Best Reeled Poems
On her terrace where she once had viewed a crimson field,
she stands recalling heroes who were battling their foe.
She still can feel the terror! How her poor heart reeled
thinking of her lover fighting on the field below,
with others on that plain bathed red as the sun dipped low.
The brave men lie in caskets which now are concealed
beneath a plain that ran with blood, where bright irises now grow.
She thinks of her own strong brave man, draped in white and sealed
forever in a casket too. He was her Romeo.
The sorrow flooding her she had never thought to know.
She looks down from her terrace with a heart that won’t be healed.
The mighty dead now lie in grassy fields. . . and lo!
Around the graves are swords, which are green blades revealed
with *purple flags that softly wave as a May wind starts to blow
and she is bathed in red again, there in the sun’s last glow.
* Purple flags refer to the name of the purple iris that resembles a flag
Submitted for Mark Toney's '2019 Poetry Marathon Mile 25' Contest
Categories:
reeled, heart, lost love, may,
Form:
Quintain (English)
The clouds were cumulus, which swept the sky above our field.
You and I were happy then. Beneath those clouds we reeled.
Oh, to be there once again: young, alive, and free!
Among the bright wild blooms we swirled down by the azure sea.
Such beauty dwelt inside our world, where land and water mingled.
We stopped to kiss. Inside my skin, my body sweetly tingled!
We looked and saw the tide begin to rise, so hand in hand,
we walked down to the shore and lay, toes touching in the sand.
Watching wavelets gently play as sun‘s last rays were spread
across our beach, we felt new heat beneath a sky turned red.
We sealed our love - with joy replete - when moon brought forth its light!
I wonder - as we both grew cold - embracing through that night,
if you dreamed, too, that we’d grow old together through our lives.
1/29/15
Categories:
reeled, first love,
Form:
Rhyme
Sudden, as a bolt from the blue,
Came down a humming bird, tantalizing
Skimming down and darting up
As an ever revolving top
It reeled round and round
Before it alighted on a drooping flower;
That hung from a bending branch
In a corner of my front yard garden
It precariously clung on to it
Like a small pendent on a chain
A sight so cool, now so rare
That lighted up my dull spirits!
Once they showed themselves up
On almost every sunny day
Promptly after the monsoon rains
When the plants en mass in resplendent bloom
Oh! How I love this tiny bird
Not larger than a bumble bee
Dressed in a cloak of green and black
Flitting round on fluttering wings
It literally dances and pirouettes in the air
Before descending down closer to its target
Swirling, gliding n’ moving back and forth
As if unsure of what it should do
Finally with a terrific jerk and swiveling move
It hovers close to hanging blooms
Balancing itself sans any support
And draws out nectar with its long needle bill
When the zephyrs carry a sweet scent
It flits from flower to flower
And having enjoyed the ambrosial treat
It flies back, well satiated like a darting arrow
My eyes fail to capture its lightning move
As it goes whizzing through the lambent air
Quickly disappearing like a mote of soot
Losing itself in the vast expanse of the blue
Being less than an ounce of fat
So light, sleek and well streamlined
It travels faster than the speed of light.
In a fleeting dash, moving out of sight
Can any other bird rival it in agility?
Or vie with it in its simple grace?
How cute, this spirit of ‘disembodied joy’
This winged diminutive denizen of the sky!
,
Categories:
reeled, appreciation, beautiful, bird,
Form:
Free verse
Me, my brother Tom and Uncle Pat were on a fishing holiday
three men in a rowing boat way out in Dublin Bay
we anchored up and cast six rods over a sunken wreck
hoping for the catch of our lives to haul onto the deck
hours passed with the floats just bobbing up and down
Tom fell asleep and Pat sat watching with a frown
a ferry passed by and the swell nearly made us capsize
as I held onto the sides Pat stood there with staring eyes
his float had gone and the rod had bent double
I woke Tom up and told him we were in trouble
Pat grabbed the rod and with all the strength he had
he struck the line which went straight down, oh man this was bad
the boat began to list quite far and water was gushing in
we started bailing out, but Pat held firm he stood there with a grin
he had a bite that was pulling hard the line shot under the keel
only one fish had the strength for this, it was a giant conger eel
Tom rummaged through the tackle and handed Pat a knife
we shouted ‘cut the line’ or this fish could take a life
but he heaved and reeled then shouted ‘get the gaff’
we saw his head and great big teeth and said ‘you’re having a laugh’
Tom grabbed an oar and whacked it’s head, the oar it broke in two
Pat’s foot was in the firing line and the eel snapped at his shoe
the eel it thrashed; we kicked and lashed the eel half out the boat
but the eel was having none of it and was going for Pat’s throat
the screams were heard by other boats who came to our rescue
the next we knew the eel was dead killed by god knows who?
