Touchstone Poems | Examples

The golden line of sanguine heart

The golden line of sanguine heart
That noble friendship sets apart,
I wonder what’s the test,
If indirect at best,
As touchstone be in a gold mart. 
_______________________
Translation |29.01.2025|gold, friendship, test 

 Poet’s note: Sanskrit has thousands of verses of wisdom called Subhashhitam. The poet of this verse wonders on the friendship of two hearts on the same wave length. What could be a dividing line to test their closeness? These golden hearts are then compared with gold in the market, where a touchstone tests its purity. The transliteration of the Sanskrit verse follows (sandhi duly separated):

Sauhaarda svarna rekhaanaam, 
uccha avacha bhidaa jushaam |
Paroksham iti kah api asti, 
pareekshaa nikasha-upalah || 201||

Premium Member Daystar 2

Dream peep of early gold rim halo 
August riser gleeful in exalted chant
Yield to dulcet chirp from ornate winger
Sunburst orange red splash of heaven
Taunt and tease ocean blue mist eyes 
Amber warm rays dazzle pearl clad beach
Revere the hue-rich magic spectra veil

Designed by glow world spirit apt 
Aligning deft nirvana enigmatic
You’ll embrace a stunning touchstone 
Strewn amid solid  crystal bounty
Traipsing vivid emerald paths ahead
Amazed by wondrous vista woven
Redolent of chalk mark visual rife

Dabble in the morn’s first usher
Archway to vibrant wakener within
Yen for ample stimulus astride 
Sensory luxuriance devoid of match
Tangled web surfeit found epic 
Aching surge of tinted aspect
Rhythmic ripples on beaded brow

Premium Member New Years Affirmations

 I AM a Warrior, I AM a King
 I AM a Soul of Sovereignty,
 I AM a Champion, I AM Unique
 I AM a Product of my Beliefs,
 I AM a Conqueror, I AM Pristine
 I Rise Upright Spiritually,
 I AM a Solar Zenith, I AM Divine
 I AM a Touchstone Apex of Empyreal Light,
 I AM the Epitome of Glory, Royal by the Fire
 I AM a Solar Storm, Burning Ever-Brighter
 Golden by the Virtues, Heroic by the Blood
 I AM Triumphant, Sound the Trumpets and Drums
 New Year Same Quest, I AM Resilient
 I AM Persistent, I AM Ebullient
 Never Ceasing, I AM Perpetual
 Ever-Enduring, Ever-Unconventional
 Against the Grain up the Mountain Tops
 Ascending Peaks like a Juggernaut,
 I AM a Paragon
 I AM a Luminous Phenomena,
 Forging Epics on this Quest Like...
 I AM Iron Legend,    like Ancient Times


Premium Member Collections a Freed Verse

COLLECTIONS

elegant effervescent
stylishly
arranged
savoured
in complexity
 encounters
with the past
 tenderness
interacting
with
enthusiasm
 throughout

to
 become
 a touchstone
 of
human cost
of the
 realities
 of  sheer desperation
yet
 the magnetism
 lives on
in
warm memories
for
who has a winning hand?

Premium Member When Serenity Derails

Slowly, I draw a deep breath before closing my eyes,
then picture I am floating on a white wispy cloud.
In my nebulous vision, I am not veiled in disguise,
for I've no need when riding high above the crowd.

Is there a touchstone on which my alignment is founded?
And is my mind too inundated with life's trivial details? 
Sometimes I'm uncertain if my thoughts are grounded.
When traveling forward or backward, often serenity derails.

I debate myself over goals with serious contention,
and it's an ongoing battle, trying to decide... yes or no
to questions I don't want to answer. I need an intervention
about my dueling opinions. Neither of them will let it go.

Is it possible I can just continue gliding along above it all?
I'm not interested in chasing rainbows to find a pot of gold,
or losing what's important, if from this cloud I should fall.
If so, I'd enjoy blissful contentment every day, tenfold.

You'Re the Only Thing That Seems Real

You're the only thing that seems real 
By Michelle Morris 
13/08/2020

You're the only thing that seems real 
in this crazy universe;
A touchstone of pure when 
everything is in reverse... 

I look into your eyes and see 
my love for you returned;
Of passion and friendship that 
will continue to burn... 

Like a cleansing flame
that cannot be doused;
We're soulmates together always,
like the fairy tales espouse... 

© Michelle Morris, 2020


Mr Perfectionist

You are the uncompromising truth
You are the fearless lover of the Messenger of Allah
You are perfect, you are the pure believer
You are the sacrificed being to the honored Awliah
You are an indomitable soldier in the realm of true knowledge
You are the only preacher of all truth


But still, you fear those whom you accuse as liars
Yet you fear those whom you have judged to be hellish
Yet you fear those whom you despise as hypocritical wise, adulterous believers

What do you want Mr. Perfectionist of everything?

Confirmation biased or weakness of faith is your fear
It is your fear of ego that has raised you to only judge others
Your fear is what makes you quick to judge others

The true light of knowledge can allow everything equally
The true light of believers can allow everyone equally
As the touchstone method, the truth can change all
No fear, no judgment in the truth works as a troll


©Mahtab Bangalee
Chattogram
05/06/2023

The Ocean

I am very blessed to live by the ocean. The ocean is an amazing place that we as humans know very little about. It remains a beautiful mystery. 

