Best Regales Poems
Her reveries slant the compass of time: 1970s. Minefields now roar through blurred visions. She retreats into dots of space to live in the moment, as emotions fling to a gray sky. While curtains blow unceasingly, hours freeze. Again, love passes; leaves, while a young wife’s heart crushes in tears.
bouyant clouds wander
in the expanse of night time
to gather shadows
There is delicacy in pain. Letters from Nam change the dark of winter to a glitter of December lights. As she sets the table, the flaming candle waxes through a kitchen filled with sweets and almonds . He is the breath touching musical tones in the quiet rhythm where carols are sung together. Feeling his presence,
she regales in a lone dance of fond remembering.
pines in crimson gold
waltz across the starlight
etching mellow notes
Somehow, a woman begins to droop beside a half-closed window. In the cold of duskfall, she longs
for her soldier husband, quietly. Then wiping her cheeks, she is refreshed by those who need her, now. In a joyful play with daughter and son, Aunt Jamie finds her true north. Such is the luster of more tomorrows,
moon glimmers, dust fades
a balm of healing renews
fresh discoveries
For 1/14 2016
Categories:
regales, memory, recovery from, uplifting,
Form:
Haibun
Neither puppy love nor lust, each insists
in its imperfect play. Their hearts resist
both by clinging in its barbaric way.
Youth forgiven. The wolf begs her to stay.
But a commitment is made in marriage.
It is not found in a baby carriage.
What do we know of love - it’s not first sight.
It is the highs and lows - bond holds on tight.
Love’s patient, kind, not selfish nor boastful.
It’s the making of memories - joyful.
To let go of bitterness’ a decision.
Poof like magic, the wrongs are forgiven.
Black and blues, the stumbles and falls, gets up
on the horse - believers climb to the top.
~
Now what of those years, of the worse decrease?
Does the sorrow make the better cerise?
Does the white-gowned wife, handsome groom resume
as if the bond is pruned, roses in bloom?
Yes, the rivulets of tears reverent.
The jubilee melody resonant.
When love is stirred with sugar and nettles,
sorrow’d years melt. Felicitous petals
land on silver hair and wrinkles. O God!
Yes, three cords complete and restore the flawed.
Love protects, hopes, perseveres in trials.
The truth of a lifetime's years in their smiles.
Shakespeare regales Summer’s hot gaze, short days.
Yet love stoked in the Winter’s hearth - O blaze!
1/30/2021
What Is Love
Sponsor: Unseeking Seeker
Hybronnet is similar to a sonnet, can have a variable rhyme scheme,
does not have to be iambic meter. The poet is given liberty to choose how to structure the rhyme of the Hybronnet poem into a combination of rhymes be it slant, feminine, masculine, etc. or apply it in any design deemed appropriate
Categories:
regales, age, love,
Form:
Hybronnet
Return again warm glow of Christmas past,
Rekindle precious times I hold so dear.
Transport me back and let my mind be cast
On golden memories of yesteryear.
A fir tree trimmed with fragile fairy lights
Illuminates an angel’s modest smile,
The mystery of secret gifts excites,
Though childhood dreams must slumber yet awhile.
Outside, a serenade of Christian souls
Regales our hearts with warm uplifting voice;
‘Oh little town of Bethlehem’ extols
The Saviour who gives reason to rejoice.
And those I’ve loved commemorate once more
The wonder of those Christmases of yore.
15/10/18
Categories:
regales, celebration, childhood, christmas, nostalgia,
Form:
Sonnet
*Image of Betty White by Pinterest.
Betty White RIP
Alas!
She Passed,
Betty,
Firstly,
Then White,
Finite,
Icon,
Like On,
TV,
Marquee,
AM,
FM,
Invest,
Her Best,
Female,
Prevail,
Guinness,
Booked As,
Premiere,
Career,
Shadows,
Gameshows,
Mary,
Murray,
Ted And,
Sue Ann,
High-Strung,
Sharp-Tongue,
Antics,
Frantics,
Leaven,
Seven,
Golden,
Stolen,
Bea, Rue,
Stan Too,
Miles And,
Nylund,
Fourth Gal,
Estelle,
Neighbor,
Failure,
Drop Dead,
She Did,
Gun Shot,
In Shock,
Hearts Race,
Shot Vase,
Herring,
War Scene,
Rose Tell,
Naught Well,
Funny,
Zany,
Skip Skit,
Lost It,
Girls Said,
And Begged,
Show Say,
No Way,
Were Told,
Too Gold,
Kitchen,
Sit Scene,
Bea's Chair,
Centered,
Her Face,
Priceless,
Patience,
Listens,
Blanche's,
Sex Phase,
Estelle's,
Regales,
Rose Talks,
Olaf's,
Both Shows,
Few Knows,
Actress,
Eldest,
Blonde Dyes,
Blue Hides,
Kids None,
Stepmom,
Ludden's,
Children,
(Alan Ludden's first marriage)
*RIP Betty White*
Betty White suffered a stroke six days earlier before dying in her sleep at her Brentwood, CA., home from cerebrovascular disease, (01/17/1922-12/31/2021) at 99.
