Best Wakened Poems
I heard the maytime robin sing
His merry voice has wakened spring;
Each golden note bursts forth to soar
Where sound and blossom now restore.
The drowsy earth sheds winter's rest
And all that slept find spring confessed
That radiant song that fills the air
Brings good news beyond compare.
The birds proclaim with joyful tune
The raptures of impatient June;
With potent scent the blooming flowers
Perfumes time with fragrant hours
A nest well hidden in a tree
Holds new life we can't yet see;
The crimson rose perfumes the gale
The virgin lily crowns the vale.
Where sun and shadows come to dwell
Seductive spring will cast her spell.
Categories:
wakened, seasons, spring, spring,
Form:
Rhyme
Somber is the color of the day...
Window glass distorts the view, of the dreary afternoon
Prisms of light cavorting outside, are reflected from the dew
and rainbows are splashed, from an old pewter lamp
as if to divert me of my mood
While quietly, I sit, and ponder it all, my pen is close, my chin in hand
Pinned back, my strands, a sweater, old, is pulled around the chill
woven in colors, of various yarns, as varied as thoughts that take me away
My mind is lost in a wakened dream
While trees are tossed about in winter wind,
and leaves lay dead beneath the snowy mounds
a fire glows, and a storm now keeps me bound
One shard of light from a neighbor's home
across the hill, a distant mile
The dimness in a room from winter sighs...
then something sparks a word ...a line, .. a verse, ... a lullaby ...
The day is sadder than the words I had found...
so somber is the day that keeps me bound
I hide away this moment....a cup of tea, a Golden Lab for company..
One peek beyond the distant hill, a touch of sun
A glimpse of mountain, pastures deep, my dog that sleeps...
A momentary chance to free my soul
In just a brief, but deep departure from the ordinary...
I explore my thoughts, search my heart, wonder what this day will bring...
I watched old memories, long kept cold, ...unfold as if a dream
Unsort, relive, those worlds untold....
Exploring new words, I now have found
Stumbling through my mind, unintended
Watching the words tumble as if unattended...
Unfolding, exploding, and falling in chaos
Paying no mind to the reader's conception
Cleansing, pleasing, as my soul fits the pieces...
Beneficial.... to the reader...will it matter? Who knows?...
But a satisfying journey traveled and found
by myself....and for myself, ....as the one who's creating...
Looking out from blurry windows...a dark day continues ...
on a somber colored day, that kept me bound.....
_________________________________________________________________
Categories:
wakened, day, light, me, winter,
Form:
Free verse
Wakened, the winged and winsome wind
wandered westerly while whistling witchery.
It waltzed whimsically within woodlands -
whooshing, then whipping willows.
Worn, it waned. . . whispering wistfully.
Categories:
wakened, wind,
Form:
Alliteration
A nook in the corner, off to the right..
A haven, housing a hundred homes.
To there, where wakened dreams do hide,
My wandering mind so often roams.
We read to know we’re not alone.
I’m grateful that I've found this nook -
A home, where wakened dreams do hide.
There is no friend as true as a book.
A book falls open and I fall in,
Deaf to the planet’s mundane din.
Disturb me not, you kith and kin -
I'm off to my homeland, off on a spin.
They’re rungs on a ladder. Every page
a foothold, on to which we scale
to reach the highest point, from where
we see the beauty of the tale.
From there, the top of my noiseless world,
I’m safe and sound - no guns or knives
Can face the power of stabbing words..
A reader lives a thousand lives.
Categories:
wakened, adventure, best friend, books,
Form:
Quatrain
Days sneak up on the sleeper,
Either anticipated, or scorned
To the pessimist, they are dwindling,
And to the bright eye—they carry on beyond our selfish minds
Upon the wakened dreamer,
Days draw on in a smiley haze,
Keeping one buoyantly bouncing inward
Outnumbered and overlooked—he is opulently occupied elsewhere
To the seeker of truth,
Ancient, though ageless are the days before him
Crouching along the edge of tomorrow—seeking always more…
As days billow like robes cooling long-trod legs gainst the Eastern sun
And to the beasts and birds,
Feathers, claws, snout, muscle and bone— all harmonize
Instinct and passionate drive hurling precious life onward,
Their days meander freely, like knowing feet on familiar ground
For the contest “Days”
Sponsor: Thomas Martin
Categories:
wakened, animal, beauty, day, deep,
Form:
Free verse
My Christmas tree in sparkling dress
stands in my window to impress.
