Best Rubicon Poems
I trudged to levy height, stood upon the soggy ground
with serious intentions that an answer would be found
To the river's rapidly flowing current, I confided my woes
of troubling things that had me in the doldrums of lows
Haunting problems, compelling me to leave and move on
Leading me to this river as if I were crossing the Rubicon
It's not my nature to feel caught between stay or take flight
but in desperation I stood, entreating the river of my plight
Willows on the bank, limbs swaying in the wind, listening—
weeping for my addled mind? In moonlight, tears glistening?
Do they whisper to the river what they'd suggest to me?
If I cross the bridge, then burned behind me it shall always be
My fate lies not on the telling of tree leaves or a river's flow
Two options I discern— should I cross the Rubicon and go?
Should I submit my heart and soul to the dreams of another
and live with wondering, "What if..." Only to die smothered?
It's the moment of truth — a decision too long have I delayed
Perhaps into the roiling river current, my steps should wade
By doing so, I'd avoid making the wrong choice of tribulations
having no need for explanations for my grievous lamentations
Categories:
rubicon, introspection,
Form:
Rhyme
Soul’s
heartfelt
cry echoed
in the vast void,
of prayers unheard
by the heavens above,
so to resolve the impasse,
poised in the void of cessation,
the earth entity melded with space,
sparking the power of bliss magnetism.
Thoughts rested, desires ebbed and fears faded
whence grazed by the wafting winds of grace,
in witness mode, staid soul observed,
the dance divine within form,
entwining head and heart,
whence eye then single,
all that then was,
was the Self,
shining
bright.
Categories:
rubicon, spiritual,
Form:
Etheree
Life as with dreams will never last.
The Sun our star had always shone,
Until the final Arctic blast.
We nailed our colours to the mast.
Spurning peace, brought Armageddon.
Life, as with dreams will never last.
Atomic fusions overcast,
Our seasons fading colours, wan.
Until the final Arctic blast.
Now what remains is in the past
Those deepest thoughts,we look upon,
Life, as with dreams will never last.
That distant star now waning fast.
It's fleeting embers flicker on,
Until the final Arctic blast..
Denying that the die was cast.
Mankind had crossed the Rubicon.
Life, as with dreams will oniy last
Until the final Arctic blast.
Categories:
rubicon, war,
Form:
Villanelle
I have been writing since a child ...
my little stories ... made my family smile
but as I grew older I wrote deeper
I began writing poems like a true weeper
poems full of emotion
and writing became my devotion
~ I am not sure what was the decisive moment
but God had blessed me with a poetic bestowment ~
and then came the defining
I crossed the bridge to poetry refining
and new forms I was designing
posting my poems on line with praise shining
clearly, to melancholy writing I was inclining
~ I know writing is my destiny and serendipity
though of course I have received critiques snippety ~
but, over and over I got God's divine decree
and have traversed this passage free
cannot tell you the exact moment or hour
that I knew I had word power ...
so thankful for my rubicon crossing that is my truth
it was my ... 'pledge' ... as I left my youth
~ I now write poems of nature and love
though my forte are words for those gone above
and so I write ... words sublime
words verse free, in forms and in rhyme ~
"oh yes, I have crossed the bridge of no return
for night and day in my head words churn "
____________________
October 11, 2021
Poetry/Rhyme/Rubicon Crossing
Copyright Protected, ID 10-1396-655-11
All Rights Reserved, 2021, Constance La France
Title chosen - Rubicon Crossing
Written for the Standard contest, Pick-A-Title, Vol. 26
sponsor, Edward Ibeh, Judged 11/02/2021
Third Place
Categories:
rubicon, devotion, poetry, writing,
Form:
Rhyme
Owning the ability to strikingly be on a rough road.
Need the pride to cross the hazardous paddled rowed.
Caesar energetically settled on a terrible decision.
Cross a no-return line for Rome's dictator to goad.
When they had passed the Rubicon's canyon.
