Long At arm's length Poems

Long At arm's length Poems. Below are the most popular long At arm's length by PoetrySoup Members. You can search for long At arm's length poems by poem length and keyword.


May the Soul of the Critter Rest In Peace

There is a limit I can be pushed to
If driven to it, could I kill ?
Last night I found out

As I was undressing
I felt I was being focused upon
The intruder's cold stares froze me in terror
My heart threatening to pound right out of my chest

We both stood deathly still surveying each other
The battle lines were drawn
I felt like a lion cub about to hunt his first gazelle
It was Man against Cockroach

The beast was hoping to make it to the safe refuge under the bed
If he succeeded, Chances were slim
Suddenly, he made a dash for it
I lunged for the closest weaponry, a sneaker
But he expertly dodged and swerved
On my second strike I connected
He was trapped within the grooves of the sole
I could sense if I moved the shoe, he would dart out and be forever lost
There was only one option - Chemical Warfare

I ran out into the hallway 
And grabbed a can of ant spray
I marched in and began to plan my next move
I circled the shoe a few times, evaluating the best angle to approach 
Strategy was key and I did not want to rush into it
Once decided, I took aim
With a deep breath I quickly lifted the shoe and started spraying wildly
But the wily bugger was quicker than I anticipated
He zipped out and managed to make it to the bed
But just as he disappeared, I nailed him with a squirt between the wings

Wounded and disoriented, I hoped he would now be an easy hunt
I hurled the bed aside and he was cowering besides a dumbbell
We knew these were the climactic seconds of the battle
He made one last brave but feeble run for it
I unleashed the pesticide with adrenalin induced Herculean strength
The departed was lying belly up in a pool of poison
The duel was over

I used half a roll of paper towel to lift his remains 
And carried them at arms length to the trash
The other half to scrub the floor, in true Lady Macbeth fashion
Till the stain and smell were gone

"My Rationalization fails to transmute this event into something positive"


Swan Song Part Ii

(continued from part I)

And I would have said I love you
  And I could have held your hand
And I could have promised all the clichès
  About the moon and the stars and all the eyes can see
And I could have labored with sweat and blood
  So as to weave you a life from the tapestry of your dreams
And there would have been children
  And he or she would have had the intricacies of my mind
Or he or she would have had the enchantment of your smile
  And I could have been there when time 
Has filled our faces with engravings of its years
  And I would have been there to offer flowers to the earth
When it has come to claim you
  And I would have been there to witness your soul fly

I only wish I could have told you of all these.

Yet Fate is but a mischievous child
   Playing the possibility as if it was a toy
The further want amidst contentment,
      Whilst tied to a bondage 
   From which freedom is death, and death is freedom.
Punishment is a unquenchable thirst, a glass of water
   Ice-cold, Unreachable at arms-length;
And we have stood before face to face.
      Resigned, there is only wishing
   That if reincarnation is true 
By the next existence there is then
   Awareness; somewhere, somehow, you are.
And with thus begin the search
      Even in ends that have never been traversed
   For even the slightest chance at a consummation
That was never for this lifetime.

I only wish I could have told you of all these.

If my mind is a room, its walls shall be a mural,
    A collage of photographs of every single moment
  Where you were;
And every angle, every corner, when gazed upon
    At any second, any minute, any hour of the day
  Shall be a reason for felicity.
Yet irony of ironies, if yours was a room,
    Its walls shall be a mural; a collage of photographs
  Of every felicitous moment where you were.
I, however, shall not be in any of those.

I was never in any of yours.
© Robert Uy  Create an image from this poem.

Of Two Halves of One Soul

The curse of an ugly darling and her invisible shadow struggling for the warmth light and the ease in the dark night.

She is the lightening in the clouds; a distant flash followed by the sound of an unwavering silence.

A heroic sufferer trudging through a plaguing odyssey.

Untouchable and unreachable yet, undoubtably, a touched thought at arms length.

I am the bringer and the betrayer of her harboured suffering 
For which she will always endure as long as our faces do not meet. 

We are one with different eyes, halves with one soul, two perspectives of the same experience.

She feared her anger would control her madness and sentence her to a life of suffering.

As it did, I thrived in a lawless land cruising at the speed of light to planets of fire and meadow gardens whose walls were merely waterfalls.

I crushed crystals into my tea and meditated in the skies with the breeze as my throne.

No spear or strike, nor sickness or injury ever grounded my destiny for the light.

It was I, who built stones of civilisations that broke in a fit of jealous treachery: who brought a knightly freedom to those she enslaved: who locked her away, in a galaxy far away.

Our temples are crumbs now, a mythical remembrance to a forgotten past power.

