Short Idled Poems

One day,
My love shall return,
Never to be,
Idled again....

Read More

She had been stalked
Dark thoughts draped in silence
Ranting
Gnawing
Suckling
At the breast of doubt
Whimpering
In the shadowed suffering
Of idled indecision
Held hostage
By the blank page

John G. Lawless
©6/23/2023...

Read More

Swan Song

I slid silently past
soft silenced down
laid in rest
amid fresh sprouted grasses
no viewing hours posted
only the few drifters
heads bowed
paddles idled
an homage
to nature’s beauty
spent.


John G. Lawless
5/28/2017...

Read More

morning is the best time
my big brother used to say
 wanna catch the big ones
 start early in the day

fishing pole in hand
a sunny cotton top
waiting for the cork to pop

a perfect  day, idled away
side by side
my brother and I

stringer nearly full
 biggest one mine
proudly shown off to mom
when your eight going on nine...

Read More

Ancient thoughts that robbed my mind
Twin only to celestial time
Idled is how time is seen
oh how lonely time must be
Death has swallowed time erase
get thee thither no time to waste
Endless mirrored time prolonged 
thrushed into timeless beautifully adorned
Mocking recklessly marveling at the chase
Longing for time to take her place...

Read More

Look closely
between the bars.

   Look at
     pain, angst, hunger
       businesses idled.

             A prison
             enough --
             her empty
             salon.

Bills mount up
employees
look elsewhere for work.
    
     "Law's broken; I've spoken -
                 Jail!"

I see blind men,
Look closely.

May 8, 2020...

Read More

While his presidential jet idled on the runway
Many good people came to mourn
Oh,
A troubled American nightmare had woken
On that day when they murdered John
It was such a dark heartbreak moment
Men cried as his coffin became airborne
Voices of liberty echoed across the sky
As he left us
Broken and alone
Now beyond our tears
On his final journey home...

Read More

The colors of my mind
  Collide in conversation 
   But all I see
   Is black and white
   Thoughts so empty 
    That feeling should 
      Not be there 
        And yet I still shed tears 
       Unknown to myself why 
        Loss,love,hate,loneliness 
         Idled Truths of past reason
          False hope and gutless actions
           Limitless but not limited too
           Pain,sorrow,love, guilt...

Read More

Because of you
I wait idled and swimming in filth.
Because of you 
I twitch forty times the way of God. 
Because of you 
I stake a flat iron face
In front of your front.
Because of you
Sixteen candles 
Mean seventeen frowns.
Because of you my house burns
In sweaty, ballsy gumption. 
My hand gives awkward
Pause until the lead dog points and shoots. 
Because of you 
I cry sweet soda tears
And kiss the faces on the TV....

Read More

'...the great tide that treads the shifting shore.'
   -Edna St. Vincent Millay



Sluggishly the waves steal in like guilty 
lovers, apologetic,
smothering the shore with gentle kisses 
of contrition;
the ocean lies at rest, the surf recumbent, 
apoplectic.

Suddenly the heavens burst, tides no 
longer in remission,
swells that idled now surge into shore
their temper rages,
'sotto voce' once, now they roar like tigers
in their cages!...

Read More

'...the great tide that treads the shifting shore.'
-Edna St. Vincent Millay


Sluggishly the waves steal in like guilty 
lovers, apologetic,
smothering the shore with gentle kisses 
of contrition;
the ocean lies at rest, the surf recumbent, 
apoplectic.

Suddenly the heavens burst, tides no 
longer in remission,
swells that idled now surge into shore
their temper rages,
'sotto voce' once, now they roar like tigers
in their cages!...

Read More

'...the great tide that treads the shifting shore.'
-Edna St. Vincent Millay


Sluggishly the waves steal in like guilty 
lovers, apologetic,
smothering the shore with gentle kisses 
of contrition;
the ocean lies at rest, the surf recumbent, 
apoplectic.

Suddenly the heavens burst, tides no 
longer in remission,
swells that idled now surge into shore
their temper rages,
'sotto voce' once, now they roar like tigers
in their cages!...

Read More

'...the great tide that treads the shifting shore.' 
                                Edna St. Vincent Millay 


Sluggishly the waves steal in like guilty 
lovers, apologetic, 
smothering the shore with gentle kisses 
of contrition; 
the ocean lies at rest, the surf recumbent, 
anorectic. 

Suddenly the heavens burst, tides no 
longer in remission, 
swells that idled now surge into shore 
their temper rages, 
'sotto voce' once, now they roar like tigers 
in their cages!...

Read More

'...the great tide that treads the shifting shore.' 
                                Edna St. Vincent Millay 


Sluggishly the waves steal in like guilty 
lovers, apologetic, 
smothering the shore with gentle kisses 
of contrition; 
the ocean lies at rest, the surf recumbent, 
anorectic. 

Suddenly the heavens burst, tides no 
longer in remission, 
swells that idled now surge into shore 
their temper rages, 
'sotto voce' once, now they roar like tigers 
in their cages!...

Read More

'...the great tide that treads the shifting shore'
                           -Edna St. Vincent Millay


Sluggishly the waves steal in like guilty 
    lovers, apologetic,
smothering the shore with gentle kisses 
    of contrition;
the ocean lies at rest, the surf recumbent, 
    anorectic.

Suddenly the heavens burst, tides no 
    longer in remission,
swells that idled now surge into shore
    their temper rages,
'sotto voce' once, now they roar like lions
    in their cages!...

Read More

'...the great tide that treads the shifting shore'
                           -Edna St. Vincent Millay


Sluggishly the waves steal in like guilty 
    lovers, apologetic,
smothering the shore with gentle kisses 
    of contrition;
the ocean lies at rest, the surf recumbent, 
    anorectic.

Suddenly the heavens burst, tides no 
    longer in remission,
swells that idled now surge into shore
    their temper rages,
'sotto voce' once, now they roar like lions
    in their cages!...

Read More

'...the great tide that treads the shifting shore'
                           -Edna St. Vincent Millay


Sluggishly the waves steal in like guilty 
    lovers, apologetic,
smothering the shore with gentle kisses 
    of contrition;
the ocean lies at rest, the surf recumbent, 
    apoplectic.

Suddenly the heavens burst, tides no 
    longer in remission,
swells that idled now surge into shore
    their temper rages,
'sotto voce' once, now they roar like lions
    in their cages....

Read More