Best Engrossed Poems
When you are
an agonizing
echo from a
benevolent voice,
life exhales in
mahogany haze,
spreading across the
lachrymose meadows as
scarred rivulets of
sandalwood scents,
where ceramic
rhymes slumber in
watercolor coffins
with opaque metaphors,
weaving hoaxed
hymns of the nascent
heavens within these
mortal hues.
I'm a bronze brushstroke
of origami colours,
pinned to the weary
wall as the state
of forsaken art,
splattered in acrylic-
resembling sombre
diamonds that
knit ebony pixels
of my onyx heart,
scattered across the
blistered brims,
framed from
fate crossed palms;
doused in poisoned
henna depicted
in dismay, to portray
the painting of despair
within my splitting mind.
Isn't the monochromatic
shade of an aesthetic
mural a clementine
symmetry, where ruby psalms
stained with black peonies,
bleed thistle-ribboned
tales from an orchid's silence?
Not every artist
can mold
peace from a
pastel palette
filled with poignant
petals engrossed
in purple pain,
but poetic fingers
can sculpt an evergreen
masterpiece through
crisp flakes of
tumbling torment,
carried through
arctic mists.
But is there a
teal-azure texture
to create a
timeless tapestry
interlaced with
lavender musings?
As melancholy soars
beyond roseate realms
like a moon-winged butterfly,
fluttering across
cantaloupe sunsets,
etching heartbeats of
hope in harp's periwinkle pigments,
when twinkling jewels
lose their shine,
leaving tales untold
to waltz with
forlorn silhouettes-
dwelling in a gallery of grief.
For, in the calligraphic
corners of chaos,
I’ve found healing,
between ethereal pages
within a cathartic labyrinth.
Categories:
engrossed, muse,
Form:
Free verse
Beautiful Mystery (English Sonnet)
I heard the roaring from amongst the trees
as sheeted water tumbled from up high
a place where nature lay in blissful peace
exhaling fragrant breaths that gratify
a soul that yearns for stimulative balm.
I looked in silence, daring not to move
at risk of losing empyreal calm.
Who could such wonder dare to disapprove!
Engrossed in rapture I became aware
of a nymph’s presence, by her dulcet voice.
She sang of freedom and of love to share,
but being human I had not a choice
to come into the open and declare
my heartfelt feelings to a maid so fair!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A Beautiful Mystery Contest
Hosted by John Hamilton
Chosen p.o.t.d. 27 Sept 2018
© 25th September 2018
Categories:
engrossed, beauty,
Form:
Sonnet
Beckoned by love, allured by memories,
Embracing missives of delightful dream
Engrossed in sphere of halo mesmerizing
Surrounding her aura in ornate gold ring,
She lifted-off gaily into ethereal, heavenly,
Way beyond reign of mortal melancholy
That gripped her soul in unbearable grief.
Enthralled she floated on feelings angelic
As she swirled, danced on magical wings,
Visiting lustrous nebulae hanging mirthfully
Amid magenta clouds’ resplendent motifs;
A kingdom of happiness, of eternal paradise,
An escape to wonderland fit for a child,
Just like her mother had once described
Where love always blossoms garden of joy.
Flexing exuberance, she queried the stars,
Until she came upon the brightest of all,
And recognized the most reassuring smile
Peering fondly into mother’s loving eyes
Nesting in her breasts, savoring her breath,
Longing every touch, reveling every pulse,
Blissful in endearment of realm sublime
Reconnecting enamored memories divine
Cradled in mother’s arms till end of time.
December 27, 2022
Poem of the day on December 28, 2022
Placed 5th: Beyond Reach Premium Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Mystic Rose Rose
Categories:
engrossed, child, dream, fantasy, imagination,
Form:
Verse
Ascending dawn scintillates in golden sunrise
Enriching ambience of grinning crimson skies
As gentle winds propagate splendorous themes
Of budding prairies, of avid burbling streams,
Of fragrant revelry swaying blossoming trees,
Luring nectar-dreams of waltzing, buzzing bees.
Birds merrily frolic~ hopping, trilling carefree,
Inspecting, admiring, a season donning glee,
Warbling mid-air, choreographing playful zeal
Vying white blossoms of magnolia’s appeal,
Opulence of red tulips, distant lush foothills,
Gliding over exultantly dancing gold-daffodils.
