A string of pearls gleams in her aster eyes
she tries to veil grief away
but truth will ever stay.
Pearl plant, precious, verdantly vellum.
Breathing quietly amidst humbler greenery.
Poetic eyes it aims to please, not prosaic.
Sage, somewhere between its beady lines.
Brightened, as if catching glimpse of a newborn.
I do not own, but yet I wrap my heart around.
Winsome pearls do not drop; raindrops remain.
Snow came down hard
Harassing the roadside bar
Taking one more shot
Reminding himself, 'he was hot'
John proceeded to the lavatory
Without any worry
Mirror, he did reflect
No fear of the word 'reject'
Ventured into the night
Seeking a romantic sight
Reality stated hurtful fight
"Goodbye, my dear knight
Our relationship is dead,"
Wearing the pearls he bought, she said
Returning to the watering hole
Shivering and cold
Shocking we were told
Seductress commanded the stage
Half anyone's age
Protected inside a cage
Belting out a tune
Loving warmth came back soon
After being swooned
Patrons did say
Heating bill, owner electronically paid
When the tempting tease was done
She approached the admirer, looking for fun
As for the haunting past outside
Confirming someone had lied
And died
"Those pearls fit you right"
Stranger mentioned, eyes bright
"They are a little tight,"
Informed the songbird, preparing for a deathly fight
Confirming fan, a nut
She kicked them in the butt
Finding a cell
Lonely, I must tell
A country girl
the rarest Pearl
extremes
would beat her drum
The Lone Star state
the Golden Gate
her voice cried out
when sung
Her ball and chain
came down on me
my soul
and spirit stoned
To hear that voice
one last rejoice
forever
— then alone
(Dreamsleep: August, 2026)
Holding Fast
Someone who died
is not always dead
Their memory alive
when trapped in your head
The parts that still matter
those parts that hold fast
Inside you forever
— the first to the last
(Dreamsleep: August, 2026)
Only Reflected
Only perfection
endorses perfection
Only itself
intrinsic is known
Only its towering
mount of dominion
Only reflected
— its image is shown
(The New Room: August, 2026)
Just as children catch butterflies for their specimen books, in 1665, Johannes Vermeer captured the image of The Girl with a Pearl Earring, and, in 1770, Thomas Gainsborough caught the soul of The Blue Boy. In 1922, the youths met at an exhibition in the National Gallery in London. Listen:
Have you wondered if logic would allow
a soul to be ripped from “the here and now”
to fly like spirits in dreams or faintings -
or when a torn canvas is two paintings
pledging a silent wedding vow?
On either side of an elegant room,
stood two attractive figures once snatched from life's bloom
by artists who'd turn to oils and flatten
a boy in blue satin
and a girl in Dutch costume.
Said the boy, "Miss, with the pearl on your ear,
won't you join me in my painting here?"
Said the girl, "I'd love for us to be a single work of art,
and you already have my heart.
It would be so lovely, dear...
but, a couple, we can never be.
We're meant to live in our own beauty;
and though, each other, we have chosen,
in cruel time and space, we're frozen,
torn from life by fate - apart for eternity".
There is a pearl within your heart,
Though trials make you feel torn apart.
You think the journey’s reached its end,
But He will guide you to ascend.
So, press into His presence dear,
For fullness of joy is always there.
Healing, miracles, peace abound,
In Him all that we need is found.
His presence shifts both systems and ways,
Transforming processes through His rays.
Consider the ant, keep pressing on,
Till the pearl shines bright as diamond strong.
I remember how she smiled.
I remember the way she would laugh.
I remember she was adorable.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
I exult this is a dark weave of a white thread, unduly discarded all but the waste and winnowing sortilege if cause gave rise then a room filled with pearls is illogically bent away from their holders, so is the cause such is the reason that like any entire world the fountains have run dry and only the manson of stars endures.
Diamond you were shy and wary,
Peeking from behind a crate,
Your gaze portrayed that we were scary,
So still, you sat, resigned to wait.
Pearl, in your white and silver coat so bright,
You moved with grace and eager trust,
You circled near with pure delight,
As though you were waiting for us just.
Indoors in gentle state you reign,
Soft sovereigns our control insures,
Your rule is complete in this domain,
You have taken this place and made it yours.
By day you claim the chairs as we leave,
By night, our bed is half your own,
No protest do you ever receive,
Your royal rights are well known.
This could have been such a cold place,
With all our children leaving us alone,
For love has filled each quiet space,
Pearl and Diamond you have claimed your throne.
Sun in His Bare Hands
A boy walks bare feet through hot street
With balloons like sun he holds with pride
His hands are cracked, the summer burns
Through hot street, bare feet, the boy walks
The summer burns, his skin like coal
His hands are cracked, the summer burns
He waits for coins, eyes calm and gold
With skin like coal, the summer burns
He waits for coins, eyes calm and gold
With sad balloons, he stands alone
His heart is pearl no dust can soil
Eyes calm and gold, for coins he waits
His heart is pearl no dust can soil
Across the road his thin feet roam
One day he’ll rise above the thorn
No dust can soil, the pearl of heart
Stopped to play, it’s late at night
And my eyes get dry
It’s a moment when love might
Sing a lullaby
But those moments are no more
All I hear is me
Sitting here like before
Grinning silently
I am looking at this world
With the best intention
Oyster didn’t grow a pearl
Valuable to mention
Maybe something, but next time
And that time went by
Like an aircraft’s white line
Fades into the sky..
Eyes lit bright as a night firefly’s
So beautiful so tenderly you gaze
Up above watching the starry sky
Cranberry lips parted and amazed
The moon is a glowing sole pearl
Dancing in velvety onyx clouds
Hard to imagine anything in this world
As beautiful as it or you right now
There is a ease how you talk to me
We are threads from the same cloth
Your hair blowing in navy blue breeze
Like your words so fresh and soft
Walk with me on the green grassy sea
Merge into a deep appreciation of peace
A golden mote grates
on dusky blue
portent of divine excellence
radiant white nestling
in the humble nook
honed by an oyster
who unveils prized secrets
of the deep
in shadowed places.
Before a looking glass
where butterflies whirl
and fan iridescence,
a party girl sways
pearlesque beads
entwined in raven ringlets.
Crooked candlelight
gasps and gutters
amid spectral murmurs.
For my 9th grade graduation,
I received my first real ring.
My parents thought that it would be
The best gift they could bring.
It wasn’t very often that
Our presents were in gold.
We weren’t rolling in the bucks
And I had not cajoled.
A friend of mine had gotten one,
An opal, center-set,
With diamond chips surrounding it,
A style I can’t forget.
So when I saw my ring, which in
Its middle held a pearl
With a little sparkly flower,
I was not a happy girl.
To me, a pearl seemed older,
Meant for someone middle-aged.
I don’t remember if
My disappointment was assuaged.
I’m sure they knew my feelings
But it couldn’t be exchanged,
So I wore that ring, but how I felt
About it never changed.
It resides now in a box with
Other jewelry from my past
And as for rings I haven’t loved,
That pearl one was the last.
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