Umbrella
Under an umber umbrella
An utter utopia spreads
‘Neath ultramarine skies
As undertones of ube unwind
Upon a wildwood’s uplifting reflections
Through undulating naked boughs,
Upon the hideaways of hedgehogs
An acapella unison,
Utmost urbane contentment,
Unleashed on unkempt undergrowth
To unmask a placid peace of bliss
A universal understanding
Within this upbeat universe
Under an umber umbrella
11-8-22
Contest: Writing Challenge Unburden a "U"
Sponsor: Constance La France
“ube” is a yam with purple hues.
April Love
April comes rushing to the shore,
bringing her joys in by the score
It's looking grand down in the woods
and the adjoining neighbourhoods.
Coming alive now are the trees,
filled with blossom and budding leaves
Scattered showers helping to grow
fledgling flowers for summers show.
Longer days to one’s sheer delight
and the coming of shorter nights
Soft and dulcet mild spring breezes
wave goodbye to winter freezes.
April blows magic in the air,
her gift to lovers everywhere
The beginning of things anew,
life, hope, wishes, dreams coming true.
Hark the buzzing of busy bees,
seeking nectar from blossom trees
Birds busily building their nests,
hideaways from unwelcome guests.
Young lambs prancing in a spring dance,
watched over by mother’s proud glance
Look at lovely eyes of a calf,
glorious heart stealers they are.
April invites one to explore,
scenery outside the front door
So many wonders to be seen,
where the April fairies have been.
17th April 2021
It has been low, dim, and heavy,
heavens part, light swoops onto open waters,
the overflow of recent torrents
glittering sky-fish skim.
Keep on driving as if the road were silver rails.
Right and left window worlds out of synch
peripherally bifurcated by speed.
The heavens part un-stitching fraying seams,
smudges unravel. Light pushes
into the open mouths of surface breathers.
The grey is rent, more light bounces off eyes;
it is a fast road; squint, grip the wheel tighter.
Left and right small animals un-plod
from the wet earth, hedgerows whisk thin colors
expose nestlings in their cradle hideaways.
Pick up a cup of instant noodles,
a 6-pack from the quickie mart.
On the lot heavens are opening
one acre at a time,
light lowers like a faded wedding gown
marbling concrete
dressing the cars in lacy.
Reach into condo, eat noodles, drink beer
while heavens knit together
with a last twinkle of silver needles.
Gypsy Heart
Gypsy heart aimless wanders galaxies,
Astral hideaways, callow time, fantasies,
Tunnels of amnesty – mercy’s galleries
Through agnostic atrophy heart agony,
Frantic nomad rips at denial’s repeats -
Cleaves to the rock of prayer’s sweet vitality
Reverberating stillness parrots heartbeats
Like a watchman with whimpered unsung pleas
Graces benedictions in crystal womb retreats.
Souvenirs of opaque shadows run - releases
Breath of grace for weary prodigal’s return
To open arms where battered heart grief ceases
Through milky ways glowing milestones reveal each turn
Bruised heart bursts in raptures of sweet grace nocturne
2-5-21
Contest: Heart Universes
Sponsor: Regina McIntosh
The park empties
inside a nightgown of dusk.
They have talked
yet only now are they speaking
through a rhythmic articulation
of the unsaid.
She a trembling levee through which
a river seeks a sea,
he a plow
in the hands of dark angels.
There are groves of trees,
shadows in hiding,
places buried deep
into the crux of earth-ripe passions.
There they peel the layers,
conceal and reveal,
utter body prayers,
swear to retain and preserve
every demanding ounce of themselves
as one being.
The park glides into a dreaming starlight,
they leave, holding a tenderness
like a frail child between them.
A garish daylight glares, reshapes the park,
with a stark and angular graphite.
Walls and barriers are duct taped together,
the sky patched and reeling,
hideaways questioned and scuff-marked
by a tramping tread.
The city reclaims its grout and mortar
crouches above a grey and concrete claw.
Crumbs of an ill-defined regret
are left out for the sparrows.
******This poem had special appeal to me in that a friend had brought up that I had a talent for poetry and he encouraged me to write more. I was very proud of this piece, which was written at one of my 'hideaways' where I find inspiration; nature poetry or what some call 'nature erotica'. This poem was anthologized, which makes me feel rather fortunate, since a publisher requested it among many other poets and great poems. I think I finally 'saw' what my friend had after it was officially published*****
Amid the sylvan shade,
the footpaths teem with wooded laugh,
the sylph she giggles atop aerie slumber,
tickled in soft-slender breeze;
the nectar dews,
meady-moss and carpet-leaves,
juniper and berry-sweet breath
She sings amid the sylvan shade
nothing to do but sigh and dream
her wanton-wistful way
The glade whispers wishes (weening)
tempered hush,
echoed odes of faerie-tongue forgotten rhyme,
But for the meadow and vale,
aerie eagle cries,
none has come but I;
to sit and ponder, and listen -----
homage,
amid the sylvan shade
Love affairs, wars, depression, gastronomy, obsession,
weight loss, job loss, don't give a toss, Bill Goss,
arguments, instalments, increments, incidents,
discension, derision, indecision, my pension.
