Best 20 Poems
I’ve received an incredible gift
It has given my heart such a lift
But the date that I see
Is what now concerns me –
It’s the date I no longer exist!!!
Today I was gifted a 'lifetime' premium membership but it is somewhat disconcerting to see it ends on 3/20/2077. I hope TPS aren't psychic!!!!
My mother's great great aunt lived to 111 and 121 days and was in the Guinness book of records - I hope I am around a long long time to make full use of this incredible gift.
14th October 2016
By Starlight
How proud stands the willow
in silhouette of twilight skies.
The willow never weeps alone,
tears of joy stream down cheeks
at the footbridge where she
touched the water, where
Moonbeams dance
In the land beneath falling stars,
In the land of purple thunder as
Lightning strikes in an interlude to a
Fleeting rainstorm revealing
Hidden beauty in moon glow.
O, how heavenly!
A Rendezvous, echoing of ethereal eyes
In a magical stairway to the stars...
Whisper me a song, my love, a soul song.
She dreams of sentient stars forged by fire
In universal streams of light as she
Gazes wistfully heaven bound.
7-19-19
*Names of the poets whose titles are
incorporated into my poem:
Proud Stands the Willow by CayCay Jennings
Silhouette by Paul Callus
The Willow Never Weeps Alone by Sandra Adams
At the Footbridge by Jan Allison
She Touched the Water by Richard Lamoureux
Moon Beams Dance by Gershon Wolf
In the Land Beneath Falling Stars by Robert Lindley
The Land of Purple Thunder by Mike Gentile
Lightning Strikes by Kim Rodrigues
Fleeting Rainstorm by Vijay Pandit
Hidden Beauty By John Fleming
In Moon Glow by Andrea Dietrich
O, how heavenly by Dear Heart
A Rendezvous by Kurt Ravidas
Echoing of Ethereal Eyes by Winged Warrior
Stairway to the Stars by Carolyn Devonshire
Whisper Me a Song, My Love by Victor Buhagiar
Soul Song by Greg Barden
Forged by Fire by Eve Roper
Streams of Light by Caren Krutsinger
20 titles from 20 friends Poetry Contest ~Second Place~
Sponsored by: Richard Lamoureux
Swan Lake
Toes ache
Can't sleep
Count sheep
Eat slow
Don't throw
Won race
First place
Do crime
Serve time
Drink gin
Room spin
Keep fit
Don't sit
Up late
Bed waits
Cold spell
Wrap well
Don't smoke
You'll choke
Don't bore
They'll snore
Drink wine
Cloud nine
Black ice
Think twice
Good wife
No strife
Aim high
Touch sky
First kiss
Don't miss
Dry plains
Need rains
Red rose
Pleased nose
Beach girl
Heads twirl
First night
Stage fright
Written 2nd July 2020
For Strand completely new (4) poetry contest.
Sponsored By Brian Strand.
In the quiet still moment there is balance,
A true nothingness equidistant from fear and elation,
To perch in this place can be unsettling,
As I have been trained to accept the effort of wanting something else,
I must grow comfortable accepting what is.
Is it easy to look back on the trauma of past
It’s like taking the knife out my back
It cuts going both ways creating path
Oh but we cried oh but we laughed
Little girls playing with dolls in the basement
Unaware of monsters and dangers that cement
The innocence taken and breaking me within
He was in his teens I was about 6 and again
I thought like a child of his suggestion to play
Never did occur to me to be cautious afraid
Never had I heard of the red word rape
And if I did the meaning would escape
Gender roles were set in stone you know
He was the man of the house we played so
I was the wife he could strike or hold
Oh I didn’t know I didn’t know I didn’t know
That he was taking advantage of me
That I was not to blame and I did bleed
He put his thang deep inside of me
But this pain was not my destiny
Looking back in the cracked mirror of past
I’d learn to live despite terrible looking glass
What good can come from rape of a child
Poetry and music and a furious curious smile
It happened that I may break the curse
Write about it and create healing words
For others who experience similar pain
My haunted trauma would become healing rain
Couldn’t understand then the why me
If not you then who dear should it be
You were a gift broken into pieces
But like Tiffany glass art unique and
Blessed to have such a fierce strength
That you can relive it again with pen
Painting a portrait of passion and grace
Not breaking like porcelain stronger in faith
Looking back now I believe it destiny
To make me sensitive and set me free
From the usual childhood of fantasy
I’m a survivor teaching rape 101 to Queens
~~ The Rabbit and the Fox ~~ 20 line Ballad
The Rabbit and the Fox
The Rabbit and the Fox are here
go down south, to Australia
They have a bounty on the Fox
Bring in his skin they’ll pay ya
Myxameatosis germ warfare (first ever)
Just for the Bagman's bunny (our ww1 war crazed soldiers lived on rabbit in solitude)
Old Rabbit got mattry eyed
It really wasn’t funny
Great depression in the 20s
We lived on lovely rabbit
skins made the Slouch hat
Our soldiers wear, our habit (fur felt made the hat)
The master took the Rabbit (Squatters said plague)
No more free feeds for us
So we started eating of his sheep
Become a bit nonplussed
They brought another virus out
To kill off outlaw rabbit
But bunny still gets about
The Fox your hens will have it
Don Johnson
You asked me yesterday my love
If I would become your wife
Let me tell you that forevermore
You will only be in my life.
