Best Juxtapose Poems
Critics
Wrote a poem in the sand,
Wonder how it fares if left alone,
Will it bear on its own merits
Or juxtapose by meddling hands,
Meantime, sun-dries it again,
Wind shifts it broad and thin,
Indelible puddles left by rain,
Sand critters pop out and in,
A boy and his ball rolls along,
With a long sigh, looks on down,
Builds a sandcastle then leaves,
Ebbtide gone, flood tide flows cleanly,
I returned, stood and discern,
Comme ci, comme ca, c'est la vie.
14th line English translated from French, "Like this, like that, that is life."
05/09/2019
*POTD*
~~Team PoetrySoup
*6th Place*
old poems, FREE VERSE (003)
~~Poet Destroyer A
Joy (Pleiades)
Jettison leaden thoughts
Juxtapose light and dark
Join me in spreading the
Jovial mood of love
Jump with pure elation
Jocund spirits outwit
Jealousy, hate and fear.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Contest: Pleiades 'J'
Sponsor: Kim Merryman
Placed 2nd
© 4th March 2017
in each breath
whispers from a forest~
symbiosis
Joy and pain…
Sun and rain…
Love and disdain-
Opposites existing simultaneously
To its own detriment.
One cancelling out the other…
Parasitic and unevenly yoked.
Through thick cumulative clouds
I was the sun…
The flow of light
In and out of her rain…
Creating rainbows of
Misty colors between
Our different mediums
We clash…
Much like the uneven
Heating of the Earth’s surface
As cold meets warm-
A flow of wind between
Our boundaries
That violently blows…
Juxtapose-
Sixty thousand pounds
One hundred sixty horses
Snorting like leviathan
On uncharted courses
Eleven feet of width
Thirty-two of reach
Tank-like tracks that crush the rock
With a metallic screech
Carving up the hillside
With the greatest ease
Playing toss with boulders
Plucking up huge trees
A tree that falls is heard
Some even make a sigh
A sound that makes me wince
I will not tell a lie
Progress can be brutal
On nature, we intrude
We like to make an entrance
Loud and brash and rude
I tell myself the openings
Make room for trees to grow
Or so I justify;
I’m pretty good, you know
Deftly flicking boulders
Smoothing out the dirt
Yard by yard he moves along
Master craft at work
It’s not for the timid
Or the faint of heart
Carving trails on mountainsides
Truly is an art
We’ve started every morning
Briefly, with a prayer
For Shawn and for his safety
And for God’s presence there
Hard to juxtapose
Stewardship, dominion:
The beauty there down in the vale,
Diesel-powered pinions
In time, the forest will forget
And cover up our scars
For now, I walk His wooded trail
At night, beneath His stars.
Offended is an expensive Vintage
blended
lacking precision
I recommend a less sulfuric fermentation
-----------Varietals-------------
grapes of wrath
so much to offer
each glass
examine
swirl
smell
breathe and savor
see legs of the vine
tannins to taste
or we can
over drink
over think
get wasted and offended
tick clocks fast
amidst boiling stew
issues skewed by our own jaded views
we can be peaceful
yet perceived to push hate
our temple may become damaged
via friendly fire
and as for poets...
we may be the single most egotistical, emotional, tremendously divine
individuals of all time and we know it!
we laugh when skies cry, seek solitude as joyful crowds arrive
we write and write 'till pens run dry of ink
we, the Swiss cheese...
we pretend to be bulletproof, whilst writhing inside
we juxtapose
we justify
we jigsaw puzzle brothers and muzzle others
we control situations then
recite white lies to
monopolize conversation
all the while remaining dedicated to being offended
with loose change and pretentious
and boy we've figured out the whole Multi-Verse because
"My Deity can beat up your Deity!
yet, let me not be the last fool to promise you,
we are so miniscule, the god's will be too busy swinging sticks on the golf links
to visit you before the toil of your sore drama is through
we must pave our way, keeping heads clear and high
stamping urgency upon trusting self
Mister Bob Marley sang it best with: "EVERYTHINGS GONNA BE ALRIGHT!"
shhh...LISTEN
upon this short enlightening journey
exists a plethora of big aspirations
we'll fail to grasp if our hopes swirl in the vortex of black clouds
sidetracked
offended at misunderstandings and minute words
burning midnight oil on the spoil.
Denizen of abyssal labyrinth,
legendary ancient Wyrm seeks succour
within prodigious sepulchral cavern:
her domicile for an ageless lifetime.
Ethereal shafts cascade through ceiling's
stochastic rifts, piercing tenebrous tomb;
vicious viscous scarlet smears juxtapose
against shimmering iridescent scales.
Aeons past, Faustian pact formed with Man:
vow of harmonious co-existence
exchanged for fulgurant falchion forged in
the heart of dragonflame's conflagration.