She smiles at all the passersby.
She waves hello. She is not shy.
She winks at all the trees she sees
in nearby houses on the street.
She seems to shiver with delight
counting the minutes till midnight.
For one late hour wakened from sleep
through the dark house on slippered feet
I crept, while up, to catch a glance
of tinseled Christmas ambiance.
Outside the window daintily
danced my glittering Christmas tree!
With others down the street and back!
They twirled around the cul-de-sac!
Amazed I gazed quiet and still,
propped against the window sill, till
tired but thrilled I left to resume
much needed rest in my bedroom.
I heard giggling in early light
when she slipped in and stood just right.
But, she leaves needles everywhere
and ornaments dropped here and there.
She’ll have her fun till New Year’s Day,
then take a nap all tucked away.
Next year she’ll dress and dance again
with all her many merry friends.
12/11/2018
Categories:
wakened, christmas, magic,
Form:
Personification
Day, my lifelong friend,
Thousands of times we have said good morning to each other and
As many times we have said goodnight.
You have wakened me up with the caresses of the sun’s rays and
You have put me to sleep with the lullabies of sunset’s myriad hues.
Sometimes, you were calm as a harbor's waters, and other times you were
Turbulent as the stormy sea
But
I loved you the same, thus inseparable we have remained throughout
The years, holding hands from dawn till dusk.
How many times have I, anxiously, waited for you to come, you will
Never know
Neither will you know how much I have prayed to see you faster go when
Unkind you were to me,
However,
You kept your pace unchanged, obeying only to the will of mighty time.
All these years you have brought to me:
Sorrows and joys,
Tears and laughter,
Failures and successes,
Sickness and health,
Death but also life.
You were the best of my friends and the worst of my enemies but
Side by side we stood, united and determent.
How could otherwise be when we both wished our destiny to fulfill?
Now, my eternal friend, the circle of my life is almost complete.
The days for me on this planet are numbered.
How many more times are we going to salute each other is
Unknown to all but God,
So
Before we say our final goodnight, let me thank you for every
Sunrise and every sunset,
For all the sunshine and all the storms you have brought to my life
For
Without them, an empty vessel, without any experiences would I have been,
Useless to everybody and worthless to myself
Thus
When tomorrow you, my wise friend, come and unable you will be me
To awake, do not be disturbed
Since
Another dawn, brighter than yours, will have welcomed me into its arms for
To console me with her everlasting divine love and light!
© Demetrios Trifiatis
24 November 2021
*Due to the recent serious health problems that brought me face to face with death, I decided to edit and repost an older poem of mine with the same title.
Categories:
wakened, day, friend, life,
Form:
Free verse
Raw is the madness
bathing me in crimson dreams -
those dreams surreal
in which I battle
all of the unholy beasts
I cannot fight against
when I am sane . . .
for sanity binds me
to the ground
so that in my wakened state
I can’t manage to rise up
as mighty as a warrior
against the many dragrons
spewing their demonic fire
across a woken land.
Reality's new normality
conceals the beasts' true nature
making them seem harmless
even making them seem good
Nonetheless
I see them . . . I hear them . . .
