Time passed by slowly; the breeze felt low.
Only one star twinkled, its lonely foe.
The yellow sunny light lit up the sky,
And a light breeze chased the clouds goodbye.
How calm was the large lake.
Even the waves did not quake.
Swallows flew above, chirping bright
Some flying left, some turning right.
Loons flew hither and thither, all around
Some would dive for fish with hardly a sound.
While white swans glided peacefully.
Incredibly, they easily evaded each other.
How I wish the scene had a long duration.
Such a scene filled me with great elation.
S oothing harmonious emerald waves lapping on the shore turn
E ntire universe seem magnanimous and serene.
R etiring from chaos surrounds me with a calmness which
E very shell in the amber sand brings to the troubled mind,
N oiseless stillness hush enveloping existence...inner peace
I want to achieve, echo from a hollow conch deliver
T ranquility of mind and soul,
Y earning for Nirvana !
There is a place we always seek,
Where peaceful hearts their stillness keep,
It calls to us when we are weak,
And draws us into rest so deep.
It is a haven, calm and bright,
A quiet space we come to know,
Where shadows soften into light,
Our inner strength begins to grow.
Follow the river as it flows,
Beside the lake so calm and still,
To where the silent water glows,
And time itself bends to your will.
Escape the turmoil all around,
Here you claim your identity,
Where angry voices lose their sound,
You rest in calm serenity.
If I wandered through the room
With lazy-lidded eyes
And a half-cocked smile, barely there
Would you see through my disguise?
My aura’s calm and steady
I’ve filled my head with songs
I’m channelling the tranquil spirit
Of someone who belongs
Relax my shoulders, slow down my pace
And say
less than
I could
I keep my speech cool and composed
Feigning ‘everything is good’
Fabricated serenity
Is wrapped all over me
(I’m wicked-nervous to the core)
I'm giving off ‘carefree’
Out in the forest, deep still water’s sleep
As through the bushes soft flowers peep
A reflection shines of bushes nearby
On top of the water like a quiet Angels sigh
Light brown Acer’s stand proud and tall
Forming a guard of honor over the small waterfall
As the water trickles making small ripples of light
As the Sun shines on the water, a reflection so bright
High trees are standing overlooking the scene
Remembering how many people, nearby have been
Fish swimming endlessly, no cares at all
Only disturbed by the leaves that may fall
Still waters run deep. Or so they say
As the Sun goes to rest at the end of the day
Soon darkness falls, all in the woods falls asleep
And the night animals come out and silently creep
All round the area, hope they do not fall in
Because at night that would be such a mortal sin
So on wards and upwards, this situation exists
For tomorrow is a another day, in this woodland, Pond tryst
TRANQUIL IMAGES
imagination's
impending
arrival
dignified
simple
immersed
in
motifs
of
surprising
themed
coincidences
veiled
with
fanciful
wonder
lively
vigorous
episodes
characterising
ostensibly
profound
contemporary
illusions
to
apply
&
witness
intimate
schematic
formulations
We frame his daily work of love
along a mirrored river of calm
brown legs and arms reaching for above
snow white their wool where they belong
such peace not to be fleeced ~
he cuddles them where nature is song
Hills ribboned breasts peachy orange
prime colours are all we need
this is how we feed from Earth’s
core green sweet …
______________________
Art piece :
Shepherd and Sheep at Vlaici
Nicolae Darascu
Date: 1912
Style: Post-Impressionism
Genre: Landscape
Source : Wikiart
_________________________
3rd PLACEMENT : Premier Contest
Sponsor : Brian Strand : March 26
Misty oblivious haze
Rainforest appear to laze
Danger veiled by your daze
Lurking in lethal shadows
The sun long set
The sun's feet burried yet
In the dense canopy threat
Blind to the rumbling silhouette
Tranquil leviathan lake
Ripples soothed the ache
Tranced yet awake
Mist matched mind
Growl from behind
Tore trance from mind
Hazel orbs in fear
As the historic terror nears
When the moon weeps, a silver rain falls
Soft on rooftops, a gentle music,
No thunder,no wild wind whips the sea,
Just tranquil tears, simmering and slow.
