Long Single Poems

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Humdumpty's Great Fall

Humdumpty was an analyst, a Cambridge Ph.D.,
A noted bio-atomist, whatever that might  be. 
Indeed, from earliest childhood it was his single aim 
To analyze no matter what might enter his domain. 
He analyzed his father's watch and next the neighbour's cat. 
Ah! Little more was seen or heard of Felix after that. 

Astounding learned pedagogues, hard pressed to keep his pace, 
Humdumpty grew up daily--in knowledge if not grace. 
And then at university his intellectual power 
Decimated Einstein and the works of Schopenhauer. 
With ease that was amazing he romped a Double First, 
And yet, for all his learning, nought quenched his burning thirst. 

Despite the storm, and tumult that marked his inner life, 
Humdumpty found the leisure to woo--and win--a wife. 
He loved her--Oh! so dearly, his idol and his joy! 
Alack! How oft our dearest 'tis we ourselves destroy. 
One day in stormy weather he raised his eyes above, 
And posed himself the riddle: "What constitutes her love?" 

One night--to angels' weeping--the dark thought seized his mind: 
"By scalpel and analysis the answer I shall find." 
Full soon she took a sleeping draught, and when the time was due, 
He set about his gruesome task, inspired by love so true. 
How tenderly, how lovingly, he cut into her heart. 
With what profound emotion he set his spouse apart. 

To isolate that molecule in which all love resides 
He scrutinized each corpuscle, and did much else besides. 
All data was computerized, and ere a while had passed, 
A reasonable hypothesis was imminent at last. 
How tantalizing is the truth, how far--and yet, how near! 
'Twas in the corner of his eye--and then would disappear. 

It dawned at last upon him, his efforts would prove vain, 
Unless he somehow managed to join her up again. 
Of every art that served this end he tried the whole range through. 
He first tried biophysics--and his last resort was glue. 
Alas, alas, Humdumpty! There is a fateful law: 
Some things men set asunder no mortal can restore. 

They did not need a hangman or Madame Guillotine. 
Before another week had passed, he died of bitter spleen. 
Now some say he's in Heaven, and others, he's in Hell. 
I'm not a theologian, it's difficult to tell. 
For sure, he cut his dear wife up, and who would call that right? 
But was it not his quest for truth that brought about his plight?
Form: Didactic


The Milestone

The bay and titian milestone 
calls the universe 
On everything we have to remember 
2019 we met in joy
Raw in our hearts 
We gathered in love
Humble without pride 
We spoke in a voice 
They called us golden ones 
Oh yes! Golden ones. 

After the last quarter 
A strange duster appeared 
And erased Gift out of the list 
Many emotions were bitter 
Just like me 
That pended the elite Supper

Chronically, we arrived 2020
Which showed advances on arrival 
The stretching chain started breaking 
Everyone chose the birds they flocked with 
Classic pride developed its wig 
From the humble hearts 
Everyone real colour start revealing 
Like the rising sun in the morn. 

Just a sudden 
The world was attacked by Emperor'19
Everywhere was shut,
Everyone's lovers were distanced 
Nations dropped like flies
Love, value and unity quenched 
New fishes entered the friendship oceans of our comrades
In the pandemic period we experienced.

In 2021 we met again as earlier as expected 
As there were different faces, such were different shoulders. 
Everyone  focused on its target 
The class attendance dropped like a weighless scale. 
Many break, many strike 
Affect the 2021 journey.

Just like a flowing stream
The heaven sea journey to the left side
Gave the picture of the sun 
Traveling from the North to West.
Days in, days out
There was not a single day without a memory
As we all gathered for the new 2022.

2022 was the year of planting fame
Many people worked to be recognized 
The birds changed their groups 
Everyone humbled again
Trying to move up a bit 
As the result of the shock 
From the previous exams.

'Just like yesterday 
'I was a fresher 
'Today I am an FYB'
That was everyone's comment 
When we met ourselves 
In the final level of the journey 
In the 2022 summer months.

Despite the four years journey's metamorphosed 
Into five years journey with hard stress 
Joy crowned our hearts because everything is closer 
We accepted to involve in the final stress 
That has a short time
But so dismal, Lilly fell from the train 
Almost at the bus stop.

