She was a gentle lady, sweet and kind
She was also a fine friend of mine
She was forward looking, hopeful and free
She not only loved, but believed deeply in me
She cheered me on as my biggest fan
There was nothing about me she didn't understand
When l was fanatical or quick to criticize,
She sat me down caringly, and opened my blinded eyes
Heaven gained a sweet lady as she entered those gates
I lost a dear mother and was left with heartaches
A winter winds chill
seeps in,
No matter the defenses.
Shiver and shake
cold penetrates
deep down to the bone.
That season, so long in duration,
seems forever,
to come to an end.
Forward looking
with anticipation,
warmer temps, coming with spring.
A reprieve
for body and soul,
let the thawing begin.
Byron didn't wait for me.
Across the hall Becky tried not to look.
Chalk was everywhere.
Knuckles was already suspended.
Trailing the varsity jackets I
Oscillated between chic and irreverent.
Someone yelled, "barf!"
Charades and hustlers cover every inch.
How am I going to find my locker?
Oswald points me to "304."
Oblong and wrong I walk there.
Looking forward, looking backward.
Yesterday,
A huge magnolia tree on the corner
Burst out in magnificent large white blossoms,
[temperamental she is] but I think she bloomed
This year to remind us that optimism is in the air--
[Encouraging us to put the dark days
Of the past year behind us].
She proudly wears her blossoms like a bride
Adorns with lovely flowers her hair--
On her wedding day
Full of smiles, optimistic,
Forward-looking.
FIRST PLACE WINNER
Brian Strand's Poetry Soup Contest
written July 8, 2021
December 5th 2020
By: Miracle Man
Today,
I sit, drowning in memories of elapsed time.
Time spent in other places,
reviewing vague and unnamed faces.
Remembering times when I was all about doing
and I allotted little time for dreaming.
Then, all was forward looking, as I had little past,
Long before the golden (rust) years had cast their net,
but I digress, reality is now.
Tom
I'd like to write a line or two
About Woman Lib
In this age of women's rights
I feel that lib's a fib
"Equal Rights for Women!"
I agree with that, for sure
But twentieth-century women want
Equal rights and more
More jobs and equal rights
More pay and self-esteem
"More jobs!" they keep on screaming
As they fill the washing machine
Bath the screaming baby and vacuum all the floors
Clean the windows, dust the furniture
Add a million other chores
Why do they carry on so?
Why can't they realise
The most important job of all
Is right before their eyes
These forward-looking women
Who seem to want it all
Are backward in their thinking
And not equal at all
Years ago the women
Were much wiser, so it seems
They did one job and did it well
Not equal-but supreme!
I remember
your invitation
the welcome
of your arms
into your kingdom
of priests
the unexpected
in
a purpose-filled life
the sheer wonder
of your grace
faith's reality
a do-nothing salvation
the gift of God
you saved us!
a time to sing
Moses song
a persuasive testimony
of mighty acts
of a Lord who
acted again&again
that healing tree
manna(glida) for free
undeserved
unmerited
what forbearance
patience
what love. what grace
a leap of light
into light
a spirit of trust
faith met adversity
providence
forward-looking
uplifted hands
a hand upon the throne of God
a throne
to touch for
truth&life
revelations
to trust
as we stand
before the throne
messages
of thought
of words
&deeds
so spiritual
Is there a direction to the universe,
without the polar caps
The equator gone as space expands,
looking forward—looking back
Does today become tomorrow,
as tomorrow self destructs
Are the questions left by law unasked,
when the answers run amuck
Can our thoughts be put in limbo,
can our feelings lead the way
To what is known beyond the light,
illusions cast away
And if just this moment matters,
and the prophets all were right
The doorway back to who we are
—in dreams we’ll dream tonight
(Haverford Pennsylvania: June, 2019)
The ragged precipice surmounted,
he stands, leaning forward, looking down
into nature's yawning rictus—
pondering flight without wings.
Restlessness in being,
he’s come unhinged in time
whose moments intertwine,
leaving him indifferent to his age.
Neither older than yesterday
nor younger than tomorrow,
life's review passes. Reaching out his arms,
he jumps...and simply floats away.
Looking forward, looking back
Wondering about the future
Remembering the past
Many experiences sent to teach
Many more yet to explore
All that really matters is the present
This is all that is in your control
The future will come, the past will go
Make the most of what you have, in the now.
FORTY
Great the age of forty
Now we can be naughty
So do not worry anymore
That life is passing by
And so will reflect now
On years that have passed
Forward looking to those coming
But be comfy in yourselves
riding the waves and forgetting
erasing the thought of time from my mind
becoming one with nothingness and it delight
God is here wading in the water with me
riding the waves and forgetting
being taught that i am not the only one
becoming even more schooled of the many facets of relaxation
God is here wading in the water with me
riding the waves and forgetting
looking forward to forward looking
becoming content with the clear definition of Me
God is here wading in the water with me
riding the waves and forgetting
finding the true meaning of blissful serenity
uncovering the secret to the marine vibrations of divinity
God is here wading in the water with me
riding the waves and forgetting
clearing my head of any dark, dreary thoughts
removing the blanket that i allowed to blockade my every view for way too long
God is here....wading in the water with me....
You eager commuters
you don’t see me
in the shadows shivering
Remembering that green door and the
warm baking bread smells
A king in a pocket sprung bed
Beside my abdicated queen
And the curly haired prince who
No longer hears my song
You eager commuters
Forward looking
I alone have
Wealth and friendship
Bottle shaped
No idle chit-chat
But whispering cold comfort in my ear
and warming the broken hollows of my heart
You eager commuters
understand
This nook is not a chosen one
Not for its smells of rotting waste
or its views of shoes and hemlines
Of swiftly passing people
Averting their lofty eyes
From this pile of rag and bone
That used to be a man with house and home
Once again, we face a cross road
Filled with so many emotions we might just explode
Life seems to be a series of forks in the track
Never able to change our minds, or to turn back
Being chased down the path by time
Haunted by the ticking, by every chime
Time to choose, up or down, left or right
Fueled by our excitement, by our genuine fright
Make a choice, and hold on tight
Because this is it
You can't give up, you can't quit
Run down that dirt road but watch out
You'll face obstacles, challenges, and never-ending doubt
The only thing you can do is to run
Down that path, through every smile and every tear
Go on headstrong, face your ultimate fear
Eyes forward, looking to the horizon
Eyes forward, looking to the future
Burning, burning, twisting, turning…
Find the key, find the door,
Fate will do the dirty chore.
Down you go, down the hole,
But weep not, it’s not your soul.
Why we laugh, why we cry,
We don’t know, we just die.
After what has been said and done,
The best is all that is left to come.
Flying, flying, soaring, gliding…
They are there, because they care,
That is why they stand and stare.
Moving forward looking back,
Everyone is dressed in black.
Climbing towards the guiding light,
You realize why you quit the fight.
Now you know you are not on earth,
And revel in your new rebirth.
Mother, Father, I am home.
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