Best December 31 Poems
Pristine mountain breeze
Shivers naked trees...
Autumn whispers her adieu.
Northern air descends
Chilling snow filled winds,
Pines view a magic milieu.
In the frigid snow
Icy crystals grow
In the beauty of the light.
Snowflakes bring a sigh...
Snowdrifts rising high
As the winter sky turns white.
Warm inside our Inn
Snowbound once again
In our peaceful getaway.
We take great delight
At the cheery sight
Of a snowman shaped today.
December 31, 2016
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This poem is an Alouette:
The Alouette, is a form created by Jan Turner, it consists of two
or more stanzas of 6 lines each, with the following set rules:
Meter: 5, 5, 7, 5, 5, 7
Rhyme Scheme: a, a, b, c, c, b
The form name is a French word meaning 'skylark' or larks that fly high, the association to the lark's song being appropriate for the musical quality of this form. The word 'alouette' can also mean a children's song (usually sung in a group), and although this poetry form is not necessarily for children's poetry (but can be applied that way), it is reminiscent of that style of short lines. Preference for the meter accent is on the third syllable of each line.
In snowflakes’ sunlit souls - an amber chest,
orange, yellow, blushing red impassion
resplendent ember hues of stained-glass zest,
vivid vibes enliven snow from ashen.
Inspired bliss of shining kiss on pale snow,
with delicate caresses Sol imbued
highlights to saturate the talc aglow
romancing frosted facets’ fiery mood.
Warm spectrum seeps across the crystal white
as sleepy sunbeams stir the embers’ heart,
igniting jewel tones before twilight
frost bitten festival of arctic art.
Illuminated thrills in chills impress
in ruby rapture sunset's snow does dress.
Susan Ashley
December 31,2017
~ Eighth Place ~
Premiere Contest: Embers and Snowflakes
Sponsor: Anthony Slausen
Fragile Fabulous Finessed Fragrance
Luxurious Lavish Lasting Loveliness
Overwhelming Optimistic Overture
White Wintry Whimsical Whisper
Elusive Enamored Enchantment
Relentless Romantic Rhythmic Reverie
Stunning Sentimental Sensuous Seduction
Absolute Adorable Addiction
November Nightfall Nurtured Nuances
Delectable Divine Daydreams
Captivating Cherished Celebration
Heavenly Harmonious Happiness
Amorous Ambient Authenticity
Magnificent Mystifying Magnetism
Paradisiac Poetic Playfulness
Alluring Adventure Aficionado
Guileless Gregarious Godliness
Notable Nuptial Newsworthiness
Exquisite Ecstatic Exuberance
AP: 3rd place 2022
Submitted on December 31, 2018 for contest JUBILANT JOY sponsored by CHANTELLE ANNE COOKE
Originally posted on April 3, 2018
Written: December 31, 2023, For Unseeking Seeker Contest
_____________________________________
“God within me is the enjoyer of the aroma
As also this dopamine boosting flavour I taste
I surrender all pleasures to the dweller of my heart
Breath by breath thus that my soul presence be chaste”
I wrestle symbolically every day,
While whisking my whimsical mind
For palatable aroma of java-laced cream
Each tantalizing sip satiates soul scarcity,
I taste dopamine-inducing elixir
Idly percolating aromas amplify, blissfully
My psyche turns olfactory with each breath
Savoring pureness of quench coffee
True coffee lovers' sacred rite
Bred from mountain slope flora
Large, roasted grains
Combined with chives
Espresso of our selection
Invigorating the poetic muse.
A cloying symphony lingers
Caramel, chocolate, hints
Roasted beans croon a melody
Susurrous sumptuous surreptitious
startling soul's sempiternal shields
Java ushered to an ambrosian niche
Where time halts and fears sway
All worries dissolve
Java-infused serenade heals this soul.
Weary-treating opulent, black potion
Comforting and cheering
Sips reveal life's essence
A hint of sonata transcends clash
Every sip is a sensory delight
A fabulous favor, a flavor flipping
Utopian bitterness-sweetness mix
An inexhaustible smorgasbord style.
Aphonic aqua vitae aurifies my soul
Seeking solace in stories of slight delights
In this brew, I uncover truth
A breath of blissfulness brings youth
Let aroma spread as I sip and relish
Nurturing and boldening my soul
I am enamored with Java core virtues
An idyllic instant resolves everything
Breath to breathe, I'll purify my soul
Savor and sustain every drop
During my coffee ritual
Feel a link to a bit victual.
In a moment of understandable frustration with me,
My wife demanded to know what I really believed in.
