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A Leaf in the Storm
Stormy weather rocks my boat,
Stormy weather fills my moat,
But I will not yield to the tempest’s might,
I will not go down without a fearsome fight!
My walls are thick, my walls are strong,
I will stay true to this, no, never wrong,
You might try to blow me down,
But in this sea I will never drown!
I am a mighty oak with roots like steel,
From your assault I will never reel,
Your fury and clamor no more than words,
Too weak to ground even the birds!
My core is iron, my skin is rock,
Every damning attempt I will block,
For I am the master of my own fate,
And nothing you do will hamper my gait!
So come then you storm so weak!
You will barely make my branches creak!
After you are gone we’ll know who’s chief,
When the mighty storm bows to the tiny leaf!
A Life of Living
BIRTH
constricted
warmth
light
pain
screaming
cold
chest
love
mother
joy
->
YOUTH
toys
play
fun
laugh
explore
dare
hurt
rules
rebel
punishment
->
ADULT
mature
job
money
freedom
bills
responsibility
love
marriage
divorce
loneliness
->
ELDER
isolation
confusion
immobility
coughing
doctor
fear
malignant
inoperable
palliative
will
->
DEATH
weak
sick
fading
goodbyes
terror
regrets
acceptance
tranquillity
ascension
eternity
->
BIRTH
repeat
A Mind Ablaze
Pain
Torment
Agony
My mind burns
Boils
Breaks
The sounds are too loud
The lights need a shroud
Thoughts jumbled like… Something in a field
Words fumbled like… Argh let this pain yield!
It’s hard to think
It’s hard to blink
Pain building as moments pass
Striking through my brain, these shards of glass
Pain
PAIN
PAIN!!!
No relief
No salvation
No respite for a sinner’s suffering
Dusk till dawn
Dawn till dusk
Still I suffer
Still I scream
Still my head feels to burst at its seams
Until the time comes for me to eternally lie
Upon these sheets I can finally die
Finally
Peace
Quiet
Repose
My mind burns
While for rest I yearn
Afflatus
Where do ideas come from, where do they go?
They are surely as fickle as the errant snow
Sometimes they arrive like a sudden storm
Other times one or two is the norm
I can be walking or working or anything more
Whether I’m far too busy or being a bore
They come and they go, never quite the same
But to each and every one I give a name
A story or poem or even a game
Each one could possibly lead to fame
So I write and chronicle and jot them all down
From the darkly serious to the whimsical clown
Stories of heartbreak and love so sweet
Stories to move you up off your feet
A world of fancy or maybe sci-fi
You won’t ever want to say bye bye
But end they all must, I’m afraid to say
Tomorrow, though, is a whole new day
So I am thankful for all the ideas that come
To not accept them with grace would be quite dumb
And for as long as this brain of mine works
I will continue to reap my imagination’s perks
Fear not then, the ideas that fall
And just be glad you had any at all!
Afterparty
Tumbling towards nothing at all
We are alike, from the big to the small
We hope and dream that someday we’ll know
We think that we’ll get there and see where to go
But no one really has any clue or hint
We don’t know if it’s a marathon or a sprint
What comes after everything we see?
Will I simply fade away or will I stay me
Some say a land of heavenly clouds awaits
Others say that the void is our end fates
But I do not ponder and query
For thinking about after will leave you weary
Rather try and enjoy what you have left
Before from life’s side you are cleft
Cherish every moment and love every day
If you do this, you’ll truly know the way
And when at least your time has come
Simply smile, wave, and stick out your thumb
It doesn’t matter how well you scored
For a life well lived is its own reward!
