Poetry Competition Ends 30th April 2025 11:19pm
DU Official NaPoWriMo Challenge
25/30
Attached
For me it’s the mystery
The intertwining of dream and fantasy
Those parts that are out of my control
Weaving a surreal story
That is both engaging
and mystifying
It’s the elation of lucid dreams
Fueling the mind
Stoking the fire
With intense curiosity and energy
Between scenes and scenarios
Where the possibilities are endless
Through doors and portals
Where us mortals are left
Aching
Wondering and wanting more
52 Unique Words
69 Total
Attached
For me it’s the mystery
The intertwining of dream and fantasy
Those parts that are out of my control
Weaving a surreal story
That is both engaging
and mystifying
It’s the elation of lucid dreams
Fueling the mind
Stoking the fire
With intense curiosity and energy
Between scenes and scenarios
Where the possibilities are endless
Through doors and portals
Where us mortals are left
Aching
Wondering and wanting more
52 Unique Words
69 Total
25/30
A Mated Pair of Cardinals Perch and Sing
We know the way the wind will whistle,
Love. No need to worry, fear, or fret.
For we will climb upon its back and soar above
the deepest valleys and across the sea.
We’ll fly so far that no one knows
our faces, past, or futures that may
come along. We’ll start brand new,
with just us two. The Graces
favor lovers, bold and brave and strong.
Those dreams we dream of you and me
and we, will be. We’ll be the very best
of us. The wind will be our guide,
though can’t foresee where next we touch
the ground or place
our trust.
But all you need to know
is in this phrase:
I’ll fly with you right through
the end of days.
A Mated Pair of Cardinals Perch and Sing
We know the way the wind will whistle,
Love. No need to worry, fear, or fret.
For we will climb upon its back and soar above
the deepest valleys and across the sea.
We’ll fly so far that no one knows
our faces, past, or futures that may
come along. We’ll start brand new,
with just us two. The Graces
favor lovers, bold and brave and strong.
Those dreams we dream of you and me
and we, will be. We’ll be the very best
of us. The wind will be our guide,
though can’t foresee where next we touch
the ground or place
our trust.
But all you need to know
is in this phrase:
I’ll fly with you right through
the end of days.
25/30
The Finish Line
I’ve made friends and foes alike
Shared love and secrets in between
Climbed the heights of wedded bliss
And scoured the valley at once alone
I’ve lived a full life under the stars
Played safe within the moon’s glow
I’ve basked in the warmth of the sun
Made a bed of daisies and soft moss
All to profess my undying love
For every thing made alive in it
The Finish Line
I’ve made friends and foes alike
Shared love and secrets in between
Climbed the heights of wedded bliss
And scoured the valley at once alone
I’ve lived a full life under the stars
Played safe within the moon’s glow
I’ve basked in the warmth of the sun
Made a bed of daisies and soft moss
All to profess my undying love
For every thing made alive in it
25/30
Before we live, before we die
I
Just a single cell, a star
that fell
Ink black wishing well
Libations
of
Vibrations
II
Cave crafted hand – Hand
drafted, and
A bison iced into time: Frozen
Slow motion
Freeze
O To believe, to believe
You were chosen
III
Avatars of the consciousness of stars
Where wind unwinds
in
Signs. Intertwined
into
The times.
IV
Footprints
scattered about, peering
out of clearings
of
Dune grass. Present
To
Past
V
Minds eye I spy:
Traveling unraveling orbs
across
Tides of insects eyes. Like
nothing
Ever really dies.
VI
How this life flashes before our eyes
Before we
live
Before we die
Rolling
poetic
dice (Shake em up shake em)
Fire unto ice.
Nice
VII
Inventions
breaking with conventions
Airplanes
falling
apart
in
Skies. Reassembled
by
Artist’s eyes
VIII
Vision as decision
To be
or
Not to be
On
A mission. Decision as vision
IX
Upon the canvas: At last
Somewhere-where
Our
Ancestor’s
As
Stars – Shined
into
Afars
X
How far we are
sometimes
it
Seems. Never-ever
give
up
On: Your dreams
XI
And remember. You too
Must
Die
***
Cipher
Poems
***
Before we live, before we die
I
Just a single cell, a star
that fell
Ink black wishing well
Libations
of
Vibrations
II
Cave crafted hand – Hand
drafted, and
A bison iced into time: Frozen
Slow motion
Freeze
O To believe, to believe
You were chosen
III
Avatars of the consciousness of stars
Where wind unwinds
in
Signs. Intertwined
into
The times.
