The Penny Drops By Kevin Leake
Friend and wife of mine…
I remember
you letting me in on your secret.
That you knew
you wouldn't live long.
With a sincere smile
and an unwavering determination
to greet this unknown date,
I saw your power murder fear.
A rainbow appeared the day after
you becoming a newborn twice.
It was the closest one that I had ever seen.
I knew that you delivered it
because I could see the intricate detail
where the colors meld.
I was granted a snapshot of your soul.
rainbow zebra was outrageously out
he pranced and wiggled his tail about
proud of his quirky ways and his unique design
a quintessential artist; I am glad he is mine.
autumn lingers unfinished
though cold drops november
rain and waits undiminished
'til native summer sun remembers
what could unmake
when days full ache
bloom autumn colors
quick winter all borders
golds greens yellows
reds purples browns
a rusted rainbow frowns
as leaves scoot over meadows
fallen from mountain forest
after fields have given harvest
a father of one teaches his son.
chase catching leaves for fun
they twist turn swivel pirouette
lunge leap slide slice 'til earth is whet
while boy staggers with arms stretched
missing while dad knows misdirect fetched
two and three leaves while son fustrated
cries to quit but egged on infuriated
at last by chance or by experience
claps and traps one in victory dance
Copyright © Cornelius Brantley | Year Posted 2024
I am grateful for rainbows…
How across the sky they glide
I love the way they give me a chance
to see the sky’s smile from the other side.
Another thing I love about rainbows…
Is, as I’m standing on the ground,
They remind me I will never see one
If I’m constantly looking down.
Rainbows have a lot of meanings.
It depends on whose translating them.
but we know exactly what they mean
if we’re the ones creating them
Charm of Nature
So lovely are rainbow hues in the sky,
Nature`s masterpiece as the day goes by
As the clouds above mountains become shy
As light rain from heaven drips by and by;
So smooth are the whispers of the soft breeze
Blowing through the cluster of verdant trees,
So gentle the way spring wind sways the leaves
Amidst the sweet scent of honey from bees;
So enchanting are sparrows` mornings songs
As they hop from branch to branch all along,
As they cross forest trees where they belong
And flutter freely in the air day long;
So gorgeous is sunset on silent seas
That does bestow to the heart so much glee,
Confers to the mind feel of being free
And pervades the spirit with joyful spree;
So delightful is nature`s charm,
So vast is the stretch of its arm
Like a rainbow across the sky,
A stunning vista to the eye.
Smiles of roses in our garden wither,
As the wings of our love mid-air dither,
Our songs are sung without their melody,
We live our lives in black and white,
Our love's colours stolen by the rainbow,
With our cloudy skies missing the stars' glow,
Rather our lean cheeks bear the pool of tears,
Enough to form two times the Pacific.
Though the petals of our roses are dry,
Our favours are like showers from the sky,
So our love can bloom like roses again,
Our hearts are the loam for love's tender roots.
Let's wait for the rain showers once again,
For bees to dance on roses in the rain,
And our hearts shall swim in love's flooding brook,
So as to bring back joy to our garden.
I am Rainbow
seven colours merged to flowing
glow in Dark Nights of the Soul
landed in a country nicknamed
the “Rainbow Nation” untamed
my mission to transform, transmute
colours covered in dust and rust
with rain we gain, attain without shame
sublime freedom for Self and fellow
with not much bellow never shallow
arcs of colours we witness together
comradeship our survival dope to cope
heliocentric symbols unified we hope
regard one another with approval and respect
as we watch rainbows high-low, know neglect
through struggling pain red became orange
orange yellow, yellow to green to blue then
indigo to white sprinkled with fight, onto light
arcs across sunny skies, sunflowers, koppies
such radiant patterns flood our mixed-up blood !
Ghost Rainbow
A woman rang me, she was panegyric about my poems
I smiled without mirth because I knew there would be
a question of financing, the publishing of a book I have
had high hopes for, but had been turned down too often
The woman was adamant about the manuscript
Intense Recall was art, she insisted, a mastery of art.
For one who has spent twenty years trying to become
A writer and poet can so easily fall for flattery
The woman, on the phone, said she loved me, that alone
rang warning bells, and I thought of the Fascist poet, who
lived in Italy all his life, a poet who expects to be paid
is not a real poet; I assume he, like so many other poets
had private means
The price for making me into a famous poet was not
excessive, quite reasonable, yet too much, so I have
to forgo being famous; that is ok, no one will sit down
and write lies about me
I no longer praise it, no I don’t,
I no longer call it, the Nation’s pride,
Nor do I raise it anymore, it lost value.
No, it doesn’t hold its meaning anymore.
Unity became just a word, in political rhetoric,
The thread of ubuntu isn’t strong enough to-
Hold together the colors, my flag needs sewing,
Gold, green, blue, black and white no longer wave.
The rainbow isn’t a rainbow in the absence of one color,
Bishop, for now I fold and put away your dream,
No, I will not burn it, for I still believe in the dream,
The rainbow nation is a phoenix t’will rise again and wave the colors.
Perhaps one day, the flag will mend,
And the thread of unity will unite the flag
The colors will wave, vibrant and bright,
Just like Bishop D. Tutu envisioned it.
Until then, I will hold on to the hope,
That ubuntu spirit will kick the coffin open,
The rainbow’s promise will be fulfilled,
Then that will be when I wave the flag again.
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€ sky € glow $
€ riches world $
€ swirl € pearls $
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Triptych 8-20-25 Sponsor: John Anderson
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sun and storm song
eerie storm warning
light swallowed by ebony
banshee ballads rise
in mantras of humid breaths
atonal whirlwinds unleashed
downbeats of thunder
lightning rakes holes in the sky
tempest dirge rumbles
curtains of raindrops descend
plainchants of torrential rain
sun and storm collide
colors rise from light and mist
drenched in neon tears
sunbows arch in harmonies
orchestration of rainbows
rising on the sea
watching the sun through the rain
a rainbow appears
Feelings, like storms, disrupt the inner peace and leave the future uncertain
Hopes, like mountains, seen and far away to reach
Desires, like eternal, keeps running and stop’s nowhere
Thoughts, like lightning, shine, disappear, and keeps coming
Tears, like rains, clear the clouds and leave it’s
Sign
Life, like ocean meets river, people comes from various channels with infinite waves, some to live and some to leave
Specific Types of Rainbow Poems
Definition | What is Rainbow in Poetry?