“My soul is a black maelstrom…” ~ Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet.
Molten lava spews from my eyes.
My mouth feels dry as the scorching desert sand.
Fear, like a heavy boulder, sits on my chest.
My heart is chasing a Chimera.
A pit is forming in my stomach;
My head is riding upon a vortex.
Conflicting thoughts swirl through my mind,
forming a surrealistic whirlpool.
Grim and gloomy feelings shroud my being,
Permeating a fatalistic suspicion of society at large,
Dragging me down the road to depression.
A sense of emptiness is mushrooming within me,
Like the morning miasma blurring the view.
All hands of hope have been withdrawn.
Every moment henceforth
is pregnant with some novel challenges;
Tackling a new task overwhelms me,
and despair prevails over my soul undeterred —
Bogged down by fate,
Tethered to my faith,
And mired in a spiritual quagmire,
I am unable to claw my way back up
to Mount Calvary.
~Prompt 2: "As I slip into the void of this endless black."
~Contest: Venom and Stardust: A Birthday Prompt
~sponsor: Sara Jama.
~Screwed XXIII Poetry Contest by Rob Carmack
Sunday Morning Blues**
Whether it's the vibrant nights of Rio de Janeiro or the electric energy of Las Vegas nightlife,
I’ve indulged in two or three glasses of Twisted Ice Lemonade,
Or perhaps it was an Alabama Slammer. One lesson learned: never trust your memory!
My days and nights have been nothing less than a freight train ride,
And that's the truth!
I can’t forget the Cuban Bulldog that bit me
Three years ago, in Kissimmee, that’s a fact.
It left me weak in the knees,
All thanks to those potent drinks.
Was it that audacious, wild Long Island Iced Tea
That nearly took me down.
After watching a news clip about Muammar Gaddafi,
Or maybe it was an episode of Friends?
Yet, I met my sweet Marlon Brando,
And it was hallelujah and Amen in Key Largo.
So many bartenders, so many smoke-filled rooms,
And once again, here I am, tackling
Another Sunday morning blues head-on.
Forward pass changed the game
Offense was never the same
Overtime rules continue to change
Tackling though can limit the range
Blitzes can really shut it down
Audibles can turn it around
Linebackers can do it all
Linemen are the heart and wall
The silent kiss can come with secrecy
minus a face to reveal its patron.
Easily detected singing love’s strong melody,
best surprises come from unknown mister or matron.
A twenty-dollar bill found tucked in a pocket
with an unsigned note – spend as you like.
Unasked-for help with a faved broken locket
echoes thoughts of that boy with his thumb in the dike?
Without coveting acclaim for paying-it-forward
the silent kiss means planning things through;
taking serious your promises - keeping your word…
notably to a child who has before mistrusted you.
Cutting single neighbor’s grass and tackling her weeds
can make a difference when she doesn’t have time.
Treating her and her kids to dinner knowing their needs,
the silent kiss takes no account for each nickel or dime.
Mentally insane person or a wily wise sage?
Alternating between tackling worldly or mystical matters
Diminishing the fine line between madness and genius.
Tackling a slick problem like D’Alembert’s paradox—
a cylinder set in motion, destined to roll on and on—
My fresh numerical method spoke in the same voice,
but sparked sharp debate—someone blamed me for ignorance.
Until a quip cracked the tension: “D’Alembert’s paradox doesn’t account for lubrication.”
Truths can slice deep, sharper than we expect,
Yet a wry smile, a joke, can transmute iron into gold.
Humor doesn’t erase the sting—it dulls the edge,
revealing strength when despair weighs us down.
A sense of humor is our forged armor:
a spark of joy in the heart, a reluctant laugh on the lips—
it signals someone who grasps life's brittle elegance.
A gentle jest softens the hardest truths,
shading overwhelming realities with grace.
When wit stands as a stronghold,
even bitter truths echo with less sting.
You don’t flee reality—you greet it with a grin—
and in that greeting, you find the courage to begin again.
Moving my hands.
My hands twisting and almost tackling each other.
Colliding knuckles.
Frantic and desperate.
Eyes grazing and chewing.
Jaw moving side to side.
Everything seems so much like-
A lack of communication.
So I twirl my body around.
As if I’m holding a ribbon.
Almost falling over.
Realizing that I haven’t said a word.
When I try to speak-
It’s just my toes tapping.
Feels like I’m yapping.
My mouth is heated.
Eyelashes grasping.
When you get into this state of mind…
Opening your mouth could reveal that I have no teeth or tongue.
I’m convinced.
No one understands me, ever.
So she guided me back to bed.
So I could make shadow puppets on the ceiling.
An easy type of quilting
Is to sew two fabric squares
Which are pinned and lined up neatly;
Nothing else, for ease, compares.
Once you make the shapes more complex,
Like a triangle or curve,
Things might get a little tricky
And you need a bit more nerve.
