Best Tenderness Poems
In the tenderness of twilight,
calmness of the air,
silently caressed her skin
hearts floated like a gentle breeze.
Illuminating her persona,
naked moon reflected against
the softness of her cheeks
sweet whispers evoked several senses.
Envious stars sparkled,
transcending a galaxy of kisses,
radiating against her lips
and who was I to resist.
Her petal lips,
sang to me like a lullaby -
my heart danced like a butterfly
sensual souls serenaded sweet symphonies.
Infatuated shadows gazed until sunrise,
as embers intensified, embracing
Earth's window of wonders
a love was born into eternal bliss.
I still see that night in her eyes;
she always insists it was the stars,
but I believe it was the moon.
17 October 2018
Silent One
Rushes to the window
with every pitter-patter
but it is only the rain
crashing into me
trying to wash away my pain
reminding of sunny days
where the pitter-patter
was the beating of my heart
where love was never sought
but happily was found
my heart breathes
feeling once more
your tenderness
pitter-patters run across
the oaken hardwood floors
and I see in her your smile
your love
your heart
The rain and my tears fall
yet I know
most go a lifetime without true love
but no not me
my heart goes pitter-patter
one last time
butterflies float away into my soul
and I remember
I loved you
,,,,,,,,,,,...,,,,,,,,,,
tower’s gold lanterns
stroke warm sheen on war-torn rocks…
peace wraps pastel night
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(( for Annalise Brigham
" What MY Eyes See" Contest ))
“Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom,
and a little flower”.
– Hans Christian Andersen
A little flower in the garden
not very large, or tall, or bright.
For this, she seeks pardon.
God graces her with His light.
His sun shining in the skies
attracts the little flower’s head
and soon her face and eyes
behold the sunshine’s thread.
It fills her with a freedom
like she’s never known before.
She awakens simply to need Him
and He, she comes to adore.
Her little face fills with happiness
shining prettily pink and red.
He colors her with tenderness;
she stands proudly without dread.
Life is living and loving all things
without need to feel outside.
Accepting the gifts He brings
makes living a jubilant joyride.
How we love this secluded pond
He lowers me to the grass
And on my stomach I watch
Little beetles, blue dragonflies
Transparent wings fluttering
soft humming near my ears
My smiles born broadly in sunlight
His tender hands hold my back
to his chest. And in the shallow
pool numerous tadpoles curiously
investigate my otherwise useless
legs without pity or shame
He smiles words of joy to me
In my ears and to my mouth
Red squirrel clambers
the tree near our temporary
bed where his hands fumble
and his mouth smiles broadly
between my hands, breeze
lifting my curls as wings
on small hummingbirds
From the corners of his eyes
The lazy luce ponders the strange
ways of human tenderness
While he holds me in his
endless loving patience
That doesn't care about ability
Just we, water, sun and together
***
February 6, 2017
He toils in dirt on a scorching summer day
a simple man yearning to earn a fruitful pay.
Scars from spades failed to diminish his hopes
in zealous manner, he climbs along rocky slopes.
His seeds of exuberance simmer in parched land
he wishes to save a few pennies for a red band.
The joy on his beloved's face would be a reward
his sweat-soaked wishes more than he could afford.
At twilight he receives earnings of his trades
his previous savings add to cheerful cascades.
A new red band for his beloved's silky tresses
he'd want to stroke her hair in warm caresses.
Her love in sprinkles of blooming lilac pearls
holds his shivering courage in soothing curls.
A whispering solace in mighty oceans of life
melts pain into dripping embrace in heavy strife.
The world has always known him for his stern shades
healing tenderness remains masked beyond dark charades.
July 20, 2020
10-20 lines on MASK Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Mohan Chutani
~Premiere Contest Winner: 1st Place
The Greatest of These…
A portrait of the perfect tenderness eternal,
Painted from the rising mists of a broken promise -
Finished on a Friday afternoon – complete the promise
Of the everlasting word in worldly wastelands and in realms of glory
Daily molding vessels born of earthly clay
To take the shape of living covenants
Spoken in deserts and on flood tides - on mountaintops in bare feet
And temples built on lofty mounts
Where a king danced naked before the word -
Leading every dawn of life away from bitter tears indifferent,
Whole – redeemed – refreshed – not strutting,
No more teardrops lost within a sea of sand,
A shining lantern through shadowed valleys
Lifting hearts to heights unimagined
Where angels walk above the fallen stars –
Pure essence of the eternal and all knowing
Spoken, whispered, to orphans of a garden still seeking mystery;
Cherished companion of the pilgrim throughout every season
Embracing the perfection of the amazing, abiding eternal.
