Rephrased Poems | Examples

Flowers at My Funeral

on a ship wandering on seas
a sea of peoples seeking for peace
i asked them,
"if the ship went down, which flower should they use at my funeral?"
he said lotus
but i said lavender
she said peony
but i said sunflower
out of the crowd someone screamed out, 
"use a bouquet"
i asked "why?"
he rephrased it and said
"idiot they all mean recovery and peace"

THE MAKING OF US IS NOT RIGHT FOR US-part 1

THE MAKING OF US IS NOT RIGHT FOR US

I am not for that
Though I do not remember giving of suck
From my mother’s breast
I was not made to be drinking, ingesting cow’s milk

THE MAKING OF US IS NOT RIGHT FOR US

Not supposed to was purposeful to eat vegetation
Not raw nor cook burning meat
Processed rephrased chemically altered

Though I be melanin we of the dark persuasion
Not created to be subjected, cast off and enslaved
I for be a King mine soul mate a Queen

THE MAKING OF US IS NOT RIGHT FOR US

I AM of I AM
Not your tool, servant, animal
I AM melanin man
Birthed from the heavens, a temporary visitor
Residencies abiding on vacating world
Where we’re supposed to toil

Not judge by fellow man, not to abuse womb-man
Birth spiritual placed temporal in a vessel
We alive
Only our matter dies
We are incarnate energy
WE Rise
THE MAKING OF US IS NOT RIGHT FOR US


12/16/24
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2024©

Mention

And when healing has it's own beauty to embrace, 
I rarely like my past to be rephrased.

Because in the past who I was I wanted to time stand still, 
and thought that my happiness would come back and fill.

Just because I wanted to believe it, because I know I've gotten lazy,
And my personality has gotten shady.

Wonder though I do not at all, 
since people had criticised me a lot in fall.

Sad that a sense of care is called cringey, 
I sat on the swing and stand in the swingey.

While the Wind poured my face with drops of rain which clouds have squeezed out, 
and the sun that came rarely once a month from the weather it                       fought.

Tears my soul didn't need to pour out, 
Anger my soul has made already a Sound, 
Confusion my sould has already found, 
Love my sould had already in amount.

Changed I did never, 
Just my heart will be closed forever.

Grey Matter

The philosophy
of language
its essence
rephrased 

The alpha
and beta
unknown
without names

All dialects
freeing
the sound
of the ink

Without words
and their meaning
could
— we ever think

(Villanova University: April, 2024)

Una Quaestio

I know it’s
written
I don’t know
why
The heavens
tremble
as poet’s  
cry

To stand
anointed
in love’s
review
And pose
one question
rephrased 
— anew

(Dreamsleep: April, 2024)

Albright Im

Albright left our earthly night 

To a place where women help each other 

Be she minister, president or mother 

Be she feeble or has might 

 
She misspoke it was not woke: 

Those who’ll help you not 

Woman to woman may you rot 

Deplorable folk 
 

In hell’s very special place 

She rephrased and made it positive:

Women who help women shine 

 
A star through any haze 

All bright as she did live 

And drink sweet angels’ wine

Eternally Forgotten By You

Eternally forgotten by you,
didn't happiness start glowing
on that face lovelier than grace?
Eternally forgotten by you,
can words be rephrased
while listening to their meaning?
Can they be easily erased?
Do they become ashes in a blaze?

Our dedication even surpassed passion,
we preferred company over kisses;
we never realized they were given up
to let love fade out and not drink up
all the sweetness that was in that cup;
did we do it with the assumed intention
of being together denying pretension?

Eternally forgotten by you,
our cold and distant hearts
should have joyful beats
with sentimental moods;
none of these we feel 
considering their betrayal!
Eternally forgotten by you,
even beautiful memories
are subdued by these constant blues
that are more tearful than sadness! 

Eternally forgotten by you,
can I love anyone and forget you?
The person you loved remains imprinted on
the lonely soul saddened by what she has done!

Eternally Forgotten By You

Eternally forgotten by you,
didn't happiness start glowing
on that face lovelier than grace?
Eternally forgotten by you,
can words be rephrased
while listening to their meaning?
Can they be easily erased?
Do they become ashes in a blaze?

Our dedication even surpassed passion,
we preferred company over kisses;
we never realized they were given up
to let love fade out and not drink up
all the sweetness that was in that cup;
did we do it with the assumed intention
of being together denying pretension?

