Best Unrefined 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
As this week closes into hours of pewter night
may the moonlight touch your lips while
I sleep in the arms of dreams unrefined.
Though I may not be with you
on misty evenings caved by my pride,
but think of me as I send you this
whispering sigh
of an embrace feathered by the sky...
I humble myself in your presence not,
but,
wait for me to disrobe this façade,
while you can, then…
Remember days like other days
when the roof of blank shades begin
to unwrap this cloistered body
hidden in a pile of sawdust
still reeling like a glistened dragonfly.
The light bulbs of time's avenues are streaked
with marquees of a name
where the lattice of my wishes
climb into a garden of your moistened eyes so green.
Enter the 100 in a ROW contest #2 Contest
Sponsor: PD Linda 7/6/2016
Catching sight of unwanted reflection
through my eyes I observe my murky mind
lifeless, inactive, defying action
just a blank canvas, raw, pure, unrefined,
desire to inject substantial color
inspired pastels to brighten the darkness
eyes opaque though restrict light, much duller
impulses, brain requesting less Starkness,
my poor mind is without shape or structure
until my thoughts turn to the one I love
blissful images, colorful picture
changing this abyss, no more mourning dove,
she changes my thinking without restraints
such beautiful colors my mind she paints.
To hear me would sound like a symphony of octaves –
played all at once with concrete fingers
on diamond in the rough strings.
To see me…O’, to see me you would have to turn,
ever so slightly sideways, to ensure proper exposure –
one would not wish to either scar his or her retinas
with too much light; or murder their spirits with silky
raven on a moonless night, darkness. No, no. That
is far too much for the eyes to bear.
To touch me would be like dipping warm fingertips into
a pool of liquid mercury; like the sun’s rays beneath
the water, touching the ocean’s deepest silver depths.
The scent of me would bring your waiting nose to a
dichotomy of frenzy – one side wanton, and as eager
as a schoolboy with a playboy – but the other side!
The other nostril would shrivel under scrutiny; buckle under
the burning scent of disgust and unrefined madness, as if you
were smelling your own death, not the florid scent of Eden.
And to taste me…to taste me would leave the tongue
as twisted as a winter apple’s branches; as torn as a wool
tartan from the shoulder’s of a traitor; and as confused
as a year without Spring. To taste me would be like
tasting every dream you ever lusted, and every ending
that ever broke you – like sipping lemonade in the void.
But…if you are the one; the only one in the midst of all
this impenetrable chaos who can sense me, beyond
the average man’s malleable stone-walled borders –
than I bid you come. Test the likes of this diamond
against your rough-hewn backdrop – try me on for size;
see if you have the stones to not. Get. Cut.
*Inspired by Nathan Leccese's Diamond in the Rough, contest. :)
Love maker,
Body taker Love shaker,
Hot whisper,
Peppermint & jasmine in air
Tickling every body hair,
Reverberating into the Queen's chamber,
A tiger's den teething to be,
Safety in no layer, romance the pillar of this prayer,
Our auras igniting flower vases ablaze
To compliment our shadows,
Personas fevered with juiced up joy,
We both played Aces,
Mine the Spade her's the Diamond,
Together we make an Ace of Heart's place,
Caprice keeping hold of Club's Ace,
She exhales stars from a mouth murmuring for moments of senseless beauty,
Purring for pleasure painted with a kiss,
Illuminating my frame with pixied permission
Unharnessed we are, as spontaneity seduces strategy,
Craving the next second like atoms in a spin for sin,
Feeling each other in ways undefined
Unrefined, simply, lustfully,
Loyal to needs supernatural,
Gifted in gritty game,
Rubbing her rose with fingertips of cool flame,
Giving her the wand that was once only mine,
As lovers now, belonging to Poetry's promise,
Complete partners, reunited treasures -
J.A.B.
Come sit lets talk awhile
Show where your mind is at
Nothing else, not my style
Wish for us two to just chat
Love for unrefined conversation
No smoothness in your voice
Real talk not an explanation
Unprepared talk is my choice
Impressed by whats inside of you
Carefree without all the walls
Unguarded someone who's true
Someone whom my soul can call
Nakedness of vulnerability unsure
Pure untouched soul deep inside
That's what holds all the allure
Love the soul which you hide
3rd place
Sponsor Brian Strand
1 poem on any theme
Any form is acceptable.
