Best Eddies Poems
Like no one before, nor since
you painted that starry night in oils
superimposing your life story.
I feel I know this idyllic village
blanketed by tranquil rolling hills
embraced by calming olive trees
their very branches a symbol of peace
the steadfast church steeple
a sacred echo of the stalwart cypress.
But never have I witnessed
hills so inflamed - burning to tell the world their history
a moon so agitated - suffering from an incurable insanity
the night sky so frenzied - seeking answers to life's suffering
such undulating indigo eddies of despondency and confusion
or stars radiating with such feverish beauty - concentric circles of passion.
That starry night
you painted stars that, like you, are light years away from anyone else
looking on the serene village scene from an insurmountable distance
for you saw things, Vincent,
like no one before, nor since.
[free verse ekphrasis of the painting "The Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh]
Written 5 Jul 2020
Categories:
eddies, art, depression, night, passion,
Form:
Ekphrasis
by rivers memory bank - flowing current eddies of you
Categories:
eddies, memory, river,
Form:
Monoku
When sleep deserted me
I crawled out of my bed unseen
To delve into the crevices of the dark
With the curiosity of an explorer
And the near comatose of a somnambulist
I walked up and down the steep slopes of the night
Like a night watchman
Without a lantern in hand.
When my legs grew weary
I sat on a rock
Covered with moss and lichen
Staring into the dark night sky
With no constellation of fireflies
Flashing their torches anywhere
Sitting there, in that bewitching night,
I listened to the song of night birds,
The rustle of leaves,
The howl of wolves,
And the night wind’s rave.
Looking into the dark pockets of the night,
I thought of human mind, a deep gorge
With many an uninhabitable corner
Where serpent desires lie coiled,
Scorpions crawl with toxic pincers
And predators roam to prey upon helpless victims.
The mystery of the night absorbed me,
Her muffled sounds, her dark beauty
And her elusive charm, like thick night fog,
Percolated deep into my consciousness,
And I floundered in a fathomless sea,
Swirling in her eddies and currents.
It whisked me away to lands far…far!
But on being washed ashore,
I was in a creative delirium.
I am now in No Man’s Land,
Where everything is in a coma of stillness,
Where no light glimmers,
No door ajar
And no one in sight!
Here the poet in me breaks open,
The somnambulistic comatose,
And down way flow my thoughts in indelible ink
Which only I can read.
Like a night bird,
Roosting among the branches of a tree,
I sing of my heart aches,
Of my yearnings and longings.
In the barely audible whispers of the night,
My song reverberates in the eyeless abyss down,
And in the dark desolate valleys below.
People say, ghosts walk the earth at night.
Oh! I am not scared!
I am not eager for the dawn to break,
Nor want to put my pen down!
Categories:
eddies, fantasy, night, poetess,
Form:
Free verse
One of my favorite poets here is Craig Cornish. He made me fall in love with the sonnet. :) He coached me in getting the meter right. It has become my favorite form to write in. This is a poem Craig wrote for me. I'm so honored! :)
Menina que Passa for Eileen
She saunters along the boardwalk
more confident than in her youth,
when young men would swoon
and older men were wishing to be
young again.
She meanders next to the surf laughing
at the sea's efforts to catch her toes
in a rush of briny bubbles tickling
the grains of sand hurry away.
She strolls and as the sea
eddies and pools in her footsteps
like the memories that wash her mind
tosses her hair face to the sun and
embraces the day
She wanders near the smooth stones
polished by the relentless tides
like days and years they come and are gone
come and are gone
but with each a blessing
she ambles among those blessings
with a flair and an aire
she has that "Something"
that "Je ne se qua" and she is beautiful
Craig Cornish
To me, a gift of words is one of the most treasured gifts I could ever receive. Thanks, Craig, for making me feel beautiful today. :) Hugs
Categories:
eddies, friend,
Form:
Free verse
A woodland path in the dappled sun, hushed and quiet!
My soul is gratified as I meander midst its colorful riot!
Another glorious autumn has burst forth in all its splendor!