I thought for a minute, tear glands filling,
"The essential goodness of my parents."
My mother was a child of the great city of Philadelphia,
In hard times in a hard family, soon to fracture,
She withdrew from the days when her father would leave his little girls
In the car all afternoon in back alleys near the taverns,
From which he would emerge, full of volume and vomit.
She grew through school, emerging herself to be a wonderful mom,
To kindle her children's interest in the physical world,
Geology, astronomy, physics, and the patterned realms
Of painting, music, and poetry.
She showed me that she loved me.
She showed me that parents were people.
She showed me that parents were fallible,
That not everything could be controlled,
And that that was okay too.
My father was a child of the land,
Of farming in the age of innocence,
Long ago down in the southern part of the state of Indiana.
He knew of seeds, of frost, of the earth and time,
Of rock and root, of wind and drought and rain.
He never complained about rain - we kids didn't like the muddy yard
That was supposed to be a football field - he'd say,
"Tell you what - I'll take the rain. I've seen the other."
The most honest man I know, the most honest person that could ever be,
He watched the night sky with me when I said, "Moon and tar."
He took me to a hardware store on a stormy summer Saturday,
Dark clouds coming close, in a car with the thicker sheet metal of the old days.
Just as we parked, the first raindrops, that irregular rhythm, compelling,
"Hey Doug! Would you listen to that rain?! Let's just sit here for a while."
We sat with the rain on the roof as it began in earnest,
That rain of a thousand thousand hits,
A million baby birds doing their firecracker tap dance above us,
That rain that has lasted me the rest of my life.
December 31, 2016.
For Brenda Chiri-Carroll's contest - 'Who has inspired you most in your life.'
When the storm is over you
And you feel the ocean waves
Crashing and pushing you around
Let me be your lighthouse
When you feel your strength waning
And you can’t swim anymore
If the waves won’t let you float
Let me be your lighthouse
If you feel the rocks below
Cutting and hurting your tired body
And you think of letting go
Let me be your lighthouse
If the pain becomes too much
And the storm inside makes you sink
If you have no more hope
Let me be your lighthouse
Let me lend you my strength
For my light will show the way
To calm and peaceful oceans
Where you can rest and refrain
From sinking in the dark abyss
For my light will keep you afloat
It will keep the dangers at bay
Until you can reach the shore
Let me lend you my strength
Let me be your support rock
Until you can conquer the pain
Until you can defeat the storm
Then the strength you have inside
Will shine white and bright
Your light will join mine
And there will be two lighthouses
***
December 31, 2016
Perfect angels, created before man walked the earth,
eons of time before Lord Jesus Christ was given birth.
Protectors of lowly ones, those who need tender care,
can trust in angels, for they are near us everywhere.
They are adorned in immaculate robes of purest white,
wings of ethereal beauty hover around us in the night.
By day they keep a vigilant watch on righteous mankind
watching, ever guarding against demons who seek to blind.
Guard us from temptations that lead us to do wrong.
When we pray for help, we're rewarded with their song.
Their melodious voices are ones we cannot hear, and yet,
I'm sure the sound of their chanting we would never forget.
Seraphs, cherubs, and all the messengers who serve God,
those myriads upon myriads who await his approving nod.
I pray for the protection of angels as they watch over me.
Beneath their wings I will be safe, now and for all eternity.
~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~ ~o~
December 31st, 2015
Angels Contest ~ Sponsored by Nayda I. Negron
We parked at the end of the road
Like so many times before
The moon was a sight to behold
In the eyes of the one I adore
It was there, where we first kissed
Two kids discovering love
The moon twisting my wrist
Gave my cowardly heart a shove
Some nights, we'd just sit and talk
What we wanted life to be
Occasionally, get out and walk
Take a blanket, neath the cottonwood trees
Spring breaks, at home from school
Even after we'd tied the knot
Since that very first time, I'm a fool
For the moon in your eyes, in our spot
Tonight we're here once again
Our past, worth more than gold
From that first time here, just friends
Parking at the end of the road
December 31 2016
by Daniel Turner
Escaping grinding poverty
And violent crimes
You left scant existence
Holding your Dad's hand
In the middle of the night
Going on a long journey
Dreaming of a free land
Miles and miles you walked
Learning for the first time
Price of liberty is high
As you trekked along
More than thousand miles
Exhausted by heat and humidity
Hungry and thirsty you got
But you didn't mind
Marching for a cause
Approaching the border
Happily you sighed
When strangers fed you
Tortillas, beans, and rice
But things soon changed
As borders got closed
Even for asylum claims
Clueless of what that meant
You sought refuge
In your Dad's judgment
Finding a way in
Surrendering yourself
As they took Dad away
Without a hug or goodbye
Ignoring your cries
Being in detention now
Affection you longed for
Yet you carried on
Searching grown up faces
For any sign of Dad
As days and weeks passed
Till you lost your resolve
When two kids in custody died
Paying the ultimate price
And yielding to anguish
Relentlessly you cried
Unable to think or breathe
Wanting to scream loudly
But choking on your grief
No one has told you yet
Your father's whereabouts
As you wait and wait
Learning day by day
In the land of the free
What misery feels like
To a destitute child
December 31, 2018
Placed 3rd..Misery poetry contest by Edward Ibeh
soft as silk I switch your solitude for sublime – savoring snuggles
rippled reverie rapids flow in resonance – rhapsodic romance
-December 31, 2019-
ku duet Poetry Contest
-Silent One-
"May all the tears I have sadly wept this past
decade ... water the seeds I plant for tomorrow."
