OFFICIAL DUP Glo/NaPoWriMo 2021 Competition
Greetings, Great Poets of the Fellowship! If you do not have an X beside your name, you may safely follow the footsteps down the winding path into Day 18! You are only three days out from being 3/4th's of the way! Time is beginning to fly! Congratulations to those still trekking!
18/30
[ Of Power And Rings ] Tongue Like A Worm
Takes his time entering the parlor;
snakes oily from shadows
Alone, his cold, stone palor
enough to steal one's breath
His venomous words
the spear in your side
Day upon night
night upon day
nowhere to hide
Hisses through
crooked tombstone teeth
only those things you
want to hear
or fear
Haunting is the prospect of death
without valor
Always at your feet
slithering beneath
when not offering council
to the fatherly King you hold dear
whispering God only knows
into his ear
Snakes oily from the shadows;
tongue like a worm
[ Of Power And Rings ] Tongue Like A Worm
Takes his time entering the parlor;
snakes oily from shadows
Alone, his cold, stone palor
enough to steal one's breath
His venomous words
the spear in your side
Day upon night
night upon day
nowhere to hide
Hisses through
crooked tombstone teeth
only those things you
want to hear
or fear
Haunting is the prospect of death
without valor
Always at your feet
slithering beneath
when not offering council
to the fatherly King you hold dear
whispering God only knows
into his ear
Snakes oily from the shadows;
tongue like a worm
18/30
dial
1 click
not over the last one yet
but he’s nice
nice isn’t my type
usually
2 clicks
he’s fun to talk to
easy, it flows
he’s open, kinda funny
respectful
i can live with this
type of company
once in a while
3 clicks
he said just for food
it’s good, just food and a film
and a kiss maybe
hot, straddling makeout
stopped cos
last one, remember?
i’m behaving
4 clicks
he actually
wants to hang out
looked over at me long
while i was working
caught my eye
to say i was pretty
massive points
for glow moment number 2
after makeout tension
5 clicks
overnights are getting regular
both sets of kids away
fitting life
between cracks in schedules
it’s nice like this
but nothing serious
6 clicks
he’s quicker in getting over
his ex, now
doesn’t like to be alone
maybe all that time coupled
has made him
uncomfortable in solitude
one thing
we do not have in common
7 clicks
last night together
till next school holidays
talking about getting
a week off at the same time
maybe
road trip, maybe
he’s nice
i’ll have to think about it
dial
1 click
not over the last one yet
but he’s nice
nice isn’t my type
usually
2 clicks
he’s fun to talk to
easy, it flows
he’s open, kinda funny
respectful
i can live with this
type of company
once in a while
3 clicks
he said just for food
it’s good, just food and a film
and a kiss maybe
hot, straddling makeout
stopped cos
last one, remember?
i’m behaving
4 clicks
he actually
wants to hang out
looked over at me long
while i was working
caught my eye
to say i was pretty
massive points
for glow moment number 2
after makeout tension
5 clicks
overnights are getting regular
both sets of kids away
fitting life
between cracks in schedules
it’s nice like this
but nothing serious
6 clicks
he’s quicker in getting over
his ex, now
doesn’t like to be alone
maybe all that time coupled
has made him
uncomfortable in solitude
one thing
we do not have in common
7 clicks
last night together
till next school holidays
talking about getting
a week off at the same time
maybe
road trip, maybe
he’s nice
i’ll have to think about it
18 of 30
Nothing
Nothing inspire this write
Just spilling for NaPoWriMo 2021
To stay in the competition
It doesn't matter
If there's no rhyme
In this poem
I'm racing with time
I need to post before midnight
Or I'll get an X, a strike
Can't let that happen
I've made up my mind
To reach the finish line
When April ends
Still have an hour
Just enough time
For editing
If I post before 11: 00 PM
It's 10:28 and it's finished
Nothing
Nothing inspire this write
Just spilling for NaPoWriMo 2021
To stay in the competition
It doesn't matter
If there's no rhyme
In this poem
I'm racing with time
I need to post before midnight
Or I'll get an X, a strike
Can't let that happen
I've made up my mind
To reach the finish line
When April ends
Still have an hour
Just enough time
For editing
If I post before 11: 00 PM
It's 10:28 and it's finished
18/30
We Always Joke About the Cones
Driving past old haunts brought
back memories from childhood.
