March 2017's Showcase For P H Poets With B I G ….C H A N G E S From Previous Months …[read The Explanation In My Intro-Poem Which Follows; Thanks; Whole Or Partial Poems] Poem by Bri Edwards

My Dear Showcase-Readers, I, Bri, have made a change in format, HUGE.
I hope, with irate messages from YOU, I don't become flooded aka deluged!
Due to constraints on my time here in RAINY northern California these days ….
AND to the idea of saving readers some time perhaps, I'm changing my ways.

NO! NOT my ways of eating, sleeping, or brushing my 'what's left-of-my-teeth'! !
I'm trying a new method of displaying many a poem adorned with a laurel leaf**, ..................
.....(to 'wax poetic') .

**[[In the Greco-Roman world, wreaths were used as an adornment that could represent a person's occupation, rank, their achievements and status. The wreath that was commonly used was the laurel wreath. ……credit goes to Google]]

Instead of a ‘monthly' showcase divided into three 'sections', A, B, and C, …………
I'm trying something which I hope pleases both you, the Reader, and (of course) ME!
I may still have over 30 poets represented in the monthly exposition on my PH site,
but for many of them I plan to show only key parts, to save space BUT whet your appetite.

This new-to-all-of-us arrangement is open for discussion, BUT let's not be virulent! ! !
There should be no need to turn against ‘little old me', ok! ? Don't YOU become violent! !

For SHORT poems i.e. haikus plus other poems of ………………..maybe 20 lines or less,
I'll probably publish the poems in their entireties. But for poems which don't ‘know how to rest' ….
I'll try to give parts which I think represent the poems, allowing you to decide to go OR not …
to the poems' pages on the poets' sites on PoemHunter. When there, perhaps you may jot …
comments that the poets will receive on their PH sites, rather than having them come to me,
[[though I don't mind Readers sending me comments on the Showcase's page. You are free ….................
and welcome to do so! ! ! ]]

p.s. (another important change in my methods)

To give me more freedom to gather poems from PoemHunter poets far and wide, …
I plan to search out ‘good' poems and ‘borrow' them to place in a showcase ‘ride'.
I'll inform poets, when possible, that I'm taking a copy, AND I may use them all 'as is'.
This may result in more poems being used that I think are not ‘perfect'. That's my ‘biz' …
aka Bri's business to deal with.


(February 26,2017)

*****TO LOCATE FUTURE SHOWCASES ON PH, SEARCH FOR poems whose titles begin with a MONTH and YEAR.

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If you are unfamiliar with my/our 'showcases' and wish to find out more about it/them, PLEASE go to previous months' showcases, some of which are listed as 'poems' beginning with the word: 'Section'.

For now, I shall limit each poet to one poem per monthly showcase [even if I know that the poet has two PH sites, using different names].

bri :)

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What follows is the complete [or under-construction] MARCH 2017 showcase.

It first gives [[usually in the chronological order in which I obtained the poems]] the poet names and the titles of their poems.

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THE POETS AND THEIR POEM TITLES: (I'll try to put about 30 poems by 30 poets in this list)

1 - Bri Edwards

The Real Snail Mail … [ Medium length; Animal Kingdom; Copyright Law? ; To Whom It May Concern; Humor? ]

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2 - Lora Colon

This Much I Know

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3 - Rod Mendieta

Fortress

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4 - Tom Billsborough

Portrait Of A Lady

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5 - Loke Kok Yee

A Nightjar in My Garden

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6 - Brian Johnson

[see #6 below]

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7 - Della Perry

Love Bomb

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8 - Clarence Prince

Writing Battlefields!

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9 - Lynn Petty

A Madonna In Pain

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10 - Kim Barney

I Don't Care

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11 - Judith Blatherwick

This Hall Of Smoke And Mirrors

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12 - Elena Plotkin

Banana

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13 - Ruth Walters

Balls

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14 - Melvina Germain

To Whom It May Concern

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15 - Diane Hine

Getting Old - Good Morning

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16 - Wes Vogler

Police Stations Down At The Pier

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17 - Kelly Kurt

Gourd Dog

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18 - Bharati Nayak

Earth-2

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19 - Madathil Rajendran Nair

Over The Bamboo Fence

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20 - Annette Aitkens

To Be...

