Misty mystic night marveled mesmerized.
Cobalt blue cerulean ambient glistened.
Nascent crescent descent Moon sparkling
My dormant dreams drinking desires
Tingling passion, lingering urge surging.
I pressed my lips to seal my love.
A kiss in the dark pierced my heart
shaking senses to touch seven heavens.
Instant vision through amorous lens.
At a history museum,
Main Street, Milford, in Pa.,
Is a giant flag with blood,
That may be Lincoln’s, on display.
Aside from that, ephemera
And lots of local lore
Wait for patrons who are visiting
To take time to explore.
I marveled at the hand-sewn quilts,
Their stitches small and neat,
And the menus from hotels, where lunch
Was forty cents to eat.
A woven cradle, clothes and hats,
Old irons, plus the boards,
And uniforms from soldiers
Were just some of the rewards
For visiting a building
Which preserves life in the past.
Who knows how long collections,
Like this treasure trove, may last?
I must admit, though, that what I
Liked best that I did see
Was the dog of the director,
Just as friendly as could be.
Inspired by the painting, “Expecting Mother” by Lovetta Reyes-Cairo
Vessel of peace
wondrously blest
keeps on bringing hope
while divinely guarded
as God, the life-Source
furnishes well-being wholeness
securing baby
around caring fortress
protected inside her belly
nurtured with love
nourished midst faith...
My soul marveled at its beauty
sublimely miraculous
creatively mysterious---
---before I beheld
my Mom's gracious face.
*Romans 14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
July 21, 2026
1st place, "1491" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand; judged on 7/26/2026
3rd place, "When words speak for the silence of art" Ekphrasis Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Silent One; judged on 7/29/2026
Aridisol
-----------------------
-----------------------
Human emotion
the exploration of
a
the underlain
topsoils of
clayey deposits
a camera merley captures it's sight
loamy the interconnectedness
beneath our feet
perfection in human sight
the depths of the alluvial outwash
pretty in every measure
quarts agate and gems
the treasures of a cobbled assortment
the perfections I marveled at the
crown jewel of the bunch
meditating on the dirt beneath our feet
---------------------------------------------
Uhm, uh, ooh, auh, ooh
and Mmmmm,auh,ooh!
her sandles were full of clay and sand
she sat to enjoy agave edible flowers and stalks
---------------------------------------------
As I looked upward, late last night,
I saw a star ... a star that shone
upon the earth below, so bright,
it seemed as if it were alone.
I couldn't help but think of you,
with all the gifts that you possess;
a star so bright, yet lonely too.
Why so alone? I can but guess.
Like many, I looked up to you,
a star somehow above us all;
and marveled at the things you'd do.
But now I wish that you might fall
and not be quite so out of reach.
But if you fell into the sea,
and I were standing on the beach,
I'd wish for you to swim to me.
I've never beheld a star before,
but seeing you so bright and clear,
I'd love to hold you evermore,
though stars, in daylight, disappear.
I see the sun begin to rise,
and darkness fade to misty gray.
I watch with clouded, tear-filled eyes
as my beloved star just fades away.
My heart breaks as I think of you.
Where are you now, amazing star?
If only wishes would come true,
I'd wish to be there, wherever you are.
An ink butterfly on her chest
Right between Lady Right and Lady Left
Half the parlour was in awe when she undid her shirt
They, like me, marveled at their grace
They ought to be real cause only God can make something that makes all men stop and stare
I envy my own babe, nursing peacefully on your chest,
When it comes to the Girls I just don't want to share.
I am a selfish man.
what does he call his cat, do you know?
I looked around and guessed “maybe Van Gogh”
The guy was a painter, and had copied Starry Night
I was astounded to find out later that I was right
The cat was Van Gogh, and his dog was Poe
He was a writer too, which I truly did not know
A painter also, there was nothing he could not do
I marveled at his works done up in oranges and blue
Wondrous vessel of peace
securing babes around caring fortress
nurtured with love...
I marveled at its beauty
before beholding Mom's gracious face.
The implications of my actions,
Has an impact and reactions,
Gaining the traction I need,
I feed into the actual issue,
To find the roots' shoots,
Wishing you knew how I see you,
A true reflection of grace,
Creating within this space,
As you face your struggles,
The chase tugging at nerves,
As you swerve into chaos,
An auspicious place to be,
You aught to be proud,
Endowed where you are,
Carving a name from nothing,
It's something to be marveled,
Marvelous and magnificent,
It's an imminent threat,
To those who wont let go,
The shadow tricks you,
At first you don't know,
I used them to help me grow,
Flowing within the unknown,
Shown only what I can hold,
The whole truth will overload you,
Through the old comes the new,
The view changes as you do,
Stay true to the guide inside,
It may divide you for a while,
The pile waits to be sorted,
As a distorted mind becomes aligned,
Finding its way through the dark,
My spark making a mark.
