April 2024 Poetry Contest - $500 Cash Prize

One day when I was young, I heard a knock at my door.
It sounded familiar, like I had heard it before.
I opened the door, and to my surprise,
There stood a young lady with blond hair and brown eyes.

She said, "I have the answers; are you ready to play?"
So I grabbed my money and I said okay.
There were the answers that I had always sought.
Liquids, pills, and powders, and I bought and bought.

Then one day, my friend suddenly changed.
Her face became ugly, calloused, and deranged.
She grabbed my hand and we tore through the town.
My loved ones and friends could only watch and frown.

She kept whispering something I could only guess.
It sounded like she was repeating, "Yes, Yes, Yes."

How quickly from fun to very near death.
How quickly from one beer, to smoking crystal meth.
I thought of my family, oh what a mess,
But all I heard was screaming, "Yes, Yes, Yes."

I had to find help; I was at my wits end.
I had lost my child, my family, and my friends.

I said, "God are you there? Can you help me, please?"
A sudden peace came over me and I fell to my knees.
God answered the riddle that so long I did guess.
Why my addiction kept screaming, "Yes, Yes, Yes"

It's because I kept asking night after night
It's going to be different this time, right?

I said, "God, I'm not worth it; I feel like a jerk."
He said, "Suit up and show up; it's time to go to work."

Now it's been eight months since I had my last drink.
It's given me time to remember and think.

So I am here to tell you in this little rhyme.
Life keeps getting better one day at a time.
So when you think you are going insane.
There's always sunshine after the rain.

Mom, on your birthday, I celebrate you
And all the wonderful things that you do.

But if truth be told, and that must always be,
I'm going to talk about Marvelous Me!

Because Marvelous Me did not just come about,
For you were my making; in that is no doubt.

Your STRENGH gave me power to reach for new heights.
Your WORDS gave me knowledge to learn wrong from right.

Your PATIENCE gave me calm to face a new day.
Your ADVICE would show me there is always a way.

Your CAPABILITY showed me to strive for my best.
Your SELFLESSNESS was given with all of your zest.

You MOLDED and LED me with SUPPORT through it all,
Even LIFTED me up when I'd happen to fall.

So lo and behold, here I am today
Because of your love and guiding way.

Marvelous Me will continue to grow,
Only because of you, this I know.

So I celebrate you now, in this special way,
To wish you a very Happy Birthday.

For I wouldn't be me if it weren't you from the start.
I love you, Mom, from the depths of my heart.

Though May did bring her deepest grey
And June did bring her gloom,
I woke this morn in a glorious way
To Sunshine in my room.

Quick, get up,
It's time to rise.
Greet the day.
I started to cry.

For today,
It has begun.
It's finally here,
The summer sun!

Feel her warmth,
See my garden grow,
Taste the sweetest fruits,
Watch the butterflies flow.

Hear the squirrels chatter
And my orioles swoon
Till the evening comes
With the summer moon.

It seems like I've waited
Such a very long time,
Longing for the light of
Your rays of sunshine.

So please stay a while.
Bring your long, lazy days.
I'll cherish each blue sky
And ride every wave.

Oh, how I love summer
And all of her songs,
Happy summer to all,
And may it be long!

Can there be anything sadder
Than a home that's had its day
Where the children have moved on
And the owners passed away

But the sadness becomes unbearable
When that home had been your own
And it reminds you so clearly
Of the happier moments you've known

Worn knitting needles shine in the sunroom
Protruding from a bag of wool on the floor
But mum's favorite chair is empty
And her needles clack no more

The crystal cabinet in the lounge room has a mirror
Reflecting an old man with the saddest of eyes
The same eyes beam from a picture of young bloke
Ecstatic as he claims some obscure scholastic prize

His brother and his sister are beside him
Sitting on that mantle piece so proud
While an eerie silence engulfs you now
This home had often been so loud

In the bedroom a green chest sits in the corner
A lonely companion that had crossed the sea
All the memories of the old world hastily packed there
Once so precious to my mum and me

In the backyard the shed had been fundamental
To the lives of the people living here
Bar-b-cuing, conserving, eating
Routine determined by the passing of the year

I wonder what my dad would have thought
When I gave his precious tools away
Polishing, honing, oiling he wanted them maintained
I gave most to his neighbor and threw out what remained

