”One does find elegance, sovereignty of soul, the discernment of thought, and unimaginable beauty in the oddest of places ... A Lady of The Royal Court ? A Courtesan of a wealthy Nobleman? No. One has only to open one's eyes and mind to know the possessor of such charms would take to such places of status as a snake takes to water.”
My first encounter with ” La Dame en Noir ” ... Open air poetry reading ... A beach at Trouville, Normandy ... Summer 1875 ... She would later publish under le nom de plume ” Anon ” which became a rebellion in itself for all women, whose works of prose and poetry would be repeatedly rejected by publishers if authored by a woman. Her best known work ” Philistine ” was published in the Autumn of 1879. She also went on to publish much of her work authored under the single letter ” J ” ... When queried by a local columnist what it stood for. She answered with a straight face, ”
Why it comes after, I”
A star shown above his birth for two years;
A star that only those of faith could see.
He left His royal court and majesty
In humble exchange for a trough and tears.
Because of my sin I could not see Him,
Even though His star shown brightly around.
Then His holy hand reached out and touched me
And pulled me back from the abyss’s rim.
I see His radiance and glory now
Beside the lowly feed trough where He lies.
During this very season of seasons
Before His majesty I humbly bow.
There’s no council without wise old,
Nor old that vouch dharma nor virtue,
No virtue, truth would not uphold,
Nor truth free from fraudulent hue!
______________________
Translation |20.10.2024|assembly, old, virtue, truth, trickery
Poet’s note: Sanskrit has thousands of verses of wisdom called Subhashhitam. This verse is taken from Mahabharata, Sabha Parva. Draupadi was molested in the royal court despite the presence of wise old people like Bheeshma, Drona, Vidur, and Kripacharya. They were all talking about dharma while allowing such a thing to happen. (What Draupadi said is valid; what Duryodhan argued is also not invalid…) The transliteration of the Sanskrit verse follows:
Na saa sabhaa yatra na santi vriddhaah,
vriddhah na te ye na vadanti dharmam |
Dharmah na vai yatra cha na asti satyam,
satyam na tat yat chhala na anu-viddhyam ||
I was in a perfect gallery,
My journey could have been more weary.
I was on a trip full of unknown necessities,
I collected dirty obscurities.
I used to run the errands,
Massacre was another name for my commands.
I collected your nicknames,
They were too hasty for me to join such games.
I was in a neverland,
Worshipping you was never out of my hands.
I was on the unnamed surface,
Beneath that, you were merely a minimal face.
Your shadow was not justified by your choice,
Neverland was a home to me where you were my only voice.
Your courtesies were sometimes tiresome,
In your royal court, I was nothing but burdensome.
You do not walk on springs,
I long for you, not just because you are a living being!
You were the sole entity in that land,
Without you, it is nothing but a piece of sand!
I’m daydreaming, I abandon the mundane
And enter a world that is beyond my brain
Where fairytale castles stand tall and grand
And the wonderland is a fertile land
With Alice by my side, I traverse with ease
And follow the white rabbit with such tease
The Mad Hatter’s tea party is a perfect delight
And the Cheshire cat’s smile glows so bright
The Queen of Hearts presents her royal court
And the cards obey her every thought
We play croquet with flamingos and hedgehogs
And have silly banter with the talking dogs
My laughter echoes through this wonderland
As I marvel at the grandeur so grand
I shed my worries and embrace the thrill
And with each step, my heart’s desires fill
But back to reality, I must return
As my dreams fuel my heart’s yearn
With renewed vigor, I tackle life with ease
And hope that fancies can come tr
I’m daydreaming, I abandon the mundane
And enter a world that is beyond my brain
Where fairytale castles stand tall and grand
And the wonderland is a fertile land
With Alice by my side, I traverse with ease
And follow the white rabbit with such tease
The Mad Hatter’s tea party is a perfect delight
And the Cheshire cat’s smile glows so bright
The Queen of Hearts presents her royal court
And the cards obey her every thought
We play croquet with flamingos and hedgehogs
And have silly banter with the talking dogs
My laughter echoes through this wonderland
As I marvel at the grandeur so grand
I shed my worries and embrace the thrill
And with each step, my heart’s desires fill
But back to reality, I must return
As my dreams fuel my heart’s yearn
With renewed vigor, I tackle life with ease
And hope that fancies can come tr
In kingdoms known by all the lands
in which the Royal court commands
The celebration must begin
with love found of the hearts within
December rules this favorite time
as hopes build in this winter clime
For as this day is drawing near
They all know Christmas time is here
And as this story’s book reveals
with Royal writs and Royal seals
This proclamation is at hand
for everything to be as planned
The bells have rung, the goose is cooked
the joy is found by all who’ve looked
The trees of light are on display
and now it’s time for Christmas day
And as for gifts to be on show
there is but one that they all know
For in these lands so far above
The only christmas gift is love
I’ve always loved the chrysanthemums
Bulbs of yellow, purple, orange, and red,
Filling in blank spaces in the flower bed
Perfect perennials appearing in large sums.
