Best Astonished Poems
Oceans apart
buried under sandy shores,
a rare pearl slept comfortably
behind her walls.
Fate must have been kind,
for a common man like me,
to stumble upon her shell.
As I brushed away her debris,
astonished - my eyes could not believe
this beauty, revealed before me.
Spellbound - I could not help but stare,
stunned by the glory of her magnificence.
As she took one step forward,
unutterable sensations,
took a hold of my emotions.
Yet I remained motionless,
overmastered by this
majestic heavenly vision.
And I could have sworn it was a dream,
until the softness of her fingertips,
graced the imperfections of my soul,
and for the first time it felt perfect.
All of a sudden it felt like we were floating,
ascending towards a myriad of stars,
with the moon guarding us silently.
Stardust sprinkled with the sight of her smile -
how fortunate was I, to celebrate this artistry.
Her lips blossomed like flowers
as they succulently caressed mine.
Breathless,
without saying a word her eyes acknowledged
my vow for eternal devotion with ever lasting love.
Simple Musings
Silent One
19 September 2017
The single white rose captured the old gardener's attention,
He lovingly cared for it, like it was his own grand-daughter,
The roses were just like family and friends in his eyes,
He gave them bright sunshine, and plenty of fresh water.
He had always planted roses in reds, yellows, and pinks,
Yet, it was the one white rose that he favored most,
The old gardener admired it's innocence and elegance,
A quality that the other roses just could not boast.
This precious rose was pure white, like new fallen snow,
Which only a cold, late November day could bring,
It's delicate petals were soft to the finger's touch,
Similar to that of a feather, in an angel's wing.
The old gardener was perplexed and astonished,
Only this rose bloomed through spring, summer, and fall,
Each of the other roses had withered months ago,
The frost and cold weather did not affect it at all.
With a smile, the old gardener took one last look,
Unknowingly, death would soon come without warning,
After he had settled down for a nap in his chair,
He drew his last breath, later on that morning.
His funeral was held on the very next day,
Loving words were spoken, as he was laid to rest,
His grand-daughter approached, with tears in her eyes,
As she placed the single white rose upon his chest.
The cemetery was a quiet and peaceful place,
Where family and friends gathered to remember,
A gentle snow began to fall upon the casket lid,
Brightening the gloom on this final day of November.
The old gardener's soul departed from this earth,
Lead away by a choir of angels, on delicate wings,
Then on through the pearly gates of heaven's garden,
Where the white rose still blooms, in eternal springs.
November 25th, 2013
The Malkavian..Part 1
His mind has all the meaning of a madman that is screaming
Tortured and tormented, a life lived to be lamented
His family, drained and defeated, finally retreated
Leaving him believing that he was beyond redeeming
The doctors sent in talked of hope and healing
The drugs administered only made him more demented
Cementing the feeling, that his life is just an echo
Of the endless, timeless, all consuming screaming
His best friend is a dis-proportioned bird appropriately named Buddy
Who’s monotonous motion in drinking is somewhat soothing to his being
Though not potent enough to stop the persistent pounding of the screaming
Often he stared into the emptiness of nothingness contemplating the beauty of its
existence
Only to find his mind is drowning in a confounding conundrum he can’t quite define
It's hard to be philosophical when your mental testicles haven’t dropped to the appropriate
level
So sometimes he whispers tongue twisters until his brain blisters
Madmen mask madness in mindless task of mass mayhem
It was easy for him to pretend to be prim and proper
Just a mask to don in order to dupe his doctor
Circumventing the system that couldn't’t save him
He was as he always had been and would be
In constant pain and agony with no desire for sympathy
Just in need of some freedom from his prisons and medications
Meditations and mantras had given him a sentiment of a design
On how to inhibit the screaming and maybe even end it
\
Four years preparing and plotting the perfect moment of promise
A fire formed from a single flame fueled by an accelerant
Raced through the halls up the walls and killed all the residents
Eighty-eight inmates and staff burned alive in what seemed like and instant
Such little time to search through the bodies looking for a single person
He found her on the fourth floor clinging to the bathroom faucet
He lost his virginity to the burnt corpse of nurse Denise
And to his amazed mind he was astonished to find the screaming was silenced
Emerald Forests
Emerald forest hiding from man's curse
if found, its never better , always worse.