No name or identifying mark on your entry
When gusty winds blow, riling my troubled dawn in gelid woes
Squall of my throes dissipates in scented whiffs of budding rose.
As brazen fog shrouds mind, heightening my grief, poking fun
Defyingly I step out in glinting rays of the dawning golden sun.
Refusing to surrender when my tears dominate indignation
Joy I find on the vibrant horizon, blazing sunset’s ruby elation.
Verdant paradise appeals to pleas, adorning my shamrock hills
Appeasing cry of stygian echoes storming from mountains of ills.
If night reigns moonless and nightmares soon rage my dreams
Comfort I find within soothing zeal of spring’s giggling streams.
While strife of life endures in raging summers of unending heat
Readily I seek blue oceans, surfing rhythmic tides’ buoyant beat.
As laments of the world drown humanity in hapless deep dive
Strength of nobility rises, helping weakened hands to survive.
When the rancor of disillusionment exudes ambivalent sigh
Autumn’s scarlet imprints eagerly vie, healing souls in russet dye.
As hindrance of the ordinary distresses progress of mankind
Delighted I am to see rationality unite, to defeat the unrefined.
When sullen is my heart aching in the anguish of ashen skies
Solace I derive from serene vibes gleaming your tranquil eyes.
At times in my life, I encounter the black-holes of opaque space
Yet, the light of day gets through in sanctuary of your embrace.
August 19, 2020
Placed 1st: Sanctuary Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Silent One
Homes so recently abandoned
for Sunday swims and picnics
have become indoor respites
from the restless chill of change.
Secure, still days have vanished,
with hazy meadows humming.
Fireflies have met their end,
replaced with jack-o'-lanterns.
Now forewarning breezes,
stealthy, crisp, and vibrant,
pierce preoccupations,
uncovering reckless impulses.
Now uncanny images,
voices of chance and charm,
bide their ghostly time
to tease mortals hitherto content.
Darts and dashes of circumstance,
figures of flitting moments,
are creatures mysteriously born,
skipping towards certain death.
So what, if the end is approaching;
the witches' brew is bubbling--
the whispers of all moans and laughs,
the collage of dreams and desires.
Now is the ecstasy of flinging
one's fate to the unrefined choir--
the discordant sounds and initiatives
of many spirits and springs.
Grinning gourds and goblins
bless the annual surprise--
this primal burst of forces
that refuse once more to be quenched.
Let me wade
deep into the water
with all my clothes still on.
Let my body
ripple in the space I occupy.
Let me swim
in the murky water
and dip my skin
in the unrefined.
They seem much too eager
to have me sit very still
for long
long periods of time
as they talk.
I am the grass that grows
between the weathered
cracked cement.
You are delirium
that takes over
when my spirit is spent.
I am the dagwood painted trees
I blossom in the night.
I own the obstacles
that stand between
me and life.
Let me float.
Let me walk
barefoot through the vineyards
where the soil can cling
to the soles of my feet.
Let the weight
of my body
impress upon the ground
some sign of life.
Let me steep
in the adrenaline
the sun seems to wring from my skin.
They seem much too eager
to have me sit very still
for long
long periods of time
as they talk.
I am the grass that grows
between the weathered
cracked cement.
You are delirium
that takes over
when my spirit is spent
I am the dagwood painted trees
I blossom in the night
I own the obstacles
that stand between
me and life.
Let me float.
No longer submerged in seduction of a lover's tongue
left hanging out where no word is sung
defunct of function or fancy form
lost are the layers gradually getting you warm
Here and now before thoughts do pass
free flowing spewing out too fast
rhythm and rhyme left to chance
sterile simplicity caught in a trance
In a world caught up in instant gratification
what is the satisfaction
if feelings don't play a part
in your poetic art
A 21st century poet I heard him say
unrefined rhetoric put on display
Strewn beneath my shuffling feet,
they lie in peace at water’s edge—
polished stones of shape replete
atop and side by side they wedge.
