Best Refracting Poems
Down the majestic mountain, over the grassy knoll,
Themes verdant, chromatic, summer’s vistas scroll,
Rustling zeal of willows, as zephyrs-avid gently blow,
Propelling tides of vigor, where rivers burbling flow.
Cherishing blooming prairies, birds frolic and trill,
Gliding over scenic valleys, reveling flight of thrill,
Circling back to realm serene vying mirthful trees,
Warbling soft melodies amidst buzzing beats of bees.
Scattering gloomy shapes, clouds tenebrous reign,
Floating haze over horizon, shrouding vibrant terrain,
Unleashing with gusting winds feisty rain showers,
Swirling, whirling mid-air, delicate petals of flowers.
Storm cedes to calming breeze waltzing long shadows,
Quivering in twilight, scintillating face of meadows,
Luring glances of smiles where blossoms of lilies cajole,
Enthralling enamored eyes, as leisurely people stroll.
Inscribing motifs amethyst, as day’s journey slows,
Refracting sun’s golden rays, skyline-amber glows,
When passions of lovers, to blushing eve disclose,
Secret lyrics of passion, hearts romantic compose.
Categories:
refracting, imagery, summer,
Form:
Rhyme
L o v e and you, the f a d i n g
phase of lunar wings,
spectral silver ~
floating in the deep, dark abyss
of the obsidian skyline,
refracting reveries of a redolent realm,
slipping and curling
through opalescent glass ~
like a window unfolding
truth veiled in twinkling twirls,
powdered with pearl dust
on the hidden face of you ~
between curved lines,
around lips of lament,
like Selene sailing
through sanguine ripples
on a sparkling chariot adorned
with citrine embers,
laced with fluorescent flames.
I dare you to trace the footprints
of forgotten words...
And when the dusk falls
upon your trembling silhouette,
the moon reminds you
of scribbled solitude ~
etched within emptiness,
echoing aching blankness,
with no question nor answer,
no one to scream at you,
no wind to wrap you in warmth,
no colors to cradle coldness,
no stars to sew the silence,
no chorus to soften the pain ~
swirl back to the crescent hammock
emanating glistening gold.
O heartbeat of the hummingbird,
lost in the feathered horizon,
turn around and taste
the temptations of twilight.
Let your soul kiss
fervent fingertips of the sun ~
you are the master of the moon,
the artist of the acrylic air,
the weaver of fragrant dawns
before the seething storms;
the dreamer ~ carving compassion
with hazel haze.
We, the immutable poets,
plead in stillness, in need
of your awakened conscience
to shape you, to make you ~
and return you to the unbreakable,
as you rise
like a dragon’s pulse
detached from the heinous heat
of the megalomaniac sun.
For you will never
forge my breathless mind
to dwell in eclipsed darkness,
shackled by soulless shadows.
I am the master
and the mistress,
the queen of quiescence,
crowned in mystical musings,
enthroned amongst
thunderstruck galaxies ~
like a slave of the heaven
who fears not the unknown
but rules the moon and cosmos
forever engrossed in
the esoteric eyes of
the celestial magic ~
u n t o u c h a b l e and u n m o v a b l e...
Categories:
refracting, deep, earth, emotions,
Form:
Free verse
Essence melancholic bemoans, echoing soul’s doleful cry
When clamors of unrequited love, earnestly amplify,
Bruised yearnings of deep desires, as lovelorn heart sighs,
For the longings of shattered passions, tearing her eyes.
Deep feelings of emptiness, no longer can she bear,
Burning with intensity, as wistful flames of rejection flare,
From the void of emotions, from sinful, loveless affair,
Bawling now in frustration, blaring anguish of despair.
Soul grieves for love elusive, she believed to be true,
The kind that blossoms hearts; and doting minds woo,
Alas! It was a tantalizing allure, irrevocably gone askew,
An illusion, alike gems, refracting from morning dew.
Soul rises from abandonment, escaping abyss of grief,
Deploying enlightenment, vying calm of ethereal relief,
As cohesion and congruity reconnect to angelic bliss,
Releasing negative feelings, rekindling love-vibes amiss.
Spirits reinvigorated emerge from dreaded goodbye
As soul’s insight redirects influence of love drifting awry,
Exiting barren desert, to find oasis on the other side,
Entrusting mystique of love, passions romantic confide.
