Poetry Competition Ends 30th April 2025 11:19pm
DU Official NaPoWriMo Challenge
07/30
[NaPo2025—Random Eloquence]
blank pages
❝There's a reason poets often say, 'Poetry saved my life,'
for often the blank page is the only one listening to the
soul's suffering, the only one registering the story completely,
the only one receiving all softly and without
condemnation.❞—Clarissa Pinkola Estes
when sages, for wages, make mock of life's pages,
no message the visage of angels may paint;
for master disaster the whole earth may plaster,
whose transcript shall conscript the brave and the faint.
the poet too quiet may violence of silence
deliver to quiver the heart that is lone;
yet loudness from proudness no peace shall release, for
'tis fragile as futile to leave peace undone.
my scribbles are nibbles of sentience for conscience,
though sparse as the arse of a meagre buffoon;
my inksense no nonsense shall serve on my parchment,
for word trash is balderdash, morning or noon.
smart rhymes are no crimes, though the tokens be broken,
that settle the mettle of ponderous men.
foul reason is treason for plaintiffs whose motifs
are soberer and nobler than inks without pen.
the spirit that's in it a song makes an anthem;
blank pages are stages of reason divine.
words sprung from the tongue of the blindness of kindness
shall leave their saint hilaire love's grandest design.
© Copyright 2025 February 19
by Clyve A. Bowen♫
UWC 113
7 of 30
Times infidelity
Each day has a flavour,
Its own taste,
Of urgency.
An unrepeatable,
Uniqueness,
A poignant,
Agency.
Each in,
Potential contrast,
A neither right,
And,
Neither wrong.
Along,
An inverse current,
Of,
Marked intention,
Of,
Demarked desire.
Lain by past remarks ,
And past,
Aspiring conviction.
Once clasped and since,
worked free.
By times,
Infidelity.
Leaving not a promise,
Broken,
But a truth,
Engrained upon my lips.
Times infidelity
Each day has a flavour,
Its own taste,
Of urgency.
An unrepeatable,
Uniqueness,
A poignant,
Agency.
Each in,
Potential contrast,
A neither right,
And,
Neither wrong.
Along,
An inverse current,
Of,
Marked intention,
Of,
Demarked desire.
Lain by past remarks ,
And past,
Aspiring conviction.
Once clasped and since,
worked free.
By times,
Infidelity.
Leaving not a promise,
Broken,
But a truth,
Engrained upon my lips.
7/30
The Green Mountain State
I miss home
The green mountains i’d hike up
The winding dirt roads along the rivers
The big lakes where I used to go fishing
The small family owned businesses with the kindest people
The silence and darkness in the night
The beautiful stars shining brightly
The endless farms with cows, chickens and pigs
The maple ice cream, the cheese, and the chocolate
I’m not that far yet it feels like another world
I miss home
The Green Mountain State
I miss home
The green mountains i’d hike up
The winding dirt roads along the rivers
The big lakes where I used to go fishing
The small family owned businesses with the kindest people
The silence and darkness in the night
The beautiful stars shining brightly
The endless farms with cows, chickens and pigs
The maple ice cream, the cheese, and the chocolate
I’m not that far yet it feels like another world
I miss home
7/30
[ NaPoWriMo Collection 2025: Flowers from Thoughts ]
[ . . . ]
I. The Greeks
[ . . . ]
vi
Unrequited Love:
Sunflower
Towering stalks, crowned
in yellow—shining diadem
capturing passersby gazing
ardently upon a skyline
of pin-cushioned seed, following
the Sun god’s path, day after day—
Helios upon his chariot of gold
morning rise to evening set
amid the recurring pain
of unrequited love
Clytie, smitten water nymph,
devoted to her ardent pursuit
desiring only to become
Helios’ goddess and chosen wife
but fate turned, as oft it does
Helios, captivated by Perse
chose her instead. Devastated,
Clytie’s withering heart endured
an indelible spirit—transformed
into the Sunflower instead
to gaze upon the Titan god for life
. . .
[ NaPoWriMo Collection 2025: Flowers from Thoughts ]
[ . . . ]
I. The Greeks
[ . . . ]
vi
Unrequited Love:
Sunflower
Towering stalks, crowned
in yellow—shining diadem
capturing passersby gazing
ardently upon a skyline
of pin-cushioned seed, following
the Sun god’s path, day after day—
Helios upon his chariot of gold
morning rise to evening set
amid the recurring pain
of unrequited love
Clytie, smitten water nymph,
devoted to her ardent pursuit
desiring only to become
Helios’ goddess and chosen wife
but fate turned, as oft it does
Helios, captivated by Perse
chose her instead. Devastated,
Clytie’s withering heart endured
an indelible spirit—transformed
into the Sunflower instead
to gaze upon the Titan god for life
. . .
