Thy radiance of countenance over me
Inspirits my love poignancy.
May be sometimes motionless the sea tides;
My love on you never rests.
When thought I illusion, a damsel’s love,
Discarded ye my ignorance to vision.
Smile in thy mellow lips
Miles my heart to starry skies.
If thy words could console me,
Like I, to be whipped by tyrant—thy father
Turned I a renowned encomiast,
For ye kindled my fancies.
An arrow could hardly engore my heart,
But killed so by thy raunchy eyes!
Whatever the energy
that I embrace
That beats with my heart
And inspirits my face
That makes me a person
And carries my soul
I know that it is this
Which then, makes me whole
Whenever I wonder
The essence of being
Which makes us alive
With all that I’m seeing
I always remember
This awesome bequest
Was given of love
Through mystery undressed
Adrift in the currents
Of spirit in flow
So gracious in catering
All that I know
There is something about a bonfire
that soon surpasses Summer's splendid joys;
those warm, yet soothing sunny days,
with crimson sunsets, balmy moonlit nights-
which in their time, will all come to an end.
Then we'll be watching blazing logs of wood
aglow with fire and brilliant dancing flames
beneath the polished, iridescent moon-
uplifting, warming, comforting Fall's chill-
while one by one, we freely gather 'round.
The bonfire's glow inspirits unity,
as we accept farewell to summer past-
preparing for those unique autumn gifts;
enjoying harvests, fellowship, and love-
and joyous holidays that follow soon.
September 13, 2022
Premiere Contest: Fall Flavors
Sponsor: Regina McIntosh
Theme: Having A Bonfire
Slender Kindred Glance
sun drenched, a field of
reflective grasses,
abosrbing the infernal rays
of that hot orb, swaying
in the breeze as they might,
their motion inspirits
my head and torso to sway
slowly in tandem,
in parallel time like
a lazy march, as the
rhythmic swirls
of dried seed heads
atop floral stalks, brush,
against one another,
crashing…. serving up
its falling germ,
ground-ward, glancing off
to one place or another.
as my human touch,
with its atomic currents,
attest to their certainty of
interaction, what would
I do, when a slender
kindred glance of
the ineffable breath,
yes that breath!
engaging that crowned
salutary word, which
sounded the first cry
to release, birthing
the slow crawl of animal
logic and its pool of
accrued totality; the
human sun, that human orb
bows down.
My eyes stare forward,
my breath has halted, the
fields of grass continue
swaying, they pay no mind,
it all started so long ago;
seed scurrying about
over the landscape,
lodging wherever, hidden,
patient, asleep for the
moment, awaiting the
conditions. Like them
I wait, I take
a full breath.
With finespun fingers of silky words
brushed with passionate warmth cashmere,
fill my pillow here with your lush and luscious thoughts
so my starry-eyes may wander hushed sighs, as mere
sleepy sweet nothings whisper flushed forget-me-nots.
Dress my dreams agleam your soft sterling tiffany,
upon moonbeams of cream chiffon fly your mused rapture
in glimmers; so shimmers swooned stream’s epiphany
of silky words cashmere - dream’s cocoon you capture.
Susan Ashley
November 24, 2017
~ Fifth Place ~
Premiere Contest: Early Feb. 2018
Sponsor: Brian Strand
Poet’s note; In honor of my friendship with the wonderful and talented poet, Paul Callus, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation. His lovely response to my comment on his beautiful poem 'Whispers of Love' lit the fuse to my muse, inspiring this poem...
Thank you, my dear friend Paul,
your artistry inspirits me.
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