Proficient Poems | Examples

Be that beacon

Happy thoughts grown like mushrooms
in the dark they boldly offer hope
~ with practice we get proficient



Wordku: 5-7-5 words

AP: 2nd place 2025

Four Alarms Espinela

Your tongue is an atomic split,
I am locked in a  sharp inhale.
Proficient those lips leave me pale. 
All my breath work, can you feel it? 

Exploring my mouth bit by bit
with a simmer I'm left gasping.
Blood drains my will is collapsing,
knees fail as I fall for your charms.
My moans repeat like four alarms
coerced by shocks everlasting.

Manual for a Pallbearer

There is no manual
on how to become a pallbearer
you are chosen
you are just chosen 
you become the chosen on.

To be a proficient pallbearer
You need a sleepy stride
like somebody who's coming down from a high
You'll need a strong copper handled grip
because you don't want to let down the one
who's carried you for so long...
and you must have a stoic face-like a snake
no tears allowed on the deep green grass of the Everlast
you must be stoic for the crowd
save the tears for them

There's no training manual
on how to become a
pallbearer.
No resume needed
You are just chosen.

A Confession

To soften his adolescent growing pains
he was encouraged (can’t recall by whom)
to take up painting – to make a name 
for himself, they said. When that failed, 
and miserably, he took up drinking
which he likened not to a godsend, 
rather to a bodily need and calling. 
And so it was, for in little time 
he became proficient with the bottle 
and was soon dubbed master of alcohol. 
His first exhibitions were private, 
of course; he was, after all, a novice. 
Only years later, with no small courage 
or lack of inhibition, did he feel 
competent enough to go public. 
To his disappointment, however, 
and a severe blow to his pride as well, 
his public exposure (though widely known) 
was not well attended except by 
the usual “patrons” – mostly police, 
psychiatrists, and condemning clergy.
Happily, however, his name often
made headlines on gossipy tabloids – 
the only recognition he consistently 
garnered during a long career which has 
kept his name burning in the public’s 
ears and eyes for decades now, and is 
certain to be his legacy long after 
he has passed out and away for good.

Nurses

Nurses

Most aspire nurses

to achieve more out of life.

Nowhere does caring invoke the spirit.

But time shapes your world its way,

sometimes silencing your hustle.

 

It’s like no other profession.

You become a proficient whisperer

piercing into the hearts of others,

not realizing you also have one.

these are acts of infinite morality

guiding you to the best of the next life.

 

Your resilience has no comparison.

Your hands, an unselfish spontaneous radiance.

Your smile radiates a refreshing chaste blessing.

Your tears, pure like dew drops from heaven.

Your eyes, 

oh! your eyes

they siphon into our soul -

they are the voices of God.

Heaven is smiles on you.

©Al Juman The "Said" Poet  12 /2021

MAKING LOVE

When we started to share a bed
(After our wedding, it should be said)
Although we knew what we had to do,
We were inexperienced, me and you.
There were books in the library we might try
But, in the end, we were far too shy.
So we ordered the Kama Sutra on line,
In a plain brown wrapper, so that was fine.
Now we’re working through it page by page
(Though the language comes from a bygone age)
It hasn’t been all plain-sailing for me.
I slipped a disc on page fifty-three!
But now we’re getting quite proficient
And what we’re doing must be sufficient.
For the doctor broke the news today
That we’ll need to buy a cot in May.

Anti-Power

The strong are always to blame for the powerless:
The rulers come up with the best of intent
It doesn’t take efforts to overpower us
Having police and stern judges at hand
Once deemed as the victims of a failed state
We turned up to convicts for waging a war
Though war is not ours to make, its too late
Our explanations won’t work anymore
The world is in full right to its imperfections
It uses quite often this right to impose
Further restrictions, in spite of objections 
Why should it happen this way, no one knows
Proficient philos deny a free will
Well concealed apophatic god makes a call: 
Some live in peace, some are destined to kill
Some are claimed guilty for nothing at all 
Servants of power, warriors of cancelling
Criminalize me as much as you can
Ban all my cards, stop me from travelling
Save from my coming your prosperous land 
According to the conservation of matter
I’m your anti-power, with all that implies
In your fictional wholeness I’m one of the shatters
Living one of those many fragmentary lives.

Good Friday

He designed the sky, the night, the stars so bright.
His hand, perfectly proficient, stilled the seas,
Promised sweet peace, stimulated hopes and dreams,
Believing, singing so all the world would soon see,
His hand, who perfectly planned…
His hand, in everything – skilled in all life might demand.

