Upon entering some poetry contests recently, I have received some great feedback on my work. When I started “Frank’s Forum”, one of the major themes was poetry. I recently published an article on Sonnet forms for young writers as the “jumping off” point for the poetry theme. Now I will provide a selection of my poetry which has received some great critical feedback in various forums and contests.

I hope you enjoy the poetry I have decided to share.

 

“Over The Bridge”

The sunlight pierces the water’s surface;
The river moves slowly to the Bay.
These days I think of my purpose;
I wonder if I will find my way.
The sun glares through my windshield
As I cross over the bridge in my car
I wonder how it’ll be when the traffic will yield
My car moves ahead, my thoughts are far
Away from here in another place.
I cross over the bridge into a new realm;
Where I can think in my own space
When things in life can totally overwhelm
I drive further, turn down a road.
To stop, rest, my thoughts to unload.

 

 

 

“Pushing Away”

I try to do it, but it’s hard;
To forget, to move ahead
To push away the memories, to discard;
They stick around my mind instead.

The memories of The Shore I knew;
Changed so dramatically by this storm.
The place where my sisters and I grew;
These special times so distant, so warm.

Replaced by images of destruction;
Whole towns, beach clubs, anything in its path.
I try to push these thoughts away, obstruction
Forces them back – memories of Sandy’s horrid wrath.

Maybe their will come a time, a day;
Where I can finally push this all away.

 

 

 

“A Perfect Sky”

A perfect sky so clear and blue
Makes me think of times with you.
Days we would spend in bliss;
Those days, now I truly miss.
Before our lives got tough;
But still today our love is enough.
To get through times we feel weak
And all of our prospects are bleak.
We will continue to make our way
Until we awake on a brighter day.
A day with a bright blue sky;
A day like this one and others gone by.
A day where our dreams come true;
I know I can get there with you.

 

“Drifting”

Trapped between asleep and awake
Time I wish would forsake
As I lay here alone with a racing mind
The peace of sleep I wish to find
I drift along, the hour is late
Try to relax and to meditate
Nothing works. I continue to drift
I wish the anxiety would lift;
So I could get some much needed rest.
I wish their was someone to suggest;
What I could do to find peace.
To make my late night thoughts cease
The Sun is starting to rise
I rub my tired bloodshot eyes
No rest for me again this night
Tomorrow will be another fight

 

 

“Heavy”

My eyes are heavy and tired;
But it’s still only mid-afternoon.
If I have coffee I’ll be wired
The evening will come soon.
My legs are heavy from the walk I took;
Through this small town on this Spring day.
Their were people everywhere you’d look
Out to enjoy it in their own way.
My heart is heavy from my own guilt;
Of all the things I’ve neglected.
In recent years, high walls I’ve built;
The needs of others I’ve deflected.
My mind is heavy with uncertainty;
How will I know which path to take?
I don’t know where to go or how to be
I reflect on bad choices I make.
My soul is heavy from regret;
Choices I should have made, one decision
Could have changed it all, would have set
Me on a new path, but I’m stuck in derision.
Heavy is the weight of a failed man
I have to develop a new plan.

 

 

“Beautiful Goodbye”

We stood in the driveway
As the car pulled in
I didn’t know what to say
I didn’t know how to begin
All I could do was sigh
Rushing around to get ready
I didn’t want to make you cry
We just held each other steady
We both knew the stakes
I had a job I needed to do
Right now my heart breaks
Because I have to leave you
Being apart is tough to learn
Each night, for you, I yearn

 

 

“As I Sit Here”

Birds fly by my window;
In the breeze I can see a flag blow.
It is quiet except for the hum of the AC;
To cool the space around me.
As I sit here, someone starves;
While another, a turkey he carves.
As I sit here, someone lives on the street;
While another has 30,000 square feet.
As I sit here comfortable and alone;
Somewhere villagers fear a predator drone.
As I sit here, afraid to fail;
Someone else is wrongly put in jail.
As I sit here in my clean clothes;
Dirty, ragged shirts are all someone else knows.
As I sit here and quietly pray;
Someone else was murdered today.
As I sit here watching baseballs’ star player get mobbed;
Someone else finds their home is robbed.
As I sit here pictures of my loving family shown;
Somewhere a veteran ponders suicide alone.
As I sit here trying to find my way
I realize I just wasted another day.
Birds fly by my window;
In the breeze I see a flag blow.

 

 

“Morning Mirror”

The glass doors of the art gallery;
Reflect my presence there.
The boats head toward the bowery;
Humidity and the smell of the sea fills the air.
The gallery space is quiet and dark;
I walk and stand by the river.
In the distance I hear a dog bark;
This time of the morning peace does deliver.
I’m able to think about the day ahead;
A bird flies quickly past me.
Most people are still in bed
The reflection of the bird I can see
Moving down the river in the distance.
It is such a calm, beautiful instance;
It is my morning mirror –
It helps me to see clearer.

 

 

 

“All I Saw”

As far as I could see
Piled high, deep, and wide
It goes on and on continually
On one side of the road to the other side
Rubble, wood, glass, a rocking chair
All that remains from the storm
It just seems all so unfair
I watch as the flies swarm
On a pile of moldy, spoiled food
Lives shattered and broken
The town is battered and crude
I see a neighbor, no words are spoken
We both know what’s at stake
All I saw that day, each day since
Is a town that all will forsake
A place where you’ll have to convince
Others to live there, to return
I wonder when we’ll learn
All I saw was garbage and sand
In a place that was once bright and grand.

