Tempest Tossed Poems | Examples

The Outcast Dove

The outcast dove sits alone, apart
From the rest of those who shared the start
Of the journey that has led them here
And left some full of dread and fear

Its bills and coos don't matter now
For the line they choose does not allow
Separation from the flock and roost
Different, and the choice - the noose

That leaves it twisting in the wind
Hanging there without a friend
That wind whose loft brought all along
And fills each lung with life and song

Allows the soul to separate
To fill, to fly, but not inflate
Yes, from the flock, but not the soul
That one lone thing we can control

  Left hanging there is what is lost
  Relations now the tempest tossed
  Suspension left to bear the cost
  Of souls refusing to be bossed

Relations never really die
They linger in that endless sky
Surrounding ev'ryone we know...
The air that lives in ev'ry soul

Braveheart

Onward mere mortal man
Your stoic heart abides
Armor clad you make a stand
To brave the swelling tides

Quiet of conscience bred
You fight the torrid breeze
Over feudal lands you bled
And the tempest tossed seas

No obstacle prevails
Your courage has no bounds
To the mast you lash your sails
And dock on foreign grounds 

Honor you long defend
What mighty soul you hoard
When at last you greet the end
To relinquish shield and sword

Statue of Lost Liberty

Unlike her eastern twin of the ocean,
she’ll shed no tear for the lost and alone.
No emotion for the wretched masses, 
because her heart shall be as hard as stone.

In her fist she’ll carry no bright beacon,
to call those huddled masses to her shore.
She’ll tower above a locked iron gate,
no golden path stretched out before her door.

She will take your poor, homeless, tempest tossed, 
send them back to the place from whence they came.
They will not be welcomed to her bosom,
but cast aside in America’s name.

Her barbed borders guarded by armed forces,
sending out her cold message loud and clear.
Proclaiming America’s new motto, 
If you’re not rich or white, get out of here.

Gethsemane Experience

Like a pearl falling into the Pacific, he felt lost.
His human nature shrank and shattered like an autumn leaf.
Blood poured into sweat. Into his core, he was tempest-tossed.
Was he weak yet? Did he feel shaken by his strong belief?

Like cyclones shaking a banyan tree, dilemmas shook him.
The tug-of-war: to do or not to do, poked his conscience.
The whim of escaping all these too came to his heart's brim.
Constantly, all these hours, with his Abba, he did converse.

Of his twelve disciples, a few whom he chose to pray slept.
Was the fact that the soul is strong and the flesh is weak right?
Did their ambitions, which they cared for like rare pets, defect?
Were they, midst divine graces, like guinea pigs, filled with fright?

He knew, being with the Father, that these things would happen.
Doesn't birth in the spring pop up when winter goes barren?

Faith

Amidst the chaos, faith takes flight,
A beacon in the darkest night.
Beyond what eyes and minds can see,
It's trust in what will always be.

Not just in gods or fate we find,
But in the depths of humankind,
A force that mends the broken wing,
And makes the caged bird start to sing.

It's hope when all the world seems lost,
A bridge across the tempest-tossed,
In every heart, a sacred art,
A flame that never will depart.

Abandoned

Awashed out from shore tempest tossed in the night
Behold sands once golden fade from sight
Alone I must plumb the depths of my sorrow
No one to be with if there is a tomorrow
Drenched are my spirits, a dark heavy toll
Overwhelmed is my vacant aching soul
No compass not guide nor north star above
Exiled into a land of dark clouds, no white dove
Dream sweetly my dear, my life, my love

Turbulence

We cannot calm the turbulence in the open sky.
We must bear with its disharmony as it passes us by ~Quote by poet

Tempestuous moods erupt within, a tumultuous severe agitation
Brings forth undulating vibrations, exploding with a pounding pulsation
Retributions unholy, big blue-sky echoes with conflicting resound
When the balefully coarse maligning words mercilessly expound
Somedays gliding my way high through a stream of consciousness
Taken back by the waves soaring low to a destiny that seems endless
My soul, wrenched and wretched, lets loose from my clutching mind
Over the ocean, tempest-tossed above knotty seas less than kind
Excuse if you will my slashing unabiding, dismissive demeanor
Never shall I find where tides gently flow, and grass that is greener
Clashing and clawing through dark gathering clouds are my fate
Exit you my friend from my world and my presence before it’s too late

Bee Hive

In the arid grasp of a withered plant,
The hive appears forlorn, its dryness stark,
Yet within lies the nectar all relish and want,
Nourishing sustenance, a feast to embark.

A facade of chaff and wax, so unassuming,
A fragrant lure that entices the birds,
They gather eagerly, their beaks consuming,
Sputtering and squawking, their appetites spurred.

Satiated and vibrant, they clumsily take flight,
Leaving behind a fragrance that lingers in air,
Other creatures in spiral attraction alight,
Drawn to the honey, sticky and rare.

The bees, encouraging, they dance and they sway,
Surrounding the hive with a sense of calm,
Fire and vermin repelled, kept at bay,
As bees collect honey, sweet and warm.

