Within me was raw matter, and not cold suet,
Another’s fat denies my juicing muscles neat;
Hormones - chemistry kissing crude physiology,
With cells bursting in sociology’s colour - biology.
Never harming the idempotent individual as god,
Nature veers and steers, within, away from tod;
Yet claiming rugged, sheer beauty, by piercing air,
Exquisite scenes of eloquence give glimpse fair.
Primal mover’s first move appropriates the span,
Whilst questioning the prerogative by his face tan,
Freedom twice reminds the kin of liberty’s quest,
Enveloping the partaker, guest, in free will, blest.
Truth never fetishes, fondles, or offsets in grief,
But is there, existing in differentiation in belief -
Never superseding its personable chief of portrait,
It sculpts the panorama reckoned in true straight.
SCHOOL
kindles
awareness
processing raw quartz
as gems of pride and joy
shine with the dreams of morrow
“an atelier that sculpts future”
We are ocean-born—
sea-salt still flows in our blood,
tides within our veins
the rhythm of waves calls us home,
to sea shanties' pulse and chants.
Once the waves have caught
you in their woven square nets
you are never free—
the waves don't ask permission
to sweep you up, knock you down.
Water yields and bends
soft yet stronger than iron,
nothing holds it back—
learn to ride the crest of change,
let its surge flow and shape you.
Each wind wells up
sculpts waves in sand, sky, sea, sounds
with smoothness caressed
to resonate sinuous
clock-like regularity.
Clouds above reflect
the sea's restless memory—
with waves in the sky
mirroring our handset waves
we use to communicate.
Signs ripple outward—
with wave gestures on the tide,
sometimes dismissive,
dragging under, lifting up,
quelling, by just saying 'Hi'.
A world in the mind,
Visions in the heart,
Come to the light,
The night opens its book,
It scripts and weaves,
The mind sculpts.
September 26, 2025.
I stand on day's brink
beyond lullabies in dusk—
their echoes replaced
with budding flower questions
thriving in uncertainty
I pound the ground hard
fury rages in my chest—
why must I still wait
my voice shatters quiet skies
demanding I get replies
walls are barriers
denying my restless pleas
rules drawn, then erased—
I force doors that creak ajar
then slam shut to cage me in
I hear laughter sting
in cruel misconceptions
warmth turns into burns—
love does not embrace my reach
as my cries go unheeded
I peel off more skin
stepping into searing light—
trembling but aware
that the world out there won't bend
as it cuts and shapes my growth
the seed stirs in me
fierce, urgent, blazing, alive,
pushing through the soil—
each surge sculpts my core and frame
so I become who I am
Before there’s an auction,
I visit the site
To check out the artwork
For my own delight.
I don’t plan on bidding,
With prices so high,
But look to see what,
In my dreams, I might buy.
Today, saw a sculpture
By someone whose art
Is familiar and always
Brings joy to my heart.
He’s Tom Otterness – please
Google him for a peek
At the various people
He sculpts – so unique!
For a mere $20,000
The bidding will start.
Well-worth it, for anyone
Savvy ‘bout art.
Yet I’ll be content with
The chance that I got
To get close enough so that
I got a great shot.
The photo’s sufficient,
Right there in my phone; it
Provides the same smile
As if I did own it.
Grotesque, in its unyielding grip of the vehement soul,
A parody, a caricature, of mercy's exalted role.
An avalanche of despair, harrowing as the Holocaust;
As scars accrue—like bitter frost life has lost.
Unsettling perceptions, now relics of savage years;
Movement on the frontline, dispel ancient fears.
As light gently penetrates each cell,
Spirits elevate, casting off the heavy shell.
Today's lessons fade chiaroscuro's grip,
Nursing the unseeking seeker’s shattered bits.
The Midas touch, sculpts the mind's trend,
Cotyledons blooming towards heliotrope's bend.
Endless gratitude, to souls who converge with care,
Hope of eradication quells mayhem with flair.
"Work hard, party harder"—the rhythm of life,
A "Talent Eve" awaits, confetti in the air as we dine.
Coaxing fledgling bards, ammunition ready to depart,
A vibrant, joyous escape from a didactic start.
Shangri-La in essence, fueled by epiphany;
Creativity set to orchestrate a vivid symphony.
Reviving life in a parasite’s domain,
The more, the merrier, the event sustains.
Overwhelmed by the flowing camaraderie,
I raise a toast in jubilant rhapsody.
1. Whisper of Twilight
Soft light drapes the hills,
petals hold a fading glow,
night treads close behind.
2. Dusk's Embrace
Leaves catch the last light,
soft colors melt into dusk,
earth rests in warm calm.
3. Kindling Glow
A single flame lights
another, warmth unfolding—
night watches them grow.
4. Unseen Fall
A single leaf drops,
lost in the crowded city,
who will notice it?