7/30
Grateful
humbly I ask for pardon
so often when I am worried
my prayers go heavenward
later when answered I forget to be grateful
then I'm onto the next request when fear strikes me
yesterday in the still of day I asked for traveling mercies
upon realizing my error I gave thanks
asking my Father to forgive me when I forget
not taking for granted unseen events
that our Father alters to our benefit
my focus now is try to be positive
there is so much good in my life to be complaining
the Father really doesn't like that especially from me
he tells me as much when my attitude is sour
with my best efforts I give glory to him that I am alive
and pray he forgives my darkness
it is said that kindness covers a multitude of sin
sagely I don't take account of it
but gentle of nature my hope is in his mercy
Grateful
humbly I ask for pardon
so often when I am worried
my prayers go heavenward
later when answered I forget to be grateful
then I'm onto the next request when fear strikes me
yesterday in the still of day I asked for traveling mercies
upon realizing my error I gave thanks
asking my Father to forgive me when I forget
not taking for granted unseen events
that our Father alters to our benefit
my focus now is try to be positive
there is so much good in my life to be complaining
the Father really doesn't like that especially from me
he tells me as much when my attitude is sour
with my best efforts I give glory to him that I am alive
and pray he forgives my darkness
it is said that kindness covers a multitude of sin
sagely I don't take account of it
but gentle of nature my hope is in his mercy
#7/30
Let’s pretend
Let’s just pretend
that I took today off
intentionally.
That my goal was to spend it
on the couch
watching Netflix
instead of in the gym
or doing my taxes
or writing good poetry.
Let’s say that the morning headache
never went away
and I was truly
incapacitated
all day
or
that I was still
recovering from the weekend
and had a deliberate
Day of Sloth
to regroup
refocus
and come back better tomorrow.
Let’s just assume
that was my intent all along
and not simply a reality that
crept up on me
when I wasn’t looking.
Let’s pretend
Let’s just pretend
that I took today off
intentionally.
That my goal was to spend it
on the couch
watching Netflix
instead of in the gym
or doing my taxes
or writing good poetry.
Let’s say that the morning headache
never went away
and I was truly
incapacitated
all day
or
that I was still
recovering from the weekend
and had a deliberate
Day of Sloth
to regroup
refocus
and come back better tomorrow.
Let’s just assume
that was my intent all along
and not simply a reality that
crept up on me
when I wasn’t looking.
7/30
Finding Space to Breathe
“Those who grasp too much squeeze very little”
My mother and grandmother used to advise
And then I had to learn the concept of letting go
When poetry felt like rhymes and rain from the wise
Tammy spoke about taking that sacred pause
Elisha wrote about finding space to breathe
Because even though some things are too sharp
I discovered a place where I had to cut my teeth
It may be difficult to move on if we still hold on
To excessive things that don’t add up to anything
It will feel like taking some weight off our shoulders
When we pause and breathe before we cut the string
80 Unique Words
110 Total
Finding Space to Breathe
“Those who grasp too much squeeze very little”
My mother and grandmother used to advise
And then I had to learn the concept of letting go
When poetry felt like rhymes and rain from the wise
Tammy spoke about taking that sacred pause
Elisha wrote about finding space to breathe
Because even though some things are too sharp
I discovered a place where I had to cut my teeth
It may be difficult to move on if we still hold on
To excessive things that don’t add up to anything
It will feel like taking some weight off our shoulders
When we pause and breathe before we cut the string
80 Unique Words
110 Total
7/30
And All the Men and Women Merely Players
She clicks and clacks and ticks and tacks
her nails upon the desk.
Her pencil rolls, her eyebrows pinch –
a writer, picturesque.
She thinks of words and phrases turned
and how to use a dash;
considers pauses, vowels, and sounds
and where she keeps her stash
of favorite pens and paper clips.
(Such a stereotype!
I can’t believe your mind went there!
You ought to give it a wipe.)
And as you watch, a poem sings
and sprawls across the stage.
Her smile? It glows and lights the room,
the spark of creation fights the gloom
and all the world’s her page.
And All the Men and Women Merely Players
She clicks and clacks and ticks and tacks
her nails upon the desk.