Now on our table 
We cheers to the love that we have got
Toast to the one that we lost on the way
The toast goes to every able that can read this;
And remember the memories we've been through
Which the bay and titian milestone 
Has called us to remember.

Robert Sherriff Military Robotics

Robert Sherriff 08/07/1954 - Australian - Poet -Author - Singer - Actor - American Historian – Photographer

The Rising Tide of Cyber Warfare and Military Robotics

Robotics - Ex-Machina In the evolving landscape of modern warfare, cyber warfare and military robotics have emerged as pivotal elements reshaping global conflict dynamics. From covert cyber operations to autonomous drones patrolling warzones, these technologies redefine military strategies and geopolitical alignments. They said it all started at Westworld.

The Role of Cyber

Warfare in Modern Conflicts Cyber Warfare as a Strategic Asset - Inception Cyber warfare has transcended its initial role as a supplementary tactic to become a core component of military strategy. It enables state and non-state actors to achieve strategic objectives without deploying traditional military forces.

Through cyber espionage, denial-of-service attacks, and misinformation campaigns, nations can disrupt adversaries' operations, weaken their economies, and influence political outcomes, often without firing a single shot.

Case Study: Stuxnet or Sky-Net

One of the most notable examples of cyber warfare is the Stuxnet worm, a sophisticated malware that targets Iran's nuclear facilities. This cyber-attack, attributed to the United States and Israel, demonstrated the potential of cyber weapons to inflict physical damage on critical infrastructure, highlighting the strategic value of cyber capabilities in modern conflict.

Implications for Global Conflicts Cyber warfare's asymmetric nature allows smaller nations or groups to challenge superpowers, shifting the balance of power and introducing new uncertainties in international relations. The blurred lines between cyber actions and conventional warfare complicate responses and escalate tensions, increasing the risk of unintended consequences.

The Evolution of Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems - I, Robot
Advancements in Military Robotics The rapid advancement of military robotics, including drones and autonomous vehicles, is transforming the battlefield.

These systems enhance operational efficiency, reduce human casualties, and allow new tactical possibilities. For instance, drones provide real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, while autonomous ground vehicles support logistics and combat operations.
Form: Elegy

Audacity

My elementary school was a box full of broken crayons. 
You know, the kind that no one likes to use because they fit inside your hands like a hug that lasts three seconds too long. 
Me and my classmates wore 
hand-me-down smiles. 
They were too big for our faces. We figured that eventually we would somehow grow into the sound of our own laughter, put on our happiness like gloves and wear our skin as if our bodies were made by Louie Vuitton, just hoping to be more than tattered pages ripped from the torso of coloring books.
More than the aftermath of two runaway trains headed to the same direction. Our parents drove their affection without insurance, and we are just head on collisions with no coverage. We got shattered windshields for eyes, and tongues made out of safely glass held together by super glue. It’s no wonder we spoke broken English. 
With an entire orchestra drowning inside our throats, veins like guitar strings, our voices cracked like the self esteem of single mothers who carried us in their wombs like Molotov cocktails, and prayed that we would somehow find a way to mature into land mines
exploding underneath the feet that have trampled them for too long. These women, they dream in a language only fully understood by the tiles of an abortion clinic on a busy afternoon.
They raised us on top of broken promises made by men with grape jelly in their spines who were too busy jamming to their own 
two-cent mix tape that they chose over their priceless women.
We didn’t come with a screwdriver. There is no picture on our box to show you what we should look like when this all is over.
We were just put into this world with a note that read 
“Some assembly required.”
We were built inside of a neighborhood that looked as though it was slowly loosing a fist fight to cancer and kemotherapy claimed all of it’s dreams.
You see at a young age I was told that no matter how much furniture you move with a Honda Civic, it’ll never be a pick up truck 
but have you ever wanted to be more than what you were made for?
Was there ever moment in your life when all you wanted was to be more than the wounded options that circumstance has nailed to your shoulders? 
People question why we even have the audacity to breathe. That’s why when we walk it looks as though we are apologizing for our lungs.
But we ate not sorry for living this loudly.
It’s the only way we know how.

