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This Journey.
(this poem is over 250 lines)
//-start of poem-\\
// 1--Happiness Lingers--1 \\
They’re countin’ my fingers.
They’re countin’ my toes.
My happiness lingers.
My cheerfulness grows.
I crawl off exploring.
I follow my nose.
I interrupt snoring.
I won’t let them doze.
I try to start walking.
I stand on tiptoes.
It’s tough when they’re talking.
It’s tough I suppose.
My daddy is cheering.
My sister’s a foe.
My grandma’s endearing.
My mother says “no”.
It’s winter’s cold season.
Its temperature shows.
It’s cold for a reason.
It’s cold when it snows.
The snow’s falling outside.
The snowman is froze.
The warmth warms us inside.
The warmth is aglow.
I tear at my present.
I tear off its bow.
My squeal is quite pleasant.
My squeal is not low.
I love my new toy now.
I love my new clothes.
Love fills me with joy now.
Love lovingly flows.
This long day is ending.
This long playtime slows.
My eyelid’s descending.
My eyelids must close.
This journey’s beginning.
This journey must go.
We’re in the first inning.
We cannot foreshow.
…It’s just an early day in this journey called life…
\\ 1--An Early Day--1 //
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// 2--School's Scars--2 \\
I'm so anxious and worried.
I'm so restless and hurried.
Mom says we’ll use the car.
Mom says it isn’t far.
I go into the school now.
I go in like a fool now.
I see things as they are.
I see I’ll be no star.
The teacher hates my yakking.
The teacher sends me packing.
The long hall is quite far.
The long walk is quite hard.
They send me home for “chit-chat”.
They say I’m just a big brat.
My school’s not up to par.
My school might leave a scar.
This losing inning’s ending.
This hellish dream’s descending.
I hope this day’s a farce.
I hope such days are sparse.
…It’s just a hellish day in this journey called life…
\\ 2--A Hellish Day--2 //
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// 3--Cute Ursa Minor--3 \\
I really like that girl over there.
I really like the smell of her hair.
“So ask her out, we dare-double-dare!”
-She will be mine.
I go there with anticipation.
I go there with teen trepidation.
Is that your favorite constellation?
-Her hair smells fine.
“No I prefer cute Ursa Minor.”
Her soothing tone could not be finer.
I ask if she prefers a diner.
-“With you, I’ll dine.”
We walk around the open air mall.
I buy for her a Teddy Bear doll.
She calls it “Ursa Minor, Bear Small”.
-To me, that’s fine.
Beginning when I went to get her.
This inning’s ending so much better.
I hope that I will not upset her.
-This day’s divine.
…It’s just a joyous day in this journey called life…
\\ 3--A Joyous Day-- //
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// 4--Hey Graduates!--4 \\
Hey graduates!
How glad we’ll get!
-This day is a start and an end.
Our school is done.
We fools have won.
-Today just might start a new trend.
We throw our caps.
We crow en masse.
-Our parents then start to descend.
The day flies by.
We say goodbye.
-The last time we’ll see these close friends.
It’s kind of sad.
And kind of glad.
-Who knows what the future portends.
This inning’s tied.
No winning side.
-Mixed messages twist what it sends.
…It’s just an anxious day in this journey called life…
\\ 4--An Anxious Day--4 //
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// 5--Camelot--5 \\
I’m finally getting married.
I’m finally tying the knot.
My old life’s getting buried.
My old life wasn’t so hot.
Our days are spent preparing.
Our days seem trying and fraught.
We hope it’s not despairing.
We hope it’s good as we thought.
It's nervousness I'm sensing.
It's nerves that make me distraught.
The vows are now commencing.
The vows were perfectly taught!
The plans then called for kissing.
The plans have all been for naught:
The ring it seems is missing.
The ring now needs to be sought.
With pockets out extending
The best man's folly is caught.
This saddened sight he's sending
Soon stops our search for the rock…
The ceremony’s ending.
The ceremony has stopped.
The rice is now descending.
The rice could not be forgot!
We sneak out honeymooning.
We sneak away from this spot.
And soon we are just crooning.
And soon we’re on a big yacht.
This wedding was quite trying.
This wedding gave us a shot.
Forever we’re standbying.
Forever we're Camelot.
…It’s just a brand new day in this journey called life…
\\ 5--A Brand New Day--5 //
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// 6--So Blessed--6 \\
She’s my doll
She’s my doll
She’s my doll doll doll
This baby stole my heart.
Above all
Above all
Above all all all
I've loved her from the start.