Her tragedy bounds for another world 
As my throne is nothing but a wild imagination of an invisible realm hidden within the skies of reality.

I am now a mosquito on warm waters and she is the fear-mongering dragon.
Beware the orange light you see on the horizon
For her spells of fire will burn your vitality to ashes and ashes
Until you are nothing more than rising steam or settled dust.
Form: Ballad

Premium Member Imagine That

It was mid afternoon on a crisp early December day that I saw her. Like watching a movie she seemed to be unaware of my presence. Her gait was slow and meandering as she approached the beginning of a sidewalk buried by colorful leaves of fall. Then suddenly, as if surprised, she turned her head, and like flipping a switch I watched as a spring of joyful life filled each step of the next 60 seconds. Although I never saw her face I knew she was smiling and laughing, and free. It was an unmistakable display of pure happiness. Nearing the end of natures playground she slowed her gait again then paused leaning into a tree and tapping her toe behind her. She seemed to be grateful for the last moments of the fading sun shining softly on her skin. From joyful to content, at least I had hoped, I could only assume the presence of her joy was still with her. A final act of surprise came when she knelt down to gather a big scoop of leaves from around her feet and hold them at arms length in front of her. After a moment of stillness, she slowly began to let the leaves fall from between her fingers until they were half gone, then threw the rest into the air above her head, arms reaching high as a champion. Still unable to see her face, I hadn't the benefit of a facial expression to guide my thoughts. It may have been that very thing that drew me into her fantasy and somehow made it my own. I saw a story of hope when I watched her through my heart of colored glass and wondered to myself, which of us had just imagined that?

                                     - Jeannie Minor
Form: Prose

Man's Forsaken Earth

"Man's Forsaken Earth"
~~~from the "Dig My Own Grave Series"~~ 
["Dig My Own Grave" is a series of writings in reflection of mental preparation... 
~~~Each scoop of dirt rids the mess where I'm to be finally laid to rest~~~] 

................................{Cry For My Sister} 

It's written that the earth was created and given to man to till._ 
And once man learned right from wrong has been responsible for 
man's own will. 

Man has changed the plan laid down for him regarding the way to live._ 
And now man fight and take more than he offers, shares 
or gives. 

Everything man has ever needed was placed at arms length._ 
And now man must toil the land but only receive a tenth. 

All creatures great and small once roam the earth in solemn peace._ 
And now blood must flow and homes destroyed before the fighting cease. 

Fresh air, green grass, flowing streams, valleys and hills..._ 
are now used in pursuit to satisfy man's greed, wants and thrills. 

This beautiful earth was formed with love and left in man's good hands._
And now it's death, destruction, war, and famine far throughout the lands. 

Many have tried to compensate for all the damages done._ 
But to man's own folly; has given those sins to his son. 

If you look around the earth today you'll see it's not the same._ 
So don't strut with your heads held high while making God the blame. 

Nothing is as it once was for what Man's undertaken._ 
And now this earth's a dismal place and truly man forsaken.
Form: Rhyme


Hiding In the Crowd: Part 3

Yet, I don't think you are sure
How to find the intimacy that
You desire
But, are lacking
With the people with whom which
You choose to surround yourself
Despite the many people in your life
Who profess to love you
Who tell you they care about you
Some of those people 
Betray the words that part their lips
Through the actions that follow their declaration
Keeping everyone at arms length
Even the people
Who have walked with you
Through life's sometimes treacherous journey
For many years 
That should have been given the opportunity
That deserved to have the privilege
To know you the best
The real you
Never truly were
Given the chance to completely
Know you inside and out
True love will always forsake you 
If you do not open yourself up completely 
To another person
Love cannot grow
Without giving yourself
Freely, without hesitation
And sharing your innermost thoughts
And secrets
But, so much of yourself has never been revealed
To the people whose only wish was to know you
And to love you and be close to you
Keeping people at a distance
Gives yourself some protection
Or at least the illusion of such
Because even at a safe distance
Others have still been able to 
Penetrate your exterior
To bring you joy
And to crush your soul
When parts of yourself are kept
Closed to others
You never experience all the beauty
And lasting jubilance that
True love and intimacy 
Will bring you
If you open up the path
Allowing it to enter your arena

Premium Member I Am All Ears

Well, aren’t you a sight for sore EYES 
Off the top of my HEAD its been nearly two years

Yes ,I have been keeping busy
A FINGER in every pie that’s me
It has been a bit of a struggle
I did put my NECK on the line
Many times I cried my HEART out 
Then would dust myself off and say “ok girl CHIN up”
And FACE the music

Yes we were away for a while
We had really itchy FEET
Though we were BACK before we knew it 

I've kept an EAR out to see if anyone had heard from you
I did hear you started your own confectionary business
You’ve always had a sweet TOOTH
It’s on… “Now what’s the name of that street “?
It’s on the tip of my TONGUE….
It is something like KNEE 
Kneetson No Kneedham thats it!

