OFFICIAL DUP Glo/NaPoWriMo 2021 Competition
23/30
T in Times New Roman
Zoot suits
and jazz music;
cartoonishly broad,
padded shoulders
narrowing to slim waists
and patent leather spats;
engraved pocket watches
secured to the hip
by long, gold chains;
fingers flipping quarters
fighting boredom
on the lookout in shadowy
nighttime alleys, waiting
for trouble;
two-toned trumpets
with graduated mutes
dancing sideways
to the tap-hiss-pop-tap!
of snares slapped
by wire brush mallets,
then caressed in repentance;
newsmakers working overtime
in high-rise offices,
drinking coffee and smoking
hand-rolled cigarettes
hanging from crooked mouths;
fingers poised just above
enameled typewriters
with embossed keys
on curved stalks,
contemplating truth
83 unique words
T in Times New Roman
Zoot suits
and jazz music;
cartoonishly broad,
padded shoulders
narrowing to slim waists
and patent leather spats;
engraved pocket watches
secured to the hip
by long, gold chains;
fingers flipping quarters
fighting boredom
on the lookout in shadowy
nighttime alleys, waiting
for trouble;
two-toned trumpets
with graduated mutes
dancing sideways
to the tap-hiss-pop-tap!
of snares slapped
by wire brush mallets,
then caressed in repentance;
newsmakers working overtime
in high-rise offices,
drinking coffee and smoking
hand-rolled cigarettes
hanging from crooked mouths;
fingers poised just above
enameled typewriters
with embossed keys
on curved stalks,
contemplating truth
83 unique words
23/30
3 quatrains on "predictions"
if we were to refer to sacred text
about the times which brought us here
we’d guess the secrets coming next
and how to save ourselves the tears
dare dream? not i, for nightmares wrench
the prophets from their grasp at rest
visions plague the deep entrenched
where gods saw fit to curse and bless
and we, the lost in time and lore
will carry on in ignorance
forgotten prophecies of war
of kings and loss of innocence
3 quatrains on "predictions"
if we were to refer to sacred text
about the times which brought us here
we’d guess the secrets coming next
and how to save ourselves the tears
dare dream? not i, for nightmares wrench
the prophets from their grasp at rest
visions plague the deep entrenched
where gods saw fit to curse and bless
and we, the lost in time and lore
will carry on in ignorance
forgotten prophecies of war
of kings and loss of innocence
23/30
Your Addiction Is Making Me Sick
Awake with worry.
Fretting in fear.
Angry with frustration.
Exhausted in empty promises.
Wishing it away won’t make it better.
Work!
Acknowledge the brutal struggle.
Do the work!
Imperfection, is a mean reality.
Hard bloody work.
Creating new life styles.
Overwhelming work.
Leaving behind toxic “friends”.
No work needed.
Finding caring acquaintances.
Overwhelming work.
Wanting to chuck it all. Suck it up. Do the work!
this IS a lecture.
Tough.
You hate your pain.
We hate it more!
You’re not special.
Take a number.
You are loved.
Deal with it!
(56 unique words)
Your Addiction Is Making Me Sick
Awake with worry.
Fretting in fear.
Angry with frustration.
Exhausted in empty promises.
Wishing it away won’t make it better.
Work!
Acknowledge the brutal struggle.
Do the work!
Imperfection, is a mean reality.
Hard bloody work.
Creating new life styles.
Overwhelming work.
Leaving behind toxic “friends”.
No work needed.
Finding caring acquaintances.
Overwhelming work.
Wanting to chuck it all. Suck it up. Do the work!
this IS a lecture.
Tough.
You hate your pain.
We hate it more!
You’re not special.
Take a number.
You are loved.
Deal with it!
(56 unique words)
23 of 30
Equilibrium
Life is so much more than just the physicality,
Or the preoccupation and its mentality.
Spirituality, faith or a religious personality,
We are each a subject of our own reality.
