Upmanship Poems

message for today’s youth

build up of angst in today’s youth
the cause perhaps a suppressed fear
a lifestyle deemed by soul uncouth
dampening vibe of their heart’s cheer

the cure lies in life’s simple things
no striving for one-upmanship
growing in love, spreading soul’s wings
light within worthy of worship 

we are God’s love, we are His light
let us gentle thought, word and deed
slow down and discern wrong from right
soft voice of conscience always heed

life is a dream; recognise this ~
our true Self is love, light and bliss

Fire And Gasoline Twosome

"Watch out for these two! A disastrous inferno" - quote by poet.


    Talk about the definition of trouble!
 Two people tainted with potent toxicity.
 As if either of the two isn't bad enough.
  Such up-to-no-good partners in crime
 Walking down a crooked primrose path.

   Keep a sizeable distance from them!
   They're a fire and gasoline twosome;
 An oil and water combination, no doubt.
  Think of a Bonnie and Clyde dynamic.
      Think a film noir femme-fatale...

    And a malleable, meek private eye.
  Oh, the twisted mind games they play; 
 It's a constant game of one-upmanship
  And manipulation against one another.
   Did I mention they rob and kill, too?

Touched by Holy Spirit

Encased in feeble form, doomed one day to die,
words penned in holy books offered no solace
and prayers that I muttered, quelled not heart’s sigh,
so exhausted being unable to lace
the truth of life, I deemed everything a lie,
plunging into silence to invoke God’s grace.
Many moons passed yet steady was my resolve,
to see without mirrors, that soul may evolve.

Having relinquished each and every belief,
I became a silent witness to my mind,
noticing that wayward ego was the thief
that stole soul’s peace, leaving head-heart misaligned
and so in staid silence, I turned a new leaf,
heeding voice of conscience, touch gentle and kind.
Exiting futile games of one-upmanship,
holding firm focus, love became my flagship.

Love being God’s force that ends separation,
in timeless time, Holy Spirit entered form,
romance divine, in an endless flirtation,
felt as magnetic currents both cool and warm,
causing within, energy nodes gyration,
which swept me away in this benign bliss storm.
Call this what you like and give it any name
but bliss in permanence is my claim to fame.

Judgmental Eye

Egocentric, engaged in games of one-upmanship
I developed a jaundiced and judgmental eye
Over time, losing over mind-body my grip

Belied expectations oft made heart sigh
My reflex response was to put others down 
Mocking both the living and dead, saw love die

Lines on face hardened, sarcasm bore a frown
Demonic dreams deepened my dark despair 
In images thus conjured, I began to drown

It was a Joro spider that made me aware
When a small sunbird was caught in its net
Defying base instinct, it released her with care

I took this as a message to change my mindset
Enabled simply by melding head with heart
Taking no more, mere rebuffs as a threat

I now mock myself; it is a learnt art
Choosing slow consciousness correction
Simply mindfully and gently, adding love to cart

Soul centric introspection cajoles us to shift direction
Igniting bliss within, paving way for soul’s resurrection

Satchitananda

“when that that never was dies ~
consciousness flies to new highs”


we walk on a lonely road
alone in the midst of a crowd
each soul trudges under a heavy cross
fake smiles camouflaging destiny’s dark shroud

we seek solace but there’s no safety in numbers
inane game of one-upmanship now dreary 
heads or tails, either way we lose
our bones have grown weary

from dark dungeons of despair
where fear of freedom has us bound
we beseech the gods in far away heavens
to show us the way how ethereal bliss may be found

our entreaty unanswered, we find ourself again alone 
with all hope lost, we cease to struggle and strive
turning attention inward in the void of silence
we find within our heart a divine bliss hive

as affirmed in all the ancient scriptures 
we recognise we are love and bliss and light
unbound is our delight beholding our true essence
self-existent light, pulsating unendingly by day and night

The Way We Are

Our tender eyes betray the way we see
Honouring God’s presence within each heart 
That deems all of us as one, none apart 
Viewed thus from soul’s eye, joyous and carefree
Our innocence with bliss beats does agree
Having willingly added love to cart
Thus feeling bliss ignition within start
Being the way we become and so be

It maybe said that we’re not worldly wise
For we engage not in one-upmanship
Resting in our heart watching bliss beats rise
Beholding life’s flow in childlike surprise
With the pulse of love being our flagship
Distanced from the world of deceit and lies

01-June-2023

Buller Boys

Beyond the imposing and the high iron gate
The picturesque setting of the Oxford University
Situates the hedonistic oriented Bullingdon Club
Founded more than 200 years ago.

The socially exclusive students get the invitation
To join the Club as its elite members
Many of whom have attained prominence
And position of power in Britain’s political arena.

The ill-famed Club is known for 
Its wealthy members and their notorious behavior
Partaking in the boisterous rituals such as
Vandalizing restaurants and students’ rooms.

The Club’s colors are sky blue and shining ivory
Seen on the tailcoats the members wear
For the annual dinner where the drunken revelers
Greet each other chanting “buller, buller, buller”.

The Club has survived the roller-coaster ride
Lurching between frequent recruitment crises
And nearly facing the shut down
But the buller has a way of bouncing back.

The distinctiveness of its haughty members 
Reflected in their one-upmanship attitude
Took them to eminence along the tough tracks
The outside world is skeptic about their dubious traits. 

____________

April 7, 2023
Contest : Bullingdon Boys
Spoinsored by : Joe Maverick

Believe

So hard to really know what to believe
on news presented to us every day;
as if our world's divided into two
opposing groups interpreting each fact-
and truth lies hidden in a misty fog.

