sunrise smiles as I draw white drapes
voices of spirits disappear in breeze
hands stiff, feet c o l d — swollen
age asks not invisible
I hold window latch, opening with squeak
time for black coffee to
ripple another day
without smoke lacy friends
room glimmers not
it is still sacred with heaven’s silence
holding my mind
cells wait —-
s w e e t n e s s
dichotomies glide pale sky
paradoxes paragraphed
eventide arrives equally equal
orange hues tessalate
your frequency wefts through keyhole
toes spread barefooted eager
barley soup bubbles a broth spicy
soon presences will be precious
mocha perfume
never bottled
oregon floorboards
waiting ___ - - - footsteps in black pumps
undefined we dine
soup ladle hot ~
Like everything worthwhile in life...
It's best to put the effort forward.
Pays to elevate our expectations.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
I glide, a heavy, odd glide,
Through a moody weekend,
Its gasps choked, and;
Taste like bitter wormwood.
Fragile hearted, I,
Tears soaked my eye,
A subtle soul rose high,
And still, ended a heavy cry.
I exhaled noxious smog,
My very aura got tainting,
Whatever virtue, I cling,
It's a long glid; I'm strong.
Short days
Dim Rays
Late dawn
Grey morn
Chill start
Cold heart
Earth white
Soft light
Dull sky
Blue eyes
White grace
On face
Road clear
No fear
Wind wild
Shoes styled
Lace tied
Inside
Ice glide
Free ride
Air bites
Outside
Night creep
Sweet sleep
lymph drops glisten diamond formation
topaz glide froth transmutation ~
A cascade of swirls curled in the sky.
Enveloping a host of ghostly nebula galaxies,
glowing like a myriad of phosphorous flares,
sent aloft to glisten in starry, starry eyes.
The moon was off
the scene somewhere,
humming to itself,
the haunting mantra lilt
of a lunar lullaby,
only it knows can put a smile,
on its pocked blotched face.
When the big bang boom goes off,
the moon will lift its head,
rise to awaken half-faced, and glide through
the serpentine, entwining starry veils,
along the slither slide of the milky way.
Eyes open wide
She checks the clock
Five more minutes
Is what she wants
What she needs
Is a greater pull
Feet touch the floor
Toes curl
Big stretch
Eyes half open
Light flicks on
Splash of water
Thinks of bed
Teeth brushed
Hair put up
Eyes open again
Clothes laid out
The night before
One sleeve
Then the next
Tired eyes
Start to progress
Stairs creak
Knees crack
She’s almost there
One more step
Door opens
Cool air across her face
Eyes wide open
She feels alive
She feels free
She glides
Where are you, my dear?
My love is sincere.
Play not with me hide and seek!
Fear not like a deer;
My words, you do hear.
Without you, life appears bleak!
Always be my side.
It makes my soul glide
And build castles in the sky!
In you I take pride;
You will be my bride.
Doubt not, I am a nice guy!
We break the cage and rise so high,
With wings of steel, we touch the sky.
Pouring gold in the rain, we soar,
Chasing dreams forevermore.
We shatter the cage, then rise and glide,
With wings of steel, in the storm we ride.
Gold in the rain, we leave behind,
Chasing dreams that dare unwind.
Snowflurries Swirl
Snow falls inside the glass globe:
A swimming, swirling vision
Where four youngsters pose frozen
In their run to leap to a win
For the longest sliding glide
Along an icy, country road
Where no traffic flows;
Near a row of evergreens
that do not grow;
Overseen by a pair of pinpoint specks
for the black, button eyes on
that morning’s made snowman;
And from across an ever-white yard,
In front of a tiny, stone cabin,
Stand some adults, bundled up
To guard against freezing in flying snow —
All huddled together with arms raised
And their painted mouths wide open
In mid-cheer, “Go! Go!”
So loud…So excitedly set to see
Their youngsters, who will not age,
Leap and slide into a race
That has no distance and no winner
— Over ice that does not melt…
All figured to be a vision of some
Heartwarming winter life
That will not end.
—————————————————————————————————————
(c) sally young eslinger 11/1-6/2023
Thanks be to God——-
Let me glide with you
Let me truly feel free
Let us fly through white fluffiness
Let us skim the vast sea
Let us enjoy the warmth of a days sunshine
Let us inhale the mystery and beauty of night
Let us eternally glide together
Let us for evermore be in full flight
Secrets don't hide from me
All your answers glide free
Never have I been about deception
Fool's Gold is its worthless conception
Honesty, above all, until every line the army does fall
Can't hide at all, of glass might as well be your wall
Lies are just the way for your death to have life
Immune to backstabbing, I confiscated the knife
In shattered pieces, my thoughts of you could never be replaced
If I died right now, the only thing lost, your memory is disgraced
You left me all alone, far too soon
Caring for you, I was the buffoon
The hide of a horse
The tongue of an ox
No cloak of remorse
from a chicken with pox
The fur of a cat
the hoot of an owl
The stench of a rat
wiped clean with a towel
The bark of a dog
the glide of a snake
Lily pad of a frog ~
wiped out by earthquake
To be a bird and glide above the sea.
How wondrous that would be! To soar so high
amidst tranquility while wheeling free
above the currents in my azure sky.
I’d travel with the breeze in summertime,
then fly down low to touch cool salty spray.
To be one with such majesty – a rhyme
of “sea” and “me” would be this poet’s play!
At sunset I would thrill to see the view
beyond the bright horizon of the beach.
How magical would be the twilight's hue
that mirrored rippled water just in reach!
And when the moon and stars were big and bright,
I’d sweep the tides in stillness of the night.
No matter how fast I run, or how high I climb,
It always escapes me, that being called “Time”
It is a cunning sparrow, taunting with each rasp
But with each step nearer, flies out of my grasp
Fleeing from my hands, away from my clutch
Just millimeters away but not enough to touch
Running up a steep mountain, I lunge to clasp
But stepping closer to the edge, I let out a gasp
Richly hued feathers painted black and blue,
Each trapping my limbs, my feet stuck like glue
Plant-like appendages wrapping around like vines,
Securing me in place to watch the minute hand’s line
Each tick, each beat, each shake of its slender tail,
Speeds up my heart rate and the pace at which I inhale
Staying in the same place, I beg and plead for more
More of that being which continues to soar and ignore
To this day the sparrow continues to hide and mock,
To glide around others and let out a triumphant squawk
For no one can stop time, whether I am young or old
Only during my final breaths, the sparrow I can hold
Written: July 7, 2021
Contest: “Grasp”
Sponsor: Constance La France
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