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Best Poems Written by Jeff Cornelius

Below are the all-time best Jeff Cornelius poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

Details | Jeff Cornelius Poem

True Lies Ii

I remember it all clearly now,
The words he spoke to me
They all came from this bird I saw,
Sitting high up in that tree

At first I thought I'd lost my mind,
Just listening to this bird
But not too long into his tale,
I hung on every word

The tale that he relayed to me,
Was filled with drugs and crime
And ended with a friend of his,
In prison doing time

It started in a park he said,
Just a couple of years ago
He never named the park he meant,
But said that I would know

His friend was walking down this path,
When he came across this man
Who sat beneath a big shade tree,
With a cigarette in his hand

He asked the man for a cigarette, 
Then he smoked it then and there
He said the only reason that he did,
Cause a pigeon double dared

From that day on he couldn't stop,
He was smoking more and more
And to get his fix for nicotine, 
He started robbing liquor stores

Then, when cigarettes no longer worked,
He switched to dip and chew
And swore he'd hit the hard stuff,
Before he was ever through

The cops already knew his name,
By the time he was finally stopped
And they sentenced him to life without,
Inside a local mall's pet shop

I'm sure this tale seems out of place,
Or to you may seem a joke
But its as real as anything could be,
To the friend of which he spoke

That friend has thrown away his life,
I'm sure he must regret
All because he took a dare,
To smoke one cigarette

Details | Jeff Cornelius Poem

Night Trip

I took a trip last night into my dreams
To a place that I'm sure no one has seen
The sky was black as the darkest of nights
But everything else was a spectrum of light

With no one around but still voices I hear
When all of a sudden a doorway appeared
A sign on the door said welcome, come in
And that's where the story of this journey begins

When I turned the knob and pushed open the door
I almost stepped in when I noticed no floor
I heard a voice tell me "do not be afraid"
"This is a journey of the choices you made"

"You see life is a journey that everyone takes
And your judged in this world by the choices you make
You had the choice to do wrong or right
You chose to do wrong and stand there and fight"

"So now close your eyes and enter this room
And witness events to your upcoming doom"
I shut my eyes and I walked through the air
When I looked to the left a doorway was there

I opened the door and started to scream
I wanted to wake from this terrible dream
What I saw in that room will haunt me for life
It was the bodies of my children and my beautiful wife

I screamed at the voice "why did you bring me here"
He said," it is time to face my worse fear
Now go to your family and look in their eyes"
But I couldn't move and I started to cry

Finally I walked over till I came to my son
I couldn't do anything the damage was done
I looked in his eyes and saw what he'd seen
The moment he died he was crying for me

Each child that I went to their eyes were the same
Before each one of them died they cried out my name
I couldn't take anymore so I asked," could we go"
He said," not quite yet there's something else I must show"

"You see, you left them behind when you went to jail"
"But I hadn't a choice" I stared to yell
"Then who made the choice when you committed that crime"
"So then why punish them if the fault was all mine"

"They died whenever you spun out of control
Cause you were responsible when you took on the role
Of father and husband to the family you see
That is laying before you and will no longer be"

"So what will it be the choice is on you
But remember your choices could make this come true
You have the choice to forget what you've seen
And continue your life the way that you please"

"Just remember the choices you make for yourself
Not only affect you they affect someone else
So now I shall leave you to let you decide
And I hope that all this has made you realize"

"It's not only on you when you choose the wrong road
Your family and friends have to help carry the load"
When I finally woke up I just started to grin
I was given the chance to change this journey's end





This was an actual dream that I had while sitting in jail, so I wrote it down. It isn't a very good one as far as rhythm, but I like the story and the message.

Details | Jeff Cornelius Poem

Shadows In the Dark

With peace a distant memory 
and love so far removed
I fear I must retreat inside 
the sanctum of my tomb

As tortured voices call to me 
I ponder at the door
Shall I release my hold on life 
of this I must implore

Since forgiveness seems so silent 
and my sorrows seem so loud
My thoughts escape detection as 
I face the maddening crowd

But hope remains my company 
as darkness turns from light
All my dreams have disappeared 
like birds thats taken flight

I marvel at the mysteries 
which shadows ushered in
The halls of pain within my Hell 
have started once again

I scream surrender in my soul 
with nothing left to prove
With peace a distant memory 
and love so far removed

Details | Jeff Cornelius Poem

Goodbye

The end has come for me today
so I must say good-bye
It may be hard to understand 
but I trust that you will try

My heart's so filled with emptiness 
controlled by misery
I've finally seen that what I am 
was never meant to be

The tears I've cried so recently 
are for pain nobody knows
I just can't take it anymore 
it's time for me to go

Is life suppose to be this way 
with thoughts of suicide
Or has my life become a loss 
with no one to confide

