Best Edge Poems
In moments of twilight civility
an exchange of gifts -
darkness for light..
RISING
from beyond the softening silhouette edge
you brighten like a blushing damsel
hazy haloed
unabashed in the pleasure of ripening
daydreamer
...a vivid blur of lemon drop...
veiled by a wispy fanfare of mares’ tails
windswept forth in pinkened pageantry
heralding the maturing marmalade horizon -
arousing a drowsing periwinkle sky
your prosperous glow casts a molten net of gold
slanting low across the ebb and flow
igniting the imagination
- agleam with peachy dreams -
of just-waking waters
while catching fire-tipped riffles;
rubies gathered ride the tide to the coastline
glamorizing the washed still-sleepy seaward sand
saturated in the rose-colored nectar
of your generous nature ~
Susan Ashley
October 13, 2018
*Mare’s tail: a long narrow cirrus cloud whose flowing appearance somewhat resembles a horse’s tail, often indicating high winds in the upper troposphere.*
A reflection of the coloured pencil drawn sky
skates on the glass smooth surface below it.
While a rebellious group of shades take their positions
on a glorious stage to express themselves artistically and
I...
i think of you
Wisps of clouds shaped like a palm leaf
fan the winds that stoke the fire
of a randomly sketched sunset.
I...
i think of you
The cool of an ocean breeze
travels the shadows of this low lit evening.
Caresses my skin like the essence of romance.
Enthralled by the allure of a candle lit sky,
I...
i think of you...
Our French Bakery early mornings.
Café au lait and croissants.
Our freesia soaked baths.
Your mink soft body.
Its milk and honey scent.
As I fall off
the edge of the world,
I...
i think of you.
March 19 2015
Armand
Those who do not know the trials of love,
do not ask the state of my heart
I've been left standing in the rain,
feeling like meaningless words,
searching for silent serenity,
away from turbulent thunder.
Safe in a sanctuary of solitude,
where the laments of lightning,
no longer harm my soft sanity.
Will speech be my foe, forever?
On the edge of silence,
losing all desire to speak,
write or breath with time.
I read the promises of poets,
yet felt no intense impulsivity
in their ink, which made me think.
Is poetry a fictitious fellowship?
Words can be like crushed promises,
like fragile leaves of vulnerability,
waiting under twilight trees for death.
Sometimes loneliness is barbaric,
but when there's wilderness, there's magic.
As I stumbled upon her misguided quill,
the crimson shade of my soul,
felt warmer than cinnamon tea.
Her poetic wings had succumbed to slumber,
within a fragile cocoon crumbling with cracks.
First glimpse of her eremitic eyes,
I saw billions of solitary stars,
illuminating like golden tears,
so I kissed them without touching -
healing her, soothed my tired tongue.
She was the butterfly,
and I, her rose of desire.
In the absence of iced emotions,
like a thief in the night,
she stole my once forsaken heart.
Forgotten lost words returned,
as I lost control of flowing verses.
She had never read my poetry,
but was the one hidden behind verses.
Her voice sang a secret symphony,
who's melody makes my muse dance.
Was I even a wordsmith,
before you diversified my pen.
I know you are like the wind,
regardless how hard you blow -
I will forever calm each zephyr.
Silent One
16 October 2021
Come join me at the water's edge
Where orange lilies grow
And tiny blossoms grace the sedge
Brown and pistachio
Wet mossy rocks, dark emerald green
Make music with its flow
Soft sparkling ripples, bright citrine,
Reflect the autumn's glow
To nature's song, we'll watch the trees
Perform the season's show
They'll chatter softly with the breeze
Who hints of coming snow
Then shivering leaves begin to fall
And form a leafy throw,
Which leaves behind until spring's call
Evergreens and mistletoe
By Daniel Turner
~
Dressed in a shade that the sun couldn’t find,
all on a cool summer’s eve
Seeking a scarf only meant to unwind,
wrapped in an untangled weave
Picking a fabric, the color of love,
stitched with a thread of desire
Taking your hand neath the heavens above,
warm in our flannel attire,
more than enough to inspire
~
Following pathways, the shape of your smile,
skipping like stones on a lake
Counting the ripples in circular style,
drenching the shore in their wake
Picking up pinecones now scattered the floor,
left of an overgrown scene
Acorns and clover and toadstools galore,
woven in soft evergreen,
what could this possibly mean
~
Heartbeat directions now lost to the breeze,
footsteps will know what we planned
Calming, the moments we talk to the trees,
sycamores do understand
Midnight adventures by firefly light,
glistening, leading the way
Wee hour wandering as they take flight,
below a lanterned array,
stars in a shimmered display
~
Find what you will in these words that I share,
tuck them away safe and sound
Breathe in the thoughts as you exhale the air,
now that there’s no one around
Kiss me tonight where the moon shadows dance,
soft on the eve of the morn
Holding me close at the edge of romance,
watching the sunrise adorn,
happy this new day is born
~
I emerged / born with a silver pen in hand
…and a tempest raging within.
