tonyfish58

I had written quite a few poems quite a few years ago while pioneering and was thinking it would be good to share, as many would have given it a go - Just as I started to post I came across Fadl's post which had poetry - go figure

Anyway here is a place to post your verses

Here is # 1 for the post

If the Claim of Baha'u'llah be true,
then to search for the truth is upon you.
And if you find this truth so great,
then pray God not to hesitate.
For the Truth knows no rejection,
and hesitation fails the selection.
So come on kindred's of the earth,
search out Baha'u'llah and find His worth,
for there is only given one chance to grasp,
the Hidden Mystery of the Lord, so ask!

Tony Bristow-Stagg B.E. 147

Cheers Tony

tonyfish58

The day of the Lord is here,
the people of the world do fear.
They know not, they see not, they do not understand,
that God has worked His Works and given the Plan of Plans.
To Baha'u'llah we now must flee,
and gain protection under this the Most Great Tree.
There is no where to turn in this world of grief,
but unto the One that came like a Thief.
The Kingdom Christ foretold is here,
there is is no more reason to fear.

Tony Bristow-Stagg B.E. 147

tonyfish58

Have you every considered/meditated on this world and come up with that it is a World of Opposites?

HERE IS A REFLECTION...

Heartache, Happiness,
Agony, Ecstasy,
Sorrow, Joy.
Loneliness, Reunion.
Darkness, Light.
Concealed, Revealed.
Opposites attract,
negatives highlight positives.
Pain brings happiness,
tribulation brings Joy.
Oh God may this life be full of negatives,
so we can learn to appreciate the positives.

Tony Bristow-Stagg B.E. 148

tonyfish58

http://bahaiforums.com/newreply.php?...uote=1&p=28092

Eric

Suddenly I wake up

Suddenly I wake up
And I am looking around
To my left a path filled with challenges
To my right a pillow earthbound

The sky is dark
Apparently it is midnight
I look to the path on my left
And see a beacon of light

I decide to go for a walk
Challenge here, challenge there
Mostly minor ones
Even after just waking up, of these I can easily take care

A cliff appears in front of me
Some twenty meters of space,
Which I have to cross
You should have seen my face

How in the world was I going to pass this distance?
Even with tall legs, I can’t jump all the way
Someone appears next to me and takes my hand
‘We can walk there together, what do you say?’

He takes the first step and stands on air
He invites me to follow Him
I say ‘it is a long way down’
He humorously says ‘it is a long way up, too!’
I wonder if it is some sort of magic, like simsalabim

He tells me that there is a path
It is hidden before my sight
And I blur out:
‘Are you sure that you are right?’

Even more laughter
Escapes from His blessed smile
‘If you are not ready,
I can go and come back in a while?’

I really want to cross over
And ask Him how
He tells me to have faith
And to take a step, right here, right now

I close my eyes
And take a step
I don’t seem to fall
So no moments of ‘oh crap’

Together we take a second step
Hand in hand we walk
More and more steps
And we continue our talk

Suddenly I hear a sound
Some others seeing us standing in the sky
They yell at us
‘It is not possible to fly!’
You should have seen their faces.

tonyfish58

Well done - I like it - To me you have captured Faith

Regards Tony

Eric

Thank you. I enjoy reading your poems too, are you still writing? (you started with saying you wrote a few years ago).

tonyfish58

I have not attempted it for about 10 years now

Here is one I dedicated & wrote over a period of 7 years to the following person. The last two verses influenced by witnessing the destruction of communities because of alcohol and internal Clan Fighting.

Biography - Rolly (Mpunywithal) Gilbert - Australian Dictionary of Biography

He was a wonderful aboriginal elder who became a Baha'i just prior to passing away, he gave my eldest son a tribal name which meant Pelican (He used to smile and say my son had a big mouth as he was always talking, they had a special bond)

In Memory of Grandad "Rolly Gilbert"

Dreamtime Part 1 (A poem in 3 parts)

Old man Elder, sitting by the fire, drinking billy tea,
reflecting on bygone years and His Races history.
There's a lump in His throat and tears in His eyes,
as He gazes through the fire, knowing of His Cultures demise.

