When Pride Wins
He was hurt,
And he hurt others,
His heart quailed,
Yet he went on.
Was it anger,
At the world,
Overpowering his reason?
Did his grief
Eclipse rationality?
Was he too far gone,
To come back and repent?
Maybe, and maybe not,
He won and yet, he lost,
'Twas all of them,
But nothing he felt.
It was pride,
That ceased his apologies,
Broke straining threads,
And his self was drowned with pride's victory.
Mistakes, regrets and bruised egos,
Tears, longing and wounded hearts,
When pride wins,
People lose family,
People lose lovers,
People lose lives.
When pride wins.
My good friend, I shook on our first school day
you played with me until the bell.
My own friend, I quailed on my wedding eve,
you stood by me and wished me well.
My fine friend, I fussed when my child was born,
you told me I'd be a great dad.
My dear friend I wept when my first wife left,
you drank with me to share the sad.
My old friend, now sleep you sound in your grave,
your smile shines in my mind's eye.
My best friend, we have been through so very much,
you stuck with me, my turn to cry.
March 3, 2020
The action is downtown going quickly there
are girls dancing on a pool symbolism not needed
this constant friction any pubic hair left
it doesn`t matter it is in garish colours and
music that arrests free thinking and lap dancing are for losers
the only time the get an intimation of sex
and going home and pocket masturbate and feeling quailed
drying your shoes on the mat, your mother saying there
are sandwiches in the fridge
not let her know you had dancing girls sat on your lap.
Once I called all poets to come, they came
And sat in judgment upon me
With my silence I hid their shame
And watched them toasted their misery
Tell me, did then the vision of the poet failed?
Can human only know their own history
Was the larel of our friendship quailed?
Are we but blind savants of prophecy?
The maggot was an egg when the fruit was green
The ripening gold seduces its birth
For all love’s glory let me walk between
The flowering grass and the dew of earth
This morning as I woke up,
smiling at a new day,
thinking I’m a day older,
I looked forward to another birthday,
but my mind quailed at the aftertaste
before I shared my joy
with friends and kindred:
another day had been taken away,
and my dying day advances!
Out of my window I looked
to find out the cause of the noise therefrom—
Mr. Somebody had bought two more cars:
one for himself; the other, his wife.
And delighted they were,
for now they had six cars altogether!
I shivered at the irony:
their earthly stock had reduced by two!
After my bath,
I made for the living-room.
The sights were eye-friendly: assorted gifts!
Everyone gazed interestedly at my exclusive outfit.
‘’An angel has descended Heaven!’’ they exclaimed.
An ounce of disappointment overtook my face.
All these lots had been withdrawn
from the deposit of my life wealth!
There came the merry-making,
but only I did not have fun.
‘’Are you the odd man out?’’ they asked.
But life as a paradox:
it grows every new day,
and dies every yesterday.
It is an ending game,
awaiting the stoppage time.
Black holes in space
Not monsters that waste
They have their place
Center Master’s face
Eventful potentials
Mouths are essentials
Not to be quailed
Potential filled wells
By Word of truth
Potential filled booths
By no man go aloof
Look around see proof
`Tis not a spoof
You may accept truth
These surrogate faces
Indigenous’ oases
Out of darkness of mouth
Word potential doth spouse
Darkness comprehends not
Light by words begot
Darkness leads a horde
Broad is the way
The word doth not say
But out of darkness
The word doth say, “Light”
Word’s light shall man live by
Lest in darkness cry
Within the dark of eye
It shall be the lie!
4-9-10
Crazed commotion commercialized
Addictive actions appraised
Watching wearily waiting
Glances, glimpses gazed
Cell phone checked consistently
No new numbers needing names
Conniving, covetous and creative
Greedy gigantic game
Where, who and what?
Questions queenly quailed
Answers acquiring accuracy
For a fearing fortress failed
Captured confidence compiling
Suspicions a soaring social sight
Distrusting defiant diligence
Readily rehearsing rights
© Stacy Lynn Stiles