Best Hilo Poems
I’m listless as a lazy river
barely lapping at the shore.
I wanted once to find the ocean,
but I don’t care any more.
Would I even make a ripple
if a stone were tossed my way?
Even with the frogs and fishies
I no longer wish to play.
I’ve lost my course and lie inert
inside my riverbed.
Had I legs to help me run,
I think they’d be as lead.
So spiritless and dull am I.
I’m like the kite I see
motionless each breeze-less day,
stuck and hanging from a tree.
Languor sure did overtake me,
for this humid, hot July
sucked out all my energy.
I think perhaps I’ll simply die.
Posted Aug. 3, 2022
For Hilo Poet's Simile Poetry Contest
Submitted Jan. 31, 2023 for Julia Ward's
Your Favourite Rhyming Poem From The Second Half Of 2022 Poetry Contest
William Bonny AKA Billy The Kid
A Tale Of Billy The Kid
By Robert Gorelick
“Quien esta?”
Bang! It’s over,
you’re a legend now,
Billy.
Born in Hell’s Kitchen in
ramshackle consumptive squalor,
New York’s crammed gang infected
rat-infested shacks
and alleys.
Amid the iniquitous stench
of rot and the soul’s decay,
in a nation at war,
pulling, stretching, ripping
to shreds the frayed fabric
of its precarious union.
An abused juvenile fleeing west
emerging from the muck
to where a soul and body
may heal, breathe deeply,
expand.
At last—life
New Mexico territory spreads open
and wide, easy to be seduced by cynical
range-war ranchers’ welcome greetings
they pay you well for
every cattle rustled,
then desert you as you flee the
sheriff’s posse.
“Quien esta?”
With a concealed knife
you stab a drunken gambler,
self-defense is no excuse
as the ruffian had
important friends.
You’re set to hang, Billy
in a daring display
you shoot your way out,
steal a horse and gallop
off to your woodland
shanty.
Midnight, your shack’s pitch dark,
there’s breathing nearby,
your Mexican novia?
Why doesn’t she speak?
“Quien esta?”
Bang. Pat Garrett guns
you down.
A throw away kid from big city squalor,
becomes a legend of the wild west.
You’re a legend, Billy
1/8/23
Metrical Tale Contest
Sponsor: Hilo Poet
Friends are like stars
Steady, glittery and bright
Embossed perfectly
With their yellow-white
To the black velvet
Of our dreary minds
Adorning them with
Eternal sparkles of light
Inspiring us with their
Deep keen insights -
Each one unique
Of it's own kind;
Friends are like stars
Luminous and lustrous
Radiating rays of hope
When in darkness we grope
As life's harried hassles
Leave us doomed and baffled
Eclipsing the brightness and
Cheeriness of our souls -
Each one glinting
With its warm glow.
Date: 08/08/2022
For Simile Contest
Sponsor: Hilo Poet
My cat sat on the window seat
Tail thumping with a rhythmic beat
Like a lioness stalking meat
A bird to eat A bird to eat
Oh, no you don't, my sweet kitty
That raven is much too gritty
You'd be hurt. Oh, what a pity!
You're too pretty You're too pretty
I'll give you a treat, if you wish
With the flavor of tuna fish
I'm certain you'll find it delish
It's in your dish It's in your dish
She ran, making her 'meow' sound
Straight for the kitchen, she was bound
With lightning speed of a greyhound
Her cat food downed Her cat food downed
I found her later, sound asleep
In peaceful dreams, she slept so deep
or she'd have heard the fledgling's "peep"
Of a bird's cheep Of a bird's cheep
August 8, 2022
Simile Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
Monotetra Form
I remember the tree verdant in spring
Those years stretched out could be filled with anything
I had dreams of strong limbs and plenitude
Thoughtfully give limbs for nest and bedewed
I saw you change in fall to colors rare
The frost touched your leaves and limbs unaware
I saw winds swoop from the north stripping pride
Then run its course, your fears you tried to hide
I wonder what will happen to the tree
Though life issues idiosyncrasy
Written: 8-26-22
Contest: Dot Your i's and Cross Your t's
Sponsor: Hilo Poet
In my meadow the scent of spring ripples in air,
I see the dance of patina on dainty petals of daisy,
unfurling with the touch of dawn’s spectrum,
like your hazel eyes out of the trance of dream.
The flowers blossom in chromatic charisma of joy,
look up to the sunburst pallet of the seamless sky,
the essence is suffused with splendorous sparkle,
painting pristine portrait of your of surreal beauty .
As the satin night showers the silver tinsels,
floating in the mystique miasma of moonbeam,
I descry the sparkling sky descend in my garden,
you shine with sapphire hue as sprouting stars.
