Innocence awakened
in pearls of morning dew
pure and chaste
Trust in yet
unborn sophistication
with eager eyes
seeking the wonders
of universal consciousness

All actions performed
with a passion of spirit
on butterfly wings
delicate yet meek
Searching for
the meaning of life
the end of that rainbow
discovered from the flawless
uncut diamond within

Encountering love
in simple childhood pleasures
guileless laughter
in chasing dreams of every tomorrow
Virginal, secret kisses
behind that tree
creating forever fantasies
in an unsullied world

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Gaylene is a 54 year old woman from Chewton, Australia.  She has been writing for just over a year so still considers herself very new to this exciting world.  Her inspiration for writing comes from many places – nature, spirituality, and friends she has made on AllPoetry

 Allpoetry Name   AliceinPoetryLand

The Gift of Love

The Gift of love is ours to share tonight
within our hearts it beats of true romance

The joy of loving brings us pure delight
no more to doubt no more to leave to chance

Our love denied by fate before will reign
to stand the test of time and will survive.

No longer parted no more tears or pain
but love and laughter bringing us alive

The dream of sharing lives surpasses fear
we plan to wed and live in bliss anew

A child to seal our love and hold us near
can bring us joy beyond the love we knew

A chance to live our dream again is there
 feel the happiness it brings to share

 …………………………………………………………………………………………….

Beatrice (Joan) Benecke is a woman residing in Australia. She had not written poetry before joining AllPoetry in August 2002. She considers her time on AP as a learning process for her and feels her poetry has improved over the years. Her two favorite styles of writing are Acrostics and Sonnets.

Allpoetry Name     angelica

In Boxes

I gave him a small box when he asked
He was seven I think or maybe eight
I haven't seen that box since
until today

Here under the bed
I was cleaning and out it came
with one wide sweep of the broom handle
Ten years are inside this cardboard box
I hold tenderly realizing as I hold it
that I hold his childhood here in my hands

He loves deeply this quiet boy

He is a keeper
He kept his teddy bear until he gave it to her
and this box with it bits of life that intrigued him
moments and memories he wanted to hold on to

Movie tickets, a birthday card, petrified wood
from a vacation when he was eleven or twelve
I laugh at the ragged #24 hat he'd worn so long
laying flat on the bottom was paper with a title

I recognized and I reread the title through
nostalgia’s tears, remembering ”My Mom"
a poem he wrote long ago and cared enough to keep

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Tamera Dobbins is a 45 year old mother of 6 from Oklahoma, USA. She wrote her first poem for a 7th grade English assignment and has never stopped. She was first published in 1979.  She has wide variety of interests. Currently she is working on a collection of writings related to nursing, and a rhyming storybook for children.

Allpoetry Name      InkstarRN

You Do Not Exist

I walk randomly from one street to another
while walking I try to hold your hands
but I can not touch your soft hands
because you do not exist

you never did

I go for a candle light dinner
through the light of the candle I try to see your lovely face
but all I see is darkness
because you do not exist

you never did

I go to a masquerade
I ask the guests to take off their masks
but I do not find you behind any mask
because you do not exist

you never did

I write your name on the snow
my hand gets frostbite and bleeds
with pain I look at your name but there is none
because you do not exist

 you never did

 …………………………………………………………………………………………….

Sabir Abdus Samee is a 29 years old man from Bangladesh. He graduated from University in London (UK) with a BA degree in Literature and completed an MA degree from Dalarna University (Sweden). At present he is a Lecturer in English at Manarat International University. He has published 2 books between 2002 and 2006.

Allpoetry Name   Sabir Abdus Samee

Soft Moonlight Rain

Soft moonlight rain stutters my wits
escaping in fresh senses of underlined love
Must this be the wool of your face
when you laid yours lightly upon my palm
‘Tis the same patent and radiant look and touch

Your fragile lips supple and mild as I tried
to enter your only soul with my combating kiss
It must be this rain I firmly press and
this the warmth of your touch whispered
in moderate strokes of rain upon my stabled arms

Or ‘tis the sky again with its lid of woe
troubled so much in this time of loss
Must it have misplaced it’s once love its sun

Generously upon my palm of patience
these broken frames calls my ardent soul

In soft moonlight rain
must this be you again

 …………………………………………………………………………………………….

Aurielle is an 18yr old young woman from Florida. Aurielle was born in Florida but her heritage is Jamaican.  She discovered a deep passion for art and her creative mind at the age of 15.  Soon thereafter, she started jotting down the way she felt on paper, realizing she had a love for words.

Allpoetry Name      Aurielle

A Sweetly Remembered Dream

Far out in the sea, miles from any shore
lies an island filled with mountains streams and oh so much more
surrounded by high cliffs covered with trees of the brightest green
Animals throughout more than anyone has ever seen
Near the middle on the bank of a beautiful stream
a village lies snuggled among the trees

Peaceful quiet as if from my dream
each day men and women going about their daily chores
Boys and girls giggling

playing in the forest and by the seashore
One could see the love the happiness in every heart on every face
This feeling the beautiful serenity no one could ever replace
The animals and people shared the island happy and free
all were friends for they realized this is the way it should be
This may be just a dream from my sleep
yet in my heart one

I will forever keep

 …………………………………………………………………………………………….