Sacred covenant shattered this night by
myriad ironclad interlopers;
ruination's harbinger was strident
warrior wielding token of treaty.
Last vestiges of cacophonous roar
dissipate into the Stygian depths;
acrid stench of brimstone clogs the air as
remnants of vitriolic pyres linger.
Twin gargantuan fibrous wings contract
behind enormous muscular torso;
fulgurating talons sluggishly sheaved
as serpentine tail shudders and falls limp.
Priceless metals and prismatic gemstones
intersperse with charred and twisted corpses;
amongst detritus of mortal conflict,
majestic titan finally crumples.
Massive lurid yellow orbs exhibit
an unfathomable intelligence;
succumbing to the inevitable,
moribund colossus bows forlorn head.
Lifemate butchered by zealous paladin;
remains of final clutch just motes on breeze.
Burden borne by solitary relict:
regal behemoth was last of her kind...
----------------------------------------
(C) John C Michaels, 25th April 2017
Free verse, no meter, no rhymes - as per contest rules.
10 syllables on every line (howmanysyllables.com)
For the contest entitled "A Mythical Creature" sponsored by Julia Ward.
by Michaelw1two
Poetic writes speak volumes too,
this profound nature of humanity;
expression’s glyph or determination’s rift,
each soothing rhyme or base profanity;
provoke of consciousness that drift,
so casually or with rude insanity;
furiously incite or simultaneously delight,
set straight a thought or induce banality;
unconscious rubric struggles forth,
within the cleave of line, phrase and meter;
guides a casual readership towards,
all present trends hidden in a bard’s demeanor;
exposing just who seems ubiquitous, who is ingenuous,
or just simply stubbornly ridiculous;
one’s sensuality splayed, our generosity bade,
your critical natures shown meticulous;
senses not semantics, rule of roles revised,
lines of life’s romantic, cleverly devised;
discovering our thoughts on everything,
exposing our minds to Id and ideals contrived;
methods breached lift conclusion’s reach,
an ill-advised tome reaps the thought’s divine;
nurtured reasoning replaced by jest,
releases the distain hidden within a mind’s set plein;
within this relief be it muse or beast,
rests an orators mirth, or an epic myth’s imply;
poetic license freed, such a thing indeed,
that “cat’s meow” bests a graven image’s belie;
metaphors and idioms when used correct,
add intrigue and delight to a word works vamp;
bathos taps one’s inner laugh, hyperboles,
release a poem’s waft, jape and poet’s stamp;
pleonasms reinforce, oxymora juxtapose,
litotes understate, analogies delineate… cognition;
and irony, an express of verbal, dramatic,
cosmic or Socratic, lead to a write’s ideal fruition;
understanding each of these parts implores,
partnership between, these particles and that of yours;
expressing the limits of personal tastes and so much more,
you, your dreams, schemes, hates, fears, tears and rapport;
binding together all of US, and create the bonds that thus sustain,
poetry to living life, to easing strife, within the poet’s world domain.
Michael WalkerJohn
My top ten will always be my fingers and toes.
One more makes eleven if you’re counting my hose.
Oops, was that a Freudian typo, I meant my nose.
Without my top ten, couldn’t walk or flick off, if I chose,
let alone spray water on my favorite red rose.
Perhaps I could think of more if I juxtapose.
But then the numbers would inflate when my list grows.
I’m trying my best to enumerate with prose,
getting back to the theme before my mind forgoes.
Maybe I’ll set it right after I repose,
easier to see when I’m not wearing much clothes.
Too late, said I, as I continue struggling to compose.
I feel like a lawyer who is about to depose.
Glad I’m not a doctor known to misdiagnose.
Now that you have read this, I’ve something to propose.
The run around I gave you had nothing to disclose,
cept maybe wishing it was in polyphonic prose!
*For the “Top Ten Contest.” Joe, surely I jest!
ODE TO PETROLEUM
I
In the past coal reigns without any challenges,
But now,the modern glory is petroleum-a toothful fact,
Found juxtapose with natural gas
Formed from dead remains of marine plants and animals,
Thick and viscous,dark and real~the black Gold
To be refined and distillated to perform better,
No matter your class,you cannot ignore him,
A source of power,power to move and glow,
which makes the economy to flow.
II
You are so unique,Many countries struggle to possess,
For your energy supply is immense,
Your selling price controls the world`s economy,
A wonderful dream for the Persian gulf,
Fuel is needed by the mighty to foster his strength,
Lose control and become toothless,
Nations rising against Nations to have a taste,
You are sweeter than honey,better than milk,
Ye!,A great relieve to man.
III
You gave birth to plasticos..,
which is classic-whether thermoset or thermoplast,
packaging is better,finishing is splendid,
anti-bacteria,anti-corrosive and heat-resistant,
putting smiles on the faces of many actors,
Engineers are elated and their skills showcased,
Imagine a universe without automobiles and plastics,I mean YOU!
