His fears had overtaken his life in a thorough way
They were squeezing the happiness out of his soul
He started out with a few fears, but they quickly grew
Now his fears were worrisome, and all-encompassing
He was afraid of dogs, bees, wasps, spiders and snakes.
“What about tigers, lions, bears and alligators?” his friend asked.
He was afraid of his friend, his teacher, school.
Afraid his mother would die if he left her.
Afraid he would not hear the siren.
Afraid of nuclear war.
He was eventually taken from his mother.
Put into a place where his fears became more acute.
More real.
He was afraid of his medication.
Afraid they were poisoning his food.
Afraid of the nurses.
His fears had overtaken his life in a thorough way
Categories:
overtaken, 10th grade, 11th grade,
Form: Free verse
red morrel mushrooms that always overgrew
they annoy me sometimes, how about you?
hey! who invited Captain M’s pirate crew?
They are rude and always spit in the awful beef stew
They all pretend they cannot find the loo
I smell them as they come in, they smell like mildew
they are reeking up my living room through and through
can’t you get them to bathe? I ask my cousin Lu.
None of you landlubbers are as fresh as the dew.
This is said by the first mate, they call him Big Blue.
Why does that overgrown dog always moo?
They were weird, coarse and wild, from Timbuktu.
I warned others with looks not to give Blue a clue.
My pet is my pet, and killing her is not what I’ll do.
They can find beef somewhere else, I do not explain her moo.
Why don’t you sit down while I ladle up your stew?
Categories:
overtaken, 10th grade, 4th grade,
Form: Monorhyme
Cut and pasted it to poetrysoup.com
so I could send you a poem. You can
do same with your poems and send
them to:
jthorn5656@atmc.net jthorn5656@gmail.com
we learned how to lift
spirits from sin and from shift
overcame all rifts
we started to sob
when overtaken by mob
who will kill and rob
in the flowing flood
things were covered by much mud
flowers with a bud
God will always bless
help me straighten out mess
did remove all stress
It is easier to write poetry and
concentrate on it via Poetry Soup
and FaceBook rather than via
Virtual Zoom. I have difficulty
understanding what the person
is reading. If they would cut
and paste poem to Chat section
of Virtual/Zoom screen, this
would help. This is the best
way to do it.
James Horn
RiverSea Plantation
Bolivia, NC
Will put website address of this
on FaceBook.
Categories:
overtaken, allegory, analogy,
Form: Haiku
I thought when I was little adults did not cry.
“They are strong and brave and unafraid.”
Such I believed ’til my ninth birthday was nigh.
I awoke one morning with a pain in my chest.
“Best take you to the doctor,” Mother said.
Until she did, I knew she would not rest
The doctor poked and prodded, head to toe.
Then he turned to Mother, his voice somber
“Something’s askew, you need to know.”
Mom’s voice trembled as she said “tell me.”
“It’s his heart. Surgery may be needed.”
There were tears in her eyes, hurtful to see.
“If it’s what I think it is, it’s a real concern.”
Mother’s face was ashen, wholly overtaken.
“Tests are needed, my findings to confirm.”
“Be in my office next Thursday at four,
in the meantime, give him plenty of rest.”
'Twas a week away for Mother to worry more.
Each night she came to me eyes all red
and with tears flowing, feared I’d die.
It was then that I knew there in my bed.
that adults do unavoidably, inevitably cry.
Categories:
overtaken, 10th grade, humanity, life,
Form: Rhyme
So my private prediction came to pass
A son, a victim of a mind overtaken and harassed
Overwhelmed by fear
The mind is cavalier
Finally broke the spell, made it through the impasse
Categories:
overtaken, joy,
Form: Limerick
You overtake - every corner of comfort, energy, rest, complacency
I don't want to have to be grateful
For each simple smile, each ordinary sunset
Because I don't want to see the finish line
I want the luxury of being
Frustrated, grouchy, impatient, annoyed
I don't want to have to swallow my words,
Face, feelings - to toe the balance between
Being his support, without being his crutch
I don't want to have to relieve
The pity on my friends' faces
I don't want to have to wonder
Whether we will have our silver anniversary
I don't want to have to count my blessings
I don't want to have to hear pithy platitudes
On hope and miracles and beating the odds
You are not a friend
You are not a gift
Your are not a strength
You are a predator, stalking me
Into the contaminated shadows
Of wait and see.
6/21/19
For 'The Topic of Cancer' contest
Placed 4th
Categories:
overtaken, angst, cancer, fear, hurt,
Form: Free verse
Forevermore, The dust rises from the sky
Lights so bright, streets, long roads traveled
The gathering of the stars
Rewarding into the night light
Sunrise.
Traveled extensive miles
Beyond the hills and valleys
Open land abroad
Never to repeat that again
A narrow path straightened
The clouds moving
The moon
Hidden Valleys, deeper lakes
The sea
Overtakes
Running towards the land
The land of freedom
From the beginning
Winning
A soul, fulfillment
Goals.
Plans almost shattered
Determination sets in
Not a smile nor a grin
The winning at the end.
Not overtaken
A survival mode kicked in.
A journey not sealed
The past
The everlasting, the destiny revealed.
Categories:
overtaken, betrayal, courage, desire, destiny,
Form: Lyric
Needles tattoo scarlet flames across my face.
Eyes fix hypnotic on the matador's cape.
Frenzied herd stampedes throughout my chest,
bearing down on a cliff, with no concern.
The dam of reason bursts with mounting pressure
as a river of vengeful thoughts floods my mind;
the sound of roaring rapids echoing in my ears.
My body, a willing host for hate filled demons.
My soul, black with the suet of smoldering anger.
10/29/15
Contest: Dancing with description
Sponsor: Casarah Nance
Categories:
overtaken, anger, hate,
Form: Free verse
How many times can I side step you until my number is up
Will you come quietly into the night or stalking fast and abrupt
My shadow is perfect for your dark cloak to blend
It would just take me to turn and not suspect my close friend
A moment or more is all it would take
For my world to crumble, shatter, and break
So many memories stretched out for a mile
Pass through my eyes as they reflect your arrogant smile
This is not the end of the story you see
It is where it just begins in a place you can never follow me
Categories:
overtaken, death, hope, life,
Form: Rhyme
From conception death is chased
through hollow and hill
sunlight and shadow
backalley and byway
synagogue and saloon.
Through fresh bells of wallstreet
worn bodies on mainstreet,
death is chased relentlessly.
Its muddy hoofprints climbing
the crackpipes of
calvary eyes
clop-clop-clop.
Bending nightmare to angel
then back again-
Death slows brilliantly
(overtaken of course)
smiling-teeth plaqued with burning rubies
(sins of the flesh).
Just as its always been
life breaths into death,
Mad -mad circle of conception and chase
death woven to life
blackness and whiteness
whirling into blackholes
enlightened or not
roll down the window
silk on the rot
scrambling for (exacting) change
pay pay pay
the toll man your destiny
Categories:
overtaken, death, life,
Form: Free verse
Subliminal recession in a valid medium taunts your apathetic presence. Sin the
alleviate disparity, cos a destined validity, tangent universal. Overtaken by infinity,
hovering unscathed of the insidious through a self deity. Collapsing perception
rushing through these opaque peripheries.
Categories:
overtaken, introspection, philosophy
Form: Free verse
Turtle was feeling shy
Looking white by the snow covering
Shyness thwarted the shivering cold
Categories:
overtaken, nature
Form: Haiku