Archival Review

[LeBroz]

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February — well known to lovers the world over. Forget the lingerie, chocolate, and flowers; shower her with all the love, pampering, and attention she can handle. On second thought, toss in some chocolate for good measure.


falling from grace
by minsue©


she loves me
.......she loves me not

Head over heels?
Not I.
Ass over tea kettle
fits better.
I've no grace,
least of all with love.

she loves me
.......she loves me not

I've seen those women
radiant with love.
Walking talking hurricane
lamps casting arcs
of warmth from within.
Bitches.

she loves me
.......she loves me not

I stumble, tumble
awkward
and childish
and usually fall
on my ass.

And yet, somehow
.............she loves me.



Inspired by the painting "Breeze Shouldered Memories" by artist Terry Rentzepis. Please see the February Poem Contest thread for more information.

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[LeBroz]

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A softly smooth romantic feel brought to life in this form poem. Form poems can be quite a challenge, at least for some, but with a soft and subtle rhyme they are unsurpassed in vibrant romance.


Falling Stars
by champagne1982©


As diaphanous silk drifts in the breeze
I catch a movement in the corner of my eye
And your scent sets my soul at ease

I send prayers into the evening sky
Over my blossoming garden's bloom
I catch a movement in the corner of my eye.

The ghosts of daydreams haunt my room
Wishes fall like the evening dew
Over my blossoming garden's bloom.

Moonbeams carry my whispers to you
Kept fresh and bright in sparkling starlight
Wishes fall like the evening dew.

I know you're with me in the night
Your presence is warm in my heart
Kept fresh and bright in sparkling starlight.

My wishes have come true right from the start.
As diaphanous silk drifts in the breeze
Your presence is warm in my heart
And your scent sets my soul at ease.

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[LeBroz]

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Here's something to soothe and calm you after one of your frantic days.


false pretenses
by Alessia Brio©


life's coarser intercourse
oft leads us in directions best
left untraveled
roads fraught with peril
to heart and soul
stealing tomorrow
from the jaws of today
truth lies in the soft
sighs of passion, the warmth
of a word and skin shared
without remorse we leave
only the shell of past pretenses
and the faint hope that our
hours will bleed no more



~ ~ ~

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[LeBroz]

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This is another of those short ones that are so deliciously open to interpretation. Here's just one — all day long a spouse is thinking of what to say when the kids are tucked in, but when the event finally happens all those practised words fail and a couple remain silently far apart. Give it a try and see what interpretation you can envision. Who knows — maybe this'll give you an idea for your own little poem.


Family Holiday
by Remec©


Year in, year out, I
struggle with what to say when
left alone with you;
All the words I practiced fail,
I have nothing left to say.

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[LeBroz]

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War is never a pretty thing and not to be engaged in for light and transient reasons. Here's a piece that explores the real living heartbreak of those that carry the true day-to-day pain — the full military family.


Family in Arms
by postobitum©


Lean mean fighting machine,
guts and sinew and muscle and bone.
Poster boy for the war, any war,
gun-toting terror-smoking man.
Young and strong and sharp and green,
focused on tomorrow in a tank,
making love to a gun in his rack.
Tan and olive and black and brown.
Smooth of cheek, hard of jaw,
standing his shaking ground in determination.

Soft plump nurturing woman,
fat and heart and soul and brains.
Baby clinging to curved hip.
Hard working child rearing honey,
young and strong and sharp and green.
Praying for tomorrow with her man,
making love to memories in her mind.
Tall and still and clean and pale.
Facing the debts between college exams,
juggling androgyny on a wire.

He's missed his daughter's firsts-
the tooth, the step, the word.
She's taken on motherhood, life, school, work,
everything meant for two with one.
A family lacking life and breath,
surviving on electronic signals, symbols, text.
Baby doesn't recognize her daddy,
wife feels like a widow,
husband is a strange Marine...

