Poems

the sunflowers of starry night are far, so far away
deflowered, swirling, and their light is mostly for display
so captured by the artist's brush
the night is velvety and plush
but sunflowers, they are, and each a shining star

Away! Away! you cursed, filthy fly!
An invitation you did not receive
inviting you, perchance, to happen by;
So please, I ask you now to take your leave!

*******************

the cream yearns to be free of pesky pests
the cold cuts still await the mustard seeds
these cheeses are reserved for proper guests
not passers by, according to their needs.

Author notes: https://allpoetry.com/contest/2811438-Finish-the-Sonnet-Part-One

past imperfect, future tense
present pleasant for the dense
for the sharp it's second hand
and the gears  are full of sand

his release now set in motion
the old master of the ocean
frozen in Antarctic ice
waits his turn in paradise
while above his younger brother
has been busy like no other
and to thunderous applause
helping in his brother's cause

they'll save Gaia as she scorches
from Prometheus' torches
plan to end the rule of man
one that they themselves began
but their charges grew unruly
treating mother coldly, cruelly
and so time has come to end
those that will not understand

his release now set in motion
the old master of the ocean
frozen in Antarctic ice
waits his turn in paradise
as the water's melting, melting
man makes iron, burning, smelting
and continues, like a fool
it's Poseidon's turn to rule

Author notes: wc 124

There he comes, her winged lover
though the pair's yet to discover
the real pleasures of the flesh...

As he labors to enmesh
the young maiden with his swagger
she has yet to acquiesce
or take measure of his dagger
nor will she take off her dress...

Hopes, once high, begin to crumble
but the angel, far from humble
won't abandon his new quest
and proceeds with ample zest...

"Will you not look at my scepter?"
She is tempted, but what kept her
from exploring nether regions --
her upbringing and religion --
stays her hand, and she won't forage
and the angel, losing courage --
it no longer flies, his mast
feels defeated, at the last.

His serenity thus shattered
feeling fallen and quite battered
he prepares to leave his idol
but what's this?? No longer idle,
her lips sampling his horn
(mom had said there's little danger
he's in luck, our handsome stranger)
and his timber thus reborn...

As she labors on his orchard
(don't we all wish to be tortured,
just like him, then fall to slumber,
but the maiden's taste for lumber
was apparently developed
and so as her lips enveloped
quite refusing to relent
and he stays a monument)...

Ivory skin next to his olive
and the pieces that protrude
(we won't mention or include)
sending waves of carnal pleasure
and he thinks, "oh, she's a treasure"...

Stars abandoned constellations
and eclipses lost their place
but the pair and their relations
still continued at this pace,
till the angel's patience burst
(it is possible he cursed)
in the end, what's not to like
and they both felt lightning strike.

(your forgiveness, gentle reader,
if you find the writing craven
led here by the contest's leader,
quothed to me by an old raven)

Author notes: dagger crumble abandon scepter forage mast serenity idol horn timber orchard slumber monument ivory olive forgiveness raven constellations eclipses

whiteout condition
pastes over all sin
it's God's admission
he'd rather begin
all over again
wipe the world clean of hurt
snow melts, and then
what remains is just dirt

the time machine: its to and fro
I'm used to it -- a bit of glow
one moment I'm in ancient Rome
another and I stumble home

the problem: nothing close to Now
they're scared of any paradox
and so I'm yet to figure how
I can invest in certain stocks

the butterfly effect, to me
is nothing but a theory
try as I might I haven't seen
a change when I go in between

and so one night I change the dial
go back -- but just a little while
invest in stocks that won't decline
and now my feathers really shine

Author notes: image from birdlife.org

A sonnet need not always be for love
but yet it's love, and in its purest form.

It need not to extol the Lord Above;
an English student, sitting in her dorm,
arranging phrases this way, that way, till
a sentence sounds just right: it draws, it sings!
A river rushing forward, never still.
Stars shoot across the sky, pluck cosmic strings.

Is it a sonnet if no lover hears
adoring, wooing quatrains of clichés;
a mistress is not moved to happy tears?
The reader must decide. The rulebook says:
Review the guidelines, but let poems rule.

This sonnet written by a loving fool.

the past: a noble discipline
no shortage of disciples
what do they hope to learn, to glean
from all its former cycles?
I asked a past participle
a has been, for some comments
the answer, inadmissible
though not lacking in commas

I got a call from hell today.
Turns out it was Persephone.
It was on video -- they say
that she eschews telephony.

She asked me: "can you get me out,
me and a few more ladies.
The damned be damned, they scream and shout",
and threw some shade on Hades.

I said: "Dear, I'm not Orpheus,
and have no magic flute.
And Hades, he's been courteous,
I bear him no dispute."

But she insisted, and said: "Please!
You'll have eternal life."
And then proceeded with a tease,
so now she is my wife.

Is life eternal now, you ask?
It surely feels superb.
And though I often multitask
The phone's on "Don't Disturb".

Author notes: image from World History Encyclopedia

omit needless words
said the Little, Brown book
It's elements -- they're still in style
to gather rewards
be it Kindle or Nook
(though those have been gone for a while)
don't be sparse with the farce
and do read it out loud
if your sentences parse
then you've done yourself proud

Author notes: Prompt 6

my recall is rather flimsy
but, when on a recent stroll
saw the Graces, flight of whimsey
use the sun just like a ball
poor Apollo couldn't follow
like a beach ball, to and fro
just as if the sun was hollow
(I know that it isn't, though)
my recall is rather flimsy
but I do recall their laughter
saw the Graces, flight of whimsey
can't remember what came after

Author notes: image from Pinterest