Long Prior Poems

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


Premium Member A 15-Year-Old Marine

While unwilling to fight in Vietnam,                                                        there were thousands who fled to                                                       
Canada to avoid the draft.

While I was serving my country                                                                  
in a different kind of way                                                                          by working with streets gangs                                                                    in the war zones of housing                                                              
projects in the city of Chicago;

And while I was just turning 19                                                               
and receiving a college deferment            
from the draft, there was a teenager                                                       
with a dream of joining the military                     
and becoming a marine.

He was a youngster not yet fifteen.
He was determined to live out his dream.
I think not that he needed to let off steam.
Sometimes it's hard to tell what things mean.                                                                                                              

His dilemma was the fact that he was only 14 years old                          
about to turn 15.* To remedy the situation, he decided                                to falsify his birth certificate. He managed to succeed in doing so,               and after finishing his basic training, he was later sent off to the                war in Vietnam.                                                                                         

He defended his country before being killed in June of 1969 at age 15.        He became the youngest soldier to be (KIA) killed in action for his country.     I discovered his story inadvertently while researching other subjects.        Prior to a few days ago, I had never heard of him.  Now, I shall not             fail to honor him.

05262017 Contest, Mid October Standard, Strand                                                  *Dan Bullock, Wikipedia
Form: Narrative


A Little Dance Floor

We rarely do events at night
But dinner went ‘til after 9,
So new-found friends convinced us
To join in and we could not decline.

A trio played - most songs we knew -
And people boogied to the beat,
Yet even when our friends got up,
I watched them, comfy in my seat.

Until one song demanded that
I get my butt up off the chair
And, drawn by my new buddies,
Hit the dance floor, shy at being there.

But, caught up in the energy
And faces lit with pure delight,
I found forgotten moves I had
And let the rhythm lead me right.

A little dance floor on the ship 
Provided the most perfect stage 
To reach inside and free some joy
I’d hidden from a prior age.
Form: Rhyme

Tools

8/12/16


It started out with our hands across the lands
For women and man

Later on, changed to wood, and stones
As well as tools made of bones

After a while it was gold
For the lucky, priviledged and old
It stilled grabbed hold
Of many souls
Because they wanted power and full control

Next came copper
Helping others progress and prosper
Deposits found above and below the water
As well as near or far from any poplars

Truth be told
It's disputed on which came first copper, silver or gold?

Let's go on to silver
It helped many pilfer
And was made into currency during Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter

Then came lead
Helping others get ahead
Despite how many bled and wound up dead
Underneath skies that were occasionally red

After this was tin
Giving certain people the advantage so that they could win
As other planets and the Earth continued to spin

Now it was iron
That was acquired
Forged and made while using fire
And the same could be said prior

Doesn't matter if
Many metals came after this

The last one I will speak on for now is mercury
Still to this day all these metals and others are used currently
Some of which make tools used in surgery
Either way all are valuable in some way and can net some currency

Still to this day hands are used
Time has shown and prove

By: Dalton Ogletree
Form: Rhyme

Me Late Mum, a Holly Day Mastermind Maven Maverick

Way back before this baby boomer waz astute
countless decades before aye became long in the tooth,
and also prior tomb ma sporting dentures to boot
fond memories rush more than so far back
envisioning illusory wind blown steppes
(wait...this visage belongs to thine
long since deceased maternal grandfather
hub hill eave didst hail from Kiev,

or some place thereabouts) within the mind
of this prevaricating aging 
"FAKE" barnstorming ole coot
preserved records (those times b'fore cds or dvds)
and now rewinds tape when family of origin
celebrated Xmas secular Harris
house style rendition of Magic Flute,

though genealogy steeped in Judaism
recollections abound of boyhood mirth
devoid of rubric asper orthodox and/or reformed
Judeo-Christian religion,
which essentially means,
I did not give or take a hoot
nonetheless cherish fond memories,
when ma late mum

relished making a hoo ha,
and got tickled and pickled pink
rousing a hullabaloo wrapping presents
and jamming three knee high stockings
with healthy goodies such as fruit
cuz, as a devotee of Carleton Fredericks,

she frowned on giving out sweets
particularly to three children she begat,
and iced hill easily recall her poker faced
feigning complete ignorance and surprise
sheep played “dumb” as did father
convincingly not giving a hoot

