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Best Poems Written by Jenny Lum

Below are the all-time best Jenny Lum poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

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Details | Jenny Lum Poem

The Beast Within

The complication of the unsettling 
Ball of rage racing in my chest
Claws, like a voracious villain
From the deepest insides of my ribs. 
In irritation, the rowdy lunacy
Climbs out my throat into my mouth, 
Bitter with madness. 

But I can’t let it out any further. 

Then I hear the aggravating footsteps 
Of her heavy, lazy feet, 
While shutting my lips tight 
To keep the ball of rage from escape. 
Focusing my mind, imagining
The consequences of releasing this monster 
into the truths of my reality. 

I, with great difficulty, 
Force it down, 
With cold sweat, neck hairs erect, 
Swallowing hard, but
It stays lodged in my throat, 

Breathe, soothes my monster-taming brain.
I let the air rushing in pressure him back down, 
And the boil simmers down slowly.
The beast begins to settle down. 
I lean back to enjoy the feeling of relaxation 
That a mother feels when her continuously crying baby, 
Finally falls asleep. 

Suddenly,
“GET DOWN HERE!!” she guffaws in a piercing pitch. 
With an explosive eruption the beast breaks out. 
Immediately I lose control as his anger breaks the chains loose. 
Like hot bubbling lava and black tar exploding from a volcano, 
The beast breaks free and emerges as a continuous
Deadly, deep scream of bottled frustration. 

For so long the beast has been contained, 
And now that he finds the joy of release, 
He refuses to return inside. 
The beast’s screams echo in my room.

Copyright © Jenny Lum | Year Posted 2007



Details | Jenny Lum Poem

The Noise I Breathe

He stalks me for all but the
Short five hours of the day while I sleep.
6am, the sun rises, 
Clang, bang the pots and pans.
As grandmother cooks he creeps 
From the kitchen into my room. 

Frightened and annoyed by his disturbance, 
I awake to my daily life 
Where he continues to stalk
And sting my ears.

On the bus, in class, at home, 
He lurks every corner, everywhere. 
Anywhere you go he’s there, 
Especially when you need peace.

The air by which I am circulated, 
Is circulated by an air not of air -
But of noise. 
And after breathing in this 
Intoxicating atmosphere for eighteen years, 
The effects and suffocation cannot be
Tolerated any longer. 

If my ears were goalies, 
They would fail miserably;
None of the noise is blocked out. 
If noise was a murderer, 
He’d pierce every time – 
With no regard for the situation, 
No regard for me.

Copyright © Jenny Lum | Year Posted 2007

Details | Jenny Lum Poem

Lie With Beauty

Soft and smooth pearl skin, 
White, flawless of moon glow, 
Cheeks for me to caress, 
Gentle beauty to show. 
A hint of rosy flesh within her cheek, 
So tender, calling me to speak. 

In nervous steps, eager I approach, 
Eyes descend to the ground, 
As closer to the beauty, 
Soon to love her, my duty. 

Up I looked at last, 
but to hear my own gasp! 

“Good day!” I spit in shock, 
In too close to the changed face.
So I refrain from a stare, 
But oh, t’was such a scare! 

Those cheeks so gaunt,
Coated and piled of white guck, 
Masking a hardly perfect visage, 
Falsely illuminating that sickly green face. 

Time and time again, 
The world brings pain.
All of life is a deception --
Woman aren’t an exception!

Copyright © Jenny Lum | Year Posted 2007


Book: Reflection on the Important Things