Best Insect Poems
hello hello
butterfly flutterby
epitome of symmetry
graceful & elegant
modest & innocent
whispering
hues & color
spreading loving cheer
a breath sweet kiss
a bit of bliss
Published in my 24-page photo/anthology book ~HELLO BUTTERFLY~ 2020
AP: 2nd place 2022, 2nd place 2020, 3rd place 2020
POTD October 2, 2019
Submitted on October 1, 2019 for contest Writing Challenge, October - Butterfly sponsored by DEAR HEART- WIISHKOBE ODE - RANKED 1ST
Night fell,
Summer’s heat abating,
I sat leaning against a tall magnolia,
Its fragrance spreading everywhere
Like echoes of whispering breezes.
Despite all I could not rest and sleep.
The moon and stars were invisible now,
But darkness could not cover the glade.
Fireflies flittered here and there, glowing.
I was mesmerised by the fireworks of the night.
Suddenly I heard a delicate delicious melody.
Was it the fireflies orchestrating their symphony?
Soft enchanting tunes enticed the whole glen.
Could this be a dream descended from the hidden stars?
The melody changed, cadences tuned up and down,
The fragrance of the magnolia increased,
The moon appeared and all was bright.
Butterflies flew all around. Or were they fairies?
I could not tell for suddenly my eyes became heavy
And blissfully I slept as joyfully I dreamt.
In solitude I dream tonight
And watch a moth in fevered flight.
It’s drawn toward my quaint porch light
And flies consumed with all its might.
Through open window I can see
Its desperation shared with me;
How freedom in this world is light—
And we as souls are drawn to fight.
Though freedom’s light may cause our death,
It’s worth the risk with every breath.
I understand the moth’s sad plight
When drawn to the glorious light.
Though it knows not of human trust,
It buzzes on because it must!
3-18-22
~Fourth Place~
Freedom Premiere Contest
Sponsored by: Robert James Liguori
He’s a creature small and lowly.
See him move along so slowly -
an earthworm.
He has no fins that he might swim,
nor wings that wind might carry him.
He’s earthbound.
And yet there’s something you should know.
God made him special; he can glow
like *earthshine!
*Earthshine is a newer word and synonymous to Earthlight, which is a natural phenomena of sun reflected off earth particularly on dark side of crescent moon.
This form is a derivative of one called The Compound Word Verse
I know
I know
You didn't mean to let me in
And you
Could have crushed me like a bug
Instead you caught me
Softly
Saved me
Trapped me
Ogled me through the glass
A while
Then sent me on my way
I'm free
But a little crushed just the same.
Date: 11,20,2017
Contest: Make me actually LOL
Sponsor: Nina Parmenter
Splendiferous skies
Sunflower sunrise
haystacks of lilacs
pastel daisies play
with robins and jays
fragrant grass finds
bunny behinds
cotton lambs coo
earth's lush rebirth
a spring dream
until my
face hits a
clinging
bug filled
web
3/09/21
Poem of the Day
3/11/21
Baxter was born in a meadow
under a rotting plank
with hundreds of brothers and sisters
in a home both darkly and dank.
His momma was a June Bug
and he was a June Bug too,
schooled in all the sorts of things
that June Bugs love to do.
He grew up fast, it was time to fly
and leave his happy home,
his momma went to the book case
and pulled out a well worn tome.
She read from a chapter called "Hazards"
to each of her children dear,
“Stay clear of birds when you’re flying
or you won't last out the year."
"And one more thing that you should know,
and this you must absorb,
beware of the light in the evening sky
that's called the purple orb."
So he left his home behind him,
went flying all around,
he saw some birds in the tree tops
and headed right for the ground.
After landing in the tall grass
he met a stink bug named Dwight
who told him wonderful stories
of an light so purple and bright.
"Forget now what your mother said,
I'm here to set you straight,
the orb is just a doorway,
you know, it's like a gate."
"When you enter into its brightness
you're magically swept away
to a lovely world of happiness
where forever you can stay."
So Baxter started searching,
he looked both high and low
and if he found the purple orb
straight to it he would go.
But the light was very clever,
it kept its secret well,
but Baxter kept on looking
as if he was under a spell.
Finally on an August eve
just as darkness was appearing
he spotted a distant purple glow
across a meadow's clearing.
"It must be the orb,” he said to himself,
so he flew with all his might
across the meadow with all due speed
toward that beautiful purple light.
Soon he hovered before it
and bathed in its eerie glow,
what wonders lay in store for him
his mind could scarcely know.
Gathering up his courage
into the purple light he sped,
crackle and zap was all he heard
as he fell to the ground near dead.
He lay in a growing pile
of other bugs who'd seen
a purple orb up in the sky,
but it wasn't what it seemed.
So if you meet a stink bug
who goes by the name is Dwight
don't believe the tales he tells
of a beautiful purple light.
Remember what Baxter's momma said,
"and this you must absorb,
beware of the light in the evening sky
that's called the purple orb."
I have compassion, at least that’s what I try to tell my children.