Words writhe, a serpent's coil
…tightening their grip
A soul adrift in a sea of
…self-made iniquity.
I buried my daddy
…in the black shoe
…by the Yew tree
Yes, I, the beekeeper’s daughter
…bearing the weight of hexagonal cells
A hive of memories
…buzzing with secrets.
The bell jar shattered
….a fractured hive.
Its glass walls no longer a prison
…but a shattered cocoon
……a metamorphous!
Pain and disdain drip like honey
…a bittersweet nectar of survival.
He, a poet
…crowned in the harsh light of fame
Bound in chains of duty and shame
His words
…a romance of lure and alarm.
Echoing the sirens' song
…enticing and harmful.
Yet, his tongue
…a viper’s forked lie.
Whispers truths and half-truths
…conjuring illusions to die.
Wandering the maze of being
A little fugue of
…fractured fairytales.
Each note a fleeting glimpse of clarity
Lost in the discordant
…cacophony of life's emptiness.
Like my "Little Fugue" a dance of shadows
A journey through the corridors of the mind
Seeking answers in the interplay of light and dark
Striving for harmony amidst the chaos
Parchment of blood and ink I leave
A riddle of life and death's plea
Maniacal madness with visions slight
A macabre dance upon the night.
Ariel, brings lightning and fire!
With heavy heart
…I sealed my children's room.
Softly kissed them farewell
……Extinguishing the final flame within.
Enveloped in oblivion's velvet veil
………Yielding to the oven’s cold caress.
…………No, more morning songs...
Inscribed a cryptic goodbye
Breathed in the silent slayer.
For, I Lady Lazarus
…Dying is an art
……Faded into the ether…
Her blacks crackle and drag, a fire of new birth
Flames licking at the borders of life
Consumed by oblivion's greedy blaze
Lost in the vast cosmic ray.
The embers die
…a fleeting spark gone
No masterpiece
…….just dust reclaimed
A silent echo in the void unstained.
A mystery lost
………never quite explained.
Yet, God's Lioness
...Fierce and Untamed
Roaring her defiance
…Covered in darkness…
----
Underneath the star-strewn skies
A fleeting passing note.
Lost in the vast expanse
Living on the edge
For, I am but a speck of dust.
When life becomes confusing,
my only saviour is my
simple musing.
Twilight shimmers in orange,
red clouds float above,
preparing for blood rain.
Lost to ponder,
I contemplate and wonder
why the symphonic sky
showcases shadows of ghosts
as a
susurration of sighs,
reflect sands of time,
like an unbalanced hourglass.
As words lose
innocent connotations
I find no use for speech.
I drift into my
silent reverie -
but release through poetry.
Wild fires no longer rage,
rain perishes like a drought,
but the smell of ash remains
who knows what winds may come and go
and what they will bring and take.
Motionless mind agrees to a ceasefire,
with my apprehensive heart.
Cumulonimbus clouds clear,
sky is like a fresh sapphire page.
Simple sun shines - scintillating,
illuminating an enchanting rainbow.
Horizons reflect like stained glass windows.
Path clears before me,
as I bask in the brisk breeze.
Refreshing wise winds soothe,
as zephyrs heal tender wounds.
I see smoky mountains up ahead,
but I believe I can conquer them
as pain is no longer my companion.
Intensive spring, her season of flower,
Full vigorous essence, beauty's wonder,
Horizon of womanhood - her power
Intimidated me, mind asunder.
Her lips so soft but pressing pleasant there,
No way could I repay her art's measure,
Such opened passion - more than I could bear,
No full reply had I to this treasure.
She sensed my frailty in the interplay,
All then was lost, the moment cast aside,
Time could not hold the pace, she fell away,
So go then, little boy, you run and hide.
Now decades later, I can only sigh,
Best day of my life, ready not was I.
December 9, 2016
For Sara Kendrick's contest - 'Three Choices Plus Two Which Equals Five Or I Haven't Got a Clue' (Pandora's Box version).
