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195 · Jun 2021
Lines and Curves
David R Jun 2021
at first, the road appears anfractuous,
with intricate windings and turnings tortuous,
tumbled 'n chaotic, as roller-coaster,
springing surprises as new bread-toaster,
ravines and rivers, bends and loops,
naked rockfaces, climbs and swoops,
yet looking back, from start to now,
I see straight line as furrow o' plow,
traced in the earth as i trudged along,
grasping right and stumbling on wrong,
those cliff-edge encounters part of the route,
as my being descended down the chute,
but, i surmise, if i had taken,
another path, and this one forsaken,
i'd see it too as one line direct,
from beginning to end, just and correct,
at the end of the day, it depends on us,
what path we take on this star dust.
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
194 · May 2022
Real Fear
David R May 2022
in the alley, in the dark,
there i heard the canine's bark
there in twilight's shades of grey
felt the fright of unleashed stray

heard his panting as he sped
heard his feet with fear 'n dread
felt his hunger for blood red
as 'lone i stood 'gainst half-bred

as all around world in abeyance
as i became his sole surveyance
as i eyed his hot/cold stare
ocular globes of headlights' glare

and in the days that followed yet
i lost the feel of fear and fret
for in that moment of captured fright
i'd stood on precipice of deathly bite
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#abeyance
192 · Dec 2021
Imaginary Sensation
David R Dec 2021
cooped up 'neath the blackened sky
of dark winter night
i'll allow my mind to fly
on a fantasy flight

i'll trace my fingers over blades
of grasses wet with dew
i'll gaze over vistas' glades
shades of purple-blue

i'll breathe in honey'd heather
and hear the buzz of bees
i'll thank G-d for the weather
and the fresh new mountain breeze

i'll jump from autumn into spring
be struck with wonder at daffodils'
sunshine 'neath the children's swing,
purple crocuses on foothills

hush to hear the robin sing,
the blackbird and the thrush's sweet trill,
see the flash of jaybird's wing,
the goldfinch and his black-tipped bill

there's no end to the memories
you can visit, you can roam,
for the mind is a house of treasuries
so don't just stay cooped-up at home

don't wait for the summertime
to feel the joy 'n thrill
of a healthy mountain climb
a walk or hike on hill

close your eyes and picture too
the jewel'd lakes and tarns of blue
fill yourself with fascination
imaginary thoughts and their sensation
192 · Dec 2021
Was, Will Be, Is
David R Dec 2021
From childhood i've known You
my heart conversed where none could see
gazing up to skies of blue
i thought of You Who caused all to be

everything from something came
but that something had a name
it had a start, a very beginning,
You caused that start to be,

then i was pushed into the mud,
ridiculed for all to see,
i lost You and forsook You,
in my bitterness lost at sea,

now in my noon, i look again,
and find You are the same,
You have not changed that golden chain
hidden from those that seek acclaim

You stay aloof from rationale
from claims of race or national[e]
beyond all colour and prejudice
remain forever was will is.
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#rationale
192 · Apr 2021
Quiet - it's a secret
David R Apr 2021
why does evil make noise 'n protest
whilst goodness tiptoes by unnoticed?
why is bad raucous and loud
but good hides itself in a crowd?

why is G-d's voice stiller than water,
a silent whisper, caress in the ether,
whilst devil's beguile persists till the slaughter
as constant chime, incessant bleeper?

It's the same reason that gold need not shout,
to tell you its worth, prestige and clout,
why a gem or diamond is entombed in coal,
and sought after 'n quarried from deepest She'ol.

Why speech is silver and silence is golden,
why pride seeks fanfare and sin is bolden,
whilst holiness shies away from publicity
as from pernicious poison 'n toxicity

it's the secret of fruit, the light in the shell,
the clapper and chain in the hand-bell,
the spirit and soul, alive and well,
that animates fibre, muscle and cell

it's the secret of light travelling faster than sounds
though laser power confounds and astounds
in short, if you're quiet you'll understand
the secret that upholds seas, heaven and land.
191 · Aug 2022
the horror
David R Aug 2022
i looked into the future
and saw a broken race
hobbling bent as neuter['d]
longing for coup-de-grace,

the learned high academies
of philosophy 'n of culture
said hope caused neuroses,
disease as brackish water

it was crude 'n barbaric,
had no place in wisdom,
good for tribes o' primitive
understanding in closed system

and in the name of science,
they threw out all of faith,
'n in utter compliance,
themselves they did scathe

with faith and hope gone
was no point in bearing offspring:
"we need much less to spawn
for to stop populace exploding"

