Written Tragedy	Form: Free verse (vers libre) + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: Vangel C Read Poems by Vangel C

A glimpse of heavenly bliss taken away |
My heart sinks as I can longer find |
For you, I willingly have trusted |
But you left, not even a glance back |

Didn't care to see the pain |
Didn't care to see the fragile heart |
To which a piece of it was broken |
Since the day you chose to be careless |

Sometimes I just want to give up |
It just hurts me for you no longer cherish |
Why can’t I have that same mentality? |
Yet, foolishly, here I am still holding on |

All I’m stuck with are distant memories |
Yet, the absolute and bitter part of it all |
Are the majestic memories you left with me |
Ones that are worth to hold onto for a lifetime |

But every time I think about it, I relive it |
Every time I relive it, I feel my heart bleed | 
Something so beautiful just to be thrown away |
It been better, had it never happened |

But you're not here to treat my wound |
Oblivious to my agonizing pain |
Only because I chose to conceal the truth |
Masking it within to not complicate your life |

But one can’t help but ask |
How could you have not noticed? |
Would you intentionally left me in the dark? |
To become estranged from a bond we once built on? |

It is only then, I begin to put a wall |
A wall that will never be broken down |
To not only protect myself from others |
But to protect others from me |

No longer able to trust or depend |
Unwilling to give my love or affection |
Who really knows what lies behind that smile? |
Everything I once believed in, cease to exist |

Nothing but words of deception; acts that kill |
Countless encounters, but only a few |
To whom I gave my all; my inner self |
It’s not easy for me, for I don’t trust many |

But only because a promise was made |
That you were the real deal; the true friend |
One who could not be altered to turn the other way |
But you have abandoned me; left me but a few words |

Left me when I needed you the most |
Leaving me stranded in the midst of confusion |
Made me to believe that I was unworthy |
Undeserving of an explanation or goodbye |

Initially, you rescued me from my own darkness |
You helped me to see my possible future in bright colors… |
Now, the only inspiration I have that keeps me going |
Is hopelessly writing about my once past tragedy |

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE	Form: Light Poetry + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: JOHN KNIGHT Read Poems by JOHN KNIGHT

When all is said and done - my son
When all is done and said
There's nothing more to be done - my son
And nothing more to be said.

When all is cut and dried - my girl
When all is dried and cut
There's nothing more to be dried - my girl
And nothing more to be cut

When all is fair and square - my friend
When all is square and fair
There'to be is nothing more to be squared - my friend
And nothing more to be fair.

When we are dead and gone - at last
When we are gone and dead
Then everything will be gone - and past
And we will all be dead.

Yes we will all be dead - my friends
Dead as the nail in the door
Our work will all be done - my friends
And we wil strive no more.

And we will strive no more - my friends
To say and do  and cut and dry
To worry our minds and search our hearts
To be fair and square and the reason why.
To find out the reason why - my friends
To fathom the reason why ????????

WHAT IS ELIJAH DOING HERE?	Form: Rhyme + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: Albert Price Read Poems by Albert Price

Here Elijah is reclining on his bed,
Waiting for the Divine to pass,
Enjoying the wind rushing by his head,
Stirring the meadow’s tall grass.
As the ground quietly but suddenly moves,
And a shudder takes control of his heart,
He wonders what this episode proves,
As his expectations go off the chart.
The panorama of Naboth’s vineyard
Gives him a certain tremor still.
But with the great charity of GOD,
He drinks Ahab’s wine to the fill.
The vines bending with ripe blue grapes
Appear as a blaze across the land.
The eternal refining fire no one escapes,
Until his faith has an edge none can make bland.
He hears a whisper echo in the cave,
Inquiring for a reason he abides here.
The voice now sounding clearly more grave,
Asks of him, What doeth thou here, Elijah?
And then again, What doeth thou here, Elijah?

the teacher	Form: Free verse (vers libre) + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: Julia Cheng Read Poems by Julia Cheng

drinks wine after school
has far too much

eruptions from

	small pitchers
	small bowels

	paper cuts
	budget cuts

	that	 	terrible mother

	racism filtered
	a 6 year old prism

and crayons

	all over

		the floor

The Sounds of Korea	Form: Verse + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: Dr.Ram Mehta Read Poems by Dr.Ram Mehta

