~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Early fall has passed; it’s November now. The air is noticeably colder, drawing the heat from my skin. With each breath I take, the moisture from my lungs rises in thick plumes before me.
winter sun readies
autumn sighs, bequeaths its gift
confetti garland
As fall settles in and the days get noticeably shorter
Fall chores pile up but also a sense
Of just wanting to settle with the season
Retreat into a good book
The way at evening it’s time to pour a wee dram
Eat some chocolate and watch a show.
Instead of winter being a dull and cold and dark time
It is like the dessert at the end of a long busy day.
(10/21/25)
contest : Alpha Rhymes
sponsor : Joseph May
3.9.25
PLACED 3RD : Standard Contest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
APPLE BLOSSOMS CAUGHT DREAMY EYES
fairy farm was ablaze with fruity trees
gentle breezes swayed laden branches
canaries sang, cows mooed, all at ease
FIGS, GRAPES, HACKBERRY, IMBE, JACKFRUIT
with Turkish splash pool glimmering awaited
tiny tier temple newly whitewashed invited
brass buddha bell and rose garden gated
KITES LAY MOTIONLESS NOTICEABLY OBVERT
which leisure activity would we choose
as fruity farm holiday commenced covert
like in paradise peacock strutted with goose
PEACH, QUINCE, RASPBERRY, STRAWBERRY TARTS
stole our minds, stomach and hearts
this heavenly place embraced tired souls
stress dissolved in nature’s eloquent role
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are getting on, old fruit
Too obese to wear your new suit
Your face resembles a wrinkled prune
Old age is showing on you too soon,
What has happened to your lustrous hair
Your scalp is shiny and noticeably bare
Your jowls are hanging lower than your chin
My word, I cannot believe what a state you're in
Shoulders that were broad and strong
They are now all hunched and look all wrong.
Your knees are knobbly and a little bent,
The left leg forgot where the right one went.
I can not understand you when you talk,
Your brain, not your legs, has gone for a walk
Your eyes look blank, staring into space
You have lost touch with the human race.
We lost touch over the years,
After sharing much laughter and some tears
I have just seen you interviewed on TV
Old fruit, it was a shock to me,
To see you sitting in a chair,
With all the hoi polloi and fanfare there
Smiling happily from ear to ear
Holding up a glass of cheer
With the TV presenters and your guests
Wishing you the very best
And the audience stood up to say
Many happy returns of your 110th BIRTHDAY!
Now late April, and the grassy fields of winter have disappeared
in response to the airplane sprays of very effective weed killers.
The land is moist and brown, seeded for the crops of 2025.
And before long the tender plants will emerge, and the
anticipation of the year's bounty has already begun.
A red tractor sits in the open field, ready and waiting
for its new task. Meanwhile, its clean white rims on its
wheels, as if on display, are so very noticeably beautiful.
Everything truly is beautiful in its own way.
Blowing through my area for a few days
gust making temperature bitterly cold
rushing underneath my coat; soo bold
penetrating my layers of clothing and boots
siphoning my body natural warmth
hands throbs with pain; gloves no help
feet and face froze noticeably numb
leg bones stiffening as I continue to step
restricting my singing and dancing blood flow
left me feeling empty, cold, and stiff head to toes
wondering, "are you trying to steal my heart and soul?"
So, the glistening aim noticeably passes by,
So, the dangerous motion formidably goes by,
So, the unknown one remains unknown for the time being,
So, one is ahead of the petty singing.
The one and only is good-natured and well-behaved,
He is favoured and well-blessed.
Though the great Guide is sacrificed, done and dusted,
The honest being is fit, fine, and well-crafted.
The physical existence is going to be dealt with,
The mirrored organizations are going to vote for the myth.
The glass is going to be blurred by its connotations,
The pure man is defined by his situations.
The window is becoming larger day by day,
The commentators are solitary soldiers in their own way.
The perception is becoming blinded,
The light is the only lie that is provided.
Here, the perfect human is the representative of his species,
Here, he has grown up with his lengthy speeches.
Here, he is no longer unknown or unfeasible to catch,
And therefore, he has everything else to match.
Amidst cruelty, bigotry, and hate,
silence, vindicates a crocodile tear.
The sound of silence influences fate:
speaking softly, in the presence of fear.
You witness a drunk threatening his wife:
while he sizes you up as you pass by.
And yet you stay silent; it's part of life:
letting your silence embolden that guy.
Complete silence is noticeably heard:
while the atrocities seen are ignored.