Kevin Neal is an adult man from Pennsylvania, United States.  Kevin has always been an amateur writer with several poem published by Poetry.com, American Poets, and Noble House. Childhood was quiet and peaceful but he was later faced with many family trials.  He is now letting his poems speak for his many experiences and memories, both good and bad.

Allpoetry Name   Puppydog

Remembering Granddaddy

Maybe it's his memory most
moored inside my heart
or maybe just the falling leaves
that make the feelings start

I remember Christmas dinners
those we came to see
and love so thick inside that house
was Ma and Granddaddy's

I remember just two words: 'The lake'
and visions of the sea
A summertime seasons wonder-world
he built it just for me.
I remember all the things he built
ceilings, floors and walls
How well each labor echoes here
that he has built them all

Maybe it's his children most
four pillars standing tall
Who echo his reflections here
and he has built them all

 …………………………………………………………………………………………….

Sandra Osborne is a 46 yr old Woman from the United States. Sandra has a passion for poetry which has helped her to create well over a thousand beautiful poems and earn a reputation as a top poet.

Allpoetry Name   QuarryGirl

My Home of Dearest Dreams

When the bells of wonder sweetly ring
the stars of midnight shall be dear
and silence whispers a song to sing
the gates of enchantment opened near

Those white snow flakes are just so warm
and the kiss of moonlight lingers still
the world is fine and all is calm
When the dance of pleasure comes to fill

The scents are sweet, in the home I built
Where the season is spring, forever on show
not a place for regret nor guilt
while fantasy rules and memories grow

The skies shall send a stage to spare
while the ploy and sketch my mind decides
to weave a dream and hold with care
a vacant place still resides.

That’s my land of dearest dreams
with sweet, sweet thoughts and sparkling gleams

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Archana Jayaseelan, age 25, resides in India. .Archana loves the creative feeling of expressing her words on paper. She is an active poet at Allpoetry.com

Allpoetry Name   raspberry

Dreary Morning

I have had my share

of dark days in my time

and I can’t discount the joys

of sunshine as well
I have swung uninhibited

on the swing of reflections
taunting the demons and

celebrating with the angels
I have been robbed of that

which makes a man a man
and come face to face

with that which unmans one
I have drunk to dregs

my share of the bitter cup
without complaint

without bidding it pass
I have traveled the high road

and lain in lowly taverns
slave to my whims

accountable to none
When I think of the way

my whole being  hungers for you

without contentment
tears break down the barriers

of my self control
as I pen these lines for you
on this dreary morning

 …………………………………………………………………………………………….

Samuel Chuma lives in Harare, Zimbabwe and is 37yrs old.  Samuel started writing poetry at 11 years old but has never before been published.  He also writes short stories.  His writing derives its inspiration from the injustices around him and from man's relationship with his inner self.

Allpoetry Name     buddyho

Atelophobia

I must--be--P.e.r.f.e.c.t.
smiles don't count as emotion

 for underneath my exterior

(nearly plastic)
my once scars are covered by the

F.O.U.N.D.A.T.I.O.N.
of my fears.

Imperfection
obsession
regression into solitude

B r e a k d o w n s

………………………………………………………………………………………. 

Elizabeth Hayton is age 14 and resides in North Carolina, USA. Lizzy started writing at the tender age of 5.  She attends Early College, which takes up most of her time.

Allpoetry Name     LadyOfTheMoonshine

He

He’s the one who holds me together
through thick and thin
and any kind of weather
He makes me smile when I want to cry
helps me up when I want to die
He may not seem perfect
but to me he is
He’s all that matters in this burnt out place
He has never thought of me as a disgrace
He cares about me
he’s always there
makes me feel like I’m floating on air
He’s the best
but he doesn’t know
He does know life is not a show
He lets me hold on tight and never let go
He’s my best friend in the world

 …………………………………………………………………………………………….

Dana Bouska age 14, and lives in Missouri, USA.  Dana started becoming interested in poetry when she was in fifth grade. She’s been hooked ever since. She loves reading poetry and writes on many subjects.  When she's not writing poetry or lyrics, she's singing.

Allpoetry Name     La Tua Cantante

This Dress Still Looks the Same

Pout...

I look like a frilly walnut

with bits poking out

A living doll on a shelf all but

Rather be a fairy with orange wings

not crimpy curls and colored strings

Displeasure...

Be a good girl always told

stand still look pretty be a treasure

packaging me up like a piece of gold

Rather be playing on the swings

not crimpy curls and colored strings

Melancholy...

Feet don't work in black shiny shoes

height of fashion when your name is Polly

I'm not going to wear them I simply refuse

Rather be swimming with water wings

not crimpy curls and colored strings

Delights...

