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2010 Poetry Form Challenge#01 Long Measure |
This is a variation of Common Measure, and consists of three rhymes of iambic
tetrameter, (4 feet). This gives a suggested pattern of:
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Long Measure Challenge Replies
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Maryse AchongThere are people who’ve never known What happiness is all about, With lives that have been troubled by Desolation, despair and doubt. You see it in their downcast eyes, In shoulders bowed by stress and strain, In faces set as if in stone, Reflecting all their inner pain. But others have received the gift Of lives that unfold like a dream, And it is obvious to all That happiness reigns there, supreme. They look the world straight in the eye, Shoulders upright, they’ve borne no load They face the future unafraid, Because ‘fear’ is an alien word. But blessed are those who have known care, Who have been battered by life’s gales, Have stood with backs against a wall Or balanced on precarious scales. And yet their eyes are gentle, kind, Their shoulders still squared though weary, Their faces sometimes wrinkled, worn, But wreathed in smiles for all to see. May we always remember that No matter how pitch black the night, If we can only wait and trust, Ere long we’ll see that chink of light. back to list |
Divena CollinsThe hues of a blue moon rising On the eve of a brand new year, Sending shadows down to Earth, Forming a pale blue hemisphere. With alluring visions and fantasies, And dreams that will all come true, Mystique charms the young and old, When a new moon is coloured blue. When lovers meet in the moonlight Sweet promises are made of love, While strange atmospheric illusions, Come true,`neath a blue moon above.  ----- The Chinese Vase The Auction room it was crowded A musty smell now filled the room, The auctioneer then took his stand A showing was about to resume. Antique dealers took their seats Expecting to make a fast buck, Old aunt Bessy she was first there Thought maybe she`ll have some luck She wore a fox fur round her neck, Which smelled of strong moth balls A broad brimmed hat with roses, And sat at the back next to wall. Had her eye on a Chinese vase Blue China, with birds on a vine Pretty vase, stood on a plinth She said `your going to be mine`. The Auctioneer now got started, Describing the vase to begin, He said it was certainly a Ming And was found in an old dustbin. " Ming be damned" Aunt Bess shouts I knowjust where that came from, It was the church Jumble sale A man had bought it called John. Underneath, a price tag is stuck But all you can read is just `ing` Peel of the tag then you will see It`s stamped and made in Beijing. Out of the goodness of my heart Cancel this lot, now on demand And I will, just to help you out, Take this vase out of your hands". The auctioneer`s face turned red He then gave her the vase for free, For her to keep her mouth shut tight She eventually had to agree. So back home my Aunt Bessie went She had began to dance and sing When she pulled the sticker off It most definately was a `Ming.  ----- The Exotic Dancer Oh I wish I was a pole dancer To slide up and down a pole, I`d be as sexy as can be And tease all hungry souls. I would look cute in a thong And topless maybe great, To make men shout for more And entrap them with my bait. Oh I wish I was a lap dancer And dance away the blues, To do a jig on their laps in Winkle picker stilletto shoes. If only I was a belly Dancer I`d wobble and shimmy all night, With a jewel inside my navel I`d be their turkish delight. Oh I`d love to be a stripper If I was once again young, I would be their cutie pie If my body was better hung. But I have floated in the clouds Had much too many wishes, Now I`m back to earth again I`d better go wash the dishes.  A Gladdened Heart How gracious thus, thy bounteous smile Which verily gladdens much my heart, I would but treasure thee constantly, And ne`er would I ever deign to part. Much happiness showeth in thine eyes, Which doth shine from thy soul within And I shalt forever, hold thee dear Deep in spirit and thoughts therein. I hath loved thee for many a day, Hast cherished thee all the while. And I shalt not forsake thy love. For e`er my heart thou shalt beguile. How gracious thus, thy bounteous smile For e`er my heart thou shalt beguile.  ----- Global Warming Whats all this about global warming, When temperatures are so low here. Tonight will be well below zero, Freezing once again, I should fear. Maybe if we move to Australia Would things be better out there With temperatures over a hundred And no more fresh water to share. What will we do for our heating When all of the sea gas has gone Just have to buy more thick woolies And put warm thermal underwear on. As for our friends in Australia, Do not let the heat get you down, Just think of us that are freezing, While you are, lovely and brown. All keeping warm in our thermals While your waltzing Matilda may sing. Were watching through binoculars When you fit into that G string.  ----- The Road To Happiness Narrow lanes that twist and turn, In a figment of imagination, Red ferns grow in swirls of snow In the strangest presentation. Green and blue liquorice sticks Form all sorts of tasty things, Butterflys wings that now flutter by Stringed harpsichords that sing. A pathway twisted on it`s own This morning being only tonight, A large dog sat sucking his food Forgotten he had lost his bite. The rains came up instead of down On Islands formed in the sky, A woman briskly walks through air Before she`d grown wings to fly. She finds her road to happiness Which is not a great distance away, For she opens the gates of wisdom And kneels on the clouds to pray.  -----  Theory in Fantasy Out of the void of space unknown Constellations had just been born, Mythical beasts roamed spheres On a group of stars named Capricorn. These beasts bred, half goat, half fish Thus the Capricorns known birth sign, From cosmic rains from the galaxy, Where they thrived `til end of time. There deep in the midst of moonshine Bore the most wonderful global hue, This moon, quite the largest by far Shone magnificent shades of blue. And beasts of burden in Capricorn Had all turned the same shade too, Hence the sky, the sea., and our Earth From space, are all shades of blue.  ----- Ye Joyful Maidens Oh Come all ye pretty maidens Maketh merrie whilst thou may, For thy shalt surely soon be wed, In a quaint olde fashioned way. Oh thou may sing to a merry tune Let thy silken locks freely flow, Thou shalt sup, sweet honeyed mead. Until thy heart warms to a glow. Oh come all ye pretty maidens Bring happiness and frivolity, For love of life shalt be too brief, Seeking much of it from jollity.  back to list |
Jem Farmer My words are naught but summer rain when met with acrid clouds of doubt. Each time the hurt denies my heart in welts of pain I am cast out. On deafened ears I waste my time declaring love she cannot see; although I try to understand, her ceaseless taunts are killing me. If it's her will that I should die without her kiss upon my lip; then I can only take my fate and from this world I'll lose my grip. My love I give and give my all for her to take or turn away, and sit beneath the willow tree in hopes that love will come today. back to list |
Ivor HoggI see no reason to be coy. I was a baby long ago and after that a little boy. When all I had to do was grow. I quickly grew to be a youth. Certain that I knew everything. But passing years taught me the truth. I could be sure of just one thing. The more I learnt the less I knew. There was so much I did not know and I had other tasks to do. Things to see places to go. We may not know what lies ahead, such knowledge is forbidden us. So we are forced to guess instead. Perpetually curious. I realised as I grew old. That I must die eventually. Leave my old body stiff and cold And then at last I would be free. Just how I knew I cannot say but I believe it to be true I grow more certain every day. Although I KNOW no more than you. I find it very comforting to think that when this body dies. At last I will know everything with nothing hidden from my eyes. Until I am reborn again. Bereft of all my memories. Knowing no more than other men I learn again by slow degrees. Bodies may die but I go on. Blessed with immortality Forgetting past lives which are gone until I am what I should be. A small part of the oversoul Returned at last from whence I came. A process I cannot control but I must go through just the same. When all are safely gathered in and thus complete the oversoul A new creation can begin. Perfection is the final goal ----- Pulling Myself Together In dreams I can communicate with disparate parts of me. I'm learning to appreciate. The frightening complexity Of the different parts of me. Which I must balance constantly A task I must face every day so they combine to make me, me.. I am a father and a son. I am a brother and a friend. The endless list goes on and on. It seems as though it has no end . Somehow I manage to control at least the parts on public view. The scattered parts which make the whole But still conceal a thing or two. The parts of me I need to change. I'm sure I can do given time. Some parts of me are weird and strange. Like creatures from an earlier time. The Id tries to assert its will. The ego sure to disagree. The super ego bids them both be still. I just accept they're part of me. When other people look at me. I wonder if they wonder too If they can see reality. I am not certain that I do. back to list |
