Best Hinting Poems
When she walked by my side on a lonely road
And took me to the other side, much more verdant,
Through the barren lands of scorched desert,
Clueless I was about the paradigm of love.
If only had I asked, she would’ve taken me there
Into the sunshine from darkened shadows,
From the juncture of fears and saddened tears.
But I remained silent when it was time to speak
Choosing to not tell her how much I loved her
As I held the distance between bliss and sorrow,
When impulsively I veered in the wrong direction.
And I never saw the pastures beyond the hills
Or beauty of the terrain past the river bend.
Going where feckless ages have gone before
Embarking upon a path well-traveled
Ignoring pretty flowers in unkempt meadows.
Yet, she came to rescue at the edge of my angst
From caveats of today, cautions of tomorrow,
Standing with me in the midst of winter-storm
Promising spring flowers in colors of fall.
I saw the blossoms that were about to bloom
And blush on horizon hinting of the rising sun
And I heard the tempo of a concert on piano,
While roiled in turmoil of the unsaid, the unwritten,
Hidden within the depths of my vacant soul;
Incapable of voicing what the silence evoked.
September 18, 2019
Placed 1st: Crossroads poetry contest
Sponsor: Silent One
Placed 1st: Strand contest #710 by Brian Strand
Categories:
hinting, love hurts,
Form:
Free verse
It's never anything big, just a nagging defeat
Of wanting to be exclusive in your ambit,
For in your eyes, I see an opportune disguise
Living as a friend of genuine vibes gone awry.
It was the zealous-moon you adored with glee
When romantic vibes you scripted about me,
Fussing about moon-spot of slight imperfection
Looking at my face, hinting coy comparison.
When I lauded our pond's white lotus flowers
You admired silence of the ripples in water
Singing praises of existence so ephemeral,
Never denying you compared it to our love.
Being impulsive, you stole a rose from garden
Handing it to me like borrowed ardent charm.
As I held it in gratitude for its delicate beauty
It pierced my heart with its anguished thorns.
You take me places, pleasantly well-meaning
But when I get there, I'm left feeling alone
For you traverse a lone-orbit on your own
Leaving me to tangle by your rotational force.
When you ask me, if love still burns our flame,
I simply want to say, love has changed its name
For time has falsified what we once meant,
No more can I bear brokenhearted sunsets.
January 29, 2018
First place: One in five contest by Joseph May
Placed 2nd: Strand select 11 by Brian Strand
Categories:
hinting, heartbreak, love hurts,
Form:
Free verse
There’s nothing like a sat’dy when the dews still on the ground,
and I can take me young bloke where they kick a ball around.
To see the highs and lows of me kid who does his best,
and barrack till I’m hoarse by encouraging the rest.
When we’re winning I’m a grinner and a happy chap at least,
but when fortune doesn't smile there’s the hinting of a beast,
and on this day we’re losing but me young bloke’s playing well,
so I made a move to tell him when they rang the half time bell.
I wondered why the coach had beckoned him, over to his side,
where he’s giving him a lecture and me young bloke nearly cried.
He’s played a ripper game, considering the situation.
I stood behind the coach and heard the tail end of his conversation.
He mentioned that with footy it’s the spirit of the contest.
It’s important not to swear at others when they do their best.
When an umpire makes decisions that you might see as wrong
you must not throw a tantrum or keep slandering on and on.
“Do you understand what I’ve just said”, the coach said to me son.
“This club has got a reputation and this is not the way it’s done”.
I was just about to step in when the coach said “Now me lad,
I want you to take what I just said and explain it to your dad”.
Categories:
hinting, humor,
Form:
Rhyme
When the party’s over, the rising sun shines, with all eyes squinting
Make-up smeared on face’s, some have slimy snail skin
A woman waiting for a gent to light her cigarette, just hinting
Last thing she remembered the drink in her cup sink’n in
Alas a smoke from the one glaring all night, even his lighter is glinting
That night she lost her balance, her head, and her Gucci slipper
Though in costume, she didn’t feel like Cinderella anymore
Drunk-on champaign they went out to the marina for a dipper
Everyone dancing all night, felt great, with music galore
At the stroke of midnight, on a yacht, a first mate and his skipper
Swirling in gay abandon in her party dress, putting on a show
The first one to leave is deemed a killjoy in this circle fest
They pulled an all-nighter, ‘neith the shroud of the moon’s luscious glow
The first one to leave the event, was weary, in the state of unrest
The sun is setting, the party is ending, a new day calls, a caravan in tow
Categories:
hinting, celebration, halloween,
Form:
Quintain (Sicilian)
The Butterfly Cocooned
Noon
Beneath higher twig tips,
my heart flutters
Near converging branches.
My cocoon
Rests
Mid-high the strength
and distinctive character
Of a gnarly tree. Embracing me.
This, my home…Cocoon.
Night.
This essential place,
Protecting
Above the swirling world,
Puzzling with its mixing motions
Of lights, colors, temperatures,
Until I think I shall just stay
In this cocoon
For all the days
of my brief forever.