The Sounds of Korea


I hear the familiar sounds of Korea,
Of the crowing of roosters in the morning,
Of the fields, streams and marketplaces.
The tunes of shamanistic music band
The swirling of fire-lit cans of Jwibul nori,
The soup boiling sounds in a huge pot,
A crisp “tak, tak” sound of soybean burning
And the crackling sounds of dry branches.
Chanting at planting & threshing paddies
The singing of Hori and Gyeori  songs
The striking of the bronze bell of Sangwonsa
Chanting-Beompae to Daeung Amitabh.

In the far-flung village of Sangyu
The flames of the daljips in the rice fields
Soars high in the sky on Jeongwol Daeboreum
Higher the flames, the greater is the harvest
Promising bounteous year and good health.
People dance Pansori at the tunes of Nongak
A feast is being prepared there,
The full moon catches people’s prayers
And spreads it to the high heaven.

Jwibul nori’-Mice burning game is on
Somewhere yet in another village.
The traditional burning of the rice paddies
To chase away the mice from the fields.
With crackling sounds of fireworks,
Warming and fertilizing the frozen fields.


=================================
Third Placement
Contest: Sounds Familiar

The Party	Form: Rhyme + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: Carly Drysdale Read Poems by Carly Drysdale

The party tonight is most compelling
Some will be there to vouch for me
We'll see if anybody's selling 
'Cause we're gonna need at least three

Girls in underfed dresses, with chimney sweeper eyes
Linger sweetly round suppliers with an unsettled gaze
Their skins and grins serve as a guise
For what their constant darting look betrays

Please dim your stretched, floodlamp smiles
I could fumble my words and fall right in
Haphazard razor-teeth like crocodiles
An unsatisfied, serene, serrated grin

Heads coalesce for some serious conversation
Mouths accelerate to add to the communal palaver
We present ourselves for a full examination
Like a fervid forensic scientist with a fresh cadaver

Dawn, in cracks and window panes, with skeletal blue fingers
Writhes her way inside to dispell all enchantment 
A straggler, ever hopeful, in the hallway lingers
But he too, like us, must face sun and disappointment

The Maddened Poet	Form: Rhyme + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: Timothy Yeager Read Poems by Timothy Yeager

"Young in years and old in hours," 
Pressed to pen poetic powers. 
Though often lacking what I need, 
To reap the rarely ripened read. 

The rhythm falters far too fast, 
The rhymes are vain and veer so vast. 
That all is lost and left to lie. 
Prevailing poets pass me by. 

I twist, I turn, I toss all night. 
My wrist, it burns, from all I write. 
My quest to quill the very best, 
And place asunder all the rest. 

I hardly ever hit the mark, 
Unleashing arrows in the dark. 
With poisoned tips they pierce my soul, 
But missing my initial goal. 

The human heart, my target set, 
I've failed, but haven't finished yet. 
My words of wisdom will ignite. 
With poisoned arrow's final flight. 

For now, I'll rest my weary eyes, 
Await my fated forced demise. 
And fiercely face this fight within, 
Till the maddened poet strikes again. 

The Ladybird Collector	Form: Rhyme + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: Daniel Garnham Read Poems by Daniel Garnham

I see it climbing on the hedge
I hold my breath, closer I edge
Its tiny legs and beady head
And six black dots on a body of red

Already on my bedroom sill 
I hold two others against their will
Together in a holed clear tub
I watch them whilst I eat my grub 

Now this one will join the two
In the holed clear tub with a window view
I creep up close, don’t make a sound
I cup my hands and put them round

With a sudden shriek and piercing yell
My sister sees and says ‘I’ll tell’!
‘Mum he’s got another ladybird’!
I turn and scowl, it’s only my third

My mum comes out and calmly says 
‘You’ve already kept those two for days’
‘Who will feed the insects kid’s
If you keep them hostage with a lid’?