Their battle fizzled into cruel oppression.
Out of the red downpour, passing raised its peak.
Where their bodies swam in an ocean of dejection.
The evil has bestowed on humanity a bleak.
They'll be modified into poisoned minds Greek.
Wanting abundance, they are killing their power.
Projecting havoc on Earth and fueling flames of shriek.
Boomed and dabbed same as a colossal breaker.
Evil masters unleashed devastation ashore and water.
Mores perished, and the Earth was scorched.
God has gotten some distance from man's disaster.
Drink and trust your trick isn't called.
You missed the last outing for no end.
Resting is simple presently; you're patching.
This will happen once all perspectives are tired?
Friends, we're in it for the long stretch being.
There is no way toward the rear for returning.
The briny exit is to move straight forward.
It'll drive us anyplace we crave to be moving.
As his army crossed the Rubicon River, the point of no return, Julius Caesar said the famous lines "Alea lacta est," which means "the dice is cast." This poem discusses apocalyptic prophecies when crossing the Rubicon.
Written: October 11, 2021
Pick-A-Title, Vol 26 - Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Edward Ibeh
Categories:
rubicon, analogy, bereavement, change, culture,
Form:
Rubaiyat
Skies of endless pastures
Rivers of reverence
lakes of love
Streams of silence
Ponds of preponderance
Puddles of peace
Droplets of dreams
Mist of memories
Fog of forgiveness
Valleys of driftwood clouds
Winds of benevolent breezes
Mountains of minute measures
Oceans of tender tides
Seas of sentient songs
Landscapes of love's longing
Universal appeals united
Galaxial gnome gatherings
Stepping star stairways to Heaven
Parallel worlds align
Savior signs consign
Clarities of being to being
We follow that infinite road.
Directions:
From physical Death,
Segue onto Soul St.,
follow the lasting lights to tunnel
Exit—Eternal, float onto Aura Avenue
next stop, Nabbana, your one step to a
Touch free existence.
Categories:
rubicon, adventure, appreciation, desire, forgiveness,
Form:
Free verse
Whisper her name.
Let the word flow through me.
Now say it again.
It fosters a melody so sweet and proud.
I’m overcome by gentle dreams.
“Veronica”
Voices inside me come and go.
They cry out for time and space.
And a chance to make things right,
But I’m afraid to see her again.
I don’t want to fail her.
Not again.
“Empty your mind.”
“Don’t hide from what is honest.”
I’m suffocating in suspense.
What am I in her eyes now?
Dare I ask?
An answer delivers my destiny.
Ecstasy if yes.
Exile if no.
The Rubicon stands before me.
Categories:
rubicon, i love you, lonely,
Form:
Free verse
Our blue planet, the epitome of primal beauty,
a unique dot of singularity in celestial infinity,
revolved in astral space spinning nature’s splendors,
until on evolution trail hostile species of man arrived.
The creeping swarm of greed called progress
devours the green blanket thriving for ages,
constructs the toxic greenhouse on the planet instead,
extreme climate events trace global warming trajectory.
Glaciers and ice sheets melt at alarming rate,
rise of sea-level is unparallel in human history,
makes ingress of oceans onto land a future reality,
time would come to create the modern Noah’s ark.
The pristine nature was in realm of grandeur
in harmony with its stable innate equilibrium,
the stride of wanton exploitation marches on and on,
if unheeded, it’ll soon cross the sustainability rubicon.