5. Holding Moments
Time slips through my hands,
a quiet rain that won’t stay,
and yet, I hold on.
6. Earth's Secret
Rain sculpts the hillside,
each drop a fleeting promise,
earth drinks and remains.
"Poetry Contest Sponsored by Brian Strand"
Capture the change as time goes by,
Capture every moment the day sculpts,
Archive moments that gladden the heart,
Let those that sadden the heart fly away.
Relish in nature’s embrace.
Open the windows of your chamber,
Disperse the gloom that pervades,
Exhale the turbulence that permeates,
Walk in the newness the day brings,
Bask in nature’s bloom.
Treasure glee moments,
The night comes to everyone,
Just as the sun has its sinking spell,
Take this meandering road,
It leads to redemption.
Listen to the symphony in the dancing wind,
See yourself with new eyes,
Speak to being the unseen that thrills,
Good times will wheel to us,
If we let our mind take its wheel.
Bright jewel enshrined odyssey sparkles,
as haunted pneuma’s blinding sun quest,
sculpts sweet blissful dream escape plot,
from deep well nagging torrents,
wounded sigh raw throat rush,
magma spewing ire,
ashen inkling,
cerise dawn’s,
gleeful
prompt
Eyes
dilate,
at lavish,
surreal sights,
froth rim cascades dull,
imagined sudden ache,
or dark traumatic imprint,
spritely bird chirp’s amber wing dive,
honeysuckles gloomy vocal chord,
to pamper for a while my strained quiver
Rabid mishap cluster in harsh pickle,
fuel soaked match hazard an idle spark,
to set wild utterance aglow,
yet gold wisps of heaven lurk,
they remould skewed instinct,
despite life’s burden,
sigh a tiny,
wound doused with,
simple
joy
I seek you till time ends,
as with moon rays you dance,
glow like a pearl of dew
in my silken meadow,
my love sparkles for you.
I seek you till time ends,
while you stroll in sea shore,
lured waves spread strings of pearl,
with my love they wreathe you,
your tawny feet they curl.
I seek you till time ends,
an angel of my dream,
you take me on a flight.
My love flies forever,
heart spreads wings of delight.
I seek you till time ends.
In waste land I walk lost,
take me to vale of hue,
where desire buds blossom,
my love sculpts spring for you.
Crimson pulse beneath the skin,
Whispers in moonlight, secrets within.
Brushfire crackles, fingers yearn,
Hungry canvas, shadows burn.
Ink bleeds, a siren's song,
Cracked clay whispers, where longing prolongs.
Chiseled stone, a lover's sigh,
In every curve, a tearful cry.
Moonlight sculpts, a lover's touch,
Clay whispers secrets, yearns for so much.
Every note, a heart laid bare,
Symphony on canvas, a silent prayer.
No words, just echoes in the night,
Burning brushstrokes, bathed in light.
Hidden yearning, a whispered plea,
In every form, an aching symphony.
Here with a smile as sad thoughts bleach,
I count my days in surge of pain;
Joy takes a while to seep and reach,
As pain sculpts clay now and again.
My quest for peace starts with void deep,
I hear a voice that calls to me;
Brief shaft of ease in dance of sleep,
Stream pique of poise that craft can be.
There is a way within that shows,
A touch unseen like in a dream;
A mellow play of words that flow,
A gap between where stillness streams.
A hidden fire burns warm and bright,
Deep soul marks heart with body-mind;
Spirit now sires a lovely light,
Glimpses now start to help me find.
Faith channels hope in glimpse that calls,
Love abides here in deep desire;
Joy sculpts and scopes as echoes fall,
Goodwill seeds clear true burning pyre.
Spring heralds a new beginning
She fosters a rebirth,
Gloom is replaced with mirth,
Newness is obvious as the morning.
Many await her entrance,
There’s a lavish display of colours,
Beauty pervades in its symmetry and contours,
Awakening is seen from a distance.
Withered boughs bloom,
Nature enlarges its room,
Spring chauffeurs a time of refreshing,
She aids a replenishing.
Butterflies take flight with colourful wings,
Basking in the joy that spring brings,
She sculpts new ways,
She's a harbinger of happy days.
March 1, 2023.
In Bloom Poetry Contest,
Joseph May.
Nature's artistry oft leaves me in awe,
Her palette of colors is amazing.
Her art evokes feelings, primal and raw;
that leave me breathless, merely stargazing.
Her ocean's a menagerie of fish,
of every shape and color one could wish,
swimming amidst splendiferous shellfish.
Her flowers are a marvel to behold,
especially when their petals unfold,
revealing blooms that are strikingly bold.
She sculpts mountain ranges without a flaw
and frosts Earth's poles with an icy glazing.
Volcanoes erupt from a dormant dish,
to an inferno; the Earth's Hers to mold.
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