"steadfastness" poems
queer creature of white stone:
the spirit of the island in the head of this lion,
the soul of the natives in the body of this fish,
spirit and soul, lion and fish, mingle together by
mere wry humour of evolution’s word
we revere this beast, (it watches over us
from nine metres above), we bow down our backs,
(worship it as our exemplar): for many of us,
unknowingly, we emulate the spirit and soul
of this queer white creation of stone.
standing tall (unshaken!) even as jaundice bolts of heaven’s
creep tip-toed behind its scales and strike:
its cemented steadfastness of stone we emulate,
for through the towering grey waves of crisis, and
the threatening dark clouds that foretell our very fears,
we too, have floated and transcended and appeared
unscathed.
mutated monster – child of bad genes,
they despise such unfavourable antagonistic features
(shall it rule like a lion or flail like a fish?):
its unlikeliness of surviving, of thriving we emulate:
for this dotted smudge of red pen ink on the globe,
destined to bow down to fate – bowed down not, and
flourished.
beams of white water spouting out in a
perfect shape of a quadrant’s circumference, endlessly,
its majestic spewing action we emulate:
this island of expectations, sterile smell of success,
fate of our future in the setting of an exam hall,
(in there do you not think we resemble the merlion,
our mouths the hoses, the papers our well?)
but, oh, the merlion – so many of it –
the merlions, same-maned, same-scaled,
fluttering and bursting with imitation across our home:
such congruity, conformity we emulate:
for years of yearning to swim in the mainstream waters,
of being goldfish, instead of losing the waters for flight like flying fish,
have made us very much, about
the same.
queer creature of white stone:
do you see not how we resemble your very self,
how we offer you praise (by
lifting our human arms, arching on our mere knees,
hoisting our lowly mortal heads, surveying your colossal royalty,
camera in hand)?
Dec 27, 2011
Dec 27, 2011 at 7:02 AM UTC
My weary hands can't hold all weight
I sacrifice my hands for you
To give, to hold, to heal
If you come to me,
I will gently carry you
I will plow the soil dawn to dusk
Working in the piercing sun
The sweetest rose
Gently touching the sky
My speckled head flowing with determination
My glowing eyes
The streams of steadfastness breathe inside me
For I, the thick roots, which one lies on
Comforting and secure, wrap beside me
For I will lie beside you - for as long as time
May 11, 2016
May 11, 2016 at 1:13 PM UTC
Do you realize that races are overrated,
since God is no respecter of persons?
Colored perceptions of hatred and bigotry
may ultimately destroy our existence.
Who needs people that:
• Lack brotherly love and respect for others
• Lust for power, wealth and **********
• Lack vision and purpose
• Lack maturity and wisdom
• Have attitudes of superiority
• Are poor in spirit
• Lack discipline and self-control
Colored attitudes, regarding skin tones and hues,
pale in contrast to uncontrolled emotions.
Without responsibility and accountability,
people get themselves in trouble rather quickly.
Who really wants or needs:
• Red’s lustful, passion for someone other than your spouse?
• or Green’s destructional envy of others’ wealth or possessions?
• or Yellow’s fear, smelling of ***** from peeing ourselves?
• or White’s collection of powdered deaths?
• or Blue’s inner sadness or coldness towards others?
• or Brown’s poverty, shame and overall uncleanness?
• or Orange steadfastness for a Godless life?
• or Purple’s smugness from a self-conceived ideal of royalty?
• or Black’s foreboding sicknesses and death?
Our human collective needs to find real commonality,
within this brotherhood of man, as planetary stewards.
Under girded with a genuineness of concern and love,
true understanding can lead to harmonious relationships.
We all have the ability to commune with God’s Spirit;
however, we each must have a desire to do so.
Utopia may be unattainable, unlike… unity of community.
And yes, I forgive you, for thinking I might be racist.
Author Notes:
Loosely based on:
Acts 10: 34; Gal 2: 6; Deut 10: 17; 1 Pet 1: 17
Learn more about me and my poetry at:
http: //www.squidoo.com/book-isbn-1419650513
By Joseph J. Breunig 3rd, © 2012, All rights reserved.
Apr 11, 2013
Apr 11, 2013 at 7:42 AM UTC
Four uneven walls make their own doorway to heaven
because the gates are resolute in steadfastness and I'm becoming impatient.
