Best Viewing Poems
[Please note: while this poem may seem harsh, my mother-in-law did much good in her long life, more than I expect I have. It was prompted by the 'shock' that death has the power to take even those with the fiercest of wills.]
How could this...thing have been her?
Lying shriveled and small on the bed,
as those who loved (and feared) her
gathered in the bereft hospital room
to let their shock and grief melt and
mold itself into its own atmosphere....
Her body seemed never to have been real,
never to have been a woman,
never to have been young once, and surely,
never to have been a mother....
And if it had been a body once,
housing a small dragon who could lash out fire
solely with her harsh and brutal tongue,
keeping those who loved her at bay and
the rest of us wary, aware of her power,
her terrible gift that seemed to shrink your soul--
then where did she go when her mouth froze open
as the last breath of a long life left quietly,
silently, without fuss or rancor...?
Still, though imperfect as you or I,
she was loved, mourned, honored....
If God only housed saints,
think how terribly lonely He would be.
a traveller in wanderlust can’t blink her eyes
on the splendor of the place where she passes by
with a dreamy feeling she alights from her ride
gazes in gape to the marvelous beauty of a paradise
ambling along the green fields with bright flowers and yew trees
on the side is a gray mountain standing tall in glory
various birds hover above stretching their wings
some animals graze on nearby spring
colorful insects fly together in shapes of ring
taking a halt in every minute to capture all angles with her lens
in billowing skirt, once in a while sways and turns around with grace
heading gladly at the other end where a jungle awaits
unaware of other animals , some are wild and some are tame
while wondering and looking over yonder
she holds her lens, so eager to see what’s in there
a mother and baby monkey beckon with a clever grin
heart being captivated by nature’s enchantment
feeling agog, she gets in
aghast! two lions stare just in front of her
one looks so kind and the other one is cruel
despite her fear, she tries to capture them with her lens
before running away, two caretakers dressed up like Tarzan and Jane
show up saying, “Thank You Come Again.”
Nov. 25,2012
by: Leonora Galinta
First Place
Contest Theme: Viewing Life Through Lens
Contest Judged: 12/3/2012
Sponsor: Poet SandyIvy D
Fingers round the moon...
Tonight I cannot distinguish –
The weight of sake.
The Viewing
She wore it that weekend
After he bought it at the drugstore
with eight dollars
they didn’t have.
Rent money.
Food.
It was a man’s Timex
and she wore it
in the motel.
She wore it in the waves
at the beach in Coronado.
The hands froze
and sand collected.
She wore it to the wedding.
She wore it on their honeymoon.
A night on Catalina.
Eleven-thirty eight.
She said that was when they
fell in love.
She wore it to the hospital
until the doctor talked about
stillborn and heart beats.
Then it was gone.
And she.
Now, forty-five years later
he waited until everybody
walked past her.
Nobody knew
husband number one
from long ago.
A grandchild smiled at him.
Some lawyer had found him.
Finally he got up.
He couldn’t look at her face
but saw her wrist
with the Timex watch.
The wrist underneath
that he used to kiss
leading to other things
and a baby
with no breath, blue.
He saw the hour’s hand
floating on the sand
on the dial.
Minutes still thirty-eight.
He saw her hair floating
In the wind
And the sea rushing to engulf her
And take her
For the moment.
And reappear
like now
laughing,
love really not lost
at all.
A SPRING VIEWING HONEYDEW MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES-
viewing pleasure spring
when live honeydew melon
out of butterflies
sunny dancing air
A white, dancing moth dancing
into the petal
spring viewing pleasure
fluorescent butterflies flies
as sweet melons lie
written words James Edward Lee Sr.2019©
Thinly lined eyelids seal the window to his soul.
His cheeks sink in, countenance concealed and dull.
His still lips wrinkle down to a frown, without tone.
With undoing infirmity, his breath has turned to stone.
Feeble flesh has overtaken the strength that he knew.
This mail order cadaver looks nothing like you!
In this velvet-lined box an imposter is displayed!
