Best Once Poems
Once Upon a Purple Sunrise
Pretty as a Periwinkle,
in your frilly summer frock,
the one with purple polka dots
that matched the cool of early dawn.
Haloed in hazy lavender hue,
I'll always remember you;
running barefoot through
the cornfields still wet
with translucent drops
of fragrant morning dew.
The scent of damp, fresh grass
lingering on your waist-length,
ebony braids, that wrestled free
of their crimson satin ribbons,
floating away in the pale blaze
of a new day, riding on a gentle breeze.
Your childish giggles drifted
through rows of raspberries bushes,
a look of total wonder reflected
in your bright smiling hazel eyes,
innocent as the wispy grey clouds,
that awake with the surprise
of a transient glowing sunrise.
Where did you come from,
Little Sprite, with your
mischievous deep dimples,
cherry-stained cheeks and lips?
Even gazelles would be jealous
of your long, lithe brown legs,
graceful as a swan's,
gliding in casual slow motion.
Carefree as a hummingbird,
hovering in suspended animation,
you were lost in the beauty
of your own song.
Did you forget me,
waiting for you with
finger sandwiches and sweet tea?
But that was okay –
it was your time to wander
in an ocean of wild yellow daisies
that needed to sprout
in your youthful heart…
take root and grow
in your memory forever.
02-17-2018
Best New Poem - 2/20/18
Poem of the Week 2/25/18
Sponsor: Silent One
Contest: Sunrise and Sunset
Placement: 1st
Dancing once again with words,
As the two of us, embrace--
Another verse, another rhyme
Of waterfalls, and lace.
Romantic words in meter,
Although where's the gentle kiss?
Where's the touch and feel of it,
The tenderness, I miss?
Need I craft another verse, or two,
Of moon and leafy wood?
Should one appear, and touch my heart,
Then possibly I could.
But what would be the good of it,
Shall my words a love renew?
Then a sonnet I would surely pen
With the imagery of you.
And who can say, though distantly,
Perhaps a spark could grow--
Then I would dance, and cheek-to-cheek...
And let my poems go.
The apostate looked out his window, and started to believe
As genuflecting pylons sent ramifications through the trees
Chaos questioned reason, hoping for an early plea
but the world was too far gone, so began the killing spree
The Crier rang his leper bell: “Our town’s a godless apparition”
Filling hearts with envy of a once-dreaded condition
Now the King prayed for calm, in a pagan act of contrition
After his son died at birth, he had proscribed all religion
Atheists came from all around, excommunication filled the air
Roots faced horizontal, trying to feed off despair
Anxious to leave town, fallen gargoyles block civic square
Steeplejacks grow disoriented, looking up at their disrepair
“That hole’s not deep enough,”winked the jester to the knave
He could never resist a shortcut, even digging his own grave
As the madness continued, hermits set fire each other’s caves
Shedding light on the void, by burning alive its willing slaves
With the apocalypse gathering pace, populations slowly died
Some genius came forward a real madman in disguise
Said, “We need a scapegoat—a martyr, an ultimate sacrifice”
He was crucified for being too clever; they much preferred no advice
And whilst writing this story, that apparently makes no sense
The queen was in her chambers, hanging herself from suspense
Children butcher themselves gaily, having learned how to fence
As for putting fear of God in us, the wicked come crawling to repent
At last when heaven reopened,
an eclipse tried darken that day
Never to see man overcast again,
sun went nova, boiling all life away…
Again she sees those vibrant sleeves of green
And hears those gentle whispers and soft sighs
Alone beneath a willow lost in dreams
An old woman reflects through misty eyes
To see her now so deeply scarred by time
A beauty once now buried in the folds
Upon that road of passion left behind
The bitter price she paid for growing old
The park where they first met is much the same
Where those two hearts she sees again entwined
Engraved upon the stone that bears his name
Upon her soul forever in her mind
A barren stone awaits her by his side
Beneath those gentle whispers and soft sighs
Author: Elaine Cecelia George, of Canada
Author's note:
The title is from a quote of Shakespear which
inspired this sonnet.
A light across a river sways,
where children wasted summer days.
Not near, not far, but in between,
the grass grows soft and tall and green.
The whispers dance among the trees,
where hands once rested on lover’s knees.
And all the flowers last forever,
when fingers slip and lace together.
Now indents in the earth remember,
when days were long and feet were tender.
The sun was high and far away,
and the moon shone bright well into day.
So see the world with a single glance,
the simple things leave up to chance.
Begin at once and last forever,
for things once counted never weather.
As the evening crept in
whisper of pines unfolded slowly another story,
every single instant seemed one decade;
unknown stars above blinking endlessly,
hand in hand ,our hearts unbridled themselves
and then escaped somewhere into darkness,
old moon unveiled the amazing mountains
every tree inundated by oozing silver;
under this autumn sky
enchanted by immense beauty
our speechless,unbounded moments
as four eyes met in love once more;
unabated passion about to explode moment
into fragments of pleasure
unlimited,boundless and never ending;
we inhaled fragrance of love
unfurling like a rose every second,
I thought of the universe for a moment
even though it seemed oblivion to us.