May 14, 2013
May 14, 2013 at 11:26 PM UTC
with each passing day, I understand less and less, for
who could ever claim to know it all, yet, the simplicity
of our base-ic basest instincts makes evil so easily attractive,
that now, I forgive almost nothing, anyone for the cruelty
inherent in on the surfacial skin of our normalcy, so easily,
revealed, and reveled in, wrecks me, and the poetry
sparks are not doused, but wick and ember shriveled
oh the irony, that foolish me should write of the
commandment to love just as the world displays
old levels of hate historically deep… .I am hated,
to many who would know me only as Jew,
and this refresher course in my brain, reminds me,
that love thy neighbor as thyself, can morph into a
generational opposite, that my former degree of comfort,
beliefs, was only skin deep…and Tolstoy was a naïf, a romantic,
a royal, who hoped for the best in each man, and that
cannot ne achieved for hate is so easy digestible, so sweet a treat
for humans, who desire no compass other than simple baseness
to know which direction to take….
————————————————————————————-
”There can be only one permanent revolution—a moral one; the regeneration of the inner man. How is this revolution to take place? Nobody knows how it will take place in humanity, but every man feels it clearly in himself. And yet in our world everybody thinks of changing humanity, and nobody thinks of changing himself."
Tolstoy
”To perform evil deeds a person must discover “a justification for his actions,” so that he can regard stealing, humiliating and killing as good. “Macbeth’s self-justifications were feeble,” and so conscience restrained him. He had no ideology, Solzhenitsyn observes, nothing like “anti-imperialism” or “decolonization” to allay pangs of guilt. Solzhenitsyn concludes: “Ideology—that is what gives evil-doing its long-sought justification and gives the evil-doer the necessary steadfastness and determination . . . so that he won’t hear reproaches and curses but receive praise and honors.”
Solzhenitsyn
Oct 20, 2023
Oct 20, 2023 at 3:08 PM UTC
The sea of mystery.
A silent beast,
Drawing those foolish enough to attempt to swim it,
To their watery grave.
The wind of change,
Brings in the new and strange,
And blows out the old and familiar.
The flames of destruction,
Stop for no one.
They consume all in their path.
The stone of steadfastness,
Standing high and resolute.
A silent guardian,
In a foolish world.
Apr 24, 2015
Apr 24, 2015 at 8:59 PM UTC
the couple pledged
a lifetime of devotion
vowing to be loyal
to one another
as the years rolled on
the bonds of affection
increased in steadfastness
theirs being a true
endearment forevermore
Aug 25, 2021
Aug 25, 2021 at 11:48 PM UTC
Just another crazy dream,
a third division sub routine
one more throw back,go to nil,and filled with images of course
Riding the China white concourse on the riderless pale horse which cost me plenty,twenty,maybe more,
don't remember keeping score
or how long the ride went on
or even if I was the one
sat there.
Dreams don't share this information just fill me with such consternation that I wake up in a sweat,
don't yet know what dreams do show me if they show me anything at all
and if I fall,
I fall alone through paper bags and tag alongs and uncaring of the rights and wrongs,if I hit rock bottom hard,it's my hard luck,
I took the first step on the stair
but still don't know if I'm sat there.
Flashbacks, needle tracks and red hot trains in coal black sacks and stacks of stacks that won't lay still and will I ever settle for the bottle or the pill?
and if I do,I lose the will I thought was mine,
traded off for one more time and one more line along the China white where walls of self delusion stand and fight illusions of my potency,
Important though it may be, there seems no synchronicity in actions I have taken,each action on its own as if it was a skimming stone that sank somewhere,
I wonder if I am sat there.
I had to wake of course
even horses need to rest and I think the dream was sent to test my fortitude or steadfastness,
in the face of nothing where another mess awaits and nothing states the obvious more than the blank look,like the first step that I took and the empty stair which is obvious to me leads me nowhere,
was I sat there
was that the third division sub routine
was this life nothing
but a crazy hedonistic dream?
but if it wasn't me
then I have a twin
either way
we never win.
Oct 28, 2013
Oct 28, 2013 at 1:02 AM UTC
973
’Twas awkward, but it fitted me—
An Ancient fashioned Heart—
Its only lore—its Steadfastness—
In Change—unerudite—
It only moved as do the Suns—
For merit of Return—
Or Birds—confirmed perpetual
By Alternating Zone—
I only have it not Tonight
In its established place—
For technicality of Death—
Omitted in the Lease—
1.5k
Spontaneity, in family one, the little one exudes
Her brother, kindness reigns in him, you will not find him rude
And in between, their sister, with her sensitivity
O’er all, a loving group they are, this little family.
Family two brings determination, in a package oh, so small
Preceded by devotion, in a brother growing tall
The tallest one, shows honesty, in him there is no doubt
The last of this group, not the least, her smile comes bubbling out.