Her pencil rolls, her eyebrows pinch –
a writer, picturesque.
She thinks of words and phrases turned
and how to use a dash;
considers pauses, vowels, and sounds
and where she keeps her stash
of favorite pens and paper clips.
(Such a stereotype!
I can’t believe your mind went there!
You ought to give it a wipe.)
And as you watch, a poem sings
and sprawls across the stage.
Her smile? It glows and lights the room,
the spark of creation fights the gloom
and all the world’s her page.
7/30
PLAYING GOD
I feel for these cats
That have nowhere to go
Forced to become
A sis or a bro
Taken from somewhere
That they could be free
They don’t understand
Why we need them to be
Safe at all costs
So they can’t go outside
Strapped in so tight
Just along for the ride
So treat your captive
Critters well
If it were you
Might feel like hell
Surprise them with
Your acts of love
To them we are
What’s up above
PLAYING GOD
I feel for these cats
That have nowhere to go
Forced to become
A sis or a bro
Taken from somewhere
That they could be free
They don’t understand
Why we need them to be
Safe at all costs
So they can’t go outside
Strapped in so tight
Just along for the ride
So treat your captive
Critters well
If it were you
Might feel like hell
Surprise them with
Your acts of love
To them we are
What’s up above
7/30
Waking Ash
Beneath this Phoenix
Is the rising ash
Helix rising
Plumes of smoke
Release this remix
In the flames of attack
Prefixed guided
Chains now broke
In a rebirth from a cracked egg
In a return from a bed made
We can re-burn every page
And still the embers glow
With a distance screech unfurled
Flaming feathers as they reach the tenfold
Rising heatwave in a new world
And that's just how the story goes
Waking Ash
Beneath this Phoenix
Is the rising ash
Helix rising
Plumes of smoke
Release this remix
In the flames of attack
Prefixed guided
Chains now broke
In a rebirth from a cracked egg
In a return from a bed made
We can re-burn every page
And still the embers glow
With a distance screech unfurled
Flaming feathers as they reach the tenfold
Rising heatwave in a new world
And that's just how the story goes
7 0f 30
Treasured Scents
Lit match ignites incense stick
sandalwood aroma
wafts over my face
fond and mysterious
childhood memory incites
What was the prevalent fragrance
In my grandparents' home?
In the sacred smoke
a mystery made known
when mixed with the scent-remembrance
of coffee percolating in a pot
inviting boyish morning glee
contemplating what days adventure might be
Or paired with ginger snaps
baking in the oven
I remember grandma’s smile
as I bit into the warm, spicy cookie
secret ingredient, lots of love’n
Redolence follows into Grandpa’s study
wherein a big, clear glass, covered candy jar
sat on an ancient, oak rolltop desk
when the lids seal was broken
the smell of horehound greeted my nostrils
black, powdered sugar coated tablet
with a slight bitterness that one had to acquire
a cure-all for any cough, sore throat,
or a kid’s need for sweets
a Christian Scientist's medicinal cheat
Treasured Scents
Lit match ignites incense stick
sandalwood aroma
wafts over my face
fond and mysterious
childhood memory incites
What was the prevalent fragrance
In my grandparents' home?
In the sacred smoke
a mystery made known
when mixed with the scent-remembrance
of coffee percolating in a pot
inviting boyish morning glee
contemplating what days adventure might be
Or paired with ginger snaps
baking in the oven
I remember grandma’s smile
as I bit into the warm, spicy cookie
secret ingredient, lots of love’n
Redolence follows into Grandpa’s study
wherein a big, clear glass, covered candy jar
sat on an ancient, oak rolltop desk
when the lids seal was broken
the smell of horehound greeted my nostrils
black, powdered sugar coated tablet
with a slight bitterness that one had to acquire
a cure-all for any cough, sore throat,
or a kid’s need for sweets
a Christian Scientist's medicinal cheat
7/10
In Time
Where did you go, darling?
What have I done?
Is it written in the sand? Did I leave a piece of you behind?
For sand never holds promises, only casts those words to sea. In its own time.
Perhaps that is how it’ll be then
I’ll be free, when I let go
I’ll be free, when the wind blows
I’ll be free, when you find the pieces of yourself again.
So go on, write your name beside mine
Let the shoreline do the rest
But oh.. Are you ready to meet those pacific waves?
Do not rush, but do not wait
Time is a thief, but I wish it would rob me for once.
In Time
Where did you go, darling?
What have I done?
Is it written in the sand? Did I leave a piece of you behind?
