Pandemic Equality
A ruthless killer
Far-reaching as the sun
Rides upon the wind
Partial to none.
There's no distinction
Between great and small
Minion and lord
Together they fall.
A time for reflection
-though terror is rife
Men are equal in death
Why not in life?
Monday 30th March 2020 10:02 am
1 in 8 billion
A special somebody
To illume your days
And embellish your life
In a myriad of ways.
In a throng universal
Someone chose YOU
To stand with, on summits
And in valleys too.
In times solitary
Never truly alone
For their heart synchronizes
The beat of your own.
With cosmic narcissism
Indeed, it is rare
To love and be loved:
What can compare?
...Sunday 20th October 2019 3:43 pm
A Wilted Lily
Her life had only just begun
Her purity was whole
Sins or defects: she had none
A clean, unblemished soul.
No cause had she to fear the man
She knew and loved him well
But the trusted member of her clan
Was a demon out of hell.
Innocence he took from her
And felt no guilt or shame
For harming one so young and pure
He loved his evil game.
A fledgli...
Friday 18th October 2019 10:48 am
Note to self
I look in the mirror;
Don't like what I see;
Is that saturnine woman
Actually me?
Where is the girl
With a smile that shone?
All grown up;
The smile's long gone.
Embittered and cynical;
Forlorn and morose;
Sees only the thorns
-Not the beautiful rose.
Note to self:
Need attitude shift!
Life's not a burden;
Life is a gift.
Wednesday 16th October 2019 12:15 pm
Stormy Weather
Tempestuous waters
In the sea of Life
Ferocious winds
Obsidian sky.
Clinging to hope
Yet terror is rife
Can't the gods hear
My fervid cry?
Tuesday 15th October 2019 9:34 pm
SCHADENFREUDE
Schadenfreude: a despicable word
The fact it exists makes it more absurd
'Pleasure derived from the woes of another'
Is that how we humans treat each other?
Where went compassion and empathy?
Have our morals regressed to such a degree?
Concur I do with Mark Twain's analogue:
'The more I learn of people, the more I love my dog!
Wednesday 2nd October 2019 6:08 pm
Monday blues
My alarm clock beeps at 5 a.m.
Back to square one, I go again
An ungodly hour to start the day
But what to do? I've got bills to pay
No time for morning civilities
"Has anyone seen my friggin' keys?"
Stuck in traffic for almost an hour
Arrive at work in a mood quite sour
Phew! Just made it: it's five-to-eight
The boss glares at me: "You're bloody late!"
Monday 30th September 2019 9:15 am
I can't let go...
Helplessly watched him
Day by day
Growing weaker
Fading away.
Prayed for a miracle
Hoped for a cure
All the while knowing
The end was near.
And people said
When soon the end came
"He's peaceful now
He's out of pain."
My mind acquiesces
But the hardest part
Is explaining that
To my aching heart.
And every day is harder
Than the ...
Tuesday 24th September 2019 10:51 pm
In living colour
How monotoned this world would be
If there were no diversity
Everyone harmoniously
Singing a global cantata.
The silver lining would be, of course
There would be no rifts or wars
Everybody would endorse
A universal charter.
But the situation being what it is
A kaleidoscope of ethnicities
A range of personalities
In a world of colour.
Sunday 22nd September 2019 12:35 pm
Can't is a four-letter word
A euphemism preferred
When short on courage or will;
We sweeten up the word
Like a sugar-coated pill;
'Sorry, but I CAN'T help you...'
Sounds a little less uncouth;
'Can help but I DON'T WANT TO.'
- Much closer to the truth.
Saturday 21st September 2019 8:40 am
Ageless
She looks in the mirror;
What does she see?
Hair stained grey by the cruel hands of time;
A face lined with age, worn past its prime.
He looks at her;
What does he see?
A crown of silver upon the head of a queen;
The face of the loveliest girl he's ever seen...
Wednesday 18th September 2019 2:48 pm
IRREPLACEABLE
Absentee fathers
A modern phenomenon;
Millions being raised
In a one-parent home;
'Throwaway partners'
-a causative factor;
Adults should know that
Young lives matter!
Kids need assurance
During formative years;
Two loving parents
To calm their fears;
A devoted father
I was blessed to have had;
Nothing can replace
The love, of a dad.
Tuesday 17th September 2019 10:34 am
Numero Uno
From early childhood
Til our days are done;
We're conditioned to strive
For 'Number 1' ;
Anything less
is incompetency;
Everyone thinking
Of Me! Me! Me!
A society rent
By competition;
Virtue displaced
By blind ambition;
A victor's not the one
Who wins first-place;
All are winners
Who finish the race!
Saturday 14th September 2019 10:42 pm
Tomorrow is far away
Life in the fast lane:
An adrenaline rush;
Yet you miss out on much
Along the way;
Slow down the pace;
Embrace what you love.
