24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Hi all! My name is Antoinette Le Roux (legally still Keyser, but I have divorced my abusive husband, and am in the process of becoming Le Roux again), and I live in Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa. I have been writing poetry since forever, but have never really published anything except on Facebook, Wattpad and my WordPress blog… and more recently on one or two websites as gigs that I’ve done on Fiverr. My main reason for entering this Marathon is to get my butt in gear: I have known since my elementary school days that I am a writer deep down inside, but received nothing but ridicule from my school peers, teachers… and even my father who has tried to push me into becoming an architect. He used to ridicule me when I tried to express myself singing and he used to tell me that writing is for the “less intelligent”; he made me believe that a woman “cannot make it as a singer or as an author”. Both my husbands simply made me believe that I am “good for nothing”, the second one even going as far as to call me a “good for nothing mad ‘effing’ bitch”! Needless to say, when one gets told the same nonsense so perpetually one really actually believes all the verbal crap that gets flung at one… Now, with my dad, peers and abusive husbands long gone… and with the internet as an awesome resource telling me to my face that all those people were actually liars, I have now decided that it’s better late than never. I am getting into the world of authors, come what may… I know that I can do it, and this Marathon is a great opportunity to show myself that I can because what I really need is the motivation and self-confidence to step out and DO IT! And here I am then, at age 60, breaking into the world where I know that I belong! I’m coming home so to speak! Good luck to everyone who will participate, and may we all survive! © 2015 Antoinette LeRoux
My cell phone is my life line
If anything weird should happen
That’s the only thing I’ll grab…
I know I have a lot of stuff
My pc is also important,
But without my cell phone
I’m alone when I need help
So yes, I’ll grab my cell phone
© 2015 Antoinette LeRoux
(I wrote this to someone special)
In your manner of walking and
In your way of talking
With stars in your eyes –
You’re Magnificence Incarnate…
Whether dancing to a Samba
Or a soft romantic Rumba
When you Glide across the floor –
You’re Magnificence Incarnate…
Whether forceful like a Canine
Or stealthy like a Feline
When you move it spells
Magnificence Incarnate…
You are noble and so gentle
Your middle name could be Yentl
You’re pure Aristocrat –
Magnificence Incarnate…
I’ll always stand by my notion
That you’re poetry in motion
You’re my baby –
You’re Magnificence Incarnate…
© 2015 Antoinette LeRoux
(The name Yentl is a Yiddish name meaning “Aristocrat” or “Noble Person”)
This is the Afrikaans poem that I have promised. A “braai” is similar to what most of you guys would call a “barbeque”. I chose a Haiku because of lack time… think it went quite well though. 🙂
Braai is so lekker
Dit gaan saam met die Somer
Heerlik sosiaal…
© 2015 Antoinette LeRoux
Come on, Baby! Let’s Dance!
We’ll open the floor with
A Boogie – let’s dance to
“It’s Raining Men”…
Let me teach you
The steps to the Cha-Cha
It’s so much fun!
Let’s fly to the rhythm of “Crush”
May I show you the essence of
Western Swing…
…hunt you down to the beat of
“Baby One More Time” –
Learn with me how to feel
The sensual moves of Mambo –
Let’s step it up a bit
To “Mambo Number 5” –
Raise the tempo to max
With the flavor of Jive –
Jitterbug to “Runaround Sue”…
Enjoy the blinding speed of Samba –
Sweat it out to the vigorous beat
Of the theme song of “Rio”
Then why not trot around the floor
To the foxtrot perfection
of “Come Fly With Me” –
Or glide in sheer ecstasy
To the waltz magic of
“Three Times a Lady”…
Merengue, just the two of us
Let’s kill the floor
To the magical beat of
“La Duena Del Swing”…
The mystery of Tango –
Guide me and let us glide
Across the floor to
“La Cumparsita”…
Then on to Bolero’s enchantment
Latin’s romantic dance
Let’s soar on the wings of Eagles
To Presley’s “The wonder of you”…
We’ll end with the passionate Rumba –
Beautiful Dance of Love –
And lose ourselves in music to
Boyzone’s “No Matter What”
Finally, just for fun –
If you’re still feeling up to it –
We can dance to the sensual
“Dancando Lambada”…
It will be a fun filled evening
Of music, rhythm and movement
So what do you say, my love,
Shall we dance?