And that reality when disassembled,
Is assembled by the manifestation of;
Energy.
And as I contemplate the pending knife;
What place forms the trials and the strife,
We each hold and feel in life.
But the presence of past questions and the feelings of uncertainty?
How much lays within the grounds of our genetic disposition,
Or the nurture of our perception?
How much lays within the grounds,
Of tainted soils and even souls,
Now seeming lost to the problems life throws..
Equilibrium
Life is so much more than just the physicality,
Or the preoccupation and its mentality.
Spirituality, faith or a religious personality,
We are each a subject of our own reality.
And that reality when disassembled,
Is assembled by the manifestation of;
Energy.
And as I contemplate the pending knife;
What place forms the trials and the strife,
We each hold and feel in life.
But the presence of past questions and the feelings of uncertainty?
How much lays within the grounds of our genetic disposition,
Or the nurture of our perception?
How much lays within the grounds,
Of tainted soils and even souls,
Now seeming lost to the problems life throws..
23/30
WATERCOLORS
I remember the blend
Reality and abstract incantations
You would paint
Sometimes a swirl
In your holy trinity of colors
Sometimes a coiled snake
For anyone who wants to understand
The word compersion
Think of this:
I see you sharing your creations
With this man who by all accounts
Very worthy is
And I am happy
That you let him see
More and more of you
Knowing where it could go
I love you so
I do
WATERCOLORS
I remember the blend
Reality and abstract incantations
You would paint
Sometimes a swirl
In your holy trinity of colors
Sometimes a coiled snake
For anyone who wants to understand
The word compersion
Think of this:
I see you sharing your creations
With this man who by all accounts
Very worthy is
And I am happy
That you let him see
More and more of you
Knowing where it could go
I love you so
I do
#23 of 30
Besieged
Besieged inside lucid nightmares
There's no disguising oblivion
Where ever changing directions
Feel like a world burning crisis
Indestructible demons keep coming
Obstacles seemingly impossoble to scale
On these woreying days
It's so incredible i survive
This journey never ends
Horizons stretch too far
With open eyes trudging onwards
Some momemts bring clarity
They are fewer as time passes
Steeper climbs and slippery slopes
Still remain ahead
Unique word count 67
Total word count 67
Besieged
Besieged inside lucid nightmares
There's no disguising oblivion
Where ever changing directions
Feel like a world burning crisis
Indestructible demons keep coming
Obstacles seemingly impossoble to scale
On these woreying days
It's so incredible i survive
This journey never ends
Horizons stretch too far
With open eyes trudging onwards
Some momemts bring clarity
They are fewer as time passes
Steeper climbs and slippery slopes
Still remain ahead
Unique word count 67
Total word count 67
23/30
Cognition Poetica
Writing poetry
is an obsession
a sacred calling
by nature ordained
not a lucrative profession
at least not the lucre
the world sees as gain
peace of mind, succor
heart’s commiseration
grief’s consolation,
constitute the core
of a poet’s
remuneration
Pen to paper
fingers to keyboard
each peak every nadir
compelled to record
sincere words woven
Into fabric of life
tell of elation and strife
ecstasy and pain
and of they whom consider
them one in the same
In this fortuitous age
of global communication
poetry dispersed pole-to-pole
enable common and sage
of any race, creed, or nation
to in concert commune
soul-to-soul
Unique words: 82
Cognition Poetica
Writing poetry
is an obsession
a sacred calling
by nature ordained
not a lucrative profession
at least not the lucre
the world sees as gain
peace of mind, succor
heart’s commiseration
grief’s consolation,
constitute the core
of a poet’s
remuneration
Pen to paper
fingers to keyboard
each peak every nadir
compelled to record
sincere words woven
Into fabric of life
tell of elation and strife
ecstasy and pain
and of they whom consider
them one in the same
In this fortuitous age
of global communication
poetry dispersed pole-to-pole
enable common and sage
of any race, creed, or nation
to in concert commune
soul-to-soul
Unique words: 82
(23 of 30—Official DUP NaPo/GloPoWrimo2021)
sonnets among my scribbles
in the summertime
sonnet #23
when summertime comes dancing in the trees,
the bamboo’s sweet flute songs a serenade
compose, just as night darkness starts to fade.
