Steppin’ Off
My Platform
I
Will
Miss you,
It’s only so long
And not a swan song
I have projects awaiting
They need some attention
An untenable encumbrance
Far too many to mention
So I’ll be takin’ time out
Or bound to get worse
September First
Steppin’ off
Categories:
encumbrance, appreciation, change, farewell, goodbye,
Form: Shape
You suffered silently for the humanity,
carried bleeding the burden of the cross,
defied the undying death to resurrect
to save us from sin, give fortitude to the despondent.
The resurrection brought You back to us
to reside in the revered sanctum of immortality,
marking the joyous and devoted end
to the Lenten season of penitence.
In the unkind and unforgiving world,
You instill the feeling of fondness in our heart,
and go out to embrace the desolate souls
with the solacing blessings of empathy.
You guide us with the divine beacon,
across the turbulent sea to the placid shore.
Devout abode of serenity and hope in our soul,
You make for us to rest in peace in anguished times.
From our tormented hearts
flow out the humble words of dedication.
We bear with hope the encumbrance of agonized life
with the strength we get as Your blessings.
You hold us in Your holy protective arms
when the time comes for us to depart.
In mortal darkness you show us the heavenly light
in our journey of faith to the eternity.
O, Lord,
Your benevolence and love we celebrate in Easter.
Categories:
encumbrance, celebration, easter,
Form: Free verse
I have no hope,
I have no dreams
I have no ambition
Remove the encumbrance from around me
and set my spirit
I want to live and breathe fresh air
And share joy and pleasure for the rest of the year
Please come and journey with me around the globe
And make spirit whole
Together we will make the best business
and build that unique structure
come and hold my hands
and be my lifelong investment
and special Partner
Categories:
encumbrance, best friend, blessing, business,
Form: Free verse
The divinity of art
hiding in the folds
Draping o’er the multitudes
placing time on hold
Its pristine encumbrance
so gently it calls
Speaking to our purity
transcending the small
The divinity of art
in all of its forms
Its music seeks to woo us
its canvas adorns
And once it gains entry
our emptiness hides
Eternity surrenders
—and Heaven presides
(The New Room: May, 2023)
Categories:
encumbrance, art,
Form: Rhyme
Endless Thirst
The world is shaking,
but I am not.
The world is afraid,
but fear,
feeds itself...
The sky is blue,
and the clouds are white,
but they are growing darker
all the time.
The monsoons...
care coming.
Spring has ended here.
I am still toiling the soil...
Trying to get two crops in,
instead of one.
The first already,
half of what it should be,
and not enough to feed us.
Famine is coming.
Starvation her little sister,
is coming with her.
They are not welcome
visitors anywhere.
They are the children of evil.
Plants seeds,
even in the hot summer heat.
Pray for rain,
that will bring the world... new hope.
We need to repent and give back,
instead of take... from the land.
We need to repent, to the Lord.
It will take storms... and flash floods,
to ease the burden of thirst.
But the saddle, the weight of the problem,
the encumbrance will return.
Categories:
encumbrance, abortion, abuse, addiction, america,
Form: Free verse
The encumbrance of peace
is war
Silence remortgaged
—as payments begin
(Dreamsleep: May, 2022)
Categories:
encumbrance, peace, war,
Form: Free verse
Whether I choose the status quo,
Whether I determine to let go,
Offer me compassion,
I accept with open arms,
Calm my silent desperation,
Comfort my tethered heart,
Steady my trembling hand -
It’s not an action I take lightly,
But with a heaviness of soul,
Not an encumbrance thrust upon me,
But a choice I beg to make,
I plead benevolence enfold me,
So that I don’t die alone.
Categories:
encumbrance, solitude, suicide,
Form: Free verse
Habit governed patterns soul confining
Twirl us about in predictable grooves
An imposition thus self limiting
Succumbing to age old thought borne ruse
Tamas anchor, preferring stagnation
Inexorable pull of gravity
Satva Guna, flowing meditation
Heart domain of tranquil serenity
Oriented towards embracing surprise
Narrow aspect of our doership recedes
Doing nothing, we feel magnetism rise
Head melded with heart, joy our trusty steed
Flowing without encumbrance, like the breeze
Freedom ours, when we embrace-hold-release
27-February-2021
Categories:
encumbrance, joy,
Form: Sonnet
There’s a deep burning encumbrance
Lagging within my torso
Its lacerating my soul
No explanation, ask Picasso
Occasionally, I wish I never knew you
Un-acquainting my best friend
I bind fast and then I bruise
When I feel like I’m losing you again
I can’t express it verbally
And it’s something you wouldn’t comprehend too
You have human embroideries
And what I have is you
Cognizant of your concord
You’re taking my unique one too
It was like a smack in my face
Asking me for something, I didn’t want to do
How could you not know the backwash
That cracked my benevolence
I thought we were so adjacent
Tout de suite moved my smile into spins.
