Best Tassels Poems
"I wandered lonely as a cloud." William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a boat
a shallow dingy left behind,
alone in marsh of reeds remote
my paint now faint so unrefined,
my only hope the next high tide
on brackish water then I’ll ride,
in aimless drift left up to fate
the wind and wave upon the bay
on rhythmic swells, I’ll grow sedate
with naught to see through mists of gray…
on ripples pale so soft so free
my destination out to sea;
that distant place where lay the sun
across the sunset waters west,
the ambiance of cirrus spun
to brush with colors every crest
where I can bathe in shades so bold
of melting solar marigold.
Yet — let go I must of wishful dreams!
My lifeline dispossessed I strayed
and followed streams with other schemes —
now lofty tide cannot be swayed,
a rustic wreck in reeds reposed
their wind-song whispers I’m imposed.
There’s no escape their soldiers’ lance,
the blades of green so tall and crisp,
with waves they undulate in dance
and breezes ruffle tassels’ wisp,
though swans find beauty mid the reeds
—a wistful coward’s bitter weeds.
Susan Ashley
January 14, 2023
~ Second Place ~
Contest: 2022 Poetry Marathon Mile 25
Sponsor: Mark Toney
~ Poem Of The day ~
January 16, 2023
Poet’s note: this poem was inspired by, but not written for, the contest: “I Wandered Lonely As… Challenge”, sponsored by Natasha Scragg and judged on September 24, 2022. Thank you, Natasha, for the beautiful William Wordsworth quote and for the poetic inspiration.
Photo: gettyimages; Jay Fleming
The harvest moon appears behind the hill
In purest enchantment like so foretold,
As her radiant tassels glimmer still
Like embroidered lace of russet and gold.
From whispering of the ambient breeze,
A nightscape etches autumn’s moss and fir
Through lucent bowers of glorious trees;
Where dragonflies and owls reel on, astir.
How bold the prism of a cycle’s ray
While September’s moonrise adorns the earth;
Igniting bright pageantry on display
With holy graces from nature’s rebirth.
Till majesty of lit sparkle descends;
And once more evenings’ ceremony ends.
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For John Hamilton's Your best rhyming poem-2
Posted 8.28.2016 Resubmitted 2.3.2017
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Sonnet Form checked through
www.howmanysyllables.com
two male cardinals
fight over territory....
corn tassels rustle
in an instant from the kitchen window view
Haiku 60 – Indiana Summer
Indiana
orange roadside lilies
rural splendor
Indiana
elephant’s eye corn
no tassels yet
Indiana
endless green soybean fields
rich farmland soil
a strange beauty
stark yet soothing vistas
Indiana
For SKAT – OZ’s “summer poems” contest...
Tassels of flakes studded in pearl
Drape the lane where ice-capped elms unfurl.
Andrea Dietrich's Frozen In Crystalline Contest
11/23/2014
Canticle of merriment
rings out the silver of bells
a tingle, a jingle chiming
wispy notes across frosty mist,
as hands clasp with a pealed language
warbling the same holiday bliss:
‘let there be peace on this earth’
while ornamental dingers trill
on pines, and around fireplaces.
Seasons cannot duplicate
the joy of Yuletide’s awakening,
for tassels of glorious cheer spill
to herald a reign of winter’s Light,
dressed in tinseled varnish...
until the silver of evening bells
tolls when heaven greets mankind,
and mankind greets Emmanuel’s heaven!
Tassels are turned, and caps are in the air,
High school ends just like that with a handshake.
This is a day we’ve been waiting to share
But now, everybody’s health is at stake.
With no parties, no way to celebrate,
How do we mark our great accomplishments?
Maybe by summer, we’ll see our classmates,
But then it’s on to college assignments.
Pack up, move out, now your life’s in a dorm.
Usually there are some hugs and tears.
First day of class is not the high school norm,
But we quickly find friends among new peers.
Corona, you’ve seized prom, graduation...
Please don’t touch our college education.
Colorful tassels swirl around the pine
Hovering brightly on dazzle of lights,
Richer the kindred prayers, so divine
Inviting Babe Jesus to join our rites.
Songs peal with laughter and new wishes blow,
To remind each other that gratitude
Means special for the hearth's love,all aglow;
As ornamental candles drift, so hued!
