Best Alaska Poems
Glacial hills rise elevating fervid sights
Mesmerizing desires adorned turquoise blue
Arousing cobalt passions in sapphire heights
Floating cotton balls on melting cyan hue.
Above your scenic view gloats the sunlit sky
Lifting eager vibes upon hearing my sigh
Urging the frozen glaciers to woo romance
Embracing zealous emotions held in trance.
October 18, 2018
Rhyme: abab ccdd. Eight lines, 11 syllables each
Placed 3rd:Mid March 2019 contest by Brian Strand
The trip was a riot of color,
It brings a myriad of queries,
Fantastic tales of utter darkness,
Views' visible roots were explored.
Mainsail surges,
pungent froth carried wave tips while,
blast swings moaning openly.
superb mountains,
Convey streams into streaming rivers,
Down slants shrouded in woods.
And the majesty of the stars,
Is confronted every morning,
Under soft white clouds,
is with each foot I set down.
I relish the quiet of the sound,
how each slant embraces,
the still raw bay.
Home to unglaciated cervids,
Gnawing animals and polar bears,
Willow grouse, deer,
Also, the renowned Chinook Salmon.
More genuine than the Arctic flow,
Afar-off state refuted,
In both word and deed,
Anyhow of these ever tender wishes.
Atop mottled strands,
I let my emotions air dry,
Orange tulips were selected,
I regained faith; I can fly.
5Th Place Contest Winner
Written: June 18, 2022
2022 Poetry Marathon Mile 3 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Mark Toney
THE MUSHERS RIDE OUT
Air colder than the heart of death
Surrounds the champion teams
And crystals dance twixt every breath
To paint this Arctic dream
Critics who think these dogs coerced
To run in mighty races
Need only bask upon the sight
Of eager canine faces
Commands are sharp , mistakes are few
The lead dog thinks for all
And like a whisper wrapped in wind
He hears the mushers call
No whips or sticks strike dogs who lead
It’s months and years together
The musher and his dog who leads
Are minds that think together
As mushers wait and dogs stand tall
All eager to be gone
The darkness lurks beyond the lights
And in a shot they’re gone
Well-wishers line the barren streets
Where winds are arctic whips
While satellites will flash the sight
From warmth the newsmen quip—
Fools of Tourists dressed all wrong
will scoff at cold life dangers
These careless tourists wander off
At risk to rescue rangers
I think of how you must have been
in bygone days with friends from your boyhood.
From things you’ve said, I picture you back then
blazing trails and camping in the Cincinnati Wood.
And then perhaps you stood a man at seventeen
with one carnation pinned onto your suit.
Vernal still, and on the threshold of your dreams,
you’d blaze a path anew and leave your roots.
Years passed. Only you can fill in all the spaces
of what you heard and tasted; what you did;
pursuits, accomplishments, and the many places,
and when you found Alaska, I was just a kid!
I’m certain that you felt at home, grew bold
on the tundra, moved with feline grace, and maybe kayaked there,
viewed double rainbows, hunted, and knew the color of gold,
climbed mountains and inhaled the pristine air.
You’ve seen the eagle soar; fulfilled a destiny.
So much you’ve done in all your fruitful life.
You served your country, married, made a family,
coached softball, taught and traveled; loved your wife.
Today you move more slowly, or so you’ve told me.
I’ve never seen your face. Better do I know your soul.
I see you as a wine finely aged – mulberry,
red and sweet – not bitter – and you long for a life that’s full.
Behind closed doors you sit alone in your chair.
I envision books displayed, numerous on a shelf.
Despite this show of knowledge gleaned, your house seems bare.
Your family’s gone, and you’re having to care for yourself.
You like to frequent restaurants and watch a little TV,
but friends have passed. You need a fresh new plan.
Forge a new frontier, my friend. Exclaim your poetry.
Poems should have a purpose, and so too must a man.
May 29, 2022
What icy wind has brought this darkened day
it hearkens to the depth of it's bowel
from this day hence,until the month of May
like the lonely wolf mates, deep throaty howl
to breathe is almost like a winter fray
as so dost the Arctic Polar Bear scowl
My heart yearns for the budding in April
Thus will quell this winters foreboding shrill
Tough style!
Behold the pioneering spiritualist, living on the edge
Of the civilizations harshest grid, seeking tranquilities
Harmony beyond the brick lined streets of stress and
Strife of the big city life!
These individualist of true grits foundation, whom live
Life to the fullest extent, tasting the winds of freedom
With every breaths inhalation and exhaling joy of
Revelation in this venue of isolation, known as
Alaska the last frontier!
In clarity’s ice kingdom of the forbidden land, does
Not alone wolf cry echoing, in the timbers breaking dawn
Of twilight's final hour, here endurance's vitality is set to fight and survive this call of the wild struggle!
Within the forest wilderness man and women,
Climb the heights vast divides of the untamable,
To achieve a simpler existence, of our forefathers
Harvesting the ancient theology, of the pioneering
Spirit!
Time reflecting architects thriving on the thrill
To endure, savoring the concurring desire to challenge
Against the obstacles seemingly impassible, living
Off the land and being grateful just for the promise
Of this opportunity to live freely, as men were meant
Too!
