Subject Poetry Contest.

[prendrelemick]

Ok here we go.

All three poems have outstanding bits. eg roar-a war of waves, or, sunshine that rains, or, my weighty friend, great gravity. These are good ideas and just the kind of thing I like.

However there can be only one winner, so I'm giving it to the one that connected with me straight away. A simple single image beautifully realized. - Cassie Hughes is the winner.

[tailor STATELY]

Congratulations Cassie Hughes !

[Cassie Hughes]

Thanks guys. Glad it resonated with you prendrelemick, even though it was only short. :)
The next topic shall be seasonal methinks, well, how could it not be! I would love to see some poems about tinsel. Hehehe!

[YesNo]

It’s shiny. Also it is cheap,
A chance to calm despair.
When God went on the other side
He left us puzzled there.
But now we know: We got it wrong.
The past will not repeat,
But that’s OK. We understand.
Bright tinsel crowns defeat.

[spikepipsqueak]

Ooh! Shiny! All ADD, we
Focus on the temporal, the secular,
Acquisitive, spectacular.
Shambolic overtakes symbolic
And our red and green frolic
Relieves us of any loving memory.

[tailor STATELY]

A subject poem: Tinsel...



Her Tinseled Hair

We met as one beneath the mistletoe
( t'wasn't planned if you really need to know )
Her tinseled hair shone; a quicksilver'd glow
not the mylar sort for Christmas show

Her eyes as gray the stormiest sea
gazed then locked upon one enchanted: me
Body electric; flushed in esprit
betime our winsome kiss ne'er gang agley

12/10/2016

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Cassie Hughes]

Loving these so far. :)

[prendrelemick]

Noah helps Granddad trim the Christmas tree.

Less is never more,
when you're under four
And putting tinsel on the tree,

So he piles it on unstintingly
And soon we can no longer see
The slightest gap of greenery.
And lost beneath the shimmery fronds
Of blue and green and red and bronze,
Are Woolworth's baublee bygones.
And the only thing that peeps above
The rising shining work of love,
Is the paper star his mother made,
Stuck with rags of bright brocade,
With bottle tops and ribbony thread,
With silver glitter thickly spread,
With blobs of green and yellow paint,
With no design with no restraint.

For less is never more you see,
when you've only just made three,
And you're trimming up the Christmas tree.

[Cassie Hughes]

So, Christmas is over and the New Year has well and truly begun which means I better get on with deciding a winner here.
Tinsel is cheap and shiny indeed and kissing under the mistletoe can be the start of something very meaningful. Christmas goes hand in hand with children and the decorating of the tree can be a great way of bridging the generation gap and so very nearly took the prize but something kept drawing me back to four words. 'Bright tinsel crowns defeat' and so, I declare the winner to be........YesNo.
Thanks to you all for your wonderful entries.

[Danik 2016]

Congrats, Yes/No! The poem reminds me of an old Brazilian song: "The King´s crown is neither of gold nor of silver. I´ve worn it too and I know it´s made of tin."

[YesNo]

Thank you, Cassie and Danik!

The next subject is "January".

The deadline is January 31st.

[Cassie Hughes]

Ianuarius

In winters tightening grip we face
these dull, grey days in lassitude and
lose ourselves in plans for summer sun.
Wishing time and life away
seems to be a speciality of man.
Why can we not see the beauty of what is?
The monochromatic calm after
garish onslaught from colours
nature never sought to birth.
The freezing blanket wrapped
tenderly over sleeping vegetation,
allowing rest before the exertions of another year.
Time to think,
to breathe the fresh clean air of new beginnings
as past reflections glimmer in the seasons pallid light.
Live here and now.
Embrace this first and most
exciting of the months to come.
Dance through the storms,
leave angels in the snow
and hear the silence of a foggy
morning gradually disperse
to give the world a voice once more.
In winter’s tightening grip stand firm and tall,
accept the season’s gifts, then hold them close
for who can tell if they will come again
to herald vanward life into the spring.

[prendrelemick]

Congratulations YesNo. That really was good.

[YesNo]

Thanks, prendrelemick! We need another entry in this contest so there are at least two. There are about 13 days left in January.

Congratulations on winning the minimalist contest!

[prendrelemick]

I'm trying, but Cassie's poem is fantastic!

[Danik 2016]

Summer

Waters of January, waters of March
Crashing cars,
Crushing clusters of dwellings
Drenching, drowning, dissolving
Waterland
heinous heat
Slow, slurching Saturn
presides the ensuing stillness.
Give me the new seeds of April!

[prendrelemick]

January and December

Come here my January boy,
And we'll pass some time together.
For I am in December mists
And, just as yours begins,
My childhood is returning.
So while I can still glimpse
The wisdom of your innocence,
That trumps this faded pastiche called wise
Built so carefully of Worldly values,
Let us enjoy some childish prattle,
About trees,
And the noise the wind makes,
And that slug called Bob
We found across our path that day.
And let me feel again
The ageless truths of childish age ,
The sweet fascination of small things
When seen through bright unsullied eyes.

[YesNo]

The deadline has passed and now comes the hard part to pick who will lead us in the next round. Let's see:

Cassie Hughes: I agree that we should appreciate winter more and not wish it would move on swiftly to spring. I liked the lines: "The freezing blanket wrapped/tenderly over sleeping vegetation". I think plants handle it better than we do.

Danik 2016: It occurred to me while reading your poem that your experience of January in Brazil must be far warmer than what I am used to unless I take a vacation to Miami and get further south. I liked the phrases "Waterland" and "heinous heat".

prendrelemick: There is nothing like watching children to see the "sweet fascination of small things" when seen through their innocent eyes.

Now the hard part. I'd flip a coin (a couple times), but I might as well just pick one of these and be done with it. They are all good.

The winner: Danik 2016

Congratulations!

[tailor STATELY]

Congratulations Danik 2016 !

[Danik 2016]

Thanks, Yes/No and Tailor. This comes as a complete surprise!

Our next theme is "Seasons".

As to content and form you can hand it as freely and as imaginetively as you want.

The deadline is February 15th.

Enjoy yourselves!

[Cassie Hughes]

Congratulations Danik 2016. Well deserved. :)

[Danik 2016]

Thank you very much for your generosity, Cassie!

[YesNo]

While passing through the Earth’s fine year
The seasons guided me.
Each one charmed me in some way,
But none of them would stop to stay.
All left eventually.

They said they’ve lovers in the north.
The south they want to see.
Resigned to change I watched each go.
They’ll be back in a year or so
Or so they promised me.

[Danik 2016]

Thanks for that first lovely entry, Yes/No!

[Danik 2016]

One good entry, still five days to go!
Let´s have your poems, ladies and gentlemen!

[Danik 2016]

Still three days to go for the subject poetry contest!

[Danik 2016]

24 hours to go!
Let´s have your poems!

[Cassie Hughes]

The nights are closing in and winter
stretches out cool fingers to caress
the weary earth and bid her rest.
Sleep beckons,
And after summers rushing pulse of
life has washed away beneath the
autumns brilliant rain of jewels
all that remains is peace.
The earth turns.
Gentle plays the lightest ray of
sunlight 'cross the frozen ground
beneath in softest lullaby as
still she slumbers.
Snuggled under natures blanket,
crisp and starched she bides
her time in dreams until renewed again
by thaws first kiss of spring.

