Written: December 6, 2025, for contest Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
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Oh, Nero, spearhead of the wicked fate,
With insane fire, you lit the Roman gate,
Your lyre produced a wild, melodic grate,
Your greed is burning on your twisted trait,
As the power bursts with your wicked hate,
Flames rise, and all that is left will abate,
In the gloom, a flare of faith on the slate,
A phoenix will rise from dust, may elate,
And Rome shall breathe again, fresh and ornate.
RZ & HMS: 10 syllables per 9 lines
Sir Richard Starkey, AKA Ringo Starr -
drummer, singer and actor too, he's sure come far.
Married since '81 to co-star Barbara Bach, he's 85
and one of the 2 Fab Four still very much alive.
'Peace and Love' both admirable traits
but to some they're a lamentable farce
and saying the phrase long and loud
won't ever make them come to pass
known to act naturally (it don't come easy)
a certain famous drummer someone
has oft been heard to quote
those self-same words but not in fun
while forever holding up (4) fingers
(2) in the form of a 'V'
yet if it really makes him happy
then it's plenty good enough for me
Sorry, but I’ll have to leave,
‘cause you don’t respect what I believe.
I want to be me, not whatever fake name,
So I’ll burn the script and leave the game.
For so long I wore the masks,
Hid the truth and played my tasks,
But now I live where silence grows its seed,
Far from hunger, far from greed.
I no longer chase what isn’t true,
Or shrink myself to fit your view.
I want to tell my crowd goodbye,
I love you all, but I've faced the lie.
The path is clear, the journey’s mine,
Guided by faith, by the stars that shine.
I took a step back, reclaimed my voice,
And made at last a conscious choice.
_
Like Ace once said: take care now, bye-bye then,
Today I say: never again.
impish urchins flood the streets
all seek tasty sweets
something as sickly sweet as them
~ marijuana
Black velvet night
diamanté lustrous glow
sumptuous V neck dip
enchanting lush graced serene
Dramatic gown
Coco Chanel garnets glint
palatial swooning art
indelible presence haunt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Contest : Texture of Minimalism
Sponsor Nette Onclaud
17.11.25 : 4th Placing : Standard Contest
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When asked if he worried about a robot replacing him
the author, Isaac Asimov, came up with this little gem
When I myself don’t understand what it is that I do
How can a machine expect an Asimov novel to construe
A woman was known as a 'broad' in the U.S.
and I'm more broad-minded when there I confess
a woman was called a 'bird' in the U.K.
so when in Blighty as for me
altho' there's a pecking order
in the bird-watching hierarchy
I'm an eagle-eyed if not avid avian attendee
and yet Ol' Blue Eyes
should have paid more attention
for when he said, 'Let me be frank with you,'
and went on to sing, 'Egrets, I've had a few
but then again too few to mention,'
he proved to be a poor ornithologist
as there were not a lot of birds
(or broads) on his watcher list
Verse 1
Epitaph for the Queen of the Night
A starlit siren, she shone so strongly bright,
The radiant, raving ruler of the night's riot
right.
Her dance a dream, her dress a diamond
delight,
Now silence seals the stage, the spotlight
still so slight.
The final fade, the curtain closes calmly,
clear,
Her music memory,missed moment, mist
most marvelous here.
Verse 2
Epitaph for the Dance Master
The king of the tounship (1) , a crazy champion came,
A body bent to beating drums, a legend's
lasting lame.
He spanned the shebeen stage, a shining
storm of movement mean,
Shebeen queens quaked and wept at the
dancing scene.
The beauties bleeding blushes, threw their
threads,
He leaped from tables,laid problems to
peaceful deads.
His rhythm's a ripple on the river.forever
flowing free.
The dance just disperses,but his beat
belongs to the ground and the sky.
1. Tounship--township,location, slum, ghetto,
A controversial one.' Long John Laws indeed could stun.' Clipped flinty tones He'd chew
No bones, never met him.' Wonder would
We have got on.? I beleive he was for the
Con-vid, but he was steeped in more honest; times.' In those middle ranges, there
Honesty was pretty much full time, i think
I lived its tail end.' Which balanced me quite
Well, enough to admire, yet know he was
Vulnerable as well.' So i regret the imposition, placed upon all Aussie folks'
Every straight grained, lover of better, for
We at are our best, when we share with mates.' So I reckon if we meet in heaven
Everything will be grand.' We'll gas round a
Golden barbie.' Where adventures we'll put
To plan.'
While he ride from day one, it seems strange.
Some think of journey, money exchange...
But when he stops not,
People see how hot
His burning passion, money can't change!
He was totally mad in mystery;
Beyond reasoning, maybe for history.
What must have led him,
To birth such odd whim
That enthroned an outstanding bravery?
All the way from Benue down Lagos,
Bearing his dream in mind like a cross;
Without an applause,
Yet critic withdraws
Doubts that his efforts would be a loss.
Sun passed its ray to moon's reign, inspect...
The fearful night's harms one could expect
To take over night
With its dreadful might,
Beyond what cationing could protect.
Eventually sail through fear's mirror,
Though each daring night- a severer
Stands to stop his mind,
To dare dream so blind...
Moving close to him like it's nearer.
Be fearless- don't just dream, stand for it;
Not just the good but all clueless ,
Mortal sets to storm...
Your way through its form-
Defines how strong being, fearlessly fit.
Lovely Penelope Pussycat
hung around at the local laundromat
till Pepé Le Pew got a good look
and decided to snatch her by hook or by crook
So you’ve been invited to meet the Addams family
Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday and young Pugsley
Beware they’re strange and morbid ~ macabre as they come
Caution: don’t stick around for dinner as a rule of thumb
Martha Stewart is larger than life
she succeeded over betrayal and strife
She hit rock bottom with everything out of whack
but she made the most admirable comeback
Well-known Rapper singer Snoop Dogg
shares lyrics and free advice in blog
produced great many popularized records
often nominated for grammy awards
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Specific Types of Celebrity Poems
Definition | What is Celebrity in Poetry?
Poems Related to Celebrity
someone, figure, luminary, personage, hero, star, personality, somebody, name, ace, vip, bigwig, notable, heavyweight, immortal, lion, worthy, magnate, big cheese, big deal, big name, big shot, superstar, cynosure, mahatma