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Best Poems Written by John Beharry

Below are the all-time best John Beharry poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

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Guardian of the Environment - Indigenous Peoples

For several thousands of years
you upheld the sacredness of Nature
avoiding wanton destruction 
of plant and animal life
taking only what you needed
since their sacredness was 
just as important to you
as the sacredness of humanity

When harvesting wild rice for food
you let some fall into the water
to produce crops for the future
Surrounding a pack of wild sheep
while hunting in the mountains
you let a male and female escape
so by their reproductive process
they would ensure the
continuation of their species

You saw yourself as part of Nature
living in harmony with it
and not plundering it with greed
Your religion was to respect Nature
viewing all plants and animals
as parts of its magnificent fabric
Abuse of a part of it was
an abuse of the whole

Your way of life 
provides valuable lessons
that can teach mankind how 
to deal with today's ecological crisis
that threatens the survival 
of all life on the planet
You were the genuine
Guardian of the Environment



I have always admired the way of life of the Native American Indians living in harmony with Nature before the advent of the Europeans. By extension, this applies to all indigenous peoples including the Amerindians and Polynesians. This piece is dedicated to them.

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Bird Poop In My Eye

Looking up into the sky
a bird pooped in my eye
as it was flying overhead
causing me to see red

It was warm and soggy
making me feel queasy
I scurried into the house
like an upset little mouse

I headed for the kitchen sink
and got there in a blink
Using the faucet spout
I tried to flush it out

When it was expelled
it had a funny smell
and the sink water
had a dirty colour

So when a bird is flying overhead
keep your head down instead
Do not look up into the sky
or you may get poop in your eye

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Monarch Butterfly

hanging from the foliage
in your hundreds
repainting the leaves
in bright shades
of black and orange
with your waterproof
gossamer wings
of four inch span
so fragile and 
yet so strong
enabling you  
to journey south
across america
from canada to mexico 
breeding new generations
as you travel 
thousands of miles
with unerring accuracy
to the exact place
of your birth
to breed
a new generation
that will initiate 
the process for 
the return journey
to the north
in due course
you are indeed
the monarch 
of butterflies

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Tropical Splendour

Tropical sunshine 
streaming down
from a clear blue and white sky
with fleecy white clouds
edged with wisps of mist
like giant grains of popcorn
drifting slowly by
way up in the sky

The sunshine 
bathing the sugar cane fields below
with golden sunbeams
saturating the texture
of its long grass-like leaves
with its radiance
enlivening them and
transforming the fields into
an emerald sea 
of brilliant green

Tropical breeze 
swaying the sugar cane leaves
gently caressing them
making them dance in unison
like the waves of the ocean

The dancing leaves 
vibrating in harmony
with each other
create a murmuring sound 
that builds in intensity
and reaches a crescendo
like the roar
of the waves of the ocean
setting the leaves 
in a wild dance of ecstasy
and then gently subsiding
to the soothing sound
of a gentle breeze
inducing a state 
of peacefulness
and tranquillity

At such moments
alone with nature
one can feel a strange unity
with everything around
Unity that is so strong 
and overpowering
that one loses consciousness
of one's individual self
one has no consciousness
of time and space
but only of that moment
- the infinite eternal NOW

One's consciousness seems to merge
with a deeper consciousness
of the unity of all things
in nature and the cosmos
One experiences an awareness
of a deeper reality 
that is impossible
to describe in words

One makes contact 
with one's cosmic roots
in a dimension where
time and space
are irrelevant
It is the synchronisation
of one's consciousness
with the absolute
and ultimate reality
of the cosmos




As a young boy, around nine or ten, I used to love to be in the sugar-cane fields in my native tropical island, Trinidad. I got a natural high, being dazzled by the brilliant sunshine and  listening to the sighing of the sugar cane leaves as they swayed in the breeze like the waves of the ocean. I felt that Nature was speaking to me, transporting me to another world where I connected with my cosmic roots, becoming part of the unity of all things.

