Best Sweetening Poems
Written for the Winter Solstice sunrise at Avebury, Wiltshire, England
I have waited for you
Where no shadow seeps
Deep in the earth
Where the slow damp creeps
Under the stones
Where the sunlight sleeps
I have waited for you
I have listened for you
In the eaglet’s cry
In the echoes of rooks
In the empty sky
In a new born’s breath
And a dead man’s sigh
I have listened for you
I have looked for you
Where the elders grow
Followed your steps
Through the virgin snow
Through groves of yew
And mistletoe
Looking for you
I have watched for you
By the door and the gate
Risen up early
And lain down late
Doubted your love
And cursed my fate
Watching for you
You said you would come
You said that you will
Appear as the dawn
On the curve of the hill
I have waited for you
Through the dark, and the still
You said you would come
I lit you a fire
I kindled a flame
In the fear of the darkness
I called out your name
I thought I was dying
And then you came
You said you would come
And here you are
The promise of light
Sweetening silence
And softening night
And all shall be well
And be blesséd delight
You said you would come
© Gail Foster 21st December 2016
They start thick—
not the polite kind you stir into tea
not the mild drizzle on breakfast toast
but the kind that runs hot
slow
dangerous
coating your tongue before you grasp
the price of its pleasure.
They start golden—
dripping off the comb
sun pressed into their marrow
too rich, too syrupy—
gumming up the gears of your schemes
too luminous for hands that flinch from light
too wild for walls meant to contain them.
You want squeeze-bottle love.
Clean.
No bees.
No stingers.
No buzz.
But they ferment in kitchens
where no one thanks them—
same way their grandmothers did
spooning fire into each serving
stinging their own tongues
just to stay sharp—
drizzling down your better judgment staining
Sunday shirts
unraveling wedding vows
spilling past boundaries
no one asked them to obey.
They get called—
too much.
too loud.
too open.
too shut—
like they were born to fit into your grip
instead of slipping right through it.
You try to jar them.
Slap on barcodes:
Best before.
Handle with care.
Discount if damaged
for quick sale.
But wild honey won’t kneel—
it contradicts logic
defies preservation
reason
perfumes the air
wrecks your thirst for tradition.
You mistook raw for reckless
Reckless for ruin
Ruin for something to fear.
You laughed when they wept—
like grief was a spectacle
like tenderness was weak
like softness
was a defect to be filtered out.
But by the time you realize
she’s the rarest thing
you ever tasted—
she’s already sweetening
the hands that never swatted her
And now,
we sit here—
jars without lids,
spoons still sticky—
trying to remember
what it meant to taste something
that never begged to be caged.
Maybe—
the glass wasn’t meant to hold her.
Maybe—
it was meant to shatter—
to let something wild
and feral
flood in
and leave you
pleading
for ruin.
—it’s a reckoning,
unapologetic,
untamed,
final.
Song of a Warrior’s Bride
He counts on me for beauty:
His eyes blurred by bloody spurts of war,
Scarred by deadly blasts of bone
And tissue, his vision marred
By chunks of men that shook him down
Into the oozing mud of sorrow,
And unscrewed the sockets of his soul,
Blasting windows that once shone luminous,
Into dark pools of madness, mocking
The watch he had to keep that night.
He stopped his ears against
The final cries of men turned babes,
Moaning for mama or a medic,
Gasping for a hand upon their head,
As prayers and curses were sucked
From bodies by the piercing blows
Of guns, while rockets puked
Hellish flames that blotted
Out the stars, until darkness
Swelled into a symphony of pain,
And his heart choked with agonies
He could not stop to heal.
I have learned to fasten his gaze
With the soft gauze of understanding,
A fabric thrown across the room,
Rich with memories between us,
Like rose petals sweetening the air.
I can still delight his eyes and lure him
From the tangled jungle pits he digs
And show him patterns of new mercies,
That reveals the hidden weaver of our days,
The keeper of our steps upon this turf
Of life, turned gentler now.
I drape and wrap, twist and thread
My warless arms around him,
Still fingering the loom of prayer.
Murmuring vows over his embattled brow,
I draw him underneath our tent, pitched
In the heat of hard fought love.