IV
Footprints
scattered about, peering
out of clearings
of
Dune grass. Present
To
Past
V
Minds eye I spy:
Traveling unraveling orbs
across
Tides of insects eyes. Like
nothing
Ever really dies.
VI
How this life flashes before our eyes
Before we
live
Before we die
Rolling
poetic
dice (Shake em up shake em)
Fire unto ice.
Nice
VII
Inventions
breaking with conventions
Airplanes
falling
apart
in
Skies. Reassembled
by
Artist’s eyes
VIII
Vision as decision
To be
or
Not to be
On
A mission. Decision as vision
IX
Upon the canvas: At last
Somewhere-where
Our
Ancestor’s
As
Stars – Shined
into
Afars
X
How far we are
sometimes
it
Seems. Never-ever
give
up
On: Your dreams
XI
And remember. You too
Must
Die
***
Cipher
Poems
***
25/30
NaPo 2025 Day 25
An hour and thirty
before my possible last dirty X.
Surely, I can crush something out
in no time, but about what?
Pick a moment today
say a few lines.
Hungry, so I am fixing to make
myself some eggs and bacon.
Have a Coke Zero to drink.
I think I overcooked the egg.
Shaking an arm and a leg
to placate this hunger.
[Unique Words 53]
NaPo 2025 Day 25
An hour and thirty
before my possible last dirty X.
Surely, I can crush something out
in no time, but about what?
Pick a moment today
say a few lines.
Hungry, so I am fixing to make
myself some eggs and bacon.
Have a Coke Zero to drink.
I think I overcooked the egg.
Shaking an arm and a leg
to placate this hunger.
[Unique Words 53]
25/30
TO WHO KNOWS WHERE
I am with you
In ways you can’t imagine
Like a color never seen
That is what my words will mean
So take me in but do not read me
Because letters are just paper deep
A small amount of microns
Tries to take a giant leap
Now listen close
This is my purpose
To dig deep beneath the surface
Let me sing into your mind
Who knows what we both may find
TO WHO KNOWS WHERE
I am with you
In ways you can’t imagine
Like a color never seen
That is what my words will mean
So take me in but do not read me
Because letters are just paper deep
A small amount of microns
Tries to take a giant leap
Now listen close
This is my purpose
To dig deep beneath the surface
Let me sing into your mind
Who knows what we both may find
25/30
If Ever
If ever one should find the key that unlocks the gateway to my spirit fierce and untamed
My soul will be friesian galloping forth from the stalls that kept me in the depths of my own despair
And many long to ride her
But until that day, her life remains in there
If ever I see a day that the sun outshines the lonesome gray polluting the sky
My lungs will breathe the air of liberty, for the first time
If ever I choose to stay with you
To be hands to hold, and hands to pray
Love me, yes
Love me
But leave my heart to roam
For I won’t be saddled, anymore.
If Ever
If ever one should find the key that unlocks the gateway to my spirit fierce and untamed
My soul will be friesian galloping forth from the stalls that kept me in the depths of my own despair
And many long to ride her
But until that day, her life remains in there
If ever I see a day that the sun outshines the lonesome gray polluting the sky
My lungs will breathe the air of liberty, for the first time
If ever I choose to stay with you
To be hands to hold, and hands to pray
Love me, yes
Love me
But leave my heart to roam
For I won’t be saddled, anymore.
26/30
STRANGE DAY
The edifice crumbles in a mumble of dissent
as the cat sits on the window-sill straight after
I’ve only just fed her well
while a stray black cat lies on our back door mat
with three kittens born last night - one white, one black, one grey -
and yesterday had lunch with a keen flat-earther
and in the evening resigned from the men’s group
after fourteen years together
and I am making hand-weaving looms again
after a seventeen year hiatus
and I am blowing everything up
— the world has gone mad —
eight sculptures lie half-finished in my workshop
and I’m looking for a meaningful change
but the edifice of composure crumbles in a louder mumble
as heaven grumbles dissent at my use of Free Will
without a focus moving towards anything sold as enlightenment.
The world is an illusory Maya matrix
and I am no good at this game.
