Long Upstate Poems
Long Upstate Poems. Below are the most popular long Upstate by PoetrySoup Members. You can search for long Upstate poems by poem length and keyword.
Fierce fighting raged, but surprise was gone,
the Americans rallied and pushed hard,
the Indians fell back, out of the ravine,
the patriots driving them that far.
Hand-to-hand combat broke out brutally,
with knives, clubs, and rifle-stocks,
Iroquois would wait until patriots fired,
then while they reloaded, charge with tomahawk.
Herkimer saw his people being killed,
so he ordered them all to pair off,
one man would fire, the other would load,
now It was the Indians who felt sharp loss.
The killing continued, on through to morn,
until a thunder storm broke over the field,
the fighting quieted but neither side budged,
neither side put down powder or steel.
But as the storm passed, back at Stanwix,
the garrison heard of Herkimer’s plight,
they charged out into the near empty camps,
putting the few British still there to flight.
They plundered and pillage all that they could,
ransacking and stealing their supplies,
when word reached the battle, the Indians turned,
now it was their turn to be surprised.
The broke from the field, ran for the camps,
but when they arrived they saw it was too late,
the garrison had retreated back to the fort,
with their spoils behind a barred gate.
At Oriskany, Herkimer held the field,
so by the standards of the day he had won,
but neither side had gained that much from it,
despite all the bloody work that was done.
The patriots were too savaged to continue on,
to damaged to hope to lift the siege,
they retreat back east, to Fort Dayton,
to see to their wounds and their needs.
St. Leger found himself in a terrible spot,
supplies dwindling, his camp ransacked,
to make matters worse, mad Indian allies
started slinking off, not to come back.
Not long after another relief column,
led by a general who’s name won’t be said,
marched for Stanwix, convincing the Brits
they had little chance of not being bested.
St. Leger ordered his forces to retreat,
back to Canada his troops did go,
and the British plan to split the colonies
suffered from its first heavy blow.
Herkimer didn’t live to see that day,
his wound quickly became infected,
when the time came to amputate his leg,
it was botched up, and quite freely bled.
At least the brave man got to die in his home,
and his name is recalled in glory,
he remains a hero in upstate New York,
for his courage at Oriskany.
She flinches, shudders as chains tug at her flesh
The ruthless slave trader and rapist whispers to the auctioneer
And instinctively she knows that it is her turn to be sold.
The noise heightens, her eyes focus on a kind face in the crowd.
A well dressed man with a curly mustache wearing a black a top hat
His expensive suit quite obvious as he moves deliberately through the crowd
He approaches the platform and takes the slave trader aside
As the bidders become raucous, jostling and argument ensue
Her eyes trail the well dressed man with the curly mustache
As he haggles with the ruthless slave trader
Again, looking up towards the sky once more, she day dreams
Her Mama had been sold some time ago, never to be seen again.
And as she recalls the soft murmuring words of comfort
Tears fall easily from ebony eyes rolling down her face.
Then she heard a voice whisper, “Don’t cry.” “Don’t cry, Heddie”.
I am here. I am with you. And wherever you go, I will go with you.
The road will be treacherous and mighty long. This road will be hard, the
Journey, long. Yet you will be resilient. You will endure and you will be strong!
Today, I bring you a gift for all your days and beyond. The gift of song!
May your soul find rest when you sing. In joy or sorrow, trials and trouble, worship
And praise, you will sing and your spirit will ascend to God’s throne of grace.”
In that moment the chains that shackled hands and feet fell loudly onto the block
(That was the beginning of a new life for Heddie. The well dressed man with
The kind eyes rescued Heddie and the others that day. As the story about her great
Grand mother is told to her grandchildren sitting at her feet, they all realize that the blessing
which was given eons ago as Heddie stood on the auction block at twelve had been passed
forward to the present generation. They are the descendants of Heddie and the well dressed
gentleman who had moved to upstate New York where he married Heddie and gave the
slaves their freedom.)
This is written in celebration of "Black History" Month and in collaboration with Jimmy
Matthew Anderson
Form:
The air was thin and icy.
It was dark and cold outside.
A blanket of snow covered the ground.
The footprints in the snow led the way.
We loaded the bus one-by-one as if we were animals entering Noah’s Ark.
Statuesque beings sat motionless in their seats.
Twenty pairs of eyes half-open stared blankly ahead fixated on nothingness.
Our journey to the unknown was about to begin.
The bus tired spun in circles like a child’s merry-go-round.
Round and round they went like the thoughts in my head.
I felt like a kid at the circus.
Excitement and freedom swept over me like a cool, summer breeze.
