light cage up in the air,
freeing, a million birds wild ascending shadows
come falling down.
The rain is brightening now. The face is pale
the puzzle solved with an unexpected kiss,
freckled hands alit.
(Blackout of Rain Towards Morning by Elizabeth Bishop)
Crescent adrift
skipper its sails
hearts pursues
eclipse squalls
lost treasures
alit silhouettes
Fireflies scatter in the breeze
The night sky is alit with glitter
~ Dainty faeries dance with joy
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: 2nd place 2025, Honorable Mention 2026
Once a poem alit did linger
To tarry nigh upon my finger
Then having saying said
Once perched a fleeing fled
Just as sleep bested my eyes -
There came a looming presence -
Strange and full of mysteries -
That alit upon my rest.
There wasn't a familiar word
Sufficient for such trespass
So silence was the measure
For my unexpected guest.
Time was also dissolved;
Every thought - every breath
Was confounded by a love
I scarcely struggled against
But the hour was growing late
So He flew off to find a heart
More predisposed and awake
And gave me over to the dark.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dawns a courtroom closing in on midday, and a cheery sun
uncovering its place being less demanding--a sage who
dons sufficiently in her vocation that imparts one who bears
a respectable position, and one of a high office--so without
delay, the judge withdraws to his chambers for consultations
with the defense attorney and prosecutor, et al., she then
advances towards the lone defendant from her private seat
in the gallery--an officer of the court, immediately takes
notice of her movements and in anticipation presented her
with a chair for her pleasure--the defendant who sees her,
respectfully stands, whereto, she politely informs him that
he may remain seated and air him in a one-sided
conversation being the soul speaker, and he as the soul
listener. Albeit, exceptions to that disclosure evolved at the
end as there is cause for the conversation to become ironic.
*The opener of My Short Story: White Lies, in two parts; I'm
afeared of old habits unchanged as alit surface, amid dim, and
aligned depth of mired cliché, sways a gavel 'ere ...
This morning, on my walk, there were
Two zebras on the grass.
A huge gorilla blocked my way
And wouldn’t let me pass.
But luckily, a UFO
Appeared; as it alit,
The terrified gorilla
Quickly made a run for it.
The aliens aboard invited
Me to take a ride
And I was blown away
By all the gadgetry inside.
We headed through the Milky Way
And it was quite a thrill
To see the earth below us -
Oh, what pride it did instill!
This morning’s taught me more
That what I’ve learned in all my schools.
I’m guessing that you’ve figured out
Today is April Fools’!
I beheld amidst the baleful sky,
a single snowflake falling gently
startling white against the slaty gray.
The crystal alit with cushioned sigh
upon your lips and sat contently;
you, too cold for it to melt away.
Rested long upon that ruby scar
did that winter's magic falling star.
Pinecone fallen from the trees
Tell me something if you please
From where you hung up in the air
Have you seen a woman fair?
I'm looking for her far and wide
To tell her I'll be by her side
And that my love does not depend
On anything she'd say or send
Regardless still in silent thought
My heart belongs to her, it's bought
And not by anything she did
But just because of who she is
Way up high from where you sat
Did you notice where she's at?
On your pods a bluebird sits
Was that her whom on you alit?
If she landed on your cone
You would know since she alone
Can cause a seed of love to sprout
It has in me without a doubt
Now if she does come back again
Who knows if, who knows when
But if indeed her you do see
Ask her if she'll wait for me
New encounters
goodbye tears
life is less
like turns
and twists
more like
roads that join
and split
till all roads
finally meet
to forever
in two split
if God's light
is kept alit
right side
will surely pick
and love harbor
will reach
where all hearts
in unison sing
joy of life
in peaceful bliss.
Without tempting
devils' forks
minds on roads
fall asleep
missing fight
to choose and win
glory crown
and banquet feast.
In His wisdom
God ordained
wheat and cockle
together thrive
giving time
to wayward sons
steer the helm
to Jesus' balm
opening eyes
at every split
to seek forgiveness
for mischief
and enter gate
to eternal bliss
not descent
with bandaged eyes
to the damned
fiery abyss.
Fifth Place Winner: Robert Liguori-Life-10/23/23
The man she lies next to
Is a good man; her champion,
Defender, and faithful one,
Yet she hardly noticed when the flame
Began to cool and love’s passion
Became an obligation.
The stillness awakens in her
A time when romance
Was where she chose to dance
‘Til there was a boy who gave
His hand to her to climb,
On a night sublime,
An Ancient tower to view
The river valley below
Alit in the village glow,
And rapt them in an aura
Of oneness that seemed
As sweet as life redeemed.
At times since, should a near-sweet
Breeze gentle her face
And carry her to her sacred place,
There, tho years ago, the boy is yet waiting
Who took her hand by chance
And lives again her one true romance.
Copyright Paul Thomson 2023
A mom and child of five passed by,
Up from the ferry crowd.
The mother focused on the path;
The daughter’s head was bowed.
The walkway, tended lovingly
By garden volunteers,
Was bursting with the flora that
This time, each spring, appears.
Amid the tulips, daffodils
And pink and purple blooms,
A host of birds alit, attracted
By their sweet perfumes.
The girl, though, was oblivious,
For tightly clutched in hand,
Her mother’s cellphone all of her
Attention did demand.
It seems a shame that childhood,
With such beauty there to glean,
Misses out on making memories,
Distracted by a screen.
I still see
our memory of the first time we met
your blue eyes full of glit
Like the blue eyes alit.
I still see
our memory of the first night we spent together
led lights blazing,
blazing like the summer sun.
I still see
our memory of our first picture
we lay on lawn gazing at the beautiful moonlight
Contagious smiles we wore
as contagious as the Varicella.
I still see
our memory of our first date
A coffee shop down the street
we sat at a far right corner
a soothing Sunday evening it was,
soothing like a lullaby.
I still vividly see
our memories of the time we cherished each other
But it is all I harbour now
Happy yet agonised memories.
Twas
night before Christmas
Teddy
warm
soft
timeless hold
eased Nick's
impatience
gay hunger
towards
believing even
festive ornaments
reindeer elf
Christmas holidays
raise
incandescent
sentiment
towards
many
alit
souls
12/22/2022
a·lit v.
Twas the night before Christmas
Teddy
warm
and
soft,
timeless
hold
eased
Nick's
impatience
gay
hunger
towards
believing
even
festive
ornaments,
reindeer,
elf.
Christmas
holidays
raise
incandescent
sentiment
towards
many
alit
souls.
12/15/2022
a·lit v.
A past tense and a past participle of alight1.
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