Enough, he said with voice pitched low
Enough for now, he whispered slow
And curled in upon himself
Having nothing left to show
Knowing no one and nonself
Enough, he cried though no one heeded
Enough for now, as he retreated
And left another piece behind
Having no faith to be intreated
Perceiving his own broken mind
Enough, he proclaimed with a tremor
Enough for now, if I remember
And cursed himself a fool
Having no word to condemn her
Aware that she was ever cruel
Enough, he shouted above the gale
Enough for now, and beyond the pale
And twisted his face into a scowl
Having nothing to add to the tale
Conscious of the verdict’s howl
Enough, he cursed deep and vile
Enough for now, with poet’s style
And laughed with bitter fortune
Having lost the courage to smile
Mindful of his full lost portion
Enough, he screamed from soul deep
Enough for now, as he woke from his sleep
And shuddered as his eyes opened
Having nothing and no tears to weep
Heeding the anguish that life betokened
. for public domain
I happened on a forest clearing
in a ramble through the wood,
and found upon the sodded green
below me where I stood,
a note inscribed by blade on bone
written sometime past,
"Go back and hide among the trees,
or this hour be your last."
Not meant for me this dire plea,
and danger it betokened,
yet if it were still I'd choose
to live out in the open.
A stranger to the naked eye,
this ghostly apparition glimpsed
within my eyepiece field of view.
Scarce in contrast noted,
its pale orb stares back at me
through gossamer, pale eyes.
An Owl betokened here,
to mark the grave
of an ancient, dazzling sun.
That for eons shed its noble rays
upon ancient, vibrant worlds—
now fast asleep, shivering in the void.
I put my scope away,
still haunted by this specter,
within the Greater Bear careening.
N/A, 6/12/19, Nifty Named Nebula’s
ACHTUNG, MES AMIS
The islands resolutely isolated from the shore
had atmosphere : they were redolent of an insolence
which betokened ‘Do come and get me, if you damn well dare.’
Its minor mountains, be amazed, look, of an eminence
protruding from deceptively calm waters past La Manche,
scant altitude, but attitude, enough to sink their fleets;
with birds whose complaints and laughter would fill the Sunday rags,
and tempt to silly invasions - all coupled with defeats.
Come, ask yourselves, oh Latin Ones, on what does this depend ?
You win with words, or food; pr’aps you’re not right, quite, for the fight ?
Ye Krauts, at our shores your ambitions flounder to their end,
perhaps it’s time that you give up, kowtow, and see the light ?
For friends, that’s what, deep down, we know you really, truly are,
of course we’ll squabble, we’re close, that goes without being said.
Just as long as you give us space - without the laws you need -
with you we will even break our white, sliced, and pre-packed bread ....
Alan McAlpine Douglas
(Challenge words : island resolute isolated redolent
mountain amazed water birds laughter flounder)