The road was long and unfamiliar.
Time passed by so slowly as if the earth’s stopwatch had been turned off.
The once frozen bus was not swimming in a sea of hot air.
Our final destination was a small, almost-deserted town in Upstate NY.
It looked as though a plague had swept through like a giant broom and devastated it completely.
One after the other buses pulled up.
A sea of yellow painted the once dreary canvas.
Girls of all shapes and sizes descended onto the now colorful landscape.
All dressed in tan britches, black boots, and smiles.
The clan of riders filed into the ring like a colony of ants all with the same mission.
This was my first mission.
I was a soldier going into battle for the first time.
The ant colony gathered in a circular formation.
The sign-in table was engulfed and swallowed whole.
Numbers were being handed out, one-by-one.
36, 17, 41, 54, 62, 12, 19, 38…
The judge’s voice boomed over the speaker like the voice of G-d.
Every crevice of the ring was filled with the loud, unclear syllables.
Girls of horseback walked proudly and calmly into the ring.
Horses arched their necks and pranced around as if they owned the world.
Tails raised slightly, eyes beaming forward, chests massive.
Hours passed by like days.
My nerves built up like a roaring fireball in my stomach.
One swift leg-up from my coach and I am propelled onto the horse.
I land smoothly into seat of the saddle.
I am welcomed with open arms.
Together, as one creation, we walked into the ring to compete the mission at hand.
Form:
POOR ME-POOR ME- POUR ME ANOTHER ONE
This is the tale of Andre and Lowell
Andre was black and Lowell was white
this is the tale of the car both of them stole
and a court system that just ain't right
Andre was from the hood where money is scarce
and the inhabitants lived day to day
the days could be combative and the nights were fierce
but Lowell came from the right side of the San Francisco Bay
Lowell's dad had a high paying job down town
Andre's dad worked for the day labor folk
Lowell went to a dance with a girl in a gorgeous gown
Andre couldn't go anywhere because his family was broke
one night the two friends had nothing to do
when both of their visions espied a Porshe, brand fu*king new
Andre knew the ins and outs of hot wiring a car
and Lowell knew it would take them near or far
well they didn't get very far that night
because suddenly red and blue lights began to flash
the night was dark but the colored lights were bright
and all six cops were burly and brash
so they were cuffed and taken to jail
and they both need money to get out
of course Lowell got out because daddy made bail
and thus began a course in what racism is all about
the next morning they met before the judge
Lowell sat there in ease knowing he had a lawyer expensive as hell
Andre stayed motionless, afraid to make a budge
and his body a lot of sweat to quell
one separate trial but two outcomes were announced
Lowell's daddy had money so the lawyer cost seventy-five grand
Andre's jaw dropped when he heard his sentence pronounced
as he thought about how men on the chain gang became so tanned
Andre got five to eight years in a prison upstate
Lowell got no community service and a ninety dollar fine
all Andre could do was complain to his present cell mate
while Lowell continued buying caviar and drinking the finest wine
so that was the tale of a car, two friends and justice denied
because the rich and poor have two different laws
behind her mask the lady of law simply cried
and instead of nails she should have claws
© 2012....copyright PHREEPOETREE ~free cee!~
having made her way out of the nest
having made something of herself
she rubs elbows with some of the city’s finest lawyers
balancing her own practice with a sad attempt at having a social life---
she calls home to her mother,
whom she visits every weekend upstate,
doing her grocery shopping &
doing whatever she can for her,
the whole while listening to a constant critique of
where she should be at the age that she is---
her mother insists that her daughter will not stay young forever,
saying she has no fashion sense,
always points out that she should try to go to the gym more often &
never ceasing to make time to moan about wishing that she had grandchildren,
asking why a woman who is as successful as her daughter
cannot find a man---
the daughter doesn’t respond with anger & instead
stays up at night when mother has fallen asleep
working on cases &
watching her remaining youth drift away,
hundreds of miles away from the city she lives in
the other five days of the week---
her mother’s own cervical cancer which was recently detected
now is spreading &
she is meeting with doctors in the coming weeks to begin radiation---
her daughter hopes that surgery is possible &
wonders if the operation will force her mother into a more compromised position
where she will no longer be able to live on her own---
the daughter’s life could very well be uprooted altogether &
she could find herself stuck back in her home town
waiting on her mother hand & foot,
while still pretending to be able to practice law---
the clock is ticking &
her friends in the city
watch their lives prosper,
moving on in ways that this daughter
can really only dream of,
being weighed down by something
she never counted on happening
when she put it all in motion---
ever the more exhausted,
she started drinking a lot of coffee,
then moved onto caffeine pills &
after energy drinks & the lot didn’t work,
she moved onto a little coke to try & get herself
through---
she tells herself that she won’t need it forever,
that it’s just for now
so that she can balance all that is happening in her life.
