Scrutinising Poems | Examples


List of Member Poems

State of Comparison

I have spent the better part of my life
In a never ending state of comparison
That's been impossible to escape,
Scrutinising every inch of me
Down to the bone,
Looking in the mirror
Feeling wholelly alone. 

I marked in my head 
All the things I would change.
None of me was safe
From the silent surgery I'd make,
Not even myself
Down to the core.

I'd observe other people,
Adopting quirks and habits
In the hopes of becoming more admirable 
To everyone I knew or would meet
Until the few existing layers 
Of my own that still remained,
Were covered so well in the ground, 
Existing in their own graves
That forever goes untouched.

Never have I been able to escape
This state of comparison I seem to exist in.
Forever am I the pathological people pleaser,
Willing to change just to be liked,
Never truly feeling like I could be enough as I am.

Kisses Are Creamed

piercing eyes of wisdom
soul searching in depth
the intensity of the stare
her soul is scrutinising
mine
summer is climbing over
spring in our steps
vines of my thoughts
clambering over
her tender intricate
wants
our souls in a deep
embrace
lips slipping into virgin
kisses
yellow river over flowing
honey bees dancing in
pairs
fluttering  butterflies of
red and black
the return of the master
love flies without resting
aching lips numbing tongue
hands are waiting
to  caress to comfort to stroke 
our kisses are creamed

I Am Exposed

scrutinising eyes of
the female dog
transparent paws
under the naked tree
shedding green leaves
i am exposed
muddy brown water
from the yellow river
he is shaking delirious
she is selling pink flowers
of peace quietly
they are dancing
to the drums of the ruined
northern temple


Stuffed Toys and Boardgames

Stuffed Toys And Boardgames 

A tinker mending 
     clockwork trains
And other broken things, 

Peered over his 
     wiry spectacles 
Scrutinising unwound springs.

Between the jars 
     of shiny screws,
Bits of wire and naked flames 

Were tiny nuts 
     and fiddly bolts 
Stuffed toys and boardgames.

He wryly smiled 
     with a friendly wink
At a little boy who stood by his side 

Full of amazing 
     questions
With ears and eyes opened wide, 

He watched 
     the tinker tinkering, 
Opening and closing drawers, 

Crooked fingers 
     that busily twirled 
Oily wheels and carriage doors. 

It reminded him 
     of a being a child 
Watching his father sew and trim,

And asked the boy 
     the question 
His father asked of him, 

"When I have gone 
     and you grow up,
what would you like to be?"

The little boy 
     thought a while 
In awe of all he could see, 

"I want to be 
     an engineer 
to fix trains and make things go"

Then, with his mother, 
     left the shop 
With a teddy bear and ludo.

Meditating

not looking hearing or speaking
nailed by the side of the humming
naked ocean at the feet waving
beating crashing reincarnating
in every eternal moment
rampant rivers of love crescendoing
remnants of the flood of lust decelerating
rumble of the prayerful sea invigorating
rays the fragments of light softening
ceaselessly aware of the moment
driven by the sweetness of our destiny
castigating the rising desires of the flesh
we sat there silently back to the back
on the edge of the old sea bridge
closely scrutinising, waiting peacefully
for the new life in the
belly of a distant 
star

Wwjd

You're my miniature Messiah,
You're my temporary saint. 
You naively think you own me
And have a right to voice complaint.
You tell me I'm the sinner,
And chastise the things I do.
But to demonise the blood of Christ
Is surely sinning too.

So I ask you psuedo-saviour,
What on Earth would Jesus do,
If he looked down on your life
And started scrutinising you?
So judge me, scorn me, look down on me,
And I think you will find:
A sober heart is often spoken
Through a drunken mind.


Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.

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