This is great
This is great
This is great great great
I’m daddy to this child.
It was fate
It was fate
It was fate fate fate
For her I’m domiciled.
I love her
I love her
I love her her her
Much more than I can say.
It’s a blur
It’s a blur
It’s a blur blur blur
The way I feel today.
What a day
What a day
What a day day day
This inning was the best.
There’s no way
There’s no way
There’s no way way way
That I should be so blessed.
…It’s just a perfect day in this journey called life…
\\ 6--A Perfect Day-- //
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// 7--Leaving Home--7 \\
Our baby’s leaving home.
She’s leaving us alone.
What sadness we now feel.
What sorrows we conceal.
Her childhood’s in the past.
Her childhood vanished fast.
It is a gloomy chill.
It is a sad ordeal.
We’ll miss her all the time.
Our feelings are sublime.
Our worries make us ill.
Our worries are quite real.
Why does she have to go?
Why does she treat us so?
It makes our sorrows spill.
It makes it hard to heal.
We wish her all the best.
Her life is full of zest.
We love her nerves of steel.
We love her zest and zeal.
We hope she has no need.
We hope she will succeed.
This inning tests our will.
This inning feels unreal.
…It’s just a sad, sad day in this journey called life…
\\ 7--A Sad, Sad Day--7 //
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// 8--This is Despair--8 \\
My wife is dead.
My life is dread.
-How can I go on?
“Don’t part!” I spoke.
My heart is broke.
-She cannot be gone!
I miss her so.
I kiss her soul.
-Why won’t she respond?
This is despair.
This isn’t fair.
-Everything’s gone wrong.
Belated wife.
I hate my life.
-Where do I belong?
I feel much pain.
I feel disdain.
-How can I be strong?
The Hearse is God.
I curse the sod.
-Death’s beneath the lawn.
This pain takes breath.
This game brings death.
-Death’s a marathon.
…It’s just a dark, dark day in this journey called life…
\\ 8--A Dark, Dark Day--8 //
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// 9--My Turn to Die--9 \\
It’s now my turn to die.
I do not wonder why.
I guess I’ll just comply.
-My life is done.
I wish these pains were gone.
Why must I linger on?
I hope I’m dead by dawn.
-Please, no more sun!
Each breath is but a gasp.
Sweet death can’t come too fast.
Please end my life at last.
-Bring me a gun!
“I think they’ve found a cure!”
“It’s painful to endure…”
I guess I’ll answer “sure”.
-This won’t be fun…
The cure seems worse than death.
It hurts with every breath.
Why did I answer “yes”?
-This hurts a ton.
The doctor’s shouting “wow”!
I’ve cheated death somehow.
Nine innings ended now.
-And no one’s won…
…It’s just a painful day in this journey called life…
\\ 9--A Painful Day--9 //
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// 10--Extra Innings--10 \\
I’ll take advantage of this living.
I won’t be caring nor forgiving.
-I’ll experiment beneath the sun…
Nine innings didn’t end my being.
More innings might enable freeing.
-’Cuz experiments are much more fun…
I’m entering this extra inning.
I think I have a chance of winning.
-So I’m running up to bat real fast…
But even if I’m free from sinning.
They’ve rigged this game from its beginning.
-’Cuz Grim Reaper’s always batting last…
…I got extended play in my journey of life…
…But now I’m on my way ’cuz I’m joining my wife…
…This is my final say in my journal of strife…
…It’s just the final day in this journey called life…
\\ 10--The Final Day--10 //
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\\-end of poem-//
by > Roamoff
composed May 2008.
submitted 20 May 2008.
Copyright © May 2008 by Roamoff.
This Journey.
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Since early 2006, I have been attempting to write a poem that I thought was better than the emotional and uniquely-structured > A Father's Lament. I think I finally accomplished that task. Some parts are not as good as others (as would be expected). But, there are 11 unique meters and rhyme schemes in it. I always try to create a new structure, rhyme scheme, or meter in every poem I write. This one has eleven of them. And some of them are more different than the usual minor differences that I end up incorporating in new poems. I think one part of this poem is very powerful and emotional and at least 3 others are very well done. Most of the rest are also pretty good.
In my more recent works (since November 2005), I rarely reuse the same meter on another poem (meaning I try to invent a new meter for each - a daunting task). But I "accidentally" used the first "inning's" meter in other poems. See my > biography (near the end, I list some of the poems that use this meter).
If you want to understand what is meant by structure or meter or want hints or lessons about writing this type of poetry, go to > Purchase, Services (Services from Poet Roamoff).
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