They don’t just hang in the sky;
They watch and see,
Understanding that sometimes our lives can be a turbulent sea.
They bear our weights and pains.
They emerge from the cloak of night at dawn,
Happy clouds embraced by the morn.
They race to find their place in the expanse,
Belonging to both the flight and the flightless,
A place where dreams and visions can soar.
They are the artistry of the Unseen,
Woven and spun by benevolent hands.
They are wrung to pour upon hostile sands,
The lands we journey through until the soul transcends to the beyond.
The clouds spill a thousand secrets,
Revealing the made and the caged.
They see the darkness that hides yet walks in daylight,
Seeming to exist in oblivion as they watch during twilight.
August 6, 2026.
Written: August 6, 2026 for a contest sponsored by Nette Onclaud
Checked by HMS.COM: 7/7/7/5
***************
By those amber depths I'm bound,
Crimson sparks on gauzy ground,
Phoenix-wheel sings in my blood—
Sapped, I turn to night.
Written: August 6, 2026 for a contest sponsored by Hiya Sharma
Checked by: HMS.COM: 1 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 5 / 8 / 13 / 21 / 34 / 55 syllables
*****************
star
ache
bloom dust
gold sheath sigh
blue dreams sway in dusk
mauve lily hums a revered calm
ruby-lotus aureole threads through memory's web
serendipitous harmony stirs up a mellifluous pot of hush catharsis
amethyst bloom shadows stipple the nighttime memorial, where the endless return breathing pirouette in surreptitious reflection.
stars—maculate, circumspect in their sepalled brilliance—frolicking beyond oncology, beyond every pernicious maelstrom, enticing sapient ache of longing with a wanton yet lucid aplomb that outlasts the night.
AUTUMN IS NEAR
Poem written for and submitted to “SEASONS NOW POETRY CONTEST,” August 6, 2025, Nette Onclaud, sponsor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
brushstroke of a cooler breeze paints my skin.
golden rays slip behind the horizon,
velvet curtain drawn across stage of sky.
summer bows with grace; fall waits in the wings.
cicadas' applause fades to hushed tones.
the sun dips lower; the days grow shorter.
green leaves slowly shift to ochre and rust.
painter’s palette spilling across the ground,
each leaf blends hues onto the earth’s canvas.
with expectation, autumn holds its breath,
a hush before the overture of chill.
season’s harmonious intermission.
For: SEASONS NOW AND AFTER Poetry Contest Sponsor: Nette Onclaud Date: August 6, 2025
*****
Somewhere between the summer and the rain
you left and left me lonesome once again.
The tiger-lily and the bumblebee
are pleased to keep their simple company.
The young black-tailed deer and her spotted fawn
take morning leisure on the fresh mown lawn
Two-by-two life moves through each season's flow,
How each day follows day I do not know.
Snapdragons bloom amongst the marigold,
the sun and rain still color rainbows bold.
But I am paused within Autumn's shadow;
Loneliness becomes my cold bedfellow.
Though you're oblivious to the outside,
You reside somewhere on the inside.
You're a part of me,
I become a turbulent sea.
You arise from the unknown,
You shoot your arrows,
And I bear the sorrows—
These are not seeds I have sown.
You hide in the stygian night,
You carry out your bidding even while I'm in the light.
I fight the unseen,
They remain invisible on the screen.
I journey across borders and into new territories,
I wander through meadows,
Which fall into various categories.
You sometimes emerge from the shadows.
You're my inky self,
Dwelling in depths beyond the pages of a book on the shelf.
I'm a mirror of the strange—
Through the continuum of time, there hasn't been any change.
August 6, 2025.
Journey of life
Life’s journey winds
through valleys,
hills and plains,
A path that twists
and turns,
unknown, unplanned,
With every step,
a lesson to be learnt,
In joy and sorrow,
triumph and defeat.
We start
with innocence,
a blank, white page,
Our hearts untouched
by time’s relentless hand,
As years unfold,
we grow, we laugh, we cry,
The road we walk
is paved with dreams
and fears.
Through storm and sun,
through night and day
we tread,
In search of meaning,
purpose, and our place,
Encounters with the souls
we meet and love,
Shape who we are
and guide us on our way.
The journey’s end
remains a mystery,
Yet every step we take,
a testament,
to life’s embrace,
its ever changing face,
In every breath,
the essence
of our quest.
Written August 6, 2024
© Dr Upma A. Sharma
”The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.” Psalm 6:9 of the King James Bible
Supplication to Christ always
draws me near toward mercy's care
assured for nurturing welfare
that builds my faith to offer praise.
In blest prayer tested by trust
my soul wrestles with earnest plight
smiting any unbelief-blight
as supplication clears doubt’s rust.
Intimacy with God of grace
midst supplication’s divine thrill
guards my spirit in keeping still
safely secured by His embrace.
Around the Saviour’s loving bond
supplication presents my need
beseeching to be freed from greed
since He with miracles respond.
Supplication indeed brings bliss
despite hardship, sorrow and pain
for it leads to reaching-out gain
thanking the Lord from heart’s abyss.
August 6, 2023
2nd place, "S Words" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Constance La France; judged on 8/7/2023
August signals start of the county fairs
Excited farm kids are showing their stuff,
Plenty of prize-winning bulls and mares
Good times won’t last quite long enough,
For future farmers showing their wares.
SECOND PLACE WINNER
Written August 6, 2022
Submitted to “Just August” Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Andrea Dietrich
Hottest month, the roads are dust
Gardens are drying up from drought
I’m talking about this 2022 August
Sun beating down with a heavy clout
Mercury thermometer’s about to bust!
August is the hottest ever on record
Global warming is undisputedly real
The U.S.’d better join the Paris Accord
Despite what conspiracists may feel
The world must sound a unified chord
Written August 6, 2022
*Image of Season Openers by MailT.
JUST AUGUST
a romp through August
supine rests outstretched on sands
three-year-old farmhands
blowing bubbles after rain
a finger-read splendid book
2022 August 06
*3rd Place*
JUST AUGUST
~~Andrea Dietrich: Judged 2022 August 21
*Image of Mother Son Kiss by Pixabay.
Childhood Nostalgia
a day of raining
the unavoidable mud
the look on mom's face
it slightly clashes with dad's
indelible memories
a day of sunshine
in the park with mom and dad
balloon on a string
ice cream melts and balloon flies
dad says no to cries mom buys
a night approaches
mom will share some mother goose
dad watches the news
rhymes magically shut my eyes
dad says good night mom kisses
2022 August 06
*1st Place*
Childhood Nostalgia
~~JCB Brul: Judged 2022 August 31
e her womb I grew to be
a fetus live and breathing free
With tender hands she did caress
a tiny bump, beneath her dress
Amniotic fluid, "WATER "
protecting her golden daughter
She sang to me as she did bless
a tiny bump, beneath her dress
A vital sign of heart and soul
I kicked inside her like a foal
Immersed in liquid no duress
this tiny bump beneath her dress
A Pisces child who chose to swim
after a nine month interim
An embryo of small, compressed
a tiny bump, beneath her dress
August 6th 2022
VERTIGO
imbalance, dizzy
wobbling, swirling, unsettling
headache, ear bones, legs, kneecaps
balancing, steadying, walking
firmly, upright
STABILITY
riding bicycles
along backwoods nature trails
in a caravan
down to the old cut grapevine
swinging the whole day away
FIRST PLACE WINNER
Written August 6, 2022
Submitted to: “Childhood Nostalgia” Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: JCB Brul
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