I always imagined love to be a gentle reclamation
Of all the broken pieces
Of every brick and stone
Of every hidden secret
And every skin and bone
A solitary castle, high upon the cliffside
My heart, a fortress
Am I protecting it?
It's seen days of battle, broken all around
Stones scarred and crumbling
I have held these scattered pieces
Waiting for the day
When someone comes to claim them
Rebuild it brick by brick
Back to something beautiful
Ravaged by time now,
The walls have long since crumbled
But thorny vines and spraying roses made it home again
Made a sanctuary
Love, at last.
The blue waves smack the shore
Outlined by the oaken door.
Stand beside the cypress tree
Throw your arms out to the sea
On a mossy cliffside you can spy
The wheeling curlew, hear it cry.
Smell the cedar in the grove
See grass wave where rover's rove.
Hear the sea gull, feel the wild
White sails on silver, be beguiled.
So far from madness of the city
Cell phone rings, no longer free.
You run inside the cottage door
Find your backpack on the floor
Dig the phone out, as it plays
A ringtone singing "yesterday"
Its Chase bank, with a suspect charge
Ten thousand, that's awful large.
Text message comes from your landlord
Rats with fleas came in a horde
Your boss says he's needs you back soon
Work has come like a monsoon.
You leave the cottage bitterly
But you can't eat the scenery:
Can't throw the cell phone in the sea.
At least you have the memory...
Crow (Blackus Menacingus)
large, clever and a scavenger
found in gardens where there’s trees
good at puzzles, can be trained
likes TV shows about celebrities
Blackbird (Blackus Not-A-Pirateus)
common gardeners friend is he
perched on the handle of a spade
looking out for bugs and worms
went on a holiday to Adelaide
Thrush (Not-The-Itchyus Sortus)
light brown plumage with spotted front
easily identifiable medium bird
known for a complex, tuneful song
makes jam tarts with lemon curd
Starling (Impressiveus In-A-Large-Flockus)
iridescent all year bird
feathers change colour in the sun
swarms in huge numbers then
off to the pub for rowdy fun
Wren (Smallus Sticky-Uppy-Tailus)
one of the tiniest garden birds
surprisingly loud and piercing voice
small, round body, quick and gone
to play boardgames and other toys
Puffin (Brightus Beakus)
black and white with colourful bill
dives the water for its food
coastal, cliffside, craggy nest
sends birthday cards that are very rude
Ash
It falls
And lay still
Burning city
But it’s still my home
Smoke clouds inhabit skies
And skyscrapers crumble down
We watch from the cliffside and mourn
A disaster soundtrack lacking sound
We only hear the ashes falling
Everything we loved, now debris
The sun charred over with greed
Memories in piles
The darkness warns me
Suffocation
We lay still
And breathe
Dross
Written: November 21, 2023
____________________________________________
racing with the breeze
strength, streaming supple beauty~
stellar vividness
freewill upon earth
scampering strides of surprise~
cliffside, now silent
majestic splendor
glorious ocean vista~
fierce, sanctity reign
Your own unique voice. You’re your own boss.
Sprinkle of humble and profound words.
Speaking in tongues that often crisscross.
Ink takes flight as experiential and seasonal birds.
Sprinkle of humble and profound words.
A smattering of what’s mattering in life.
Ink takes flight as experiential and seasonal birds -
The suffering, the woe, the pain, and strife.
A smattering of what’s mattering in life -
the smear of buttery imagery and ebonic light.
The suffering, the woe, the pain, and strife.
Poetics give the silent - speech, and the blind - sight.
The smear of buttery imagery and ebonic light.
A cruel twist of fate or a brilliant cliffside cascade.
Poetics give the silent - speech, and the blind - sight.
Forms, style, rhymes, refrains, freedom displayed.
A cruel twist of fate or a brilliant cliffside cascade.
Speaking in tongues that often crisscross.
Forms, style, rhymes, refrains, freedom displayed.
Your own unique voice. You’re your own boss.
12/23/2022
I just missed the contest! Oh well! Hope you all enjoy!
what candle pressed against the wind
a winding trail unfolds
down the cliffside
into the storm
where a treasure lies to behold
a thousand jagged teeth
Peirce the roiling spew
a promise of paradise
the desperate never knew
and down the cliff should you falter
lose your balance and fall
in hopes of happy ever after
soon never after all
This life can sometimes feel lonesome and that’s perfectly okay,
Our strong muscles and bones are shouting out that we’re here to stay.
Even if we are housing the prehistoric birds of prey.
