February 2019 Showcase Of Poems From Here & There …[ Sharing Poem Hunter Poems With You! ; Topics Are: " Lonely "& "Butterfly" & Assorted Others ] Poem by Bri Edwards

February 2019 Showcase Of Poems From Here & There …[ Sharing Poem Hunter Poems With You! ; Topics Are: " Lonely "& "Butterfly" & Assorted Others ]

When I have had ‘bad words' with the one I dearly Love,
thoughts of loneliness may {at my injured mind} Shove,
depressing my usually-contented outlook on my Life.
Yes, I may begin to doubt my future with my Wife!

But time, patience and a "sorry" does Improve
my lonely thoughts, and even them Remove!

I'm sure there are "lonely times" for all of Us,
Some‘horrible' and some ‘not much Fuss'.

I hope these poems, your moods, do Improve,
and, if not, from them you should Remove ……
Yourself!

Seek out other poems, more Uplifting,
while through PH you go on Sifting.

For most tomorrow holds Promise:
A chance for something Nice,
like Cream, first name: Ice.

(January 2019)


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I hope you are all enjoying (as much as is appropriate)
the New Year, no matter when you celebrate it.

Most of the following poems were found by me in PH's lists of poems
with topics "lonely" and "butterfly". I liked (enough)the ones I chose.
but I did NOT read all the choices.
AND...
I seriously do NOT recommend all of PH's choices!In fact, if I had My Way,
I'd erase many of PH's choices and put in ones I'd write to replace them!
Ha ha.


THE POETS & THEIR POEMS:

A -9 POEMS with the topic: "LONELY"


1 -Lonely Is Just One Word - Poem by Mary Havran

Lonely Is Just One Word


Lonely is just one word chosen to represent so much
To tell of feelings inside that the senses cannot touch

Lonely can be in the teardrops on a bereaved person's cheek
Lonely can be in the silence of sorrows too deep to speak

Lonely can haunt a deserted room that Laughter once made proud
Lonely surrounds you when you're alone or finds you in a crowd

Lonely is heard in echoed footsteps of a departing friend
Lonely penetrates the solitude of nights that will not end

Lonely will not listen to the pleadings of a broken heart
Lonely stays and torments until new Love shatters it apart


Mary Havran

[[ Bri's Note:This poem I found in the current list of PH poems with the topic "lonely". ]]

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2 -O So Lonely - Poem by Cecelia Weir

O So Lonely


O So Lonely
Are the days gone by.
When others enter your life
Then you push them by.

O So Lonely
When you were in control.
To love them or leave them
You were ever so bold.

O So Lonely
While you sit alone.
No one is there
To make your house a home.

O So Lonely
After all the hearts you break.
Did you ever think it was you
Who you'd really forsake?

O So Lonely
When life was just a dare.
You didn't take time to love
You didn't try to care.

O So Lonely
Have you learned the rule?
That its not just about you
But it does take two.

O So Lonely
Why sit and contemplate?
While others enjoy life
Its never too late.
Cecelia Weir

[[ Bri's Note:"its" & "Its" should be "it's" & "It's".:) ]]

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3 -Lonely Cowboy - Poem by Scarlett Treat

Lonely Cowboy


It's been another long day
in the saddle, and
my back and my butt
both hurt.

Cattle millin' and
dust a'rising,
ropin' and draggin' and brandin'
make a long day's work.

So the campfire looks good,
with coffee bubblin' away,
and the food, and my blanket
are a'callin' to me.

But when I lie down,
before I close my eyes,
I long for home fires,
and my bed, and you.

Scarlett Treat

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4 -Lonely - Poem by Chloe Smith

Lonely

I stand alone in darkness,
A rose held in my hand,
The wind rustles in the trees,
As it sweeps across the land.

I wait for your arrival,
I hope it will be soon,
I want to dance with you again,
By the light of the silver moon.

And though you do not miss me,
I hope you won't forget,
That the little girl you left alone,
Will grow stronger yet.

I hear your footsteps on the ground,
Have you come back for me?
You take the rose from my hands,
And throw it in the sea.

You sneer at me for waiting,
What a pathetic thing to do,
"How could you believe, " you hiss at me,
"I'd love a thing like you? "

Chloe Smith

[ Bri's Note:While there is something pathetic and saddening about
the flower-bearer's plight, I also could not help but inwardly chuckle at the last two lines.;
Yes, I know I have a different sense of humor than some do!My advice to the "little girl": Look Somewhere Else! ]

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5 -Like Crusoe, Walking By The Lonely Strand - Poem by Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Like Crusoe, Walking By The Lonely Strand

Like Crusoe, walking by the lonely strand
And seeing a human footprint on the sand,
Have I this day been startled, finding here,
Set in brown mould, and delicately clear,
Spring's footprint- the first crocus of the year!
O sweet invasion! Farewell solitude!
Soon shall wild creatures of the field and wood
Flock from all sides with much ado and stir,
And make of me most willing prisoner!

Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1837-1907)

[ Bri's Note:This is my favorite so far! ]

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6 - A Lonely Horse - Poem by Marilyn Lott

A Lonely Horse

I'm out in the field
Roaming the vast prairie
Waiting for somebody
To come and visit me

Occasionally I'll see
A car or truck around
I'm stand here just waiting
In my deserted prairie ground

I'm quite a handsome fellow
Just look here for yourself
Sometimes I feel my owner
Has put me on the shelf

I'm good for many things
I could win as a show horse
If someone only entered me
Into a show of course

But pretty soon I know
The kids will come on by
Visit me and ride me
And on my back they'll fly!

Marilyn Lott

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7 -A Lonely Cloud.....[ Nature Observation; Humor] - Poem by Bri Edwards

A Lonely Cloud…..[ Nature Observation; Humor ]

A Lonely Cloud

I saw a lonely cloud one day.
It looked small beyond the Bay.
I tried to find a second and failed,
even though I looked each way.

Think of it! A single cloud.
Its loneliness spoke to me aloud.
I wonder how it felt up there.
Was it very proud?

A rarity I think it was;
like an active bee with no buzz;
like a single potato chip;
like a peach skin with no fuzz.

Like one firefighter at a fire;
a solitary pigeon on a wire;
a Facebook member with no 'friend';
a single member in a choir.

It's like an Easter basket with one egg;
a basketball star with one leg;
me with just one word to say;
a fraternity party with just one keg.

I guess you've come to realize by now
that when I saw that cloud I thought 'Wow! '.
If I'd been Adam, with Eve at my side,
to that small distant cloud I might bow.

(August 2012)
Bri Edwards
[ Bri's Note:Every time I read a poem by Mr. Edwards, a chill runs up and down my spine! ! ! !]
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8 -Alone With Myself - Poem by valentin savin

Alone With Myself

Today I've looked at myself,
And seen that I'm someone else.
A shrunken and wrinkled ELF
Taken from the darkest shelf.
The better half of my life's gone
I stay between twilight and dawn.
All seems gone and nothing left,
I'm a loser, my Sun bereft.
Alone in my gloomy room,
I'm waiting for the day of doom.
I'm hearing nothing, but silence,
I can't tolerate the defiance.
With a sorrow in my breast
I hope all ends for the best.

Let others fight and fuss
There's nothing left to discuss.
My earthly life quickly burns down.
The last day and the last candle,
All's gone and no way to handle.
What a dark night - still and void.
All illusions and hopes destroyed.
I beg to forgive me and forget.
Someone took my arm: "Not yet! ".

valentin savin

[ Bri's Note: I changed "looser" to "loser"!Hee-hee
My friend, Val, offered this (and others)when I informed
him of my use of ‘lonely' poems for February.Thanks, Val! ]

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And from the PH ‘queen' of LONELINESS:
9 -A Long And Lonely Night - Poem by Lora Colon

A Long And Lonely Night


My eyes grow accustomed to the dark,
Then my loneliness ignites a spark;
I poise my pen and begin to write:
"Once upon a long and lonely night....."

With such ease the words begin to flow,
Like the rush of Springtime's melting snow,
Too often these words have framed my plight,
Detailing each long and lonely night

What if my story were told in song -
Would anyone dare to sing along?
Somehow, these sad words, though frayed and trite,
Get me through each long and lonely night

As the clock announces each grim hour,
The moon watches from his lonely tower;
Like a sweet embrace he lays his light
Over me each long and lonely night

Thank you, dear friend, for sharing my pain
When the torment's too hard to sustain;
Ah, for mortal arms to hold me tight,
And dispel each long and lonely night!

