Long Reformer Poems
Long Reformer Poems. Below are the most popular long Reformer by PoetrySoup Members. You can search for long Reformer poems by poem length and keyword.
The quote, "Now comes the mystery,"
American clergyman and social reformer
Henry Ward Beecher, 1813-1887.
"His final words reflect a philosophical and contemplative
attitude toward death and the afterlife.” Google
His deathbed holds the endless mystery
of where or what will truly happen next;
not what he'd learned from books or history
or what he taught at church as sacred text.
But from his deepest feeling there within,
he knew that death is not the simple end.
And so, his hopeful soul stayed clear of sin;
God's power, love, and mercy did defend.
Surely, he knew that Heaven was his goal-
perhaps imagined it a certain way;
But as a preacher, it is quite a toll
to understand what's real beyond his stay.
He knew the sacred mystery death holds-
but not the where or when of victory.
But at that last-breath moment, it unfolds;
his deathbed quote, “Now comes the mystery,”
Some people
Quest for the daily food,
prattle on about the trivial stories,
Languish in agony and loose spirits,
Execute deeds that hurt others,
Grow senile with grey hairs(without goals)
become prey to cruel death
Did you think I too would fall like these risible people?
This is the translation of Mahakavi Bharathiyar's poem"Did you think I would fall".The original poem was written by Bharathiyar,one of the greatest Indian poets.It was written in Tamil.It is immensely tough to translate someone like him.I hope I did atleast a little bit of justice.
I am an ardent fan of Bharathiyar. He died so young(39) .He was fluent in many languages including Bengali, Hindi, Sanskrit, Kuuch, and English and frequently translated works from other languages into Tamil.
Wikipedia:
Subramania Bharati (11 December 1882–12 September 1921) was an Indian writer, poet and journalist, and Indian independence activist and social reformer from Tamil Nadu. Popularly known as "Mahakavi Bharati", he was a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry and is considered one of the greatest Tamil literary figures of all time. His numerous works were fiery songs kindling patriotism and nationalism during the Indian Independence movement.
This is a friendship I would like to develop
from their time periods so different indeed
Joan the brave warrior for God's cause
John valiant for truth poor souls to feed
Joan, John says what was prison like?
being interrogated before the final trial
well says Joan one just felt God's near
felt His strength to stand firm and no denial
Now, John, you faced such opposition
Joan speaks with such great admiration
what was Geneva like in your time?
well, John speaking it seemed a new creation
God was bringing conviction on so many
truth did effect even me deep into my soul
now, Joan, you dressed as a man in battle
your femininity, did you feel it was stole
Joan replies no it was my calling
God's will is always the safest place to be
I've just been reading through your institutes
justification by faith has set us free
John then relates to its real influence
when writing it he never thought it so
but God uses our weak efforts in His power
as in the reformation spread his word to go
Now John and Joan came so very fond
for each other and their own love for God
Jehovah Jireh means God will provide
both know this by the use of His sword
Gods provision was to work in both
appreciation for each other so clear
but I know in reality they never met
only 130 years divided them to be near
(I've brought together John Calvin the Swiss reformer(1509-1564) and Joan of Arc who rescued France from English domination. (1412-1431), both French by birth and both mightily used of God. I did a piece 'The coming together of John and Joan' a few weeks ago but thought there was more room to expand this theme and here is the conclusion.)
John Calvin one I greatly admire
a man God set apart in His will
turning His mind and heart
and by His spirit full He did fill
This man once obedient to Rome
now transformed by Christ His king
for he was indeed God's man
purposing glory for God to bring
Although born a French man
he was to be Geneva's own son
reforming the Swiss capital by God's truth
the reformation really had begun
To be this man would be great
spreading forth God's gospel sound
impacting Europe for many centuries
but able to stay humbly heaven bound
To live and stay among such beauty
Switzerland is my favourite land
would feel so privileged and honoured
if God had made this His will to stand
AUTHOR NOTES:I am content to be who I am but if I could have been anyone
else in history it would be the great Geneva reformer John Calvin (1509-1564),
so thought I would write some thoughts on this hero of the faith.