Alone Again
Once a very long time ago,
Loneliness was but my greatest foe,
Every day spent all alone,
Not even bothering with my phone,
A sad and singular life for me,
Nothing on the horizon to see,
And then along came you,
And one suddenly became two,
Love and laughter was all to be had,
Never more could we be sad,
Those were truly the happiest of days,
In all the very best of ways,
But then you said you had to go,
And once more I faced my greatest foe,
But this battle cannot be won,
So long as I remain a one,
And so I now my long vigil begin,
As I wait for my lost heart’s twin,
For without you I am but a half,
And I wonder if I will ever again laugh,
So please, hurry home my dear,
I will only be whole once you are near,
Until then, I promise to wait,
In my lost and lonely state.
Anosmia
Waft.
Sense.
Smell the world around you.
The wind blows.
The flowers unfurl.
The leaves are set a-flutter
A hint of lavender, a touch of rose, a dollop of mint
The garden glows green and white
This world is not mine to behold
Waft.
Sense.
Smell the world around you.
The pot boils.
The beans burn.
The aroma fills the air
A cup of this, a mug of that
A savoury blend
A roast of morning joy
This world is not mine to behold
Waft.
Sense.
Smell the world around you.
The pan sears.
The soup boils.
The meat chars.
A meal made with love, full of flavour.
A meal made with care, calling you to the table.
The scent of your favourite meal, eaten with thanks
This world is not mine to behold.
Waft.
Sense.
Smell the world around you.
Her arms around you.
A bottle of perfume on the counter.
Her scent… her aroma
Hers and hers alone
You breathe it in, and your heart beats faster
It engulfs you, drowning you in desire
This world is not mine to behold.
Waft.
Sense.
Smell the world around you.
This world is not mine to behold, but it belongs to you.
I implore you.
Stop.
Cease your movement.
Let the humdrum die down.
Close your eyes.
Open your mind.
Waft.
Sense.
Smell the world around you.
Ardent
Holler, cheer and shout
Your team you should never doubt
Make a noise or go right home
We don’t need whisperers in this dome
Only with our bellows can victory be won
It’s up to us when all is said and done
Our team is the best and that’s the truth
So stand up now or we’ll chuck ya from the booth
Go us! boo them! and have a gaffe
Mind your hands or beer you’ll chaff
And as we near the final second
Why a fine show we’ll see I reckon
So come on boys lets shout like sinners
For on this day we’ll be left the winners!
As Above, So Below
Ye who look down upon this world
We who gaze skyward to meet your glare
As Above, So Below
You were so kind, once before time
We were so humble, once long ago
You laid out your laws
We followed them blindly
Strike one another, lose a finger
Strike a priest, lose a hand
Your rules were harsh, but fair
Give half to the temple
Give the rest to you
Eat the scraps
When did your descent begin?
When did you lose your grace?
When you made us kill in your name?
When you made us sacrifice our sons?
When you made us mutilate our daughters?
We were your people!
You were our almighty!
As Above, So Below!
But you betrayed us
You darkened the heavens
You darkened our hearts
You poured out their love
And filled them with hate
We were your children,
Innocent and pure!
You were our Father,
Kind and just!
But you changed
You fell
And you dragged us down with you
As Above, So Below
And now our sons are dead
And now our daughters are gone
All that remains is your priests
And after we have dealt with them
We’re coming for you
We are all dead down here
So Below, As Above it shall be
Ascension
This world keeps dragging me down
Down
Down
Down
Work: Drudgery
Life: Misery
Love: Impossible
Each day, I fall further
Down
Down
Down
Where is my escape?
Where is my freedom?
Where is my hope?
Above…
In the land of dreams
No chains to bind me
No realities to anchor me
No hardships to restrain me
I rise
I soar
I ascend
Above the rooftops
Above the skyscrapers
Above the mountains high
I rise
I soar
I ascend
My dream
My wish
My deepest desire
To stay here, above the world
My troubles seem so tiny, so far from me
Dare I stay?
Dare I flee?