I like spiders teddies and puppy dogs

ice-cream dollies and big flying kites

better than dresses are green slimy frogs

Rather be doing other things

not crimpy curls and colored strings

 ………………………………………………………………

Claire Litchfield is 28yrs old and lives in England.  She has written poetry on and off for several years and has had poetry printed in magazines.  She loves to write in many styles but her greatest love is Form Poetry. She has recently created six forms of her own.  This poem is done in Wordflair, one of her own forms

Allpoetry Name     -LilacThOughts-

Escape

Trapped within a prison she walked into
blind and naive unaware of the signs
Pain and denigration daily fare
Heartache and secrecy her drought

                                    She weeps

Slowly gathering forces within her soul

Mind regaining focus and strength

Determination a private, secret stash

Planning an escape her sips of ambrosia

She holds her breath

Leaving the known world behind

Running with an eye to the future

quick surreptitious glances behind

Fresh air of freedom her fountain of youth

She laughs

She reaches renewed spirits to the sky

Arms grasping a life unknown and forgotten

Sipping in the joyous confidence lost

Walking from the darkness to the light

         She sighs, content

…………………………………………………

 Shari Lengel is 43 from Illinois (USA). She is happily espoused with 5 children. She likes to think of herself as eclectic, writing prose, short stories, and is working on a novel, as well as writing poetry. She has a tendency to write strongly on things that matter to her. She has been published in a number of anthologies and collections.

 Allpoetry Name   Lady-Pegasus

The Cat Returns

Aha! Now to you I can confess
my plan has been a great success
Having told you of my supposed plan
you thought you’d do whatever you can
to foil my tricks and get away
to capture me yet another day
but now you know surely to your cost
that my plans were not completely lost
As you lay in wait back in that room
I was already there hidden in gloom
You didn’t see that your bed was filled
with glue and eggs that had been chilled
As you lay down and went to sleep
slowly towards you I did creep
Your coat now covered sticking together
I covered you with flour and feathers
 You didn’t wake ‘till I’d gone outside
and found a place in the tree to hide
When you emerged, your sticky paws licking
looking very much like a white, dusty chicken
A trail of feathers you left behind
with each step you took I didn’t mind
because when our mother saw all that mess
it was you who got blamed, I confess
and from the tree I had a good view
as they rubbed and scrubbed it off of you
You looked so funny, tail between your legs
as they picked the feathers from the dried eggs
Banned to the garden you were left for the night
they didn’t want your wet paws anywhere in sight
So there you lay, like a drowned old rat
You see you’ll never get the better of this cat!!!

 ……………………………………………………

Ann, 55 yrs old, resides in Littlehampton, Sussex, UK.  Ann started writing only 6 years ago.  She has had poems published in two anthologies in the UK. Ann hopes to get her series of children’s story poems published in the future.

Allpoetry Name     AnnD

I Didn’t Fall Far

Slipped from their limbs, never lost inner power
landed, bitter and bruised, did not spoil or sour
They say that I didn’t fall far from their tree
stem snapped with sweetness, down dropped dignity
Slice me into segments, now dare to explore
peel back this smooth skin to reveal my heart’s core
Inside me the seeds of my own fruit do lie
I hope they grow branches that reach to the sky

 …………………………………………………

Lori has a love of language and the many ways it can be used to evoke feelings and provoke thoughts. She writes about what she feels, what she’s lived, what she desires; Things that she can never forget. She is a published poet in several worldwide anthologies, but she aspires to compile a book of her own poetry someday.

Allpoetry Name     -Ink Artist-

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

When Two Hearts Collide

Love is as powerful as the Universe
for it is the dwelling place of the
centre of all that is holy
The palace of the Lord
The eventual resting place
for our soul
The heaven we long for

Powerful love that travels
through time
A life line to salvation
where blessed is he who collides
within that vast universe
with the heart of God

See the power that crashes with
the self
Watch as the sparks of love,
life and beauty escape
from the impact
Be blessed for you have
found your way home

That special place
that heavenly place
that moment of glory
when two hearts collide

 ………………………………………………………………

 Janice M Pickett is an adult woman from Australia. Jan won her first poetry contest at eight years of age and that afforded her the honor of being published in a magazine. She went on to become an actress and model. From there she expanded her skills to acting, dancing, writing, producing and directing for film and television. She has been a published poet for many years.

Allpoetry Name  Janice M Pickett

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

Winter in Maoriland

It’s June and, in New Zealand, it’s already wintertime
when many kiwis leave their homes to seek some warmer clime
Now as our nights grow longer and the days so quickly go
the southern weather forecast is for heavy frosts and snow

Our maple tree is shedding ruby leaves across the lawn
too soon its branches will be bare and autumn beauty gone
yet in the garden plots below the first green shoots appear
of daffodils and hyacinths to show that Spring is near

The trees and bush are silent for the songbirds long have flown
across the wide Pacific to their migratory zone
but seasons swiftly come and go and soon again will sing
the blackbird in our garden which will tell us that it’s Spring

Though winter ills assail us now, we’ll soon be on the mend
and meantime we wish everyone a healthy warm weekend

 ……………………………………………………

Hugh Wyles was born in Christchurch/New Zealand where he now lives in retirement with his wife, Edna. Hugh started writing poetry at the age of ten. He is a member of the NZ Poetry Society and Kiwi Poets’ Corner. He joined the AllPoetry site in 2003 where he has become a very active member.

