Tag Archives: honesty

Desert Seven

Israel, born Jacob, lived in desert heat,
Where at the well he and Rachel did meet.
I sit in sauna heat, thoughts turned to him.
Surely his heart filled with vigor and vim,
As he bargained for Rachel as his bride;
Seven years work, then she'd be at his side.
Fast-forward to appointed wedding day,
Israel finds out too late: he was betrayed.
Leah now his wife; Laban struck new deal:
Another seven for Rachel's hand for real.
Israel now juggles wife and idea:
Courting Rachel while married to Leah.
The solution for Israel was simplex;
The execution by hearts made complex.

Copyright ©️ 2024 H.K. Longmore

Trashed

It was too personal, said far too much.
As for that one, I liked the imagery,
But it had no structure or rhymes as such,
And got no boost for lack of symmetry.
And that one, that one I tried to salvage
But the sands of time have not dulled the pain,
Nor have torrential rains become flame's bane.
So the bit grinder its soul will ravage.
Add to the heap this one I won't retouch;
Not that one, to which I cling: cripple's crutch.
Keep those on dreams that I've yet to obtain,
But let go those that are far too arcane.
Spare those that speak of my little cabbage,
Or of Christian journey telemetry.

Author’s note: i started a poem the other day in which I tried to salvage another that i have no intention of publishing, with a note explaining:

“This takes some bits and pieces from an unpublished poem that evolved over the course of about a year. One version of that poem took a dark turn after six or seven stanzas. One version was too much of a “when you know what you don’t know” situation. The most recent version of that poem doesn’t end as hopefully as I would like, though I think it does capture the sentiment of “things are falling apart, no matter what I try to do to hold them together,” or, “this is not how I pictured things would be a year ago” with an unstated “can we go back a year and get a do-over?”  I generally liked that poem, but often end up having to explain myself to some of my followers, and it was maybe too personal, and in some minds, lacking context, could be seriously misunderstood. So, I’ve opted to canabalize that one in favor of other art.

Ultimately I put that in the WordPress trash, providing the inspiration for this poem.

Copyright ©️ 2024 H.K. Longmore

Discontent of Fabrications

Newly married man;
Wife made best meal she knew how.
Husband loved: a lie.

Stomach, day by day,
His repulsion enduring,
Same meal he received.

Stopped with honesty:
He cared not for it, never.
Served that meal no more.

Waxing didactic,
Say not, “I like” when not true,
Lest you reap encore.

Regarding a meal,
Natural pigmentation hid
By purple or red,

Movie or series,
Favorite sport or hobby;
Say not, “yea”, if “no”,

Lest thy discontent
Of thy fabrication born,
Fill eyes with sorrow.

©2015 H.K. Longmore