Two hundred fifty years, is not so long
When measured by how far this country’s gone.
A perfect orthodoxy it has never been,
Yet the work of perfecting it won’t end.
Its greatness lives in what we choose to keep,
Led by grace and peace, not fires of greed.
Where truth is heard, not drowned by lies,
And common sense is not deaf or blind.
This is what keeps a nation free:
To know its full history, to truly see,
To understand, relate, and appreciate,
So knowledge leads us not to hate.
Look around and recognize the years,
The progress earned through hope and tears.
Of all the nations ever brought to birth,
America stands the greatest on this earth!
We breathe in the shadows, perfecting the lie,
While the truth of us screams in a hushed lullaby.
I am stained by that kiss—by the heat, by the sin,
By the way that you let me and the cold universe in.
You were the brave one, the first to break through,
But now I am haunted by the ghost of you.
I am tearing apart in the way i wait for your touch,
Loathing the fact that I want you this much.
Was it a whim? Just a flicker of grey?
Or does the same fever consume you today?
The unknown is a killer, deep in the vein,
A craving for pleasure that’s indistinguishable from pain.
The guilt is a shadow I can't seem to shed,
A heavy, dark cover I wear in bed.
When the world demands we play out our part,
In the wreckage of us, hold me in your heart.
I am drowning in "maybe”, in secrets and salt,
Loving you feels like a beautiful fault.
If this is a ruin, let the heavy stone fall,
But if you are with me—if you feel it all—
Then let the shame burn until we are apart,
And forever, please, hold me in your heart.
As earth
turns to sun
to sweep away
night gown
with broom
of light
unveiling colors
awaking sounds
drinking light
to nurture body
clocked to die
with seasonal fruits
embodying seeds
perpetuating life
so too
the eternal seed
in body of clay
awakened by God
from darkness
of doubt
to truth of Light
converting
from diversion
that needs refill
which death
cannot kill
or its hunger fill
turning to God
immortal spring
opens day
with colors of graces
beautifying it
with gems of kindness
and sparkles of tears
turned to joy
nourishing self
and hungry other
with ever present
fruits of love
leaving night
of cocoon habits
to fly on wings
of rainbow lights
love perfecting
everchanging
never ending
Paradise
Fourth Place Winner- Brian Strand-Premiere 1458-4/1/26
This love, in living with
For its lesson
Pains through which patient understanding
Is demanding
Ponder; even preen; but passed can be
Through our union!
There's another. For this
Some, till death, wait!
That yond its perfecting through earthmen
Soul's, in Heaven.
Till then mood-raised by its dream. A true!
Eternal fate!
Sometimes it happens
when you least expect it,
like the moment when the burden
of yourself finds rest beneath
the vast canopy of a River Red Gum
stretched across your path
and there is a sudden clarity
lensed through the cathedral like
quiet housed inside
its domed height.
Its enormous trunk
and gnarled limbs carry centuries
of history written in scars.
You carry your own concealed
under the weathered exterior
of human years. Something
finds communion here,
life linking in an almost shared
awareness, discovering ground
on which all things have purpose
and move through time
being bruised by suffering,
slowly perfecting the power
to see beyond the reaches
of the self, into that place
where all perspectives meet
and join, in the vanishing point
of the mind.
Focused and healed the damage parts of me
not concern about how it use to be
long over due to love me for this change
now thought to be out everyone's range
trusted my intuition walk in truth
debunking lies throughout my years of youth
still standing although they wanted me dead
every chance they see me rips minds to shred
got up every fight only left bruised
surprised by my strength looking so confused
as a adult its been the same game right
new people no running no fight no flight
there's no need to announce my protection
its handled many facing conviction
loving myself shouldn't caused this much trouble
perfecting my gifts living in my bubble
Social Media;
Perfecting Hysteria.
Push button Reply;
Gas lightight the why.
Sticks and stones...
Blood and bones...
Reds and blues...
Roaring 'Boos'...
