Best Envelop Poems
Snow -
a sleep
descending on the twilight streets;
Snow, in silent fields you lie pristine
beneath moon’s glow, a blanket shimmering.
Oblivion serene!
Tranquilly envelop me in
Sleep -
a snow;
the more you fall, the deeper that I go
under.
Oh, sweet Slumber,
suffocate with pearly flakes
those of us the weary that repose,
long time having waited like the windrows.
As Boreas does blow,
lull and bury all in drifting, dreamy
snow.
Written 7/11/15
'Absolutely Anything' Poetry Contest of Shreya LN
Take me to the place where the aromatic fragrance
threatens to envelop our obelisks glorifying death;
to the place where the seraphim of old long to steal your breath
only to resurrect you again,
because they adore your shell-shocked epiphany.
The twinkle of wisteria eyes that say star-struck goodbyes to winters long overdue.
Take me to some place new, yet still lingers with the scent of timeless truths.
Can you whisper epigrams in my ears yet still retain your sunflower youth?
And can such a place even exist ...
where I am me and you are you.
Is this dream of ours only a selfish wish?
Where our heart's desires
will never transpire,
but only take cues from Lazarus,
coming into our own like lilac lust.
I am told there is a beautiful gate
that leads to this tomb of ancient bloom.
Will you let me nourish this timid trust
and receive this skeleton key that dreams of wearing skin -
and if not now, of this would-be genesis ... when?
Please don't tease with someday soon,
but let these tumblers unhinge like zealous zephyr.
I know it will be all that you asked.
I know it will be, for my soul spoke so earnestly: give it a chance.
So won't you carve upon this granite heart
that longs for the easy rain of your embrace.
Etch upon these alabaster walls with love's italic hand,
the seven lettered splendor known unabashedly as FREEDOM.
Let it be the only thing
the angels care to dream,
when imagining eternity.
Let none atone
the only thing
set in stone.
Written February 15th, 2016.
Entered in the contest A Tomb of Ancient Bloom hosted by Justin Bordner.
Chosen Poem of the Day on February 17th, 2016
Placed First
It's the summer of my fourth year.
Dad is driving us to the seashore.
The sun follows us, a happy fellow,
beaming in the mid-morning’s azure sky.
In the back seat with my two sisters, I’m looking out the window
as I crunch on Mom’s homemade salty Chex Mix,
anticipating the warmth of salt spray
from the waves I’ll be jumping on this beautiful day -
Life is a beach not yet even in my vocabulary.
We are now at the shore, a large blanket laid out,
Mom with her bright red hair tied back with a brighter red check scarf,
and my dad, dark-haired and handsome, smiling.
So rare is this happy countenance he wears today!
For a while I sit as if entranced, watching the waves roll in.
But eventually, and predictably, my joy ebbs like the tide.
Dark clouds are gathering; gray begins to envelop the sky.
I look over to my dad; the gray has recaptured his face.
In the vanishing sunlight, familiar dark thoughts invade my mind -
Dad, can I see you be happy just once for a whole day?
Rain . . . always it rains when we go to the seashore.
Stepping into the dance
Gently taking your hand in mine
Entering the realm of infinite possibilities
Where passion and desire breathe as one
An eternal hug
Enveloping our laughter and tears
Swaying slowly
Your breath tickling my ear
We are guided by our mirrored hearts
Open to the ancient whispers within
Arms open wide in vulnerable flight
Encountering lavender vibrations
Nuances ~ miraculous moments
Distant drumming arrives
From within dense fragrant pines
Carried on silver musical notes
Pale turquoise sky
Brushes against our cheeks
We fill our lungs with moist cool air
Breathing in gratitude
Glorious heights surround us
Crag and gleam of crystal
Midnight ebony obsidian shafts
Gulls cry above
The smell of salty waves beckoning us below
I ride the foam in your welcome embrace
Glistening waves our chauffeur
Diving deeper
Into ocean’s chambers of kaleidoscope blue
Sunrays guide us
Coral’s fingers delight
Wearing mandarin, cranberry and apple green
We laugh as bubbles escape our smiles
Playfully gliding upwards
Our friends arrive
Regal parrot fish
Mosaic rainbow scales shimmering
Calling out to us
A sacred union gathering
Inclusive of all
Silent language is shared
Spellbound destinies of
Beauty and grace
Envelop us
When I was down in the dumps
I longed to be away from the din of the world
And a quiet place I sought
Nature has always been my refuge
Amid the clump of trees where the wind caresses the leaves
Where birds twitter and trill their songs
Like a hermit I sat, my eyes closed, my body lazing
My mind, open to the soft vibrations around
I took a deep breath inhaling the fragrance of flowers
And let the quietude envelop my being
Gliding through the layers of my consciousness
Dancing to the beats of my inner symphony
I let myself swim in the ocean of stillness
I felt the tranquil touch of an unseen presence
I heard a caring voice from somewhere
A faint voice quite reassuring, so near
Within me the wider Life emerged
And the lesser life finally submerged
I experienced true joy within
Peace filled, drowning all my tribulations
And I knew it was heaven sent!
