Tongue Tied in Clichés: A Blessing in Disguise
A blessing in disguise,
a double-edged sword—
a far cry from peace,
yet all in all,
at the drop of a hat
we reach for a ballpark figure,
beat around the bush,
break new ground,
burn the midnight oil.
By the book we cut to the chase,
play devil’s advocate,
fill the void with food for thought,
start from scratch,
then get cold feet.
Give the green light,
go down in flames,
hit the nail on the head,
find ourselves in over our head,
jump on the bandwagon,
keep something at bay,
leave no stone unturned.
Out of our depth,
past the point of no return,
we read between the lines,
take it with a grain of salt,
see only the tip of the iceberg—
until at last we throw in the towel.
4 2 1 DEY B 3 CORD TIED
4 2 1 dey B 3 cord tied
My beautiful soul
My lovely one
The only love
We have the same Father
We're son, you're daughter
And we all three B 1
Highlighting the strength and stability God you and I
Holy cord that's bond we bind
That comes from unity and partnership, with God
For He's as third strand in a relationship.
8/5/25
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr.2025©
English verse
There's a lot to be said
for silence
but you won't hear it from me
I'm satisfied tongue-tied
as the less said the more I see
and even if the point is moot
'tis a wise owl
who don't give a hoot
YY UR YY UB IC UR YY 4 ME
(Too wise you are too wise you be I see you are too wise for me)
The dainty walk of Chinese women
beyond the Wall in olden days
was due to cruel and unusual punishment
confined and constrained by strange customary ways
victims of fashion prisoners of fad
small feet were in sadly big were bad
forced to wear a pair of lotus shoes
very small baby steps were all they took
altho' it wasn't until 1912 or so
when the girls were finally let off the hook
back then 'pon seeing his new-born daughter
especially when she cried
a Chinaman was bound to say
'Those toes are fit to be tied.'
Your hands
Etched into the rigid grooves
That line the ages of my face
Go cold
As my blood flows still.
Frozen in a watery grave.
It's funny
How two souls can pass on
Yet one still remain.
Farewell Friend
Yesterday, you were two,
Today, you've become one;
A single string, knotted
Into a bow of eternal love:-
As trials and tribulations
test and tease your string,
The tighter the boe-knot
Must bind itself:-
An ocean's salt and its water
Do not flow in separation;
Rather, they flow as one wave:
Yet, the water remains water
And the salt remains salt:-
Thus must be the flow
Of the bow of your love
In the ocean of marriage:
1 x 1 = 1 frothing wave:-
Let your union ever be
Like the sun and the moon:
An embered reflection of
Life-giving life in blessed oneness:-
Know that love is eternal
And cannot be altered;
She is and can only be
Who and what she is: LOVE!
Always know that love is of God,
Impervious, and surpasses all things;
May you forever be blessed
To sip divine grace from love's saucer:
Her divine cup forever overflowing:-
I shook my head as I walked away
Rebuking my demons, keeping them at bay
My mind wandered back to a time before
When such a slight would have been cause for war
A mystical story
Linking one life to another
A past one and a future one
A mystical story
Binding two souls in a knot
Sealed and blessed by the skies
A divine revelation
A chapter opened
A new poem in ode to an eternal romance
A world set to be left behind
Flowers sown shall bloom
And shall be tended
In this temporal garden
A new world awaits
New possibilities, new opportunities
New identities, new abilities
Laden with power and might
All enveloped in a veil of romance
Soulmates
Roaming aimlessly
Guided by the skies
Hold each other's hearts
And scan the firmament
For the coming of the promised boon!
For the winter carnival bundled up,
frozen breath adds to anticipation;
Steaming cappuccino filling my cup,
the vertex of this warm celebration;
Eliminate the need to be grown-up,
tonight enjoy a childhood fixation;
Indulge yourself in a ferris wheel ride,
an event leaving you all but tongue-tied.
Beneath the stars, where endless whispers play,
Our spirits wove a bond that time can't sever.
Through lifetimes past and futures' fleeting sway,
We've found each other, always and forever.
Your eyes, twin galaxies that pierce the night,
Unlock the chaos nestled in my core.
With every glance, they bathe my heart in light,
And teach me how to love myself once more.
Each breath you take becomes my sacred vow,
Each heartbeat sings a tune that's only ours.
Entwined through space, through time, through here and now,
We blossom like the universe in flowers.
If fate should tear us from this world apart,
We'd find each other still, through soul and heart.
when air-brushed stars croon..
my soul sways, tied to the moon
lost in twinkling tune
seeking for rose light
from plum reveries tonight~
questioning twilight..
am I not fine art
metered refrain to restart
music of your heart..
but will rivers heed
thoughts that stream in neon fields~
of teal auroras ..
swirling and twirling…
vinyl rhythms of warm astral~
spirits cloaked in sage…
in silence, I dream
in a bed of lilac clouds~
of you, me, and love..
Day ends to be eve,
And mounting come memories
Gloomy heart to grieve.
Yet, sets in when late eve’s breeze,
From tether frees tied up ease.
O thou late eve’s breeze,
What if ye come all alone
Without memories,
To let me linger till dawn
When pleasant dreams play nigh prone.
_____________________________
Tanka |04.04.2024| evening, memories, dreams
How long will I have to be here?
I have been here since as long as I can remember
Tried to move on
But I am trapped to
I am tied to you
Fate and destiny doesn't want me to move on
I am on a collar
You pull me back
It chocks me - I feel like I can't stand it any longer
I can't breath - I am going more under
There have been attempts
The leasehold is part of me
I am tied up in a straight jacket and I need that assistance
I am defenceless without it
Can't look after myself
I have tried it
Have the ambition but not the heart
Have the desire but not the will
I have the dream but not the reality
Can't do this much longer - feels like it's slowly killing me
A torturous death
A long death
It is slow and it is painful and everyone can see it
It wears on me - it holds me back - it tires me
Can't take this much longer
How much longer can I be here?
In the realm of self-interest, a curious soul,
Could not adhere stamps, sans wit owning a role.
His tongue, like a rover in arid terrain,
Lingered on whimsy, a scoffing refrain.
Precision eluded, in blindfolded dance,
Tongue franking an effort, missing each chance.
The stamp, a library of lore unbespoke,
His tongue still meandered, lost in each stroke.
Like giraffes when they strain ~ reaching treetops,
His sealing endeavor was a clumsy hopscotch.
The stamp lay there mocking, a coaxed witticism,
Tongue still missed the mark, a terrible tourism!
Metaphors clung, but not on the letter,
A longing unfilled, his tongue never got wetter.
The envelope sighed, craved wit's lifting brew,
Yet his tongue frolicked, having wandered no clue.
He licked and he slurped, as though miming delight,
A grand postal crime, a federal plight!
Metaphors piled up, unsent missives distressed,
His sense of himself was a bewildering behest.
In the spirit of levity, a story confided,
A stamp unadhered, a metaphor provided.
When engaging with mail, overcome by caprice of,
Just leave the attempt and go buy self-adhesive.
You were to love us
Cherish and help us grow
To have and to hold us
But all we have is anchor of lies
Floating among gloomy skies
It’s weight soon to give.
I was once bound by chains
Bruised wrist, unseen battle scars.
I smelled and breathed freedom
But got lost in your sea of promises.
Rope burns these wrist you once held
So gently.
Didn’t know codependency was
A curse from your narcissism
…mother why am I tied to your lies…
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