Silence begets silence;
Speech yields violence,
Passion to fight,
Stomping the blight.
Stuck in motion;
Ignoring all notion.
Frantically turning;
All paths churning.
Ground faulting;
Conscience halting.
Lies swirling;
Truth curling.
Confusion surrounds;
Chaos abounds.
Champion humility;
End the futility.
Plug the ears;
Muzzle the fears.
Pause the trigger;
Quell the vigor.
Close the eyes;
Unveil the guise
Force the thought;
Lest be bought.
My Bicycle of Imagination
The day and I are hand in hand,
brimming with a zippety-whippity-do.
I sit atop my saddle, my bicycle, my hill;
the morning mist is ragged like candy floss
on barbed wire, waggled fences.
Below a liquorice-tarmacked road
elbows through a mosaicked landscape;
churned fields sitting either side,
serrated into channels of earth;
suited and rooted in browned corduroy.
Then further on and along,
the sky sits sedately on the sea,
resting on a blue, rippled settee,
just out of close reach
of a mustard scarf of a beach.
Clouds rear - wild, white stallions;
they settle, then away at a gallop,
racing, chasing the prize in
the finishing line, the horizon.
Watch out, speedy swallow,
now, it’s my time to follow!!
I sense my bicycle’s stalled frustration,
so my body engine sets it free;
muscles tighten, pedals spin,
it’s time to fly, time to check in.
Off we go…wind pushing at my heels,
sunlight splashing off the wheels
down I swoop, a dance of balance;
the bike glides, the road slides.
Watch me come, watch me go
connecting, perfecting with nature’s flow;
sky, land and sea…………WEEEEEEEEEEE!
A complete thought
it conveys a complete thought
soothing harmonious phrases
a melody
perfecting a pitch
a sequence of notes
and a musical structure
that grooves and carries
from the Book
Cochliomyia hominivorax
By Cooter Skirts
----------------------------
a line from page 109 reads
We used the boxtruck for shelter in the rain.
while putting Styrofoam spray into number
tin cans, we were tryna make a floating device, anyway
I told ex wife the story of me becoming engaged.
"I knew my wife loved me the day
I came home early and no one
was there. She does crafts
and on the table was " I love You"
stringed together. She used the pigfeet bones from
the BBQ and some string
she tied dandiloins inbetween the bones
I asked her to marry me that evening"
She played fiddle with the band and I played accordain
Her ex husband was a cattle herder and he always had a need
to talk o her. I got tired of this
She said she'd marry me and I
told him that the latenight gossip
had to stop: I laughed at his lonelinees
and made no bones about what I meant!
Living in an open book,
I am everywhere I look,
I thought I took a wrong turn,
Feeling the fire burn,
I yearn for peace.
Releasing my hold,
Dropping the load,
Eroding into the landscape,
There's no need to escape,
The lesson is taking shape,
I am the paper,
The vapor in the air,
I wrote every word there,
My story to share,
For those out there,
Looking for a reason to care,
Life may not seem fair,
Careful of overreacting,
You may be redacting some content,
Seeking consent,
For how your day went,
Letting another use the pen,
Until you say when,
Rising up again,
Writing your way in,
The firing pin,
Locked in position,
Awaiting the decision,
Primed for the mission,
Exploding with precision,
I am spiritually driven,
I've written this story over and over,
Never crossing over,
The older I get,
The more I see it,
I am perfecting my gift,
A rift within the present,
Choosing different,
Changing each instant,
The end is in the distance,
I see another chance,
Will I return for another dance,
Or play in the expanse,
I love this experience.
Hope y'all are enjoying the chapter your writing.