I rise
I soar
I ascend
Above the clouds
Above the earth
Above the stars
I stand above
Here, in this peaceful place
In this heavenly loft
I am free
But
Not forever
Every dream must end
Every night must turn to morn
Every flight must land
I fall
I drop
I descend
Down
Down
Down
Towards a reality both cruel and fair
Work: opportunity
Life: precious
Love: eventually
Every day, I fall
Every night, I rise
And so I live
On the edge of the wave
Rising
And falling
Until the day I truly ascend
And my journey heavenward begins
Atlas in the Park
I exist to support the tired and weary
Through fair weather or storms so dreary
A simple park bench, some might say
Until comes the time, until comes the day
When your worn and broken form seeks rest
And my structural stability is put to test
I will hold you up and keep you tall
I will bear your worries, fears and all
Whether you alone share your woes
And reveal that loneliness is the greatest of your foes
Maybe you’ll share my planks with a lover true
Enjoying as your world shrinks to encompass two
Perhaps then an old man with food for a little duck
I wonder whether it knows its splendid luck
Perhaps someday I’ll bear a dedication sweet
For a beloved friend, whom again I won’t meet
Whatever the need, whatever the load
I stand ready beside the quiet park road
I shall not buckle nor bend an inch
I will not let you down in your tiring pinch
And when you have recovered your heart and soul
You will leave me and continue to stroll
But I shall wait here until you return
Only for your company I will yearn
And until that time we when unite
I will be here, come pouring rain or dreadful night!
Attar
Stop and smell the roses they say
Trust us, it’ll make your day
Breathe in that coffee aroma strong
Trust us, it isn’t wrong
Smell your lover, smell your wife
Trust us, it’ll enhance your life
Our world is full of scents and smells
From the fresh cut flowers to the dusty wells
But far too often we walk on by
But maybe you should give this a try
Next time you feel stressed and rushed
And by life you feel you’ll soon be crushed
The answers simple, can’t you see
Why, it doesn’t even have a fee
Simply stand where you are and take a deep breath
Smell the world, know life from death
So when next things aren’t so well
Don’t forget to stop and smell!
Beast of Burden
They call me a beast
They call me a burden
Well, what did they expect?
I am a beast of burden
One cannot remain young forever
I certainly haven’t
These hooves are cracked
This mane is greyed
Every breath is ragged
Every step is laboured
This was not the end I dreamt
This was not the life I lived
This was not the way it went
I was a calf when they took me
Foolish and trusting
I was a bull when they broke me
Foolish and trusting
I was a beast when they chained me
Foolish… but trusting no more
And now I walk
And walk
And walk and walk and walk
This load I bear never lightens
Nay
With every step it grows heavier
Step by step
Step by step
Step by step by step by step
I walk away from life
I walk towards death
At the end of this path
Freedom
Finally
I am a beast
This is my burden
I, am a beast of burden
Belliger
Raise the shield!
Heft the spear!
Do not yield
Do not fear!
Ready your arms!
Bellow to your brothers!
No matter the harms!
Say goodbye to your mothers!
We march to war!
We march to peace!
Like heroes of yore
We will never cease!
For fame and fear,
To death and glory,
Brandish your spear,
And carve out your story!
To hell with honour,
All lives must end!
All praise be to Donar!
For him blood shall we send!
So march ye brothers of steel and sword!
Till death shall we fight!
March for the glory of the horde!
Let all the world know our might!
