How long can nature bear a world that sinned
As oceans rise to swallow up the shore?
Our business greeds are scattered by the wind,
While maddened skies demand we build no more.
The dying forests gasp for cleaner breath,
The rivers scream against their concrete chains,
We dance a blind, collective march to death,
Ignoring patterns in the monsoon rains.
And yet, hope stays put in the soil and seed,
If human hearts untangle pride from power,
To take from Earth no more than what we need,
Before we reach the final, fateful hour.
The cycle heals, erasing every fear,
Though man has lived behind a fenced frontier.
__________________________________
Happenings | 20.09.2026 | Earth, nature, ocean, rain, river, world, crown of sonnets
There are promises about forevermore
That sadly get pushed aside.
Their reality is beyond our comprehension
So they often get denied.
Is it because human logic
Says a beginning must have an end?
A conclusion somehow comforts us.
A metaphoric friend.
We have only known life
As we see it now.
So the idea of no more troubles
Seems impossible somehow.
The promises of forevermore
Include no more hunger and thirst.
A humane and loving society
Where we all put others first.
They tell of peace and happiness
No more wars again on earth.
Every living form is treated
With the respect and dignity it's worth.
"He will swallow up death forever"
No more funerals to attend.
No more final breathes exhaled
By a family member or friend.
No more scary stories
About how our planet will die.
"The earth remains forever"
And will expose this careless lie!
In times of fear, sorrow and darkness,
It's very hard to see
How what's envisioned with eyes of faith
Will soon come to be.
But the promises of forevermore
Are trustworthy. Are true.
For they come from the most reliable source ~
The creator of me and you.
If l call God
And tell how many tears l dropped
The countless drops l couldn't hold
If l share how l lost a smile
It took a path l could never find
If l call God and tell the truth
If l find the strength and pour out fears
He will wipe my tears
He will swallow up my sadness
If l expose myself in his light
Then l will see clearly his great love
And draw strength from the streams of love
I ask myself?
Am l strong enough to call God
Am l wise enough to trust God
Am l smart enough to love God
If l call God
By his name ,He will answers.
Nectar
With brittle chips
Of your juicy lips
You embalm my mouth
With moist touch
Of your floral leaves
With the hot seal
Of the honey bee
In this smoldering
Of crispy sugary relief
Hidden in shadow of belief
The incessant would cease
If grains of truth were to shatter
Those roaring shock waves
Would swallow up the chatter
Those tense clouds
The rumbling drums
Of fierce doubts
With gracious
Exquisite clouts
Got my wrist watch smile
And my pocket watch clock
I've got a real sun dial
And a teal weather sock
My cellphone chimes my times
My compass rolls in truck
I keep a roll of dimes
I keep them round for luck
I hold my sextant tight
I follow starlight's sprawl
I swallow up the night
I can't find time to call
No matter who I'm with
I'm rolling round the rhymes
I'm one more man of myth
Just a man of the times
Now I lay me down to sleep
I'm cast into the Darkest Deep
My fate draws nearer every breath
As I prepare to welcome Death
When I succumb at Her behest
My heart shall cease within my chest
The Shadows swallow up my light
I fade away into the night
With Lifeless eyes she'll welcome me
Into Her arms, hence life must flee
This frail and fragile form of mine
And slumber for eternal time
All sadness cast away and pains
Shall fall from me like broken chains
By Darkness was my life consumed
And there I dwell in shadows gloom
If it is the stairway to heaven, i must go.
If it is the way to Hades, I must slight slow.
Think. Ponder about the way to eternity.
Why must I lay there?
when the cross never crossed that path.
I shall go, seeking the Living water.
There I'll sing, " Death is swallow up in victory".
"O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"
EASTER CONTEST
SPONSORED BY : REGINA MCINTOSH
APRIL 23, 2022
The Era of Terror
The Era of terror is upon us- the world is in turmoil
The raging plains are complaining
The need to pray is necessary-
Tornadoes whirl across the skies
Hurricanes destroy whatever is in their path
Tropical storms rally against-mankind
Earthquakes cracks open the earth and swallow up whatever
Lies in its way- The skies turn purple in its agony, saying,
“Let be whatever maybe”-
The oceans will be violent- in its ecstasy
Spewing forth the dead and bringing the earth to its knees-
The world is in an angry vortex so full of vile-
Sinister lies the sullen smiles
Sneering at the approach of man
Closing tighter and tighter until the end-
Come forth and lie down unheeded- let your defenses rise
Give vent to what is- needed
Pray for what is- depleted.