I love you beyond the borders of language,
where words stumble,
faltering in the shadow of feeling.
No map charts the expanse of this tenderness,
no compass finds its edge.
I love you as the ocean loves the shore,
returning endlessly,
even when it is sent away.
I love you as the sky holds the stars,
cradling light in an infinite embrace,
never asking why they shine.
There is no scale for this,
no ledger to balance the weight of your smile
or the currency of your touch.
Only the quiet knowing
that you are,
and that is enough.
If love is the pulse of existence,
yours is the rhythm I echo.
If love is a storm,
I surrender to its rain.
There are no fences here,
no gates to shut you out or let you in,
only an open field,
a horizon that does not end.
And when the stars scatter
like seeds across the night,
my love will bloom
in every corner of forever,
without measure,
without end.
you may think you
are exceedingly insignificant
but
your soul carries
more warmth than
the sun bestows
to the earth.
for I have been awoken by
the words spoken…by you.
you may think I don’t
believe in you as I once did
but
your heart carries
more affection
than an autumn day
mid-October.
for I have been satisfied and
I’m gratified…because of you.
you encompass my very being,
and I am astounded by your tenderness.
July 6, 2018
Very few really tender moments
in my childhood do I find.
My memories abound
with normal things, and also
with happy celebrations,
failures and successes,
good times and bad.
But I recall one day
visiting a man from church.
Inside his small apartment
my mother took me.
I can’t remember why.
I just recall this elderly white-haired man
waiting on his white-haired wife
with absolute tenderness.
She did not even know him, really.
Alzheimers had claimed her.
But he hovered over her
with the enduring and endearing
patience and love
born from years and years
of companionship and true intimacy
that no disease
can obliterate.
June 14, 2021
For Malabika Ray Choudhury's 'A Tender Moment in Childhood' Contest
Entered July 4 for 'A Brian Strand July 4' Poetry Contest
here is my rose
my heart on a stem
a gentle whisper
a soft caress
a murmur bent on a melody
a sparkle in the night
sweetest perfume
to catch your attention
a kiss blown your way
a playful wink
under a full moon
a siren's call
AP: 2nd place 2022
The quiet between us settles into light,
a hush that weighs more than any word ever spoken
Your breath leans closer as if to speak my name.
Yet nothing breaks the air, no sound is heard.
A shaking pause:
time loosens its embrace,
the fading light leans in,
holding our hearts in place,
I feel a promise hover on my lips,
a secret tide that sways then slowly slips.
No language superior to this quiet vow,
no music sweeter than the moment now.
The silence bends then deepens into bliss.
The world reawakened within one tender kiss.
And in that silence even stars confess
love grows deepest, when it speaks no excess
Where has the romance gone
moonlit nights kissing 'til dawn
Where fled the tenderness
from our love once so strong
Where are the conversations
that used to matter so much
Where are the magic moments
when our fingertips touched
Where are the sparks that flew
from our hearts to our minds
Who uncoupled our souls ~
the ties of caring that bind
See my love in the waves of the seas.
Hear my love in rustling leaves in the breeze.
Feel my love in my soft caressing touch.
Share with me a gentle light kiss, not too much.
Like the love shown by a cooing dove,
Through these fleeting moments, sense my love.
Try not to get angry if I forget
Something is happening inside my head
I know I'm not stupid, not going mad
It's that my memory is getting bad.
I try very hard to think things all through
And know it's very annoying for you
Please be gentle and do try to be kind
It's truly not me, just my state of mind.
I'm not unique, it is nothing that’s new
And this could easily happen to you
There's no way to stop the ageing process
So let's live in love and sweet tenderness
Knowing that on each other we can depend
Until the day our life comes to its end.