proboscis lemonade sipped by the bees
nectar their honey hives for leaner days.
bright river berries tease my drooling mouth
with colours flaming warm the undergrowth,
from whence i feast, unbothered by the craze
of wild birds beaking full their hungry craws.
tomorrow, i shall scribble in the sand
a brand new poem, before the great waves land
and metaphor my lines with liquid jaws.
my only life blooms in the summertime,
when birds and bees and berries make their rhyme.
© Copyright 2021 April 20
by Clyve A. Bowen♫
UWC = 79
23/30
Constant Change
No one can ever really stay the same
Or else we would be swept away by the tides of society
It’s a continuous evolution in the game
While trying to stay true to ourselves without losing our humanity
Constant change raises the stakes
Like adjusting patterns in rhythm, method and modality
It’s difficult but no matter what it takes
We find ways to improve our mindset, stance and mentality
Sometimes we shift our opinions
When the view from up high gives us a new perspective
As if it’s a compliment to a vision
We are all part of an ever-evolving conscious collective
And if some refuse to change
Then they may be swept away by the high tides of society
Because although it may seem strange
Evolving is part of nature while trying to stay true to our humanity
138 Words
92 Unique
23/30
Lookout, outlook
The storm its never ending beat
the Mal-de-mer
to face the unknown fearlessly
shouts of "man overboard" our greatest fear
Dark clouds now past, the wind abates
a herring gull it circles close
Neptune`s rage has lost its spate
are we so lost, our chance remote
The glitter flash beneath the swell
a pod of grace rise from the deep
to match the speed of the racing hull
those allies help in times of need
A voyage strewn with many perils
for no weak heart may man the helm
to find the oysters with the pearls
no wind to sail, become becalmed
To find joy when there was dark
the lookout scans the fathoms great
an artisan, to stand upon his own ark
the lighthouse of a docking date
Lookout, outlook
The storm its never ending beat
the Mal-de-mer
to face the unknown fearlessly
shouts of "man overboard" our greatest fear
Dark clouds now past, the wind abates
a herring gull it circles close
Neptune`s rage has lost its spate
are we so lost, our chance remote
The glitter flash beneath the swell
a pod of grace rise from the deep
to match the speed of the racing hull
those allies help in times of need
A voyage strewn with many perils
for no weak heart may man the helm
to find the oysters with the pearls
no wind to sail, become becalmed
To find joy when there was dark
the lookout scans the fathoms great
an artisan, to stand upon his own ark
the lighthouse of a docking date
23/30
Ode To Night XIII
Conceal me, O stalwart night,
how I know you ever will provide
a towering shelter in which to abide.
All I need to see is within your realm
and within your ship I sit at the helm.
To where I have come from, so will I return
and of your artistry to you will I turn
into myself as I am meant to be
unfettered of faults and ever free
Your hand I hold as you hold me
in kind, so will I walk with
ne'er a bind.
Conceal me, O stalwart night.
58 unique words
Ode To Night XIII
Conceal me, O stalwart night,
how I know you ever will provide
a towering shelter in which to abide.
All I need to see is within your realm
and within your ship I sit at the helm.
To where I have come from, so will I return
and of your artistry to you will I turn
into myself as I am meant to be
unfettered of faults and ever free
Your hand I hold as you hold me
in kind, so will I walk with
ne'er a bind.
Conceal me, O stalwart night.
58 unique words
23/30
The Overwhelming Nature of Anger
When I was diagnosed with cancer
I told God I could manage it so long
as something good came from it.
That Summer, when I needed you the most,
you weren't there. Instead,
you were busy falling down a deep well
of suicidal ideation.