"and families are archaic,
smacking of Hebraic,
just loosen all the morals;
that'll lessen all the quarrels"

they said that a conscience
increased recidivism
that higher moral sense
was backward Darwinism

so generations arose
who had no sense or inkling
of a higher purpose
of divinity's twinkling

then i woke from the nightmare
and sighed big sigh of relief
it all was just a night-scare
all make-believe

it wasn't true
and never could be
people would ne'er eschew
faith, hope, and family
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#brackish recidivism
David R Sep 2022
Evening will come, however determined the late afternoon,
Limes and oaks in their last green flush, pearled in September mist.
I have conjured a lily to light these hours, a token of thanks,
Zones and auras of soft glare framing the brilliant globes.
A promise made and kept for life - that was your gift -
Because of which, here is a gift in return, glovewort to some,
Each shining bonnet guarded by stern lance-like leaves.
The country loaded its whole self into your slender hands,
Hands that can rest, now, relieved of a century's weight.

Evening has come. Rain on the black lochs and dark Munros.
Lily of the Valley, a namesake almost, a favourite flower
Interlaced with your famous bouquets, the restrained
Zeal and forceful grace of its lanterns, each inflorescence
A silent bell disguising a singular voice. A blurred new day
Breaks uncrowned on remote peaks and public parks, and
Everything turns on these luminous petals and deep roots,
This lily that thrives between spire and tree, whose brightness
Holds and glows beyond the life and border of its bloom.
by Simon Armitage, Poet Laureate, on occasion of the expiration of our esteemed Queen Elizabeth II
191 · Dec 2021
Before me always
David R Dec 2021
i looked to the heavens
all was dark
as i shouted Your Name
heart all aflame
in the twilight of soul
when the mists hid my goal
when the snake had bitten
arisen from hidden
lair
soft dropped my tears
and salvaged my soul
swept away years
as i found again goal
as i grabbed that snake
by its tail as bidden
to become staff in my hand
to walk in Your Land
with You
before me
always
190 · Oct 2021
In the beginning
David R Oct 2021
In the beginning was disarray,
from chaos, Unnamed produced Array,
and then created another day
and Man and Woman came out to play

"My world I entrust unto your charge,
take care to not disturb the order,
Respect all life, little and large,
Aspire upwards, My son and daughter."

"prove your mettle, improve things further,
build my earth with good and virtue,
desist from any type of murther,
then none will have the power to hurt you."

"For I've made a hierarchy with you at the top,
it's up to you to keep the shop,
I trust in you, show Me I'm right,
Fill the world with love and light."

But he and her decide to experiment
in that which lies beyond their ken
and thus they cause a serious impediment
and make swift exit from eternal zen.

This tale I tell is repeated again
and again and again by all women and men,
it's repeated each year from cycle anew,
but it's end can be different: it's up to you.
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#mettle
190 · Mar 2021
King
David R Mar 2021
What makes trees grow
the wind to blow
the **** to crow
the river flow

What gives the air its sustenance,
the small child, his utterance,
the living person's countenance,
the barking dog's truculence

He Who all coordinates
the universe orchestrates
from invertebrates to vertebrates,
amoeba to primates

Some say He is in everything
but i say this about this Thing
It transcends all the things
He is. That is. His name. King.
190 · May 2022
Who are you?
David R May 2022
there in the deepest shadows of May,
'midst the wood and the trees and the hay,
i hear a hoot from a bird-of-prey
"Whooo?" "Who are youuu?"

midst the twilight shades of grey,
when all the light has gone away,
again, he asks, at end of day,
"Whoooo?" "Who are youuu?"

in the silence o' witching hour,
from his surveyance in woody tower
midst abeyance of earthly power,
"Whoooo?" "Who are youuu?"

And as i start a day anew
in fractious world i thought i knew
midst the frantic to-and-fro
the push, the shove, the ebb, the flow
the strain, the cries, the pain, the woe
again i hear G-d's echo,
"Whoooo?" "Who are youu?"
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#abeyance, fractious
189 · May 2021
Bitter Medicine
David R May 2021
**** your self by giving
of yourself, that's living,
seek enjoyment and take
of others, 'n wither 'n flake

so goes the ancient wisdom
that has not aged with time
its part of ancient system
no sugar-coated rhyme

seek to give
and not receive
you will live
and will not grieve

but if in receipt
of constant eat
that breathing breath
is living death

he who lives it knows it
it aint so quaint to hear,
but if you're one who chose it
you'll know its truth is clear
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge:
#receipt
189 · Nov 2021
Tales of Yore
David R Nov 2021
small spark of light
was sent from on high
to illumine the night
till the day you die