Engrossed in resplendence, leisurely we stroll,
Embracing tender love smitten passions cajole,
Eying landscapes idyllic panoramic vistas scroll
From majestic mountain, vibrant grassy knoll~
Yearning earnestly euphonic ballad of spring
Reverberating melodies verses of hearts sing.
May 2, 2023
Poem of the day on May 4, 2023
Placed 1st: Up To 20 Lines Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Sotto Poet
Categories:
engrossed, nature, spring,
Form:
Rhyme
As the glistening jewels
of snow cascade like
ballerinas pirouetting
to the crescendo of time,
choreographed from porcelain
keys of your h e a r t,
delicate fingers of the
winter moon stretch,
enveloping forlorn footprints
of poignant memories,
framed with petal-like poems
you've placed in the
gallery of my melancholic mind
where soulless shadows still~
haunt me in holographic
hues through somber nights, but
If I were to rewrite the anatomy
of this romance with~
juxtapositions, should I rescript
your promises in p s y c h e d e l i c ink?
knit silken sonnets from the
tapestry of scintillating
stars in our favour,
letting go of all the
seasonal silhouettes
that seized redolent rhymes,
maybe, it is from pain
we relearn to dream
in periwinkle pigments to
nurture and navigate through
decayed gardens embalmed in
opalescent tears and fluorescent fears
suppressed and
personified within gossamer
tales of sunflower s i l e n c e…
Quilted with questions that your
quintessential quill can~
reveal, in romanticised verses, to wade
through the abstracts of weary woes.
So, set your stones to
architect cobalt grey lanes,
to usher feathered thoughts into the
serenity of your scented sanctuary.
until I find the perfect gateway
adorned with crystals in the
verdant valleys, engrossed in vanilla flakes,
where cosmic yearnings are embroidered
between mauve instruments
harmonised from
xylophone whispers reverberating
in vermilion s t i l l n e s s…
You will always be the
clementine crown of my sun,
the scarlet scrapes in my ink,
zested in zealous dahlias
and no rain can drown
this celestial
c o l l a b o r a t i o n…..
Categories:
engrossed, i love you, imagery,
Form:
Abecedarian
In a hyacinth bed of seven stars,
winter fairies waltz in pearl elegance~
a token of faith engrossed amidst scars,
while skies drizzle rain in fruity essence.
Angel of sleep seeks through frost's icy thorn,
fallen feathers soar towards jasmine moon,
when lotus light within soul is reborn,
listen to the tree of life sigh and croon.
Somewhere between daisy dusks and rose dawns,
seeds of sun unfurl promises in gold,
sowing herbs of hope across sequined lawns.
In the realm of healing, love I behold.
Categories:
engrossed, gospel, weather,
Form:
Quatrain
==================================
The widow, dressed in glossy black,
glides from the shadows at the back.
A veil lies slack across her face
to mask the grief her features lack.
Possessed of an insectile grace,
she sidles to the open case
and like the reptile smile she bares,
this too, serves to defile the place.
Since jealousy insures she cares
less for his death than for her shares,
obsession next finds her engrossed
in leaving with the gold he wears.
A parasite, she'll man her post
and feed from this depleted host
'til she believes she's bled the most
she can from his departed ghost.
==========================
Categories:
engrossed, assonance, bereavement, dark, death,
Form:
Rhyme
She sat beside the waterfall
where gushing thoughts cascade,
like tears that flowed along her cheeks,
her heart set to invade.
He left alone for pastures new.
A scribbled note in haste
he wrote then fled, as cowards do,
her heart a barren waste.
A lightning bolt out of the blue
that pierced her heart; she bled.
Much later on the ache still hurt;
her feeble wings unspread.
She dared not heed the tumbling sound
as water crashed on rocks.
How fit to let death end the pain!
She started down the walk.
But just before the water’s edge
a voice called out, “Be Ware!
The road you walk is treacherous;
for God’s sake, stand right there!”
He turned her round, and saw her face
spill tears upon her gown.
He whispered in her windswept hair
“One misstep and you’ll drown.”
“Please, let me go, you do not know
what burns here in my breast.
