Best 600 Poems
Ironic tears that spill are mocking me
in scathing streaks delighting down my cheeks.
They trace their paths as soft as fingertips
atop sad ivories caressing pain -
but shame me in their scalding disregard
and blame me that they even do exist.
I ache in death knell spiral of regrets,
their embers smolder as they stoke with ire
with flaring pain till nothing’s left but ash -
besmirched by lust reduced to worthless grey.
My life now but an aftertaste of soot;
sweet self-indulgence too much to withstand.
In sunset mood I grow my shadow’s length
in angst I’m reaching out midst twilight guilt,
beseeching in day’s fade Salvation’s light;
forgiveness of my own abandons me.
Oh, burn of sins does choke my soul in smoke
as tattered heart is purged upon the pyre.
Susan Ashley
February 2, 2018
~ First Place ~
Contest: Contest 600, Any Free Verse, Any Theme, Max 20 Lines
Sponsor: Brian Strand
Note the golden morning sun, red and orange, blue aeonian sky
Silver reflections of moonlight cast on dead of night still waters
Window light that shines so bright welcoming you at night
The way your smile reaches all the way up into your eyes
Smell the boulevards rain-washed and bitter-sweet, hot coffee
Spicy, earth-rich pipe smoke and baking chocolate chip cookies
Lovers embrace with musky skin, a dozen roses perfume is heady
That unique scent the very first time inside your brand new Chevy
The good sheets - 600 count - fresh from a hot dryer
Sitting in the window seat basking in the sunlight's heat
Long or short, with every stroke, snuggle-soft is kitten's fur
Favorite faded holey jeans, shoes no one else would wear
Good morning songs from birds nearby, kitten's rumble purr
Soothing rain patters on the roof then booming rolls of thunder
Chirping frogs and bugs in grasses, the chattering leaves in trees
Waves that lap upon the sand, a sexy spoken please
This group of friends who share
with open minds that care
Patiently listening
Always there
may I always be aware.
Father does not see the mournful sad tears,
that fall on his mossy tomb . . .
Just three glistening tears.
_________________________
September 16, 2014
Poetry/Kimo/My Number Is Three
Copyright Protected, ID 09-600-969-16
All Rights Reserved, 2014, Constance La France
Path Number 3 - February 1
Entered into the Standard contest, What is My Number,
sponsor Andrea Dietrich, Judged 2014
Seventh Place
A predawn hike with flashlights to the top of
Diamond Head, a little less than a mile
In and out of lava formation to
An elevation of about 600 feet...
My anticipation fades to concentration
On keeping pace and breathing.
Nearing the top, adrenalin meets excitement.
Dark of night clears to soft daylight. I
Hear the words, "Rarely have we seen..."
Echo. From the colorless world of
Addiction to this vast brilliant and vivid
Display of sunrise is humbling. A
Soft breeze seems to push pillow clouds
Under an azure cover, carrying re-
Newed hope from our sunrise meeting for
Recovery into this breathtaking world...
Into this day... to possibly help someone
Suffering. For today and this experience, I am
Eternally grateful.
July 21, 2018
*"Rarely have we seen..." from Alcoholics Anonymous Literature, 'How It Works'.
August 2, 2018 - Dusk or Dawn Contest by Emile Pinet
N/A
A story inscribed in the constellations
of the punctate canopy of night
Perseus astride the winged Pegasus
Hurtling to save his fair maid Andromeda
from the beastly Cetus the seasick sea-serpent
While her folks, Cepheus and Cassiopeia
gawk dispassionately
Poor parenting enshrined above us
The pancaked 2-D IMAX look
of the heavenly vault
belies the relevant numbers—
Trillions, quadrillions of 3-D miles between,
My retinas bathing in light decades old
Not a preschool connect-the-dots
but a giant mobile
of impossibly remote thermonuclear furnaces
turned cosmic Rorschach test
My eyes drink the mother of pearl
galactic smudge in the telescope
and I feel you gaze right back
Ancient light, yet a staring presence
a Mexican standoff of unfathomable dimensions
Telescopes at 600 hexillion paces, pardner
Don’t blink
Is it my imagination, or your mind?