with smallest of voice
to show you the way
when faced with a choice
in world of decay

it can lead you and me
as maître d'
with sight that can see
through wall, brick and tree

and if all the sparks
of light would combine
to shine through the dark
of your world and mine

like a small menorah
on window-ledge
shining its aura
on life's knife-edge

all light would break through
and show what is true
dissolving the lies
that obfuscate lives

if only we'd listen
to that voice on its mission
then commensurate
with effort first-rate

the world would shine
as never before
like candles in shrine
like the tales of yore
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
# maître d', #commensurate, #menorah, #obfuscate
David R Oct 2022
i saw the willow's dripping branches
crying into the blue-black deep
its golden-yellow avalanches
falling where the monsters sleep

locks of green and silky hair
turn auburn as the dusky sky
brown and russet as the air
moist like blood b'neath battle-cry

i looked into the inky waters,
stirred them with my phantom foot,
still, dark carrion, freshly slaughtered,
murky, raven, black like soot.

all around the laughter echoes
in the places of the void
once i saw a bright green meadow,
once i saw a world destroyed.
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#extirpate
189 · Aug 2021
Forbotten Lust
David R Aug 2021
in penetralia of my heart
lies forbidden lust
that as i grow becomes a part
a victim, naked, trussed,

from time to time i hear it cry
its needs to be heard
but i must flee and let it die
lest my mind be blurred

lest i be ****** into its whirlpool
lest i drown within its nectar,
for at its centre sits laughing ghoul,
soul-collecting spectre

his right hand me beckons near
in left a single spear
with nimrodian face sneers 'n leers
with sly wink, snuffs out fear

yet at its root is strongest yearning
a thirst for immaterial
no doubt the ghoul'll keep returning
'til i embrace ethereal
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#******
188 · Apr 2022
It's Seder Night Again
David R Apr 2022
Yes, it's Seder night again
with bitter herbs 'n chrayne
the munch with a punch
crunch that means so much
link in eternal gold chain

fading memories of father and zeider
reclining in spotless kittels at seder
i've taken their place
must try with broken face
to carry on that everlasting grace

hand over to my children the holy baton
passed on to me from Egypt and Babylon
from the Exodus until now
that sacred wedding vow
the knowledge of a Power to Whom we bow

a Creator of the world Who Rules
With Mercy hears the cries of tools
Who redeemed us and Who brought us
Loved us and Who sought us
And once again shakes up the world with Russ.

They will say He's to deluge returned
as the world 'n all therein is upturned
there's salvation in the air
beneath the pain 'n scare
so together hold my hand and offer prayer

You are the One Who Is and always will be
You give life to all the worlds including me[!]
You redeemed us once before
So hear our knocks on Door
That we may praise your Name 'n evermore

Once more reveal Yourself unto humanity
As the world sinks deeper deeper unto insanity
Say stop to all adversity
An end to lewd perversity
Unveil this world's Paradise for all eternity.

Every drop of blood, of pain and of death,
You can sweeten in a second with Your Breath,
So Holy Grace that Is,
Hear our voice and tears
Let salvation sprout as Your Light appears.
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#adversity
David R Jun 2022
burst headlong into life
swaddled in fur 'n fleece
till staved by staff of strife
'n burgled by caprice

year by year doth night
quash and quell the light
spreading deathly net
to claim its earthly debt

cloaked the silent devil
walks with padded paw
suffocates the vessel
spirit of life no more

dissolved unto the night
never seen or heard
while upwards as a kite
soars soul with wings of bird
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#headlong, burgle
188 · Apr 2022
Onwards
David R Apr 2022
tell fingers to write
in compendious form
perchance grant respite
from inner turmoil storm
from nature gregarious
in mind-jail contrarious
through written commune
in time opportune
elucidate my state
perchance reciprocate
perchance to clear
the fog and the fear
perchance exculpate
the guilt o' mind-state
to elicit response
from brain so ensconced
in darkness of mind
state in which i find
the people all around
as i in state confound
a mental funambulism
of paranoia 'n autism
bemused befuddled
black cotton wool not cuddled
all druthers denied
in polyglot mind
in liaison with the devil
unpalatable to one level
thoughts unmanageable
as soft putty malleable
not by monsters in the air
of zoomorphic form to scare
but by monsters in the flesh
catch mind as in a mesh
construe in mental rift
in milieu o' crooks' grift
yet through timeless antidote
with words' rhyme in note
have cleared mind somewhat
from dregs of coffee-***
so onward mettlesome horse
we'll trot together yet
at vanguard o' life's course
till time to pay our debt
till hope for imprimatur
from my true life Protection
in place of light so pure
till time's resurrection.
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#elucidate druthers bemuse funambulism polyglot liaison reciprocate palatable malleable exculpate zoomorphic construe grift opportune elicit milieu timeless mettlesome vanguard imprimatur resurrection compendious gregarious
186 · Jul 2021
the why and wherefore
David R Jul 2021
i stand before You
lift my eyes
and you tie my head
unto the skies

