Long Phial Poems

Long Phial Poems. Below are the most popular long Phial by PoetrySoup Members. You can search for long Phial poems by poem length and keyword.


EVIDENCE

EVIDENCE

See here, this object that I found
Surely belongs to you
You may shake your head and look away
Yet I can tell that you recognise it
Now your face reddens 
And I am ever more certain it is yours
Something of great significance
To you especially, I think
Take it, hold out your hand
Let me please return it to you
Merely a small blue glass phial
Containing the residue of some liquid
With which you are familiar, no doubt
A lethal weapon in your armoury
Poison makes no sound, except an escaping sigh
That you must have heard so many times
Go now, I shall hold this a secret between us
For one day I may have use of your skill


The Sea Cave's Lee

All words and wonder, wobbling copper green
Foam and guano floating 
In the sea cave’s lee
A flock of gannets raucous on a rocky pile
And the ever-growing echo as the men came by
Climbed from the boat 
And dragged it from the water
Bare feet on painful pebbles relieved by sand
And, at the back of the cave, they dug on their knees 
Scooping with their hands
A tiny purple phial was found, ancient and Phoenician
The granite stopper plucked 
And, instead of a salty seaweed smell,
An oozing, resinous scent
From the darkness of consciousness
A rose and orange essence
Though not exactly a smell
Rather a panorama of far-off painted and planted secret messages
Kiss-kept by a woman
The tinkle of her bangles upon her wrists and ankles still
Echoed in the cave as if the lady was there
Her glancing eye gripped one cold
The press of her heel as she posed before dance
The burst of laughter with friends
Admiring her pencilled eyebrows and plum-blushed lips
Hips and elbows endearingly tipped
She leant forward and whispered into the traveller’s ear, 
All words and wonder:
“Find me some ambergris and bring it to Arabia
Find me some ambergris to perfume my breasts
Find me some ambergris and bring it to my tent.”

Reflection In a Phial

Reflection in a Phial 

I look at my hands they are brown as a farmer`s, this pleases me,
although, I have no land to plough, a tractor or a mule,
a workman`s sturdy hand; all socialists should have hands that
have harvested potatoes or carrots.
I flex my muscles of my upper arms, see a faint movement
like a mouse moving under thawing spring snow.
Glorious vanity I used to do hundred press- ups, a day in the hope
to look strong and furious. I think of sex sadly I wasn`t any good
at it, after the act, I looked for a book to read.
The squalid side of life has always mystified me, why does 
a person chooses a path that leads moral disgrace and ruin?
I have always been lazy, strenuous effort will not touch me,
 but I would like to pull up a few more carrots
© Jan Hansen  Create an image from this poem.

Premium Member Unwanted Breath

A dying man was gasping for air
He asked a nurse if she had some to spare
She breathed into a little phial
And with a smile upon her dial

She said how much will you pay
My phial of breath may save your day
A quiet voice from way up high
Spoke to the nurse and asked her why

She had wanted payment for her breath
When her patient was so near death
Suddenly, she heard a sound
Of soothing music all around

She looked at the dying man's face
And noticed that there was no trace
Of worry lines or wrinkles there,

He seemed to rise from his bed
A cosy pillow lay under his head
The nurse was awe-struck and gave a scream
Praying to awaken from this dream
Still holding her phial of breath.
Form: Rhyme

A STUDY IN VIOLET

A STUDY IN VIOLET

This treasure house of objets d’art
Littered with plots and storylines
A room encrusted with jewels of history
Inviolate – and undisturbed.

Over there, a military tunic
Blue – and in such fine condition.
Pale lapels perhaps too remote or innocent
Of its vile ‘let them have it’ past.

Here, an abandoned symphony
Black notes pebbledash the page.
Written for that ancient violin, no…
Viol. Late Belle Epoch I think.

That leather book I recognise
An ancient asset register.
And with such work of reference
Identify - a little more.

A philtre or monk’s cure perhaps.
Or poison, used to sway an empire.
Something forensic science may analyse
This phial – let it keep its secret.

Here, a scroll. Homeric tragedy?
Greek, according to the words.
Those old strange symbols, faded now
A ‘Phi’ or letter ‘P’ – I’m sure.

I cannot touch nor be considered
A robber, loose in a dusty tomb.
Caught in the torchlight, gold in hand
Say ‘Fie!’ – or let him go.

