Best Twenty Poems
On an early spring morning, butterflies
flutter among dancing leaves,
While windsongs float within a breeze
As the monarch flies
In a field long forgotten,
Purple cues in orchid motifs
welcome the gift of spring
with sun kissed glee
When the wind blows,
Soft scarlet flutters of
hummingbirds in flight
caress a flower with wings,
as petals make waves
like ripples in the pond
Beyond the breakers, on distant shores
a sunset serenade,
with rainbow colored camouflage,
plays a sunset lullaby.
7-28-19
20 Titles From 20 Friends Contest
Sponsor: Richard Lamoureux
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Early Spring Morning ----------- Paul Callus
Butterflies ----------- Sara Kendrick
Dancing Leaves ------------ Heidi Sands
Windsongs ------------ Nette Onclaud
Within a Breeze ----------- Sandra Adams
As The Monarch Flies ----------- Charles Messina
In A Field Long Forgotten ------ Eve Roper
Purple Cues in Orchid Motifs ---- Vijay Pandit
The Gift of Spring ------ Sandra Haight
Sun Kissed ------ Jennifer Proxenos
When The Wind Blows ------- Darlene De Beaulieu
Soft Scarlet Flutters ------- Connie Marcum Wong
Hummingbirds In Flight ------- Jan Allison
A Flower With Wings -------- Kim Rodrigues
Ripples In The Pond -------- Laura Lu
Beyond The Breakers --------- Andrea Dietrich
Distant Shores --------- Alexis Y.
Sunset Serenade --------- Victor Buhagiar
Rainbow Colored Camouflage -- Laura Leiser
Sunset Lullaby --- Janice Canerdy
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Tell me
how did we get here
at a swishing swapping party?
(The voices echo in emptiness)
Bubbly cheerful and happy, naked and raw
forever bachelors Larry and Harry,
and the hot mom and the pool boy
go flash dancing with dawn!
Be warned, winkydinks
I had a Martini: ok, maybe four
I don't accept or understand
the drunken Socrates and his ouzo -
he’s the beast with eyes too kind!
What was it like back then ...
on being offered cheese as a dessert -
my blue cheese is a dark, reddish brown ...
Did you know
Hell hath no donuts !
20 Titles From 20 Friends Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Richard Lamoureux
7/18/19
Titles Used -
Tell Me - Poem by Ilene Bauer
How Did We Get Here D M Babbit
at ‘A Swishing Swapping Party’ by Paul Callus
The Voices Echo in Emptiness by Eve Roper
Bubbly Cheerful And Happy by Anne-lise Andresen
Naked And Raw by Maurice Yvonne
Forever Bachelors Larry and Harry by Carolyn Devonshire
The Hot Mom and The Pool Boy by Tim Smith
Flash dancing with dawn! by Connie Marcum Wong
Be warned, winkydinks by Gershon Wolf
I Had a Martini: Ok, Maybe Four by Lin Lane
I Don't Accept or Understand by Dear Heart
The Drunken… by Pashang Salehi
Socrates and his Ouzo by Arthur Vaso
The Beast with Eyes Too Kind by Andrea Dietrich
What was it like back then by Curtis Moorman
On being offered cheese as a dessert by Nina Parmenter
My Blue Cheese is a Dark, Reddish Brown by Mike Gentile
Did you Know by Alexis Y
Hell Hath No Donuts by Michelle Faulkner
Twenty Pints of Sunshine
David J Walker
It seemed to be the only thing
In abundance on the farm
The light and heat
The shine so bright
Long days
short nights
And work doled out in the mornings
Today we will bottle in bell jars
20 pints of sunshine
And call it canning
A summer seasons planning
Saved for the
Short days
The long nights
Of freezing winter weather
To be opened
It says
When sleet falls in December
When the woods are wet and dreary
When the farm is fallow
When sunshine can only be found
In pint-sized
Bell Jar bottles
Alas, hordes of ravenous relatives from very far and even near,
Won't be celebratin' at dear old Grandma's bountiful board this year,
Since the corona virus pandemic has spread an ominous cloud of doom.
But hold on! Perhaps you can celebrate via the miracle of Zoom!