 Allpoetry Name   hugh wyles

Over and Over

Over and over

parents just lecture you

and never let you explain
so trouble is all you get
and it drives you so insane

You try to do the right thing
but it never seems enough
so  you give it one more try
and other times just give up

Running down a road of dread
falsely disapproved
you sit alone to think a bit
about how you can be you

Another lecture comes to pass
and suicide comes to mind
but then you get to thinking
about that one person you'll leave behind

In the darkness you confess
that no one has a clue
about  the things you’re going through
they don’t have a single clue

 ……………………………………………………………

Julie-Anne Hallam is 16yrs old from Queensland Australia. Julie is studying Law and is also an art, dance and drama student. Her love for writing has grown over the years along with her gifted ability to draw.

This young lady has started writing her own comic strips.

 Allpoetry Name   pickles rox69

To Kill a Nightingale

The twilight falls like fading years

to catch us mortals unaware

and autumn leaves bleed blood of spring

as my heart bleeds a tear for fear

that winter will break soul's soft wing

This leaves the mind in deep despair

as pleas fall on the deafened ear

Spring merged with summer all too fast

Mind's furrowed fields were touched with rime

they killed the nightingale that night

when fate for me the die had cast

Alone I stood t face my plight

as threat of death began to climb

and challenges seemed all too vast

They chased the stars and killed the moon

those hellish gods of circumstance

who crushed the sparrow under foot

to kill the music of its tune

The emphasis on pain they put

to piper's music I must dance

Sweet death you cannot come too soon

 …………………………………………………………

Diana Newton is an English lady living in Italy. Her hobbies include riding, reading, writing, music and painting. She believes there is little hope for the human race unless they change radically. Diana is a very private person

 Allpoetry Name   masterblaster

The Dieter's Nightmare

What a peculiar house it was
The roof was made of candy floss
the windows carved from marzipan
had frames of fudge with strawberry jam

Sherbet fountains sprayed the lawns
and on the pool swam icing swans
Jelly furniture 'shook' downstairs
whilst chocolate kittens licked their hairs

Ice cream smoke, with wafer flames
billowed from a honeyed frame
into a cloud of raspberry fools
with cola rainfall, forming pools

The bathtub flowed with whipped cream foam
where licorice sticks replaced the chrome
The kitchen taps poured flavored drinks
into a toffee apple sink

A wondrous place of sugary sweets
 house of tantalizing treats
another dream of fattening fare
the struggling dieter’s worst nightmare

…………………………………………………………

Robert W Perry is from South Wales (UK).  Robert claims that to be born Welsh is to be born privileged; not with a silver spoon in your mouth, music in your heart and poetry in your soul.  He has a number of published books on the market

 Allpoetry Name   Welsh Dragon

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

Ask Me No More

Ask me no more if I’m happy here
eons away from the gentle warm winds
of the desert that bore me beneath the sun
that shines with radiance unreachable now
My bed meadows of poppies that sang golden notes
for those long nights underneath the vaulted heavens
when the stars were my companions
and the moon the brilliant pillow for my head

I gaze up into a foreign sky
no longer oriented in any direction I can perceive
amid the urbanized upheaval of forgetfulness
that shadows step I cautiously take
the voices vacant of recognition or tone
that would meld me into one of their own

for I am not
I am a wildflower
that can only be nourished
from the eternal terra
where I was created

 ……………………………………………………………

Susan Sanchez-Barnett is a woman from Maryland USA. Susan has been writing poetry for nearly three years.  Her poetry has been published in the Mainichi Daily News, White Lotus, SP Quill, Illuminating Shadows, Bottle Rockets and more.

 Allpoetry Name   azure85

Flowers 

As the morning sun rises out of the east
I hear light beams shout out of the darkness
I see the flowers begin to forget the cool night
as they blossom forth to greet dawn's daily illumination

Without fear, they face each moment of their being
filled with beautiful acceptance of life
they humbly bow their heads in respect to the rain
and they do not fight the winds of change

Each night, they passively sleep with serenity
unscathed by the shadows of life's worries
Unlike men who so often choose to suffocate themselves
drowning nightly in the waters of their dark speculations

Is it the bliss of ignorance paired with their natural innocence
which calms their slumber each night
Or is it their faith in God and the seasonal circle of life
that allows them such courage to face each day

 ………………………………………………………

Laura Barrett Shannon is 39 and lives in the US. She is married and her son Rick is also a poet on the site. She has just recently published her book "Awakening Perceptions"

Allpoetry Name   ToltecWarrior

Look at Me

Look at me!
A dust particle in the universe
floating through space and time

I marvel at the vastness
that surrounds me

How can I be important
how can I be seen

Seen for who I am
what I've accomplished

Look at me!
See that which comes
from inside my soul

How can I make you see

the real me

I can't
unless you
look at me

 ………………………………………………………………

Joyce A. Le Lievre is 47 and lives in Massachusetts USA.  Joyce always loved to read poetry and finally decided it was time to try her hand at it a couple of years ago. She joined AllPoetry in July of 2005 and hasn’t looked back since. She says it is a wonderful form of expressing herself.