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Leaves of Trees

O dried up leaf lying there on the ground
Fallen from the top of a sturdy tree
Where you viewed everything that was around
While you bathed in the sunshine's glory

You manufactured food from the sunlight 
And together with the help of the roots
Faithfully nourished your parent just right
Creating a sturdy tree bearing fruits

In spring and summer you wore brilliant green
And supplied shade to others from the sun
In autumn you became more colourful
and before winter dropped off one by one

Even now as you lay there on the dirt
Nature must move on in its cyclic line
You shall soon become a part of the earth
And become food for others of your kind




iambic pentameter

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Nature Portraits - Mountain, Sequoia, Sunset, Thunderstorm, Waterfall

The grandeur of a majestic mountain
standing proud against the horizon
with its snow-capped peak
enveloped in fleecy white clouds
against a clear azure blue sky

The glorious majesty of a stately sequoia
towering above the surrounding vegetation
being the largest living thing on earth
its massive trunk over thirty feet wide
with its gnarled rugged beauty

The wondrous artistry of the setting sun
edging the darkened clouds with silver linings
and painting the evening sky
in brilliant colours of the rainbow
mirrored on the ocean's surface below

The awesome power of a thunderstorm at night
with jagged bolts of lightning
that split the darkness
and light up the surroundings
with blinding dazzling intensity

The thunderous roar of a mighty waterfall
cascading down in huge torrents of liquid fury
smashing into the water below
creating mists of water droplets
that transform the sunlight into a rainbow

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Blackbirds In the Rain

blackbirds in the rain
walking among the fallen leaves
under the old mango tree
with dripping leaves
bathing the grass below
blackbirds diligently lifting 
the rain soaked fallen leaves
peering underneath for insects
and worms
flushed out 
by the drizzling rain
pausing to gulp one down
then scooting off again
searching for more

sitting under the shed
with raindrops playing their music
on the galvanised sheet roof
with a beat 
that resonates
within my inner being
putting me in a trance
connecting me to the rain
and the puddles on the ground
with the raindrops
gently tapping the water's surface
creating rings that collide
with one another
disrupting their individual shapes
creating a dynamic new pattern
reflecting their unity
and bubbling with energy
in the drizzling rain

O what a deep feeling 
of peacefulness and serenity
with the rain
the dripping leaves
and the puddles
serenading my spirit
with the eternal song of Nature
and merging it into the 
Unity Of All Things







It was raining today. There was a constant drizzle for hours. I sat in a shed attached to the house, watching the blackbirds in action in the rain, searching for their food. The constant rhythmic sound of the rain on the galvanised sheet roof of the shed and the gentle drama playing out in the backyard with the blackbirds was a spiritual experience for me connecting me with Nature and the unity of all things as mentioned in the last verse.
.

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Green - the Colour of Life

green plants and grasses

a message of life and hope

in a desert land

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Malala

In Swat valley in Northern Pakistan
Malala, a young female teenager 
Stood against the might of the Taliban
And earned the respect of those who knew her 

She opposed their girls' education ban
And spread the issue all over the world
This enraged the terrorist Taliban
Who were determined to silence this girl

They sent an assassin to murder her
And he shot a bullet right through her head
But she proved to be a tough survivor
And became even more vocal instead

For her courage and heroic action
She earned the award of a Nobel prize
This defiant female from Pakistan
Became an idol in everyone's eyes



This is a tribute to Malala, recent Nobel Prize recipient.



iambic pentameter
john beharry
10/12/2014

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Tropical Nightingale

Perched on a sturdy branch on yonder tree
Pouring out your heart in sweet melody
With a full throated birdsong rhapsody
Filling me with such joyful ecstasy

Do you sing sweetly to woo your lady
Who listens somewhere on a nearby tree
Her heart must surely melt at the beauty
Of the song you sing so effortlessly

Is your song a joyful testimony
To honour nature's musical bounty
Given to creatures from earth, sky and sea
Whose music blesses all abundantly

Or is it part of a profound mystery
Heralding a supreme divinity
Which pervades all silently and deeply 
O bird, I'll ever be grateful to thee