[cacian]

delete

[cacian]

to a season
plenty of reasons
and one
is to keep
light foraging
despite
nature and birds
slight
peak above
a mountain height
life respites:
without it
I may
a meaning
but have no feelings.

[Danik 2016]

Thanks for the lovely poems, Cassie and Cacian!
And we have a contest now!
There is still time for new entries until tomorrow night!

[tailor STATELY]

the seasons of my discontent


when that frigid hoar
o'er land and sky fills
every rill and rock gnawing
every wasted hour
this is the season
of my discontent

when the sun's wrath is
lashed scorching blade and
leaf with ne'er a breath
of air to bring relief
this is the season
of my discontent

when the fog that creeps
mists that choke and flog
visibility to nil cloaking
vale and hill to obscurity
this is the season
of my discontent

when whirlwinds rampage
both great and small
whirlblasts scouring the earth
and everything before
this is the season
of my discontent

when man loses sight
favoring might o'er
humanity advocating
power over sanity
this is the season
of my discontent

2/15/2017 r.2/16/2017

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Danik 2016]

Thanks, Taylor, great entry!

I am closing the contest and chosing the winner tomorrow morning.
Until then posts are still welcome.

[Danik 2016]

Thank you all for your entries, choice as always was difficult. A poem is always a special gift, participating is more important than winning.
As I know very little about English verses, my criterion for selecting the winner was the elaboration of the given theme.

Yes/No: Charming poem about the changing seasons. Humanization. The seasons are like friends that come and go! I liked the colloquial approach.
Cassie: Great craftswoman, each detail carefully elaborated,
Humanization of winter, as a woman, who is lulled to sleep by nature. The form of a lullaby is enforced by the enjambement structure. Interesting analogy with the tale of "Sleeping Beauty". Timid suggestion:"Sleeping Beauty" as the title of the poem.
Cacian-The (winter) season as a time of parcimony and respite.Suggestion;"I may have/a meaning"
Tailor- Powerfull language, chosing the "season of descontent" acoording to its elements of plague (eh, California!) not the time of the year. The surprising twist comes when the destructive acts of nature are linked to the acts of the short sightedness of men.Suggestion:"whirlblasts scouring the earth and everything before?"

Congrats all! And the winner is Cassie!

[YesNo]

Congratulations, Cassie!

[tailor STATELY]

Congratulations Cassie Hughes ! and thank you Danik 2016. (thought I posted this already; hopefully not on the wrong thread.)

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Cassie Hughes]

Thanks Danik, YesNo and Stateley. I am surprised but very grateful. :)
After much deliberation I think the next topic should be... Sheep!
p.s. Danik I think your suggestion of Sleeping Beauty as a title is great. Thanks.

[YesNo]

We are too much like huddled sheep.
We count ourselves and go to sleep.
When we awake we act as one.
Applaud. Reject. What we get done
Is done because we did our best,
But sometimes we don’t pass the test.
Some smart ones think that they have got
Some edge until they know they’ve not.

[Cassie Hughes]

Hehehe! Love it YesNo. What a great start.

[tailor STATELY]

“Nothing could be more impolite. To say, “Is your sheep genuine?”
would be a worse breach of manners.”
― Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?


No Need for Sheep

the silicon man
has no need for sheep
his internal clock
transcends even sleep

wool gathering long
a thing of the past -
dreams of electric
sheep would seem miscast

2/21/2017

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Cassie Hughes]

Ok, so we have two great entries so far but to make it a real contest we need a few more. I'll give you until the 15th of this month...

[Cassie Hughes]

Just two more days to go...

[Cassie Hughes]

I will extend this until the end of the weekend to see if we can get any more entries as two is not really enough for a contest IMO. So will close it at midnight (GMT) on Sun 19th.
C'mon guys! Lets see what you can do.

[Cassie Hughes]

So it would seem that Sheep is not a subject that inspires people to get creative! It is a shame but obviously time to move on.
If I could I would declare a draw as both poems are so good but in order to continue the thread I must choose one. Therefore... for no other reason than it made me chuckle out loud I declare Sheeple to be the winner.
Congratulations YesNo :)

[tailor STATELY]

Congratulations YesNo !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[tailor STATELY]

.....

[YesNo]

Thank you, Cassie Hughes and tailor STATELY!

The next topic is "water".

Deadline? April 4th, two weeks from now.

[Danik 2016]

Congrats Yes/No.

[YesNo]

Thanks, Danik!

[YesNo]

"Water, water everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink!"

Coleridge, Rime of the ancient mariner

[Cassie Hughes]

Summers Swell

Lazy sunshine
rains upon the
shore and sparkles
over horses running wild
atop tumbling waves.

[YesNo]

Great entry! Now we need at least one or two more to make this a contest.

[tailor STATELY]

Upon the Waters... With Help From Vincent Van Gogh:
"For my part I know nothing with any certainty,
but the sight of the stars makes me dream."



The Ferryman
Embarks Through
Misty Fog
Waters A
Twilight Path
Into Enchanted
Bliss I
Leave The
World Behind

4/4/2017


Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[YesNo]

The deadline has passed! Thank you for all the entries!

Cassie Hughes: Nice way to anticipate summer with sun, waves and horses running wild.

tailor STATELY: I like the path to bliss through misty fog.

Both entries are delightful. The winner is tailor STATELY. Congratulations!

[Danik 2016]

Congrats, tS!

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you Danik 2016 and YesNo ! Loved the imagery in your poem Cassie Hughes.

Next subject: Silence

Deadline 2-weeks: midnight PDT April 20th

[Cassie Hughes]

Congratulations tailor Stately and thanks for the compliment :)

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you, and you're welcome !

[YesNo]

That noise is mostly silence
Like chatter in one’s mind,
Like giggling done by things that run
And wanting only to have fun,
But fun is hard to find.

I’ve let them have their freedom.
They like my well-stocked zoo,
I have no doubt they can’t get out.
Their thinking must be all about
How they can get me, too.

[tailor STATELY]

Too much "silence" (lol)... Less than a week to go ! Need more entries to make this a contest.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[stephofthenight]

...Silence...

With every word left unspoken
They built a house of destruction
Screaming in silence
As they fulfill their penance

Yet remorse resounds hollow
From promises they just couldn't follow
Silence piercing their souls
From secrets left untold.

[Cassie Hughes]

Silent Witness

There it sits
and stares,
accusing in its immobility.
Its smooth grey form
once pristine in its
sea polished state,
now marred by
rusted brown and
glutinous grey streaks.
What have you done?
it seems to whisper,
hushed amid the swell of tide.
What have you done?
But silence reigns.
There are no words
can give it back the
innocence of clean
and pure geology
it had before.
Before my hand completed
transformation,
from rock,
to weapon,
in one fell swoop.

[tailor STATELY]

A contest it is !!

