I doubt that you have heard of me.
God saw that I was very ambitious,
And essentially said to me, 'forget it'.
The life lesson that I would prescribe
For you is one that I was forced to learn.
It is this: Be willing for God to write the
Script of your life.
The script I wrote for my life was voided.
My plan in life did not materialize.
I was displeased with the direction
That God allowed my life to go.
Forced against my will, I ended up
In a country I never would have gone.
My prize from God was my life. I was
A writer for the prophet Jeremiah.
My story can be found in his book.
My name was Baruch.
It isn’t that I begrudge
you taking what is yours,
for, who am I to judge
what perishes or what endures?
From dust we have sprung
and to it we shall return,
and when our song is sung
its words we will unlearn.
But why so young, so innocent
a flower you chose to pluck?
To me it seems indecent
that such a life be struck.
Perhaps it had displeased you
in a naïve and unsuspecting way.
But with you one cannot argue
that it may only have been child’s play.
Or maybe, quite the reverse,
it pleased you in excess,
and from the whole universe
this flower you chose to bless.
Gruntled & Disgruntled AKA
pleased & displeased
You appear to be disgruntled,
may I ask the reason why
I never see you smile,
why do you only frown?
You answer gruffly saying,
once upon a time I was gruntled
and the charming prince was mine,
but nasty witchy-poo preferred him
as a frog!
Now my days are gloomy,
disgruntled night and day
without a gruntled spell to cast
I might as well just fade away.
The only thing that I can do
to once again be gruntled
is ask nasty witchy-poo to cast
a spell
and make me a froggy too~
but then nasty witchy-poo
would be disgruntled too!
When children are the target,
We begin to write our horror stories,
For what will remain of us in this world we call home?
What will become of the echoes of soles and heels on the streets at dawn and twilight?
When children are the target,
Who will schools open their doors to?
Who will harmonise the voices of the instructors on the assembly ground?
Who will sit behind those desks with keen eyes, curious minds, and warm smiles?
Who will rush out of their classrooms at the sound of the bell to the awaiting embrace?
When children are the target,
Who will bring colour to our days at home?
Who will run joyfully through the sunlit fields, glowing with the leaves and petals?
Who will sit with us, gazing at the night sky, awed by its beauty?
When children are the target,
Grief will rise like smoke from our homes,
The graveyard will mourn for the trampled buds,
The universe will rage and fume,
The elements will be sorely displeased.
When children are the target,
The race we run will be futile,
The applause will not reverberate,
And the portrait of our society will remain perpetually blotched.
February 4, 2026.
There’s an empty canvas above my head,
Where in place of a fan, lies a horse instead,
It breaks free from a self-loathing shed,
At times, when lips silenced words from being said.
Runs across the wall, the horse
But without glee, despite being free, without any remorse,
Numbly it sprints in a white landscape,
For it to understand its purpose is beyond vague.
As it gallops, it leaves a trail of self-identity behind,
Unaware of the absence of a sound mind,
It doesn’t take long for years to pass from specks of time,
And the canvas remains an art piece, still confined.
Displeased by my efforts, I try to find an eraser,
I sigh as I realise that fate was never in my favour,
With no escape from what I’ve just done,
I prepare myself for the final outcome.
So, a cowardly canvas is above my head,
But in place of a horse lies a fan instead,
It is attached to a rope?—?compassionately holding my head,
At last, I die as a muse of a cowardly death.
An aborted fetus lies in their hands,
My soul had very different plans,
Commanding Atoms to rebuild a form,
The next check-up far from normal,
Formerly deceased,
I released my surprise,
My demise created this disguise,
Another prize growing inside,
So she decided to keep me,
You see I came from darkness,
Harnessing my energy,
This entity was my entry,
A sentry sent to destroy,
The decoys holding you back,
Cracking the code,
My north node on track,
Smacking right into destiny,
The best of me,
Drowned by my enemy,
But what they can't see,
Is I know I live eternally,
I'm here to set you free,
From the fallacy of degrees,
A disease stealing your worth,
Displeased by the Regimes,
I have Earth on my team,
She's screaming for remorse,
So I saddle up my horse,
A force you only hear about,
Lighting a fire they can't put out.
I was broken I was a shadow
No one will ever make me feel that low
That’s all now internalised
Damaged and impersonalised
My mind takes me back to childhood
Even deep into adulthood
Silence is my friend
A comfort I have to defend
Trust isn’t automatically given
Just because they died doesn’t mean forgiven
I’m happy on my own
I don’t really feel alone
I choose the people in my life
Avoiding disagreement and strife
Hiding and isolating
I don’t find it violating
Covid lockdown was like a dream
Isolation not too extreme
People of authority make me fearful
They have a habit of giving an earful
One body movement makes me freeze
Like I’m a child that has displeased
So now my present
Maybe unpleasant
May not conform to society
Fills me with anxiety
But I am the only one who can break myself
My screwed thought process can damage oneself
My manic demeanour
Maybe scars from an abuser
But he will never break me again
I think about his passing now and then
There is a whole other story about that
For now however I’m only in combat
With myself
I see myself as fair and helpful
a friendly ally... so I'm surprised
to see me singled out and
ostracized from your bubble.