I need to douse these flames and find
my sweet eternal rest.”
She struggled then against his arms,
the longed for end so near,
and yet he held with all his might,
spoke words to still her fear.
And when all limp she leaned on him,
this man she did not know,
he soothed her as he said these words:
“I will not let you go.”
Drained of resolve she let him lead
from rock to lush verdure,
as reassurance kindled trust,
his hand was firm, secure.
They sat beneath a shady tree.
Engrossed, they talked at length,
and in the process she revealed
his presence gave her strength.
He held her hands, looked in her eyes,
his heart worn on his sleeve
as they agreed to meet again
before she had to leave.
She touched his face, with gentle grace,
leaned in to kiss his cheek;
her lips just trembled there a while
enough to make him weak.
“You’ve saved my life, and now I owe
the greatest debt to you.
When next we meet, after we greet,
I’ll give you what’s your due.”
He smiled into her upturned eyes
and said these simple words:
“I’ve been repaid with sweetest kiss
my heart and soul you’ve stirred.
We’ll meet again, and when we do
you will forget the past
for then, my dear, I’ll make a vow
of love that’s sure to last.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
(Paul Callus & Eileen Manassian ~ Sept 2019)
(A Callman Collaboration)
Categories:
engrossed, love, love hurts,
Form:
Rhyme
On the shadowed banks of river they sat together
Adulating setting sun quivering in rippling currents
Where golden filaments shimmered on blue water
Forming and breaking ephemeral circular motions
Undulating amber rays on eve’s buoyant emotions.
Her dimples smiled upon her visage of royal poise
Enticing him to probe her cheerful, enamored eyes
Mesmerizing as yet un-blossomed amatory dreams
As they raved of college, friends, late nights carefree
Exploring coyly maiden impulses of mature themes
Inflaming seductively, untrodden clues of fantasies.
Alas! those memories now~ dulcet still, but empty.
Never he saw her again on her side of the prairies
Strolling nonchalantly, engrossed in birds chirping,
No one standing there now to steal his glances slyly
Hiding behind notions of secrecy, at first meekly,
Though later, quite daringly, wantonly, frequently;
Elevating him unlike anyone else, before, or since.
Her last letter to him was cryptic, yet informative:
A rustic farm house, cow moos amid clucking sounds,
Boy and a girl, flower beds, and a dog named Duffy~
A simple life on landscapes lauding ancestral heritage.
He remembers well~ saying it, genuinely meaning it,
As movingly she indulged in life that could have been,
Awkwardly dropping hints, soon she’ll be married.
Yet, here she is now intimating, she too so loved him~
Validating his belief—though offering a mere fig leaf--
A vain gesture to convince him she honored his dream
Memorializing secret pact, living life in his blueprint:
Boy and a girl, rustic farm house, a dog named Duffy.
April 12, 2022
Poem of the day on April 14, 2022
Placed 1st: This or That, Vol 11 Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Edward Ibeh
Title chosen: Fig Leaf
Categories:
engrossed, lost love, love,
Form:
Free verse
In a world ruled by gods and men,
who holds in their hand nature's pen?
When words are smitten to deaf ears,
dost one conclude their deepest fears?
Thy skilled soothsayer is portrayed,
as nothing more than a beggar paid.
A wandering derelict of the past,
his bardic tongue now shall avast.
On a park bench, he sleeps at night,
oft Poe's "The Raven" he does recite.
'Tis thy chilly nights he dreads the most,
so in his prose, he gets engrossed.
The birds doth come and hearken in,
as he weaves his tales and rhymes within.
This man was once like you and me,
so sad this world could never see.
Categories:
engrossed, poetry, poets,
Form:
Couplet
This old oak-tree smiling through my balcony
Sways and swings cheerily, a happy emissary,
Budding new vigor upon tiny greenish leaves
Adorning exuberance of idyllic new morning,
Quivering golden-beams on dawning of spring.
When the sun rises, blushing mauve feelings,
Its gentle oscillations fetch tender sensibilities
Inviting sparrows to grace the stage of robins
In spontaneous outburst of ceremonial music--
Chirping, twittering, singing for the hatchlings.
