Look Across Poems | Examples

Home

We all have beginnings somewhere,
a place where the soul first took root
and drew its history, fixed a compass 
point, a pin in a map to mark its home.
For me it was here
where the horizon began
in a haze of mangrove trees
and broad tidal flats
and boats bellied in mud 
when the sea sucked back the river
leaving its gums grinning 
under a warm sun. It was here
where my ancestors landed
more than a century and a half ago.

Now manicured to prime real estate,
the tides keep to an orderly flow 
within grassy banks overseen
by multi million dollar views.
The mangrove forests have gone,
the swamps sanitised to lawn.
I look across the glistening reaches
of a man made lake to where 
the slow drift of sailboats scrape 
the bottom of an evening sky.
All seems out of place, not home
and yet I mull as to whether 
there is any other beyond this one, 
beyond the little sailing boats
and the barking dog nearby.

Hypnotised by beauty

A mirror view skimming over waters 
When I hold you in my hands 
Little flower as warmly your colour shines 
Beautiful touching to the vision 
Listening to the sounds of birds song enchanting the air 
In a cloudy blue sky
Warm winds breathing in deeply touching breaths 
I look across the water waves rippling upon the surface 
Amazing grace you sit on this world throne 
Softly in song sings your praise 
A shrine from the mountain speaks 
Envisioning a primrose warmly it surrounds 
Sweet scent of heavens garden 
Taking the eyes on a trip soul searching 
Dreaming as I do 
Of building a castle in the sky
to honour such beauty I hold it in your sunlight

Both Sides

I look across our nation wide
… saddened by the view
Hopes and dreams in shattered heaps
Smoldering and askew.

Trust is lost, alliance gone,
Handshakes no longer known
Doubt and suspicion there
Normalcy’s been outgrown.

Both political realms
Must see what they have done
For in the final tally …
Neither of them have won.

Shadow

Look at sky above you and tell me what you see
Listen to the sounds around you and carved out
The giant wave that is beating on heightened rocks
And scrolling around the sea with open guts
The clouds are getting dark and the eagle is
Having an altercation with the lark and destiny
Is crawling on its knees in the dark
Look at the shadows in front of you, the thirsty
Desert is mourning for you, the journey is long
But courage will push you along so keep pressing on
The shapeless day keep slipping away and
The morning and the evening embodied in one
 And my heart is singing a courageous song
A Force is coming towards thee with magnitude
And power, to break the hearts of steel and
Push you around in the ferries wheel
Look across the sea and tell me what you see
The sparrow on the line with its bulging eyes
Has set out a pattern for you to move
Walk straight then pivot when you confront the dark
The sun has gone down and
And destiny is about to hit the ground
Strap yourself to the tree and the
Shadows will pass over thee.

Controllers without control

The turn of a thumb 
And the flash of a screen
Another year passes by 
With the hum of a machine
Numbers and titles 
And words I don't mean
It's hard to ask why
And it's even harder to see

Why am I still here? 
Who are these people?
And could they ever be friends?
Why do I cheer?
For all that is evil?
And just how the hell
Could I ever make amends?

As the world keeps on turning 
Like the wheels on a train
They teach me that it's burning 
And it's my turn to pay
But their words aren't for learning
And the numbers only add more pain
I'd like to think for myself
And to make my own journey
But I've got no truths to tell
And all their lies have been burned in my brain

So why do my hands
Keep these circuits so near
When deep down I know 
My smile isn't here
I look across the land
And see a sky that's so clear
It almost let's the light
Between the space of my ears

City Bound

When I look across the yard and see
wooded hills and a cold running stream
It is hard to think about those kids
that think Mother Nature is a dream

I pity the child who’s forced to play
on cold cement and bare brick playground
Where weeds growing through the thick asphalt
is the only nature to be found

Their swimming hole a broken hydrant
some have never seen a blade of grass
They only glimpse the blue light of day
through boarded windows with cracking glass

The fruit they eat is a box of powder
their veggies have a metal pull tab
The trees they climb are empty stairways
their grass is just a hot concrete slab

At night the sounds of nature for them
are police sirens headed uptown
Their autumn leaves are just life’s refuse
lying scattered about on the ground
 
