Poetry Competition Ends 30th April 2025 11:19pm
DU Official NaPoWriMo Challenge
10/30
[NaPo2025—Random Eloquence]
God's New Frontiers
❝See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil…
I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore
choose life.❞—the words of Moses the Prophet (Deut. 30:15-20)
thorns and roses are bedfellows,
yet they dream on different pillows!
reds and greens make brilliant yellows,
yet two villains make not heroes:
though they clasp their hands and sing one song
so they venture forth to do their wrong.
rain and sunshine cleave the same sky,
though, for one, the next would ne'er die;
smiles and curses from the same lips
tour the world on different flagships:
though the tongue-tip drips life's sweetest charms,
his backside seethes bitterness-at-arms.
wasps and bees build comely castles,
but the bee fills up the capsules
with hard-times egyptian honey
that the wasp would swop for money:
all the sweetness from heroic bees
cannot set a warring world at ease.
life and death adores the same axe,
though they follow not the same tracks;
blood is bled upon one's journey,
while the next is hope's attorney:
axe and adze, when wielded to the right,
chip away dark bark that kills bright light.
love and hate, interred in common
graves, will hear a different summons,
when the sleep of death is ended,
where their carcass earth has blended:
though the soul that sinneth, it shall die,
yet the humble soul death shall defy.
man or beast: which more inhuman,
when lack-wisdom is intrusion
on the perfect natural cosmos
occupied by isle or isthmus?
when the New Jerusalem appears,
who will populate God's New Frontiers?
© Copyright 2025 April 10
by Clyve A. Bowen♫
UWC 158
10/30
North Park
Fog is a blanket of beauty
It spreads gray corners over the trees of palm
Hovering over the pacific
Haunting every park, and crawling up those side streets we walk between the skyscrapers of downtown
It reshapes the world, as you reshaped me
It could just be distortion, I don’t wear glasses
People saw it coming
I sensed it all along, thinking I could stop myself from becoming a mentally unstable and compulsive force of destruction
It did feel nice, though
If I ran ahead of the group
I wouldn’t need to travel far
Because these moments in time, the land between relish and regret
Well, fog is my only friend
And it hides my body very well.
North Park
Fog is a blanket of beauty
It spreads gray corners over the trees of palm
Hovering over the pacific
Haunting every park, and crawling up those side streets we walk between the skyscrapers of downtown
It reshapes the world, as you reshaped me
It could just be distortion, I don’t wear glasses
People saw it coming
I sensed it all along, thinking I could stop myself from becoming a mentally unstable and compulsive force of destruction
It did feel nice, though
If I ran ahead of the group
I wouldn’t need to travel far
Because these moments in time, the land between relish and regret
Well, fog is my only friend
And it hides my body very well.
11/30
BRANDED
He lay in bed practicing appreciation
with a distant order to ‘rise and shine’
a moment’s silence in contemplation
and a song-line singing ‘the day is mine …’
but the day then questioned this spiked aberration
which amplified soon to a Seize the Day!
then morphed into tragedy grab what you can,
exploit global resources come what may,
and start a new war to show you’re a man …
… but all I had wanted was get up and play
It’s odd how strangely life gets out of hand
when you’re not authentic, but merely a brand.
BRANDED
He lay in bed practicing appreciation
with a distant order to ‘rise and shine’
a moment’s silence in contemplation
and a song-line singing ‘the day is mine …’
but the day then questioned this spiked aberration
which amplified soon to a Seize the Day!
then morphed into tragedy grab what you can,
exploit global resources come what may,
and start a new war to show you’re a man …
… but all I had wanted was get up and play
It’s odd how strangely life gets out of hand
when you’re not authentic, but merely a brand.
11 of 30
nature's child
a living work of art...
goes through many transformations
evolving to survive an environment always changing
as with nature...
...so do I
fingers pressed into wood
forehead resting against cool pane
bracing...
as tremors travel through my veins
condensation clouds my window this morning
gazing out into darkness
...at a world distorted
& I'm undecided...
do I wipe them...
improving my view
or leave them...
...as a reflection...
...an extension...
...of my mood
after all...
I am nature's creature
subject to storms of my own
the knowledge brings me comfort
because...truly...
there is beauty in a sense of belonging
nature's child
a living work of art...
goes through many transformations
evolving to survive an environment always changing
as with nature...
...so do I
fingers pressed into wood
forehead resting against cool pane
bracing...
as tremors travel through my veins
condensation clouds my window this morning
gazing out into darkness
...at a world distorted
& I'm undecided...
do I wipe them...
improving my view
or leave them...
...as a reflection...
...an extension...
...of my mood
after all...