The Creator displays a vista no mere artist would dare render!
Gentle zephyrs stir eddies of colorful leaves along the way.
A myriad of wild flowers greet me with their brilliant display.
Trees that a short while ago offered welcome summer shade,
Now lift barren arms as if in prayer sans their leaves of jade.
Not a cloud mars the pristine blue of the Colorado sky.
A skein of geese wing southward sounding their plaintive cry.
Stately Colorado spruce 'neath which deer now gambol and browse,
Will soon have garlands of snow adorning their spreading boughs.
The shrill blare of an elk startles me from my reverie,
As he calls for a mate with his ever sovereign plea.
I pause on a nearby knoll to view yon shimmering lake,
Teeming with graceful ducks, guarded by a magnificent drake!
Foolish poets and artists have strived to portray each season.
They have tried and failed because of a very real reason.
Only He Who is the Master Artist and ruler over all,
Will ordain the beauty of the seasons, especially the exquisite fall!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
© All Rights Reserved
Categories:
eddies, autumn, me, nature,
Form:
Rhyme
Dear Heart,
You are the great fulcrum of the human machine
So integral to keep us alive and leave us healthy
I know you work incessantly day and night
Neither taking rest nor seeking respite
By defiance, on any day, if you go on strike
Alas! All our body functions will come to a halt
Though a sinewy piece not bigger than a man’s closed fist
You are the seat of umpteen thoughts and emotions
A wondrous magic casket holding love and hate
A pouch that can contain so much of treasure
A sponge that can absorb any amount of pain
A hidden cave to stash away so many secrets
So deep and vast as a fathomless sea
You are so full of spiraling eddies and currents
Who can fathom your horrendous depths?
Who can explore your hidden recesses and crevices?
At times you stay still like a placid lake
Silent and unperturbed without even a ripple
At times boil and spill with emotions and feelings
Pounding like lashing waves of a stupendous sea
Sometimes like a swift bird in flight
You take off on wings to alarming heights
Or like a gambler’s horse on the race track
You keep galloping in lightning speed
Sometimes you are hard and resistant as a rock
But don’t be insensitive and unfeeling as a clump of wood
That’s my only prayer to you, my bosom friend
Store as much love as you can and lavish it as a millionaire
Do you know how much I love and value you
I feel there is nothing greater vouchsafed to man
Than the gift of an ever loving palpable heart
I relish you and wish to hug and caress you dear!
Much Love,
Jan.30.2023
~ Placed Nineth~
Dear Heart Poetry Contest
Sponsor- Mystic Rose Rose
Categories:
eddies, appreciation, health, heart,
Form:
Free verse
taciturn springs rising
from within the quarry
of deep earth's wisdom
urging lyrical waters to transpose
while held like singing seas of living reveries
of history and infinity
misting to meld with rainfall dreams
Falling like ancient messages
into the orchard of molecular landscapes
drawn to penetrate its legacy
embedded in the rockeries and rills
blanketing the groves of dirt and ferns
teeming in the arcadian oasis
feeding feast or famine
flourishing the solicitude of springtime
in spider spun dreams
of longings in ancient oaks
merging with the ebb of shedding sycamores
in salted seas teeming and exalting
the rhetoric of existence
in musing opaque vapors
mingling into pervasive clouds
bleeding life
cached in the creche
of pastoral beginnings
of everlasting eddies
watering the garden of dreams
April 22, 2020
Rewritten: October 3, 2020
Your Best Free Verse 2020
Sponsored by John Hamilton
Categories:
eddies, creation, dream, fate, garden,
Form:
Free verse
Old Poet, His Art And Why He Composes Til Death Sings
With pen and paper he writes as rushes a rising tide
his true heart wide open and sworn to nothing ever hide
always loyal to those humble, hard working, verses true
full of poetic history, even a tale or two
watching dawn's resplendent birth and knowing Time onward flows
ever mindful that Kindness and Love are flowers that grow.