You can enjoy from afar your green bean casserole and punkin pie,
Not havin' to tolerate obnoxioius Uncle Clyde sloppin' gravy on his tie!
Clickin' a button will mute Grandpa's interminable prayer of grace,
And spinster Aunt Alice's spewin' inane babble at a furious pace!
The mute button will silence any brawls about politics and religion,
And silence cousin Cletus crowin' about his thrivin' stocks a smidgen!
It won't be the same savorin' pleasant aromas from Grandma's kitchen,
But won't the mute come in handy to silence all the bickerin' and bit..... in'!
(The censors at Soup scrubbed the last word in the last line but I think you get the point!!!)
The roses of September the first
They know the dance is almost over
Slowly the life shall bleed from the stem
Beauty shall wilt
The winds shall blow away the memories
Bagpipers four deep and six long
Shall march upon botanical grounds
In remembrance of those brave souls long ago
Stoic the march, the notes lingering in the air
Falling on the deaf ears, of the already departed
Two swords laid as the cross
Highland dances of youth,
Old photographs lieing burned in the trash
Marching forth, to old peoples applause
They march towards their own death
Overlook there, over the sea, look closer
Shall you see the dust that covers me?
Twenty four reasons to die
Yet here I am on the twenty fifth
Wishing for only one
A future world rule by Trillionaires and Billionaires
Each country with segments of puppet regime governments,
With exceptions of course,
The drug lords the cartel those with the power
And the glory to hold what they consider theirs,
They will be the enemy, and will be a constant
Thorn in the side of the establishment.
A world where every citizen registered
At birth and death, as always, the way,
Now a blink in the cell of a hand device,
Where to veer off, constitutes a written warning
Threatening one’s employment a system
Of points and reviews. Twenty years of age,
One is introduced to a multitude of choice,
Law enforcement, United Nations, battle hard platoon,
Ablutions cleaners, Spies and Reapers, alas,
Those over educated with self-righteousness
Seen as a threat, with re-education, to aid
Choose the right path. The system will know
And will have its way, even woke, on a long chain
Will have its day, when only one-sided opinions
Are set in law, therefore, easy to dictate the terms
Of one’s life. Yet if to conform, there will be no
Slippery slopes, humans, like colonies of ants, their purpose
Granted from the throne of insatiable grandeur,
Childhood once a foundation, where one found happiness,
Education now the way to the day of recognition.
If by chance, to live with one’s flexible opinions,
Those that somehow bypass, the system, will become
The hunted until ridiculed, outlawed, then to wither
As autumn leaves, windblown proud foliage will decay,
When minds forced to cast out truthful innuendoes,
Those, embedded in hearts and minds of fallible man, his ideal’s
Firmly fixed, of earthly struggles. Once weaken,
A blend within the unwelcoming stigma of standard deviation,
Those making policy from man’s inconsequential plight,
To decompose, the humus of society to clutter the gutter,
Until the arrival of the Street Cleaners!
© Harry J Horsman 2023
I have got no doubt twenty years from now
I’ll transform myself into fragrant air
To write rhymes as you’ll come under the bough
So fondly I’ll raise those rings in your hair
The poor guy busking in the street corner
A cloth sheet spread before him on the road
His mother is sick and he a loner
I will put him into a dancing mode
The girl planting the saplings of green rice
Is pleased as she feels me in monsoon rain
Dreams of bumper crop in her waiting eyes
At harvest she waves at me in the train
I’ll be in the moonlight on your dream grace
As you sleep out after the day’s struggle
Will move my moon-palm on your eyes and face
Have a great sleep to face the next hustle
The five basics of my body and mind
Will blend with earth water air fire and sky
I’ll look back at the orange left behind
As in your eyes the cloud of time goes by
Would there be a chance to seek any gift
Please send me back to Bengal I’d say swift
_______________________________________________________________
April 29, 2017
Note: Though I wrote it for the contest of the same name as in the title, but to my dismay I found the sponsor requires a sonnet. When I attempted to delete two stanzas to meet the need, I felt the integrity of the poem was getting compromised. Hence, for no contest.
