Cleopatra
Each morning before the songbirds,
she sings until her throat bleeds crimson.
A melody to meet the cries of women before her,
their memories spilling like rivers down her cheeks.
Her siren eyes painted with kohl, had burned with hunger
for territory. She claimed kingdoms like a man.
She bent empires beneath her will.
She fought as men do.
But history, cruel and callous, dared not
let her name linger. Not even the Nile whispers her elegy.
"Join me, Mark Antony," she bellows each night
But the roots wrap around her lifeless body
tightening their grip, pulling her deeper into the earth.
‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears: I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.’
(Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2)
Antony was happy to bury Julius~ Cleopatra was now his
All of those ears~ must have been a lot of odd looking Romans
My question is~ would Antony give them all back?
Bad news
Infects the teller..
The teller
Conveys news which
Is believed to have
Arisen in a fictitious
Past time..news
In the telling
Colored with belief
Is what is happening
And not...
"The nature of bad news infects the teller." Antony & Cleopatra (Shakespeare)
There once was a man named Galileo.
To him, scientific knowledge we owe.
He was the brainy inventor
who said, "the earth ain't the center."
I guess that was his basic ideo.
There was a lady named Cleopatra.
She was sad, so I said, "what's the matta?"
"Caesar was stabbed by a brute."
Then, Mark Antony said "You're cute!"
And Cleopatra said, "right back at 'ya."
You may remember Jiminy Cricket.
His puppet said, "I sure like to lick it".
He warned Pinocchio,
"Wherever you may go,
be very careful where you may stick it".
Jiminy Cricket's first lesson for you
is he coulda lived to a hundred two,
but the sign said "don't walk",
so he stood there to gawk.
Now, that's him on the bottom of your shoe.
Christopher Columbus thought the world, round.
The King of Spain, thought his mind, not sound.
The Queen said that what he states
convincingly penetrates.
Chris now has ships to sail the world, around.
A radiant smile spreading cheers
has lost the dimple penetrating fine cheeks.
Dwindled memories of someone has
rooted deep into her veins.
She is forgotten like a stowed
Peafowl feather in the books of antiquity,
Her beautiful locks of curls
once tumbled above her face with grace
has fallen like maple leaves.
Those eyes beholding magic to allure
is upset without the tint of kohl.
She is pitched into the abyss of darkness;
her hollow eyes with tale of sadness
is disguised in an evilist vision
and always misjudged as rude and cruel;
May be one will seek her heart so pure,
breaking the walls made of yore.
Her smudged tears may be vanished with zephyr
Or will be burned of in her own fire.
Written by,
Rekha Antony
Relishing a dream of voyage;
though the sky lit by the glory of rays,
my eyes squinted at the ray
fluttering my lashes says,
not now,don't wake me now.
Impeccable sunlight splattering
on to the window
making a tiny purslane buds to grow.
In a fantasy,I say,
not now,don't wake me now.
Beads of morning dew sets humbly
on my pristine pink roses
and haughty dew on the edge of the leaf
filling in a light from the sunbeam.
Be-worried to dispel from cloud-land,I say
not now,don't wake me now.
Am exploring the vault of heaven
loosing myself from within
under the blanket of murky rain.
Then heard a crooning songs buzzing into my ear
wakes me recalling the tangled memories of cheer.
Plunged into a new day with smiling eyes
and with a prayer of good angels of heights.
Written by,
Rekha Antony
Throwback February 2020
Modified to refrain form
A rain that felled in a rhythmic beat
washed away our muddy feet
rain frogs croaking beside the pond
has drone
so as the violent rain has gone;
drenching each tiny leaves of oaks
reminding us of a wedding vows
the rain has gone,silence the night
has worn.
we are moving ahead to the port of call
holding hands with a shivery breathe
ahead and ahead
through the streets forlorn..
Written by,
Rekha Antony
Cleopatra ruler
Captivating beauty
Collected four husband
Caesar was her lover
Claimed Caesarion son
Crucial Roman nation
Chose Mark Antony last
10/21/2020
Cleopatra VII Philopator (Koine Greek: ??e?p?t?a F???p?t??, Kleopátra Philopátor;[5] 69 – 10 or 12 August 30 BC)[note 2] was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt.
