Best Ginseng Poems
It's used as an afterthought, fattening festive
arrangements for Mother's Day, Easter,
someone's birthday. An underrated vine,
enhancing center-stage flowers whose star-power
doesn't wear well. It's the "coming attraction"
that's there after the clapping dies down,
replanted by doorstep or gravestone. "Grow,"
I say, "Change my life with your traveling beauty,
your common denominator, your scrawling
signature seldom sought for autographs.
Snaking around graves at our family plot,
it's an ongoing gift, out-giving the giver
with its "overwhelming darkness", reminding us
where there is life, there is also death. Surviving,
thriving in hanging pots the less hardy exit,
it surprises and delights, reaching down from limbs
of trees for soil, unchallenged there in pine straw
until tender tendrils insinuate their way
to daylight through tapestries of needles
When the ivy becomes dense, I will know
you are there: ivy of my heart, ivy of essence,
the graceful way it swings and sways, how
it takes to new habitat in the way you, Julie,
cut a swath through New York City after lifetimes
in the easy South. We are old souls, older
than the hedera, cousin to ginseng, reminder
of the movement of the heavens, the ability
to bring things together. You were shelter,
the poets' headpiece, bringing peace
to my household. Resurrection and rebirth,
Julie, in this Easter of ivy.
Categories:
ginseng, friendshipeaster, cousin,
Form:
Narrative
Wild rugged den of Hatfield and McCoy,
Entered the Union with birth pangs of war.
Sweet meadows punctuate inked river beds,
Trapped in mountains black wealth of coal.
Volunteers--first to send her sons to serve.
In hidden glens Bigfoot and Mothman roam.
Raging rivers white water rafters ride;
Green valleys house her ancient Celtic stock.
Indians roamed, leaving mystic burial mounds;
Night music choir of frog and whip-poor-will.
In forests treasure of ginseng and yellow root;
Apples--green golden fruit crisped in summer dews.
Mysterious mountain culture all her own,
Infused into her native citizens alone.
© Faye Lanham Gibson, 4-15-2014
Categories:
ginseng, culture, mountains,
Form:
Acrostic
I have tried
casting a spell on you
I don't know
what else a mere mortal can do...
Love potion
boil and bubble
poison darts
toil and trouble...
Red laced apples
caffeinated coffee
non-caffeinated
pinch of rosemary
9 oz sweet red wine
1 ginseng root...
Goddess of love
hear my plea
let her fall in love
and so desire me...
My love philtre
will enchant her
it will pomp her
my love potion...
9 red rose petals
3 almonds
9 clovers
9 drops of vanilla extract..
My true love
her face I not yet see
come my love
so it shall be..
Eye of newt
stew and brew
9 basil leaves
count to seven
all good children
go to heaven..
The cow
jumps over the moon...
My love potion
boil and bubble
"poof!"
takes away all
my troubles!
~ ~ ~
Categories:
ginseng, for her, love, magic,
Form:
Free verse
I Like The 'Black Tea, The White Tea
and The English Breakfast & Earl Grey'
and I Serve 'Rooibos' and 'Ginger' Teas
In My Silver Pot, Cups & Tray
I Like The 'Rose Tea and Herbal Teas
& The Honey-Vanilla-Chamomile'
& 'Apple-Cinnamon' & 'Orange-Pekoe'
Topped With Sliced Lemon Wedge Frills
(& Balancing Cup & Saucer & Carrot Cake's A Skill)
I've Teas of 'Lavender & Hibiscus
& of Jasmine' Flavored Hints
I Pour These Liquid Petals
To Be My Pretty Porcelain's Contents
and That Brand of 'Ancient Tea Trees'
& of Ceylon's '1001 Nights'
Tantalizes My Tastebuds
With Their Dark Teabags Delights
And Exotic Ginseng Teas Blend Into
A Warm & Soothing, Brewed Bond
As A Free Tea Leaf Floats Like
A Lotus In A Cup Pond
Swirling A Cream or Sugar? Concoction
In A Teaspoon's Pool
Gently Lifted To Our Lips Breath
To Savor & Cool
Wafting Aromatic Scents
Thru My Parlor Among My Guests
Or Just Me In My Kitchen
As Day Begins Afresh
But The Tea Mixture Taste
of A Preference Best For Me
Is The Oolong, Added With Peppermint
and Pure Green Tea
aaaah ... slurp
Join me for a sip ... slurp
Written & Copyrighted ©: 9/18/2013
by: MoonBee Canady
Categories:
ginseng, drink, food, fun, garden,
Form:
Light Verse
stars,
above swirling dark,
in sky drained of color,
below,
sprawling Asia,
spread out in a carpet,
of billboards and humanity.
watching it all from the world's largest tower,
feeling like a king in a secondhand sky,
now walking among streets, stalls, and stooped shoulders,
inhaling foreign vapors.
smoke from cheap cigarettes drift down,
to mingle with scents from open gutters,
fecund and flowing,
past medicine shops of tiger teeth,
and ginseng root.
stopping at a rusted fence,
marking neglected graves tilted,
borders to a rotting mansion,
colonial memories of plague and accident.
further on, the well lit ship,
clean and efficient,
up the gangway to the duty,
crisp in his ice cream suit,
down to the well deck,
amber lit and heavy in humid air,
peering down at armored beetles,
emitting odors of oil and exhaust,
cordite and purpose,
and briefly catch a sad sentiment,
fluttered in night air above,
of what was and what could be,
lost in blood, power and tribal lust,
our racial fait accompli,
and draw back from thoughts such as these,
and let it fly away.
