Short Engrained Poems

Do you ever wish you could fly
Skyward with wings that reach the sky
Like Peter Pan
Like Superman
Passion of my youth engrained was I...

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G~rief gobbles up happiness
R~emoves gladness, swallows whole
I~nternal agony lingers
E~very second despair weeps
F~orever engrained 'pon heart  

Sponsor: Black Eyed Susan
Contest: Grief
Written: September 28, 2013...

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   "Dramatic Moment"




hearts carved in oak tree
love engrained on wooden bark

I cried as rain crashed

lover buried beneath leaves
death awaits sweet rendezvous.


*For Suzette Crous's Tanka - The Pivot Contest ...

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Loved beyond measure or boundary 
That's my definition of you
So deeply engrained, so profoundly 
It cannot be other than true
My mind likes to drift and consider
Just what it would be if it was
And should that day come to fruition
I'll be ready for you when it does...

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Has the world ever known peace
I mean REAL peace
The answer to that is a resounding NO!
Not in my lifetime... not in anyone's lifetime
Why do nations have to struggle
To maintain an equilibrium necessary
To achieve this difficult goal
Is there something engrained in our sole?
YES!...

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We are not given the choice during our lifetime
Our path is already mapped out for each individual
As hard as we try to change our path
It is quite difficult or impossible to become
Someone else, it is engrained in our soul
A character of ill repute or a leader of a great nation
Where do each of us fit in?...

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My eyes sore
Redden in pains
Pupils dilated engrained
Blurred visions
Mind comprehends not bored
Should have been forgiven

I’m a witness to my mess
I am forgiven and yet
To my surprise I am
Light so soul shines
Energies lights so bright


1/25/2024
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2024©

...

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You put your hand
Where it should not be
You showed her things
She should not see
You took her to years
Before her time
You made her hate
What she didn't understand

Before she grew
A young life stained
Before she grew
A childhood to forget
Before she grew
Nightmares rehearsed
Before she grew
So much sadness engrained
Because of you

Before she grew....

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Strength was engrained
At an early age

Shedding tears; WEAKNESS
Displaying emotions; INSTABILITY
Seeking comfort; DEPENDENCY

She is a mess!
This she is ME

Stone faced
Dead eyes
Hollow inside
Fake laughter

Crying; UNFAMILIAR
Suffering silently; FACT
Showing vulnerability; FOREIGN

How does she change
What’s been engrained?
Redefining what was once established as
              STRENGTH...

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Jane complained, "Pain!" on a chain plane to Maine. 
Insane Jane's feigned pain was the bane of the plane' she main. 
Jane complained the veins strained; unwaned, gained Jane pain. 
Jane complained, 'twas engrained in the brains of the same on the plane. 
The sane complained, "why not a train? Or a drive down the lane in the rain?"
Jane's head craned- "but trains and down lanes in the rain to Maine are mundane!"...

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It’s hard to let go

We spend our lives building connection
A web of family, friends, business associates
And we fight to hold on, grow and succeed
Behavior so engrained in our being that it is truly second nature
How can there be any other way

Then one day, it’s time to let go
Say, for instance, it’s time to retire
How do you stop building, caring, competing
How do you cut the web
I guess that’s a spider’s concern...

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Deeply buried lies the beast
Masked by smiles and quiet peace
Can’t explain, don’t want to say
Sometimes alone I quietly pray
I sob and sob, the uncontrollable shake
Oh my God, please crush this beast
No one sees the pain
I suffer quietly
Keep this beast within 
It’s my burden alone
You will see my smiles
See my quietness
Deep within, my battle rages, 
Sadness engrained, my losses deep, 
My soul forever etched with the warriors I’ve served...

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Omnipresent


   The voice that had spoken arcane words amid thoughts has silently waned

   What remain is a vestige of wisdom filled nuances now eternally engrained

   My mother's face immortalized in timelessness graciously beckons in space

   Heading toward uninterrupted journeys and to overjoyed celestial embrace



                                           " For my mother Jessie"








Penned: 07/28/2022
             6;16 p.m.
             Zakynthos, Greece...

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