I stop and stare and start to think
For a minute I do not blink
I’d never ever thought of that
I return her to the leaf she sat

Up to my room to the holed clear tub
Where I keep my little ladybird club
I look inside and see their faces
Tiny frowns, my heart races

Down I go into my garden
Unscrewing the lid, I beg their pardon
I release them under the shining sun
And hope that they will find their young

The great lovers of our time	Form: Romanticism + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: Sasha Marchlewski Read Poems by Sasha Marchlewski

Amongst the darken sky
Here upon the coldest nights
I lay beside you
Keeping you in my sight
Our love is strong
We share an eternal bond
Even as our bodies turn to ash
We the great lovers of our time
Remain eternally intertwined 

Our bodies mold together
We fit as one in a perfect puzzle
You hear me when I do not speak
I see you when you are out of reach
Your smell lingers on my skin
My touch imprinted on your heart
An open comfort no secrets to hide
We the great lovers of our time
Remain eternally intertwined 

A golden band forever in place
This timeless journey that we make
Into the next world side by side
Our love will out last all things and time
Taken back by your embrace
When I’m sad or lonely all I need do is picture your face
Every kiss is like the first
We the great lovers of our time
Remain eternally intertwined

the feather ~~	Form: Tanka + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: Constance ~ A Rambling Poet ~ Read Poems by Constance ~ A Rambling Poet ~

fluttering, drifting
lost from a pretty bird breast
to and fro it soars
it dances on a soft breeze
it twirls and it swirls, drifting

©


First Place in the contest
Tanka me
Sponsor, Brian Srtand
June, 2010

Featured Poem week of September 5, 2010

The Broken Pieces!	Form: Rhyme + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: Syed Amaan Ahmad Read Poems by Syed Amaan Ahmad

‘tis like crystal, clear and pure
When it starts, full of care and allure;
Jerks in heart, minute seems a year,
Every moment craves to get near...

Endearment slopes down through canals,
Tears roll for all departures and arrivals;
Blushes emerge with countless kisses,
Moans grow and die in exciting hisses

Then emotions roll from mountains,
Through frozen rivers and torn curtains,
They crumple…and then the break-up!
The first blow of crystal before the patch-up!

Invisible first dent but within, ‘tis visible,
Same crystal-like stature and less endurable,
Events rerun, and inexorably it keeps breaking,
Churns in its flaws, and keeps fading!

‘tis hideous now with incalculable dents— broken crystal,
Promises now savor obnoxious twirl, which once were eternal;
Than to stay with dents, ‘tis better to destroy, to perish,
Once ‘tis broken, never can it again relish!

The Brink of Happiness and Obsession	Form: Lyric + Fav Poet | + Fav Poem | Comment Email Poem | Printable Poem
Written by: Kristin Clouse Read Poems by Kristin Clouse

Starry night
Something bright
Guide me to the answer tonight
Bring me to reason
Give me something good
Give me something worth while
There is nothing but shame and confusion

Broken bottle
You’ve only made a fool of yourself
Jealousy, obsession, whatever you want to call it
Lay with me, lay with me
Say you love me
I have nothing to say, but goodbye
I knew that you would just hurt me like everyone else has

There was a time in life when second chances existed
When love was nothing close to infatuation
You’ve gone too far this time, you’re tripping over your own feet
You’re wandering on a thin rope between happiness and obsession
You’re losing your balance
You’re losing your strength
You’re falling, you’re falling
Lay with me, lay with me
Say you love me
Say it

A change of thought is in order
A change of heart has already been processed
You wanted demons, now you’ve got them
My rage and your stupidity feed off of each other
Shattered bottle
You’re such a fool
Slam the door
You hold such negativity
I refuse to live with it anymore

Starry night
Something bright
What is wrong, what is right?
Lay with me, lay with me
Say you love me
SAY IT!
There is no possible way that you could ever understand
Is there even anything?
There are no second chances
All is done, all is said
If your heart was really broken
You’d be dead

Lay with me, lay with me
Say you love me
Say it
We know this was only forced infatuation
Broken bottle, you’re such a fool
On your way to happiness
Ended up with obsession