###########################
For David's VOW/CON contest
Contest Rules:1 original, poem on the theme of any theme 19 lines no more or less.
your poem starts with a vowel then a consonant and keep all of your vowels in alphabetical order, so the pattern will be A con E con I con O con U con A con E con I con O con U and so-on until the last word ends in the vowel 'U' .
Please use more than two or three words per line...
.
Racing towards a distant horizon
I watch as hope fades within the desolate
shadows of my bleak surroundings
Damp air wafts heavily, silently...
its aroma kindling thoughts of shared
rainy Sundays and wet kisses in the park
When once more thunderstorms converge
as dark clouds drape ominous vistas
in shades of midday despair
Saturated angry heavens unleash
drowning sorrow midst the endless
deluge now battering this place
Tear splashed puddles again overflow,
reflecting the loneliness felt
as chilled droplets drench me
Yet still I run, hopelessly seeking those
sunny days and blue skies I knew
damn well would be gone...
once she was
When tons of doom filled nights fall on your head,
hot embers glow and fires burn unabated,
you recall her last breath and wish you were dead.
In a poem's sad lines you've been castrated.
From the heavens a voice thunders dire threats
about losses and breakfasts consumed without eggs.
Fumbling about, looking to hedge your bets,
you drink your cold coffee, down to burnt dregs.
On waking you find dawn's hard hammer fell
last night's burns are reminders of strife.
You stumble and look up from the pits of Hell,
recounting the reasons why you lost your wife.
Your clock chimes out vulgar curses at you
and your house bids you leave by peals at noon.
You think of the ancient, wicked dreams, too,
as night falls with its wretched lucent moon.
You dream of hungry tigers eating your boots.
Your house is perched atop two adjoining trees.
A hunter fires; but it's not a tiger he shoots.
Your second wife cuts off your legs at the knees.
With life's blood flowing from your severed veins
your heart bemoans that you married once more.
By morning you were free from nightmare's pains
but horrid memories linger behind closed doors.
What vast burdens you bear in fear of sleep
and hollows in your mind fill quickly with dread.
When your clock strikes twelve, I hear you weep,
" Odious anguish! I wish I were dead."
Shadows dance on your walls in candle light.
Dark images of her body pressed close to you,
waltzing in your arms on a moonlit night
but she vanishes when dawn's rays break through.
Which sort of dream scars your mind with more grief?
The ones in which you're butchered; burned by fire,
or when daylight steals her away like a furtive thief?
Will your penance release you from the leeching mire...
the terror you encounter each night as you lie abed?
Foolishly, you once thought love claimed your heart.
Therein lies the angst of what you most dread...
the vexing memories in dreams that tear you apart.
Co-Written with Robert Lindley based on the original
verses he offered in the open challenge on his blog.
Oh for pity's sake put some clothes on,
the bracing air will steal your breath..
and I need you to stand and stay strong.
Cold comfort thrills from your chill touch
help me recall why I adore you so...
A chin of the ages rests on my shoulder in sweet affection,
two arms encircle my world in every direction.
Redtail hawk riding a thermal looks down..
what caught its gaze I wonder..
Will the day lend a hand through a pestering cloud,
or roll its eyes in thunder?
Such a fine firebrand you've stoked,
as I shave my face and call your bluff.,
Wishing the once would last forever..
though once was more than enough.
Tiptoeing fond emotions how playfully you tease
Titillating seductively my memories to appease
Springs that once blossomed passionate appeal
When indulgent eyes met contours of your zeal
Tantalizing tenor of love quixotic rhythms reveal.
I hear those melodies, romantic heartbeats revive,
Pulsing strings of heart on its tempo they thrive
Promising forgotten vibes, fervid past is still alive
When gently you arrive awakening frozen dreams
Delighting love-beats, crooning amorous themes.
You sense as I do, why unsated feelings still woo,
Why the un-bloomed seasons are trying to renew
Autumns full of gilded hues you once withdrew
Disheartening two ardent souls beholden and true;
As love now rustles anew, what am I to construe?
Oh! how ebulliently you bloomed in our first kiss
When blazing impulses tolled moments of bliss,
I recognize those footprints as delicately you spree
In courtyard of longings, venerating you and me,
As whispers of intimacy implore in euphoric plea.
July 18, 2021
Poem of the day on July 19, 2021
Placed 1st: A Brian Strand Rhymed Contest
What is it that our
vaunted intellect supposedly conveys?
That benefits the air and sea,
summits, life and
broad expanse of land?
