Grueling Poems | Examples

You Make Me Smile

You Make Me Smile

the diagnosis came as a shock
life altering-all came to a stop
several surgical scar forming resections
steady course of skin burning radiation
multiple courses of poisonous chemotherapy
grueling grind of gut-wrenching nausea
valleys of deep depression
alternate with hills of happiness
each day another day of life
totally different than the day before

through it all you have 
managed to maintain your
sharp wit and sly humor
I am truly amazed that
despite the desperate circumstances
you can make me smile

Burden

To be a burden means to not use the tools strewn about. 
The rusty trowel and bucket filled with half-thoughts.
Be a burden. 
Your words are just wailing and buzzing at us.

I can be a burden. 
I can dig little holes all around the sand. 
I can bury little toy soldiers. 
But under the sand means nothing. 
It just gets footprints, and litter, and walking over and over. 
So what we bury will creep back. 

We can be burdens. 
Throw away our shovels, rakes, and nails. 
Let them be as scrambled as we were. 
As they pick up the resources scattered about. 

There’s no such thing as support. 
Nothing real. 
Digging new holes everywhere.
But I can never bury any thought or idea. 
Just scraps of my eternity. 

I can be a real burden sometimes. 
In this exacting and grueling way. 
We can be real burdens some days. 

I drove my car to the beach one summer day. 
Wondering what the waves wanted this time.

Follow Up - May 10

Tonight, I won’t write anything at all…
I’m throwing in my quill,—who am I fooling?—
I’m throwing in my keyboard, overruling
my instinct for seriousness,—o how small

and earnestly banal…/I mean!, the gall
of an Artiste not sat at home drooling
on their craft and crafting another grueling
chef-d’œuvre,—Bah!—leave that to the alcohol!—

—@-tack your ’s-periment__’n’|defend|
mine own: for the[object]of this{subject}
is Anihilating your nothingness. 
Yea! all this—and 		(, verily,)		nothingless.
Avoid a void?,your void—I“[-VOID-]”| perfect
disdain,—no mask upon it to append.

THE SCRIPTED GAME

The roar of the crowd, a deafening sound,
As helmets collide on hallowed ground.
But whispers arise, a cynical plea,
"Is victory real, or just make-believe?"

Like headlines that spin, a truth half-concealed,
Or storylines scripted, emotions revealed,
The gridiron's drama, some claim it's a show,
A pre-ordained dance, where the winners all know.

The quarterback's pass, a perfectly flighted arc,
Or a fumble recovered, leaving its mark.
Are these moments genuine, raw and untamed,
Or puppets on strings, in a carefully planned game?

The news it may bend, to an agenda's sway,
And wrestlers perform, their roles they portray.
But the sweat and the tears, the grueling long grind,
For athletes who strive, a different truth you'll find.

Though doubts may persist, and shadows remain,
The passion they bring, can't be purely feigned.
For the love of the game, in hearts burning bright,
Ignites the true spirit, and fuels the good fight.

IN THE GARDENING OF THE GENESIS AND REVELATION OF LIFE

For the blessed fruits of the blessed tree of life’s being,
Persecution and crucifixion have their time in life’s seasons;
Their demise coming with seasons of resurrection and ascension:-

Seasoning of life from Genesis to Revelations, has its time;
Let us ever be mindful that we’re fruits of God’s balboa tree of life,
With a quartet of years to sow and cultivate our seeds of justice:-

Thus, it’s time to get plowing and uprooting unjust seeds
Sown in the God given riverside just soil of His trees;
Indeed, as faithful garden balboa trees of God given life,
May we be in the blooming of ripe fruits His coming justice:-

May our plow sheds be ever fully stocked with tools of courage 
And faithful determination, cultivating us with God sent liberation:-
And while trials and tribulations may endure for grueling nights,
Let us be bearers of fruitful mornings;
Indeed, let us be as the fruiting sun in joyous dawning liberation,
And let bigotry be as a waning moon:-

Symbiosis

Somewhere in a rugged sunny terrain
a bushy-maned pony kicks up his heels
amid biting flies in a grueling summer heat.
An elegant cattle egret hitches a ride.
Devouring grassland insects, his daily diet,
the egret helps his buddy in his plight
keeping the flies at bay while loping along
together through brush and grass and sage.