I Might Be a Tree
In twenty years I pray I won't be gone
placed six feet beneath a manicured lawn
I'd much prefer to give old death the slip
To guzzle life instead of just a sip
Mind and spirit together playing song
I'll rest a bit but not for very long
You see, there is so much I wish to do
Yes many years can feel like just a few
The company of those I truly love
will lift my spirits like a flying dove
The flowers that I plant will be in bloom
Beauty will surround me in every room
The ground might open up and swallow me
Don't worry I'll reach up and be a tree!
For Brenda's "You 20 Years from now" contest.
Merlin's wand brushes the sky,
As the sun rises with a groan.
The caw of crows are harbingers
Of brightening days tomorrow.
Full rightly is the special one
Seated upon the Stone of Scone.
Prayers bring full circle ancestors,
Whose Book of Charms they borrow.
In four more days is Christmas Tide.
Here Nature waits.
The tree alive.
These words are shunned
By Rome's contrive.
This good day gives each a gift
To the person by his side.
Sealed now with song of return,
May Earth, in wealth, be well-supplied.
In four more days is Christmas Tide.
My daughter's getting married
To a super guy called Tom,
It's really fast approaching,
It won't be very long.
The wedding dress is sorted,
The venue and the flowers,
The music and the fireworks,
But the cake, it took us hours.
We went to do some tasting,
Each sponge was quite divine,
Chocolate orange, vanilla
Pimms, coffee and praline.
The raspberry and the champagne
Made us salivate,
Strawberry and white chocolate
Tasted oh so great.
There was banana and spicy cinnamon,
Ginger and caramel,
All so gratifying,
Oh and Battenberg as well.
The carrot cake with walnuts
Was tasty as can be,
Rhubarb and rose petal
And one flavoured with green tea.
Piña colada with coconut
Like kisses on our lips,
Chocolate tiramisu
Oh the calories on our hips.
Odd flavours such as beetroot,
Pistachio and courgette
Were actually quite delightful,
A taste we won't forget.
Earl Grey with lavender,
Pumpkin with peanut butter,
Mouth-wateringly delectable
They got us all a flutter.
Chocolate fudge with peppermint,
Marshmallow and key lime,
Traditional dried fruit,
They were all sublime.
How could we make our choices
For a three tiered wedding cake,
We just couldn't do it
So we've gone for twenty-eight!
4th March 2017
In twenty four hours life can drastically change.....
One moment blissfully happy walking on cloud nine
Thinking life is beautiful and wonderful, oh so divine
Then something happens that fills you with despair
Feels like you have been sent to hell without a prayer
Maybe doctors tells you have some incurable disease
Up to the heavens you look, reciting desperate pleas
Or you have cancer and you must battle for your life
It is like being stabbed in the gut with an invisible knife
You find out the one you adore, no longer loves you
The life your shared together is suddenly bid adieu
Or you lose a loved one, death causes so much pain
Barely holding self together, trying not to go insane
In twenty four hours life can drastically change.....
One moment living a life filled with sorrow and strife
Questioning your fate and the purpose of your life
Then somethings happens that fills you full of hope
A glimmer of an incline instead of a downward slope
Your disease is treatable, quality of life still intact
You decide to fight with all you got, stop being attacked
Your cancer has gone into remission, life is yours once more
You promise to live each moment fully, like you never did before
A person enters your life and shows you what love truly is about
This special love will last forever, this you know without a doubt
A newborn enters your life whom you cherish and adore
The unconditional love of a child, no one could ask for more.
In twenty four hours life can drastically change.....
It's how you chose to deal with life curves is what really matters
Try to be positive and not let negative thoughts rip you into shatters
Find the courage and the strength to face each day anew
Everyone has hurdles that their trying to live through
Their is always someone that is far worse off than you
Let family and friends help hold you together like glue
Remember you matter to those that hold you dear
Have faith and hope, don't let yourself succumb in fear
Don't dwell on yesterdays sorrows, for you can't change the past
Tomorrow is beyond our control and comes without being asked
Live for today and deal with each battle as they come
For your life is the last thing you should abstain from!
Bill and Blanche set off, to the 'Yorkshire Show' they did go
T'was a yearly trip, and they would always show.