In bygone days, old movie theaters brought
us news on film before the featured show
to be the only way shown on a screen.
With no confusion, what was right or wrong;
commitment to believe was held by most.

Then, later on, TV gave instant news-
not then presented as a drama show
competing for high ratings as the goal.
Unbiased, basic facts to us were served-
devoid of changing them to showbiz art.

Belief is shattered by the news today;
our media so quickly spins reports.
The competition with each other steals
one-upmanship to push their biased facts.
Believe- a word not honored in our thoughts.


March 5, 2023

Contest: B--Forms and Words Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Sotto Poet
Chosen Word: Believe

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 20:9

20.9
“Where is distraction, concentration, 
knowledge or delusion?
Where is joy or sorrow?
I am Stillness”

Verse revisited on 29-December-2022

 Let’s keep this verse simple
By resting thought forms nimble
Just as we look at any other object
The thought will arise, subside, eject
There being no identity doership
No games of one-upmanship
Awareness self-aware renews
Pulse of aliveness in myriad hues
In an aspect of embrace and release
Holding not onto the involuntary sneeze
Vaporised soul presence ever blissful
Beholds play of dream life beautiful 
Transcending sensory joy and pain
Mind-body cleansed from stain
Enabled by rapture of divine bliss
The here and now being all there is
Partaking of soma nectar bliss potion
Celebrating life as a splash in the ocean
One with That oneness, time too yields
To the omnipotent power God wields 
And so transformed as living light
Heightened is our soul’s delight
We dance as such and yet are still
Having surrendered fully to God’s will
In timeless time becoming the bliss flame 
We’re That that may be assigned no name

Stoop To Conquer

Spiritual practice is doomed from the start,
since any ritual involves our doership
and therefore unless ego’s made to depart,
futile is our meditation or worship,
unless ofcourse we choose to add love to cart,
exiting shallow game of one-upmanship,
whereupon once no agenda is tabled,
by God's grace, soul's ascension is enabled.

28-December-2022

Toms Travels

In a show of manic one-upmanship
With my wife saying, “Just get a grip.”
I planned an adventure to show I’m well travelled
The spoiler to that is the whole thing unravelled

I looked at the brochures and boy was I keen
Determined to find somewhere Tom hadn’t been
That man is a nomad, he never sits still
He just grabs a suitcase and travels at will

[At this point please lend me a bit of your time
for this advance warning of appalling rhyme]
My legs are so white that I ought to be sunning ’em
I’ll find somewhere warm that’s eluded Tom Cunningham

I made a quick sandwich with pickle from Branston
And then thought EUREKA…I’ll call Richard Branson
I sold a few organs and Gran’s silver spoon
And raised enough money to fly to the moon

He said he does orbits then back down to earth
A trip to the moon was more grief than it’s worth
I grabbed Branson’s beard and said “Listen to me,
you’re gonna help me outdo Mr C.”

Well, long story short, I arrived on old Luna
Tom might have planned it but I got there sooner
Then a little green man said, “Is Earth where you’re from?
When you get back home again… say ‘Hi’ to Tom.”

Mind Block

Inspirations flow no more,
although we seek an encore,
an urge rooted in ego,
which we are loathe to forgo.

Habit patterns control us,
plateaus after peaks, nonplus,
for our yearning’s to expand,
as of restless heart’s demand.

Though to a tree, were once bound,
autumn leaves fall to the ground,
yet when it comes to ourself,
desires remain on the shelf.

Change is inevitable,
so let’s make our heart stable ~
vibrant, witness consciousness,
entwined with the That oneness.

It’s all about ownership,
mind game of one-upmanship.
Why then hanker for our muse,
amidst beauteous life’s hues?

29-May-2022

There Is No Distance

There is no distance, save in mind
God is here now, within
Exiting narrow thoughts that bind
Heart beckons, go therein

Exiting our doership 
No more one-upmanship
Love becomes our flagship

If no resistance
There is no distance 

09-January-2022
Quietus

Damocles Fallen

A gray cloud hangs ominously
On the horizon, overshadowing
The last golden rays of the sun.
Below, Damocles waits;
The sword hangs by a hair!
In a great white building
Men and women squabble -
Moving chess pieces to
Make decisions that affect
Crises of lives and livelihoods,
One-upmanship the game of the day.

Meanwhile the black cloud grows,
And thunder begins to rumble.
Lightning flashes in the cloud.
A man comes out of the building -
Waving and crying triumphantly,
“We got what we wanted!”
And the thunder rolls, and brilliant
Bolts of lightning strike the ground.
The rains come, and the winds whip,
Tearing the shelter from those
Flinching helpless, beneath.

Jobs vanish; the sick have no succor.
Wall Street flails from the
Shock waves of decisions forged
At the last possible minute
By the heedless powers that be.
Reverberations circle the globe,
Shaking the foundations 
Of our integrity and credibility.
In the terrible ensuing storm,
Hopes for the future are dashed,
And Damocles is truly lost,
For the sword has fallen!

Our Ugly Side

Our ugly side, anger and greed
Game of one-upmanship
Endless craving beyond our need
Gods love not our flagship

At all costs need to win
Deafened by ego din 
Delusion begets sin

Ego lust ride
Our ugly side

22-August-2021
Quietus

• Short Upmanship Poems
• Famous Upmanship Poems
• Best Upmanship Poems
• Read Upmanship Poems
• Long Upmanship Poems
• Upmanship Quotes