The distance between two lips gives reference
To shaping breaths about to birth deference;
A process from brain's signal,
That connects one with actual
Status above affluence before preference.
You may not believe it, but some float through life like a dream,
Dressed in fine fabrics, like stars in the silver sky.
They taste the fruit of life, without thirst, without hunger,
Sleeping under wings of tranquility, in the palace of serene night.
Around them, time weaves like a tapestry of peace,
Family shelters them like a tree under which flowers grow.
They too have shadows of sadness, but they are fleeting,
And when they depart, it's like a feather falling in its gentle flight.
You may not believe it, but such souls exist,
I am not one of them, no, not even close.
They are there, floating in their gentle light,
I am here, on a path lost to smoke and wind.
In their world, stars whisper stories without end,
In mine, the echo of silence rings like an old bell.
They are where rivers flow without losing their call,
I am where water gathers in tears of longing.
But perhaps in this cosmic, hidden and profound dream,
Between two breaths, we will meet, shadows and light.
Maybe in this dance of destiny, we will find each other,
Like two constellations shining in the eternal sky.
You May Not Like This
There Is No
Bossy Boss
Giving Orders
To The Innocent.
I Love It.
-Gray Squirrel
06-11-2025
There is order to my chaos
an urgency to make things right
I have ambitions I can taste
dreams that must be set in motion
once I see the morning light
There is order some my chaos
a plan when all you see is madness
I fear that I’ll run out of time
I long to leave my affairs most orderly
A fine book they’ll close after its last chapter
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Progeny of the people of merit,
May not for sure would inherit merit.
Take fire and sandalwood,
The ash born smells no good,
To wit, O never generalize a bit.
_______________________
Translation |27.01.2025|
Poet’s note: Sanskrit has thousands of verses of wisdom called Subhashhitam. This verse says that the progeny of people of merit may not necessarily inherit the merit. Sandalwood is all fragrant but when burnt along with fire the ash produced is not so fragrant. The transliteration of the Sanskrit verse follows:
Na vyaaptireshaa guninah
gunavaan jaayate dhruvam |
Chandana-anala sandagdhah
na bhasma surabhi kvachit || 203 ||
Hypnosis cuts off conscious mind
but for souls who’re free from thought flow,
those heart-centric, divine aligned,
trance state for them is a strict no.
Being tied not to the mind-tree,
awareness self-aware is free,
in witness-mode, poised in the void,
no longer by thought forms decoyed.
Everybody keeps asking me, “Hey Jerry.”
Are all the things you write about really true.
‘Cause they find it pretty hard to believe,
I’ve done all of the things I say I do.
If I really did all I said I have
then by my calculations it appears
That it would cost about ten million bucks
and I would have to live two hundred years
I will say there are some things I’ve written
that are based upon some facts that are true
As to which ones are real and which ones not
I will leave that decision up to you
I can say life has all manner of things
happy and sad - good and bad - false and true
The best thing about anything I write
Is when I’m allowed to share them with you
From crashing waves he emerges with the clarity of a wide landscape
The king of darkness
Parades
In full view
His garish, monochrome ego
Emergent for all to despise
Original poem (extract):
"Into the ripples of the horizon's haze
The queen of the daylight
Slinks
Then is gone
Her wispy train of colour
Vanishing"
[From Poem: Sunset, Sam Scott 14.09.23]
WORDLESS POETRY
DAY
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
NIGHT
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
~ Posterity May Not Understand ~
Why I traipse five miles a day
to whittle time away
Idling in a safe daydream
gazing at a listless stream
A chef gave Dad a gift he’ll never use,
a cookbook full of gourmet recipes.
Some call for twenty-plus ingredients.
Dad knows, for these, prep time won’t be a breeze.
If Dad’s to dine on chicken cordon bleu,
Moroccan lamb, or lobster thermidor,
his friend, the chef, will have to cook for him.
Those fancy recipes, Dad will ignore.
Unless somebody else bakes Dad desserts,
Italian cream cake won’t be on his plate.
Those Little Debbie’s cakes are fine, he says.
Six-layer tortes, Dad never will create.
**************
If I give friends what I’d choose for myself,
those gifts may occupy a dusty shelf.
I’ll find out what you like before I shop,
to guarantee my choice won’t be a flop!
January 14, 2023
Contest: Of what use are fingers to hands that only understand mittens
Sponsor: John Lawless
Live today as if were your last
Cause life is for the living
Do not put off to the future
What you can enjoy today
That convenient time may never come
Today is the time for that change
Waiting for a more convenient time
Is dangerous and risky
That time May never come
I have been sorely hurt by my brother
I have forgotten but will forgive later
The time for forgiveness is now
For a more convenient time
May never come
I want to turn a new leaf next year
And give my life to Jesus
The time is now and convenient
For next year May never come
(parents smacking their children became illegal in Wales, UK, on 21 Mar 2022)
They now say they will send me to that hell,
where dark ones do await me, and of course
will assail me with insults and more; then
I might bleed, and cause my sore head to writhe.
Yes, dear son, they said, such fate awaits you.
Be good, they say, and earn our tolerance,
it may smile, pledge its righteous heart, greet you.
Belt or palm is not permitted here now.
Our home is kind, and words are kind, for we
are parents who treat their own so sweetly.
(posted 21 Mar 2022)
Life may not be fair, but,~~
it's the only one you have, so, make the most of it!
written December 18, 2021
Life may not be fair,
But we can still choose to treat each other fairly,
Love each other dearly,
And perform acts that are kindly.
If we do these things blindly,
Things will automatically,
Improve exponentially.
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.