It lends its approval to the absurd:
a form of compliance, we can't afford.
Silence speaks the loudest, stifled by fear,
while the message it sends is all too clear.
finally out at last...
spent seven 'daze'
in the hospital...
was blacking out
collapsing in a haze...
an 'imp' proved
to be bacterial...
noticeably better now
glad to be back...
stan lee
They shared a smile that will last forever,
as she gazed at him while he gazed back,
from within his little blue woven bassinet.
She reflects that he has his father's eyes,
and his nose as well, how it rounds by its
tip...charming, she thought in admiration.
The shape of his face is noticeably sturdy,
and bold, yet the shade of his skin, is fair
like her own--later on, it'll become bolder.
"I must show and tell your father, as soon
as he gets home from work and I think he
may know...so seeing that I care, I search
tirelessly our family trees, and your father
and I, are blessed having a son like thee."
Our meadow has always held surprises. After we moved in - that first spring - a myriad of daffodils appeared from dormant bulbs, exactly where I had decided my fairy garden would be. Like a beautiful stage play the seasons transitioned. After summer showers, gigantic fungi grew overnight in perfect symmetry, like shells, layered on the old oak stump. - now, into blazing colors of Autumn against an unreal blue sky, leaves floated like lost butterflies. Finally, bare trees revealed large stick nests that all along, I assumed to be ravens’. Cozy shelters against the winter freeze.
High in winter trees,
Stick nests become visible
who would guess-squirrels.
Leaf Nests – These constructions are found at least 20 feet up in a tree. Leaf nests are usually tucked in the fork of a large tree branch, which adds stability. You can tell them apart from bird nests because they are noticeably larger than a typical bird nest.
Sighing is one of life’s simpler pleasures
So often taken for granted, it appears,
It replaces many less desirable measures.
For example, learning a bill is in arrears
One can merely sigh and lay the matter aside,
So often taken for granted, it appears.
Another example, hearing a remark so snide
Showing boredom at such crass rudeness,
One can merely sigh and lay the matter aside.
Sighing also reflects relief from crudeness
A way of scarcely noticing, then turning away
Showing boredom at such crass rudeness.
Experts say, physically, sighing is a body’s way
Of taking in more oxygen in a time of need,
A way of scarcely noticing, then turning away.
Not like when one noticeably starts to bleed
Sighing is one of life’s simpler pleasures
Of taking in more oxygen in a time of need
It replaces many less desirable measures.
Written December 6, 2022
[posted prematurely as a Terza Rima,
so I edited, re-classified and reposted]
Revised December 6, 2022
The poinsettia is a rare plant, indeed,
Its vivid red leaves outperform its tiny flower,
In Africa, it achieves the height of an oak tree
Exploding in vivid red like a bedecked tower
Decorated for a special holiday occasion.
Our guide was astounded we paid for a frond
While here bouquets are had for the picking,
Making me feel like, back home, we are conned.
They grow, he said, from a stick in the ground
I never can keep one alive for more than a week
Then, I looked at him and noticeably frowned.
Six dollars I pay for a stem with two blossoms,
Suspecting they’re a cutting that will not thrive.
As I stared at the magnificent poinsettia tree
Clement blithely said, “Well, here they’re free!”
Written December 3, 2022
No rain so far,
nor stormy weather.
It's late July on a
quite afternoon.
A canopy of blue, and bright
Sun light is shining through.
An oasis of white with pockets
of grey and open sky, the kind
of sky through which eagles love to soar. Gentle wind,
though tamed and shallow;
Never does it go unnoticed.
Free of Fires; smoke-free and crystal clear.
Crops of soybeans are having a very good year.
Of course, it's hot, but that's not new, nor does
it alter or hurt the changing views of the clouds.
Earthtones, more than a few; amassed with green.
Smog-free with air that's noticeably clean.
To take this for granted, I wouldn't dare.
There's so much domain in which to stare.
And too much beauty not to share.
072922PS
on the water
i never want to leave
the fusion of the breezes consume me
at once i can clearly breathe
the dolphins smile at the sunshine
even the sharks are noticeably mild
i wonder, perhaps, if the dolphins hollered at the sharks
whatever it is, the positivity of it all is such a wonderful feeling
i become immersed in the comfort of the warm blue skies
the quietness of the vibe inspires me to smile sincerely for the first time in years
the memory of my Mother healthy creeps into this blissful perfection
i cannot help it when i cry happy smiling tears
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