Police cars block the side streets;
The avenue’s car-free
To make the strolling easy
For pedestrians like me.
The booths hold clothes and jewelry
And crafts of every type,
But front and center is the food,
Deserving of the hype.
Most every nationality
Is represented by
Whatever meals the chefs at hand
Can chop or stir or fry.
Aromas fill the neighborhood
As people buy and munch
A snack to tide them over
Or a more substantial lunch.
Distilleries display their wares
Near smoothies packed with fruit,
The locals and the visitors
In purchasing pursuit.
A lovely way to spend some time
On a fall-like afternoon,
Succumbing to the urge to buy,
To which I’m not immune.
Poke and point and pince and prod
My penniless pockets
And a bra unable to uphold,
A breast to guarantee your rest
Lay in alleys in all your ailing worries
And sloughs of spittle
Splurged and purged b'neath your body.
Hold me, honour me,
Caress the cares entangled within my clumped hair
Harass the proficient proclamations of love,
Laying alongside my broken body.
I dare leer at the lies, leashing my soul to your life
For I do but believe
Boys breed bearded brawlers
And flesh too calloused to caress
And I vacate a vacuum
Of hands vying for the wet of my sex
And the sucking cumbersome succumbing
Salary, siezing a lustful lustre to shine 'pon my sultry gaze
The dumbfounded apiary
It has struck dumb the humming bee
The Queen is dead like still-born lamb
Mute mellifluous dithyramb
The hive is numb a hollow tomb
And honeycomb a waxy womb
The honey workers of the comb
Took crumbs of wax and left their home
In stillness like a catacomb
They make their way to distant coomb
Off on a prom climbing the air
With great aplomb yet unaware
On a limb far away from hive
On strange corymb they can't survive
Succumbing now to nature's debt
I doubt they'll see a new sunset
Benumbed sadness in my heart's plumb
For, I shall miss their subtle hum
morose
sleepless in bed
a grieving poet
his raw emotions
flooding
blank pages
in the dead of twilight
c a l c u l a t i n g
the weight of his grief
paralyzed
by sudden loneliness
his moribund four-legged companion
of a decade and change
couldn't be saved
succumbing to cancer
euthanized
a huge loss
he loved that dog
more than he ever did
most humans
his thoughts
intermittently wandering
toward a particular memory -
a fun game of fetch
at the park with "Lucky" -
his tired eyes
finally flutter shut
heartfelt send-off
unfinished
pen still trapped
between his ink-stained fingers
elegy to be continued...
in the infancy of daybreak
he will ensure
his fellow mourners
know just how much
his beloved "Lucky"
meant to him
I seek the thunderclouds
on thunderous nights
when karma roars under sieving clouds
bolting within, driven by desires
the darkness of Brahman & vitality of Krishna
rumbling earthlings, throbbing arteries
blood rushes the heart
lightning striking limbs succumbing
my knees weaken,
streaked is a surrealist’s sky lit,
shamed shadows hide
tinkling rain droplets
quenching naked napes
given into those elements
evoking God's wrath,
judgement alive, awoken I’m gaining
invoking reality, unearthing its
primal pathways
The air stirred
Just enough to hold my attention
An eerie warning
A subtle summons
No hint of witch or wizard
The subtlety of a sensuous
Mortar and pestle
Drifting through the room
Crushing my resistance
Seeking the presence
Of unknown feelings
The air swirled
Easing my resistance
Succumbing to her wiles
Captured within her aura
I rose to greet her
Somehow
I had become
Addicted to your alchemy
A proud city in utter ruin
So many heroes slain
A fleet sailing homewards
Loaded with noble captives
Destined for slavery
After a ten years' siege
Prompted by a king's wrath
Over his wife's succumbing
To a young prince's charms
Which won her heart,
Himself bedazzled
By the fineness of her form.
They fled his kingdom
For the prince's own
Out of that love tryst
Tragedy grew
To leave pristine white sands
Stained with blood
And all because of beauty.
An isolated journey towards the shores of remembrance.
Open toed traces pave the path of acceptance,
She looks up at stars that have already fallen.
Upon Her arrival, She held Her hand for a blessing.
The elegance, held together by a silk white dress.
A crescent moon signals the rising dusk.
Teasing Her, the light casts Her shadow.
The silhouette grows as She waits under the white glow.
Quietly lying still, succumbing to forbidden emotion.
