Long Lifebuoy Poems

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


Premium Member Simple Things

I was musin' yesterday about things I cherished as a boy.
Simple things, yet in my parochial world, things that brought me joy.
Anything from apples to Zweiback and so much more,
Could then be found down the road at the local country store.

For a quarter I could buy a straw hat to stifle summer rays.
Seems all you can find to wear are baseball caps nowadays.
Ah, to savor the taste of that old-timey original bottle of Coke,
Though the tingle in your nose almost made you choke!

Were there soaps other than Lifebuoy?  I never knew of another.
'Twas used quite often to cleanse my mouth of filth by my Mother!
When it was a nickel pack of gum you had a hankerin' for,
Black Jack, Beemans or Clove was available at the local store.

When I could cadge a nickel from my hard-workin' Dad,
A Clark, Bit-O-Honey or Powerhouse candy bar could be had.
How I savored Walnetto caramels so delectable and chewy,
And choc'lit covered creams, delicious but oh so very gooey!

I quivered with excitement openin' a box of Cracker Jacks,
Anxiously lookin' for the simple prize, never mindin' the snacks!
Alas, such simple delights that I enjoyed as a lad are now lore.
I reckon tastes have changed - such things don't abound much anymore!

Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
(© All Rights Reserved)
Form: Rhyme


Premium Member A Noteworthy Ship

for far too long now

he had bottled up his emotions

stuck reason to his wavelength

and built an intricate structure 

in the glass bottle of his mind


a real showpiece emerged

crafted by a master sail maker

a museum piece of an anchor however

and a bell that refused to ring

so tightly was the voyage enclosed


static it towered on a fire place surround

with other less prominent trinkets

a skinny laughing Buddha and some

Russian dolls mocking his very own

Potemkin villages and a bottle of Vodka


when the vessel hit rocks once more again

and descended into an underworld of passion

it crashed on a lighthouse in passing

and the beam of confusion burnt 

a hole in the glass shelter


disfigurement shone until the bottle

emerged from its molten ruins

in the shape of a lifebuoy


he had always thought that

one pull on the life line

which raised powerful trim

would adapt to winds and slackened lull

easily at the push of pure will


illusions in doldrums and thunder

storms fair weather and dolphins

rocking his boat taught him 

to swim on his own

search for sea shells and driftwood

and a hut on the beach


the best part about his construction

was that the old ship had never been

seaworthy and that trial and tested error

had been worth a passage of terror

now pacified and calm near the shoreline 


23rd October 2021

Premium Member Floating On Empty

'The storms are raging on the rollin' sea, and on the highway of regret'