Categories:
refracting, heartbroken, lost love,
Form:
Rhyme
Splendor of soft shoulders
caressed by sinking sun
Out my window the western slope
of the thick coated Rocky Mountains
Once upon a clear cold Colorado Chrstmas
purple brushed horizon flecked with gold
filled my picture window
Mesmerized I stood staring
at this huge canvas hung in the Louver
God's and goddesses swirling about
in a swath of psychedelic clouds
refracting the colors of slow dimming light
Mt. Olympus in my living room
I was seventeen living in a dream
high up in the sandstone cliffs
carved out by the west's Mississippi
Nature, sweet mother of mine, purging
my childhood nightmare with sunsets
mountains, rivers and springs
On the banks of that fat river below
I listened to nothing but hope
Even in the echo of crackling ice
Even when she froze everything still
she made life beautiful
Never ever did she
punish my anger
but kissed it away with her love
with forests, flowers, birds and trees
She gentled my soul when I held her hand
and took me back from the jails and hospitals
every time I ran
Seventeen, fresh from my last disaster
Christmas Eve eight hundred miles
from expulsion and friends I missed
my dreaded return to the last place I left
There she was…
… arms spread clear across the valley
to hug me… her renegade child
My mother, bless her heart--
--wasn't happy to see her headache return
But my "other" mother was.. yeah
I took refuge in the painted cliffs and canyons that surrounded me
and when I came down to the valley floor
I would stop before the bridge
and walk down to listen to the big water's mighty roar…
It never stopped rolling and never ran dry
despite all obstacles
and neither did I
My savior doesn't have a birthday
but I will celebrate my hope in "His"
Just that warm sun
slinking like a coyote
over the western horizon
that Christmas Eve
is all the hope I'll ever need
Categories:
refracting, christmas, hope,
Form:
Free verse
Snowflakes adorn blurry morn, gently, gently trickling down
As salted streets are turning brown across this weary town
While tilting trees blow wheeze of breeze in throe of snow
In aerial dance of wintry woe, as tips of twigs sun rays glow.
Driving slowly, traffic is moving, blinkers brightly turning on
As somber day, bearing yawn, is awakening bleak and drawn
When kids thrilled, frolic and build, a snowman on their lawn
Celebrating school closings on this messy, dampened dawn.
Peering scenes tinted gold, hushed romantic gazes behold
Fixating on meadows bold, where pristine paintings unfold
Delighting in the glowing blaze that brightens daze of malaise
Appealing to zeal of morning, blushing haze in emergent rays.
A deer ambles besides her fawn, exiting her quiet hideout
Curious to scout how leisurely strollers are sauntering about,
Ruminating sunshine while darkened clouds are phasing out
As bluing skies, sparkle eyes, illuminating zest of astral clout.
Beyond foothills, tall cliffs sigh, scintillating in sapphire sky
When far from here, climbing up high, cerulean motifs vie
As cobalt imprints horizons amplify, where birds merrily fly
Announcing to the receding storm: it’s time to say goodbye.
When daylight quivers on melting mound of thawing ground
Amidst whispers swirling around, muffled wind’s hissing sound;
Golden glints thrill, glistening hill, tinting the landscapes blue
Refracting puddles in ornate view of glinted beams’ opal hue.