Now
Suppose that we
at some stark moment
vanished one and all—
adjoined by all
matter and assemblage from
our forced and plundered reign?
In absence then of everything
we pillaged and proclaimed
would air be rent
by thunderous noise
of mighty rivers
returning to their courses.
Resumed the growth of forests,
near vanished and forlorn,
and healed all the
wounds and scars
that marred
Earth's sacred skin.
Then floating in the
cold and barren void,
this supernal sapphire jewel:
eternal haven of
innocence and peace.
We would not be missed.
I don't need to remember what it was like to be a kid
I don' t need to memorize where all the fun had been .
It was in the unique moment of a first-born spirit
without obligations and responsibilities .
A Brief moment recalled and lived in a dream.
Immersed in the body of a little brown-eyed girl
How I danced with the flutter of a butterfly ,over and over again.
Dressed up neatly in a white collar shirt ,and a navy blue pinafore dress,
How I ran , breathlessly , in evergreen fields
full of yellow buttercups, dandelion buds, and almond trees
which barely blossomed through the eyes of women , and men .
How I jumped like a frog earning its freedom , doing my utmost to catch the sky,
to reach the soaring hand-made kite ,which kept moving far and high.
My left -hand never letting go of that special red balloon ,
Mama's reward , on a windy afternoon.
Each following morning, feet too tired to get out of bed
but that lasted only till' I saw Uncle Frans'hat.
How happy I was to sit on his lap ,, and listen to bible stories He read.
How happy I was , to lick early fresh raindrops running down
my cheeks,so different from the ones
I feel when I'm out of my sleep.
Moments to preserve. ..
There on the back seat of papa's olive- green car ,
Our Chitty -Chitty Bang- Bang , travelled so far.
Mum,dad, my brother and I ,face 'gainst the wind,
Open mouths , Indian sounds , humming along ,
waiting for birds'wings to flutter as they sing.
What a moment , of hide and seek,musical chairs ,
Of midnight mass and Christmas prayers .
I lived them all ....
Splashes of waves, shovel and buckets on sands ,
Autumn's foliage , picnics with cousins
uncles,aunties ,and friends.
Immersed in the body of a little girl
with long noichettes french -braids swaying in the breeze ,
Playing hopscotch,running wild in vacant cobbled streets.
I do not need to remember what it was like to be a kid
I am there, in the dream , I had lived .
I tasted pure honey before I'd been kissed
Before years took their toll , wiped off
sugar -frosted pink from my innocent lips .
A flame once burned so brightly everything in sight
seemed quite beautiful in its blinding light.
Everything I took for truth once upon a time
seemed to me more glorious; love seemed more sublime.
Then the fire began to die. Every little flaw
I began to clearly see till I’d seen it all.
Half a lifetime and the flame still is burning out.
As it dims, I am learning what life is about.
But the happy medium I had come upon
soon will flicker less and less. Going….. Going…. Gone.
When my flame goes nearly out, will there come a pall?
In the darkness that will come - will I see at all?
How I miss those days of yore - passion of my youth -
when a flame once burned, and I thought I knew of truth.
I, Who Once Rose To Greet Dawn's Sweetest Voice
I, who once rose to greet dawn's sweetest voice
and with joys of life, made loving my choice
while in searching for romance and its gems
fiery rites of passion opened rose stems.
Moonlit skies, quenched heavy gasping aches
Always searching, playing for higher stakes!
I, who saw not blindness within my soul
felt only glory, instead of hurt's toll
A prisoner bound by unbreakable chains
I was a ghost, denying lonely pains.
Moonlit skies, quenched heavy gasping aches
Always searching, playing for higher stakes!
I, who walked along crooked paths with glee
did not admit harm done, to them or me.
Yes, a young rascal, seeking ever more
thus merciless, the bloody holes I tore.
Moonlit skies, quenching heavy gasping aches
Always searching, playing for higher stakes!
I, who thought life was meant for pleasure found
shut out truth's light and loud crying sounds.
Lost soul, racing into that coming wrath
playing wicked odds, and failing at math.
Moonlit skies, quenching heavy gasping aches
Always searching, playing for higher stakes!
I, who finally paid my costly dues
was imprisoned in dark, hard hitting blues.
Victim of my own making, blinded sight
cast into ebon fields of blackest blight.
No longer skies, of heavy gasping aches
No more searching, playing for higher stakes!
Robert J. Lindley, 3-21-2020
Rhyme, ( How Oft Life Teaches Us Those Much Needed Lessons )
Tribute poem composed for third poet, ( Christina Rossetti )
in my, -- "Lesser Known Poets Series".
See my new blog on this majestically talented and amazing poet.....
Turkey so dry that I can’t speak
Brussel sprouts boiled for a week
Roast potatoes burnt to a crisp
Lumpy gravy
I feel
Sick
Jan Allison
26th October
Inspired by Andrea’s contest but not written for it!