Best Swaddle Poems
Golden-flecked bliss
of enraptured blown-kiss
stardust bestrewn
beguiling skies
bespangled sequin eyes
shimmer in swoon
in midnight hours
from celestial bowers
lift blest voices
balmy hymns calm
serenity’s sweet psalm
saints’ rejoices
O, motherly
heartfelt heavenly night
lullaby my lustrous twilight
Love - swaddle me
in starlit cocoon’s blue
singing silk songs till dawn’s debut
ambrosial dreams
showered in jasmine streams
angels’ water
immerse in sleep
your virtuous well deep
baptized daughter
melodic sky
divinity’s stars sigh
spiritual
nirvana floats
seraphs’ musical notes
air's lyrical
O, motherly
heartfelt heavenly night
lullaby my lustrous twilight
Love - swaddle me
in starlit cocoon’s blue
singing silk songs till dawn’s debut
Categories:
swaddle, angel, dream, heaven, night,
Form:
Lyric
Blindly..
I beseech you
for my eyes won’t adjust
to this shaded maze of despair -
neither the lantern’s flame
nor a compass rose can help me now
in disrepair I need to find you
with fingers outstretched I raise my arms
groping for you like a eyeless babe for her mother
..but you’re not there —
a cunning thief this despair
for stealing my sight for a way out
Why won’t the summer solstice light this darkness
nor warm this anguished atmosphere..
am I to die here where I lie?
my undressed soul exposed to the wind-chill of your loss
naked in biting throes beneath a stony sun
desperate to thaw ice dams lodged in my bloodstream..
the winter sallow of my heart’s shallows a skater’s delight —
a cunning partner this despair..
ice-dancing with my pain
Where is the air I need to breathe..?
it’s evaporated with you and the dreams we used to dream
the weaver a double-dealer stealer..
life no longer lives in my poker-faced lifestyle
nor in fantasies long gone from sleep’s clouds
moth-eaten desires and grit and tears
too holey and harsh to knit a warm reason to swaddle in -
just let me close heavy hope-chest-lids of empty eyes
and take my last shrinking violet breath —
a cunning spy this despair
for infiltrating my will to survive..
Susan Ashley
October 11, 2020
N/A
Premiere Contest: 2022 Poetry Marathon Mile 22
Sponsor: Mark Toney
(reformatted)
~ First Place ~
Contest: Will To Survive
Sponsor: Silent One
Categories:
swaddle, dark, depression, grief, loss,
Form:
Free verse
Every flower has its own color
With annual observation,
this we springtime discover
Give a womb kernel cede
of acknowledgment
To the spectrum birthright
of each other
We are all one,
tho’ from a different umbilical mother
Notice the bloom of time,
come rain ... come sunshine
First eclipse dawn —
tyranny tares grew with the
the golden amber grain —
The face of nightshade oppression
had a dark tone
Steel magnolias was the fetter fragrance
of the pyramid rule chain
Pharaohs, (of no melanin discretion)
who wore the ornamental godhead,
sat atop the pinnacle
While the slaves were downtrodden fed
at the bottom below
Their crowning achievement
was to erect great tombs
But papyrus thieves in the temple
stole the toil of the ruins
Skin for skin,
this is a-fertile sowing season true
Each summer solstice empire
passes into autumnal decline view
Every bird has its own color
And the length of each wingspan
differs from one another
Take an umbilical hover,
acceptance flight
To the spectrum birthright
of each diverse other
We are all one,
tho’ tear delivered
joyously from a different womb mother
Notice the migration of time
come swaddle skybound ... come burial ground
Last obscure sunset
was the Legion silo bane talon —
The thorny wrinkles of oppression
had a pale monotone
Caesars, (of no pigment distinction)
who wore the prickly spiked laurel bled,
sat atop the carrier chariot
While the plebs were commercial shackle led
to the amphitheater above
Their crowning achievement
was to deify great destructive bombs
As scrip crooks in the palace
pilfered the taxable gift of the palms
Skin for skin ~ Epidermal blend,
this is birds of prey a-nesting season true
Autumn equinox tech empires
passed into cold war, nuclear winter view
The nature of wisdom
teaches cross-pollination pure acceptance love:
Tho’ each fruit has its own color
Why then, doth this root of affinity divides us?
This is crystal clear!
Yet, what is the color of water,
of which thee Mist of Life doth bring?
It is snowflake known —
Tears of repentance
is from whence salvation doth spring
Categories:
swaddle, metaphor, nature, truth, wisdom,
Form:
Prose Poetry
A walk in solitude is sometimes best
to weigh my thoughts in nature's open-air
and put my heart and soul to needed rest
where only I, with quiet beauty, share.
For then, when inner troubles wake and stir,
the beauty of the sky can wrap around
with softness, like a blanket- swaddle, blur
my problems until good resolves are found.
The singing of the birds lifts up my heart;
their melodies soothe well my anxious mind,
as if they speak to me alone, impart
a peacefulness where tensions soon unwind.