Deadline: midnight PDT April 20th

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[tailor STATELY]

My favorite lines:

YesNo*

… silence
Like chatter in one’s mind,
Like giggling done by things that run

stephofthenight*

With every word left unspoken
They built a house of destruction
Screaming in silence*
As they fulfill their penance
…
Silence piercing their souls
From secrets left untold.

Cassie Hughes*

But silence reigns.
There are no words
can give it back the
innocence

Well done by all... a difficult choice... but this round I give the nod to stephofthenight*

Congratulations to all on your wonderful entries !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Cassie Hughes]

Congratulations and very well done stephofthenight. :)

[Danik 2016]

Congrats, stephofthenight!

[YesNo]

Congratulations, stephofthenight!

[stephofthenight]

Thank you :)

2 weeks from the end of this round would be May 4th...
“So this is how liberty dies…with thunderous applause.” – Padmé Amidala
Lets go with Liberty Dies as the topic and May the 4th be with you :)

[qimissung]

Congratulations, Stephofthenight!

[YesNo]

Although liberty dies
There’s a Moon that will rise
Casting moonlight below.
Oldish dreams fail to grow.
Patient stars ever will
Turn around but look still.
Evening Sun creeps to set.
We’ll eventually get
Some new day some may see
Although maybe not me.

[Cassie Hughes]

Lulled by gentle, pulsing beat,
Away from gaudy, noisome life,
You float contented, warm, replete,
Unthinking of the constant strife
that will prevail once you are free,
When pain has ripped you out of me.

Cocooned in peaceful, sheltered dome
where innocence is yours to keep,
I long to keep you for my own,
Wrapped up in love and fast asleep,
A prisoner to hearts best lies.
For when you’re born liberty dies.

Alas for mother natures wiles
In this she will not be denied
Into the world with all its trials
You will be born, my perfect child,
So make the most of wombs fair peace
Once you are free, shackles increase.

[stephofthenight]

We’ll eventually get
Some new day some may see
Although maybe not me.

I loved this in your piece! Wonderful work and thank you for sharing!



A prisoner to hearts best lies.
For when you’re born liberty dies.
....
So make the most of wombs fair peace
Once you are free, shackles increase.

Cassie that made one of my all time favorites on Litnet! I absolutely loved it, and the spin you took with it. Congratulations and can't wait to see what topic you pick!

[YesNo]

Congratulations, Cassie! That was a lovely poem!

[tailor STATELY]

Congratulations Cassie Hughes !

[Magnocrat]

Yes perhaps being born is as dangerous a business as dying. Thank you for a new perspective.

[Cassie Hughes]

Many thanks to you all. Sorry for the delay but have been away for a few weeks.
I would like the next topic to be your shadow. Deadline will be 27th of this Month.
Good luck.

[YesNo]

As a shadow moves it leaves little behind except a slightly cooler temperature that lasts briefly, but it will be back.

I enter Chipilly Woods looking for trees and finding their sharp shadows crossing the trail. I see the muddied path ahead from recent spring rains and so I turn back. I don’t mind the wetness but by returning now I would leave no more than a faint footprint behind.


footprints on the path
water filters through spring soil
shadows turn with day

[tailor STATELY]

My Shadow

my shadow is my
constant companion
when my countenance
is bright... always
my reminder to
stay within the light

5/13/2017

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[stephofthenight]

Her shadow haunts her waking dreams
Broken fragments of her soul scream

Illuminated darkness hides the past
From choices of a lot she didn’t cast

Bitter and broken, consistently abandoned
Lost, to be found and again left stranded

Walking a road of self-destruction
Building walls for her own protection

The fear of herself has only grown
For she cannot escape, the shadow is her own

[North Star]

Throughout the day, sunlight traces
The shapes in this room, and faces
Run through my mind – they all answer to your name:
Smiling, crying, silly faces, all of them the same,
And all of them changing, as the room in sunlight:
soft smiles of dawn change to laughter, shining bright
in the afternoon, lingering, softening before the night,
And disappearing in the dark. But your shadow is light.

[cacian]

in the heat
the shade is sunny
it cools and it is funny
and the shadow feels
it can steal the show
from its fellow glow

[Cassie Hughes]

This is going to be so difficult to judge! Any one else care to enter the fray? You have until midnight tonight.

[Cassie Hughes]

A wonderful array of entries. Thanks to everyone, it has not been an easy choice.
My favourite lines are -

As a shadow moves it leaves little behind except a slightly cooler temperature that lasts briefly, but it will be back.- YesNo

always
my reminder to
stay within the light- tailor STATELEY

The fear of herself has only grown
For she cannot escape, the shadow is her own- stephofthenight

Throughout the day, sunlight traces
The shapes in this room, and faces
Run through my mind – they all answer to your name-North Star

the shadow feels
it can steal the show
from its fellow glow - cacian

As ever I am going to go with the on that resonates most with me and that is....North Star.

[tailor STATELY]

Congratulations North Star !!... and thank you Cassie Hughes !

[YesNo]

Congratulations, North Star! Thank you, Cassie Hughes!

[North Star]

Thank you, Cassie Hughes.

Next subject: Reunion
Deadline: June 13th

[stephofthenight]

Congratulations North Star!

[YesNo]

When bonds were freshly made
Before the internet
Another lover got between
The two as one, no longer seen
As one with much regret.

On Facebook after decades
Much older than before
She asked if she could be his friend--
Just one and one? Not two! Pretend?
They’re not friends anymore.

Centuries have faded.
The sand blows swiftly by.
They laugh at how they acted then.
Their dreaming seemed so futile when
They made each other cry.

[North Star]

Bump! 5 more days to submit.


Congratulations North Star!
Thank you, Steph.

[tailor STATELY]

Oh Joyous Reunion !


Oh joyous reunion ! Re-united once more !
(Tremulous emphatic hugs / kisses / tears pour forth)
... My eternal companion greets me at the veil
Sorry to tarry, dear, I'd hoped to endure well...

Was it only a moment that we've been apart ?

Perhaps from your perspective, for me - not so much
You passed in your prime: Oh ! How I've longed for your touch !

But here we are together, and now we can start -

To join all our dear ones, Temple worthy all
Brought to the fold by the Shepherd, whom He did call
Sealed for time and all eternity, His fulness received
Fulfilling our Father's plan, pre-mortally conceived

6/11/2017

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[North Star]

Two fine entries. I'll award the prize to YesNo.

[tailor STATELY]

Congratulations YesNo !

[YesNo]

Thank you, North Star! And thanks, tailor STATELY. I enjoyed your poem.

The next topic is summer.

Deadline hopefully June 30th.

[North Star]

Summer (14.6.17.)

The trees are wearing their best leafy green,
Flowers blooming in the heat of summer,
People drinking beers, recall places seen.
Briefly, all marching to their own drummer -
So, go ahead now, and fulfill your dream,
Or lie back and have a bowl of ice cream -
Too soon, it’s all over – what a bummer!

[tailor STATELY]

SUMMER: An Acrostic
Summer sszzzles
Under a bright yellow balloon
Malevolent to the snowflakes who risk
Melodrama as they bake; blank stars in their eyes
Everyone down to the seashore! - watch the icebe-
Rgs go by !