My dearest friend, I tip my hat to you
For all the wonderful things you do
I give you a thankful nod of my head
For the encouraging things you've said
When I feel that I might be drowning
You chase away my reason for frowning
When life is dark, and I need a guiding light
You smile at me and my world glows bright
When my heart was shattered and broken
You healed it with words, softly spoken
Then somehow you made me clearly see
That life has so much more to offer me
When you wiped away each sorrowful tear
My misery always seemed to disappear
You have a way of easing my suffering
By insolating my heart with gentle buffering
When clouds above me start turning grey
You take a deep breath and blow them away
And in those times I've been under attack
You rescued me; always guarding my back
You're more beautiful than any rainbow
You're no fair weather friend, that I know
You are the honey bee within my flower
Sweetening me when I suddenly turn sour
~ ~ ~
For your love, compassion and so much more
I must tell you, in case I've not said it before
You are treasured more than any work of art
Our friendship is carved deep within my heart
October 20, 2020 ~ ~ From the Heart
Regina McIntosh ~ ~ Sponsor
In his eyes – I see the sun rise
In his smile – I can sit a while
In his life – I learned to be a wife
When I dream of forever
We are always there whatsoever
Comes into our lives, our light
Silencing the darkest of night
Reminding us why we’re alive
Why we’ll continue to survive
Because this love that inspires
Burns with such pleasure, fires
That keep my heart bound to his
Forever, stirred by his kiss, there is
Music that comes to those who listen
Seeking the wonder with its glisten
Searching the heart and soul for love
That exposes kind spirits from above
Sweetening the feeling that binds us
Never weary, never creating a fuss
Leaving the miracle of a love that lasts
Through every fear that worry casts
When I dream of the way we’re connected
With a tenderness, affection that is reflected
In our lives – the kindness that we give away
With the love we share, the prayers we pray
The way we feel inside is uncovered in his embrace
The way he makes me feel is so full of grace
Roused by the gentle beliefs, the sincerity bringing
My heart to life, my spirit to light, his voice ringing
With the sound of a joy that consumes because
He is my husband, my valentine, the one I applause…
As the man I love more than I can possibly describe
With a love that can’t be bought – love I can’t bribe
With a love I celebrate every morning and every night
Love so amazing – so brilliant and wise – a love I must write
In words meant for him, the one who is my life – the one
Whose beauty and brilliance can’t ever be undone
This is the man I love more than I can possibly say -
With a love that I’m celebrating on this Valentine’s Day!
Valentine Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Mystic Rose Rose
January 15, 2023
“Christmas is like candy; it slowly melts in your mouth sweetening every taste bud, making you wish it could last forever.” – Richelle E. Goodrich
Xmas means
the time of winter people love.
Traditions there are plenty of,
especially where Christians live.
A time to celebrate and give!
A time to give to all those who
we love so much and strangers too.
Salvation Army rings its bell.
Donations we should give and well!
Xmas means
the time to think of One who lay
one night upon a bed of hay,
Who died in innocence because
His way of saving us it was.
A time to pray; a time to play;
to maybe ride upon a sleigh.
To hear sweet children shout with glee
and decorate a festive tree.
Xmas means
a time that kids look forward to
and all the wrapping parents do.
White Elephant, my favorite game
and Secret Santa – draw a name!
A time for making special treats
to give the neighbors - mostly sweets!
To plan for parties and to send
cards to every special friend.
Xmas means
a time for songs about God’s son
and silly kids’ songs just for fun
like songs of Santa and his reindeer.
Almost all those songs bring good cheer.
A time of great anticipation
for our children’s great elation.
Special shows for all to see
and pretty gifts beneath the tree.
Xmas means
when family can be together
finding ways to enjoy the weather -
like skating, sledding down a hill,
or making snowmen, too a thrill.
The ham, the turkey, all that food.
The Christmas spirit, the best mood.
It’s sad that some alone will cry.
To share the joy we all must try!
April 29, 2023
for Writing Challenge - Words With 'X' - Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Constance La France
blooming inside
your dancing lips trace moonlight in my heart
I feel your dreamy words
creaming
caressing
sugaring
sweetening
------ my closed minds
Full Moon
........rising in the east
........lanterns and moon viewing
........and a cup of green tea
opening inside
your loving kindness reflected moonlight in my heart
I sense your poetic desire
seeking
strumming
gliding
gradually
------ into my mind
Full Moon
.......kissing the tatami
.......softly entering the residence
.......lighting upon a maiden's face and her samurai
tiptoeing inside
your gentle warrior heart shining moonbeam in my heart
I embrace your burning soul
melting
dissolving
enchanting
electrifying
------ this body of mine
Words on a page, sounds, Mother's calling
soft tones rose from leather tomes sweetly,
through rouged lips they tumble with love.