Conquer up a world of calm
Take heed to those whose “pose” to come
Keep a forever -watchful eye
Take heed ‘o’ those- non-seeing and dumb-
For- the age of terror is upon us- the world is in turmoil
The need for praying is necessary- The Era of terror is upon us-
In my heart always lingers Dad’s last sigh
Never in oblivion could I bury
Such upholds my hope for heavenly high
Leaving me with adieu of victory*.
With his legacy of love and faith’s zest
In my heart always lingers Dad’s last sigh
Testifying God’s blessings of great best
Marked by thanksgiving no one can deny.
His infirmities propped my trust to fly
As I begged for miracle health's fullness…
In my heart always lingers Dad’s last sigh
Since divine will is eternal wellness.
Midst reminiscence of fatherhood bliss
Valuing heritage money can’t buy
So that next generation will not miss…
In my heart always lingers Dad’s last sigh.
*Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces…
September 1, 2021
3rd place, "This or That, Vol. 6" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Edward Ibeh; judged on 9/8/2021.
Is this an exception? Isn’t inter-caste marriage a taboo even today in the Indian sub-continent? Being born into two contradicting castes yet mad in love for each other, they knew their kith and kin would let them not live together. They decided to go far away from the inhuman world. They knew they’d be easily tracked were they to travel by bus or train or airplane. They walked through the hills and vales eating from the plants, drinking from the streams, and resting under trees. Lo! They surrounded them. The villains of love! Torturing them, slaughtering, they threw them in the Holy River who could not swallow up their holy bodies rather floated them in procession.
hands held together
two lovely wedded angels
to eternity
“Since formation in 2014, Telangana has witnessed at least 50 murders related to inter-caste love liaisons and marriages” – Deccan Chronicle, Thursday, June 10, 2021.
10 June 2021
as you sit there
absorbing the calming rays of the morning sun
you read
and then realize how chaotic disarray is attempting to make love with harmony
in a world of insanity
while influencing your mind
during those moments in time
you interpret the “informative news”
as a need to amalgamate absurdities
with solutions for serenity
while initially resisting wishes and temptations of conformity
in your mind
during those moments in time
and then s l o w ly
you are confused by intellectual absurdities
losing clarity and sanity
and sometimes becoming a victim of hypocrisy
falling head first into the world’s quicksand of misery
which wants to swallow up your mind
during those moments in time
Morning Thoughts 2020
12/24/2020
Today I sit before dawn is seen,
and the quietness of the morning overwhelms me.
It’s the eve of Christmas,
and I travel back in time to blessings past,
Of those times when God,
has rescued me from the belly of my fish.
Today, another fish, is attempting to swallow up all mankind,
and many, like those of Jonah’s time,
are found crying out unto the lord.
But before icy hearts can melt,
They first have to experience the heat.
Tom
If I thought I had a chance
to even think about romance,
on you, my sweet, well, it never showed
But if you look my way
on some sad or sunny day
you know, I’m just a smile up the road
If I could just decide
to swallow up my pride
and call on you, would my heart explode
I guess I’ll wait and see
if you ever think of me
and know, I’m just a smile up the road
If I could but recall
a single word at all
to give me hope, to ease my weary load
When just your slightest grin
affects the mood I’m in
I think, you’re just a smile up the road
Allowing every sense the sensation
absorb it all, at once, even the cost
to gain naught, in spite of observation
mindful of the deceit, dignity lost
Chin in the air, being boastful, always
caring not, seems the fate of everyone
blinded by devious words, twisted ways
never accepting truth, lies are more fun
Allowing every sense to swallow up,
bait perfectly placed before the willing
it becomes hard to resist, a false cup
the gullible need an extra filling
With an empty straw, void you'll be tasting
facts you are immune to, yes everything
___________________
Thoughts from the Heart
~ Be not conformed to the world, but be transformed ~
Rom. 12:2
Monday February 24th, 2020- Poem of the Day
If I must be a slave, let it be a slave to self-control. Let me be obsessed by perseverance. Let me indulge in discipline and determination.
If I must be consumed, let me be consumed by love and compassion. Let me be dominated by hope and infatuated with holy, honorable, and righteous thinking.
If I must live, let me live with passion. Let me step out with courage. Let me speak with gentleness, but also with authority and fervor.
Let me pray with earnest and zeal. Let me breathe in each moment with gratitude and let my light shine with intensity and joy. Let me swallow up each experience as a child does, as I'm seeing it for the first time.
Let faith and wisdom be my guides. And let God be my rock, my strength, and my salvation!
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