Allpoetry Name     sunny day

Lasting Impression

Words can effect us
delivered by voice or by pen
They get into our being
absorbed through our skin

Bones they may not break
but hearts surely do
Think of your words
as if they were said to you

If the subject matter is bad
take a little time to plan
Then say what is needed
compassionately as you can

They make a lasting impression
sometimes bad or even good
So deliver them with kindness
like you hope that they would

 ………………………………………………………

 Jeannie Dean is 32 years old from North Carolina in the U.S.  Jeannie started writing seriously a little over a year ago. She was a Human Resources Specialist for a large financial company for several years and poetry is a special part of her life.

 Allpoetry Name      JeannieD

Sold

He gazes west

and remembers

when his view of

this beautiful tundra

did not include a shiny

Toyota four wheel drive

The hills where this

boy became a man

now wear tire treads like

deep gaping wounds

not yesteryear's gentle

hoof prints of peace

He can almost hear the

land crying out in pain

pleading for mercy from

a man who recalls

a simpler time

When success equaled

respect for the land

His Grandfather's land

sold at auction last month

With a tear in his eye

he calls home on his cell phone

as he climbs into his plush

Toyota Tundra truck

fully loaded with leather seats

like his boyhood saddle

He gazes west and remembers

 …………………………………………………………

Tammy C. Smith lives in Alabama, USA.  She only recently began writing poetry after she was called to do so. She gets her inspiration to write from the smallest things (butterflies) to the most magnificent (God’s love and compassion).

Allpoetry Name   Tam

My Vessel

I am skipper of

my vessel

as I rig the

mast of my

consciousness

I leave shallow

waters behind

I sail into

unchartered seas

in search of

my destiny

My future lies

curled in ropes

upon my deck

and stretches itself

with a fierce greatness

Only I can navigate

this life I own

Only I can see the

horizon over the waves

of my existence

…………………………………………………

Kelly R. Brega, from Pennsylvania, is 46 years old. She started journal keeping when she was just 11 years old. By the time she was 14, she began to write poetry. She has not stopped since.

 Allpoetry Name     pen-inhand

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

He snapped my name between his teeth
He told me he said
bed is a place for lovers or earners
or dreamers and he had no business
climbing in lying down
so he makes me kneel

Hands together eyes closed
he whispers that since he is the reason
behind my prayer then he is also part of it
and so as my lips separate in repentance
Those words are his

Nothing of his escapes him living
and since it is surely a sin
so send dead lines to a god
then he'll keep them safe for me

He places his hand over my mouth
to catch my broken pleas
he wipes away the remnants of those divine appeals
and my chances of intervention gather
beneath his nails
like dirt

 ……………………………………………………………

Fay Helen Baker is 24 and currently lives in Lancashire, England. Her love of poetry was inspired by her mother, Christine Keelan, (also featured in this book), and her friend, Bernard Michael. She tries to write poetry that reveals intense relationships and ideas.

Allpoetry Name     Knocklegoggin

The Strength of a Broken Angel

With the strength of a broken angel

I was cast upon this land

alone and without guidance

not knowing what God planned

My only misdemeanor

was to love an earth-bound soul

a man who could no longer cope

his shattered life not whole

At first he wanted nothing

but friendship strong and true

with our time together

feelings changed and grew

He called me his ‘sweet angel’

I kept him from life’s harms

my wings cradled his body

he held me in his arms

I knew I was at fault

for loving this lonely man

what was I to do

as our life together began

Powers now diminished

my love grows ever strong

a broken angel weak but loved

I know now I belong.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Sue Cardwell is English, married for many years and is in her 50's. She has two daughters and two grandchildren, who she adores. Her poetry is a mixture, as she has only been writing for a few months, but, as her APN says, her mind is free and she thoroughly enjoys writing.

Allpoetry Name     EmancipatedThoughts

The Children Cry

In a world of hate and greed,

hunger, pain forever suffering

Why must the children cry

Hate your neighbor for the

color of his skin

Cheat your enemies

lies and deceit

Why must the children cry

In a world of so much waste

needless killing of the human race

Devastation of the earth

polluted water the air a disgrace

Why must the children cry

When all is lost

and there is no return

will man be able to say

he has won

While the children cry

…………………………………………………………

Ann Williams is a 53yr old Woman from Roberta, Georgia, USA.  Writing is her life and she loves all types of poetry.  Ann has written children’s stories and started a novel on the true History of the Cheyenne Nation

  Allpoetry Name     Tender wolf

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

Twilight Tears

Twilight triggers thoughts to raise a tear
tears that intermingle grief and yearning
overspill my heart to fill my eyes
so sad so fresh memories discerning

In the failing light I see my dreams
reaching out across the timeless sea
flickers of a memory ignite
the longings that your love provokes in me

All my world gathered in this moment
in twilight’s glow the visions all rewind
golden years meld into burnished night
The days of long ago play in my mind

Snap shot memories of your being
bring on back the precious time we shared
strolling in the melting glow of day
living for the now so unprepared

Temporal visions scatter in the moonlight
life descended from your dying eyes
but your essence lingers in the twilight
your love surrounds me in the evening skies

 ………………………………………………………

Valerie Ceres is a 62 year old woman from Manchester, England.  She is a retired mother of three. She has been writing poetry for many years. She loves to express herself through her poetry.

