Poetry Competition Ends 30th April 2025 11:19pm
DU Official NaPoWriMo Challenge
12/30
Cloudy Days
Cloudy days are weird
It feels like time stops
The gray clouds never changing
Makes me feel very unproductive
And makes my head hurt
Temperature was cold too
Not helping its case
It’s been strange
Even the animals haven’t acted normal
Like they sense it too
As much as I want the day to end
I also wish I had accomplished more
But what was there to do
When pain leads the day
And the weather doesn’t help
Cloudy Days
Cloudy days are weird
It feels like time stops
The gray clouds never changing
Makes me feel very unproductive
And makes my head hurt
Temperature was cold too
Not helping its case
It’s been strange
Even the animals haven’t acted normal
Like they sense it too
As much as I want the day to end
I also wish I had accomplished more
But what was there to do
When pain leads the day
And the weather doesn’t help
13 of 30
Insomnia’s Heels
Restless and uncomfortable,
two feet of fire;
The source and cause
of my current ire.
Exiled from beneath the sheet
In effort to reduce its’ pulsing heat,
Contorting to touch the wall
To dissipate the warmth and all.
A supposed throb and thrill
feet eager to walk and run
But when trying to settle down
Such energies are no fun.
Restless and uncomfortable,
two feet feeling afire
Means sleep postponed
Chances of rest are dire.
(Unique Words: 55)
Insomnia’s Heels
Restless and uncomfortable,
two feet of fire;
The source and cause
of my current ire.
Exiled from beneath the sheet
In effort to reduce its’ pulsing heat,
Contorting to touch the wall
To dissipate the warmth and all.
A supposed throb and thrill
feet eager to walk and run
But when trying to settle down
Such energies are no fun.
Restless and uncomfortable,
two feet feeling afire
Means sleep postponed
Chances of rest are dire.
(Unique Words: 55)
12/30
Ars Poetica
The rumors of her mother’s wild affair
were golden! Golden as the fire,
but never so close as here in the city.
Clandestine, her husband bored with her
babbling neither listens nor speaks.
Surprised by sunlight,
hatched from sleep
one of us remarked with laughter
“as for Evil, it became too much trouble.”
We all look on disorder with relief.
The thin hands of trees blow away,
waving goodby,
until nature was a white, blinding thing.
As for evil, it is the steel trap and the fox.
Long have I toiled at this thankless task –
red as any ink and the air
is silent of cures or praise.
I assure you, the new language will come.
I learned it for love. It is the antidote.
I, if not beautiful, am beauty’s maker.
Ars Poetica
The rumors of her mother’s wild affair
were golden! Golden as the fire,
but never so close as here in the city.
Clandestine, her husband bored with her
babbling neither listens nor speaks.
Surprised by sunlight,
hatched from sleep
one of us remarked with laughter
“as for Evil, it became too much trouble.”
We all look on disorder with relief.
The thin hands of trees blow away,
waving goodby,
until nature was a white, blinding thing.
As for evil, it is the steel trap and the fox.
Long have I toiled at this thankless task –
red as any ink and the air
is silent of cures or praise.
I assure you, the new language will come.
I learned it for love. It is the antidote.
I, if not beautiful, am beauty’s maker.
12/30
THE REVOLUTION IS EVERYWHERE
In the shows that you watch
In the clothes that you buy
In the food that you make
In the earth and the sky
You cannot escape
From its ramifications
No way to sign up
For that type of vacation
So make peace with your fears
And make war with each choice
The only way we move forward
Is all with one voice
I will not be silent
Regardless of cost
My kids can’t forgive me
If their future’s lost
THE REVOLUTION IS EVERYWHERE
In the shows that you watch
In the clothes that you buy
In the food that you make
In the earth and the sky
You cannot escape
From its ramifications
No way to sign up
For that type of vacation
So make peace with your fears
And make war with each choice
The only way we move forward
Is all with one voice
I will not be silent
Regardless of cost
My kids can’t forgive me
If their future’s lost
12/30
NaPo 2025 Day 12
I just want to go to sleep.
