Award-Winning Poetry

"Material Things"

by Dorenda W. Madkins

Material things are meaningless

They lie, they steal, they cheat;

They're cold-blooded, professional manipulators,

Out to kill, destroy and defeat.

Buying me diamond rings

Is a way of showing you care;

But after mind games, neglect and abuse,

It only says "BEWARE".

Along with flowers, a card and a love letter

Material things are sure to get their way;

Victims of material things,

Please listen to what I say:

Don't be fooled by manipulators

Who use material things to draw their victims nearer;

Note: that love should be as plain to see,

As a reflection in a mirror.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How Shall I Compare Thee?"

by Dorenda W. Madkins

How can I express

The respect and gratitude deep within my soul;

For the impact you have on my life,

Is constructed of diamonds, silver and gold.

Shall I compare thee to the sun?

For your light shines bright each day;

You have a tendency to keep me smiling,

With the courageous words you say.

Shall I compare thee to the ocean?

For your love is widespread and deep;

Your caring and loving ways flows through,

With the tears of compassion you weep.

Shall I compare thee to the wind?

For your sense of humor drifts me away;

You have a tendency to keep me laughing,

Keeping me looking forward to another day.

Shall I compare thee to a rainbow?

For your love is beautiful, vibrant and clear;

When I'm going through lifes' drastic storms,

You always seem to appear.

What shall I compare thee, my love

How shall thee be compared?

Are there any earthly treasures

For thou to be shared?

I shall compare thee to the sun,

For that outstanding light in you;

I shall compare thee to the ocean,

For your sensitivity and love that’s true;

I shall compare thee to the wind,

For your sense of humor blows me away;

I shall compare thee to a rainbow,

For being there on a stormy day.

How shall I compare thee, my love?

I shall compare thee to the earth;

For there is no man-made luxury,

That compares to what you're worth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"A Silent Victim"

by Dorenda W. Madkins

With a mysterious glare of curiosity,

He sits in a silent trance;

In his mind dwells horrid memories

Of a childhood with no advance.

A father of barbarous instinct,

The sounds of his mothers shuddery screams;

Flashbacks of his toddler innocence

And the molestation in his dreams.

A grown man throughout his physical,

But an infant crying intense within;

A pasted smile upon his face

Obliterates the truth beneath his outer skin.

A victim of youths neglect,

Forever invades upon his soul;

The effects of tears and pain

Keeps him buried in an emotional hole.

A silent victim screaming,

But no ear takes heed his cry;

Life continues on as he grows old

And his spirit proceeds to die.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Believed Me Not"

by Dorenda W. Madkins

I tried to make you understand

The seriousness of what I was feeling,

But you chose to turn a blind eye 

And...

Believed me not;

When I told you what happened

In the shadows of my bedroom,

You raised your voice earsplittingly

And...

Believed me not;

As I cried out to you

Imploring shelter from the monster,

In response you bowed down your head

And...

Believed me not;

The man on the news

Is the same demented bastard that trespassed on me,

And the other girl could have been spared

Mom, if only you had not...

Believed me not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The Realism of War"

by Dorenda W. Madkins

All suited up for a mission

To a country populated with lifes' form;

A society painted human

To kill off with sometimes no alarm.

Women in fear of losing

A husband or an only child;

While in the country of defense

Soldiers trained to murder patrol, with an instinct of the wild.

A young boy was walking home from school

When an explosion destroyed a nearby car;

The impact of the thrown debris strikes him

Causing a permanent grotty scar.

As a man and woman prepares for family dinner

There's an intense knock on the entrance door;

They open to a foreign drunken soldier who demands his way

With their frightened teenage daughter, he coldly calls a whore.

A soldiers family in his native land

Lives day to day with the unknown;

Not knowing if their loved ones shall return

Or if they'll end up grieving and alone.

In war there's sorrow, pain and torture

We become animals in human form;

We expire all humanity

To the governments conform.