Categories:
ginseng, sad, war,
Form:
Prose
Get me away from menacing pollution and noise.
Get me away from vehicles, buildings and man-made toys
Get me away from news media and make-believe attractions
Get me away from those who talk but say nothing.
Take me where Nature hides above the mountains and the forest
Take me where nature ask for nothing but provides peace and solitude
Take me where the shadows hide beneath the canopies of vibrant trees
Take me to where the Lichen, ferns, wildflowers and meadows dwell
Show me where bears, raccoons and deer reside so I can be renewed
Show me the trees that absorb carbon dioxide to make more wood
Show me the forest floor where countless leaves rejuvenate the earth
Show me the medicinal herbs like Ginseng, goldenseal and cohosh
Let me breath the air of the forest and smell its clean breath
Let me hear the mysterious sounds I have so long ago forgotten
Let me listen to my thoughts without the tumult of the city
Let me hear the peacefulness and tranquility of the woods so that
I may once again be one with Nature.
Categories:
ginseng, desire, environment, identity, nature,
Form:
Free verse
all i need to comfort me
is an apple and some green tea
and a tablespoon of honey
mixed with some ginseng
a bright blue sky overhead
shaded by sycamore trees
classic literature in hand
and just the air that i breathe
i don't mind my world's on fire
or your heated blade pressed into my back
i don't mind the verbal onslaught
of your venemous personal attack
you got what you wanted
now i just ask that you go away
i've got a tale of two cities
and a bright blue saturday
i'll wait to pick up the pieces
of the shattered life you left behind
and i'll trade in my apples and green tea
for an endless chalice of blueberry wine
and i'll drink to drown you out
until you're just a faded memory
-----
i'm done feeling miserable. i'm done grieving. and while i don't have to like it, i
have accepted the divorce. and maybe somewhere deep inside of me, i wanted
this as well. between friends, family, co-workers, the soup, art, yoga, music
and just hiking the state parks - i am having a blast while my entire world is
crumbling around me, making way for the new.
thanks for the continued support.
love & light to you all, brothers & sisters.
- aaron
Categories:
ginseng, farewell, goodbye, growth, how
Form:
Rhyme
~~~~~~~~~
Evening skyline
Glow of last light;
Dark shadows creep
~~~~~~~~~
Green moss
Zen garden stones;
Calmness charms
~~~~~~~~~
Antique shoppe
Old proprietor;
Living antique
~~~~~~~~~
Cemetery visit
Angel statues stand
Guardians of death
~~~~~~~~~
Newspaper vendor
Hazards early rain;
Prompt delivery
~~~~~~~~~
World news broadcast
So many conflicts;
Violent humanity
~~~~~~~~~
Children's playground
Noisy little people;
Fun screams and shouts
~~~~~~~~~
Empty taxi cabs
Absent passengers;
Telling times
~~~~~~~~~
Economic woes felt
Here and there;
Poor job market
~~~~~~~~~
Old Kung-fu master
Long solitary wait;
No students come
~~~~~~~~~
Ginseng root brew
Potent tonic;
Energy surge
~~~~~~~~~
City skyscrapers
Over the horizon;
Pouring wet weather
~~~~~~~~~
Speeding carriages
Expressway crowds;
Sudden traffic jam
~~~~~~~~~
Ancient rooftops
Chinese architecture;
Old beauty glimpses
~~~~~~~~~
Morning joggers
On a brisk run;
Sparkling dawnlight
~~~~~~~~~
Old pavilion here
Leaking raindrops;
Wet shelter
~~~~~~~~~
Chinatown alleys
Shops with odd things;
Tourists congregate
~~~~~~~~~
Little India street
Spicy concortions;
Culture in full bloom
~~~~~~~~~
Words tell
Pictures swirl;
New sightings
~~~~~~~~~
Old hunchback lady
Malnutrition showing;
Struggles for pennies
~~~~~~~~~
Old man gathers
Discarded paper cartons;
Money for next meal
~~~~~~~~~
Fortune teller waits
Cards and incense;
Table advisory
~~~~~~~~~
Empty park bench
No one can sit;
Soaking wet
~~~~~~~~~
Cardio fitness
Gym membership;
Workout a sweat
~~~~~~~~~
Old photographs
Long ago moments;
Brown sepia scraps
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
10 September 2014
Singapore
Categories:
ginseng, change,
Form:
Haiku
sunshine heals me through the mirror
moonlight heals me through the window
the united luminescence blesses me through constant reminders
i find activity and its new stories through you
radiance fills the void that was once overwhelmed by parasitic loneliness
effervescence fills the void that was previously overtaken by the stalest of air
upliftment fills the void that was earlier overthrown by merciless and intentional discouragement
i find contentment and its newfound discoveries through you
you are a True Gift from God in the form of the cleanest and the most Miraculous Water
as a result, i grow in continuance and become more profound and complex
it makes me so proud to express each mention and each thought of You as a Proper Noun
you are like the ex lax for my constipated emotions and the ginseng for my slumbered brain
sunshine heals me through the mirror
moonlight heals me through the window
the united luminescence blesses me through constant reminders
i find the Better Half of Who I Am through You....
