An Ode to Wilfred Owen in the style of ‘Dulce et decorum est’ Knives carve off limbs, flesh torn, dangling, serrated,As skin mangled from claws on Christmas Turkey,In war cries, angry men’s lives are narrated,The line between liberation and invasion is ever murky,Boys with blood sullied hands grip hair on severed heads,Those that could haveContinue reading “Ode to Owen”
Category Archives: Poetry & Prose
Open Wound
Quadrille poem Past to the flames,Burn away,on the pyre,Intensifies in fire,Dancing behind eyes,Embers crack and fall,Turn to ash,Cauterise open wounds,Seal the tomb,Leave no name,There’s no blame,Just seared flesh,Wound with bandages, Of dreams and promise. Written for dVerses Quadrille Monday (its long been Tuesday here in Tasmania); create a poem in 44 words. Today we’re celebratingContinue reading “Open Wound”
Industrial Evolution
Chueh-chu poem Train tracks, Long since used, Steam trailed, Where steel cruised, Towns thrived, Lost to time, Bled raw, Till veins bruised, For self, Or for state, False wars, Need/greed fused, Strange suns, Host harsh boots In death, Black gold oozed. Chueh-chu is a Chinese form of poetry. For my first Chueh-chu, I decided toContinue reading “Industrial Evolution”
Smile
A Limerick and a Cinquain poem Limerick A Wife’s wisdom My wife had her wisdom tooth removed, Dinner of ice cream wisely approved, I wanted some quiet, I’m on a grief diet, Now she’s cold, but the mood has improved. (True story) Cinquain Humour – Laughter Therapy, Nourishing, Enhancing, Revitalising, Take “it” less seriously, ⁃Continue reading “Smile”
Plagued
Tanka Buried emotions,Mass casualties of a plague,In a shallow grave – The burden of humankind,Below the surface, rotting. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there. Reach out, let me know what you think in the comments, and of course, give me a follow for more – nice!Continue reading “Plagued”
Popcorn
Haiku Buttery popcorn – Melts into the crisp vistas Azureous bowl. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there. Reach out, let me know what you think in the comments, and of course, give me a follow for more – nice! https://nicecissist.blog Exploring mental and physical
Biblioklept
A poem Leather bound, ornate and well read,Her fingers kneaded the cover,Shes a faithful bibliophile,A collector and book lover,An impulse latched her true desire,Eyes scanned around, that which enticed,Casing the library, before,Furtively committing the heist,With a sly slight of hand she slipped,The book from table to pocket,A devious dart to the door,She was away likeContinue reading “Biblioklept”
Rebellious Annie
Flash Fiction Ten toes twitching with taut tremors like feeling tentacles. This is not poetry; this is hell. He collapsed backward, a laboured wilting of limbs and lifeforce, drew him to the earth. My eyes lined up with the soles of his feet, where his muscles spasmed with a last display of virility. “Coba lariContinue reading “Rebellious Annie”
Blue Planet
A poem in 15 couplets Violent storms savaged the vessel,In unyielding torrents, wrestle,My makeshift raft bobs on the swell,Bound for the inky depths of hell,Ship plunged down to the oceans deep,Hopes adrift, what fingers can’t keep,Indian Ocean, heavy hue,Swallowed up the souls of my crew,Woe! Beneath, water beats, fins peek,Despair lapping, over rolls, bleak,Wet cloth,Continue reading “Blue Planet”
Ruby
A memorial poem, for a cherished dog It’s been four years since my childhood companion passed away. I would like to share this poem I wrote for her. She deserves to be celebrated. For Ruby, Imperfectly perfect,Wrong, but just right,Long snout, bow legs, a nervous disposition,To shake without cause for fright,’Runt of the litter’,An easyContinue reading “Ruby”
The Hangman and the Heart
Flash Fiction I jostled for a pocket of airspace to observe – pried between shoulders of my ignoble peers, on tips of toes, peaking past plebeians. On tongues, the congested cobble stones roared with a frenzy at the culmination of the longest trial in the Shires history. The gallows stood stoically, silent, raised above theContinue reading “The Hangman and the Heart”
A Self Portrait
A poem I wrote during a delicate moment. It’s a big step to share this one. For those who wonder, I am in a better frame of mind now. We all have our ups and downs, though, some of us are just wired with more volatile fluctuations. I appreciate you… From my window I seeContinue reading “A Self Portrait”
The City
