a job but that is highly unlikely. This is a metaphor for everything. A rock star, an accountant, a counsellor, a priest.
Here I have a Ballad. I don’t like how I have line 1 and 3 end with do since it can mislead the format of the poem.
The start is about being the best you , that you can be. The next is about knowing people care about you even if you never see them or have any clue about weather they do or not. No matter how small you feel, one small action could have a domino effect and may save the world. So always do good. No matter how bad you are, someone cares and wants to help you.
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Programmed for Sadness
From the day I was born,
Sensory experience has guided me,
For what I have learnt through the years,
Has led me to this place I see.
I have been programmed for sadness.
Animalistic instinct,
Accepts this reality,
For we see it as the world we are in,
And justify it accordingly.
I have been programmed for sadness.
Life as we know it,
May not be what it seems,
For it could all be an illusion,
For our senses to perceive.
I have been programmed for sadness.
I overcome the sadness,
With this simple small idea,
You can always find something to smile at,
When you look it is clear.
I have been programmed for joy.
Footnote:
This is something dear to my heart since I never knew about this until I was an adult, and by then, I had been programmed to the max. There is such a thing as “Passive, Assertive, and Aggressive” behaviour.
A passive person will let people walk all over them and won’t do anything until something tips them over the edge and then they explode. And assertive person will nip a problem in the bud before it becomes a problem, but only if it’s something that needs to be addressed before it gets too big. An aggressive person is usually scared that people will see them as weak so they attack and put people down in order to take a dominant position of power. But an assertive person has the most power since they are so much easier to get along with.
The more people are in these habitual ways of thinking, the more it reinforces their belief. When a passive person explodes, it proves that aggression is bad so they try harder to be even more passive. An aggressive person controls someone with fear and the moment they give the person freedom by not being aggressive, the person leaves and gets away from the life of fear.
Terms that program us. “Survival of the fittest.” “The American dream.” “People never change.” And many others. In general, our human nature forces us to follow a path and locks our minds into one way of thinking. If you tell someone they are dumb for long enough, they start to believe it. Then they start living the way they believe they are. A dumb person can’t learn enough to go to uni. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy. The thing is, nothing is set in stone.
We only see things and recognise them based on what we have learned so no one sees things as they truly are and no two people see the same thing the same way. So choose a way to see things that leads to success. I think, therefore I am. A wise man knows that he knows nothing. What you think and believe is your choice.
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Slithering Snake
Slithering snake sees small spider.
It isolates its image in interest.
Analysing and anticipating an angry action,
Realising really regular reactions.
Puzzled pause provokes precaution,
Tries to taste toward the thing.
Begins by being beware before,
Moving minute millimetres more.
Slithering slowly seeking some scent,
Trying to take the time.
Suddenly something startles small spider.
Fiery fangs forced forth.
Tactfully the tester thinks twice.
What was waking with wrath?
Maybe mighty massive munchers,
But boasting brilliant bites.
Snake stops, stands still, stoops.
Crawler calms, crazed change ceases.
Little legs limber lightly,
As another adventure arrests.
Footnote:
As you may notice, my poems generally have a serious theme designed to help people see things like most of the successful people in the world see things. Where these people see themselves as achievers and seem themselves having the ability to succeed. They are programmed for success and believe with all their heart, knowing they can succeed in their goals.
Well this poem changes all that. I actually do have some light hearted fun poems that aren’t as deep as the grand canyon. Serious. You’ve got to believe me ;)
This was a topic suggested and I think it’s the first full alliteration poem I ever wrote. I’m almost positive. Anyway, this is about a snake coming across a large spider and the spider rears up in an attacking stance and the snake thinks twice before moving on. Sort of the David and Goliath. It’s tricky to have a story woven into alliteration that is this disciplined.
I didn’t mean to have before and more rhyme. This is odd and stands out. I usually avoid this but this time, the situation was better leaving this in than changing it. Sometimes you have to compromise.
The thing I love about this poem is how well the sentences seem like normal sentences. Some people may read it without realising that each word on a line starts with the same letter. I love how I finish it too as another poem ends.
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Sneaky eyes
Sneaky eyes prowl around;
Mysteriousness;
Stealth at work.
The worm giant wriggles through its city;
Homes of prey;
Land of life.
The warmth a light to guide the way;
Follow its lead;
Into the dark.
Hunger desire that drives it forward;
Feeding time;
Taste the wind.
Belly rolls ripple through its body;
Onward trek;
Closer still.
Furry friend’s tail is being tailed;
Never will know;
Sudden surprise.
Pray for the prey for the time is at hand;
Target in sights;
Ready to fire.
The scales are not in the mammal’s favour;
Weapon unleashed;
Debilitating strike.
A snap from the worm to deposit the drug;
Intoxicating;
Melting inside.
Mammal on drugs feels the death inside;
Painful curse;
Suffering core.
Spirit dies and the body lies still;
Paralysed;
Extinguishing light.
Now nothing more than a mouthful to fill;
Devoured soon;
Awaiting the end.