Perhaps the shadows lengthen on earth
With the fading of light in the sky
Or, one feels the loneliness of night
With a pining heart, when the moon weeps.
a glass-like smooth of even's yawn
here I, myself, with one cob swan
trace cursive paths upon the lake
as we’re both OF the earth, not on
so sets the sun to blow its kiss
in hushed glissades of feral bliss
a surface cleaved in gentle wakes
oh surely heaven’s much like this
ol’ swan and I, we share these eves
in feathered white tuxedo sleeves
he trails me while I row the skiff -
my chaperon as daylight leaves
I think perhaps he's lonely too
prospecting for a soulmate who
will share his love of blushing skies
and parting mirrored lakes, anew
the water's darkened interludes
reflect both images and moods
the hopes we held of love this morn
now laid to bed as day concludes
but ‘fore we meet, next dusk is drawn
I’ll speak my prayer that he'll be gone
that one of us shall find true love ...
as we’re both OF the earth …
not on.
( edit )
Her beauty waits for golden hour,
Her brown eyes vein shines louder.
Blue and white, the sky looks cool;
My red love heart busted as a fool.
Even if the sky shares black shades,
Her silver glowing face never fades.
Coral she smiles, blushed my skin;
Everywhere I find water and green.
Beneath, all the secrets I kept grey,
Evenly, that's eve with amber lit ray.
Quick my thoughts and purple time,
No more options, far from her lime.
The rhythmic waves roll,
Barely foaming as they gently sweep up the shore
And lightly brush my toes
Before retreating as another wave approaches.
Distant swallows chatter like a choir out of tune,
Tossing a scattered melody — yet strangely harmonious.
The coconut leaves above me whisper
As the soft breeze drifts past.
The cold of the damp sand where I sit, legs outstretched,
Has crept up into my chest.
I scoop the damp sand at my side
And press it slowly between my fingers.
My chest tightens as a chorus of voices shriek in my skull.
Kristina Lim
August 17, 2025
Daanbantayan, Cebu, Philippines
1403 Poetry Contest //Sponsored by: Brian Strand
Contest Judged: 8/14/2025 5:36:00 AM
( 8th Place )
Written: August 09, 2025
Dawn’s breath lifts pink blooms,
petals cruise to tranquil seas—
hope hums in the breeze.
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\___|__|___/
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* * *
I need not build a mansion
to find my peace of mind.
I need no fleet of luxury cars
for calm to dwell inside.
All I need is a whisper —
a gentle breeze
blown beneath a clear, untroubled sky,
under a tree that leans above a quiet, streaming brook
casting a cool, soft shade.
The bright sunlight
will wrap me
in a tranquil blanket,
within a garden where even birds pause their songs in awe —
and when they chirp,
they shape a perfect measured harmony:
a choir of symphonies.
The whispering forests
and the calm mountains
blend a feathered harmony —
soothing the seas,
the open meadows
and my restless mind.
A light in the darkness
brings comfort and warmth —
like sitting near a glowing fire
in a silent home,
where soft music
plays not to be heard,
but to lull the soul to sleep.
In a realm of tranquil illusions, weary spirits find thrones of comfort,
Lives frozen in monotonous dances, dolls forgotten in the windows of dead time,
Middle-aged souls, ghosts of lost hope, nestle into routine,
The leaden embrace of stagnation promises them an eternity of divine peace.
Deep within the soul, fear sneaks in like an underground stream,
The fear that fragile order is a sandcastle, a vain illusion,
They retreat into mental bunkers, hiding their dreams and unspoken fears,
Hoping the walls of silence will keep change at bay, unspoken promises.
But time, a tireless sculptor, spins its chisel on the face of reality,
Each moment leaves a mark, a reminder of the ephemeral,
Stagnation is but an illusion, true life awaits beyond the walls,
Demanding the courage to step into the unknown, to emerge from labyrinths.
Between the walls of silence, souls sing the longing for freedom,
A yearning that pulses like a heart beneath resignation, beneath opacity,
Rays of light pierce through the cracks in the walls, reminding them of the river,
Life flows unceasingly, calling them to embrace their living destiny.
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