6/23/2017

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[YesNo]

Two entries! Thank you! Now it is a contest. There is still a week to go before the June 30th deadline. There is still time to enter.

[YesNo]

Time is up! Thanks, North Star and tailor STATELY. I liked the "bummer" ending in yours, North Star and the "icebe-/Rgs" in yours, tailor STATELY.

And the winner is tailor STATELY!

Congratulations!

[tailor STATELY]

Thank You !

The next subject is a Lighthouse.

Deadline midnight PDT 17 July.

Good luck.

[Danik 2016]

Congrats, Tailor!

[YesNo]

Rocky shores hold mysteries
From deadly seas.
They lead astray
When night hides day.

We need not calculate the risk.
The wind is brisk.
The waves beat on
Through night till dawn.

These lights are like a guiding star,
We’ll journeyed far
Till we’re back home.
For now we roam.

[tailor STATELY]

4-days left... Deadline midnight PDT 17 July.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Danik 2016]

A personal reflection, more than a poem on the novel To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Towards the Lighthouse

"Tomorrow, if the weather is fine,
we are going to the lighthouse",
says Mrs. Ramsay.
My family life, my friends,
our worries, desires and tensions...
Our small epiphanies are the threads
I weave
into an unfinished pattern.
And tomorrow, tomorrow
We are going to the lighthouse.

(The tides of war washing away
our aims,
washing away our lives...
"The nights are now full of wind and destruction;"
The wind rattles wildly at the windows
of an empty house.Decay. Desolation.
Where are you?
And you?
Mr. Ramsay stretching out
his empty arms
After his dead wife.
after his dead son)

At last we are here
We survivors
Here we are
And there is the lighthouse.

"I have had my vision".

[tailor STATELY]

Two wonderful entries ! and hours left to go... ( ~ 10 1/2 hours to be imprecise )

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

Yes/No... My favorite lines: "Rocky shores hold mysteries / From deadly seas. / They lead astray / When night hides day."

Danik 2016... Enjoyed the poem adapted from Virginia Woolf. My favorite lines: "At last we are here / We survivors / Here we are / And there is the lighthouse. / "I have had my vision"." (corrected typo in "lighthouse")

And the winner is: Danik 2016

Congratulations !

[Danik 2016]

Thanks, Tailor, also for calling attention to the typo.

Our next subject is: The Wheel of Fortune

Deadline is to be determined, as usual, after the first post

[tailor STATELY]

I Meditate


A mandala has imprinted upon my mind -

truly a wheel of fortune - one eternal round

Center - the tree of life with all its purity

Lehi's vision made manifest welcomes my thought

I reflect upon my burial in water -

upon my gift of fire - a reluctant saint

no longer I would aspire to the innocence -

the faith of the humble man from Cupertino

to feast upon His perfect love - life eternal

8/17/2017

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Danik 2016]

Great entry, Tailor!
Hoping for more so that we may have a contest.
Let´s name as deadline the last day of August.

[YesNo]

Change is what will never change.
There’s some new change tomorrow.
Each street and alley rearrange
As joy takes turns with sorrow.

There is no randomness to see.
There’s nothing that was forced to be.
The choosers chose and choice arose.
The dancer ever on fresh toes
Spins on with Love eternally.

[Danik 2016]

Thanks, Yes/No. Now we have two special entries and a contest!

Hoping for more as we still have more than ten days to go!

[Danik 2016]

One more week to go.
Who else wants to take his turn on "The Wheel of Fortune"?

[Cassie Hughes]

Wheel of fortune

If I spin the wheel of fortune
Will my life become care free,
Will my pockets never empty,
Will my wife come back to me,
Will this pain I suffer leave
and will my heart sing once again?
Said the old man to the trav’ler
As he sheltered from the rain.

Nay, don’t touch the wheel of fortune,
Spake the trav’ler, deep and low,
For ‘tis fickle as a lady,
And your purse it cannot fill,
Nor those bones of yours stop aching,
Or the hurt you bear subside.
If you spin that wheel of fortune,
I fear death is all you’ll find.

[Danik 2016]

Welcome back, Cassie! Three wonderful entries, now!

And there is still a week left for new ones!

[Danik 2016]

One day more to go- Deadline 1. September because of the local time differences.
There is still time for new posts!

[Danik 2016]

Three very interesting interpretations of the theme:

tS:The symbol of the mandala as a lead to a meditation on faith, death and life.

Yes/No- One can hear the wheel turning in a cadence where joy alternates with sorrow on the wheel turned by love.

Cassie: One can also hear the wheel turning in this dialogical poem. It´s hard truth is clad in a graceful form.

Congrats all!
And the winner is Cassie!

[tailor STATELY]

Congratulations Cassie Hughes !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[YesNo]

Congratulations, Cassie!

[Cassie Hughes]

Thanks for the great prompt and granting me the win Danik and thanks tailor and yes/no for the congrats I really loved both of your poems.
The next subject will be 'Crossing Borders' use it as you may. I can't wait to see the different interpretations you all come up with. :)

[tailor STATELY]

crossing borders: california



oregon with its
familial bones is
foreign ground -
a land to pass through
to the comfort of my
memories of youth

having visited
leaving nevada for
home in california
is like giving one athirst
a spring
in which to wash

arizona has no
memories for me
though she of me
to me just a land
too far; too removed
from the sea

I lack the desire to
leave for the née
aztec nation - a land too
in love with itself
to love its people

leaving california is
like love unrequited -
like being smothered
by a surrealistic pillow

9/4/2017

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Cassie Hughes]

Thanks Tailor, what a great start! That's really set down a challenge. :)

[YesNo]

The boundary is the part that’s strange,
More different than sides.
A river, mountain, moat or wall
May halt the movements of us all
To keep us occupied.

[spikepipsqueak]

We're both of this land.
I was dispossessed and need a home.
You too were here since dot
And now are dispossessed.

Even if I gave my hand across the line
How could you trust, and take it?

[Cassie Hughes]

...and we have a contest! Three fantastic entries so far. Lets see how many more of you can step up to the challenge. :)

[Cassie Hughes]

Just realised I never set a deadline for this contest so lets give it until midnight on Sat 23rd of this month. (BST) Plenty of time for those of you still thinking about it to join in. :)

[Cassie Hughes]

One more day if anyone wants to get in an entry!

[Cassie Hughes]

Well. After long deliberations I must say this has not been an easy choice. Thanks to all three of you for such wonderfully thought provoking entries.


tailor STATELY - a poem that really took us on a journey. Loved the way it carried me along and that last stanza was just brilliant!

YesNo - very profound. Physical boundaries are much easier to cope with than those we can not see.

spikepipsqueak - very relevant in todays political climate I fear. It might be short but this really touched a nerve and made me think.

And the winner is......... spikepipsqueak!!

[tailor STATELY]

Congratulations spikepipsqueak !

[YesNo]

Congratulations spikepipsqueak!

[Danik 2016]

Congratulations spikepipsqueak! I hope you choose an instigating prompt.