November 16, 2020
Poem of the day on November 18, 2020
Placed 1st: In rhymes sublime poetry contest--by Joseph May
Categories:
refracting, morning, nature, snow,
Form:
Rhyme
Free Verse
I live not far from humankind the cradle that is of
what and where we are all coming from Johannesburg
so they say and going to one human race of every colour
no need for power domination colonializing margins
The ‘dark continent’ where the ‘savages’ did not abide
by our expectations of what civilized should be and mean
where it was us the other 'othering' cannibalizing our flesh
of freedom dignity compassion lost in money mind and soul
My cradle rocks and sways in the wild gentle winds in
torrents of emotion mood reflection history anticipation
certain of uncertainty of what the intermingling retrospective
past and future web together like a tapestry of life a bricolage
Lost threads there are and double knitted faults and hollows
shallow worn out spins and spiral knots and missing patches
mended winding fabric scars and wounded oscillations
swings and roundabouts cul-de-sacs and four-way stoppage
Is there a pattern to cradling the moment to memories to
fantasies of rooted wings and flapping roots a human kind
of compass joining needles implements of mass construction
subjective individual shining lights and armour idiosyncratic beauty
Are we starving demising suffocating for self-righteousness
loosing the plot and all the marbles thrown high up in the
air with juggled balls we aim to fix the waters rivers flowing
on their own with push and pull of light and lighted gravitation
Just here and now not there and then when sunshine rises
where rainbows glitter melt and wax the wane all of the colours
into violet prisms focussing condensing refracting blinding darkness
understanding knowledge of the shadows and bright clarity
When I write some thoughts on paper on the screen of modern
techniques and ancient art of crafted words and scripted meaning
the cradling of the moment takes its paths of where I’ve started off
and might be going once and only when the moment passes
02nd July 2016 written in Johannesburg and everywhere
Categories:
refracting, write,
Form:
Free verse
"Girl with a Pearl Earring" is an oil painting by Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer, dated c. 1665. Going by various names over the centuries, it became known by its present title towards the end of the 20th century after the earring worn by the girl portrayed there. Wikipedia
Artist: Johannes Vermeer
Dimensions: 44 cm x 39 cm
Location: Mauritshuis
Created: 1665
Period: Dutch Golden Age
Medium: Oil on canvas
What do you tell me, My Beauty?
You turn and stop..,
you look at me with your wistful eyes,
your luscious lips are apart, but you remain voiceless…
The pearl in your ear shines ~
light on your face shimmers mysteriously,
your eyes are calm ~ reflecting, refracting
the depth of your emotions…
those dove-like eyes are artist’s inspiration!
The topaz blueness of your headscarf
with which you have covered your sensuality,
surround your face with serenity of
the ocean, gleaming emerald green
of your dress evokes the unspoilt
beauty of your youth…..
You are not what you appear
to many souls in this mundane world…
they don’t see the painter’s Muse…
You are the nymph, who visited me
for a rare moment of tranquility,
the Pearl shone, an iridescent
gem sparkling, opening your heart~
You remain immortal in my creation...
my masterpiece?!
April 25, 2022
For Brian Strand Premiere Choice Poetry Contest
THIRD PLACE
Categories:
refracting, girl, muse,
Form:
Ekphrasis
this waning moon resembles a sliver of hope dimly lit
where the millesimal of memories of you descend over me
as i stand at your grave in remembrance this day
at the juncture of life as it's fading in the shadows of death
whereas a tear has more momentum than the pendulum
of the clock as it falters in slow motion a repetitive beat
as one watches each struggled breath from a chest rest
before the next rise that never comes when bereft of life
wary through tear filled eyes at the crux of time
one watches the stillness of silence in the voids
through the facets of light refracting back
a multitude of hands checking for a pulse
as they note the very second life succumbed
a walk down the long passageway past rooms
with a thousand doors closed to your muffled screams
somehow arriving home as if guided perhaps by disbelief
with no recollection of how you even got there
yet you feel the same emptiness now as then
in the quickened pulse as memories open mind's doors
to the countless moments you can never forget
January 22, 2020
*in honor of what would have been my mom's 80th birthday this day, she passed at 55....
melding muses contest
sponsored by Craig Cornish
Categories:
refracting, birthday, cancer, death, grave,
Form:
Free verse
Glinting glimpse of amber delight, golden dawn arrives
Enchanted by the symphonious chorus of robins’ voice
As yellow daffodils swing, lilting winds in ruby sunrise
When scented whiffs of pink hyacinth muse your smile
Awakening you from rosy dreams gleaming in your eyes;
Oh, the splendor of spring floats on wings of butterflies!
Hiding in foliage of tall verdant pine, bluebirds twitter joy
While merrily on red-maple tree sparrows dance nearby
As purple peonies, white daisies, on green-edges beautify
And standing tall in blazing colors ornamental tulips vie
Hypnotizing your sight, in awe of beautiful garden paradise;
Oh, the splendor of spring floats on wings of butterflies!
Refracting sun rays, tiny gems glint emerald green grass
While roses red, swaying merrily, adorn our side-walks
Spurring crimson-crested cardinal’s euphoric air dance
As flaunting graceful ambiance, a distinctive blue-jay flies
Circling lily of the valley, where buzzing bees fantasize;
Oh, the splendor of spring floats on wings of butterflies!