...Alternatives are being sought but yet,None.
Petroleum the energy savior;Kudos to you.
Watch me walk through the sadsands of stupored time
trading youth for aged ashes, suredness for shyness
knowledge for retirement, candor for cowardice,
diligence for dunceness, eagerness for
edginess, fairness for flakiness, goodness for gonadness,
healing for hurting, idealism for idiocracy,
judgement for jealously, kandor for killing,
loving for lamenting, mentoring for miserating,
needing for neausating, optimizing for obliterating,
penetrating for pilfering, quieting for quaking,
resolving for rioting, soothing for stabing,
tramping for turmoiling, ultilizing for ultimating,
victory for victimization,
yearning for yelling, zeal for zone.
All the best concealed decisions edited for global hypnohypocratic
nil idea of future impress of evolution but merely a nether
juxtapose of keenly luminated momentous nothings
optimizing precarious quantum ridicules sanctioning
tantalizing ugly utilitiy post variant varicose wanes wantnot
noid xoids xenous yeast yearnings zillant aberants aplenty.
Go Fish.
zonality zeros.
Climb the dumb death grill gradiant with false feet
intrepid toe jam steps what is where i am going not going in a pre post past present
ghost future life emo impotenet fracture fried non sequetor séance
liquid lavid languish unloved resolved irrevernet motion milkmaid
sociomatrial screwstewed rejectional noncoitial negligant nilneo
nonconstriction deconstruction r u fing kidding me? ??
Let's be uni unfilterfied in our ugly uncorrupt incorporeal craddle of domesticoignoramous
social dysfuntionture aplenty assure. Pills pills my kingdom for some piss pills to ***** die
the ass sociative remenants that psuedo pusssurrounds my exo it unfulfills.
Dial don't dilenates of wailing wanting mommy masses of momentary
milkcents mammary malaise.
Get lost little ones, my device calls to me in its idio elloquence.
Love u though, don't tell your__________________r_.
They have been wandering for decades
Journeying to the land that was promised by their forefathers
A land that would seal the faith of future generations.
They rove night and day guided by a single pillar of light
Looking for the land that was just minutes within sight
But faith had them wondering and pondering
Meandering up steep hills and giant rocks
Roaming around mountain and caves
Looking for that sacred spot.
But they could not find their way home
The road that leads home was covered with tall thick giant grass
Blade as wide as the palm of my hands overshadowed the path
And the visible eyes could not perceive it
Only the spirit of God could reveal it.
Suddenly a bulldozer appears,
And a little man holding the levers
Reversed it back and forth and leveled the dense path
That leads to a dead end spot in the middle of the town.
The bulldozer could not handled the thick mass of grass
That forms little mountains on that anguished path.
Determination kept the bulldozer rolling along.
It pushed and scraped until it leveled the towering grass
That connects the main road to an asphalted road.
Without warning the bulldozer blade broke off in a circular hole
And the little man came from behind the levers and peeped into
the hole and grumbled that he has strained his back.
All of a sudden two men with machetes appeared
And start copping around several mounds
Close to that very spot potato vine sprouted
With blossom forming an archive in the air
potatoes ready for reaping hangs from
vines that juxtapose with blossoms.
Be quiet!
The machete man exclaimed
Stop chopping!
He peered at vines and leaves above
And discovered that the abandoned path is guarded
By a gigantic wasp nest with thousands of wasps standing guards.
They hang from branches and form clusters
that appear as brown potatato blossom
Laying wait in silence to attack their preys
in the patch of bush that surround the mounds.
But they were exposed and dismantled
just before the break of dawn.