a harpoon in it’s head stuck out and we were showered in blood
Pat saw blood gushing from his foot, then fell with a sickening thud
we climbed aboard the other boat, the eel it was their prize
we lost our boat and rods, half a shoe plus two toes, It’s the truth, I tell no lies….
© 21/2/2014
For Caleb's Contest...Now it has been judged I can say it is all true....
Categories:
reeled, crazy,
Form:
Couplet
Because my brilliant hooks read indirect,
But bait directly one illiterate,
They likely slip stripped fish-net intellect,
Thus, now, I’ll lure completely different:
Just like the redwood trees that grow sooooooo tall,
Gapetto’s puppet’s nose Pinocchios,
And since I’m not a strung-out ancient doll,
I guess it’s you who picks the snotty rose.
You might believe you harness magic string;
The pixie dust of Pan in Neverland;
But don’t forget what came of Gollum’s ring
Once Frodo lost a finger from his hand -
It was rewound, re-reeled, forged gleefully,
Forever lost in false reality.
3/18/2017
Note: In keeping with John’s “Something Completely Different - Monty Pythonesque” theme I wrote this after randomly pointing to 14 different words in a Hustler magazine article that I then forced myself to integrate into a sonnet, one per line, in the order they were selected and implemented a rule of “no-edits” after a line was complete. The list went like this:
hooks, *****baits, fish-net, I’ll, grow, nose, strung-out, guess, harness, never, what, finger, glee, lost
Categories:
reeled, parody,
Form:
Sonnet
two septets with rhyme
At long last, my friend, she bears no shame.
She spent a year seeking a soul-mate.
His eyes obliged her life to claim,
yet he could not, he would not propose.
Their calm ship was headed aground
for months she kept it together -
an ocean of hope, her playground.
Fisherman's widow! At long last
she reeled in and quit her searching.
She found her love had been miscast.
Two smiling faces fade from sight,
they travel on two different waves.
Feeling free, both alone tonight,
the settled sweetness of farewell.
inspired by a quote from Andrea del Sarto byRobert Browning,
"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,"
Categories:
reeled, 11th grade, farewell, fishing,
Form:
Rhyme
When crepuscular shadows loomed in a bay
to grate upon this opulent view’s grandeur,
my visceral thoughts reeled like windmills
where breaths heaved low, desultory the mind.
Gazing at Anger, doubts replayed a cynical past,
in lone sojourn...winds hummed,” speak no evil”
yet, penumbra of waves turned desultory.
Until a hundred stars bathed my eyes whole,
kindling exuberant rays, to console love’s blow;
and jealousy faded, in homage to a halcyon moment.
Silent One’s Contest
"see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil"
2/01/2016
Categories:
reeled, anger, lost love, peace,
Form:
Imagism
A dog by the side of the road
Whelped out her cute little load
A copper who saw
Reeled off the law
Cited for littering I’m told
Categories:
reeled, dog, humorous, , cute,
Form:
Limerick
She watched them from the terrace. Her heart reeled
to see them falling, cut down by the foe.
And her dear husband on that crimson field
was also slain. The sun, blood red, dipped low.
The months have passed. She’s not the only one
of wives bereft with husbands in the ground.
Their farms! How will the heavy work get done?
And when again will the endearing sound
of children’s laughter in the village ring?
Their strongest sons and some young daughters too
were snatched away from them. Great suffering
is all she knows, for little can they do!
Far better it would be if all the town
had perished when their men had been cut down.