(Inspired by an unknown quote)
The past decade has been painful for me,
just too many deaths;
too many last breaths,
this heart is broken ... tears could fill the sea.
Family and friends,
sadly, their life ends;
and what of me- oh, what can I do to heal,
then, the Lord whispered don't be afraid to feel;
falling tears wash the soul.
So, I poured all my grief into writing,
words dripped from my pen;
and then ... I found Zen,
and my poetry became inviting.
But, many times sad,
that made me feel bad;
yet, I was on a journey to write my grief,
then, decided to live life like a dancing leaf;
falling tears wash the soul.
And through prayer and Zen I found harmony,
peacefulness is mine;
serene and divine,
but as a warrior fighting fearlessly.
I wish for like-minds,
and friends of all kinds;
I have passions and my muse is ignited,
my future worthy and I am excited;
for now my path is wonderfully lighted
falling tears wash the soul.
______________________
December 31, 2022
Poetry/Rhyme/Falling Tears Wash The Soul
Copyright Protected, ID 12-1513-415-31
All Rights Reserved, 2022, Constance La France
Written in the Qarinage rhyming form created by Gregory R. Barden
Written for the Premiere contest, Then And Now
sponsor, Unseeking Seeker, Judged 01/03/2023
Third Place
A cat sits on a chair
and hovers over me
as I lie in bed.
It’s December 31st
as a soft rain falls.
As I get up
I ask myself
if this is
an ending or beginning.
I’ve been back in town
full-time for five years
but embrace memories
of highways travelled
throughout the Midwest
when I worked
for road construction crews.
Now I’m left with my poems.
Bare limbs in the yard next door
wave and dance in the wind
beneath the cover of grey skies.
The cat brushes against me and mews
and I know it wants to be fed.
I take it downstairs
and fill a dish on the floor.
It eats in the kitchen while I call
my older cousin and we peer
into our younger lives.
When asked I said
if given the chance
I say
I’d live my life again.
Outside the window
rain has turned to snow
and the dormant yard
bears the change of weather.
Poets, Humilty And Power
H....Honoring all poets
U....Upbuilding everyone
M...Mirific..one who works
wonders
I.....Impartiality to all whether
great or small.
L....Loving., wanting nothing in
return, not ever
I.....Inspiring each another
T...Twinkling heart with
thankfulness for all your
Poet Family
Y....You, the poet, who can
greatly effect humanity.
December 31, 2019
Below zero temp'rature recording
puzzles my special child's understanding
midst his engrossment for ice
and thermometer device
checking freezer* with its coolness' reading.
December 31, 2020
*We live in a "winterless" place; thus, my child's exposure to ice is the freezer.
4th place, "Winter Snow or Ice Limerick Contest"
Sponsored by Tania Kitchin; judged on 1/8/2021.
Hope springs eternal, they say
Robin red-breast seen with the blue jay
Flowers poke their way up through hard ground
Buds on tree open, prisoners unbound
The sky is a pale azure-blue
Her breezes so warm and inviting
Spring's yearly hope's again sprung
The very air whispers promises exciting...
Then what to make of renewed hope in mid-Winter
Rivers and streams no longer flowing
Icicles hang from stark tree limbs midst snowing
Few hints of life outdoors stirring or growing
Yet it's in with the New Year, decked out in gay flirtation
Spirits soaring higher, with each clink of inebriation
Optimism peeking into every nook and cranny of our nation
There's a feeling of can't-miss anticipation --
This year will usher in an era of Lasting Peace and Jubilation!
December 31, 2018