As the uplifting sunbeams upon morning’s horizon rise
Amid symphony of colors sensual impulses romanticize
Mesmerizing lyrics of love as rhythms of hearts harmonize
Hoisting tenor of passions high, blushing sapphire skies
Enamored in grandeur of nature’s wondrous enterprise;
Oh, the splendor of spring floats on wings of butterflies!
July 30, 2020
Placed 1st: Petals, buds, blossoms, bees, birds, butterflies poetry contest
Sponsor: Silent One
Categories:
refracting, garden, imagery, nature,
Form:
Verse
In the midst of midnight croon
laden with stars, the sky bends
refracting light into a spectrum
of drifting colour mystique blithe.
Beauteous in a wilderness
amid the feeble dimness
of old mossy leafless boughs;
owls and other creatures rouse
into emptiness of the night.
They step out of the shadows
beneath the old resting maple,
flickering candlelight in hand,
and fall to their knees on soften
crackle of dry leaves; a trifle eerie.
A sudden gust of wind, a chill,
reap and thresh, a tortured flesh,
kneeling in credence with mournful din.
Penance will never end for sin
in the dark hour struggle and shame.
11/29/2019
Categories:
refracting, fear, imagery, sin,
Form:
Free verse
Bell-shaped English Bluebells
Violet face of lilac landscape
Charming tints of scarlet
Exuberance of Maple Red
Red, white, upright Tulips
Preening of vibrant spring
Whistling breath of wind
Kisses swaying Daffodils
Laden droplets refracting
Gleam of rose-petal gems
Bluebird’s pine-needle nest
Home of blueish green eggs
Crocus purple flowers
Amethyst glory of jewels
Scented Lilly of the Valley
Blooming white charmers
Rainbow colors of Hyacinth
Jewels glinting window sills
Spicy fragrant Dianthus
Apex of prized decorum
July 4, 2020
Placed 1st: Strand Completely New Poetry (5) Contest
Sponsor: Brian Strand
Categories:
refracting, beautiful, flower, garden,
Form:
Free verse
Shadows now quiver
Leafy designs on grass
As sated leaves rustle
On a tall red maple
When fleeting rain’s gone.
Striped in brown
A lone sparrow hops
From branch to branch
In purposeful dance.
Not a cloud is found
In vibrant sky above
As horizon dreams
Visions of sundown.
Sun rays scatter
Through drops of water
On blossoms of flowers
Refracting light
From optical prisms
Gleaming gemstones
As warm air breezes
Petrichor emotions.
Suddenly a chatter
Lifts up insects
And lands in the nest
Full of young ones,
Feeding beak to beak
Tender bits of love.
April 21, 2020
Placed 2nd: Strand Pick B contest by Brian Strand
Categories:
refracting, bird, nature,
Form:
Free verse
Warm damp hair
Dew drops hang from loose curls;
Refracting rays of golden summer
Dance across a placid surface
Enveloping cool caressing currents
As bronzed arms pump and glide
Buoyant form sluicing toward the dock
Trickling water runs down my back
As I stretch up to kiss
Your warm damp hair
As your body shimmers,
In refracting rays of golden summer
Categories:
refracting, love, seasons,
Form:
Free verse
As I watch the waves crash against the rocks and sand,
and fondled my bare feet;
My mind wonders with the refracting color of the mist.
Cleansing the air reigning in azure buttermilk sky.
A playground of sea gulls against the sonorous breathing waves.
Purge memories come, yearning thirst of your love to have once more.
To trace your face to my sea of memories of where our life began
A sweet surrender in your arms with you forever.
To capture your heart in serene rapture, and run.
Upon the rainbow and feel the wind blow against our form.
To love you like there is not another morrow in my soul.
Even in heaven, a new life with God’s blessings.
Categories:
refracting, emotions,
Form:
Free verse
she wore the most beautiful pearls
she
wore black
in the night
the times i saw
her. black pearls dancing,
singing song in her ears
and heart so radiant her
color to look. like black pupils
looking through purple tint contact lens,
refracting shine from sunny seas and shores.
connie pachecho
1/21/17
Categories:
refracting, beauty,
Form:
Etheree