Best Gondolas Poems
With you, Emily,
I desire everything,
Some blackcurrant ice cream,
From gondolas to Venice,
Without you, Emily,
I don’t want anything,
With you, Emily,
I desire everything,
From Connecticut,
Of fine musical,
Without you, Emily,
I don’t want anything,
With you, Emily,
I love everything,
To jump in a balloon,
Flying over New York,
Without you, Emily,
I don’t want anything,
With you Beatrice,
I desire everything,
To suck on lullabies
To write poems,
Without you, Beatrice,
I don’t want anything,
With you, Emily
I desire everything,
To see the pyramids,
To steal the Mona Lisa,
Without you, ladies
I’m too sincere,
I can’t forgive people.
'in the blink of an eye"
the camera lense inside my eye decided to take flight
upon an adventurous love affair intending to ignite
while in the midst of viewing landscapes beautiful symmetry
capturing on eternal film every earthly mystery.
in Rome , the Trevi Fountain intoxicates by bell
enticing fond admirers to cast coins in wishing well
while gondolas in Venice charm romantic lovers ride
upon blue azure waterways where gentle breezes abide.
feeling incredible power of Mount Vesuvious volcano
inhaling cathedral windows in Padua with classic staino
motor boat sking on white crested waves of the Amalfi Coast
treasured sights of Italy, to tourists, plays great host.
my lense kidnaps a winery in Tuscany's grape vineyard
absorbing growing vines of fruit in softly blowing windward
toasting wine is an Italian custom of friendly greeting
ingesting sights so breathtaking invigorates heart beating.
journeying to Positano Harbor for cool boat races
snapping photos vigrously as challengers heighten their paces
a lovely paradise exists on Florence steamy sandy beach
as twilight horizon canopy glows as pretty as ripe peach.
in the blink of an eye the mind hides memories of travel
forever encased inside the lense protected from unravel
a treasure chest of cherished moments envisioned with deep sigh
a fabulous adventure preserved within the blink of an eye.
*For SandyIvy's Viewing Life Through Camera Lenses Contest.
*Nov. 13, 2012.
Wish to wake up surrounded by the snow-capped Alps
Sipping tea in the quiet, quaint villages of Switzerland
Watching the glittering ripples of sapphire blue lakes
Staying in picturesque lakeside hamlets
Overlooking emerald valleys and majestic mountain peaks
Wish to climb the summit of the Matterhorn
To ride in horse-drawn carriages in the village of Zermatt
Journeying through train to Jungfraujoch
Riding cable cars and gondolas over the Lauterbrunnen Valley
Visiting flourishing flower gardens in Interlaken
Enjoying the Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne
Wish to write about the beauty of Lake Geneva
From within the halls of the famed Chateau de Chillon
Skiing and snowboarding in St. Moritz’s Cresta Run
Stopping by in the Rose Garden and Bear Park
In the stunning Swiss capital of Bern
Wish to go to the Zurich Zoo with my family
Walk the cobbled streets of the Old Town
Strolling toward the Swiss National Museum
Call on the tennis great Roger Federer in his Wollerau home
Watch him practise his game and spend time with his family
Wish to enjoy some Cheese fondue and Älplermagronen
With Rosti and Zürcher Geschnetzelte, a veal dish
It would be wonderful to eat Engadiner Torte
Taste some Huppen wafer biscuits
And some sweet Swiss chocolate
If I were to go on a vacation,
I would choose Switzerland
without a second thought
Dreamy and inviting
That’s the place I wish to see.
28th March 2022
For L Milton Hankins' "My Dream Vacation" contest
So Much to See
By Franklin Price
12/11/2016
Elephants in Africa
The mountains of Nepal
The Kangaroos down under
I want to see it all
The moors of northern England
Castles from the past
A musical on Broadway
Old iron sides and its mast
Gondolas on the Grand Canal
The fjords of the north
The windmills of the Netherlands
Bridges that cross the firth-of-forth
To see and kiss the blarney stone
Stand at the wailing wall
Walk the Great Wall of China
I want to do it all
That's only the beginning
There's so much else to see
To visit what I've listed
Need to win the lottery
On a lovely clear day at a county fair,
the balloons were all ready to take to the air.
We watched as the burner flames flickered up high,
then passengers boarded and waved us goodbye.
The balloons all ascended and finally took flight.
In vibrant striped colors, a rainbow delight.
Propelled by wind currents they gracefully fly,
like sailboats at sea beneath the blue sky.