The next time someone tells you
in heated psuedo-patriotic righteousness
that freedom is free and soldiers can go to Hell-
remember this family, cleaved in two, in your reply.
The scarifices made for the hot air
riding spittle in your face.
This family and all the families like it
ensuring the perpetuation of faithless, soulless, talking heads,
the survival of a nation beset by fools.
They have given up more than just blood,
they have given up everything you take for granted,
everything you don't even consider.
Not for fun, money, the MTV cameras,
not for a rank or a medal in a box.
For you, they are in Hell for you.


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[LeBroz]

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Here's one with a little 'greenie' with which to remember our friend.


Fancies in Free Flight

by Rybka©


Fancies in Free Flight



Free feral far flies
and look
.....without

a promise
.....and
find their nests

they look without
a friend
..to love

or hope to be
and you
......you

willing of me and dreaming of life
............to you
..I will sing out to look ahead.

They only look almost frail.

.I will not fight your ways
nor the fruits you place on paper
away from her days
and fragile wings

ends like that
.....always
I see in such eyes
and
I will be wrong
....all ways

but over there is the hard edge of me
and wings with offers
.....sunlight piercing
.......the old and I.

We have been to the wind with you and the pine.

Me and I have learned more of us than laughter
.true sun
to free me and unlock the whole truth

I and yet still me have wingtipped the snowdrifts
swirling sun shadows
.......................glints of warmth so freshly sown.

But one side girls
.....................on that
...............................never
................................will
.............................we ever
................................will
...................................ever we
.......................................be
........................................?

(Apologies to E.E.)


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[LeBroz]

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Now here's something with a slightly different flavor; 'common man' indeed, kept in check by whips and chains.


Fanfares in Manstain
by jd4george©

Listening to Aaron Copeland's
Fanfare for the Common Man​

I.

Carnal birth
Carnal birth
Carnal birth​

Drum sounds:

Boom
Boom
Boom ticka rapparappatat
Boom ticka rapparappatat
Boom
Boom


II.
Stone moves
tethered to ten thousand men
dangling like so many flies
caught in a web
sinew strains and rips
with each bloodied breath
each step counted one man's stain

the Master's Voice:
.....Pull you bastards
.....Pull


III.
Stonehenge
misted beard of the Dragon's breath
there I see the ten thousand
flies flicking to the whip
feasting lifeblood from the tears
the steady cadence of the tethered ones
hauling stone and timber
as the sky burns thirsting
sun quivers
the line of the ten thousand
the lurching ones


IV.
Sinew strains...


V.
.....Kyrie elaison

Quiet!
Now pull you bastards
Pull


VI.
Nailed hands
three fishes among fishermen and their nets
tangled midst the ten thousand
their ropes upon heart stone
the steady cadence of the whip
marking another man stain
another man's death



VII.

Carnal birth
Carnal birth
Carnal birth​

Drum sounds
Boom



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[LeBroz]

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Poetry is often compared to the visual arts, usually as a painting. However, the outstanding characteristic that this one displays is more musical, sounding like a light little ditty. You can best hear this by reading it aloud. Go on, try it.


Fantasia
by jthserra©


Fantasia


......soft voice
rainbows
............float on
......butterfly wings

..................finger-roll
......piano keys
......one
..................two
........................five

flowers whisper
............on a breeze


........................deep, deep
..............bass quiet
............................................rumble

two three keys
dance them keys
......piano dance

......kaleidoscopic
..................sparkle
spin tingle
......colors
............melody

........................oh yes then
..............................coronet
........................wah, wah
............and I step, step
..................horn, horn
............talk to me
......................walking, walking
..............................horn

tiptoe stepping
......ting, ting
.................ivory smile

smile at me
............sweet smile

............psychedelic
..................baby mine
......pick the flowers
............from the air
..................and sing song
......color
............fade, fade

........................watercolor.


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[LeBroz]

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Try this dream on for size.


farewell
by Senna Jawa©

from the wall of dream a picture
went down ripped the pillow
the pillow screamed the slippers
walked out to the front yard you watched
the red car
rolling down the gray steel of the bayonet
of highway till it vanished at the sharp point
you went back changed the pillow
and the pictures seen from the wall​

wlodzimierz holsztynski ©
.......1995-12-30
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[LeBroz]

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A feeling of a deep melancholy of aloneness. Note that there's no explicit explanation of the cause nor of the sex of the {assumed} significant other. Just from reading the words, without making assumptions based on the sex of the poet, it could be the suffering of a husband after the death of his spouse; it could also be the lament of a woman at the inexplicable departure of her dream man. Read it from your point of view with your own assumptions and see how you react.


