Best Thinned Poems
Gene stood. Skyscraper demanding. Cold steel.
Thirty-five hard years. Over now. Just like that.
Corrugated box. Family photo. Timex watch.
Bitter coffee.
Stale sweat.
He walked out. Sun blaze. Fireball. Air thick.
Sidewalk. Familiar corner. Man there.
Black skin. Weathered face. Cardboard sign.
Gene stopped. Eyes met. Silent understanding.
"Seen you," the man said.
Gene nodded. "Fifteen and a half years."
"Never spoke."
"No. Never did."
Gene sat. Concrete cracked. Chill. Hands trembling.
"Lost everything," he said, eyes downcast.
Shame heavy. Guilt girded.
The man waited. Silent. Eyes knowing.
"Wife. Cancer. Kids ghosted. Job now too."
Gene's voice cracked. "Wasted. Empty. Life."
The man reached down. Pulled out a bottle.
"Drink?" he asked.
Gene nodded. Took it. Swigged deep.
Bourbon burned. Good burn. Real.
"First honest thing. In years."
They sat. Shadows lengthened. City hummed.
Bottle passed. Back. Forth. No words.
Gene breathed. First time in years.
Bygone dreams. Flickered. Misty.
Husband. Father. Provider. Lost Purpose.
Night fell. Stars peeked. Traffic thinned.
Gene stood. Legs unsteady. Mind unclear
"Thanks," he said,
The man nodded. "Tomorrow comes" –
Gene stared out. Horizon blurred. “That was yesterday.”
Street light flickered. Old worn dress shoes.
A sound.
Empty bottle.
Spinning.
Parting gift. Timex.
Ticking...
Categories:
thinned, grief, jobs, loss, psychological,
Form:
Narrative
It was tantalizing, sweet completion
Lines of blue ink filling white space
Tastes of emotions, colors of consonants
Music of vowels, syllables singing
To create, and satiate
Then, time thinned
Responsibility and stress stepped in
Poetry, after all, does not pay the bills
Stop cloud watching and become an adult
They said, and they were right
So I packed her away, that silly girl
relegated to the dusty back room of memory
Gray and wilted, foolish scribblings
Nobody cared about anymore
Years, decades of feigned disinterest
Begins to dissolve in rediscovering
The flash of joy in composing
Ignited by a song-writing friend
Who dared encouragement
Steps sluggish, atrophied, but there
Saved in muscle memory
I hungered for nourishment, for balance
On unsteady limbs - I wanted my silly girl back
And I have her, revived on Soup from
My poetry sisters and brothers
Now, I am gaining
The reach of my wings
Soaring over cities of sonnets
Neighborhoods of roundels and rispettos
A haiku hamlet, an acrostic alleyway
Kingdoms of pantoums and villanelles
To the unfenced openness
Of free verse
I am still the bedrock of me
Stretching to climb taller trees.
2/23/19
Categories:
thinned, appreciation, creation, journey, poetry,
Form:
Free verse
I once stepped into a labyrinth, that grew upon the crest
The unraveled trail through silver pines, where ferns and grasses wept,
Where birdsongs rose, from scattered boughs, and echoed to the west
Moss grew to warm each foot with jade, while solemn trees had slept
--
I remember how the stately timbers, had leaned against the sky
I stood knee-deep in ancient times, my heart was on a quest
to riddle through the forest's mind, into a honeycomb of sighs
Each spire grew from sod and loam, and branches fell to rest
--
Shards of sun, bright fingerlings, had haloed 'round my head
Sparks shaved and thinned, by silver limbs, would reach to catch the sun,
Like candles tall, along the trail, the dust burned rust and red
It bounced with light, off fragile lattice, webs, and laces, spun
--
Asylum blessed, so undisturbed, exquisitely serene
My famished eyes were wide with awe, but yet was not my home
Beneath each leaf, beneath each limb, were tiny worlds unseen
With cushioned steps, I walked with care, for this was sacred loam
_______________________________________________
Goethe Stanza
Categories:
thinned, nature, riddle,
Form:
Verse
She morphs into a sultry Summer's morn
garbed in a cloak of alabaster fog:
gossamer thin, and casually worn.
