"As the greatest of all poets and musicians,
tho' you may call me 'liar',
Hermes may have invented it
but I perfected the lyre
and with my music and singing
if only I could see
the forest for the trees
I would coax the woods to dance for me
but, on the other hand
from where I stand,
it appears to be,
looking at it from all angles,
nothing but nettles, brambles
and both
briars and tangles,"
quoth he, Orpheus in the undergrowth.
Categories:
undergrowth, celebrity, fun, humor, music,
Form: Rhyme
Taking a stroll through the undergrowth
Back to where you and me pledged our troth
To love each other, come rain or snow
In the forest that we both love so.
It's glorious this time of the year
When the wild flowers start to appear
And trees are proudly sprouting fresh leaves
In a dainty dance upon the breeze.
We hold hands as the undergrowth’s rough
Which causes walking to become tough
Not that we need to have an excuse
When we’re free to be out on the loose.
Upon the trees birds chirp cheerfully
Cheeping in avian harmony
Squirrels foraging undergrowth store
Nuts they have buried on days before.
We spot young bunnies taking first hops
The farmers who're preparing their crops
In the distant not too faraway
Working happily throughout their day.
So pleased that we came upon this place
To delight in nature's wondrous grace
Appreciating scenes such as this
That we were all given as a gift.
Categories:
undergrowth, environment, happiness, love,
Form: Rhyme
Her face tilted up, so serene.
Marvelling at the vastness of the blue sky
As she walks arm in arm
With her fiancé,
Glowing inside,
Basking in the aura of love.
Their union, as strong
As the tall trees surrounding them.
The fragility of life—
Two souls walking as one
As they tiptoe through the dense maze of flowers,
The sea of yellow opens up at each step,
Radiant and beckoning,
Their scents wafting and tickling the nose.
His gait, so gallant
As he delights in the beauty beside him,
Holding on,
Together,
Forging
Ahead—
The stepping stones
Building a world for two,
In a field filled with light and hope.
Categories:
undergrowth, beauty, flower, hope,
Form: Free verse
Vibrant and radiant life abounds
as lovers, sealed around devotion
thrive midst nature's care...
mindful of paradise
blest, blooming, blissful
entrusted to their stewardship
for functional optimization
they both are committed to fulfill
since trees and vegetation witnessed...
the Creator exhorted them to
"Go and multiply."*
*Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
February 15, 2025
1st place, "Select a FEB 25 POSTED" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand; judged on 2/19/2025
Categories:
undergrowth, appreciation, blessing, christian, god,
Form: Ekphrasis
He walks alone in silence as the ghost in his mind wants to come alive
Trees and wildflowers at his side,
paralleling nature’s balance
and symmetrical harmony,
as the yellow faces and hollow bodies beam
In his wake,
he sees a picture painting,
caressing his every step along the way
Seas of yellow in his harbor
peaking through
Where docks of trees, like boats,
line his thoughts,
while the yellow faces of the sun excite
He continues on this path
With an eerie voice pointing toward the light,
look not at a horizon but out past the trees
where a silhouette spans in the forest mist,
trees and wildflowers yearning for a home
connie pachecho
2/15/25
Categories:
undergrowth, art, beauty,
Form: Free verse
In the cold woods where shadows display,
Two figures wander in the verdant sway.
Beneath the canopy of emerald light,
They tread softly, hidden from everyones sight.
Leaves murmur secrets of times gone by,
As golden beams filter through the sky.
Their steps are hushed, their hearts beat slow,
In the undergrowth where wildflowers grow.
In Van Gogh's world of colour oh i so so bright,
They find peace in the quiet wintery night.
Together they walk, hand in hand,
In this painted, enchanted and interesting land.....
Categories:
undergrowth, appreciation, art, character, creation,
Form: Rhyme
In luxuriant terrane of verdant sprouts
opulent golden understory unveiled,
stemmed by swerving jade blades,
entwining the pairs of legs petrified
within the maze of floral profusion.
The black figure of deviant prominence
stands out like a towering protector
in sutured closeness fused with her,
camouflaged to evade the predator.
Bare trees aligned in harmonized motif,
outline the floral boulevard for them
to walk away from the onyx horizon
to the sunburst meadow ahead.
Categories:
undergrowth, analogy, imagery,
Form: Free verse
after the painting by Vincent Van Gogh
Does she even exist? Doubting her own reality,
seeing herself vanishing in undulating undergrowth,
fading and merging into summer-scorched scenery.
But cold lurks there beneath shafts of sunlight, phallic trees...
He wears the night underneath, a fabric of dark and unease,
his hand heavy upon her arm, silver-tongued charm
smooth as the silver-limbed leafless trees,
disappearing now on a twisting breeze...