puzzled asper neatly wrapped and
stacked gifts under decorated tree
while distorted reflections of stockings
fractal shimmers from metallic gewgaws
in tandem of nostalgic magic

worth mo' than any amount of loot,
perhaps Christmas festivities a flash point,
when some jolly codger (papa)
dressed up, sans Santa Claus suit
and petsmart dogs doubled up as reindeer,

whose canine barking, cavorting, and dashing
haphazardly set them on a direct route
to pandemonium as crashing trimmed tree
cacophony elicited laughter, punctuated
with irrepressible escaped bursts of flatulence
(ah wont mention hoof from)
that emulated a toot.

Surprise

Standing on the frozen water, underneath the turquoise plain,

Temperature not getting hotter, chills set in and ease the pain.

Problems of your prior self, discarded at the price of health.

Peoples problems of today, vain and solemn, so cliche.

Imagine a desolate waste, bone chilling cold like that of space,

You're all alone, you have no place to call home,

You've got no phone, to call for a ride,

There's no one to call, there's no one to drive.

Buildings unheated , feeling defeated.

This is where humanity lies, struggling hard to survive,

Battling nature to stay alive, learning how to surely thrive.

Judged not by wealth, looks, or popularity,

But by hard work, devotion, and charity.

One day soon we will return,to the beginning when the skies were burned.

I pray for all that we'll realize, were all the same, what a surprise.
Form: Rhyme


Premium Member One April Night

Not enough people will remember this April night.
It is an unforgettable night for me, and its history
is forever stored in the deepest portals of my heart.

57 years have come and gone--a very long time.
43 people were killed across the United States.
In Chicago alone, 11 people were killed.
I lived very close to ground zero.

Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.
It was the end of the man with a huge dream,
But it was not the end of his daring dream.
Unfortunately, what I witnessed on that day
and night was not a dream but a nightmare.
I had a front roe seat with a clear vìew of mayhem.

In my neighborhood, the power went off, and
the lights went out. And the only light I saw
was the fiery flames that lit up the night.
I was 18, and fear, darkness, and fire became
my initial introduction to adulthood. 

Just 7 months prior, chronologically, I had
become a man.  Fresh out of high school and
filled with more than enough ambition. I had
Picked my peak and was ready to climb
any mountain that I had to face.

Deep inside of me, there was never any doubt
that I would overcome the fear and dispel the
darknèss. Moreover,, a fresh fire was rekindled
in my spirit that enabled me to touch many
of the crushed and broken lives in Chicago.
Form: Narrative

Redoubtable Pestiferous Nemesis

Affliction with mental illness beasts sans,
     depression, panic/ anxiety
     obsessive compulsive disorder
     didst for most of my lix splitting life zap

psychological state plagued with
     sweaty palms, irritable
     bowel syndrome, mind chatter
     constantly doth yip and yap,

whereby extensive stretches of time
     bore cerebral torture
     housing invisible
     mailer daemon nemesis bubble wrap

ping entire corporeal to suicidal ideations
     to escape once and for all asphyxiating,
     gamesomely hectoring imps,
     nauseating non-apparent trap

regularly pitching emotional
     welfare to and fro,
     hither and yon, thence
     lashing out at self - summarized

     with the non medical term,
     yet descriptive word "snap"
though a half dozen medications
     (listed as follows) alleviate

     sensation akin to feeling
     besieged, and pugilistic-ally rapped,
     yet (Quetiapine tab 300mg,
     Clomipramine cap 50mg,

     Fluoxetine cap 40mg,
     Fluoxetine cap 20mg,
     Busipirone tab 15mg,
     and Clonozepam tab 0.5mg)
     prior to prescriptive palliatives,

     aye experienced
     debilitating quality of life, thus I accept
     function-able, manageable
     unfortunate side effects such,

     viz thinning hair, 
     necessity to take daily nap
abdominal weight gain, where love handles
     replaced wash board stomach, adipose tissue
     not quite spilling o'er me lap

so in summary burden of proof
     no longer tethers Sisyphean rolling rocks
interestingly enough this figurative lid locks
akin to sealing schizoid "Pandora box).
Form: Bio

Premium Member The Museum

In the museum, you will find amazing history regarding
the relics of our past. Gruesome and grim in their telling,
a dark prelude to everything seen by the moon. 