[spikepipsqueak]

Wow! Thank you, Cassie. I really enjoyed the other two. Sorry I'm late responding, can't get here much.

I would love to see responses incorporating the words "energy debt". Take it where you will.

Is a month deadline usual? 1st of November, then?

[YesNo]

The energy one has to burn
To pay the debt one has to pay
Should not be more than one can earn
While burning stuff throughout the day,
But creditors--they never learn--
They’ll lend more money anyway
Since that’s the only way they’ll see
The older debt eventually
Returned with interest while it can,
Before the bull has hit the fan.

[spikepipsqueak]

I like what you have to say and the way that you say it, YesNo.

Just bumping, in case there are others looking for the thread.

[Cassie Hughes]

Muscles balk, daring to challenge
the mind that forces them on,
A will made strong by memories
of graves gone by.
The latest only yesterday.
A friend, contemporary,
One who shared the last light
of a journey daily made,

Their only exercise
that to and fro
from pub to chippie
then back to couch.

Death initiates the will to change,
Bringing unwilling body to heel.
The energy debt incurred leading
to sublime sleep.
Mindless, repetitive
actions bringing peace
at last to mind unwilling
to face the truth.

That we are merely
fleeting shadows
in the great
wheel of time.

[tonywalt]

Muscles balk, daring to challenge
the mind that forces them on,
A will made strong by memories
of graves gone by.
The latest only yesterday.
A friend, contemporary,
One who shared the last light
of a journey daily made,

Their only exercise
that to and fro
from pub to chippie
then back to couch.

Death initiates the will to change,
Bringing unwilling body to heel.
The energy debt incurred leading
to sublime sleep.
Mindless, repetitive
actions bringing peace
at last to mind unwilling
to face the truth.

That we are merely
fleeting shadows
in the great
wheel of time.

Love this! - Philip Larkinesque in it's area of topic

[Cassie Hughes]

Thanks tonywalt. Praise indeed. *Blushes*

[spikepipsqueak]

Thanks for the post, Cassie. I am an older person and learning lessons from the loss of friends does speak to me.

I especially like these words, their lyrical quality keeps calling me back to them.



One who shared the last light
of a journey daily made,

.

More entries, people? Closing date is the first of next month.

[Danik 2016]

Death initiates the will to change,
Bringing unwilling body to heel.
The energy debt incurred leading
to sublime sleep.
Mindless, repetitive
actions bringing peace
at last to mind unwilling
to face the truth.

That we are merely
fleeting shadows
in the great
wheel of time.

How true. Thank you, Cassie!

[kiz_paws]

Muscles balk, daring to challenge
the mind that forces them on,
A will made strong by memories
of graves gone by.
The latest only yesterday.
A friend, contemporary,
One who shared the last light
of a journey daily made,

Their only exercise
that to and fro
from pub to chippie
then back to couch.

Death initiates the will to change,
Bringing unwilling body to heel.
The energy debt incurred leading
to sublime sleep.
Mindless, repetitive
actions bringing peace
at last to mind unwilling
to face the truth.

That we are merely
fleeting shadows
in the great
wheel of time.Very profound, beautifully written. :)

[Cassie Hughes]

Thanks so much guys. :)

[spikepipsqueak]

Calling it, and I hope I never have to make such a choice again. Both appeal, for very different reasons.

Choosing between 2 pieces that incorporate both truth and beauty I lean towards Cassie, with thanks to both poets.

[YesNo]

Congratulations, Cassie!

[Cassie Hughes]

Thanks spikepipsqueak and YesNo.

As it is November I am going to be very boring and suggest the prompt "Fireworks". It will be interesting to see in which direction the word takes all of your creative minds.

[YesNo]

What’s spooky in November
Fireworks my fear.
Bumps and groans
And nighttime moans
Entertain my ears.

[Cassie Hughes]

A great start YesNo. Who else is going to rise to the challenge?
I give you till Dec 1st...

[Cassie Hughes]

C'mon guys. Who is prepared to give YesNo a run for their money?.........

[Cassie Hughes]

Only one day left before I call this so if you want to enter now's the time.......

[PeterL]

I couldn't touch that. Y/N did a great little job.

[tailor STATELY]

fireworks 1967

crackers and squibs sport as children delight
down by the river this 4th july night

hippies laud the summer of love nearby
blowing smoke into soap bubbles on high

cannonades take charge launching to great heights
then blossoms and spinners emerge like sprites

the finale commands the heavens blaze!



crosettes and willows

vie with strobes, bees, and whistles


... fish dart a'glitter


11/29/2017


Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Cassie Hughes]

Well a two horse race eventually and two such different pieces.
I hate having to choose but am going to go simply with the one that appeals to me most and that is.......
YesNo.

Congrats YesNo and thanks to both you and tailor Stately for taking the time to enter.

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you Cassie Hughes and Congratulations YesNo !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[YesNo]

Thank you, Cassie Hughes and tailor STATELY!

The next topic is "December". The deadline will be one week after the first entry to the contest.

[Cassie Hughes]

December


Once tenth and final month,
Your name redundant after
nameless days were gathered into
years beginning.

Embracing winters chilly solstice in the north,
Or heated golden languor in more
balmy southern climes.

You end the year still
with festive cheer,
Despite the missing duo
owed to render you sublime.

[YesNo]

Very nice, Cassie! With your entry I can set the deadline as one week from today, December 14th. I will announce a winner on December 15th.

[YesNo]

The deadline has passed. Cassie you are the winner by default. I will turn it back over to you. Maybe a fresh topic will bring more interest.

[Cassie Hughes]

Shame. I thought it was a great topic idea. Ok, well lets see if this will generate any ideas. The next prompt is.....Gifts. Make of it what you will.

[YesNo]

The gift I gave was soon tossed out
Into a park-side garbage bin.
I watched the beggars searching there.
I saw one smile, hold it with care.
My heart was whole again.

[Cassie Hughes]

Thanks for the great start YesNo. Lets hope for a few more. I'll make the deadline Dec. 31st to allow for Christmas and so we can start the New Year with a new challenge.
Seasons Greetings to you all. :)

[tailor STATELY]

Christmas Gifts 2017

a bright fob watch and folding knife
with Grandpa upraised in faux gold;
certificates for drum and ink
for printing gifts of my poems

binoculars... a minuscule
yet serviceable folding pair
that I might survey my earthly
kingdom in the cool of Yule's air

hickory farms and gourmet fruits
for to nibble upon throughout
Twelvetide (should they last that long)
bound for my pa rum pa ta tum

but greatest of these the gift of
family, and a gift supreme -
that of our dear, dear Savior
from our Heavenly Father

12/30/2017

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Cassie Hughes]

Happy New Year everyone. I hope it brings you all peace, health and happiness.

Two great entries for this one and both so very different at first glance but when reading again brought to me the true meaning of gifting at Christmas. Yes/No shows that we should be grateful for what we have as there is always someone less fortunate than ourselves and instead of bemoaning the fact that what we were given is not what we want should think about what we can give to others in order to make their lives better, whilst tailor STATELY revels in his gifts, appreciating their worth and reading through them the love of family and friends and the reason why it is called Christmas.

