Long Practice Poems

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


Premium Member Surfing Mystified Beauty

Our beauty is hidden in our words!
                Rumi (M. Mafi, trans.)

Our content in contentment
hides within commitment toward integrity.

Our beauty is hidden in our words
said only toward ourselves.
Barometers of mental health
for how we are and are not feeling
beautiful,
good,
fair, 
balanced,
just,
harmonious,
confluent,
content,
graceful,
like good mentors without external hypocrisy,
and sometimes not such good mentors.

Mentors with words redolent of harmonic peace,
or maybe sometimes too much non-violent peace,
passive aggressive surfing, searching back and forth,
or even violently imagining unworded diverse futures
of yourself,
those around you,
generalized economic and sociopathological
and therapeutic
States and Species of thrive or demise,
and planet Earth,
and our Universe,
sometimes a metaphysically closing system,
sometimes more beautifully opening
although with considerable stress
tipping points,
trimming tabs and scissors,
adjusting balance, halves of ecologic,
within our internal voices of environ-mental health
as hope for cultural beauty.

Humaned nature adds economic
and cultural
and psychological freedom to evolve
kindness of mutual subsidiary intention,
an active love of peaceful mind.
Nature is only limited by absence
of regenerative orthopraxis,
caring and nurturing,
economically and politically powerful values
exercised within the classroom of each day.

Ecotherapeutic voices in our nights
and days of reconnecting consciousness
create our daily practice
of natural systemic design,
this song of synergy,
creative universal intelligence.

Cooperative kindness and competitive unkindness
are capacities coincident to all of nature,
a polar range from regeneration through decomposition,
from synergy through negentropy,

Kindness and love self-optimize as "Truths of Beauty"
when we freely choose sufficiency of contentment,
with full will and ecojustice intent.

My words surf my beauty and hope and synergy,
in and out,
back and forth,
listening for my listening gracefilling bicameral heart
and comprehensive consciousness,
discovering contentment within my content,
form within my information,
ecobalancing function within form,
fractal frequencies within bioregenerative
self-optimizing function.

Surfing echo frequencies,
Earth's words of microwaving grace.


Premium Member Revelations of the Spirit

Revelations of the Spirit!

Good things are known to come to those who come before their God,
who praise release from earthly woes by celebrating days
of spilling sperm (that meets its end or egg that sparks new life),
creation’s spark has pitched its tent in place of excrement.
“Both fair and foul are next of kin” (1) (if I might paraphrase
some words Jane speaks), with grave and bed compared, noblesse oblige
for those less traveled in this world! What Bishop knows a wife
(excuse)? The pleasures of the flesh called sin (despite intent)
by those who bow to Popes, to Satan’s spawn! A privilege
that they don’t practice! When they think, think those who do so odd!

Will Jane find love although her breasts have grown quite flat with time,
(though proud priests say she’s ignorant of things that matter most)?
I think she will, though dark days come and time eclipses all!
What Nature IS, what Nurtures man, is not his providence,
nor can we think to save ourselves, if God’s not real, we’re toast!
Is worth of self what Jane boasts of, the raptures of the mind?
Can body’s curves, a garment’s subtle wrap, how tresses fall,
boast they’re of what she speaks! Or lowliness her evidence
she matters? God’s grand scheme of things? Not judging (she’d call kind)!
Massaging rhythms vital, love for seasons, love of rhyme!


Long Tooth
1st of September in 2020
Poet’s Notes:
(1) One of my favorite poems by William Butler Yeats

Crazy Jane Talks with the Bishop

I met the Bishop on the road / And much said he and I.
‘Those breasts are flat and fallen now / Those veins must soon be dry;
Live in a heavenly mansion, / Not in some foul sty.’

‘Fair and foul are near of kin, / And fair needs foul,’ I cried.
‘My friends are gone, but that’s a truth / nor grave nor bed denied,
Learned in bodily lowliness / And in the heart’s pride.’

‘A woman can be proud and stiff / When on love intent;
But love has pitched his mansion in / The place of excrement;
For Nothing can be sole or whole / That has not been rent.’
*
*
Does anyone want to comment or have thoughts about why Yeats would be so
cavalier about meter in the last two lines of each stanza, even the 1st line of the second stanza when 'Both fair and foul..' would be such an easy fix! It seems hard to believe that he is deliberately sloppy. What is his purpose here?
Form: Rhyme

Premium Member A Dragon Squirrel Brigade

A Dragon Squirrel Brigade

Dragon got home from the Army, wanting to be totally, in control.
He wanted to be a Drill Sergeant, to teach the recruits, to be bold.
He gave them all a blankie, and a binkie they could keep, I am told.
They’d throw a rock, and shoot in a blink, like the knight’s of old.