It was surfers' paradise weather but he had only captured a dinghy

Made from lost dreams and drift wood collected in seasons of love

No shoreline in sight he set a flatulent sail on his passage to nowhere


The lighthouse of aspirations had timely faded from self-imposed doubt

His double edged fishermen’s knife offered only cut throat conclusions

As waves cut a Janus-faced image of himself into the surface of rage


For too long it had been his way or the highway and stark pirates loomed

Hooked into remorse he regretted that he severed tranquil emotions

But instead tried to prove the compass wrong and succumb to unreason


Riptides currents and wild torrents resembled the inner chaos of his soul

Salt on thin macerated skin oozed blemished truths and purulent candour

Once he lost anchor and lifebuoy and had to solely rely on stars’ navigation


During a lull he meant to befriend a dolphin but was mocked in contempt

Which made him to feel the disrespect he had once shown to his friends

How he wished he was a butterfly feeding on herbs in sweet meadows


A clairvoyant had warned him not to tempt fate when seeking conclusion

She might have the last laugh now as he stared into drooling shark teeth

Parched to his most integral core the wary voyager shed one final tear


He vowed promised and bargained with mad delirium and entered the sea

Gave himself to the depth of rock bottom and left his fate to the swell

Washed onto a beach his only regret was that he had not surrendered before


17th February 2020

Written on the theme of ‘The storms are raging on the rollin' sea, and on the 

highway of regret’ - Bob Dylan - Make you feel my love

Premium Member When Time Flies

When time flies, feelings of euphoria,
spur jaw-dropping habitus within,
vision of nirvana on groundswell earth,
chirping bird amber tone on hedgerow,
cacophony that piercing aural backdrop,
riotry of wild bewitching warble,
golden fronted leaf, black nape oriole, 
northern red bishop,
snapshot or sedation, honey dribbled spatula,
that ladles satin eardrums,
as momentary plot unveils its kernel,
fleeting countdown to ecstatic charm,
mesmerising tailspin gust bract swirl,
of diamond stud color burst variety,
time lag is an instinct riven leap,
lustrous spark escape hatch mere sprint,
who could be immune to such splendour, 
embellishment or antic flourish,
folly swept aside in brisk stanza,
hyperbole on jewel rim chariot,
passenger in situ juggling spheres,
morning dew mist clad bank enchantment,
divinity in spiral foam waterfall trance,
speckled moon’s transient blind soar,
amid hall of mirror dream cloud etching,
bonfire of imagining without rein,
infant echo chamber left me thunderstruck,
lightning flash recall as I shudder,
 with ardent inkling of  toddler stopwatch era,
parental caper, boisterous shriek,
blue stain paddle boat capsized,
guffaws at the peak of silver rush, 
 backscatter on a prior and current bloom,
like a reckless swimmer’s wild swipe,
at a grazed iron metal lifebuoy,
whose toss and turn gyration high jinx,
another symbol for the heaven in one’s palm,
that vanishes as soon as it clocks in.

Emotional Whiplash

One day, Brad felt overwhelmingly sad
The next day Brad was raging mad
Following this day, Brad was feeling glad
This was the best day that Brad had had

One day, Suzy had been crying all day long
The next day Suzy was cheerily singing a song
Following this day, Suzy wasn't feeling so strong
Suzy was feeling like she didn't belong

One day, Peter woke up feeling quite flat
The next day Peter happily met Brad for a chat
Following this day, Peter was worried about his cat
His cat that day had been bitten by a rat

One day, Paige's mind was all over the place
The next day, Paige had a smile upon her face
Following this day, Paige wasn't feeling quite as ace
All Paige wanted was to have her own space

Whether you're Paige, Peter, Suzy or Brad
and whether you're sad, happy worried or mad
The emotional whiplash you get isn't really all that bad
because it means you're still living, even if it's just a tad 

My name is Paige and I write poetry when feeling emotion
It's like taking medicine when sick, or applying a cream or lotion
Sometimes I write in order to avoid conflict or commotion
Writing poetry helps me avoid a mental health implosion

I hope these words on some level do resonate with you
I write from the heart and these feelings I describe are true
I hope you find courage to write when you're feeling blue
because you'll feel better afterwards, as it really helps me too

Sending love from Paige to all of you in Poetry Soup
I Value the support from this amazing community group
Our 'Espirit-de-corps' has me letting out a whoop
It's a lifeline to cling to, a lifebuoy, a hoop

'Espirit-de-corps' - Definition: the common spirit existing in the members of a group and inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and strong regard for the honour of the group.
Form: Rhyme


On the opposite bank

I paused by the river in the late afternoon—
how many years have passed!
The plane tree on the bank, towering,
the riverbed unchanged;
what, I wonder, will I find on the other side?

The hollow in the plane tree has widened,
memories stored within its hiding place—
time ferrets them out through nostalgia!
We used to play cops and robbers as children;
dry plane leaves, at the mercy of the wind!

The riverbed, an endless white snakeskin,
stones rolled round like scales—
how often I slipped into its freezing waters!...
my schoolbag a lifebuoy upon my back;
sunken pebbles held hostage in the sand!

On the opposite bank stands my childhood home;
its chimney smoked on a day like this,
the doorway held a sweet scent as Mother passed through,
the courtyard gate creaked at Father’s step;
a robin sang amidst the fresh snow!