Does anybody understand 
the pain that fills my heart
Or understand that all of this 
is tearing me apart

Concealment isn't optional 
for no one seems to care
I hide within my shattered thoughts 
While drowning in despair

My heart has grown so heavy 
and still I don't know why
But the end has come for me today 
so I will say good-bye

Details | Jeff Cornelius Poem

True Lies

I was sitting in the park one day 
in the shade underneath a tree
When I saw this little squirrel come up 
and sit right next to me

I watched it sit there for a while 
then I offered it some bread
He looked around then looked at me 
'no thanks' I thought he said

I knew I must be hearing things 
so I said 'say that again'
He said 'I said no thank you' 
and I about jumped out my skin

Squirrels aren't suppose to talk 
or at least that's what I thought
But he asked me for a cigarette 
and said that'd  mean alot

I thought, this can't be happening 
it had to be some kind of joke
But I was sure I heard this little squirrel 
just ask me for a smoke

So I gave the squirrel a cigarette 
then sat and watched in awe
When he was done he told me thanks 
and stuck out his little paw

I shook his paw and left the park 
I'm not sure if he's still there
Everyone says I imagined it 
but he asked me for a square

My doctor thinks I dreamed it all 
but I swear that it's the truth
If you don't believe my word 
ask the pigeon he smoked one too

Details | Jeff Cornelius Poem

Warm Embrace

I can't escape the loneliness 
which haunts me deep inside
There's no one I can turn to 
and nowhere left to hide

For years I have been tortured by 
these thoughts within my head
My sanity slips far away 
with every tear I shed

Control beyond my hopefulness 
and peace so far from sight
I hate the waking thoughts I have 
and dread the dreams at night

Can Death secure my restlessness 
the grave relieve my fears
Or must I continue hating life 
through my remaining years

Surely Death's a blessed end 
from all the pain I feel
The misery within my heart 
can never be concealed

I've reached the point of no return 
too great is all my pain
I pray for Death to claim my soul 
before I go insane

Details | Jeff Cornelius Poem

Fears of Tomorrow

When darkness falls across the sky 
my fears hope for tomorrow
With dreams that soar like eagles fly 
with peace and painful sorrow

As love remembers better times 
and memories filter through
All these thoughts that fill my mind
I wonder which are true

I toss and turn as nightmares rage 
with terror in the night
With horror etched upon my face 
I fear no end in sight

Through space and time I search for you 
my shelter in the storm
You gave me strength like no one could
I couldn't ask for more

But I fight these battles all alone 
with no one by my side
It seems the truths that must be told 
are torture to my mind

I'm bound for Hell with Heaven high 
and time that can't be borrowed
As darkness falls across the sky 
my fears are for tomorrow

Details | Jeff Cornelius Poem

Hidden Pain

I fight hate with every breath 
concealed in self-control
Beneath the surface evil haunts 
the peace within my soul

These tortured thoughts which fill my head 
are tearing me apart
From deep within I feel the pain 
of  questions in my heart


My peace of mind is faltering 
but how long shall it last
Before I relive all the pains 
within my tortured past

The battle rages inwardly 
to mask constant deceit
Transformations of the soul 
are all but incomplete

I'm stuck between the man I am 
and who I use to be
My attempts at peace are useless 
since I'm bound by misery

All the terrors and the pain 
have finally taken hold
As I fight hate with every breath 
concealed in self-control

Details | Jeff Cornelius Poem

Threads of Life

In the tapestry that we call life
 we're but a single thread
So when one dies we cannot let 
a single tear be shed

For all things have a certain flow 
whether slow or fast
We're intertwined with future times 
and time already past

Every person on this earth 
impacts each others lives
For you to truly comprehend 
look through anothers eyes

Then maybe you will finally see 
we're all in this together
If we try to help each other out 
this world just might get better

Instead of violence show some love 
and see what that might bring
For peace and joy go hand in hand 
overcoming anything

If we teach the children of this world 
that hate is not the way
Then we must start that lesson now 
so peace can reign someday

For a world where all can finish first 
and no one left behind
Since the true at heart can only be
 the future of mankind

Details | Jeff Cornelius Poem

Love Is---

Love is giving all you have 
to make their life complete
And never making promises 
you don't intend to keep

Love is sometimes letting go
in hopes that they'll return
And if it wasn't meant to be
hold on to what you've learned

Love is being by their side 
no matter what the cost
For without them your hopes 
and dreams are all but lost

Love is sometimes all we have
in a world so dark and cold
And need a place to warm ourselves
with someone there to hold

Love is having everything 
when you hold them in your arms
And taking every step you can 
to keep them safe from harm

Love is what I learn from you 
each and every day
All my love I give to you 
and that will never fade

Love is what I needed most
to heal a shattered life
And all my dreams I found in you 
when you became my wife