Dad usually took me along
on side jobs.
The nearest Dairy Queen
was payment for handing over tools, holding
flashlights and fetching what he needed.
Always a vanilla cone.
Inevitably it would drip: his queue to step
in, tidy things up.
We Always Joke About the Cones
Driving past old haunts brought
back memories from childhood.
Dad usually took me along
on side jobs.
The nearest Dairy Queen
was payment for handing over tools, holding
flashlights and fetching what he needed.
Always a vanilla cone.
Inevitably it would drip: his queue to step
in, tidy things up.
(18 of 30—Official DUP NaPo/GloPoWrimo2021)
sonnets among my scribbles
♪give me a song♪
sonnet #18
my manuscript stands void of joyful song:
what shall i sing to celebrate my birth?
the silence of the emptiness of earth
makes mute the lullabies for which i long.
my flutes have lost their voices to the wind:
what shall I pipe to celebrate my day,
when breathing has become a grand cliché,
an arsenal for conscience fallen blind?
my violins are left bereft of strings:
how shall vain bowing celebrate my night,
when pizzicato passions give me flight
that cleaves the air without the aid of wings?
an aria shall soothe my desperate strife;
give me a song to celebrate my life.
© Copyright 2021 April 17
by Clyve A. Bowen♫
UWC = 69
( 18/30 )
Satellite
[ . . . ]
Part III: Systems of Nomenclature
i.
January—Wolf Moon
( Pawnee Native American Tribe )
Pa’ni—Wolf;
traditional customs
aligning with Spirit
Ancient Guardian of the Moon;
servant to the Sun, Pa'ni—
entrusted with the evening star
Brothers Black Bear,
Mountain Lion, and Wild-Cat
possessing power
in the heaven's realm;
their nomenclatures evolving
into the black, yellow
white, and red stars
Sending themselves
to earth through reincarnation
for planetary creation
we recognize within our self
Elements: cloud, thunder
lightning, wind, and rain
form from their mighty mouth
into the cycle of seasons
and cicada rhythm of song:
Weak or strong, Lone Wolf sings
to the Moon in dead of winter
the song of songs: Love
resourceful mercy in brutal cold
But, eschews solitude
to run in tune with the pack
because security exists in the fold
. . .
Satellite
[ . . . ]
Part III: Systems of Nomenclature
i.
January—Wolf Moon
( Pawnee Native American Tribe )
Pa’ni—Wolf;
traditional customs
aligning with Spirit
Ancient Guardian of the Moon;
servant to the Sun, Pa'ni—
entrusted with the evening star
Brothers Black Bear,
Mountain Lion, and Wild-Cat
possessing power
in the heaven's realm;
their nomenclatures evolving
into the black, yellow
white, and red stars
Sending themselves
to earth through reincarnation
for planetary creation
we recognize within our self
Elements: cloud, thunder
lightning, wind, and rain
form from their mighty mouth
into the cycle of seasons
and cicada rhythm of song:
Weak or strong, Lone Wolf sings
to the Moon in dead of winter
the song of songs: Love
resourceful mercy in brutal cold
But, eschews solitude
to run in tune with the pack
because security exists in the fold
. . .
18/30
Ode To Night VIII
Hear me, O truest night
let me play a tune upon your lyre,
let the melody ring ever so clear.
To you, my ode becomes ours alone:
as I in you.
Rest softly on your lofty throne;
we create to let our feelings out,
I am yours forever and to you devout.
Let me stay in you,
release the day from nascent blue
to your midnight black;
from every corner it shouts back.
Hear me, O truest night.
56 unique words
Ode To Night VIII
Hear me, O truest night
let me play a tune upon your lyre,
let the melody ring ever so clear.
To you, my ode becomes ours alone:
as I in you.
Rest softly on your lofty throne;
we create to let our feelings out,
I am yours forever and to you devout.
Let me stay in you,
release the day from nascent blue
to your midnight black;
from every corner it shouts back.
Hear me, O truest night.
56 unique words
18/30
Royal wake
Red pressed duty, lined the streets
Covid barriers, the steel that distanced each.
War mongers, tasseled with gold braid.
Solemnity as they brought the coffin out'
Rigor mortis stiff, the dead march played,
quick, slow, quick
Span the time a torch He made,
flickered as the mighty organ pipes,
lit up each hymn.
