ALONG THE BARREN ROAD

Tag: pain

  • Sandcastles Poem About Hardships in Life

    Sandcastles Poem About Hardships in Life

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    by

    Justin Farley

    SandcastlesPoem About Hardships in LifeThe weariness of life is enoughto make even the watchman tired.His heavy eyelids close with eachcomplexity of life that breaches the palace gates.There he waits until all he aspiredfor crumbles beneath the harsh realities of lifelike the sandcastles he built as a boy,cold, green, frothy ocean dashing all his work in…

  • Opus Dei – A Poem About the Work of God In Your Life

    Opus Dei – A Poem About the Work of God In Your Life

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    by

    Justin Farley

    Opus Dei – A Poem About the Work of God In Your Life Your hot breath has blown on me and provided the oxygen for glowing embers of love where there was once nothing but cold, hard coals. You’ve cultivated my soul and provided the rich, black soil for roots of patience where there was…

  • A Post-Modern Portrait – A Poem

    A Post-Modern Portrait – A Poem

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    by

    Justin Farley

    “But I like the inconveniences.” “We don’t,” said the Controller. “We prefer to do things comfortably.” “But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.” “In fact,” said Mustapha Mond, “you’re claiming the right to be unhappy.” “All right then,”…

  • Grace – A Poem

    Grace – A Poem

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    by

    Justin Farley

    Grace – A Poem I am awed by the way you move me like freshly fallen snowflakes dusting across the frozen ground. Some days I forget the barren tundra from which I came and how you whispered by name, echoing across that vacant landscape so that a lost soul could be found. Some days time…

  • Living With Fear – A Poem About Anxiety Disorder and Mental Illness

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    by

    Justin Farley

    Living With Fear – A Poem About Anxiety and Mental Illness Close your eyes.Keep yourself blindTo the hideous beastThat hides beneath this veil of security. Pretend you can’t see meFor who I am –A scared, frightened, shell of a manRaging in the solitude of fear’s prison. I can’t even stand the visionThat stares back at…

  • Illusions – A Poem

    Illusions – A Poem

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    by

    Justin Farley

    Illusions – A Poem The demon water you drinkIs devouring your soul.Don’t you know this road has no happy endingAnd your heart will turn cold? Repeating lies does not change reality.Sooner or later you’ll have to face life’s inevitable truth.Don’t set yourself on foolish paths, don’t chase foolish pursuits,And hang your happiness up by your…

  • Poem About Feeling Alone and Misunderstood

    Poem About Feeling Alone and Misunderstood

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    by

    Justin Farley

    Alien –  A Poem Feelings run too deeplike the full summer moon,sinking in the sky’s dark sea of black.Reminiscing, pondering over burnt out stars,wishing their beautiful light could somehow be brought back. But the ancient dust has crumbled,scattered like ashes in the brisk solar wind.But memories stand transfixed,unaltered by time, suspendedin infinity’s domain without an…

  • The Black Veil – A Poem

    The Black Veil – A Poem

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    by

    Justin Farley

    The Black Veil – A Poem I wear this black veil of despair Like the wrappings of a mummy, Covering my self-inflicted wounds. My face frozen in cold, blank stare Trapped within my tomb, Alone in my room. Why do you continue to test me? Why do you hold out savory meat Only to snatch…

  • The Mirror of Truth – A Poem

    The Mirror of Truth – A Poem

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    by

    Justin Farley

    The Mirror of Truth – A Poem Into the mirror I gaze and am wrapped within the frame of a smoky haze of secrets swirling within glass. I can’t deny the face, can’t pretend I don’t know, have no trace of realization that the figure before my eyes is me. It’s unsettling to see the…

  • Looking For Eternal Love Poem – “The Wings of A Fighter”

    Looking For Eternal Love Poem – “The Wings of A Fighter”

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    by

    Justin Farley

    A poem about looking for love and finding a partner who is dedicated and sticks by your side through life’s struggles.