The swaying, tall tree branches wave to me
with graceful arms that gently pull me in,
Their motion holds my mind in fantasy,
and like a child, I feel caressed within.
A walk in solitude is my sweet gift,
for side by side with nature, I'm reborn
with its fresh air and beauty- such a lift
to leave behind my cares, soon gone, outworn.
Categories:
swaddle, nature, solitude,
Form:
Iambic Pentameter
Ave-Maria hymns lift you in flight
to Heaven’s gate apt angel does ascend
and follows lantern's light predawn of night
on glide of song and blessings she does wend.
On April morn in skies of blue as you
besprinkle crystals from your seraph’s wings,
by mourning noontime snowfall does ensue;
a smoothing swaddle soothing harmed heart-strings.
In diamond-dusted frosted filigree
so sparkles soulful kisses you bestow
for scintillant reflective reverie
your glistened gift you send in silvern snow.
Beloved mother, sainted entity
you hush my cries with snow’s serenity.
Categories:
swaddle, angel, april, bereavement, heaven,
Form:
Sonnet
You chance upon her
in the far reaches of the backyard
a place you never go
and there she trembles a tiny tiger in a blurred world
secreted in shadows below blackthorn shrubs
faint mews draw you closer
the power of her vulnerability
fills your veins with a pulse rising
brimming you with a nectar needed
like a dry stream bed restored by remedy rains
how helpless she is with eyes just opened
her eyes like skylights —translucent
and filled with new wild blue innocence
neglected yet beautiful
you see the phenomenon of her will to live —
her outsized feistiness
belying such a petite package of need
with teeny needle claws and protests the wisp of a hiss
...and you recall when you felt small and voiceless
born a feral
her mother likely lost to speed-wheels of a car
or snap-jaws of coyotes whose throats float howls
above black tree lines with autumn mist and moon
it will never be known for sure
and you wonder if she wonders
if the sweet-milk-purrs with soft belly fur
will ever return to snuggle her
she’s been cold and alone for far too long
so you gather her in the hug of your hands
curl your chest around her littleness
a shield formed against her loneness
—a long-ago-child abandoned a silent
child lost amid foster care noise is heard—
and you decide not to let Nature take its course
instead you sit with her swaddle her love her
nourish her with eye dropper milk—
embers linger in brick-warm-hearth
as you heal the orphan within
Categories:
swaddle, animal, care, emotions, innocence,
Form:
Free verse
Nativity
Twilight in the stable
Soft rays slant in radiance
Lingering voices and starlight
Swaddle the eternal light
Serenading the Word
Who sang them into life
12-29-21
Contest: Bite Size Poem #31
Judge: Line Gauthier
Categories:
swaddle, christmas,
Form:
Free verse
Autumn Yawns
Autumn yawns – early darkness stunts her days
Eventide wrapped in golden umber tones
Bands of autumn hues swaddle mellow haze
Sunset sundrops sweet serenades intone.
Twilight dozes ‘neath the harvest’s birthstone
Autumn savors new frost in early dusk
Scarlet scents, aphrodisiac cologne,
Festoon icy crystals - autumnal musk.
Vesper rondeaus rustle in dry cornhusks
Scents of spice float in the warm afterglow
Autumn tastes nursery rhymes like sweet rusks
Stars keep watch in astral autumn meadows
She slips into the mellow midnight’s glow
Drowsy barcarolles bid Autumn goodnight
Harvest hectic days through cradle songs slow
Lullabies wait to croon in faded lights
Drowsy barcarolles bid Autumn goodnight
Bands of autumn hues swaddle mellow haze
Lullabies wait to croon in faded lights
Autumn yawns – early darkness stunts her days.
10-219-22
Contest: Autumn Pandoum
Sponsor: Caren Krutsinger
Rhymes checked with www.rhymezone
Syllables checked with www.howmany syllables
Categories:
swaddle, autumn, song,
Form:
Pantoum
The Change
To whisper into her
Into her petals of love
Of that beautiful Rose
I became a humble bee
To hug and swaddle her
Of her silky white robes
Of that brilliant moonlight
I became a serene Night
To become part of her
Of her seasons of wonder
Of that magnificent earth
I became a deep Ocean
To soak in waters of her
Of her rain of showers
Of that splendid atmosphere
I became the leaf of Nature
To dissolve in the time
Of that awesome dimension
Of that infinite journey
I became an empty thing
And I want to reach you
From the time the time started
But I couldn’t become you
So I beg you to get into me
And make me yourself
That I live the life of joy!!
© Ramakrishna Chowdary Jasthi
09.07.16
Categories:
swaddle, feelings, for her, imagery,
Form:
Free verse
fair dandelions
vision swaddle in rain drops
comely butterflies
3/27/2021
Poetry Contest: Spring Haiku traditional form
Tania Kitchin
Categories:
swaddle, nature,
Form:
Haiku
It’s raining leaves and acorns
Contrast of sound
Silent shapes and colors drifting
Meanwhile the nuts
Shelling my roof, my deck, the air
Autumn whispers and flails her arms
No doubt now she’s arrived
She’s arrived in brisk fashion today
She’s armed and dangerous
and beautiful and clamorous,
turning bold and cold
and amorous.