but men who hide
their eyes from you
have no guide
inkling or clue

of why they're above
the beast on four
why you might love
your world evermore
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#wherefore
186 · Mar 2022
A Better Tomorrow
David R Mar 2022
there's a valley being filled
with pain and tears
its colour scarlet grill'd
by scare and fears

spilt by tool infernal
all the years
every drop eternal
wails in ears

the cries of babes and wives
rent asunder
the innocence of lives
laid to plunder

let me wade in the blood
be part 'n under
let me sink into the mud
o' eternal blunder

or may i choose life
for every drop spilt
for every cut of the knife
for untimely wilt

for the sake of the slain
stand up straight
for the sake of the pain
give up hate

increase acts of love
soar toward
on wings of white dove
the Elusive Lord

take His Hand in mine
salve His Sorrow
for together we can twine
a better morrow
186 · Jun 2021
Ablution
David R Jun 2021
i know the time i've left on earth
is getting less and less
i feel i've done nought of worth
and from your light digress

like the sea, where land greets firth,
disappears 'neath watercress,
i feel i'm edging into berth
sinking slow to recess

achieved so little since my birth
lost the urge to progress,
my goodness suffers from the dearth
of self-belief and aggress

so much good have you bequeathed me
and scarce have i done justice,
so father, i beseech thee,
afore my soul to you entrusted

open my eyes that i may see
the truth of my position
as Na'amon in Galilee
assist me in my ablution
186 · Mar 2021
visions of G-d
David R Mar 2021
visions of G-d
like kaleidoscope changing
the shutter opens
through glass-staining
for second, a glimpse
understanding gained,
a feeling, a sense,
uncurtained,
new grasp,
a gasp,
senses aghast,
then all darkens,
leaving a memory,
till it, too, fades,
like grey emery,
innocence of maids,
in cellar-scullery,
a washerwoman's apron,
But it will awaken,
healing the forsaken
humanity united
man undivided
in leaving satan
embracing Eden
as all hearts heal
as all souls kneel
afore recognition
of Divine emission
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#aghast
185 · Apr 2021
An Oak tree
David R Apr 2021
sacred oak, strength in your veins,
aged grandeur of royal girth
moonlight flitting over your plains
through gnarled roots claiming the earth

many lives your eyes have seen
darkened circles proclaim you've been
spying secrets of youth on green
luscious vernality 'neath sylvan sheen
184 · Mar 2022
When the wicked sprout
David R Mar 2022
when the wicked sprout,
like grass - with fist 'n clout,
when evil-doers flourish,
suffocating all that nourish,
when they fester and canker
like a malignant cancer,
when they bud burgeon and flower,
showing the world their power,
spread their darkness 'n void
their blackened tempestuous rule
it's that they may be destroyed
be swallowed in own cesspool.
for evil self-consumes,
creates its own hell-doom,
its burst of prosper 'n bloom
is to burn in flame and fume,
besmirchment of innocent pure,
will never ever endure.
Light will triumph and prevail
and the depraved will fall and fail.
Psalms 92.8

BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#fester, tempestuous, besmirch
182 · Mar 2021
social ineptitude
David R Mar 2021
how do some people
manage with ease
to move in crowds
to do as they please

while others frightened in their skin
timid as rabbits, nerves paper-thin,
socially uneasy, inept and clumsy,
not knowing to smile or maybe curtsy.

how do some people manage it
smile and comment lickety-split
while i, as fetal, curled misfit,
cringe in a corner, waiting to quit.

but perhaps if i their magic had
could mingle 'n linger, take the good and the bad,
i'd be unable to lift up a finger
to write, to muse, as ******* binger.

