Bookwyrm

 

Photo by Alyzah K on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here in opulent splendor I lie
On such a wonderful, lavish nest
That no mortal shall from me wrest
Though a thousand heroes dare try

For did they gather up this treasure dear?
Did they hunt down each precious book?
Scour through libraries or Dead Sea nooks?
Or wait patiently for a new release each year?

No! T’was I that braved the world
I that raided pyramids and monasteries
And infiltrated Alexandria’s Great Library
So on my scrolls and books I’ll stay curled

Now I patiently order my prizes online
E-books, audio, hardbacks; they’re all mine.

Written for dVerse.

 

 

Myriad Seams

 

Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little fluttering breezes
Along the stream
Dither here and there
Teaming with dreams
Bursting forth
With scintillating gleam
Splintering into fractals
Of rainbow beams
Shuddering past the frost
That waits and schemes
Flitting softly away
Into myriad seams
Of consciousness, shivering
With ideas aquivering

 

Written for dVerse.

 

Oh the Fair!

Photo by Pascale Amez on Unsplash

Fair weather reigns for the glorious fair
where you wander through the enchanting wares.
Say you’ll return, oh but when? Do not say;
today is set aside as a wondrous day.

Forget your woes. But the fair don’t forget,
for here laughter thrives. Treasure it for
besetting days devoid of mirth; beset
your terrors with delights held in your

heart; in the dark you’ll not grow faint in heart.
So recall the fair and the sky just so
Part the crowds, enjoy the sights, every part,
oh, the games and rides and everything oh!

Delight in the joy for these delights
light the grim gloom with shimmering lights.



This is a Shadow Sonnet, where the first and last word of each line is the same. It makes for some interesting writing. I cheated a little, but I think the end result isn't bad.


 

Golden

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Searching far for sweet ripe apples
hanging golden from silver branches
fly under the stars and land as
the guards sleep heavy in their saddles.
Pluck the fruit and leave no track
clutch the golden orbs while the sun
rises and the guards gape stunned
at empty trees, but don’t be lax.
Fruit leaves no trail, yet princes chase
golden fruit to golden bird to golden maids.
How then his golden promises shall you evade
when he comes to test the hand of fate?
Leave these dreams of golden apples
seek instead for home grown pears.



Written for dVerse.

There are many fairy tales involving golden apples. They're often in a king's garden and are stolen by a bird(s), sometimes by a princess(es) who can change into a bird(s). A prince (or gardener's son) is tasked with stopping the theft of the apples, and has to quest for the bird and eventually the princess. While there are a few variations where the princess is in need of rescue, mostly she's straight up kidnapped - and then happily marries the prince at the end. This does not sit well with me, particularly when there's rarely a reason given for stealing the apples in the first place. This poem is sorta a conglomeration of all these fairy tales, as a warning to the princess and giving her the option to choose a different path.

Everything's Confetti

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Yesterday was truly the same as today

I saw you then; I see you now

Yet yesterday was a plain vanilla day

And everything’s confetti and sprinkles now

Then - you were with me, now inside me

A tiny matter, not hefty at all

You are still you, I am still me

Yet the stars shine brighter one and all

Somewhere in time’s curious clockwork

You and me become always together us

It really didn’t take much work

Just a lifelong labour from both of us

Yesterday was really just where today left off

In an explosion of fireworks as life takes off

Lawn Rainbow

Photo by Alistair MacRobert on Unsplash

Under the drifting summer sun

that blazes relentlessly down

blanketing the air like homespun

woolens draped all over town,

sprinklers sing a soothing sonnet.

As manufactured rain falls round,

showering lawns and kids and mutts.

Filling the air with laughter’s sound,

from this humble homemade storm. 

What better way to spend the day

then in this delightful summer norm?

Forget the heat and simply play!

And if the sun will shine just right

we’ll see a rainbow twinkling bright.

Written for dVerse.

Quadrille Sonnet

Sweet poem forming
From swirling words
Plucked from storming
Lithe nebulous herds

That go roaming
Through cultured minds
As visions singing
Of tantalizing finds

Sought with cunning
Coaxed with patience
Caught with writing
Rife with cadence

Slowly the poem blooms
Unfurling its vibrant plumes



Written for d'Verse

Cinderella's Heir

I lift them from their pedestal

Tiny graceful glass-blown slippers

Oldest heirloom of the castle

Mine; the heiress of the cinders

Is magic left from their cobbler?

How they sparkle without respite!

Is that how fairy dust lingers?

Or is it scintillating light?

Music floats from the ball tonight

My chance for love, if I take it

An ember of hope; frail and slight

On these delicate glass baubles lit

So I’m wearing glass slippers to the ball

Perhaps my dreams won’t shatter after all

Written for dVerse

Homophone Fun

Chic

Around the park take a peek

Dachshund, collie, and a peke

Glossy furred, stand at their peak

How dog shows can interest pique!

Peke is a short form for the Pekingese dog.