Proficient Reading Cow

Herbert did not say much about his proficient reading cow.
But she read at an eighth-grade level, none of us knew how.
We saw her reading the newspaper and an encyclopedia too.
Unlike other cows, this literary appreciator never said “moo”.

Acknowledge Our Presence

the strength of Black folks can be encapsulated
by the power in the message we convey
for we are purposeful bold Black kings & queens
forging our own way
acknowledge our presence
as we stand in all our glory
recognize our dignity, our pride
our heritage, our story

we are significant human beings
deserving of civility & respect
multi-talented & proficient
in every aspect
we assert our rights to determine & control
our own destinies
and have jurisdiction over our families
and our communities

the power in Black people can be summarized
by the fortitude we've continuously display
from the Middle Passage beyond slavery
to the systemic racism still in play
our pertinacity our tenacity
and our steadfast aptitude
gave us the toughness of spirit to endure
society's hateful attitude

the resilience of the power in the Black community
can be epitomized by our faith in Christ
as it was His mercy & grace which afforded us
the moral strength to never give up on life
acknowledge our presence
acquiesce to our magnificence
as we will no longer tolerate
hate not indifference

acknowledge our presence

Does the Most Educated Own the Floor

Does The Most Educated Own The Floor?
Miracle Man
4-21-2023

Some Dr. visits are packed with good news,
on other days seems it’s crammed with bad.
At times I’ve questioned some Doctor’s views,
and It never failed in making them mad.

They’re skilled in their field as I was in mine,
neither as proficient as a high wire rope dancer.
Answering questions too quickly births a whine,
but the longer a question the shorter my answer.


Had three appt’s this week,
Can you tell?
Tom

Blossoms of the Midday

The journey of one thousand miles,
Now beginning with a single leap
How many times should I persuade myself?
To shelve my worry, trim my furry 
And just allow love?

What`s love other than being self-insufficient?
Other than reminiscing on how empty
One can be.
What`s love other than burning to be proficient?
Other than looking back at unbroken hefty
Stories that can’t be.

What`s love if you won’t find a mirror,
To look and behold your other self
Getting better and complete with the twilight
That scintillates from your other self?
What`s love if you don’t regret falling into one,
And getting your stand in a foreign kingdom,
Whose jurisdiction you’re to merge and be one,
And to her gaiety waft away boredom?

What`s love if you know you’ve met the real her,
That you dream atop clouds and heaven
That you see angel in her, goddess at par
That finally you can rest and in true love gladden
How will you talk about love,
Unless you’re ready to love?

Facial Hair

I have finally grown a goatee
Keep it trimmed and neat as can be
Though some say it definitely isn’t me,
I think it suits me to a tee.

I tried for years to grow a beard
It always turned out just as I feared
Sparse, scraggly, needing to be sheared
All my friends resoundingly jeered. 

Some think I’m hiding, in disguise
I think my goatee makes me look wise
It’s trimmed to just the right size
Covering neither my eyes nor thighs.

My goatee is particularly efficient
At catching crumbs, it’s very proficient
My bare upper lip seems sadly deficient
For me, the goatee is certainly sufficient. 

Written December 3, 2022

In the Wake

In the wake of a ship, one struggles against the surge to get on board.
Falling behind is not an option, to miss this ship, one solely cannot afford.
On occasions, there are undertows attempting to drag you down and hold you back.
The spirit-minded person knows that it’s only old Lucifer trying to attack.

The very first step in acquiring wisdom is to find quality time in silence.
One must illuminate the sirens, the noise the commercials, and the violence.
The second step is to listen with fervent intent.
With an open heart and receptive mind, your time surely will be well spent.

The third step is a good memory so keep your mind clear.
In this quiet place you are not alone, so have no fear.
The fourth step is to practice, for a thing done over and over makes one proficient.
Failures and trials of life sharpen one, as iron sharpens iron,
So when the time is at hand your strength will be sufficient.

One knows that struggling while in the wake; you are on the right path.
Being calm is not a great attribute in life’s tumultuous sea while swimming to victory.
Never give up on the quest of your dream and surely, you will make your mark in history.

Mistakes and Successes

Our mistakes, let us plant them with care,
let's cultivate them with love
in a garden of resilience
that we will reap proficient fruits
of learning in the future...

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