So...after much deliberation I announce the winner to be... tailor STATELY. Congratulations. :)

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you Cassie Hughes ! Enjoyed your entry too YesNo.

Next subject: Your Family Tree.... deadline January 15th, 2018

[YesNo]

Congratulations, tailor STATELY!

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you YesNo ! ............... 13 days to go !!!

[YesNo]

One fall when leaves were gone the clearings came.
Those worth the haul were taken, but the rest
Would have to carry on. As if a flame
Had come to burn this forest’s ancient best,
The parent trees, the wisdom they possessed,
The ground turned bare as youthful family trees
Preserved their hold on Earth tenaciously.

[tailor STATELY]

Wonderful entry... Thanks for getting us started.

[tailor STATELY]

... 6-days left...

[tailor STATELY]

And the winner is: YesNo ! Congratulations !!

[YesNo]

Thank you! Next topic is "cold weather". The deadline will be one week after the first entry arrives.

[tailor STATELY]

A Late Spring in Garden Valley

The searing cold has gone -
at last
Snow has kissed the Dogwood's bloom
And lilacs come to life !
Bees once more tread upon dandelion
heads
As oak gives way to pine

4/21/2018

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[YesNo]

Thanks for entering, tailor STATELY! You are the winner!

I like the alliteration in "lilacs come to life".

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you ! ... (where has everyone gone ?) I hear crickets.

Deadline... (scratches head)... I'll follow your lead and it will be 10-days after the first entry.

Subject: Dogwood Tree (or Dogwood Trees)... https://www.google.com/search?q=dogwood&num=100&newwindow=1&safe=active&client=opera&hs=P2u&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjfmPC419TaAhUFA6wKHRi4CfkQ_AUICigB&biw=1205&bih=608

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Danik 2016]

Chain

There was a dog, dog, dog,
In a wood, wood, wood,
Sleeping under a Dogwood tree.
There was this girl, girl, girl
In the wood, wood, wood,
Her name was Annie Lee.

The girl, girl, girl,
In the wood, wood, wood,
Her name was Annie Lee,
Found the dog, dog, dog
In the wood, wood, wood,
Sleeping under the Dogwood tree.

There was this boy, boy, boy
In a wood, wood, wood,
His name was John Albee
He found the girl, girl, girl,
Who found the dog, dog, dog
Sleeping under the Dogwood tree.

Where is the boy, boy, boy
His name is John Albee
Where is the girl, girl, girl
That was called Annie Lee?
And where the dog, dog, dog
That slept under the Dogwood tree?

That is a mistery
For you and me!

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you Danik 2016 ! (cute poem)

Deadline 10-days from today... May 5th - end of day... 12 am PDT

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[YesNo]

Dogwood Tree

It was our neighbor’s dogwood tree
That prettified our lawn
And made us proud that we lived there
When Spring said there’s no need to care
The Winter has long gone.

[tailor STATELY]

Thanks YesNo... We have a contest !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[tailor STATELY]

Time's a ticking ! ... deadline E.O.D. May 5th (P.D.T.)

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[cacian]

beauty
is a narrative
of the free
but with a dogwood tree
it excels styling
it is the lining
of
stars in their milling
startling
horizons and shinning.

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you cacian !

Come on you poets... a little less than 7-hours to go... deadline 12:00 midnight tonight 5/5/2018... that's Pacific Daylight Time for all y'all.

I should have a decision on Monday.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[tailor STATELY]

Danik 2016 - A delightful poem reminiscent of jumping rope or clapping verse: "Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack All dressed in black, black, black With silver buttons, buttons, buttons All down her back, back, back. She asked her mother, mother, mother For 50 cents, cents, cents To see the elephants, elephants, elephants Jump over the fence, fence, fence. They jumped so high, high, high They reached the sky, sky, sky And they didn't come back, back, back 'Til the 4th of July, ly, ly! "

YesNo - prettify: an interesting choice of words coupled with proud. Enjoyed the personification with Spring.

cacian - Interesting choice of shinning as a variant of shining. I enjoyed the abstraction of your poem; it made me think of the dogwood blossoms as stars shining in startling horizons.

And the winning entry belongs to cacian. Thank you all for entering!

A recent photo I took I'm considering for a cover: http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p219/bomrox/d9fa17aa-70e0-42bf-a2af-548572cfc350.jpg (http://s129.photobucket.com/user/bomrox/media/d9fa17aa-70e0-42bf-a2af-548572cfc350.jpg.html)

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[cacian]

hey thank you very tailor STATELY for the feedback.:thumbsup:
I have not had a winning for a while so this is really nice :biggrin5:

and the next topic for the subject entry is:

CLOCKS


look forward to reading your entries and good luck:seeya:

[Danik 2016]

Congrats, cacian! Thanks for our comments and the kids rhme, tS!

[tailor STATELY]

the digital age

its roundabout face
was numerically
peculiar -
with three hands
in motion... one
perceptively
one less so and one
lesser still
'til one day
was taken away
what was it ever for ?

5/8/2018

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[YesNo]

Congratulations, cacian! That should make a beautiful and striking cover, tailor STATELY.

[cacian]

Congratulations, cacian! That should make a beautiful and striking cover, tailor STATELY.
thank you YesNo.
any more entries would be smashing!!!

[YesNo]

Clocks

A clock must change to measure time
And yet it cannot change
The way its changes mark our days.
We won’t let it act strange.
Although it’s bored with what it does
That has to be enough
Of entertainment it will get.
We do the funny stuff.

[Danik 2016]

Life

tick
ticktack
ticktackticktack
ticktackticktackticktack
ticktackticktackticktack
ticktackticktack
ticktack
tack
ta
t...

[cacian]

three great entries keep them coming :)

[cacian]

ok here we go

tailor STATELY:
a great title with a great choice of words. a fun piece to read and reread,liked the way it ended on a question mark.


YesNo:
a factual piece with a great ending. much enjoyed.

Danik
tiktak is repetitive but that is what clocks do :)

and the winner is
tailor STATELY.

Thank you all for taking part.

[Danik 2016]

Congrats tS!

Now that the contest is over, an explanation: my poem was an attempt at concrete poesy. It was intended to have the form of a round clock but I wasn´t able to save that format. So all I was a managed was a half clock.:blush5:

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you cacian and Danik 2016 !

I would have loved to see your concrete poem come to fruition Danik 2016... enjoyed your poem YesNo as well.

My poem was inspired by the news in England: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5652743/Schools-removing-analogue-clocks-exams-teenagers-tell-time.html

and more: https://www.google.com/search?num=100&newwindow=1&safe=active&client=opera&biw=1169&bih=608&tbm=nws&ei=U_oDW57aHsnH0gSV5p6YDQ&q=children+can%27t+read+clocks&oq=children+can%27t+read+clocks&gs_l=psy-ab.3...101029.115066.0.116412.27.26.0.0.0.0.1062.2 759.6-2j1.3.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..24.2.1696.0..0.0.HXs-3aESrjQ

The next subject will be: Færies... one of my favorite topics. Deadline 10 days from the first entry. Bonne chance !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[cacian]

away with the faeries
they say but
they hold a good posture
when it comes to foster
an ideaology
that is made to prosper
without a fairy
there is no prairie
cinderall worry
only a lobster
to have in a hurry !!

