Surviving the waves of pain,
Loss of three children that she gained.
Flowing into a pit of despair.
Home burned.
Taken away.
Raped until her uterus faded one day.
Left starving on a lost shore.
No hope anymore.
Hair gone short except for a straggle or two.
Neatly braided with an old tin can.
Necklace found buried in the sand.
Ready to try for a new land.
Selling self for the money that's due.
Off on a boat with three hundred and two.
Everyone bailing until close to land.
Not surviving as water rushes in.
Sinking slowly.
Floating back.
To where she began.
Categories:
straggle, 12th grade, africa, crazy,
Form: Rhyme
Rain – Rain - Rain
Chandan Chatterjee
Rain Rain Rain
Everywhere it’s rain
Where you come from
Where you go
No one knows.
Small small oval drops
Have a great fun
From eight to eighty
Enjoy the cold wind
And wet with rain.
Rain Rain Rain
Where you come from
Where you go.
Every drop relieves us
From heat of summer,
Every drop encourages us
To straggle in life,
Every drop teaches us
To keep patience for better.
Rain Rain Rain
Where you come from
Where you go.
Categories:
straggle, 3rd grade, nature,
Form: Free verse
The glow of last embers now gone
neither flicker nor flame greets the dawn
Nighttime fires once more put to rout
~ first daylight rays straggle out
Categories:
straggle, light, night, sun, uplifting,
Form: Couplet
I buzzed around
Amid our clan’s beesound.
My swarm buzzed in cloud
In beespeak spoke aloud.
But the babble of the bees
Suddenly did cease,
For one with gut swollen,
Legs burdened by pollen,
Dropped out of the swarm
And sounded an alarm.
We came to a rest,
Behaved at our best,
To ken what he’d say,
On this blessed day.
He dropped on the ground,
Did a hop and a bound.
Like showman he pranced,
Strutted and danced,
Clockwise he went,
Clear message he sent.
It was the bees waggle!
It told the straggle
Where lay the flowers,
Nectar and pollen showers!
So off we took to flight,
All of us were light,
To be glutted by dusk,
With bounty of bees' musk!
Basking in the sun,
His waggle now done,
The hero of the bees,
Gloried as the bee’s knees!
Categories:
straggle, dance, environment, fun, humorous,
Form: Rhyme
need beacon contest
better than all of the rest
my poem which was best
a thought conveying
your front page needs a saying
should be displaying
need perfect excuse
news by Beacon did break loose
suffered from much abuse
what will stimulate
Beacon known to simulate
what we like as of late
Beacon said not out
until he declared you out
empire will shout
thumb in air will throw
which was really a big blow
Beacon let us know
Beacon by the way
have so many things to say
when to God they pray
this we did discuss
Beacon is an added plus
sign said on a bus
when up had to hick
Brunswick Beacon we did pick
with us always stick
Beacon we confess
has a great way to express
how God us will bless
at page was peaking
know that he will read Beacon
Anthony Blinken
Beacon head would nod
we thank you most gracious God
spoiled child and spared rod
Beacon will motivate
spread knowledge and educate
county satiate
poems to Beacon send
which is what you should intend
of news have great blend
with Beacon will haggle
all of the ones who straggle
not very agile
Categories:
straggle, allegory, analogy,
Form: Haiku
Eleanor cleans the church
Wednesdays, Sundays
And after weddings on other days
She sweeps up the rice
Remembering her own wedding
So many years ago
She is lonely
Her husband was killed
In the Vietnam war
And her children
Never call anymore
Father McKenzie reads from
A tattered yellow sermon
For the few old people
Who straggle in
With their sins
He is lonely
And has little to do
He prays to God
To take him home
Now they tell him
Eleanor was found dead in a pew
Eleanor Rigby Who was she Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Jerry T. Curtis
8/12/19
Categories:
straggle, death, life,
Form: Free verse
Before the crack of dawn
Quickly washes, throws her clothes on
Hustles downstairs in a second or two
In a rush: Instant coffee will have to do
With love she makes breakfasts for her other four
Four lunches too, 'fore she hurries out the door
Sprints to catch the 6:30 bus on her way to school
Unlike other teachers, who drive or carpool
Each bus ride seventy-five minutes of stops and starts
Every one a fresh jolt to her mind and her heart
Yet she's smiling away, calm and serene
By 8:00, surveying her classroom's scene
*********
The teens straggle in, looking dead as doornails
Acting as if they'd just been sentenced to jail
The teacher smiles bravely and begins the class
Her students put their heads down, tone-deaf, so crass
Categories:
straggle, feelings, hurt, student, teacher,
Form: Rhyme
oak leaves straggle
dangling in
early gust of snow
AP: Honorable Mention 2022
Posted on April 28, 2019
Categories:
straggle, autumn, courage, endurance, snow,
Form: Haiku
When we were young, we'd freely roam
While supervision stayed at home.
We played the seasons' major sports
On vacant lots and playground courts.
No tryouts or permission slips.
No uniforms or coaching tips.
No judges, umpires, referees,
Or grownups whom we had to please.
Whoever came could join right in.
We'd choose the teams and then begin.
No clock was used to time the game.