Eternally forgotten by you,
our cold and distant hearts
should have joyful beats
with sentimental moods;
none of these we feel 
considering their betrayal!
Eternally forgotten by you,
even beautiful memories
are subdued by these constant blues
that are more tearful than sadness! 

Eternally forgotten by you,
can I love anyone and forget you?
The person you loved remains imprinted on
the lonely soul saddened by what she has done!

Resonance

We
do flow
on our own,
as we do draw
from the universe
by pure resonation,
thoughts, albeit shaped by mind.
The thought is there but we are not!
Rephrased; we are there but ego not!

Attention pendulum, yet does swing,
holding us captive, in a trance
enmeshed amidst illusions.
Lost therein, we stumble:
refuge in silence,
where we reside,
love ensconced,
vibrant;
pure.

27-February-2021

Devotion

“surrender requires a surrenderer ...
meditation needs a meditator ...
the child exuberant, a wonderer!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spoilt
for choice,
there being
multitude paths
to connect with God,
for in truth, He does all,
thereby all paths illusions,
in as appearing as practice
comforting mind that we are doing
whereas all the doing is done by God.

Fret not oh hermit! All paths are equal
or rephrased, devotion is the way,
wherein we choose to surrender
ego borne fears and desires,
which is to say, all thought,
merging by melting,
thus becoming
the essence
of Gods
love.

06-December-2020

The Devil Mute

Virtue when expressive,
deafens bad intention

Its voice to live beyond,
excuses and retort

A minstrel plays a song unsung,
as sages rise to dance

All words rephrased in lyric tones
—the devil mute and gone

(Villanova Pennsylvania: October, 2019)

A Conundrum of Contradictons

for those who write of nothing but “their” god
contribute to an ever growing wad
of crumbled thoughts and idle promises
comprised of all the do’s and don’ts and did’s
rephrased in rhapsodic search for cause
old lions licking at their thorn scarred paws
unable to deduce that beauty’s rose
is best enjoyed at distance by the nose
t’is not the howling wind that bows the trees
nor perdition’s threat that calms the raging seas
but the words I find indigenous to me
that I cherish and reluctantly set free
so crumble them – recycle if you must
old dreams recovered from life’s living dust


John G. Lawless
©6/12/2019

Ablution

Your love to bathe 
  in words rephrased

With hearts not young
  —or old

(Villanova Pennsylvania: May, 2019)

And You Felt a Way

It's true though. 
Any happiness you felt began with you first.
You didn't wait, you rephrased it as a smile.
Straightforward really.
You felt a way because my passion could never justify. 
Only reinforce what you felt to begin with.
You felt a way because you respect yourself to be yourself. 
The emotional boundaries of your well being. 
Thus I awaited your permission before taking the first step.
Initially paraphrasing your smile.
The importance of being treated the way I'd like to be treated.
Holding your stare to create a sense of security. 
A safety that went without ill-intention. 
Not because you fill your jeans or the fact that your well put together. 
What's meant to be is what's meant to be.
What's the rush.
Although true, you felt a way because I never crossed any of your boundaries. 
A generational gap between "hey lets chill." and "I'd love to take you out."
The honesty of eyebrows highlighting life goals in full view of the sun.
Fully dressed.
Well groomed.
While the sky attends it's breakfast.
Reservation in the clouds.
The embodiment of grace

Better Never Late

Good legacy is one of a kind treasure
That will last for generations
With the bucket of love we all share
Shall remain forever

We listened with our hearts, eyes and minds
To the knowledge you have shared from within
As war of peace shall escalate then
Prejudices and biases shall come to rest


We show respect and say no fouls
As we taste the growing ranks of peace revolutions
Pace of peace from a single "STEP"
Together with "I MESSAGE"
That we "REPHRASED" shall perish on earth

We cannot change natural behavior
But we can control
We cannot even measure how far is too far
We can never go over limit to make peace
Because there is no limit to go over it


Heart is hard to govern
Keep changing its feeling from time to time
But heart is emotionally and sincerely forgiving
Because it is naturally God given
If we have done something hurting
We shall be forgiven

Thank you and thank you
For the wisdom we learned from you
Because saying the words
Are the most just freedom
We can do



Written during the ACCESS Philippines Program, Peace Learning Center, Indianapolis, 
Indiana, USA, April 22, 2006, 2:22am

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