Decorating

Decorating
 
“But what is real? If you mean those impulses and signals sent by your senses 
and which are then interpreted by your brain. Then the real can be anything 
your mind desires.” 

Morphius. 
The Matrix.
 
When a child opens its eyes
Awareness blossoming 
New upon the day
Does it then envision 
A clean blank page
To be coloured 
To be decorated as it desires
Should all those hues and images
Then be given a name

Yet 

What would be 
If the child could see
Things that were not the same
 
In each and every second
These myriad patterns of light 
React
To thoughts born from learning
Labelled with a voice which says “this” is 
This 
And “that” is 
That
 
Yet a blank page emerges 
Each and every single day
But written and coloured 
By acceptance 
In the same new way
But 
What if for a moment 
You dream
And decorate your world 
Differently
 
What then would the eyes of the liberated 
See
Would they see the world 
As is
Or see repainted coherency
Or would there be
A moment of birth 
Where awareness 
Sees through 
And beyond reality
And sees with the eyes 
of a newly born 
Child
 
A daily place of spirit 
Life and light
A spoken place 
Where all form 
Takes on the form 
Of the heavenly blank page 
Of light 
Where on 
Is written 
All possibility
And your mind 
Decorating 
The universe infinitely
 
Or will mere whim transform 
To what it might be
The photons and the fabric of stars
Could we then hold creations dust 
In our palms
And with a breath of splendour 
Puff beauty into being
 
Should thought 
Become a brush stroke then
Would we sweep and stride 
With such a capable hand
The essence of magnificence 
A new world
To greet 
Our waking eyes
  
Or is this 
What we have come to see
The ballet of light as it settles 
Within us 
Daily
Some other wonder
Some other hand 
Which says
See what I have wrought for you 
From the physical tongues of 
Eternity
 
But I know you 
People of Earth
And I know the multitude of your dreams
And how 
Given the power of your imaginings
You could decorate so diversely 
All these things 
Which seem now so 
Ordinary
 
Is it but a moment
A second 
Of perception
Or a reaction
Predetermined by acceptances 
Indoctrination

What where those things 
We began to see
When as a new born child 
Our eyes first 

Opened


A Drop of Rain Water

Since the begining of days when my heart became an advocate of concrete paths, I have 
come to understand the joys that are unprecipitated fears and the fears that are purpose. 
For so long I have adapted to the muddy waters that breed beautiful roses with thorns of 
such pure poison. Taking into my lungs the fresh air, this same air that is only fresh with the 
will of foul principle, yet some how law. Speaking the language that has no sound and 
somehow it is always too loud for its own good. Induction in the chase for things that keep 
my temperature down in the summer while making the atmosphere a little warmer. Like 
something chilly for my wrist ,neck, ears and hands. In the most artic of winters things that 
keep me warm like having a personal zoo, mink, chinchilla, fox, rabbit, beaver, and ostich 
and yet winters are still so cold. Realizing that somehow winters burn the soul, as summers 
tend to freeze the heart. Love is the sound of nature and its remeberance of present. Eagles 
scream through the air, colts break the pavement with 38 and 45 calibers of pressure. The 
floating of land crafts with special made wheels, stars, spokes, claws, blades, all in chrome 
reflecting the spite of happiness in this life. Delicate feminims that perform the sweetest of 
actions with the audacity to control the wheather of man. Sunny days, cloudy months, and 
years of storm. Pleasure is found everywhere and yet it is never found, so pain is the 
blessing of that same pleasure seeked. With each passing day I appear cleaner, except for 
my work related smudges(from the parkway to the kitchen, from the kitchen to the 
community). All the things I want I have and still I have nothing. Today has been here a 
thousand times and only once,tomorrow will pass as yesterday returns. This is where the 
truest kisses come from angels, yet the only blessings are from the breath of the demon. 
This is home, the city of hustle in the divided states of atrocity. So much passionate turmoil, 
so much un-affordable affection that is afforded by price and un-conditional purpose. As the 
tears of an infant blend with the crying of the clouds this waters brings hope of a changed 
existence. One that is the best life, not heaven or hell, not paradise, but life as it could be, 
life in a drop...a single drop... Of Rain Water!            Live, Suffer, Celebrate!
© Son Winter  Create an image from this poem.
Form:

The Durable Mick Malloy a True Story

In Jan, nineteen thirty-three, there was man called Mick Malloy
At the time he was an alcoholic and a poor homeless boy.
A young Irish fire-fighter out of work
He left his home in Donegal - to find some in New York.