Daddy, where are you in the midst of this trade?
11/13/19
Writing Challenge 2, November - A Poem Meaningful
Sponsor, Dear Heart - Wisshkobi Ode
Walking through a very long way,
Leads me to a breathtaking scenery,
Flowery trees standing proud by rows,
Gust of wind can ease all my sorrows.
Sun rays peek on thick leaves for effects,
Green grasses like beds for us to take a rest,
Savor the view and its natural freshness,
For it is a new found secret happiness.
With my magic lens I carried everywhere,
I captured everything that I cherished forever,
Everyday I spent with nature is a great moment,
Life on earth becomes my greatest achievements.
November 25, 2012
For Sandy's Viewing A Life Through Lens
Honorable Mention
Viewing life through a lens,
My mind shot like a bullet going 100
miles a minute,
Then the journey begins,
I see the beauty in life,
Things I would miss if God would
end it,
Things the naked eye may never
understand,
The blissful moments in life,
I see the kindness in a lion,
The warm heart of a butterfly,
Shattered dreams that never flew to
the sky,
Like a slingshot trying to shoot a
razor blade,
Piercing the rubber band,
Like a cracked glass shattering in my
hand,
I see the maze of life,
Ways to heal the world,
I see the truth of love,
The reason to appreciate every girl,
The things to make a better world
begin,
Is hidden on the Earth as it spins,
Hidden by a higher class hoping we
will never know,
But I see the truth,
Viewing life through a lens,
By:Anthony Scandrick II
...The rhythm of cobblestone in Spring
Pressed hard by memories of wheels...
As I lie down against a see-through wing
Life happens...On the other side it feels
A daring thrust of Snowdrop flowers through the chills
The heavy gates squeak open...I sense birds chirping
As they move beaks and people's sunglasses cry
The priest is chanting while a couple is flirting
Pink buds welcome me reassuring their roots are not dry
There is so much clear blue I almost attempted to sigh...
I joke with Rain bombarding soil from the above
Like two teenagers who hate to wear school uniform
We tear the pain away releasing one single dove
My Dad in black drives back my classmates to the dorm
My Mom caresses me as freshly planted tree...her heart is torn...
For Francine's Contest (english quintain) A Spring Day
2/1/2012
Man’s lofty hopes once soared in stone.
His architecture sought God’s sky,
In spires uprisen, sprung from earth.
Today, man’s mood is crudely shown
In concrete cubes that smite the eye,
Brute paleoliths of stone-age worth
That future archeologists, amazed, will scan,
And ponder… did ape-like artisans evolve from man?
Piano tuners and honeymooners
skipping to the music of the offshore ballet
sea-side sunshine coordinates the rhythm and timing
waves in motion and gulls
wide-eyed and whispering
viscerally evocative
Take a hike, Zebulon Pike
Lofty spires sublimely inspires
Twisted pines, ties that bind
Gnarled roots, leather boots
Boulders cover, birds hover
Desperate schemed, pleasant dreams
Lofty grndeur, glad I'm here
Rusted rock, nature's walk
Talking hawks, gawking flocks
Drink your fill, eternities still
too late for viewing
blossoms scattered
over the ground
too timid to step
on displaced beauty
I took a walk through the jungle
Through the winter the snow falls
In the mountains far above the woods.
The waters were cold and I had to freeze
As my adventurous nature broke out
Took me to see the beauty of nature.
The blue sky and hilly horizons
The animals and the jumbo families
Made it all a better walk to freedom.
The golden moment is made of memories
Memories of adventures that seize the moment
And bring with it the life within.
In the beautiful cave beneath the rocks
I got in to take a view to write my name
Name which I engraved to make a mark.
In the cliffs and the caves above me,
The bats flew in a hundreds,
And made sounds which brought them to life.
With the roar of the lions in the hunt,
The antelopes did not have a chance
The swift move and the chase,
Brought down a meal for the pride.
In the groups they all stayed together,
Defended their territories from the enemies within.
viewing the stars
all the night shadows
have a wish