Best Woodlands Poems
Haiku competition for Raul Moreno (as per his photograph submitted)
Brambles cloaked with green
Spring sunlight gleams through the trees
Wood thrush in full song.
Nature's
verdigris face
beams at waterfalls touch
evergreens drink a hearty fill
moss is abundant upon the limestone;
I sit dangling my feet in the
cool aqua-watching swans
glide lazily
along.
a taste
of springtime peace
invades my spirit with
its' lure in this place every year;
mother earth is a sweet nurturer, soft
of caress to the soul who needs
an escape from the grind;
tranquility
wondrous!
"I saw some road kill on my way over," she said.
She had a horse laugh. "Just a dumb raccoon," she added.
I leapt over the sink and slapped her, hard.
Leaving my entire hand print on her cheek in pink.
Her prissy stuck-up lady face looked stunned.
She stood up, and ran off without any more incessant yapping.
My husband walked out of his man-cave just in time to
see her running flat out past the picture window, clutching her purse.
"Playing with the new neighbor?" He guessed.
I glared at him.
"The woman pushed her way in with a 'yoo hoo', She was not invited."
"She doesn't share your love for animals?" he guessed.
Oscar Opossum pushes open the cupboard doors under the sink, wanders out and chomps noisily from the dog bowl.
Sophie, our most spoiled cocker spaniel growls.
Reggie Raccoon runs over and slaps Sophie.
"Look what you are teaching them!"
My husband says to me, horrified.
"Reggie is a raccoon," I inform him. "She TAUGHT slapping to me!"
I doubt this nosy neighbor will be back,
Which is a perk because I truly and deeply
Like my woodland creatures much more than pushy humans.
A transcendental splendor in sepia hues,
spreads it’s woody arms across a nomadic river;
leaves of cinnamon and amber dog the landscape,
as long spectral limbs stretch to golden beams.
Here lay serenity, a breath of neutrality;
tranquility in verdigris-amber glow.
A spark of Gaia’s soul in copper caress
reflects upon the significance of its’ existence.
The river’s constitutional seems unending;
it bends and winds its’ way among tall sentinels.
It generously bestows life to passers-by
offering up itself copiously.
A supernal entity is the woodland.
3-19-2021
ALL YOURS (Mar 20) Poetry Contest
Brian Strand
piper’s heart is full of joy
he scampers the water with joy
the brook gurgles a woodland greeting
balmy light wind twinkles leaves
they frolic in a lively happy way
the day is light, the minnows are dashing
piper scoops up some cool water and takes a drink
his hands are cold now, but worth it
there is a cough. He knows what it means.
He searches, but the woods are a great concealer.
He smiles as he glimpses the tiny white tail
of the deer as she bounds over a thicket
The greens of the forest open my mind
tantalizing me with their well-kept secrets
wowing me with their varieties and textures
refreshing me with a shiny coolness not found
in concrete landscapes or graffiti-decorated
boxcar yards. Bringing with her loveliness
side dishes of baby blue soft sky and dainty
pure scented violets that arouse my dendrites
and entice my imagination like nothing else does.
Along the dampened and rutted way
The dew lay thick upon the clay
As sunshine broke the morning mist
The leaves still damp received God's kiss
A kaleidoscope of color
Greeted my every twist and turn
From the mighty towering oak
To the little emerald fern
For nestled neath this copse of trees
An untold beauty welcomes me
The many flowers in this half-light of dawn
Stretch forth their heads as if to yawn
As morning light shines upon my way
The squirrels and chipmunks come out to play
The sunlight dapples thru the trees
Its light awakens the birds and bees
The chirping of their melodic song
Tells all around there's nothing wrong
Thru patchy light they take to wing
As nearby frogs their croaking sing
Somewhere a pond reflects the light
And mirrors all the birds in flight
I step from dark to a white washed sky
Eternally grateful to be alive
And from that pond, a meandering brook
Enticing me to have a look
And as it gurgles through rolling hills
God's beautiful creations give me the chills
And if this stroll comes to an end
My legacy to you is what I'll lend
Belief in God is truly pure
With Him His beauty will endure
The shadows of English oaks
Are tracing the wind.
