Best Restrained Poems
A collaboration with Ink Empress, a piece we wrote for “Woman’s Day” for all the strong women warriors out there. Your strength is felt.
“Untamable Clemency”
Her heart is a
chained haven,
for zestless intruders
and fiendish foes,
so tread delicately,
she is not a
mindless marionette
in your glistening
gallery of greed—
glazed in rhinestone
rhapsodies,
she is more
than cold-boned ideologies,
placed by timeless seasons,
she soars above
restrained reveries,
as an untamable heat
of clemency.
Ink Empress
Fading Star Silence
Categories:
restrained, beautiful, celebration, courage, for
Form:
Free verse
Looking back again, back into the past,
it was written in sand, all those questions we asked
on those last days of summer, something was wrong
as the leaves started turning, and shadows grew long
There was dust on the tables, and the clutter remained
where never before, .... had it not been restrained
You were known for your grace, now your pride was at risk
Quickly swept, polished fine, brushed away with a whisk
This just wasn't you, having bricks without mortar
You were never unkempt ...now a life out of order?
You would never have allowed such things out of place
Something so small, would have been your disgrace
There was something to blame, something was strange
Even small tasks, we noticed, had changed
Another piece of a puzzle, fell into place
Your trace of bewilderment, when a name was erased
Your memory lost, and a world gone absurd ...
Then, once it was you....alone and disturbed
Lost and afraid, but mostly confused
Forgetting the day, many things you would lose,
or someone you loved, so much undefined
shoved back to blind spaces, your words couldn't find
Dust motes collected where never before,
would settle, make home, in your mind evermore
Without any warning, without any sound
until you were gone, and the years fell around
Dreams that you had, were drawn in the sand
into the traces of dust of a far away land
_________________________________________________
Inspired by Isaiah Zerbst's Contest: "Pick a Title"
10/31/14
Categories:
restrained, age, memory, people, sad,
Form:
Rhyme
I watched a dog fight back the sea
to chase a ball thrown on the surf
it sensed no danger unlike me
when I chased young dreams on this earth.
at some point in reality
against those waves I lost my nerve
I blame my personality
respecting nature's tides since birth.
and now that dog's just running free
- its ball retrieved with canine verve
despite a law that it should be
restrained by harness round its girth.
Categories:
restrained, allegory, beach, dog, emotions,
Form:
Rhyme
Place parsed pennies, purposely upon pretty porcelain palms.
The wanderer, restrained her raised ranting wrists!
She fell to her Humpty Dumpty position,
unable to ever be put back together again...
Each of us witnessed her fall,
yet we failed to gather those colourful leaves.
I believe we could have laid them at the base of her wall.
She sees the trees as he increases her diseases.
Deepening predatory penetrations as he pleases!
Cracking, fracking, hating, taking, and breaking.
Bringing about disappearing, as pain stains, her shamed awakening!
If we could have, would we have, mournfully watched?
Or instead, would we have held her wrists,
pulled at reddened panties, excruciated her sufferings?
Instead, we placated horrific tugged observations,
waited, pretended to see nothing,
drank our mocha-chino from starry cups!
we sat and licked our lips to the calming sound of muzak,
preferring voyeuristic aristocracy.
Oh how she cursed his kissing and biting,
the sucking of her Texan black gold!
All the while he praised her caged loins,
filling a billion barrels with her oil...
Until the time her flame set fire to his cursed wanting!
Until she summoned the winds from the east.
It was time to birth the spawn of his treachery.
Lava poured forth from mountainous risings!
He must suckle upon her displeasure,
until like creosol, his noxious presence,
combines with his own wasted wood.
Thus preserving his monumental failures,
encasing them within layers of his strangled death!
A voice called out from the West, "Where is the foolish man?
Who is left to sing about his great accomplishments?
His peculiar monuments have been laid to waste,
not a single brick remains in it's place."
No one is left to excavate the woeful forgotten.
She "Mother" seeps into the soil to reclaim his blood,
her womb is once again fertile.
She asks "Do we wish to begin again?"
The start of a great pause stings her ears!
She looks and understands,
"It is no longer good.”
Categories:
restrained, abuse, anxiety,
Form:
Narrative
Dare to dream
See beyond the limitation
Of useless legs, fasten them with care.
Join your heroes in Olympic wear.
Nothing beats imagination.
Dare to dream
Dare to dream
See yourself in winning gold,
With your multi-coloured wheelchair.
For once revel in the crowd's stare,
Where surprise in eyes unfold.
Dare to dream.