Footnote:
This is a poem I enjoy. It’s prose but it is different in that each stanza has a rhythm structure to it. One long line and then 2 short sharp lines. I don’t think it’s really popular with other people since the meaning is secretive and a riddle for the reader to work out. Did you work it out?
It’s a snake searching out the prey. The metaphor, a worm giant is the snake. It’s city is the wilderness where it hunts. It’s night and the heat sensitive senses of the small mammals footprints lead the way. It’s only motive is food and it likes particles from the air to smell in stereo. It moves with ripples through it’s belly towards the prey. Some alliteration and a double use of the word tail introduces the small mammal.
I do a similar thing with pray and prey. The scales making us think of a snake but then I twist it into weighing up the odds. The mammal I envision is a rat and here is it bitten and the venom is digesting it from the inside. The venom is a neurotoxin r
endering the rat paralysed. It lies there waiting to be eaten by the snake.
With all this detail, I wonder if the snake could be identified? Although I didn’t have a specific snake in mind.
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Springy
Spring springed to life, jumping
Out of the ashes of winter,
Coiled up for months waiting to spring its seductive trap
Life bounces back from the brink of the belligerent blood bath
Fighting with the ferocious forces,
Forcing a fallen fate with a frozen foe
The shock absorbing power released,
Throwing the momentum upwards into a comfortable state of being
Like twisted steel, instead real, spiralling up and around
Founded ground springing forth the sound of birds that sing
Spring
Footnote:
Another topic given to me to write about. I write this in prose, with a strong use of metaphors. I use standard alliteration for powerful effects. I forced the word Spring in there with poetic licence because it’s the core word which the poem is based on.
I love the mixed rhyme and assonance and rhythm of the last line. This is a poem I really enjoy.
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Stripping of the Stress
I feel the problem there
I want it to be gone
I wish that all of this
Stress had not been born
I find what started it
And where the source then lies
I then destroy the source
So that the problem dies
I can’t live with the crap
It eats away at me
I have to stop it all
So that I can feel free
I may sacrifice
Great things that I need
In order to live on
Sometimes I need to bleed
Living life in stress
May end up crushing you
With worry, guilt and pain
The sorrow flowing through
Something must be done
To make the anger stop
Before it gets too big
And explodes out the top
There are so many
Ways to fix a hole
Which one that’s best is
The question for the soul
We cannot let it build
To where the heart is torn
We must stop it before
We take another thorn
We all need the joy
For peace is what we crave
Many ways to gain this
Before we meet the grave
Footnote:
This poem is very popular. It’s one of the first poems I wrote seriously. A ballad with odd rhythm and talking of depression from a passive / aggressive point of view, and ending with hope.
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Teacher Tribute
I’m so thankful for
Teachers teaching me some more
Somewhere I can turn
I have learnt so much
Just the surface that I touch
I’ve got much to learn
Knowledge sets me free
Breaking walls that confine me
Walls that I don’t miss
I’ve learnt a new way
Expanse to write what I say
So blessed to have this
Blessings I receive
Gifts of wisdom I believe
I’m where this comes through
Given a new tool
I think it is just so cool
Now I’m thanking you
Footnote:
This is a thank you poem to a teacher that introduced me to this vast world of different poetry styles.
The Haiku was one of the most interesting to me and more appealing since years of writing song lyrics set me up for the limitations on syllable count. When I found that there was a format which did this and was a somewhat known style, I took to it like a fish to water. It was like it was made for me.
Up further, there is the first Haiku I ever wrote and I still love this format to this day.
I am rhyming it the same way I did from the very start but again. This is not necessary. I just love to rhyme.
I start with thanking the teachers for being there as a brilliant source of extremely helpful knowledge. It’s been said that Knowledge is the path to freedom.
I then acknowledge that I know nothing compared to everything there is to know about poetry. You could spend your life studying the tip of the iceberg. Knowledge has set me free by giving me options and choices. The accents aren’t perfect but it works. It’s a new tool.
I express myself through this work hopefully sharing wisdom. It’s like a mechanic being introduced to a ratchet spanner for the first time. How thankful he would be.
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The Darkness Within
The darkness within, made darkness around.
I looked everywhere for a way.
I could not see, any way out.
I just wanted to end that day.
Years ticked away, like seconds in time.
Nothing I did would succeed.
My spirit was crushed, with torment and pain.
Longing for me to be freed.
I thought of the pain, and of hopeless attempts.
How desperate I was for a goal.
Then one day I thought, of smelling a rose.
That’s what brought peace to my soul.
I thought of the good, and smiled with glee.
In darkness I built up the light.
I had control, of how I could feel.
The darkness was gone from my sight.
Footnote:
I think I wrote this around the same week as I wrote The Stripping of the Stress.
Again here, I am writing from a similar subject. Depression and how it can be overcome. It’s all about the way a person chooses to think and what they chose to believe. It is a battle that needs to be fought against the bad habits drummed into our head by society since we first started learning in the womb.