The celestial charm of golden glow,
pulsates in my heart with enticing rhythm,
that radiates the luring luster of exultation
from the core of fair petals of your floral face.
Pining for the embrace of your radiant purity
I make my yearning an ornate vase,
place a bunch of blooming buds,
that flower you for me as fresh as a daisy.
_____________
July 30, 2022
Contest : Simile
Sposnored by : Hilo Poet
Is it a myth that History repeats?
This universal question that time deletes
Is the evidence clear that it occurs?
Through eons and eons it strangely recurs
Is it true that horrors are dulled by time?
This forever, unchanging paradigm
If wars are to end should it start with me?
To account for mankind’s insanity.
August 31st ‘22
For Dot Your I's and Cross Your T's Contest
by Hilo Poet
howmanysyllables =10
I was taking out my trash can
When I thought I saw a worm
But I realized it was a caterpillar
When the thing began to squirm
It crawled across the cobblestone
And made its way onto the grass
But when my puppy went to do his thing
It wound up on its a...
My puppy tried to get it off
By rolling in the dirt
He rolled so fast, came off his a...
And it landed on my shirt
It crawled onto my collar
Then, it crawled into my hair
So, I shuck my head and flung it off
And it flew into the air
A bird upon my roof-top
Caught the 'pillar in mid-flight
And fed it to his chickadees
Before they tweeted... a sweet Good Night!
Metrical Tale Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Hilo Poet
1/4/2023
Writing a poem is like giving birth to a baby.
With the copulation of fancy and thought,
Comes the moment of conception!
It swims into you as a seed, so tiny, so inconspicuous
Once pregnancy is confirmed, comes irritation, nausea
Lethargy and loss of appetite
All the while you begin to realize
That a new life, independent of you
Has begun growing inside you
Then all the care taken to foster the young life
You withdraw, take rest and relax in solitude
Slowly the fetus moves, the first stirring of life!
With fond fingers, as you pat your belly,
Your pen pats the paper.
The first line comes like the first beating of the heart!
Then words….like little harness bells tingling
Fall in line, line after line!
Drawing nourishment, the embryo grows limb by limb
The miniscule of insight, grown after months of waiting,
Into a mature body of illumination!
A stretch of your dreams! A suffusion of light!
After the labor pains of scribbling and scrawling,
Writing and rewriting, deleting, adding and editing,
With time stretching and contracting,
A baby, nay, a poem is born……
August.4.2022
~Placed Seventh~
Simile Poetry Contest
Sponsor- Hilo Poet
Anne-Lise Andresen- "Hugs"
Anisha Dutta- "Sweet Lady"
Beata Agustin- "Spiritual"
Bill Baker- "Friend from Texas"
Brandy Nicole- "Whispers & Scribbles"
Brian Sambourne- "One of my Canadian besties"
Brian Sand- Contest #10,000 (lol)-keep 'em coming, Brian!
Carolyn Devonshire- "Sweet Caroline" (R.I.P. dear Carolyn)
Christina Bowring- "Hugs & Smiles"
Constance la France- "Cats"
Craig Cornish- "Need a dictionary"
Daniel Turner- "Great scrabble player- better poet" (lol)
Darlene De Beaulieu- "Hello Mr. Messina" - (needs to fix avatar-lol)
Deb M- "Debx"
Emile Pinet- "Gifting his books"
Eve Roper- Nursey Rhymes"
Gershon Wolf- "The great philosopher"
Gregory Barden- "The Bard"
Hilo Poet- "Aloha"
I Am Anaya- "Cool"
Ink Empress- "Ink Princess"
Jan Allison- "Best for a laugh"
JCB Brul- "Never won her contests (lol)
John Hamilton- "Lyrics"
John Lawless- "WTFWT"
John Watt- "Word master"
Joseph May- "Love his contests"
Julia Ward- Never won her contests either (lol)
Kim Rodriguez- "Nature"
Lady Labyrinth- "Deep"
Line Gauthier- "Short and sweet"
Maria Williams- "My dear Aussie"
Michael Tor- "My brother from another mother"
Mike Gentile- "Caring"
Milton Hankins- "Missing him"
Mystic Rose Rose- "Flowers, flowers"
Panagiota Romios- "Pangie, the S.F. kid"
Paula Goldsmith- "A lovely read/write"
Quoth The Raven- "The Birds"
Regina McIntosh- "Love, Gina"
Richard Lamoureux- "His lovely wife"
Robert Hinshaw- "The poem I wrote for his wife"
Robert James Liguori- "Marvel"
Sam Kaufman- The finest bus driver poet I ever knew"
Sandra Haight- "My Jersey gal"
Sara Baker- "Bill's lovely wife"
Sara Kendrick- "Thanks for sharing"
Silent One- "Silence" (Rumi)
Sotto Poet- "Admirable"
Susan Ashley- "Warmest wishes"
Suzette Delaney- "The poem I wrote about her avatar eye"
Suzette Richards- "Can't do her contests, too hard (lol)
Tania Kitchin- "Haiku's"
Tom Cunningham- "Great story teller"
Tom Watt- "Another word master"
Tom Woody- "Reminds me of Milton- for some reason"
Unseeking Seeker- "The Seeker"
Valsa George- "Blessings"
Victor Buhagiar- "Missing his wife"
Vijay Pandit- "Imagery and Imagination"
Winged Warrior- "The great alliteration'er"- (R.I.P. John)
Red Sun
The engine coughs and sputters
Then roars and shows it’s ready
To catch the sun at Hilo
Rising from the sea.
