Best Marking Poems
daylight hours
Ozzie and Ben at the picnic table
milkweeds dance across the board
chess match underway all day, every day
many stories shared, some repeated; neither cared
till knights and pawns cast long shadows
eyes straining, elders would bid farewell
violet sunsets escorted them home
one brisk morning, Ben waited for his friend
hours on end, until the orb began to sink
fading light from the spectral sunset
usher of regret
Ben sauntered past Ozzie's home
black wreath on the door
Ben cast chess pieces on the street
no longer wanted to compete
after that day, Ben’s zest for life faded away
sun still journeyed across the sky
but Ben rarely rose from bed
twilight hours found him there, recounting the past
tales he and Ozzie had told
in his mind never grew old
memories locked within his heart
shadowed recollections of a fallen chess king
The sky slid across a thinly iced sun
As clouds collided amid piled up heaps
Painting noses pink, where powdered breath spun
Webs of frost surrounding when minutes creep
On skittish feet, wary of time’s upkeep
When their passion’s reckless young Romeos
Discard stoic gray for flashy road shows
What impatient eyes fail to calculate...
A serene gleaned as the wisdom of snow
Lands quiet, where wounded hopes hibernate.
1/03/21
N/A in Just Thinkin contest
Sponsor: John Lawless
judged 1/05/21
A missing front tooth
Nightlight glowing soft
Height marks on the wall
Training wheels old news
Car keys in the drawer
Butterfly kiss
Mama bear hug
A runny nose
Love for my son
Brushing teeth
Bedtime tales
Shutting doors
Baked bread
Beer breath
Tears
i don't want to be just marking
time. i died on november 20,
2008, during surgery. i was
on a vent when i awakened
december 2, 2008....my sisters'
birthday. what made me llive
i'll never know. i know there
are things to do on this side
of death.
i have no time for marking time.
i have a stupid bag hanging from
my side now. i am supposed to
"get comfortable with it". well
that was a laugh.
that was a laugh until i thought
of the people that had these
things with no hope of ever
getting away from them.
i am so lucky. 14 days i laid
on a vent, then 22 more.
i came home 3 days,
then
i had
great pain in my chest...
.
well this is great i said,
a pulmonary emboli, 15 more
days, three days home.
then back to e.r. blood pressure
too high. this bought me
4 more days in e.r.
i am home now and finally
have spent 19 days home.
i feel every pain and i feel
every time that i feel good
yes, i am never marking
time again.....there is
something about fighting
for your life and your sanity
that straightens things out.
i don't recommend it but
i wish i could let your hearts
know what i know.
janetta
I bought myself a globe
that shows me where you are.
I like to see if you are near
or if you're very far.
I've cut out little flags
and on them write your names.
So many are so far away
but I love you just the same.
My globe is getting covered
with these little flags with pins.
I think what you've all taught me
is that friendship always wins.
I hope to have a pin
in every space I see.
It's interesting to think of you
so far yet dear to me.
Form:
*Image of Pride Backgrounds by Pixabay.
Re-Marking June
A Pride fellow with the hockey staff,
Who is jeered by some that made them laugh,
Was to count the whole team's men,
Ere the P.A., (ne'er again),
Said, "Our team's men totals about half."
2022 June 09
*3rd Place*
A funny Limerick - Any Theme
~~Tania Kitchin: Judged 2022 June 19
*RZ & HMS: 9,9,7,7,9.
WHAT IS THE TIME? I AM LATE I THINK
MAYBE I WILL HAVE TIME FOR A DRINK
NOTHING TO RUSH FOR NOT TODAY
TODAY IS THE DAY I AM GOING AWAY
WHERE AM I GOING? WELL I DON’T REALLY KNOW
I AM SURE I WILL REMEMBER BEFORE I GO
I HAVE PACKED MY CASE AND HAVE MY CAR
I WILL BE DRIVING AWAY SOON QUITE FAR
I AM MARKING UP TIME SO I MUST GET ON
I WILL BE BACK BEFORE I KNOW I HAVE GONE
DREAMING OF THE SEA SO BLUE AND GREY
ITS NEARLY TIME FOR ME TO GO AWAY
I THOUGHT I WAS GOING ON MY JOURNEY SOON
BUT I WAS WRONG IT’S IN AUGUST NOT JUNE
SORRY TO SAY THAT IT ISN’T JUST NOW
I HAVE MY DATES ALL MIXED UP SOMEHOW
SO I AM MARKING UP TIME UNTIL THAT DATE
BUT UNTIL THEN I WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT
MARKING UP TIME I AM LOSING THE PLOT
OH WHAT A MEMORY I HAVE GOT
April showers may dampen Dallas Texas torrents glooming deluge on path way
Priceless zooming presence; shrouds blend violets and daisies blooming in May
Rain forecast an encumbered view; stubborn clouds cause distressing delay
Isn’t raining rain you know, it’s raining diamonds vrooming diamond souffle
Look expectantly skyward, your Ray Bans don, for the Solar Eclipse it's today!
