colour-less bleak sky
raindrops murmur on rooftops
snowy laces melt
temple bells chime a promise
glimmering glowing sunrise
February 17, 2022
Syllables (5 -7-5-7-7) checked by HMS.com
A Brian Strand Tanka Poetry Contest
FIRST PLACE
Categories:
rooftops, nature, rain,
Form: Tanka
The more I figure something out,
the less the words impact
When trading dreams for cogent schemes,
the verse comes weak and flat
The more I chase the clouds away,
the clearer are the doubts
That misty haze around my gaze,
whose whisper—now a shout
(Dreamsleep: March, 2021)
Categories:
rooftops, dream, words,
Form: Rhyme
High above the sidewalks
Of the city’s concrete tangle
Perched atop the houses
From a somewhat tilted angle
You may find that there exists
A great respite from the hustle
A place one may escape
And seek a refuge from the tussle
Life on the rooftops
Is one step closer to bliss
A place to think or have a drink
Or even steal a kiss
A deck for sun and fun and friends
A world unto its’ own
Most favorite place to hideaway
That I have ever known
Categories:
rooftops, city, fun, life,
Form: Rhyme
Keep it to yourself and keep looking around
Do you need to be there?
Can you see the light under the neon?
Can you read the lips of the gaudy?
Change is sitting there somewhere
With a glass, weary-eyed
Wondering what has become of it.
With every segue, the faces waltz around,
The lightness of being is perforated
Like an unnoticed sidereal sky,
Crowded rooftops all around the neighborhood
Engage in meaningless banter
Whining about the unwanted weight
Of people stomping in, strolling out
With a newfound darkness in their minds,
Not that of the night.
But amongst the intervening glances
And the random remembrances
Memories are woven,
Like a disheveled tapestry in the making
Soon to be hung on walls
Built to make way for
More crowded rooftops.
Categories:
rooftops, change, drink,
Form: Free verse
If Christmas came several times a year
I would surely be a very happy guy
What a true treasure having family near
If Christmas came several times a year
I would enjoy the carols I love to hear
My spirits to the rooftops would surely fly
If Christmas came Several times a year
I would truly be a very happy guy
Categories:
rooftops, happy,
Form: Triolet
It’s a year later and the wind has calm. The hard rain now just sprinkles and the
rooftops are empty. Empty of the hands reaching up to sky hoping to be rescued
from the rooftops. Empty of the face filled with despair wondering how are they
going to rebound from this? Empty of the hungry bellies and tried bodies. Empty
of the survivors of Katrina Yes, it’s a year later and the rooftops are empty but
never forgotten.
Categories:
rooftops, natural disasters,
Form: Free verse