October 13, 2021
Title chosen : Rubicon Crossing
Contest : Pick-A-Title, Vol 26
Sponsor : Edward Ibeh
Categories:
rubicon, analogy, earth, environment, nature,
Form:
Free verse
it was the day of her birth
when she stood at the Styx
naked but with all bags packed
with immanent sadness and joy
too young for being ambiguous
she let out a scream and let down
a reflex for simply being alive
the sign said dangerous water
touch at your own peril
and be aware that
you cannot swim upstream
therefore move with the flow
she searched for diamonds
proceeded to the delta
past cascades and cataracts
squinted and blinked for
life was like sinkholes and riptides
too much rainfall at times
not enough droplets in the drought
a desert bloom only flowers
every once and a while
with shortcomings
and impermanence
rapid conclusion
and yet infinite flourish
thunder clouds lit
an emerald sky
the amber horizon fastened
a rainbow painted in black
but her vision grew from fast
to furious and then serenely calm
a tributary to understanding
meaning pleasure and task
she realized that the flood
was no deluge and all truth be told
rather a Rubicon to push and absorb
more often than not pleasantly nude
she refused purple emperor’s clothes
preferred rag cloth and bathers
and when she finally sank
her last breath and commitment
was full of happiness crossing
into blessed nothingness of
sacred caress of the embrace
22nd October
Contest Rubicon Crossing
Sponsor Edward Ibeh
Categories:
rubicon, appreciation,
Form:
Free verse
Family unity, ties bound with conditions
Cult peoples kept from alternate climates
Narrow track administered to every woman
Mother of two, Jerusha determined to fight it
Prospect of allowed departure non existant
Packed full backpacks for herself, Cain, Ismail
Heart racingly taken, stealth taxi whisked them
Latitude of escape seeped freedom's keen prevail
Struggle of forging a semblance in society
Paled compared with Jerusha' s jubilation
Diversified choice shone a light on prior piety
Ripened reap of fertile fields found by escaping
Six months settling into life saw boys blossom
School begun by bandaid kneed lads excited
Sad to have severed contact, Dad lost to them
Replaced by opportunities they were entitled
An impartial education incorporated science
In its teaching of evolving technology's input
Explanations purely made in Creation reliance
Promote terror of broken Eden original sin took
Short lived richness enjoyed by dear Jerusha
Boys' kidnap had spurred a furious response
Their father oversaw their screamed removal
Assisted by six men of member prominence
Strongest longing held her swayed relentlessly
Rainbow arranged Hot Wheels remained parked
Displayed in Ismail's obsessive pattern tendency
Teddy bear choir piled on bed, Cain's care harked
Oh God! What had she done...
Surely this was not His Way...
Jerusha's stupid decision to run
Put her heart in harpoon hooked pain
24th August
For Rob Carmack's
Cold - Quiet Now Song Poetry Contest
Categories:
rubicon, betrayal, care, caregiving, change,
Form:
Rhyme
Written: May 06, 2025 for contest by Edward Ibeh
*************************
Like kernels, the day's enigmas start to unfold,
The green folk are still waiting, eager to corrode.
The creaks of a shaky bridge echo pain and despair,
Connecting the shining heights where flows the air.
A vibrant veil of violin weaves, with fiery flares bright,
As the bus rolls by, mourners gaze at fading light.
It appears that diligence fails to become a hero
Signs may lead us to Rome, yet destiny is Nero.
Let's begin our journey to reclaim Rome,
To restore sovereignty of our cherished homes.
Everyone rallies behind me in this quest.
Yet home builders destroyed bluebird's nest.
Gather your steeds and your weapons,
Steer clear of the roots of Agropyron repens.
We engage with the tasks at hand,
Weaponless, knock on doors, striking with firm stand.
A prosperous goal feels like a distant dream.
Greed drives man, hope and desire fuel the scheme,
Until he clings to the fragile bridge suspended high,
Stretched over an abyss where destruction lies nigh.
Rome wasn’t built by mere artistry or lore,
Nor by tales sung to Babylon’s god, Marduk of yore.
Chaldean Dynasty measured the world in degrees,
While at Napoleon’s Circle, first trapeze swayed with ease.
The icy chains bind the Scythian main,
Once inhabited by barbarians on the eastern plain.
Watch as homes with cracked walls slowly decay,
In trendy townships, where clay fills the hallways.