Bad looking, dodgy cooking, let's make a booking,
sloppy dresser, second - guesser, more is lesser,
flash car, Chandrika, you're a star, take me to the bar,
holidays, getaways, hideaways, lazy days, Vin de Pays.
They found him in a bunker, then he was shot,
an ignominious ending, more likely than not;
remember when he waved a rifle from the balcony,
the fake euphoria just committed to history.
There was no 'mother,' only burnt - out trucks on
the road to Basra - now nothing would ever matter.
Does the flash of the lightening disturb you
White light shining into your eye
Or the hammering of the thunder
Echoing throughout the sky
Light intensity and noise levels
Reach a cataclysmic peak
And driving rain in stair-rods
As we a glimpse do sneak
What will escape the tempest
And the tortuous howling gale
Blasted indiscriminately
Like a boat that’s lost it’s sail
All creatures they stay hidden
To let the storm past by
Secure in their hideaways
Hoping its end is nigh
Indianapolis welcomes you.
Navigate, find your place, sailing through
synthetic waterway just for fun.
Off’ring journeys with anecdotes,
carriages, kayaks and pedal boats
worthwhile way to enjoy snow or sun.
We'll park your vehicle, while you fete
with friends, fam'ly, or special date.
Hire out a gondolier; he can hunt
for local sites, you don't want to miss -
hideaways where you can reminisce,
use Indy’s canal at Riverfront.
written November 29, 2016
These Are Mountains
Trying, failing,
second best,
In front, behind,
betwixt, beyond
The also-rans
and hard pressed,
Are destinations
of which I'm fond.
In love, out of love,
left behind
Somewhere, nowhere
and inbetween,
Where pity mongers
and unkind
Crowd the places
I have been.
Happy, sad,
ambivalent,
Up, down,
on level ground,
Incommunicado
and vigilant
Are the hideaways
I have found.
Reaching high,
laying low,
A puppeteer
with costume torn,
Bold as brass
and incognito
Are all the faces
I have worn.
Doubting feelings,
holding back,
Weeping, laughing,
feeling sorry,
Black is white
and white is black
This is my fate
my life, a folly.
Peace, happiness
and finding love,
Seeking, keeping
and embracing time
To escape the gloom,
to rise above,
But these are mountains
too high to climb.
© RJVHorton2015
Shimmering
crystal clear cyan sea
bordered by the rugged coastline rocks
where inquisitive lapping waves intrude within
old smugglers’ caves and pirates’ secret hideaways.
Gentle waters tease the sprawling sand.
Dreams haunt the enchanted
Blue Lagoon.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13th June, 2014
Contest: Choose your favourite body...
Form: Trois-Par-Huit
Sponsor: Andrea Dietrich
Placed: 2nd
Like dominoes the vows did fall
Till there was nothing left at all ---
Promises and vows you never meant to keep
Constantly haunt me and keep me from sleep.
Wayward ways from yesterday
Have turned your world around.
And visions of tomorrow
Are nowhere to be found.
Late night hideaways
Hide secrets by the score
But morning light will find you
Back knocking at my door.
But broken hearted lovers
Don't make the best of friends
And when a heart can hurt no more
Even friendship finds an end.
Broken vows and promises
Have a certain way
Of coming back to haunt you ---
And true love flies away
First date
Is most lingering
And the most memorable
Happenings in ones’ life
Especially to anyone
Who has fallen in love!
When the first date
Happened in ones’ first love!
It is an unforgettable
Moment in ones’ life, there’s the killjoy and the escort
Consider the many anxieties
The first kiss followed with many other more
The sensuality and the success,
Sometimes the tragedy and trauma ending a first love
The prelude and the postlude
Everything in the deep recesses of the mind and heart.
Which date a culmination of elopement and unplanned marriage
The unmentionable the precedent superseded by a bigger event.
The behind the scenes back-up by denials and alibis and escapades!
The hideaways of movies and parks
The torrid kissings, the necking, and pettings
The secret personal meeting
And the discovery…the upheaval and the infantisizing stage!
You never know and you’ll never forget!
Dalila Agtani
7/4/11
As a child
I sat beneath my grandmother’s table
And listened to the stories and whispers
Of all who gathered 'round
If mom was in a really good mood
A cover could go over and make it into
The most exciting of hideaways
As I got older my friends would gather 'round
To watch me blow the candles from a birthday cake
The streamers, the noisy horns
The spills dripping down the middle
It became the place of games
Cards and much fun
And sometimes a wee bit too much competition
But always
Laughter and friends
It’s the place the women stay
And discuss everyone, everything
After dinner and football is on
It’s the office
Mail in stacks waiting to be dealt with
The weekly writing of checks
It’s the place my children have gathered
To pound play dough
Stir brownies
Carve pumpkins
Do homework
Paint masterpieces
And blow out their own candles
As I was disinterring the silent hideaways
I could find many quivery runaways
Wreathed on worm.
Unaware of me they were
Behind the carved marble
They were wriggling in mass.
Then when I watched them all excreting
It never scared me as they were breeding
But, it just scared me when I saw
They were dribbling in halo
The leprous feeling came over
It just drilled me so sober
Some of them wizened
Some of them drenched
That’s the reason they are blessed.
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