those nerves that are taut are highly tuned
they feel the sun and they feel the wound
i would not have it any other way
rather inept be with spirit bouquet.
182 · Oct 2021
Disturbed sleep
David R Oct 2021
tapping on the door
filtered into my dreams
deep into my core
where life's not all it seems

it called me down from heights
shouting from afar
held on to its rights
as uncouth, loud film-star

i scraped through layer'd consciousness
caught amongst the briars
where all of matters dissonant
lusts and strange desires
memories beyond cognisance
images, ideas,
assume most hostile stance
and lie as tripping-wires

till I tumbled into renaissance
as dream like match expired,
extricat'd from barb o' lance
disoriented, groggy, tired,
as roused from petit-mal,
as babe from birth-canal.
Stumbled across the floor,
There was no-one at my door
Now, stranded on seashore
i close my eyes once more
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#extricate
181 · Feb 2022
Limerick
David R Feb 2022
there once was a cow that gave cash
from its udder - came out in a hash,
said farmer, "that's strange
she don't give no change
but i'll add that to the rest o' me stash!"
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#limerick
181 · Jun 2022
One Judge
David R Jun 2022
i saw him once at age of four
he bade me wine to drink galore
and then again at five years old
to scribe my name in figures bold
black upon the outside bench
got spanked for that 'n left a stench
then if my memory serves me right
at age of nine on eraser white
uncomplimentary homage to my teacher
to write he bade whereupon appeacher
swift to headmaster sent me in fury
but too afraid of one-man jury
he bade me fabricate pathetic tale
of his absence when i went to jail

lies and deceit [seemed to] have coloured my years
for now in sweetest memory appears
marking of my own homework
in red paint while I duties shirk.
thus, in twilight as old i grow
i'm frightened of my grey shadow
the falsehood has become my own
part of flesh and part of bone
can i correct this wayward soul
and fly towards the divine goal?
methinks must use mercurial self
warts 'n all, angel and elf,
in ad hoc program to do good deed
and so transform this wayward steed

and comfort take in this small truth
that memory is a no-good sleuth
takes delight in remembering bad
but scarce commemorates good times had
so yes, sweet devil, you've been here,
i've done your bidding since toddler year
but higher angel i've followed you too
galumphing on in ways few knew
G-d alone will weigh the scales
for He sees the whole with all details
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#mercurial, ad hoc, commemorate, galumph
180 · Apr 2021
2021
David R Apr 2021
the well is dry
hard-baked mud
o'er buried sky
once-sacred bud

thunder rolls
bereft of rain
sighing souls
in abject pain

groaning anguish
night-time languish
panting's ceased
from bird 'n beast

senses dulled
spirit culled
save one tear
on deaf ear

the wise, clueless,
have lost their sight,
the elders viewless,
lost their bite

humanity dies
waiting for resurrection
decapitated eyes
blink dejection
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#abject
180 · May 2021
cackle of the cattle
David R May 2021
the cackle of the cattle
fed with lies and hey
as they rally for the battle
though they know they'll rue the day

as they charge with bloodshot eye
fill the skies with bloodthirst cry
as they take to roads to plunder
as they pound the earth with thunder

blind to reason, cries of treason
they fill the air with every season
flaming fire as burning summer
winter's ice-grip of deathly slumber

crimson autumn, blood that's spilt
unearthly swords unleashed from hilt
bullets' mort-patter as spring rainfall
as lions 'n tigers plunge to maul

unified with colours gaudy
united in their intent
unified as one body
following their unnatural bent

eyes fixated, baited breath
saturated venom'd death
unrelenting genocide
heedless to fratricide

as cold instrument o' callous ******
hypnotised by call of herder
exhilarated as they hear
six more corpses added to bier

as the cackle of the jackal
screaming war-cries of the night
as they rally for the battle
as they rally for the fight
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
179 · Jan 31
Insomnia
David R Jan 31
Twilight whispers,
Awakens shadows,

Dreams unfurl o'er the sylvan edge,
As moonlight's kiss gives voice to night,
And stars twirl o'er temporal hedge,

Veiled in dusk’s embrace,
A creeping bramble begins its chase,
Bidding flowers of morrow stay.

Yet single bud defies the dark.
Though twilight’s tendrils encroach,
It bursts upon the darkening gloom,
The undeterred,
Of transient beauty.
BLT Word of the Day Challenge, January 31, 2025, #encroach
179 · Aug 2022
Your Book
David R Aug 2022
don't be another clothes' hook
if you see injustice, fight it

you're given contemptuous look
don't abrogate. slight it!

life's an unwritten book
don't be lazy. write it!

lest a book full of blank pages
and you a victim to passion's rages
a lick of dust flicked through the ages
never with life truly engages
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#abrogate
178 · Jul 2021
Paranoia
David R Jul 2021
brittle wax. breaks.
don't whistle in my face.
thin glass shatters,
nerves in tatters

my heart's open wide,
don't know where to hide,

i've cried and i've died,
G-d knows I've tried.