For some reason
I keep waiting
until the last minute to write.
This is so frustrating.
I am debating
whether or not
to stay in this NaPo.
My mood is fluctuating.
It is the last year,
so I may as well give it a go.
I guess I am struggling
because my words are hibernating.
To be honest,
I do not even know
where to begin to look,
and I find it irritating.
[Unique Words 55]
NaPo 2025 Day 12
I just want to go to sleep.
For some reason
I keep waiting
until the last minute to write.
This is so frustrating.
I am debating
whether or not
to stay in this NaPo.
My mood is fluctuating.
It is the last year,
so I may as well give it a go.
I guess I am struggling
because my words are hibernating.
To be honest,
I do not even know
where to begin to look,
and I find it irritating.
[Unique Words 55]
12/30
Poets at the Time of Death
I
So many waves, crashing
Written by poets, capturing
Life – Upon literary canvas
At last like a wave crashes
Words meant to make splashes
As the heart whiplashes
A moment of sunlit eye lashes
Flashing back in flashes
II
Poetic trails traveled without fail
Divine positions touching human
conditions.
The Stars of these wishes of ours.
Chiseled
in
The dark – Into which
We
Embark. Birth of star
III
I do wonder. How many days
I may have left in these domains
This miraculous rhythm that plays
Spending time inside realms of rhyme
Is anything really worth the time
What does it mean to be alive
These shapes and structures
Of that
Toward which
We
Strive. To be alive
IV
Sometimes. I must channel monsters
and psychopaths
To travel through these unraveling wraths.
V
Tears in a bucket
Mother
fuck
it…
Shabazz says
Poets at the Time of Death
I
So many waves, crashing
Written by poets, capturing
Life – Upon literary canvas
At last like a wave crashes
Words meant to make splashes
As the heart whiplashes
A moment of sunlit eye lashes
Flashing back in flashes
II
Poetic trails traveled without fail
Divine positions touching human
conditions.
The Stars of these wishes of ours.
Chiseled
in
The dark – Into which
We
Embark. Birth of star
III
I do wonder. How many days
I may have left in these domains
This miraculous rhythm that plays
Spending time inside realms of rhyme
Is anything really worth the time
What does it mean to be alive
These shapes and structures
Of that
Toward which
We
Strive. To be alive
IV
Sometimes. I must channel monsters
and psychopaths
To travel through these unraveling wraths.
V
Tears in a bucket
Mother
fuck
it…
Shabazz says
12/30
Tombstone Confessions
Speak your heart and mind
as if carving your own headstone;
as though every exchange,
passionate conversation,
heated argument
love’s kiss,
is useful to you -
use them to fuel you;
let go of hate,
your need to be right,
false pride fueled by ego,
release them all into the wind
and watch them carried away;
let these moments refine
your understanding of life;
the meaning you give to them
is the only thing that matters
Tombstone Confessions
Speak your heart and mind
as if carving your own headstone;
as though every exchange,
passionate conversation,
heated argument
love’s kiss,
is useful to you -
use them to fuel you;
let go of hate,
your need to be right,
false pride fueled by ego,
release them all into the wind
and watch them carried away;
let these moments refine
your understanding of life;
the meaning you give to them
is the only thing that matters
12/30
Last Supper
Bright gloom in a dim room
Nothing but shadow to consume
Out of my window watch the moon bloom
Wearing its corona
Set my halo upon the table
Long day to take the boots off
Forewarned sharpening of horns
Dusted sulphuric aroma
Another day another pitchfork
Riled up and set to torch
Ceiling fire, we don't need no water
Ablaze and snug under blankets
A cold night for a good light
Tarred and feathered angels
Driven out and exercised
Starving for a banquet
Last Supper
Bright gloom in a dim room
Nothing but shadow to consume
Out of my window watch the moon bloom
Wearing its corona
Set my halo upon the table
Long day to take the boots off
Forewarned sharpening of horns
Dusted sulphuric aroma
Another day another pitchfork
Riled up and set to torch
Ceiling fire, we don't need no water
Ablaze and snug under blankets
A cold night for a good light
Tarred and feathered angels
Driven out and exercised
Starving for a banquet
12 of 30
Unsolicited Fortune Teller
Sitting in Sunday school class
with a group of high school friends
all of us the same age
but I was a grade behind
our teacher spoke of careers
we might pursue
after graduating school
he was in computer sales
working for Big Blue
my dad, an Electrical Engineer
just happened to work there too
when the instructor
began suggesting jobs each of us could do
to one, “you'd be an excellent programmer”
to another “a top -notch chip designer”
because of their mathematical acuity
and to me he says,
in a dismissive tone
“you'd be fit for warehouse duty.”