Praised the world for all his life
So sovereignty is passed,
like a cheek stained handkerchief.
The crows black tears,
from the battlements like spirits rise
For empty shoes the escort now,
Achievements sewn to cushions,
comfort those that cried.
Bright was the day, with streaming sun
that sailor, shipwrecked, cast alone.
A legacy the guns salute,
ride on the wake to take him home
Our nations patriarch,
a King without a throne
Deposed by death, that reaper takes us all
Stone crypt, its finality so stark
sweet angel`s choir, its welcome lights the dark
Royal wake
Red pressed duty, lined the streets
Covid barriers, the steel that distanced each.
War mongers, tasseled with gold braid.
Solemnity as they brought the coffin out'
Rigor mortis stiff, the dead march played,
quick, slow, quick
Span the time a torch He made,
flickered as the mighty organ pipes,
lit up each hymn.
Praised the world for all his life
So sovereignty is passed,
like a cheek stained handkerchief.
The crows black tears,
from the battlements like spirits rise
For empty shoes the escort now,
Achievements sewn to cushions,
comfort those that cried.
Bright was the day, with streaming sun
that sailor, shipwrecked, cast alone.
A legacy the guns salute,
ride on the wake to take him home
Our nations patriarch,
a King without a throne
Deposed by death, that reaper takes us all
Stone crypt, its finality so stark
sweet angel`s choir, its welcome lights the dark
18/30
Ahead of the Wheel
Just when you think everything ahead is going to be fine, BAM!
Life throws you a hard hitting fast ball
Then you’re sitting there hurting and thinking, “Damn!
I didn’t see that one coming at all”
But that’s the way life is, it has quick and sudden turns
It’s a hard road in the desert under the sun
Because one minute you’re enjoying it and the next it burns
Wishing for shade and a water-gun
And just when you think everything is fine, the sky suddenly falls
The weight of the world is on your shoulders
Then it feels you crashed fast into brick walls
That’s when your spirit has to be bolder
One minute you’re ahead of the wheel and the next you’re under
All you can do is pick yourself and do it again
Even though it hurts you’re not all torn asunder
Because your heart knows this is not the end
154 Words
92 Unique
#18. April 18th.
The Woods Come
Dissatisfied,
the lore is re-written
and the story told anew.
After slow and careful deliberation
the decision is arrived at,
and with determined purpose
the Ents march towards Isengard
and their tree charge follow,
each measured and foliaged step
seeks in time to strive for recompense
for the unjust atrocity of uprooting trees,
for which a wizard should know better.
They march at last,
and the false character
is vanquished
by the woods marching against them.
(Unique words: 59.)
The Woods Come
Dissatisfied,
the lore is re-written
and the story told anew.
After slow and careful deliberation
the decision is arrived at,
and with determined purpose
the Ents march towards Isengard
and their tree charge follow,
each measured and foliaged step
seeks in time to strive for recompense
for the unjust atrocity of uprooting trees,
for which a wizard should know better.
They march at last,
and the false character
is vanquished
by the woods marching against them.
(Unique words: 59.)
18/30
Get Off My Back
I’ve listened to you babble
Your insidious remarks for too long
Witnessed your psychotic baffle
Whenever you felt the need to become headstrong
I’ve felt your jealous rage
As if it were brandishing my nerves
I leave traces of you on every page
Without the knowledge it deserves
I hear your grimacing cocky tone
Mocking my conscious decision to write
All the while making your presence known
We squabble for a position in this fight
I can taste the bitterness you eat
It’s like a buffet for two
Always sour never sweet
All I wanna do is just get rid of you
Get off my back
Get Off My Back
I’ve listened to you babble
Your insidious remarks for too long
Witnessed your psychotic baffle
Whenever you felt the need to become headstrong
I’ve felt your jealous rage
As if it were brandishing my nerves
I leave traces of you on every page
Without the knowledge it deserves
I hear your grimacing cocky tone
Mocking my conscious decision to write
All the while making your presence known
We squabble for a position in this fight
I can taste the bitterness you eat
It’s like a buffet for two
Always sour never sweet
All I wanna do is just get rid of you
Get off my back
18/30
GRAVITY
Attraction and consent
Is a moment to moment reality
You mused
Standing in the doorway
Of the kitchen and my mind
In which my attention now turned
To the layers and layers
Of planetary mass
I have attached
To my molten inner core
In the entropic rich and
Deeply fertile time
You and I have been together
We have generated
Some serious gravity
Yet it is constantly a choice
To stay planted on and in
The ground of each other
Love is a magical thing indeed
The way it can defenestrate
Our expectations
Not to mention
The laws of physics
GRAVITY
Attraction and consent
Is a moment to moment reality
You mused
Standing in the doorway
Of the kitchen and my mind
In which my attention now turned
To the layers and layers
Of planetary mass
I have attached
To my molten inner core
In the entropic rich and
Deeply fertile time
You and I have been together
We have generated
Some serious gravity
Yet it is constantly a choice
To stay planted on and in
The ground of each other
Love is a magical thing indeed
The way it can defenestrate
Our expectations
Not to mention
The laws of physics
18 of 30
Permeating.