I am nature's creature
subject to storms of my own
the knowledge brings me comfort
because...truly...
there is beauty in a sense of belonging
#11 of 30
Suffocating Depths
under that waterline
chained to
so many anchors
shipwrecked
cannot
resurface
feel like
an old piece
of metal
simply
rusting
away
dawn rises
yet i never
do
still here
among murky
depths
breathing
in polluted
waters
really can't
stop drowning
spluttering poison
snug fitting
fashionable
concrete shoes
nothing
but the best
weighing me down
unique words 54
total words 54
Suffocating Depths
under that waterline
chained to
so many anchors
shipwrecked
cannot
resurface
feel like
an old piece
of metal
simply
rusting
away
dawn rises
yet i never
do
still here
among murky
depths
breathing
in polluted
waters
really can't
stop drowning
spluttering poison
snug fitting
fashionable
concrete shoes
nothing
but the best
weighing me down
unique words 54
total words 54
11/30
Locomote
a family of five
adults strutting “ en pointe “
the young, miniatures
giving playful chase
Our early morning walk
Me for light impact exercise
Them, I assume, looking
Bugs, worms, whatever
Reminded me of a Tap Dancer
who had not yet donned
metal plates
rendering them silent taps
tapping
This morning, one adult
flew high and very quick
never knew (or seen)
a Quail could Fly like that
Locomote
a family of five
adults strutting “ en pointe “
the young, miniatures
giving playful chase
Our early morning walk
Me for light impact exercise
Them, I assume, looking
Bugs, worms, whatever
Reminded me of a Tap Dancer
who had not yet donned
metal plates
rendering them silent taps
tapping
This morning, one adult
flew high and very quick
never knew (or seen)
a Quail could Fly like that
11/30
Together
Twenty nine years
Have passed
And we're still together
The sparks are gone now
I no longer feel the flutters
What I feel now is calmness
A sense of peace
And security in our bond
What we have now
Is more than what we feel
In the beginning
It is deeper than before
The commitment
To stay together
Is stronger
As we grow older
Our love has aged
Like a fine wine
That gets sweeter
With time
I love you more
Each day of our life
Together
Twenty nine years
Have passed
And we're still together
The sparks are gone now
I no longer feel the flutters
What I feel now is calmness
A sense of peace
And security in our bond
What we have now
Is more than what we feel
In the beginning
It is deeper than before
The commitment
To stay together
Is stronger
As we grow older
Our love has aged
Like a fine wine
That gets sweeter
With time
I love you more
Each day of our life
11/30
Gypsy Heart
roaming the dusty roads
of a dead city,
with dreams in my pocket
and visions as deep as a sea;
i wander like a gypsy
adorned with trinkets of
greyish scars and worn out memories;
wearing vibrant hues of
aspirations and adventure,
humming tunes of folksongs
of my ancestors,
sauntering to the rhythm of
the crazy wind ,
without any worry, without any hurry...
caring less about the piercing spears
of the sizzling sun,
i know these are my last footsteps
that will be blown away
from the sands of time...
leaving this place forever
...for good
a place which was once alive
but now only zombies reside;
sans colours of culture,
sans loving face...
no beautiful literature
no elegance...or grace...
people dead to the world,
enveloped in their selfishness
that they have embraced-
a cocoon of damnation and decay
while i walk on...on and on
until i find my oasis;
...a genesis
of a new beginning-
a land far, far away...
Gypsy Heart
roaming the dusty roads
of a dead city,
with dreams in my pocket
and visions as deep as a sea;
i wander like a gypsy
adorned with trinkets of
greyish scars and worn out memories;
wearing vibrant hues of
aspirations and adventure,
humming tunes of folksongs
of my ancestors,
sauntering to the rhythm of
the crazy wind ,
without any worry, without any hurry...
caring less about the piercing spears
of the sizzling sun,
i know these are my last footsteps
that will be blown away
from the sands of time...
leaving this place forever
...for good
a place which was once alive
but now only zombies reside;
sans colours of culture,
sans loving face...
no beautiful literature
no elegance...or grace...
people dead to the world,
enveloped in their selfishness
that they have embraced-
a cocoon of damnation and decay
while i walk on...on and on
until i find my oasis;
...a genesis
of a new beginning-
a land far, far away...
11 of 30
An ending..
It is all an ending, a little death,
Maybe that is why each exhale,
And each farewell,
Leads a little closer.
Takes, a little more.
Why some turns,
Hold, no returns.
An, in the end, acceptance.
An acceptance, no one, no thing,
An acceptance,
Nothing,
Can change.
Not the face by which it's seen,
Or the face by which,
It sees.
For both, maybe the same.