Tanka Light on dark waters -A network of sentience,Moving together,Individually felt,Two worlds, existing at once. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there. Reach out, let me know what you think in the comments, and of course, give me a follow for more – nice! https://nicecissist.blog Exploring mentalContinue reading “The City”
Deliberate
A poem Vicissitudes of fortune, Teased by reality, Youth wore a mask and cape, Flavour of mortality, I’m not superman, Pill of kryptonite a day, Swallowed with salt water, Gives the doctor their pay, Routine checkups, End up with a shackle, No meat on the bone, Been fed on by the jackal, Having desperate dilations,Continue reading “Deliberate”
Tessellated
Haiku Tessellating waves – Primordial masonry,Set by natures hands. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there. Reach out, let me know what you think in the comments, and of course, give me a follow for more – nice! https://nicecissist.blog Exploring mental and physical
Power to the Poet
A Fibonacci poem To Write As the Pen wishes No choice of dishes Politely eat what you’re given. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there. Reach out, let me know what you think in the comments, and of course, give me a follow for more – nice!Continue reading “Power to the Poet”
A Letter
A mirrored Fibonacci poem She writes a letter of goodbye, Seals it with a kiss, Tears fall down, But she’s, Now Free He Sees His name By her hand He already knows It’s not going to be good news. I mirrored a Fibonacci to create a syllable count of 8–5–3–2–1–1–1–1–2–3–5–8, to attempt to illustrate theContinue reading “A Letter”
Reality Hits
Palinode to “Dreaming High” Prelude: Dreaming HighMum, said I, can I fly, with the birds in the sky?Yes, you can, before sleep, flap your thoughts, take a leap…Dreamt of wings, woke in bed, feathers dense, guilt in lead.Mum, said I, when birds die, do they fall from the sky? Palinode: Reality HitsMum, said I, asContinue reading “Reality Hits”
Another Morning Star
A nonet poem She is at home in words not spoken,The silence comes with a cute pout,Her wrath is a morning star, Hot, fast, and short to last,Flickered from the past,Those twinkling eyes,Shine on me, Burning,Wrath, Written to contrast Morning Star, a poem about love. This is my second nonet; a nine lined poem withContinue reading “Another Morning Star”
A Queen
A ghazal poem My Queens hands which hold my heart squeeze tender,Whilst lips which taste your body please tender, Neck sweat, pepper and spice, busy laneways,The bazaar where merchants try seize tender,Sultry Arabian nights will shiver,At shaking limbs, trembling, moist, tease tender,Moon blushed pale, sharing soft tongues in the dark,Wolves howling, teeth on skin, easeContinue reading “A Queen”
Morning Star
A nonet poem She is at home on the battlefield, The shaft comes with a ball and chain, Her love is a morning star, Effective with blunt force, Causing great trauma, Spiked at the ends, Medieval, Brutal, Love. This is my first nonet; a nine lined poem with a syllable count that descends from 9Continue reading “Morning Star”
Lug the Legless
A narrative poem Prologue Forsaking I, to fend in the woods,Undertaking trials of great peril,Those Druid, beneath cloak and hood,Caste off to scavenge as a feral,I ran errands for my sacred leader,Listened at his feet as he versed,For my devotion, labelled a feeder,On a sacrifice of blood was cursed,Now, I crawl through the undergrowth,Bone ofContinue reading “Lug the Legless”
An Ugly Son #2
Short prose Find part 1 here Part 2 I thought he hated me because I was different, because the weeping, the laughter, the silence, of my three wretched faces, frightened him – appalled him – I was wrong. It was not that, it was how I so perfectly mirrored my mothers face, shifting, metamorphosing itselfContinue reading “An Ugly Son #2”
In the West
Quadrille poem He sat on his porch,From dawn till dusk,Chewed sunflower seeds,Spat out the husk,With that same ol’ sun,Nurturing yields,On the horizon, Tending the fields,The crop harvested,An empty chair,Sun sets in the West,Seeds in the air. My response to the prompt from dVerse. Quadrille Monday; create a 44 word poem, using the word “seed”. OriginalContinue reading “In the West”
An Ugly Son
Short prose Part 1 The words of my father whispered on the wind. An ugly son. Am I such a devil? Cold, stark pit of the night overtook the rattling tin of uninvited thoughts. I fell into slumber despite the thin layer of naked grasses piercing my back as rusted nails. The wind broke fromContinue reading “An Ugly Son”
Be the Dragon
