Short Bayles Poems

in the bramble
off a quiet side street
i hide...

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midnight reflections
in my room
light turned on...

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early sunlight
peaks through shrubbery
front yard veiled...

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to the beat beat beat my heart bears
the melody holds dear the magic spell
...

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love
she sings
after our brief conversations
now she lingers in shadows
dreams...

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morning’s cold whisper

a moment’s flurry
disappears

a southerly breeze
warms my heart
hopes of spring
...

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icicles on gutters

glisten in light
of early morning

reflections of sun
when sitting alone
my dreams of spring
...

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morning stillness

I sit at my table
and look out the window

after rain
the sun pokes through clouds
waking dreams
...

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a heavy fall of snow

restless I stay inside
and look out the window

my future waits
for the melt
another time and place
...

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moments of solitude
reflections of light
memories of faces
I’ve seen
faces of memories
light of reflections
solitude of moments
...

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the
cold spell
morning sleeps
I dream of spring
north winds sweep the yard
fir branches dance and sway
with eyes closed I dream of spring...

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words i put on page
shared with librarian
at information desk
find new meanings
when read between lines
friendship defined

Bite Size Poem
May 20, 2023...

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shadows
through walls
a blue moon
bleeds into the sky
the passing day
an unfinished line
a flickering screen
i am
living and dying
i am
a flickering screen
an unfinished line
the passing day
bleeds into the sky
a blue moon
through walls
shadows...

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clouds cast shadows
rain here, snow elsewhere
winds from the north
today
I sleep in, then write
verse to share
my love
I wish she was here
my love 
verse to share
I sleep, in then write
today
winds from the north
rain here, snow elsewhere
clouds cast shadows
...

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soft reflections
after rain
cardinals dance
the refrigerator hums
time whispers
not quite spring
I write a poem
my friend
she waits for me
my friend
I write a poem
not quite spring
time whispers
the refrigerator hums
cardinals dance
after rain
soft reflections

...

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a flourish of birdsongs
the new sun glows
through haze in the sky
i stand behind the house
a day of my becoming
something more
or less of myself
a moment of reflection
a poem of mine
longs to be written
line and verse
this day
when everything
is ending
everything begins...

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In a parking lot
I open my eyes

but the moment after my nap
forget where I am

as my restless mind lingers
in a litany of desires and dreams

then a realization of time and place
as a new world opens its arms for me

I step out from my shadows
into light of the loving sun
...

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She lives just down the street from everyone.
Older couples like to talk about her over coffee.
She is the salt of the earth, golden shafts of wheat
waving in wind. She walks her dog, and it sits.

Lines from Everyone's Sister by Mike Bayles
Liberum Divisa Poetry Contest
September 5, 2021...

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light through window
sparrow lands
broken branch
leaves turned color
fall from trees
house next door stilled
stilled reflections of autumn
unfinished conversations linger
autumn of reflections stilled
stilled door next house
trees from fall
color turned leaves
branch broken
lands sparrow
window through light...

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music lingers
streetlights
shine stars
man and woman
sleeping in shadows
the library’s closed
an intimate voice
on the radio
as I drive home
midnight
the spell is cast
midnight
as I drive home
on the radio
an intimate voice
the library’s closed
sleeping in shadows
man and woman
shine stars
streetlights
music lingers
...

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A veil of clouds
ghosts the front lawn
and soft fall of rain
patters—

the passage of summer.

Leaves cling
onto branches-

and in reflection

I wonder
how long
before they
drift to the ground.

My ears ring
while I listen
to the song
of nothingness
and I gaze
out the window-

where a aging side street
lies broken....

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I awaken to shadows
outside a soft patter
the emerald lawn glistens
a screen glows
laptop on table
waiting for a new poem
the day begins
with a whisper
solitude's embrace
with a whisper
the day begins
waiting for a new poem
laptop on table
a screen glows
the emerald lawn glistens
outside a soft patter
I awaken to shadows

...

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the lake where they hid
a memory

their song
sublimated

a cattail beaten
remnants taken by wind

a semi roars past
someone calls progress

someone says
ninety percent chance of rain

someone says
dance barefoot through puddles

a murder of crows shadows skies
someone looks to the sun

the sun reflects
faceless waters
...

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restless perceptions lie
in shadows they stir

in moments of silence words stir
as they wait to take form

the house is still
but it breathes

outside the window
a yard light shines a star

in the back of the house
a quiet side street

notes jotted down in haste
wait for the morning light

a love poem to be written
waits to be shared
...

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Sharp voices fade
when I close my eyes
so many dreams lie inside
he can’t see.

He can’t see
lingering lines
as they long for paper
and they long to be.

They long to be
poems and stories
and I hear music
and raise my arms.

And raising my arms
I want to swirl around the room
like a summer storm
so free to move

over open prairie land....

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