Cleopatra's husbands were (in chronological order)
1. Ptolemy XIII - he drowned in 47 BC
2. Ptolemy XIV - he was allegedly poisoned in c. 44 BC
3. Julius Caesar - he was assassinated in Rome in 44 BC
4. Mark Antony - he committed a suicide following a crucial defeat from Octavian in 31 BC
Egyptian goddess
impetuous and pompous
Cleopatra’s conquests
at history’s bequests
wielded a propensity
for dramatic intensity
She snared the great Marc Antony
lured him into salacious surreality
of whirlwind amorous insanity
their thirst for world domination
stirred a most legendary seduction
concocted in the heat of passion
From a cesspool of politics leveraging
exponential cunning and beguiling
struggles in a dance of supremacy
conniving betrayals with godlike fury
their superpower alliance
met all-consuming defiance
Unequaled legendary games fanatical
proving most problematical
honor deceit and lies tragic
loyalties and turmoil climactic
In the end love a destructive factor
with more than one malefactor
hearts hopelessly infatuated
suddenly freed and elated
finally devoid of grief and strife
bound to reunite in afterlife
Read on air by invitation ~ March 20, 2021 'LATE NIGHT POETS'
AP: 2nd place 2021, 3rd place 2021, 3rd place 2020, Honorable Mention 2022, Front Page Pick 2021
Her goodies stuffed inside, petrified fine.
String of pearls, perfectly round, peachy keen.
Courting spicy cerise bottle of wine.
Silver flute melody apt to be seen.
An hourglass figure — chalice of a queen.
Rotund seedless grapes impress her red lips.
Gossamer stockings, two to hug her hips.
The goat horn, receptive to one lover.
Cleopatra’s adorned with beauty tips —
Her charm, Marc Antony will discover.
4/21/2020
Cornucopia Poetry Contest
Sponsor - Kai Neumann
Today there's a dissing of Shakespeare
His penning's dismissed as old-hat
Take time to get know him --
He's wittier than Dr. Seuss' Cat
Many point to the Merchant of Venice
To prove he was anti-Semitic
Read Shylock's defense of his profession
It's magnificent, Biblically prophetic
Shakespeare knew the Prince of Denmark
Julius Caesar Antony & Cleopatra too
He described the events of millenia
Pin-point penned every plot, every coup
Yet today there's a dissing of Shakespeare
And the nodding world sheds nary a tear
Cleopatra and Mark Antony
Cleopatra fell in love with Mark Antony
She became ruler of Egypt by Antony's decree.
Forced to flee Egypt, her rumored suicide plan...
She let an asp kill her over the loss of her man.
Antony so beguiled by love for his Queen's desire
Giving her much land provoked Roman senate's ire
After Cleopatra became Mark Antony's wife
He thought she was dead, so he took his own life.
1-15-19
Clerihew Contest ~ Second Placement Premiere contest
Sponsor Carolyn Devonshire
Note:
After Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra set her sights on the dashing Roman general Mark Antony. The two began an affair, resulting in twins in 40 B.C. Antony wed Cleopatra in 36 B.C., and appointed his new wife ruler of Egypt, Cyprus, Crete, and Cyria. This abuse of power so outraged the Roman Senate that they denounced him a traitor. After losing a major battle at sea, Antony and Cleopatra were forced to flee to Egypt in 31 B.C. In desperation, Cleopatra spread rumors of her own suicide. Antony, unaware of her plan, stabbed himself to death. When Cleopatra heard of this, she took her own life by inducing a poisonous snake to bite her.
CLEOPATRA
Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, the black beauty,
clever, erudite, great politician, attractive cutie.
Her exotic charisma and magnetic attraction
whelmed Julius Caesar to tie romantic relation.
Couple kept happy marital status
Till Caser was assassinated by Brutus.
Strong seduction of Cleopatra compelled Mark Antony
to fall in love and make a knot of matrimony.
01/11/19
First Place
' A BRIAN STRAND JULY' Contest by Brian Strand
IF YOU PULL A LONG FACE : IX
IF you pull a long face
Being born with a long face bytheway
Then you have at worst a problem face
None will know if you're sad or gay
Now if you keep pulling this long face
Mostly at the dinner table, say
Most would think it a commonplace
To pull the leg off the mint sauce tray
Yet if you keep pulling the same face
Some mugs who thrive on mere hearsay
Might try to pull your long aching face
To pave the way for a new long Broadway
And if you keep pulling that long face
Long as Sphinxes' smirks look from far away
Remember how Ol' Ceasar fell for Cleo's grace
And Antony dragged half-sister to Rome as prey
So if you must pull a long face
Seeing who pulls spiteful faces in disarray
At those faces being belittled for their race
Put on balance long face and Sphinx to weigh
© T. Wignesan - Paris, January 2nd , 2019
Caesar preferred to be quietly interred
But to Antony his friend he deferred --
With Rome's citizenry Antony conferred
Spurred them on with the passion of his words
Masterfully, did he their emotions stir --
They'd hunt down and kill the conspirators, sure
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.