I am recalling how wonderful it was to stand
At the edge of the New River Gorge overlook
And view the expanse of the ridges, so grand,
From a distance the river seemed only a brook.
The mountains, embracing the water’s edge,
Covered in verdant greenery for eons of time
Looking to the south a high steel arch bridge
Awaited the young poet conjuring up a rhyme.
Far, far below waiting for the next coal train
A wayside station, from up here merely a dot,
If one listened closely, river whispered a refrain
While the lad marked his memory on this spot.
A vast breathtaking scape emotionally crushing
Northward, a dam resembling a gigantic comb,
Gates lowered holding back the water rushing
Above the worn weathered rocks awash in foam.
Soon, I shall return to this primordial wilderness
Not far from the place of my birth, so long ago
A place which in spirit I’ve never left, I confess,
Where the lovely waters of the New River flow.
Written May 20, 2022
Whisper in my ear
the beauty of your
soul,
Long been longing to
hear your musical
thoughts.
The tone of your
body bewitched me
completely,
The flow of your
energy driving me
crazy.
Come to me at any
time of the day,
Crossing million
miles,
only to feel the
pleasure again.
Unlock the door with
the key of flame,
And rest assured,
It will be worth the
pain.
I feel the sensation
in these eyes,
Makes me yearn,
But sometimes
fright.
Carry yourself here
on the feather
light,
Or call me there in
white tonight.
While listening to my footsteps rap
I stumble: tiny boughs whip these cheeks
until my eyes catch a glimpse
of our old cabin tilting ahead,
like a barren woman in quiet dignity.
The field's gopher darts through an exit
with such eerie silence, jolting my city bones.
Alarmed, I peer into this space of time
that has forgotten me--- the drying weeds,
rough cobblestone, tattered panes...
and how the wind whistles through
this ancient dwelling's cracks
asking me to leave, depart, get out.
Maybe, the seasons and moons
from yesteryears do not remember
the prints marked by teenhood games.
Pacing my riddled strides, I become aware
I am not needed here--- not for a long while.
Fate's Footfalls Contest for John Lawless
3/13/2018
And now were at it again-
sitting in silence,
marking the end;
the end of compliance.
Always seems to stem with defiance,
next in line-
too much reliance.
Two guys, separate occasions
I guess you could call me a player-
I like the game of persuasion.
Believe me this,
I know this strays from virtue-
and did not intend to hurt you;
I did my best to explain,
the feelings I myself couldn't quite name
But to you it sounded all the same-
And honestly we are both to blame.
We knew the odds,
We took the dive-
Trying to get the honey,
from inside the beehive.
But its worth it because we are always trying to hide-
and you know how i am with my pride;
it's one thing I've never denied.
Time is of the essence,
We’ve been told since prepubescence,
So we shouldn’t waste a minute or we’re fools.
Planning keeps things flowing
So no matter where we’re going,
We’ll accomplish so much more within these rules.
Seconds turn to hours
But if we don’t smell the flowers,
We’ll miss out on all the things life has to give.
Years fly by like sparrows
And before Death aims its arrows,
We should grab each opportunity and live.
If such advice is heeded,
When our earthly time’s completed
We’ll be satisfied that we have done our best;
For when time reclaims its lending
We can’t stop the coming ending ;
Then we’ll realize that it’s finally time to rest.
Twilight found me
standing at my window.
Waiting for something new.
The same question in my head.
What is my destiny?
Am I never to be allowed to breath
the sweet scent of Loves flower?
Am I to forever live with the scar
of my one youthful wrong deed.
I can not smile as I back away
from My lonely tower window.
Tomorrow I will send another message
to My Father the King.
But for tonight I will continue to mark time.
Violence deceives
in the absence of love
masking a template
that fits like a glove
Destruction and madness
call from within
where lies have embedded
in footnotes to sin
Violence festers
in spirit deformed
to strike ever constant
those feelings unborn
Its petroglyph’s holler
from caves deep inside
marking the secrets
—we most try to hide
(Dreamsleep: June, 2023)