand;
let them be memories!
Don't try to stretch the rubber band,
it will hit you hard in the face,
it'll hurt more than David's sling did;
it's time you stopped this mad race!
It's the usual dilemma I'm caught into,
it's the enigma more harmful than a taboo!
If all worthless things
suddenly come to an end,
there's little to understand;
let them be memories!
It took time for me to realize
I fed the wrong ego and paid the cost,
there's was no reward but a price;
I should be very happy and make a toast!
If all worthless things
suddenly come to an end,
there's little to understand;
let them be memories!
I've stopped waiting on you, charmer
the wonderful things you whispered were false,
not even one word matched your promise;
it was another wish on a wandering star!
I've reached the limit of my patience,
how can you hide your pretence?
If all worthless things
suddenly come to an end,
there's little to understand;
let them be memories!
Don't try to stretch the rubber band,
it will hit you hard in the face,
it'll hurt more than David's sling did;
it's time you stopped this mad race!
It's the usual dilemma I'm caught into,
it's the enigma more harmful than a taboo!
If all worthless things
suddenly come to an end,
there's little to understand;
let them be memories!
Conflict Categories
Definition | What is Conflict in Poetry?
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.
Related Poetry Forms
combat, clash, competition, strife, struggle, battle, rivalry, war, contention, contest, engagement, collision, fray, fracas, encounter, emulation, set to, tug of war, striving, hostility, friction, strife, competition, animosity, difference