He’d practice the squirrels, now, waging a fight, in an old Hawk War.
A sling shot army, his name to fame, who could dare ask for more?
An army waiting, as they fly at our birds, yep, here’d come the corps.
The gumball tree is ready, yes, ammunition does abound, in galore!

Yep, they’re better than those darn possums, I say, sleeping in the day.
They’d Shoot, hanging upside down, slingshots and gumballs, into play.
Dragon marched them up and down, the trunk, and limbs, in the array.
They’d find the perfect spots, to shoot from, at their whim, in the foray.

Seems, they also learned to jump, into an amazing flying squirrel act.
The flying squirrel missed his target, got caught, in a boy’s hair, for a fact!
A kid then threw rocks at the troops, as the hawks were forgot, you think!
Unfortunately, they are squirrels, and some times, do some squirrelly things.

They closed the town down, with a hornet’s nest in every Road. That stings!
Nobody dared go down the streets, a curfew had been struck, in a blink.
Yep, at that moment, the Hawk decided to stealthfully, swoop in for a bird.
A gutter frog jumped on the hawk’s back, forcing him, to the ground, I heard. 

At that, our first hero was made, as gutter frogs joined the squirrel brigade.
As the squirrel was removed from the boys’ hair, the barbershop became…
A place for squirrel nesting supplies, so the curfew was lifted, fast as it came.
A gutter frog offering this advice, became the new General, in this war game.

Squirrels, were tired of marching, and being yelled at by Dragon, that night.
They replaced him with the gutter frog, with less smoke and fire. Alright!
But Dragon’s work was done that day, as the troops were ready to fight.
Finally he was a Hero, for he had turned the tide… He was so very proud.

The moral to my story is:
The troops got a Drill Sergeant, but didn’t need him any more.
A General is enough to carry on, for a Generals’ planning is better…
Than a young Dragon’s power and fire… as, yes, Dragon went off to play.

Written by Carol Eastman 2-8-2015

Recreation

He plays the chords with his blue depression
          still searching for true loves heart expression
Though there is praise for this worlds celebrity
          true satisfaction from there will never be
 
There those extol the merits of your voice
          or the fantasy of ones visionary choice
ones merit to run with company so grand
          or be courtesan to the leader of the band
 
Can such a person ever truly see
          be freed from the snares of this society
reject philosophy and understanding realize
          seek for all the truth and for its prize
  
The concept of purity can he ever hold
          reject the hype that these teachings sold
escape the prison of pride and vanity
          the pursuits of the world and its insanity
 
All of these issues we have had to face
          the system is designed for humanities disgrace
 liquids full of poison forced ingestion sup
          the table of corruption with its broken cup
 
Oh how the gold of vanity has shined
          and its thought adulterated and unrefined
the glitter of those lies have truth polluted 
          with the leaven of the religions instituted
 
 
COPYRIGHT © 2012 C. Michael Miller
via Duboff Law Group LLC

Gal 5
19 The works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 
 
 
Rev 22
 12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
   14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Form: Verse

Premium Member The Elder

The little one came and asked the elder
How did things come to be?
The elder answered in abstract
A truth for all to see

It didn't happen all at once, but over many years
It happened with joy, laughter, and many silent tears
Like death from a thousand cuts, we just didn't want it to be real
Now all we have left, is just a bad deal

Its not that we didn't know, about the moments of despair
Its not that we didn't care, about the sordid affair
We just saw problems bigger than the sky and thought, who would dare?
And thus became a world that wasn't fair

We thought if its not us, maybe its not so bad
We can just enjoy our entertainment, and be plenty glad
And that's how it began, at least our part anyway
Even after so much has happened, we still have so little to say


The little one sat and asked the elder
Why did we do these things?
The elder answered in abstract
A sample of our selfish dreams

We did it because it felt good
Better than being good to ourselves
Better than loving thy neighbor
Better than the highest health

We called lies little, when they are quite big
Marking the beginning of our disgrace
We treated our future like it was a blooper
Without ever willing to embrace

We covered up truth with makeup and masks
Now we are the ones defaced
Our religion became follows and likes 
And so we lost our faith


The little one stood and asked the elder
What can we do now?
The elder answered in abstract
With a head heavily bowed

The one thing that is our purpose
We no longer do
Because we look up atop our ivory towers
And only see a zoo

We believe that one can affect change
As long as its not us
So the answer to your question
Is to once again practice love

Have the conversations that create community
Not just for our favorite friends
Overcome our bias and impunity
And false prophets will come to end


The little one turned and asked the elder
Will you tell them I left?
The Elder answered in abstract
As a smile touched his breath

I will tell the story of the one
Who decided to be changed
And became the foundation
For this story to be reframed

When they come and ask
Where did the future go?
I will tell them the past only hopes 
For the future to grow

That if we seek the future
We must put in the work
That we can move forward
Only when we acknowledge the hurt
© Tahj Jones  Create an image from this poem.
Form: Rhyme


Abolishing the Death Penalty: A Case for Humanity

The death penalty, a practice rooted in antiquity, continues to evoke controversy and ethical dilemmas in modern society. Despite its purported role in deterring crime and administering justice, the death penalty stands on shaky moral ground and should be abolished for several compelling reasons.

