Here is a list of Most Commented Ballad Poems written by members. Read poetry, post your own poems or comments. Poems on these pages are copyrighted © by the authors who entered them. Click here to post a poem.
Oscar Wilde's The Ballad of Reading Gaol
He did not wear his scarlet coat,
For blood and wine are red,
And blood and wine were on his hands
When they found him with the dead,
The poor dead woman whom he loved,
And murdered in her bed.
He walked amongst the Trial Men
In a suit of shabby grey;
A cricket cap was on his head,
And his step seemed light and gay;
But I never saw a man who looked
So wistfully at the day.
I never saw a man who looked
With such a wistful eye
Upon that little tent of blue
Which prisoners call the sky,
And at every drifting cloud that went
With sails of silver by.
I walked, with other souls in pain,
Within another ring,
And was wondering if the man had done
A great or little thing,
When a voice behind me whispered low,
"That fellows got to swing."
Dear Christ! the very prison walls
Suddenly seemed to reel,
And the sky above my head became
Like a casque of scorching steel;
And, though I was a soul in pain,
My pain I could not feel.
I only knew what hunted thought
Quickened his step, and why
He looked upon the garish day
With such a wistful eye;
The man had killed the thing he loved
And so he had to die.
Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
Some kill their love when they are young,
And some when they are old;
Some strangle with the hands of Lust,
Some with the hands of Gold:
The kindest use a knife, because
The dead so soon grow cold.
Some love too little, some too long,
Some sell, and others buy;
Some do the deed with many tears,
And some without a sigh:
For each man kills the thing he loves,
Yet each man does not die.
He does not die a death of shame
On a day of dark disgrace,
Nor have a noose about his neck,
Nor a cloth upon his face,
Nor drop feet foremost through the floor
Into an empty place
For blood and wine are red,
And blood and wine were on his hands
When they found him with the dead,
The poor dead woman whom he loved,
And murdered in her bed.
He walked amongst the Trial Men
In a suit of shabby grey;
A cricket cap was on his head,
And his step seemed light and gay;
But I never saw a man who looked
So wistfully at the day.
I never saw a man who looked
With such a wistful eye
Upon that little tent of blue
Which prisoners call the sky,
And at every drifting cloud that went
With sails of silver by.
I walked, with other souls in pain,
Within another ring,
And was wondering if the man had done
A great or little thing,
When a voice behind me whispered low,
"That fellows got to swing."
Dear Christ! the very prison walls
Suddenly seemed to reel,
And the sky above my head became
Like a casque of scorching steel;
And, though I was a soul in pain,
My pain I could not feel.
I only knew what hunted thought
Quickened his step, and why
He looked upon the garish day
With such a wistful eye;
The man had killed the thing he loved
And so he had to die.
Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
Some kill their love when they are young,
And some when they are old;
Some strangle with the hands of Lust,
Some with the hands of Gold:
The kindest use a knife, because
The dead so soon grow cold.
Some love too little, some too long,
Some sell, and others buy;
Some do the deed with many tears,
And some without a sigh:
For each man kills the thing he loves,
Yet each man does not die.
He does not die a death of shame
On a day of dark disgrace,
Nor have a noose about his neck,
Nor a cloth upon his face,
Nor drop feet foremost through the floor
Into an empty place
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Dec 2010
About this poem:
An excerpt from the ballad written by Oscar Wilde whilst exiled in France shortly after his release from Reading Gaol, following his extremely harrowing 'De Profundis', a letter exploring the synchrony of extreme despair and profound spiritual enlightenment (later published as a book), originally written to his lover Lord Alfred Douglas.
matt
i once saw a bat
and then he shat
on my face, and so began a tail of one man
and his unconventional fetish
an everyday fairytale
some might say
but im not gay
or am i?
and then he shat
on my face, and so began a tail of one man
and his unconventional fetish
an everyday fairytale
some might say
but im not gay
or am i?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Oct 2011
About this poem:
that right i like animal feces on my faceTHE 'PILLAR
Dedicated to my ex-wife, mother of my eldest daughter, at a low point in her life (after our divorce), due to her addiction to drugs & alcohol
My coggles spark the memory of a ‘pillar from the past
Known too few to many, this ‘pillar had been cast
aside by those who couldn’t phantom her potential
or understood, or realized her assets were substantial
Neglected by the ones who could’ve nurtured her esteem
the ‘pillar didn’t have a clue, idea, goal or dream
of what her future had in store, her fate and Destiny
because no one had told the ‘pillar of these things, you see
And so the ‘pillar inched along a low path of despair
longing to be like the ones that flew up in the air
Convinced by peer mentality that these were futile thoughts
she settled for a path of trudging, and took the lesser plot
Perhaps it was this lack of knowing what she would become
Perhaps it was the loneliness that had her turn to some
who’d never know the joy of flying to a higher plane
because it wasn’t in them, and therefore wasn’t sane
But ‘pillar didn’t realize she had this gift from birth
since no one ever told her just what she’s really worth
And so the years of toiling with those who weren’t inclined
took its toll upon her faith, body, soul and mind
When all seemed at its lowest, when what was gained was lost
The ‘pillar listened to some sage that seemed too great a cost
“Stop my vices and my peers!?” and “Change my way of thinking!?”