A broken bike hides in the corner
Somehow it too had found a home here
Evoking my small son wobbling down the street
His face a contortion of excitement and fear

So many precious items
That have so little value now
Indispensable to the family then
But they must all disposed of somehow

As the shadows start to lengthen
The house seems to come slowly alive
My mother yelling from the kitchen
'Dinner's ready everyone come inside'

An old fashioned yellow light illuminates my father
As he sits at the table so serene
A glass of red wine clutched in his hand
His wife and children filling out the scene

But the fading light is tricky
Your mind sees what it wants to see
As I move towards the house
Only silence comes to greet me

And I know where my mum and dad live now
The priest blessed their souls when we moved them there
So all these memories would be moved to the tip
Why should I even care

But as I shut the gate behind me
There's a heaviness of heart as tears spring to my eyes
Saying goodbye to everything you held so dear
Surely sadness should come as no surprise

And I leave the old house as my mum left it
On her last awful final afternoon
The darkness in my house and heart
I entrust to the fullest of full moons.

I wonder, sometimes, why it is a fact,
a gifted, handsome man should be alone.
My iambic pentameter's intact,
yet still I tend to lyric on my own.

Alliteration alienates romance.
The ladies scorn my struggle with cliché.
They scoff, then aggravated, wring their hands
because I need to couplet every day.

I'm thinking as I sit beside my date,
"I'll syllable you soon if I am able."
At times my meter renders me irate.
It's difficult to rhythm at the table.

"Another cup?" I search her face for clues.
She looks a little bored. It can't be me.
I pass the menu for her to peruse.
"Why don't you try a blended Chinese tea?"

I'm formulating ditties as she speaks.
"I think I'd like to go. I'm rather hot."
"Do stay. I've ordered Brussels sprouts and leeks."
Her grimace indicates she'd rather not.

I wonder if I've aimed a little low.
Her diction leaves a lot to be desired.
I'd like to teach her how to ebb and flow,
but 'clueless' leaves me, frankly, uninspired.

She fidgets nervously and looks away.
I wonder if the woman is a freak.
"I hope you're not illiterate," I say.
That may have been a little indiscreet.

She's very irritated, I can tell.
The scowl across her eyes a vital clue.
She slaps my face and wishes me to hell,
then leaves. Now what am I supposed to do?

Oh, woe is me. I'm lost and incomplete.
The woman's gone and left me full of doubt,
deliberating how a man can eat
a double share of leeks and Brussels sprouts.

I could have blessed her with a monologue.
Enthralled her with the kernel of my quill.
Enchanted her with dazzling dialogue,
if only she'd have stayed to pay the bill.

Looking up at the moonlit sky
In the quiet of the night
I found a truth that stilled my soul
In a tiny speck of light

Something that I'd seen before
But never came to me in thought
It was above me the whole time
The answer that I sought

The stars I see formed long ago
A twinkling memory of their birth
Moments in time from lifetimes past
Finally made their way to Earth

The stars I see above me now
Were born before a time
Of love and laughter and of pain
Yet they still, to this day, shine

Between the space from there to here
That began so long ago
There in the infinite cosmos
Lingers on the human soul

There in the midst of the gap between
What my mind can hardly comprehend
Somehow I know my mother dwells
Still alive and still my friend

There in that space my brother lives
Traveling through the star-filled sky
Each sunset brings a chance for him
To find a way to catch my eye

If stars survive without love and pain
Sending light through the night sky
Surely there between the stars and me
Lives my mother, my brother, the sublime

When I die
Let everyone know--- I did try
I tried to be my best
I tried to pass a test

I tried to play a role
Kept peace in my soul
I worked as hard as I can
I followed every plan
I gave what I couldn't afford
Now I am in peace -with my lord

When I die, I don't want you to Cry
I want you to play my favorite melody
Don't describe my life
or death as a tragedy
Say I miss you I'll understand
I will kiss you, from another land

When I die hold my kids so tight
Let them see the light
Let them grow and explore
Tell them, They are who I just adore

Tell them mom don't like tears
She won't accept your fears
Mom will always be there
Look up, see this glare
She is saying hello
She is saying let go
I love you more than you will ever know

Don't cry
I built this empire for you
Spread your wings , be true
Don't cry
I am here with you everyday
You don't see me, but I am there

Don't cry when I die
I have to rest in peace today
Don't cry when I say goodbye
Look up and for my soul just pray ..