Best Theme Contest Poems
Drained fingers jot sweet memory
calling Pam’s name in every bloom,
as laced nights recall the glory
of fondness born from love’s heirloom...
Time pauses… her Glow swirls on trees
where romps christen fire tasting life..
And though wonder darts to appease
pale the ticks, yearning for dear wife.
Laura Loo's Contest:Second Place Only Contest III
Submitted 2/5/2016 Judged 2/6/2016
For the 'LOST' Theme Contest
Mama says this is where
I was born on a stormy night
the benignant horn was where
she'd paused to breathe and reside
The bounteous hollow took her in
and echoed my cries and coos
spiralling down the springs
to protect me as if I were Zeus
I slide along the spirals
to quench my itching thirst
a joyous melody in the hollow
and palatable unceasing food
When it rains we glide to be dry
it shields us from the biting frost
when it snows and humans sing
of the ballads of festive days
At nights I crawl and climb
to the window of that horn
and watch the lavender starry sky
she recites stories of distant worlds
Sweet symphonies of chirping birds
wake me up on fragrant mornings
at times I step outside the door
to wander in some nearby forest
"Do you stay inside that cornucopia?"
A giant cub questioned me one day
I looked at Mama with my little black eyes
and wished to know the same
"Honey, this is our humble dwelling
that nurtures us, protects us, loves us
as if this was the great destiny
of a humble horn of spirals
This is our door to a beautiful heaven
with aromatic clouds and winged doors
this will be the blissful abode of tiny beetles
who lived happily in a divine cornucopia"
9th May 2020
For Cornucopia Poetry Contest
Sponsored By: Kai Michael Neumann
Premiere Contest Winner: First Place
BRIAN'S CHOICE 10,any form,any theme Contest
Winner: Honorable Mention
Jewel-colored butterflies flutter in scarlet sage
Hovering hummingbirds on a red tubular stage
Highways they navigate apparently their own
Invisible to humans as they stay in their zone
These lovely creatures are by nature vivacious
At times if necessary can also be fallacious
Both either drift or glide in on a breeze
Plunge into a vortex of nectar sweets
Satiation of thirst while lost in the moment
Entrances spectators with similar enjoyment
There are days when fluttering colors
Dissipate daily woes... a gift of the hummers
Butterflies and hummingbirds are beauties to behold
Their appeal is captivating and never grows old
POTD - June 30, 2018
August 28, 2018
Contest 485, Any Form, Any Theme
By Brian Strand
First Place
Pick a Theme Contest
By Viv Wigley
Theme - There Are Days When
Eighth Place
Altered from Poem Lush Garden - August 26, 2018
Autumn winds chant a soulful tune
Elusive songs they choose to play
as maple branches bend and sway
Aspen trees drop their leaves too soon
Hues of umber, amber and gold
as seasonal changes unfold
Across forest floors they are strewn
Russet carpets to lie upon
when in repose a sigh is drawn
Then comes the sad cries of a loon
Haunting sounds foreshadowing death
She calls her mate with one last breath
Like withered leaves, a life was hewn
Taken from loved ones in the night
A cherished soul risen in flight
Pale light spills from a sallow moon
Beneath its glow we weep and mourn
Grief pierces like a sharpened thorn
Autumn winds chant a soulful tune
Aspen trees drop their leaves too soon
Across forest floors they are strewn
Then comes the sad cries of a loon
Like withered leaves, a life was hewn
Pale light spills from a sallow moon
September 19, 2022
In Remembrance of Connie - Autumn Theme Contest
Sponsored by Suzanne Delaney
She was beautiful within and without,
He was handsome, there was no doubt,
Engaged to be married, they were in love,
He knew she was pure like a dove,
A shocking news - she was found carrying,
A public shame - 'twas worrying,
What could he do? He would put her away,
Silently without much delay,
That night, while he thought on these things, behold,
An angel of the Lord, he told,
"Joseph, thou son of David, do not fear
To take Mary as thy wife dear"
"What she's conceived is of the Holy Ghost,
She'll give birth to a son foremost,
Jesus will save the people from their sins",
Virgin birth fulfilment begins,
Joseph, the just man, rose up from his sleep,
He his wife decided to keep,
He did as the angel had bidden him,
They married, life was no more dim.