I have a faint memory
From a time long ago I was five maybe six
I was walking a dirt path from my grand parent?s bungalow
It was early in the morning and the peat moss was everywhere
I remember my grandfather just looking at me with a smile
Then his head nudged to the left and said come along with me for a while
He?d take my hand and we went for a walk past the mist and through the brush
It led into a thick field where blueberries were everywhere
On our way back I could see a pebble shore it was through the trees and across the way
It was on a crystal lake somewhere upstate in a town of the same name sake
And just up the road was a pasture which was part of someone?s estate
Its landscape caught my attention and would remain embedded in my mind
I remember jogging along side the road back to the view I felt drawn to.
Because I wanted to see the sun set
I went back to that pasture and watched it go down
From the distance I could see cows grazing the land too.
I stood there just looking at everything around me
It was such a beautiful scene
A gentle breeze and the scent of flowers all around
I took the moment into my mind like a photograph in time
On the way back I notice this prairie was attached to someone?s home
There was a sign in front it was on a red brick stone wall
It said the Johnson and Johnson estate
I stole one lasting view then ran back before it was too late
Going the other way I could see another giant sign
It said Crystal Lake Pennsylvanian next left
I ran for the entrance and up the pebble hill
I turned back for a moment and looked across the street
I could see the wire metal fence and the pebble shore
I took another picture into memory
Then continued running up the hill and on the dirt road
My heart was racing cause? I thought everyone was looking for me
I could see my aunt and uncle just waving to me
Then I heard my grandmother call out my name
I could smell food in the air chicken and sweet potatoes on the Bar-B-Q
I sat down to eat and found my cousins there too.
They told me, "Leave Brooklyn, find the green,"
"Head upstate, change the scene,"
Nature's arms open wide,
So I took that long Amtrak ride.
I knew there were bobcats, I knew there was bear
So I took my pit-bull Chewbacca, any bear would beware
His last victim was a carjacker on the lam.
Teeth clamped on the guy's arm like a giant clam.
In the heart of Adirondacks, fate took a bad turn
We sat on star moss, and admired a fern
Chewbacca sniffed at a critter with predacious design
But it was a badass porcupine
My dog's nose looked like a pincushion of quills
He ran off howling into the hills
I ran after him and into a swamp I fell,
Green goo in my shoes, oh man, what a smell.
Covered with slime, then came the stings of black flies
Already I wondered if the hype was lies.
Yanked my way out, walked on bees in the ground
I thought bees were in trees, but nature had to confound
I say pave the Adirondacks, let concrete reign,
Nature’s wild, and slightly insane.
From swamps to thorns, bees on attack,
Brooklyn’s rough, but these woods fight back.
Off the trail, stumbled through deer remains,
Leaned on a tree but found only pain.
Thorns from the bark, I couldn’t win,
What did I do to deserve this, can't recall the sin!
(Bridge)
I ran screaming, poison ivy on my socks
Twisted my leg among diabolical rocks
Crawled back to a trail, where help was found,
A hiker gawked, said, “Bro, you’re hospital-bound.”
(Chorus)
Pave the Adirondacks, let concrete reign,
Nature’s wild, and slightly insane.
From swamps to thorns, bees on attack,
Brooklyn’s rough, but these woods fight back.
Now I'm back in the city, but nature wasn't through
Doc says I have Lyme disease, I wish I could sue.
Nature’s beauty nowhere near the beauty of a bar
I'll stay on the mean streets and drag race my car.
So pave the mountains, pave the trees,
Brooklyn’s jungle is enough for me.
Nature's call? Just a John Denver song
Here with the homeboys, I can't go wrong.
When I was a kid on the bus,
I looked at all that surrounded us,
out the window I always gazed
seeing old fields, half-trees, half-hay,
beyond them rose a forest wall,
maples and pines, stately and tall,
past that rose a line of low hills,
I could never really get my fill.
My mind imagined trekking there,
discover mysteries if I dare,
what awaited in that country
always had an allure to me.
But as I grew it became clear,
for centuries folks had been here,
the forest and hills were settled long,
to other people they belonged.
‘No Trespassing’ posted everywhere,
made my young mind feel despair,
I thought I was a pioneer,
but my small world had no frontiers.