But hold it delightful that these days are behind. That the 
awful atrocities of times gone by, are not a monolith towering
and looming over our future. 

Know then, that we need not be frightened by the opening of 
the book and the turning of the page. Take pride in the light 
we shine on our darker moments, a reminding of who we should 
never be, the vicious and vindictive tyrants of yesteryear. 

Let history bare truth in its will to patronise us over prior mistakes. 
We are fortunate to have the opaque plaques of reference to the 
crimes of time, and what is lost to the wind. 

May we never travel the same road twice. Finding ourselves victorious 
only by being continuously retold in annoying fashion that this is where
we've come from. Looking on with oval, hope-filled eyes, believing we 
now have the light to overcome the dark.


~Make a poem *2 Contest~ Hosted by: Shadow Hamilton

make a poem about light vs dark using the following words:

Awful, amazing, annoying.

grim, gruesome, delightful.

frightened, fortunate, finding.

monolith, moon, museum.

oval, opaque, opening.

patronise, pride, prelude.

vicious, vindictive, victorious.

Premium Member A Letter To Dear George

Dear Lord Byron
Please don't be upset
I wish to call you George
With affection and respect

The "Destruction of Sennacherib"
I was introduced to your poem
I learned it word for word
As I sat home all alone

You see George the meaning
Is much more than you know
In school I had no success
I was considered quite slow

Empowered by your words
Assyrians coming down
I spoke with true emotion
For once I wasn't a clown

When I spoke of your steed 
With his nostrils all wide
Within the deep of me
I experienced pride

Like the leaves in your forest
When summer is green
You provided inspiration 
I now travel where you've been

With a pen held in my hand
My destruction I escape
Within my troubled mind
New ideas take their shape

I'm gifted with freedom
Words of power do supply
Whether reading or writing
They provide me with my high

So George, I humbly thank you
You're truly the reason why
I travel within the words
They're the gift that help me fly

With anticipation
I know one day we'll meet
Beyond the gates of heaven
Please reserve for me a seat

The Father of all poets
Will speak in splendid tones
We'll marvel at his spirit
We will feel it in our bones

For poets are connected
In very intricate ways
Time is not of consequence 
Our words are a form of praise


As a child when I committed Lord Byrons poem to memory,
I had no idea it was a story from the Bible. Being he was a 
believer I wanted to honor both him and our God. Thanks
Monterey, I think this is a great topic for a poem. I also 
chose to write in the same form as he had for "The Destruction 
of Sennacherib". This was the first and only form I wrote in
prior to coming to the soup. I thank all the poets here who have
helped me grow, yourself included Monterey.
Form: Quatrain

Premium Member Government Shutdown

I am sorry, but there is outright denial,
About violation of law and national security
Regarding illegals crossing our border!
I have been to Central America
They are not just escaping crime there
They are responsible for bringing children miles
For other reasons and violating laws to get what they want!
I have done a lot of research in the past to do with this
There were clear, direct reports then, from border agents
It is not propaganda that criminals have illegally crossed,
The border into our country
It is not propaganda that gang members have illegally crossed,
The border into our country
Nor is it a lie that diseases were spread to Americans,
After transports from detention centers, that killed American children!
Also, the strong drugs being brought by illegals,
Have contributed to the drug crisis here!
We already have crime out of control here happening
And the issue of over-populated prisons
To ignore these things, is ignoring the law and safety of Americans!
To refuse to budge regarding National Security
With this invasion of thousands of illegals, is harming our country!
It is contributing to the Government shutdown every day!
I am not here writing this as a Trump supporter, because I wasn’t
I am writing as an American and I can clearly see what is happening,
From the backlash of prior policies and facts getting twisted now!
This is a serious issue that requires attention and compromise!
                                     Americans Unite!
                                    God Bless America!

Heidi Sands

1/17/19.   *In addition, today 1/19/19, President Trump stated the true facts regarding the security risks from our border. He offered a reasonable solution to deal with all this. If it is rejected, continuing this Government shutdown, that will be very harmful to our country. 

*Thank you to all those who came to our country through the correct legal process.  I am sorry others do not.
Form: Verse

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