07.29.2020
N/A in Strand Completely New (15), any form, any theme contest
The lake is a plate of evening blue
Here where mists of dew sprinkle the view
Under lilting skies the undulating sea
Stretches far beyond infinity
Silent and calm, no hint of green
Smooth as silk with translucent sheen
Rippling blue as far as fingers can see
Yet when the moon’s luminosity
Fondles the surface where the wavelets flow
Twinkling jewels are dew-pearls’ glow
To easels of moonbeams on a crystal sea
How incredibly beautiful this vignette can be...
©
For Brian Strand's Image Theme Contest/ 2 to 14 Lines
By nette onclaud
On wet days, shivering,
we greet late fall,
whose shortening days
bring with icy fingers
hoar frost on the fields at dawn.
Some time before the first light snow,
we take pause, and with loved ones recall -
Autumn’s gift is an abundant harvest.
For Brian Strand's 'COMPLETELY YOUR CHOICE (24)any form any theme' Contest
I turned your way to talk to you,
then I remembered you were gone.
Tiptoed at night in softest shoe,
I looked for you but saw no one.
Sometimes I think I see you there--
a whisper, shadow, at nightfall.
Among the trees, a rush of air,
a song to me within bird's call.
As time went by, I lost your face,
but your fine wit stays in my midst.
We'll meet again--a special place
where all is love, and hope exists.
You stopped by once to say goodbye.
I couldn't say these words that day.
Time gave me strength, no longer shy
I feel you need be on your way.
Farewell my love, enjoy your flight.
with stars and moon beckoning nigh.
I'll search each day and moonlit night
for you, when it's my time to fly.
July 8, 2022
Rhyme
for Farewell Theme contest
by Lisa YY
Second Place
Alone in my living room, I am at peace
pondering Immanuel, incarnate God.
Moving to my garden where lilies speak peace;
they know an Intercessor who cares for them.
Walking thru the neighborhood, I wave in peace
at friends whose Inspiration is a blessing.
Reaching the park, I continue on in peace
feeling my soul's Indwelling Spirit at work.
Watching adults and children at peaceful play,
amazed at the Invisible God's presence
I reason on my own immortality.
written February 28, 2017
an idyll for Broken Wings' Form I (Immortal Theme) contest.
Mornings blushed in dew
replicating your jubilant smile,
love-ladened cupcakes in pink
flavored by your honey-dipped fingers,
fragrance of your jasmine-clad hair
swaying along every time you danced,
exchanging exclusive looks in public
to laugh at shared secrets with coffee,
strumming broken strings of your guitar
when we collided against the window,
rambling vintage songs on deserted streets
of an unknown city on our vacation,
laughing out aloud when I repeated
our mistakes despite your warnings,
sharing anxious hugs scared to part
on a journey to unbeknownst roads.
Someone pause that treacherous night!
When you screamed in agony and left us,
gifted your baby echoing innocent cries...
I miss each moment when I look
at our photographs teary-eyed
sitting on our abandoned bench again
years later, in a world without you..
'Retreat to our world dear friend', I pray.
A ray of light shines through me,
someone just called me wide-eyed in glee.
Oh such a gorgeous creature she is!
Reflecting everything you had once been
I hope you see how adorable she is, my friend...
I love and relive each moment again
as I look at your charming daughter.
Our yellowed photographs smile again
In a world without you..
May 27, 2020
A World Without You Poetry Contest
Sponsor: JCB Burl
~~Winner: First Place
BRIAN'S CHOICE X,any form,any theme contest
~~Winner: Third Place
In the fragility of dreams
With my eyes wide open
At the onset of daylight
Crawling tint of lilac hues
Sparkle dew drops on lilies
Engulf my soul in blues
To see the world alive
I find myself wondering
Of the desires buried
Deep inside this fragile heart
The forgotten people,
The abandoned roads,
The lost moments,
The unhealed scars,
The yellowed pages,
All from my journey so far
Make me feeble all day long
With a darkness beneath daylight
In the fragility of dreams
With my eyes half closed
At the onset of dusk
When lavender sky illuminates
Exhausted turquoise tides,
Sweat-soaked memories
Comfort my enervated soul
Provide drowsy solace
To my played out heart
In the weariness of windows
Too unyielding to be unfastened
Yet willing to let the light inside
The cocoon of my hopes
Breathes half-heartedly
May be not to fly but to survive
Wrapped in the panacea of twilight
In the fragility of dreams
With my eyes meant to be closed
I wake up on a glistening blue night
A nostalgic halo opens the windows
Clenched by my wavering anxieties
I find my wings and spread them wide
To fly afar through the elixir of night
It reminds me of everything
That had once been mine
That could have been mine
And that still is and will always be mine
That all my life is but a circle
Meant to be found around
That nothing is ever lost
If in my heart it will be found
That my fragility heals my scars
Strengthens my spirit
Renews my pages
To explore my roads
Full of errors or glories
That the hope on which I never give up
And the love dripping over my soul
Is my eternal elixir of life
That when the day is over
Night will always revive
My wearied heart and memories
Courage in my tenderness
I find a waterfall of love and hope
When my eyes are meant to be closed
At night, in the fragility of dreams.