Crazy quarks’ quantum entanglement
making instant “spooky action” at a distance
40 million light years away
Hundreds of quintillions of miles
whatever in God’s name that is
There you are again; I feel you
Verizon Universal Consciousness Connection
That’s going to be a heck of a phone bill
but I’ll be long gone by then
I think
8/1/16
I feel so proud when I see our national flag raised
and sing our Anthem ‘Oh land of our birth’
This island is not the place where I was born
but there’s no place on earth I’d rather be
with mountains and hills, a patchwork of fields
and the ocean which caresses our shores
I love eating Manx kippers, see cats with no tails
view the famous TT races, and ride horse trams on rails
We do not bow down to ’the Adjacent Isle’
that’s how England is known to the Manx
Our Tynwald parliament's made laws for over 600 years
Elizabeth’s our Sovereign and long may she reign
I’m not Manx but the Island’s my forever home
and my final resting place overlooks the blue sea
Whitman-Inspired Uplifting Poetry, old or new Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Carolyn Devonshire
1/6/20
Some lions mate over 50 times a day
Now that's really unbelievable
I'm only good for about 40 times tops
50 is almost inconceivable
The dot over the “i” is called a tittle
I'm aware naughty words aren't allowed
Though this one's legit I looked it up
But don't yell it out in church too loud
Only one person in more than two billion
Lives to 116 or older
Sorry to disappoint you my P-Soup friends
I intend to be that record holder
An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain
Know quite a few people like that
Some are members of my immediate family
They's dumber than the household cat
The longest recorded flight of a chicken
Is thirteen seconds, quite short
Fleeing for its life from the butcher's knife
Screaming “Got wives and kids to support!”
Buckingham Palace has over 600 rooms
Elizabeth hasn't seen Phillip in years
Tried to pick up her up one night last summer
Liz promptly kicked him in the rear
Some worms will actually eat themselves
If they're unsuccessful finding food
There might come a time when I'd do that
But I'd really have to be in the mood
Beetles taste like apples, worms like fried bacon
What weirdo discovered this
Even if they paid me a gazillion dollars
You wouldn't catch me licking the dish!
Eeewww!!!
© Jack Ellison 2013
All preparation had been completed
The big night was finally here
At three in the afternoon I went to dress rehearsal
Stood on the Gaiety stage for the first time - I didn’t have any fear!
Three lovely ladies
We were standing behind our microphones
Reciting our poems .. to an audience of ONE
Rows and rows of empty seats – tonight they would soon fill
Would nerves finally hit me, would I start to feel ill …
We had a few hours to kill before the show would start
Hubby and I went for a meal before I played my part
I dressed in my lovely frock – our act would all wear black and white
The theatre was a sell out, much to our delight
The performance kicked off at eight o’clock
Our slot was in the second half so we sat and watched the show
Joined in with the audience from spare seats on the back row
Time passed by so quickly once the show had begun
We rolled about with laughter the acts were such great fun
The interval came and we had to go
Soon the time would come for us to perform
It was freezing cold backstage I wore my cardigan to keep warm!
Our names were announced and we walked onto the stage
Lights shone down on the three of us
But the audience was a sea of faces in the dark
I was first to recite my poem
‘Seven men you definitely wouldn’t want to date’
Not a sign of stage fright at all
Di recited ‘The Fine’ and Irene ‘1958’
Then it was back to me with ‘Just Desserts’
It was the very first funny poem I’d written
Di’s ‘Night Nuisance’ and Irene’s ‘A Transcript’ poems followed
With poetry we are all smitten
With massive smiles on our faces we walked off the stage
Came back later to take a bow
The audience applause was rapturous – I can still hear it in my head now!
Last night I performed on stage at a charity event in front of 600 people … it was my first time on a ‘proper’ stage at the Victorian Gaiety Theatre and was the most incredible night of my life! The night raised awareness of Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's and raised over £6000 ($7410) from ticket sale alone - there were bucket collections too.