You may not have
Beyond today...
Friday 13th September 2019 9:06 pm
My bad!
Foolhardy was I
And deceived by my eyes
Forgot all that glitters
Isn't gold;
Too late I realized
True beauty lies inside
My handsome prince
Turned out to be a toad!
Wednesday 11th September 2019 3:33 pm
BLUE
A many-faceted colour;
A king among hues;
Evoking a rainbow?
Or a new bruise?
Cloudless skies
On a sunny day?
Pristine waters?
Cornflower bouquet?
Or gloomy moods:
Sad and depressed?
X-rated movies?
Warmth suppressed?
Or little pills
That start with an E?
Extreme frustration?
Or rigidity?
Adorable Smurfs!
And jazzy tunes!
Ba...
Sunday 8th September 2019 7:32 pm
Out of my head!
A voice in my head, talking to me
Badgering, incessantly
Through the night, disturbing my sleep
Couldn't count any bloody sheep!
Went to spill my guts to a friend:
"Think I'm going round the bend!"
"Don't worry about it", she said
"Voices argue inside my head!"
Off I went to see a 'shrink'
"Am I insane? What do you think?
Straitjacket? Shock therapy?
What...
Friday 6th September 2019 2:05 pm
Hope Springs Eternal
Having firm conviction tho the day is bleak
Optimistic of attaining the Shangri-la you seek
Prayerful expectation of a rainbow-day
Envisioning tomorrow while it’s yet today
Wednesday 4th September 2019 10:30 pm
Call me Rhett!
Snarky words
Shot like darts
May injure some
Fragile hearts.
Call me aloof
-or better yet:
Call me Butler
Or call me Rhett.
‘Non-fragile'
Is what I am
“Frankly, my dear
I don't give a damn"!
Tuesday 3rd September 2019 6:33 pm
Huh???
I'm really not fond of verbosity;
(Although the ex-hubby may not agree!)
Why use many words if you need a few?
A common expletive has only two!
Physicians use words we don't know;
Perhaps to soften the blow.
An attorney-at-law, we recuse:
He intends to mislead and confuse!
Politicians know not what they say;
But they're voted-in, anyway!
Him in the pulpit, I think I'l...
Monday 2nd September 2019 8:11 pm
why i like Poets
Poets: a menagerie of creative minds,
Risen above societal class;
They see not whether, it's half-full or half-empty;
Poets see the beauty of the glass.
Versemakers are free and tolerant souls
-no finicky rules, in poetry.
They care more about rhythm-and-rhyme, than grammar;
-AND around Poets, I can be me!
Sunday 1st September 2019 7:34 pm
RIGHTS and wrongs
A driver's license gives to me,
The RIGHT to drive, legally;
I too get, the RIGHT to use,
Any public road I choose;
But if I drive, outside the lines,
I pay hefty traffic-fines.
Obligated to uphold,
A comprehensive safety code:
I should never, put at risk
The life, of another motorist;
While, I have the RIGHT to drive,
He has the RIGHT to stay alive!
Saturday 31st August 2019 6:59 pm
Three Empty Words
I love you! Recycled words, that fall on deaf ears;
I'm sorry! Can't un-cry, all the tears;
Don't leave! She needs a reason, to stay;
I love you! There's nothing else, he can say.
She's gone. He stands alone at the gate;
WORDS; a little too little, much too late...
Friday 30th August 2019 9:23 pm
who cares, anyway?
Met twelve busy people
On the street, today
They all asked how I was
I said: I'm OK
I'm really NOT
I said it, anyway
I said it, because
It's what I'm
EXPECTED to say.
Friday 30th August 2019 12:34 am
Shell-Shocked!
(With apologies to Aesop!)
“Hurrah!" cried Tortoise, after the race;
“Now, who's the one, with egg on their face!"
Gloating and boasting; self-praising was he;
Failed to notice, a Lamborghini!
No time for life to, flash before his eyes;
Tortoise met with a speedy demise!
Hare hopped on by, with more swag than before:
“Tortoise won the battle, but I won the war!"
Thursday 29th August 2019 1:51 pm
REGRET
Crossed a line, that cannot be uncrossed
-a cross that's heavy to bear
Across a stygian sea; hope lost
Crossed over, into Devil's lair
Thursday 29th August 2019 1:57 am
Green, green grass of home
My sunny homeland, of Zambia;
And numerous other lands, too;
The powers-that-be are flummoxed;
What to do? What to do? What to do?
The cause of their baffling problem;
Has nicknames and tags, galore:
Mary Jane, dope, weed, grass -and Chamba;
And names, 1000 and more!
Legalize it or not? they ponder;
Some are pro, while others are con.
It's really a point of ...
