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Best Poems Written by Michael Donnelly

Below are the all-time best Michael Donnelly poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

Details | Michael Donnelly Poem

Lost Love

Once, I found a piece of paper
in a parking lot
in the snow,
bright white,
fresh,
as if just dropped there
by accident.
 
It was a note
addressed, “My love,”
and nothing more.

Either it was
the shortest love letter
ever penned
or
the author could only 
transliterate
what they felt.

I understand that
sometimes,
love is not about
words, 
but more about
action,
like impassioned eyes
glancing across a room
at the object of their affection
or, a touch so tender
that it electrifies all of your senses,
becoming a part of you,
melting into your soul.

I only hoped that
whoever wrote it
would be able to experience
what I knew to be-
beyond words.

Details | Michael Donnelly Poem

A Psalm of Devotion To My Lord

At Your feet is where I desire to be
My Divine and Sovereign King,
For You are mighty and to be praised;
And so this heartfelt psalm I bring,

To the Ancient of Days, whom I magnify
I pledge my faithful unfaltering love
As I longingly gaze and wait for the day
When I join You in the Heavens above

Oh, praise Him all who hath tongue and speak
With fervent clamor let your voices peak
And to those of you unable to converse,
Raise your hands to the Lord of the Universe!

Give praise to He who waits on His bride,
Take your joy to the streets and do not hide!
For soon the trumpet call will sound
And we, His church, will be Heaven bound!

Oh, how I sincerely long to see Your face 
Almighty Master of Time and Space,
For You are Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End,
And this song of praise, to Your throne I send.

At Your feet is where I desire to be
My Divine and Sovereign King,
For You are mighty and to be praised;
And so this heartfelt psalm I bring,

Details | Michael Donnelly Poem

Once, I Had Questions

Weighing heavy on my mind
     like the hefty schoolyard bully
perched on the chest of his captured prey
     cruelly taunting

My soul, which wanted to take off and soar,
     remained shrouded for a time like a hooded falcon
kept by the falconer and so
     with eager anticipation: I waited

And I wondered if such things as
     pain and pleasure
were meant to be connected somehow
     like fraternal twins who complement each other

Life’s lessons came hard earned for me like
     the bidder seeking rarities at an auction and so
I learned that merits earned by determination and sweat:
     are all the sweeter and much more valuable

Mistakes have taken a toll on my life and I feel like
     a lighthouse that has withstood the battering
of many violent storms and yet
     I remain resolute, but a little worse for wear.

Details | Michael Donnelly Poem

Transference

Salient memories, relevant
to whom I’ve become, 
physical becomes incorporeal; 
a metaphysical journey begins.

All thoughts, transmissions and words 
ever spoken drift in a void, a galactic 
archive of perpetual absolute cold. 

Streams of pure light, pulsing
signals from the creator; directions 
to a sentient universe.

Worlds being born, primordial
soups stirring, life is constant, 
rebirth; is relevant.

Traversing time and space
in the blink of an eye, I see 
spirits journeying; on their way.

Benevolent ethereal beings, 
messengers from the great seat 
of emotion take my hands, 
eternity shines, a supreme realm 
beyond the beyond; beckons me.

Details | Michael Donnelly Poem

Blind Ambition

You are what you do daily,
Simply look around you
It’s plain to see
From the ebb and flow
Of human endeavor
Creating a sense of worth
In you and me.

You see the habits we form
During the course of our lives
Determines if we succeed or fail,
And it’s not always about
Being bold and strong,
Sometimes you need
To be humble and frail.

Behavior is relevant
In more ways than one
It shapes who and what
We will be,
For if you have no vision
Or ambition to go with it then,
It’s your life your wasting you see.

Details | Michael Donnelly Poem

That Night In Gethsemane

Natural serenity prevailed in the garden
That evening,
A warm light breeze blew
Interweaved with the sounds of
Crickets
Chirping their shrilled symphony,
And occasionally interrupted by
The haunting cries of wild peacock.

Bathed in pale moonlight
Stood a man 
Dressed in a simple cloth robe
Wiping beads of sweat
And blood
From his brow.

Peering at the slumbering disciples 
Huddled together before him 
He sighed,
Ad then spoke  the following
With compassionate disdain.

“Away but for a short time
Beseeching my father,
Only to return and find
My brothers asleep,
A moment longer
You could not wait?”
 
Nearly tempestuous
Was the wind,
As if God himself 
Were attempting to wake
With forceful breath
Those who pledged to share
His sons’ every trial.

And in the twilight hours
Came the
Dutiful military denizens,
Guided by
Ulterior treachery and
Sworn to fulfill their mission.

Details | Michael Donnelly Poem

Livorno É In Tocana

Brilliant first morning rays 
chasing shadows across wavy 
slate roofs, along fortified stone walls,
just ahead of gently caressing 
salty ocean breezes,

ancient cobbled streets
and flowing canals echoing
the greeting of the day
from weary denizens stirring.

Stucco walls starkly contrasted
with creeping vines, bright yellow 
and red flowers adorn, waiting 
for plein-air artists 
to make them immortal.

Leathery old men with deep tans 
converge in plazas already bustling,
eager to share fishing stories
over board games and espresso

while they patiently wait for 
olives to ripen
and wine grapes to grow fat.

Details | Michael Donnelly Poem

Winter Solstice

Peering from my window
Through a thin veil of frost,
It seems that an unseen force
Had resolved to obscure my vision,
As if it were saying, 
“There’s nothing out there but darkness
And frightful frigid discomfort
That is best left to creatures
Who are suited for such environs.”

Hastily I wipe the frosted pane
For a glimpse of something rare,
When the Earth 
Seemingly bickers with the Sun,
Demanding a moment more of its
Radiant solar comfort
Only to be abruptly silenced by:
Old Man winter,
Who masterfully placates this
Sibling wrangle and
With authority unquestioned;
Darkness falls
With Winter’s command.

Details | Michael Donnelly Poem

The Dubious Case For Love and War

Sorrow hastens the hearts lament
     For love and things once owned,
As one is material to a great extent 
     Yet both are almost always bemoaned.
Long has man heartily undertaken
     The art of bloody vicious war
And all too often love is forsaken,
      Just to settle a selfish score.
On common ground would some agree,
     “That all’s fair in love and war,”
But I beg to differ because it is plain to see:
     That love is what is needed more.
History tells us of the battles fought
     Along with the many reasons why
And even today, we are yet greatly distraught
     To know that many still fight and die.
Oh would love be grand if it spread like plague
     Infecting all and humbling their ill will,
Causing the dark hateful memories to fade:
     Forever crippling the urge to kill.

Details | Michael Donnelly Poem

I Mourn With You Virginia Tech.

He wrote of death and spoke in whispers
His troubled mind squirmed like and eel,
Yet no one knew of the evil he planned
Or of the hate that he was inclined to feel.
Horror rained heavy on the people that day
Who experienced shear terror and pain,
For this diabolical subhuman
Unleashed his misanthropic rage
Causing anguish that will not soon wane.