Best Formally Poems
© Arthur Vaso 2014
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Notes: This poem was formally called “Winter Blizzard” I just posted it with a new title. If you know of what I am referring, then 2 more must I do
More Notes: This poem is for sale for 2 million dollars, however I will give any major Museum at 10% discount.
Home is not merely made of four walls
Home is not merely made of roof and room
Home is where the love and affection calls
And the home is where the heart can bloom.
What it needs is something to endear it
Where formally there's no one to welcome us
But where is only kind lips to cheer it
And where there is someone to love us.
Home can never be quiet, polished and neat
But where tiny smudges of fingers small on walls
Tell the stories of far more sweet
And strewn toys, tell of kids’ play and calls.
We may roam and roam places on the earth
But home, sweet home is the place of mirth.
+++
January 29, 2015
new nation to craft
founding fathers sought to draft
a declaration of independence
document that made sense
Thomas Jefferson sought to free slaves
but was warned not to make waves
five of thirteen colonies
he had to appease
breaking from British rule
ignited a duel
with each colonial delegate
expressing their regret
they could not sign
they would not find
all men of equal value
heated debate ensued
withdrawn from the declaration
with misgivings and trepidation
eighty-six more years would pass
until the slaves were freed at last
Lincoln paid a high price
when he acted against advice
signing an emancipation proclamation
brought civil war to a nation
twenty percent of our population
lay dead, a chilling affirmation
we failed to see what was right
every color worth as much as white
though the war is formally over now
discrimination we still allow
Talmadge Branch was just one case *
where service was denied by race
Ku Klux Klan remains active too
wounds once healed open anew
and the battle for human rights
fear and hatred still ignites
* In 2008, Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth
had to take action against a bar in Perry, FL, when they
refused to serve African-American Talmadge Branch
unless he took a seat in a “back room.”
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/florida-bar-owners-could-lose-license-over-racism-complaint
Yesterday lingers in my memory today
Perched on a manicured hill after the last bell
All my friends surrounding me
She strolls by, I catch blue eyes
glancing quickly my way
A scented envelope...
I rent a white tuxedo for her Sorority Ball
She's dressed in full length blue silk
Formally announced; I escort her
through a flowered arch to that shining floor
The band plays a sweet, soulful slow-dance song
I nuzzle her neck, breathing in her perfume scent
Shivering slightly, she snuggles ever closer
humming the same melody softly in my ear...
11/29/16
Submitted for Brian Strand’s latest contest
We haven’t been formally acquainted
Though your words now travel in me
A picture of harmony you’ve painted
Love truest, in the very highest degree
Trouble in the midst, but don’t stress
Look into the windows of the soul
Therein you’ll find your happiness
Where two parts become a whole
Partake of this newfound pleasure
Two rivers now flowing into one
The joy contained has no measure
Warmth radiating like rays of sun
On this road of destiny or now call it fate
To encounter true love, it’s never too late
Based on In Deepened Harmony by Nette Onclaud
I do not know you, but your friends desire you back. You must truly be a light and inspiration to them.
Around the corner and half a block away, the flavor would grab me, tie me up to some irresistible force, then drag my nose to the source of its home. The aroma that wafted in the air and up my whiffer was sweet and warm - rich with orchards of deliciousness and cascading with the buttery peachy-ness of what was to come. It knocked all other thoughts out of my realm and led me down a path of complete submission - surrendering like the energy of cold water on a hot skillet. With each step bringing me closer, my musing would swirl with the anticipation of that first ultra-luscious, gratifying juicy bite - the one that ever so longingly and lovingly would delightfully roll around on every palate of my watering mouth and lingering tongue only to succumb to gulping down the first chunk.
From the flour and water and salt
Her timeworn hands kneaded magic
A mystical mixture of love and fruit to concoct-
A pinch of this and that, nothing formally systematic.
This masterpiece was an untold legend that "rocked"
The socks off anyone and even rival the "Titanic"!
Her ritual was simple and deep rooted
As uncomplicated as a baby's grin.
"Easy as Pie" she mooted
And laughed while she hummed all the while.
Layering the rich sheets of goodness in a pan
From pie dough to peaches to butter and sugar
There was nothing in this world so simple or better than
My Aunt Grace's Peach Cobbler!
Stare all over, O World, you scarcely utter.
Bear stalwart angels to arise over the air tugger.
Odoriferous water may abscond the realm of prosily.
Such as the Goddess of Heaven perpetrates an odyssey,
Please, Lord, I pray you are aware of my plea heed.
The blunder I committed thwarts a significant need.
My wickedness is crucial to fade as it's such a bigwig.
I aspire that everyone will stay ready for the callow sprig.
My trudge to the palatial gateway has formally begun.
I'm embedded in the exacerbated curse greaten.
We embody no faith in eliciting heavenly mercy.
And will do it as soon as I can from a gallows tree.
My mighty task was a cipher accredited to splendor.
Plus, the angels yielded me their smoldering ember.
They allotted me munificently for their rare care, too.
Failed my mystical prowess to beckon them, they mellow.
Below kaleidoscopic bulwarks or in a raving creek,
In bosom nirvana, we withdrew the draughty bleak.
I earned a lasting bliss than one could dream.
And I willingly sieve to share my peaceful stream.
Written: December 15, 2021
A STRAND (DEC 26) Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Brian Strand
Gems Of Reality
Gems of reality are thoughtfully
expressed thru imagery of poetry
to shape so earnestly and fervently
poems that formally shine artfully
reflecting history and mystery
of one's tranquility or misery.
Sandra M. Haight
~5th Place~
Contest: Rhymers Delight- Internal Monorhyme
Sponsor: John Hamilton
Judged: 01/09/2017
He came night after night.
I don’t know how long he favored me
in such an appreciative manner, but I
was most pleased when I realized it.
We had moved back into a property
that had been rented out for nearly fifteen years.
The clean-up was one tough job because the backyard
was filled with more than a few of 'this, that, or the other'
that had to be trashed. So, when my neighborly friend
was spotted patrolling my yard one night, I was more
than elated and grateful to see him.
He took the same route each night,
and we did make eye contact. But I purposely refused
to formally meet him, because I did not want to become
close to him. So, I never bothered to offer him food or drink.
For reasons I will never know, he ceased to make his rounds.
During the tenure of that treasured neighbor, the rodents
disappeared. But I’m very disappointed with myself for
keeping a wall between us. He deserved better.
Sometimes I feel sad because comparatively, I gave him so little.
But I must say that I have always been very appreciative of
the kindness he shared with me. I shall never forget the
dedication with which the neighborly cat donated his time
and served me so faithfully.
4thPSCtest061821
Translation of Cuppiramania Bharathiyar’s poem: Kannamma, My Love! (Kannamma En Kaathali) by T. Wignesan
Yet another poem by the most famous modern Tamil poet, written a century ago – despite the commonplace imagery – follows in the original very complex classical Tamil prosodic rules in the execution of initial and end-rhymes, alliteration in each line and in the immediate and successive lines as a whole, the inner rhymes of assonance and consonance notwithstanding. The non-Tamil can best savour these poetic and/or musical qualities by listening to the version of the poem set to music, and here sung by Mahathi:
YouTubeFR: Aasai Mugam Jukebox – Songs of Bharathiyar – Tamil Patriotic Songs (It’s the 4th song down on the left column)
Does not the endearing warmth of our mutual gaze – Kannamma
Reflect the light of the sun and moon alike?
Does not the precious circular eye – Kannamma
Dispel the darkness of the skies?
Dressed in deep blue-black silk – the sari
Inlaid with choice diamonds
While in the core of pitch darkness – glitter
The scintillating stars – Dear-Girlie!
Does not the blossoming grove fade – lit by your
Illuminating smile?
Even as blue-tinted sea waves –your
Breast heaves in unison – Girlie-Dear!
Just as the enticing cuckoo call – your
Sweet dulcet tones invade, My Dear!
O! You unspoilt young maiden! – Kannamma!
The bridal feast* has yoked my heart, alas!
You speak of comparing birth-charts* - Kannamma
What avails such astrological omens?
For those who can hardly repress yearning – Kannamma
Might the stars forebode greater bliss?
If our elders will bestow approval – nuptial
Arrangements we will later formalize
Will I be waiting for you, My Dear – to seal
Our vows – plant I this kiss on your cheek!
Notes
• According to Hindu custom, the brides’s family has to offer a sumptuous dinner to the formally-invited bride-groom.