The light flickers. Drifting forward, She ascends.
Shine down, a soft kiss from the waning crescent.
Floating above stranger tides, water spreads outwards.
The hollowed out patterns of footprints,
washed away by shallow ripples.
As the tide comes, Her heart races.
The radiant glow softly disappears into the darkness.
A slow descent allows Her feet to rest once more.
With tears from Her eyes and a soft smile,
She looks upon the rising blue hues of the sky.
Resting on Her knees, She lowers Her hands in Her lap.
With a soothing breeze,
All She can do is stare at the faint cries of daylight.
With dawn on the rise,
a moment of peace leaves through a tear from Her eyes.
The distant touch of an ocean breeze
Softly caresses an eager awareness
A tease upon the tip of the tongue
The silence of a now idle flag
Inhaling the heaviness of the moment
Readying itself for the coolness of her kiss
Savoring the humid aroma of its nearness
Succumbing to the Summer’s humid need
//Nette Onclaud sponsor, LET IT RAIN Poetry Contest//
©1/18/2026
My dogs look at me and I know what they say
Go away, shut up so we can play
They look at me with those adoring eyes
And know how to get their prize
They know how to manipulate my soul
Have me under their full control
They will bark at me if they want something
Will bully me until I start succumbing
They dare me to challenge them
No shouting or condemn
They will answer me with attitude
Expecting me to show gratitude
They are so damn cute
And an absolute hoot
They are the rulers of my world
Without them I would be twirled
They keep me going everyday
They are kind and gentle, not when they play
They can communicate
And can educated
Into their way of thinking
Without over thinking
They are my fur babies
All cute as daisies
A fruit from the tree of life,
Fed by goodness and strife,
Like a knife the winds blow,
It falls into the shadow,
Withered and rotting,
Waiting to grow,
Succumbing to the flow of time,
Priming the seeds inside,
Aware of the ride,
Through changing tides,
And riversides,
All the elements collide,
Dividing the seed from its needs,
They've agreed to the process,
As they progress down the river,
Quivering into crevices,
Eventually coming to rest,
Doing their best to take root,
Breaking through into a new world,
Growing toward the light,
Fighting the environment,
It grows into enlightenment,
The excitement of new things,
Brings many different offerings,
A collection of blossoms,
Waiting to bloom,
Grooming for pollination,
Opening to the invasion,
Any moment the miracle could happen,
The force of life takes action,
The interaction taking root,
The tree of life grows another fruit.
Not succumbing to eternity
at a death bed, but at the cross
My Saviour and Lord gave up the ghost…
According to the Scriptures in John 19:30,
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar,
he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”
Yes, at His crucifixion, He declared, “It is finished.”
Such was and is always a statement of great triumph
Reverberating God’s compassion toward every human
Offering His gift of eternal life to sinners like you and me.
Indeed, He uttered, “It is finished.”
Such is His assurance of everlasting redemption
Reaching-out to those who believe His sacrificial work
By faith… believing Him as the way, the truth, and the life.
Gloriously, He proclaimed, “It is finished.”
Such is now my vibrant hope as I strive and persist
To share the Gospel, testifying of His loving kindness
And by His grace, cheering others with His peace and joy.
With His omnipotence, He asserted, “It is finished.”
Such keeps me going on, persevering to do my best
Maximizing opportunities for functional role-performance
So that when I face Him, I’ll say, “By Your mercy, I finished the race.”
alone on this desolate beach
this sandcastle sits
empty, like me
a thunderous roar
of emotions
crashing down
threatening existence
its salty spray
taunting my lips
where kisses once lingered
darkened thoughts
weaving in and out
of a clouded mind
a soul lost
somewhere within
heartbeat quickens
like the ocean’s force
within this storm’s rage
Its fury inching
closer and closer
short winded breaths
succumbing
beneath its crash
In quiet moments
a compass points to the way
out of time's tide plod
that drags the mind to boredom
confined by reality
Love the pathfinder
bridges the gap to find bliss
beyond mind's limits
when you yield to what drives you
succumbing to true love's pull
Skeptical midst truth
deceiving self with hope's bliss
while struggling against pride
then battling over jealousy
as triumph missed mark of confidence...
oh, vain glorying becomes inevitable
along agony to accept flaws...
here am I succumbing
yielding ego upon divine altar
striving to persist, and now express:
"forgive me."
Such is what heart beseeches.
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