Wretched destroyers we are in this abode
in our arrogance we are firmly sold.
Greed for taking everything in our path
we in our false pride deliver our wrath.
Astonished that some may in this rebel
when seeking their deaths, damn them all to hell.
If true, the meek inherit this sweet earth
then our dear souls must love for all their worth.
Where river and bend meet with shining sky
Nature teases us to ask how and why.
Shall we pray that emerald forests hide?
Take action on that we can not abide?
Robert J. Lindley, 11-29-2016
Syllables Per Line: 10
Total # Syllables: 140
Total # Words: 108
The Unicorn
Once upon a time…
an incredible event occurred that was so sublime.
On a warm summer night many years ago,
awakened by the rhythmic tempo
of hoof beats coming from the yard below,
I peered outside my bedroom window.
There on my lawn I was astonished to see,
a silver-white unicorn peering back at me.
Dressed in only a nightie, I dashed out my front door;
and found him frolicking, prancing to and fro.
Sparkling as he was under a silvery moonbeam,
I wondered if this was only a surreal dream.
He was handsome, noble, and dignified,
so confident and assured trotting to my side.
In awe of this mythical creature, I couldn’t speak,
but gently patted him from cheek to glowing cheek.
His well-groomed mane felt like satin and silk,
with a faint scent of harvested hay and fresh milk.
Then I heard from inside my head,
a deep, masculine voice which stately said,
“Your Majesty, it would be my great honor
to take you on a tour of celestial wonder!”
Reverently he bowed, as I, completely taken aback,
hesitantly mounted his muscular unsaddled back.
Time stood still as he swept me away,
right through the heart of the magnificent Milky Way.
We flew past amazing asteroids, planets, moons,
and zillions of stars looking like fiery, bulging balloons.
In flight, we traveled at the very speed of light,
and I was exhilarated with unbridled delight.
Returning me to Earth, he bowed his gallant head;
and as I dismounted graciously said,
“It’s been a pleasure, my dear Queen;
so long, and I’ll see you in your dreams!”
But even though our voyage of discovery was over,
that mystical experience changed my life forever.
Never again have I seen the unicorn on my lawn,
but from time to time, between midnight and dawn,
in my dreams, I hear a voice that’s oddly familiar
call out my name in a velvety whisper.
And somehow I know that it’s my old friend…
who’ll be watching over me ‘til the end.
02-03-2017
Contest: Once Upon a Time
Sponsor: Eve Roper
Placement: 10th
There are things I don't understand
And would really like to know
Such as why they call it rush hour
And you move so freakin' slow
How come you get a learner's permit
To get a license to drive a car
But they don't give one for a marriage license
Now I think that's going too far
Why do they put deer crossing signs up
Do you believe there is really any need
In all my years of driving
I've never met a single deer who can read
I was reading a map in the park
And it definitely astonished me so
It had a red X that said you are here
And I was wondering how they know.
As strangers to this virgin land
succumbed to the impossible
we are numbed by grief for what is gone
Astonished by the solitude...
We gaze, without a breath, nor voice
upon the blue veined world once loved
A home we've left behind!
It seems so weightless to the eye
And out of the chill of marbled sorrow
We weep for countless lost tomorrows
Although our eyes might be deceived,
from here, the vision is a lie,
yet remains so beautiful in the sky
We stand wide eyed, upon new shores
And look from here, to the earth so far
How fragile, is our earth still spinning
As we grasp at new beginnings
How precarious a world, untouched, can be
Have we learned, from where we've been?
We must recall,.... recall it all
Look how it spins, against the stars
Oh God, ...so fragile, frail and small
Let me turn my head,
I cannot bear to watch,
I must close my eyes
before it falls....