Categories:
ginseng, dedication, love, thank you,
Form:
Free verse
ginseng
get up and go
with this organic pill,
but don't take too much or you'll get
jitters.
Categories:
ginseng, introspection, life, nature, uplifting,
Form:
Cinquain
A lady at a window writing,
measuring her words with strict precision.
She takes a sip of ginseng tea
to fuel her imagination.
Memories go drifting by - a brother
playing basketball, the softness
of a springtime rain, the anger
of an autumn sky, a flash,
and thunder rumbling.
Sights, smells and sounds
are grist to her mill. Nothing spoils
her view until her best attempt is done,
but still dissatisfied she tweaks
and fiddles, substitutes a weak word
for a stronger one. At last content
she sets aside her pen.
Categories:
ginseng, write,
Form:
Verse
...dedicated to all the writers here at poetrysoup.
A lady at a window writing,
measuring her words with strict precision.
She takes a sip of ginseng tea
to fuel her imagination.
Memories go drifting by - a brother
playing basketball, the softness
of a springtime rain, the anger
of an autumn sky, a flash,
and thunder rumbling.
Sights, smells and sounds
are grist to her mill. Nothing spoils
her view until her best attempt is done,
but still dissatisfied she tweaks
and fiddles, substitutes a weak word
for a stronger one. Finally content
she sets aside her pen.
They will know her now,
know the skill that she exhibits,
and know that she will always do her best.
Categories:
ginseng, dedication, autumn,
Form:
Verse
The Librarian
She polished her soft curved buttocks on my suede overcoat
And the smell of her ginseng breath made me stop
And raise my head
Losing my place in the card catalogue.
I shifted my eyes to her reaching arm concealed in an ox-hair sweater
She lifted an encyclopedia from an abandoned desk
And pressed it in folded arms to her whip-cream breast
I followed her to her reference table
And studied her as she sat unaware of melting eyes
I met her in a bar one night two weeks later
The yellow down now curled around her face and neck
She sat next to me
I talked about books I’d never read
Whispering Sex, The Dictionary of Love, and Lucia’s Feast
I thought of strapless bras and cool wet lips and smooth knees
I leaned on her, almost
As if I were some dusty bookshelf
I touched her tightened backbone
A smile snuck past her ox-hair sweater
She made my beer blended head feel like it was surrounded
White skin that was soft
And if I touched it with my tongue
Stroh’s would turn to sweetened warm milk
I handed her my library card
Watching as she folded it close to her waist
My purple eyes now undressing her
She turned and pressed her thigh to mine
A quite whisper
“Have you ever read Lucia’s Feast?”
I finished my beer and she returned the card
Her thin, bare shoulders nudge mine fluidly
We left the table,
the leftover books unchecked.
Categories:
ginseng, lust,
Form:
Free verse
Whenever a ginseng breeze blows,
Tokyo tears fall in my heart —
I have mountain village longings for distant her
My lonely home sits below sea-level blue,
my sabishi jia is sinking below cerulean water
Butterfly images on the rice paper lantern
softly sway ... gently I fall into a light sleep
My dreams float in the night Szechuan sky,
wishing for the clouds to cry
I feel the famine embrace of my phantom sorumeito —
My ghostly soulmate rests in the arms of another,
leaving me with a dearth of
barren gingko days ... only empty Yangtze pain
The air I breathe remains dry,
but my heart is flooded with emotional rain
I’m drowning on the inside,
overcome by
a downpour of internal torrential weeping
Overwhelmed by unabated emotional rain
Heavy is my Chengdu heart ... swept to the depths
of deep despair
by tsunami waves of true love loss
Never knew freedom would come
with such a soul evaporating cost
Didn’t realize being captive was such a joy,
oh how I wish I was still kept in her heart
As the morning sky starts to cry,
the rain washes away the levee pride
which my dry eyes used to hold back
All the tears that had built up in my heart
for too long
Today, my emotional rain
has washed me clean
to the far shores of hope again
Categories:
ginseng, feelings, lost love, rain,
Form:
Free verse
The fire on my face
burns and burns and burns
like the beacon in an ancient lighthouse
just to see you look at me,
I hide behind the person in front of me,
I know that you were looking,
I've seen you do it before,
but you've never seen me look back,
the fire,
it burns so pleasantly,
like a small, ginseng scented tea-light,
imported from a faraway port,
and I know the little flame will never die out.
Categories:
ginseng, happiness, hope, love, passion,
Form:
Free verse