Lullabies call through the coldest of nights
as frost haloes about the curls, open-hearted,
eager, a child of contested love’s joining.
What would this chimera become now joined.
Oh what would be the result of this clarion call?
Angels wonder at the blend of unformed heart,
as words of Our Fathers resound so sweet
for the thrice kissed lips of child and overbearing night.
May all who come from the light delight in love.
May the child addressed bring comfort, bring love,
grow in service to the higher good and join
the wholesome hearts who warm the darkest night,
for bringing comfort, kindness, and caring is a calling,
which teaches every opened soul of sweetness
and heals the aching angry sores of forlorn hearts.
With words of joy, and a voice full of heart
let her hands touch, and sooth, each pain lovingly,
with the like-minded teachers and nurses sweetening
the balm smoothed upon the brow of man, enjoined
to heed the call, the ancient ever-present call
of majesty in morning and peaceful rest at night.
Each life presents its morning and ends in eternal night.
Each soul stores fonts of happiness and heartache.
Conception buds and blooms, sending out a clarion call
enjoining all who have the healing gift to garner love.
Gentle ones, who plant the seeds, tend the hearts join…
be the humble gardeners of the meek and sweet.
What task could be richer or path sweeter
than that of those who doctor, and nurse, and warm night?
Tender hearts and helping hands come together, join…
in the higher consciousness of he’s and she’s heartfelt.
Raise the banner; fly the unifying flag of healing love,
make this your onward path the Way, the Red Road your calling.
For what is sweeter day or night for each are joined,
heartily we love and live to heed these fine callings.
honeyed flavor drips
on watermelon’s core, pink
flesh sweetening mouths
…a zing like nectar's fragrance
to thrill when popped rind gushes
breaths taste moist syrup
earthy aphrodisiac
when melon lips grind,
… as he sinks his teeth in mine
nibbling juicy midnight love !
* aphrodisiac has 5 syllables
www.howmanysyllables.com
Sweet or Salty Contest of Andrea Dietrich
For breakfast or with Sunday brunch,
there’s a cereal I like a bunch.
But to quietly eat,
one can’t be too discreet
munching nuggets that have a BIG crunch.
It’s Grape-Nuts! They fill up your gut
with barley and wheat goodness, but
do not be too miffed
if through them you sift
and find not ONE grape or one nut!
Its nutritional value is high,
but I pile it up to the sky
with sugar or honey.
I guess I’m just funny,
even sweetening my Cocoa Puffs! (sigh)
For PD's (LIMERICK) your Favorite Cereal Poetry Contest
So many irksome dilemmas in life can be cured by simple solutions.
All are not necessarily fixed by the latest technological revolutions.
To remedy the many vicissitudes that rain down upon myself,
I grab that handy box of lowly baking soda reposing upon the shelf!
This simple, innocent looking stuff is good for many uses,
Including easing the pain of little kneesies that easily bruises.
'Tis useful for sweetening reeking walking shoes and garbage cans,
For shining silver and rejuvenating blackened pots and pans!
Even my inscrutable cat begins to purr a mile "purr" minute,
When I freshen his litter box by sprinkling baking soda in it.
If my auto picks up that scourge of the road, the dreaded tar,
Baking soda is just the thing for tidying up the car!
Why should I pay a plumber to unplug the clogged-up drain,
When a dollop of baking soda will the same results obtain?
It can be used as a toothpaste for making choppers look smarter,
Whitening them and controlling that nefarious tartar!
I've found that after my all too frequent sprees of gluttony,
That only a dose of baking soda relieves my gastric agony.
Its use for indigestion docs would discourage or even squelch.
Fiddle Faddle! I find instant relief in one humongous belch!