can't go in there,
not where they stare.
don't you feel the pain,
driving me insane?

can't you see the wall
twixt me and ye all?

just let me crawl
where the tears fall.
For anyone who's experienced this.
178 · Apr 2021
Mystical Matrimony
David R Apr 2021
the light, the air,
the fright, the scare,
the leaf on the tree,
the mountain scree

You're there in all,
from big to small,
I hear Your whisper,
like faint transistor

the glint in his eye
the bird in the sky
the mouse at night
the bee in flight

It's You all the time
Unutterable, sublime,
Let me give You my life,
O Groom, Your wife.
178 · Apr 2021
ticking clock
David R Apr 2021
tick-tock, tick-tock,
life goes by, it doesn't stop,
tick-tock, tick-tock,
a second of eternity on universe clock

tick-tock, tick-tack,
grab each moment, it won't come back,
tick-tock, tock-tick,
time runs out, all too quick
178 · Apr 2022
Dawn Reflections
David R Apr 2022
Ask me not
Why you and I
Must tread this Path

He wills it so
That He may be
What you and I are not

As light [perforce] must shine
Else it is not light,
But everlasting night

So He that is
His Self reveals
To perfect His goodness

That you and I
Attuned to Him
Become perfection

Reflecting perfect light,
Revealing what He is
That He may be

That which He always was
And always will be
Sovereign King

Who rules over all
That is, and yet is not
Save that He wills it so.

Dr. Asher Rubin [my father ע"ה]
178 · Aug 2021
Darkness
David R Aug 2021
the devil closed his eyes in shock
couldn't bear to look
as child fell as rock
into blood-stained brook

child of nineteen years
begging for his life
begging with dripping tears
before the rifle's knife

the devil blocked his ears
couldn't bear to hear
the cry of youthful teenage years
fade and disappear

as the metal tool of darkness
winnowed away the light
leaving world in naked starkness
leaving world of night.
18 Aug. 21. 2 shooters drove up and attacked Jewish school in Denver. They started by shooting at the front windows, then chased an 19 year old student who had been outside and shot him, twelve times, as he begged for his life.

BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#winnow
177 · Apr 2021
Vision
David R Apr 2021
i stood in the light
enveloped in grace
i felt the invite
the smile on His Face.

I felt waves of love
bigger than oceans
I felt Him from above
the heavens were open

i asked Him why
O Dweller on High
Whole Love fills all
Spring Winter and Fall

Why the pandemic
the virus systemic?
is disease now endemic?
worldwide health academic?

He answered in kind
spoke to my mind
revealed in vision
clarity given

for a second, no more
He opened the door,
but to describe what i saw
the love and the awe
would take more time,
so bide here a while
to hear this rhyme
in measured style

He showed me the love
Pouring, Unending,
Below and above
Rearing and tending

He showed me the source,
river o' life 'n being
golden waters on course,
fount of hearing 'n seeing.

Light indescribable,
A thousand times sunrise,
Of beauty undeniable,
Delicate as butterflies.

As fritillaries in a meadow,
As white, shining snow,
As the kingfisher blue
As a baby's fresh hue

And more than i've spoken
was the love that i saw
more than the oceans
the One I adore

Yet within that love
He showed me too
the cause of disease
and i'll share that with you

The awful malady
Had come from within
the source of tragedy
was inner ruin

The vaccine He told me
Was plaster and band-aid
Love though He hold me
Inside is decayed.

And if, so He whispered,
the cause is not address'd,
the decay will fester,
it will not rest.

Take heed humanity,
Shake off your vanity,
Open your eyes
To the Light in the skies.
176 · Apr 2021
Song of Soul
David R Apr 2021
blood is thicker than water
filial bond is always there
brother, sister, son, daughter
a cord that'll never tear

from birth until the slaughter
of death and beyond
it's stronger than the altar
ties of marriage vows and bond

though friends will sweeten life
lighten troubles and strife
flesh 'n blood ties transcend
peripheral friendships that end

but occasionally there's a connection
of two spirits immortal
a soul that walks in same direction
as your inner will, G-d's portal

Born together with your soul
Conceived and carried in tandem,
Love divided in two the whole
Placed on Earth at random