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I SHALL PAUSE FOR A WEEK OR SO (i think) AFTER I HAVE FILLED THE 20TH SLOT
WITH THE 20TH POEM FROM 20 POETS.

Then i believe i shall continue, unless there is an OUTCRY from the PH members
asking me to stop forever!

bri :)

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21 - Douglas Scotney

Souvenir

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22 - Elisabeth Anne Wingle

The Maddening Sadness

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23 - Akhtar Jawad

A Broken Doll

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24 - Beach Girl

Sand In My Toes

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25 - Brian Mayo

Wild Poppy

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26 - Valsa George

A Lament

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27 - Daniel Brick

Washing The Baby

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28 - Eugene Levich

Tragedy And Comedy

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29 - Is It Poetry

How Does A Good Modern Poet Survive

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30 - Kanav Justa

D For Dog

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31 - Lyn Paul

Scar

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32 - Savita Tyagi

Random Thought Xxvll

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this MIGHT be the ending of March showcase. maybe. i think it is long enough!
NO. at least one more:

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33 - John Westlake

025. The Tornado

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34 - Darlene Walsh

Winter's Heart

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35 - Darwin Henry Beuning

'Puff' - Vietnam War Song

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Then I list [[usually in REVERSE-chronological order of when I obtained the poems]] the poets names [again! ] and the titles and texts [[OR partial texts]] of the poems.

This first month of my new format I start with one of my poems which is NOT SHORT, but which I have shortened to show only selected [by Bri, me] lines. I plan to usually include the first and last stanza of each 'longer' poem, and other selected lines which come between the 1st and last stanzas of the poem.

If the selected parts are of interest to you, you may search for the poem within the PH system, using the Search Box on another PH page to find the complete poem.

Good Luck! !

As mentioned above, the 'longer' poems will be shortened by me, Bri Edwards.

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THE POETS AND THEIR POEMS: (I'll try to put about 30 poems by 30 poets in this list)
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45 - by Darwin Henry Beuning


'Puff' - Vietnam War Song

Being here in Nakhon Sawan
Has brought back memories
Time spent in 'Nam'
And a tune going around

'Puff the Magic Dragon'
Sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary
Same tune, 'Nam' words

'Puff the Magic Buddhist
knelt down in the street
And covered himself with kerosene
From his head to his feet'

'People gathered from miles around
To see the mighty flash
As, Puff the Magic Buddhist
Turned into an ash'

Forgive me father
For I have blood on my hands

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34 - by Darlene Walsh


Winter's Heart

My heart is filled with winter
And love can never again enter
Forever more I shall be a lamenter
Only pain has been left as my center

I dared to believe that dreams come true
The moments it lasted were just a few
It was gone in a instant like sun on the dew
For just the briefest of time we were two

The evening sky was obsidian blackness
December's cold was showing its hardness
I thought my love was safer than any fortress
Life has again shown itself to be heartless

A knock at the door and life came to an end
At first I thought, 'It must be a friend.'
At the sight of the badge, my heart did rend
Into darkness I did quickly desend

The words they spued I just couldn't bear
How long did I just stand there and stare
Till the words sank in and became a nightmare
I think I collapsed but I was no longer aware

My dream ended that obsidian night
All that was joy became grim blight
It was the end of all delight
Life me hit again with spite

I thought life had begun
Now all was done
Nowhere to run
I was undone

Nightmare
Unfair
Fear
Tear

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Poet's Notes:

Poem about the moment the police came to my door,
and informed me my husband died in a car accident.

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33 - by John Westlake


025. The Tornado

A tornado approaches the battle-scarred land
a sign of further destruction
its powerful winds
buffet the stubborn country

The land itself seems afraid
of the on coming storm
the earth seems to shake
as though begging to be saved

Houses are thrown like tennis balls
fences collapse like matchsticks
everything shudders
from heavenly vengeance

The rain pours down
hammering the battered land
the rivers burst their banks
causing mass flooding

The lightning streaks through the sky
illuminating the scene
the fires are soon raging
causing more chaos

The storm calms down
as though run out of energy
the debris falls
as the land becomes quiet again

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32 - by Savita Tyagi


Random Thought Xxvll

Old friends and old memories
Old cloths and old habits
Old habitats and old ways
Provide such comfort
Hard to let them go!