For sand never holds promises, only casts those words to sea. In its own time.
Perhaps that is how it’ll be then
I’ll be free, when I let go
I’ll be free, when the wind blows
I’ll be free, when you find the pieces of yourself again.
So go on, write your name beside mine
Let the shoreline do the rest
But oh.. Are you ready to meet those pacific waves?
Do not rush, but do not wait
Time is a thief, but I wish it would rob me for once.
#8 of 30
The Weight of Scar Tissue
slow heartbeats of death
within those poisonous kisses
brings vulnerability another scar
no known hideway from pain
gathering scabs like trinkets
as if memories aren't enough
can't stand without falling
the foundation a shaky mess
what was strong now weakened
emotional storms battering constantly
tumbleweed across my mind
just more empty spaces
unique words 52
total words 52
The Weight of Scar Tissue
slow heartbeats of death
within those poisonous kisses
brings vulnerability another scar
no known hideway from pain
gathering scabs like trinkets
as if memories aren't enough
can't stand without falling
the foundation a shaky mess
what was strong now weakened
emotional storms battering constantly
tumbleweed across my mind
just more empty spaces
unique words 52
total words 52
8/30
SAYIN’ IT STRAIGHT
Wondering how to not say what I don’t want to say too soon
how to avoid exclamation marks, bold, italics
over-clever analogies, forced assonance, forced consonance
forced metaphor, o.k and ‘cos — question-marks
are acceptable if they have real impact to make readers think
This leaves me staring at the stars, clouds and moon
listening to birds, rivers gurgling, observing phallic
rocks in their innocence protruding with a remembrance
going back millions of years, like crustaceans and sharks
long before dinosaurs and skunks with their over-rated stink
Puts modern humans, a few hundred-thousand years, firmly in their place
yet they believe they are gods, merely by shooting rockets into space?
SAYIN’ IT STRAIGHT
Wondering how to not say what I don’t want to say too soon
how to avoid exclamation marks, bold, italics
over-clever analogies, forced assonance, forced consonance
forced metaphor, o.k and ‘cos — question-marks
are acceptable if they have real impact to make readers think
This leaves me staring at the stars, clouds and moon
listening to birds, rivers gurgling, observing phallic
rocks in their innocence protruding with a remembrance
going back millions of years, like crustaceans and sharks
long before dinosaurs and skunks with their over-rated stink
Puts modern humans, a few hundred-thousand years, firmly in their place
yet they believe they are gods, merely by shooting rockets into space?
8 of 30
shrouds & dust covers
I'm fascinated by abandoned places
not much left...
just scraps & empty halls
pieces of furniture now deteriorating
so many questions created
forever left unanswered
where shadows settle over what used to be
& lives remain barely evident
residences once filled
photos still hang...crooked...upon crumbling walls
wallpaper sagging in tattered patterns
mementos adorning dusty surfaces
moth-eaten clothes hanging in cupboards
table set for a meal never to be served
echoes resounding down stairwells
not of memory...or ghosts
but voices still present
giggles...
tears...
& everyday conversations
swallowed up
by years & layers of cobwebs & dust
spaces sitting unoccupied
now only homes for spiders & mice
what caused the vacancy
my curiosity yearns to know
hard times...
war...
death...
something so tragic or dramatic
that they would simply walk away
leaving behind all this
truth is...
in these forgotten rooms...
I take strange comfort
as spirits linger long after departure
infecting my spirit with their untold stories
& in the vacant near-silence
I still hear laughter through the floorboards
shrouds & dust covers
I'm fascinated by abandoned places
not much left...
just scraps & empty halls
pieces of furniture now deteriorating
so many questions created
forever left unanswered
where shadows settle over what used to be
& lives remain barely evident
residences once filled
photos still hang...crooked...upon crumbling walls
wallpaper sagging in tattered patterns
mementos adorning dusty surfaces
moth-eaten clothes hanging in cupboards
table set for a meal never to be served
echoes resounding down stairwells
not of memory...or ghosts
but voices still present
giggles...
tears...
& everyday conversations
swallowed up
by years & layers of cobwebs & dust
spaces sitting unoccupied
now only homes for spiders & mice
what caused the vacancy
my curiosity yearns to know
hard times...
war...
death...
something so tragic or dramatic
that they would simply walk away
leaving behind all this
truth is...
in these forgotten rooms...
I take strange comfort
as spirits linger long after departure
infecting my spirit with their untold stories
& in the vacant near-silence
I still hear laughter through the floorboards