STRANGE DAY
The edifice crumbles in a mumble of dissent
as the cat sits on the window-sill straight after
I’ve only just fed her well
while a stray black cat lies on our back door mat
with three kittens born last night - one white, one black, one grey -
and yesterday had lunch with a keen flat-earther
and in the evening resigned from the men’s group
after fourteen years together
and I am making hand-weaving looms again
after a seventeen year hiatus
and I am blowing everything up
— the world has gone mad —
eight sculptures lie half-finished in my workshop
and I’m looking for a meaningful change
but the edifice of composure crumbles in a louder mumble
as heaven grumbles dissent at my use of Free Will
without a focus moving towards anything sold as enlightenment.
The world is an illusory Maya matrix
and I am no good at this game.
26/30
Cloaked Penumbra
It was often true that I had trouble sleeping
in my youth, closing my eyes meant
monsters already present
or entering my room, my dreams
I unwillingly have to entertain
The dark, I’ve never truly been afraid of
there’s a kind of beauty within
absence of nearly all light
today it’s almost as if I can see in the dark
so have I overcome the darkness
of the night? Maybe.
Maybe not as I still have trouble sleeping
but not because I’m afraid
to lower my eyelids.
Cloaked Penumbra
It was often true that I had trouble sleeping
in my youth, closing my eyes meant
monsters already present
or entering my room, my dreams
I unwillingly have to entertain
The dark, I’ve never truly been afraid of
there’s a kind of beauty within
absence of nearly all light
today it’s almost as if I can see in the dark
so have I overcome the darkness
of the night? Maybe.
Maybe not as I still have trouble sleeping
but not because I’m afraid
to lower my eyelids.
26/30
Play, Children Play
Child’s play, so pure and free
I yearn to feel that freedom
Their beauty of innocence calls to me
I can’t help help but answer with glee
The tableau fades quickly as a mist
Trying to grasp the evaporating image
So goes my heart in the loss of hope
This endless game of starting again
Only to end up in the same spot
From where I started
54 uw
Play, Children Play
Child’s play, so pure and free
I yearn to feel that freedom
Their beauty of innocence calls to me
I can’t help help but answer with glee
The tableau fades quickly as a mist
Trying to grasp the evaporating image
So goes my heart in the loss of hope
This endless game of starting again
Only to end up in the same spot
From where I started
54 uw
26 of 30
truth or err
to find my own feet
is a constant battle for balance
checking my gut...
against what's actually heard
here's the thing that's hardest
{for me}
when they speak...
what do they really mean
& what's no more...
than muffled echoes
grating against my sensitive scars
{sandpaper grit over sunburnt skin}
how do I listen
...with clarity
letting my damage feel protected
while I strive to hear reality
because with unintentional filters...
...everything is affected
distorted & altered
it's so tricky
balancing words
...with truth...&...honestly...
recognizing the difference
truth or err
to find my own feet
is a constant battle for balance
checking my gut...
against what's actually heard
here's the thing that's hardest
{for me}
when they speak...
what do they really mean
& what's no more...
than muffled echoes
grating against my sensitive scars
{sandpaper grit over sunburnt skin}
how do I listen
...with clarity
letting my damage feel protected
while I strive to hear reality
because with unintentional filters...
...everything is affected
distorted & altered
it's so tricky
balancing words
...with truth...&...honestly...
recognizing the difference
26/30
sunrise
my sleeping eyes
blossomed like lotus petals,
at the touch of soft rays
radiating from your endearing gaze.
your smile painted a million strokes
on my illuminated face,
and my lips stretched into
an inverted dreamy rainbow.
your breath like minty mist
swept across my face,
when you whispered,
"my love, be awake"
your burlap like index
meandered from forehead
to my parched lips;
feeling my scars,
pits and pimples,
as if they were fragile flowers
you ran your fingers
through my hair
like comets streaking
across the dark heavens,
while you-my starved lover,
stamped my mouth and neck
with your sensual kisses,
like impatient rain yearning
to drench the earth.
then you cushioned your head
on my longing chest, burrowing
your desires and cravings;
you nuzzled my heaving mounts,
as you hugged me close,
inhaling the sweet aroma
of my unending love
as the sun rose ...
sunrise
my sleeping eyes
blossomed like lotus petals,
at the touch of soft rays
radiating from your endearing gaze.
your smile painted a million strokes
on my illuminated face,
and my lips stretched into
an inverted dreamy rainbow.
your breath like minty mist
swept across my face,
when you whispered,
"my love, be awake"
your burlap like index
meandered from forehead
to my parched lips;
feeling my scars,
pits and pimples,
as if they were fragile flowers
you ran your fingers
through my hair
like comets streaking
across the dark heavens,
while you-my starved lover,
stamped my mouth and neck
with your sensual kisses,
like impatient rain yearning
to drench the earth.
then you cushioned your head
on my longing chest, burrowing
your desires and cravings;
you nuzzled my heaving mounts,
as you hugged me close,
inhaling the sweet aroma
of my unending love
as the sun rose ...