And echoing the croaks of a bullfrog:
She stops to carry on a dialogue,
with croaks too numerous to catalog.
Slipping on Her slippers of sparkling dew:
She inks an ebony horizon red;
as the sun rises in a sky of blue.
Shadows get resurrected from the dead:
while spiders dangling from a silken thread
spin dream-catcher webs that fill flies with dread.
Nature's a wizard at staging effects;
like vermilion sunsets, jungles of green,
and vivid colors of birds and insects.
Wherever we go, She's already been:
let's keep Her rivers, seas, and oceans clean:
Her mood can change; She's not always serene.
I hear Her whisper secrets to the wind:
like Spring's approaching, or the ice has thinned.
Categories:
thinned, 10th grade, 11th grade,
Form:
Sonnet
of ghosts and relationships
when we meet again
I need to talk to you
to say things like goodbye.
use words that have eaten me
slowly
as they formed one syllable at a time
grown from tears of thought
eked out over eons
of loving you.
I watched you disappear one cell
then another
until you became so thinned
so fine
sun shone through
you were but a shadow
on the bedroom wall
yes promises were made
how long ago?
yesterday perhaps
when dinosaurs roamed the backyard
the moon was huge in a soft young heart
eyes scryer for the future
yet
could only see your face
I said I would never leave
but
just remembered
you were never really there.
Categories:
thinned, bereavement,
Form:
Free verse
For forty days and nights, a tempest strange
blew in; the lost unsaved by fortresses.
One shelter only from those winds of change:
an ark that sailed to rainbow's promises.
Elijah, fleeing from his enemies,
protected from an earthquake, fire, and storm,
was fed by angels heeding God's decrees.
The Rock of ages kept him safe and warm.
The fishermen knew raging squalls and throes;
one maelstrom caused their courage to be thinned -
when Jesus tells the storm, "be still!", he shows
himself to be the Master of the wind.
On stormy seas, when troubling winds arise,
sail for the harbor where true safety lies.
Written 23 Nov 2020
Categories:
thinned, god, jesus, sea, storm,
Form:
Sonnet
Some parts of life are permanent,
alas, some aspects not:
The morning temperature feels chill;
by midday it grows hot.
The money spent on cell phones'
long-term value which I sought,
Too soon is gone, as more is spent
on upgrades I've since bought.
The sun in its celestial course
yields light, black night, or shade.
Old years tossed out with calendars
as fire's embers fade.
Some friendships evanesce,
forgetting promises we'd made
Our children grow and move away,
as hair grows thinned and greyed.
Staunch boughs of trees are shaken by
harsh winds, enduring long.
'That time of year thou mayest in me
behold'; thy love's more strong.
You've been my life's sweet constant
as we harmonize our song -
One truth is undeniable:
in your arms I belong.
// Dedicated to Janet, my loving bride of 35 years //
Categories:
thinned, love, marriage, storm,
Form:
Rhyme
Not Again! six inches on top of the snow we already had! This started out to be a blank verse sonnet, but it didn't turn out that way.
The snow has smothered life tonight
Our world now gleams in flawless white
Below the earth, the bulbs’ low whine
impatient with delay of time.
Their voice is faint and fainter still
the cry of birds in fluffed-up chill
so hunger thinned in winter snap
with hidden food beneath its wrap.
Yet seed thrown out on top of snow
and cooked with peanut butter, slow
then shaped in cakes with honey glue
has brought to us a checkered queue
As daylight hails, we watch to see
this comic scene of feathered spree.
Categories:
thinned, snow, spring,
Form:
Sonnet
In winter’s white, as angels cry
for early spring to warm the wind,
to bring to life with gentle sigh,
in love, the bitter frost has thinned.