He fell in with five real bad men
Who wanted to cause murder back then.
Poor Mick they had him in their sights
An insurance fraud, they brought to light.

They signed three life policies on Mick
Now they had to kill him quick.
Unlimited credit in a speakeasy, they gave him
To drink himself to death-they went out on a limb.

Although he drank all day long
His life it just seemed to prolong
They switched to antifreeze instead
Expecting Mick to wake up dead.

With turpentine they then did tempt
But no success, so they switched to horse liniment.
Finally a drink of rat poison, they gave the poor lad
But Mick never ever seemed to get bad.

They tried oysters, then methanol. 
Bad sardines, poison and carpet tacks
But poor old  Mick swallowed the lot,
And still poor Mick kept coming back.

The five would be murderers were baffled
Poor Mick just would not die
The murder trust then knew,
 something else they would have to try.

One night poor Mick unconscious, they stripped him and carried him out
In minus fourteen degrees,naked, not wearing a single clout.
Threw five gallons of water on him, to make sure that he would freeze
Poor Mick returned the next without even a cough or sneeze.
 

Mick returned the next day to order himself a drink
The men were getting desperate they really had to think.
Next they hit him with a taxi and broke lots of poor Mick’s bones
But he had three weeks in hospital, then they sent him home.

The gang had thought that Mick was dead 
But when they tried to claim, poor Mick returned once more
 And kept on his drinking game.
In desperation in February, in fact on the twenty second
They waited for Mick to collapse, then gassed him in a second
A pipe they pushed into his throat and now poor Mick was gone.
The gang did not win even then, no not a single one.

They squabbled and were caught and to Sing Sing them they did send
Four to be fried on the electric chair what a sizzling end
The fifth was sent to prison, which didn’t seem quite fair.
He somehow managed to escape, Sing Sings electric chair
Poor Mick Malloy has been long gone, but will not be forgotten
Just remember to watch your friends though; you never know who’s rotten.
Form: Rhyme

A Note of Appreciation For Poetrysoup and All Soupers

I just wanted to thank Poetry Soup for, well, for being, for existing as a format for poets to share their hearts and souls. I can hardly believe it's been 6 years (gulp!) since I first posted a poem here--it was about that time that I started writing poetry again after a 30 plus year hiatus since I stopped writing anything in my early 30's. Why I stopped or why I began again, I don't know: Who can explain creativity? But somehow I found Soup and well, a community. So may I thank, on behalf of that community, all you unsung heroes who maintain the 'Soup'.

And as to all those who add their 'ingredients' into the Soup, let me commend ALL of you. In those same 6 years I have not read a single poem that was pretentious, egotistical, idiosyncratic to the point of being so obscure as to seem meaningless--in other words, so called 'modern' contemporary poetry as favored  by a depressing number of lit mags today. I've learned at last to stop wasting my time submitting to such [and certainly not if they demand a reading fee] as I-- fool that I am-- continually strive to find meaning in both what I write and what I read. One editor even warned not to send anything that 'conveyed' a meaning, and in no uncertain terms did he want did he want to hear anything about the soul or the heart or-God forbid!- God. 

I suspect this is why so many people are turned off by modern poetry today-- and who can blame them? Wasting time reading a bunch of big/obscure/erudite words strung together, only to scratch your head wondering what the hell did that all mean? The best poems are often very simple: 'to be or not to be', 'death kindly stopped for me', 'the Lord is my shephard' -- but they always take you SOMEWHERE [though it may not be a place you immediately recognize]. The best poems, I believe, increase awareness, not leaving you feeling confused, perplexed, frustrated ['what the hell did that mean?' ] This does not mean they give you answers --but they may suggest some. And as modern society becomes increasingly at odds with itself, at risk quite literally of fragmenting, some insight would seem as valuable as it is rare.