**********
Stop and go writing
Basketful of emotions
Scant time for sorting

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First strike and you get it right
You think it just happen might
But the period of trial and error
Is what we need to go through
And perfection becomes marrow.

**********
Time makes sense of every thing
Time makes every thing nonsense
Time leaves no remnant to collect.

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31 - by Lyn Paul


Scar

Sometimes we are punished for who we are
This can leave, a nasty scar
But it's trying to not take these words in
For you cannot choose your next of kin
You can choose though, Your solid ground
And turn your life, right around
There is new hope, Everyday
There always is, A better way
So get out there and think of you
Your life should never, ever be blue

Copyright reserved May 2014
LYN PAUL

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30 - by Kanav Justa


D For Dog

the way oh dear you wiggle your tail
the way you comely sit
i like the way you wet the poles
i like the way you shit

and your charming tongue that's always out
and ears that point the sky
when I see you next to me
every woe, they just all die

i love the way you dig a hole
i love the way you fall
i love you when you walk like us
i love you when you crawl

i trust you like a rising sun
i love you like a star
i know all words have failed to tell
what a lovely being you are

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29 - by Is It Poetry


How Does A Good Modern Poet Survive

The antagonist, some call them enimies,
Those that hold life and death in simple utterance.
Living for naught but their pleasure.
As we cover the earth to serve the rich,
Unruleable, except in life now when poet's die.
The beginner unable to contribute will soon give up.
Desire or ambition is no substitute for success.
Or those who teach English might hate it.
A naked piece of paper fully dressed left blank.
If all the worthless word's could fill a large dump,
Would you then speak different words that would say what?
When she was young, Maya Angelou, did the same things
People do to survive but you would lie.
But those few whom survive have survived by never having
To lie about what they've done.
In most marriages there is at least one prostitute, who gets
Up and goes to work.
Even if they being young have to work very late every night.

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Bri's Notes:

I have included this poem of my good friend, without any editing. I usually ask permission, and edit his a bit.
There are some misspellings. I 'help' some others with editing also.

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28 - by Eugene Levich


Tragedy And Comedy

Tragedy and Comedy
So intertwined!
We are born to die:
That is the tragedy!

But the playwright
Is a comic writer:
The Guy in the Sky-
And the Joke's on us!

But the funniest part
Is that most of Humanity
Doesn't get the joke—
That we're all actors
In a freaky comedy
Written on high.

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27 - by Daniel Brick


Washing The Baby

I kiss your sloppy hands
before I wash them.
You don't resist my care.
Instead your head falls back,
and a tiny yawn creases your cheeks.

Your eyes shut tightly,
and I wonder what they see
inside your head. Is there another
darkness there, different from the night?

Or do you see a light
that only children know,
a light so dim in me
it can no longer trick my eyes?

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26 - by Valsa George


A Lament

I know, I grow old….. I grow old
When silver threads peek in my head.
The flush on radiant cheeks wanes,
And a pallid tint creeps unseen.
Fading years have robbed the ardour
And a rigid sobriety sinks and settles.
I hear the howl of autumn winds,
That come to shake off the yellowing leaves.
Dragging tired feet through pavements
I try in vain to keep pace with the young.
Mind grows annoyed and distressed
As the bones beneath the skin go brittle.
The weary body spins rugged,
Like a rusted machine never overhauled.
The soul grows mutinous over things unknown
And reasons hard to trace.......!
There is a tumult in my silence
Like the undercurrents of calm waters.
Through miles on dreary miles of gloom
That stretch out before the eyes, endless,
Where can I find a quiet haven
To lower my burden and rest awhile?