From wicker gondolas gazing down on the land,
their magical trip will no doubt be grand.
With the sun on their face and wind through their hair,
in a hot air balloon, how I wish I was there.
I couldn't afford gondolas,
So I bought Carnivale masks-
Venice!
Mark Halliday
20150309
Image 1
Blue Iris,
Grimoire gondolas steal unbound human yawns,
Each Charon poised with sallow spear along the River:
Austere laughter of headless boughs
sipping grave-scented spiritual kisses.
Gruel to Drinking Fear you do coerce,
Till evil flees the dawn within its hearse.
I shall not warn my successors, no—instead
I shall laugh
A Godless laugh
From this unlit, inward tower
At the Thoms ever drawn to a fog-rent
Harbor of Lights,
Forever in flight
t’wards a searing promise:
“The shadow of your smile when you are gone.”
Softly flows
The Months; cadence down
The end of Years,
All Great Whites closely duty-bound
Gleaned russet stress and tears.
All I do
As gardens do
As zephyr hewn
Is wash my hands
I watch my hands
Just watch them grow—
Closing impossible crimes
By the cold March of Time.
Shall I catastrophe? I shall wasp anew
Geronimo! hellbent swoons: withered Eye see U:
A veldt vision on this peace of death
That singes arrows unto my breast,
Non-quietus—not of suede nor hawthorn
That singing! Unveiled Vistas Reborn.
The summer breeze made chill wastrel flames,
E'en herrings dappled across minstrel viridian
All bearing my name.
Subtlety
Is your root, surely as I inhale the palpitations
Of this noxious City so small
Yet so grand in its delusion.
Rachel or Leah? Suffice it (and damn it, too), at least Jacob’s subtle darkness
Invited crystal warmth to dine on elegant raindrops. At Life I laugh,
And Life laughs long, dreamy along kestrel seams. I dine
On sweet air.
Despised dream origin.
Quickly, quickly, awaken me—unwrap
Your blessed hearths, creature,
And begone—I despise
Your balance of whimsy; I despise
All of your beauty.
Venice, Italy, is a crazy shamozzle of new and old
Where junk, graffiti, decay, stunning beauty,
history and culture poverty and opulence, all reside side by side, bobbing.
Water dominates the landscape, canals and waterways replace all the roads
Everything is carried by boat, food, people, garbage, produce, industrial supplies.
Ambulances, fire engines, delivery trucks and police cars are all replaced by boats.
The disorderly rusty ferries ply the waterways, jostling along with gondolas, magnificent polished wooden water taxis,
Occasionally the historic scene is ruined by modern fiber glass runabouts
with huge outboard motors completely out of place.
Next comes barges with cranes, garbage collecting boats, delivery and construction supply boats, and the many service vehicles.
Grab a table beside the canals and watch the parade of boats old and new jostle and bobble on by.
Walk through the tiny crowded streets and enjoy the kaleidoscope of people of many cultures enjoying themselves.
There are many surprises. Tiny shops with feet in large glass tanks being cleaner by fish.
Everywhere there are places to explore and things to enjoy.
Looming off in the distance you may see huge cruise liners dwarfing the buildings,
These vessels are seemingly populated by ants, as the ships are so big.
The ancient church bells in Venice chime as the ships depart arrive and depart, in homage to the new god of tourism.
The Palace art is simply overwhelming, overloading your senses.
Ancient art is everywhere and often ignored.
Venice is beautiful, but one gets the impression that all the photographs taken in Venice
are gradually sucking out the life force out of the structures, hastening their decay.
There are so many dimensions and experiences, places to explore that you never get tired of Venice.
The more times you visit the better you will like it and the more you will find to do and see.
You have to laugh and ignore the hassles, the jostling crowds, the regimented crowded ferry system,
the pushing and shoving of the crowds in the tiny streets,
simply laugh and have fun.
Venice is crazy, nice, with diverse multi-faceted attractions and lots of things to do.
You will love it!
Venice Trice is Nice.
Eat:
She introduced her taste buds
to Italian spaghetti and red wine,
going to different restaurants
with the help of gondolas. She
has always wanted to taste
the delicacy.
Pray:
She found a way of feeding her soul,
after enjoying spaghetti. A spiritual teacher
introduced her to meditation, and
she began finding what she had lost
since childhood - happiness.
Love:
A man she met reminded her to love herself.
Pleasures and pains they shared tore off
the curtains that hid the true meaning
of love to her.