11~19~16
There was a man named Kaldi who herded sheep
He fed them berries in Ethiopia but they could not sleep
He then told his friends and they tried them, too
Soon everyone worked harder and said goodbye to curfews
Not 600 years later, it had spread through the Arabian Peninsula
Then Turkey, Egypt, Persia, and Syria
There was a terrible time when the Turks invaded Hungary
But rumor has it that is when they brought coffee
From 1520 on the story goes
Coffee spilled through Europe and put people on their toes
But many people in the church they had their concerns
They called it Satanic and in hell coffee drinkers would burn
But Pope Clement VIII he gave the bitter drink his blessing
Then in 1670s London King Charles II took to his own messing
There were fears of coffee meetings and political uprisings
But by the end of the 1600s Kings Arms of Manhattan cafe was jiving
It was brought by the Dutch to New Amsterdam
People preferred tea and beer but would give coffee a chance
Decades went by and they sipped, worked, and danced
But by 1773 something forever changed the fate
Of not just coffee but the colonies' reason to celebrate
King George III went wild with tea taxes
Revolutionaries rebelled by the masses
They had the Boston Tea Party and then the war
America was born and it opened a door
Not just for freedom but the bitter, once Satanic drink
It changed the way people socialize and the way that they think
From Ethiopia to Turkey to England and the US we have Kaldi to thank and our minds to impress
There is a story within the journeÿ;
And there is a journey within the story.
Let the numbers both show and tell.
A 17 year old high school graduate
Went some 600 miles North
And stayed for 7 years.
6 jobs, 4 years of college,
2 years of marriage,
And 1 child born.
Returned to the South
And stayed for 4 years.
4 jobs and 1 child born.
Went 2000 miles West
And stayed for 43 years.
4 jobs, and 1 child born.
Returned to the South
4 years ago to retire
With his bride and
54 years of marriage.
When you add it all up,
The numbers are intertwined
With the journey and the story.
So far, by the numbers,
The totals come to 2751.
This number is history, and
The present numbers are yet
Unfolding. Mystery awaits.
But for now,
The story is not finished.
So the journey continues.
The Big Race
I qualified for the big race in May; my odds to win were long,
They knew I couldn’t win, but I had to run strong.
By lap fifty, I’ve moved up to position ten,
It’s a very long race, but I still felt I could win.
I’m about out of gas, so it’s time to stop,
Quickly down pit row, to get every last drop.
A sip of water, only thirteen seconds in the pit,
I came back on the track, knowing I could win it.
I’m at lap 200 and have a good position,
This race has become a war of attrition.
Next up is number 88; I’ll take him in the turn,
Getting pass Jr. is something I’ll have to earn.
He throttles down, now we’re nose to nose,
I fly by on the inside as this battle really grows.
Into third place at the half way point,
I was so excited, I could feel it in every joint.
We all have to make a stop, so I head back to pit row,
A tremendous five car pile up has made the going slow.
We are under a caution flag as we circle this oval track,
This is an excellent time for me to get water and a little snack.
Gordon in the 24 car is next in line,
I must take him and Edwards in his 99.
At the 550 lap, I pass Gordon at last,
Then I got word from my crew, “You’re low on gas.”
At the 560 lap, Edwards is still the car to beat,
I told my crew “I can win this race, hang on to your seat.”
I came up behind Edwards and went high on the right,
When I came out the other side; I was number one, what a sight.
I drove like a madman the rest of the race,
The crew was calling me their number one ace.
Then I woke up and I really wondered,
Did I just win the Coca Cola 600?
©2008 Lynn B Glover
"Well Captain how we working this one."" umm; so Billy is this your first Winter Rescue?"
