Long Musts Poems
Long Musts Poems. Below are the most popular long Musts by PoetrySoup Members. You can search for long Musts poems by poem length and keyword.
MY CLOUD by JOHN G. LAWLESS
I don’t remember asking…..
yet I am still hearing a babbling brook
of mindless chatter rolling pebbles
through my ears and across my mind.
Noisome, acridly scented, sounds,
a Charlie Brown like… wah–wah-wah
droning in the background of my life.
“You can’t say that!” “It might offend
somebody – somewhere – someday.”
“How can you even think that way??!!!”
“Don’t you care how other people feel?”
“Do you have any feelings at all for them?”
“You can’t do THAT!” “WHAT WILL
PEOPLE THINK!” “ Didn’t you see that sign?”
“Why can’t you just follow instructions, do
what you’re told, believe that we are right,
that WE know what is best for you?”
“If you ate less there would be more food
to feed the hungry.”(Yeah but then I’d be hungry.)
“If you drove less there would be more fuel
for others to burn and fewer emissions.”
(How the hell does that work???)
“If you would only follow all the shoulds
and musts then you’d know the reasons
why you should entrust the future of the
planet, the diet of your kids, to those of
us entitled to pry off freedom’s lids.”
“Every voice is equal when every voice
is heard.” (That could be said of cows
and sheep and noise within the herd.)
“What is it that you want?”, they ask
in obvious disdain and shudder when
I mention my First Amendment claim.
I wish that those who speak their minds
would allow me to do the same without
their constant reprimand “that I should
be ashamed”. When I speak, and write, and
act in a manner that I choose, I shouldn’t
be belittled by the puppets of the fools.
I do not need the politics of food, sex,
and lies, nor special interest groups that
see only through “their” eyes. I cannot
be an island, so I choose to be a cloud -
sit above the melee of “their” ever
spreading shroud. Therefore, the
conversations may be ended by
a verse, a substantial update
from the “islands” brutal curse
as I, in karaoke style, sing a
sixties refrain aloud:
HEY! HEY! YOU! YOU!
GET OFFA MY CLOUD!!**
**The Rolling Stones – Get off of My Cloud(1965)
John G. Lawless
5/30/2015
no one saw it coming they never do
the phone poles were giving off sparks
dogs began to howl birds flocked to the sky
A Plymouth hubcap of immense proportions
quivered and droned in the air over the capitol
television screens from one coast to the other
blinked and flashed and sputtered in unison
two fetus-headed visitors from the vast starry ocean
floated to the ground in a lime green light beam
introduced themselves as Hoo and Watt
then performed an Abbot and Costello baseball skit
we bring humanity a gift in a box with a message
if you open the box and read the words writ within
you must under threat of annihilation do what it says
you can confer and decide we'll know if you peek
a murmur of animated if disorderly consternation
rippled menacingly through the assembled delegates
if we read the message it could mean slavery
went one side and began arming themselves
it is but a message how malevolent can that be
went the other side who were of a trusting nature
and began calling their investment bankers
as the great spinning hubcap lit like a jukebox
hummed up and away through the clouds
but back on the surface ripples of disquiet deluged
conditions grew tense fires were set mail was stolen
the metal box hovered mutely in the rotunda
giving off the smell of jungle gardenias
women fainted children giggled and pointed
dogs barked and humped one another
ears back tongues akimbo butt to butt
we must read the message it is salvation
we must not read the message it is tyranny
it was a quandary that spanned the plantations
and spread a paroxysmal miasma across the land
the musts and cants mud wrestled through the night
the great rotunda heaved and rattled
eyeballs were gouged tufts of hair unmoored
the bedlam reached a crescendo of exhaustion
fatigue at last brought silence and reflection
the jaw grinding impasse had lasted weeks
vultures circled plaster fell from ceilings
then a small voice from the back of the throng
a cheeky tousle haired lad blurted bravely
flip a coin
(to be continued)
I was 21 when I met you,
You painted my heart of pale grayish blue,
I remember the night how you entirely kissed me,
Our love was the best but full of uncertainty.
Ruthless crazy things were done in a cold sinful night,
Love in our first night was never really ought to be right.
We held each other’s hand out of that darkest wood,
Shameless kisses were given though our love was one doubly brood.
I did not know how those wrongful things seem to be righteous?
Our love was confused and treacherously so vicious.