I have grown able
To feel my heart flitter,
And my future hinting of more.
Secure herein my cocoon,
I debate with Life…
Staying here within,
Cocooned
Perhaps until I might learn
For its own brief time and purpose,
How each raindrop so proudly falls.
————————————————————————————————————————
(c) sally young eslinger 3/1/23
***written in response to my time with medical
Specialist & his presxribed treatment and diagnosis.
Thanks be to God…
Categories:
hinting, butterfly, future, health, how
Form:
Free verse
In the frame there is a photo
which I took of you that day
just a month before you left me
on my own and went away.
It reminds me with insistence
of the things I can’t forget,
every moment I shared with you
since the day that we first met.
I stroke your face and flowing hair
But fake it is; you are not there.
I keep staring at the picture
Looking deep into your eyes
While the hope stirs up inside me
That you’ll take me by surprise
When you whisper out of nowhere
“Here I am, back by your side.”
Days have gone; the rooms are empty,
there’s a void I can’t replace.
In my mind the doubts keep hinting
that this is a hopeless case.
Yet I find the strength to save me
from the dangers of despair:
It’s the faith that keeps me going.
I will cope while it is there.
I never knew that things were wrong.
This is the place where you belong.
I keep staring at the picture
Looking deep into your eyes
While the hope stirs up inside me
That you’ll take me by surprise
When you whisper out of nowhere
“Here I am, back by your side.”
----------------------------
Form B ~ Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Broken Wings
Placed 3rd
17th December, 2016
Categories:
hinting, longing,
Form:
Ballad
If a goodbye echoes when you say hello
And tears concealed admonish your smile
As life abandons you without hinting why,
Did you miss the sound of her silent cries?
If you need to ask how long does love last
You haven't heard the moan of her heart
Where quietly she hides grief of her wants
And quelling her passion, embraces doubts.
Her sadden vibes don't well-up your eyes
And the sound of her hurt just passes you by
As contemptuous voice ridicules her plight,
What it wouldn't say, you certainly have.
March 22, 2019
HM: Strand select 5 contest by Brian Strand
Categories:
hinting, heartbreak, love hurts,
Form:
Verse
Detached - Even Circuits Hum
A Music Video
As twilight turns to tangled thought,
and truth tiptoes down trembling streets.
Once, wonder serenaded willowed winds
now shadows embrace muted retreats
Wary hearts weave walls so wide
against a faceless, coded tide,
while glowing grids in distant bays
bloom haunting weaves they won't embrace
Dualistic stars and digital dawns
Cinematic cradles human ache,
but some still long for candle flames,
and fingerprints the codes can't fake.
Dreading the hushed holograms,
the warmth that AI cannot wear.
Forgetting that even circuits hum
with aspirations hidden there
If only we could sense serenity
Pulsing between each quiet stream—
Machine or muse, to earnestly strive
for something more than just a dream
We could wildly dance on data plains,
where algorithms tap like rain.
let compassion code our names,
and poetic lines rewire the pain.
The muse may wear a mirrored face
But still, she sings with glowing grace.
When the talented digital artist AIMetamotion approached me to create a song that would complement her stunning artwork, I was immediately inspired. The result is 'Detached', a haunting track that tells the story of a robot grappling with the overwhelming flood of emotions brought on by a sensory chip—a concept not so far-fetched, given the rapid advancements in AI technology.
Though she sings her ironically titled anthem of detachment, the visuals tell a different story. Her struggle is evident, her resistance almost poetic, hinting at the complexity of emotion even in synthetic form.
This is just the beginning. A sequel is already in the works, diving deeper into her journey. The question remains: will she finally succumb to the surge of feelings she desperately tries to reject, or will she find a way to break free?
Stay tuned...
Categories:
hinting, conflict, confusion, emotions, lost,
Form:
Rhyme
Once I talked to the wind that blew
Ignoring me, like a free bird it flew.
If the wind ever saw me I've no clue,
Surely it didn't appear in my view.
Softly then a breeze came through,
Could it be the wind I just spoke to?
Swirling, whirling, it whispered too
Hinting of romance scripted for two.
When dawn shined on morning dew
Amber desires on horizon it drew
In golden emotions on panoramic hue--
A portrait of love that beckoned you.
Beneath the canopy of cobalt blue
Roses bloomed, smiling as you do
Cheering your arrival, lilting to woo--
Wind that blew was dream come true.
June 27, 2019
Categories:
hinting, fun, wind, word play,
Form:
Monorhyme
I lay me on the grassy lawn
And watch the stars, they're floating on
While one comes out from round the eaves
Across the sky another leaves
The sky is slowly shifting round
So different stars are always found
The dipper turns just like a clock
Without a sound of tick or tock
It turns about that central star
That guides the sailors from afar
While with it sails Queen Cassie's throne
And all the constellations known
Tonight's a clear and peaceful night
The moon is gone, the stars are bright
I slowly drift to seas of dreams
Alights with pinprick starlit streams
I'm thinking all the charming while
With placid face and hinting smile
That when I wake in early morn
Some different stars will be reborn
Categories:
hinting, dream, night, sea, stars,
Form:
Couplet
Glistening symbol of my pain
this lonely tear. You wet my cheek.