Later, you told me you held on, because
putting me through that while I was
laying in a hospital bed near-dying
wasn't something you could do.
In some fucked up paradox, the cancer
saved your life. I thought maybe things
would be different—
But they're not.
It wasn't my gift, but please,
stop throwing it away.
The Overwhelming Nature of Anger
When I was diagnosed with cancer
I told God I could manage it so long
as something good came from it.
That Summer, when I needed you the most,
you weren't there. Instead,
you were busy falling down a deep well
of suicidal ideation.
Later, you told me you held on, because
putting me through that while I was
laying in a hospital bed near-dying
wasn't something you could do.
In some fucked up paradox, the cancer
saved your life. I thought maybe things
would be different—
But they're not.
It wasn't my gift, but please,
stop throwing it away.
( 23/30 )
Satellite
[ . . . ]
Part III: Systems of Nomenclature
[ . . . ]
vi.
June—Strawberry/First Leaves Month
( Cherokee, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, North Carolina )
Quadruple system; Regulus;
heart of Leo, regal star
seated below the Moon
upon its southwestern
throne, shadowing
wild strawberries, spilling
forth from vines, sweeter
on lingering lips
than their garden cousin;
or bitter, mock-berry pretender
Goddess Freyja's food
of love: she grants magic
in difficult decisions
and courage to face
what has been avoided
Goodbye, Spring—
balmy air escorts Summer
to the dance floor
of moments
The sun climactically
flourishes, and we bask
in solar strength
. . .
Satellite
[ . . . ]
Part III: Systems of Nomenclature
[ . . . ]
vi.
June—Strawberry/First Leaves Month
( Cherokee, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, North Carolina )
Quadruple system; Regulus;
heart of Leo, regal star
seated below the Moon
upon its southwestern
throne, shadowing
wild strawberries, spilling
forth from vines, sweeter
on lingering lips
than their garden cousin;
or bitter, mock-berry pretender
Goddess Freyja's food
of love: she grants magic
in difficult decisions
and courage to face
what has been avoided
Goodbye, Spring—
balmy air escorts Summer
to the dance floor
of moments
The sun climactically
flourishes, and we bask
in solar strength
. . .
23/30
Eternal Rock
On this Eternal Rock
I stand my ground
Fighting around the clock
Where evil is found
Embued with mystical might
I whirl my sword
Causing fear over night
Driving away the hoard
Night turns dark blue
The stars encompass me
Powers forever flow through
Mystical lightning around me
They envoke their will
I'm their champion reborn
Evil blood shall spill
So sound freedom's horn
The birds of night
They are my eyes
Forever watching from flight
Because evil never dies
On this Eternal Rock
I stand my ground
Forever saving my flock
Where evil is found
Eternal Rock
On this Eternal Rock
I stand my ground
Fighting around the clock
Where evil is found
Embued with mystical might
I whirl my sword
Causing fear over night
Driving away the hoard
Night turns dark blue
The stars encompass me
Powers forever flow through
Mystical lightning around me
They envoke their will
I'm their champion reborn
Evil blood shall spill
So sound freedom's horn
The birds of night
They are my eyes
Forever watching from flight
Because evil never dies
On this Eternal Rock
I stand my ground
Forever saving my flock
Where evil is found
#23. April 23rd.
Blasted Cheating Computer
Cheating scum that know every exploit,
able to calculate on five different levels
unfair mechanical methods,
answered by rage and passion
that no mere machine
could ever posses or be capable of,
armed with the ultimate move:
to not play,
defying all logic with spite
and mortality
able to just walk away
while the machine sits idling and unnoticed.
(Unique words: 50.)
Blasted Cheating Computer
Cheating scum that know every exploit,
able to calculate on five different levels
unfair mechanical methods,
answered by rage and passion
that no mere machine
could ever posses or be capable of,
armed with the ultimate move:
to not play,
defying all logic with spite
and mortality
able to just walk away
while the machine sits idling and unnoticed.
(Unique words: 50.)