I can’t even find it within me to kill a mosquito anymore,
and I hate those little bloodsucking mosquitoes, but the sound
the zapper makes when a little unsuspecting mosquito flies
into that little purple light and I hear the crackling sound and spark,
Zzzzzzpt, all I can think about is the pain inflicted before it’s death,
and I remember my husband thinking how helpful he was being
by buying that zapper and showing me how well it worked.
I smiled, and acted appreciative, but after he died I threw it away.
I guess the heart grows more tender as we age and we reflect more
on life and death and how every creature God made has its right to live.
Yes, I do have compassion, yet my children have more than I do
and that is a great thing because that means I have taught them well.
5-23-22
Divine Intervention Poetry Contest~N/A~
Sponsored by: Chantelle Anne Cooke
Sent from my iPad
I dreamt of blue birds
and buzzing bumble bees.
I roamed with the bison herds,
prayed with mantis on our knees,
and butterflies in the breeze.
I greeted the cheery chickadees,
dragonflies, and snowy owls.
I marveled at graceful manatees.
raucous sounds of guinea fowls,
and warblers’ velvet vowels.
I raved at ravens
dancing on a fertile field.
Mice sought havens,
safe shelters that red ants build
in hopes from spiders to shield.
I spotted rain-drenched
autumn leaves in tapestries,
their beauty strangely entrenched.
Purple hues imbued in varying degrees,
of gladiolas and sweet peas.
So many perfect pleasures,
many another than these.
All of God’s treasures,
created with love to please,
arranged to calm my world with ease.
Today I met a mosquito
It wasn’t very fun
She bit me here, she nipped me there
(she even bit my bum)
But I had the last laugh...
I squashed her with my thumb!
1st November 2015
Tom went to the ugly bug ball
Strange insects invaded the hall
Folks dressed up as fleas,
Cockroaches and bees
The smile on his face said it all
Tom hoped for a little romance
Asked a cute centipede to dance
She whacked him on the nose
When he trod on her toes
He went home in an ambulance!
7th April 2017
In the debate between accessible and difficult poems
Poets' poems and poems for people
Only the single poem and private reader matter
Both kinds and anything between can matter or not
Solid or made of air, a vase or heavy clay ashtray
One word repeated or many like a lei
An acquired taste, like wine, and like wine
Not sustenance, yet men die with their miseries
Uncut without it, news and mere matter
I advise everyone to keep a personal anthology of poems that matter
Or not. Perhaps it should be novels. Stones, insect wings,
Feathers, Birds you've seen, People loved.
On a beautiful picnic was I
with a wonderful gorgeous new guy
till breaking the mood
and spoiling our food
came a ravenous huge ugly fly.
We got up and walked to the pier
Then what of all things did appear
round our heads as we kissed?
That dang fly that sure missed
our presence and did persevere!
It kept buzzing and buzzing. Oh my!
Just couldn’t stand by and be shy.
So I thrust out my hand
with a slam that was grand.
Squashed fly tossed to river – BYE BYE.
Written Feb. 26, 2017
for Shadow Hamilton's The Unwanted Guest Poetry Contest
There's a pesky mosquito hoverin' around our ears
If he keeps it up he'll soon be splattered in smears
T-Buzz tries to draw our blood
When he gets hit with a THUD!
We'll celebrate his demise with a party ~ Cheers!
by Lin Lane
A mini vampire with wings,
in annoying high notes he sings.
Tries to fly incognito,
this imp called mosquito.
With blood thirsty appetite stings!
by Carol Connell
That darn mozzie was buzzing like hell
Til I sprayed him with a can of Repell
He can no longer fly
I watched that mozzie die
I’m happy he’s gone – you can tell!
by Jan Allison
That skeeter was in for a thumpin'.
I swatted, but he just kept jumpin'.
I got out the spray,
winked, said, “Come my way”.
And now I'm no longer a-grumpin'
by Dale G. Cozart
There's a pesky bug upon the lawn
One his mother should have never spawn
making noises here and there
wish he'd just disappear
One big ol' zap and poof he's gone
by Tim Smith
T-Buzz flies around in pestering irritation
One good swat'll take care of his elimation
No more buzzin' sound
He's garbage can bound
Thank goodness there's no reincarnation
by Marti Sutherland
I was singing karaoke, acapella
While eating a sandwich of mortadella
Along came a mosquito
Named Little Esposito
I smacked him cuz he wasn't a nice fella
By Mystic Rose
A skeeter singing for a favor
Was wanting blood for a caper
He's playing with fire
His future is dire
Joining others on my wallpaper
By Cheryl Hoffman
A mosquito was buzzing loud
Of his bugle, he felt so proud
My hands would squash fast
That buzz would be his last
Soon, he'd be covered with a shroud
by Jo Daniel
If anyone dislikes the buzzing of a mosquito, join in the collaboration by sending me your lines in a SOUP MAIL.
I watched them across the water prance,
Back and forth in sprightly dance.
Liveried in emerald green, others had a sapphire sheen.
It was natural choreography, by tiny acrobats
As they hovered through the reed beds, hunting bugs and gnats.
A mastery of flight, a ballet in the sky,
How mesmerising to sit and watch, dancing dragonflies.