2022 February 13
*1st Place*
A Strand (1073)
~~Brian Strand: Judged 2022 February 14
Categories:
regales, appreciation, beautiful, career, celebrity,
Form:
Footle
A mother’s tears are born of love
Her baby soft and new
And with each touch, her joy regales
Eyes, a misty blue
A mother’s tears reflect her pride
Her boy has started school
He’s growing fast, he’ll finish soon
Her eyes begin to pool
A mother’s tears for wedding bells
Expected, yet still sweet
And soon there will be babies new
For Grandma’s eyes to greet
So many tears, my mother’s tears
I’ve handled, though I feign
That I can handle anything
But not her tears of pain
A mother’s tears of sadness
Of loss, a grieving heart
The ones she tries to hide from me
Are tearing me apart
Categories:
regales, emotions, joy, loss, mother,
Form:
Rhyme
Out here, wild rhubarb grows free,
Bitter beauty escapes designs by premiers
And presidents,
Red-veined leaves untouched by the
Denizens of this desert.
Morality endures despite the sins
Of man, mere miles away.
Asleep at last, my small pond releases
Crawlers, bent on surveying the usual haunts,
Where spirits descend to warn of
Bad tidings, if wandering too far from this oasis.
In the moonlight, a pothole party regales
The gathered, with song and dance from the faithful.
Wind spirits, twirling nearby, brush feathers, leaves and
Tentacles, with soothing echoes. Green Darners rocket about, flashing
Smoky emerald wings, while fireflies spark the dark night.
Out here, wild rhubarb grows free.
07//06/13
© All Rights Reserved
Categories:
regales, beautiful,
Form:
Alliteration
Dogs dogmatically guard the home
Sounding the alarm with a growling bark
As owners are alerted to the threat
Miscreants flee into the dark
Cats are categorically useful too
Their mouse-tracking skills renowned
When a feline is prowling on patrol
Rodents scurry underground
But rabbits are a tougher sell
Their herbivore hunting skills quite moot
Unable to save the day or keep vermin at bay
They mostly sit there looking cute
Rabbits are thin-skinned as well
There's one faux pas you must not commit
Please do not call them rodents
Order Lagomorpha is where they fit
Why then do we delight in ours
The doe we call simply “Bunny” ?
It's cuz her antics provide comic relief
When she yawns it looks so funny
Bunny blithely flips her little plate
A curt review of pet shop food
She’s holding out for blueberries or kale
Depending on her mood
Baby carrots and parsley sprigs
Make for a tasty Bunny lunch
She regales us with her table talk:
Munchity, crunchity, crunch
After a hard day’s work, I come home
To my gray-and-white-furred friend
She’ll run to be picked up and petted
And my stresses are at an end
Yes, Bunny is priceless to us
And she certainly earns her keep
Familial duties done for the day
On a little throw pillow she falls asleep
_______________________________
for contest: Furry Friend
Sponsored by: Royal T
Categories:
regales, animal, family, pets, tribute,
Form:
Rhyme
The lure of untainted flower,
Its sweet perfume encased in a whorl.
Alas! That which I await is scarce.
This memory will be banished tomorrow.
Tomorrow ,
I must satisfy her.
My labour waits for her belly:
The weary days
The sun
The rains of my struggles
Bear fruit tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
She said, “I will come tomorrow”
Her many delays must end tomorrow
‘cos her quest for vanities are fully spent.
Our wedding shall be tomorrow.
Tomorrow,
Her lust shall be feted
Her feathers of courtship plucked!
The downs, I know, shall be not be rubied
But tomorrow we shall deceitfully walk to the altar.
Tomorrow.
I bid you, wait till tomorrow.
She goes home now to break her bond
With him that was in her dreams only yesterday.
I, shall wait till tomorrow
To make her drink from her fountain of lust.
Her secret desire of a ride to a far country
On her lover’s back, a wish not penny can grant.
Tomorrow.
I must nurture the wounds and scars of another
And regret I never made the first cut.
Yet, she must do it again as before.
But we shall start tomorrow.
Tomorrow,
She shall dance like a maiden untouched;
All her lovers in the pew,
Mocking my folly with unspoken memories of their voyages
And I, a victim of blemished womanhood,
Ready to fool the world in “unholy matrimony.”
Tomorrow,
When she parades foolishness for fashion
Then, call her not my wife.
When she fights on the street in rage and fury
Oh, call her not my wife.
When she slips into darkness to drink from the cup of a rival
Please, call her not my wife.
When the stench of her reputation chokes the neighborhood
Then, remember her not as my wife.
