Gus the parrot blasted into the treetops
like a feathered firecracker
with zero impulse control,
one eyebrow-feather lifted
with a you-have-got-to-be-kidding attitude.
He clicked his beak in judgment,
ruffled plumage with a flair,
then leaned in like a critic
who’s unimpressed with the air.
A twig snapped.
“!Dios mio… SAY WHAT?!”
A cloud moved.
“!Dios mio… SAY WHAT?!”
His eyes bulged, his crest shot up,
his whole body vibrating
like a tiny, outraged disco ball.
No one knew what he was reacting to.
Possibly nothing.
Possibly everything.
But there he was~
a neon blur of disbelief
shouting “!Dios mio… SAY WHAT?!”
at the entire universe.
A twitchy man set in to dust his house
With a bump he fell down seeing a mouse
Hurt and got a bulged red nose
Masked nose for not to disclose
"Hey! Your nose seems as Santa's," funned his spouse.
Placed: 3rd
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The limp red sock, half-forgotten on the mantel,
still smells of oranges crushed in December mittens.
Its toe cradles a fossilized candy cane,
while the heel remembers the weight of walnuts.
Once, it bulged with promises—
a tangerine sunrise, chocolate coins,
and the thrilling rustle of cellophane.
Now, it sags like an unanswered letter.
I press my face into its woolen hollow
and inhale childhood like woodsmoke.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Young Nibbles, a squirrel so grand,
Preferred candy to nuts in his hand.
He revoked the tiny oak,
And of chocolate he only spoke.
"These acorns," he'd scoff, "taste like sand!"
He swapped nuts for gumdrops and lollies,
Scaled gutters for sweet pocket jollies.
His cheeks bulged like a flour sack,
For hiding his stash, he had quite the knack.
Chomped on the candy called creepy-crawlies.
One day he found a candy store,
And stuffed his fur 'til he could hold no more.
But his teeth all developed decay,
So he sadly swapped that day...
For dentist-recommended celery galore!
The waters no longer hot, just a cold depthless sea.
The young girls shackle was a perfect miraculous fit.
dragging her to the depths of the shallow box;
the anchor that would sit.
Her locks of hair were dripping-
a drip for all her anguish,
that would send the box spilling.
Thus she stayed silent,
pop, bam, bang for every bubble that popped-
a new batch would flock.
Lifting up her arms in despair,
she looked at the radiant circle.
It wasn't fair.
The circle bulged created by man,
but she couldnt even use her hand-
to get out of the cell, it would be a bore.
For she had the capacity for no more,
She wailed and cried and still couldn't thrive.
For her smile was deprived.
Was the bath ever even hot?
or had she forgot-
to turn the tap and make it hot.
I plucked the moon from the sky last night.
No one else seemed to be using it
So, I thought, “Why not?”
I mistakenly thought it would fit comfortably in my pocket
But, it bulged, protruded, and made it difficult to sit!
“Stupid moon!
What good are you?” I grumbled.
A TV news anchor rattled on about
Potential collapsed ecosystems, climate chaos, and mass extinctions.
All around me
Would-be lovers unraveled their arms and parted ways and
Dreamers no longer looked to the sky.
“The world has gone mad,” I muttered.
“But, at least I have this shiny rock, even if it IS a pain in the rear.”
However, it kept tugging, pulling, and wouldn’t stay still.
Determining it not worth the trouble,
I relinquished the object to the night
And went to dwell in a crazy world.
arch of rainbow
spreading across the firmament
filling joy and love everywhere
honking peacock stretching train feathers
while dancing presents an
arch of rainbow
marching like troops
fluffy clouds with bulged bodies
spreading across the firmament
drizzling all over
whimsical music of showers
filling joy and love everywhere
Place : 1st
I never realised it was a temple
Until it was too late
Unfortunately my temple by then
Was in a dilapidated state
With permanent crack lines
On the temple top
Outside walls have bulged
Loosened and dropped
This temple has seen better days
As maintenance it has lacked
No longer a temple
Just a worn out old shack
the cat took to sleeping in the kitchen
where there are less windows
the wind hammered at the front and back doors
it circled the walls
then raced off
to spook my shadow
a sparrow
flew up under the eve of the roof
it clung to it kinda sideways-on
the way parakeets do
the wire netting of the screen door
bulged in and out
as I held onto the latch
the eyes in the birds head bulged also
its plumage did a crazy dance
its neck got crooked and stiff
the howling wind took the bird
out onto the road where it fluttered
later I watched TV
a movie about some demented weather
was on
I switched channels
Bones turned hard
Thin nerves bulged
Flesh gave way
Heart pumped fast
Pulse showed rise
Tongue got twist
Eyes went blank
Lips felt dry
Still not dead
28 January 2023
I never realised it was a temple
Until it was too late
Unfortunately my temple by then
Was in a dilapidated state
With permanent crack lines
On the the temple top
Outside walls have bulged
Loosened and dropped
This temple has seen better days
As maintenance it has lacked
No longer a temple
Just a worn out old shack
Into blind rage he flew again
His neck veins bulged, his fists he closed
His wife could not remember when
She'd seen her man calm or composed
This time she screamed; she'd yelled out Stop!
Surprised and stunned, he lost his voice
Tempting fate, she'd ruled out cops
She prayed she'd made the wisest choice
His veins relaxed, his fists now hands
His voice returned, he told her thanks
She would not have to make demands
Resort to feline's cunning pranks
He managed to suppress his rage
Thanks to his wife, he turned the page
~ Iambic Tetrameter ~
A heavenly vision
came walking my way
I tried to stay calm
but my face gave me away
My eyes nearly bulged
right out of my head
sweat dripped from my chin
'neath a gap-toothed grin
My jaw dropped beside me
as I lowered my head...
Had she blown me a kiss
~ or vanished instead
This old man went to heaven in frail frame
With earthly waste bulged the belly became
Couldn’t long keep closed the outlet
Rushed to the astral toilet
Flushed water returned muck wherefrom it came.
October 19, 2021
Syllable count : 10/10/7/7/10 (HMS)
Contest : The Throne In Heaven
Sponsor : Jack Webster
Losses not consolidated leave contributor raw
Arrears rip pages of rational compassionate law
Turblent thoughts toss turn to channel retaliation
Embittered brain rubs static into smooth radio station
Nocturnal curtain eternal drawn over forgiving stance
Tortured cortex tar drips coal smudge repugnance
Behind lids of eyes fingertips pressing upon
Lacking exposure conjures warped projection
Attonement can't be granted during darkness
Confessions sparkle once in white starkness
Killing accountability in murky private mind
Proliferating hatred sees old harm magnified
Asperity of sins committed stew in torpid trench
Years of historic plot twist regale harsh revenge
Bulged breeding dim ideas seethe evil scheme
Attack mapped by movie shock putrid scenes
Creeping balaclava covered crow bar at chest
Knavish initiation repaid with blood reaps debt
24th August 2021
Written for Contest : The Colour Black
Sponsor : Chantelle Anne Cooke
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