_________________________________
.19.2022
A Quiet Place Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Mystic Rose Rose
"These woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
~ Robert Frost
I'm an echo of the salient sea,
weeping in cascading embers
that cautiously creep through
vintage and vine shadows of
a velveteen spirit.
Swept by the corrupt assonance
of graphite seafoam, I float in
obsidian lullabies hummed by the
translucent tides, along darkling
dawns of crepuscular daydreams.
Beautifully blackened in
gold-ochre beams of the
paper sun, wishfully I wither
amidst pale thistles of
decaying dusks as mellow rays
melt in ice-blue vapours of
camphor oceans.
My heart is a severed garden,
strolling as an illusive memory
in perpetual plains of misted ache
and rotten apple-skinned reminiscences.
Laced as a serene embroidery
of turquoise chrysanthemum
weeds in chocolate veins of
marshmallow coffin, I rise akin
cinnabar smog upon cactus-valleys,
For, I'm as elegant as those shiny
fuchsia stars studded along
coral-peacock lawns,
yearning to kiss the ebony silhouette
of crystal-coal midnight.
Will His sapphire fortune
envelop this graceful ghost's
etheree-like shadows
in an emerald-maroon sheath
of pastel herbs and heal every
cell, tangled in cobwebs of confusion,
within shrieking seconds of flaked hours?
It is the fragrant peel of Florida's fruit that comes in convenient slices.
The savory citrus that packs a punch - to my tongue it simply entices.
It is the sprightly stripe of a clown fish that says, "Look at me," unabashedly (no joke)
To read between the lines it has taught me, and in its splendor I am soaked.
It is the warmth inside a fire though his sister crimson gets all the credit.
It could be the light of your world if your vivacious heart would only let it
envelop you with its curious tone: the love of a rose - the brightness of the sun.
And though we might only think of traffic cones,
and hazard signs - for me - it is the lightness of a pun:
Orange you gonna ask me a question?
About how its wavering pathways on tropical seas
can bring the heaviest heart to ascension?
Or how its marriage of sweet strawberry and sour lemon
has brought to mind our engaging entanglement?
It isn't like the blue that's over our heads,
nor is it like the green that's beneath our feet.
Rather it is the hidden spark inside our hearts:
it isn't showy - but its beauty is discrete. Something to soothe
any gloomy day with gentle subtlety. To tell you the truth
orange is nothing dramatic
(perhaps that's why I like it)
Written March 4th, 2016
For the United Orange Contest hosted by Silent One
Snowing tonight….incandescent, luminescent,
Silvery snow, whispering divine dreams..
Air misty, breeze calm, serene! Do I see the
Brilliant Star, which directed the wise men
To a stable on an evening of starry twilight ...
When the three wise magi spotted the
Brightest star in the east, their surprise,
And their exhilaration knew no bounds!
Our Lord has come to us, the star beckons,
We must follow the glowing light and find our Saviour!
Sights through my window-panes are blurred!
Rooftops getting blanketed with white
Shimmering laces! treetops beautifully
Embellished with silver ornaments,
Grasses caressed by softest drizzle of snow!
This is the night, holy night for the universe
When we welcome our Lord to illuminate
Our life! They found Him in the manger,
Divine baby and Holy Mother they prayed to,
Most precious gifts were showered on Him!
We gaze with wonder at glittering stars above,
On this magnificent Christmas Day, in every
Glistening snowflake I behold Christmas magic -
An aura of love and compassion for the needy
Envelop the world with spiritual grace and harmony!
Life is frozen, an endless winter night
My heart, deep inside, pumps slower now
My bones are brittle, as the cold encroaches
Locked in a sheath of frigid ice
Frost runs down the window panes
Of my soul, scarring me with a terrible beauty
Snow falls into the empty catacombs
Of my mind, covering up my path
The north wind takes the breath from me
And the chill runs all down my spine
A dark grey sky, no warmth to be found
The whiteness crunches sadly beneath my feet
Embrace the freeze, for there is no escape
From this sharp pain, this clear, bright pain
Feel the bleak and wintry gloom envelop all
Numbing limbs, I am quiet now, glacial and still
A ghost wind blows across the windswept tundra
Of my thoughts, until thinking slows then stops
Now waiting in pale hope for the Sun’s rays to melt
Away this cold, till life is frozen no more
Spring Enchantment (a love poem)
As wisps of clouds creeped
overhead before a storm moving quickly east,
the moon lay down his vanilla beams
to dispel the darkness hiding our bared feet —
set side by side — romantically
touching for warmth, for love, for eternity,
hopefully, to envelop us, like the coming rain
in our lives’ thundering, combined heartbeats
…joined into those duets passion will release
all about from the great springs of yearning.
(c) s.y. Eslinger 3/2024
Thanks be to God——
A dark angel writes in the air,
“There will be no tomorrow for you.”
Then puffs of shiny cloud ebb,
Ebony night surrounds me.
I tremble in fear.
I hover between now and never,
as if I'm traversing a rough river
on one bank: life, on the other: death.
