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Best Poems Written by Ben Burton

Below are the all-time best Ben Burton poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

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Memorial Day Tribute

Memorial Day Tribute
© Ben Burton 5-25-2015

They stood up for America
And for their families left behind
Our soldiers sent to unknown lands
Secure that God was on their side

Esprit de corps was palpable
In every battle they engaged
Where many saw their brothers fall
From bombs on high and cannonade

That sacrifice was part of life
But those who lived would ne'er forget
Those pals interred in foreign soils
Or body parts themselves had left

And every Monday late in May
We think of those who toed the line
Who died too young, but made their mark
On those who still recall with pride

Our noble heroes lost in war
While we live in our comfort zone
We have a duty to defend
The hallowed shores that they called home

All those who think "hallowed" untrue
Remain entitled to their belief
Because of those with different views
Who died that we might freely speak

Details | Ben Burton Poem

The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man And the Sea
© Ben Burton 12-19-2014

"I'm troubled by the humbling plight of man's mortality"
The old man said aloud while kicking sand
"Why can't we be as timeless as the soulless, salty sea
Or even as the muddy Rio Grande

"Why must we come and go before we've barely wet a hook
And be adjudged for walking cross the pier
And yet the sea is fortified by rivulet and brook
And waves its cap for many billion years"

The old man wandered to the surf and shook an angry fist
Toward the place where sea and heaven met
"Why must I be accountable for what I can't resist
And be exposed for secrets I have kept?"

The sea like a leviathan with tempest in its wake
Did bellow out producing lightening bolts
"Oh, yes, you come and go and leave a trail of endless waste
And yet, you said yourself, I have no soul

"So give me ninety billion years and triple that times two
Is not a tick of time, you mindless lad
The day will come when I shall dry and earth will perish, too
But still, the Great Unknown will hold your hand"

Details | Ben Burton Poem

Camouflage

Camouflage
© Ben Burton 12-01-2014

A leopard cannot change his spots
Nor would he if he could
They offer him some camouflage
When lurking in the wood

Van Winkle would not leave his cot
For roughly twenty years
But what a lesson we were taught
Be careful with those beers

A period is but a dot
Yet, such a potent thing
For if some reason it is dropped
The words start jumble-ing

Some authors will not change their plot
Though editors insist
How many classics were not wrought
Merely because of this?

In Ferguson the people fought
Set fires and looted, too
The facts did not deter their cause
Contrived police abuse

Obama does not care for cops
He went on the attack
Implying Darren Wilson shot
Merely to kill a black

Oh well, the liberals are naught
(With those last words, they fled)
My spotted leopard trick, they bought
Elsewise, they'd not have read

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In Liberal Land

In liberal land the poppies grow
Though not too long for soon they're smoked
How else can they maintain a belief
That's mired in fantasy and grief

They have consistency of mind
Their brains malfunction all the time
But don't let politics revolt
Inside they house a heart of cold

Their way of thinking was set forth
In a fairy tale of yore
Where nothing was as it appeared
And playing cards could speak and hear

They've dwelled inside that rabbit hole
Since long before Frank's polio
Where common sense is a disease
And all that counts is feeling pleased

With how they've been so kind and bold
In carving life from helpless souls
Who none the wiser cast their votes
For shamans dressed in phony hope

It took a child to bare the king
For none dare speak while witnessing
The simple truth before their eyes
Their brains whitewashed through guile and lies

They seized the schools, the bench, the arts
Upturned the vendor's applecart
Til none were left to pay the rent
Totalitarian government

Details | Ben Burton Poem

My Pen

My Pen
© Ben Burton 1-08-2015

She was young and beautiful
I was hung and comical
Hung with humor found a way to beauty's heart
Though I was never lyrical
That undisputed miracle
Inspired my pen to challenge Shelley's art

Life with her was glorious
Straight out of a storybook
Where forever would not be half long enough
Rode the waves at Malibu
Skied the slopes of Crested Butte
Stayed at home for days on end just making love

For six years I have known such pain and sorrow
Since the final, sad "Goodbye" I gave my wife
Now these tears you see me shedding are all borrowed
From the deep well where my heart was drowned that night

Though I'm still a youthful man
I will never love again
The only poems left in my pen
Are filled with anger, grief and spite

Details | Ben Burton Poem

School-Daze Dreaming

This is PG-13! While googling, I accidentally bumped into something I wrote seven years ago. Only vaguely remember it. No one on the site where I posted it commented. Expect nothing less here. :)

School-Daze Dreaming

From the patio I watched her
Silhouette behind the shade
The allurement of Diana
Quivered in eleventh grade

Through a warm wind I still shivered
From those curves of treachery
While she reveled in my weakness
At her sin's abilities

That she'd beckon one so lonely
Drifting as a single cloud
Her wicked school girl chastity
Like a paragon to proud