See at the time before I learnt this, I was very dark inside which manifested itself into my physical life. I had no enthusiasm since I had no hope since I was programmed to think that a person like me couldn’t possibly amount to anything. Society said that I had to be normal and abnormal was a bad thing. So since I wasn’t like everyone else, the programming made my thought life bad. But if I was normal, I would not be able to write some of these amazing poems. Instead, I would be stacking shelves somewhere or something similar. Everything I tried in order to be so called normal, failed.
Years of this went on. I failed because I still had that programmed thoughts of being useless as a normal person. I am useless at being normal. But I am brilliant at being myself and that’s not what I was doing for years.
Failure after failure and the hatred of those past memories was what I thought about. I had no purpose since everything looked hopeless. But I changed those thoughts to joyful things which changed my inner life which gave me enthusiasm to improve my physical life. It was my choice what I thought of so I focused on the realistic positive which gave me the enthusiasm to take positive steps in life.
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The Day of Australia
The Day of Australia is great.
They call it Australia Day.
The day that you spend with ya mate,
And party the Australian way.
We spark up the barbie for snags,
For tucker and a friendly beer.
Now ours is the best of all flags,
And for it we give a great cheer.
See we are a God blessed country,
With beauty in us that abounds.
There’s nothing that’s better to see,
Than Aussie joy doing the rounds.
When ever we find we’re in need,
Our neighbour will come to our aid.
They
invite us in for a feed,
And don’t even ask to be paid.
Our spirit will always surmount,
To being a bloody beaut friend.
Our status and colour don’t count,
We’re all an Aussie in the end.
And when it comes down to the crunch,
We always will be there for you.
Cause we want to help out a bunch,
And we will say “She’ll be right“ too.
Us Aussies will always achieve,
And strive for a bloody fair go.
Our uniqueness will never leave.
We’ll take on the world and we’ll grow.
The culture is true blue not grey,
And something which we celebrate.
The best of Australia Day,
Is sharing it here with ya mate.
Footnote:
My writers’ group showed me this competition and I took a photo of it. I clean forgot about it until 2 nights before the end date that entries were due by. So then I got to work and wrote this. I think it took about an hour or 2. Then I submitted it. I forgot about it for ages until I got a phone message on the message service. A congratulations. Stoked. I called them and they told me it was well received when read out at the Australia Day service, and asked me how I would like to receive the cash prize.
I rhymed every line and my rhythm was great. I felt like this was destiny since it came so easily and so well, with tonnes of culture.
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The Japanese Life
The Japanese life
Was based around the sharp knife
The Samurai sword
The warrior lives
By command his life he gives
Emperor the lord
They had strong spirits
Spiritual life that fits
Perfectness in all
Modern life the end
Western world was not their friend
Future made them fall
Footnote:
This is the first Haiku I ever wrote. Just the syllables by themselves was too easy so I rhymed it. I think it took about an hour. Since it’s Japanese, I thought I would focus on the Japanese icon, the Samurai.
With the study I have done, I think I summed up the life of the Samurai with progressively deeper meaning. It’s a bit sad really.
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Beauty Abounding
Mind blowing awesomeness I see;
A gorgeous construction created for me.
Beauty abounding;
So outstanding;
Giving a sunset cost free.
Footnote:
Here is another limerick. This is a stage where I felt compelled to punctuate. I changed this since I want to leave this distraction out of the poem. Sometimes I will use this where I feel compelled to use them to stop confusion about which lines continue and which are the end of the sentence.
I had the choice between this and “Nature is the Best” . I chose the later because it was longer and a poem I liked better. This poem was also written before I decided to start on this topical poetry exercise.
The rhythm flow is tricky too and also the couplet rhyme isn’t as perfectly fitting as I would have liked. But it is still a great poem and sums up the sunset rather well.
The meaning is what’s best about this and the punch line at the end, which gives the rest of the poem before it, deeper meaning.
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Writing a Way to get Through
For me
To be
Called to a task for my soul,
I need to be strong for that goal
You see?
Now why
Am I
Waiting to live a life that’s true?
I s’pose it’s so I can get through;
I try.
Want more?
What for?
Can’t we be content with what we’ve got?
Do we really need to have a lot?
Let’s score.
Enough!
It’s tough.
Two words are less than I need;
The limits imposed mean I am not freed;
It’s rough.
Footnote:
Check this out for a limerick. You can see my thought process as I write it.
I deliberately wanted something unique so I reversed the length of the lines but also, I made the 3 lines that rhyme, only 2 syllables each, and trying to have all of them rhyme and have meaning was harder than I anticipated.
Read the first stanza as if it’s a sentence:
For me to be called to the task for my soul, I need to be strong for that goal, you see?
I have to be strong to be the eligible for my destiny.
The next stanza, I am waiting for my destined life but that doesn’t mean I am doing nothing while I wait. It’s like climbing a mountain, you are waiting to see that view when you get to the top. You look forward to that view and are patient so you can get through the steps up towards that goal, and you do your best to get there.
But then you have to be content with the view you have right now. You want to make sure that if you want more, it’s for a good reason, and ask the hard question on if you really need to have it. Score up the pros and cons to see what really matters to