July 4th, 1776
Declaration of Independence
A brave path towards our independence from the British
A revolution with courage
Blood spilled on American soil
To fight for our land and freedom
Determination with strong leadership
A tyrant invading our homes
To preserve our American heritage
An instrument of war
A draft document written
13 colonies signing towards our declaration
Philosophy of our human fights
Marveled to become our liberty
The right to defend your very own property
To finely live in prosperity
To be free under sovereignty
On April 30th, 1789
George Washington was sworn in
As the 1st president of the United States of America
He sat with his shoulder nudging hers.
She languished in the warmth of the touch
and the familiarity of their intimacy.
She slurped the last of her coffee
and marveled at the somber sound.
Was this the goodbye she’d feared
fueled by her own insecurity?
He was master at inuendo and charm,
which made her all the more wary.
Fearful expectations…dismay.
I
Moonlight, shone upon her collied, weary heart.
scarred by a life of many failures
and dreams unfulfilled
now she is a slave to her own thoughts,
and undying feelings of indifference.
the master of puppets
pulls on her heartstrings.
she lives on the dark side of the moon.
yet her volcanic beauty is like
a rare celestial body Galileo laid eyes on for the first time
through a telescope back in 1610
and sketched into our history books
for future human beings to gaze at and be marveled by.
this is what her beauty is like.
her eyes are like Egyptian Pools
they show a reflection of her eternal soul
which flows like the Nile;
it could give life to entire civilizations.
she doesn’t see the big picture,
she doesn’t see her beauty,
and these are both great tragedies.
still, she lives on the dark side of the moon,
the girl who was afraid to be…
Where am I?
Am I in the sky
Or in the ground
Certainly not, this, walking ‘round
Only dust left when gone
No such circuitry can perceive
The beauty of dawn
Or the glooming of eve
When the dust settles
Where have I gone
The dew upon the petals
Faerie Circles on the lawn
Something stirs in between
And remains for us, unseen
Not, will ever be found here
All here is dust, that much is clear
This place seems a shadow from high above
And no, I’m not going to say a place of love
Love keeps us happy to continue the charade
While somewhere something-
Plays with what it’s made
Did it count on us making the best of it
Enjoying each sunrise and its benefit
Discovering art, taking the world apart
Uncovering science
While it marveled our defiance
To not just be rats in its cage
But to evolve into cultures
That foresaw their futures
Still using wisdom as a workaround
And ingenuity to make life here more sound
Though I sometimes still wonder where I really am
Sometimes I don’t really think I give a damn
As long as I’m happy in this short dream
I’ll rave and I’ll laugh till I run out of steam
a cooling, refreshing contrast
the others provided a richer smoker
taste
a subtle but effective aromatic depth
a floral a bright, a citrusy, accent
consistent and smooth
each compliments the other
blending the sweet ripe taste
of both cherry and strawberries
Bing Chelan and Sweet Kiss,
Mara des Bois stands out as favorites
Natchez throneless sweetness are to
in consideration as Darrow Ponce or Apache
The Triple Crown stands out front
to provide flavor to the full richness of a blend
A creation of a product to be marveled
the world abroad. The felt jacket
may not have been a great choice
as it collected everything
from pet fur and hair.
Once, a little Spanish girl
was given a "regalo" -
a dainty little potted plant,
a purple-petaled mallow.
She set it in a sunny spot,
beneath a southern window,
re-housed it in an iron pot
and named it, "Don Galindo".
She gave it water every day,
and gave its loam a hoeing.
She talked to it and petted it,
and marveled at its growing.
Her plant rose tall and strong and fine,
rewarding all her labors:
"¡Te quiero!" sighed the little girl:
"¡Que raro!" cried the neighbors.
Joy never lasts, grief always comes,
said someone (maybe Byron?)
Galindo's roaming, ravenous roots
were hemmed-in by the iron.
The fine plant sickened and declined,
all hopes of salvage scuppered:
its lower parts, by steel confined,
could not sustain the upper.
And so, the moral of our tale -
resisting is not giving.
Do not preclude, prevent, prevail -
rigidity's all very well,
but soon turns heaven into hell!
Give in to me -
set us both free -
don't cramp or crowd -
things disallowed
can hardly go on living.
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