Farrago
by Kaishaku©


My abundant words
arranged, rearranged
and arranged again

lack dimension, scope
as I hope to cope
with nothing.

I feel the lack of you
you, who knew
of mornings
and frightful nights

you, who held my hand
in the misty dark
when the sky cried
and sirens echoed in the hills

you, who were immortal
an essence beyond time
rhyme to my reason
a forever, ever happy.

And now silence
an unrelenting quiet
your voice is gone

as my words fail
to shape even a moment of you.
Please forgive my noise...........my silence.

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[LeBroz]

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With sparsity in its style suggestive of oriental poetry comes this vision of a different style of marriage ceremonial formality.


Fate
by quietpoly©


Circles
not on beach sand
nor on temple grounds
but on one's forehead --
invisible to the eye.


Lines on palm
not drawn with henna
though deeper;
changing
in an unknown way.


Red --
wrapped in farewell silk
from father to husband.
Traditional and true
amidst unpreparedness.


Moments
not rehearsed.
Tears to smiles,
ebb and flow
of hearts, symbolic.


Revealing,
slowly,
to wide-eyed lass
what lies beyond
things ceremonial.


Of secrets
hidden
in the rapture of love.
of expressions
resultant.


Onlookers sigh
As bride boards pallenquin.
Four bearers rise
for what will be
a long journey.


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[LeBroz]

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Enjoy this light little quirky piece, perfect for a Sunday morning. Read it more than once and watch it grow on you.


fate's escape
by cerulean_ink©


the surprising discovery
of the miraculous
recovery
of broken glass
found near
the scene
of the daring mishap
resulting in
the premature release
of mister
james k. fate
due to his
excellent behavior.

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[LeBroz]

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Now this strikes me as a different sort of love poem, the discovery of all her different facets. How about a tune like You Light Up My Life?


Fear of Shadows
by foehn©


(for E. H.)

Now, in the time that happens in between –
(time marches on in its circular parade) –
there comes another You. I haven’t seen
all of the versions yet, and I’m afraid
of the shadows of myself these suns create.
Yet among them, you are phosphorescent white,
and I haven’t seen my shadow much, of late.
How nice, to dance in a fog of blinding light!

Nothing is okay, and yet you make
me feel it is. Wondrous is your touch,
and happy are the corners of your eyes.
And with your soft embrace you sweetly slake
my thirst for you; and with your lips and such,
you suck me into shadow-absent skies.


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[LeBroz]

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On first reading this, it struck me as a man's response to the possibility of becoming involved in a relationship. Or is it that of a nightmare? Though for some men it might be hard to distinguish the two.


Fears
by RazzRajen©


when you play in the wind,
dance on the strains
that stretch My being.

darkness rising,
from the bowels of Me.
does the wind keen and know of thee
was it the sounds of your cries that echoed in My mind
woke Me as the whisper
of rain against the hot earth
slowly soaking.

waking and calling up
demons inside
uh, maybe My fears are loose
or you are in Me.

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[LeBroz]

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From the Uncle comes a light chilling piece, to add to the single digit temp of today's air.


Fearsome Experience!
by Uncle Pervey©


Twas a stormy, dark night, dreary,
With lightning flashes, brightening.
I crept by, the cemetary,
With tombstones gleaming, frightening!

A mist, lay hovering, glowing,
As wind-blown branches, were moaning,
And brown grass breathed with a soughing,
From that darkness, came a groaning!

The glowing mists, began swirling,
And I stood, in abject terror!
I saw figures, twisting, twirling,
To move, became my endeavor!

As these shapes of creatures, came close,
My transfixed position, gave way.
As my heart-felt terror, arose,
My feet moved, and we ran away!!

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[LeBroz]

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Try something a bit dark and demonic with which to start your day. It would be considerably easier to read if it were broken into stanzas. I was going to pass over this after the first read, then read it again and noticed that most periods would make good stanza breaks; reading it a third time and watching for these periods I found these bite-sized bits make for a more readable poem.