ADDICTION'S WEB

Casanovas slipping into the red-light tangle;
Forbidden fruits, where temptations dangle.

A carousel sequelae of transient fun,
Shoving precious life through a darkened dungeon.

Herpes, a saboteur of life's quality;
Silent falsehoods, pernicious in totality.

Retrovirus tainting the filthy foray—
Courtesan's fate wrapped in tragic dismay.

The French disease, resurging like a dragon,
Greatest mimicker, its curse on the wagon.

An avalanche of despair, harrowing as the Holocaust;
Fleeting morale fulgurates, bruising life's bitter frost.

Relationships crumble, akin to a precarious card cascade—
An insidious monster of misery, lurking like a ticking grenade.

Dire repercussions of the aftermath,
Grueling the innocent's once-quiet path.

Serenading the cognizant wizard,
Salvaging thyself from a tumultuous blizzard.

Kandle’s Pen

Some of you are concerned so very sweet
You notice when I DON’T write poetry 

Let me assure you all is fuschia fine
Waiting on inspiration to temp my mind

Also I am still learning to play piano
It’s grueling like dueling with my soul

I’m also judging a poetry contest here
Loving your entries you’re all such a dear

I started my own thing it is my dream
My small business called Kandle Publishing

You know me by my given name at birth
But Kandle Jones my pen name I prefer

So I have my fingers in a few life pies
Sooner or later my poetry juices will arrive

Cold Breeze

Why is it so cold over here?
Is it the frost in my chest or the chill in the air?
All these hurdles are grueling to bear.
With the warmth of the sun still above my head, pain breaks into the holes and spreads everywhere.
Seeping through the soul and into the mind, the chills swirl around the corner, accumulating tears and despair.
Hopes and desires succumb to the potent and slowly disappear.
With fingers crossed and prayers unheard, I often retire to opt for a smile to wear.
Tears hide deep beneath, with a smile deceiving the reality and proving it's not a nightmare.
Happiness has a price here that is too hard to spare.
As roads lead to an unknown path and my soul yearns for known peace, I have nothing more to share.
Why is it so cold over here?
No, it is not because of the atmosphere.
It's the frozen stare of my future self still living in uncertainty and despair.
Why?
It's even colder here.

Rainy delight

"Rainy delight "

Tejeswar Patnaik 

Tormented by the grueling summer's might,
My patience, unfathomable, held tight.

A long wait finally saw its end,
As the season arrived making the  raindrops  descend.

With gleeful eyes, I watched the roaring sound,
As clusters of clouds burst forth, unbound.

Nature tested our patience, unfathomable and true,
Yet obliged every species, with planet earth anew.

Heaving a sigh of relief, we  beheld the sight,
Crystal drops on leaves, a wondrous delight.

I wished to catch the falling drops, gripped with fantasy,
And gleamed to see the spectacle of a rainbow's symmetry.

Sunrays wrapped in clouds,  cheering  the rain god's might,
A round of applause, from all, in pure delight.

I was enthralled by  Rain's rhapsody ,
It's beauty  regaled everybody .

In Exelcis Deo

This peace and tranquil
I'm now feeling within
Soothing and serene
Hope forever will
Remain through fully
This journey called life
With all its bitter strife
Alone, but not lonely.
'Cause its Him and I
Always and forever
As a child and father
Till the day I die.

As i sit meekly amidst 
His awesome creation
I know He'll never shun
My not-so-little wish list
That I've scribbled through
Many seasons and ages
On tearful nights of pages
Collecting dust and dew.
An outstretched hand
A quivering prayer
Is all I need to offer
For Him to make it grand.

Though the way forward
Seems long and grueling 
But as a little Godling
Doesnt feel as hard.
Every petal blooming slowly
Each caressing breeze
And beams from the canopies
Speak of His undying mercy.
We make the perfect duo
Sharing laughter and tears
So I shush down all my fears
With the loudest 'In exelcis Deo'.

