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Notes About The Poem

6/30/2026 for Secrets of the Soul Poetry Contest sponsored by Ink Empress 

Verses in Ash

If life were all the silly words I wrote,
in my love's long, unwinnable campaign, 
a losing battle, whose odds were remote,
it would have been lived entirely in vain. 

If life were all the awkward words I spoke, 
those signs that I could never make you hear, 
which might as well go up in fading smoke, 
I can only hope it would disappear. 

If life were all the foolish words I thought, 
dreaming things far beyond my humble reach,
I guess it would be, just as well as not,
scattered in the cold water by the beach. 

So, take my corpse and my verses, in ash,
and drop them where no one can hear them splash.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

Poem

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Goldsmith Avatar
July 11, 2026 at 9:11 AM
Congratulations on your win. I enjoyed reading your great "Verses in Ash" write. A wonderful/great ending. Have a blessed day with your win...........
Crandall Avatar
July 11, 2026 at 11:21 AM
Thanks, Paula!
Jones Avatar
July 10, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Flawless rhymes filled with passion! Congratulations on your win!
Crandall Avatar
July 11, 2026 at 11:22 AM
Thanks, Karen!
Empress Avatar
July 10, 2026 at 10:51 AM
The couplet at the end! Wow! What a powerful and fierce poem that speaks so loud! I love the word choices as well as the flow and the rhythm of your lines ~ I am usually not into refrains but for some reason how you have used the refrain throughout is so very creative and catchy and made me like this sonnet even more! Youv nailed it really this time! Felt the emotional depth! Pleasure reading! Thank you for sharing! Congratulations on your top win. Fave it is! Sending you light always.
Crandall Avatar
July 11, 2026 at 11:22 AM
Thanks, Ink! I'm glad you appreciated this venture into a dismal world!
Crandall Avatar
July 11, 2026 at 11:21 AM
Thanks, Ink! I'm glad you appreciated this venture into a dismal world!
Smith nee Howarth Avatar
July 1, 2026 at 3:56 AM
I hope that your words have never fallen on deaf ears.
Crandall Avatar
July 1, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Thanks, Alison! Sometimes, I think that's why I write poems. I can yammer on and on, and nobody has to listen unless they want to.
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The Whiskey Taster’s Flavor Guide
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