Max, the politician, wields a razor-sharp axe,
Slicing his chicken-bleep opponents' necks and backs.
"How dare they accuse me of power politics?" Max asks,
Innocent jowls masking the jaws of a shark's attack.
His gangland campaign staff for money never lacks;
Max' men shake down local pimps, and dealers of cocaine and crack.
As for the fuzz, Max is hip; he's got the inside track:
Scoring deals for them on the best ecstasy and smack.
First elected back in '72, Max walked the length and breadth of the state,
A reformer, he was, a renegade; at least the voters thought so and fell for the bait.
Ensconced in palatial power ever since, Max has glad-handed, partied, drank, and ate.
A 'politician's pol' all these years, his formidable paunch and polling punch have proven great.
Belly out over his belt, this balloon of a man once again challenges fate,
Can he hang on again in 2018, or will this be Max' last hurrah on the party's election slate?
I crave a piece of land,
Oh! Parasakthi!
I crave a piece of land...
Amidst the piece of land,
build me a palace grand
with sundecks and picturesque pillars;
everything in pristine colors.
And near the well,
the long pinnate leaves
and the tender coconut dwell.
Around ten to twelve coconut trees should be near;
the moonlight should glow like the pearl luster;
songs of the Asian koels, I should hear,
and when my soul relishes, should embrace, breeze cluster.
To blend the songs,
I need my virtuous wife beside,
and our rejoicement jolly along,
the poetic verses pride.
In the midst of this land,
Oh my dear divine mother,be a guard.
With my poetic adroitness,
I should take care of this world.
* Parasakthi- Almighty / Goddess
This is the translation of Mahakavi Bharathiyar's tamil poem,' kaani nilam' - 'A piece of land'
I am an ardent fan of Bharathiyar. He died so young(39) .He was fluent in many languages including Bengali, Hindi, Sanskrit, French and English and frequently translated works from other languages into Tamil. It is immensely tough to translate someone like him. I hope I did atleast a little bit of justice
Wikipedia:
Subramania Bharati (11 December 1882–12 September 1921) was an Indian writer, poet and journalist, and Indian independence activist and social reformer from Tamil Nadu. Popularly known as "Mahakavi Bharati", he was a pioneer of modern Tamil poetry and is considered one of the greatest Tamil literary figures of all time. His numerous works were fiery songs kindling patriotism and nationalism during the Indian Independence movement.
At six o’clock in the morning
Upon the sixth of June
Came Michael-Paul O’Higgins
Into this bustling world.
At school he was but middling,
He never cut much ice
In English, Maths, Geography,
In Scripture, Sport or Art.
In early adolescence
On the back seat of a bus
He found a tract on how we must
Seek out Salvation’s path.
Soon at the local gospel hall
He preached with fire and zeal.
“Put all your trust in Jesus,
In no prelate, prince or priest.”
He learned a thousand texts by heart,
Knew the number of the Beast,
And having read the Bible through,
Turned back to Genesis.
His school performance soon shot up,
He banished ease and sloth.
No dirty jokes would pass his lips,
Like they might from other folks.
N this world, too, is virtue blessed.
His hard work soon bore fruit.
He gained a place at Oxford.
His ambition was the Church.
But lofty halls of learning
May stifle simple faith,
And Michael-Paul had fits of doubt
That caused his lapse from grace.
He switched to Economics
And flirted with Karl Marx.
To a secular millennium
He strove to find the path.
Soon active carrying banners,
Their colour deep-dyed red,
He got caught up in fisticuffs
And was bundled off to clink.
They noted his particulars,
Affiliations, too.
The magistrate just said “tut tut”
And he was free to go.
However minor was this brush,
He aimed to live it down.
He learned to mind his P’s and Q’s
And be just plain bourgeois.
Forgetting youth’s illusions,
For a salary safe and sure
Than ran into six figures
He sold Babylon his soul.
