Submissions by Ahavati (Tams)
POEMS AND SHORT STORIES
Poet Introduction
Don't make me take my pearls off.
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
19th May 2024 3:19pm
19th May 2024 3:19pm
Wishflowers
My father was a lawn manicurist
as his father before
it had to be perfectly filed—
all four corners
He would spend hours
yanking weeds by their root
each Saturday morning
He’d say, ‘They destroy
the grass if you let’m grow’
I would smile and nod
because he was the wisest
person I knew
But I loved the dandelion—
that lone survivor
bravely popping its head up
I never failed to dismember its seeds
with the zephyr of my breath
And clover
those tiny white or red petals ...
as his father before
it had to be perfectly filed—
all four corners
He would spend hours
yanking weeds by their root
each Saturday morning
He’d say, ‘They destroy
the grass if you let’m grow’
I would smile and nod
because he was the wisest
person I knew
But I loved the dandelion—
that lone survivor
bravely popping its head up
I never failed to dismember its seeds
with the zephyr of my breath
And clover
those tiny white or red petals ...
#philosophical
590 reads
28 Comments
SPIRITUAL POEM
Published
2nd May 2024 1:23am
2nd May 2024 1:23am
Ars Poetica ( after Archibald MacLeish ),
A poem is only a visible deity
as a raspberry sundae peony,
Possessing the gaul
to die upon its green pedestal,
Falling
silently upon its earthen vault—
A Poem doesn't desire to be
a wild beast marking territory,
Its roaring mouth
watering puberty's drought.
It's not a royal subject
regally crowned in public,
But a pauper in the streets
offering salvation to the meek—
Its worn baskets
overflow in humility,
It eschews front row seats
to the...
as a raspberry sundae peony,
Possessing the gaul
to die upon its green pedestal,
Falling
silently upon its earthen vault—
A Poem doesn't desire to be
a wild beast marking territory,
Its roaring mouth
watering puberty's drought.
It's not a royal subject
regally crowned in public,
But a pauper in the streets
offering salvation to the meek—
Its worn baskets
overflow in humility,
It eschews front row seats
to the...
#WritingPoetry
554 reads
14 Comments
MISCELLANEOUS POEM
Published
11th Apr 2024 2:33pm
11th Apr 2024 2:33pm
Diagnosis
For Elisha
I.
I am sure you felt its shadow
locomotive smoke growing thicker
that plumule bomb
of hazardous waste
pulverizing the landscape
of your lungs
There are so many cliches
for a time like this. . .
‘Take care of you’
‘It will be alright’
‘I’m so sorry’
‘I’m here if you need me’
'What can I do'
But the truth is
it hurts to concentrate
on a war game
of chemotherapy
and radiation roulette
II.
...
I.
I am sure you felt its shadow
locomotive smoke growing thicker
that plumule bomb
of hazardous waste
pulverizing the landscape
of your lungs
There are so many cliches
for a time like this. . .
‘Take care of you’
‘It will be alright’
‘I’m so sorry’
‘I’m here if you need me’
'What can I do'
But the truth is
it hurts to concentrate
on a war game
of chemotherapy
and radiation roulette
II.
...
#support
#admiration
#respect
559 reads
SPIRITUAL POEM
Published
1st Apr 2024 3:20pm
1st Apr 2024 3:20pm
[NaPoWriMo 2024 Collection]: Elysium of Poetry
I
Most seek poems
in the iris of the earth
because the well of her pupil
is too deep
for ink to survive
They believe
But poetry lives
its life in shadows
between the pages
of forgotten or buried books
tucked in drawers
old envelops
and tombs of the dead
Its scent is distinct:
chrysanthemum, worn leather
lavender and peppermint
we catch its waft
when least expected
Its...
Most seek poems
in the iris of the earth
because the well of her pupil
is too deep
for ink to survive
They believe
But poetry lives
its life in shadows
between the pages
of forgotten or buried books
tucked in drawers
old envelops
and tombs of the dead
Its scent is distinct:
chrysanthemum, worn leather
lavender and peppermint
we catch its waft
when least expected
Its...
#NaPoWriMo2024
679 reads
15 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
23rd Mar 2024 00:02am
23rd Mar 2024 00:02am
fruit tree
i.
each word you spit
instead of convey
sits heavy as a grave
on your shoulders
we can’t carry the whole world
in our arms, especially
across barbwire beliefs
and minefields of thought
whispering ‘enemy’
it’s time for a proper burial
if we can reach the river
and lay it all down
without giving in
and killing one another first
ii.
i once wanted to build a poem
resembling a tree house
made of light and truth
so that anytime it...
each word you spit
instead of convey
sits heavy as a grave
on your shoulders
we can’t carry the whole world
in our arms, especially
across barbwire beliefs
and minefields of thought
whispering ‘enemy’
it’s time for a proper burial
if we can reach the river
and lay it all down
without giving in
and killing one another first
ii.
i once wanted to build a poem
resembling a tree house
made of light and truth
so that anytime it...