Allpoetry Name     Elfin

The Two of Us

Here we are, hair of grey
reminding us of days gone by
of times that were care free and bold
running barefoot through the grass
skipping stones on the water
fearful pregnancies
the miracle of that child’s birth
and the next two after that
Crises one after the other through the years
standing firm in Gods word
holding each other closer and closer
now there is only the two of us
holding each other up
the best we can
right until that moment
God calls one of us
Home

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Debi Kinch is 49 years young and lives in Gladwin, Michigan, USA. She gets much gratification from reading others poems and every so often writes one of her own. Most of her writings are religious or personal by nature.  She writes from her soul and life experience. She deals with ill health and uses poetry as a way to escape pain

 Allpoetry Name     debilynn

Phrases of Life

They say the grass is greener on the other side
They say the ones who lie are the ones that try to hide
They say that fools rush in where angels fear to tread
They say the black man in the films is the first one to wind up dead
They say that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
They say that to make you crazy all it takes is a little push

Maybe they are right and maybe they are not
I find it's best to be content with what you haven't got
It seems that everything in life has a simple phrase
that can answer any question can while away the days
but if you think about it, does it all make sense
Most of them seem rubbish others just immense

So is it little sayings that help you get through life
Do you think about them when you argue with the wife
Or when your kids are running riot all over town
or how about when others are trying to put you down
Where is the Good Samaritan in this day and age
Is he waiting round the bend or on the next page

There seems so many comments so little time to spend
Worrying about the latest fashion trend
With all this going on around us all today
Do you have the inkling to just stand still and say
one of the phrases above like an answer to your prayers
Well if you did they wouldn't listen because no one really cares

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Kathryn Walford is 21 from Colchester, England.  Kat, as she is known, is a busker and has she spent a lot of time living rough. She has recently learned that she has a brain tumor, but she still hopes, loves, lives and writes!

  Allpoetry Name   Onionducks

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Lessons Learned

Touch each flower, smell the
fragrance of freshness and
sweet desire that arise

Like life it's sweet, it's
lovely, what lies deep tells
the story of treasures not
yet seen

Roads traveled never
play a fair hand at times
only new changes of
lessons learned makes
each road easier to
travel on

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Sandy Bair is 45 years old and resides in Big Springs, Texas, USA. Sandy has been writing poetry and stories since she was 10 years old.  She finds inspiration in almost everything. Poetry is an outlet for her to express herself.  She is a very emotional and passionate person

  Allpoetry Name   Heavenly Angel

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Fairy Wings

She sat among the tree tops
Silver moonlight on her face
Her skin bejeweled with diamond dew
her dress of spider lace

So fragile and so elegant
her crown of babies breath
entwined and glowing in her hair
she mourned the moonlights death

Once known to all then pushed aside
upon adulthood's dawning
she sat in silence all alone
and listened to echoes calling

Memories of simplicity
rode in among the breeze
as she watched their faces turn away
for they no longer 'just believed'

So among the ample landscapes
of growing up and childish dreams
she carried the end of innocence
on her forgotten fairy wings

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Elizabeth is 15 years old from North Carolina, USA. She is a young poet, who sees the world in colors and not just black and white. She has an open mind and an open heart.

 Allpoetry Name   underthepickletree

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Why Didn't They Call

Beauty is an illusion though she shines
discounted as emotions lie within
the price of love becomes too much to bare
the child escapes into unknown worlds

Vacant expressions now meet the cold floor
silent tears find themselves relinquished
blood in her veins no longer flows smoothly
the child lives within a darkened cave

Deadened by any thoughts of a real life
hope leaves quietly as the word is recalled
faith now heckles dreams that were once alive
ashen graves now call from deep in the earth

Others wonder why this child gave up
yet my questions go unanswered through time

Why didn’t someone dial 911
I may be alive if they could have cared
Now is too late so don’t speak of loving
Dialing the phone would have been showing

Waking with love fresh within my own heart
smiles brighten dark clouds outside my windows
causing their dreariness to subside now
leaving behind joy that shines above all

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Viyanna Rosemarie Langager is 42 years old and resides in Corvallis, Oregon, USA. She writes with love from her heart and to help others find relief from the pain of Domestic Violence.

 Allpoetry Name     Viyanna Rosemarie

A Beauty That Glows

Within the soul love strongly grows

blossoming into happiness

Emitting a beauty that glows

Joy is something not everyone knows

many drown in a dark sadness

within the soul love strongly grows

Blessings from Heaven the Lord bestows

granting all who ask Him forgiveness

Emitting a beauty that glows.