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25 - by Brian Mayo


Wild Poppy

A man with a gun whispers
in a field of wildflower and tall grass.
I listen,
like skipping stones by moonlight.
I hear the last grain
rattle
and fall…
and hit bedrock.
Look for me after the rain
where the dirt road ends
and the trickle becomes a torrent.
Look for the wild poppy pushing through my ribs.

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24 - by Beach Girl


Sand In My Toes

Sand in my toes
Scorched burning feet
Ran to the water
Got outta the heat

White frothy waves
Crashed over my head
Began to feel naughty
Bandeau was soon shed

Fled to my beach towel
Was freezing to death
The cold blue Pacific
Does fill one with zest

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23 - by Akhtar Jawad


A Broken Doll

When someone broke my heart,
One never knew one was sitting in my heart,
I am not picking broken pieces of my heart,
I am picking pieces of someone,
Shall I succeed in joining the pieces,
I think I shall,
But the spots of the joints,
Will make the doll ugly,
And the doll would not like to see herself,
In a mirror any more.

(Being misbehaved by my sweetest child)

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22 - by Elisabeth Anne Wingle


The Maddening Sadness

I won't give in to the sadness,
Into the madness of my life.
I am filled with the sorrow,
Of no more tomorrows,
Living as man and wife.
The life I am living,
Is much more forgiving.
It doesn't weigh me down.
I feel as light as a feather,
Yet still on a tether.
Held by those, who would
Keep me aground.

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21 - by Douglas Scotney


Souvenir

A Robbie-lover
approached a friend
whose fear of reading Burns
was as full as it was
of reading French and poetry abstruse.

He read him in bed
'To Miss Ferrier',
about 'rhyme-inspiring lasses'.

He explained and translated the difficult bits,
and stressed the flow.
'To Miss Ferrier' lessened friendly fear.
Friend fared,
'I may even give abstruse a go.'

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I SHALL PAUSE FOR A WEEK OR SO (i think) AFTER I HAVE FILLED THE 20TH SLOT
WITH THE 20TH POEM FROM 20 POETS.

Then i believe i shall continue, unless there is an OUTCRY from the PH members
asking me to stop forever!

bri :)

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20 - by Annette Aitkens


To Be...

To strive,
to be the best you can be
to love harder than another
to be observant
to be cautious
to befriend
to be a powerful ally
for your happiness is
my happiness
for life can be
sometimes all or nothing.

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19 - by Madathil Rajendran Nair


Over The Bamboo Fence

We looked at each other
Over the bamboo fence
As the east wind shook
The trees to get hold
Of the full moon trapped between their trunks
Like a recalcitrant boy
Playing with his toys

Two hours yet to go
Before the sun rose
Your eyes then shone like stars
And I stood watching them
Across the fence
Uttered not we a word
But yet said all that there was to be said

Thank you for that memory, dear
Every time the trees capture the moon
In their swaying hold
I see your smiling face
And the stars shining in your eyes
No matter where you are now
Dead or alive
Oh, do lovers ever die?

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18 - by Bharati Nayak


Earth-2

How terrible will it feel
If blue seas vanish
Leaving there only craters deep!

What an ugly look will it be
If we do not find
Fluffy clouds floating
Nor the joyous birds flying?

Where will go the lions
Monkey and bear
If there are no forests?
What shall we drink
If all rivers dry
Or the skies have no clouds to bless?

How dark will it be
If from this earth
All colors are wiped
Leaving only a color black?

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17 - by Kelly Kurt


Gourd Dog

Desert honeydew farm was sheer folly
Its failure left Blue less than jolly
He cannot be cheered up
Cause this downhearted pup
Is a Mojave Melon Collie

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16 - by Wes Vogler

Police Stations Down At The Pier

The toilets have been stolen, I fear,
From police stations down at the pier.
What a distraction!
Oh such inaction!
They've nothing to GO on, I hear.

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15 - by Diane Hine


Getting Old - Good Morning

When Jack or Jill awaken
a prod assures they're unforsaken
because it's silly to make two cups
of tea, if one is unpartaken.

