Epiphany

I wrote this poem today, in honor of the feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates when the Magi, the three wise men, came to worship the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, symbolizing Jesus’ kingship, divinity, and future burial.

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When it had risen, Magi saw a star,
And knew that they must come to see their King,
They traveled across many lands afar,
With them several precious presents bringing.
And where was found the Lord of everything?
The Bread of Life, in humble manger laid,
Foreshadowing the path to God He made.

Yes

I am really loving the Chaucerian stanza form! Linked to DVerse OLN 209.

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Give  me your yes and I shall give you mine,

Give me your heart and I will love like you,

May we both share in lovely life divine,

Let us experience a life that’s true.

Let me extend forgiveness as you do.

The way you show is all I need to know,

May my face with your radiance daily glow.

Ode to Those Who Keep Fighting

An ode for DVerse’s MTB. I wrote it as a Chaucerian stanza, 7 lines in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme ababbcc. 

 

Courageous one who gets up every day,

To fight again the monsters of the mind

Puts on armor, and lifts a sword to slay

Indwelling demons, every day unkind,

I laud you, for you always courage find.

I lift you up, for when your mood is low,

The way to daily persevere you show.

Ode to Coffee: A Rhyme Royal

Today at DVerse, Frank is challenging us to write a rhyme royal, also known as a Chaucerian stanza. It is written usually in iambic pentameter, with a rhyme scheme of abababcc. I am really enjoying this form!

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I stand in line awaiting morning brew,

It’s overpriced but its aroma calls,

Anticipating dark roast, my go-to,

Especially in the morning air of fall.

Yes, coffee is the greatest drink of all,

It greets me every morning with the sun.

I hope that I can sleep when day is done!

This is a collaboration with Frank Hubeny, whose poem “Park Shade” provided a lot of inspiration. It is a Chaucerian stanza, iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of ababbcc. I enjoyed trying this unfamiliar form, and Frank’s original gets better with every reading. For Jilly’s October collaboration challenge.

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You grew in what became a picnic grove
Providing shade to what is now a park
While dying you were cut and when I drove
One morning past your place expecting dark
I found the stump, your tombstone, your new mark
And knew eventually that so will I
Look up with new perspective on the sky.

I took for granted your inviting shade, 

Your stately trunk and verdant, kindly leaves,

A vacuum where I’d expectations made, 

An unexpected absence nature grieves, 

Much worse than winter’s cold, and icy eaves.

In winter’s bitter cold will our tears freeze

Time before such loss brings us to our knees?