Premium Member Close Quarter Riddle

In the light of autumn skies,
one might sense this blind turbulent endeavour,
raptures veering like some wanton thunderstorm,
behind dark moon frost allure,
amber leaf vortex among bemused grey clouds,
gust-ridden disco blue hue,
tumbling high jinx from skyline moist beams,
damp rot urban shed cluster,
nomad squatter plight,
so at odds with pending freeze,
summer folly red blaze passed,,
heatwave immigrant rues latent scorn,
a strained close quarter riddle,
never ending once an everlasting phase,
now deep chill month outlier,
sunshine and wet portent’s quaint platform,                 eccenteuc tide or mere blot,                                                   mud-splattered  ocean grazing bleak ink stain  pier,               lone wolf lifebuoy weeps,
shifting sand element's interval

Premium Member Poetry

A poem is a conduit, 
Like a cable or a wire. 
It just provides a pathway 
To communicate, inspire.
 
A way to share our inner self
Our psyche or our soul
Those feelings that we can’t express
Given life upon a scroll

We solder our spirit to paper
Words, like rivets, secure
Sadness, loss, joy and fear,
Grief and so much more

Words, like many balls of wool
We weave to form a shawl
Life’s  tapestry of love and loss
That’s common to us all.

Touching something deep within
It moves us and creates 
The space to see another’s view, 
Their triumphs and their fates.

So do not judge those that aspire,
Through poetry and verse,
To reach the canyons of our souls 
For better or for worse. 

Not for judgement do we share 
Our human need and pain,
But seek only to communicate 
And no other form of gain. 

There is much that makes us different
But the poet as he writes,
Captures all that makes us human 
Not what divides, but what unites. 

It’s a lifebuoy to the drowning.
A flare launched in seas unknown.
A hope, a cry, a reaching out 
To know that we are not alone.
Form: Rhyme

Premium Member I Gotta Laugh So I Don'T Cry

When twist-and-turns, like narrow mount-roads, I face,
When deaths of kith, like winds in fall, bring disgrace;  
When my cries, like waves of oceans, surge endless,
I laugh, serving the orphan and the friendless...!

Wealth gone, poverty dorn, when I'm in the pits,
When shelter, in rain torrents, shatter to bits;
Stitching, ad infinitum, old robes I wear, 
I laugh with the poor who laugh in loincloth bare...!

When exhaustion and hurt feelings weigh me down,
In floods of helplessness when I sadly drown;
Grasping divine-drawn frail hands as lifebuoy,
I laugh within forgetting every ennui...!

Life is present presented to live the present,
Accepting each good and evil heaven-sent; 
As farmers separate corns from hay and chaff,
Keeping away grim facades, I loudly laugh...!


13 November 2022
Pick-A-Title, Vol 33 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Edward Ibeh |
Form: Rhyme

Premium Member Roadside Poetry

In my youth I was completely engrossed,
By poetry along the byways nailed to a post!
It wasn't composed by John Greenleaf Whittier;
No, the authors were much more wittier!
I speak of Burma Shave signs once all the craze,
But can only be found in museums nowadays.
I don't claim to own the wit of poet Ogden Nash,
But here are some I might've composed if I may be so brash!

If its a kiss from yer gal you crave
But the stubble on yer mug she hates
Better grab yerself a can of Burma Shave!

When ol' Sarge says you're grown' too much stubble
And threatens to nix yer weekend pass
Slather yer mug with Burma Shave on the double!

When you were interviewed for a host of jobs
But weren't hired because of yer stubble
Smother yer mug with Burma Shave in gobs!

When you insist on takin' her out to dine
But she says no caressin' yer 5-o'clock shadow
Mow yer mug usin' Burma Shave and all will be fine!

If it's yer handsome mug you want to save
Plain ol' Lifebuoy soap won't do the job
Use plenty of good ol' foamy Burma Shave!

Let me tell you fellers about the latest rave
If you want to impress your sweetie pie
Use smooth and creamy Burma Shave!
Form: Rhyme

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