The ocean
By Michelle Morris
09/04/2020

I watch the ocean
Every day;
From tranquil to stormy - 
Always constant, 
Come what may.

Reflecting the truth
That life will go on,
No matter the season,
No matter the qualm.

Depths unknown,
Mysteries thrill;
Never ceasing,
Never still.

I watch the ocean
Every night;
It is my touchstone,
A visual delight...

Speaking to me directly;
My soul's core. 
Always a reminder of
Heaven's power. 

© Michelle Morris, 2020

Premium Member Eleemosynary Ubiquity

sawed-off on the
crimson emerald from a cloudy sky

squeal
and, at times, the reason
low-slung why

sparkles of a pearly salver
modicum of encrusted damask mist

befuddles me
albeit

moon, amber, and opalescence
spawn a charming sight

the perspective
strikes each crevice of the flesh.
and psyche advise

shrouded in a cinereous cloud
hapless and helpless, a glum-blue wolf
growls out a bluesy bemoan.

creating a lacuna
of gallivant love touchstone

leaden wails of anguish
rhythmic echoed refrain
plainchants of auric yearning

reminiscent of challah
aiming for eleemosynary seeds
cahoots to germinate and thrive

2nd place contest winner 

Written: March 20, 2023

A Strand No 1201 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Brian Strand

Verbose Gallery

My Poem is-
Stale flowers of barren lover
No touchstone water, no fertilizer

-Poem is empty wine bottle
No one is interested there

-Poem is withered leaves
West wind blows away far

-Poem is breathless corpse
All are busy to bury in sham tear

-Poem is glittering dew
Under sunshine it’s fading bare

-Poem is yellowish spring 
Winter cell strips off sly wear

-Poem is defilement of outraged girl
Stuff of enjoyment in cheap censure 


© Mahtab Bangalee
Chattogram
January 23, 2023

Premium Member Feelings

FEELINGS
a
very
reflective time
unfolding
 a strong
 sense
of
being
cherished

nerves
raw
&
exposed
&
 yet
sympathetico
co
to
intellectual
 development

 patient
desires
in
culturally
frank
 innocence
&accomplished
 receiving
chimed
 rising
tides
on forgotten
times

CHALLENGES
a touchstone
so
familiar
its
beauty
falling
shadowing
the ego

a natural
  rarity
in
a
perfect
range
of moods
sombre
to facile
to
illustrate
complling
connotation
of the
unconscious
sonorous
&imposing
a
cascading
momentum
in
exact
equivalence

NOTE:THIS IS AN OPEN(organic) FORM VERSE   using spaces&breaks without grammatical symbols ,the ' open' relies upon 'the one breath limitation' & so inherently requires the 'reader' (reciter) to input and responds thus making this enigmatic form a two way interplay & interpretatIon unique to the moment& changing according to mood is inherently variable.
Copyright © Brian Strand

Internal Inhibition

You often pondered,  
behind your plastic door 
and pretentious smile, 
could I be her friend? The pressure  
of being needed could hijack 
your life, your perfection, 
your impassive popularity. 
 

Then you saw her  
close her eyes tight  
as if she were playing dead, 
and noticed the tiny trenches  
of all her tears. 


Her weak smile scared you into feeling 
something far away and true, 
and when she laughed, you knew 
it was genuine.  
Her humanity left you 
bleeding, and you could taste 
the earthiness of the elements  
at your core. 
 

So you forgot her, but in your dreams  
she is more alive. She is freed 
by her imperfection and  
becomes the world 
you straddle.       

   
Maybe you weren’t the only one. 
Maybe she was lonely. 
If only you had more time 
to understand her permeable existence, 
she could have uncaged you, 
and you could have been 
her touchstone. 

If only...




Contest: Pick-a-Title, Vol. 30 
Sponsor: Edward Ibeh
Date: 5/10/22

Premium Member Forget About Audrey

William, you may be too young to realize
that Audrey is a "Plane Jane", and certainly no prize.
Anyone saying she loves you would be feeding you lies.
There are many maidens more attractive to your eyes.

There is another admirer.  You are not alone.
Audrey is already in love with the fool named Touchstone.
This guy may be comical, and act like a clown,
but he is strong enough to kick your butt out of town.

Being unsuccessful is considered by anyone a pity.
Just put her in the file cabinet marked "past history".

Based on the play "As You Like It" by William Shakespeare

Premium Member Rosalind and Orlando

Orlando has written a lot of love poetry.
Written on leaflets, they have been placed on every tree. 
Ubiquitous in the Arden woods, they are easy to see.
Orlando expresses his love for Rosalind freely.
His wording is not good, and his rhymes are lousy.

Rosalind now roams these woods, but is not alone.
Joining her are cousin Alena and the fool named Touchstone.
However, Rosalind's identity you will not recognize.
She is now called Ganymede, and is a man in disguise.
Since you defeated Charles the wrestler, she's been in love with you.
A reuniting with Rosalind is just about due.

Based on the play "As You Like It" by William Shakespeare

Premium Member Reflection Theory

Remastered memories
renovated compromises
Say thy brother's name

Touchstone compadres
Manifest of broken years
Be thy brother's keeper

Astral time prisms
empirical passengers
Keep thy brother's heart

Light years of reverence
99 flavors of forever
Hold thy brother in arms

Detour ahead----
Over the rainbow realm

Related Poems

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