Softly a summer breeze blows

touching all with its tender caress

within the soul love strongly grows

Across a canyon laughter echoes

the repetition seems to impress

Emitting a beauty that glows.

The one you love is the one you chose

genuine feelings you express

Within the soul love strongly grows

Emitting a beauty that glows

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Pamela Mae Rhew Bush is 50yrs old from Mascoutah, Illinois USA.  She has enjoyed writing poetry since she was 16 years old. Uplifting the Lord in poetic word is her passion. She has several pieces of her work published and her first book was released in June of 2006

Allpoetry Name     Samplette

Maybe You Will See

Overtaken me
depression starts to settle
within my heart and my soul

I cry every night
nostalgic of what we were
and all that we could have been.

These tears I cry here
have your name carved within them
deep into their endless core

I will save these tears
for when Death comes down prepared
to torture your life and soul

To rid misery
from your cold-hearted body
I will drown you in these tears

Maybe you will see,
lying in your casket bed
how I have been all these years

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Beth Rogala is 17 and lives in Reading, Pennsylvania.  She has been writing poetry since she was six. Her inspiration comes from life experiences and the experiences of people important to her.  Most of her writings have hidden, dark emotions.

 Allpoetry Name   NinaRaz

Seeking on the hunt
hungry desperate starving
many feel but turn afraid
never giving the chance
going off to another place
waiting for acceptance
Windows open
Flourishing

Enriching life
everything springs forth anew
the gentle touch
once accepted
forever changed

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Kari Leigh Kennedy is 26 and resides in Georgia USA.  Kari has been writing since she was nine years old. Her writes change according to the mood she's in

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  Allpoetry Name    -Kari Ka Rama-

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The Promise Land  

Across the plains lonely dusty trails

in search of a new beginning, a new life

Farmers driven from drought infested fields

rickety covered wagons crept across the great divide

Many would perish as Native American Indian

attacks would become prevalent, more deadly 

Starvation took its toll and stirred in the churning

empty bellies of the exhausted young and old

Wild animals could not be hunted for their meat

as lacking water supplies forced critters of substance away 

Riverbeds dried up, the hot sun extinguished life from

the living and for all of those wishing for quick death 

Horses staggered in the mid-days sweltering heat

frothy, cotton saliva dripped in clumps onto cracked, trodden paths 

Scorched bonnets blowing untied on top of fainting women

babies crying as predatory vultures float around a dying meal

Surrounded by deadly circumstances, not one settler making

this journey lost hope as a dream of better days over

the next mountain only gave courage to those of faith

Allow my family safe passage Lord and I will seek your promise land 

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John Madison Shaw Sr. is 45 and lives in Reseda, CA. USA. John started writing Poetry at 42 years of age and had his first poem published in 2001. His passion now is writing formed poetry.

Allpoetry Name    Arkbear

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She Was Born In My Poems

 On farms, in villages; even

in gray urbane.

The country air was redolent with clouds

of white cotton and dancing with grasshoppers.

Her innocence was as mandolin song on

a July breeze immaculate

She danced through childhood on soft girl

feet gave the flowers her sun

In the ripening of eighteen graceful circles, with

the rhythms of tide and moon in her ballet

she painted me a homestead.

Her woman’s hips her swaying planet was my

garden and laughing evenings planted seeds

She taught them to sing

She was my gravity the rain that cleansed

She shined as a crone

Her laughing eyes spoke larger truth

than money or simple men can measure

The songs she spoke were as Tibetan psalms

over Midwest crops gentle tales of softer import

She was proud in her poverty rich in grandchildren

She put music in my words colors in my pen

Even in her sweet end, she was sublime

Those last two words

“Oh, love” with that special smile

She was born in my poems

and she died in a rainbow

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Rob is a 50 year old man from the boreal forest on the shore of Lake Superior. He is a student of poetry and writes in many styles. He’s particularly drawn to a sort of post-beat free verse

 Allpoetry Name   Just Rob

Huddled and Hurting

She lies huddled in the littered concrete entryway
She clutches the brown teddy bear to her bosom
and cries out silent screams
No one hears or sees her
Fear washes away her innocence and
anger stifles her reasoning

Where is her help

 Who will take her home
Why is she so different

What is she to do next
What has she done to be

treated like she isn't here
She must be worthless
She must be unlovable
She must be forgotten
She must be forever forsaken
She is like thousands of children

abandoned and neglected
in this prosperous country we call
America

When will no child be left behind

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Joanne Tolles resides in Connecticut USA. She was introduced to AllPoetry.com by one of her students and uses AP when teaching poetry. She is a Teacher/Writing Consultant for the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield University and holds a Master degree. Writing is her obsession and teaching writing is her passion.

 Allpoetry Name   thelordreigns

To You Who Speaks

Cherish this,
your tongue your lips your voice
For with this you have power Such power can change
change lives and ideas change hopes

One speaks, countless may ignore
but their importance fades as shadows at noon
Someone will always listen someone will always hear
that someone is precious

Your voice words thoughts
give you wings to fly
to rise above all that is constricting restraining
With this you attain freedom

Never forget your power
never relinquish it
Without these words we are nothing
Without the will to speak
to write to express
we are slaves to silence
and those who would have it
We are slaves to ignorance
and those who would prevent growth knowledge

So spread your wings fly
Open your mouth scream

You have a message
Get it out
Someone is listening

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Nicole Leigh McDonald is 19 and lives in Clear Lake, South Dakota, USA.  Nicole began writing early in her high school years.  She has been published in other collections.