Rhymed tanka Don’t try to please sheep,Be the Dragon of the keep, They stand, stare and bleat,Whilst your belly fills with meat,May your castle house riches. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there. Reach out, let me know what you think in the comments,Continue reading “Be the Dragon”
Calm Waters
Haiku Will of calm water -Exposes a sunken chest,Of inner treasures. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there. Reach out, let me know what you think in the comments, and of course, give me a follow for more – nice!Continue reading “Calm Waters”
Salt on the Path
Haiku Lingering snowfall,Fallen leaves of yesteryear -Salty stay the tears. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there. Reach out, let me know what you think in the comments, and of course, give me a follow for more – nice! https://nicecissist.blog Exploring mental and physical
Words of Winedom
Tanka Questioning your worth – When you feel the odd one out, Don’t sell yourself short,In the end, there’s only you,Choose people as you would wine. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there. Reach out, let me know what youContinue reading “Words of Winedom”
Wildlife
Wild and Free Versed The wildlife, don’t run in front of my wild-life, My wild wife, will give YOU trouble and strife,A cockney jingle, opposite words mingle,Leave this line single, Just because I can, Thoughtless cognition – a juxtaposition, My wild-life,Don’t run in front of my bees and honey, Keep that disposition sunny!For things willContinue reading “Wildlife”
Edge of the world
Haiku Edge of the day…The edge of the bay,Mountain view, so far away -Reminds me of you.Edge of the world,Tasmania. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there. Reach out, let me know what you think in the comments, and of course, give me a follow forContinue reading “Edge of the world”
Electric Seahorse
A narrative poem I won an electric seahorse,From Gypsies at the fair,A Roma women sung to me,Behind onyx black hair,“Born to be free,Over thunderous waves,Roamed happily,Till mans reins did enslave,Caught in a net,Lost upon foreign lands, Now, he’s your pet,Thus fate rests in your hands”Homeward my electric seahorse,To drop it in the tank, It gallopedContinue reading “Electric Seahorse”
Gumtrees
Haibun Van rolling to a gentle stop, not in a hurry, handbrake on, door opens – met by zesty breeze. A new place – small town Tasmania – refreshing. Quaint – with its colonial architecture, painted and preserved with double edged pride – it could be rural England, except, we don’t have mountains like these,Continue reading “Gumtrees”
Folk Heart
A poetry pulsation Callused laymen hands, Dirtied with oil and grime,Sharpen the pencil,To whittle out rhyme,Carving a cadence,Humming whilst hewing,Fashioning fiction,From words that I’m chewing,The pulsing of my blood,Life of my art – I nurse, Untrained, unweaned, on the teat of poetic verse,Style and form adorns,A contemporary rune, Scratching out lettering, Syllables scattered and strewn,AsContinue reading “Folk Heart”
The laundromat
Haibun The laundromat is humming that anaesthetising old tune again. The washing machine says he’s sick of handling other peoples dirty laundry. The tumble dryer is going stir crazy that nobody appreciates his dry wit. I sprinkle some ‘Fresh Frangipani’ powder on the mundane. The concrete floor, washed with a grey gloss, is making meContinue reading “The laundromat”
A Little Chirp
I’m nothing special,Mere man with a mind,I like words written,Versed free, blank or rhymed,Partial to poems,That sing from the page,Birds will fly freely,Left open a cage,Swooping for morsels, Daylight robbery,The perp with the chirpThe crafty birdie,Perched on my shoulder,Tweeting in my ear, Push the pen this way, It makes itself clear,Little creations,It’s having a hoot,WeContinue reading “A Little Chirp”
Teacher
My mother, you taught me to tie laces,Now I walk on trails from my wildest dreams, My father, you showed me how to use tools,I’ve built adventures in nature’s extremes, My brother, you would once look up to me,I learn much from principles in your code, ~Teachers of life, unique style and mode~ To myContinue reading “Teacher”
The Bones
A cacophony of mongrel whines,The hounds gnaw at the bones,Gnarly fingers stroke at matted hairs,Pipes expel their gaping tones,A curdling ring in a set of three,Who calls in at this hour?Old lady joints creak to rise for thee,Worn as ground down flour,Vacant chair bears an entrenched hollow,Many years she sat and watched,As the window paneContinue reading “The Bones”