_____________________________
Written: October 06, 2023
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have seen the ample fog, so dense and vast.
It swallowed the world—a look that couldn't last.
I cried and sighed, but there was no sound at all.
In tears, they flowed down, akin to a waterfall.
I've kept my eyes on the skies for a long time.
Praying for unity, a homeland sublime.
But the strong wind blows, carrying my plea.
Akin to the migrants, I feel lost in this banshee.
A cold thing, this land I roam,
The rain falls down, strong and unknown.
I feel the tea at my door, a comforting brew.
Yet everything seems strange; nothing feels true.
A strong fire of succinate burns.
I am apart from him; my heart yearns.
Others hold them close and look astonished.
As I stood in silence, my soul admonished.
I can hear the whispers of love and despair.
They have souls, while I'm left in the air.
I stay standing, lost and confused.
Not knowing where I am, I feel bemused.
Laughing at the devil, who poisons my path,
Teeth of jackals, revealing his wrath.
Yet still, I stay in silence, refusing
To let the tears flow, my emotions are diffusing.
Closing my ears to the cries of pain,
Lost in the fog, my soul seeks to regain
But through this journey, I'll find the way.
In this vast fog, I'll discover the light of a raw day.
After five days of irony,
life was looking bleak
That fourth night seemed long,
much more than a week
I seen geckos licking eyeballs,
shovel-faced lizards swapping feet
trying to cool off
in the searing desert heat
A nomad walked by,
talking to a mirage
He could’ve been praying
and the mirage was a façade.
From my point of view,
his journey was damned
walking in circles
around the promised land
I came here fracking
for my missing soul,
and then it came gushing
as liquid black gold
Looking up astonished,
a genie appeared
saying, “Thank you, master,
I’ve been down there for years”
“Be careful what you wish for,
I’d like to give you one”
She was a sexy genie
and very good with a pun
I asked for a Time Machine,
knowing well she’d fail
but I did get one off her,
time stood still on any scale
Back in the real world,
things are calming down
I joined a death metal band
from some unmarked town
They liked my catchy riffs,
deviant lyrics and poems
We’re called (many names),
mine’s out there on its own
* * * * * *
Now before falling asleep,
it’s impossible to be dead
Living brings the nightmare
that nothing lies ahead
Still, my fear of being shunned
beats off the ugly stares,
in a world full of friends
playing musical chairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the inkwell holds no holy water,
yet the quill dips deep
into a silence older than prayer.
***
words rise like incense smoke—
not doctrine, but the shape
breath takes when leaving
a body astonished by dawn.
This aspect is succinctly told by, W.Somerset Maugham from an Arab tale:
The speaker is Death:
There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, "Master, just now when I was in the market-place I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw Death had jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture; now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me". The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the market-place and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, "Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning?" "That was not a threatening gesture," I said, "It was only a state of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra".
(A far older version forms part of the Babylonian Talmud)
Imagine, if you can, that I were a cloud
I would wear a new crown, of silver display
a shining example of grace over shrouds
I would drift past the sun, with no fear of the crowd
I would treasure the world from a new point of view
Astonished to see how vast and how blue
With the rush of wind, that brushes my face
I would hear every bird, feel every embrace
While God with His arms, surrounds me in love
I'd belong to a place in the sky, far above
I wouldn't drift all alone, but have new inner peace
I would open my heart and dream of new things
The earth could be peaceful, as never before
Where confidence reigned along every shore
Above, me the sun would be ever warm
The world would resolve all the hurts of the day
I would weave a new song, lean into His arms
and sail to the music, straight out of the gray
Feeling God and His presence, like soft wings of a dove
From my place in the sunlight, that is shining with love
________________________________________________________________
Gail's Contest: A Place In The Sun
1/20/15
Tell Me -Who Do You Say That I Am?
Tell me. Who do you say I am?