Surely this would be too hard. Poor ‘pillar’s heart was sinking
But once the ‘pillar stopped and settled in to see it through
She began to see some changes. Her attitude was new!
What once felt like a prison, in fact, was a cocoon
What once was just a ‘pillar would fly away real soon
And so it was that ‘pillar’s thoughts came to realize
that all along her Destiny was meant for greater skies
Instead of finding reasons to put blame on her past
she realized her attitude would make the future last
She peeled away the cobwebs that bound her in her rut
and spread her wings so proudly – the world would watch her strut
For finally she found herself, she’d opened up each eye
and saw herself for what she is . . .
a beautiful butterfly
Fly, lady, FLY!
My coggles spark the memory of a ‘pillar from the past
Known too few to many, this ‘pillar had been cast
aside by those who couldn’t phantom her potential
or understood, or realized her assets were substantial
Neglected by the ones who could’ve nurtured her esteem
the ‘pillar didn’t have a clue, idea, goal or dream
of what her future had in store, her fate and Destiny
because no one had told the ‘pillar of these things, you see
And so the ‘pillar inched along a low path of despair
longing to be like the ones that flew up in the air
Convinced by peer mentality that these were futile thoughts
she settled for a path of trudging, and took the lesser plot
Perhaps it was this lack of knowing what she would become
Perhaps it was the loneliness that had her turn to some
who’d never know the joy of flying to a higher plane
because it wasn’t in them, and therefore wasn’t sane
But ‘pillar didn’t realize she had this gift from birth
since no one ever told her just what she’s really worth
And so the years of toiling with those who weren’t inclined
took its toll upon her faith, body, soul and mind
When all seemed at its lowest, when what was gained was lost
The ‘pillar listened to some sage that seemed too great a cost
“Stop my vices and my peers!?” and “Change my way of thinking!?”
Surely this would be too hard. Poor ‘pillar’s heart was sinking
But once the ‘pillar stopped and settled in to see it through
She began to see some changes. Her attitude was new!
What once felt like a prison, in fact, was a cocoon
What once was just a ‘pillar would fly away real soon
And so it was that ‘pillar’s thoughts came to realize
that all along her Destiny was meant for greater skies
Instead of finding reasons to put blame on her past
she realized her attitude would make the future last
She peeled away the cobwebs that bound her in her rut
and spread her wings so proudly – the world would watch her strut
For finally she found herself, she’d opened up each eye
and saw herself for what she is . . .
a beautiful butterfly
Fly, lady, FLY!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Nov 2011
About this poem:
Following our divorce, my ex fell into an addiction to drugs & alcohol, due primarily to the crowd she began hanging out with, plus her low self-esteem she'd gotten as a result of her mother's overbearing disapproval, and my one-time infidelity (I deserved her divorcing me). At her lowest, she found herself homeless then locked in rehab. She was in dire need of reminding her of the lady I once knew: honest, intelligent and a truly beautiful soul inside & out, just like our daughter together, Destiny. These words freely spilt onto the paper Destiny & I delivered to her, and she felt they were "God inspired" towards motivating her to complete the drug program successfully and reevaluate her priorities & attitude. I let her regain custody of our daughter upon her metamorphosis, hoping that this poetic pep-talk would achieve its intention. She managed to fly awhile for several years (+ husband & son later) before she eventually found herself again amongst the crawling scum that robbed her again of her wings. I dedicate this poem to anyone suffering from such addictions, in hopes that they recognize their own self-worth before it becomes too late for them. Avoid those peers that keep you in low ruts, and instead aspire for better greatness among positive influences. Whether you believe you're great or lousy, either way you're right. Believe you can achieve it, and you eventually will.dark mental prison/return from entropy
I wil escape you
To a place far from here
No one will see me
Watch the pain as i disappear
i only have anger
im full of despair
Won't you just leave me
There's a room for me there
There innocent beauty
My words can't describe
Thier birth was a purity
Brings a sullen tear right to your eyes
Now i have anger
im full of despair
Please let me take you
'cause I'm already there
I'm so alone
My head's my home
I return to mental entropy
crime without reason is why children die
i've been through the system
That's bleeding stones until we die
So please let me take you
And I'll show you the truth
Inside my reality
I shared in youth
[CHORUS :]
I'm so alone
My head's my home
And I feel
So alone
You know
At last
I'll return to my entropy
Now that i've disaprepeared
To a stateu might fear
I really must go back
Close my eyes and they'll disappear
Won't they come to me
Salvation well share
Inside of my head now
There's a room for us there
[CHORUS :]
To a place far from here
No one will see me
Watch the pain as i disappear
i only have anger
im full of despair
Won't you just leave me
There's a room for me there
There innocent beauty
My words can't describe
Thier birth was a purity
Brings a sullen tear right to your eyes
Now i have anger
im full of despair
Please let me take you
'cause I'm already there
I'm so alone
My head's my home
I return to mental entropy
crime without reason is why children die
i've been through the system
That's bleeding stones until we die
So please let me take you
And I'll show you the truth
Inside my reality
I shared in youth
[CHORUS :]