[YesNo]

Congratulations, tailor STATELY!

-----------------------------

The Faeries of Oubliette Woods

Some thought that they had all long gone.
Some thought they never were.
But in fresh woods forgotten still
They flourish safe and always will
Though we sense not a stir.

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you YesNo, and thank you both for the entries !

Deadline will be the end of the day of the first of June: E.O.D. 6/1/2018 P.D.T.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you both for your poems. Enjoyed them both on multiple levels.

cacian - a fanciful poesy with ideology, an invocation of the fairytale Cinderall (Cinderella)... and lobster!!... loved it.

YesNo - after research I found oubliette to be a double threat word: open pit or forgotten... a wonderful find. Your use of an abccb rhyme scheme with a syllable count of 86886 resulted in a wistful reading experience.

A difficult choice.

Going with my gut on this one - mostly based on an interview I found recently with the B-52's re: their first hit single and choose cacian as having the winning entry.

Congratulations !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[Danik 2016]

Congrats, cacian!

[cacian]

tailor STATELy and Danik thank you very much :)

and the next subject topic is:

the sea

good luck and look forward to reading your entries :)

[YesNo]

Thank you, tailor STATELY, and congrats, cacian!

[cacian]

Thank you, tailor STATELY, and congrats, cacian!

YesNo thank you and long time no seen hope you are well:)

[cacian]

delete

[Danik 2016]

Nice to "see" you Yes/No. I was wondering if you had difficulties entering the forum because of the changes of 25.05.

[YesNo]

Thank you, cacian and Danik! I was having some performance trouble with LitNet, but that has been off and on over the past year.

Here is a poem for the contest:

---------------------------

The Sea

It’s wet. That’s why I stay away,
But its enchantment makes me wild
Like calmly wind drives everyday,
Like innocence surrounds a child.

[tailor STATELY]

A Vast Sea of Stars 6.14.2018 / (a true story)


Death came by while you were asleep
He paused at your room where another slept
Yet tarried not there and continued on

Death came by while you were asleep
Hindered not by the bustle of caregivers' feet
His silence a roar drowning out all sound

Death came by while you were asleep
Unseen by all till he found his appointed
Who welcomed him gladly with open arms

Death came by while you were asleep
Dozens of pink flamingos stood silent witness

as a thin man dressed in black
Transferred a shroud into his van nearby

where a fountain played

Death came by while you were asleep
And later as the golems and shriekers of night

stood in line for their meds
A demented man in a wheelchair counted his fingers

Death came by while you were asleep
He's piloting a ship through a vast sea of stars
Ferrying souls to their next destination

6/14/2018

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[cacian]

YesNo

a real great piece

Like calmly wind drives everyday,
Like innocence surrounds a child.
the last two lines are brilliant :)

tailor STATELY

an absolute gem of a piece albeit sad. It is beautifully crafted it is to read and reread.
much enjoyed!

and the winner is:

tailor STATELY
well done!!!

[Danik 2016]

That´s a beautiful poem, tS!

[YesNo]

Congratulations, tailor STATELY! Thank you, cacian! I am glad you liked those last two lines.

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you cacian, Danik 2016, and YesNo.

This is a true story as I noted in the title - the ending being subjective of course. My wife was at a care facility recuperating from knee re-constructive surgery and I spent 3-nights cat-napping in various chairs nearby. My wife was removed from their care after she developed an infection that wasn't being addressed in a manner conducive to her recovery. For many in care facilities this is their last stop and the last resort for families who can no longer care for their family members.

The poem was inspired when I took an early morning break to get some fresh air outside and I noticed a black van with its rear door open just beyond the 85 kitschy plastic pink flamingos and a burbling fountain from where I was sitting. Soon, a thin man all dressed in black with a black tie wheeled a gurney with a body covered in a white blanket up to the van door and pushed the gurney completely in... then left. As I pondered this unsettling turn of events I walked back into the facility where meds where being dispensed and I noticed a certain demented man whom I've known for a number of years infamous for his wandering the facility in the past before he was wheelchair bound and entering other patrons rooms and, well, being a nuisance. I had wondered before I saw him if he might have been the "departed", but no - there he was in all his vacuousness.(sigh)

Ok, new subject on a brighter note (sic): Music

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[YesNo]

Music

It’s sound that turns our hearts around.
Rejecting silence from the ground
It shares its voice to praise the day
As we agree and go its way.

[cacian]

music
maestro
they come to an alliance
sound is a science without
the chemical appliance
each note
infinite stroke
light spoke:
it is the discovery
of hope in recovery

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you for the entries.... we now have a contest!

Deadline will be at the end of the day Monday, July 4th, Pacific Daylight Time.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[tailor STATELY]

Still some time left to enter !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[tailor STATELY]

Is it Tuesday already? (just kidding)

Loved both of these poems.

YesNo - Nice little quatrain: 4x8; AABB. Sound/Music, be it nature or produced, does have an effect of turning our hearts one way or another, or, to use a word Ursual Le Guin has used in the past "entrainment":
Any two things that oscillate at about the same interval, if they’re physically near each other, will gradually tend to lock in and pulse at exactly the same interval. Things are lazy. It takes less energy to pulse cooperatively than to pulse in opposition. Physicists call this beautiful, economical laziness mutual phase locking, or entrainment.

L2 intrigued me for some reason... what silence do we get from the ground...that of the dead and otherwise past; this reinforces L3 where we laud the now and "praise the day". L4 re-inforces the entrainment from L1, rejected in L2.

cacian - "sound is a science"... back to entrainment, though I disagree with the "without the chemical appliance" - because sound/music can be organic as well in my opinion.

"each note" infinity and light in scope (sic)... a delightful insight.

A tough choice... I'm going with Yes/No as the winner, congratulations to both of you !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[cacian]

Tailor STATELY thank you very much and YesNo congratualtions :)

[Danik 2016]

Congrats, Yes/No!

[YesNo]

Thank you, tailor STATELY! And cacian and Danik! I like LeGuin's description of "entrainment" as "economical laziness".

The next subject will be "light" in any sense of that word whether as something to keep the darkness away or something that doesn't weigh too much or whatever else the word is used for.

Deadline hopefully by the end of July.

[cacian]

light
the garden of eden
darkness harness
to be even
is puissance
together they make
the perfect season
stars align to see them rise.

[YesNo]

Thank you, cacian! The contest has begun!

[tailor STATELY]

lightsome as a dove
light may be found in the eyes you behold
in those who feign not, with hearts full of gold
this light first given to all as a gift
yet burns bright in those no longer adrift
such light is best embodied by a child
whose agency remains yet undefiled



endure and remain

... lightsome through adversity


... to life eternal

7/19/2018

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[YesNo]

Thank you, tailor STATELY! Now we have a real contest with two entries. The last day to enter is Tuesday, July 31st. I will announce the winner on Wednesday.

[YesNo]

Thank you for posting your poems, cacian and tailor STATELY!

