Best Remnants Poems
Sad Heart, now thou art wither’d from the Sun,
What man, or god, will near thee run?
Wrought in twist like branches in Tempests' gasp,
What Comfort, or Gauze, shall be near to grasp?
True ones begotten are the ones now Rotten
And the ones now Rotten will never be forgotten
They are merely sad remains of assiduous Tears
That have been meddl’d with and tatter’d Raw throughout the years
And thou, cruel Mind, that sat’st still thru toiling trail of Night;
Must dream your broken Dreams; thou’rt a sanely flight!
Can thou extinguish passions of Fire, Disease, or Rain?
—tho thy distinguish’d influence trains to abstain
Thy Remnants brought to debris in thy Empty street,
Devour’d by Vultures, their bestow’d beaks entreat
Merely are they cleaning an inexhaustible Mess
Alas! Leaving thy rudiments of Identity to redress....
A Diamond's Remnants
beneath a full moon
their kiss in winter’s first snow. . .
her soft eyes glowing
her delighted gasp
as he opens the ring case. . .
the night sky sparkles
the months since she died
he wakes sometimes to dreams of
diamonds in her eyes
in dementia’s fog
the snow, the sky and her eyes. . .
a diamond's remnants
Written 12/28/13
Black roses sprawl, to droop, then fade
raking tendrils of her attic’s shades;
a brief display which glints inked nights
only for time’s sake, buds do parade.
How fleeting the luster of stems’ arms,
between weeping dusk and chilled sun
twigs crack like love's farewell --sad moon,
a wish-- the fragrance of bliss gone.
She digs remnants; gazing afar
perhaps to cuddle ringlets of star,
that hides dawn’s lamp from memories
instead her eyes reflect more scars.
Though pain mocks unbecoming heart
a young bough nestles on ground's arc;
granting reprieve in place of tears
to kindle sparks for dance to start.
Open Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Charlotte Puddifoot
7/12/2015
Remnants of Eden United
Scattered shards, remnants of Eden,
Gathered to a ring of bright topaz
A simultaneous soliloquy of intentionality
At the crux of intersecting avenues,
Indivisible solidarity and singular consent,
Distilled in breathless agreement
Rising from opaque mists
Where gypsy heart and pilgrim spirit
Commit to a blind quest,
Stumble in silence toward the joining
As their plea peers into fleeting glimpses
Of merging tranquility
And
Feel the quickening of a singular pulse
In wordless words,
Translated by acrostic identities
Through star crossed collisions
Of shattered betrayals,
To exhale one sigh – one whisper -
Overflowing in lyrical foundations
Of delighted synchronized accord
In geometric solutions of rhymes and rhythms -
Journey into enchantment of unbreakable roundness -
A seamless garment of the eternal’s delight,
A fusion of two conscious worlds spoken as one breath.
Remnants of you Roxanne
Drape over my memory like a warm blanket
I can still see you there just over my shoulder
Your smiling eyes and toothy grin beaming up at me
I still feel your warmth in the rays of the sun
And I still hear your voice in the winds that blow across this land
This land... your home
Will forever feel the presence of your shadow watching over...
Watching over us all
And though I am sad to be parted from you my friend
I am reassured to know...
That now there'll be someone to watch over me wherever I go
- for Roxie, my faithful wonderful friend
When truly embracing life, one must
also embrace the mortal chain of death
as friends and family continue passing
in harmony with the earthly seasons,
in quiet tune with celestial movement.
What being in profound contemplation
when dealing with melancholia,
ever lived their life without flirting
briefly with the thought of suicide;
the persuasion of drink compounded?
The joys of life intermingle with sorrow
in a stage of life when Time ironically
becomes an enemy as well as a friend,
when one endeavors to share wisdom
that may be unappreciated and rejected.
The sudden glint off the wing of a
passing silver bird with many souls,
recalls to mind the madness that still
dwells in corners of dark and light,
of years gained, yet lost in flight.
© 2012 Connie Marcum Wong
Remnants of Love
Nearly ten years since you were called away,
yet still I recall as yesterday your touch,
Your smile, your sense of fun and joy with life.
I remember you playing your guitar, singing along.
You cooking a gourmet meal with great a-plume.
Sharing a bottle of wine over cards or backgammon.
You filled my life with the sunshine of love as
together we shared glances at a humorous joke.
We shared daily strife's with practiced ease
facing each and all together standing strong.
Still I feel your touch in night's shadows
as you softly flit by reminding me of us.
Lonely now is life as I travel onwards,
none can take your place within my heart.
Some good men have tried, yet they can never
be you or be able to share life with your ghost.
Yet as I pause, remembering all you taught me
and experiences we had together I am happy.
Sometimes in life less is indeed far more
now I treasure the memories we made together
written 08/26/2014
contest True Love #2
My Heart pours out remnants
of nothingness as I create in
form from Universes unknown
Union becomes Duality
a dash between birth and death
then disappears back
to Source from whence it sprung
for to remain in form is to be captive to
space and time
So does Purity only live
where no illusions dwell
in super seconds of no boundaries yet no escape
frequencies of freedom fashioned
timidly we taste
It remains a shadow we all chase in our
thousand million moments to bring
Heaven down to Earth before we are called
back again bowing —— b u o y a n t l y !