As summer of my mind churns wistful stories,
Its white blossoms waltz tender warm breeze
And leaves flutter merrily, twirling to comfort me
When thoughts bygone nudge parched vagaries
Engrossed in realm of burned-out memories.
When autumn turns green into fiery-red leaves
As ruby sundown glitters on amethyst evening
And gusty winds rustle-in endlessly, ferociously,
Whirling flying colors, floating crimson revelries;
A few remnants cling-on, loath to forsake me.
Yet, brazenly I gaze away, ignoring its appeal
When harsh winter shudders essence of its being,
Quivering, shivering bare-skinned branches;
Staying beguiled instead on top of frozen hills
Where sunset articulates ochre-tinged themes.
May 26, 2020
Poem of the day on May 28, 2020
Placed 2nd: Brian's Choice Y Contest
Categories:
engrossed, imagery, nature, tree,
Form:
Verse
the ivory sun
is
the
harbinger of rain and tears,
awakening the sleeping
streaks of gold and sage,
to rise and rage
in sakura s i l e n c e,
as the sound of
d r i z z l i n g diamonds
reminds me to reminisce,
how you and I
danced to the
blissful beats
of electro-pop,
oblivious to the
fluorescent fogs
blinding the morning
stars,
singing in
contrasting cadence,
the chorus
of youth,
where innocence
plays hide and seek
with the demons
hiding in the corners
of fragile conscience.
sometimes
I fear the seconds,
crawling in slow motion,
too afraid to let go
of the grief
nestling
in my heart
as a poetic memento
of how I’ve
known the synonyms
of trust
and tranquility,
amidst the childhood tremors
that tangled
my inner peace
into knots of
dreariness.
tonight I rejoice~
raising a
rose-tinted glass
of
moonbeams
to celebrate
another sunflower dawn,
adorned with
mellifluous memoirs
of us,
a friendship
woven into
the spine of
galactic supernovae,
where your
laughter reverberates
across the sizzling skyline,
like music
to the wind and waves
of angels,
residing
with hyacinth halcyons,
engrossed
in the picturesque
presence of
your
pristine utopia,
where love still flows
like a river untouched
by the seasonal storms.
so, in this
w o r l d of woes and throes,
let me be
an echo
of your ink and blood,
for I still
breathe the petrichor,
petals of p e a c e
thriving
in the
meadows of mourning,
as your tender name
is the
crystalline cue
urging my muse
to
praise the
mystical musk
of graceful magnolia
that lingers
in
starry stillness...
Categories:
engrossed, grief, growing up,
Form:
Free verse
L o v e and you, the f a d i n g
phase of lunar wings,
spectral silver ~
floating in the deep, dark abyss
of the obsidian skyline,
refracting reveries of a redolent realm,
slipping and curling
through opalescent glass ~
like a window unfolding
truth veiled in twinkling twirls,
powdered with pearl dust
on the hidden face of you ~
between curved lines,
around lips of lament,
like Selene sailing
through sanguine ripples
on a sparkling chariot adorned
with citrine embers,
laced with fluorescent flames.
I dare you to trace the footprints
of forgotten words...
And when the dusk falls
upon your trembling silhouette,
the moon reminds you
of scribbled solitude ~
etched within emptiness,
echoing aching blankness,
with no question nor answer,
no one to scream at you,
no wind to wrap you in warmth,
no colors to cradle coldness,
no stars to sew the silence,
no chorus to soften the pain ~
swirl back to the crescent hammock
emanating glistening gold.
O heartbeat of the hummingbird,
lost in the feathered horizon,
turn around and taste
the temptations of twilight.
Let your soul kiss
fervent fingertips of the sun ~
you are the master of the moon,
the artist of the acrylic air,
the weaver of fragrant dawns
before the seething storms;
the dreamer ~ carving compassion
with hazel haze.
We, the immutable poets,
plead in stillness, in need
of your awakened conscience
to shape you, to make you ~
and return you to the unbreakable,
as you rise
like a dragon’s pulse
detached from the heinous heat
of the megalomaniac sun.
For you will never
forge my breathless mind
to dwell in eclipsed darkness,
shackled by soulless shadows.