When she regales her mates with tall tales to my hurt
Please, call her not my wife,
When she wraps herself in fineries yet uglier than a mummy
Please, call her not my wife,
When godliness is exited and the fear of God abolished
Please, call her not my wife
Think no shame on me
Then, when she becomes a Matron over innocent children.
But, I must marry
Tomorrow
Be it for a day before I die.
Categories:
regales, angst, drink, fantasy, romance,
Form:
Dramatic Monologue
Banquet here
On island resort
Fun greets cheer
Where fancy casts lot
Sea of crowd
Swirl of new faces
Noise floats loud
Happy new traces
Time for smiles
Wonder seeds gaudy
Sensuous styles
Eclectic fancy
Joy streams fest
Decor in sure flair
Seize fond zest
In wedding affair
Buzz regales
Fusion menu fare
Catwalk tale
Watch frolic move air
In glad swirl
Banquet blooms precise
Apt moods hurl
Finesse flings surprise
Strokes breathe fond
Fairy tale ideas
Prize moves bond
Sparkle oomph streams cheer
Poise knows voice
In catwalk parade
Noise greets choice
In lovely charade
Tryst casts cheer
One of a kind night
Love floats dear
Craft of sheer delight
A prompt dash
As glee feels set free
Sparks now flash
In love's symphony
Hearts know art
A dream fable gift
Craft you start
As feelings uplift
Love moves each
As journey quest grooms
Joy binds reach
In bright floral blooms
Live fond souls
Love that patterns find
Twin hearts whole
Seize true peace of mind
Leon Enriquez
13 May 2017
Singapore
Categories:
regales, allusion,
Form:
Quatrain
Poetry reveals, enlightens, consoles
Holding reflecting mirrors up to our souls,
Showing what we might not otherwise see
Suggests how our lives might better be
Poetry instructs, refreshes, and amuses,
Often fascinates; sometimes confuses.
Poetry blends the colors of our experiences
Breaks down walls, erects dividing fences,
Permits perilous flights into magical fantasy
Unravels the mysteries of life’s intricacy,
Regales with tales of mystical adventures,
Prompts us to embark upon new ventures.
Poetry can salvage the wounded spirit
Sing harmony for those who will hear it,
Filling bland, boring, monotonous pages
With soft, sweet whispers or violent rages,
Sometimes it reveals an innermost secret
Or shares the truth of an unexpected visit.
Poetry speaks to the innermost presence
Voices reality or delves into the essence,
Leaves much room for interpretations,
Sometimes making astounding revelations
Predicting the future in rhyming couplets,
Or separating into parts like small drupelets.
Poetry relives the epic stories of the Norse
And, always, there is Shakespeare, of course
Occasionally putting down the modern idiom
While revering the archaic, somber requiem
Libraries hold sacred the ancient poetic tomes
Lines of fairies, gargoyles, and gnarled gnomes.
Poetry demands respect of roaming muses
Who spark far-flung ideas the poet uses
Harnessing fleeting glimpses of the mind
Poetry—literature of its own creative kind
From sonnets to haiku to nursery rhymes
Penned for people of all climes…and all times.
[A modified Sestina sans envoi]
written August 26, 2021
Categories:
regales, literature, poems, poetry, writing,
Form:
Sestina
Bees
Tiny souls buzzing
and humming,
Swaying with
air waves afloat,
As rich colourful
florets beguile,
fragrance in breeze
antenna senses,
A gratifying feast
of nectar regales,
while no endeavour
to touch the sky,
Hoists the pollen
in nescience,
benevolence of
nature redefined,
Twilight of dusk
they return to hive,
Mustering honey
is a bee's delight !
Written Sept 22nd, 2016
For contest "Bees" by Shadow Hamilton
Categories:
regales, beauty,
Form:
Free verse
When I talk to my duncan
Yes, when the harsh vagaries of life,
Afflict me with despair ,
I need his words,
His prayers, his outstretched hand ...
In those days I only write and erase,
When I did not concentrate on what I do;
When all I think brings embarrassment,
Only solution to meet your touch.
It was God that put it in my way,
Came to cover a gap in my life,
Replace those who never came in line
With rules of solidarity and affection.
When I talk with him feel strong,
His voice sounds odd to my ear,
In moments it makes me life make sense
And fast foolproof shows my north.
When he assumes the role of confidant,
Enters the body and soul in my problems,
Makes my goals their badges
And unfolds to see me happy.
When I talk with him is a lesson of optimism,
Calls from the past to serve me a lesson
And if in this regales me your heart,
He sees a future of our own, full of romanticism.
His words balsamic are me from
Restores your voice to the flavors of life,
With him always find a way be happy
And I believe that happiness is ours alone.