I'd bloomed from the warm glow in his eyes.
He had been my sunlight when darkness loomed.
His arms protected me, for he was my safe haven,
but too soon, the light faded from his hazel eyes,
and his voice, a gasp when drawing a breath.
His life was pilfered by Death, the morbid thief.
Stolen from us were Utopian days of splendor.
The painful loss is a burden I must endure,
uncertain of how I will face tomorrow alone.
I wept in silence until the bronzed edge of twilight
chased prisms of light from pastel skies.
A shroud of gloom veiled the wound in my heart
as I felt the gatekeeper gently touch my arm.
Layers of cold black earth now separated us.
I still held the red rose I'd brought for his coffin.
Streaks of tears washed blush from my cheeks,
while I shivered in fear without his hand to hold.
I was years older since morning had dawned,
wilting like the spray of lilies, heads drooping.
They were withered and dying, their beauty lost.
Once vibrant and sweet, their fragrance fading,
they lie on a grave for which they were grown.
On alabaster marble, my finger traced his name,
wishing love's affliction could somehow be rescinded.
I was at the impasse where life and death collide.
I stood, but left my crushed red rose on the chair,
for unable was I to whisper 'goodbye.'
February 5, 2021
Break My Heart, Why Don't Cha Contest
Sponsored by Edward Ibeh
At the edge of wonder where the tall grass lie
drifts scents of ambrosia caressing my eye
lands full of promise our futures now stay
bestowed to us under a spring hued violet day
Undressed in flowing waters clear as a crystal ball
revealing almost everything but really nothing at all
two young souls grasping at strawberry skies
savoring the sugar rush as time floats on by
Exotic breezes blow lost in a fervent embrace
entwined hands and heartbeats held in place
capturing memories filled with endless possibility
creating fresh footprints heading toward civility
lay down your mind
a moment for me
let's journey together
and we will see
the rise and fall
of many a cause
for reasons perplex
bring us to pause
do we learn from before?
and champion restraint?
to leave our children
with more than complaint?
science has said
there's ten years or less
reduce our footprint
or face final mess
now lift ye from sleep
and join the long line
for we can push change
I know there's still time
rally your neighbors
and vote with your feet
over the rainbow.......
there
we
will
meet!
perched on a prominent edge of me
I ache looking through my dream debris
compelled I sight a prospective ledge
where bits of my gray are shown in sketch
sadly no colors of me do I detect
I am at the edge of nowhere.
Salty tears slowly
Dribble down my hollow cheeks.
Darkness is all around.
Where is the silver lining
That decorates black clouds?
Why is my spirit trapped
In a vacuum of prolonged time?
Why do I cry alone
Though all around me
I hear the cries of perished souls?
I am at the edge of nowhere
Unsure of what is or is not.
Destruction reigns supreme
Thousands of voices mute
And silence is deadly.
Insane, atrocious, vile and treacherous.
All around is smoke and darkness
Thick fog swirling all around.
I am at the edge of nowhere
My head is befuddled
Smoke smudges my sight
And echoing in my ears
Sleep will come no more:
Scattered by screams,
Violent and weird,
Echoing as I lie in darkness
Trying to achieve some sanity
Knowing none will be reaped.
10 January 2021
Sitting reminiscing
About the subtle signs
Along one’s journey
The roads not traveled
The messages so hard to read
Reminders meant for the soul
Heart longings heard
And those that aren’t
Life passing by
Not taking time to play
Invitations postponed
Believing there’d always be another day
Friends taken for granted
So few opportunities fully grasped
Yet life there for the taking
The seeds of joy neglected
Quiet whispers of could have been
Once the sun goes down
Leaving all our regrets
On the water’s edge
Published in my photo/poetry book ~BY WATER'S EDGE~ 2019
AP: 2nd place 2023
White wakes trail festive party boats
Beach dweller eyes with envy
Lonely cactus on desert sand
Not even parasites invade
Needles repel everything, everyone
Never to exchange vows
Give birth, spoil grandchildren
Tossing in her king-size bed for endless nights
No king
Eternity in a cocoon
Years pass, hopes dim
Friends complain
Messy husbands, custody battles
No custodians seek empty hearts
She beckons the sun to set
Prays to reach heaven’s gate
‘Fore it rises again
Enduring dread
Puffs of smoke from burnt-out life
Circle in her dimly-lit room, then dissipate
No last will or legacy bestowed
Memories of her life
Rest only in souls who have passed