For early spring to warm the wind,
at Valentine’s romantic calls,
in love, the bitter frost has thinned,
where dancers twirl amid stone walls.
At Valentine’s romantic calls,
rebirth of nature’s light divine,
where dancers twirl amid stone walls,
and blossoms pastel shades recline.
Rebirth of nature’s light divine,
when day equals the hours of night,
and blossoms pastel shades recline,
to hail the queen of May in light.
When day equals the hours of night,
a summer’s sun will come to play,
to hail the queen of May in light,
we chant and sing along the way.
A summer’s sun will come to play,
so life can grow as gods decreed,
we chant and sing along the way,
with warmth and light our hunger feed.
So life can grow as gods decreed,
the rays of sun on seeds we’ve sown,
with warmth and light our hunger feed,
the wealth of harvest is our own.
The rays of sun on seeds we’ve sown,
in autumn breeze that chills the heat,
the wealth of harvest is our own,
as gold and red belies our feet.
In autumn breeze that chills the heat,
a year that ends with blessed Samhain,
as gold and red belies our feet,
the call of Ancient’s name to reign.
A year that ends with blessed Samhain,
to bring to life with gentle sigh,
the call of Ancient’s name to reign,
in winter’s white, as angels cry.
Categories:
thinned, faith, inspirational, nature, sea,
Form:
Pantoum
I will not fear the silent night
alone below the moon
or winter’s cold approaching bite-
the sting that comes too soon.
I’ll wrap my heart in Summer’s song
And sing to keep my passion strong
I’ll wrap my heart
I’ll wrap my heart
And hope that frost won’t linger long.
I will not mourn the silent night
or raging of the sea,
the frothy caps that spread in spite
of calmness deep in me.
I’ll rise above the drowning tide
with pounding heart and battered pride
I’ll rise above
I’ll rise above
and fill the barren wells inside.
I will not hold the silent night
against the bitter wind
though darkness clouds my inner sight
and resolution’s thinned,
I’ll plant my feet, embracing choice
accept the native parts, rejoice,
I’ll plant my feet
I’ll plant my feet
remaining true to my own voice.
~Trijan Refrain~ (a fabulous form by Jan Turner)
8/23/10
Categories:
thinned, depression, faith, hope, heart,
Form:
Rhyme
You used to be my strength, my rock
I looked to you for comforting thoughts
Till you thinned like paper
Your caring tapered
And like scissors you cut me off
Received 1st place in PD's "rock paper scissors" contest
Categories:
thinned, life, loss
Form:
Limerick
With wistful EYES I watched him RISE; the dawning sun
Aloft, he TREAD, golden wings SPREAD, and day had begun
Above the GLADE, he was robed in a SHADE of palest pink
I wrote a RHYME before the drying TIME of my indigo ink
My eyes SQUINTED to skies blue TINTED, I watched him soar
Eager to ABSORB the heat of the ORB, he warmed every pore
With my need SATED, I was ELATED and stood quietly in place
Cheeks of peach BLUSH, the sun's BRUSH painted on my face
Then he DISAPPEARED, and as I FEARED, grey clouds hovered
I was FILLED with remorse, and CHILLED once he was covered
I called to the WIND and he THINNED the dark overcast skies
So I could BEHOLD the sun of GOLD before tears filled my eyes
Call it a WHIM, but I must search for HIM throughout the day
Across MEADOWS, I live in SHADOWS; my life in sad disarray
until his vibrant LIGHT is within my SIGHT, I dwell in sadness
But when his rays BEAM at me, I SEEM suffused with gladness
As twilight BLOOMED, I was CONSUMED with apprehension
I could not PREVENT the sun's DESCENT nor quell my tension
Tonight I BELIEVE I will GRIEVE until he rises again at dawn
When I will GREET his SWEET warmth, shining upon my lawn.
