Premiere Contest WinnerYellow Field of Wheat

First Placing : Poetry Marathon 2025
Sponsor: Mark Toney

 
{ FREEDOM  “We may want to linger, to stay, to arrest the flow and talk about it, photograph it, lyricize it. Yet this beauty is mercurial and we must let it go, for it is already slipping away to be replaced by the new.” -Stuart Sovatsky }

YELLOW FIELD OF WHEAT

Angel of Death skims blacker than tar
a skeletal knock overturning bowl of oats
smelling of frankincense and ashes
to carry you to a yellow field of wheat 
where you will dance radiant waltzes
haloed free

your laughter pranced across blue walls with 
Michael Jackson, Spider-Man, cheeky elves
relishing Kentucky Fried Chicken as you 
played scrabble with forlorn neighbour
bony body birthing revolutions of
roulette with green life and grey death

how you endured those precision needles
wanting to drum tapered fingers on 
waiting desk overflowing with car sketches
your thirteen year old bald head smiling 
veins on an enchanting spring moon as our
hidden tears crystallised hospital sheets

we tried to keep up with you scoffing
encyclopaedias, Dickens and muffins alike 
cancer like a chess game mastered chemo
doctors and nurses becoming kings or pawns
time was now or endless pathos stalking minds
Laurel and Hardy keeping hearts unlocked

on Merlin’s star-patterned couch you will 
jokingly converse with Pele and his team
soccer ball silent under quiescent table
my ink cannot pen sad lines as I feel 
your lips still sucking dripping nipple
freedom moonwalks on a 
yellow field of wheat
Copyright © | Year Posted 2022

Poem

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Gauthier Avatar
November 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Congrats on your fine finish in Mark's Marathon, Ghairo ~ well done
Daniels Avatar
November 24, 2025 at 8:55 PM
ThkU 4 pop-in, Line. Congrats to you too. B blessed.
Famuyiwa Avatar
November 21, 2025 at 10:54 PM
This poem demonstrates a high level of poetic mastery—both technically and emotionally. It displays a rare ability to balance narrative clarity with lyrical depth, allowing intimate memories to unfold through images. You commanded a wide palette: mythic references, pop-cultural figures, medical realism, and domestic tenderness to coexist seamlessly. Congrats on your HM mention in this poetry marathon and keep the motherland flag flying higher.
Daniels Avatar
November 22, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Wow Mac.! I’m so grateful for your detailed, analytical & kind comment. ThkU so much for your time. U made my day, Sir. I’ll do what I can about the flag, but sometimes the hoist mechanism does not work. Lol.
Toney Avatar
November 21, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Ghairo, congratulations on earning an Honorable Mention in the 2025 Poetry Marathon’s FINAL Placement Contest, and for winning the Best Individual Mile Performance Award! The poems of the 37 qualifiers can be accessed from my current "Finish Line" blog post. Time to take off those running shoes and give those feet a rest!
Daniels Avatar
November 21, 2025 at 6:46 PM
ThkU so much, Mark, for your leadership, endurance, astute assessment & ‘Spirit of the Marathon’. And for my HM placement. May you be blessed for your generosity of time & commitment. Trust the Angels of Poetry will give you a much deserved break & reward you appropriately. !
Kauffman Avatar
August 11, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Congratulations on your win, Ghairo. Your poem reached deep into my heart with its sadness and grief. Sending you blessings to comfort your heart.
Daniels Avatar
August 11, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Thankyou for visit & blessings, Sam. I do appreciate. Blessings returned, dear Poet.
Radice Avatar
August 10, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Your words, Ghairo, pull at the heartstrings. This is powerful stuff and a deserved winner. Cheers - Gary
Daniels Avatar
August 11, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Thankyou for visiting, Gary. Mucho congrats on your placings too.x.
Toney Avatar
August 10, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Ghairo, your poignant poem of a young person facing terminal illness with humor, curiosity and resilience is a Fav for me. Congratulations on your first-place finish on Mile 5 of my 2025 Poetry Marathon Contest. Keep your running shoes on, since Mile 6 has already started. You can find your overall standing in my Mile 5 blog post.
Daniels Avatar
August 10, 2025 at 9:02 PM
THANKYOU for sponsorship of so many miles, Mark. Poetry must be coming out of your ears by now. Teen in this poem must be smiling on other side for placement. x.
Carmack Avatar
August 10, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Congrats Ghairo!
Daniels Avatar
August 10, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Thankyou for visit, Rob ! I appreciate your read. x.
Ashley Avatar
August 10, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Dear Ghairo, your poem is powerfully engaging as it grips my eyes, my heart, my imagination and pulls me into the center of a potent flow that is poignant, tactile and throbs with a deeply moving ache. So deep, rich and mournfully beautiful. A profound poetic creation expressed with emotional tenderness and visceral force. Congratulations for your shining golden trophy win in Mark's contest. So well-deserved! Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
Daniels Avatar
August 10, 2025 at 9:10 PM
THANK YOU, Susan for your touching feedback. Congrats on your placements too. I so enjoy your poetic gifts of layered meaning. Yes, this teen was so visceral & full of life to the very end. X.
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