This treasure is too much for anyone
To really own. To hide away.
Bequeathed to me but never really mine.
Something Auntie Violet always knew.


The Great Kitchen Catastrophe

I reached for a vessel, a delicate glass,

A translucent phial of noble class,

Beside an old ewer and sacred water-urn,

When I stumbled on a canister—a fatal turn!

I attempted to smite, to strike with fury,

To save my clear flask from a clumsy jury,

Instead came a clash and a thunderous impact,

As my elbow met clay in a violent contact!

The floor began to shudder, to rock to the core,

As six crystal phials went crashing to the floor.

They started to clatter, resonate, and vibrate,

Shattering asunder at an alarming rate!

My cat began to totter, to wobble in fright,

As I delivered a thump in the mid-afternoon light.

This scene served to vex, to gall my poor soul,

And throw my calm mind into chaos whole.

It threatened to disquiet, to stir inner unrest,

Standing in opposition to my peaceful quest.

My anger collided in strife with the room,

As ceramic and glass met their shattering doom.

And yet, in the wreckage, I chose to surrender,

To yield to the grace of a silence so tender.

I pacified the storm, hushed the raging spirit within,

And lulled my poor mind past the terrible din.

We started to chime, to dwell in sweet concord,

As I swept up the pieces that lay on the board.

To gladden the heart and succor the weary,

I sat in profound stillness, no longer so dreary—

Laying down my broom armor, embracing the peace,

And letting all kitchen-based violence cease!
Form: Limerick

reflection in a phial

Reflection in a Phial

I look at my hands, they are as brown as a farmer`s, this pleases me,
although I have no land to plough, a tractor or a mule, or
a workman`s sturdy hand; all socialists should have hands that
have harvested potatoes or carrots.
I flex the muscles in my upper arms and see a faint movement
like a mouse moving under thawing spring snow.
Glorious vanity, I used to do a hundred press-ups a day in the hope
of looking intense and furious. I think of sex sadly. I wasn`t any good
at it. After the act, I looked for a book to read.
The squalid side of life has always mystified me. Why does
a person choose a path that leads to moral disgrace and ruin?
I have always been lazy; strenuous effort will not touch me,
but I would like to pull up a few more carrots.
© Jan Hansen  Create an image from this poem.

Volga 4 - 5

Volga – 4

to the homoeopathy phial
standing on the traffic-island 
why it appears 
within her womb
the number of germinated nights
stolen without a kiss
is too little

is then it true 
if all the chanting of Harinam
can’t be withdrawn from the alcohol
the body-odour of the running tamarisk-shrub  
will enter into the circuit-house

and that devouring of the parchment 
brings to the feelings of the non-veg ant-hills 
the let’s-go-cure 
gathering in the sauce-island 

Volga - 5

coming to this ironed canal-side
every auto-rickshaw  
wants to know and let other know 
the mystery 
behind  the rice-rain 
from the cirrus                                                

the shame in the eyes of the seal containing signs
supplies the whole-sale dealership 
of the civil disobedience movement 
to the locality

the role of the hammer also 
wakes up early in the morning 
to put under its own tongue 
an antacid 

is it possible that the spits 
used in the observatory 
be made a little more fast-moving 

manuscript of the basement of a well

the biography of the pond-heron will be scripted
even-then the productivity of the merry-go-round 
wouldn’t be uttered for a moment 
no sir, such has never been expected 

in the liquefied banana-blossoms
too many hot breads resulted from the season-change 
continues to bat  vehemently  
and climbs to the peak of heart-throbbing runs 

they in a group will go to the 
aqua anetha of the mole hill 
to organise a folk-song 

to understand this 
no arbitration of the cactus is required

notwithstanding
it is heard that the thread was pulled 
by the violin of  the wife of the moon-god
from behind the screen 

here in the eye-front
is the basement of the morning-well 

on its one page lies the faulty  crow-caws 
and on another some sun-shines 
swinging on the hanger 
after some pages in recurring …the chicken-pox … the boot-polish …

within the two covers of the dance-drama 
also comes the creepers and herbs 
grown around the melting point 
of the arm-chair 
whose legs are broken 

if each pore on the skin of the river-lily 
becomes so much known 
then in the background of this low land

let us have one game more

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