I'm so alone
My head's my home
And I feel
So alone
You know
At last
I'll return to my entropy
Now that i've disaprepeared
To a stateu might fear
I really must go back
Close my eyes and they'll disappear
Won't they come to me
Salvation well share
Inside of my head now
There's a room for us there
[CHORUS :]
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Nov 2011
About this poem:
wow i have to get that out or it will eat me alive
Silly
Silly said I want to know
For why you are Oh I'm too slow
Better well that you shall go
Or say while others smile, they know
For why you are Oh I'm too slow
Better well that you shall go
Or say while others smile, they know
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Feb 2012
About this poem:
Confused
thoughts arise in my sinking dreamland tonight
Thoughts arise in my sinking dreamland tonight
Gazing at nothing is all that’s is sight
Till a glow appears and turns to white
My body starts to tremble with excite
A harvest of ambitions and emotion arise
Simply looking in your eyes
I make my way towards this light
Not knowing what’s in sight
But my body starts trembling with delight
A harvest of butterflies fly high
With nothing to give but only a fight
To keep from never losing this light
This beauty never have I seen
This emotion and erg to see the light
Gazing at you is all that’s in sight
Till your glow appears and turns to white
A harvest of ambitions and turns to excite
Simply looking into your eyes
I make my way towards your light
With nothing to give but only a fight
To keep from never loosing this light
This beauty never have I seen but only in my wildest dreams
Thoughts arise in my sinking dreamland tonight
And you are the light that is my delight
Who I would fight for who I would fight for tonight
In this dreamland of delight .
Gazing at nothing is all that’s is sight
Till a glow appears and turns to white
My body starts to tremble with excite
A harvest of ambitions and emotion arise
Simply looking in your eyes
I make my way towards this light
Not knowing what’s in sight
But my body starts trembling with delight
A harvest of butterflies fly high
With nothing to give but only a fight
To keep from never losing this light
This beauty never have I seen
This emotion and erg to see the light
Gazing at you is all that’s in sight
Till your glow appears and turns to white
A harvest of ambitions and turns to excite
Simply looking into your eyes
I make my way towards your light
With nothing to give but only a fight
To keep from never loosing this light
This beauty never have I seen but only in my wildest dreams
Thoughts arise in my sinking dreamland tonight
And you are the light that is my delight
Who I would fight for who I would fight for tonight
In this dreamland of delight .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Mar 2010
About this poem:
i wrote this a few months ago
follow me
follow me
Good luck has never been my friend
I've always been the fool
Please don't follow shadows of mine
'Cause the time is running out for me
I walk in the path of a misfit's blood
No compass can steer my way
No light at the end of the tunnel
The time is running out for me
No gold at the end of the rainbow
No high hopes, dreams deceive
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
I walk in the path of a misfit's blood
No compass can steer my way
No light at the end of the tunnel
The time is running out for me
No gold at the end of the rainbow
No high hopes, dreams deceive
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
follow me
Good luck has never been my friend
I've always been the fool
Please don't follow shadows of mine
'Cause the time is running out for me
I walk in the path of a misfit's blood
No compass can steer my way
No light at the end of the tunnel
The time is running out for me
No gold at the end of the rainbow
No high hopes, dreams deceive
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
I walk in the path of a misfit's blood
No compass can steer my way
No light at the end of the tunnel
The time is running out for me
No gold at the end of the rainbow
No high hopes, dreams deceive
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Good luck has never been my friend
I've always been the fool
Please don't follow shadows of mine
'Cause the time is running out for me
I walk in the path of a misfit's blood
No compass can steer my way
No light at the end of the tunnel
The time is running out for me
No gold at the end of the rainbow
No high hopes, dreams deceive
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
I walk in the path of a misfit's blood
No compass can steer my way
No light at the end of the tunnel
The time is running out for me
No gold at the end of the rainbow
No high hopes, dreams deceive
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
follow me
Good luck has never been my friend
I've always been the fool
Please don't follow shadows of mine
'Cause the time is running out for me
I walk in the path of a misfit's blood
No compass can steer my way
No light at the end of the tunnel
The time is running out for me
No gold at the end of the rainbow
No high hopes, dreams deceive
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
I walk in the path of a misfit's blood
No compass can steer my way
No light at the end of the tunnel
The time is running out for me
No gold at the end of the rainbow
No high hopes, dreams deceive
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
Trouble seems to always wanna
Follow me
It has let me down so far so why don't you
Follow me
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Jan 2010
About this poem:
its not a poem its a song and its not done by me alltho it reminds me of me to wellits by a band called pain
look them up on youtube if you want its a great song
ERASED AND UNWRITTEN
They all say the same cliché:
“It's better to have loved than none at all.”