Feast
by RideThisCowboyNow©


The Feast

The king of nothing
Throws a mighty feast
In the darkness of
The longest night in years.
His summons howl.
Throughout the night
Ye men of earth
Ye gods of dirt
Come here! Come here!
The men
Like zombies come
From far and distant
Lands around.
They leave both wife
And child
Alone
Abandoning their towns.
The men are tranced
They have no will
They come despite
Their fears.
And as they pass
The castle gates
Some laugh
Some fall to tears.
The king repines
In tower great
With such an evil
Smile.
For he is damned
As damned can be
And damned are his
Intentions all the while.
The men they march
Into the hall
To find the tables
Set.
They all sit down
To each his place
And a night
They won’t forget.
In comes the king
In robes of white
Descending like
A god.
He walks the stairs
Like a holy path
Where holy saints
Have trod.
The men they worship
In their hearts
This king in raiment
White.
The can not see
The shadows crawl
In the creeping
Of the night.
They can not hear
The mournful cries
Of the wolves
In mountains far.
They can not know
Their rotting hearts
Or the evil
That they are.
In come servants
Bearing food
And ale and sweeter
Wine.
Drink says king
To all his host
Fill your heart
Ease your mind.
When they were drunk
With wine and sin
The king he
Stood upright.
Ye men of earth
Ye gods of dirt
I’ve a gift
For thee tonight.
In was brought
A maiden fair
A damsel
Young and firm
And every man
Did have his way
With the damsel
All in turn.
She cried
She screamed
Her tears
Did flow.
But the men
Kept on
And on
Her pain they did not know.
And when they all
Had their fill
Of having her
For fun.
A sinister
Glaze did hide
Their eyes
Their sanity came undone.
And in their craze
They tore her flesh
Pulling her apart
With hate.
Their madness
Made them drink her blood
And her soft flesh
They ate.
Oh ye vampires
Full of blood
Ye Werewolves
Full of flesh.
Ye have sold
Your souls tonight
Ye have inhaled
The Devil’s breath.
And now your king
Once dressed in white
A crimson robe
He wears.
He laughs the laugh
Of Lucifer
As he retreats
Back up the stairs.
The servants then
Lock every door
The stairs are blocked
There is no place to flee.
The room ignites
In burning flame
As the Devil
Laughs with glee.
And all the men
Did die that night
In the belly
Of the beast.
Woe to him
Who sells his soul
To the darkness
Of the feast.


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[LeBroz]

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Such a good meal, this passionate expression of thanks, revealing so much to offer.


Feeding the winter solstice
by ghost_girl©


Picture these words,presented as art
to be digested and savored,
as multi-syllabic minestrone
complemented with warm bread
good friends and a bottle of wine.

Sometimes I drink my wine alone
and think of places and friends.
I reveal my quirks and passions
with words
so that you might finally know me.

In my life there has been some sadness
puddles of sorrow do exist.
But they gather and form an oasis of joy
and from this lonely, mirrored pond
I am nourished and continue to grow.

You give me fruits and perfumes disguised
as kindness, wisdom and knowledge.
These gifts take root and spring from my soul
in spicy and verdant outbursts of song.

You bloom on empty pages and thrive,
despite the solemn pallor of December's
darkest day. You have fed to me
your tales of forever
and today, oh joyous garden
I will feed you.


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[LeBroz]

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On giving the matter some thought, isn't it the defining characteristic of the female of the species to be a femme fatale?


Femme Fatale
by Gaia_Lorraine©


Femme Fatale

Lure me upon your rocks, my beautiful Siren
With words of Shakespeare, Keats and Byron
Shipwrecked upon your shore
A tantalising temptress, a loving whore
With perfect prose you shall
My Adorable Femme Fatale

Direct me to my doom, a mortal human
With music of Beethoven, Mozart and Schumann
Stranded upon your coast
A devil's cauldron, A demonic host
With harmonic notes you shall
My Perfect Femme Fatale

Entice me to my fate and kiss me with your breath
With hypnotic words and music of death
Entombed within your charms
My nemesis, trapped within your arms
For eternity I shall
My Immortal Femme Fatale

© Gaia_Lorraine 2006


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[LeBroz]

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Here's a slightly different Valentine's Day moment, with more love than most gushing sentimentality put out by Hallmark.