angered by his implication
that I was not meant for higher education
not that I looked down
on warehouse work
I did it for awhile
and felt exhausted and accomplished after every
shift
especially when l drove the forklift
but I digress
why the teacher's comment caused such consternation
and, to this day, resentment
no one should define another's potential for achievement.
Unique word count: 120
Unsolicited Fortune Teller
Sitting in Sunday school class
with a group of high school friends
all of us the same age
but I was a grade behind
our teacher spoke of careers
we might pursue
after graduating school
he was in computer sales
working for Big Blue
my dad, an Electrical Engineer
just happened to work there too
when the instructor
began suggesting jobs each of us could do
to one, “you'd be an excellent programmer”
to another “a top -notch chip designer”
because of their mathematical acuity
and to me he says,
in a dismissive tone
“you'd be fit for warehouse duty.”
angered by his implication
that I was not meant for higher education
not that I looked down
on warehouse work
I did it for awhile
and felt exhausted and accomplished after every
shift
especially when l drove the forklift
but I digress
why the teacher's comment caused such consternation
and, to this day, resentment
no one should define another's potential for achievement.
Unique word count: 120
11/30
[NaPo2025—Premeditated Paeans]
the troubling wind
❝Patience is the strength of the weak, impatience is the
weakness of the strong.❞—Immanuel Kant
"forever, my love," begins today;
but "never, my love" shall go astray
as soon as the wind comes calling you:
thus all of my dreams come falling through!
how sparkling your eyes beneath the moon!
how startling the sighs around me strewn
as soon as the wind comes haunting you,
and faraway climes enchanting you!
you want me to stay available
while you go away, untraceable:
as soon as the wind whispers your name,
you leave me behind to seek new game.
i sever my heart from you today;
for, never my heart has hurt this way:
as soon as the wind calls after me,
my soul shall rescind love's misery.
© 2025 March 10
by Clyve A. Bowen♫
UWC 73
12/30
[NaPo2025—Premeditated Paeans]
the quality of mercy
❝The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.❞
—William Shakespeare
would you be cruel to a wounded fawn?
would you shame still a bruised or broken reed?
would punish you a penitential lamb?
or trample on its path a struggling seed?
has callousness all mercy swept from you,
all pity clean repealed from hope's purview?
would you the hungry child relieve of bread
whose morsel is inferior to the dogs'?
although his famishment leaves him half-dead,
would you label his plight unorthodox?
and when your surplus withers in your arm,
is that the virtuous remnant of your charm?
a poor man on his face, lost in the rain:
how can you splash him with your limousine,
and when he holds his head back up again
lend him the edge of your sharp guillotine?
you break the broken just to feel your strength;
the sunken you pursue to sink at length.
yet let me give her respite from her pain,
her tear-soaked cheeks replenish with new mirth.
her contrite heart my spirit drives insane
because i know the congress of her worth:
how vulnerable, yet she i treasure most!
incomparable, on whom i've overdosed.
© 2025 April 14
by Clyve A. Bowen♫
UWC 125
DOUBLE-POSTING FOR YESTERDAY'S NOTIFIED AND EXCUSED ABSENCE
12/30
Sick Again
I am bed bound
My voice produces no sound
Twisting and turning
My throat is burning
Lips so numb, despite the rest of my feverish body hurting
Tired of chronic fatigue
As blood cells go to war
Likely environmental
I forgot my vitamin gummy
But truthfully
I should just say nothing when I’m asked to do anything beyond my best
People pleasing does a number on the body.