Words come forth as a massive and loud growling ocean tide
his journey a dancing wave, prays for everlasting ride
as hard earth below and brilliant blue sky both sing in tune
he feels that beat that cries out for, coming of shining moon
honest in an Art he swore to be his love and his maid
letting time and honor tell if he ever makes the grade.
Staying real except composing from his romantic dreams
swimming in deepest eddies often were great white sharks teem
his solemn vow, his sweetest goal- this truth he thus relays
we shadow beasts by divinity granted sunny days
upon midnight hour and in its darkest of dreaded dread
he allows ancient muse to filter sweet verse through his head.
With pen and paper he writes as rushes a rising tide
his true heart wide open and sworn to nothing ever hide
always loyal to those humble, hard working, verses true
full of poetic history, even a tale or two
watching dawn's resplendent birth and knowing Time onward flows
ever mindful that Kindness and Love are flowers that grow.
Robert J. Lindley, 9-11-2019
Rhyme, ( Quid ventis et frigus cantus mollis luna curat angustia animam meam. )
Categories:
eddies, appreciation, art, blessing, character,
Form:
Rhyme
the ink in my pen
flows into a wild river—
abiding eddies
6-16-20
Best Haiku Ever Old or New Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Chantelle Anne Cooke
~Premiere Contest Winner: 8th Place
Categories:
eddies, passion, poetry, seasons,
Form:
Haiku
Deeper still the Woodland calls me
Further yet, she lures, enthralls me
Hapless I, with charms she hauls me
To her unknown hinterlands.
Up, I see the forest giants
Standing tall in self-reliance
Ancient, gnarled, in defiance
Weathering the winter's hands.
Down, I see leaves, fallen, floating
To which place, they are unknowing
In the streamlet's eddies flowing
Dancing to an ageless tune.
Further on, I gaze in wonder
As a river falls in thunder
Misting torrents cascade under
Slanting rays of afternoon.
Scattered rocks are graced with flowers
Breathing in perennial showers
On the brink of Nature's towers
Far above the bustling towns.
Never could an earthly City
Paint a picture half so pretty
Not could sing such lovely ditty
As the Woodland's captive sounds.
In my ear they whisper softly
Whistling bird and peaks so lofty
"Whither went, and for what sought ye
When ye left this tangled space?
For ye find here scenes of splendour
Vistas grande in awesome grandeur
Rugged views they be, or tender
Never could ye leave this place"
For to me she is appealing
I and she, both glances stealing
Lost in unknown depths of feeling
As I see her changing face.
Far from wild clamour ringing
I can hear the crickets singing
See the points of starlight gleaming.
Never would I leave this place.
Categories:
eddies, bird, imagery, mountains, nature,
Form:
Personification
Traveling twisting mind streams.
Grounded to earth that conforms to flow freely,
Gently follows carved curved paths,
Nothing can block its destinations track,
Tandem in movement supportive round ripples,
Rocks on which it rests and slides in tides,
Glides, eddies, and tumbles,
Calm in cool pools.
No strains against nor entrenched,
Conforms yet grows in light wide water windows,
Changes through time as it bends, it tends,
Cleans spiritual souls that mystic sparkling sight lends,
Turbulent, transforms with mounting energies,
Eternal shifts from small cliffs and life reflections,
Boundless directions share theirs,
Open to the currents creativity,
Positive energy flows and travels there,
Becoming aware, joined with passionate raptures.
~ William Wooding ~
Categories:
eddies, fantasy, inspirational, nature, travel
Form:
Alliteration
She sat in the moonlight, her back to the bay,
Absorbed in thoughts of her own destruction.
A fortnight ago she had come to the rock;
At the break in the surf where the eddies pooled -
A night set afire by a bright blue moon.
As the surge crashed the rocks, the mist wet her face;
The dampness of the sea, like a petrichor.
Something other than the real presence of life;
A spirit or embodiment she could feel.
As she leaned into the soft spray of the sea,
She made out his form moving slowly towards her -
Not making a sound, like a leaf in the wind.
Sensing love beyond mortal comprehension,
She was drawn, into his embrace of passion.
