The King of Terrors comes not with
a sudden roar, but as a quiet shadow falling across the final door.
He sits upon no mortal throne,
A quiet shadow, vast and lone,
On silent, unreturning wing.
The pulse grows slow, the candle
dims,
The noisy world begins to fade,
A quiet stilled through all the limbs,
A quiet peace within the shade.
They call him dread, they call him
night,
The final end of earthly tears,
Yet past the gloom there waits the
light,
Beyond the king of all our fears.
one bad apple bruise
lies gently beneath the skin
sweetness masks the taint
soon the barrel takes the blame
for one bad fruit spoiled within
fingers find the bruise
then distrust the shining fruit
every skin looks stained
one dark blemish somehow grows
larger than the orchard knows
most are good to go
hanging blameless on the bough
the marked apples fall
and leave bruises where they land
the good fruit harvests the blame
A culture is sustained by its traditions
And its quality is known by the fruits
Of those traditions.
We live in a time of change
When tradition is challenged and discarded
Simply for being traditional.
We don’t know what will replace it
We just want “hope and change”
With blind faith it’ll be better.
But that’s not the way civilizations are built
That is how they are destroyed.
When the bottom falls out
Morals are abandoned
Values are reversed
The baby is thrown out
And the old dirty bathwater consumed
As if nectar.
Then drunk on delusion
The revelers cry
When in the morning
The large, shiny Trojan Horse is empty
And it’s clear their life will never be the same.
(8/30/26)
august sun; is fire blown to forest tree;
still it holds a girl's hot breath in its green
shade; covers
her shadow; just broke off the dark sky;
red-cold; yellow bite; now leafy whispers
mean stems to boughs; broken leaves to will
under her feet, the death
Fall pulls skin on
no flutter on the girl's russet cheeks;
trees never cry so quiet or twist so low,
little-princess verdant crown thrown.
I am just a plinko ball , drained of all energy as I fall.
Bouncing town, as i interact with yall.
Thanks be to youz.
Upon a ridge
In misty blue
A lone tree sways
In song.
Dew drops race
A morning chill
Calls upon the dawn.
Seasons change
Rearrange
A flowers dream
Is gone
A skyward gaze
A quiet place
Reflecting
A long lost song.
Within the wind
fluttering grass
murmurs
a muted hymn.
A thousand blades,
a thousand braids,
all of it is him.
In the breeze,
sun-baked leaves
sink
unwillingly.
A blistering blaze,
a faltering gaze
singes
the lonely tree.
In the clouds
an old man smiles
his face lit
by the sun.
Pupils chase
a sinking flame-
paradise?
But a bittersweet escape.
The evening seas
beckon the moon,
stars wishes
burn abloom.
A fluttering gaze,
dissolving rays
seeking
A long lost face.
Golden Maple leaves
Skim along the pond's hard face
In the cold knowledge
That dreads with winter's approach-
Harbinger of snowy dunes.
Winner: 2nd Place End of Summer, Beginning of Fall Tanka, Tania Kitchin (Sponsor) 8/27/26
captivating drops
of rain dissipating falls
from the clouds drips splash
~
splash pour down rain
comes cascading desends down
drencing earth grass grounds
8/9/26
written by James Edward Lee Sr
El salto Ángel Falls in Venezuela, about 1000 meters (3281 ft).
it is Angel Falls
waterfall in the whole world ~
tallest and highest!
Header Note
Sponsor: sotto Poet
Poetry Contest Theme : Issa Kobayashi Inspired Poetry Contest
Haiku about a small drop of water creating a big change
Date of Submission: July,10 ,2026
CHERRY PETAL FALLS
Cherry petal falls
One drop catches morning light
Tears turn into joy
Nature is filled with such perfect views,
there’s no beach day that has a twin.
Wispy versions of the waves
transform to mavericks
with a coming storm.
Feast of whitecaps
plays so hard
then falls
flat.
natural wonder
mystical moving waters
thundering icon
As the Snow falls by the lake
A white sheen it has to forsake
But the blueness of the water so still
That trickles and yet still turns the mill wheel
The shining figure that was once a tree
By the water’s edge growing wild and free
However, its branches now all covered in white
And makes for a ghostly sight at night
The surrounding ground a carpet no less
As the Snow lies, quite thick I guess
To walk by the lake, a wilderness dream
Which looks and feels so quiet and serene
Its Christmas time and all that entails
Now’s the time that Frogs and Snails
Disappear to their winter retreat
Out of sight and mind, that’s kinda neat
Once the Lake freezes over it’s on with the skates
And off we go me and all my mates
Though it’s cold who cares, were free
The Snows no barrier to them and me
A scene as picturesque as this
Caught early morning as the Sun has kissed
The rippling water and the lands surrounding glean
Quite a sight, nature’s special sheen
tear wells in sad eye,
gathers weight, until it spills
glistening down cheek
the grief bestowed, now on show
is shed in drops, letting go
A small dollop of light,
Set upon the eastern falls;
The waters glitter downward
And into night-
A distant roar,
As morrow calls.
And the frame of yesterday
Beckons memory,
And nostalgic reminiscents
Be etched forever upon it's walls.
While our worlds made of clay
So break and pass away;
The immortal heart,
With love, recall.
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