In family three, a smallish one, she shows such bravery
While older sister, stands ***** steadfastness we can see
The curious one, her questions fly, she just can’t get enough
And last of all, the funny one, and in most sports he’s tough.
This group is not a tranquil bunch, they often raise the roof
Indeed, my patience sometimes dims, my grey hair is the proof.
Sep 26, 2015
Sep 26, 2015 at 2:49 AM UTC
The jellyfish.
700 million years and it seems everything has changed, but them.
They are the oldest multi-organ animal on the planet and if there were an animal up for God’s first friend I would say it’s definitely the jellyfish.
I'd like to think God needed friends, and I'd like to think she explored this world as it grew beyond her grasp and perhaps as she swam these oceans she found solace in the steadfastness of her old friend. Always there, always the same.
I can't help but feel some kinship myself. Somewhere among the primordial ooze a part of me, knew an ancient, small part of them. Then, later, sometime before my evolutionary ancestors ever went on land, we swam together. We shared the oceans of an earth that most of us wouldn't recognize now. Forward still, as time tends to move, my ancestors went on land and theirs stayed in the rolling seas. Watching the world change around them.
If there is a God, I'd like to think she still visits the jellyfish on occasion. That aquariums are her favorite place beside the ocean itself.
Oct 20, 2015
Oct 20, 2015 at 9:13 PM UTC
Just a blind man can have faith
In the firmness of world beneath his bed
So also will I believe in steadfastness of my God
And that I will arise anew each day
To begin again
May 16, 2019
May 16, 2019 at 3:57 PM UTC
A masterful One hearing of the Tao
immediately begins to embody it.
An average One hearing of the Tao
half believes it and half doubts it.
A foolish One hearing of the Tao
laughs out loud, and yet
should fools not laugh,
it wouldn't be the Tao!
Thus t'is writ:
The path into the light seems dark,
the path forward seems to go back,
the direct path seems long,
true power seems weak,
true purity seems tarnished,
true steadfastness seems changeable,
true clarity seems obscure,
the greatest seem unsophisticated,
the greatest love seems indifferent,
the greatest wisdom seems childish.
The Tao is nowhere to be found,
yet it nourishes and completes all things.
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- - -
Jan 8, 2016
Jan 8, 2016 at 1:56 AM UTC
It would be inaccurate, indeed downright unfair,
To label her as a convenience,
Certainly no matter of being any port in a storm;
She fell into that category of handsome women,
Tending more to the Rubenesque than the runway,
And those occasions where an evening with the gang
Fragmented into a somewhat unmatched set
Were more in line with settling into a familiar harbor,
Bereft of the intoxicating hazards of shoals and sand bars, perhaps,
But comfortable with a certain steadfastness about it,
A pleasant haven from the riptides, undertows,
And various entanglements of the open water.
It was an aneurysm that took her, the type of thing
We’d associated with grandparents, aged aunts,
Corpulent colleagues of our fathers.
What’s more, it turned she was staunchly and stubbornly Lutheran,
Regular to the point of obsession in her attendance at services
(We’d no way of knowing such a thing, of course,
The notion of staying overnight at her place
To rise from last night’s sheets at mid-morning
And share a table for omelettes and awkward chit-chat
Being both curious and curiosity)
So we arrayed ourselves in stiff collars,
Accompanied by ties we’d hoped to be suitable,
As the whole affair had us a bit off balance,
And we were only able to restore our equilibrium at the end,
Just in time to attempt to bounce pebbles onto her coffin lid
In what he hoped was some witticism in Morse code.
Jan 19, 2017
Jan 19, 2017 at 1:53 PM UTC
Silos breaching the skyline,
Large ****** of the landscape.
The smells of the barnyard are pungent..
Although not unpleasant, really, rather pleasant.
These old farms all along this winding road,
They've stood tall for a century or two.
Their clap board and stone attest to a time
When what was built was built to last.
The pictures taken don't quite take in the charm,
The nobility, the steadfastness, the breath of a solid life
People seem as scarce as hens teeth, not a soul to be seen.
Just horses lambs cows and cats and dogs.
