big spin
win again
in like Flynn
hodgepodge dodge
slash bash
mishmash
sycophants
chants rants
seat-of-the-pants
riff-raff
grift graft
craft
debate obfuscate
obligate
alienate
annoy enjoy
deploy
destroy
curtail assail
derail …
pray tell ?
May eyes and ears be open to the truth
As fragile as the fevered fledgling flies
Rejoice that better days may still be proof
That wisdom’s wily will shall curtail lies
In days of old their prejudice was clear
Now sleeps its dormant heart but still its near
Look not to history to celebrate
Under the rocks of equal lives lie cracks
The power play performed did demonstrate
How those who pull the strings avoid the racks
Earth never will be peaceful sad to say
Real battles lie in plain sight everyday
Know this, for every step that we have walked
I pledge that every promise that was talked
None shall stop and cheer our equal rights
Go farther, for our future we must fight
Brush hovers around,
paints art profound.
Curtail its hue,
from a few
vulnerable shades — so much naive;
don’t let anyone deceive
the irreversible art that we paint,
don’t give a chance for regrets or complaints.
Sit and buy me a pale ale
while I regale you with
a tale written in braille
by a man stale in jail with
no avail to raise bail.
Curtail the detail ~ suffice it to say
how a frail male whale wailed when
again and again failed dislodging
a rusty nail impaled in its tail.
Not to derail but meanwhile
across the vale, a snail and quail
hightailed it but strayed off their trail ~
Once all were put up for sale,
t’was the female who tipped the scale.
It’s not much of a tale but
thanks for the ale, it was tasty.
Inhale ~ now let's enjoy an upscale cocktail.
Lineku: 3 stanzas of 5-7-5 lines ~ each line has 5 or 7 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
As stars close their tired eyes
when darkness fades the day
they slip slowly out of sight
and cloud-shrouded yesterday's
no more in play
say goodbye to a watercolour sky
the rain washed away
O say can you see morning has broken
raising the curtain to curtail night
daily they do it that way before we've woken
and all the king's horses and all the king's men
by the crack of dawn’s early light
will pick up the pieces
and put sunup together again
as each sunrise creeping comes calling
over the window sill
lifting the fragments to rebuild morn
so a new tomorrow can keep crawling
'til it is newly reborn
A Political Opinion
By: Miracle Man
1-11-2019
It doesn't have to be true,
things Politicians proclaim.
As long as they stay in power,
It's just a political game.
They can promise, use innuendo,
and even outright lie.
Painting competition evil,
and themselves a good guy.
A new political norm,
is causing a thumb of noses.
Eliminating the filibuster,
or curtail what it imposes.
They think voters are as stupid,
as a pen full of shoats.
They effortlessly lie and filibuster,
to pospone having votes.
Ephesians 4:25,
the apostle Paul commanded us, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour.
A darker gray pours over the horizon,
Cold and wet with a wind to subdue.
Yet with it comes a shade of discomfort,
As if energy must begin a search for a clue.
The changes we all see have been so gradual,
Where to some, it's more like no change at all.
So while the weather slowly reaches new extremes,
Our carbon footprint is seen climbing the wall.
Now it appears most of the planet is cooperative,
Attempting to alter & curtail this unwanted event.
But there's always those few who stand defiantly,
Since their belief is, there's nothing to prevent.
The saddest part of this story is unyielding,
As status and greed are the glue to hold fast.
And as long as some can keep a vise-grip on the last
Oil well, they'll just happily reminisce of days past.
In spite of this, the rest of us know the day is coming,
When our future is defined by this remarkable change.
Giving pause to our legacy and survival,
If we're unable to create a fair exchange.
Nothing feels steady and in absolute control
As we stroll through this maze called life
We need to keep soul brave to play this role
And no emotion but a sharp brain like a knife
People don’t have time to enjoys other’s occasions
Envy survives so social cooperation diminishes
Over progressive defiance brings devastation
Where worth of humanity and conscience finishes
Opportunities are to be grabbed without fail
Hurdles are to be defeated without delay
Theory sounds simple but qualms curtail
It is not exactly black and white but grey
Competition is at its peak to get opportunity
Hurdles are also man-made to win the race
Ethics are either redefined or lost entity
By hook or crook people need success
Honest people say what is true
The iron law - true things prevail
And not the lies that often spew
From diktats which our rights curtail
Opinions and ideas abound
What are the signs of truth telltale?