I knew you were trouble when you came in to my life,
Those mistakable glasses are so wrong and rife.
I loved you so bad and that’s an endless fact,
Your hugs of unknown are immensely not tact.
I remember that date when we had everything,
We gazed up to stars and wish of everlasting.
I loved you so true when you utter mock words,
Your verses of sweetness aren’t ever but those gory swords.
We talked about us and agreed about list of musts,
I was childishly scared to do those things up until last.
You hated me, swore me and told me that I’m immature grown up,
You texted me, cussed me and finally decided to break it up.
Next days of my life were fearfully fragile,
Love was hopeless and obviously unreal.
I knew that you never ever loved me,
I was totally stupid and was so out of the sea.
So casually cruel in the name of being in love,
Every day was a joke and secretly cried it at a silent cove.
You left me in nowhere and never showed up,
I remember how love was so vague when we broke up.
You were a trouble in me for the last 2 years,
Discovering new me was trapped in small spheres.
I really wanted to blame this to God Almighty Himself,
Have no right to be peevish because it’s one test of self.
If I only knew that things would never turn out so right,
Guess I did not give myself up in that love at first night.
Form:
Religion-propped ~~~ toward virtuous deed
I thank my parents’ example indeed
Instilling, imparting practical creed
“Do good works; and such will God bless to breed.”
With that perspective, I learned to do right
Midst litanies of dos, shoulds, musts, oughts-plight
Making me a “nice girl” in others’ sight
Hoping to reach heaven through good works’ flight.
Trying to do well, I struggled with doubts
As to utmost best for perfection routes
Leading to fears and skepticism bouts
When hell’s fury would magnify guilt-shouts.
While questioning religious dogma’s reign
Over search for genuine godliness-gain
Peace I yearned became elusive midst pain
Trekking along hypocrisy terrain.
In my freshman college days, Christ I met
Through a divine encounter He did set
Redeeming my soul, paying my sin-debt
Quickening me for spiritual outlet.
Assured of heaven through my Saviour’s grace
Not by man’s religion of good works’ brace
I'm granted eternal life, sealed with love-lace
Pardoned to enjoy blest freedom faith space.
Toward spirituality Scriptures claim
Such is what my heart perseveres to aim
Worshiping the Lord Whose name I proclaim
Jesus I trust with His mercy-filled fame.
Propelled by the Holy Spirit, I strive
With the great Almighty’s goodness to thrive
Serving well, not through vain religious drive
Grateful that in HIM, I’m truly alive*.
*Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
May 22, 2021
3rd place, "Religion or Spirituality" Poetry Premier Contest
Sponsored by Unseeking Seeker; judged on 5/22/2021.
outside
inventoried oval-stoned
cathedrals appealing
chiming crimes of passion
woke citronella
fog
hung in cement-hamocked snowdrifts
cloaked slow on slick-stained windowsides
tenement sheets
with the pomegranate notes
of rhythms unrhymed
while all the uptown laundromarts
rising up
from insomniac-scrambled sidewalks
corked-copper moon tumbling earthward
like a sweet
sweatshredded pennants
of sun-saliva silks on rain-dribbled cotton
then
cherry-flat footsteps lust-percussive
under shamble-wracked sills
pause and then pass on
momentarily appeased in time by
blued bars on fly-fouled panes
bell tower-balanced above
taverns abutting back alleyways of
need
by fireplace mantle-pieced nooses
of nylonic shirts and poly slacks
and musts dusted-down
past stockinged-lidded faux plastic lampshades
passed on past magnolia movements
of fingertips on muscle surfaces
in-side
defoliate-spun spinnakered islands
chocked choked
in passing lynched adhesion
ignoring nicotine-papered stripteasing walls
or scotch-spat skirtings
creeping pedestal for
a moulded tangerine ceiling stuccoed into sudden mute
breath
rinsed down a night-scented-taking-stock
split-mirrored motel door
they go lunging over greasy chapels of
grit-grained
breakfast jasmine-tea-stained mock vinyl rugs
squeaking cot now like some
concreted river bed's of slump
of stun-spurned wants broken down
consciousness half-considered
stirring
We are all looking for the one thing to inspire
We are all on the same path, different stops waiting for the universe to conspire
embedded in our souls from the birth of our understanding
The want, the wish to be great, self-made breathing exorbitantly in our surrounding
The mistake we make is living in other people’s values
So we strain ourselves, give up our dreams and put up the same statues
Our individuality becomes transparent and we become programmed with the rest of society
Lost are the adventures so incredibly needed, packed away is our variety
We are all unique yet the same
The same yet different levels of the game
We need to climb out of the narrow minded cardboard box
Instead of being what’s expected, be the exception, don’t be the sheep choose the fox
I see my life like a black and white photograph
So much detail, it’s all about the experience instead of living by the graph
I choose the inspired path, I need to live instead of exist
I will run instead of walk, fight for the thrill and search for the experience, always I shall insist.