Word
First voice to enlighten creation’s realms
Word of prophet’s words from mystic mystery runes
Prophecy and proverb wearing vision
Flow from pure agape
Living Psalm
A to Z – song composed – never a chord that stumbles -
The perfect chaste circle drawn in round circumference
Architect of straight lines with no wobbles -
Unbroken circumcised covenant – designer of my soul
Tell me. Who do you say I am?
Anointed Mighty
Unreachable star embraced
Crafter of restoration for rebellion thrashing
Defies disabled limbs with steps of faith
Transfiguration of blackness to see the eternal face
Opens ears to hear thunder’s glory
Dines with astonished tree dwellers
Full measure of mercy’s undisturbed pulse
Knows each of my words before they breathe
Tell me. Who do you say I am?
Righteousness
Metamorphosis of nativity
Bottomless paradigm of favor
Wheat and grape in synchronicity
Holds back the hand that flings the stone
Raises up cowering shame
Eyes of perfect sight plan perfection’s gift for each heart
Pristine living covenant
My enigma’s answer – my conundrum’s solution
Tell me. Who do you say I am?
Eternal
Valentine of paradise
Eden’s immaculate reforestation
Vine of the endless unblemished harvest
Anointed eternity with us
Wholeness of a holy rainbow
Gold - no need to be refined
Face of forever consolation
My first breath in every season’s restoration
Tell me. Who do you say I am?
You are I AM.
4-27-21
Contest: Tell Me. Who Do You Say I Am?
Sponsor: Mystic Rose Rose
As I was sitting in the park, one dark cloudy day, I was troubled in such a worrisome way.
My complicated life had me down, upon my face, a grimacing, tormented frown.
When I looked up, what I saw, was a stern faced clown, uninterested, suffused, withdrawn.
He was sitting on the bench, so sad, so frayed, his hands clenched tight, as if he prayed.
A look of torment upon his haunted face, it seemed he was uninterested, out of place.
From his eyes, tears were falling to the ground, I was astonished, I was so astound.
His face seemed to be frozen in time, but then again he reminded me of a mime.
I understood immediately, we were the same, both of us being in the same mind frame.
I tried to smile and to my despair, we both stared at each other with an equal glare.
I wondered what this message could possibly be, was this fate being directed to me?
He nodded his head, looked up to the leaden sky, he read my thoughts, I silently sighed.
I realized in an instant this was foreseen; so petrified, I felt like a frozen ashy figurine.
The clown still seated on the bench, his eyes steadily fixed, on me, was he totally
entrenched?
That tormented look that was upon his face, continued in silence, showing no reflective
grace.
Understanding, I smiled; I knew that this was my ghost, sent to me by The Divine’s Holy host.
No longer worried or concern; my troubles lifted, that gloomy dark cloud has been adjourned.
© Juanita Warden 7/12/11
“Seducer, healer, deity or thief,
I will see you soon enough—
in the shadow of the rainfall,
in the brief violet darkening a sunset—
but until then I pray watch over him
as a mountain guards its covert ore
and the harsh falcon its flightless young.”
-Dana Gioia’s Prayer
Captivated, cruelly scorned
Innocence breached in the caress of sifting leaves
I breathe…
Shards of crimson ice splitting the skies,
I breathe…
Hung in the nest of my Guardian’s threshold
I breathe…
I receive the tantrums of travesty,
Though I pause, the air suspended in my lungs
Death, damasked and naked
The hairs of his youth dancing in the breeze
I breathe…I breathe…
Words of ire, phantom echoes in my mind,
I breathe…I breathe
The pain of existing taught in those eyes
I breathe…I breathe
Until the fighting for control ceases
Until the lungs are filled to the brim with torrential tears
My eyes, open, lifeless
I see you, gallant Guardian
A silhouette sobbing, a heart pounding and throbbing
You sing to me, lulling life wonder
Spices surround me, for you are my Gatherer of needed scent
Allowing your tears to fall, refusing to grieve
Seeing in me budding revelation
Your lips hot against mine
Gently, gently you breathe
And in Death’s astonished brow,
I live