 Allpoetry Name   MaddHattress

 My Nightmarish Dreams

(A parody of the song: My Favorite Things)

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Brain flops on verses and sniggers on poems
            Slight off beat titles and words without rhythm           
Torn paper fragments taped back at their seams
These are just some of my nightmarish dreams

Blue colored typos and lost picture uploads
Poor choice of content, no rhyme can be followed
Bad vibes that grow when I leave comments mean
These are just some of my nightmarish dreams

Mods in right column with eyes ever watchful
Critics that say they are right and you're woeful
Spilling my inkblots that no-one calls cream
These are just some of my nightmarish dreams

When it ain't right
When it goes wrong
When I'm feeling mad

I simply remember my nightmarish dreams
And know it can't be…
that bad

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Linda Hancock is from Australia. She has been writing since she was a teenager, however, she did not share her writes until she joined AllPoetry in 2006 where she shares her words of wit, rhyme and reason(s) in hopes of making folks laugh or learn

Allpoetry Name   Recluse Writer

Dear Denial

Her lips tasted sweet from the kerosene intoxication
but they screamed of a heart once forsaken
fluttering against the hands that pull her
She struggles to rip from the binds that control her
Now riding lonely on a broken carousel
She tries to pretend the horses don't know her that well
but she’s been riding for what seems like forever
thinking they'll take her to some place better
until twilight's dusk camouflages her rejection
She'll forever be under your delicate medication
Whispers of haunting roam through her ears
telling her stories she doesn't need to hear
Ashes of all that once was, nothing remains
until out of the ash a new soul will come again

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Kyrsta Shay Arnold is 15 and lives in North Carolina, USA. Kyrsta started writing when she was in 5th grade, she's always loved it. She has been featured in several books and is also looking to publish her work on her own.

Allpoetry Name     ThisIsMyWonderland,

Gift of Life

The gift of life came, oh so long ago
on that tall hill of Gethsemane
You did as you were told
You gave your life for all
Three days you laid
lifeless in that tomb
but on that third day
You did as you promised
You rose
Thank you, Jesus, for dying
Dying that I might live
Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of life

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Melissa Walsh is 17 from Ohio, USA.  Melissa started writing poetry when she was about sixteen, and writes poetry and short stories. She really enjoys just writing, saying it helps her get thoughts down. Most of the poems she writes are about real life things.

  Allpoetry Name   Rocker2008Believer

Seldom Alone

There were dreams I dare not see
for the reason of them breaking me
and for the visions that come
I have no hold to ensure them

So be it fortunate if I am alone
that's how songs of love have gone
No matter where my heart will breathe
my undying desires will simply greet

and when, my dear, you will see
that there is no one for you to be
If those days ever seem so long
don't be scared of this lonely song

We might just be on different roads
solemnly mourning our unfulfilled boasts
We shall meet where we are destined
”seldom alone” I think in my mind

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Sunil is age 22 and resides in Mysore, Karnataka state India. She was born and brought up in Mysore, a very inspiring place for her poetry, which reflects nature and romance.

Allpoetry Name     sunnystar

I Needed You Today

On a dusky morning like today
when I could not get up to shine and fly
I lay on the bed with broken wings
the pillow soaked up the tears I cried
But baby, this was the time I needed you the most
to catch the tears and not let them fall
I needed you to turn them into morning dew
and to lift up my spirits anew

On a hard day like today
when I feared to walk on an unknown way
I stumbled and fell down again and again
I got hurt and the pain still persists
But baby this was the time I needed you most

to hold my hand and help me throughout the way
I needed you to make me face whatever may come
and to inspire me with fire’s flame

With you, the sunlight enters
With you, the rain exits
With you the color of rainbow appears
With you the life of black and white disappears
but you were not there when I longed
Baby I needed you today
I needed you the most
because with you things could be better

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Hafsa Bintey Taruq is 21 from Dhaka, Bangladesh. She started writing poetry as a teen and says that writing gives her the freedom of expression of her inner voice in an artistic manner and it gives shape to her imaginations.  Hafsa has had several things published.  She is hopeful to continue writing in the future.

 Allpoetry Name   Tear Me Not

Lonely

I've never been so lonely
there's no one here to hold me
I knew she gladly would
if before me she had stood

 I know its coming soon
as I lay here in my room
because this bed is so damn cold
and these nights are getting old

I'm steady staring at the door
just waiting for my cure
I'm all alone again

She's much too far away
I just wish that she could stay
There's sunlight in the sky
and it meets my open eye

I just wish that I could sleep
oh so very deep
remaining here like this
'till I'm woken by her kiss

because I'm sick of living without her
every night it feels like murder
I've died a hundred times before
and I'll die a hundred times more

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