I should value this country life more
stop my whining and shouldn’t complain
how humidity ruins my hair
or the ground is so muddy from rain

Thank the creator for the blessings
that he saw fit to bestow on me
How I do sorrow for the children
that do not have it as good as me

Pouring Out My Heart

Pouring out my heart, it’s devoid of all blood 
Perhaps more knotted, resembling of redwood
Splinters and shavings, fall away with each thud
Can’t escape this logjam, only wish I could 

Pouring out my heart, but it’s failing to bleed
I’m losing my grip, roots won’t let me proceed 
Failing right now, to try express what I need 
Asking friends to listen, then pay them no heed

Pouring out my heart, packs sawdust in a sack
Peep inside the hessian, can only see black 
Empty now, that’s ok, voids always grow back 
How come I’m still here, has Jesus cut me slack 

Pouring out my heart, clots heavily engrained
Tied to dilemmas, escaping leaves me drained 
Worse part of all, my collapse is unexplained 
For better or worse, gravity’s not sustained 

Pouring out my heart, there’s nothing’s left to pump
Felled to the ground, with the slightest little bump
Prostrate and broken, a fragmented tree stump 
I’m resting come join me, make a chair we’ll slump 

Pouring out my heart, through a duty of care 
The fruits of my labor, look across and glare
I gaze beyond them, thinking life’s over there 
Vines grow round my neck, help lift me off the chair

Heartbeats

Precious bluebird, here alone
I think of you, my thoughts then roam
On flights of fancy there I go
Exotic places I don't know

But everywhere my flight does land
There's turquoise water, powdered sand
And there I make a place for you
And look across that ocean blue

I strain my eyes across the vast
My coordinates to you I cast
And hope to see your sail one day
Approaching me to always stay

Your every want, your every need
Here on earth I'd try to feed
And if I couldn't what I'd do
Is I would play guitar for you

It's my way of giving me
Pure and open, all for free
Its value isn't tangible
But my love is infrangible 

It's solid, real, and will be there
For all my life for you I'll care
And wait and hope the day will come
When separate hearts can beat as one

Inconclusive

My best guess is that it was some 20 years ago that
the number 100 represented years I wanted to live.
This was my request to The Lord, adding that I would
like to revisit the matter then to see if I wanted to
live beyond 100. It was a prayer of simplicity without
conditions, declarations, decrees, or qualifications.
It was all about longevity, legacy, serving God and
humanity. At that point, the matter was closed.

A few years ago, as I was sharing my longevity dream
with a friend, he countered with the fact that he'd
rather not live that long. For Bob, about 85 years
would suffice.

So, I concluded that I needed to revisit The Lord with
an amendment granting me 'a healthy 100 years'. Having
included that caveat, I then felt much better about 100.

I must say that my friend's comment about being both
aged and healthy was a sobering one of which I took
serious note.  

When I look across the horizon of our shattered world
and the challenges to be faced, issues personal, foreign,
and domestic that refuse to be silenced, there is a toss
and turn in my spirit.  Although inconclusive with second
thoughts, I'm still inclined toward a climb to 100.

062023PS.

For Better Or Worse

We mostly eat in silence,
After 50 years together
there’s really nothing
much left to say –
We disagree on
everything any way!

I look across from our rickety table
into her tired, forlorn eyes
and see years of struggle, hurt
resentment and complaints.
I look around our
rented, crummy apartment
full of worn-out books,
magazines, newspaper clippings,
paid bills and handout furniture –
Really not much to show
for a lifetime of harvesting!

We, the two of us
who are mostly good,
Who raised good kids,
Who dotted all the i’s
Who crossed all the t’s,

Who paid their taxes
and their bills on time,
Who prayed diligently,
Who toed the line
every step of the way,
Working side by side
day in and day out –
Yet, no spoils good enough
to bring home to.

With kids all grown up
and long gone
and the sun finally set,
Oh, how I wonder...
what will the night be like?

We both get up at the same time
plates in our hands–
Don’t eat much these days, you know;

Now, time and old age 
hover around us like 
the beleaguered butler 
with a frayed towel over his arm!