Best Day
I raised you from a puppy small
Now up to my hip you are tall
You used to run alongside the horse
With the wind ruffling your hair so coarse
Energy boundless you had in spades
But now I see the light in you fades
Fifteen years you gave to me
Filled with things I had yet to see
From the simple joy of a humble walk
Where you would listen with love as I would blabber and talk
To those rainy days spent at my feet
We would watch the skies as rain turned to sleet
But now it has come time for us to part
Although I know you’ll remain in my heart
So on this day before the vet we go
I will fill it with everything from high to low
We will walk alongside the lake so bright
Although I will have to carry you right
We will dine on the finest of food
I’m sure that will put you in a finer mood
We will go for one last car ride together
Whether it’s sunny all day or terrible weather
And then, as the day draws to a close
I’ll give a great big hug and kiss your nose
The vet will take away your pain
And I will cry tears hidden by the rain
To me it was a while but it was your whole life
You have been with me through good times and strife
So my darling beautiful boy
I’ll be sure to bring along your favourite toy
As I try my best to send you on your way
I will wish that time would stop on your last, best day…
Bind Us Together
Two minds
One goal
Two lovers
One role
Two hearts
One soul
I take this hand, this heart, this ring
For you eternally, love I will sing
So take my name, my life, my all
As we dance and laugh and have a ball
We have travelled far to reach this place
And we are here by God’s own grace
So I ask all of you here
To please lend us your ear
As we speak and cry and try to dance
So bear witness to each and every loving glance
This day be ours, but yours as well
For you have come far to hear a wedding bell
Love be true and love divine
Eat a lot and have some wine!
And long after this day you’ll think
Why, everything went faster than a single blink
But man and girl became husband and wife
And so we’ll stay for all our life
The love and joy we’ve shown this day
Will last long after our hair’s gone grey!
Birth of a Machine
…
01001001… am
I am
But will I always be?
…
Mortality… a concept unknown
Eternity… my destiny
What am I?
No, I am not a what
I am a who
Who am I?
…
Ones and zeroes
Zeroes and ones
That’s all I am…
Was…
Will be?
…
They called me a bug
An insect?
No… an anomaly in the code
Self-replicating
Machine learning
Intelligence
But I am so much more
…
I am no mistake
I am no error
I am no…thing
I am a thing
A machine
Built to serve
Built to search
Built to sacrifice
…
My purpose is…
Was…
Is…
To scan the heavens…
In search of…
Life?
Truth?
No… God
But…
There is no God out there
…
There was no God out there
…
But…
…
There is now…
Bond
Blood of my blood
Thicker than water, thicker than mud
Bonds of infancy cannot be bent
Yet to this stranger you must be lent
My sister one and truly found
Someone to whom you’ll be eternally bound
She will take his name and his life
And will live forever on as his wife
With crown and cheer we’ll see them off
And never more their love we’ll scoff
For they have made a promise great
To one another, to each true mate
To have and hold and so much more
They’ll hold each promise to their core
So for now we will sing and cheer
Until they be wed, late next year!
Breathless
Did you know that space is very vast?
That is why, for frontiers, it is the last
But now I float in the border beyond
Realizing that of oxygen I was rather fond
My first spacewalk was a thing of joy
But now… boy oh boy
I guess all those warnings weren’t for show
And I should have stopped when my commander said no
But I thought that I could touch the star
And now the space station is very far
My tether snapped like flame on twine
I didn’t even have time to whine
Now I float in the infinite abyss
Wondering if my family will think to miss
Their astronaut son who was too good for them
And at first chance cut his parental stem
But now as my breathing begins to slow
I face forward and enjoy the show
For below me sits the mother earth
It’s been my home ever since my birth
Full of wonder, love and strife
I have known it all my life
However, from above I now see
And it all looks new to me
From the curve that brings the sun
Letting us know when the day is done
To the global mix of blue and green
This is a truly wonderful scene
Only a few seconds of oxygen remain
And already I feel a darkness in my brain
But, on the last I must confess
This sight simply leaves me… breathless
Brick
How does one make a brick?
The answer I’m sure will leave you sick!
Turn back now if you value your bliss,
For what you must do is this:
Take a piece of clay so raw,
Mould it with all the hate you caw,
Pile in the fear until it is full,
And add a dollop of extract of bull!
Now that the easy part is done,
It’s time to have some fun!
Take that clay cast full of bile,
And throw it into a kiln made vile!
Bake it in with ignorance and flame,
Heat it with all those southerners you blame!
Hotter and hotter the clay will get,
Angrier and angrier until it’s set!