Why do I say amorous?
Married couples will move from the sides
of their bed, to cuddle-pretend, igniting
fires in the center of their universe…
falling…falling…falling
in love, not minding the other
breathing down their neck,
the oceanic snore,
cold feet.
Cold feet, you say?
The flirtation of feet
will create giggles, in fact.
Only makes the heart grow fonder
in this autumnal swaddle.
If you're too young to understand,
well *bless your heart—
Go take a flying leap
into a crunchy, harvested,
wholesome pile of down…
down you go
in your innocence
make it last
because raking lasts,
as well—
you’ll find out soon enough
about aches and pains—
falling…
10/16/2021
used to express fondness; or sympathy for someone,
oft said in a covert and condescending way.
Categories:
swaddle, age, autumn, marriage,
Form:
Free verse
The rise, like an inhale
breathe slowly, breathe longingly
The fattening of the dough
the tummy expectant, the tummy expanding
Cocooned in its nest
its stretchiness, its pleasant scents
Like an infant in a swaddle
the soothing towel, slightly moist
The rise, like an inhale
breathe slowly, breathe longingly
The ascent complete
lungs exhaustively expanded, waiting to exhale
The arousing response
bright light, hands stimulate dough
The pushback of palms
elasticity released, globular rest
The rise, like an inhale
breathe slowly, breathe longingly
After shaping the dough
blanket over sleeping creation, one final rest
Our daily bread
of prayer produced, from suffering loosed
The “fourth man” in the oven graced
inner softness, cortical strength
Categories:
swaddle, christian, food,
Form:
Verse
Gentle April showers tapped on a rusty tin roof
the four leaf clovers already wet from the morning dew
spring forth little one, to a life brand new
Possibly you can be delivered today peaceful and true
the daises whisper your name saying their “I love you”
the cows need milking and the rooster bids you adieu
On this peaceful spring is a farm waiting for you
blue birds spread their wings singing praises too
as a new foal stands near the fence playing peek a boo
The ducks in the pond swim happily two by two
even the ravens in the field caw waiting for a baby born new
come on little girl with scarlet curls show them what you can do
Pink blankets are awaiting to swaddle you, not blue
the barn is excited for changes even Lucy goose
from a little gypsy dancer dancing to cows moos
On this grand April day peace abounds with her fruits
she will grow up in a barn dancing telling her truth
even though she may be but one she knows...
"Peace begins with me, but also with you,
5-19-2012
Categories:
swaddle, fantasy, april,
Form:
Prose Poetry
Silvery Moon drifts through open window.
Baby's bassinet is bathed in evening sky.
Across the open yards, Silvery Moon gifts,
gifts love and devotion to taper the shadows.
A shimmer to shield from darkness
dusting sleepy lids with light like baby powder.
Hold fast to fleeting innocence
and boldness of brilliant shield
as you swaddle my tender babe tonight
through open window, Silvery Moon.
By Rhonda Johnson-Saunders, August 7, 2012
Inspired by Babyface (Carl Sandburg)
Categories:
swaddle, childhood, family, children, moon,
Form:
Personification
I fall a raindrop from stratus to stratum
birthed from clouds pregnant with thunder
a lion’s roar —a pride in the sky— fierce!
armed with lightning’s rip and slit
the scythe of claw and tooth finds its prey
knifing sunset’s skin desecrating cranberry rays
it’s red demise fills my see-through-eyes
Sun’s canvas shredded
I fall through tattered pages of watercolor-layers
accumulating dust and blood of the slayed day
I arrive not a predator but a peace-maker
my raiment fleece of lamb not mane of beast
I come to rest
a drop of rain who clings to a windowpane
… translucence transforms me
inside a room I see myself with my possession-pain
a swaddle-bundle I rock to soothe
pain held against my breast like a newborn
crying to be fed
nurtured with lemon-squeezed tears
and sticky sick-sweet milk of revenge
my fingertips trace my descent down the glass
I pray not to let the dark moon be my doom
I know myself like turmoil-seas know the shore
let the salt-sea’s seethe meet still grains of sand
abrasions cleanse one of crime and grime
I know myself like the night knows the morn
let the night be a knight
and capture rapture with light-swords of dawn
I know myself
the games I played with leather fringe and lace
his Marlboro face the Moët taste
the magnet attraction pulled my limbs apart
I am a tear liberated from the storm
free to fall free to fall oh I had to fall so far to be free
fall from heights where lust-wishes glisten
slip the stardust handcuffs
fall from nimbus find the limbus of self and soul
find a way to rise above black seams
and wanton scenes of my scream-dreams
translucence transforms me
I let go of the windowpane
and die to myself casting off pleasure of pain and sin
I fall to silent-sister soil inhaled to be exhaled
on dizzy wind-whimsy-warmth of first light
I fall a new drop of dew wet with sky light
as I bear Love's cross like a white lotus bears its muddy birth
Categories:
swaddle, conflict, freedom, introspection, life,
Form:
Free verse