I smell their disgusting stench
I wait for Slumber Land to carry me
to the place where wicked dragons
easily are recognized
There I can be the real me
who I am down deep inside;
I draw my sword
and seething with raw madness
I slash away
Categories:
wakened, dream,
Form:
Free verse
Where black-necked cranes come to chat with me
In the company of wine and deep brown honey
Flowing from apple twigs in the heavenly valley
Of Bumthang , carved into the sublime Himalayas
By glacial melt and monsoon rains in collaboration
Giving rise to lovely landscapes offering relaxation
In Buddha’s silence, there lies my dream destination
To fill some vacuum in a week of my next vacation
In the north east of the Indian subcontinent where
Beautiful girls and Buddhist monks are very sincere
(Bum refers to girls and thang a flat piece of land)
Everywhere you will see Buddha’s lifted hand
In consonance with the land an ever demure voice
Of Buddhism says: go to the mystic blue and rejoice
Along the murmur of icy rivers and lakes everywhere
Pink rhododendrons exude fragrance in the fresh air
Flowers red, yellow, pink, white, lilac, green and blue
For our sore minds and thirsty psyche all these hues
In the shades of Pine and Oak monasteries as a nest
The imposing peaks descend here to take a little rest
Four charming valleys, Tang, Ura, Choekhor, Chumey
Will greet us in a smile on our trip to Bumthang valley
Morning is wakened here by blue-capped rock thrush
Beside the flapping flags the gurgling streamlets gush
Where Gross National Happiness instead of GDP
Determines economic progress of the society
Come, dear friend, to join me in the amazing journey
From the chains of self to a deep sense of infinity
_________________________________________________
February 13, 2016
Categories:
wakened, beautiful, beauty, change, imagery,
Form:
Verse
Our Seasons are a blessing, as they also represent
the cycle of life- and Spring is our symbol of Rebirth.
A nother Spring did come our way;
B egan late March, and day by day,
C ontinued to advance and urge
D ear Daffodils to soon emerge,
E nhancing scenes with pastel splash-
F orgetting drab of Winter's ash.
G reen life came forth with varied hues-
H ad driven Springtime's wakened muse
I nto a frenzy of rebirth.
J ump-started seeds, beneath the earth,
K indly spread Forsythia bloom;
L et Crocus sprout from Winter's tomb.
M agnolia blossoms, pink and white,
N ext painted days with pure delight.
O ur Spring brought Pansy's vivid shades,
P urple Iris, Sweet Pea cascades.
Q uick to grow, Anemones,
R ounded buds on Dogwood trees.
S lowly, Spring displayed her gems;
T iny Snowdrops danced on stems.
U nder bushes violets grew
V anishing bleak Winter's view,
W ith colors painting the new scene.
X anadu, our Springtime dream!
Y early blessings, seasons bring-
Z enith of each year- our Spring!
April 16, 2016 (revised 07/17/2020)
Contest: Share Your Blessings Poetically - Abecedarian
Sponsor: Beata Agustin
Categories:
wakened, blessing, daffodils, flower, spring,
Form:
Abecedarian
1. Remember that first day we met?
I hadn’t hardly wakened yet
When I walked in the church’s wooden door.
Then I saw you beside a pew;
I hardly knew what I should do
So I stood firmly rooted to the floor,
(Chorus)
Because I saw the crosses in your eyes,
Reflecting in their depths that seemed to look through me.
And ever since that moment of surprise
You’ve meant everything to me.
2. A year flew by on fleeting wings,
In that same church exchanged our rings;
Tho’ I can’t recall a single word I said,
Or what I wore, or what I did.
All I recall is two eyelids,
And two eyes that I was looking at instead,
(Chorus)
Because I saw the crosses in your eyes,
Reflecting in that bluish-green I love so much;
And while I stared, and thought, and fantasized,
I realized our lips had touched.
3. When two more years had flown on by,
Remember when you knelt to cry
In the graveyard just down the grassy hill?
I led a brief and panicked search
Until I found you by the church;
There I stopped, and the whole world became still,
(Chorus)
Because I saw the crosses in your eyes;
The smallest one a chiseled cross so cold and grey.
I’d carved it for our daughter in the skies,
Who we’d only had a day.
4. The time has really ticked away,
That all seems just like yesterday;
Now I lie on a bed and will not rise.
But, Dearest, I’ll be doing fine
So long as I a window find
That will look to the churchyard from the skies,
(Chorus)
Because I’ll see the crosses in your eyes,
Reflected in the tears you’ll shed beside my grave.
And Sweetheart, just like I’ve done all our lives,
I will whisper, “Please be brave.”
5. And when you meet me there someday,
If there’s a cross where angels pray,
I will reach for your hand and take you there;
And as we kneel and fold our hands
I hope our Father understands
Why our eyes are wide open for the prayer—
(Chorus)
Because I’ll see the crosses in your eyes,
Reflecting from the pretty girl I love so much.
And all I hope is that I will realize
When our silent lips have touched…
Because I’ll see the crosses in your eyes,
Reflected from the pretty girl I love so much.