Firstly, the irreversible nature of the death penalty is inherently flawed. In a justice system prone to human error, the risk of executing an innocent person is ever-present. Numerous cases worldwide have revealed wrongful convictions, highlighting the fallibility of judicial proceedings. Once a life is taken, there is no recourse for rectifying such a grievous mistake, perpetuating an irreversible injustice that stains the fabric of society.

Moreover, the death penalty undermines the fundamental value of human life. By sanctioning state-sanctioned killings, societies diminish the sanctity of life and condone violence as a means of resolving conflicts. Such a stance contradicts the principles of compassion, rehabilitation, and forgiveness, which should underpin any civilized society's legal framework.

Furthermore, the death penalty fails to achieve its purported goal of deterrence. Empirical evidence suggests that the threat of capital punishment does not significantly deter individuals from committing heinous crimes. Instead, socioeconomic factors, mental health issues, and systemic inequalities often drive criminal behavior. Investing in preventative measures, such as education, poverty alleviation, and mental health services, would yield more effective and humane solutions to reducing crime rates.

Critics argue that the death penalty provides closure to victims' families and serves as a form of retribution. However, vengeance should not be conflated with justice. Studies have shown that the prolonged legal processes and endless appeals associated with death penalty cases exacerbate the victims' families' trauma, prolonging their suffering rather than offering closure.

In conclusion, the abolition of the death penalty aligns with the principles of justice, compassion, and human rights. By rejecting this antiquated and morally dubious practice, societies can move towards a more enlightened and humane approach to criminal justice—one that prioritizes rehabilitation, reconciliation, and the inherent worth of every individual.

The Meaning of Islam3

..........Please read part 1 and 2 first........

? What is the Quran about?
The Quran, the last revealed Word of God, is the prime source of every Muslim's faith and practice. It deals with all the subjects which concern us as human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures. At the same time it provides guidelines for a just society, proper human conduct and an equitable economic system.

? Are there any other sacred sources?
Yes, the sunna, the practice and example of the Prophet, is the second authority for Muslims. A hadith is a reliably transmitted report of what the Prophet said, did, or approved. Belief in the sunna is part of the Islamic faith.


Examples of the Prophet's sayings

The Prophet said:
'God has no mercy on one who has no mercy for others.'
'None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.'

'Powerful is not he who knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger.'


? What do Muslims think about Jesus?
Muslims respect and revere Jesus, and await his Second Coming. They consider him one of the greatest of God's messengers to mankind. A Muslim never refers to him simply as 'Jesus', but always adds the phrase 'upon him be peace'. The Quran confirms his virgin birth (a chapter of the Quran is entitled 'Mary'), and Mary is considered the purest woman in all creation. The Quran describes the Annunciation as follows:
'Behold!' the Angel said, 'God has chosen you, and purified you, and chosen you above the women of all nations. O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him, whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near to God. He shall speak to the people from his cradle and in maturity, and shall be of the righteous.'
She said: 'O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?' He said: 'Even so; God creates what He will. When He decrees a thing, He says to it, "Be!" and it is.' (Quran 3:42-47)
Jesus was born miraculously through the same power which had brought Adam into being without a father:
Truly, the likeness of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then said to him, 'Be!' and he was. (Quran 3:59)
During his prophetic mission Jesus performed many miracles.
Form:

The Luckiest of Men


The Luckiest of Men
By Rick Rucker

I called on friends yesterday,
They asked if I was okay.

They had never seen me move so slow,
They thought my energy was low.

I assured them I was fine,
I had merely drunk the wine

Of Love, my countenance was pacific,
I have no known disease specific, 

Save an enlarged Heart,
Filled with sweetness, as from a tart.

They thought my symptoms somewhat scary,
They began to realize that I was very

Much in Love, no longer had to push, and shove.
My Heart was peaceful as a Dove.

I used to be so tightly wound,
My feet seldom hit the ground.

I ran everywhere I traveled,
My mind seemed to have unraveled.

Suddenly, I can stand,
With another, hand in hand.

She has caused the change in me,
She let my tethered Heart fly free!

How could this have come to pass,
That she could save me from the Morass?

With a little that, and some this,
But mostly with a passionate kiss.

It was our second date,
We had eaten, it was late,

At my watch, I took a peek,
Leaned in then to kiss her cheek,

Then, much to my surprise,
She looked me in the eyes,

And kissed me with a buss so sweet,
That I could scarcely feel my feet!

I didn’t want her to leave,
My chest had begun to heave,

The night was cold, but we were not,
I couldn’t believe that one so hot

Would show, to me, such passion,
In the open, out of fashion!