Stand on the edge with me and tell me the magnificence your eyes bestow
Fee the adventure and thrill sweep through your being as through your hair the wind blows
So the choice is yours, live in the box and follow the tiresome trends
Or throw away the I musts and give in to the I want to’s be the definition and decide where it ends
So I believe in many things but i also believe in not many things.
I believe that there are people who come and go in and out of your life to teach you something at that exact time that you needed them to be there, positive or negative it doesn't matter you learnt something from them. I've learnt that hate and resentment even the holding of grudges is like poison, it can take hold of you and slowly smoother you and take over your idea In a negative way. It's up to you to choice not to hold on to ugly things from the past and deal with them, or choice to forgive and move on. We can't change the way our choices made the past the way it was, but we can choose not to carry it into our today's and tomorrow's, be wise who wants to fill our tomorrow's with doom and gloom before we even get there? Let's choose to draw positive people, experiences, adventures even into our today and worry about tommorrow, tommorrow. Don't worry on what the future brings there's no rules or musts only your own trusts. To trust in your self to make good choices, to see the good in everything and to see the gift around us, what God gave us this beautiful land this place the birds, the sky the trees and the flowers how lucky are we? Why are we complaining? It's up to you, look at the big picture and choose well.
To see the world turned upside down
Takes change indeed, and lots!
More men like Jason bring this change,
But not those Argonauts.
For this is not of flesh and blood;
It’s not an earthy fight.
The dark, upended, rolled away,
Is mastered by the light.
See, we won’t cause the death of filth*
By legislating lusts;
A man’s heart simply won’t be changed
Through shoulds and oughts and musts.
Closing abortion clinics will
Not put an end to strife;
The need for their existence ends
When we instead choose life.
To turn this wild world upside down,
You don’t use ties that bind.
Instead, you set the Spirit free
By changing hearts and minds.
But if this job was up to us,
We’d never get it done.
There’s just one man to do this work;
’Tis Christ, God’s only son.
And so we ask that Christ draw near
To change the heart of man.
When he, like Jason, shares the news,
He’s joined with God’s great plan.
(musings on Acts 17)
----------
“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
*alternate, rhyming with 'corn', did not assume that would be blotted out in this context, but I'm new...
I Can’t Understand Why I Stay So Fat
By Elton Camp
I know that weight loss is the way to do right
So, against too much bulk I constantly fight
It’s to the track to jog at least three times a day
For I have read that exercise is the best way
I run fast, huff and puff and produce lots of sweat
But I haven’t managed to lose a single pound yet
Since I know that I must be burning lots of fuel
I have made proper nutrition the cardinal rule
A man can’t exercise unless he has enough to eat
I have developed a technique that can’t be beat
Each time when my running session is through
I go over to McDonald’s to get a bite or two
It’s a double beef sandwich with extra cheese
That my discerning palate does best please
And I always add a soda and extra large fries
Hydration and fuel are musts, experts advise
I know that such exercise is the proper way to go
But begin to think my metabolism must be low
The pressure seems to build inside,
With the endless tasks and duties,
The heavy weights I must stride,
The perfect grades and tidy room,
All the chores and practices galore,
The heavy yoke of "shoulds" and "musts",
Weigh heavily on this core.
The darkness creeps within me,
The tiredness that seems to never end,
All the hopelessness and sadness,
The thoughts that logic transends.
But I will fight this battle,
I will not give in to fear,
I will find the strength within me,
And know my worth is clear.
I am more than the grades and tasks,
More than what I do and make,
I am loved for who I am,
Not for the paths I take.
So I will lift my weary head,
And stand tall against this tide,
For I have worth that nothing,
Can diminish or deride.
I will fight and I will win,
This long battle within my mind,
For I am more than expectations,
I am love, hope, and kind.