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14 - by Melvina Germain


To Whom It May Concern

Once you reach the peak of the mountain where narcissism abides, it's almost impossible to go back. After all you've stepped up the ladder all the way, climbed that mountain to the top, you jumped over all obstacles and buried some along the way, you danced around love breaking hearts with ever step. You crushed many spirits never looking back to say, I'm sorry and you walked cool in your three piece suit with a smile etched on your face never giving a thought to true beauty or the value of grace.

It never entered your mind that your aging years would come, with your body breaking down and no help from a bottle of wine, rum, whiskey or whatever it takes to soothe your soul. Alas flat-lined in a hospital room with onlookers waiting to see their piece of the pie and you still don't realize why no love is standing by...Melvina.....

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13 - by Ruth Walters


Balls

Pool balls, snooker balls, footballs, squash balls,
potting into pockets, kicking into goals.
Always out at matches, evenings, weekends
never any time for anything but balls.

Ball gowns, prom gowns, high heels, baubles,
tripping into town to have a ball.
Ogling big balls, hard thighs, cute guys
but they're so very busy in the snookers halls.

I don't care for ball games, big frames, speed pool,
I just dig old school, neck ties, so cool,
seems I'm very square now, not round or spherical
for I prefer red roses and the rest is balls.

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12 - by Elena Plotkin


Banana

I grew up with a bunch of others,
Just me with my sisters and brothers.
When I was younger, I was green and tough,
But as I grew older, I discovered life could be rough.
I changed and grew softer, some called me yellow.
But I was no coward, just a very cautious fellow.
Because where I come from you never know the day,
That your whole family gets eaten or just carted away.

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Elena's Poet's Notes:

(C) 2013 Copyright Elena Plotkin

Please see my other fruit poems 'Orange' and 'Grape'.

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11 - by Judith Blatherwick


This Hall Of Smoke And Mirrors

High up in the Dark Tower
Lies a bitter, fearsome place.
A room where joy and happiness
Are lost. They leave no trace.

In this Hall of Smoke and Mirrors
Nothing's ever as it seems.
Forces work together
Wrenching nightmares from your dreams.

Enemies turn into friends,
And friends become your foes.
Where should you choose to place your trust?
Quite honestly, who knows.

The atmosphere is smokey,
Hiding treachery from view.
With everything distorted
There is little you can do.

Mirrors there will show you
Just a bitter, twisted face.
Contorted with unhappiness,
Revealed in this cruel place.

A single step inside this room
And surely you'll be lost.
Addicted to its mystery,
But it comes at a cost.

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10 - by Kim Barney


I Don't Care

My head is bald,
but I don't care.
I'm not so tall,
but I don't care.

I'm overworked
and underpaid.
It's been ten years
since I got

sick, and my boss says
'That don't count a lick! '

I'm disapproved,
misunderstood,
have all that's bad
and nothing good.

I am so ugly
that I find
that parents shove
their kids behind
their backs to keep
me from shocking
them to sleep.

And then those parents
stand and stare
but I don't care.

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9 - by Lynn Petty


A Madonna In Pain

Did you see her expression, this Madonna in pain,
With face upturned in divine beauty?
Did you see her eyes overflowing with anguish?
So fragile was her expression, I was moved to grieve her grief.
Did you see her folded hands in supplication?
An appeal to a higher eminence that was as reverent, pure, and serene
As the light of dawn shining through the dusk of morning.
As I drifted far into her dreamy depths I had the feeling
All around me of religious tranquility.
There was in her a substance so solemn and striking
Yet, more brilliant than any words could dare to express.
There was a beauty of holiness, an aureole, that transfixed her;
A majesty of suffering virtue, a radiance of her religious convictions
That quickened my ardent faith in the future of our nation.
My soul sighed and found its rest.

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8 - by Clarence Prince


Writing Battlefields!


When on writing battlefields
Where words run for shield
When writers look for speed
Will one writes a good read?
Perhaps, one could indeed!
If there is a fair need

On writing battlefields
On foot or on wheels
Over lands or over seas
On your own do something?
Write something to read
On writing battlefields

If your mind is like mine
If you like passing time
If you have nothing to hide
If you should need a guide
On writing battlefields
Fight on the winning side

Wait until the time's right
When the day gives its light
With using your insight
Writing will be a delight
On writing battlefields
Fight on the winning side.