OF CEIZAR FOR MY DEAR DUNCAN TE AMO
Categories:
regales, loveme, voice, me, voice,
Form:
Verse
Polly’s running--you might say galloping--
for a seat in the state senate.
She has definite ideas about what
this state needs--besides her, of course.
She practically glows with pride
when she shares her hopes for our future.
After each success, which she exaggerates, she declares,
"I'm just getting started!"
She criticizes predecessors for procrastinating in
dealing with pressing issues,
yet she’s sometimes late for meetings.
Her theme song—sung in response to
questions about her plans for bringing
her campaign promises to fruition—
is “I’m making progress and will
soon make an announcement.”
Her kids wonder why Mama’s always kissing
other people’s kids.
They can’t remember the last she
hugged or kissed them.
(During recess at school, kids talk about all sorts of things!
Adherence to moral principles is a must
in this challenging world
that cries out for honest leaders.
Polly’s strong on ethics
except when harmless little fibs are necessary--
during tax season, for example.
She’s being audited—again.
At town meetings, she regales the crowd
with little home-spun anecdotes,
sprinkling them liberally
throughout her campaign speeches.
Most attendees clap, laugh out loud, and cheer.
Those who really know her,
especially close family members,
emit forced chuckles and plaster on smiles.
I will vote for Polly
only if I’m being held at gunpoint OR
if her rival is Satan.
August 6, 2017, entered in Julia Ward's Polly in Politics Contest
Categories:
regales, irony, political,
Form:
Free verse
Sounds of music
are here, there, everywhere!
in this, in that, in that!
They give rhythm to everything around us;
be it the crack of dawn,
fiery sunny days,
or mellow twilights.
I hear the sounds of music
when the cock crows faithfully signaling dawn;
Cocko-ree-oo-cooo mmmm!
and when the Muslim devotees
are called to prayer by the mwazin;
Allaaaah….Akubar!
Sounds of music confer zeal to my hands
as I kneel at the grinding stone,
grinding millet seeds and dried cassava pieces.
As the stones kiss each other they sing out to me;
Kigwak-kigwak-kigwak Itendo kwon ga’ngo?
Atendo kwon girigo ma nyoro baba onyewo!
Sounds of music that silence my rumbling belly
as I cook magira at noontime;
while the flames lick the blackened ayiga bottom,
she sings out in giddiness;
Alu-lu-lu chal ayidha mugoy pyere umaido!
Alu-lu-lu chal ayidha mugoy pyere umaido!
Sounds of music swing me to action
when I hear the milk cow mooing
in tune to the herdsman’s calming whistles;
and before adhadha orders me
I rush gaily for the milk stool
turning and twirling in tune
to the whistles of the milkman and the mooos.
Ah, the enticing sounds of music
that thrill us around the night fire
as adhadha regales us with folktales;
awili nyoro ‘wili nyoro fodi ‘kitwi dhudho?
a mama, mama, dhudho nyaka woc.
Mama dikini ‘kidwok nwangan
Mama ogwang nyoro ‘luwo kodan
Mama dikini ‘kidwok nwangan
Mama ogwang nyoro ‘luwo kodan.
Categories:
regales, music, music, prayer, music,
Form:
Narrative
Peace or violence, with humans you never know,
When love will sprout or when seeds of hatred will be sown,
When in humanity & compassion people may find satiety,
Or when the lust to kill will choke up all their pity.
The bitterness in the human heart is like a patch of rust,
More the time you provide for it to go but spread all over it must,
For all the time inadvertently it is exposed & encouraged by all,
Till it begins to loom bigger than the source which started it all.
Peace, harmony & brotherhood prevail in times of trouble,
Which in the company of like men seems to disappear like a bubble,
It is true that in times of need often united they stand,
And peace regales on this Earth as the people live hand in hand.
But at times mad violence destructs this harmony & peace,
Fear & terror of its outcome each person’s face does it kiss,
Someplace this hatred reaps for someplace it had been sown,
And try as you might it never seems destructed however often it is stoned.
But sometimes love overcomes this hatred sown so long,
And love itself sways the people with its lovely song,
And acts of love are done worldwide to make other humans aware,
That love alone may be able to remove all traces of hatred.
Humanity & compassion exist in traces forever,
But it needs a huge catastrophe to make its presence felt all over,
And then unbelievable acts of humanity & kindness are done,
By risking one’s own life to save that of a fellow human.
However merciless killing sometimes throws away this compassion,
When over petty matters are evoked unnecessary flood of emotions,
When sentiments are hurt over religion, creed & caste,
Their intensity provokes acts that threaten to drain away humanity at last.
All this is nothing but the result of a turbulence of emotions,
That creates a cyclone in human heart with vigor & aggression,
Come rain, come storm; keep only love, humanity, peace, compassion & kindness,
& wash away if you can from this human heart all hatred, violence, enemity & bitterness…
Categories:
regales, people, heart, people, heart,
Form:
ABC