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Best Poems Written by Toni Sullivan

Below are the all-time best Toni Sullivan poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

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Details | Toni Sullivan Poem

Poetic Muse

My poetic muse is such a fickle thing,
One minute hiding, 
from my probing and penetrating mind.
Next leaping up dancing, and singing,
and throwing ideas and words
and phrases at me so fast that 
we collide in a heap.

We slowly detangle ourselves.
He apologizes for keeping me in the dark,  
but is now ready 
to create in a serious way.

He gently tosses words and ideas at me
But they begin to frolic and wrestle,
reminding me of puppies at play.
How can I make sense out of such a jumble?
And yet as they play, a word leaps out of the pile,
tumbles into my brain. 

My brain tosses it about for a while
looking for a place to put it 
when another word and then a phrase 
join in the fun. 

My fingers start typing.

Details | Toni Sullivan Poem

Poets

Why do poets take such pains to 
create something so hard to understand?
Do they purposely try to cover deep truths
with big words and fancy phrases?
Why not just say what they want us to know
and be done with it?

But wait, you say? 
Take some time 
to just sit with a poem……..

just sit
and think………

and allow the poem to seep in
through locked pores
and closed heart.

Perhaps a softening
around the tough edges 
of your psyche;
A word or two 
opening a space in the deep places of your soul.

But be careful
Lest a door fly open 
shattering closely held opinions
Exploding the chaos and clutter of your life.

And in the rubble left behind……..
the quiet and dark……..
A small light 

Introducing you to yourself.

Details | Toni Sullivan Poem

Wisdom Within

The eyes of my heart
                             Look out toward God
                          To find answers and truth

                     God gently turns my gaze inward
                                   and says,
                           “Look into the depths
                                 of your soul,
                             where my wisdom 
                             is already planted.”

Details | Toni Sullivan Poem

God's To-Do List

One day I happened to see
God’s to-do list.

I had imagined it to be filled to 
brimming over 
with all the 
things God must do.

But it was so simple
One word filled the page,

LOVE.

Details | Toni Sullivan Poem

Beauty Unseen

Beauty Unseen

The flower bud  
at the end of the stem……
revealing nothing that is within.
Buffeted about by storms.
with little care to the future. 
A solitary bump 
on an otherwise scrawny stem.

Some one passes by and thinks, 
 “How plain…..”.

A man sits in a doorway
Head bent down 
With little care to the future,
revealing nothing that is within.

Some one passes by and thinks,
“Another homeless man…….”

The man sees the bud 
on the scrawny plant 
clinging to the patch of dirt
between the cracks of the sidewalk.

Drawn to the sight
as if soul to soul
He lifts the plant,
moves it to safer ground,
knowing the beauty that waits within.

Details | Toni Sullivan Poem

Mother Love

My fingers drift across the small head
resting on my shoulder.
caressing the fuzzy down
pausing at the soft spot,
while I wonder at the 
miracle of creation. 
		
The sweet scent of baby powder
mingles with the smell of milk
on my shirt.

Soft baby babble reaches my ear
Then the whispered mewing of early sleep.

Limp with drowsiness
My baby slumbers.

Details | Toni Sullivan Poem

Discoveries

Discoveries

A child put her small hand
in my big hand.
Trusting me to show her
the world.

As we walked, she suddenly knelt
and stared with wonder
at the ant
crawling along the ground.

She put her little hand 
back in my big hand.
And we continued 
so I could show her
the world.

She froze and looked up
As the sound of far-off honking
heralding a flock of geese 
coming our way.

Again we set off
hand in hand
to see the world.

She stopped and laughed
as she lifted her smiling face
to feel the wind softly blowing
through her hair and across her cheek.

I put my big hand
in her little hand
and we continued on our journey
of discovery.

Details | Toni Sullivan Poem

4 Am Darkness

4 am darkness

4am darkness
A bed for solitude
And deep thinking
 
The enveloping quiet
caresses the imagination.

Thoughts drift like 
bubbles from a wand
landing softly,
quivering in excitement
for the time when they 
will be ready to pop
into reality.

Details | Toni Sullivan Poem

Lessons From My Cat

Lessons From my Cat

I sit, readying myself for prayer
All is quiet
Except………………………………..  
my busy mind
racing from thought to thought to thought

My cats says “follow me”
and ambles slowly out the door,
greeting the day with
a mighty stretch
and yawn.

She sits
and watches,
on high alert 
for long minutes, 
just waiting
for an opportunity
to present itself.

So focused, 
quiet, 
and attentive.
Is she perhaps
praying
for a mouse 
to appear,
or in her attentiveness
just waiting for the 
scene to open
before her?

I sometimes think I
try too hard to pray.
Perhaps,
if I sit quietly, 
for long minutes
expectantly waiting for
the appearance of
God….
I will not be disappointed,

but if God does not
come immediately,
Can I wait patiently
as my cat,
allowing 
God’s presence 
to unfold
as it will?

Details | Toni Sullivan Poem

Deep Abyss

Deep Abyss

I teeter on the edge of
a deep abyss,
Calling to me
Heart to heart, love to love……

Control wrapping me 
With tightly held tendrils
Preventing the fall
My heart yearns for.

The call of love,
Beckons me to break the bonds
And fall into the silence.
The unknowing that my heart
Already knows so well.

I pull at the bonds
Only to discover my own fingers
Wrapped tightly around my heart.
Protecting, Controlling.

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