Up higher, ever higher,
He climbed each echelon
Until the plum job of his dreams
Was juggling on his nose.
But in some data memory bank
Was that record from his past,
The which, recalled in a routine check,
Gummed up his future plans.
He lost his job, his house, his wife,
He lost his heart and soul,
And now he’s palely loitering
In the long queue for the dole.
O wise man, give an answer,
O say what devil’s art
Has turned his world reformer,
This promising performer,
Into a mere statistic
On an economic chart?
Glory of tandoori story or Brit palette whet reformer korma
Vindaloo or sag aloo woo you or coo crazy about jalfrezi
Gets hazy as things mesh came fresh from Bangladesh
Can’t naysay Indian takeaways most days top performer
Made for Brit eccentric never ever looked a bit authentic
Teach explore each region with its own locavore legion
Preach mountain ranges to cities and fountains changes
Neighbourhoods vocally hooked homegrown locally cooked
See wee chatty seller with natty chapati smothered in gee
Poms popadoms covered with mango glow aplomb or roti
Lentil dahl elemental or experimental flurry of curry in a hurry
Ask a fella stellar biryani actually Indian or factually Pakistani
p.s Oh and no argy bargy about the Raj but do so love a bhaji
"The Greatest American Ever Born"
by: Eric L. Boddie
Usually, throughout the history of all things
The strongest of all is the one they call king
The greatest would be the one who would let Freedom ring
That's the idea of America, how long did it take you to join the team
Paul Revere rode for it, history says people could hear him scream
Since Washington is the champ, he gets the first green
We all know someone like Jefferson, he smiles in your face, you know that scheme
And everybody Loves Benjamin, turn something on and see what I mean
"All men are created equal" by the hypocrites is the song they sing
Then history says Lincoln Freed the slaves followed by decades of lynchings
But credit Grant with 50, his victory is supreme
And then enter the Great Depression with the New Deal Roosevelt brings
And Kennedy wanted Peace but learned the truth about how bullets sting
And Malcolm said color shouldn't keep a man from defending
And now we've got Obama, Martin's progress trending
Slowly swaying from the drama, the needed end to social lean
Where we can all reach the place where True Love is redeemed
And the one who achieves that will be the greatest, it seems
And the only one I've seen is the one who had a dream
That's why if Martin Luther were alive, he would have been proud to call Michael "King"
note: Martin Luther King, Jr. was actually named Michael Luther King, Jr. at birth, and his father changed both of their names in honor of the great protestant reformer, Martin Luther.
Off and running sure-footed, fast, and furious. "Under the sun, there's nothing new", says the writer. "Renewal, restoration in the new year", says the reformer.
Years ago, however, a kindergartner made a very quick and decisive resolution. He was too young to know the meaning of a resolution but old enough to decide with resolute certainty that one sip of that cold liquid fire would be his last. Rescued by the TASTE of a very strong drink that his parents had in the friz. Escaped, no doubt, a life similar to his father who drank heavily on weekends. Saved by curiosity gone wild, he could not resist taking a drink of that wildfire. He never revisited whiskey or strong drink after that brief encounter.
Obsessions of the like never appealed to him after he kicked his alcohol at around age 5. Luck and will power had nothing to do with it, but the nasty power of whiskey stopped him. Who knows what might have, could have, would have been, but for that little boy's sneaky moment that sat him on the straight and narrow. A crisis experience by a curious little boy became unknown, unseen by others, and evermore top-secret information; even forgotten by him for many a year.
The resolutions of most I'm told, never last, and by year's end, very little ever comes to pass. I therefore usually resolve to never resolute but to do my best before God one day at a time. Oh, I'm not saying that resolutions are bad and unattainable, and I hope they serve you well. Noticed on a wall, a statement read, "Never accept 'No' until you've heard it twice".
This 5-year-old boy didn't need a second opinion nor to hear twice the word "No". He chose to be a teetotaler for the rest of his life. Sometimes it hurts to stick to resolutions, but if we believe in them deeply, we tend to follow through.
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