  • The Sailor – A Poem

    The Sailor – A Poem

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    by

    Justin Farley

    The Sailor – A Poem You’ve sent me off as an aimless navigator Traveling upon treacherous and torrential seas. Once was a proud and confident sailor, But now find there’s no compass I can read. Needles spin with the wind and poles have no meaning When they are altered by my heart’s magnetic field. And…

  • The Clouds of Mourning – A Poem About Depression and Pain

    The Clouds of Mourning – A Poem About Depression and Pain

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    by

    Justin Farley

    As we go through life, there are inevitable seasons where it seems the skies are always cloudy, always raining, and the forecast will never change. Anyone that has ever dealt with depression (or any mental illness for that matter) knows that it is like a ghost that haunts you no matter where you go or…

  • A Poem About Alcoholism and Addiction – “One More Taste”

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    by

    Justin Farley

    “One More Taste” – Poem About Alcoholism and Addiction   Like an empty bottle of whiskey, I’ve drank you down to the last drop. The alcoholic in me is still thirsty, But my rationale tells me to stop. A madman feening, I sit alone with my demons, Pacing, wrestling with racing thoughts. Counting the minutes waiting…

  • Eclipse – A Poem

    Eclipse – A Poem

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    by

    Justin Farley

    Eclipse – A Poem Two sides of a conflicting coin Flip like faces in a dramatic act. Two intricate and separate forces entangle In a bitter struggle, leaving Earth cloaked in black. How can such a powerful light Be smothered by such a small, sinister hand? A visceral visual of what evil can accomplish When given…

  • Stars

    Stars

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    by

    Justin Farley

    Stars Tears fall. Shooting, streaming from the sky. Stars that used to shine Are extinguished in seas of pain and die. Endless black covers heaven’s rooftop With no signposts or signal fires to light and guide the way. The moon mourns in solemn tunes, Refusing to reflect the sun’s rays. Dreams of desolation Devour the…

  • Second Star To The Right – A Poem About Losing Childhood Innocence

    Second Star To The Right – A Poem About Losing Childhood Innocence

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    by

    Justin Farley

    Second Star To The Right – A Poem About Losing Childhood Innocence My sanctuary of sanity Dresses in new robes everyday. Joyfully furnishing new rooms of solitude Only to find the door locked the very next day. The storm clouds gather, grow like weeds – Stubborn and unable to be wrought out. Their rains fueling,…

  • When Trouble Comes – A Poem About Faith and Enduring Life’s Pain

    When Trouble Comes – A Poem About Faith and Enduring Life’s Pain

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    by

    Justin Farley

    When Trouble Comes A Poem About Faith and Enduring Life’s Pain Evening’s crippling darkness passes away. It’s distant vigor muted by the beauty of the morn. Hope shines forth from the sun’s mighty rays, A new spirit within us is born. I am not overburdened by life’s troubles. Though painful, they will not shackle nor…

  • The Leaves of Autumn (I’ll Remember You) – A Poem About Lost Love

    The Leaves of Autumn (I’ll Remember You) – A Poem About Lost Love

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    by

    Justin Farley

    The Leaves of Autumn (I’ll Remember You) – A Lost Love Poem When the fireflies bring their dances to a close over the meadowAnd the leaves of autumn change their hue,I will look out my window, love,And I’ll remember you. That twinkle in your eyesWill bring a smile to my face,But sadly my memories won’t…


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My Poetry Collections

the book cover of Nature's Bounty by Justin Farley— a poetry collection about the beauty of nature with subjects on birds, plants, trees, animals, the forest, and God.
A deep poetry book about the beauty of nature and the natural world by poet Justin Farley.
the book cover of Frozen Rivers by Justin Farley— a poetry collection about depression and the hardships of mental illness, balanced with nature poems on the season of winter.
Deep poems about depression and the hardships of mental illness, balanced with nature poems on the winter season by poet Justin Farley. Book 1 of the Seasons series.
a mental health poetry book about joy and nature poems on the season of spring
Inspirational poems about mental health, healing, and spring by poet Justin Farley. Book 2 of the Seasons series.
the book cover of Summer Days Sunburnt Nights by Justin Farley— a mental health poetry book about bipolar disorder and nature poems on the season of spring
Deep poems about bipolar disorder and being neurodivergent, balanced with nature poems on summer by poet Justin Farley. Book 3 of the Seasons series.
the book cover of A Voice in the Wilderness—A Chapbook of Poems About God by Justin Farley. It is a deep Christian poetry collection about contemplation, the spiritual journey, and finding grace through Jesus.
A contemplative, prayerful Christian poetry book about the spiritual journey and discovering God’s grace, mercy, and love.
the book cover of Thorns of Love by Justin Farley. It is a deep love poetry collection about sadness of breakups, divorce, and heartbreak.
A deep love poetry book about the pain of break ups and the heartbreak felt when relationships end by poet Justin Farley.