Why should we
be allotted a day at all
there is no allotment
we carry the load
we always have
we always will
it is au naturale
we succeed
the pain, or,
somehow
just proceed
despite it all
the ripping open
of seals, torn -
the message crowns,
at the opening
the trident
at the door
inside, revealed
we are
the strength
potentate
high above
the little man
the smaller
sacrament
the Mother
that birthed
it all
Candide Diderot. ‘24
“Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.”
Barber, Samuel. Adagio. Strings.
William Makepeace Thackeray.
International Womens' Day.
How do you think Scheherazady
Would incorporate her body
To spice up those tales and keep enticed
That potentate?
She would ges-tic-u-late.
Aladdin could have faced disaster,
But the djinn said to his master,
"I've three wishes I can grant
But can't articulate
Lest you ges-tic-u-late."
In ancient Greece Olympian Zeus
Would turn his Titan anger loose,
And lightning bolts he'd throw to show
That how his wrath to demonstrate,
He would ges-tic-u-late.
Superheroes spend long hours
Developing their special powers
Of strength and speed that's unimpeded,
So they wear costumes both for show and to facilitate
When they ges--tic-u-late.
So, let me say here, as I wind up,
When you talk, just make your mind up,
To enhance your speech and diction,
Take a tip from folks in fiction,
Make your conversation great
And just ges-tic-u-late.
INFRA DIG
The effect of time on sculpture is to patinate
Albeit that such artistic skill may be innate
The age of such treasures whether early or late
May for most, be quite difficult to calculate
Yet still makes focused minds concentrate
Despite empty criticisms that can aggravate
And so much academic fury will accumulate
But still identify a new theory to formulate
Perhaps items from an old German palatinate
Or commissioned by a Far Eastern potentate
When commonly using leeches to exsanguinate
And sheriffs given his orders to disseminate
All this as research findings to communicate
Even with some dispute about the actual date
Most would have their reputations to elevate
Yet shared archaeology claims they can’t separate
Once upon a licorice stick, I pondered
While dancing on a thistle protruding
After my paycheck I duly squandered
So poor was me wound up concluding
‘Tis not very wise to waste my nickels
Like a drunken, unmindful profligate
On silly baubles, sodas, and popsicles,
I’m not a rich Far Eastern potentate.
When lastly, I could afford only licorice
Living impoverished with nary a thing
My attitude becoming rather bitterish
My entire legacy being a piece of string!
Written August 4, 2022
The Wish
I dream of sleeping in a bed of rose petals like an Indian potentate
who waits for his favourite concubine to come to join him in his bed?
I know I have to wait long till the petals are squashed and cling
to my body itch my bed will smell of degeneration.
I drive a motorbike across the Alps but can’t smell the edelweiss
for petrol fume; cows go on grazing unaware of my presence.
If I swim in the Ganges, it will be among the corpses floating down
to a heavenly ocean.
There is a temple in India dedicated to rats; I will go there, seek
a cure for my fears of vermin
Jasmine flowers are enchanting like virgins open up late at night
but I will not swap any of them for my sweet almond tree.
Fire that lights up the heavens in the dark of night,
Whispers that echo across continents.
Burning ones, here and there, flashing like lightning;
To behold The ONE TRUE IMMORTAL GOD, is to die.
Light unapproachable, Life Incarnate.
GOD undefeatable, High Potentate.
Strong, impregnable, does not oscillate.
Grand sovereign, Supreme Prelate.
Silent, HIS Voice thunders,
GOD, in unbridled power
Thunders, no mortal can bear to hear
The nuances that brought forth all things from nothings.
The bear, the stork, all feed at HIS Table,
A trillion trillion creatures respond
To HIS Breath: all existences known and unknown
Close and in far untold reaches of space.
This sudden warped concern for ampule,
the cruel force of world dictators,
these psychological taunt of the media,
Nescient chemists controlling our minds,
tycoons uttering lies in egoistic motives,
these pretentious drama of publicized jabs,
enhancing their personal ambition to rule,
these old prime ministers at the precipice,
unwilling to retire for greed,
frightened by the plague concocted in Wuhan,
confusing my will by their own fears.
conspirators accusing me of conspiracy,
invoking laws on their medium,
censoring opposing opinion,
These organized crimes against my will,
A cooked up opium rushed out of laboratory,
compelling a Police state devoid of volition,
mRNA coated codes, their Greek gift to save the world,
the same world they pass by in pain,
these tyrants suddenly more catholic than the Pope,
or civil than a civilian,
Liberty at the mercy of potentate,
silence all demanding,
The hysteria unending,
my trust for their kindness is zero.