I feel an ebbing of nothingness,
like gulping down bad breath,
or gasping in asphyxia,
between a being and non-being,
sandwiched between heaven and hell.
Which way must I go?
Lord make the right choice for me,
for I tremble in fear.
How oft had I been told,
hell is an illusion, don't believe!
Now it seems like reality and I fear.
I see my past, its rights and wrongs,
a sort of blind imbalance,
not a hair is lost.
Where is the illusion now?
Or worse is it delusion and regret,
that I could have achieved much more?
Thus I tremble in fear.
Spirals of fog surround me,
whirls of fatal mists envelop me,
a long dark tunnel with a faint light ahead.
But what lies at the end?
An ephemeral awakening or an eternal damnation?
What weapons are left for such a fight?
I can only give my soul up and pray:
O Lord, I trust in Thee.
I fear no more.
As I walk along the narrow path
Far away from the din of the city crowd
I feel the pain of sadness envelop me,
A symphony of stubborn sadness
That resides in the inner depths of my soul.
At the forest rim, a vast valley stretches.
Unknown farmers toiled on their trucks.
She will not find me at the forest’s edge.
Do I want to encounter her anew?
She is a symphony of steady, unruly moods.
I approach a farm, yet despite the summer breeze,
I find no joy nor pity, no undying love or hatred.
Sorrow lingers as indecision wrecks my peace.
I yearn for simple silence, yet in that calm around
Thoughts thunder, thriving on troubles and worry.
Can I find a warm and bright surrender to my turmoil?
My heart is like a see-saw, now up, now down.
I feel her soft lips turn into anger that knows no bounds.
What is love really like? I want delight and happiness.
I find animosity and antipathy. No, no. There is also
Strong feelings of adulation, allegiance, and amity.
As fear creeps in, I knock on the farm door.
Beauty opens for my embrace. The kiss is long.
Hope shines as we enter the warm hearth.
“Breakfast is ready, my love.” We eat in ecstasy.
If words could envelop fire,
I’d whisper softly into a quiet
note and let the pyre in my
lonely coffer spill out it’s smokey dispatch.
Letting pathos glow inside carrion’s beat,
I would endeavor this note reach a messenger
with quick feet, so that you would read it before
I became nothing more than a ruin,
damned by it’s own occasion.
I would speak with a gentle urgency,
through teeth like embers of brimstone.
" Let not your tender humor steer you
in a direction that would wilt us both.
Fan the flames that have consumed me,
It’s a burn that fuels our passion
I love you and the pain that you bring,
you are the brightness in the sky,
and the darkness of night.
You are the sting of broken flesh,
and the sweet release of blood that flows.
You are the healing of my blackened benevolence,
and the anger in my wisdom.
You are my second eye,
and my heaviest anchor.
You are the spark,
and the kindle.
You are my Queen.”
-James Kelley 2013, All rights reserved
A Spirit leaves the body while crying aloud as
Cursing blind hate enters without conscience
A Hell for the wicked casting names as called
Tears of love weeping in sorrow and anguish
Dripping red from the heart beating so dear
Devouring feelings eating into emotions I laugh so
To stop the weeping stirring in deep rocks below
Echoing waves of turbulence and such gale force
Inside one soulful cry sounds in a whispered dream
Begging, desiring to move on from this mortal coil!
But pray tell—must wicked negation like this be
Ever so, if so, then why so??
Man-made negation, negativity should never be
Allowed and the soulful cry must be heard, answered
Divine intervention, angelic powers to the rescue!
A Spirit leaving the body—a solemn event it is
There is no place for such mortal wickedness in this
Instance as the Spirit begins it transformative ascent
Toward the Heavens and the power of the Almighty
Shall answer in kind those mortals who bring their
Perfidy to this most wondrous process that severs
The mortal bonds of the Earth dimension as the
Spirit moves on in its new found state and presence
As Peace and Happiness envelop it soothingly and pure
Preparing it for God’s most precious embrace into Eternity!
Gary Bateman and Liam McDaid – A Collaborated Poem,
Copyright © All Rights Reserved (January 6, 2015)
(Free Verse)
Moonlight casts its silver shadow over the inky sea
I’m in awe of its beauty; it always captivates me
Suddenly obscured by gossamer clouds drifting past
The shadows changing constantly their beauty never lasts
The chill breeze it intensifies; the clouds are rushing by
Ripples make the shadows dance and catch my teary eye
I love to stand and watch this scene when I get the chance
Being with my loved one and a great time for romance’
Its scintillating silvery glow lifts the veil which shrouds your face
Arm in arm we gently stroll I yield to your tender embrace
A sense of calm and tranquility envelop us as we walk
Its luminosity casts its magical spell we have no need to talk
Two lovers forgetting life's uncompromising complexities
Unlocking wary but loving hearts and exchanging keys
My very soul drinks in the ambiance of loves atmosphere
Into the future we walk together, our true love holds no fear
The years go by and into one our hearts melt
That orchestra of loves music deep inside we felt
Our lives have not always been a sweet melody
We’ve worked and toiled and earned our victory
May 30th 2014
Contest