Perhaps I've insulted you
by not agreeing with your views
though I've gone out of my way
to be diplomatic and polite.
Perhaps I've not lavished you
with honours when judging
my contests with blind impartiality
and that displeased you enormously.
Perhaps I've given you a suggestion
to consider ways to improve your poem
and you assumed I showed arrogance
and deserve to be cut out of your circle.
I'll never know the reasons that justify
why I've been singled out and ostracized
and you obviously have no intention
to discuss or reconsider ~ it’s your call.
So be it ~
AP: 1st place 2025
A Story of Santosh that was entangled in grief
It was just another day, he thought
He stepped out of the house with his family to return
Unaware of the danger awaiting at the accident spot
He and his wife, children went out jolly, talking about
They got onto the bike and went for a ride as usual
Oh, Santosh, if at all you knew
Your day ends in a dreadful growl
You are broken and bleeding, growling on the side of the road
Wounded, wondered who would save his loving family lying a distance away
His wife watches from afar helplessly, two kids and her husband mourning uncontrolled
Oh, that dreadful day, will they ever forget the misery life has thrown
The death of his only budding toddler, struggling to breathe and left the world reeling
If at all, he knows the danger ahead.
His family would be living safely and securely
Santosh had to pass this day and face the pain as long as he is alive
God allowed this, and they have to let go; their sorrows and pain
Which seems to be healed but remains fresh in life, displeased
Life gives joy and sorrows; smile in your good days and cry when no one sees
I am unsure when I stopped trying to please everyone else
at my own expense
When I was young I had a need to be liked by everyone
I did whatever I could to get them go beyond mere approval
Was I in my thirties when I stopped this? I am not sure
But I know why I stopped it.
Some people like being displeased.
They are experts at being disappointed by other people including me.
These people do not have the capability of liking me
or maybe you.
This is when I stopped.
Saving my energy for more worthwhile pursuits.
The 1st Commandment of Eternal God is I am the Divine Lord your Eternal God
You will not have strange gods before Me
By the 1st Commandment we are commanded to offer God alone the supreme worship that is due to Him
We worship Eternal God by acts of Faith, Hope and Charity
And adoring Him and praying to Him
A Catholic Christian sins against faith by not believing what Eternal God has revealed
And by taking art in non-Catholic worship
The sins against hope are presumption and despair
The chief sins against charity are hatred of Eternal God and of our neighbor
Envy
Sloth or laziness
Or scandal
Charity means love
Hatred is against love
Envy is being displeased at another’s success
Sloth is laziness
Scandal is bad example
Welcome to The State of Dis Union.
Here are some “dis” words to describe The State of Dis Union.
Dismantle, disruptive, disagree, disrespectful, distract,
Disappointing, disable, discredit, disregard, disobey,
Dislike, disloyal, dislocate, disaffiliate, disrepute,
Disgrace, disaffirm, dishonest, disembark, disinfect
Disgusting, disturbing, dismiss, discontinue, disarm,
Disconnect, disorderly, disassociate, discreet,
Disapprove, dissent, dispute, disorientated,
Disorderly, discord, disadvantage, disbelief,
Displeased, dislodge, disclaim, dishonor, distant,
Disarray, disconcerted, disintegrate, disinform,
Dismal, disown, dispatch, disparity, disguise,
Discriminate, discard, dissolve, distort, distrust,
Discombobulated, disband, discountenance, disaster…
Yep, sounds about right.
Mother Natures child ….her name is Ocean
Independent , abundant with emotion
When her body of water is clean
Her mood is calm and serene
Countless days she is displeased with mankind
With those humans who are ignorant and blind
Treating her as a garbage bin
Just heaving their rubbish in
The days her waves crash with rage
Her anger has ascended to the next stage
Watching her marine life dying or distressed
From those humans who couldn’t care less
Aware mankind is working toward positive change
Dedication and education maintained
In time no longer a-washed with debris
Her marine life protected and free
Been incarcerated in a house;
Displeased in surrounding clout;
Walls sadden painted windows covered in 50's paint;
Ridiculed and stagnated
Accustomed to be alienated
I walk outside still alive vertical choice
I received my voice
Contemplating
Residue survival
10/10/24
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr 2024
The world of more
On this planet that we live on
Which supplies our every need
Why are surrounded by
This overwhelming greed.
More money
More needs
More land
More greed
More wars
More hate
More death
More debate
More storms
More disease
More hunger
More displeased
More Possessions
More haste
More loneliness
More waste
More pollution
More cars
More toxic clouds
Less stars
The moral of the story
Is we need to take a stand
The only thing we need more of
Is more loving, of your fellow man.
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