Best Lilts Poems
Out of the dark, a lambent, lovely day has dawned
In silvery brilliance the early morning is drowned
In the sapphire sky, the sun has appeared on his diurnal shift
Over the firmament the vagrant clouds aimlessly drift
Pigeons nestle with their fledglings in the eaves
Bright sunshine seeps down through the leaves
Flocks of birds take on wings for their morning flight
Like diminutive dots they eventually disappear out of sight
All around is seen spring’s mesmerizing presence
The dormant bulbs have sprung back with a vengeance
They bear blossoms of pink, purple, yellow and white
Flashing before every watchful eye a spectacular sight
Like a bride, the Earth is clad in her silky emerald dress
Around honey laden florets, the bees restlessly buzz
Every heart overflows in cheer with no tension’s trace
On every face, smile shuttles from lips to eyes
In the wind I hear the lilts of a forgotten melody
From a woodland nearby, a lone bird sounds its parody
It seems Heaven has flung all its treasures down
And the Earth appears regally decked in floral crown
Within me, all of a sudden, I sense a divine elation
Erasing from my sullen soul, all traces of vexation
Through every fiber of my being, the waves of joy rise
And my spirit leaps out in ecstasy to the skies!
Cars are the wind on the streets
semi-truck wheels shriek thunder,
rain shatters against stone and brick walls
on dusty roads, oak trees fence with twigs—
wushu wooden clatters.
Dreadful arrays of dryads
azure and amethyst gossamer haze,
sleek, silken strikes gist an opera of wisteria,
as they sway to silver breeze's sibilant rustles.
They chant lullabies in lyrical lilts of hued iridescence,
of hearth and opals back to my scarlet nest.
Angelus silver trills, the sylphic sways of pure rays,
Coral rosary—incense strands of aurulent rimes
hum, endless hymns echo as choral evensong
alleluias softly peal out—doves with wet eyes
that drift upward on whispery—ethereal wings.
Ocean's plea emerges from apothic abyss,
a voice conveys the core of faxed shores and stars,
with earth and wind in a solemn tone.
A cosmic biography—in loud squeals and sighs
sea vernacular hinges on nature's lasting awe.
Breath goes to fog—snow melts into puddles—rain returns,
a china-white grave—encases the deceased deer,
before thawing in the morning—icy skin lies frozen.
An eerie distance holds my hand in a purifying blizzard.
Butterfly rhythms playing on silent wings
To the verdant refrain of springtime strings
Iridescent dance of the dragonfly
Waltzing with the wind beneath azure sky
Flowers blushing at the kiss of the breeze
As spring smiles upon the birds and the bees
Fragrant scent of lilac lilts through the vale
Chorus of daffodils sway in the dale
Pink blossoms reflection in tranquil lake
Swans find serenity, ripples they make
3-22-2021
Rhyming Couplets Contest
Sponsor: Janice Canerdy
Lemon meringue sweet-laughter-light
fills shadows cerulean blue.
Café de Flore’s summer hot night
where dreams tangerine rendezvous.
Six strings strumming lavender notes
tones, violaceous lilac lace,
heartbeats' delicate music floats
on fanciful lilts ears embrace.
Conversation thrills with saffron!
Hints, amorous in coral blushed sheen,
lashes flirt, lush fluttered chiffon;
intentions are aquamarine.
French liqueur sipped, yellow chartreuse,
City of Light, summer hot bliss.
Inner glow - inhibitions loose,
watermelon lust; wet French kiss!
Sheer lucid waves caress this oyster beach,
an aqua drowse viewed through a saffron lend,
and siren rip tides coax into a breach
as lambent grains of sand insouciant wend
the dunes of torpid eons through the bend
of hourglasses warped like new-blown glass.
In half-remembered mimes soft breezes send,
behind my eyelids as sweet lilts amass,
the plucking of a lyre string as high seagulls pass.
4/6/18
Through the gates of Absalom,
steed and gate did ride,
charging fast and furious
o'er centuries gone by;
peace did shout in vain,
the Lidless Prophets...
must come again,
nigh is the evening sky
but full of hope
The ramparts held fast, ballast and beam,
cannon-fire bombasting flesh and bone,
groans of death ---
such dreary breath!
of decay centuries old
The Rose of all that is Earth,
her petals unsheathed,
torn for time ---
tear and antiquity ---
her red sheen lilts in the new day sun,
begging for Love, she asks:
Shall they come?
Written: January 12, 2024
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Their buzzing goes unabated
the cool air scent of lavender
in this unfathomable cosmos
where dreams are fulfilled,
a smidgeon of silver wind
utterly enthralled.
Within the icy voids of
aching and colorless hues
raven-inhabited remnants
vulnerable grays
aesthetic fog, fanciful yarns
dissipating wood smoke
whispers of winter, as dusk falls
dawn in monochrome
amidst gentle chimes
traces of an emotional waltz
oblivion is grieved in silence
a blackbird with ruby wings!
The colors of the trees
Iridescent in appearance
create a stunning scene
that is incredibly fortunate
this is a poetic domain
where lilts joyfully chortle
the trees gently move
and the dryads are overjoyed
the heart of lullabies
with brilliant opals
giving wandering spirits hope
back in their house labyrinth
Scarlet nests were seen on high boughs
romantic place where calm blooms.
With the hearth of lullabies
opals that are flaming
soul-directing the wayward.
they're back in their home maze.
nests of crimson grew snugly.
among the boughs, exalted.
a sanctuary for love.
wherever there is harmony,
exquisitely halcyon arbors
colorful tapestry with wonderful beauty
Iridescent sky with gorgeous hues
In this magical setting, dreams bloom
where nature's splendor is eternal,
calmly, trees swing, and the dryads spin.