#hope
#trees
616 reads
18 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
17th Mar 2024 10:56pm
17th Mar 2024 10:56pm
excavation
In this cage, blood alone
will not break this bondage
it takes sweat
to excavate the key
that fits the lock
we can salivate
like a rabid dog
pushing against the bars
our ears ringing
with our own voice
beaten down
by the bouncing echo
our teeth will not gnaw
through this curse
we'll break by the weight
of our chains first
and our mile long howl
on the way down
will do us no good
we have to dig
all writers do
will not break this bondage
it takes sweat
to excavate the key
that fits the lock
we can salivate
like a rabid dog
pushing against the bars
our ears ringing
with our own voice
beaten down
by the bouncing echo
our teeth will not gnaw
through this curse
we'll break by the weight
of our chains first
and our mile long howl
on the way down
will do us no good
we have to dig
all writers do
#LifeAsAWriter
#WritingPoetry
490 reads
14 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
11th Mar 2024 2:01pm
11th Mar 2024 2:01pm
A David you're not
If you want to throw stones
at a giant
make sure there is a volcano
in your palm
ready to erupt
when it hits your target
Sling it in an arch
big enough
to make the degree scream
sign language to the deaf
Let the whistling of its trajectory
wake the earth
let every eye follow the arc
of its intended path
breaking sound barriers
along the way
If you want to sling stones
at a giant
make sure there’s a volcano
in your palm
ready to erupt
when it hits...
at a giant
make sure there is a volcano
in your palm
ready to erupt
when it hits your target
Sling it in an arch
big enough
to make the degree scream
sign language to the deaf
Let the whistling of its trajectory
wake the earth
let every eye follow the arc
of its intended path
breaking sound barriers
along the way
If you want to sling stones
at a giant
make sure there’s a volcano
in your palm
ready to erupt
when it hits...
#politics
#bullying
488 reads
14 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
7th Mar 2024 00:24am
7th Mar 2024 00:24am
Exercise Tiger
April 28, 1944
Devon, England
It was only a planned rehearsal
or so it was meant to be
taking place on the beach
of Slapton Sands, Devon
for the invasion of Normandy.
But coordination and communication
don’t always go as planned,
resulting in not only friendly-fire injuries
but the death of 749 American servicemen
by e-boats of Nazi Germany.
April 28, 1969
Devon, England
I was only ten-years-old
the first...
Devon, England
It was only a planned rehearsal
or so it was meant to be
taking place on the beach
of Slapton Sands, Devon
for the invasion of Normandy.
But coordination and communication
don’t always go as planned,
resulting in not only friendly-fire injuries
but the death of 749 American servicemen
by e-boats of Nazi Germany.
April 28, 1969
Devon, England
I was only ten-years-old
the first...
#war
530 reads
26 Comments
SELF POEM
Published
23rd Feb 2024 1:07am
23rd Feb 2024 1:07am
Justice is a nocturnal animal
always watching
unseen, from the shadows
its scales wavering
may take a while
to climb
those karmic steps
but you can be certain
of one thing—
corruption
is on borrowed time
before being dealt
the same fate
that is not demeaning
what we sow we reap
if not in this life
then the next
and those behind the scenes
in...
unseen, from the shadows
its scales wavering
may take a while
to climb
those karmic steps
but you can be certain
of one thing—
corruption
is on borrowed time
before being dealt
the same fate
that is not demeaning
what we sow we reap
if not in this life
then the next
and those behind the scenes
in...
#politics
#confessional
539 reads
17 Comments
SELF POEM
Published
20th Feb 2024 11:34pm
20th Feb 2024 11:34pm
Click
Show me where
in this world
a billionaire
is without the blood
of someone on his hands
Show me case history
where there are no ghosts
shadowing his money trail
Or maybe the man
who built the machine
isn’t all bad
Maybe he works late
from a 58th floor
on Wall Street
counting the dead
on an abacus
How simple
ancient
innocent
Maybe the sound
of those clicking beads
is all he needs
to make him happy
After all,...
in this world
a billionaire
is without the blood
of someone on his hands
Show me case history
where there are no ghosts
shadowing his money trail
Or maybe the man
who built the machine
isn’t all bad
Maybe he works late
from a 58th floor
on Wall Street
counting the dead
on an abacus
How simple
ancient
innocent
Maybe the sound
of those clicking beads
is all he needs
to make him happy
After all,...
#corruption
513 reads
24 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
16th Feb 2024 2:58pm
16th Feb 2024 2:58pm
Descendants
It's Lord of the waters
driftwood, earth
and we ourselves
65 percent plus
Its history is thick
with visions of fire and smoke
flared nostrils and tail
curled as a tendril of hair
ready to whip
yet, it's nature is benevolent
Created from a camel’s head
a deer’s horns
and a demon’s eyes
A bull’s ears
a snake’s neck
and a clam’s belly
A carp’s scales,
an eagle’s claws
and a tiger’s paws
quilted together to create
the Deity that is Dragon ...
driftwood, earth
and we ourselves
65 percent plus
Its history is thick
with visions of fire and smoke
flared nostrils and tail
curled as a tendril of hair
ready to whip
yet, it's nature is benevolent
Created from a camel’s head
a deer’s horns
and a demon’s eyes
A bull’s ears
a snake’s neck
and a clam’s belly
A carp’s scales,
an eagle’s claws
and a tiger’s paws
quilted together to create
the Deity that is Dragon ...
#mythology
395 reads
4 Comments
OBSERVATIONAL POEM
Published
6th Feb 2024 00:49am
6th Feb 2024 00:49am
Mass Suicide by Ignorance
I.
We treat symptoms
without discovering their source
and address freedom
justice and liberty
as convenient truths
when it benefits us
II.
A person gets arrested
we blame mental health
the parents, political affiliation
color, race, gender
instead of asking:
why are so many among us sick
The root is ignored
thus, continues to gorge
on our ignorance
or unwillingness to learn
( you choose )
III.
We have so many
brands of band-aids ...
We treat symptoms
without discovering their source
and address freedom
justice and liberty
as convenient truths
when it benefits us
II.
A person gets arrested
we blame mental health
the parents, political affiliation
color, race, gender
instead of asking:
why are so many among us sick
The root is ignored
thus, continues to gorge
on our ignorance
or unwillingness to learn
( you choose )
III.
We have so many
brands of band-aids ...
#love
#earth
466 reads
19 Comments
DU Poetry : Submissions by Ahavati (Tams)