Finally, she drove away,
But, I was forced to stay,

Firmly rooted to the ground,
My head still spinning all around.

I had been on first and second dates,
Sorting through potential mates,

First, the normal couple’s sparring,
Then, no more dates, and some scarring.

She was the only one,
To have done what she had done!

She had left, and I let her,
But I wanted to practice kissing, getting better.

As her lights faded away,
I knew I couldn’t wait a day

To have another chance
To see if we would find Romance!

Now, we have been out many times,
When we kiss, I hear chimes,

Our dating is now exclusive,
The locations, more reclusive.

I have asked her to be my Wife,
Share my place, share my life.

She is much smarter than me,
She answered that we will wait and see.

I will try to let her see,
How wonderful our life could be.

As I run it all through my head again,
I am sure the luckiest of men!
Form: Couplet

Premium Member The Star Spangle Banner

History of the Star Spangle Banner
 Maybe idea of Major George Armistead
  The glory of Americans who scan her
   Of Mary Pickersgill she was begat

   The creation of the original flag
  Be still a subject highly debated
 Mary Pickersgill was not one to brag
Old Glory she made, beauty wind inflated

Armistead first requested it to be
 A large garrison flag for reason
  So the British have no trouble to see
   Good to see our flag has flown in season 

   Fifteen colonies equal fifteen stars
  Having eight red stripes and seven white stripes
 Red and white stripes run in parallel bars
She flows in glory apart from other types

Rumor has it two glories were first made
 For a small and a large Mary did charge
  A document exists a bill was paid
   Though small one be lost or is still at large

   The  varied small Star Spangled Banner
  Never made it home to the Smithsonian
 Would be nice to see displayed in some manner
In national museum the large is on loan!

For Contest Dazzle us with History
 For Carolyn Devonshire and James Frazer

The History of the Real Star Spangled Banner

The creation of the original flag is still a debated subject. 
However, the general story accepted by most historians is that Mary
Pickersgill was commissioned to make the flag by Major George Armistead
for $405.90. Following the victory at Fort McHenry, the flag was preserved
by Col. Armistead and it remained in the Armistead family. A smaller one
which was flown during the actual battle, and a larger one that was
flown as a replacement immediately after the British retreat. 
This was a common wartime practice of the period.While no one
can say for sure what really happened, documents exist that show that
Mary Pickersgill was paid for two separate flags, a small one and
a larger one. If the smaller flag exists, its whereabouts are unknown.
In 1907, George Armistead’s grandson, Eben Appleton, expressed
interest in donating the flag to the state of Maryland or to the city of
Baltimore. After discussions with Maryland’s governor and the Mayor of
Baltimore, Appleton eventually placed the flag on loan to Smithsonian Institution
and it was displayed in the Hall of History at the National Museum of American
History. The loan was converted to a gift in 1912 and can still be
seen at the National Museum in Washington, D.C.
Form: Quatrain

Reason and Desire

Covered with your mantle      you spirited me away
that form held my emotion          held me in its sway
herefore  you could view me         soul as clear as glass
wish do I its movements           desire never it to pass

Vision upon vision     opened mine eyes to see
need to build this life          for all of     humanity
I want to take your hand     and lead you to the door
fill you with inspiration         and lift you even more

I can build a ballroom      much greater in my mind
dance upon marbled floors     the room I did design
where the frames are gilded     with silver and with gold
here the strings of harps       the listeners ears enfold

I want to take every           pain from you away
and when you wake tomorrow       for nothing more to pray
want you to understand      I wrote this just for you
ever seek your happiness        where Love’s unbroken true
 
I never want you lingering           in the house of vain
I want to see you dancing     with joy in life’s refrain
to paint with every color    and play with every hue
to wake with a song in heart         and share the things you do 

If I could but reach you      and your spirit mend
shelter all your feelings            your life would I defend
I would give you blue skies   the mists of gentle rain
flowers in the springtime        an earth that’s rich in grain

But someone has already    given all these gifts
meant them for everyone    and not as man permits
but you must keep seeking       to fill yourself in kind
always to be generous        in actions and in mind 

To find a fluent master      who can teach you the right way
examine all of learning      apply it in every day
from a little seedling         did the tree of knowledge grow
until you can reach for life     and the beauty of it know

When you think your well is empty
and the depths within are dry
get up and seek the water
and to its sources fly

don’t linger in the darkness 
and traditions that are blind
in life to be exalting 
but you its paths must find
 
Life is a kind of music
and fathomless  its array 
it takes time and practice
to master the chords you’ll play

Take in life’s instruction
examine all in it that’s good
make your heart and mind the temple
and its teachings understood
 
COPYRIGHT © 2013 C Michael Miller
via Duboff Law Group LLC?
Form: Rhyme

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