We always called them “mums,” for short
Loved making corsages of the white ones,
Sometimes they remind us of colorful suns
I’m told a favorite flower for a royal court.
FIRST PLACE WINNER
Written August 27, 2022
Submitted to: "8 Lines of Rhyme - Your Favorite Flower" Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Tania Kitchin
Wayne a Great Dane,
from a princely court
was playing in the courtyard.
He rolled and fell short
in the castle moat.
A good sport
he was. With laughter roar
from the royal court;
out his nose water he snorted.
3/6/2021
poofy and pretty
dresses of the royal court
all her pretty things
untouched; the affable king
an ineffectual spouse
2/16/2021
*Teens when they married,
it took Louis XVI seven years
to have sex with his wife.
(a very old poem poem written as an adolescent)
To everyone who sees this,
They are commanded to chant
"Hinahiboaola" in the most
Gracious and humble
Manner you can
At that present time.
That is an order from Hina
Nasroalaba Soooaoieeee
And his Royal Court.
If you decide to act on his critical command in a negative way,
You shall be thrashed with big squishy lima beans, and will be called a "Bohemian purple ostrich" by our Deedeeouieeee Royal Guards
Then you shall simply be dragged away to our dungeon
Where you can only have stale beer and grandmother's 200
Year old chocolate screaming rat pies
all day long.
Then,
At late evening,
You shall be commanded to
Disgustingly
Throw-up
Everything you were commanded to eat earlier.
If you decide to chant this royal chant
You shall be happily commanded to do
Everything I said to do if you didn't chant it
But you'll do it
Backwards,
Wit a one-legged yellow baboon
Called Booboocox.
Ordered by your
Royal Court of Humukakaland.
Signed,
King Masabalabasooooooieeee
(King Matt for short)
He is so dapper and dashing! The ugliest dames said.
One of them on board now, as her husband was dead.
One old toad gave her the cold eye and a shove to her head.
These toads in waiting had learned at court, ‘twas how to get ahead.
The pollywogs were listening, and they began to titter.
The tadpoles being born were swimming fast in their bowl litter.
A mature frog had just swallowed a moldy fly that was bitter.
Her counterpart smirked, for she had almost grabbed up that critter.
The frog prince walked down the aisle and looked at the throng.
To select a young froglet would be lecherous and probably long.
There were hard looking women singing a preening fine song.
He stood in front of one who was not hideous and said “come along.”
The prince has chosen! The Royal Court said, with a murmur.
It was Prissy Per Persnickety Frog Puzzle from east of Bermer.
He married her quickly and rapidly whisked her away.
In a sleigh fashioned from cattails; it was his last lovely day.
If I ruled the whole world,
I would have Covid hurled
From all the four continents
And boost our own confidence,
And pack the leading politicos,
Who sat polishing their toes,
To an asylum to count stars
And sling their hearts at Mars;
I'd sit with you in my royal court
And have fun of their frantic sport.
Then I would gather all money
And give equally to each bunny,
And command all men to learn
To refine love in a poetry firm,
To spray love on withering plants,
And duly attend to innocent ants.
Finally, I'd crown my starry girl
And cradle her as a divine pearl.
8/9/2020
STRAND COMPLETELY NEW (27) ,any form,any theme Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Brian Strand
Six wives - three Catherines, two Annes and a Jane
were married to Henry in the course of his reign.
An Anne and a Catherine met their end by the axe.
Anne Boleyn was too haughty, Catherine Howard too lax.
Henry's very first wife was Catherine of Aragon,
both pious and faithful, a virtuous paragon.
Producing no sons, she incurred a divorce.
Anne of Cleves followed a similar course.
Her face was spotty; she had bad teeth and bad breath.
Don’t trust a portrait, the wise man saith..
Jane Seymore very sadly died as she gave birth.
Henry's last wife, Catherine Parr, was a woman of worth.
More a nurse than a playmate, she bathed Hal with affection
and did a good job to relieve his dejection.
Envoi
So that's the close of this ditty,
which I think is rather a pity.
No, I'm not the Poet Laureate,
as the Royal Court never saw to it.
If I were paid to do so,
I'd keep writing like Robinson Crusoe.
It’s all about me!
It’s all about me
I am the King sitting in the tree
It’s all about me
It’s all about me
I am clapping my hands with such glee
My subjects love me as is my due
The Royal court loves me, yes them too!
King Arthur I am, Ruler of all realms in the land
It’s all about me
It’s all about me
I am the wisest King to ever be!
Hoist ye drinks and sing me praise
The Ale-house is full, its a King Arthur craze!
Its all about me, the Poet King reciting, loud and free
It’s all about me
It’s all about me
Guinevere knows my kiss is for she!
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