There was peace in the mirrors,
Reflections of joy from within,
Motivation lifting me above endless fields,
The long road felt shorter and even,
Dreams dancing to the beat of discipline,
The grasslands were still ever green.
Years passed by on tiptoes,
Feeding on time I thought I owned,
Hair has turned grey by broken time,
Suddenly motivation went quiet,
Only the sound of silence was so clear,
Now I hear what I fear,
The sound of tomorrow cracking
like a thirsty land.
Procrastination painted escape
doors so near,
Comfort stole the time and dreams
grew unclear,
Depression became so familiar,
Every wasted second was irretrievable,
I capitulated and drowned in my nightmares,
The flames of tomorrow were doused,
The tunnels and channels were dimmed,
The grasslands have faded to grey.
Eyes crystallize with meandering tears,
Hope breathing beneath the dust of my fears,
Insomnia dining on my thoughts for years,
Dancing with questions that refuse to sleep,
Empty hours counted every failure,
Night repeats wasted time like a prayer,
Even when summer passes by,
The grasslands are still grey.
They glare with eyes like frozen steel,
Piercing, yet blind to what is real.
They see the frame, not the flame,
And brand me with a borrowed name.
Their hearts beat cold, devoid of grace,
Slander drips from lips that never face
The truth I carry, bold and bare—
A golden heart they wouldn’t dare.
They speak in tongues of defamation,
Crafting myths from accusation.
As if I’m carved for crucifixion,
A symbol of their own affliction.
But I do not break—I crystallize.
I rise beneath their shallow lies.
Resilience is my quiet hymn,
A light that does not beg to dim.
So I ask you now, with open hand,
Do you think I’m a sacrificial lamb?
Or am I the storm they failed to tame—
The soul they tried, but could not name?
I am cold-forged, born of frost and flame,
A heart of gold beneath the blame.
Not prey, not pawn, not silent ghost—
But the truth they fear to face the most.
in the group of dewdrops which crystallize loose boundedness
whose coercive force is unmatched among standoffish streets
we maintain the latent misgivings about our absence
The sands of time will take its toll
To crystallize a weathered soul
And when each life is then no more
Then washed up on a distant shore
Just one of many that abound
With crashing waves the only sound
And with the sands of time will bleach
Each grain along this sandy beach
1. Dew-kissed petals bloom,
Whispers of eternity,
Silent truths unfold.
2. Rippling pond mirrors,
Ancient oaks and fleeting dreams,
Life's essence dances.
3. In the fragile glass,
Echoes of love and laughter,
Moments crystallize.
4. Mountains hold their breath,
Cradling secrets of the sky,
Weightless wisdom sings.
5. Heartbeats sync with tides,
Stars weave constellations bright,
Life's tapestry spun.
6.In quiet moonlight,
We find solace, purpose, grace,
Reflections guide us.
PARTICIPATION
Will my verse reach your ear
can your eye stay the course
listening,then writing my verse I awake ,
content until the next time,
the chords at my finger tips drift
back and forth into a song.
Take a deep breath,exhale and
read between my lines
An image alights as a butterfly in spring,
a thought arrives as inspiration on the wing.
An idea resides to crystallize and
brings each together as one.
Does convention confound
the rhythm of your eyes
Oh to avoid convention's game
make the image surreal upon my page.
a Stop,dear reader in your stride,
bring forth your imagination and join me on this ride.this
in the realm
of the mind,
replete with thoughts
inspiration thrives,
discerns over spills,
to reveal
then configure
and emerge:
a fragrance
to dwell,stay
and perhaps
haunt another
The first impressions
in the soft, wet clay of mind
crystallize for good.
Written: October 29, 2023, For Miranda Hawley Sonnet Contest
__________________________________________
In a quiet dream, voice, peace, and stillness
Where time stays still and dread of the wildness
A peaceful moment in the sky's embrace
I crystallize brightness through scenic grace.
Splashing birds and water swirl in the stream.