©2014 Christine Phillips
Journey starts
Kunming portraits;
Highway song
Here old and new
Merge yet apart;
Vignettes juxtapose
China welcomes
Both ancient and modern;
Sign of the times
Tour group confronts
Unfamiliar grounds;
Rough edges grind
Quaint ways of old
Ancient tales displaced;
Modern day norms intervene
Spectacular vistas
Natural wonders;
Man seems insignificant
Flood tide drowns
Flushing away;
False assumptions destroyed
Gust of wind
Reveals new passages;
Knowing does not know
Mountain peaks
Valleys well-clustered;
Fertile grounds well-used
Everywhere we go
People of all tribes;
A Chinese pageant
Human nature speaks
Polite tones sway;
Touch of humble quiet
These Chinese people:
Kind, warm, hospitable --
A touch of home
Himalayan backdrop
Mountains for company;
Melodrama purged
Methinks that I
Could hideaway here;
Unknown, undisturbed
One sure currency:
The Chinese language;
Pervasive, ubiquitous
Vast is the land
Far as our eye span;
Beyond imagery
Trades of all sorts
Risk is a sure thing;
Living is risky business
Ancient towns
Showpieces that speak;
In steady silence
Rivers and streams
Winding into quaint towns;
Ancient as old time
Pulse of the moment
Camera shutter snapshots;
Still life captured
Picture posture
By this arched bridge;
Keepsake souvenir
Sensory pursuits
Old Town bazaars;
Hasty trinkets acquired
Silver artisans
Hammer away;
Creations of white metal
Bric-bracs scattered
Awaiting curious eyes;
That impulse buy in tow
Round this village
Tourist show piece;
Modern commerce prevails
Bargains await
Hungry customers;
Weathered Oriental wares
In this roundabout square
Locals and tourists stride;
Seek new-found distractions
Spring time weather
Hot and dry and windy;
Like home without humidity
Our tour guide --
Cautions that silver jewellery
Best bought from reputable shops
Cheap price often
Compromises quality;
Authentic stuff cost much more
Lessons unlearnt
On-the-road trade routes;
Return odd regrets
A silver bangle
Heavy with 99 percent;
Quality speaks tons
Scattered eateries
Street vendors offer;
Glimpses that never die
So much to see,
Words fail description;
Feelings explore facts
Only ten days here
We see yet do not see;
Only vague interpretations
All too soon
Sojourn over;
Yunnan in mind mists
Leon Enriquez
31 May 2014
Singapore
When writing righting poetry proceed with the following corporeal caution:
assimilate before u ass assume
build before u buldge
concentrate before u copulate
deride before u dicktate
engulf before u envelop
fantasize before u fragment
grasp before u germinate
hallicunate before u hypocrate
imagine before u initiate
juxtapose before u jauntilate
literate before u luminate
memorate before u mentorate
nuture before u negate
obligate before u obliviate
postulate before u prostitiute
question before u query
resonnate before u recreate
sonitate before u saturate
tintilate before u translate
utililize before
Xpectorate before u Xstinguish
yuletides before u yelltides
zoneify before u zilchify
it's all in the mission of word wise portrayl
of a mindful sour sequence of alphabet
anomalies grammar given and humoheld in
a grand garnered elementary entrailed
existance teacher tilt trended to a
mellow mystic grandeur of let me be me in a time
when I/me was a boring blend of boyish bother
to all around me and time spent was to inculcate
myself into an artsyfartsy minimammal of intertwined
mealymouthed measure of pre white trash tinsure
trying to find the holy grail of boyhood benign banality trying
not to succomb to impregnating my 8th grade girlfriend
with streetsmart gonadial groovy greatness guided by degraded
inacquaricies from a teen trotting hormonal hack brother
who lived his life between the legs of others. (No father included)
I savored the insanctity of him and kept it in my pants until further notice
and then had to be coaxed agressively upon annointment after marriages
annoyed. I then procreated to a purposepoint proper designated to
choicechosing the astrosign compaticosimco with the signs at mind, and
holy fecal matter, it worked wised with wanton willfuness,
thank God for 911 and. Save me Jesus.
Observe and see
Festive cheer warms;
Spirits set free
~~~~~~~~~
Cherry blossoms
Pink carpet pathway;
Waiting patiently
~~~~~~~~~
Here's to you
Sakura moments;
Sparkling sunshine
~~~~~~~~~
Moon overhead
View from my window;
Tender conversations
~~~~~~~~~
Mahjong games
Relatives chit-chat;
My winning streak
~~~~~~~~~
Touch of magic
Spring wind rustles;
Cheery blossoms fall
~~~~~~~~~
Moonlight stroll
Old arch bridge;
Squeaky wood groans
~~~~~~~~~
Two cats sit
Eerie moon glow;
February interlude
~~~~~~~~~
Business sold
Fortune gained;
Hollow feeling
~~~~~~~~~
Here's to good cheer
Another year;
Grey hairs draw near
~~~~~~~~~
Old footpath short cut
Patient feet chiseled;
Old habits die hard
~~~~~~~~~
Memories unfurl
Grass verge updates;
Poignant moments
~~~~~~~~~
Joy greets sorrow
Sad together;
Melancholia sings
~~~~~~~~~
Elysia calls
Going home again;
Sudden departure
~~~~~~~~~
Photo album
Old era relatives;
Sepia burnout
~~~~~~~~~
Study abroad
Down Under Melbourne;
Kangaroo hop-scotch
~~~~~~~~~
Tinge of sadness
Stop to remember;
Fond times quicken
~~~~~~~~~
Airport terminal
Exquisite dine-in;
One for the road
~~~~~~~~~
Listless here
Holiday moods;
Mahjong punctuation
~~~~~~~~~
Toss of lucky food
Yu Sheng expose;
Fortune smiles
~~~~~~~~~
Words catch up
Meaning and motive;
Juxtapose
~~~~~~~~~
Spring season
Oriental red;
Chinatown tinctures
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
22 February 2015
Singapore