We enter the woodlands
Another world:
Away from the traffic and bustling roads
An ancient feeling it evokes:
Primal yet evolved
This is where we: the human race
Are from:
the woodland!
Not from the paradise
As the holy books advocate!
The centuries old trees tall
And covered in mold.
The ivy wrapping their slender arms
Around the mighty aspens and oaks:
Tender like babes cuddling their mummies.
The undergrowth is full with dark mysteries:
Unexplored:
Almost.
It cossets many lives in its dark bosom
Worms. Vermin and rodents
A habitat repulsive yet necessary.
Decaying leaves and mold.
The sound of green parrots
The new welcomed residents of London
Emerald delights!
And fungi of many hues and kinds.
Red is my favourite!
Red fungi from the fairy-tales.
Rare, delicate yet deadly to touch.
So we take a photo
And show to friends.
there you are deep in the woodlands
dancing where the fireflies abound
no one would even know you're there
if it wasn't for the baying of the hounds
you sprinkle all your magic dust
where it is needed most
the garden is your favorite spot
behind our house on the eastern coast
what you do and where you go
it matters not to me at all
i only know it thrills me so when
i watch the faeries spring time ball
(She opened the door to a Wolf holding Red Roses who said,
"Your father is gone. I bring the news. He stumbled in the woods,
and peace found HIM. Never mind. Can I come in?")
Sticks and stone and forest Bones
Paths that lose their way towards home
Springlets, brooks; streams that flow.
Dappled rays as the breezes go.
Lost is something, where is it though?
Moss on rocks and fallen boughs
Base of trees
Leading where?
Timid beings hidden, scared.
Bones of the earth.
The harvest of my plate.
As a new bird's neck stretches,
Blind, helpless for its mother's sake.
hey there, poor, loud lost lout
before you stomp these woodlands
trample these wildflowers
use earbuds to block birdsong
thank the fairies or be cursed
Nestled woodland, leaves on line,
thick, straight, and curving.
Mounded upland, forms eternal,
Rounded, angled, and yielding.
Circled valley, meadows, fields,
shapes, and pathways winding.
Seasons quartered, warm and cool,
rust and mustards flying.
Upward outward, textured daybreak,
quiet breezes low:
Close encounter, canvas earth,
to view, to feel, to grow.
Our beautiful green trees
Covered huge swathes of land
Ancient mighty oaks were felled
Oblivious to the future
We broke the woodland's heart.
The greenwoods are compromised
Tree's realise their in trouble
Dangerous time's looming
Our forest friends are weary
Sap runs cold and leaves tremble.
Our hearts are also broken
Now we reap cost of indifference
Hundreds of years wiped out
Sawmill's disdain for the ongoing
Appalling devastation.
Wisdom from Trees
Poetry Contest
Sponsored
by:
Anoucheka Gangabissoon
18/05/2022
This new town flat
Twenty years since
Our last stay here
Sad and forlorn
In the passage
Of time between
So much has changed
Yet still unchanged
Once we lived here
With happy strides
Near the causeway
North and remote
Woodlands new town
Is mellow now
Just an old town
Ageing surely
Our car ride brought
A flashback glimpse
Old corridors
Where sun streams fall
Old memories
Awkward tension
Hollow feelings
Too much, too late
Change distorts time
Space is too strange
Purge the divide
Live now only
Swift departure
From awkward feel
Time surely heals
Learn to forget
Going back hurts
Too much strain
Old memories
Crumble to dust
Leon Enriquez
10 May 2015
Singapore
Constance seizes the forest blissfully
Optimistically merging with skies
Such a spirited sprite spins gleefully
Tenaciously trying to mesmerize
Astute sages within the high green trees; thus,
Nymphs seek to sustain a bejeweled prize
Zestful branches dance with the maiden of
Ardent constancy, delightfully wise.
Lest she be a bird that soars eternally
Escaping the hiding place amongst butterflies
Embraced by Cosmos, care-free and earthy
Encircled by spry stellar mysteries
Fine fairies fare well, fearlessly flying
In fanciful fortified flower fields