There’s something I must say to you
These things my love are true
You must never forget these words I say
Because my darling, I love you.
My heart’s your forever
My mind and body too
I give you completely
A love that’s pure and true.
I’ll never ever hurt you
We’ll never part
My darling I have loved you
Right from the very start.
I answered yes to you my love
I open up my heart
Because love isn’t easy
For love is an art.
A handsome man, a valiant son,
John Kennedy was he.
A man who rose to President
with civil rights the key.
Who can forget the many days
like Camelot they seemed,
when all eyes were on Washington,
they passed just like a dream.
Ah, we remember Jacqueline
a Vassar deb was she,
who walked with grace on his right side
through fame and infamy.
One thousand days was all we had
of this great President
before a gunshot took his life
for all the world to see.
We mourn him still, we miss his smile
his knowledge and his grit
for he and Martin dreamed a dream,
we reaped the best of it.
Sometimes I can't believe it
It all happened so fast
Real life is truly here
Just who is that looking at me in the mirror?
How come these bills are addressed to my name?
It's like I went to sleep and woke up
And I'm all grown up
Sometimes I miss the days
When your crush had cooties, not STDs
And afternoons were spent climbing trees
And it's hard to grasp our age
Who's that man calling you "his wife"?
How come that little girl just called you Dad?
It's like I went to sleep and woke up
And we're all grown up
Sometimes the kids today
Make me feel so old when they say
They've never heard of Kurt Cobain
But I know that we're better
Cause we could fix our Nintendo in just one blow
And we all figured this out sans Twitter
It's like I went to sleep and woke up
And I'm all grown up
I remember the stupid things
Pogs and Goosebump books
Playlists were mixtapes on cassettes
And Friday nights meant TGIF on ABC
Nickelodeon was our only obsession
Friend requests were made in person
And they still showed music videos on MTV
It's like I went to sleep and woke up
And it's a different world - Nothing's the same
Cause we're all grown up
a white plastic bag
flutters in a bare tree --
the sound of geese
mourning cloak passing
wing beats of a butterfly
the softest of drums
Haiku 6/20/2016
cool breeze on warm dew
huddled petals awaken
stunned artists weep
John G. Lawless
6/20/2016
wet mug of a deer —
the peaceful lake alluring
in the pine forest
4/20/2019
Twenty politicians standing on a wall
Oh what fun to see some fall,
Blabber, blabber, rue the day
They talk and talk but little say.
Yet they shout and argue too
About what I challenge you
To then repeat what they have said,
The mere thought just blows my head.
Each loves the sound of their own voice
And stand before us all by choice,
To have us judge who it shall be
With each one saying, me me me.
But like Pied Piper with his flute
The call to watch we can’t refute,
We sit and stare, comment and whine
As some just flounder past the line.
Yet for one the end is sweet
The entire cake they’ll get to eat,
Battered, bruised and mighty sore
Now almost at that White House door.
Once I shared a long hidden secret with the one,
I thought was my friend, through and through.
But little did I think it would hit back on me
Like a boomerang, breaking my heart.
She betrayed my trust with my reputation at stake.
Within days, it became a juicy gossip,
A fodder for many to ruminate and cud.
What was ‘whispered in the ear was shouted from roof tops’!
Behind my back, many used it against me.
With them, my secret became a sharp tool.
They used it at will to cut and bruise me.
I lost my sleep and reacted brashly.
It became a wound that began festering.
I longed for a release from my pent- up wrath.
I wondered if I could glue up the broken shards,
And become whole again, my former self.
It took a long time, to come out of the resentment.
But with the passing of time, the pain began to fade
And the heart once broken slowly started to mend
Not to have a repeat, decided to set my boundaries marked.
That bitter experience taught me some vital lessons,
Which I won't ever forget in life.
My hindsight told me that I should change,
In some areas where I am most vulnerable.
Learned the hard way to be more cautious
To guard my secrets and never spill the beans!
Also not to venture to be all open before others.
Never again shall I struggle to fit in
With a loose tongue, in any company
Just to entertain others with frivolous talks!
I am also careful not to rashly blurt out my feelings.
How I wish to become more prudent and discerning
In choosing friends and trusting them!
I also resolve to always keep my calm,
Even when I know my words are misinterpreted.
Looking back on all that has happened in life,
I don't think I have many regrets.
All my experiences, good or bad have been signposts,
That led me to where I am and who I am today.
Still there are some things I wish I hadn’t said at all.