Come on! Let’s dance…!
© 2015 Antoinette LeRoux
Song References (Unfortunately I lack the technology to upload music):
“It’s Raining Men” – The Weather Girls
“Crush” – Jennifer Paige
“Baby One More Time” – Britney Spears
“Mambo No 5” – Lou Bega
“Runaround Sue” – Dion And The Belmonts
“Theme from Rio” – From the Animated Movie “Rio”
“Come Fly With Me” – Frank Sinatra/Westlife
“Three Times a Lady” – Lionel Richie
“La Duena Del Swing” – Los Hermanos Rosario
“La Cumparsita” – Julio Iglesias
“The wonder of you” – Elvis Presley
“No Matter What” – Boyzone
“Dancando Lambada” – Kaoma
Don’t know whether there is such a form as “double diamante” – just played around until I had two “diamantes” stuck together 🙂
DAWN
Dusk
Brilliant Crimson
Blazing enchanting romantic
Sunset inferno sunrise ember
Blushing winking blooming
Cautious modest
Dawn
Beautiful golden
Blushing smiling bowing
Sunrise tincture sunset celebration
Burning dancing waving
Gratified happy
Dusk
© 2015 Antoinette LeRoux
DUSK
We need to come to a place
Where we would be able
To realize the importance
Of being human…
We need the assurance that –
No Matter what –
We will not lose our dignity
Because we are human…
We need to understand
That we need each other,
And also the animals,
And also the plants…
We need to link these all together
And begin to reverse the effect
Of carbon footprints
On this planet we that call “home”
And most of all…
We need to come to a point
Where we know for sure
That we need God
So that we can rest…
And last, but not least,
We need His Grace…
And we need His true rest
That only His Grace can bring…
Yes we, like all else,
Need rest…
© 2015 Antoinette LeRoux
Red ball of fire lies low
Upon a bank of amber clouds,
Hesitant to dive over the horizon
For the umpteenth time
Since its inception…
Then suddenly it curtseys…
And is gone – cool replaces heat –
And Venus appears
With a shy wink in the
Midnight-blue sky
Moon’s shiny disk joins in –
Paints everything in her path
A vibrant bluish silver –
How I wish I could – only this once –
Join her on her mystic journey…
© 2015 Antoinette LeRoux
Oh Maera, virtuous hound…
So much more than just a dog,
You were Loyalty Incarnate.
How swift your tread when you found
The grave of Icarius,
Father of Erigone your mistress,
Where he was murdered and buried…
When she hung herself
Because of grief for her father
Your canine heart broke
And the tragedy became three-fold…
How vast your love
And how deep your grief
When you cast yourself
Off the cliff that day
And followed her soul
Into the afterlife…
The honor bestowed on you
Was bittersweet when you
Became Procyon in Canis Minor
And Erigone became
The Virgo constellation –
So close you were on Earth…
Yet so far apart among the stars…
How beautiful your shining –
For everyone to see –
How profound your sacrifice of Self –
Maera – the Dog Star…
© 2015 Antoinette LeRoux
I woke up last night,
Got out of my bed and
Stood in front of the
Open window
Through which
I could hear
The song of a Nightingale…
I stood in awe and marvelled
At the intense beauty of it…
A movement drew my
Attention – I gasped
At the sheer brilliance that
Hit my eye like a spear…
In the centre of
The garden
Stood a unicorn –
White as snow
But painted silver
By the full moon’s
Glorious light…
And on her back –
The only being
In the garden
Whose brilliance
Surpassed hers –
My Lady…
With hair like fire
Turned gold
In the light
of the silvery moon
© 2015 Antoinette LeRoux
Six pomegranates,
All that Kore had to eat…
Six pomegranates
Made her mother curse the Earth
And Winter gave her first steps…
© 2015 Antoinette LeRoux