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Best Poems Written by Charles Gragg

Below are the all-time best Charles Gragg poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

Details | Charles Gragg Poem

Poetry Is

Poetry Is

Poetry is a lonely craft
Those of us that write must be slightly daft
For every thousand writers of the rhyme
Only one reader follows and not all of the time
Even the closest of relatives and one's dearest friends
Care little for the poets works and little encouragement lends
So write on lonely poet write on if you must
Chances are your books will soon be covered with dust   
And as you toil on with your craft secluded and alone
Be aware there’ll be no mention of your writes
   on your final gravestone

Details | Charles Gragg Poem

Evil and Goodness

Goodness is hiding in every shadowy corner of this world
We must find a way bring it out in the open so that it’s blinding
glare drives evil from our midst. Greed, prejudice, hatred, and
uncaring hearts seem to be ruling the day. These human traits
coupled with ignorance as a common human frailty prevalent
within the masses set the stage for evils continuing reign.  We
must not become victims of our own inaction. To free goodness
from the shadows we must not become complacent and accept
the jeweled falsehoods that evil presents as tokens of its good will.
Be ever vigilant and wait not for the hero amongst us to step forward
and save the day.  For it is the power of our numbers that will ultimately
prevail if collectively we choose the path of equality for all.

Details | Charles Gragg Poem

A Day By the Ocean

Smell the sweet and salty air
Roam the wide beach without a care
Walk ankle deep in the ocean's cooling foam
Dig in the sand till the cows come home
For the fleeting moments spent in this magical place
Forget the outside world and its fanatic pace
Be a child once more, let your mind roam free
See life not as it is but as it could be
We live but once and time is a but a fleeting friend
So cherish this time from glorious beginning till end

Details | Charles Gragg Poem

Light and the Darkness

When the wind and rain cease and the storm clouds clear
And you’re snug and warm with nary a thing to fear
Peace becomes your closest friend as the sun breaks through
And your spirits rise and you see skies of blue
Times of darkness pass and your life is cast in radiant light
Loneliness takes leave of your mind and the future is bright
Trials may still cross your path in the days ahead
But you stand ready to face them with nothing to dread
You see we can approach life in so many different ways
Seeing darkness or light on life's highways and byways
The light guides our journey while darkness shrouds our path
The choice is yours - so choose wisely on your own behalf

Details | Charles Gragg Poem

Living

Life is a circle that goes around and around
Filled with magnificent sight and sound
Just remember where we begin we also end
Such is life on that we can depend

Begin each day as if it were your last
End each day having come so far so fast
Live to give and not to just receive
Your heart will rejoice when you take your leave

Details | Charles Gragg Poem

Listen Closely and You May Hear

There is a soft buzz in the evening air
Listen closely and you may hear
Children a laughing in the distance
Carols a playing with persistence
Rustling sounds from Mother's kitchen
Dogs a barking with tails a twitchen
Church bells a ringing down the street
People's voices as friends they greet
Horses neighing down the way
Sleigh bells a ringing so joyful and gay
Daddy a chopping to stoke the house fire
Squirrels a chattering deep in the forest briar
Chestnuts a dropping from the old tree in back
Grandpa a cussing as he gives the old stove a whack
The creaking and groaning as all climb the kitchen stairway  
Silence round the table as all give thanks for the day
There is much to be said about the sounds this time of year
Listen closely and you may hear

Details | Charles Gragg Poem

Memorial Day 2014

It's time to remember those that served and died
Leaving loved ones behind whose tears they can't hide
Look deep into your soul as we honor them this day
For these are the true heroes as the ultimate price they did pay
Their names are preserved on small white crosses world wide
Their faces only memories to a few who stand quiet at grave side
There is no way we can truly repay them for the sacrifice they made
For a life lost is lost forever and even the most grand of memories do fade
Maybe the most honor we can show them is to be the best we can be
And stand tall against those that would bring shame to this the land of the free
For together we can forge the mightiest of unbreakable chains
And prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that our heroes did not die in vain

Details | Charles Gragg Poem

The Antique Shop


The small antique shop beckons to me as if calling my name
I hurry to enter with great anticipation
The chime above the door provides an eerie greeting
The store is aglow with articles of times past
I pass from aisle to aisle my eyes darting from relic to relic
I see high top shoes with white laces
I see brushes and combs with pearl handles
I see pictures in boxes of families in fine clothes
I see a doll in the corner eyes staring blankly ahead
I see worn dresses on racks with lace collars and bows

My journey through time continues as I move on in haste
I see a stringless violin in a black scuffed up case
I see silverware with fine bone handles
I see pocket watches with long golden chains
I see hundreds of tiny bottles that once held fine fragrances
I see scratched phonograph records strewn hither and yon
I see fine tools of the trade in hand crafted cases
I see rows of fine china all hand painted with care
I see a faded picture of a child with long golden hair 

Suddenly I pause as my mind starts to reflect
Everything before me shelters a story of long ago    
They are not useless items that I view but the relics of lives past  
Each article once the personal possession of a living breathing soul 
With a new respect for the articles before me I move on
Ghostly images of faces now accompany each piece that I see  
If I purchase just one it must be displayed with the utmost dignity
For its original owner will have bestowed its care to me
I leave the shop with my new treasure all neatly wrapped 
The chime above the door signals my departure
The stale aroma of the shop is replaced by the cool evening air 
Life, as fragile as the tiny piece of crystal that I carry, goes on

Copyright 2007 Charlie Gragg

Details | Charles Gragg Poem

Flawed Limericks

There is a state of mind known as woebegone
In which one feels like an addict on methadone
The more one tries to feel upbeat
The more one suffers mental defeat
And the mind plays on like a gramophone.
8
The boys outside the bar appeared rapscallion
Their actions were downright reptilian
 Every time a girl would walk by
One would let out a loud cry
Acting just like an overheated young stallion
8
There was an old lady from New Jersey
Who recently moved to Poughkeepsie
She met this old fart
In a local Kmart
And the two proceeded to get quite tipsy
8
Roger was smug and a bit of a grandee
Others viewed him as somewhat of a dandy
The girls giggled and downright snickered
Because they knew he sought entry to their knickers
But alas, with buttons and zippers he just wasn’t handy     
    8 
Bobby was well known for his generosity    
But also known for his excessive gulosity
He would take you to lunch anytime
But always state “what’s left over is mine”
And clean the table with the utmost ferocity
8
There was this old man from Toledo
That liked to parade around in his speedo
The old ladies would giggle
Watching his sagging butt jiggle
But it did little or nothing for their libido
8
There is this retired gentleman in south Buda
Who would like to vacation in Bermuda 
But his poem book didn’t sell worth squat
Now he’s stuck with who knows what
As he reads travel brochures in his pad in south Buda
8
There is this Colorado guy in the Springs
Whose Windows computer does unusual things
The damn screen turned permanently black
So he went out and bought a new Mac
Now he doesn’t answer when his telephone rings
8

Details | Charles Gragg Poem

Onward and Upward

"Onward and upward"

the good men and women were heard to say
as they drew their swords to join the fray
The enemy was vanquished and did quickly give way
And peace was preserved in a grandiose display
Now for those that gave all we kneel and pray
So they will be forever remembered on this Memorial Day

Charles Hampton Gragg

May 27, 2013