A Poetic Challenge

One April morn, amid the soil, a little shoot of green arose.
It looked upon a young, new world, and knew that this would be its land;
And grew and strengthened merrily, and looked upon the woods and sand,
A tall and slender trunk, it stood, a tree, in song and tale and prose.

And many a season did it see, and many a day it joyful knew;
And many a mother brought her babe, and many a child beneath it played;
And many a student brought his books, and many a warrior there laid;
The tree stood silent, learned and watched, and silent ever more it grew.

The Summer passed, and all around the tree the world was swathed with green.
Then Autumn bathed the world in gold and crimson colors, all aglow.
In Winter's grasp the tree did learn of sorrow, barren, painful woe.
Until that season came again, the first the tree had ever seen.

In hushed peace the tree looked up, and dropped the Winter's clutching bonds;
The Spring had crowned her leaves with flow'rs, herself a maid with flow'ry hair;
The birds rang out a melody, so sweet it soften'd Winter's air,
And warmth crept through the skies and clouds, caressing all with gentle fronds.

At last the tree knew true repose, at last she knew the joy of life;
She sighed a fragrant sigh and reached for sky and earth in one embrace,
And caught the birds and tiny flow'rs, and fields and brooks all to her face.
She knew the truth, and perfect way, she challenged earth of all its strife.
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;)
Dragonflies
 
The shiny green dragonfly
Courts his reflection
Perhaps in a moment
Of deep introspection
He considers it handsome
The belle of the ball
But despite his grand airs
It's a bug after all

-----

A little girl's tea party
 
Tea party is on hold while I remark that Tantalus was the one who was denied a drink of water; from this we get the word "tantalize." The doom of Sisyphus was to roll a boulder up a hill, see it roll down again, and have to push it up again, forever.
 
Actually, no one has written on the tea party yet...maybe you'd like to try? Then you could make the next topic a tidal wave. :D

And we weren't THAT far off topic...because I mentioned Tantalus (but stupidly called him Sisyphus) in discussing one of ES's poems on the last page. But yes, I suppose a wee bit off the current topic. :D ;)
 
Avoid the gaffes one can't excuse
And care to mind one's p's and q's
Maintain all due propriety
For this is rare imported tea
Tis best take one lump, never two
And Dolly goes ahead of you

GAAAAKKKHH! UGHHH! <COUGH COUGH>

Next topic: Watching the sunset
 
Have you seen the sky afire,
Set to burning by the sun?
Tongues of flames that never tire,
Always fire,
Now begun!

It will burn for briefest moments,
Then be lost to all mankind.
Wrapped and lost in flaming torments,
Catch these moments
With your mind!

Let your memory be branded,
Seared remembrance of the sight.
Burning clouds the sun demanded,
And rebranded,
In the light.
:D
Ecch, ahh...rough work here folks, don't take me too seriously...:rolleyes:
________________________
Just for kicks, have that Tidal Wave we were talking about earlier.
 
Savory sweet, lollipops to eat!
Purple and blue, the mouth feels like glue
My blood sugar high
Watch it go thru the roof!
Then it will quickly die
Going down from sky-high aloof
Such is the lollipop sweet.

Urgh, not too good...I'm out of practice...:rolleyes:

How about...hunting of the fly! *feeling silly*
 
At Sigonella Base in Sicily
I had to wait for my outgoing flight.
A score of houseflies kept harassing me,
Determined I would get no sleep that night.

So with a rolled newspaper in my grip,
I set about my vengeance with a verve,
And sent those flies on their eternal trip,
To meet the Devil whom they gladly serve.

==========================


Planting flowers in ground that had long been left uncultivated...
 
Thank You!

This is beautiful! Brilliant! Stunning! Thanks so much, ESW. You see God's most ferocious beauty in the smallest things. That's one BIG reason you have the heart and ability of a great poet.



Quivering crystal drop
Poised on the edge of an oak leaf
Contemplating liberation
Sailing one final giddy plunge
Before your quest is done

Sparkle in the morning sunshine
Firey glint of sunlight diamond
Far you fell from lofty currents
Yet you still cling tenaciously
To one last bit of heaven

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

Deer drinking from a forest brook
 
man...some of those were really good. ES, your teaparty one made me laugh :p

Planting flowers in ground that had long been left uncultivated...


Hoe, sing a bitter song
Cut a bit of flesh
From the earths crust
Purge without rest

Let the pungent smells
Like the dungeon's must
Cling to a gardners hands
And crumble into dust

Shoots panhandle the earth
Leaves untangle like filigree
Plant, cup a chin in yellow sun
And work your magic on me

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

A tidal wave ;)
 
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Goodness...this thread is alive STILL? Or again...:p Well anyways...

He looked out to the open sea,
A peaceful, gentle sight he saw,
Until he noticed rising high
Above the waves - a water wall.

He leapt from off his quiet seat
And raced into the tiny town.
And as he entered through the gate,
There met his ears a shrieking sound.

The streets were swarmed with villagers,
In terror all unthinkable.
But running blindly, they agreed
To climb up on the village hill.

And as from far behind the town,
They watched in horror, up above,
While one swoop of the tidal wave
Buried all things of their love.

And ever after on that day,
They overlooked th'unnatural pond
That once had been where all their lives
Had run, until they sudden drowned.

(*gasp* AAAAAAACK! That's awful! *shudder* Oh well...:p)
______________________________________
The next topic is...A Musician
 
Like hay within haystacks, the music is there,
But how do you pluck it out into the air?
How do you divide melody from the noise,
Producing a tune that the hearer enjoys?
Though I see the same strings you see when you strum,
It beats me how you get the music to come.
Like seeing a painting with colorblind eyes,
I stare and I stare, but I never get wise.
Yet though I be one of the ignorant jerks,
Thank God that somebody knows how it all works.
Without you musicians, life would be a bore,
So let me applaud you with my raucous roar.

==========================


A disobedient child sulking after receiving a mild and well-deserved punishment.
 
He pouted in the corner and
Clenched his fists at the air

He'd been benched
For making a dent
In Ma-Ma's chocolate eclairs


(short and sweet: couldn't help myself)
-------------------------------------

A poem beginning and ending with the word "gasp"
 
Gasparo was a pirate lord
Great things within his grasp
Oftimes the echo of his roar
Was some tar's dying gasp

It does begin and end with "gasp" you know....

-----

A poem that names all seven colours of the rainbow...
RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, INDIGO, VIOLET
 
I rose from my bed
With its quilt of bright red,
And cut up an orange
To eat with my porridge.
The dawn sun was yellow
And made me feel mellow
As it lit the scene
Of the cornfield so green.
I could have been blue
Having nothing to do,
But I dressed up in indigo,
To pretend I was Inigo,
Facing foes dressed in violet,
And I slashed each one's epaulette.

========

Something about the generation of Christians just AFTER the last of the Apostles had passed away.
 
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