The contests are fun at Soup and many demonstrate how clever and knowledgeable Soupers are about the myriad poetical forms. I have to say, though, I wish there were more thematic contests--open to any form that served to enlighten the proposed theme.
Form: Prose

Premium Member Fashion In My Family

My grandparents lived on farms – both sides of my family.
My mother’s parents and my father’s parents.
Overalls and button down shirts with pockets
Work boots for grandpas

Except my single grandpa did get dressed up fancy
For Saturday night dancing with his girlfriend.
He smelled wonderful too, wore a lariat with a turquoise stone
Shined his shoes as if he was going to church

My maternal grandmother was the only one I knew.
She wore a navy dress with large white polka dots
When we had weddings or funerals, and low heel shoes
The rest of the time I remember her wearing aprons over dresses

My mother was the first woman I saw who wore pants.
She preferred them to dresses, and took to polyester in a big way.
Remember the pantsuits of the seventies? I swear she invented those.
Matching tunics with wide legged pants.

My father wore plaid shirts or camouflage jackets
Unless he was going to work; then he wore a dark suit.
He was a salesman with a skinny tie.
He always looked crisp and clean; mom used starch on his clothes.

My style was wide bell bottom blue jeans that we called hip huggers.
When I was younger, and tops that looked maternity in the seventies.
This was the real style which horrified me in 1974, as I had to wear these blousy tops two years in a row
because I had a baby at twenty and twenty-one.

My new style is comfort. I am sixty-eight. I wear tennis shoes.
Elastic waists, soft clothes that are not tight, I love feeling free.
My husband is the same way – comfort clothes, elastic waists.
We like eating tasty foods; no blue jeans for us now.

We have three children. They dress according to their lives.
One has six children, but she dresses fancy and so do they.
Another has no children, she’s a professional. She dresses in suits.
Third child alternates between casual and fancy; working mom of three.

Our grandchildren are eclectic fashion displayers also.
Super controlled grandchildren wear traditional clothing,
Approved by mom or they do not leave the house.
The ones who are wild like our middle daughter have pink and blue hair.

I see dresses that are too short - the same as I wore in middle school.
I see pants that are too tight on boys, like we saw in the eighties.
I see boots not as cute as Nancy Sinatras or or go-go-boots.
Masks are the new fashion statement for the younger generation sadly.

Chaotic Soul

My soul has gone through constant torment as many have come into my life for the mere enjoyment of giving me deceit. It was a long night when I saw the rain falling from the clouds outside. As it hit the ground, I heard a voice in the dark. It was the voice of a small child. I saw her crying in the rain, tears streaming down her pale face. She was shivering and soaking wet from the pouring rain. I could not let her, a small child, suffer through the night or even for another second. I opened the door and ran to bring her into the house. I was alone that night as my family was at an event I decided not to attend. The child had long black hair with highlights of red. Her eyes were red from her crying. Her clothes were soaking wet from the rain. Immediately, I went to grab a throw for her to be warm. After that, I made her some tea as I had no hot chocolate. Kneeling before her, I gave her the mug, and she took it with a weak smile while she drank. I asked her, “Are you ok, angel.” She looked up with a smile and nodded. As I turned away to get her some food, she asked me, “Are you ok?” I could only say that I was. She replied, “You don’t look well.” “A wise girl,” I thought. I told her that I was trying to adjust to being a single man with no children and the prospect of it being always. She asks why I feel this way. I tell her about how I have seen many women deny any relationship with me as they feared I would leave them once I achieved my dreams and how I had been rejected by others who saw no value in me, for they only wanted someone to fulfill their dreams. This little girl looks up at me with tears and states, “Allah has seen your struggle and has sent you a message through me. It is not to worry, as the little girl looking at you is an angel in disguise. I am your guardian angel in disguise as your youngest daughter in the future, her name is Hope. How can it be that you are here in the past then, and how can it be that my youngest would have the named the name that I would want for my first daughter? The angel replies, “Your first daughter is named Bella Maria, your second daughter is named Faith Gianna, your third daughter is named Mindi Rose, and your two sons are named Liam and Logan.
Your dreams will come true; you only have to wait a little longer. Your enemies will be at the table that has been prepared.
In an instant, the angel was gone.
Form: Prose

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