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Best Poems Written by David Sermersheim

Below are the all-time best David Sermersheim poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

Details | David Sermersheim Poem

Let's Take the Long Way Back

let’s take the long way back
beneath shaded oak and aromatic pine
athwart the weathered split-rail fence
bent into the warp and woof of nature’s wiles

past the old place
with its long front porch
and massive beams holding memories
of laughter and dancing feet
in moonlit rooms resonating with sounds of
family and friends fading now
as we roll past the giant willow
bending shade into the shape of long afternoons
drawing water from the well
with the fresh coppery taste
so light and cool on a summer afternoon

we glide into the blue-amber glow
of the western penumbra spread long and wide
with faint lights glimmering in the valley below
melding light and shadow into night
as we drift on wheels crunching gravel
like popcorn between our teeth

the hour is right in its time
and all that might have been
trailed behind and lost the way
back to what we remember
of days that are no more

Details | David Sermersheim Poem

Hephaestus

I have forged
light of distant
stars into galaxies
scattering diamonds trailing
meteor dreams sweeping
empty nights clean
of flame bursting
into a million
shards of white-
hot carbon poured 
down runnels to
hell from where
voices clamor for
air and slag 
burns fissures into 
stygian voids of 
inference pulled into  
the vortex of doubt 
shimmering in particles of light 
suspended from 
whence we came 
to where we 
shall return

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What's To Know

what's to know
you have only to accept
hoist one
to the blind tiller

Details | David Sermersheim Poem

Baseball

Baseball

they made it round
so it would roll
light so it could be thrown
seamed to grip
so it wouldn’t slip
but skip curve dip
dive dance on air
soaring in high looping arcs
brushing clear azure blue
landing outside the fence

it was made for play
and bringing people together
to share the ambience
of a balmy summer day
sitting on a bench
with nothing to do
but watch others 
play the game
and wish you could
do it too

		David Sermersheim

Details | David Sermersheim Poem

Beads

Beads                  							dsermersheim@snet.net

beads
on leaf
blossom petal
and bloom

beads 
laced round 
the neck
of my lady love

beads in eyes
on thighs
lips and 
tip of nose

beads 
glistening on skin
running down the middle
of your back

beads
nestled in clefts
where passion came
and was spent

beads
on the cusp
of a tear
hovering on a sigh

beads gathered on
tear-stained window
casement and
onto floor

beads 
that remember
all that was 
and is no more

Details | David Sermersheim Poem

The Cell

they change the sheets 
once a week
the blue men pass in pairs			
matching cadence 
marking the hour		
staring into vacant eyes		
in four-square cells			
passing as if no one was there
but if eyes could grasp
there would be finger marks
around pencil necks

I only know what I can see			
between steel rods
and wired glass aglow
distorting figures like sides of beef
hanging in a meat locker
waiting to be drawn and quartered
into 5 lb. slabs
displayed in glass cases

inspected by schlubs 
slavering at the mouth
like ravenous dogs 
ready to rip into sinew and bone
sparing no mercy or expense
on trophies of the hunt

we mind the hours
silent and alone
awaiting a call
that never comes

the bell signals curfew							
night commands the hour
dreams begin their languorous pavane
and sounds die into the night

   — o soul					
       show me how to live
       before I die —

Details | David Sermersheim Poem

Dog and Man

Dog and Man

the man thinks 
he is leading the dog
but the dog knows
the opposite is true

where the dog goes
the man follows
when the dog tarries
the man waits patiently

collecting warm souvenirs
the dog left
in its wake

a subtle reminder
of the man’s
function and presence

the dog has mastered
all of the tricks
of the trade

entangling himself around impediments
probing crack crevice and undergrowth
for evidence of those 
who came before him

pausing at random moments
to leave his trace
off the beaten path

straining at the leash
like a kite
catching a whiff of air									

hoping to pull free
bound off and away
leaving the man
holding the dangling leash

Details | David Sermersheim Poem

Jim Harrison

he knew 
his time had come
embraced it reluctantly
and completely in his way
with pen in hand
poised over paper

words seemed to come easily for him
and he used them
to describe the mystery
of beauty and resilience of life 
in all he saw around him

the world could not contain him
his print pressed the earth with all the force
of energy and will he could summon from a body
slowly wracked and weakened with pain 
but he persisted and endured
as he gradually wore it down
until the pain became too hard to bear

so he sat alone
in his cabin
trembling and fearless
while light slowly ebbed
into darkness and 
silence ruled the hour
in his honor

Details | David Sermersheim Poem

Her Flaxen Hair

water runs full free and fast
flowing down cliffs 
through meadow and marsh
carrying effluent on its back

time rules the hour
wheels turn winds blow
over fields of grain 
swaying like waves
rolling with the tide

and her flaxen hair streamed		
like silk ribbons flowing
golden and fair as she rode
in the balmy summer air			
						
she rode across meadows			
stretched long and wide			
like a dark messenger			
on a mission to hell			

she paused beside a soft sandy mound
that breathed a sigh 
and a message ushered forth
from deep within its depths
only she understood

then turned mounted her ride
and rode into the wind with abandon
her flaxen hair streaming 
like fine silk ribbons trailing behind

she never looked back
at what was left behind
she rode and her flamen hair
flowed full and free 
on the soft balmy breeze
riding by her side

Details | David Sermersheim Poem

Now In Waning Light

Now In Waning Light

I take delight 
in simple things
true to their nature 
place and time

the gentle turn of an arc
worn in graceful symmetry
humble in origin
proud noble in design

of beauty
hidden in common forms
never at rest
in the unquiet soul

in signs symbols
etched in material forms
awaiting revelation
of curious impulse

in subtle songs 
free of artifice mannerism and cliché
true to their intent in measure meter
refrain and rhyme

and what remains 
when ephemera is eschewed
and subtle implication
resists the pull of convention
                  
                           David Sermersheim