Our story had been short and not worth it,
yet I've been cursed with this ability;
this giant elephant memory.
Let's be selective?
Some advice to give.
It's been two years since you said you wanted to be
with no one else but me
until I realized I wasn't the only.
Oh, I had never been.
The story didn't just end there;
like some typical, cheesy rom-com plots
before the leading lady finally deserved
the prince charming she'd eventually get.
In this department, my storyline's been bleak,
‘though I still refuse to let myself get weak.
You were the monster with a handsome mask.
That must've been an exhausting task.
I was glad the truth was finally out,
as you ran off, ghosted me like a coward.
It's been a year since I heard my own version of happy-ending:
You're finally in prison.
Yay!
I felt so sorry about your youngest victims
who had probably known no concept of ‘consent'
when you chose to force her, leaving permanent scars.
I was off the hook;
probably the smallest casualty in your betrayal and wickedness,
but I guess I'm still dealing with my own hurt,
because the idea of starting over…
…is still as scary as the possibility…
…of facing another monster…
Our short, fabricated love story has never been worth remembering,
but I still can't erase it – so it's been permanently written,
a vivid reminder of my past failure
and why I glare at romance with cynicism…
R.
(Jakarta, October 1, 2020)
“It's better to have loved than none at all.”
Our story had been short and not worth it,
yet I've been cursed with this ability;
this giant elephant memory.
Let's be selective?
Some advice to give.
It's been two years since you said you wanted to be
with no one else but me
until I realized I wasn't the only.
Oh, I had never been.
The story didn't just end there;
like some typical, cheesy rom-com plots
before the leading lady finally deserved
the prince charming she'd eventually get.
In this department, my storyline's been bleak,
‘though I still refuse to let myself get weak.
You were the monster with a handsome mask.
That must've been an exhausting task.
I was glad the truth was finally out,
as you ran off, ghosted me like a coward.
It's been a year since I heard my own version of happy-ending:
You're finally in prison.
Yay!
I felt so sorry about your youngest victims
who had probably known no concept of ‘consent'
when you chose to force her, leaving permanent scars.
I was off the hook;
probably the smallest casualty in your betrayal and wickedness,
but I guess I'm still dealing with my own hurt,
because the idea of starting over…
…is still as scary as the possibility…
…of facing another monster…
Our short, fabricated love story has never been worth remembering,
but I still can't erase it – so it's been permanently written,
a vivid reminder of my past failure
and why I glare at romance with cynicism…
R.
(Jakarta, October 1, 2020)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Jun 2021
About this poem:
A story of a long-distant relationship with a closeted monster / predator ..."THE 3 A.M BREAKDOWN"
The dawn isn't close enough,
yet I am jolted awake
from a dream that felt
like a time machine,
throwing me back to the past, so mean.
Who has resurrected
this silly girl I once was?
I thought I'd left her buried,
dead and forgotten in the past.
Now her restless spirit has returned,
trying to take over
this same old body, heart, and soul,
if possible, swallowing me whole.
The current me is struggling
to keeps what's been mine all along.
Still, she is so damn stubborn,
demanding that she too stay in the present.
I wouldn't be having this breakdown
if she weren't carrying you in her mind.
This is not the time
to let her stick around.
Perhaps I must exorcise her again,
before she starts giving me a lot more
than this nonsensical, 3 a.m. breakdown…
R.
yet I am jolted awake
from a dream that felt
like a time machine,
throwing me back to the past, so mean.
Who has resurrected
this silly girl I once was?
I thought I'd left her buried,
dead and forgotten in the past.
Now her restless spirit has returned,
trying to take over
this same old body, heart, and soul,
if possible, swallowing me whole.
The current me is struggling
to keeps what's been mine all along.
Still, she is so damn stubborn,
demanding that she too stay in the present.
I wouldn't be having this breakdown
if she weren't carrying you in her mind.
This is not the time
to let her stick around.
Perhaps I must exorcise her again,
before she starts giving me a lot more
than this nonsensical, 3 a.m. breakdown…
R.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Jun 2021
About this poem:
About a temporary setback in terms of mental health ...Poems entered on these pages are copyrighted by the authors who entered them. They cannot be reproduced without the author's written consent. © Copyright 2001-2024. All rights reserved.
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