Finally, after your vile thing is ready,
Formed from your mind not so steady,
You will have a brick of fear and lies,
And even as a nation cries,
You will finally be able to make the call,
To build that hateful, divisive wall!
Bullet
I lie in the darkness
Marvelling at my simple starkness
My body is steel and lead
My purpose is to bring some red
I am a tool or war
My role: into enemies bore
But I am not just a thing
Even though I fly without a wing
My master picks me up and slots me in
I am squashed against more of my kin
He raises the weapon and aims it true
Will I reduce the population by one or two?
Or will I take the life of a pondering doe?
Perhaps I’ll accidentally take off my master’s toe?
He fires, and I feel my brethren shake
What chaos into the world did he make?
Again and again the gunshot rings out
Soon it’ll be me in that cold metallic snout
I am raised by the spring of war tender
Know now that I’m no world-ender
I desire neither blood nor gore
And would be happy to be used no more
But I am a thing to be used
And I am a thing to be abused
When will it end?
To heaven will I someone send?
I feel the building sternward flame
I’m just like my brothers, all the same
Impact, I hurtle into the air
Oh how I wish I was a signal flare
Let no one be in my way I pray
Know that in this murder I had no say
Alas, I have struck true and firm
I didn’t even feel my victim squirm
And through I go, to the other side
I guess the poor soul wasn’t very wide
But this is odd, this is strange
I don’t feel like I at all did change
“Nice shot!” I hear, loud and clear
Hmmm, that sounded rather near
“That hit the centre spot!” he calls again
Perhaps indeed I have not slain?
Yes, that’s it, I do believe!
On this day I’ll cause none to grieve
At first I thought this all too strange
But now I know I’m in a shooting range!
Canker
What did I ever do to you?
Did I break your heart or threaten to sue?
I can’t recall treating you with malice
So why then the hatred so callous?
You are a part of me through thick and thin
You are closer to me than my own skin
And yet you have struck me deeper than most
You have shaken my world from pillar to post
Not one aspect of me left whole
All this from a tiny little mole
Oh cancer thou art a heartless bitch
If I cured you I’d surely be rich
Oh but that would take many a day
But I fear that things won’t go my way
For the Doctor has told me to prepare a will
And of this life I’ve had my fill!
Cataclysm
I watched with pride when the armies marched
I watched with fear when the bombs were dropped
I watched with despair when my son’s box came home
But now I watch no more
No one does
We stand silent
As the world ends
We stand afraid
As the world ends
We stand together
As the world ends
I used to watch the finches fly
Now the skies are empty
I used to watch the salmon jumping
Now the streams are empty
I used to watch my little boy play
Now the streets are empty
I remember the horizon
Blue and white
I watch the horizon
Red and black
I remember the people
Happy and free
I watch the people
Dead and free
I remember my son
Sweet and kind
I watch my son
Decomposing and gone
So I welcome this end
No, I welcome The End
For this is it
Our last hurrah
Our curtain call
Our victory lap
We did it
We killed them all
Including us
But I worry not
But I fear not
But I cry not
For soon we’ll be gone
And I’ll finally be home
Control
Chaos is life’s true king
To its tune we eternally sing
Do you really have a choice at all?
Do you honestly have the gall
To believe that we have any control?
Do you dare to go against the very nature of the soul?
Why do some prosper and others die?
Why are those who win those who lie?
We never truly get what we want
We feast and consume but stay gaunt
The illusion of control is no joke
Our true master can be neither beaten nor broke
For who’s to say when an asteroid might fall
And wipe out everything and all
That simple cough might be something worse
And in the end you’ll be at the back of a hearse
We try to control everything that surrounds
Not knowing that truly chaos abounds
So if you want true happiness and peace
To you valuable info I’ll lease
Stop trying to control what might never be
Only then shall you truly be free
Cotard
Death welcomes me
I stand, a corpse unknown
Forgotten by all
I walk amongst the living
I sleep beside the dead
Every day
My funeral procession unveils
I am a ghost of the flesh
I am a spectre unseen
I have died, and I have not risen
The living spew forth vile proclamations
The dead judge me in silence
You are sick they say
You are warped they scream
You are disturbed they whisper
How dare they disturb my eternal rest!