Starry-eyed, a lacy table is dressed
More cheerful the beams; it's Gram's festive treat;
Awakening kids’ last surprise, how blessed
Gift- giving is, through a Yuletide complete.
In the magic of this radiant eve,
Comes hope's spirit true, in which we believe!
Andrea Dietrich’s Contest
Something New: A Christmas Sonnet Acrostic
` syllables checked through www.howmanysyllables.com
12/17/2015
/I\
~a branch
snuggles it tight,
messing ivory ringlets
while beneath the orchard,
grayish cones on iced moonlight rips.
Winter now bears her dry skin, as children
romp around a frozen trunk with boughs gleaming
like crystal tassels. Nippy a fir which quavers through
whiffs of glacial air : the assemblage of leaves
falling through hardened snowflakes...
Quietly, new moon brightens this view
Crowning its frothy head on an evening
where owls
trembling
dizzily on
its twigs,
hoot low
eyes wide;
until the tangy scent pervades
long after evergreen slumbers on.
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12/6/2018-- Revised
Shape Contest for Eve Roper
Dawn wakens with peach tassels in her hair
Adorning trees with embroidered splendor,
While daylight circles through gold flakes mid-air
That I wonder if such charm is just a dream;
Like a lush tableau, an October theme
Glorious yet soft as Mother Nature’s lore.
O how can this brief pageant make me gleam?
So I lift my arms in holy prayer.
One Specific Rhyme Scheme
Contest of Laura Loo 11/7/2016
those days the sun flew like corn flour
freshly ground at the millrace
even in winter it was yellow
when I pressed it down with my thumb
like an unfastened button on my chest
I hardly cut my way with a stick
through the tall weed field
until my knee high socks
were filled with thistle tassels
jumping over the fence like a thief
into our apple orchard
so no one knew where I was
when the Big Dipper rose over the barn
I slipped on the manger’s opening
inside freshly cut grass
stealing my grandma’s small chair for milking
singing for the young foal with caramel skin
those days all hearts were red and warm
in the shape of a gingerbread heart
each star was a story
whispered by fairies in the daffodils’ glade
Picture Postcard
The air sighed heavily
as Winter rested its head
on soft somber clouds
lightened earlier by a sifting
of rain, snow and ice.
It smiled softly at the moon
which, once more, made
a welcomed appearance
in the mantle of night’s sky
sprinkled lightly with stars.
It shivered considerably
near the trees in the cities
wearing their crystal jackets,
that glimmered slightly
with moonbeams smile.
It whispered quietly close
to sleeping houses bedecked
were pristine white hats,
fringed along their sides
with crystalline tassels.
It applauded the sun
as it soundlessly arose
presenting to the world
a postcard bejeweled
with Winter’s muse.
By: Debra Squyres
01/20/13
red oak tassels gone
yellow pollen lingers, coats ....
spring storms stir
I parked along the side of the road
where the shoulder turned to gravel.
I left my cardoor open, thinking I’d only be a moment.
Into the golden weeds I trudged
to find my favorite flower.
Bull thistle bloomed
violet,
jewels aloft on green scepters,
as rich as Sappho’s hair,
as rare as royal Phoenecian robes dyed with conch,
long stems twinkling with acid, as green as the intellect.
I will have a garden of thistles,
a court of purple pixies, prickly sprites that know all the names of the wind.
They will surround artichokes that bloom,
great aubergine tassels
that hold back the great curtain of soil.
I continued through the grass,
burs clinging to my pants like dreams,
the musical warning of the open door
fading in the distance.
March 20, 2020
Wild Country Contest
Sponsored by Julia Ward
Once Upon A Dream
I closed my eyes
and reached the skies.
I looked around
and heard the sound.
Of sweet chirping birds
that spoke my words.
They told their tale
which I could not inhale.
Then I flew into the skies
with the diamond butterflies.
And rode the candy horses
who flew with flying forces.
And I reached a crystal castle
garnished with tassels.
With beds of silk
where I laid my head tilt.
And my peaceful sleep
was hindered by a beep.
My heavy eyelids opened
and I got up in a second.
It was just a dream
once upon a dream…