Sung from the page
Legs crossed in a figure 4, American style, to assert my dominance unconsciously – unnecessarily. Short clatter of glass and porcelain on the wooden table – a coffee – “Thank you” – dimples cove in cheeks – sugary smile returned. A library with a cafe… a winning combination. Balancing leg slides down over the topContinue reading “Sung from the page”
Harvest Season
A dry, savoury Southern Hemisphere sun, places an empyrean hand on my exposed cheek, almost hot to the point of discomfort, focused on one side, but with demure kisses of crisp autumnal wind tendering dotingly, it’s pleasantly tranquil – today promises to be clement and peaceable. Touches and kisses – A welcomed simplicity,Harvesting breaths, deep.Continue reading “Harvest Season”
Yearning for reunions
A Limerick from afar, Relax, there’ll always be work aplenty,Drink a beer and treat your body gently. Happy Birthday wishes Dad, From your eldest grown lad,Today, I’ll be missing you intently. Love, Darius I changed a few words from the original I wrote for my Dad, for the benefit of the reader, this version isContinue reading “Yearning for reunions”
Reclaims
Haiku Naked tree crooked -Old man walks by with hunched back,Lays flat in the earth. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there. Reach out, let me know what you think in the comments, and of course, give me a follow for more – nice! https://nicecissist.blog Exploring mentalContinue reading “Reclaims”
Mirage!
I enjoyed writing my first sonnet yesterday, so, I wrote another one… Heartbeat sultry, alone in the desert, Your love is a caravan approaching, A nomads flask tipped gratefully, quenching, Lips to lips, thirsting for romances curt, Arid dust clouds gust to breathlessly flirt, Stirred sharp sand lashing, thrashing, entrenching, Pool of haven – mirage!Continue reading “Mirage!”
Sonnet the hedgehog
This is my attempt to give a Petrarchan sonnet a modern world twist. Snatched as prey in an eagles terse talons, New vantage over the landscape, dangling, Boiling up within, gushes a hot spring, Wet feverish lust, fired up neurons, Grey eyes howling, celebrated icons, Scuttling close, heart pierced by scorpions sting, Mortal wounding, beatsContinue reading “Sonnet the hedgehog”
Dreaming High
Mum, said I, can I fly, with the birds in the sky?Yes, you can, before sleep, flap your thoughts, take a leap…Dreamt of wings, woke in bed, feathers dense, guilt in lead.Mum, said I, when birds die, do they fall from the sky? This is my flutter at the prompt by dVerse. This poem usesContinue reading “Dreaming High”
Hai-ku-dos
Guiding hands to teachSenpai swept on Eastern winds –Greek marble endures. I wrote earlier in ‘Today, I bothered’, of wishing to diversify my poetic styles. I thought I would jump in gently – With a haiku… A Japanese poem in a 5, 7, 5 syllable pattern, containing a Kigo – a word or phrase thatContinue reading “Hai-ku-dos”
Today, I bothered
Bright page under-lights,Skin beneath my face,I space, thinking of the chase,To snare the catch, Rifled shot, ringing in my brain,Beastly words gushing from the vein,Beating through fingertips,Bleed spoils of my bother,Spurting black, eyes wide, I hover. I’ll admit, I’m a pretty one dimensional poet. I love rhymes and I don’t really deviate. I would likeContinue reading “Today, I bothered”
Duet
Porcelain promises,Pieces lain broken,Swept into corners,Long lost, unspoken, Pink poisoned lips,Hot spiteful lust,Sweet ceasefire kiss,Cold uncoiled thrust,Harmonies of bladed words,Sing into guts,Operatic precision, Deep melodic cuts,Jagged withdrawal,Two lonely rooms,Resolutions grow distant,In embittered wombs. Original poem by © Darius the Mate What is life without community? I would love to connect with other nicecissists out there.Continue reading “Duet”
Blocked
“People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” Albert Einstein Time piece on my wrist, Time piece on my wall,Time is everywhere,Yet there’s no time at all,Presentism is where we are,Stuck in our current state,In Possibilism, past and present exist, ButContinue reading “Blocked”
Feathered
Wind captures wings, Lifts up to see the things, That most people only see, In photographs and on tv, Metal birds up in the sky, When dreaming high… Means more than just sleeping on planes… Counting clouds beyond the windowpane. Wind captures wings, Fly the nest to see the things, Above cerulean reflections of theContinue reading “Feathered”
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