Wednesday 28th August 2019 4:21 pm
Perfect Strangers
Solace sought,
From those I know;
When dealt by Life,
A staggering blow;
A lesson learned;
And now understand;
The comforting touch,
Of a stranger's hand.
Tuesday 27th August 2019 6:12 pm
fallen
i need not your condemnation;
i need not commiseration;
when you see me, in a pit;
help me climb, back out of it.
Tuesday 27th August 2019 6:22 am
Mother Knows Best
A mother summoned her kids, all three:
“Now, listen to me -carefully;
Your cellular phones, will have to go!
THEY CAUSE CANCER, don't you know?
Numerous studies have recently shown,
RF waves come through a phone!
Now give them here, without delay;
You'll be thanking me for this, one day."
Silly kids, to get so upset!
She frowned, as she lit a cigarette.
Monday 26th August 2019 4:50 pm
English is Greek to me!
English, a language, rich and refined;
All too often, boggles the mind;
The plural of goose is geese;
But, the plural of noose is nooses?
Fellow poets, help me please!
Two mongeese? Or two mongooses?
Sunday 25th August 2019 7:50 pm
just ducking around!
donald's inanity drives me insane;
perhaps, it's insanity that makes him inane?
he's definitely not, the sharpest tool in the shed;
i wonder what goes on in his head!
some people idolize donald duck;
but most people think, he's a ‘stoopid' CREATURE!
Saturday 24th August 2019 11:48 pm
“Sorry" Is A Sorry Word
Many a woman or man, have erred,
Thinking “Sorry" is a magic word;
Present an apology, after the fact?
Or think before you speak or act?
It's well and good, to be contrite;
But “Sorry" cannot all wrongs right!
Saturday 24th August 2019 11:11 am
Different but Equal
Partnership of a knife and fork;
Useful when you are lunchin' ;
Both, complementing the other;
Each, a specific function.
Using a knife in place of a fork,
Would potentially, be doomin' ;
Another pair, different but equal:
MAN AND WOMAN.
Footnote:
Gender bias continues to be an issue in my home country (Zambia) and globally, especially in developing nations.
I ap...
Friday 23rd August 2019 1:30 pm
Give a dog a bad name...
A dog is a representation
Of loyalty and dedication;
So, why is it a denigration
To call a man 'a dog'?
Perhaps, it's vilification;
An outright humiliation,
For the canine population,
For a man to be called a dog!
Wednesday 21st August 2019 11:51 pm
Tick-Tock
Life is a journey that's way too short;
To waste precious time, being a worrywart.
Fretting and fussing make one dour;
When life gives you lemons, make a Whiskey Sour!
Care not for either, frivolity or sloth;
Work and Pleasure; there's a time for both.
Watch a cloudburst, through your window pane;
Or run outside, and dance in the rain!
Wednesday 21st August 2019 7:48 am
#wonderful
There once was a billionaire
Who tweeted: 'I just don't care
Folks think I'm odd
But I am a god
And I love my orange hair!'
Tuesday 20th August 2019 6:55 am
Beneath Beauty...
The Lily-of-the-valley
a flower divine;
a bell-shaped face
of exquisite design;
a pervading aroma of
angelic incense;
milky-white petals
pure innocence;
it's beauty belies
a sinister power;
the Lily-of-the-valley
a deadly flower!
Monday 19th August 2019 8:41 pm
Heartbreak and Toothache
An unhappy marriage is like a bad tooth;
At first you ignore the obvious truth:
Something is wrong; it's causing you pain,
But you have no time to consult your brain.
So you take a pill -or have a drink or three,
Hoping to relieve your agony;
But the pain escalates until one day,
You realise it's not going away;
You're gripped with a feeling of horror and fear,
It can't ...
Saturday 17th August 2019 3:51 pm
HELL, NO!
Two apes having a head-to-head:
"It's friggin' absurd!" one of them said,
"Eight million species inhabit this earth,
Balancing nature and proving their worth;
But look at those creatures that are called 'man':
Ruining our planet as fast as they can;
They've polluted our air and poisoned the seas;
Their revolting habits cause death by disease!
Some of them perish with nothin...
Friday 16th August 2019 6:35 pm
Recent Comments
Larisa Rzhepishevska on "Synchrony of the Soul"
22 minutes ago
Naomi on THE TASTE OF APPLES
45 minutes ago
Marla Joy on WHAT IS POETRY TO YOU!
5 hours ago
Marla Joy on A Christmas Bauble
5 hours ago
Marla Joy on THE TASTE OF APPLES
5 hours ago
Marla Joy on Always Love
5 hours ago
TOM MERTON on Magical meeting of wavelengths
8 hours ago
TOM MERTON on Shoot...
8 hours ago
TOM MERTON on A prayer to let go
9 hours ago
R A Porter on The Nearly Published Poet
15 hours ago