Written: June 1st, 2025 for contest by Charles Messina
8 Syllables per line, checked by HMS.COM
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Flashing stars blush when caught—ignite
Through blue rock darts in sparkling light
"Across the universe"—swart crown
Pools of grief—waves of mirth are down
Scribes bid adieu in sapphire smoke
Spilling gold in a dying stroke
I doubt whether the sky still roused
The stars that once blazed and have doused
Amor Mio respect the ethos of my heart
honor the flowers that I grow in full bloom
Like violets from Napoleon Bonaparte
I'm your Josephine, go tender to exhume
Amor Mio taste and be heart of my heart
let the dew drops fall afresh on April blooms
See the purple petals turn to deep-dish swart
violaceous hues of me you just can't thwart!
over years, they had gone apart
because of husband stinky fart
into outdoor she always dart
but, now she used a cart
her face is kinda swart
she got a cute kart
from Walmart
good chart
to start
art
Citadel of wits and tricks
Who appears wimpish;
But your back is stronger
And harder than Olumo rock,
And the great walls of China;
Citadel of wits and tricks
Who staggers like a Kampf panzer,
Through thick and thin,
Rough and tough terrains unscathed
You who have no foundation,
But, your house is sturdier
Than Buckingham palace,
I salute you
You,
Whose legs are short
But covers miles without refueling...
You, who stump, trump, trample,
Hustle and bustle
Where the high and mighty
Fear to thread
I salute you
The day a swart of hungry crocodiles
Stumble on you,
Their knife-like fangs become obsolete
When a swarm of starving lions encounter you,
They go home angry and hungry
A black, insidious mamba
Retreats and recoil
When it confronts you
The day a stray elephant
Steps on you,
It looses balance
The panzer who cannot fire a cannon
But repels a thousand loose cannons
With it's impregnable back,
I salute you
Citadel of wisdom, wits and tricks
Whom our sacred African oracles rely on,
I salute you!
*Image of
Twilight Descension
Bats fickle genteel soles of twilight, as swart crown abandons an errant moon,
A moon burrowing framing a forest, while Cupid charioteers spark an archway,
Neath a sinking moon, buds blossom, awaken by galloping Cherubs all strewn,
Frogs echoes in a lagoon as twilight wanes, same as words said of Hemingway,
Porpoises leap frantically in the ocean, while night drifts in dawns golden sleigh.
2019 December 27
*3rd Place*
Writing Prompt - English Quintain Imagery
~~Dear Heart: Judged 2020 January 10
Rhyme Scheme; a,b,a,b,b
A silhouette of pulchritude finest
And fairest of your kind.
You're an apparition from swart clay kneaded;
From head to toe, you're perfectly imperfect,
Why do you envy the sun?
Your head is enveloped in hair tawny,
The cupid that awakens lust
In men and eyes of gods.
Africa my mother!
Thou art rich;
Nights in their fullness from you
Borrow their skin.
Don't become
A ripe-lemon's colour!
Bury not your natural nature
In creams and colourants.
Find comfort even in your scars
Each is a memory
Written therein your skin's diary.
Die reptiel vrou
Het my alweer geflous
Met my gedeel, haarself ontbloot,
en toe
Die bitter gif gespoeg
Dit vloei uit my bors uit, deur my are
Verander my bloed - haar bloed
Word swart, taai, en koud
Soos haar hart
***
The reptile woman
Has fooled me again
Shared with me, exposed herself
and then
Spat out the bitter venom
It flows out of my chest, through my veins
Changes my blood - her blood
Becomes black, sticky, and cold
Like her heart
'k kyk neer rivier
wat kronk'lend paaie baan
in dalle vloer
afgemat en steeds geboè
poele plas en blitsend 'kaats
drenkend dans palmiete gras
soos manne kras in kroee
dalk net dromend was
my refleksie in jou oè
Iris geruit as wimpers sluit
was binne-in my hart getoor
en bloedriviere in ons are bruis
vuurspuwend ons in lawa doop
die magma braak in kers se was
dog rooiend en bloedend soos ons passie was
eiland swart en eenkant ek
omring atol n trane oseaan
wat reent verkoeld tektonies bars
in woorde was so onbedoeld
was dit gans so ongehoord
Helaas!! KEER DIT VOOR!
..en eggo steeds nog minder so
Swart trane
Donker gees
Gebroke hart
Eensaam siel
My lewe het tot stilstand gekom toe ek jou ontmoet
My lewe het bedoeling gekry toe ek jou ontmoet
My lewe is nou verby as gevolg van jou
My lewe is nou niks as gevolg van jou
Eks ingedoen
Eks gebreek
Eks teleurgestel
Eks moeg en uitgeput
Eks nie meer lus om aan te gaan nie
Eks nie meer lus om te hoop nie
Eks nie meer lus vir wat kom nie
Want wat kom is donker en leeg
I saw that elderly man this Sunday
He says he travels to my town everyday
In his 80s he appears feeble
His reedy bones are seeable
This old chap is thin as a stick
I find him so polite, I call him a brick
He looks like a parched tree without fruits
His body tremors and dying his roots
His grey hair looks neat and smart
But his wrinkly face looks swart
He keeps walking at a snail’s pace
Unlike us, he’s not a part of this rat race
He has no one to live for
There is no one he can die for
I don’t know where he goes everyday
I don’t know what is he searching for
Oh old man you’ve outlived your family
You now look older than the hills
You too should depart this life peacefully
You don’t deserve this agony
and desolation anymore
though the dark cold castle i do roam.
Terrified to be alone. cobwebs hanging from the corners on the wall.
dirt, dust and rank smells in the hall.
the floor begins to creek my heart beats faster and faster.
i hear high pitched screaming in another room.
scared to take another step. i stand frozen in fright.
i see blood dripping down the hall.
i swart to scream. mom walks in the room and says
wake up girl its only a bad dream .
Dolt go to sleep on Halloweens