And when, perchance, the two souls meet
On Earth-plane or psychic vibration,
they bind together as one heartbeat
in spiritual exultation
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#filial
176 · Aug 2021
Noise
David R Aug 2021
raucous music fills the air
loud images shout
jarring sounds of "i don't care"
fill the streets about

bromide for the masses
dulls enfeebled senses
as the Jews in gases
abandoning defences

breathing **** and lewd for food
***** for the multitude
constant noise blocks out dispute
till you're lying destitute
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#bromide
176 · Apr 2021
The fairie queen
David R Apr 2021
Aromas sweet of sherbet smell
Lily-o'-vale softest parget
Among the lightest blue harebells
Danced the fairies on lilac carpet

As river-current's shimmering wave
Shafts of golden sunlight
Bewitched the purple feys' enclave
Of pixies, elves and sprite

Dappled sun in woodland dell
Afore the hours o' nighttime fell
Like magic chessboard o' bluebell
'Twas the place the little folk dwell

In rolls of sky-blue tapestries
Checkered piebald mauve
Beneath the oak and hazel trees
'Mongst herb-robert 'n foxglove

There dwelt the wood-nymph fairie queen
With yellow hair and gown of green
Eyes dark-black and lofty mien
Spoke of things hidden, unforeseen.

She whispered as the seashell talks
As the soft tread of lovers' walks
As the windswept Dover chalks
As the wings of buzzard hawks.

There she taught the secret tune
Of eternal life, nature's boon,
'Twas the song of midnight moon
Whitest sphere of silver strewn

It was the song of constant yearning
Constant running and returning
She said it kept the earth-sphere turning
'Twas the secret of sages learning.

Then as the twilight spread its shadows
As the creeping water primrose
As the buttercup o' green meadows
As the dying in death's throes

Then I heard no more her whisper
Perhaps it was the water stream
Or the ripple of the river
Livened by the white moonbeam.
175 · Nov 2021
Capitalism
David R Nov 2021
there's a snake called Greed
with unending need
always wants to feed

trapped in bindweed
will never accede
or others heed

'give me more' it cries,
'give me the skies'
while the world dies

it self-consumes
builds its tomb
an empty vacuum

in wake of theft
black hole is left
leaving others bereft

of those who shine
while others dine
on meat and wine
174 · Feb 2022
The grand old Duke of York
David R Feb 2022
Oh, the grand old Duke of York
He lost his right to the crown
he did something he didn't do
[woops!] and dropped his trousers down

And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only half-way up
They were neither up nor down

Oh, the grand old Duke of York
He eyed another's skirts
He did something he didn't do
And couldn't get rid of the dirt

And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only half-way up
They were neither up nor down

Oh, the grand old Duke of York
He lost 40 million crown
he met someone he never met
And let his country down

And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only half-way up
They were neither up nor down

Yes, the grand old Duke of York
He hid in his mother's skirts
When he did something he didn't do
And couldn't get rid of the dirt

Yay, that grand old Duke of York
He hired the best law men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again

And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only half-way up
They were neither up nor down

Yes, that grand old Duke of York,
He had 10 million quid.
He gave it to someone he never met,
For something he never did.

[all together now:]
And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only half-way up
They were neither up nor down

Oh, the grand old Duke of York
Caught with royal pants down
When he did something he didn't do
And lost his right to the crown

And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only half-way up
They were neither up nor down
174 · Apr 2021
beloved one
David R Apr 2021
softer than the ocean sand
caressed by moonlight tender
the skin of my beloved
radiant with cherub's splendor

deeper than woodland pools
bluer than the skies
the wellsprings of my jewel's
cerulean, emerald eyes.

untouched as yon ****** soil
innocent as newborn calf
Like buttered cream, wine and oil,
His comments and epitaphs

As a thousand rainbows bright
'Midst gloom cloud 'n dark 'n sorrow
Like electric flash of whiter light
that heralds the new morrow

Is the laughter of my boy
that washes away my tears
the fountain of my love and joy
my son of nine years.
174 · Oct 2021
Diapason
David R Oct 2021
Cloak'd in verdant green,
Wrapp'd in royal blue
Finest golden sheen
From crown o' shining hue

Face as burnished prism
Gushing grace aglow
With acts of altruism
Rushing to and fro

Radiating hospitality
Welcome to humanity,
In tender, softness, sympathy
Kindness, good-will 'n charity.