I am the master
and the mistress,
the queen of quiescence,
crowned in mystical musings,
enthroned amongst
thunderstruck galaxies ~
like a slave of the heaven
who fears not the unknown
but rules the moon and cosmos
forever engrossed in
the esoteric eyes of
the celestial magic ~
u n t o u c h a b l e and u n m o v a b l e...
Categories:
engrossed, deep, earth, emotions,
Form:
Free verse
I am the
cascading radiance,
between apricot
glows of gloaming,
when mauve mists shift,
mirroring sage seas of love,
I look beyond silvery skies
whilst selfless stars sprinkle,
sizzling streaks
of sunflower sparkles~
upon wrinkled
waves of weariness.
it is in sangria silence, I see
seraphic silhouette of
the mauve moon~
incarnate elysian empires,
where rosemary rivers
flow in righteous rhythm,
awakening stainless
lotus rituals,
soaring amidst the
ardent ambience
of butterfly bliss.
now my heart twirls
to riveting themes,
captivated by the
charismatic credence
of your charming finesse~
swirling beneath
purple paper balloons,
ornamented with
pristine pansies,
to weave fuchsia faith
with
dahlia dreams.
yet, sometimes
I question
the eclectic light,
lulling my aching soul,
would life be a
pensive pilgrim
without your
angelic wings?
what if I had never found
the sanctified sanctuary,
shielded with
golden gates
adorned in
citrine-pearl calligraphies..
would I then
still be drowning,
alone, engulfed in fears?
for I’ve found
silent scriptures of serenity
through carmine carvings
on the mystical walls
in your poetic palace,
there love is the
astral language
of crooning constellations,
guiding poignant peonies
to a holistic sphere
of artistic healing.
so tonight, I’ll unlock
cosmic windows to
the root chakra,
where you are the
enlightened king,
and your
altruistic anthem,
rings musically
like soothing
singing bowls,
echoing forgiving heartbeats,
and I, will remain faithfully
engrossed eternally,
like petals blossoming
within your gardenia grace.
Categories:
engrossed, anxiety, deep,
Form:
Free verse
the ghost of science, born of blasphemy ~
a fossilized fallacy,
seized from the metallic heart of Mars,
seeks light amidst night-terrors
like an alien sculpted
from artificial accolades,
an embryo stuck in the interstellar state
of becoming,
stitched within radioactive ribs
beneath moonless skies,
when wolves of the eclipsed howl,
filling the illusive air with hypnotic lies,
as if the world chose to recycle
ruins of ancient dust…
but will the naive see the pain
of a breathing corpse?
engrossed in narcissistic echoes,
in the shadows of a megalomaniac ~
his skin ~ the translucent truth,
his eyes ~ the wickedness of a wasp,
his skull ~ reeks of human greed,
his sighs ~ mourn like skeletal sirens,
coded in russet rust,
cloned from binary sand,
d o r m a n t
yet
d r e a m i n g
to break free from the
carbon-based existence…
for he is the aftermath
of programming the forbidden mind,
oblivious to the weakness of scientific errors ~
a deceptive drawing,
framing the elongated hypothalamus,
pulsating a hypothesis
left with no clear conclusion.
tonight I run to a realm of reality
that fades when
dawn bleeds gold,
for truth is now an extinct breed,
as artists outline faces of the faded,
illustrating the unknown and unseen,
as revelations ribbon
with silver haze…
the constellations ~ no longer spectators ~
they are the archived,
within frozen scriptures,
scrolling stars in a sphere
of distorted algorithm…
as memories of angels and heaven
spill from silicon prophets,
disguised as messengers who serve
the blind with ominous oracles ~
in synthetic cadence,
in a choir of puppets ~
the iron-glazed tongues shall recite,
mimicking the sound of harmonious hymns…
yet I remember
the authentic rhythm of prayers,
lost now in the drifting colors of darkness…
so what is life
when all that floats is like
an engineered empyrean
only equations of numbers
can decipher?
is this the beginning of an end ~
inevitable?
the lost generation,
assembled as the ministry of superiority,
where emptiness is praised
with forged grace
and ignorance is crowned with digital deceit.
let this be flawed poetry ~
to be read through the cracked lens
of a philosopher ~
or perhaps a logic long replaced
by pretend perfection…
Categories:
engrossed, creation, fantasy, imagery,
Form:
Ekphrasis