Jan. 13, 2019 for Mark Massey's War Sonnet Poetry Contest
Now for John Hamilton's 2019 Best Sonnet Poetry Contest
Categories:
reeled, war,
Form:
Sonnet
REVIVAL - A Dedication
Filled to the brink, ink in the barrel of my pen
Yet hesitant to flow as poem for days more than ten
Writer’s block or lethargy, I am unsure what and when
Like a cocoon reeled all around, my words trapped in den
No muse, no zeal, me cornered to the cozy comfort zone
Excuses I made in plenty- hell lot of work, I don’t have my clone!
Days and nights kept rolling, in my mind ,seeds called shirk were sown
Attitude of why bother?Chill! It happens to many, you are not alone
But entered little change to break this status quo
When a new message dropped into my mailbox you know
It was from this lady named Linda, dear poetess on Poetry soup!
On three of my poems that I had already posted, she sent in her scoop....
Her precious words of appreciation! left me motivated and inspired
To write new poem decided I ,my lost enthusiasm her words revived
Heartfelt gratitude dear lady, this poem to you with love I dedicate
Like an angel, to me you ferried a bundle of cheering for definite!
My words have now started flowing out of my mind's greenroom
To present before you all this poem in their free flowing inky costume!
( I dedicate this poem to my dear poetess -Linda, Poet Destroyer A )
©Copyright Anulaxmi Nayak,2016
Categories:
reeled, angel, beautiful, cheer up,
Form:
Rhyme
Willed
Vague sword
Weak heart and sight
Boundless wisdom, although
My soul has full enthusiasm
Body growing old and becoming weak
My resolve outweighs the bullet
Reeled swilled
Billed.
(The Bell)
Written: June 27, 2021
Ring My Bell Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: John Anderson
Categories:
reeled, analogy, caregiving, emotions, father
Form:
Free verse
Black folks got rhythm
full movements
undeterred, and
flexible as four winds.
How low can we go?
with limbo
it's in our hands
with early rising;
planting seeds of joy,
washed in ray of hope -
we dance on sturdy grounds
with gems to unearth.
The whole world watch and wait
what instruments of weight and
measure will bring us together?
Once upon a time we reeled,
like dervishes; only we were ship wrecked!
the wave of One Hand,
we now stand like those chosen,
at the parting of the sea.
Categories:
reeled, america, black love, courage,
Form:
Free verse
Went to the man who sells emotion
To buy anger, get sad free
He held up a cup of happy
Said he had a deal for me
Said “I know what you’re looking for
Too bad it can’t be found
Not enough forgiving
And a little too much sound
But I can give you something
To help take of the edge
A little sour maybe
But it’ll pull you from the ledge
You see this one’s called happy
And some say it doesn’t exist
They say it lives in fairy tales
But I’ll show you it’s no myth”
He gave me a drink of his potion
And the world began to fade
I saw only what I wanted
In the world my sub-conscious made
There was nothing there to choke me
Nothing there to bring me down
But a little too much forgiving
And not quite enough sound
So I reeled back from my daydream
And said it’s not for me
I need my world of chaos
Not a blindfold dream
Categories:
reeled, happiness, hope, life, world,
Form:
Narrative
A pen danced alone
Her ink dried fast
Quickly I was to throw in my cast
A strength well felt, mighty like a stone
She wept onto the paper, and letters took form
Many tears of ink fell, writing to a storm
Alas she bit the bait, I reeled her in she was sad
I took her in my keep, all night she did weep
I awoke to her fresh ink
Her strokes truly did make me think
And with a few stanzas she made my heart sink
Her style of writing is rare
I love to hold her, she makes me write
When I'm with her I feel so right
The moon shines to her memory
Again we dance, her ink spills
Her love, spoken or written my soul it fills
The paper runs out, we pause to the message it spelled love
She stands on the stage with no more ink falling, over is the night
She looks to me, and I say " may I have this dance"? She smiles in a poetic light
Categories:
reeled, artwriting, me, writing,
Form:
Imagism
For night long
No sleep came
But song and song and song
Melting in the candles' flame
Of thought, fore I wrote them all
That with silvern flashes broke
The net and swam, and swam, and swam
In a pool gulping words, then choke
Upon the imagery of the lamb
Bleating where no shepherd hears it call.
I reeled them out and in again
Each rhyme a little hook
While the boat throbs with the strain
Of waves opening like a book.
Can you see my freckled sea
In the night all night long
My sleep tortured by a song
Categories:
reeled, on writing and words,
Form:
Verse