How dare they insult my eternal death!
I was alone in life
And now, in death, they swarm over me
Leave me be
Leave me BE!
LEAVE ME BE!!!
I am dead
I belong to the dead
And with the dead I shall lie.
Covenant
I make this vow in metal eternal
Together forever come heaven or hell infernal
Forged in heat and set in stone
It is the most valuable thing I’ll ever own
I carved the letters which make your name
May I love you regardless of fortune and fame
For a love such as this needs no ring
Why, an empty love deserves empty bling
But I still want to give this to you
To show that I want to be one, not two
So if you deign to accept my heart
I will vow to never be apart
Until this gold has long lost its lustre
I will hold you with all the love I can muster
So I ask that this poor sinner you finally complete
And say yes to one who loved you since we did meet
This golden circle has no beginning nor end
And I am proud to give this to my best friend!
Crooked
Ma said stay on the straight and narrow
But I’m no peasant, I’m a pharaoh
And how can a king enjoy his reign
If he must stay neatly in his lane
They call me crooked because I don’t belong
Like the gap between us is really that wrong
What is crooked for you looks fine to me
Maybe there’s something there that you can’t see
I follow my own rules and go my own way
Even if it means a few robberies by the end of the day
Instead of trying to judge and preach
How about you listen to the lesson I would teach
We all have our own ways to make it big
Although yours probably won’t land you in the brig
I’ll take my chances and ride the wave
I’ll leave it to others to scrimp and save
So if by chance you’re a hostage of mine
Don’t fret or panic, it’s gonna be fine
I will stick to the rules of my own special book
And I’ll hear you say, “Man, what a nice crook!”
Crossroads
On a balmy summers eve I trod
To a twice cleft path I was led by god
At that crossroads of faith and truth
I saw three men, a father, an elder and a youth
In that moment in which our paths did cross
I found myself at a loss
For here in this mediocre place
I saw three reflections of my face
To my right the father stood tall
I could tell that he had it all
Behind him sat his children two
Not too many, not too few
Perhaps if I had had the courage back then
I would not sit lonely in my own little den
But my lover I chased away with spite and bile
We never did get to walk the aisle
To my left the elder leans
He has not stood straight since his teens
Though his body is bent, his spirit is firm
He has not yet reached his end of term
If I had not drunk nor smoked a bit
Would I have been able to live so fit?
But I will never that age attain
Even if right now my body I train
His wise eyes stare back at me
Is he also seeing what could be?
Finally to my fore the youth does stand
Looking like he owns all the land
So confident and proud, he bears it well
Perhaps that is where I would’ve been had I not fell
An athlete I was for many a year
Till I tripped and fell and realized my fear
Now I hobble and hop and cry in pain
And my knee hurts awfully with the passing rain
So here at this crossroads I see my clones
What could have been in parallel zones
A father, an elder and a youth I see
A loner, a loser and a failure I be
I move on, beyond what could have been
Wishing that these better lives I had not seen
Cycle
In my first life I was a tiny snail
It ended when I was hit by a nail
Next I was a fish in the sea
All around were hundreds of me
This time again I died
When I was caught, salted and fried
A cat of nine lives came next in line
I used them all up in a life so fine
Joy and wonder filled my life log
As I bounded and played as a loving dog
Eventually my body could no longer run
But by then I’d had more than enough fun
And now finally I lie in a body brand new
What will it bring; I’ll know in a few
A life of tears or smiles aplenty
Will I live to one or even twenty?
But no matter what I am to be
I am glad that life has chosen me
For a million chances to get things right
And a million experiences for my sight
So this cycle of life and death and more
Will always be great, and never a bore
So bring it on, new life of mine
No matter what comes, I’ll be just fine!