Dare to dream
I don't see my able self restrained
My future shines perhaps less brighter light
But I never will go down without a fight
I am proud, aware, well-trained
Dare to dream
I close my eyes and let me
Allow myself to see
What might not even be
Because my dreams are free
***
9th place in Olympic Mania contest
Categories:
restrained, encouraging, hope, sick, sports,
Form:
Free verse
Idiot
You with the black eye
Idiot
You all bruised and blue
Idiot
You with dried blood and no hope
Idiot
You who climbs and plays
Idiot
You who feels hungers pain
Idiot
You who was born into the rain
Idiot
You who never saw a rainbow
Idiot
You who is all of four years old
Angel
Rescued at last from satan's helpers grasp
Idiots
Little child who suffered so
You so sadly found your parents were foe
You have been restrained in bondage
By the blackness of human shame
Tears rains down
Thinking why the devil plays such games
Deep purple bruising,
Only the surface pain
May your first four years
Never exist again
May a thousand cuddly hugs
and a thousand loving smiles
Blanket your heart and tickle your tummy
Saved
You are gods little angel
Safe and sound at last
Loved
* see notes
Categories:
restrained, abuse, betrayal, child, heartbroken,
Form:
Free verse
Behold, oh my beloved!
Is there a hidden care
you would like to share,
with your not so gentle gaze?
Repudiating caducity,
your eyes portray
sustained excitement ~
still and restrained
whilst behind you
an arabesque of phantasmagorical
make-believe.
Behold, oh my beloved
the vortex of colours
surrounding you
entwine a paradigm
of that starry night~
and as i look into its cosmic glow
I fall in love with you.
22 May 2022
A Briand Strand Premiere Choice Poetry Contest
6th Place
Notes:
Like Rembrandt and Goya, Vincent van Gogh often used himself as a model; he produced over forty-three self-portraits, paintings or drawings in ten years. Like the old masters, he observed himself critically in a mirror. Painting oneself is not an innocuous act: it is a questioning which often leads to an identity crisis.
( Credits: Google Arts and Culture)
Categories:
restrained, appreciation, art,
Form:
Ekphrasis
Imagination nude
liquored and lacquered lips
ember-breathing phoenix
..lighter fluid magic
when let loose near a flame..
combustible thigh-highs
when moonshine-high is nigh—
the moon she bathes in dreams
I have you both in hand
my tongue slick and sleek seeks
to taste the fruits of fields
intoxicated snake
oh! my lust a slither
a quiver serpentine
squeeze innocence with sins
revive the withered vine
anthurium’s shield leaf
your phallic sword unsheathed
exotic frolic fire
in heart-shaped bloom I burn
fire-water-pulse untamed
grabbed by the mane restrained
—unrestrained dreams unleashed
tequila genie free
sassy-frassy lassie
a parasol in pink
frilly and unfolded
beholder beholden
to climb aboard and fly
feminine flamingo
through shaken sky uncorked—
liquid-libido rains
as thirst and thunder reigns
just drop the reins and ride
bridal sweet bridle free
yah barefoot and bareback
yes! drain the bottle dry
free way ticket three way
trifecta perfecta
primal energies spoon
la belle ‘Bianca’ blanc—
wine-skinned mademoiselle
Categories:
restrained, desire, fun, imagery, romantic
Form:
Free verse
Winter Sonata 11-29-23
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Winter Sonata
In grave allegro solo grey gathers,
Strings of winter fantasias
Brewing staccatos of frozen fall remnants,
Downbeats for the first movement
As shivering sleet wipes away bucolic barcarolles
Rocking on sapphire barges,
Harbingers of hoarfrost and hibernation,
When leafless boughs conduct the opening motif
To summon deepening darkness
From restrained shadows of turbulence
To beat warnings on frosted windows
Of snug dens – sheltered hallows.
Sweet solstice flutes sing adagio
Then scatter crystalline mists across snow packed paths
In the movement pathetique when sunglow
Glides between aspen,
Ankle deep in fleecy billows,
Sugar flakes flutter in Heaven’s perfect pitch
Rhythmic silent rests hypnotize crisp midnights
When fluttering flakes of dreamy andantes
Ride on melodic cantabile whispers
In flurries of fleecy decrescendos
Spells of codas, enthralled by idle snowfall,
Glitter in lyric tinsel of sparkling crystal beads on twigs.
Movement presto crescendos in frenzied storms
Snowfall pizzicatos fall in descending measures
When rondos of wind song ensembles
Ascend in frigid notes of icy scales
That pirouette in pulsing beats with resonate strings
Plucked by boreas in thundersnows percussions,
Vivace mistrals whirl in powdery ghosts
That spin in tremolo trills of icicles,
And in whiteout scherzos of blizzard sonatas,
Dizzy with solstice frosty fevers
As winter’s thundering cadence modulates
Into vernal sighs of resolution.