We played until the darkness came.
We mended balls and broken bats
And yapped and scrapped like dogs and cats.
In worn-out shoes, we'd all day run
And tanned by sun with friends have fun.
Together we would strategize
And future glory fantasize.
With candy bars as fuel we'd play
And straggle home at end of day.
We taught ourselves what's right and wrong
And how to play and get along.
We sought no trophies nor acclaim,
But played because we loved the game.
The regimented kids today
Obey whatever coaches say.
They sadly do not know how free
A game among themselves can be.
Categories:
straggle, freedom, friendship, games, history,
Form: Quatrain
Last winter on the village pond, but three
Geese. Brilliant white with yellow beaks, come see,
With pride they sit and guard the village green,
Such anserine confidence must be seen.
Spring spawns new life right here, remarkably,
Nine gangling goslings waddling awkwardly.
Maturing fast, they shed their yellow fluff.
Clad now in snow-white feathers, smooth not rough.
They sail around the pond with dignity,
Their orange paddles working regally.
Watch carefully, you think you have their measure,
But at the slightest cause they honk displeasure !
Traffic halts. Across the road they straggle,
Haughty heads held high and tails a-waggle.
Categories:
straggle, bird, spring,
Form: Couplet
Your Grandmother's Hands--
Misshapen pain ridden
Yet still fixes Sunday dinner
Straggle and worn, somewhat torn
Afflicted with arthritic pains
Barely can wash her hair
Opens up window breathes in fresh air
And a velvet ribbon
She’s had since adolescent
There’s a secret box
That she keeps lock
Never does she untie
Those hurt the pains in her eyes
She made Kool-Aide
Placed in a glass pitcher, HEY!
Empties an ice cube tray
Placing the food on the table everyday
When you shake her hand don’t hold too tight
It pains her the grips you have ignite
But straight and strong her hand unfold
Clasp together when praising/praying to God
So if yet now you don’t understand
These too could be your-- Grandmother’s hands
4/28/18
Poetry Contest - Jamie's interesting Contest 3
Sponsored by: Jamie Pan |
Categories:
straggle, caregiving, dedication, grandmother,
Form: Rhyme
Dawn awakens, lets yawn red searing sigh,
summer steams sweltering sweating sunlight.
Street's hot bed of coals smolders in July,
temperatures torch with tropical smite.
Haze humid stir-frying Bronx crispy craze,
housing is tinder, youth straggle sapped streets.
Rainstorm naught, nothing to break basting braise,
community chafing white wicked heat.
Day, baked yellow clay, dust dry makes you swoon...
pool of cool baptizing childrens’ new truth;
Mercy! Water main break floods ‘fore high noon,
thirst quenched, street's fluid, flows fountain of youth!
Liquid color splashes in rainbow spray,
heads happily anointed with prism pour.
Black-white exist - gray day grit washed away,
hearts watercolored in need of restore.
Revelry riots in verdant voices,
sprightliness sings in city oasis!
Eyes excite, smiles shine, refresh rejoices,
joie de vivre, full of life faces!
People all ages on sidewalk's sideline,
wish to beat heat but sadly no swim clothes.
‘Boxing ring’ pool, he imagines round nine,
celebrant boy smiles, strikes Jack Dempsey pose!
Susan Ashley
August 25, 2017
Categories:
straggle, children, city, summer, water,
Form: Rhyme
An Elusive Star
In the vast silvery world he walked
Between dancing white elves of snow,
Singing to him in soft suppressed sounds:
"Come to us, stay with us"
Sirens in white, shivering entities,
teasing his weaning fickle stability.
His blind eyes spoke to his deaf ears,
pleading to his confused mind to
turn around and straggle back.
But all he wanted was to see that one star,
and to stop everything there.
While his gait slowed down and halted,
A duvet of white cold warmth enveloped
his lonely determination, and he dropped
to his knees in the icy realization that
he finally found the elusive star.
While a fissure emerged beneath his knees,
the star welcomed him in, and carried
him away in rippling soothing numbness.
He embraced to be saved from a world,
where no one saw his bitter desolation.
An unseen being amongst haste and hurry,
until he was nothing but a shadow among them.
***
February 21, 2017
N/A in Contest: Invisible
Sponsor: Lewis Raynes
Categories:
straggle, dark, loneliness, pain, sad,
Form: Free verse
There is often a moment
after a good class,
when because of the beauty of things said,
and comments made,
you know some chords,
were struck.
And some students linger,
feeling the echo
and reverbs of those chords,
and more comments are made
in hopes of reviving the moment.
Eventually all realize
that the class is over,
and we all straggle
out to the night time parking lot.
All wonder,
myself included,
the last one out the door
and locking up,
why such moments
ever have to end.
Categories:
straggle, allegory, allusion,
Form: Free verse
I die to count you when you smile
I die to see you when you smile
I act stupid things in search to count
I think me fool when i search
I think How to count
I straggle a lot to find
I got 6 cristal teeth you show when you smile
I die one day when i see your laugh always smile
Smile of my princess
With love all
jagdish bajantri
Categories:
straggle, angel, childhood, deep, emotions,
Form: Romanticism
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