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7 - by Della Perry


Love Bomb


Wow, you are the bomb
You attack my senses
You charge my soul
When you're near I'm set on fire
You are the bomb
I'm bombarded with love
I'm blitzed with emotions
You are explosive
You are my love bomb!

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Bri's Note:

I used this in November 2015 also

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6 - by Brian Johnson

The poem which once graced this showcase spot...
has been withdrawn by its author. I kid you not!

bri: (

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5 - by Loke Kok Yee


A Nightjar in My Garden

Weeding my garden while the weather was nice
A rustling of dead leaves; a pleasant surprise
Was almost unseen; this raptor of the night
Frozen with terror and ready to take flight

A nightjar with chicks in my garden I found
Her presence unknown until she made a sound
Well camouflaged for predators to confound
Perfectly they blended into the background

Not a single twitch even as I moved near
Just a pounding heart filled with terror and fear
Her chicks unconcerned, seemingly in good cheer
Too young to know for their vision being blear

Patiently she waits for the end of the day
Then takes to the sky and with her kind she'll play
Drifting in silence she will hunt for her prey
And appease her chicks with fruits of her foray

Soon the chicks will fledge and in the air will sail
Without a shadow, floating o'er hills and vales
Thriving on the bounty that nature avails
And bring forth new life for their kind to prevail

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4 - by Tom Billsborough


Portrait Of A Lady

A shade in shadow, her face sallow,
Her lips tight drawn,
She sits alone
And glances through the window
At the corner of the bar.
Far distant thunder clouds
Compose a gathering storm
And the first drop of rain
Slides down the window pane.
A tear forms and then another
And reaching her decision,
She switches off the electricity of anger.
She rises from her seat
Into a loveless future, knowing
She has failed to countenance
This final act of his betrayal.
The rain begins to fall
As she heads home,
Now firm in her resilience.

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3 - by Rod Mendieta


Fortress

Yours is wondrous Poetry
Laden with the ripe fruits of emotion,
The lustrous layers of your longing.
One should only very carefully tread
Upon the suburbs of your frock
For your heart's sluices grow restless,
And the white waters will sweep away
All but the wariest onlooker.

Wish I could open up my heart
And let it pour itself out in a poem,
Unabashedly, unfettered like yours,
But my poetry is barren and bleak,
Stale concoction in the recesses of the brain,
For I dwell stubborn in a Fortress,
Content with merely hurling snippets
Of cerebral musings over the battlements.

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2 - by Lora Colon


This Much I Know

Soon the sun will set in this valley
Where I've roamed for many a year,
So many questions left unanswered,
So many answers remain unclear;
And others will ask what has been asked before,
But this much I know: I'll ask no more

[I skip 10 lines]

This frame will dissolve into the soil
To nourish the worms and green things,
And flowers and birds will take delight,
Uncomprehending the gifts death brings;
And life will continue the same as before,
But this much I know: I'll be no more

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1 - by Bri Edwards


The Real Snail Mail … [ Medium length; Animal Kingdom; Copyright Law? ; To Whom It May Concern; Humor? ]


To Whom …..at US Postal Service …….it may concern:
At a board meeting I was recently troubled to learn …..
that you've gotten credit for creating 'Snail Mail'.
Please cease and desist, …..'or else'……, without fail!

[I skip 10 lines here]

You have trucks, and planes for Express mail shipment.
We snails have no such fancy and expensive equipment,

[skip 2 lines]

Oh, yes, we have perfected the REAL Snail Mail!
We may be slow, but our carriers RARELY do fail ……..
to deliver! !

[skip 6 lines]

Sincerely,
Slippery Sam Slug
Chief Legal Counsel
United Snail and Slug Postal Service

(December 14,2015)

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Thanks, Readers and contributors, for your assistance in....
(hopefully) making the MARCH 2017 'Showcase' a success!

:) bri edwards

[[aka Brian Edward Whitaker (in the 'Real World') ]]