As her image was uncovered
When the shades were opened wide
Through my rigidness I pondered
Should libido be my guide

For my own demented ego
Born of promises so pure
Could not wallow any longer
In a place this insecure

So, I harnessed my stiletto
Unrequited for too long
Turned my back on absolution
Let the sheath fulfill the prong

As emotions overwhelmed me
And my hands unleashed her breasts
Squeezing demons from her bosom
Til myself became possessed

And her muzzled screams of horror
Through her separated knees
Where the warm, red blood was oozing
From her now deflowered tease

The tintinnabulation
Signals class is at its end
I awaken from my stupor
With contempt I say, "Dismissed"

Quickly, students flee the doorway
Save one girl of seventeen
And I stare in vexed amazement
At the object of my dream

From her desk, thighs barely parted
First a smile and then a wink
And her steam contorts my vision
To a pedestal of pink

.....

A reluctant sun expresses its last light
As the golden moon becomes a thief once more
Landing on her mound of Venus late that night
Carries us on tides to Aphrodite's shore

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The Color Blue

The Color Blue
© Ben Burton 

The press is pushing hard
Promoting racial animus
Creating a canard
Like Rosa Parks had missed the bus

The first black President
Who should have made ol' Martin proud
Instead, it came to this
Obama cannot shut his mouth

When color is involved
He opens up and plows right in
The only thing resolved
His pure disdain for white-skinned men

And now we've reached the point
The tipping point of sanity
When inmates from the joint
Are more revered than the police

For socialism feeds
On being arrogant and smug
Emotional deceit
Promoting hate disguised as love

They've managed to create
A straw man of young Michael Brown
Speak truth, you denigrate
Excuse to loot and burn 'em down

For Brown was black, not white
Unarmed, but shot at least six times
Yet who began the fight?
Don't shoot, hands up, scam alibi

So now the leftist loons
Handcuff those who protect and serve
The cops had best not shoot
No matter if it is deserved

But therein lies the rub
What is a lawman sworn to do?
Inside his thankless club
There's just one color, it is blue

Details | Ben Burton Poem

Because of the Brave

Because Of The Brave
© Ben Burton

The grizzled old soldier looked on with quiet pride
As the Veteran's Day Parade slowly marched on by
He stood as erect as his bent limbs would allow
Saluted Old Glory, with tears in his eyes

Because of the brave
We make our own decisions
Because of the brave
We can voice diverse opinions
The reason the stars and stripes still wave
Is because of the brave

The soldier heard some protests from people near the street
He glanced at them, shook his head, and thought about the beach
He'd survived at Normandy, where many buddies fell
Defeating Hitler's horror with noble gallantry

Because of the brave
We make our own decisions
Because of the brave
We can voice diverse opinions
The reason the stars and stripes still wave
Is because of the brave

Think about how much we owe this man and men like him
Make a vow as years go by our memories will never dim
Their blood and lives were shed to ensure we live in freedom

Because of the brave
We make our own decisions
Because of the brave
We can voice diverse opinions
The reason there's still a US of A
Is because of the brave
Because of the brave
Because of the brave
And what they gave

Details | Ben Burton Poem

Good Friday

Good Friday
© Ben Burton 4-3-2015

His birth is good reason for rejoicing
Going home, giving gifts, and singing songs
But, in truth, when we should really lift our voices
Is on the day He gave His life to right our wrongs

Without Easter we could never have Thanksgiving
And Noel would be a name without a cause
But with Jesus at the wheel we shall be driven
To that place which is not bound by earthly laws

Thanks to Christ, Good Friday's not a day for mourning
For we know that he is sure to rise again
And the Passion is a never-ending story
Crucifixion is where Christian life begins

Details | Ben Burton Poem

America the Free

America the Free
© Ben Burton 11-11-2014

Atrocities of war
That mortify the soul
So bravely have they fought
With freedom as their goal

But there's an afterlife
For combat veterans
A stark reality
That is too often shunned

By those of us who've reaped
Rewards from what they've done
Meanwhile, they have to cope
With horrors from the front

But life must carry on
Tomorrow's a new day
I heard one soldier speak
Here's what he had to say

"Don't dwell on what you've lost
On pieces left behind
You still have your right hand
Your left foot's working fine

Bronze stars and purple hearts
Nice tokens of your deeds
But they won't buy a lunch
Of burgers, fries and tea

A bottle offers warmth
And helps to cloud your mind
But there's a life to live
That should not be denied

A gentle summer breeze
Conversing with a friend
About the here and now
And not the might-have-beens

You know what you've achieved
For liberty lives on
Those scars and missing limbs
Can't be allowed to taunt

Go forth with what you have
And proud of what you've got
Remembering your pals
Who got no second shot

The rest is up to you
For with your victory
You too still have a home
In America the free"