Gregory Richard Barden Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

desert blossom - Dubai -

* For His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum *

oh …

how I’ve dreamed of you -
sultry mistress to the sun's ire …
dappled and coy amid the palms, a-sway
your eyes of the gloaming’s
vault shimmering with the Milky Way …
Luna, red as rouge to
blush your cheek of sacred sand
dune drifts, the waves of
your golden tresses …

you …
a flawless gem, shimmering
cut and polished with care and perfection to
sunder the sunlight into rainbows -
to focus the best energies and
acumen of humankind
and seed an oasis orchid with a
bloom, exquisite and rare …

oh proud are you
jumeirah, jadhab and mutheer ...
soon and sure
we shall woo each other -
you, Princess of the Arabian Desert
me, fool for your fevered wiles
tempted from afar …

you, immodest and lush
with such lavish loins of excess
arms of extravagance, beckoning me
decadent, seductive …
warm, endless summer night
whispering fancies …

take good care, my heart
the soft echos of its dire drumming have
yet returned from the firmament
final pulses not abounding ...

but the rhythm it
hereafter composes is graciously
sacrificed for your admiration …

offered up to your dream -
sweet song of your gilded breeze …

the aria of my tawny, torrid temptress ...

DUBAI!








~ 2nd Place ~  in the "Foreign Travel" Poetry Contest, Thvia Shetley, Sponsor.

~ 1st Place ~  in the "Landscapes Poetry Contest", Kim Rodrigues, Sponsor.

~ 6th Place ~  in the "Exotic Poetry Contest", Debbie Guzzi, Sponsor.

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Suzanne Delaney October 8, 2017 at 9:12 AM Congratulations Greg: Your personifaction is a great way to describe the imagery and mood of this country. I enjoyed your poem so much. Best, SuZ Gregory Richard Barden October 8, 2017 at 3:50 PM That's very kind of you to say so, Suzanne - I'm so pleased you liked my poem! Thanks for taking the time to read and comment - Blessings, Friend! :-)

Mike Gentile October 8, 2017 at 7:35 AM Heartfelt congratulations to you as well, Gregory, now I want to visit! Gregory Richard Barden October 8, 2017 at 3:49 PM Thank you so very much, Mike - much appreciated, my friend! If you get the chance, go - it's amazing! :-)

Subimal Sinha-Roy October 8, 2017 at 2:51 AM Congratulations, Greg on your great win with such a wonderfully crafted poem. Gregory Richard Barden October 8, 2017 at 3:11 AM Thank you so very much, Subimal - I'm thankful that you liked this one. Blessings!

Thvia Shetley October 7, 2017 at 1:44 PM Wonderful entry to my Foreign Travel contest, absolutely stunning piece. Congrats on this poem winning a place in yet a third contest! That is a testament to your writing for sure. Gregory Richard Barden October 7, 2017 at 6:13 PM Thank you so VERY much, Thvia - I am honored by the placement and so pleased you enjoyed my little dessert flower - it is very special to me for many reasons, (as is Dubai). Blessings, friend! :-)

Andrea Dietrich July 25, 2017 at 5:58 PM Oh, you did the same as me. You entered it into two different contests. I too got a first place in Landscapes with my same poem for which I won a lower place with Debbi. This is really good writing, VERY good. Dubai. I want to go THERE. Gregory Richard Barden July 28, 2017 at 8:54 PM That's so cool, Andrea - and they were both contests about landscapes, too! You should try to go to Dubai, it is amazing - the architecture alone will blow you away, but if I'm there when you go I will show you the palace and introduce you to the Emir - he is an amazing human being, and a great poet!. Thank you for your kind words, my friend!