26/30
Dear Son
You're twenty now
But still young to understand
The ways of life
Despite your age
You still need our guidance
You still have that innocence
About so many things
You're so trusting of others and your friends
That we fear for your safety
We're worried that you may be influenced and corrupted
By your friends and acquaintances
Despite of our efforts to guide you
Dear Son,
Your Dad and I loves you so much
And we do everything to give you
The best life you deserve
We want you to finish your education
And follow your dreams in life
We're always here to support you
For as long as we are still able and breathing
We want you to be open to us
And not keep things to yourself
If you have problems and personal issues
We are here to help you not to judge you
You will always be our darling baby boy
No matter what age you are
Mom and Dad will always love you
If we could only stop the time
From turning and spinning we would
So you don't have to grow old and remain young forever
So we could protect you from
Everything that is harmful and can harm you
We trust you and have faith in you
Because we know you feel and understand our love for you
Sometimes I am tough with you
So you will grow into a better person
Dear Son
You're twenty now
But still young to understand
The ways of life
Despite your age
You still need our guidance
You still have that innocence
About so many things
You're so trusting of others and your friends
That we fear for your safety
We're worried that you may be influenced and corrupted
By your friends and acquaintances
Despite of our efforts to guide you
Dear Son,
Your Dad and I loves you so much
And we do everything to give you
The best life you deserve
We want you to finish your education
And follow your dreams in life
We're always here to support you
For as long as we are still able and breathing
We want you to be open to us
And not keep things to yourself
If you have problems and personal issues
We are here to help you not to judge you
You will always be our darling baby boy
No matter what age you are
Mom and Dad will always love you
If we could only stop the time
From turning and spinning we would
So you don't have to grow old and remain young forever
So we could protect you from
Everything that is harmful and can harm you
We trust you and have faith in you
Because we know you feel and understand our love for you
Sometimes I am tough with you
So you will grow into a better person
26/30
Knowledge
Romancing the ideas my thoughts run wild
internally obsessed with the immortal
Looking into the abyss isn't advisable
seeking with questions
You sometimes get answers you weren't expecting
My mind is trying to figure things out
Nietzsche warned Don't look too hard
It just might be looking back at you
So I pull back and close my thoughts
until I forget again the reality of these beings
I'm known to write about them lightly
as if they were imaginary
Then, when the reality hits
I find myself ill-prepared
searching myself and requesting guidance
The Father cautions that wisdom is costly
It comes at a price
You must experience some things
to fully appreciate the knowledge
coming to an understanding
that these secrets are sacred
Knowledge
Romancing the ideas my thoughts run wild
internally obsessed with the immortal
Looking into the abyss isn't advisable
seeking with questions
You sometimes get answers you weren't expecting
My mind is trying to figure things out
Nietzsche warned Don't look too hard
It just might be looking back at you
So I pull back and close my thoughts
until I forget again the reality of these beings
I'm known to write about them lightly
as if they were imaginary
Then, when the reality hits
I find myself ill-prepared
searching myself and requesting guidance
The Father cautions that wisdom is costly
It comes at a price
You must experience some things
to fully appreciate the knowledge
coming to an understanding
that these secrets are sacred
26/30
Haiku-Sonnet
Storms are gathering.
In the cyber background we
furiously plan.
Collating the facts
means sifting through opinions,
by necessity.
Each viewpoint valid
though varied in emphasis;
such subtle shading.
Quite easy to write,
now must steel self to endure
that which lies ahead.
Yet, what am I e'er, if not
honest, faithful, true stalwart?
Haiku-Sonnet
Storms are gathering.
In the cyber background we
furiously plan.
Collating the facts
means sifting through opinions,
by necessity.
Each viewpoint valid
though varied in emphasis;
such subtle shading.
Quite easy to write,
now must steel self to endure
that which lies ahead.
Yet, what am I e'er, if not
honest, faithful, true stalwart?