Silent nights scream, a pale face turned to the wall,
Men forget the pain, and that becomes their downfall.
We labor with crimson lips that pulse with each kiss,
Longing for cold, clasping arms that we sorely miss.
Mourners depart, unraveling the chain,
Sadly, the dead linger in our souls to die in vain.
For memory flickers like a flame, it rises and goes,
Sinking in human light, grief swells in woes.
Cross the Rubicon with us, liberate those in need.
Are you with us in this noble cause, fellow friends indeed?
Unless we’re overwhelmed by terror, there’s no turning back.
Join us as we march to safeguard the areas and their tracks.
Categories:
rubicon, adventure, history,
Form:
Rhyme
Isn't it funny what alcohol
does to folks?
A man at the bar is so drunk
out of his mind he generously
spills some long-held secrets
of his, unbeknownst to him.
He gives up even some
his better half would kill him for.
He vomits them on himself
and all over his bartender friend...
who loves to gossip. Imagine that!
Realizing his obvious blunder,
he barks his admonition to her...
"You better not tell!"
Oops, it's much too late.
Poor fella.
Even before he sobers up
all his rotten secrets have been
laid bare. Everyone in and out
the bar, including his wife, knows.
Date written: 01/04/2020
Categories:
rubicon, drink, humor, husband, truth,
Form:
Light Verse
Rubicon Crossing
I stand on the bank
looking at the deep water
old love behind me
new life on the other side
once I cross no turning back
Categories:
rubicon, love,
Form:
Tanka
In the mist of the journey’s penultimate mile,
at the edge of the fading fulcrum of future obscure,
at the door-step of dusk the sunset swansong resonates
for the forlorn essence silhouetted in confounding stillness.
The twirling threads of turmoil entwined seamless
with the cleaved cloud of the swarming storm of strife,
ravage the unwary horizon halcyon once,
challenging the chameleon of self-transformation.
The shards of the splintered sky in galvanized gale,
sway on the dismal crest of the curled cloud of dismay,
the remnant rays of sanguinity sense still swathe
the highway of hope in the chaotic journey.
As the twilight time is tinged by the spent sun,
sinking within the strata of the discontent dust,
with the cornucopia of the longing life unlived,
the Rubicon is reached walking the last mile.
The defining moments at the unsupervised stop sign,
design the innate paradigm of emotional epitome.
Awareness assures that the die is not yet cast,
crossing the conscience line would defy self-actualization.
The inner torment driving to self-destruction,
or the enticement of the forbidden fruit,
the sinful exploits activated by the transgression of
the decree of the unseen law maker, the absolute.
Stopping at the sign stimulates the spiritual sensitivity,
ameliorates the pain of existential predicament profound,
saves the psyche from the clasp of soul’s dark night,
unfurling within uncertainty mayhem the divine leitmotif.
Categories:
rubicon, analogy, sin, spiritual,
Form:
Free verse
Our blue planet, the epitome of primal beauty,
a unique dot of singularity within the celestial infinity,
revolved in the astral space, spinning nature’s splendors,
until on the evolution trail the hostile species of man arrived.
The creeping swarm of greed, called progress
devours the green blanket, thriving for immeasurable eons,
constructs the toxic greenhouse on the planet instead,
extreme climate events trace the global warming trajectory.
The upholding limits are being infringed ever so rapidly,
so, after long summer the planet might freeze in extended winter,
caused by the catastrophic climate change looming large
to initiate the apocalyptic period of the fifth season.
The gliding glaciers and ice sheets melt at an alarming rate,
rise of sea-level is unparallel in the human history,
makes the ingress of oceans onto the land, shaping as a future reality,
time would come to create again the modern Noah’s ark.
The pristine nature was once in the realm of grandeur,
in harmony with its stable innate equilibrium,
the stride of wanton exploitation marches on and on,
if unheeded, it’ll soon cross the sustainability rubicon.
Categories:
rubicon, analogy, nature,
Form:
Free verse