Birds fly with grace, darting if they're a dream.
Nature starts to portray its symphony.
Peace song tale that is yet epiphany
Surface ripples twiddle a peaceful dance.
A serene and reflective sparkle chance
So dulcet in this universe of peace.
I'm wrapped in it right now, sensing at ease.
Silence is where wisdom and calm reside.
As oceans slowly bear their secret side.
Good writing , like gold , combines lustrous lucidity with high density. What this means is good writing is packed with hints. ~ Eric Hoffer
And should I cherish lucid moments of my day
to dwell on how my words will paint the blue vellum?
Or dream that in those lucid thoughts may lie the way
to philosophies protected by dark pelham?
Soon to write my thoughts in a pleasing structured form,
I turn to flow my life for all to analyze.
Is it eloquence I seek, or a bright brainstorm
to loosely form coherent thoughts and crystallize?
Basking in boastful brilliance, words outflow freely,
purest unbridled revelry is extended
to writing fraught with inner secrets genteelly
hidden in subtle between-the-lines pretended.
Laying my pen aside, I read what is written.
Word by word, in silence, I am humbly smitten.
Wardrobes, full of clothes,
crossstitch cluttered walls-
her shadow still clouds my mind
tears begin to fall.
emotion becomes a flood-
a cataract of regret flows
a realisation dawns,
fleeting thoughts crystallize-
as 'as is' moment of hope is born
Let us the issues finalize:
Two more topics just analyze
One can narrative summarize;
On dryness water canalize...
Why ghosts in places crystallize:
If dreams through them materialize?
Ghost I'd seen of carton color,
Its look that of obvious pallor;
Had good money in carton;
While human dropped by a Paton
"You come back with it in a week!"
But killer drugs had him made weak...
Now Ghost keeps repeating"Carton"
And sometimes"Sorry, Sir Paton!!
A life is captured with a lens
From babyhood until
The final hours, right before
The world goes dark and still.
A loving son creates a site
With pictures on display
To keep his memory alive
And let the smiles hold sway.
For photos crystallize the past,
Like amber holds a fly,
Each moment perfectly preserved -
The who, what, where and why.
We gaze upon the face of one
No longer on this earth
And every photograph affirms
How much his life was worth.
(In memory of Gary Schall)
Connie's capricious thoughts crystallize,
she composed them to console and cajole.
Her deepest dreams she can realize
as release valve for her sensitive soul,
rich rays of light her readers recognize.
October 4, 2022
non-contest: Short Connie Tributes
sponsor: Andrea Dietrich
inspired by Connie's poem: A Poetry Queen, written 09/29/2019.
I search the depths of my mind
to find the words any words
in an attempt to crystallize
what you mean to me
and miserably I fail
coming up empty
till a void rises and growls
its silent voiceless roar
and I find myself
on edge chasing its echo
reaching to grasp what I can
that might resemble
the thought of you
the depth of your eyes
or the sound of your name
AP: Honorable Mention 2022
Submitted on August 7, 2022 for contest 2022 POETRY MARATHON ON MILE 11 sponsored by MARK TONEY - RANKED 10TH
So many shades of gold and green
Food for thought and the snap of pretence
Rolling in a constant so perfect it's unnatural
A creation in a basement would picture more real
So pure my bags are filled unfiltered
Up baby blue and the red kite tousled with white
So heavenly I can taste the candy
Songs sung by the masses mimicking life's triumphant goals
Celebration of the children with bloated tummies
While cages crystallize the withering power
We mock with scaly tears and sagging teats
Circle of death
Step inside and celebrate as we are
United in miserable vibration
Happy birthday to you
Have a slice of fly and contribute more waste
To pay your dues
Kiss the dirt and give thanks to the Lord in your final act
Push
You have returned
Push
Just a flying visit as we face the swarm
So thirsty now, I'm in the window, living while nobody is home
As sadness turns the never-ending story
I am numb
All in on red, as black can't win
The house will be okay
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