I cannot EXPLAIN the depth of PAIN I feel when he is asleep
It's a VAGUE mystery; but a PLAGUE that causes me to weep
I CONFESSED that I'm OBSESSED; under a spell or incantation
Tell me FRIEND, do I DEFEND or END my sunlight infatuation
November 7, 2020
Joseph May's In Rhymes Sublime Contest
Categories:
thinned, feelings, sun,
Form:
Rhyme
Daughter, neglected by maternity
A button missing were her eye should be
Abused and abundant by paternity
Her limb missing were her leg should be
Expected to know the origins of charity
Love omitted from were her heart should be
Against all odds, to reach her maturity
In reality, adopted by a broken society
Of child and woman abusers, inequality
With each step, she becomes a step-
Daughter, despised by her competing step-
Sisters, losing the will to extend herself
Her education ferments high on a shelf
Absent mentors, no substitution
The sun sets on her bright future
A childhood deprived of true joys
Increasing her desire for real toys
Her reasoning capacity, a silent voice
Indecision a symptom of her poor choice
Her soul searches for a father figure
In a boy met under similar circumstance
Her identity lost to home affairs
His real intentions far from hers
A love child raised by other children
In a no child zone, her new comfort zone
Her Barbie thinned, cries for a meal a day
Granted, no chance to grow and play
12-13-2014
Categories:
thinned, abuse, school,
Form:
Rhyme
So harsh and cold, the late October wind
Oak branches sway before the orange moon
Bright leaves that filled its branches now have thinned
Just one remains to dance in autumn's tune
But I stroll to the river filled with hope
A group of manatees takes shelter there
Their playful ways have always helped me cope
In winter when the trees have stripped to bare
Our love for living things will linger on
Throughout the winter, we'll seek signs of life
Though dormant plants may seem like they are gone
I choose to see the boons, not study strife
For birds and animals still entertain
When spring returns, we'll welcome blooms again
Written October 31, 2019
Categories:
thinned, animal, autumn, tree,
Form:
Sonnet
I sit and pause, looking at the sky blue ceiling above me. White vapour cotton wool clouds
gently float like water lilies on an upside down pond. My humble seat, an igneous rock
from the Devonian period. A glaciation past has moulded this comfort to rest this weary
climber. I am in fortunate delight as this skyscraper of old can turn nasty with nature.
These marvels can unite and lure unsuspected hikers, and draw them into a weather world
they have never known. The gulley's and faces of this quite wonderful Munro hide
challenges and dangers for all who dare climb. Many have been lost as they become
disorientated, as natures weather closes in.
The ascent route to the summit on a day like today is quite wonderful. The beauty of the
glens, with their sporadic mix of andesite and basaltic lava mountains, rival many a range
on our fine planet. Many colours explode on the surrounding canvas. Greens and beige's,
greys mingling with red granite masses. Screes are in evidence, a sign of the range ageing
as natures seasons take their toll. Plant life carpets the slopes, where grasses of sorts
mingle with the purple and white heather. Ferns from a prehistoric age fan out catching
the breeze, like Sea´ ferns´ in the ocean.
As i climbed, at various intervals i would close my eyes and listen to the calls of the
wild. The sporadic bleating of sheep, as if echoing through the glens. Crows and their
hooded cousins fly sorties looking for carrion of such. Suddenly they scatter, as royalty
makes a welcomed appearance. As majestic as the King of the mountains can be, a Golden
Eagle glides on the thermals. His subjects looking on from a distance, for fear of
angering him. Rabbits, lizards and even sheep and lambs, bow down in whatever chambers of
safety allows them. As graceful as he arrived, he leaves. Slowly but slowly, the lookouts
of the species declare their haven a safe zone.
This climb has certainly given me a thirst, as the thinned mountain air leaves me tired.
Nearby a small stream offers a weary climber a much needed tonic. This pure fresh
translucent chemical substance quenches my crave, with a gentle splash over my sun beaten
face, i feel refreshed to a point.
http://www.thehighlanderspoems.com/scotland-3.php
Categories:
thinned, animals, inspirational, nature, places,
Form:
Free verse