Fending Off Ghosts
by Linbido©


When the commotion of simply picking up
the threads from the day before
dies down,

revealing quiet walls
and the tick tock tick,
second by second,
of that oh so quiet
kitchen wall clock
that you never quite manage
to hear
normally,

I no longer do
what I always did.

Instead of cranking up
a random flip of the cd rack
or howling MTV
to drown the vile whispers out,
I let them in.

Open the windows,
already bulging from their
venom pressure,
and let them flood my mind.

Playing the good hostess,
I bid them to sit - which they don't,
and ask them to wait there.
Of course they follow,
taunting, teasing - I don't care.

Because I'm heading
where they can not go,

a universe of
me,
you,
blanket.

As I lay down
creep in under
with you,

face to sleeping face,
your tiny breath
on my nose,
and for a magic minute,
your unknowing hand in mine.

And somehow
they see that I'm busy,

and go bother
someone else.


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[LeBroz]

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Now then, what was that about an Anti-Valentine poem?


Ferocious Rex
by Seeker n Finder©


She snarls,
and growls.
Havoc abounds.

Stomps,
and roars.
She astounds.

Instills fear,
that brings tears,
with cold stares.

Wed to an imposter.
Who is this monster?
Yelled for her ouster!

By this year next,
she'll be my ex.
The ferocious rex


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[LeBroz]

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Okay ladies, assuming you had a good Valentine's Day, I would guess that that last Anti-Valentine poem isn't fitting your mood today. Perhaps he got you some chocolate or flowers; maybe even something glittering bright. The real question then is, what special I Love You present did you get him? Perhaps you'd like to read each other this little poem aloud, as quickly as possible, and see what it engenders.


Fetish for K/W
by Syndra Lynn©


Wrap your tongue around these sounds-

Queen quietly quilting
quality quilts
Koala qualms
Squash kiwi quickly
cunt wish
lick me
King wash tush
harry bush
Squeeze & tease
my tits, oh please
Kisses, wet ones
quarreling with
tongues
Quivering quadruple cumming
happens
quite frequently

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[Unbridled_Passion]

oooh, Quite hot!

 

[LeBroz]

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Have you ever seen so much alliteration? Pay attention to the message.


Fetus
by Gaia_Lorraine©


Floating forest of fluid, flotsam of fortifying food.
Flawless fledglings’ fettered fetal fiefdom.
Fragile fingers form and flex; fecundity of fittest fighting fist.
Facial features frown, feigning foredoom fuss.
Physiological physique afresh… femur, fibula, pharynx, flesh.
Infinite fibres forging familial phenotype of formidible finesse.

Final frantic phase. Flouncing for freedoms’ first flickering photon.
Fallible, fickle figurine face
Unforewarned and fearless of facetious fools,
felonious fellows and ferocious fangs of famine.
Formula of affection, felicitation, fidelity, fashion.
Fantasia for flute.
Find forgiveness of folly and phantoms foreign.
Female and fathers’ finest festival fruit.


© Gaia_Lorraine 2006


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[LeBroz]

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A different kind of passion presented with sweet sentimentality.


Fifty Years From Now
by Svenskaflicka©


While everyone around me
struggle to stay young;
fighting wrinkles,
working out,
I look forward to growing old.

I look forward to wearing slippers.
I look forward to sit down
and read a tale to a grandchild,
and forget
where my glasses are.

I look forward to grow old
to be an old wise crone.
To have wrinkles round my eyes
and calm deep inside
like a tree.

I look forward to growing old
together with my love,
to sit there, grey and dusty,
and share memories
of our wild youth.

While our children and grandchildren
run around
full of life
we'll grow old together
and watch things
a bit on the side.

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[Senna Jawa]

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Have you ever seen so much alliteration?

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You mean, loads upon loads of alliteration and zero poetry, yes?