All Powerful Provider present in all places
Potentate presiding our prayers and praises
I'm a pilgrim privileged to be in Your presence
Panting like a deer for Your pure precepts
Profiting from Your priceless pearls of prudence
Provisioned by Your proverbial pages of Scripture
Preserved from pagan practices
Predestined to be Your progeny
Placed in Your perfect plan
Partaker of Your precious promises
Purified by Christ's pouring blood of persecution
Preferred above praiseworthy people
Performing priestly purposes
Planted in the perennial picture of paradise
Patiently preparing for Your Parousia
08.27.2020
Written for Beata Agustin's "Alliteration Regarding Relationship With God" contest
Come now, you days so dreary,
with thoughts mundane and weary.
Both windy rain and bitter cold,
find comfort in blains and days of old.
To sit and sigh and wonder why
this if and when the eyes are dry
and the coals no longer lit are pale
in the wake of stormy frozen gale.
Until the frost is no longer on the glass
neither inside, outside in stormy blast.
And the Spring thaw comes in strident strain
to greet us with warmth and smiles again.
It lays a comfort blanket on us in haste as
we smile inside ourselves...what a waste!!!
While sitting we muse upon our fate....
Glad it rests not in the hands of a potentate
My thought for tonight, anno dominie Jan 23, 2019
Charles Grady Henderson
The Non-Sublimininal Criminal
High Priest of Hypocrisy
The Diplomat of Draft Dodgery
The Great Example of Paying Test-Takers
The LoudMouth of Wealthy Fakery
The Main Proof of Miseducation
The Nanocrat of Non-Payment
Potentate of ***********
Sultan of **** Patronage
The Grand Probah of PooPoo
The Big Wheel of Blather
And Salesman of Bull-puckey
High Lama of Skullduggery
The Master Purveyor of Inaccuracies
The Pride of Misrepresentation
The Scion of Misdirection and Nepotism
The Black Knight of Spite
Grand Lizard of Hate and Bigotry
The Fometer of Torment
Master of Catastrophe
The Master of the Quick Disaster
The Worshipper of War by Proxy
Lover of Lies and Liars
The Promises of Pusillanimity
The Handmaiden of Bribery
Worshipper of Massive Greed
The Purchaser of Fake News
The Dandy with Unseen Clothes
The Undead Ghost of the Capitol
The Horrible Haunt of the Presidency
Embodiment of Embracement
The Shamelessness of Gross Shuckers.
Abundant Blessings Continue,
Descending Endlessly From God.
Happy Is Jesus, King Like Melchizedek,
Nary Other Potentate, Qualified Ransom,
Savior Triumphant, Universal Victor.
Wholeheartedly Express Your Zeal!
New leaf
I dream of sleeping in a bed of rose petals
like an Indian potentate waiting for his favourite concubine.
I know as I wait the petals will be crushed cling to my
body and the bed will stink of decay.
I drive my motorbike across the Alps, the cows don`t bother
to look up they have seen elephants.
I Swiss hotels are expensive and cold and smell of edelweiss,
but I don`t care, not since I bathed in the Ganges.
In India there is a temple for rats, I like to go there
it may cure my fear of rodent.
Jasmine flowers are permanent virgins only open up
at night when the world sleeps.
I will not change any plant for my almond tree it
flowers every winter and I dream of snow
The famed archer perches on the minaret
While the waxing moon disappears
He studies the dancing silhouettes
Waiting on the reclusive premier
The scant light of a torch coyly dances
And soon the moribund ruler emerges
The bowman knows where his allegiance is
Soon the realm will be singing dirges
The arrow hits the heart and it is rent apart
And so departs the tyrannical tetrarch
King of kings, He is on the throne,
Lord of lords, He rules the earth,
Mighty God, comparable to none,
Never-ending One, who can measure His worth?
Only Potentate, He is true and just,
Perfect, He is the Ancient of days,
Quenches the soul when on Him we trust,
Righteous, inscrutable are all His ways.
Shepherd and Bishop, our souls does He keep,
To Him be all glory forever and ever,
Unsearchable are His judgments so deep,
Victorious, He will reign as King forever.
Who is there like unto our God?
X-raying us, every thought He has read
Yesterday, today and forever, He is Lord,
Zealous to perform all that He has said.
---------------------
8.9.16
Two Poems
Avariciously she wanted to be a poetess
Cryptic colloquial eloquent words possessed
Often elusive eschewed from the theme
Limericks and rhymes avoiding etymology means
She an emissary of exonerated poetry banned
Refused extrication to facilitate an easy read
Hoped the fallowed grounds would lead the thieves
Foolhardily challenged the spies of poetry
Used furtive and feasible ingenious loquacious words
For the myopic poet seeing past opaque platitudes
A potentate poetess unconstrained by rules
Made a prudent decision of quiescent raconteur
The timorous young woman without any means
Observed scant observations of her apparent world
A sense of rectitude despite the rancid rooms
Holding profoundly laud regarding the state of penury
Perhaps, she myopic to any morose situations
A genius idiosyncrasy to others observations
Reading her books extraneous to any interpretations
Choosing eruditions to edify accusing disdains
Definitively making her way, condoning opinions
The cantankerous say.
Escaping reality with ambivalent
Articulate assents by way of academic astute ebullience
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