"Yep" "All right you're with me" "I thought I was going to be with Tom" " Hey kid your
better off with Harry. Rick and I have been partners many times before." " Ok guys keep
your spikes on until we hit the top of the avalanch floe. that's a good 5 or 600 feet down
Stay away from uprooted trees, it takes less than 5 pounds to send the whole tree down the mountain, possibly causing the floe to become the base.Rick, Tom there's a goat trail 60 meters to the west follow that and we will meet at Nesting Rocks. Every 2 minutes flick your Amber lamp 3 times each in our direction. Keep your radios on but I'll be the only one talking; unless YOU find a Save. Flash us in 5 minutes when your in position" "See You at the snowline boss."" Harry. Why do they call you captain and boss
"Senority, I been on the Squad for 18 years. Let me know if you get any numbness in or
tingling feelings in your hands,arms,or legs." What about my ears?" In a couple of hours
your ears will be burning, which is good, they'll help keep your face warm." How, Why?"
"I don't know, I didn't event ears, I just know that they do. There's the signal, Let's get started. Be sure to tug the tether with each movement you make. I signaled them in two minutes I want you to signal them in amber." " Why amber?" Yellow light can be seen farther away than white light."
To be cont.
Your essence pervades the depths unto the heights
And sprinkles spring gardens with posies of remembrance.
You grace the robes of the humble Virgin
Yet fan majestic strutting pride.
Without you a celestial promise would be incomplete
And how you love to turn up unexpectedly;
Startling star amidst golden corn,
Mesmerizing monarch of shallow streams.
Our feelings are tinted by you
And you colour the windows of the soul.
You course through veins of noble birth
And daub the beggar's frozen skin.
You are faithful and loyal, all-embracing, enigmatic blue.
06/01/19
Your Best Poem That Is Trophy Worthy (Premiere Contest Trophy) Contest 4 Poetry Contest : sponsored by Tania Kitchin
'Blue Poetry Contest' : sponsored by Craig Cornish
'2019 Poetry Marathon Mile 27 Poetry Contest' : sponsored by Mark Toney
'Strength Thru Adversity Poetry Contest' : sponsored by Gregory Barden
Contest 600,Any Free Verse ,Any Theme,Up To A Max Of 20 Lines Poetry Contest :sponsored by Brian Strand
'Best Free Verse 2019 Poetry Contest' : sponsored by John Hamilton
By Robert J (Bob) Moore © 2016
I am a British soldier, been a soldier all my life
and back home in England, I left 2 kids and a wife
now I’m outside Sebastapol, with Cardigans Brigade
waiting to fight the Russians, Cavalry on Parade
We are part of Raglans Army, and we’re ready for the fray,
Light Dragoons and Lancers, and Hussars were there that day
We rode our light fast horses, for mobility and speed
Unarmoured, armed with lance and sword, skirmishing our deed
we have our orders “charge the guns” believe it we cannot
but ours is not to reason why, to do or die our lot
we sit our horses and wait there, for the word for us to go
hoping we won’t have to, a mistakes been made, we know.
We started down the valley, toward the waiting foe
riflemen to right and left, were shooting as we go
three quarters of a mile we rode, sprayed with shot and shell
600 of the Light Brigade, went charging into hell
A Russian battery to our left, another to our right
500 yards ahead of us, Russians, are starting to take flight
Line one went through the battery, 2 Regiments in all
the cost was great as all around, we saw men and horses fall
The second line of Cavalry, now charging through the guns
Cut and slash the gunners, as they turned to run
then came the third line, to complete the duty so assigned
to finish any gunners, or rifleman they could find
The charge is done, its “threes about”, and retire back up the hill
once more to brave the Valley of Death, Though the battle continued still
through the Russian skirmisher, rifle fire and cannon shot
the end for many brave soldier, who’d given all he’d got
And so the brave 600, with two thirds left behind
after a charge against 5000, returned, only to find
the heavies had not followed them, momentum had been lost
the charge, although magnificent, had not been worth the cost.
ancient redwood gleams
softly through the mists of time…
mayfly flitters by
-08 Jun 2014-
Average Lifespan:
Redwood Tree - 600 years
Mayfly - 1 day