Young men sitting by the fire, drinking alcohol,
minds poisoned by drink, no longer able to be told.

Old Man Elder, His heart begins to tear,
unable to tell those men of His great despair.

The tongues of flame leap high, the fire crackles,
Old Man tilts His head to the ground weary of the battle.
When will these men turn back to their Lord
and give up drink of their own accord?

Old Man Jumps to His feet,
while their is life in Him, He won't be beat.
He starts dancing stories of the Dreamtime,
His feet pound the dusty soil, His voice echos in rhyme.

Young men in awe, drop their alcohol,
witnessing the power of the dance and the story being told.
They rise, slowly to their feet,
joining the Old Man and adding to the beat.
Old Man Elder smiles, with wisdom in His eyes,
He knows they stand a chance, while the Culture is alive.

Sun slowly rising like a flame across the sky,
It's up to the young men now, if the culture is not to die.

Old Man Elder and young men sitting by the fire drinking billy tea,
they've come of age. learning about their Culture and History.

A Bristow-Stagg B.E. 148 (1991)

Dreamtime Part 2

Old Man Elder has passed away,
no longer able to have His say.

Dreamtime fades, nearly forgotten,
Old Mans Spirit makes memories begotten.

If there is a chance, though small,
may the race awake and so not fall.

Young men arise, time is nigh,
help Old Man Elder's Spirit fly,
remember the stories told by dance,
passed down by generations, not by chance.

The Culture is written upon your hearts,
only shrouded by the recent past,
written upon the stones and earth,
well before your time of birth.

Culture revival is already planned,
if not by yours a Mightier Hand.
Old Man Elder may have passed away,
but His Spirit still will have Its say.

A Bristow-Stagg BE 154 (1997)

Dreamtime Part 3 The Final Say

The years vanish into the past,
memories of Old Man Elder did not last.

Sitting by the fire, memories reflecting,
dwelling on an ancient cultures neglecting,
are the young men growing old and grey,
wishing they'ed done it in their day.

Stories nearly lost, Dreamtime fading away
culture no longer on display,
Hope! not all is gone,
greying men move on.

Filled with memories of Old Man Elders Dreams
spurred on by His Spirit, or so it seams,
they arise to their feet
and once again dance the beat.

Hopefully the story now will end,
on the future generations we now depend,
to connect with the Spirit and with no surprise,
Old Mans Memories and Culture will have survived.

A Bristow-Stagg B.E. 155 (1998)

Regards Tony

Eric

That one is so powerful! I'm sure Rolly Gilbert knows about this beautiful poem you've written for him!

And thank you so much for sharing, I'm looking forward to seeing part two and three as well .

tonyfish58

This poem is written to all who suffer from

The Wet Season in Queensland Australia builds up as the Mangoes are ripening, the heat is oppressive and temper flare it is known to the locals as "Mango Madness"

Mango Season Obliterates Reason

Gulf Wet Season is approaching,
stifling heat is encroaching.

Barren baked land is dead,
awaiting the rains ahead.

Mango madness grips our minds,
tempers flare, sanity is hard to find.

North Easterlies blow, clouds gather,
humidity rises, sweat on us lathers.
Lightning flashes, thunder rumbles,
dark clouds rise, rain tumbles.

Moisture on the barren baked land,
brings sweet aroma to the nostrils of man.

The "Wet Season" cycle has come
mango season once more begun.

Will this time, we see it through?
somehow this we are always able to do!

A Bristow-Stagg 1992

Regards Tony

tonyfish58

Thanks Eric - When writing this poem for Rolly it came very quickly, I am sure He prays for us all, He was a very spiritual Man and would always say we are one people.

I often think about the plight of His people, there are still serious issues with drinks and drugs in these remote communities. A lot of money gets thrown at the problem, but it is not working.

Education of the Children is the only way, unfortunately this is not that easy to do.

Maybe one day soon people will arise to take on this serious issue?

Regards Tony

arthra

Hey Tony!

Thanks for posting these poetic jewels!

I was reading your last poem on "Mango Madness"..

When you wrote:

"Mango madness grips out minds..."

I was thinking you may have intended:

Mango madness grips our minds (?)