HEARTLESS PATRIOTS

Once again, they horde the fuel
Tricking everyone to blame the gov't spoil.
Weeks ago, they pledged loyalty
To serve her faithfully with all might
Yet here they are, inflating prices, pocketing taxes.

They saluted the flag with pride so grand
But in their eyes, Sierra Leone is a battlefield 
Where, like a jungle, the fittest survives
Even if leaving compatriots to die
To a grueling inferno on a highway drive.

Like a puppeteers, they toy with prices
Steal and champion every vice there is
Their loyalty to the country is a hollow shell
Where offsprings of deception dwell
Their places of worship arenas to trample the hearts of their compatriots
Treating each of us like idiots.

A heartless patriot, an empty shelf
Striving to fill up, putting country behind self.
Wretched monsters by all indication
Boasting of knowledge and the best education
But the day of reckoning looms, where truth will eclipse their deceit.

Granma's Porch

As Freshly Laundered Linens
Secured By Pins On a Back Yard Clothes Line
Airing Out In Daisy Aromatic Breeze
Set to Dry Under The Friendly Not too Hot Sun!
I Sigh, For this is All In My Mind
Sitting on My Granma's Front Porch
In Refuge From the Grueling Rays
Urging Me to Bare My Thoughts and Pen What I'm Thinking
Front Porch Resort, High Noon, Anti Sun Bathing
Dehydrating My Will For any Outdoor Frolicking
I Sigh, For While I Sit In The Shade
Cool Northern Breeze Blithely Tickles Laughing Leaves
Birds Chirping Chapters About Disappearing Honey Bees
Propound Is the Scenery and Serenade
Convenient Atmosphere For Shadow Work In the Shade
I Penned, I Sigh
I Think When I Pen and Pen What I Think
Seated On Granma's Old Wooden Porch Chair
The Chair She Once Sat On, She Ascended and Left Her Earthly Effects Here
I Sigh, Sometimes I Shed a Few Tears
Empty Nested, Time Tested
Constant Gratitude for Granma's Love And Energy Invested
All of Nature Singing A Song I Wish To Remember
Chorus Of Natural Equilibrium And Profound Splendor
I Sigh, Audibly In Silent Relief, Nature's Song Soothing Grief 
As the Sun Sets, I Am Soothed, Settled, Nested in Peace.




f

The desert sand

With sleek quartz body he reclines on the dune, 
rolls on dancing with the rhyme of ripples strewn
listens to the arid music of the harsh desert wind, 
face gleaming, doesn’t mind the grueling grind.

He lies still on mirage in the shadow of solitude,
his heart of cool crystal feels the heat intrude,
sees the scarlet sun scorch the desolate desert,
waits for the waltz of cool night breeze to start.

He feels the forceful fury as the sandstorm blows,
to the fervid fold of the opalescent oasis he goes, 
where he sinks as serenity soaks his heart’s core, 
the rage of the desert sun can’t sear him anymore.

In the silence

I could gaze upon you and lose all of my time
I wouldn’t ask for much besides a simple life
I could set the stage, pretend to be your wife
I could pray to you as if you are divine

I could sing your praises in each language that I learn
Your portraits in my home, they hang on every turn
Your eyes are in my water, your smell is in the earth
I felt you in the fire and longed for being burned

I’d whisper your name into air so much it would reverb
Its sound could wake me better than any morning bird
I would commit to memory each line that I observed
Your hair is soft, your wrists are thin, your mouth is slightly curved

You said you like the sea, so I walked straight into it
You said you want some peace, so I sat still, unmoving
There’s always been something so sweet in dedicated bruising
You said you liked the color, so it didn’t feel as grueling

For you I’m always hungry, I’ll never have my fill
And i know that when you go, it’ll all be oh so still
No chirping birds, no fireflies, no turning of the mill
There is no way, after you’ve gone, for me to feel fulfilled

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