Written 06/24/13 for Russell Sivey’s
Red Sun Contest....
Remember Pearl Harbor
I hear them on the television,
like I have a choice,
that's flat-out all they show these days:
Politicians
with their elucidations
tangled as Grandma's yarn.
Honest Joe, explicating why I'm beggared;
"It's your own fault, my good friends,
frankly, we need bold solutions"
they boom;
then hike the price of gas.
And the voices of we, the people;
lost
like violins in a marching band.
Simile Poetry Contest placed 10th
Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
Date wrote: 6th August 2022
POET and POETESS
Eve Roper : The Poetess
Super duper to impress
me, since my entry
to world of English Poetry.
First one to appreciate
me in her contest.
And then onward
I feel special regard.
Also her painting drew attention
increasing my admiration.
Poet Silent One :
Unique poet on perfection.
Also my first inspiration
to explore realm of poems
where he scatters gems.
He expresses my feelings intact
nicely composing: Exaact.
Just to marvel,
always to excel.
He belongs to my next generation,
yet snatched my veneration.
Hilo Poet
with rational intellect !
In PS as I met,
whelmed on his competence of fixture
to match poem precise with picture.
Over all testimonial texture
on each glance
shows elegance.
Charmed with his ideas specific,
sponsoring contest proper prolific.
12/ 11 /22
First Place
Who is your best Ps poet or poetess
Contest by Sotto Poet.
Aloha Weeps
Aloha weeps
In waves of grief
Pounding on a windswept beach
To grieve the loss of gracious footsteps
That gently walked upon its sand
Where the waves that tickled her heart
Now carry a plumeria lei
Beyond the horizon.
Pele mourns
Her adopted child
Whose fiery imagination
Flowed like lava in poetry
To build new lands of inspiration
Child, laughing in pikaki’s fragrant garden,
Slips quietly from breath’s bonds
Past the islands’ shores.
Trade winds grieve
Murmuring her name
Steadfast
In gossamer hues
Of orchids and hibiscus,
Hawaii’s pua aloalo,
So they remember to give
Breath to her words
Gliding over rolling surf
And rustling palms.
Rainbows cry
Reach out to touch
Her giving servant heart,
To touch her beauty,
To find her na'u garden empty
With only her Aloha scent
Lingering
Among the ilima of Oahu
As she soars on rainbow wings
Into friendly skies again.
The tropic sun laments
In a ring
Of fiery tears
In secret waterfalls
Among the blue awapuhi – trails of naupaka
And coral reefs
That guard tropical beauty
When tides recede
To hear the conch shell call her home.
Aloha Hawaiian Rose.
Mahalo nui loa, ka’u hoaaloha! Thank you so much my friend.
God be with you! ke Akua pu.
On the passing of Connie Marcum Wong!
Poet extraordinaire! Servant Heart! Faithful friend! Beautiful flower in Hawaii’s garden.
Constance means steadfast.
9-16-22
Thank you William, Hilo Poet, for teaching me the beauty of the Hawaiian language. I truly hope I have written it correctly to honor this beautiful language.
Awapuhi is a beautiful blue flower native to Hawaii.
Ilima is the flower of the island of Oahu
Naupaka is a small white, fragrant flower of Hawaiian legend
Na’u is the Hawaiian, fragrant gardenia
Pua aloalo is the Hibiscus – state flower of Hawaii
~ Flute Song ~
Born in the deep depths of a hollow womb
Winsome notes float out with a sweet perfume
Poetic pearl tones glow through twilight gloom
And from sacred shadows pure music blooms
A haunting call from melody’s cocoon
Heaven’s breath invites trills of joyful tunes
Spread on sweet silver wings ‘cross fields and dunes
Wand’ring lithe airs born burst from tone heirlooms
Argent brush of angel’s wings for new moons.
11-2-22
Contest: Monomixorhyme Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Hilo Poet
Syllables check with www.howmanysyllables
Rhymes checked with www.rhymezone