I’ve been sewing several years now
And still have a way to go,
For when stitching points or circles,
There’s a lot you have to know.
Curves have always proved a challenge
And frustration is no fun.
Every time I had to sew some,
I would backtrack to square one.
But I’ve lately had a breakthrough,
Which I hope my brain preserves,
For my latest little project
Has a lot of sneaky curves.
Yet I’m tackling them slowly
And they’re falling into place.
Something clicked - you know that feeling?
And a smile is on my face.
Now my project, when I finish,
Will be far from error-free,
But if you check out my curves, I think
That you’d be proud of me.
problems
knotty, stressful
resolving, tackling, diagnosing
conundrums, complexities, result, ideas
proposing, brainstorming, solving
solutions
Molten lava spews from my eyes
My mouth feels dry like the scorching desert
Fear, like a heavy boulder, sits on my chest
My heart seeks where the Chimera dwells
A pit is forming in my stomach
My head is riding upon a vortex
Conflicting thoughts swirling through my mind
forming a surrealistic whirlpool,
And I stand rooted
to the ground like an Ancient Oak.
A sense of emptiness mushrooms within me
like the morning miasma obscuring the visibility.
My past carried off into the oblivion,
Every moment henceforth is
pregnant with some novel challenges,
tackling a new task overwhelms me
despair overwhelms my soul undeterred—
Bogged down by fate
Tethered to my faith
I am mired in a spiritual quagmire
unable to claw my way up to the Mount Calvary.
ENTHUSIASM
Ensuing enabling efficiency, energy in exulted endeavor
Noted noble nice notion in ambition
Total devotion to try targeting goal in tenacity tackling tension
Happy venture with high vitality, hopeful vigor, zeal, hasty potency.
Unbridled unchecked unending zest an liveliness for work.
Strong sparkling sprightly shiny stamina on dynamism.
Inherent inquisitiveness initiating vitality.
Affirmative assertive active approach to achieve aim.
Sustaining spirited sharpness searching success.
Marvelous motivation on mission in merry mood.
06/20/20
Third Place
'Enthusiasm' Contest by Caren Krutsinger
'Completely Your Choice (23) Contest by Brian Strand
May 4 Praises to God Bible Meditations Based on 1Chronicles 14-15
Key Verse – 1Chronicles 14:2 And David perceived that the LORD had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel.
PRAISE BE TO GOD WHO CONFIRMS OUR PRAYER
Praise be to God for confirming our prayer:
Perceived by His enlightenment
Presented with earnestness
Propelled for edification
Propped upon eternity
Pushed to evangelize
1Chronicles 14:10 Praise be to the Lord Who
responds to our enquiry that assures:
Truth that is tested
Triumph against tests
Thanksgiving midst trials
Trust with thoughtfulness
Tact tackling tremendous tricks
1Chronicles 15:26 Praise be to the Saviour
for His help that is:
Always strong
Assertively sure
Abundantly supplied
Affirmatively Scriptural
Available and safely steadfast. Amen!
May 4, 2024
In a quiet trailer park,
Just a short walk from the middle school
Where we all felt our way
Through literature, science and math,
Often silent during the worst –
Passing, but only with average scores
Our hearts were full of touchdown dreams
Moments, startled awake by the echoing
Laughter and peace – seas of smiles,
Trembling promises of the ten yard line,
Then, the fumble…
Playing throughout the evening,
Yearning for June, summertime broken
By the short stabs of thunderstorms,
Rain falling, kissing away the breathless
Promise from morning’s light, easing
Its way from golden to gray, from tender
To awake like the shaky huddles
Trailers, thin walled and easily injured,
Like bones who fall beneath the scrambling
Starry eyed – wistful and just breathless
Tackling the edge of insanity
With two hands, two arms, two – hopeful
Winning – it isn’t sinning…
Winning, running on the field who holds
Hopes and dreams, fantasies…
Blessings to hearts who know, even though
Trailer parks don’t shout success,
Often, that football field spells the best…
Champion, leader … the score of a winner!
Come what may the sun will continue to shine
whether I weather my crazy bipolar moods or not
Every rainbow has its rain every day its hour
every vision of me, never quite the same;
Inside this mind there lives a thought that I cannot restrain
emotion floods my soul like a diamond dusted steel blade
moving me forward, like the other hand of time
no I'm never really fine
From euphoria to manic mode I dance and then I cry
a one moment life passes me by, the next I want to die
Banishing hope from me, tackling me to the ground
one minute I'm crying and the other, I'm fine
Come what may the sun will continue to shine
time after time, after time.
PS: this poem is dedicated to all the brave warriors
who struggle with depression and bipolar disease.
Living with you in peace the rest of our lives
Opposed false belief to be faithful to Jesus Christ
Voice of God will continue tackling our enemies
Escape the tricks of liars in our lives and continue being the best.
Written March 01/2023
By Alfonso Warally Ngengethe Mussabwa Chris
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