I laid my heavy head upon my bed,
Worn thin by the day’s demands.
Every inch of my body burned,
And soon I fell into deathlike sleep.
In that land, I met the Lord—
Long had I evaded Him;
But this time, He found me,
And would not let me go.
He kissed my weary soul,
Overwhelmed by His love;
I poured out my broken heart,
As His gentle hands held me still.
I know not all that passed between us,
But I woke with a heart made willing—
Ready to serve,
Ready to follow where He leads.
"Holey all over,
seen better days,
worn out and threadbare,
can't mend its ways,
with drink spills, food stains,
rips, rents and tears,
not worth keeping,
a sad state of affairs,
its time has come,
over and done,
that's one bad habit,”
so said the nun.
O Lord,
'Tis a decade gone
Since thy curse fell upon us.
The malnourished children are no more,
The poor soil lieth barren.
Lord, what hast thou wrought upon our village?
Mine only companions be the flies and the toads.
Thy shadow resteth beside mine empty grave.
I am not wroth with thee,
Yet surely have I all the right to be so.
Once again, worn out
From the simple act of living
Blown out of all held dear
Waves come and go
Stretching across time and space
A tragic loss here
A triumphant gain there
And still the waves come
Lapping at a shore
That is time itself
Manifest in a million little grains
Lapping as I lay exhausted
Too tired to think, too tired to feel
Anything but a sadness
Deeper than time.
(8/23/23)
My workouts just get tougher,
The older that I get.
All the pains that I suffer,
Just trying to stay fit.
Wish I felt just like I did,
More than thirty years ago.
Back when I was still a kid,
And my muscles still would grow.
Even though I don't look bad,
For someone of my age.
The knowledge makes me sad,
That it's time to turn the page.
Though my will still compels,
At times it seems so stormy.
I'd love for someone else,
To do my workouts for me.
worn out
worn down
just plain worn
is there a bit of sass left
or self-preservation?
She does not care anymore.
longing for a different life
i restart my journey
the worlds that i see are ones my eyes do not expect
the final turn leads me right back to now
i can wave a magic wand
i can conduct time like an orchestra
i can say an anthology of magic words
the same remains when all the smoke clears
longing for a sweet change of scenery
i readjourn in the same place where the drawing board suffered many an injury
the blueprint that i now design seem to contain the same turns, trails, and exits
the conclusion, once again, is to set my alarm so i can do it all again tomorrow
Rust scuttle packed full
with grandfather ghostly form.
Abandoned beans farm
Discarded in the gutter,
Trailed by the way of my journey,
A pair of my old worn out shoes
Never to walk in the streets again.
As my body rolled onto the gurney
To throw me away in the death chamber,
My gnarled toes and feet
Stuck in earth by the burden
Of my head to toe,
Wetted in blood tickling sweats
I create during my whole life.
Tucked inside the shoes,
Never I’d take my shoes off from my feet.
Which made every walks of my life
Comfortable in the streets,
Alas! Someone put off my shoes
To throw away in the gutter.
*
I take my shoes off
and roam only in my socks.
All my socks have holes.
Worn Out Jeans
When dungarees came on the scene
these sturdy pants were meant to wear
soon late the names were changed to Jeans
they faded and begun to tear
then we would buy another pair
a new punk culture had emerged
the Jean took on another role
the price on worn out jeans had surged
and ladies bought despite their dole
to think there was a time that passed
when shoes were soled to make them last
shoe repair gone just like the wheel
but worn out jeans are back in style
just stop and think and wait awhile
buy new jeans and begin to slice
resell them worn three times the price
RalphSergi ©
April 12, 2019
( is slowly running out of ink [][][]
<[]His pen)……………………………………….….. [][][][][]{
! ( is it the death of an old poet [][][]
!
!
an old shoe torn worn
leather faded shoe strings tied
hole in the bottom
ragged shoes worn out
running fast trying to flee
bare foot from now on
tattered and worn out
leather faded shoe strings tied
bare foot from now on
3/24/18
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr.2018©
She sat pondering her minds broken into places
sifting through the files of a worn out relationship.
Why was it soooo hard to write thoughts into sentences
on those days with the rains sweeping through the pain
of such craziness? She knew it wasnt because of her
laziness. Maybe, just maybe, She needed to pray on
bended knees for some kind of reprieve and a storm
clearing release because of the melancholic drama of
just being with drug addicted scenery, not seeing, but,
actually seeing the lies in his bleeding with his wallet
bare and cleanly sniffed out by hiding his feelings.
She sat there..... .reeling.....with mind numbing feelings.
Nicotine stained hands
yellowed with age
cracked fingers shaking
inhaling his last breaths
drinking bottles of cheap wine
hardship his only crime.
Sunken eyes gone misty
remembering a different life
from long ago
now a distant memory
numbing every trace
of their loving faces
from his pain stricken mind.
Many harsh Winters lived
through every season
roaming on endless street
begging for money
for something to eat and drink.
The open spaces his shelter
with weathered sky overhead
stripped naked and bare to the soul
he trudged along on the endless road
going to nowhere.
Broken were his heart and dreams
sad memories still consumed him
following him like a shadow
through drunken binges
and smoke filled rooms
with other strangers
whose lives were also ruined.
As he laid his head down to rest
from his inner journey
of haunting thoughts
weary to the bone from exhaustion
he closed his eyes for the last time
using the stars as his pillow.
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.