Her mind whirled in the rapture of the moment,
As she was drawn ever further to his arms.
Voices like angels echoed on the seashore;
As the Heaven's grew brighter, she kissed his lips
Swaying in the endearment of her pleasure,
Giving a way to an enchantment unheard.
The surf splashed on the soft, wet sands, sending waves,
Over the water's bottom in rounded shapes.
What was unsaid more than spoke volumes that eve,
Eyes though unseen, peered deeply into her heart.
This strange man from perhaps yet another world,
Giving vent to a love, she cannot fathom.
An apparition lovely, yet sinister;
A figment in the night without any form.
Why was it she who stumbled, and found new love;
Was this a ghost of her imagination?
Yet somehow she feels his soft, warm embraces;
Somehow she could sense an omnipotent love.
He is her confidente, soulmate, new age friend;
She could never escape from these bonds so strong.
The sea stings her face, salt sends tears to her eyes.
She faces the moon, sees the smile on his face.
She knows now her destiny - what she must do;
Holding his hand they'll walk as one to the sea.
Categories:
eddies, conflict, deep, destiny, love,
Form:
Iambic Pentameter
- The Goodbye Goose-
Winter polishes at four o'clock, shining all the rocks aglaze.
Reflection, stretching shadows.
Longer thinner men - longer thinner still.
Shadowy tall , feeling small.
Sunmangled window in a diamond quadrant.
Keyhole orifice and creeping becomes nostalgia.
Why dont you just shut up and call?
Home going geese-slipstream in a vee.
High honking traffic, trailing vapour leaves you exposing me.
Cascading spirits slipping down the walls, swirling eddies
and smoky waterfalls, draping over furniture like slimy octopi...
Drunken weekend metaphors , Monday morning remorse.
Up and down the ladders of my memory, tinkly piano playing on my spiny vertebrae.
Permeating lies of my story told not of voice or tongue or lips-no.
But of crafty bits that left unsaid, untold encyclopaedia of me.
T'would be so simple to top you up, yet dark forces warn me ,
to pimp me out to you is to forfeit martyrdom and victory crown,
deprives the joy of shooting you down, shifting the blame.
Denies the stature as abuser , distracts my winner into loser.
Never be a frontal goose .
Categories:
eddies, abuse, introspection,
Form:
Free verse
a poetic heart ~
isolated and unique
as a Baikal Dzen
2 January 2021
________________________________________________________
BAIKAL DZEN/ZEN
The rings are caused by warm, circular currents of water under the ice, called eddies. The eddies' strong currents melt the ice at the edge, but weaker ones keep the centre frozen.
Lake Baikal in Serbia, Russia, is the deepest freshwater lake on earth. Another phenomenon is the quantity of methane gas emissions -- the bubbles make for some stunning photo shoots.
Categories:
eddies, analogy, heart, nature, poets,
Form:
Haiku
The Full Moon
The wide ocean moved, like a living creature all by itself, yet full of even more living creatures. The schools of fish... swimming with the dolphins, being chased by sharks, and so on were all, part of the deep water landscape. Whales, swordfish, starfish, and just fish swam the currents, the eddies, and the flows.
The waves that divided the realm of sea and air were sometimes quiet, other times not. The difference, the reasons; the seasons and venues, weather and whim... the sudden impulse of nature, or by the direction of the maker.
Above the waters, high in the air... The moon peered down, watching. The man there wondered how the small unimportant ones living below, were doing against the larger scale of world events. Just a "made-up story", The Man on the Moon... in a child's book, but every story also having roots, in reality, left the essence of the word "wonder" hanging.
The stars all around looked down too. They peered on in silence, or at least to music no one else could hear. It was the sound of the solar wind, the cracking of great rocks under pressure, and the spectacular rain of space dust... glittering against the backdrop of the sphere below, called Earth. A small unimportant place in the scope of the universe perhaps, but the jewel of God's eye.
Categories:
eddies, bible, courage, creation, death,
Form:
Free verse