You can find anything if you're looking for something.
You can read everything and hear,
Nothing.
You can listen so intently,
It falls as silence upon your ears.
It's taken years to realise,
To stop chasing fears.
I hear the stillness now,
Feeling the touch of the currents pull,
Edging on calmness,
Poised in transition.
Knowing it always seems to rise,
At once in leaps and bounds.
So before the surface breaks,
The circling reflections ripple,
Retracing the grounds.
It always comes round.
Emotion sings however blessed,
Heart strings can sting and still,
In resonance the chord is struck.
So succinctly, clear and true,
That what to do,
Is to keep doing you.
To find the time,
Take the time,
And trace the ripples of these lines.
Their merged defines of past and present,
Future hopes that taste like some,
Unknown wine,
Lingering despite and over the passage time.
Permeating flavours beyond the veil.
Whispers of devotions taking flight,
Carried in a doves open wings,
Into some, waiting night.
Be it an afterlife or a resonate,
Portal of ethereal light.
Either and both intertwined,
Within that lingering taste, intact.
Pondering at time,
Being somehow abstract,
And more than just,
A passage or measure of light.
But a stream emerging,
Crossing, looping and swirling,
Permeating,
Every aspect of life
Permeating.
You can find anything if you're looking for something.
You can read everything and hear,
Nothing.
You can listen so intently,
It falls as silence upon your ears.
It's taken years to realise,
To stop chasing fears.
I hear the stillness now,
Feeling the touch of the currents pull,
Edging on calmness,
Poised in transition.
Knowing it always seems to rise,
At once in leaps and bounds.
So before the surface breaks,
The circling reflections ripple,
Retracing the grounds.
It always comes round.
Emotion sings however blessed,
Heart strings can sting and still,
In resonance the chord is struck.
So succinctly, clear and true,
That what to do,
Is to keep doing you.
To find the time,
Take the time,
And trace the ripples of these lines.
Their merged defines of past and present,
Future hopes that taste like some,
Unknown wine,
Lingering despite and over the passage time.
Permeating flavours beyond the veil.
Whispers of devotions taking flight,
Carried in a doves open wings,
Into some, waiting night.
Be it an afterlife or a resonate,
Portal of ethereal light.
Either and both intertwined,
Within that lingering taste, intact.
Pondering at time,
Being somehow abstract,
And more than just,
A passage or measure of light.
But a stream emerging,
Crossing, looping and swirling,
Permeating,
Every aspect of life
18/30
Sunday Morning
Dry, calloused palm
of my hand passes over
risen dough
setting my mind right.
I test the tension of the skin, measure
how far it has risen.
Breathe it in.
Realizing this wait –
my patience – has been worth
it. I’m always hesitant to
release it. Always wondering if
I’ve been patient enough.
But there is nothing to do
but press my fingers in,
feel it give,
yield to my touch.
The hypnotic kneading begins,
floured surface providing just
the right friction to get us where
I need us.
Sunday Morning
Dry, calloused palm
of my hand passes over
risen dough
setting my mind right.
I test the tension of the skin, measure
how far it has risen.
Breathe it in.
Realizing this wait –
my patience – has been worth
it. I’m always hesitant to
release it. Always wondering if
I’ve been patient enough.
But there is nothing to do
but press my fingers in,
feel it give,
yield to my touch.
The hypnotic kneading begins,
floured surface providing just
the right friction to get us where
I need us.