Written: January 23, 2024
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Their melodious humming drifts
through the fragrant night air
carrying a sense of tranquility
In this enchanting universe
where dreams come true
A delicate whisper
of silver breeze captivated softly.
Trees are lavishly graced
with azure iridescence
visualize an idyllic scene
that is truly magical
in this hypnotic realm
trees sway softly
as lilts chortle jubilantly
dryads are ecstatic
lullabies spark with
flamboyant emerald
fostering faith
in forfeited souls
lack within intricate
maze of their dwelling
scarlet nests tucked
high on twigs
An oasis of passion
where silence draws.
Lullabies load breeze
with a warm glow of opals
orienting dropped souls
In a mystery of
their abode once again
trees adorned with snugly
hidden crimson nests
a setting of love
where harmony sway
arbors wrapped
with stunning splendor
a vibrant tapestry
of dazzling majesty
their heaving hues herald
heaven with hypnotic hood
In this magical mannerism
musings mantling
In an ephemeral haven
of natural magnificence
dryads whirl and
trees sway peacefully
The winter-worn sky reveals a
faded, shimmering bronze and
gold shade, reminiscent of a
withered vermeil and naiad
fluorescent opals, paired
with scarlet demantoids in
smooth charmeuse enamel
mesmerizing maelstroms
of crystalline bonfire
flamingo flowers fit
with a fiery symphony
akin to the reverberations
of a silken folk melody
on the horizon
they shrink to hypnotic ink
scribbles on violet skyline.
The orchid moon and I look in kind
at the dimpled ocean's
aubergine plain, meandering thought's
violet caves. I've lost my way
in the lavender vortex
of a tuberous begonia.
A July storm has passed.
Brackish petrichor lilts with the purr
of surf, now jade in lilac light,
unfolding on mulberry sand,
effervescing at my ankles,
gentle as cat fur.
This full moon buoys
out past merlot bluffs,
reposing on a mauve ribbon
between sea and plum sky;
periwinkle stars beg to spark
beside the aura of a steadfast satellite
that casts the grape of night
in fixed solitude.
Sometimes when hearts are separated by
a distance cast upon them by life’s fate,
their words sing out across the azure sky
like distant songbirds looking for a mate.
And like these birds that sing love from afar,
I send to you my thoughts along the breeze;
poetic thoughts that shine like ev’ning star,
and whisper lilts of love through forest trees.
The poetry of love wraps round my heart
as thoughts of you waft softly through my mind,
and form poetic words, love to impart,
like songs of birds for mate they hope to find.
And like the serenade of mockingbirds,
forever I will woo you with my words.
November 11, 2019
So gentle is the morn in spring
as tender as the rose
whose dewdrop petals long to bring
their beauty to expose.
The warm sunlight and fresh spring air,
the breeze is blowing in our hair.
The warm sunlight…
the warm sunlight
invigorates a day so fair.
So gentle is the morn in spring
in nature’s outdoor room;
the butterflies are fluttering
from bloom to lovely bloom
to pollinate the flowers need
and spread their beauty with it’s seed.
To pollinate…
to pollinate
the budding love that will proceed.
So gentle is the morn in spring
like coos of mourning dove
while calling for his mate to bring
exciting lilts of love.
I long to feel so young again
while strolling in the April rain;
I long to feel…
I long to feel
the tender notes of love’s refrain.
April 9, 2020
An absent spider
left a tattered web to blow
in rosemary spines.
An ancient silk ruin hangs
in memory of the past,
of disappeared life,
just as the spines turn brittle
to die in summer's
heat and tell a tale of woe
from a once vibrant garden.
The drought is now past,
but the damage has been done.
No more do insects
roam among the fragrant green
nor pollinate red roses.
Long abandoned hopes
like doors falling from hinges
waft in a ghost town.
Abandoned linen now torn
drapes then lilts in silent breeze.
8/21/17
To run with daybreak’s ambient wind,
sliding past a legion of balmy trees
while fragrant vapor meets the dew;
like a satin ribbon twirling ‘round
fresh dawn, awakened: and it playfully
ruffles my dress through mild whispers
brushing my air-tossed hair:
~One more soft roulette
of tangy draft pats my flesh
gentle as hushed kiss!~
Morning's gust speaks in lilts to play
among a bevy of flowers, oh invisible
yet felt ever lightly while it chants afar,
only to glide back and enfold me
with a brighter touch of a symphony.
Strand No 800 Finale
~ Second stanza: senryu form DH
Across the room, harsh moonlight flares
like a blister inside your eyes…
those gazes piercing into my forbidden secrets
and inadequacies, numb —
holding me captive among lackluster stars
that prowl on ashes of confession,
an untold reparation wrought by pride:
Candles burn while I lean motionless
In glum of evening, this evening when truth
Finds us questioning ardor’s devotion --
Until my voice lilts to stir a moment of grace ,
of mercy : I peer into those eyes quietly, slowly
knowing moonlight still flares across the room.
Brian Strand's Ultimate February 2019 Contest
Written: December 02, 2024
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At dawn cradle,
Dew blankets the earth,
whispered secrets swirl among stately elms,
a chorus of cheerful waxwings
sings beneath the blush of lavender skies.
Willows sway, swirls of grace,
twilight traces with ruby tones.
The iris dances,
emerging from lush shadows,
each petal a whisper of dreams.
Aureolin moments linger,
gold glistening in the mist,
as rustles paint the air,
the viol of night lilts softly,
celestial orbs clad cosmic clashes.
We walk through opal pathways,
where the heart shares its stories,
and neon memories cling,
as lilacs in a gentle breeze—
O, the beauty in being lost.