In some distant tree a nightbird cries
His sad anthem to the darkening skies;
As the sun declines, all hope takes flight......
Just another long and lonely night

Lora Colon

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B -4 POEMS with the topic: "BUTTERFLY"
1 -Butterfly - Poem by Ken Bennight

Butterfly

You're pathetically ugly,
that's what they all say.
As they frolic together,
in the summer and play.
And I'm all alone,
all by myself.
Here in my tree,
with nobody else.
But the jokes on them,
and soon they will see.
All of this beauty,
that lives inside me.
For my time will come,
and some day real soon.
When I step outside,
of my self woven room.
In my beautiful colors,
so pleasing to eyes.
Kaleidoscopical beauty alive in the sky...K


Ken Bennight

[ Bri's Note:I changed "thats" to "that's" in line 2.Some would use "someday", not "some day", but I'll ‘allow' either here! ]

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2 -Butterfly, The Creature Of Change And Survival - Poem by Aisha Sherazi

Butterfly, The Creature Of Change And Survival

grow,

I struggle,
I am not nurtured,
Nor cared for,
I learn the harsh lessons,
Of Life,
Alone.

Then,
Satisfied in my growth,
Having learnt my lessons,
I gain maturity,
I am ready,
For change.

I build walls,
Around myself,
To protect,
This change,
For change I must.

I hang,
Waiting patiently,
Change must occur,
For what else is left?

I push now,
I am impatient,
I have waited,
Long enough,
It is time.
I'll show this world,
That I can survive.

One side of me,
Is exposed to the world,
Then another,
Slowly at first,
For I do not wish to shock,
Only to dazzle.

Released am I,
Free,
Free to show myself,
In all my glory,
In all my splendor.

For I have changed,
I am now,
Who I'm meant to be,
I am finally me.

So, fear not change,
It comes naturally,
Be brave,
Learn well,
And when,
The time comes,
Be free.

Aisha Sherazi

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3 - The Butterfly - Poem by Not Long Left

The Butterfly


there was once a beautiful butterfly,
it would flutter its perfectly patterned,
wings high in the blue open sky.
every other butterfly would cry out,
'how pretty you are'
and even from afar only he was seen,
delicately dancing in the breeze.
yet this poor butterfly was not at ease.
it was lonely for its beauty isolated it,
alone it would fly alone it would cry,
butterfly tears dropping down upon,
the jealous land below.
even with its beauty,
it was not happy,
and craved to return to its original self,
a catterpillar, anomonoyous and free
from natures vanity.
and so one day it flew away from
its little leaf,
to find the forest queen,
and enable its dream of exceptance
come true.
after many miles of blue sky,
the butterfly came to the forests queen tree,
after hearing the butterfly's plea,
the queen grantted its anomonity,
and the butterfly was free,
for it was now a catterpillar,
and as it crawled away,
slowly,
a beetle said hello,
and a ant said hello,
and the catterpillar cried
catterplillar tears of happiness.
Not Long Left

[ Bri's Note:There are ‘serious' spelling errors/typos in the poem, but I am very attracted to the story & its telling."Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" some have said.Others have said "Beauty is only skin-deep."And ‘perceived-by-others-or-by-self-beauty' also can have positive &/or negative impact on the one considered ‘beautiful'. ]
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4 -Once You Touch A Butterfly - Poem by gershon hepner

Once You Touch A Butterfly

Once you touch a butterfly
it often, flustered, fails to flutter,
and cannot soar into the sky
without a sputter and may splutter,
because for butterflies the touch
of humans, friend or enemy,
can be calamitous, the clutch
of humankind's hegemony.

When touching those whom we befriend,
no less than those whom we betroth,
we must take care lest we offend,
for, whether butterfly or moth,
the ones for whom we care may find
it hard to soar if we should brush
the dust, though trying to be kind,
from wings that, having touched, we crush.


8/3/00
gershon hepner

[ Bri's Note:I DID look up "splutter" & "sputter" and they have about identical definitions; each also is used as either a noun or a verb.Hegemony, in this context, may mean "control" or "dominance", etc. ]

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I give up on finding poems I like about butterflies!They
are just fancy flies.Why bother with them when I know I have many poems about various topics in my list of favorite
PH poems, many written by my PH ‘Friends'? ? ?

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From MyPoemList of ‘favorites' on PH:

1 -Summer In My Brain - Poem by Valsa George

Summer In My Brain


Summer like an eagle has swooped down
Under its tearing claws, the Earth shrieks and groans
The days and nights breathe out the stench of dribbling sweat
Roads rage and roofs steam like an overly heated pan

The midday Sun flares right overhead
Spitting fumes and fire all around
The Earth lies scorched under its burning breath
An oven pre heated, hot enough to grill and bake

Rivers and streams pant in wild unrest
Canals and cisterns lie distraught
Dry leaves in whirlwind swirl around
The fallowed lands yawn with mouths wide agape

From the woods, rise coils of sooty smoke
As the dried undergrowth burns in the forest fire
Sucking the last vestiges of grass and green
The flames of fire dance in wild ecstasy

Alas! The self same summer has barged into me
Burning outright all my unsung songs
In my ears echo the rustle of dried up thoughts
Which waggle round me like disembodied spirits

How I lament the loss of my lovely rhymes
As the ink in my pen also is drying up
Oh! I wish it were moistened by the waters of *Helicon
And like a stream, trickle down into the paper I hold!