Anyway..great work!

tonyfish58

Arthra - Quite Right you are - I have a badly lit computer room and did not proof read well

Thanks for the thumbs up - Regards

Cheers Tony

Eric

Beautiful!

tonyfish58

Bounty in this life
comes from service and sacrifice.
Being faithful to the New Law
is a key to the door.
True life begins
when we throw off the world of sin.
Tarry not and endeavor
to do away with this world of pleasure.
The Center of the Covenant shows the way
He is our guide, with Him we will not stray.
Do not fear...
as promised, He will always be near.
All we have to do is pray
and an answer is on the way.

A Bristow-Stagg B.E. 148

tonyfish58

Never utter a verse from God
unless you contemplate the meaning thereof,
for a verse given in such a way
given with no substance on which to weigh,
will fall not upon an ear
of a person willing to hear.

A Bristow-Stagg

B.E. 150 (1993)

tonyfish58

This has a story behind it.

I got a job trucking fruit and veggie's out to remote places employed by a Baha'i. It gave great teaching opportunities.

The business was sold and by that time the wife & I had move to the remote community to Pioneer. A new job was needed and the very next day one came up

Little did I know how hard and conflicting this job would be. I was a ganger/ranger and that included Animal control in a small remote community

I started every week putting a poem in the local paper to help teach people about animal control. This was the very first of the poems -

To Normanton Town in the far North West,
came a man driven by a quest.
Fruit and veggie's He did bring,
apples, bananas, even mandarins.
The Townsfolk thought this was great,
would smile and say, "how are you mate"?
Then the day came,
when unfortunately, he had to get out of the veggie game.
Along came a job that no one would take,
veggie man needed a job, no worries He's everyone's mate!
So off he goes in the Dog Catchers Ute,
doing a worthwhile job and feeling just beaut.
Didn't take long for friendships to decline,
all he had to do was pick up a canine.
Funny, seems like all that is left to do,
is to sing you a song, called the Dog Catcher Blues.
So townsfolk if you've forgotten your mate,
don't worry, I'm still here and I can wait,
come around to my place and we will discuss a plan,
how to work together again, hand in hand.

A Bristow-Stagg - Sometime in 1991

tonyfish58

This is actually a true story and is an example of a poem used to help educate people re animal control

Id like to tell you about a dog named Zarr,
and even about one belonging to a Mr Carr,
The story begins like this,
read on, this you do not want to miss.

Carpentaria Shire Council has a pound,
dog in season, may here be found.
A Mr Walker, not of Phantom Fame,
has a dog and Mindy's Her name.

Well here she was up at the pound,
minding Her own business, just laying around.
Along came two dogs, following the wind,
opportunist's they were and dug their way in.

Just happened the Ranger came round,
and the two opportunists were locked in the pound.
The story should end here, but golly no way,
blow me down if the opportunists weren't there the very next day!

The moral of the story is short and sweet,
when there are dogs in season,
keep your pup off the street.

A Bristow-Stagg - Sometime in 1992

Eric

This reminds me of a friend who intends to join the animalpolice :-), I like it!

The question for new light

The beauty of nature
With her everlasting strength
Gradually the winter passes
And it becomes the spring which she awaits

Piece by piece
New leafs emerge
Piece by piece
Nature's veins renew

The storm calms down
And the cold begins to dissappear
On the horizon
Starts the sun to shine

Just like nature
Humanity starts to become open
To the change
Of the coming and going

A new start
Asks for new light
This change
Clarifies the sight

The question
Already asked by our ancestors
Who will shine this time,
And fill the veins of humanity?

tonyfish58

This line is well reflected in the Baha'i Writings

It is asked of Us - Who will arise to aid this cause?

Regards Tony

Eric

Ten Thousand Witnesses

Ten thousand witnesses
Seeing Your graceful smile
With majesty and grace
You walked many a mile

Ten thousand witnesses
Before whose vigil eyes
You were to be martyred
Justified by only lies

Ten thousand witnesses
Seven hundred and fifty a gun
The vision blurred
And darkened the sun

Ten thousand witnesses
Staring in utter surprise
Had He vanished?
Leaving the crowd in surmise