Poems - A Story Across 3 Forms

Thank you - Anne * David * Christina * Joanna * Elkanah * Marjorie * Joan * Jerome

Family Wedding
 
choosing a new outfit 
to wear to the wedding -
mounting excitement 
 
the long drive up North
to remote sandy shores for 
his wedding party -
this is where their love began
holding hands they make their plans
 
stamping feet and loud hoorays
resound in the wedding hall
as family gathers from afar
witness to a lasting love
there is hope in the sandy shores
in gentle waves that roll in 
sunset falls on the horizon
we raise our toast to new beginnings.
 
Anne Curran, New Zealand
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All About Canaries
 
a canary's song
her voice echoes through the wind
protecting her young.
 
I love canaries
Singing sweetly, voices are trill
Beautiful gentle
Their voices will sing throughout
Carefully in daytime's air
 
Please come back to your nest
Your young ones are so innocent
Flap your feathers gently
As you return to your nest.
 
David Fox, United States
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Spring Colours
 
purple dendrobiums 
on white frangipani branch
a butterfly's dream
 
busy in spring breeze
bees drawn to jasmine perfume 
splits the morning rays
the teacloth on the table
flaps in sync with leafy shade 
 
a sudden rustle 
with the wind shift
the red banana flower reveals layers 
of satin sheathes 
dozens of cream buds sprout from within
 
Christina Chin, Malaysia
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Dog Tales
 
the long waggy tail
a metronome of sunshine
filling my heart
 
soon to discover
every way to the heart
begins with a treat
and the black labs only rule...
food is welcome anytime
 
what’s mine is yours
what’s yours is yours
with your fluffy paw
 
I feel it necessary to say…
I really don’t want your half-eaten bone
or your crumbs from the floor
 
let’s make a pact to fully understand
that every morsel may well be yours
 
Joanna Ashwell, UK
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​Placebo Paradise
 
A romantic ride,
A placebo paradise,
Long talks on the drive.
 
Hills, valleys, deserts,
We will conquer the hard paths,
Soft kisses and hugs,
Under the sun and moonlight,
Take me on a ride my love.
 
Take me on a ride into a placebo paradise,
And let the passion for each other thrive,
Who cares about the traffic lights and road signs?
I know that I’m yours and you are mine.
We will make it through the rocky terrain.
No matter how harsh the storms may seem-
We can make this nightmare into a blissful dream.
 
Elkanah Zanatta, United States
​*************************************** 

Wonderment 
 
school    dazed memories 
daydreaming into evening
swimming in midair
 
the fern   unfurling 
dinosaurs becoming birds
platypuses glow
stargazing past galaxies
discovering yesterday
 
microscope 
telescope 
seeing
the 
bigger picture 
the love surrounding us all
 
Marjorie Pezzoli, United States
​*************************************** 

Enough for All

red-breasted robins
found Grandma’s lawn each spring
sign of warmer days
 
But her regulars,
a flock of brown sparrows with
many cheeps, chirps, pecks
tried hard to chase away these
fancy feathered newcomers
 
Are the sparrows jealous of robins’ looks
Do they think Grandma will
run out of suet, seeds, crumbs?
After all the years she’s faithfully
fed them, haven’t they noticed that 
in Grandma’s heart, at her feast,
all are given sufficient food and love,
unconditionally and without reserve.
 
Joan Leotta, United States
​

In the Constellation, the Mouse King
 
let's meet 
our lucky contestants 
audience laughs
 
stalling for some time 
a smaller lion please, I
implore that you do
not hurry yourself into
rising from torpid slumber
 
Most of us are not so fortunate as to be blessed 
with the privilege of reigning across Ithaca in perpetuity. 
But for a fleeting time we may just steal a few precious moments 
as pilgrims at its center, 
surrounded by blinding light, basking in the molten heat of passionate fusing 
and transformation before abruptly being ejected 
on a flaring course toward furthest 
reaches of the cosmos.
 
Jerome Berglund, United States
​

adolescence to adulthood…
 
fond memories of
a childhood rooted in love –
innocence lasting
 
time goes by quickly –
wake up and years have passed by
look in the mirror
childhood innocence fleeting
and now adulthood begins
 
those youthful days, time seems to steal –
responsibilities in life have become real –
no getting around growing old –
it happens to all, no matter what you’ve been told –
but good memories can’t be taken away –
those innocent, youthful memories are here to stay –
in my heart, in my mind –
 
MJ Reynolds, United States