By the bye or by the way
either one I never say
I choose to use ‘incidentally’
anyway or accidentally
the old year by the bye
and what a year it's been
the bittersweet passing of time
fleeting surreal in its extremes
of galloping yet at times stagnant
turning the page on the old
for a fresh start on the new
deep breath with pen in hand
i think about my resolutions
and how i want my year to be
afterall i am the author of my life
certainly i can say i want to live large
with a smile on my face
i can claim i want to live bold
with the wind in my sail
but most of all my deepest desire
is to treasure every last moment i am given
so i may explore and appreciate beauty
in all its worldly subtle nuances
AP: 1st place 2026, 3rd place 2026, Honorable Mention 2022
Submitted on December 13, 2022 for contest RESOLUTIONS FOR 2023 sponsored by ANOUCHEKA GANGABISSOON - RANKED 5TH
You want to hear me say I’ll love you forever.
And yes, I well could say those very words to you:
For after all, they simply state the current truth.
But at the risk of seeming callous or uncouth
They’re also words one could easily misconstrue.
And whether couched in language simple or clever,
In timeworn expressions or phrases fresh and new,
All such words would ultimately be misleading—
For how can anyone pledge a love undying?
The future’s hidden—to deny that is lying.
And nothing lasts forever… still, since you’re needing
Reassurance, this much at least I’ll promise you:
You are the best-beloved of my heart today:
I can’t foresee I’ll ever feel another way.
November 14, 2019
NB: This is an "almost sonnet"-- but differs in line length (12 syllables instead of ten) and, instead of having three quatrains before the couplet, I have used two sestets with an ABCCBA DEFFED rhyme scheme. Also, the lines, while each of 12 syllables, do not really have any consistent metrical structure. By the bye, the word beloved here is meant to be pronounced adjectivally, that is, with three syllables: be-'LOV-ed.
Jay:
I can not see the stars in the city;
But they can see me.
I can see the brightest ones;
So they can still guide me.
So it doesn't matter;
I know they are still out there.
Even if the sky is covered with clouds;
They are copper colored clouds that still light my way.
And will never leave me in the dark.
My eyes hold light.
Stu:
So close yet so far;
So bright in a galaxy of darkness;
Glitter on the canvas of the cosmos;
Each spec, a speck;
Colossal size;
For light to meet our eyes;
Where even the biggest,
Has no comparison in size;
Big or tall,
Bright enough to be seen by all.
Jay:
Our eyes hold light.
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