An ending and a death,
Both will always only ever be,
A part to a story that leads you closer,
To its closing,
That leads you closer,
To its beginning.
What lies either side and in-between,
How you see,
Is always only ever up to you,
To live,
And up to you,
To dream.
An ending..
It is all an ending, a little death,
Maybe that is why each exhale,
And each farewell,
Leads a little closer.
Takes, a little more.
Why some turns,
Hold, no returns.
An, in the end, acceptance.
An acceptance, no one, no thing,
An acceptance,
Nothing,
Can change.
Not the face by which it's seen,
Or the face by which,
It sees.
For both, maybe the same.
An ending and a death,
Both will always only ever be,
A part to a story that leads you closer,
To its closing,
That leads you closer,
To its beginning.
What lies either side and in-between,
How you see,
Is always only ever up to you,
To live,
And up to you,
To dream.
11/30
utterly
sullen faith oh to escape this fate
My soul cringe
Bitter means and sanctimonious fluff
I'm hurting, and there is naught for it
but to wade through the mire
cold epiphany I long to warm
but sacred pain answers no
Fear is the way to learn
what not to do again
in my rebellion fade
Into chaos wrath
where every last bit of me was cast
on a vengeful sea
that sought to consume
utterly lost, I cry out
to be brought back to dry land
my foundation solid
spared and not forgotten
My faith shaken and tested
found pain to be a teacher
utterly
sullen faith oh to escape this fate
My soul cringe
Bitter means and sanctimonious fluff
I'm hurting, and there is naught for it
but to wade through the mire
cold epiphany I long to warm
but sacred pain answers no
Fear is the way to learn
what not to do again
in my rebellion fade
Into chaos wrath
where every last bit of me was cast
on a vengeful sea
that sought to consume
utterly lost, I cry out
to be brought back to dry land
my foundation solid
spared and not forgotten
My faith shaken and tested
found pain to be a teacher
11 of 30
Your dreams are unlikely. But beautiful.
There is nothing you say
that will not infect me.
Keep it. The birds fly when
you touch their water.
Every hair on your head,
every doubt
Is accounted for.
You respond well to provocation.
You are unknown,
I am one sentence.
Your presence
just overtook
my words.
You know too little English
and I have known too much.
We are living in the future
of a shattered past.
Your dreams are unlikely. But beautiful.
There is nothing you say
that will not infect me.
Keep it. The birds fly when
you touch their water.
Every hair on your head,
every doubt
Is accounted for.
You respond well to provocation.
You are unknown,
I am one sentence.
Your presence
just overtook
my words.
You know too little English
and I have known too much.
We are living in the future
of a shattered past.
10/30
Fallout
The air smells foul
Trash all around
Knee high apocalypse
A constant red sky
Dust in my eyes
Death drools on my lips
Food becomes scarce
Blood in my hair
A day not to die
They're all around
Surrounded the town
A time just to survive
Survival of the quickest
The sands now have shifted
Shallow life in it's fullest
Sharpening metal
Dull as a halo
We're running out of bullets
Active siege
We make to believe
Burning all the pages
Desperate for meals
Racking up kills
War... war never changes
(Missed day due to sickness)
Fallout
The air smells foul
Trash all around
Knee high apocalypse
A constant red sky
Dust in my eyes
Death drools on my lips
Food becomes scarce
Blood in my hair
A day not to die
They're all around
Surrounded the town
A time just to survive
Survival of the quickest
The sands now have shifted
Shallow life in it's fullest
Sharpening metal
Dull as a halo
We're running out of bullets
Active siege
We make to believe
Burning all the pages
Desperate for meals
Racking up kills
War... war never changes
(Missed day due to sickness)
#11
"~your name"- a lyrical
(Intro: Male Lyrical)
my deep-seated inner tongue uvula
in a free-hanging dangle.. titillates, in
an intense sweetening astringency, every
time I spell your name…
don’t go way .. don’t go away .. my love..
clustering blossoms all over this pathway..
If I walk with you in togetherness
come with me.. come with me.. my love..
not just one or two, it’s the haunting n-zillion
memories, that’s eating my soul
In bits and pieces.. I fall & scatter on this earth
where are you…. my dear
(Stanza 1: Female Lyrical)
Will you say you don’t remember..
Will you say that its all not the truth..
what will you say.. my love
will you say you are my fusing soul-mate..
will you say you are just a trespassing cloud
what will you answer.. my love
(refrain)
will you say you are my fusing soul-mate..
will you say you are just a trespassing cloud
what will you answer.. my love
(Stanza :2 Female lyrical)
you side-wisely swaying sun..
you are making this moon weep
what is your sadness.. will you say
you are triggering a wild storm
inner this red pandanus bloom..
what will happen now..
will you tell me.. my love
(Ending : Female version Lyrical refrain )
my deep-seated inner tongue uvula
in a free-hanging dangle.. titillates, in
an intense sweetening astringency, every
time I spell your name…
where are you.. where are you.. .. my love..
clustering blossoms all over this pathway..