Sweetest music o' rauschpfeife  
Fills a world aswarm
As he sows the seeds of life,
As he breathes sentient form,

Whilst in quietest corner
Soars transparent spirit
Rays o' purple adorn her
Fires of sweetest merit

In a space of nothingness
In centre of sensual emptiness
Yearns for soul of all-thing-ness
Yearns for grace of no-thing-ness

For that hidden Seed of Soul
Who treads unseen in silence
Who is the Whole that fills the hole
The place of spirit subsidence

In the darkness of the night
Far from starkness o' crass light
Wrapped in black, mind aflame,
Takes her leave, takes to flight

So these two opposing sides,
Intransigent as moon divides
Sea from sand in cyclic tides
Each with lords and angel guides

Till He saw that it was good
And so created harmony
Peace between the outer hood
And inner returning fervency.
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#intransigent
174 · Nov 2021
Cogs of Progress
David R Nov 2021
hair white as sheep's pure wool
clothes as white as snow
Timeless Immemorial
unwinds a cord so slow

through wormhole of space continuum
negotiates diamond drop
the ***** of Divine residuum
'gainst vacuous backstop

soft with tremour and trepidation
throbs elation of creation
unto realm of craz'd inanity
draconian place of inhumanity

enters Univocal Amity
with wraps of planets seven
to give voice to human sanity
to make earth a place of heaven

time passed by as no-one watched
none took note of passing years
till one day awoke man touched
by sweet music of the spheres

gradually the cogs move faster
breaking concrete bricks of darkness
sifting out the pure white plaster
from deep within the spiritual starkness
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#wormhole, #negotiate, #amity, #draconian, #trepidation, #univocal
David R Jun 2021
perched on fir-tree, towering o'er fences,
its gold and scarlet delighting my senses,
his song piercing miasma o' reverie,
awakening the past, the shadow of memory

of years gone by, of years gone past,
of time that has run, away so fast,
a time when sadness had not yet intruded,
a time i lived, myself secluded

a time i passed through wild fields,
in morn of golden sunshine,
when rays of happiness pierced the shields
o' corporeal, to reveal the divine,

there in thickets, oblivious to man,
sings the goldfinch as only he can,
with black and red and beige of royalty,
as corporal general dressed flamboyantly

unaware of its own grandeur
twittering as skilled raconteur,
he ruled the air of my school days
and to this day sends forth his rays
miasma
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
173 · Apr 2022
Human horses
David R Apr 2022
there he lay
at bottom of pit
eating hay
combined with spit

said i to he
"what did you do
for this cruel fate
to be meted you?"

"i was cerebral,"
he grunted back
"i had no heart
for those who lack"

i lived my life
engrossed in brain
no time for strife
for others' bane

it seems in heaven
they want the heart
so hay i'm given
like horse o' cart

i'm being shown
i was just like a steed
cos i never owned
one heartfelt deed
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#cerebral
173 · Feb 2022
G-d's spirituality
David R Feb 2022
the bloom of a flower
nine months in coming
in heavenly shower
heavenly stunning

a new life in arms
celestial charms
life elixir
in innocent peer

feel immortality
shake hands with mortality
the ongoing chain
through birth of wee bairn

though memory's failing
red cheek's paling,
youth's gone a-sailing
libido's ailing

this newborn vitality
overrides mortality
its individuality
is G-d's spirituality.
173 · Apr 2021
Uncommon Bloom
David R Apr 2021
There once was a rare flower
A bloom that flourished in shade
Few could see its power
And that's how it might have stayed

For its planter derived pleasure
From floweret's love for obscurity
And as a golden treasure
Delighted in the bud's soft purity

but within the perennial's gene
there was a cancerous spot
a desire to be known as queen
to be recognised and not forgot

so there came a well-meaning person
who beheld the bloom's beauty
and opened it up to light and sun
thinking he was doing his duty

he wished all to benefit from its sweetness
all be blest by its aroma
for he'd not appreciated its discreetness
true secret of its persona

for the secret of its pulchritude
of its grace and its allure
was its modesty in its attitude
which kept it chaste and good and pure

and so the flower that once was
a bloom of rarefied scent
withered because of one faux-pas
and its own malcontent.

many a winter and summer passed
since the flower had stopped blooming
as by-and-by it became overcast
other foliage, it subsuming

but slowly within the darkness again
it awakened and started thriving
this time it'd learnt to contain
detrimental want and driving

to let its nature bloom 'n flourish
while none knew its charm 'n grace
and its concealment would it nourish
in its small secluded place

for there are souls destined 'n made
to act as king or queen or ruler
whilst others must act within the shade
'n thus know their loving Jeweller

As car must have a steering wheel
an axle, brakes and engine
as a person has a heart and a heel
a brain, veins and tendon

so the world of souls contains
the hidden and the visible
and this world has many planes
of Unity indivisible

each soul is perfect and complete,
with radiance incomparable
and no soul need with other compete
for its uniqueness irreplaceable.
BLT's Merriam-Webster Word of The Day Challenge
#pulchritude
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