Of course then I became a teen,
travelled often with a ski team,
to the Catskills, Adirondacks,
upstate New York, it does not lack
wilderness to tempt outdoors souls,
whether summer warm or winter cold
it seemed an endless, vast expanse,
evergreens that held me entranced,
I trampled mountains, ancient stone,
walked America’s rocky bones,
and though it seemed ever empty,
things started to appear to me
that though it was a wild place,
humans had long known this space.
I saw names carved on mountain’s high,
chiseled in eighteen sixty-five!
I trampled down old logging roads
that my great grandpa must’ve known,
though I felt like a pioneer,
this no longer was a frontier.
As an adult it just got worst,
though I traveled and saw the world,
the wild west where cowboys play,
Scottish Highland’s misty days,
northern taiga filled with big bears,
but human sign was everywhere.
No hidden lands, no unknown stretch,
no place for people who feel best
away from laws, rules, and permits,
there’s nowhere left for us hermits.
Some say we’ll find it in the stars,
but the cost of that can stop the heart,
you can’t just walk to Mars freely,
and if you could, you couldn’t breathe.
With nowhere left to roam on Earth,
yet still burned by the wandering urge,
it’s hard for us poor pioneers
stuck on a world with no frontiers.
Away to Vermont on a Dr's appointment. Coming back and riding the Ferry to New York my wife Judy and I decided to stop off at Panera Bread for lunch thru the Drive thru. I notice a man counting his few dollars by the drive thru. His long hair and beard caught my attention.
His face looked sunburned, and he looked withered and dry. Sadly I noticed that
his tan pants had a large brown streak down his rear side. Looking at this broke my heart.
As I went thru the drive thru I ordered an extra sandwich, a lemonade and chips. My wife looked at me not knowing my thoughts and said ,"Michael your hungry today."
As I came around after picking the food, I looked for that man. He had disappeared. I drove around on a mission to find him. At last, I saw him, he
had gone into the restaurant. I parked the car and told my wife what my plans were. She was surprised and was very supportive.
I walked through the door and introduced myself to him. I said I have
something for you. He looked up smiling and said, "God bless you." I said, "God bless you." I asked him where he was from and he said, " Willow Alaska." He shared with me he was looking for his parents in Upstate NY. He said he suffered
from mental illness and that he was a minister. While talking to this stranger I felt an incredible love resonating through him, it is hard to explain.
I said good bye my friend and felt guilty because I wanted to do more for him. His name was Robbie.
I shared the story with my wife and my brother Gus and they said that God puts angels in this world and Robbie might be an angel you cared for.
There is not a better feeling than helping someone in need.
I made a new friend today, a homeless man named Robbie.
I encourage everyone to reach out to those less fortunate and make a difference in their lives. Even saying hello, or asking them how they are doing. So many people are silently suffering, and any act of kindness will help them cope better. God bless those of you that do...
Michael Tor
6/12 2023
Keep this under your hat, guys....I'm just back from an undercover investigation of
what turned out to be a real hidden nest of Alien invaders....they foolishly made
serious strategic mistakes, which, of course, your favorite spy here, caught on to
immediately. Quick recap.....remember, this is on the Q.T.!
I penetrated an alien cell in the Vassar Brothers Medical Center in upstate New
York. I'll explain how.....shhhhhh!!!!!.....I was admitted under the pretext of 1)being
dead 2)mentally unbalanced! Imagine that!!
First thing I noticed is some of the alien technology thay failed to mask
adequately....they were all walking around talking with their shirt pockets...which
somehow seemed to answer...now, that's just a plum give-away!!!! Next, I
noticed a plastic container hanging on the wall, marked, foolishly, I'd
think...."Impervious Gowns"....yeah, right, like such a thing exists! Come on,
where'd ya get it, from Superman? There were smaller clues too; like what
earthling would have a bright red food blender/mixer hanging on the wall? Come
on. Martians, you can do better than that!!!! But the clincher, the absolute proof,
was when I finally peeked out the door....the whole buiding was totally round!!! I
was actually IN a flying saucer!!!! Pretty cool, huh? And the stuff they labeled as
food was, certainly not of this earth....they even had something they
euphemistically labelled a "Cheeseburger"? It was obviously an alien child's
plastic toy, or perhaps, a concealable weapon....it obviously would be fatal is one
were struck with such a thing..... and I'll report on my O.H.S.A. investigation as
well, next week. And I escaped, undetected!!! Pretty classy, right? Okay- enough
for now.....remember.....this is not to be discussed, officially, it did NOT happen,
and my alias, (agent) Benjamin (call me Ben) Dover....report is now
concluded....regards, Ben Dover!