BY: CHERYL ANNA DUNN
Families sacrifice savings, every petty frill
Praying a lucrative grade to mill
Seeking a bartered shill
Greedy coffers to fill
Hopes and dreams to rill
Nuggets of fine gold to spill
On Porcupine creek's nettled till
Hearty crew of six sated to drill
Though sorely lacking experience. skill
Shoddy equipment of patchwork steel
Surrendering to elements with whimper, squeal
Black sand, gritty rocks pass through grill
Garnering thin wispy flakes; will not pay the bill
Note: A diatribe on the Discovery TV show Gold Rush
It’s a place that snows
That shines and glows
With mountains all around
And wonders to be found
With treasures to behold
Under the river rock is gold
Wild animals roam the land
Never being touched be man
With fish that swim the streams
In the summer with the suns beams
The northern lights shine at night
That creates a beautiful sight
February 2018
I DREAMED OF ALASKA BLUEBERRIES LAST NIGHT
bear-stolen
blue wanton kisses
white night picked
bow riding
Dall's porpoises play
sea otters, orcas
and bald eagles
every day
herding salmon
otter find another boat
and some porpoise
otter love you more
like I did in Alaska
otter mend this net
love slips through
reel it in carefully
and stack it meticulously
(setting it should
never ensue disaster)
a listless drifter
I have been
tempting storms
and rocky shores
otter live this life on porpoise
like I did then
choose a destination
sail to better shores (oh, give me a home
where the sea otters roam
and the bow riding
Dall's porpoises play)
otter love you more
like I did in Alaska
Of all the places I set forth to see,
Alaska is the one I love the best.
The pristine ambiance of white, for me,
presents the calmness of a vision blest.
Alaska, with its rugged landscape, sealed
in swirls of snow and sheets of solid ice,
beneath a cloudless sky of blue, does hide
the ancient past below the vast white field.
The air turns crisp and cold, but that's the price
for feeling joy within this countryside.
So thrilling was the train ride that I shared
one day all through Denali Park for miles,
encountering the wildlife soon declared-
as elk and moose, while baby goats drew smiles.
The views seen from the windows and the dome
provided scenes of wilderness not seen
except for finding them aboard this train.
The greater way to travel through and roam
while tour guides point us to the unforeseen
like mama bears with cubs to entertain.
But, best of all, were the magic scenes I saw
while viewing from our ship in Glacier Bay.
With eyes wide open, I stood in pleasant awe
as massive chunks of ice broke clean away.
And, calving, as it's called, caused such a crash,
while creaks and moans of ice sang in my ears.
Large, rolling waves rolled in and rocked the boat
while foaming water formed with every splash.
Alaska- a thumbs-up and heartfelt cheers
grade memories of my time there, afloat.
Dreams of the Alaska girl in Africa
Glacial magnificence
Elephants trumpet
Tremble Arctic’s icy peaks
Cold and icy passageway to trudge through.
Ships and warships sailed thru the Bering Strait.
In limbo 'tween two nations, iced, staid too.
When I first set out, for thrill I await.
Where ferocious beasts can hunt and roam thru.
Gray clouds with puffy tops hedge their offspring.
Calmly shifting layers, like a stack shades.
Wet and wild park made of stone tectonics.
Not to mention a beard made of green trees.
I saw two black wolves on Eagle Brook Road.
Mountain trails are plagued with random people.
At the outset, there were rocks and small stones.
There are blooms on the young pink rose jungle.
Here, among green discord of willow vines,
Aspen trees clump joined, stay comfortable
Alaska: home to the famed "midnight sun."
Where kids play and grownups lose track of time.
Reminds them that it is time to wind down.
When it gets quite dark they call it nighttime
Bright toughness is a trait with a tough tone.
The place where the Moon is second fiddle.
Matanuska vale's snooze-fest of a town
while moose and caribou withal trample
Move across the railroad ties one side down.
where the grass is green and soil is ample.
Alaska: home to the famed "midnight sun."
The place where the Moon is second fiddle.
Written: June 21, 2022
2022 Poetry Marathon Mile 4 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Mark Toney
Checked by: HMC.COM/ 10 Syllables per line
Rhyme: Rhymezone.
All my worldly possessions were sold
an adventure to north Alaska to find gold,
way past the Yukon river, provisions bought,
snowmobile loaded, riches to be sought,
following route of miners of the gold rush
just barren cold desert of snow and slush,
Two hundred miles into my unrelenting trek
my transport malfunctioned what to check,
right out of fuel, it's dead got no power
now weather changing, heavy snow shower,
must stay positive problem to solve I can't despair
then from nowhere confronted by a big black bear,
Petrified thinking to myself it's him or me
I had no chance so ran and climbed a tree,
after devouring all my food he went away
so now to survive on game I'll will have to prey,
looking at my map presented with two possible solutions,
a holiday home or trappers abode, latter my conclusions,
Two hundred miles ahead of me, no food, snow to drink,
no shelter, no form of heat, only hope, my life on the brink,
Survival my priority, gold and riches are now of no use
I arrive at the realisation Alaska wouldn't allow my abuse,
I came to the end, I knew I was looking death in the face
cold unable to move this is my departure from human race,
through my failing eyes I see an image, what I don't know!
now I know it was my saviour a life saving local Eskimo,
my annual returns to Alaska now is not for personal wealth
it's to give thanks to these wonderful people for my health.
My attempt at
Shadow Hamilton's epic contest
10/12/2016.
the part of love sets
the wind blows,catches rainbow's
fish jump,alaska