Nature’s flower bed....
Gondolas where falcons tread
Fire burst overhead
For S K A T's contest
Moonlight was the only light to make streaks across
a sky full of suspense which even a thief was afraid of;
and as I dragged you along lamp-lit, narrows streets,
we seemed two ghosts wearing human masks...
but what was on our delirious minds, if not love?
Your wish was to be on the Ponte Dei Respiri to sigh and dream...
while viewing that moon with new eyes to catch that rare gleam,
but the quickest way to get there was to wave down a gondolier! But there was
no space as thousands of people, wearing masks, were riding in those gondolas...
without despairing, we stopped on the nearest bridge and passionately kissed!
I resembled the Phantom of the Opera without that disfigured face;
you seemed like the seductive Dodge's wife so glamorous and gleeful,
and your mask was of the loveliest blue as the sky over the Adriatic Sea...
when Saint Mark's bells rang and doves flew to revive their past glory.
Oh, darkness endure more to let our memory always be a night in Venice!
Entered in Nette Onclaud's contest,
" It's Mask Time "
Written by Andrew Crisci
Skiing Is…
Skiing is…
Alpine thrill ride on four inch boards
Boggy in the bumps – a schuss to the lodge
Carving a turn leaving icy rooster tails in the air
Drag lift to ride on thick moving ropes
Skiing is…
Extreme black diamond runs on endless terrain
Flat hills of green for bunny slopes
Googles of amber for blizzards or flat light
Hardpack and boiler-plate; blue ice and corn snow
Skiing is…
Into the heart of pure mountain splendor
Jet sticks on snowfields under blazing blue skies
Keeping upright avoiding face plants
Lift lines of frustration at chair lifts and gondolas
Skiing is…
Moguls that hide crafty snow snakes
Nordic dance of short swings in fresh powder
Outside skis with a mind of their own
Powder hounds piggin’ through aspen trees
Skiing is…
Quick turns called weidlin from Austrian lore
Runs of legend like K-2 and Exhibition, Wild Child, The Plunge
Sitzmarks the size of a lunar crater
Telemark turns on frosty cross-country trails
Skiing is…
Under the smile of the crystal solstice
Vertical drops into wide open bowls
Weighting unweighting parallel turns
Experts and bunnies apres ski with tall tales
Skiing is…
Yards sales of googles, poles, hats and lost skis
Zest for taking your life in your hands!
2-28-23
Venetian lacy, black masks with feathery eyes
Others gilded in gold leaf and sequinned gems
Come gliding in gondolas to disguise
Obsequiously they dip and bowing bend
St Mark's Square is the meeting place to parade
Stately in silken ball gowns and evening dress
Mask Contest and new acquaintances made
Greet three million visitors more or less
A city made from nothing,
on a lagoon with shallow waters
to keep the invaders away ;
still today those bell chimes ring out
to remind everyone of her victory
at Lapanto...when the ships
brought back the banners
of the defeated enemy!
Venice's splendor is seen everywhere...
even in San Marco's Square,
swarmed with pigeons and visitors,
where the Venetians' genius built
a splendid Basilica reminiscent of their wealth
and power...making Venice: the Queen of the Sea!
Down the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs,
gondolas row...carrying visitors and lovers;
the artists seek inspiration for their works,
while their stunned eyes are delighted by beauty,
which pulls them out of virtual reality!
Intrigue and mystic fascinated
many a devoted soul,
and the entire city echoed
with delirious voices breaking
the silence of midnight;
violins and lutes played in palaces
and in gondolas on the Grand Canal...
did anyone stare at the brilliant stars?
A masquerade was an invitation to love,
all disguised themselves behind a mask;
many were seduced by passions with haste...
as Venice revelled in their merry-making,
celebrating a glory that knew no ending;
and when it declined, it was deserted by all!
Venice's splendor seems eternal,
not diminishing through ages;
her fame ever-increasing and each stone
can tell a different story of people
who partook of her greatness,
leaving a legacy we regard as our own...
As we hop on the magic carpet
Off we go to parts unknown
Look there's elephants, giraffes, lions and tigers in stride
We are in Africa
Off to Venice where the gondolas are floating down the canals
Next on our list is the great Pyramids of Egypt
On the banks of the River Yamuna
Stands the beautiful stately Taj Mahal
We are heading for the spectacular view of the Grand Canyon
Before we head home one more stop
It is the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
Now that our adventure has ended we roll-up the magic carpet
And put it away for another day of adventure