Searching now and then I find
a sight so rare, my gaze transfixed.
Amid the coarse and unrefined
lies treasure in between and twixt.
A mermaid’s love lies nestled there,
brought ashore in dead of night.
Heart-shaped stones she placed with care—
a gift for us of truth and light.
1st Place
MERMAIDS Contest
Sponsored by: Line Gauthier
Thanks, Line
time cloaked fierce wrath
I gave up the past or the wind
wipe the chill off my flesh
bury the sun in brine
watch the warped beams
an intricate mosaic
bathing inside
the dripping rays
In utter
crystal testimony
pectoriloquy
squiggles sloppy stencils
shattered insights
defiant & resistant
shoreless traveler mood
of
braided stories drifting
left unmarked
unsoiled
knead to the ground
lap up the virgin earth
with
my thirsty soul
tangible
&sprawled
untouched
by the
contaminated
fingers
of
perception.
my
broken
reflection
on
endless pages of poetry
perfectly aligned
melting
into
unrefined masterpiece
1st place contest winner
You Say Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Brian Strand
when the sky breathes poetry
through sepia-streaked silence,
and the earth reclines, listening
to the music of weeping wisterias~
blowing in the pulse of bleeding paradise,
I swallow sizzling stars
within cloaked scars,
comfortably blanketed
in self-woven wounds.
while you, the prisoner of my past,
keep revisiting empty journals,
lacking crystalline colors of comfort.
as crimson are the lines
across pages of pain,
and rhymes left unwritten~
stretching through margins of misery,
like flowers blooming amidst rain,
like fireflies flickering neon dreams,
oblivious to the darkness
that tastes like delicate storms,
gusting with glistening grief,
undressing dusks shivering
in blazing frost…
O tulip trinkets,
echoing ballads of brokenness~
I ache to surf through crooning chaos
in serene seclusion,
away from the fickle wind and
unseen waves, tortured by
twisted tunes of twilight.
I’ve long been the voice of love,
unsaid, intoxicated on life’s
whimsical woes~
a ghost of a wilted rose,
robed in restless redolence,
befriending demons within,
as shadows too
abandoned the healing
chambers of angst,
reluctant to sway
to chamomile chimes
of euphoric gardens
where roots of ruins
are watered with tanzanite tears…
perhaps the moon
was never mine to keep.
and in this distant affair,
I sing sparks of sorrow
to the soul of salt-kissed sapphires,
wishing the world could comprehend~
how peace is neither a lily nor a bird,
but a weathered tree
stuck in the forsaken
sands of felicity,
an eloquent ambience
where I thrive
in bittersweet solitude…
remember me ~
when clouds veil saffron
of the sanguine sun
and the zephyr forgets my name,
I remain the mistress, dressed in
distressed diamonds,
not a seeker of superficial lies
glazed in greed and gold,
I trace trembling chakras of torrents
with ink and sighs,
exhaling lunar-dust,
like a maestro of yearning,
perfectly flawed and unrefined,
still healing ~
tied to the faded lips
of an
enlightened constellation…
A double Fibonnaci with one reversed
Deep
In
Earth's depths
A dazzling
Surprise waits ages
Formed by pressure, resplendent, bold
A diamond emerges, symbol of strength this rock
In the rough, it may appear unrefined but in its depths
A radiance defined, luster
Captures the sun's light
Testament
To its
Great
Change
Gypsy Autumn, what grace and style!
sunshine dappled melts to moonlight.
resigned summer is just awhile
trees liberated, leafless sight.
bright mosaic of yellow and brown,
Gypsy Autumn, what grace and style!
leaves are free, colors dancing down
in caress of wind, through the aisle.
unravelled fractals thrall in pile,
nomad flames in transient layers
Gypsy Autumn, what grace and style!
orange orchids, touseled red hairs.
unrefined beauty, unframed art
hues of sunset in hazel smile.
Hi! champagne welcomes winter start
Gypsy Autumn, what grace and style!