May 18, 2020
~Winner: 1st Place in STRAND NO 760,any form any theme Contest by Brian Strand
~Winner: 2nd Place in In the fragility of dreams Contest sponsored by Silent One
APPASSIONATO
He made overtures to her,
With the time-honoured chat-up line,
“We could make sweet music together;
I want to make you mine.”
She conducted herself quite cautiously;
Remained composed and calm.
A duet might be pleasant;
And he certainly had charm.
But she didn’t want to rush things,
The tempo should be slow.
He wished to proceed allegro,
She favoured adagio.
She played second oboe,
While he was a double bass.
They came from different cultures,
A thing she found hard to embrace.
And so she resisted his overtures,
They really weren’t well-matched.
She had an affaire with a flautist instead;
A thing with no strings attached.
2nd July 2019
Music Theme Contest
Sponsor - Geraldine Taylor
Intermingled threads of my fantasies pour
from the ink of my love on the bare soul
of the letter I write for you, my beloved
The windowpane sparkles moonlit dreams
And I submerge into my visions of you
You, my moon bound to your services
Make me wonder how I would write
All the love-soaked words I've never said
I had questions that submerged in tides
Propelled by divine celestial waves
I forgot to savor the fragrance of lilies
That intertwine into my desolate bed stand
Perhaps you will be gulping your tea
When this letter relishes the touch
Of your frozen fingers looking for warmth
You might inhale the aroma of my love
Dripped in my waxing and waning hopes
Rosy shades of mellowed sunrise
Prompt my hopes to flutter and fly
Away to a land where you reside
I have spent last night tossing them
In solicitude of your awaited letter
My feet took a hundred strides
to the door that I opened warily
I await your reply to quench my love
I am the sun that follows her moon
Eclipsed by unending galactic cycles
Let me drape myself in your love
Let your letter wait at the corner
Until I've told you my anxiety faded away
I've been onlooking the desert roads
Oh should I merge into them in daylight
To kiss the path your letter traverses
This time I hope it remembers at last
My name and address on this frayed street
Let it bring to me your smooth embrace
The sun, exhausted of the chase for moon
Over these centuries, awaits the end of eclipse
Drenched in my fears I whisper at sunset,
"Let my love engulf me in soothing waves"
....The sun and the moon in a golden Aurora, unite,
Your letter arrives before you colored in lilac twilight.
*A tribute to the tumultuous emotions of a soldier's wife*
May 26, 2020
The Sun And The Moon Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Chantelle Anne Cooke
~~Premiere Contest Winner: 4th Place
BRIAN'S CHOICE V,any form,any theme Contest
~~Winner: First Place
Looking for love on computer lines
in the faces of many strangers
where no light of love ever shines
dancing in and out of dangers.
Looking for love electronic
manly visages on pages.
No welcome home yet in the dark,
broad range of generous ages.
Where is the man that will love me?
Where is the man that I love?
Past days romance came so easily,
like a blessing from above.
Contacts that go on forever,
anonymity, slogans and slurs.
It’s not here now and never was.
“Good day to your countenance sirs.”
2/21/20
n.a STRAND CHOICE T,any form,any theme Contest Judged: 3/30/2020 2:20:00 AM
n.a. RErun 8
Sponsor: John Hamilton
Lilac dreams
tiptoe inside
whisper
my secrets as
evenfall descends..
Aged stories
turn mauve
haunt me then
dissolve
in tides of
crimson seas..
Memories expand
become more mine than I
am
as evenfall ends.
May 9,2020
BRIAN'S CHOICE R,any form,any theme Contest
Winner: 2nd Place