~04/30/23
~Contest: Empty Nest
~Sponsor: Cooper Etheridge

Growing Tradition

  Growing the fruits of your labor in Socorro county
  Around here they call it New Mexico true
  Down in Lemitar you can get the best of the best
  The warm days' and cool nights, the fields of green chile grew

  This crop has become known worldwide in places afar
  Dedicated day and night to it being a successful harvest
  Long hours and true love of this way of life they embrace
  The chile, beautiful and mature, it's the hot days' of August

  Sacks of burlap full to the top begin the journey across the state
  Crack of the burners, metal cylinders turn, roasted green chile fills the air
  This smell, it is nothing short of heaven on earth
  Our call to fame with a little New Mexico flare

  The season is short, late Autumn wind blows the dust off a cowboys boots
  The chile turns deep red now, the last of the season
  The ground is bare as I take one last look across the land
  The Zia on our flag gives me pride, that's my reason

  Why things happen, well who's to say
  Perhaps the fields will be green again someday
  A hurt in my heart, I lower my Stetson and walk away
  The fields belong to spirit now, looking in the distance I see the rain

Acquaintance and Neighborhood

Time goes on a new dawn
arises. I look across my lawn,
and, wonder if I can bond
with neighbors like Lyn and John,
or Gina and Sean with a new baby.
They stand outside and wave or say "Hello."
They never get close , too busy as they go.

Unfortunately, times have changed and maybe
there is little to no trust between people.
At a distance I can see the church steeple,
and I wonder if there is some sense of security
among the congregation or are there insecurity.
People lock their doors or ignore you when they walk by.
I wonder how many people would help or even try.

2/11/2023

Acquaintance And Neighborhood Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Sotto Poet

Banks of Loch Lomond

I long to traipse across lavender heathered hills
and look across the North Sea as a winter wind chills.
Again, to dwell in a cottage, nestled in a green glen
or traverse Scotland's burns, I yearn. Do ya ken?

Years ago I sat upon Loch Lomond's misty banks
and to the beautiful Highlands I offered my thanks
for rugged terrain, lowlands and plains, and Aberdeen.
Haunting bagpipe songs, leaves me feeling serene.

My heart longs to wander free as I stand and listen
to gulls over the Hebrides while Atlantic waters glisten.
There's a stirring deep within my heart and my soul
to wear my clan's plaid and upon Ayr Beach to stroll.


January 5, 2023
Take Me There Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Margarita Lillico

Christmas 647

A stare across the grassy fields revealed.
Covered with frost, they lay quiet and still.

Their position clearly had a restful feel,
One which will leave them in decline until

Next Spring when they break from their clods.
Few but farmers will notice their weeping sods.

Another look across the horizon did not conceal,
But rather had an arrested scene with the power to heal.

Upon further gaze, there was a tree-lined face,
Laced in a pattern of awesomeness, beauty, and grace.

Nature's way is imposing as she unfolds her art to us,
But she's always advancing in motion, never posing for us.

So, with these words, I capture her mesmerizing display.
If I do nothing else, I will treasure this heavenly scene today.

The moment is ever swift of feet and shall never return.
Embraced by her loveliness, I boarded her fleeting scene.

The skies are blue with high-flying clouds, peaceful and far.
And the sunrise blasts from afar like a high-powered star.

Like cloud patterns, such views never come to stay.
But today, it's Christmas, and they're shouting, "HEY"!

647AM122522PS

A Mintcondition Please

   To all the Baristas at the Bou; Hears
   one  specifically     from  me  to  you
  If you ever question whether you're early 
   mornings are worth the penance; For 
   you all; much love, and affectionate 
    reverence.....The smiles you give, 
    bear special attention....  Without 
    your  caffeination;  my life, would 
    be in utter suspension.When the 
    shifts are unbearably long;   and 
    the help is sometimes short.Just 
    look across the counter;   at the 
    person     smiling     back,    with 
    unwavering     support.  You are 
    deserving; of as much adoration,
    as anyone on Earth.....My simple 
    wish as you read this rhyme;.my 
    effort to write it......doesn't even 
    compare, to what your all worth!

• Short Look Across Poems
• Famous Look Across Poems
• Best Look Across Poems
• Read Look Across Poems
• Long Look Across Poems
• Look Across Quotes