You’ll have a lot of ELBOW room there
If you ever need help 
I can always lend a HAND

Oh ,you heard about that incident did you
She really put her FOOT in it this time
She has a such CHEEK
I told her to get off my BACK
To stop looking down her NOSE at me

I’ve always been upfront with her
Worn my HEART on my sleeve
Though getting the truth from her
Is like pulling TEETH
She is a royal pain in the NECK

I ARMED myself for the next encounter
My HEART was in my MOUTH
To be honest I got cold FEET
Best I keep her at ARMS length 

So last time I saw her ,I said 
I hope you are all EARS 
I need to get something off my CHEST

I politely wished her good luck
Told her to break a LEG
And kiss my ****!!


(A Body Idiom Poem)
© Deb M   Create an image from this poem.

Where Is Tranquility

Searching for peace on earth. 
Searching here there and everywhere with no luck. 
Not being able to find peace anywhere. 
Not being able to find the tranquility that we are all seeking to be near. 
It always seems to be at arms length. 
You hear and see signs of fear everywhere. 
From Canada to the Eastern Shore to Florida and Georgia too.California and Pennsylvania we all feel the seem need for tranquility in our life. 
From Korea To Japan and Brittian too noone is saved from the fears that has been placed upon us. 
From here to there we all have the need  and desire to be free from this pain. 
The desire to feel the warmth and kindness everywhere. 
We turn on our tv just to hear of the killings in the night.the fires which have taken a life or two. 
Fighting in the streets gunshots heard in the still of the night.still ring in our heads for years to come. 
Children cring of hungar and starvation. 
No matter how hard we try the fear is here and will always be in generations to come. 
Bombing of our homes and bridges alike leaving us all stranded in the night. 
Where is Tranquility where has it gone. 
Has it ever been on earth as long as i can remember there has been violence everywhere. 
From the cold wars to fighting in korea to killing on our streets. 
So is there no such thing as tranquility on earth. 
Is the only place to find this tranquility that we all desire is it in heaven. 
ONLY GOD KNOWS!
Form: Bio

Numb To Love

You could say you love me and I'll be like "so what"
I've been hurt so much that now my heart is locked
The key is gone, so it's going to stay like that
I'm numb to love and the feelings not coming back

I don't trust anyone so I refuse to get close 
Before they even approach I've already let go
My heart has been left broke and I won't allow it to become worse
You can say you love me, but I'm numb to those words

I keep girls at arms length because they can't handle me
My dinners are by myself and candle free
I'm not good with feelings and intimacy
I suck at love and I'm not built for it mentally

I played girls in my younger days as the sex offered a connection
But I've always struggled to open up more for fear of rejection
Mum put me in care when I was a child so I grew up hating females
Slept my way through every girl I met, I'm just being honest with the details

My guard is up for good now and it won't be coming down
Trying to keep my head above the water so I don't drown
I'm looking to the future and love is nothing but a shadow of my past
Cupid is dead, I took his bow and put an arrow in his back

You could say you love me and I'll be like "so what"
I've been hurt so much that now my heart is locked
The key is gone, so it's going to stay like that
I'm numb to love and the feelings not coming back
© Alex Duffy  Create an image from this poem.

Premium Member A Far Better Man

"Every struggle in my life has been a lesson
and made me stronger."
--Constance La France

I know that I am a far better man for my sorrow
The worst times of my life increased my strength
Through tears, I always see a brighter tomorrow.

I try to live with my own woes, never borrow
When facing others’, holding them at arms-length
I know that I am a far better man for my sorrow.

When depression attempts to land a lethal blow
And I find myself drowning, teetering on the brink,
Through tears, I always see a brighter tomorrow.

I visualize better days while crying into my pillow,
Determined not to allow all my pleasures to sink
I know that I am a far better man for my sorrow.

Between the best and worst of times in the tarot
I have come to understand there is an indelible link
Through tears, I always see a brighter tomorrow.

During the worst times, I plow a straighter furrow
I row harder, not allowing myself to go over the brink,
I know that I am a far better man for my sorrow
Through tears, I always see a brighter tomorrow. 

[Theme - #1 - Introspection] 

FIRST PLACE WINNER 
Written November 14, 2022
Submitted to “WRITING CHALLENGE – “V” Forms” Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Constance La France

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