Categories:
wakened, absence, angel, appreciation, beauty,
Form:
Lyric
Flakes fall softly through the night.
The moon is big and gold.
We are cuddled up in bed,
too cozy to be cold.
Like the snow, we deeply fall,
but into dreamy sleep -
unaware how very steep
are drifts of snow that creep.
Wakened to a vanished street
and icicles like blades
all hanging sparkling silver,
we rush outside with spades!
Written Dec. 3, 2016 for Shadow Hamilton's A Winter Poem Contest
Categories:
wakened, snow, winter,
Form:
Quatrain
She asked him, "Why are you drinking
Before it's 9 am"?
He told her not to worry
She said, "Damn! You're drunk again".
She said that she was tired
Of him sleeping on the couch
She told him forty seven ways
He acted like a slouch
"Get up and fix the plumbing
Go outside and mow the lawn
Close your mouth you stupid ass
Don't let me see you yawn".
"Comb your hair and shave your beard
Look more like a man".
He rubbed his face and shook his head
And said, "How's that again"?
She stomped her feet in fury
As her fist shook back and forth
"I'm going back to mommas
If you don't get up and work".
So he staggered to his feet
And grabbed his britches by the waist
He pulled them up and stumbled off
To find a quiet place
He said that he was going
To the store to by some bread
But never made it further
Than his broke down pick-up bed
Thirty minutes later
He was wakened from his sleep
She took the backyard garden hose
And sprayed him head to feet
He jumped and ran to save himself
And find some place to hide
He heard her cackling like a hen
As she went back inside
He hid behind the bushes
Till he thought the coast was clear
He had to find a way inside
To get another beer
He crept up to the screen door
Looking in to take a peek
He slowly pulled it open
So as not to make it squeak
He slipped inside and closed it
Then he tiptoed 'cross the floor
Quietly he reached out
For refrigerator door
But something caught his eye
And he looked over toward the sink
That dadgum woman took his beer
And poured out all his drink
His head was bent in sorrow
At the tragedy he saw
A dozen soldiers down in flames
And bound by Sundays law
There was nothing left to do
But go and take his seat
Beside his wife of twenty years
Who made his life complete
He loved her 'cause she loved him
It was paradise in hell
He whispered that into her ear
And she said, "Damn you smell".
"Get off me with your drunken breath
Go sit over there".
And so he went and slouched down in
His worn out easy chair
Quietly they watch tv
Into the dark of night
Then went to bed with word unsaid
And turned out all the lights
The end
Rockman :-)
Categories:
wakened, funnyme,
Form:
Rhyme
At sunrise newlyweds wandered from camp
hiking into unfamiliar terrain.
And now they have to spend the night in the
desert despite their unbearable thirst.
The sweltering heat of the day lingers
as the sun sets just behind the mountains.
And darkness merges with inky shadows
pooling deep within the cooler crevices.
They dosed off to the mumbled whisperings
of windblown sands rippling across the dunes.
And though their canteen was nearly empty
there had to be water somewhere out there.
Her husband asleep she filled his canteen
and took the empty one to find water.
And although she swore no tears, they still came
not for her but for the man left behind.
Wakened by the searing kiss of the sun
he realized the selfless thing she’d done.
And though he looked for her she was long gone
so he followed her tenuous footsteps.
He found her collapsed, exhausted and near death
and they shared the few drops of water left.
Yet in the midst of death's dusty embrace
angels in helicopters rescued them.
Categories:
wakened, angst, death, imagery, love,
Form:
Blank verse
One summer eve and too fatigued to keep
from nodding off a moment longer, I
succumbed and drifted underneath a sky
of twinkling stars, and then when deep in sleep,
I knew without a doubt that I could fly!
I floated upward in a blissful flight
where all the universe was mine to see.
Ethereal I dreamed myself to be.
I sojourned with the moon and in a light
cast blue by seven sister stars near me!
How wondrous was the Heaven I saw inked
and all the earth so beautiful below
as downward, drifting downward, I did go.
I wakened. Orion above me winked,
and I was all awash in moon’s gold glow!
July 6, 2022/ Nature theme in three English Quatrain stanzas
for It's All About Three Q's Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Constance La France
Categories:
wakened, nature,
Form:
Quintain (English)