Cair Aureate

Air clear and bright this day my only heir

Dear look to the forest where run the deer

Pair by pair under golden hanging pear

Hear finches warble flying there and here

Hares fleet footed dart between maidenhairs

New kittens mewl learning what mothers knew

Bare bone facts for adventures they will bear

Flue warmth; spoken softness; where phoenix flew

Cair Aureate’s wealth all this; soon thy care

Peer well from castle to watery pier

Fair sights and sounds all come with the same fare

Tears or joy come walking its many tiers

Blue skies or gray I bore each way the wind blew

To face each wind stalwart is thy task too

Maidenhair is a kind of fern.

"Cair Aureate" is a Shadow Sonnet. In this sonnet form the first and last word of each line are the same or homophonic. 

Written for dVerse 

Wish

for dVerse

As the maple leaves fall down from the trees

Tossed and carried by the mellifluous breeze

Wish on each glorious red soaring leaf

And watch your wishes blown with belief

Riding on the russet air sailing boats

Higher and higher in the sky they float

Then plummet like a joyful roller coaster

And pop up again like toast from a toaster

Stand there and watch until the breeze ends

Catch the leaf in hand; see what it portends

Shining red gold like a fairy’s song

Hold it close; gaze at it often and long

Somewhere on that autumn day your wish took flight

Now follow it always into the light

The Battle

for dVerse

The bright yolk of the summer sun

Crackles on the frying pan sky

While all the time planning arson

Plotting out the perfect skin fry

Pouring down boiled condiments

Sticky sweat in ample supply

Enough to melt the elements

In every realm it occupies

Yet there are frosty defendants

Offering escape through one door

Where winter has its encampments

With gelid flavors kept in store

Chilled popsicles will save the day

Cold hearts will keep the heat at bay

Gelid - extremely cold

Sleepyhead

The sun is shining faintly in the west
Casting shadows over garden and lawn
My child you've played the day through without rest
"Wide awake!" you say, but I see your yawn

Come inside my child now that playtime's through
Pull off your worn shoes and surviving sock
Leave the daytime adventures behind you
Slip on pajamas warm and note the clock

All your stuffed animals are standing guard
And every single picture book is read
Pillows fluffed and covers pulled back unmarred
So stubborn sleepyhead, climb into bed

Under heavens sprinkled with soft starlight
And now at last let me whisper good night

The Wind's Isle

for the Honeybee

Sunlit pines mirrored in the lake

In the ripples they slowly quake

While wind rustles through the needles

Touching my face as it blows by

Gently rocking the dock while I

Hear the calling of wild gulls

The calm wind lulls me so sweetly

Greeting me like a lost friend she

Braids and weaves through my chestnut hair

Then dips through the lake and soars high

Playing with the gulls in the sky

And I sigh for such days are rare

The sun shines fair warming my smile

Here on the isle in the wind’s care

Fishermen's Prize

for Magpie Tale 235 and the Honeybee

Murky waters under the boats

Sloshes around and through the nets

Salty spray lands on the men’s coats

Below hides the fishermen’s prize

Glimpses are caught of the pale fish

Pulled white from the sea with the nets

Piled around their boots to perish

Below hides the fishermen’s prize

Seagulls break the air with their trill

Diving for the fish in the nets

White birds also have bellies to fill

Below hides the fishermen’s prize

Dark waters cover the white fish

Below hides the fishermen’s prize

Christmas Rush

for dVerse

Christmas carols are floating through the air

Cinnamon and peppermint wafting by

Scraps of green wrapping paper everywhere

So many presents stacked and piled high.

Ties for dad; for Lizzie a cat, meow!

Earrings for mom; nuts for all our neighbors.

Check that list twice; what did we forget now?

Keep rushing fast. Buy just one present more.

Can there be a prefect gift that’s stress free?

Not another “some assembly” horror.

Liberate us from this shopping melee

Finish the madness and come to anchor.

Yes, there’s an end in sight to the gauntlet.

Everybody loves a gift of chocolate.

Storyteller

for dVerse

Roses grow around the tower

Speckled wrens sing in the flowers

Crickets begin their chorus bright

As the sun purples into night

Rest here children in this bower

Listen I’ll tell tales of power

Magic to show you rich delights

As the sun purples into night

Listen and forget the hours

Under my voice and star showers

Close your eyes you’ll see fairy sights

As the sun purples into night

My tales are my gift; my dower

As the sun purples into night

New Shoes

for dVerse

Day one: me in my new black shoes.
Stepping lightly, sitting mostly
without any idea of how awfully
tomorrow my feet they’ll abuse.
Then my poor feet will cry for rescue.
I’ll change my socks hopefully
and I will walk quite carefully.
Putting on those shoes I’ll rue.

I’ll trade socks for nylons,
Plaster band-aids across my feet
And change into socks once more.
Only then will my feet let bygones
fade away and retreat.
So I’ll forget I was ever footsore.