Follow incentives - search around
What ideas will our freedoms derail?
Follow ideas to where they lead
Think of the results - in detail
Talk and discuss - think and read
Stand for freedom. Let truth prevail
Does an idea centralize power?
Central powers will always fail
Though dictators may gain the hour
In the end - true things prevail
Bitcoin keeps the ledger true
Decentralized - on worldwide scale
Better money for me and you
Come join and let the truth prevail
Drinks Link
Shop- pub / Retail.
Whiskey /. Bear / Wine
Cocktail. Mocktail
Hard soft /. Budget /
Detail. Curtail.
Feeling-
Thirsty.
Drinking- Thinking-
Hasty. Whimsy.
Blinking- Sinking-
Tipsy. Drowsy.
05/14/ 23
A Brian Strand Premier no. 1217
Fourth Place
Contest by Brian Strand
Every moment, everyday
Comes a chance to paint your way
Be not caught in mad emotion
For, calmness is your salvation
Unjust hate is an obsession
It veils the eyes of prudent reason
It makes the heart a sightless slave
Until it sinks into the grave
Before you hate, know first your reason
For, ignorance is like a treason
The one you hate is even clueless
So, hating blind is just a madness
Fear likewise is an illusion
Just like a latent misconception
Don’t let your fear curtail your movements
Find your courage to paint your moments
Make sure that you first understood
Before your fear settles for good
For, too much fear is a weakness
That halts your chance for great success
The blinding haze of ignorance
Deprives the soul of its greatest chance
Don’t waste your time in deathly passion
When you can love for greatest reason
April 30, 2023
Refining Consciousness Poetry Contest
Sponsored By: Unseeking Seeker
They chatted for so long
The day was here to meet
She was so excited
Feeling her hearts every beat
He was Scottish and oh so lovely
She thought he may be the one
She had looked for red flags
But there had been none
Meeting place was at the pier
The wind was blowing a fearsome gale
Her beautiful brushed hair blew wild and free
The gusts were steadfast with no intention to curtail
He stood there handsomely in traditional Scottish dress
She thought her heart had stopped
A mighty gust of wind then blew his kilt up
Thats the moment she knew…..she had hit the jackpot!!
The new tyranny
Smoke of anger
rises from the streets
A hunger
for equality
Demonstration, strikes
is the seen action
The authorities do nothing
wait for exhaustion
when the starving turns
fight each other
At that moment
new laws introduced
that will
curtail the scant
freedom people have
From another tree about 10 feet away, I, a sparrow,
reserved 4 powerful words for an insect in the midst
of developing. She would become a butterfly, but it would
take some time. The insect was not requesting any assistance,
because she knew the cocoon process necessitated her development.
But as I beheld the painful-looking struggle, I wanted to do something.
So, at a distance, I observed with anguish and tied hands.
I had but four heartfelt words for the suffering insect.
My heart ached when I saw her struggling". At first, I thought
there was but one way to relieve my heartache and the insect's
suffering. But as I stepped toward the tree, contemplating taking
matters into my own hands, I, just a sparrow, was reminded by my
Maker that freeing the would-be butterfly from her present pain
would only curtail or even harm her future development.
So, with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes,
I lit on a close by limb and whispered through the cocoon,
"I am helplessly observing, but I FEEL YOUR PAIN".
012323PS
Another revolution 'round the sun:
the plans are laid, the resolutions penned.
This is the year at last to be the one:
lose weight, exercise more, curtail the spend.
Then life, it seems, jumps up, gets in the way:
the unexpected call from a dear friend.
Your planner list can wait another day,
for it was just a minder in the end.
The days then turn to weeks before you know,
and now you’re so far off the beaten path,
the goal you set not very long ago:
completely hopeless, when you do the math.
It catches you off guard, and you’ve begun
another revolution 'round the sun.
—————
for the Orphan Sonnet Poetry Contest
sponsored by Emile Pinet
written on 05/01/2022
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