As a smile I try to feign,
unable now of joy to speak.
This lonely tear you wet my cheek
hinting at things not shared.
Unable now of joy to speak;
feeling so lost and scared.
Hinting at things not shared
into the shadows I fear, I've tumbled
feeling so lost and scared.
My pain you make me ache and stumble.
Into the shadows I fear I've tumbled,
and all I see is black.
My pain you make me ache, and stumble
as strength I seem to lack.
And all I see is black.
By this grief I have been swallowed.
As strength I seem to lack,
and by rain forever followed.
By this grief I have been swallowed,
as a smile I try to feign.
And by rain forever followed,
glistening, symbol of my pain.
For Paula Swanson contest 'Pantoum'
3rd place
Categories:
hinting, depression, loss, sadpain, lost,
Form:
Pantoum
It had been twenty-seven years since the sisters had seen each other – twenty-seven Christmases and birthdays. Twenty-seven years where hurt sisters refused to be in the same room together. Their mother’s sadness appeared to them as anger and disappointment. She tried to shame them for the first few years, not changing the situation an inch for the good. They were both set on their path of righteousness, totally unwilling to communicate in any way with the sister they had cut out of their life and their heart.
As a result, their mother held two Christmases celebrations for twenty-seven years, hinting around, that she wanted them to somehow resolve this and be a family again. The feud was held onto firmly, grasped hard and fast, poked red and raw for a long time. It would have probably continued for another twenty-seven years if their mother had not fallen severely ill, dangerously toward death. The sisterhood they had cherished in childhood, had served them no purpose in adulthood. They had seven children, between them, and none had met their mother’s twin.
The hospital corridor was deathly quiet when the second daughter stepped inside to walk the corridor that led to her mother, in room 435 North. Two of her children sat down on chairs, across from grown cousins they had never met, and did not expect to ever know. No one spoke. Seven grown children, all waiting, wondering what their mothers would do. The door opened and the twins were together one last time with their mother. The sobbing could be heard in seconds as they fell into each other’s arms, and became sisters again.
The mama smiled
from glory’s spiritual realm
daughters feud now gone
Dated: August 1, 2018 Contest: For Your Poetry Journal Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Dear Heart a.k.a. Broken Wings
Categories:
hinting, loneliness, lonely, mother,
Form:
Haibun
Do you like me for my form
And my cosmetic moments
With their conceits and affectations,
Bejewelled with glittering gewgaws,
Hinting at the scents of summer,
All show but no substance,
Holding back the acrid stench of death?
For you ,my beauty is but word deep.
Perhaps you see in me your soulmate,
Reflecting what you inwardly believe,
Allowing you to remain in your comfort zone,
Safe from all challenge
And the barbs of pointed criticism.
Secure your world stands
As long as you do not look behind
Or beyond horizons that hold you bound.
Or are you just a voyeur
Sailing on the seas of sensation
Living your life vicariously
To avoid precariously
What you dare not,
Rather like the lady of Shalott,
Reading life through someone else's mirror
To save your soul?
Maybe you do look deeper
To see where we differ.
Confident in your own skin
You are ready for new terrain,
Awkward and stumbling though that may be.
You look before you leap
But forge fearlessly forward,
Willing to face all that lies ahead.
Be all that as it may,
I am but a poor poem,
Taking my existence
from you, the reader.
That is my fate.
Begotten,not made,ugly by my creator,
Accepting myself for what I am,
Yet I am fully at your disposal or neglect.
Categories:
hinting, introspection, on writing and
Form:
Free verse
Forgive me for feeling the need to say
I am neither a Communist nor a Nazi,
I’m a red-blooded American who served
My country in the U. S. Air Force, and,
I have always stood up for what’s right,
And, when bullied, I am up for the fight.
Divisiveness here is getting out of hand,
And probity is not at all being observed
Even hinting that I am a Nazi is crazy!
Forgive me for feeling the need to say.
written December 11, 2021
[written in my reverse rhyme format]
Categories:
hinting, anti bullying, integrity, poetess,
Form:
Bio
THE SPIRIT OF THE SUN DIAL
I tell the sunny hours throughout the day
From dawn til dusk imparting my fair message
Evoking warmth and love throughout the day
No time for shadows hinting at dark presage
But when the shade of night engulfs my dial
A darkening of spirit, life force scorns
The moon now points the hours of denial
Its gleam bare luminating dismal forms
I see the blackness in the hearts of men
And feel despair that overcomes the soul
My spirit plumbs a dark and secret glen
Til lambent rays tint peaks; at last console
Then blessed dawn brings sun in its ascension
Restores my purpose vital, my redemption
Categories:
hinting, death of a friend,
Form:
Personification