I liked the sound reading of both of your poems. I also liked both cacian's combination of light and darkness to make the perfect season and tailor STATELY's view of light as coming from the eyes of those with a child-like, undefiled heart. From the perspective of both sound and sense both of these poems are worthy entries.

Since I have to chose between them so the contest can continue, I will pick cacian's poem.

Congratulations, cacian!

[tailor STATELY]

Congratulations cacian !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[cacian]

.....

[cacian]

Thank you very much YesNo and tailor STATELY ;)

and the next topic is:

summer

Good Luck Everyone!:seeya:

[YesNo]

Green and Sky Blue

Summer’s reckless with its love of green.
The sky gives blue so bright it goes unseen.
We breathe each day enclosed in soothing light
While night awaits with stars and dark between.

[tailor STATELY]

moments: summer in garden valley


red is the color
of the sun this summer day
the lungs of a fox
burn with exertion
from merely breathing the air
nearby kits whimper

a rusting ford truck
bald tires rotting on its rims
conceals their stark den
the day's heat lessened
by the shade of an old barn
bleached and desolate

tall grass and thistles
a sudden rustle spurred by
furtive running quail
beaks agape for want
water lacking for relief
- a pine martin leaps

a flurry of wings
beat upon drifting ash motes
whistles and warbles
signal the flock to
the refuge of a gnarled oak
where gray squirrels chirp

8/13/2018

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[cacian]

Thank you for YesNo and tailor Stately we now have a contest. :)

[cacian]

Both poems are brilliantly composed.
I like YesNo's play on rhymes and the last line is perfect. It is a neat little piece. Very well done.
The play on words in tailor's piece is grandiose. A whimsical a piece to read and reread and keep discovering ;)

Hard choice but....
the winner is tailor STATELY!!!
congratulations!!:thumbsup:

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you cacian ! I enjoyed your poem YesNo very much.

I just noticed the contrast in color and "breathing" between the two poems; a diametrical opposition. Our locale has suffered from the confluence of smoky air from various fires in California over the years, sometimes all too close (we've been evacuated once), and quite often the sun will be red, most spectacularly at sunrise and sunset - but at its worst during the midday. Our weather report even includes "haze" in our current forecast due to the fire activity: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=38.8520489&lon=-120.7809676 The backdrop of the poem is from a dream my wife had over a year ago that she has yet to act upon.

Next subject: The Homeless

[YesNo]

Homeless in the Ocean of Love

May homelessness be everywhere
With open door
With open heart
Without a floor
To fall apart.
Should I be blessed to find you there
May homelessness be everywhere.

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you YesNo for getting us started.

Setting a deadline for the end of the day Monday, September 10th.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[cacian]

homelessness
is a crash course
on lack of thoughts
destitute is an institution
of faults
humans are mould
attention to detail
gold
and life is a little
bit more hold which is more than
can be said or told.

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you cacian! Deadline end of day 9/10/2018.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[tailor STATELY]

I had much to ponder on these two entries...

YesNo - When I first read this poem I became incredulous; mouth agape in wonder... agape perhaps being appropriate in the Greek sense of the word in the context of your poem. Confused and surprised I tried to take in all 7-lines in the context of what my expectations were for this contest and was blown out of the water.

cacian - Enjoyed the word play: "humans are mould / attention to detail / gold"... my thoughts strayed to the potential each one of us has for greatness - vessels finely sculptured and refined; yet some become lost in an "institution of faults" whether of their own making or not.

Well done ! Both poems are worthy of winning, but a choice must be made and the winner this round is YesNo.

Congratulations !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[cacian]

tailor STATELY thank you and congratulations YesNo :)

[YesNo]

Thank you, tailor STATELY! And cacian!

The next topic is "Autumn".

Off and on, I am unable to post, but today it seems to be working.

[tailor STATELY]

On Howling Breath

This weariness in my breast - Autumn has
come on howling breath - Mortality con-
sumes - consigned to death - Patiently, ever
patiently, enduring this earthly test

11-9-2018

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[YesNo]

I like the howling reference to autumn. Thank you for the entry, tailor STATELY! I am going to announce you the winner since the contest has been open for a while.

Congratulations!

[tailor STATELY]

(lol) Thank you ! Good to see you posting. Thank you for reading...and sorry my entry was forthcoming so late. The ideas have been simmering in bits and pieces for some time and burst forth with the news of yet another California fire that strikes too close to home in many ways.

Next Subject: A Rainy Day............. deadline 2-weeks from the first entry.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[prendrelemick]

I long for the blueness of skies
Hot sunshine
A dazzle in my eyes.

I think of bright surf,
Bluebottles,
The smell of dry earth.

A zephyr through leaves
Sweet breath
Of a long summers eve

It's raining on my days
But it may clear up
The Met Office says.

[tailor STATELY]

Thank you prendrelemick for your wonderful entry !

Deadline is set for December 10th at the end of the day.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[tailor STATELY]

double post bug... never saw it coming.

[tailor STATELY]

Congratulations prendrelemick ! 'tis yours to choose another Subject.

Especially liked
I think of bright surf,
Bluebottles,
The smell of dry earth.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[prendrelemick]

Hmm, I wonder what subject is relevant right now ?
In this bedeviled land we have forgotten The Christmas Spirit because of Brexit. So the next subject is.......


CHRISTMAS, of course.

[tailor STATELY]

Channeling "In a Gadda da Vida" by Iron Butterfly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh3uScnLq7w

La Mariposa de Hierro: En Dios es Vida Pura (The Iron Butterfly: In God is Pure Life)




In a manger in Bethlehem, a baby
Come to Earth out of love for me and you
In a manger in Bethlehem, Omni
Yea, He will always be true

Lo, won't you follow Him
He'll take your hand
Lo, won't you follow Him
Walk with the Son of Man

In a manger in Bethlehem, Omni
He's come to Earth with love for you and me
In a manger in Bethlehem, a baby
You know He can set us free

Lo, won't you follow Him
He'll take your hand
Lo, won't you follow Him
And walk with the Son of Man
Please take a stand

En Dios es vida pura
In God is pure life

Con Dios es la vida eterna
With God life is eternal

12/21/2018

Merry Christmas to all !!!

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

[prendrelemick]

That could easily be a hymn.

[tailor STATELY]

Any one else ? (lol)

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

[tailor STATELY]

Our Thursday at Two poetry group was given the word 'resolution' for a writing prompt due today.

The contest is open, the subject is 'resolution' if any desire to join in.

My entry:




Resolution

At higher resolutions the James Webb telescope
is vastly superior to Hubble as scientists
seek looking into the past for answers
as ancient light manifests into images

Hubble blurs become celestial works of art
and time itself is revealed more vast -
snapshots of 13.5 billion years ago - just
hundreds of million years after the Big Bang

Traveling in the cold of space at one of five
Lagrange points far from Earth Webb gathers
infrared light on gold-plated beryllium
mirrors on its heat-shielded primary collector

I ponder these works of man; they seek our
God and His perfect creation whether they
know or not, and am mindful of Christ's
infinite atonement for worlds without end

4/2/2026

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor