Best Gamboge Poems
Oh, splendorous, spectacular, resplendent autumn!
Boldly you dye cypress ~ flaunting ochre, cinnamon,
Yellowing sugar-maple, glazing tangerine emotions,
As scarlet winds warble in accents of majestic aspens,
Responding in purple whispers, tupelo leaves flutter
Reminiscing in revelries evoked by red-oak crimson
Lingering in blazing meadows, enchanting red maple.
Oh, autumn! fly me there, into depths of the season,
Frolicking upon gamboge hills, wrap me in your vision,
Tour with me dazzling terrains of flamboyant foliage
Composing deep pleasure in brilliant changing colors,
Hang your portrait upon cobalt cliffs of ruby horizon
Painting blushing hearts in amber hints of setting sun,
Mindful still of wistful shudders quivering barren trees
And unsung withering yearnings of falling golden leaves,
Aspiring blossoming kisses--on lips of flowering spring.
Hope is a song of bird
Reassuring forlorn dawn,
The nightmare is banished
And the dream is still alive
Hope is a Lotus flower
Drowning in the night
Yet, rising through mud
With ebullient sunrise
Hope is an autumn leaf
Gamboge on brown
That curls up and dies,
Only to bud again with
Spring’s verdant vibes
Hope is a glint of smile
On the face of despair
When helping hand arrives
Trekking by its side
Hope is a concert
Of euphoric hatchlings
Yearning first flight
Flexing freedom wings
It’s the elixir of living
Priceless for everyone
And everything for some~
Hope’s their only means
Hope is a prayer
Tolling of benevolence
In places of worship
Seeking in earnest
Triumphs over tragedies
Written: February 3, 2022
Submitted on November 2, 2022 to:
2022 Poetry Marathon Mile 19 Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Mark Toney
Placed 1st: A Strand 1074 contest
Placed 1st: Hope Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Mohan Chutani
You hang there on the rise of dawn
Bending twigs where you cling,
Glistening gems on sunlit lawn,
Where I greet you before you're gone,
Before my passions forlorn ding
While you gleam rays of spring.
How long dear will you glint and glow
Upon vibrant realm green,
My heart and I would like to know
For zephyrs of west will soon blow
To dethrone you from where you preen;
Oh! force of gale is mean.
How ardent you paint golden morn
Blushing on canvas gray;
Glinting rays my sight you adorn,
Assuaging grievous yore lovelorn
As verdant limbs gentle winds sway
Waltzing with lucent day.
Time has risen to bid goodbye,
Yet, you flinch, loath to part,
As sun paints arc in gamboge dye
When a fervent tear sparks your eye,
Heartening warmth love-vibes impart
Vowing to cure my heart.
Twilight crimson in motifs gold
Paints eve’s horizon ruby bold
Where autumnal dreams unfold
As saffron vistas waltz to please
Amethyst winds quiver in breeze
Falling leaves of gamboge trees
Stars up high, for attention vie
Glinting prairies in russet dye
While doting moon peeks from sky
Till sunrise blossoms shortened days
Glistening smile of autumn's blaze
Blushed in kiss of zealous rays
January 21, 2021
Syllables: 8,8,7 per stanza
In depth of woods how autumn dazzles, swirling beauty of ornate décor,
Waltzing with ochre hickory, birch; whirling flaxen moods of sycamore,
Gracing my view upon blazing foothills, where vistas gamboge scroll,
Bedecking maples, swaying rhythms, with fiery red of shimmying knoll.
Zephyrs of west rustle demeanor of black tupelo, fluttering leaves gold,
Glistening burnt orange of sugar maple, revelers in sundown behold,
As remnants of gilded twilight beams, glimmer in purpled afterglow,
Weaving motifs of fall in tapestries idyllic, of blushing eventide aglow.
Autumn’s grandeur glows, as crisp frost gleams, mellowing overcast days,
Where gelid winds shudder trees, foretelling imminent wintry malaise,
Meandering with leaves falling gently; carpeting dyed, chromatic meadows,
As the arena of fall’s resplendent show, shimmers in elongated shadows.
Harvest Moon enamors sights, appealing to fervor of romantic glance,
Enthralled watching dance of stars, attuned to tenor of cosmic expanse,
Gliding over a charming night, wooing souls glued to autumn’s ruby fire,
Flaunting pizazz panoramic~ a farewell of fall-splendor, in cerise attire.
Turning life’s pages of albums, treasured memories rekindle seasons past,
Thankful for the abundance of goodwill~ heavenly blessings destiny cast;
As conversations savor aroma of pumpkin pies; buttery, nutty, apple tarts,
Spending time with family, friends; exchanging missives of kindred hearts.
While gelid breezes of winter, quiver emotions of decaying rays,
And arc of horizon cedes to dusk, evoking grimace of malaise,
Casting shadows tenebrous, shrouding glimmer of a slowing day,
Desperate hope lingers still, in resplendence of autumn’s decay;
Gawking in yonder, where gamboge-orange woodlands fade,
Reminiscing in seasons harkening, realms of love now evade,
Mindful of the broken vows, when grievous calls destiny made,
When forever promises receded, and pledges eternal strayed.
Love now mulls~ if kiss of passion was a subtext of final goodbye?
Was it the last tear of hapless eyes; a bawl of love gone awry?
A silent protest, concealing mindfully, anguish of a forlorn sigh?
Was it the clamor of jilted desires, love enamored chose to decry?
Springs of past summon hope, having risen from wintry throe,
Nights of nightmare cede to dreams in halo of daybreaks aglow,
As candle of love revives hearts, fueled by inspirations of soul,
When whispers of sensuous hints, aspirations of romance cajole.
Desperate hope expounds repentance, vying healing through time,
Unsure if, pleadings in atonement, will redeem future sublime;
Whether love saplings will ever sprout, from ashes of passions bygone,
If dreams forsaken will blossom, in womb of tomorrow’s dawn.
Spring tantalizingly unfolds vernal, winsome
Blossoms of lilies pristine, undulating to appease
Fawning nectar-dreams adrift on wings of bees
Frolicking tranquility of rustling flowering trees
Refulgent summer, too, unpacks variegated
Revelry on rivers, oceans, flamboyant meadows
As ubiquitously nature paints blooms primrose
On hills and valleys oscillating jubilant shadows
Autumn’s brilliance courts dazzling ebullience
Of mellowed sun scintillating eventide’s ruby glow
Where gamboge leaves of fall amber winds blow
As passions of romance vie moonlit stellar show
Snowfalls titillate, unveiling vehement winter
In eyes of lovers ruminating in blessings of yore
When enticing beats of hearts indulgently implore
Aesthetic glacial memories venerated evermore
July 31, 2021
Placed 1st: Alpha lines poetry contest
Sponsor: Joseph May
Placed 1st: A Brian Strand Rhyme Contest
A Van Gogh's "Starry Night"
gamboge moon and stars
dance haloed whirlwind marriage
in violet sky
while black cypress looms
past swirling clouds as fleeting
requiem for love
through bright starry eyes
secluded heart still searches
unrequited.
©deborah burch
07/11/2012
Oh! how gracefully the trees, flaunting splendor lilt
Swaying autumn’s palettes in rhythms of winds ruby
As the sun is setting, flaming glow of gamboge skies
Amber breeze is blushing rosy glimmer of eventide
And robins are excavating pecking on decaying lawn
Where ducks are ambling, ogling seductive bond
Amid people strolling, pausing to gaze at opaline arc
Floating crimson filaments on tinted purple canvas
Enhanced by falling colors whirling mellowed vibes
In twilight’s golden ambiance alluring romantic eyes
Gleam of eve’s fading, ceding reign to peeking moon
As scent of you appeals, quiescently enveloping me
Enchanting where I sit, under twinkling stellar magic
Enticed by euphony of mockingbird’s sensuous song
Articulating for me eloquently, love is never too far
When autumn blazes passions titillating lovers’ hearts
October 20, 2021
Placed 1st: Let’s Mix It Up Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Constance La France
Theme: Nature
Unrhymed couplet/Unrhymed imagism/Free verse
Colors she wowed in autumn's praise
Where tinted leaves turn fiery red,
Where gamboge dye prairies imbed.
Meadows winsome in crimson blaze
Inspired poems of heartfelt themes
Strumming passions of season's dreams.
Vying glimpse of her moonlit gaze
Resplendent motifs whirled in dance
Pleasing poise of her gifted stance.
Lauding grandeur of gilded glaze
Lyrics she wrote in flawless rhyme,
How Connie's verses transcend time!
Swaying rhythms of beauteous days
Autumn's glory adorned her art:
Words that blossomed poetic heart.