Valsa George

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2 -A Cats Paw - Poem by Andy Brookes

A Cats Paw


It tickles my fancy watching the cat tickle fish, which reminds me of your fishing for compliments.
a complimentary book landed on the door mat.
pouncing on it like a cat, which strangely pounced on it too.
we tugged at war and wrestled each other, paper shredded.
who won I thought as I wandered into the kitchen in search of comfort and coffee.

You had left as usual with no goodbye.
all you'd left were coffee dregs, a metaphor for your thoughtlessness,
so we were coffee-less.
so off to the coffee house, not a house made of coffee but a sales outlet.

the drink was sharp and bitter which no amount of cream disguised.
when I get home as usual you had had all the cream.
me and the cat sulk in different corners,
like two boxers waiting for the bell to ring for the next round.

me because you've left your usual mess, the cat because you'd forgotten the kitty food again.
scrounging a tin of tuna from across the way, making a sandwich with stale bread.
I divide the fish between me and the cat, who though now fed, is still fed up and eyes my sandwich with beady thieving eyes.
I ignore her and she retreats with her familiar disdain.
is she your familiar? like some medieval witch.

Waiting for you to return, which I know,
and it's so annoying will return her purr.
all I get is the hackles and fur balls.
I who feed her, brush her and take her to the vet, she treats as an undervalued servant;
whilst you oh light of my light which I do not say lightly, do nothing for her, is treated to her affection.

She was my cat after all. but she only lights up in your presence.
so I'm off, in a huff, to the pub.

P.S your dinners in the cat.


Andy Brookes

[ Bri's Note:This has appeared in another year's showcase.I suggest "Cat's", not "Cats". :) Who leaves a complimentary ‘book' on a door mat?Oh, perhaps a telepone book? ]

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3 -Limerick: Bathroom Humor - Poem by Brian Mayo

Limerick: Bathroom Humor

The butt-wipe requires finesse
If it's to be deemed a success
One slip of the pinky,
Things quickly get stinky
And turn to a godawful mess.
Brian Mayo



[ Poet's Notes about The Poem
This was inspired by Kelly Kurt's limerick 'Bottom Line.']

[ Bri's Note:Don't ya hate it when ‘that' happens? ! ]

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4 -Thoughts Of A Touch - Poem by Khairul Ahsan

Thoughts Of A Touch



‘Keep in touch' - he said, before parting.
He didn't hold her hand, didn't embrace,
Just gave an innocent smile,
And a warm look in his sparkling eyes.

That was enough to make her want
To hear those words once more,
Once even more, and again and again
And connect with him, not merely by words.

Just those three words melted her heart
Lying in bed she dreamt of him, half asleep.
A touch was all she fancied in her thoughts
A touch was all she wanted all over her.




Khairul Ahsan,Copyright Reserved, Dhaka,03 January 2019
[ Bri's Note:Well, this is quite a different ‘touch' than the one mentioned in the last poem here! ]


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5 -She Said That I Was Funny - Poem by Randy McClave


She Said That I Was Funny


She said that I was funny
I wasn't trying to be,
Then that one hurtful remark
Brought me to my knee.
I had worked so very hard
As though she had inspired,
Then she gave me her response
But, not the one that I had desired.
I wrote with a divine feeling
As though she was my muse,
I was excited, happy and infatuated
My words and my soul did fuse.
I then looked upon my thoughts
The words that I had soulfully and passionately written,
Anguish and pain then came to my face
By a snake, I was seemingly bitten.
I wrote my words with an emotion
As those these words from a lover were spoke,
Her soul interpreted them differently
Was I then to her a joke.
I will not cut off a ear
To show the depression that she brought me,
She said that I was funny;
But, I wasn't trying to be.


Randy L. McClave

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6 -No More Camping - Poem by Tom Billsborough


No More Camping




One day,
My canvas tent,
It blew away.
I do not know to what ex-tent.
It briefly flapped like Hamlet's ghost,
Or mizzen sail,
Or some great sea-bird on the gale.
Camping was a sudden non-event.
A nearby stream now broke its bank
And I was stuck
And dank in clinging mud
Like some Jemima puddle duck.
That's why I left those poles apart,
And sodden sleeping bag.
I lit a fag
And then resolved to seek a life of leisure.
A great four-poster was my motto.
A warm bed leasuring my grotto,
And warmer ladies, to be sure.
Come on you Lizzies and you Sadies,
There's room enough for four.
No camping on a treacherous slope.
A horizontal dream is mine. And hope!