John Hamilton July 24, 2017 at 8:06 AM Congrats Greg another winner! Gregory Richard Barden July 24, 2017 at 2:35 PM Thank you so much, John - officially your shortest comment EVER, haha! You are one of my best friends here, John, and I hope you know how much I appreciate it, Buddy. ;-)

Connie Marcum Wong July 24, 2017 at 3:29 AM I really loved your entry Greg! The photo you chose, beautifully displays the romanticism of the city with the old and the new. Your words enchant! Congratulations on your wonderful win! My captcha reads DAM...I must agree! : ) Gregory Richard Barden July 24, 2017 at 2:33 PM LOL - that's so cool! (The captcha) Must be an omen, haha! Thank you so kindly, my friend, I greatly value your opinion, and I'm so happy you enjoyed this one! I will eventually be presenting this to my friend and sometime boss, the Emir of Dubai, (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum). I want it done in calligraphy, matted, framed, glassed, etc., first, however. :-)

Lin Lane July 23, 2017 at 6:34 AM Well done, Greg. Now you have a double winner. 4th verse is my favorite one of all, and the picture you've chosen shows the blending of old and new worlds of the country. Gregory Richard Barden July 23, 2017 at 7:47 AM Thank you so very kindly, Lin, that's what I loved about this photo as well - it's probably the most progressive country on Earth in respect to technology, (a long way to go with women equality, however), and yet the Bedouin still camp within site of its exquisite architecture - truly a blend of the old and new! :-)

Debbie Guzzi July 22, 2017 at 8:44 PM I love architecture too & would be thrilled to see Dubai! Thanks for the glimpse. Please do enter my next contest & if you would like editing assistance & advice about where to send your work to be published just soup mail me. Congrad's Light & Love Debbie Gregory Richard Barden July 23, 2017 at 7:45 AM Thank you so much, Debbie, for the kind comments and especially the placement! I will definitely enter more and contact you soon - I have reached a point where I think I'd like to give this a serious commitment and consider publishing, and have a solid amount of good-quality work with which to do so ... I have NO idea how to go about it, however. Thank you again! :-)

Carole Duet July 9, 2017 at 3:38 PM I had to come back and tell you congratulations, Greg, on your placement in the contest. I knew it would do well. It peaks the imagination of what must be a beautiful place indeed. You are so lucky to have been there. Gregory Richard Barden July 12, 2017 at 9:10 PM Thank you so very much, Carole, you are always so kind to me ... I hope you get a chance to experience it someday - it is truly like nothing else, and the architecture and engineering feats ALONE are worth the trip!

Carole Duet July 1, 2017 at 11:28 PM Beautiful! I too have always wanted to go to Dubai and this poem surely puts it up on a pedestal, increasing my desire for the exotic and what must be a fantastic place. Congrats on your placement in the contest too, Greg. Gregory Richard Barden July 1, 2017 at 11:46 PM Thank you very kindly, Carole ... it is one amazing place, the best of everything and excess to excess. I have always been drawn to expensive things, and the feats of architecture and engineering there are incredible! I sometimes do work for the Emir, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Afzal Nusker June 29, 2017 at 10:42 PM Beautifully described imagery. Congrats on your win, Greg. Gregory Richard Barden June 30, 2017 at 8:33 PM Thank you very much, Afzal - that's very kind of you!

John Hamilton June 29, 2017 at 9:41 PM Congratulations Greg, I knew this was a winner, glad you entered it, see persistence pays off! Gregory Richard Barden June 30, 2017 at 8:32 PM Thank you so kindly, John - so glad you enjoyed it!

Kim Rodrigues June 29, 2017 at 7:45 PM All that you say blends well with the desert blossom! A lovely landscape thus a lovely win in my contest! Congrats, Greg! Gregory Richard Barden June 30, 2017 at 8:32 PM Thank you so VERY much, Kim - this was such an awesome surprise today!! I can't tell you how much I needed this ... things have been very hard taking care of my dad of late, and I needed something positive ... thios is just wonderful honor, and I am so thankful, as I respect your opinion a great deal! :-) <3

Joanna Daniel June 24, 2017 at 12:26 AM A differently beautiful painting, El Bahku:):) Gregory Richard Barden June 24, 2017 at 3:20 PM Thank you so much, Jo - this was a work of joy!

John Hamilton June 22, 2017 at 10:46 AM Very intriguing writing Greg, sounds like someone love the desert oasis, looks like a complex crossroads of modern living and ancient traditions. What is the meaning of El Bakhu? Gregory Richard Barden June 22, 2017 at 11:02 AM His brother calls me El Greggy ... Gregory Richard Barden June 22, 2017 at 11:01 AM Thank you, John! That's the Arab nick-name that the Emir of Dubai gave me, (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum), who is also the VP of United Arab Emirates ... it comes from the music moniker I use that most of my songs are recorded and copyrighted under - Bahku.