Poetry Competition Secrets - Stephen A. Roberts

Let's get writing;
You know the ropes,
Death and birds
Trot out the tropes.

Carefully place some enjamb-
ment
without overdoing it, too
much
of a good thing can be...
tiring.

Remember what Adrian Mitchell said -
about why most poetry isn't read

and don't -

forget a dramatic twist
where the poem's subject slits
her wrists...

Stephen A. Roberts

Goodbye, my friend - Bryant Doyle

It's hard to write this, and hurts more to read
I can't stop the tears, my heart's gonna bleed
such a precious time, with my only real friend
but their tormented, painful life will soon end.

All purpose, all joy shattered, this hideous grief
so brave , so inspiring, a life so tragically brief
only the death of one's child could hurt this way
going to a better place, on this, their last day.

Bryant Doyle

After the Party - Diane Scantlebury

No more harking of herald angels,
The shepherds went home
With the three men wise,
They’d gone before it was time for turkey curry,
When all the booze was done
And there were no more mince pies,

All had stuffed to their fill,
Celebrated with drunken merriment
And loud shouts,
But they’d left without tidying up the debris
Almost none had eaten their sprouts,

Under the table gathered the litter
Bright plastic toys from crackers pulled,
Stuffing squashed into the carpet
And minus a handle, a broken cup,
Ruby stained by Christmas wine mulled,

From a distance comes the faintest jingle
As old man Xmas returns Rudolf to the fold,
Staggering in the crisp snow he stumbles,
Smothered in myrrh, his pockets weighed down
With clinking coins of gold,

The party is over,
The uninvited guests have all had a blast,
Joe mops Mary’s exhausted brow
While the birthday boy, now asleep,
Settles down in his crib at last.

Diane Scantlebury

Into The Storm - Andrew Barham

Today's poem is a "Golden Oldie" and was originally published here in January 2013.

When bleak roses die, a thorny blight
Their petals falling in the soft afternoon light
From faded flowers turning brown
To make a sad carpet on the hardening ground
Then Summer is gone and Fall is soon to follow ...

The leaves and flowers have all died away
Resting deeper down on a darker day,
Turning to ashes beneath the snow;
Arctic winds that icy blow
Scatter us with snow, a fine mist of luminous white

In the midst of this snow mist, a girl is there;
I picture her with snowflakes in her dark brown hair
In the soft glow of a street-lamp's beam,
Tiny snow crystals in her long eyelashes gleam
As together, we drift with the snow, fading ...

Andrew Barham

An Immutable Law - Kathy Figueroa

An immutable law of the universe
Which, time and again, proves true
Is that what you wish for others
Most likely will happen to you

If you hope that they’ll have troubles
Deprivation, turmoil, or war
These things could afflict you
And maybe even more

But if you wish for them joy, peace
Success, and an absence of strife
You might find that you're the one
Enjoying a blissful life

So, may wondrous things and happiness
Multiply and abound
And in this brand new year
May there be plenty to go around!

Kathy Figueroa