Many think life is living the riches
Their heart finds love but never satisfaction
Living society, where does one find peace
Among their heart, forgotten how to love
Nature of existence, bond in unity
We obligate our priorities to material world
Our souls buried with ancestors we walk
Like lost generation ruled unto themselves
Life is believing anything is possible to achieve
One must be willing fight for survival
Like it was your last breath, it could be
Experience to live judged by who you are
In yourself peace exist among the ruins
Can not live by code of man but code of land
Our creation with purpose it is spoiled
With desires of flesh our prayers for prosper
Peace of love is oversight to mankind's doing
But perfecting in you his perfection abound
Like being optimistic but in all reality
Truth, anything possible and nothing's perfect
Failure is not an option but choice one chooses
Change starts with you as example for others
Life's example, giving a piece of you back for
the good of mankind
Sitting in my favorite place,
A smile upon my face,
I embrace being,
Seeing me in everything,
My eyes are projecting,
Perfecting a design,
I create with my mind,
In the silence I find,
My connection is Divine,
It's time to rise and shine,
This projection is mine,
Its parameters I define,
Within a set of guidelines,
Equations using time,
Situations in conservation,
Energy in constant transformation,
Wind is bringing information,
Using water for the translation,
The Trees Her Civilization,
Our own little nation,
Where I can come and play in,
Sit in meditation,
Embracing my Haven,
This Earth deserves saving.
Ok God hear it is
I spent eons perfecting an animal that cares about nothing I call it a……Cat
Gabriel beams as he places it gently in Gods lap
Could you please remove it
It is making a weird noise
and is constantly nipping me with its claws
Sorry your Lordness
Gabriel lifted the cat from his maker
Before we begin the test
I hope this is better than your last attempts
What was it again….God stroked his head
Yes the Dodo
The duck filled platypus
Oh and let’s not forget the humans
So …., shifting back on her throne…..test 1
Obey your maker
Come here……his finger pointing just beside her feet
The cat drew its eyes and darted off in chase of some flickering light
Okay good start…but let’s not celebrate too soon
Gabriel
Her me Cat sit
she sat transfixed by the cat
as it curled itself into a donut and fell asleep he glanced at Gabriel………very impressive
The cat leapt from its prone position
It jerks in juxtaposition with its grunts
Finally ending its exorcism in a matted tuft of regurgitated fur
December 8 Praises to God Bible Meditations Based on Ephesians 1-3
Key Verse – Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
PRAISE BE TO GOD FOR HIS SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS
Praise be to God for His spiritual blessings with:
Grand plan of His work
Good pleasure in His will
Great power along His way
Glorious praises during worship
Gracious provisions in His worth
Guiding prudence midst His wisdom
Governing providence by His watchfulness
Ephesians 2:10 Praise be to the Lord
for perfecting us as His workmanship:
Created for Christ-like character
Converted by His compassionate care
Cleansed toward consecration’s commitment
Charged for His calling so clearly communicated
Challenged to be courageous by His counsel and comfort
Ephesians 3:1 Praise be to the Saviour for
allowing us to be His prisoners:
Bound by His salvation
Burdened by His service
Brought to His sanctuary
Blessed with His satisfaction
Braced upon His steadfastness
Bestowed along His sustenance. Amen!
December 8, 2024
November 5 Praises to God Bible Meditations Based on John 5-6
Key Verse – John 5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
PRAISE BE TO GOD FOR ENABLING US TO WALK
Praise be to God for enabling us to walk while making us whole:
Propelling us for progress
Perfecting us along practice
Pardoning us from perversion
Providing for us midst poverty
Protecting us against perdition
Promoting us toward prosperity
Performing in us through His power
John 6:29 Praise be to the Lord for
His works toward our:
Salvation so secure
Sweet supplication
Sanctification that is sure
Shaping midst His stability
Strength upon His sturdiness
Steadfastness in His settlement
Sufficiency along His satisfaction
Support sustained by His Scriptures
John 6:69 Praise be to the Saviour
for He is the Christ Who:
Touches our tears of toils
Turns our trials into triumphs
Treats our trust against terrors
Tests our truthfulness with truth
Trains our tenacity midst temptations
Teaches our testimony despite travails
Thwarts our twists toward thanksgiving. Amen!
November 5, 2024
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.