Categories:
restrained, song, winter,
Form:
Free verse
Without a Doubt
I’ve seen your yellow underbelly now
and there’s no denying or going back
a solid moral compass is what you lack
this country torn, breaking bodies bough
with deaths and sorrows piled upon your brow
lying and cheating is what you are about
it’s putting our people into the ground
a civil war is brewing to bring you down
we must fight back with you to end this bout
it’s time to vote for sanity without a doubt
It’s not so hard to do your smallest part
just wear the mask so you and I can pass
would certainly make you less of an ass
and show you have some care kept in your heart
to give your country a bit of a kick start
in sadness and anger I feel ashamed
to watch your racism - hatreds disdain
as white men’s greed carries its ugly stain
I’m glad we’re rising up to stand inflamed
no longer can we heal the wrongs restrained
Categories:
restrained, anger, political,
Form:
Quintilla
Cookie
Warm, golden
Gazing, longing, tempting
Diet, restrained, guilt, resignation
Biting, chewing, swallowing
Moist, delicious
Cookie
Categories:
restrained, desire, food,
Form:
Diamante
Canvas of Catastrophe
An outcast portait of society
Public opinion timidly restrained
Descriptive world of psychotic anarchy
Borderline genius, brilliantly insane
Artificial imagined ancient discovery
Sacrificed human, silenced little lamb
Red drifted mist it's as thick as thieves
King of the Dead, Queen of the Damned
Perfect people dancing in puppet strings
A choreographed movement of the masses
The artists painted canvas of catastrophe
dead people buried below green grasses
Secret genetic DNA coded re-structuring
Designer drugs for a euphoric state of mind
left to watch planet earth fight its catastrophe
Sitting in front row seats atop of cloud nine
Poem Revised @ 10/26/17
Entered into contest: "End October Premiere Contest"
Hosted by: Brian Strand
Categories:
restrained, america, change, conflict, corruption,
Form:
Rhyme
As it unfolds, labeled cold, a wall confines the innocent
It looms of iron, bricks, where stones
are thrown and rifles aimed
to claim the hopes of those intent
to breech the sniper's scope
Risks are grave, if they should fail
and graves mound high, among the brave
Outrage cries, games commence - incident or accident
the game of spies, U know why-- a U-2 flies
against the grain of do or die
A chessboard filled with stakes so high,
they may enrage a fist to rise in wars against democracy
Labeled cold, …but hot as hell
pawns are played, and deals are made
Men sit alone within a cell, restrained, until a deal is tossed
Lines are crossed, a bridge is crossed, and breaths are held
for lives of men. Like ransomed gold
they are played, and waged as if a game of chess,
where consequence is life or death
and peace depends on games of chance
.............................................................................................
2/25/16 Inspired by Contest: "Pick a Theme: Bridge of Spies"
Sponsor: Craig Cornish
Resubmitted For PD's contest:
100 in a ROW contest -- 11 PREMIERE number 2Poetry Contest
Categories:
restrained, conflict, history, war,
Form:
Free verse
Splatter painted, Pollock blessed, leggy I stand,
among the green grass and healing Plantain
in a kaleidoscope of color panned.
A walking canvas in the meadowland
stems, humorously stippled to entertain
splatter painted, Pollock blessed; leggy I stand.
Blush brushed by daylight, a cheeky garland;
a stand bloomed within thin skinned constraints
in a kaleidoscope of color panned.
Pistils between petals unknown unplanned,
joyous the sound of honey bees restrained,
splatter painted, Pollock blessed; leggy I stand.
A plantigrade intrusion, a new brand
surface mounted digits adorned prearranged
in a kaleidoscope of color panned.
So bright the upright parts, so very grand
one can but dream the crown gloriously manned
splatter painted, Pollock blessed; leggy I stand
in a kaleidoscope of color panned.
Mused: Bella online Literary Review Winter 2015
Categories:
restrained, allegory, art, childhood,
Form:
Terzanelle
Hear My Sweet Dreams
Hold your dreams tight!
In your sight then
Each night sleep there.
Dream on with glee!
You hold me thus
Lets be with care.
Under pale blue moon
Love blooms soon show
in rooms quite fair.
Velvet touch spreads!
On soft beds slept
Love weds our pair.
I think your kiss
Each I miss now
A remised share.
Hear my sweet dreams
We ride streams down
Fire steams our pair!
Robert J. Lindley, 3-07-2016
Not For Contest.
Added end rhyme as a bonus.....third verse each stanza..
there, care, fair, pair, share, pair .
POETRY FORM- Than-Bauk, 4 syllables per verse, 3 verses per poem.
I wrote mine as a double--never like to be restrained or told to follow limiting rules.
Thus this one is ineligible for the contest I wrote it for.
No disrespect but too bad the sponsor decided they did not want to read longer poems. -Tyr
POETRY FORM- Than-Bauk
Categories:
restrained, appreciation, desire, dream, fantasy,
Form:
Than-Bauk