 

 

”January Wind”

The nightfall brought cold air
I’m sitting inside where it’s warm
My wife worked late, which isn’t fair
Here in Central Jersey we’re bracing for a storm
I wait for her safe return
The January wind rattles the house
I check the oven, make sure dinner doesn’t burn
As I wait for the arrival of my spouse
The January wind gusts with power
Our love, I begin to contemplate
I hope she gets here within the hour
The time with her I appreciate
The door opens with great force
My wife enters shivering and windblown
I greet her with a look of remorse
I tell her I love her more than anything known
To mankind. She smiles through messy hair
I pour tea into her favorite cup
I tell her to sit in the kitchen chair
She says, “I love you too, go get the ketchup”
We laugh as the cold wind outside will blow
Right now our love is all we know

 

 

“Fridays Were Fun”

Remember back in high school;
Planning for Friday night was cool.
Whether a party, the movies, or a date
For Friday night I couldn’t wait.
In college too you would grind –
Through classes until Friday you’d find
The guys at a frat party or bar
Now those memories seem so far
Back in another time,
Now it seems so sublime.
Fridays were fun back then
Now, it’s like “remember when”
We went to the City for the night;
You met the guys watched a game or a fight.
Now Friday is just another day
We go about it in the same way.
We bring work home with us;
We don’t make plans or a big fuss.
Maybe that’s the way it goes;
Or maybe we’ll change, who knows?
I cherish the few hours with my wife;
We’ll see where Fridays take us in our life.

 

 

“Glory Be”

Glory be the Father, The Son
The Holy Spirit – Blessed Trinity
His love for us has just begun.
His love will live for infinity.
He created the Earth and the Moon
He created the glorious Heaven;
But nobody wants to get there soon.
Jesus took bread with no leaven
He blessed and broke it for all
He took the cup of wine – “My Blood”
He carried the cross, three times to fall.
His death, sorrow over the world did flood
Victory over sin and death, we believe
Eternal life through Christ we receive.

 

 

“Unfortunate Fame”

Where I grew up was a calm place;
Now you can’t see its’ face.
Fear was distant, very far
Then a hurricane came and made a scar;
On the entire length of Shore.
Which once was clean and pure
We now have unfortunate fame
And remain part of the media’s game
Many people I know got scared
Wondering how they or relatives fared
One thing I can discern
Is my wife and I will not return

The images are everywhere we look
Someone will write a book
Unfortunate fame for the wrong reasons.
We’ll move ahead through the seasons.

 

This was written after the Newtown school shooting tragedy – in light of the terrible events in Boston yesterday I felt compelled to share this poem:

“Will It End”

Will it end – this tragedy, this pain?
Just when I think it will
Something happens, so horrible, so shrill
I listen to others complain

Will it end? Children killed in school
By a deranged man for no reason
Right in the middle of the holiday season
Will it end? A husband drowns his wife in a pool

Will it end? This disrespect for life
Will the next generation bring change
The next wave of criminals is born
A world filled with chaos and strife
Will it end? Will it rearrange?
Will societal morals continue to be torn?

 

 

“Watching Birds Fly”

They move together across the sky;
In perfect unison, it’s a large flock.
I sit there watching birds fly
The overcast sky, the rain will sock
Them as they head where they’re going;
If they don’t get there first.
We’ve all watched birds without knowing.
All that flapping they should die of thirst!
Amazing animals, birds, resilient
Flying together so high in the sky
Some birds have colors so brilliant
I wonder where they go, watching birds fly.

My days have been busy, they fly by
My nights are hectic, trying to write
It’s good to slow things down, or at least try
I think of that while the birds pass from sight.

 

 

“Empty House”

I drive down the old familiar street
I pull my car over close to the curb
The house looked good, prim and neat
A typical home in an New Jersey suburb
The basketball hoop still up in the driveway
It was where I spent many a day
The house was empty and dark
My memories, warm and bright, the contrast stark
Though the owner will be back here in a while
I came here infrequently, think of the past
Back when you thought those days would last
I remember my sisters’ laugh, Moms’ smile
Now it’s gone, changed, life is different
I long for those days, wonder where they went

 

 

“All That Remains”

A few crates against a garage wall;
Some clothes in a blue suitcase.
My life feels like it took a big fall;
The weeks are like a frantic race.
All that remains after the flood
Is some crates, books, and our love.
We have that and our family, our blood;
That support and faith in God above.
All that remains is a desk and a dresser
Our home is gone – much of what’s in it gone too.
That doesn’t make me love you any lesser;
That doesn’t make our love any less true.
We have a few things in a basement
We have to live with your Mom & Dad.
Our best days still ahead, still unspent;
So smile for me, baby, don’t be sad.
All that remains after this disaster
Are days ahead filled with laughter.

 

I hope you enjoyed these poems and I will have more in the weeks and months to come. Thanks for taking the time to read my work.

Copyright Frank J. Maduri 2013 all rights reserved