Early morning mist clings to the valley, cloaking the world in quiet gray. The air is crisp, tinged with the scent of pine needles and damp earth. Each footstep along the winding trail is met with the gentle crunch of gravel and fallen leaves—a steady rhythm that echoes in the stillness. The mountains loom above, ancient and unmoving, their peaks hidden by shifting clouds. As I ascend, the path narrows and my breath grows shallow, but my spirit feels light, as if carried by the wind. Standing at the summit, the world unfurls beneath me—rivers glimmer, forests sprawl, and silence reigns, vast and unbroken.
Stone giants watching—
the sun’s gold spills on ridges,
eagles ride the dawn.
A Clever, Highly Intriguing Haibun Poetry Contest
1/19/2026
Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
I dream of the foggy sky;
quiet whispers start my endless morning.
Is it so wrong to want you;
my soul seeks the light.
I can’t escape these tidal waves;
needing you to breathe.
I’d cross the stars to share;
a single embrace with you.
I brave the storm to feel your heartbeat;
break through to the light.
I can’t endure the darkness,
without the sound of your voice.
I’d give it all; I have no choice.
Can you hear me calling?
I picture you in every fading hue;
etched in my heart, a masterpiece,
shades of golden blue.
But you’re far away; like a fleeting ray.
I chase through endless time, because;
I miss you; I miss you so.
Can you hear me calling!
My Entry "D"
'Pick A Line Poetry Contest'
1/15/2026
Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
Written: December 30, 2025, for contest Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
***********
You tilt the world and hush its frantic spin;
a gentled light that settles in my skin.
You foster my slashed heart, seek fairness,
To soar above conundrum awareness.
Your gaze revamps my lackluster day;
lifts the veil, beckons beyond radiant way.
A spark draws the drab embers to flame;
your composure spurred me to fame.
The Entry-A
Written: December 19, 2025, for contest: Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
******************
The mist paints a nascent landscape tonight,
I stand aboard, ready for yet another flight.
Today, as the sun wades to its final breath,
I watch the year exhaling up to its death.
I recall the tears and laughter on the way,
The memories drift somewhere farther away.
I remember the light, I remember the starkness,
And the days I was left alone in the darkness.
I have found my freedom, my wings are free,
Yet I feel uncertain, lonesome still to be.
As mist departs and clears my view,
I wish upon the last star true.
For a less chaotic world, that is my dream.
A wandering brook whispers gently, stream.
A hearty ovation for a task well done.
A year ahead, full of options, not guns.
I welcome dawn’s first tender hue,
A year reborn, with hope to renew,
A brighter path for me and you to pursue.
This twenty-six may have an unbiased worldview.
Written: December 6, 2025, for contest Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
****************
Oh, Nero, spearhead of the wicked fate,
With insane fire, you lit the Roman gate,
Your lyre produced a wild, melodic grate,
Your greed is burning on your twisted trait,
As the power bursts with your wicked hate,
Flames rise, and all that is left will abate,
In the gloom, a flare of faith on the slate,
A phoenix will rise from dust, may elate,
And Rome shall breathe again, fresh and ornate.
RZ & HMS: 10 syllables per 9 lines
Lo, it is in the darkest night
Forsaken by the day’s light
Moon too has taken flight
Putting my heart to fright,
The world is hit by a blight
No one is to be seen in sight
And I’m left alone to fight,
Seems something is not right
Unable to endure this plight
Praying for help, God might…
Dawn peeps through the skylight
Rays of hope shimmering bright
My life beamed with full delight.
~Contest: Complete Monorhyme
Sponsor: Hilo Poet
Written: November 05, 2025, for contest Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
****************************
He ruled with a rakish grin ... a slack scythe in his sanguine fist—
A pharaoh of spurious gloat ... redolent of lard and treacle,
His laws ratified in rapture ... festooned the sacred with spit.
A seraglio of skeuomorphs ... hailed his wondrous fashion sense—
The riparian fields sank ... in soaked squalor and dysania,
He wore a nimbus of stink ... a stygian sherpa to dire fate.
In his sesquipedalian bragging ... the soul of land grew slack—
Each boast is a blur, each law ... a grieving gasp of suction,
Even the seraphic ibis flinched ... its wings dimmed by his shadow.
With tales of Siamese stars and stew ... he won over the jury—
Though the slack-jawed and gaunt group ... gnawed on serendipity bones,
There was no spark ... just the sizzle of sand in a dying sun.
Now his tomb lies amid a cold dune ... decked with dysenteric myths—
A janiform relic of zeitgeist and treason ... stripped of all zest,
The sovereign ruin ... no ripple, no ravel, no rove of resile.
Kalua pig and cabbage
Kalua means roast
Boil cabbage till mildly soft
Plus, the roasted pork
Add rice and just ‘grind’
means—Hilo
—'Eat'!
Unseen, unheard
in stillness, silence,
stuck inside my bony skull.
You spoke one word,
just, 'Mama'.
You understood.
for 'Less Said' Poetry Contest, sponsored by Hilo Poet
ummm ok…
what’s that you say?
ummm no way…
nope, not today.
ummm good day…
just go away!
Less Said Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
9/24/2025
Written: September 24, 2025, for contest sponsored by Hilo Poet
**********
hollow like a cave of gods
absence sings
a fire’s breath
a mountain bowed
a river reborn
light carves wisdom from stone
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
beneath the stars, we wander free
our paths unknown, but hearts aglow
the world unfolds, a mystery
beneath the stars, we wander free
each step, a note in destiny's key
where whispers guide and shadows grow
beneath the stars, we wander free
our paths unknown, but hearts aglow
Triolet Contrast Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
Written: January 08, 2025, for contest Sponsored by: Hilo Poet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fields of snow are starting to melt,
Pristine whiteness turns to brown shade,
As snowflakes and grime in chunks dwelt,
Fields of snow are starting to melt,
Uncovered ochre footprints welt;
Under the weight of paw pads spade,
Fields of snow are starting to melt,
Pristine whiteness grows to brown shade.
On May 11th, Hawaii did declare,
The pandemic's end, no longer a scare.
Federal word, the last state to know,
Preparing for changes in the vaccine flow.
Medicaid shifts, seniors in plight,
September 24th, the end in sight.
In early June, insurers did call,
Reassessing coverages, answers to stall.
July brought news, uncertain and grim,
Doctors from Honolulu, prospects dim.
August 13th, a reevaluation came,
Insurance updates, changes to name.
September 4th, last talks in the air,
Doctors and insurers, a tangled affair.
Neighbors noticed a front lanai void,
Paramedics broke in, stained glass destroyed.
September 30th, Hilo Hospital's care,
Unconscious, admitted, a fate to bear.
Rehabilitating now, seeking what's just,
Attorney in tow, a lawsuit a must.
In court, on the prosecutor's side,
Facing defenses, where Luigi will bide.
From issue to hope, a journey so grand,
Manus, Festus, Infestus – a fight at hand.
Maunakea comes
into view. Coastlines
from right side windows.
Hilo, my hometown.
Soon we’ll be landing.
I feel the plane
stop and cargo
door with luggage
bumps hold, thumps ramp.
Passengers
and crew says
Aloha.
Flowered
crowned lei.
FRUITS!
Sub Categories
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