Each time Bill says to Blanche ‘On that elicopter I’d like to ride.’
Blanche always replied’ but it's twenty quid Bill’ and then she and Bill sighed.
'Twenty quid is twenty quid Bill, you always told me that'
‘Tha’s right me old love,’ and he’d give his wallet a pat.
The next year Bill looked, at the elicopter, and he tried once more
‘I’m seventy-five Blanche, there not much time left for me to soar.’
‘Bill, it’s twenty quid, and twenty quid is twenty quid.
So we’ll not go on the elicopter ride, of that idea you must get rid.’
Bill looked at the elicopter and agreed twenty quid was twenty quid
Of that one idea though, he could never really get rid.
Bill was desperate to ride on that elicopter whirring thing
The pilot overheard the couple, and then he made Bill’s heart sing.
I’ll take you on board, but not one word must you say
If you keep TOTALLY quiet, not one pound or penny will you pay.
Bill and Blanche climbed on board ,for the ride of their life
Not one word did Bill utter, nor his terrified wife.
The pilot looped the loop, he dived and twisted and turned
Not one word did the pilot hear, yet even his stomach churned.
He landed and spoke to Bill and he said ‘I am impressed’
I twisted and I turned and I really tried my best.
Bill said to the pilot ‘Well I nearly gave in lad, and I nearly spoke’
‘Twas when the wife fell out, but you know us Yorkshire folk.’
I watched her spiral down; I nearly shouted, but thought that’s absurd
‘And tha knows twenty quid is twenty quid lad, and you said NOT one word.’
©~GG~17/11/2012
Taken from a joke sent to me by Jack Horne and continuing the theme Harry uses of Yorkshire Humour.
Quid Slang name for pound sterling
Yorkshire folk drop their 'h's
"What's your story?"
she questions,
"you seem interesting."
wildflower
in eyes
I reply, "NOW."
often people become confused
by such a unique response
not this one
she's a beauty
shiny minded stone
lives warm under veins
lacks definition of alone
alone she stands
tallest green blade
unscathed
each time the oily blade passes above
erect
she stays the same
tingling pulses exhale her pores
she'd rather sink
than have to think the way of worldly whores
still...
malice skips her
no ripples in the lake
dripping from her face
sunshine slips across tangerine cheeks
gold flows throughout waves
streaming locks
sky clear eyes surprise those
choosing to be consumed
by her entice
hands free of envy
no webs to spin
hips unmolested
thighs slick
turpentine
be warned
she will divide you
no voodoo
or silly twisted games
though safe may escape you
blemish-less
untangled...
the girl
she
Goddess
baby of zero maybes
KNOWS
how?
she knows
as clarity lent us its giant umbrella
her lipstick smacked my tongue
from there
we never looked back
In twenty years from now, I float in air.
Small remnants of my poetry remain
In my friends memories, they're everywhere,
They smile at them, for I am free of pain.
My one book dances everywhere on stage.
Its pages live in bright-lit evening moon.
I watch intent, unseen, I'll never age;
I hum while they dance: ethereal tune.
My friends and family will once a year
Remember how I used to make them laugh,
Or maybe cry, or both, but I can hear
Them drink to me, from this crystal carafe
They'll rise each year, in early morning skies
A green balloon, the colour of my eyes
***
3d place in contest: YOU twenty years from now
Sponsor: Brenda Chiri
May 1, 2017
Forlorn in midnights vastness
Twinkling cousins as patient companions
She covets him
Her blushing glow pacifying the empty night
Descending toward dawn
Anxious Lingering
He will come for her…
Slowly the stars fade out and night dissipates in morning mist
Ocean breezes begin murmuring the promise
Life begins again this new day
He ascends the heavens upon brilliant light
His rending ardor glowing sultry upon her face
Almost becoming one they embrace in chaste love
Only for the moment before she falls away
Mirroring souls caught in a cyclical lovers dance
Reaching out for the other at dawn and dusk
Losing one another time and again
Forlorn within the midday skies
Gentle clouds and albatross as patient company
He yearns for her
His heavy radiance granting the gifts on the new day
Descending towards twilight
Restless Lingering
She will come for him…