It’s much like a lonely white pine growing high and mighty on a rocky mountain side.
The challenges are excruciating and the elements we can’t decide.
However, there is still a shelter that we are able to provide,
Adapt to this idea and the internal battles shall no longer collide.
The going of life can be intimidating and pretty tough,
As we overlook the canyon and think that others lives just aren’t as rough.
Just know that some weren’t built for this kind of stuff.
To allow the ability to grow so high and mighty tall,
We must not be afraid of shedding some previously living needles on that steep cliffside fall.
As well as understand, that we are all in it for the long haul.
Book: Perspective is the Objective
As I walk down this rugged road,
That flows through the overgrown wood;
I am reminded of the life of a Christian.
This crumbling road with its faded yellow line;
It may have difficult turns and drops,
It also has its holes and ruff spots;
But is is the only road to the top of the hill.
This road I travel is covered in dust,
And is surrounded by the darkness of the forest.
This pathway may be hard to travel,
But one step off leads to a deep fall.
The cliffside that boarders this road,
Leads to nothing except pain and despair;
And the Forests around lead to nowhere.
This road may be dangerous to be traversed:
Traveling on a road the world has cursed,
May cause us to feel all alone;
But if we stay on the path,
We will meet up with someone.
If we feel we travel alone;
It is because the Lord is watching:
Waiting for us to join Him.
We were never alone, He was there all along,
To help us around the next sharp bend.
At times the Road seems steep,
At times the holes seem deep;
But at the final step, all will be worth it,
Because the top of the hill is not the end,
But rather the start of a bright horizon.
Vast Cliffside, soaring
Cold sea mist dilutes my past
A bird’s life ... present
High winds - stirring sea - surf pounds - Whitby beach
Storm clouds - residual - seagulls - frantic cry
Midnight - a figure - in view - ascending
Bowed down - wearily - cliff steps - Abbey bound
Skywards - waning moon - purple - in streaking
Figure - looking down - last time - hesitates
Cliffside - beckoning - then moves - in seeing
A flash - lightening - from grave - arising
Hungry - Dracula - no escape - figure froze
Exposed - vulnerable - a scream - was stifled
No-one - witnessing - horror - stricken face
Could, would - testify - to what - next took place.
The dreamer
Lies buried in the hemisphere
Like hominids nested in calcium
Upon outstretched shovel
Vermillion corridors pounce in theatrical unfolding
Its all shadows and graves say
Those cliffside with buckets of fear
While I clawed suddenly the dichotomy came clear
Now I'm hijacking lotuses from the other side
I just love to watch Dateline
And Forty-Eight Hours Mystery…
I often scream at my television
‘How stupid can someone be?’
Their internet searches are careless
Looking up such truly awful things
‘The best way to strangle someone’
‘murder 4 hire’; braggin’ bout their flings!
Cell phone pings surely don’t lie
Rental car records-easy to trace
Tire impressions and fingerprints
Idiots leave DNA all over the place!
Then there are the ones who crack
Confessing at the station
They should have shut their trap
Plead the fifth, interrogation cessation
I’ve strategized about what I'd do...
Lie in wait behind a bush?
Use Poison? Peaceful smothering?
Or maybe a little cliffside push?
Most killers are foolish, careless
As they bid their freedom ‘adieu’
I am far more calculating, clever
Smart enough to not tell you!
Written by: Natalie Flikkema
For Susan’s ‘Getting Away with Murder/Murderous Thoughts’ Contest
***Now if you’ll excuse me…I’ve got to go ignite my hard drive :) ****
Raging black waters
Deadly upon us
Cliffside now crumbling
I’m helplessly tumbling
Forethought depression
Forgot aggression
I still remember
The chill of december
An ocean forever
Darkness the weather
Dead stars are burning
My heart once more turning
The life in me yearning
An instinct returning
Death is a lifetime
Alone without sunshine
Raging upon us
Deadly black waters
But love forged from danger
Keeps hatred a stranger
As the moon hangs
Bearing witness to the night
I drive along this road
Remembering that time
We were alone
Bearing witness
To the moon,
Our love.
It seems like
So long ago
Each day held
The glowing sun
And each night held
The luminescent moon
Just for us.
Now, the moon,
Though there
Seems overcast
As the daytime sun
Hides behind
Unwanted clouds.
Where has yesterday
Gone and will the orbs
Of love exist for us again?
This cliffside road
I travel now
Has a turn in it,
But will my hands
Make the turn
Or guide me straight
To the dying moon?
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.