Apr 30, 2016
Apr 30, 2016 at 10:32 PM UTC
Wispers of the unknown now fill what use to be sounds of steadfastness
Wispers of harshness now radiate this atmosphere
Wispers of past soundness no where to be found
Wispers of two hurting souls aches and pains make known there presence
Jul 18, 2012
Jul 18, 2012 at 6:10 PM UTC
River rock, smooth and cool
Glistening in the midday sun
A testament to time and strength
Beneath the rushing waters run
Carved by centuries of flow
Each curve and groove tells a story
Of the world's relentless dance
Of nature's boundless glory
I pause to touch your ancient surface
Feel the weight of your solid form
And marvel at your steadfastness
Amidst the chaos of the storm
River rock, you stand unmoving
A symbol of resilience and grace
A reminder of the beauty
That lies within this wild place
Sep 27, 2024
Sep 27, 2024 at 12:38 AM UTC
Only you and the sun can turn the sky on
There are few things in this world
That a man can rely on
When this world grows cold, the sun's very fire gone
On the day that you must go
That's the day I will die on
Only you and the sun can fight the moonlight
Beat back the sadness
The madness of midnight
Sanctify the gladness, steadfastness of daylight
Bookend the badness
Upend the dark night
Only you and the sun can sing destiny's song
The darkest of your hours
Are brightest before dawn
If fate were unfaithful, or otherwise forlorn
Life itself would still be grateful
For the day that you were born
Only you and the sun are deserving of twilight
A state of solemn grace
And harbinger of starlight
Now face to face with you by the firelight
I pray that I wake
Beside you at first light
©Jason Cole
Nov 24, 2017
Nov 24, 2017 at 9:05 PM UTC
cars like comets roar past the
external edges of my solitary universe
while the circling bands of introspection and selfishness
obscure my point of view
the cold stone steps bring steadfastness and strength
while peaceful acceptance governs my mind.
living in the present brings presence and power
the grass is cool green and soft with dew
Aug 28, 2014
Aug 28, 2014 at 12:24 AM UTC
Mistress of the cliffs
With eyes like lighting
And the rolling thunderous waves crashing down
Just beneath her fingertips
She is Demelza
The Goddess of solidarity and steadfastness
The epitome of emphasis
And the truth behind every last belmaidens wish
Which is of course…
To return to the fields of idleness
Of former youth
To thresh the wheat and kick the chaff
And to walk the surface of the earth
With a joy forgetting the hardships
And the toils of the fast
And so each day
She trudges her way
Though the dark and dull abyss
Until she reaches her new task
And sets herself to another height
For she was born to be mistress of the cliffs
Feb 19, 2017
Feb 19, 2017 at 11:25 PM UTC
I came directly from through the ranks
All my dues paid, my homage to life
To my God alone all my humble thanks
For bread I slice with prayer knife .
I came strictly from my very own hood
All of my dues I paid through my strife
To mama dear for prayers and our food
For all she sacrificed to save my life .
I came humbly from a very blessed home
All my dues are paid through my chores
To charity, that says take and share some
For all I learned , I am beyond my shores .
I came strongly ready to join the hustle
My dues paid with my years of readiness
To poverty, a real caveat for my struggle
For I've persevered through steadfastness .
#Vanguard-poetry
Jan 14, 2018
Jan 14, 2018 at 11:32 AM UTC
The Ocean kisses the shore
with a never ending love for her.
Sometimes gently,
Sometimes in a passionate rage.
But always with a knowing
that he must return to her,
for she is the beginning
and the ending of him.
And only she
in her steadfastness
can calm his
agitated soul.
Nov 27, 2024
Nov 27, 2024 at 9:11 PM UTC
O Fortitude! Strength of the wav’ring heart!
Steadfastness summoned when the blood runs cold!
When allies flee and none will take our part,
Where honor and friendship are cheaply sold,
Thine aid divine makes the trembling soul bold!
When terror would invade our feeble frame,
Thy subtle power puts the foe to shame!
O Fortitude! O encouraging voice!
When darkness attempts to blot out the sun,
And slav’ry’s law to deprive us of choice,
You brace the nerves of the poor frightened one,
Reminding that the vict’ry can be won:
If to perseverance we should hold fast,
We shall the adversaries all outlast!
O Fortitude! Come, and run in our veins,
Fire our tepidity and make us brave!
As long ages pass, ‘tis thee who remains,
Long suff’ring Patience, who never shall cave!
Come, Resolution, from all weakness save -
Where the frail man falls, and in despair lies,
You reach out your hand, and bid him to rise!
Nov 15, 2017
Nov 15, 2017 at 3:22 PM UTC
I feel sad for your plight.
You love one, but yearn for another.
It will be okay
Whatever your heart decides.
Your steadfastness is beautiful
And your loyalty is inspirational.
For someone who, I find,
Feels she has such low standards and low opinions of herself,
I must confess
I look up to you a great deal.
(Despite the obscene obsession with *****
P.S.
Though your ability to win at drinking games
Is in short, astounding.
Jun 27, 2010
Jun 27, 2010 at 6:24 PM UTC