Tom Billsborough


[ Poet's Notes: Two sons of a friend pitched their tent advisedly on a slope and were hit by a flash flood. I might add that the nearest I came to camping was a Wigwam in the garden! ]
[ Bri's Notes:Tom, I think you did not mean "measuring", but neither "leasuring" NOR "liesuring" is allowed!Sorry! ! ! ]

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7 -A Room Full Of Tears - Poem by Lyn Paul


A Room Full Of Tears


As I stand in a room full of tears
At this Funeral today
Heartache
Just feeling your pain, Your loss
Yet amazingly
With this heartache
I feel, The Power of Love
Crying for open arms
The need to bond
To take over this unbearable pain
This pain that feels
It will never heal
How hard to bear this pain
Cry..Cry... Cry..
Never to understand... Just Why?
Why death? This loss. Just why?
As you share this pain
You open your heart for acceptance
In time along with healing, love & memories
Acceptance will grow....
Tears today, tears... for many days
In sunshine and in rain
I will not forget
This room full of tears



Copyright Reserved May 2014

Lyn Paul

[ Bri's Note:I changed "bare" to "bear".:) Now it agrees with "unbearable".
Please note the ‘copyright note from Lyn'.I don't know what it means, so i just ignore it.But I almost always leave a poet comment mentioning I'm taking a poem AND I'm prepared to delete it from showcase if i'm asked to.:) :)]

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This should ‘wrap up' the February 2019 showcase.
I hope you found some you enjoyed.Tell me what you think, or, better yet, go to the poet pages and tell the poets what you think.Be polite! !


Bri
aka Brian Edward Whitaker (in the "real world")

(:

See you in March? ? ?














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1st: North Carolina Notebook …[ About My Temporary Living Condition ]

Near two weeks it took to drive 3000 miles..
to stay in a barn with sheep, hens, & goats, NO smiles.
In the appalachian ‘hills' of Marshall N. Carolina ….
we're settled, ….on the opposite side of Earth from China.

About a week here, most hours spent in barn (converted) ,
‘twould seem at quick glance the hills are near-deserted,
as i think they've ‘always' been.There are no buildings TALL.
I've found pros & cons to now tell ya'll.

Most notably, and believe me this is surely a ‘con',
our composting toilet reminds me of a stinking pond.
Not meant for ‘two', it has some ‘maintenance' needs.
I'm about to go outdoors & poop in the weeds.

BUT that would be unfair to the two squat goats,
as I'm told they eat the weeds, not corn nor oats.
They also eat our kitchen fruit and veggie wastes,
while the plump-looking hens eat the egg shells post haste.

The bucolic scenes around ‘our' barn are some pros,
with hillside pasture, and tall trees through which wind blows.
Our rooms are finished & furnished with but minor glitches.
There may be barn ghosts, but no coven of witches.

Some rain has leaked, dripping through the old barn roof,
but our living quarters and we have been dry, ...PROOF …
that Carolina luck is with our stay, at least so far.
If "luck" changes, we hopefully can escape by car.

The driveways cuts uphill, a quarter mile through trees,
and i ‘pray' we never get hit or blocked by fallen ‘debris'.
There's evidence of smoke alarms where none now exists,
but if smoke chokes life from us, we'll not resist.

There are poisonous snakes, and ticks, but not this time of year.
Yet in a few months they may plague us ….if we're STILL here!
They ain't rattlesnakes who might give a warning, oh no,
but ‘Copperheads', with no ‘rattle'; one may strike a crippling blow.
AND ticks, those tiny, sneaky, sucking arthropods,
may be irritating, OR, at our health, be "at odds"
We've a few flies, mostly around (& "in"?)the rustic loo,
but they're sluggish [it's winter], and ….so far ‘but a few'.
We've ‘well water' and hope it keeps on flowing,
that the pump's electric source ain't hit by too much snowing.

I've got winter birds to watch; bluebirds were a surprise.
Plenty of low-traffic roads and paths can test my thighs.
My phone doesn't work here but "her's" does, at least!
My ‘' time is scarce, but I get some, NO feast.

Heavy snow came here, & left here, before us.It DID.
But there's still time to get a lot of snow again.I do not kid …
YOU!