Sinuous stems suffocate, writhing and thrashing;
convulsions of shuddering green and yellow.
Enticed ever deeper into flailing flowers,
evanescing into foam of frothing flora...
Did she ever truly exist? It's doubtful.
The flower-frail faceless and nameless
will always be lured and laid, invisible,
dissolving, under bare, phallic trees.
Categories:
undergrowth, abuse, dark,
Form: Ekphrasis
A couple stands side by side in a woods
among the tall slender trunks of many trees
lifting high to the sky,
the unseen crowns of which
I can only imagine.
The man and woman’s feet
are planted on ground
wildly overrun by white and yellow flowers
which seemingly have bloomed
free as a breeze.
Dressed in black,
the man resembles a strange scarecrow
who has escaped his stake,
and his mate in her frock of green
might be a forest nymph who set him free.
Categories:
undergrowth, nature,
Form: Free verse
Undergrowth painted on the canvas
showing kaleidoscope of feral flower bed.
Simultaneous two human figures.
Man is stepping forward
on shrubs, herbs !
Do they belong to a couple or just met each other
loitering on forest floor
to explore beauty of Nature.
Not sure, whether face of woman looking front
or she has chosen opposite direction.
Long slender straight vertical .
Stems of parallel plants seem branchless.
Lady in gorgeous glossy green
Man in printed black and printed green .
Both looking fresh and clean,
looking matching each other.
Pleasing pretty panorama in calm cool ambient.
Man and Woman : Both may be loners -
whether holding a relationship
or even be unfamiliar,
yet free frolic and mostly like -minded,
as forest lovers.
Both are sure to interact in happy mood
enjoying sublime serene solitude .
Whatever might be,
Both love to walk on pathless wood
Potion of peace offering bliss
amidst glory and glamour of Greenery :
Soft soothing simple scenery
Categories:
undergrowth, tree,
Form: Free verse
An unpopulated place where
poplars grow
Unseen canopies expose
tree trunks in a row
Wildflowers swoon over
undergrowth below
As back to front figures
watch the panoramic show
Lush vegetation evokes a
spellbinding hue
With violet bark
to engrain their view
Don’t flee this forest
reality will go askew
Stay forever
they may just pull through
Lost in the emerald
is a world of their own
Do they seek solace
have seeds been sown?
In this vibrant thicket
where trees have grown
Have they just come together?
or come back to atone
Perfect is a dream
without fear or dread
One that only ends,
when we go to bed?
The artist knew well,
his final words bled
“Sadness will last forever”
>yet brilliance he spread<
Categories:
undergrowth, art, life, perspective,
Form: Rhyme
He remembered seeing the couple
Walking
In the woods
Hand in hand
It was an image that would stay with him forever
The couple
In the woods
There had been no sign of them
The couple
Hand in hand
Walking
In the woods
He remembered a time
When he held her hand
Walking
In the woods
It’s been a long time
Since they've seen the couple
Hand in hand
In the woods
He would cherish that time
He spent with her
Walking in the woods
Hand in hand
Hand in hand.
Categories:
undergrowth, death, love, time,
Form: Free verse
In a forest glade where no shadows fall.
An emerging scene of a lovers tryst
Amid yellow broom and the elm trees tall
They embraced each other and gently kissed
She’s just a young girl, he, almost a score
Their romance is new, innocent and pure
And among the blooms on the forest floor
The fledgling pair find passionate allure
Fused in each others arms desire grows strong
With feelings of rapture right from the start
The lovers engage, like in an old song
Vowing to cherish and never to part
There in the woodland they plighted their troth
Amongst the tall elms and dense undergrowth
Categories:
undergrowth, love, romance,
Form: Sonnet
Our unnoticed actions,
condemned love
The hallucinatory countryside,
complicated
Strong petals,
a song of freedom
Born to poverty
without blame for their fate
Accept me as I am,
don't judge
Captures hope,
in deep undertones
of colorful vegetation
Among tall trees
towering as gates
Walks in beauty
and truthful love
Categories:
undergrowth, hope, nature,
Form: Free verse
a statement in their freedom of expression
the verdant undergrowth –
a green carpet, indispersed with yellow, white and rose flowers –
leaning away from the regimental lines of the centre lane of poplars
the tree trunks, a whimsical hue of lilac
a profound blend of renewal, early love, and spiritual wisdom
in the overall aesthetics
a contrast in colour on Newton’s colour wheel
the female figure fuses with the shades of the undergrowth
whereas the male figure mimics the upright form of the poplars
the rushed brushstrokes
a hurried comment on
echoes of social construct
then and
now
Categories:
undergrowth, analogy,
Form: Free verse
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