Ryter Roethical Lingering she stood at the door, Then out into the pouring rain, Leaving the home that she had built That'd turned to a house of pain. No makeup, it would wash away Not from the rain but from her tears Wishing that they could wash away All those final wasted years. She'd loved and been loved back Mistaken, thinking that love would stay Like the rain that was falling now His love had been washed away. She shut the door, walking away Leaving the house a darkened scene The home she loved an empty shell Where so much love had been. With blinding tears, she started her car And then very quickly drove away She had not planned where to go What happens, only time can say. ----- Dispute  She could not wear a dress of blue Instead she had picked the black Blue was the colour of his eyes She knew he wasn't coming back. He'd left that day in a bitter rage Slamming doors as he rushed out Driving too fast on sodden roads His car wheels sliding on the route. On the freeway no thought or care As his madness made him drive on Vision blurred by tears of rage He knew his wife, his love was gone. Then he thought of days not long past Of times spent in each others arms Of loving days and loving ways And of the ways that loving warms. His foot rose off the madness pad As slowly his sanity returned Then he reached the turning point And homewards the car he turned. She lay in tears upon the bed Thinking of cruel words she'd spoken Of spite and hurt no thought just said Regretting no peaceful token. "Regret! Oh much too late" she thought As the tears poured from her eyes She did not hear him come to her And she looked up in surprise. He took her in his tender arms Hugging, kissing her tears away And through her tears she heard him say, "I'm not going to work today." She did not wear a dress at all Instead something flimsy and red And the two, lovers made their peace Upon their loving bed. ----- Ghost of You and Me  I walked into the empty house Once filled up with love and glee Empty now save for memories Of the ghosts of you and me. A house we shared and cared, Lived and loved so happily But that house is empty now Save for the ghosts of you and me. We lived and wined and dined And conversed so merrily The only ones that talk there now Are the ghosts of you and me. There in the times when all alone We'd make love so passionately But only ghosts make love there now They are the ghosts of you and me. ----- Hidden Treasure  I stare deep down into the pools That I'm certain were your eyes. I am touched by thoughts unknown Is it true that you are fates prize? You reach out your hand to me Your touch is warm and familiar And my soul remembers once more Warm nights sat by an open fire. I am drowning in soul memories Yet it's life, it is not a death, Or lives that we have lived as one And in those memories I find wealth. I realise now, any time we have Is a pittance this time on earth Yet every moment is a treasure Adding to the total of loves worth. ----- Just a Pause  Because I could not stop for death It meant I had put death on ice So he stopped for someone else And left me to my own device. Now life it seems goes very well But now and then when life is sound I think about who took my place Instead the other way around. I'll wait to hear that gentle tap Upon my soul's ethereal door I'll rise from this my earthly nap And leave this place for evermore. ----- No Regrets  I don't regret my life or weep Passing like smoke from a chimney Autumn has me in her cold grip A young man I shall never be. My heart now feels September s chill No longer beats as once it did The stairways banister no more tempts As in my spring I often slid. My wandering spirit's is less But still you stir my lips aflame I've lost freshness of passions eye And yet I love you just the same. Oh life do desires grow tamer, Or is life all a useless deed, When in springs echoing early hours I had galloped by on winged steed? We're all mortal, watching silently The trees spill their leaves of copper. May you be blessed ever more Till death comes with her final offer. ----- Out Of My Head  Tell me, how long have I known you How long will there be a blue moon? You've turned my world upside down Let us hope it doesn't change too soon. Will you still be here by my side, When that blue moon has gone away? Will you be here to see the next, Can I be sure that you will stay? It's not a dream the way I feel, A feeling I don't wish to go. If this is madness let it be I wish it to remain just so. ----- Totentanz  Come all ye spirits the church bells toll Thirteen times now the bell has rung Awaken all ye rotting dead Ye're all dancing to what Deaths sung. In the pale light of the Hallows moon See as over the graves he