Since the first time our eyes met I felt a connection
This connection..something unseen yet all along I knew it was there
Just as real as the raindrops I hear
They fall to the muddy ground outside
Sheets of it pounds, pours
We lay tangled together, my head on your chest
The rain drumming steadily like the beat of your heart in my ear
Sweetening the loud thunder and erasing every single fear
And as you hold me everything in this world disappears
All I have is this moment right here
So real that it almost brings me to tears
Outside the light flickers through
But it dissipates and falls silent
And the only thing I feel in my heart is you
Your presence inside me, surrounding me
Until I am entirely consumed
For a moment this world ceased to spin
Seems surreal, like a dream I swear it’s too perfect
I am afraid that when I wake you will not be there
Is this just a cruel game?
Because nobody ever said life would be fair
Reality melts away, makes my breath catch
How can fantasy and reality be the same?
Beauty seen with mostly blinded eyes
Eyes that have seen far too much hate and horror
Eyes that forgot beauty still exists
Morning comes with the sunlight
Opening the heart to share delight
Filling the senses with gentle quiet
Into a moment of pure peace and might
Morning awakens the beauty of hope
Sending down warmth to help us cope
Enticing the spirit to dream in a kaleidoscope
Touch the core of joy with senses that elope
Morning assures us that God has a plan
He woke us to the dawn within the heart of man
That He is with us, giving us all we have began
Keeping us alive with dreams in our lifespan
Morning carries us from the darkest night
Into the beauty that appeals to dawn’s light
Reassuring hearts that everything is right
And we shall live fully with a sense of insight
Morning is bright, lit with all that excites
Calming the storms that came in the plights
From grace to worry and back to what unites
Hope, faith and love – expressions that ignite
Morning holds the answers to all of the worry
That seemed to come to make life a little blurry
Capturing moments of peace that take us on a journey
Of joy and compassion that keeps us from controversy
Morning reminds us why we have the dawn
To grace our world with love which we are drawn
To bring us wisdoms that we thought was gone
Sweetening our lives so that we can carry on!
The morning dawns with dewdrop…
Sparkling like a tear in the eye,
A glimmer of hope rising up…
As the sunshine breaks across the sky.
As the light caresses the hills…
Hastening through clouds and tree limbs,
A sensation of faith sprinkles hearts…
Sweetening the day the Lord has made.
The sunshine warms my skin…
Whispering a gentle joy into me,
A tender touch of compassion…
Reminding me of God’s salvation.
As the bright rays sprinkle cheer…
Racing through the heaven’s ambiance,
A joyous dream of what will come…
With Jesus’ welcome home.
The fluffy white clouds hover…
Against rays of marvelous light,
Arresting the fresh green earth…
With feelings inspired from His love.
As the light moves over the heart…
A sense of pure wonder unfolds,
Breathing grace, mercy and peace…
Across lives that have been changed.
The sunlight continues to stir the sky…
With a touch of purity and warmth,
Reminding us all of God’s blessings…
To every undeserving sinner.
As a glimmer of hope ignites passions…
Caressing hearts with regeneration,
Clearing away all worries and tears…
With the presence of the Lord that I feel.
8/28/19
Writing Challenge 2, November - A Poem Meaningful
Sponsor, Dear Heart - Wisshkobi Ode
what I wouldnt do to get you in my clutches, crack a couple eggs, break my own legs to smoke a dutch with my duchess, through hazards ready to duke, Ill puke up a ruckus, refute a succubus and pay for a million knuckle sandwhich lunches, punch the paper until its vapor for that proper sustenance even if it shuts down the whole government, im thinking how am i gona date her
cause love conquers, drives barbarians bonkers, berzerk over that twerkin, some booties deserve sponsors but more importantly its what her minds offers, attentive like attendees at a concert as nina simone saunters like an unstoppable monster, packing bowls of sugar, she aint going for that oscar, truth hurts sometimes lies are softer
every dream fostered, ideal and pristine, christened with caramel and ice cream we scream, for these things cause sour grapes might need sweetening, id rather have attempted and lost, then walk off wondering, into that bitter sunset, spending eveings upsept and alone thinking of you wishing youd hit my phone no time for me might mean for someone else, or your over it all and time is for yourself
rib cage pressin, bars of bones mufflin my internal percussion, tho my flow can sound like timpani typically im feeling terrifically, heart beat bumpin, like kids in a bouncy house on steroids jumping, *****cats click the mouse for all types of assumptions, tho this night i was punked by her junk, vacant spaces need stuffin