Watching you struggle,
With the demons you hold,
Ignoring the life’s lessons,
And all you’ve been told.
Shuffled and dank,
You appear out of sorts,
Unsteadily perched,
Rocking; back and forth.
Eyes of distain glaring about,
Moans of displeasure,
As if there was doubt.
Selfish, and subtle,
Ingesting such filth,
Silent surrender,
Of body; and will.
Fingernails blackened,
Skin ashen grey,
Unable to determine,
Night time or day.
No hope for the future,
No desire to soar,
Depleted ambition,
Nothing is more.
So sad how it started,
All in good fun,
Unshaven and dirty,
Remnants of,
My son.
Just an old velvet blue dress
sewn sweetly to look my best
from the man I love
came heaven above
as his hand lay on my tress
2/10/16
In a secret slot in my jewelry box
Lies half a silver locket
Battered…tattered…cherished
I walk along a shore
far inland from the roar
of two great oceans,
the Pacific to my west,
and much farther away,
the Atlantic to my east.
Here is desert land and a foul-smelling, shrinking lake.
Salt retention - the lake's peculiar claim to fame -
attracts the curious few
who test the brackish waters to see if,
floating on their backs, they really won't sink.
Some tread far out toward the horizon,
salt stinging and painting their legs white.
Here now, alone with the sun and resident gulls,
I own this stretch of sand.
Arid heat creates a desire in me
to wade into the coolness of the water,
but nearing pea-green scum, I opt for staying dry.
Suddenly,
a small wave appears,
and with it, a splash of water on my legs.
I close my eyes.
For a moment, I'm the wisp of a cloud
drifting above a cool lake big as a sea,
mirroring the azure of sky long ago-
so long ago, in fact-
that I imagine this land right now
-with its few creature inhabitants-
has little resemblance to what was here before.
I ponder what it could have been like
those many centuries before, but I cannot.
Alas, I know very little of science or
of how exactly this area looked or felt or smelled
once upon a time
when it was more water than land.
I know only this:
today it is we that remain. . .
I open my eyes,
conscious again of the remnant water's stench,
and walk to my car,
anticipating my drive back to the city,
with the top down
and hot wind in my face.
In the hollows of my being
mental photos move about
doors attempt to shut out
what was already in - severity
plaster walls sharing testimony
with squeaky floors
warmth mingled with kerosence petals
ancient melodies oozing hope
ties of embryonic attendance
anchors of strength obtained
Woke to an empty bed
He wasn't there.
Overwhelmed by a cluttered kitchen
left from the night before
A freshly cut green pepper and lemon
lying on the counter
He's asleep on the sofa
wrapped in the wine-colored robe I had given him.
I crawled into his arms, unwelcomed,
Why didn't you come to bed?
I couldn't sleep, the sleepy reply.
There's the bottle, now nearly empty of its golden liqueur,
the sweet object of his affections through the night.
What are you hiding from
that drives you to drink?
I'm almost afraid to ask.
He sighs, avoids my gaze,
I want to leave, he tells me quietly.
The first awareness of the ache in my heart
Now softened by the passage of time.
The clock radio comes on
with the last passages of Samuel Barber's Adagio,
mirroring a sadness I'd thought was long gone.
Recalling my dream, I touch the ache in my heart
that began some eight years ago now
...and breathe...
It's much fainter now, not nearly so painful.
I contemplate my life
and I am grateful.
Praise God for it all,
Every seeming loss, every apparent gain.
Maybe I'm ready now
...I'd like to think that I am...
To deal with the left overs,
Confront the overwhelm,
Clear out the boxes and the dross
I've been carrying around since that time,
To be more present, more alive,
More available today
To Love.
Dark Remnants
Beware of the man
Who holds a knife of steel
Like a thief in the night
Too distant to kill
Cuts and slashes
Hang and torture
Burn your body
without remorse
Leave you lying there
cold and motionless
Screaming and begging
At the mercy of my blade
Dark without mystery
Dead and silent
I wait in the dark
Patiently for prey
To rip open
And dance over blood
Pouring from my victims eyes
In hopes
and fears
death does not dispose of him
Oh how luscious was his face
When he is slain to the ground
I uphold a smile
That stretched so wide
Eyes so huge
And a laugh so rich
In satisfaction
To see him dying
And to cry over the soul
That stole the eyes
once bestowed upon
A precious stone
Oh how I remember
Watching her
Lay there
At the feet
Of a monster
So hateful
So deadly
And gruesome
Tears
Draining my eye
Emotions stained
On my clothes
How did she slip away
My bearer
Has gone
At the blade of a man
I once knew.
You lie there
Fix-faced
Smiling
For better
Or for worse.
Swimming
In the blood
Bound ocean deep
Without forgiveness.