Colors she wowed in autumn's praise~
Meadows winsome in crimson blaze,
Vying glimpse of her moonlit gaze
Lauding grandeur of gilded glaze
Swaying rhythms of beauteous days.
September 24, 2022
Placed1st: In Remembrance of Connie –
Autumn Theme Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Suzanne Delaney
Form: Constanza
Eight syllables per line
Horizon imprints blazing joy, where autumn blushes amber sky
Glistening meadows of gilded season, adorning tinted russet dye
As amethyst winds of eventide flutter leaves on crimson trees
Flickering rays of golden twilight, glinting sigh of ochre breeze.
Pleasing sights, saffron colors merrily bounce, staging air-dance
Whirling leaves in panoramic vistas, hypnotizing glance of romance
As fiery gamboge hills oscillate, waltzing tenor of autumnal zeal
Dazzling lovers’ enchanted hearts in maple tree’s scarlet appeal.
Cooler weather permeates, graying charm of shortened days,
While browsing prairies of browning fields, cattle lazily graze;
Families gather sharing stories, crowding around warm fireplace
As festive season ushers in, serenading divinity of solemn grace.
September 12, 2020
Autumn–Fall Rhyme Challenge Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Tania Kitchin
Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”
gamboge moon and stars
dance haloed whirlwind marriage
in violet sky
lemon-greens and greys
calm sleeping childhood mem’rys
beneath white steeple
as black cypress looms
past swirling clouds like fleeting
requiem for love.
deborah burch
07/10/2012©
Below an aching sky of herringbone ...
Enfolded deep within a gamboge glen,
An old man sat recalling what had been
Unto the summers of his life, now flown.
This precious spot had given blossom to,
In arms of autumn, he and his true love,
For passion, falling like the leaves above
Upon the forest floor in moods of blue ...
Let burn, the fire of each late rendezvous.
For many years he'd hushed her silent call,
And now returned to set his yearning free ...
Like tender hearts, he'd leave her memory
Lost deep within the beauty ... of the fall.
~ 2nd Place ~ in the "Autumn Acrostic" Poetry Contest, Caren Krutsinger, Judge & Sponsor.
~ 3rd Place ~ in the "Falling" Poetry Contest, Kai Michael Neumann, Judge & Sponsor.
~ 2nd Place ~ in the "Beautiful Fall" Poetry Contest, John Hamilton, Judge & Sponsor.
~ 1st Place ~ in the "Contest Number 495 Any Form Any Theme" Poetry Contest, Brian Strand, Judge & Sponsor.
Enchanting
Is beauty of your love
Fragrant, colorful, blossoms of spring
Delighting
Robins on willow trees
To woo your summers in playful hints
Riveting
Your passions marigold
In musings gamboge of autumn's leaves
Fulfilling
Desires of snow white dreams
Kissing you as snowflakes are falling
March 4, 2021
Placed 1st: Images in parallel poetry contest
Sponsor: Joseph May
Syllables per stanza: 3,6,9
The Moon
loves in lilac, sees in maroon,
swathed in gossamer and thyme of galaxies,
basking in the periwinkle pages
of my bejeweled mind,
as the night unravels a story
written in powdered vermilion,
of sun-dried moments
and bleached butterflies,
emanating wolfsbane and wisteria woes
of a maternal soul that sings for solace,
wishing sighs within clouds
carrying cotton candy lies
would see through these eyes,
and feel the warmth
between raining thistles.
For every star has a pattern of its own,
and there is no silver brighter
than the spark of faith
and kindness that flows
between charismatic constellations.
You and I, we are different shades of
glistening glows,
born to soar in sync with the
synchronized rhythm of peace,
tangled in a cosmic ballet
where love is more than a poetic word.
To embrace the difference of dialects,
the darkness before the morning rays,
the cataclysmic consequences of ignorance,
an effortless language forever
spoken between your astral seas
and my rosary of regrets.
Tonight, must I listen to the
heartbeat of the horizon
as monsoon tears fall upon my skin,
kissing away stained sorrow,
nurturing the saplings of grief,
in silence and solitude,
drawing a gamboge garden of sunrise,
resembling scented pastels
facing magenta musings
within the crescent of hope…
There is no rhyme rosier than the other,
through mismatched metaphors,
I weave magic of desires,
with wishbone clovers
breathing dreams
brushed in rosemary sage
touched by destiny,
for karma knows
no name nor skin,
but the face of love and
voice of hibiscus havens
an empathetic hymn
shared between ebony
and ivory hearts....