No explanation, just “Picasso” the sense of my verse
I’m not devoted with love for you, I just feel demolished
Like a once colourful stained glass
Now gray and cannot be polished
Categories:
encumbrance, anger, best friend, confusion,
Form: Ballad
Beholding the mirror with exuberance
delighted at wellness-blest appearance
while exuding zest midst care giving endurance...
I thank the Lord for His gracious forbearance!
At the sight of our special child's entrance
oozing with refreshing fragrance
subduing, while in his wheel chair, immobility's hindrance...
how I praise God for endowed perseverance!
For freedom moments from pressuring encumbrance
along relaxation-clearance, devoid of angst utterance
triumphantly blissful with reaching-out furtherance...
I worship Christ for everlasting life* assurance!
Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
August 6, 2020
Honorable Mention, "STRAND COMPLETELY NEW (18), any form,any theme" Poetry Contest; Sponsored by Brian Strand; judged on 8/7/2020.
Categories:
encumbrance, appreciation, blessing, christian, faith,
Form: Monorhyme
Facing daily tasks with vibrant exuberance
delighted at healthy status revealing wellness-blest
while exuding zest midst care giving endurance...
I thank the Lord for His gracious forbearance fullest!
At the sight of our vibrant special child's entrance
oozing with refreshing fragrance along sweetness purest
subduing, by his wheel chair, immobility's hindrance...
how I praise God for endowed perseverance to hurdle every test!
For vibrant freedom moments from pressuring encumbrance
along relaxation-clearance, devoid of angst pest
triumphantly blissful for reaching-out furtherance...
I worship Christ for everlasting life* toward heavenly rest!
*Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
July 26, 2020
Edited on November 17, 2021
4th place, " 'V' New or Old" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Constance La France; judged on 11/22/2021.
Categories:
encumbrance, blessing, child, christian, faith,
Form: Quatrain
He unexpectedly lost the other half
of his soul. Now he's merely
an empty shell, crushed under
the elephantine encumbrance
of unimaginable grief.
The hours are miserably long;
nights are infinitely longer.
He's a thousand shards of glass;
crushed coarse and fine
in equal measure.
The coarse pieces of himself
he's picked up from the asphalt.
The fine remnants remain
perpetually scattered
every which way.
He'll never be the same
Crushed by grief yet he still
soldiers on with life. Slowly, a smile
is returning to his face and eyes.
His wife's memory, his consolation.
CRUSHED Poetry Contest (Winner: 4th Place)
Sponsored by Anthony Biaanco
Date written: 06/16/2020
Categories:
encumbrance, dark, death, grief, husband,
Form: Free verse
I see the weight of your woes
Sagging over your shoulder
And its slipping from your grasp
Like grains of sand escaping
From a tightly clenched fist.
Oh, traveler, shake off
Your encumbrance! Lord knows...
You've walked a fistful of miles,
And you've got much more to go.
I see your knees are buckling.
Allow me to help carry the weight.
You mustn't be Atlas holding up
the weight of the world alone.
Everybody needs a helping hand,
So let me share your burden.
Written for...
Strand No 680,Any Form,Any Theme Poetry Contest (Winner: Honorable Mention)
Sponsored by Brian Strand
Date: 02/15/2020
Categories:
encumbrance, allegory, analogy, endurance, strength,
Form: Free verse
Imprisoned anxiety
A hefty encumbrance
You either shake it off, or...
be crushed under it
Date written: 12/01/2019
Categories:
encumbrance, metaphor, perspective, truth,
Form: Dodoitsu
Guilt is a heavy load
A conscience can only carry
For so long
Before it collapses under
It's unwieldy encumbrance
A pressure on the lungs
Pushing out air, threatening
To smother and deflate them
Completely of oxygen
Date written and posted: 11/10/2018
Categories:
encumbrance, emotions, feelings, metaphor,
Form: Verse
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