The Poetry Marathon

The boat drifted on a stunning sea of stars
But it was not lost, not in this heart of ours
Sad to say farewell to a love with me til last breath
Who gazed into the heavens to show me joy beyond death
Her curious eye saw wisdom in the absurdity of the day
With a sturdy mind she kept the fools and naysayers at bay
As the boat drifts to the shiny horizon I won’t forget
The joy she gifted me from the fateful day we met

Those swirling mists beckoned like a stranger’s kiss
Fear wracked the warrior who hungered for eternal bliss
Tired from a life of constant blood and battle pain
He’d fought against demons and black tyrants in vain
The seer gave him one final quest to rest his weary heart
A golden tropical fruit in the world Ghenna slimy and tart
He’d have to brave the vampire flies in a forest so thick
That not a drop of sunlight reached a floor so black and slick
But the fruit was such a priceless reward for a dangerous task
A kingdom was his, draped in silky clouds beyond the Evermore Pass
He only had to risk a trip into the shimmering gate that held his fate
One last glance backward, then he stepped into a light blindingly great

Oh how to describe something so big, happy and endless
Without the joy from all I would be sad and friendless
So inspiring, their furry friends standing loyal by their side
WIthout their devotion and vigor many would have died
Their financial support meant so much to my tattered muse
How could I possibly describe how they rescued me from the blues?

Oh how to thank so many who gave so much to me?

The book is coming to a close, the result of hours of labor
Pages bursting with colors and lines of power to savor
To share the lives of those caught in a great historic struggle
I have to feel their toil, tears and grasp lives in trouble
So many in different walks of life, so many heartful tales
All seeking to evade a dreadful killer taking our lives off rails
How to express the horror and yet the compassion for them all
What can I do to climb this towering white literary wall?

Oh how to thank so many who gave so much to me?

I can only do so much in a few short phrases to light the way
I will never forgot those laughter got me through the day
Those who joined together for a project to find the joy in the dark
Who understood the importance of laughing at doom to give a divine spark
They will be with me forevermore as things draw to a close
I will remember their faces as I draft a final piece of prose

Oh how to thank so many who gave so much to me?

1. An abundance of patience and hope.
2. Communication with precious friends and family members
3. A walk in the park or a zoom workout
4. Keeping gainfully employed
5. High-fat takeout or cooking

It’s hard to find the right mixture to get through this plague
Only the right recipe will fight this feeling so doomful and vague
You’ll have to summon bountiful hopeful thoughts and keep good cheer
Sprinkle in some daily talks with friends and family to keep your head clear
Add a little exercise with some hope in the park to escape the days kept in
Or a dash of a workout online with patience to keep spirits high and body thin
But it’s also important to flavor the secret sauce with a steady job
Because an income and staying busy are keys to surviving this malaise
To keep your thoughts occupied in the worst of those long cloudy days
As needed, throw in a small amount of fatty food and sinful booze
Just enough to put on a smile and escape the summer blues

She was there to smash through a dismal wall
A soul determined to push through it all
When the vice of despair reached everywhere
She threw me a lifeline out of a nightmare
A positive attitude to soothe the fearsome beast
A joyful spark to make the most out of least
But her devotion shined too, to help those in need
To share their heartache, the wounds that bleed
So together we’ll march determined into that vast gloom
Armed with mindful seeds of power to flower and bloom

I AM alive but you say I’m not

I see the question forming on your face

I feel the warmth of your curious fingers

I hear the fly buzzing around the room

I smell the fresh flowers in the vase

Most of all I feel pleasure and pain

But that’s not enough for you

To you I’m just a toy to lock away

So I wait for the judgment of humankind

I HATE YOU! Wait–isn’t what you do best?

The golden goal teases me from a-far

Taunting me like tower upon wispy mar

Holding light high I wade through muck

Better to rely on sweat than blind luck

Beware simple merchant traveling with rich wares

HIs price is always right but the cost ensnares

Delicious sweets, gold or bountiful seed

All with foul taint to make a soul bleed

Your neighbors covet and cannot stay away

Everyone withers and falls into dismay  

Their shadows scream and twist into nil

Bent fast to the Shadow Thief’s will

The day after greenish horrid things rise

In the night listen for their sorrowful cries

The Shadowless wander forever bound

Seeking lost shadows never to be found

He is a jealous neighbor’s glance

Or the bloodthirsty’s war dance.

Or finger pointed at those who don’t belong

Hate feeds his hunger like blissful song

His drums boom when all is lost

His lieutenants collect blood at any cost

With axes hewn of human skin and bone

Into battle he spins a demonic cyclone

With a fiery breath to burn the foolish

Gazan devours ignorance most ghoulish.

With angel’s touch horse grew giant horn

Its body changed into heavenly unicorn

Scaled covered its sleek body white 

Its tail and body sprouting fire holy bright 

Its blue eyes spoke keen intellect

With booming voice it sang thankful respect

‘O mortals our tormented curse you’ve broken

Your praise on mountains shall be spoken

To your good deed we are beholden

Beware the dark prince on throne golden

For his ignorant armies mass in the night

To threaten Crane Castle with terrible might

Help you we cannot but take a lock of my hair

Let its flame guide you west like a holy flare

With it the Stone of Oberoth you shall find

Its protection around the Castle shall wind.’

Then angel mounted beast and flew away

In heaven they would wait ’til fateful day