• Hindu marriages are often contracted after verification of
birth-charts, drawn up by astrologers, to ascertain the compatibility of the bride to the bride-groom.
© T. Wignesan – Paris, 2015
Why are we so stupid, Lord? Why do we yell and shout, rant and rave,pillage and kill? Why do we cheat and lie, ignore and disdain, leave and abandon?
We could all be so close, so loving, so kind--we all share the same things:
the fresh air, the blue sky,and oh, the rich moonlit nights....
We all have the same fears: loneliness and sickness, poverty and death....
And we all hold fast to the same dreams: friends, family, a lover, perhaps
happy children whirling like small dervishes in their own little worlds.
A bit of praise, a kind word, work that goes well--that's all we really need....
I wrote this as a poem but it is really a prayer. I spoke it aloud so many times--
even unto the thick part of the blackest night until I fell into a deep, deep sleep,
the very deepest sleep, a sleep almost like death itself....
When I awoke the next morn, the mail had come early. I opened an envelope that strangely had no stamp. It was handwritten in unreal, almost unearthly beauty. It began quite formally:
Dear Mr. ( my name ),
I have broken my own rule to write you,
but you are so very persistent!
If life were easy, you would not feel alive.
If love were easy, you would not value it.
And if I were easy, you would never seek me.
Faithfully yours,
God
Apparition
For several years
a photograph of my grandfather,
my mother’s father,
hung on my living room wall
There’s no date on his portrait;
family lore says it was taken
shortly before he deserted his family.
He was a handsome man,
easy with women,
or so I’ve been told.
In the photograph
he’s dressed formally
for a country man:
a dark suit, a white shirt,
a crooked bow tie.
I knew him as a broken old man,
pacing around the back yard fence
like an animal in a cage,
talking quietly to himself.
One evening long after his death,
as I sat quietly,
contemplating his portrait
(a casual close reading),
a ghostly hood emerged,
covering his face,
eye-holes roughly cut,
his bow tie and suit
disappearing beneath a white robe.
My grandfather
no longer needed Sunday clothes.
It is the way the light
Filters through the gum trees
The way the rows of graves
Reflect a certain reverence
The way the crosses
Cast a shadow
The way the magpies
Drink from the puddles
In those shadows
The way people dress
Formally and respectful
The way young children
Restlessly wrestle with
The somber atmosphere
The way we reflect on
A life that might have been
The way the pastor
Shoes the friendly flies
That makes it what it is.
In the soft wind
And the cool breeze
Our prayers rise up
To resonate eternally
And life goes on
As we walk stronger
Into the future
Of whatever comes our way.
Yesterday lingers
in my memory today
Perched on a manicured hill
after the last bell
All my friends surrounding me
She strolls by, I catch blue eyes
glance quickly my way
A scented letter
I rent a white tuxedo
for her Sorority dance
She's dressed in blue silk
We are formally announced
Arm-in-arm I escort her
through a flowered arch
to that shining floor
The band sings a sweet slow song
I breathe in her perfume scent
Shivering slightly,
she snuggles ever closer,
humming the same melody
softly in my ear
So close to me, don’t stand!
You had no idea that for me; there are big plans.
Man, don’t stand, don’t stand so,
Don’t stand so close to me.
Man, not too long ago,
You couldn’t stand me.
Man, not too long ago,
You couldn’t comprehend my speech.
Man, not too long ago,
You stood kicking it hard with my foe.
Man, don’t stand so close to me!
You’re claiming me now that I’m a celebrity!
Man, not too long ago,
I was just so and so.
Now everywhere I go ,
People I have never formally met,
See me and stop to say, “ Hey Nicole!”
To me dude, don’t stand, don’t stand so, don’t stand so close,
Because just a while ago on me,
You would have never taken a minute to boast.
So from far, far, way,
Today, I lift my glass to make a toast,
To you, the one who back then,
Refused to stand , to stand so , to stand so close,
To me then, but now you want to
Stand , to stand so, to stand so close to me,
A celebrity. Don’t stand, don’t stand so
Don’t stand so close to me. A word from
Me, and The Police…..Sting said it then
And I’m saying it now. Don’t stand,
Don’t stand so, don’t stand so close to me.
Wow, now ,we’re both celebrities.
Don’t stand ,
Don’t stand so,
Don’t stand so close to me.
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