If I walk with you in togetherness
where are you… where are you… my love..
not just one or two, it’s the haunting n-zillion
memories, that’s eating my soul
In bits and pieces.. I fall & scatter on this earth
where you are…. my mate
unique words: 104
"~your name"- a lyrical
(Intro: Male Lyrical)
my deep-seated inner tongue uvula
in a free-hanging dangle.. titillates, in
an intense sweetening astringency, every
time I spell your name…
don’t go way .. don’t go away .. my love..
clustering blossoms all over this pathway..
If I walk with you in togetherness
come with me.. come with me.. my love..
not just one or two, it’s the haunting n-zillion
memories, that’s eating my soul
In bits and pieces.. I fall & scatter on this earth
where are you…. my dear
(Stanza 1: Female Lyrical)
Will you say you don’t remember..
Will you say that its all not the truth..
what will you say.. my love
will you say you are my fusing soul-mate..
will you say you are just a trespassing cloud
what will you answer.. my love
(refrain)
will you say you are my fusing soul-mate..
will you say you are just a trespassing cloud
what will you answer.. my love
(Stanza :2 Female lyrical)
you side-wisely swaying sun..
you are making this moon weep
what is your sadness.. will you say
you are triggering a wild storm
inner this red pandanus bloom..
what will happen now..
will you tell me.. my love
(Ending : Female version Lyrical refrain )
my deep-seated inner tongue uvula
in a free-hanging dangle.. titillates, in
an intense sweetening astringency, every
time I spell your name…
where are you.. where are you.. .. my love..
clustering blossoms all over this pathway..
If I walk with you in togetherness
where are you… where are you… my love..
not just one or two, it’s the haunting n-zillion
memories, that’s eating my soul
In bits and pieces.. I fall & scatter on this earth
where you are…. my mate
unique words: 104
11/30
Shadows
Everywhere
Dark
Ominous
I see them when I’m most sick of myself
Foreboding
Suffocating
Everywhere
Incarcerating me when I’m most sick of myself
Frightening
Everywhere
Isolating
Only in my head, shadows, when I’m
most sick of myself
Loathing
Fearful
Anxious
So real to the touch, my flesh feels the cold, when I’m most sick of myself
Release
Liberation
Peace
Such concepts feel benign and foreign in thought when I’m most sick of myself
Forgiveness
Prayer
Love
A light feeling of hope you are all my saving grace
56 uw
Shadows
Everywhere
Dark
Ominous
I see them when I’m most sick of myself
Foreboding
Suffocating
Everywhere
Incarcerating me when I’m most sick of myself
Frightening
Everywhere
Isolating
Only in my head, shadows, when I’m
most sick of myself
Loathing
Fearful
Anxious
So real to the touch, my flesh feels the cold, when I’m most sick of myself
Release
Liberation
Peace
Such concepts feel benign and foreign in thought when I’m most sick of myself
Forgiveness
Prayer
Love
A light feeling of hope you are all my saving grace
56 uw
11/30
Homophonically speaking
Do you remember those days that past in a daze;
those nights when, like a knight, you swept me up in your arms?
After dessert, we'd watch as our friends would desert the dance floor.
We whirled around, you and me, alone in our own little world.
It didn't take two too much effort to tango back in those days -
through our youth, when we threw our most elaborate moves.
Our hearts and souls connected through the soles of our feet.
Here and now, I hear that familiar musical strain, curling around my ears
and I wonder whether we could weather an impromptu performance.
Old friends are over there, and they're reconnecting with their own memories.
The music is evocative; it's creating its own narrative.
I knew this evening would hold something new and special for us.
Our song. Our dance. Our story.
Homophonically speaking
Do you remember those days that past in a daze;
those nights when, like a knight, you swept me up in your arms?
After dessert, we'd watch as our friends would desert the dance floor.
We whirled around, you and me, alone in our own little world.
It didn't take two too much effort to tango back in those days -
through our youth, when we threw our most elaborate moves.
Our hearts and souls connected through the soles of our feet.
Here and now, I hear that familiar musical strain, curling around my ears
and I wonder whether we could weather an impromptu performance.
Old friends are over there, and they're reconnecting with their own memories.
The music is evocative; it's creating its own narrative.
I knew this evening would hold something new and special for us.
Our song. Our dance. Our story.