stands One lightning flash and thunder roll Death takes his fiddle in his skeletal hands. The bow scrapes o'er the suffering strings No need for tuning to be right. For life and balance only rule the day Death and cacophony rule the night. So the dancers are called to dance And crawl out of their rotting graves And beasts that always shun the light Emerge from stinking caves. The fiddler starts his hellish dirge Echoing through the pits of hell And some of Satan's creatures join in Dancing to a tune they know so well. The wailing of those tortured souls Joins with the screaming of the un-dead Werewolves victims join in now Screaming as when dragged from bed. The clacking of the bashing bones As the skeletons wildly dance The percussion section softened As we see rotted corpses prance. The vampires flamenco aloof See o'er yonder where they are stood Watching Dracula arms held aloft As he stamps in a puddle of blood The frenzy of the fiddler increases Dancers crazily matching his tone. For as every creature of night knows That day can never be their home. Then we hear it loud, a cockerel Calling above the raucous din And the creatures of evil curse it For it banishes creatures of sin. With light the creatures have vanished Gone back to their hole or their pit Slithering down the septic highways Crawling to where only evil can fit. We hear it still, high in the air Death the fiddler fiddling away. Knowing his work will be starting At the end of another day. ----- Yearning  We act like passing strangers now As we sit here drinking coffee An unsweetened long white for you And black with two sugars for me. We sit and we talk and pretend, But can't really say what is known Our eyes seem to lock constantly, But feelings must never be shown. Still smiling we avert our gaze Going back to drinking our Tiffin, And obeying the rules we'd made Too proud and stupid to give in. We sit here and play our charade An invisible wall that's been drawn Our meeting, our desire and our love, Is such that never can be known. But once again the clock says That it is time for us to part And here comes that sinking feeling Deep, way deep down inside my heart. Suddenly, as we rose slowly, You very gently touched my arm Giving me oh such a feeling Making me feel oh so warm. I know comfort and love is there But with no promises given Mere presence will have to suffice As again our love has arisen. You broke through the barrier Once more reaching out to me Your touch is that of love given, And one that is honest and free. ----- Zant a Liver  After all this time have you wondered What happens when the moon is blue? Have you seen the path that they walk Creatures that in childhood we knew? As we grew we cast them away Treating them as childhood nonsense Till they became ghosts in our minds Calling it fantasy in defence. But where is the origin of dreams A child cannot create false scenes But can see what is truly there And with young eyes see the unseen. If only our minds could be made Level like fresh clean virgin sand And yet retain the experience That makes living a full life grand. back to list |
Peter WillowdownThe joyful birds proclaim the morning, the flowers open their petals to sing; in the meadow the trees are dancing - only man has crippled wings. Self-bound in the swathes of doubt he glowers at another day, he shakes his fist, rails and shouts at the sun's bright yellow rays. Armed with spears and portfolios, bristling with cell-phones, deadlines and facts, he takes no part in creation and does not even know he lacks. Tired and bloody from massacring the heavens he gazes at the pale white moon and wonders at the hidden powers from the shelter of his room. In his heart wild beasts roam, he warms himself beside the fire; his little cave is his home - let no-one test his vengeful ire! |
Nia WynneA bird flying by a window, Bread baking in a home oven Captured within love kneaded dough Delightfully fragrant as proven. Exile from every storm, Freedom from all retributions Gathered at the dawns of each hour, Holding on to hopes fair form. Indigo twilight's at the edge Just short of the horizon dream Kilted with the cloth of loves light Lingering together by pledge. ----- Partial to Words The words are there but just get blown away. Everyday is a rare opal gem, Yet each day is swept out like common stones Pebbling the beach that now, we condemn. What is left are the shadows we once saw Together, now apart by three long weeks, Blue moon of fable and lore's we know Though seldom do stories tell what tears speak. So here the poet in me seeks release For peace of mind shouldn't be a blue moon And friends bring hope in less rare moments, Love then stays when sad songs end none too soon.  back to list |
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