Sick Again
I am bed bound
My voice produces no sound
Twisting and turning
My throat is burning
Lips so numb, despite the rest of my feverish body hurting
Tired of chronic fatigue
As blood cells go to war
Likely environmental
I forgot my vitamin gummy
But truthfully
I should just say nothing when I’m asked to do anything beyond my best
People pleasing does a number on the body.
13/30
PERSPECTIVE
From the fly’s survival perspective
collective consciousness labelled me
a malignant mad mass murderer
with some kind of puffed-up entitlement
to swat and kill their kind — without warning
Much like the secret aliens’ impassive
attitude to Homo Sapiens whom said aliens won’t let be
having set themselves up to be the global orderer
where humans are to be swatted, killed — an environment
of fear — all of which I find very concerning
There’s layers upon layers of deception …
whatever happened to karma correction?
PERSPECTIVE
From the fly’s survival perspective
collective consciousness labelled me
a malignant mad mass murderer
with some kind of puffed-up entitlement
to swat and kill their kind — without warning
Much like the secret aliens’ impassive
attitude to Homo Sapiens whom said aliens won’t let be
having set themselves up to be the global orderer
where humans are to be swatted, killed — an environment
of fear — all of which I find very concerning
There’s layers upon layers of deception …
whatever happened to karma correction?
#13 of 30
[b]Alchemy of the Senses[
inside lip cracking
desert heat burning
emotional sandstorms
always changing
the sense's landscape
caldron of lust bubbling
witches brew feementing
special herbs spices
age old concoction
handed down
mother to daughter
need's aroma wafting
exotic attracting
culminating in sheer aching want
kindred spirits colliding
under star filled skies
universal exploding supernovas
unique words 51
total words 51
[b]Alchemy of the Senses[
inside lip cracking
desert heat burning
emotional sandstorms
always changing
the sense's landscape
caldron of lust bubbling
witches brew feementing
special herbs spices
age old concoction
handed down
mother to daughter
need's aroma wafting
exotic attracting
culminating in sheer aching want
kindred spirits colliding
under star filled skies
universal exploding supernovas
unique words 51
total words 51
13 of 30
continuum
when my heart is engaged
you're never temporary
you...are a part of me
& if one day you should depart
a piece of you will remain
your essence...like osmosis
inspiring & adding to my enirety
as you saturate
becoming an eternal part of me
& I'm grateful
for whatever time we are given
hold very dear these moments we share
embedding them into my foundation
strengthening my pillars
building with compassion
& connection
more solid...ever better
together...
spirits intertwined
in memory forever
continuum
when my heart is engaged
you're never temporary
you...are a part of me
& if one day you should depart
a piece of you will remain
your essence...like osmosis
inspiring & adding to my enirety
as you saturate
becoming an eternal part of me
& I'm grateful
for whatever time we are given
hold very dear these moments we share
embedding them into my foundation
strengthening my pillars
building with compassion
& connection
more solid...ever better
together...
spirits intertwined
in memory forever
13/30
Woolgathering Logic?
I nearly had a pretty decent spill
lost it after mindless viewing
recent latest news
Lost it but the gist of it
still exists maybe
sticky maple syrup
though I’m unable
to capture, recapture
I never liked this feeling of nothing
of something stuck to me
like Fugitive Glue
only a “ Post-it “ note
away from fruition
so many pearls lost like
today due to ---- old age?
Evidently, 5 minute speed chess
Is not the only indicator
I should be looking at/for
Woolgathering Logic?
I nearly had a pretty decent spill
lost it after mindless viewing
recent latest news
Lost it but the gist of it
still exists maybe
sticky maple syrup
though I’m unable
to capture, recapture
I never liked this feeling of nothing
of something stuck to me
like Fugitive Glue
only a “ Post-it “ note
away from fruition
so many pearls lost like
today due to ---- old age?
Evidently, 5 minute speed chess
Is not the only indicator
I should be looking at/for