But hidden within this cycle of bliss,
A web of relationships harbors deceit,
Surprising is the hive's ultimate abyss,
Its destruction revealed, a bitter defeat.

Confusion befalls the bee, homeless and lost,
Just like my love, once steady and pure,
Shattered illusions, a heart tempest-tossed,
Leaving emptiness, a love insecure.

Reflection On a Maundy Thursday

He came and dwelt among men 
And shared a vision of heav'n;
To Him some opened their doors,
But more denied their favors.

With sinners He sat and supped;
Thus, others called Him corrupt.
But they did not understand:
He changed their hearts with His hand.

He walked and taught in byways
And always with gentle gaze;
Some gladly took His offer,
Others remained a scoffer.

Still He sought those who were lost,
Those who felt were tempest-tossed.
He healed the sick--gave them hope!--
Granted them the strength to cope.

He knew He had few days left
And sorrowed for those bereft;
In His heart, He put us first--
Both good and bad and the worst.

In spite of His love so clear,
We pierced His side with a spear.
Then as He drew His last breath,
For us all He conquered Death. 

April 6, 2023

Write a Jueju-Qijue Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Emile Pinet

For Mama

Your voice, your face, your love for me 
exist still in my heart and mind. 
Though you've been gone for many years, 
your essence isn't hard to find. 

I hear expressions you once used; 
you speak your truths to me once more. 
I see you in my siblings' eyes 
and feel you to my very core.  
      
The part of you that didn't die 
when sickness claimed your shell of clay, 
the living soul God gave to you, 
is with your Savior safe today. 
 
When I have taken my last breath,
my soul will be in Heaven too.*
We’ll know each other upon sight!**
Till then life’s troubles will ensue.

We share our lovely memories
of believers we have sadly lost;
but as they dwell with the Divine,
we are by life still tempest tossed.

The Real Me Lost

Alas the real me has been tempest tossed
I've been combing the world no matter the cost
Searching all over
From Delhi to Dover
Wherever I look I turn up lost

11/7/22

Death Darts

when wind blows a gale 
leaves pushed pulled tempest tossed
I see life fleetingly aloft and 
gone in gasp and gust

when clocks chime and chip away at time
inevitable and intangibly present
it’s the fool’s errand to be angry at an hour

when cars zip like bullets
when plugs crackle into life
when scissors snap too close to skin
when fragile chick plummets from nest

death darts ahead of life 
a promiscuous predator circling 

circling even as you say you’re leaving

Valley Haven

Valley Haven

Swooping down across the valley,
Glistening green sequins reflecting the sun,
Dozens of green parrots playfully rally
As their sunset ritual has begun.

Misty rain along valley walls
Brings a mystical Hawaiian rainbow
Sweetening the air as it gently falls
Enlivening the tropical foliage below.

I watch, enchanted, from my lanai
Awed by nature's brilliant display
Surely, none is more fortunate than I
To dwell in such beauty, day by day.

My refuge during this challenging time
With the world appearing tempest tossed
This valley exudes an atmosphere sublime
Assuring me that hope is not lost.

Molly Moore

Jesus, My Joy

Jesus is the joy of my life, full of grace and truth
His love was pure and holy, giving his all
For the sin of the world.  I accepted him in my youth.

My life was irrevocably changed when I heard his call
I adore Jesus, for he gives hope to all who are lost
Those who accept his wonderful gift shall never fall.

Faith is “Forgetting All, I Trust Him,” whatever the cost
Believing in Jesus, I know a peace that passes serenity
Throughout eternity my soul will never be tempest-tossed.

Having salvation is the goal, life’s supreme amenity
To know that I am safe throughout all eternity.

FIRST PLACE TROPHY WINNING POEM
written June 9, 2021
for "Jesus" Poetry Contest
sponsored by Regina McIntosh

I, Zombie, Part Ix: the Returning

Here I go again
Dancing the Monster’s fancy
Until the curtain

Final curtain call
Chancing all my sanity
Final curtain fall

I went off my meds
Let the Monster out instead
To control my head

Daemon’s back as well
He tells me drinking is swell
As far as I’ll tell

“Five o’clock somewhere”
Daemon whispers in my ear
I unchain him there

Inside this old box
This rude cube contains my brains
Chained and bound with locks

I know not myself
This thing becoming again
I’m damned; I’m in hell

Feeds on what it needs
The killer; the strangler
Of good thoughts and deeds

The mind re-succumbs
Becomes the Doppelganger
Bereft of life, numb

Zombie I've become
Again, like the living dead
Acting, not thinking

All willpower’s lost
Price paid, but greater the cost
Wind swept; tempest tossed

Back on the dread-mill
Mind rerunning the race lost…
Can’t keep my head still

The revisiting
Monster back on the attack
Nothing kills this thing

Daemon’s there as well
Rejoining the dance macabre
Going back to hell

Sinister turning
Echoes the words, “We are back”
Can’t stop returning…

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