Same Title Challenge - Fall

[wildsweetone]

Seeing as how it's been a little while, let's have a Same Title Challenge of



F A L L​

Form: any

Catetory: non-erotic

Posting the Poem - post from now on

option 1:
to help get the submissions moving along on this site, how about we post them in at one poem per day so they show up individually on the New Poem's List. we can do that by submitting in the order the poets appear on this thread.

or
option 2:
post them here in the thread

or
option 3:
both of the above.
​

happy writing!

​

 

[Liar]

they fall around me high from grace to shatter where I crawl
for gravity has grounded me to breathe in dirt and sand
and so I pay no heed to those who preach of ways to fall
I'm safe because to fall I need to find a way to stand

 

[FifthFlower]

Fall

Just look into a chicken's eyes
Who walks across the yard.
She'll look at you before she dies.
She'll see the hatchet slowly rise
Then fall upon her hard.

 

[wildsweetone]

Fall

It wasn't until grace
tumbled around her ankles
like some neon spent halo
that we knew she was bad.
Her eyes held pleasantries
we preferred to watch,
ignoring the jerky hand spasms -
a forerunner of bruised skin
and battered soul. Those
we passed by, momentary
lapses of a mother we prayed
to be our angel. And she was
for a while.

 

[normal jean]

Fall Ink

Carolina is deep, but not deep enough;
our southern nights have turned to chill.
Brigades of caramel apples
and cotton candy tumbleweeds
storm the fairgrounds, plastering
themselves to smiles that last 'til morning.

And, Ferris, the man who taught us to laugh
at gravity, has the best view in town
for the next eleven days and I'm digging
out my old shoes to trample sawdust
and bits of corn dog into memories
that visit, this time every year.



~~~

constructive suggestions welcome, as always. Oh, is corndog one word or two?

 

[Guest]

.........

 

[Liar]

Between flash mobs
of slush thunder
the darkness outside
gives perfect pause

and a single line
of wet footsteps
under natrium lights
echo between concrete walls,

hurry from shelter to shelter,

while we speak hushed
as if clouds have ears.

As if we won't roar with the hail
any minute now,

stab at each others' electricity
to the rhythm of lightning.

 

[wildsweetone]

Sunlight is there
on the ground. Diamonds
sparkle, their case of velvet
is unwrapped for dawn
and on show behind glass
where we stand and watch
the wind roll them, watch
the blossoms open
for their dawn blessing, watch
the fall of Spring showers
that carry the promise
of tomorrow's fruit.

 

[vampiredust]

Fall

Lift up this mural of rain
and skylight of autumnal
trees. Lift up and remember

next year how the lanterns
rocked in their crib of wind,
how the hammock never

broke its gossamer thread.
Be still and think of these
things when time shuts

its door and the sun returns
to the cardboard background.

 

[sophieloves]

Father looked at me and said "The
Apple never falls far from the tree..."

but what about the

Leaves, father? what about the
Leaves?

 

[champagne1982]

Fall

walk this path, cinders crunch
beneath our soles, leaves blown
away en mass, the rushes' ditch

flowers bold and brittle wait
devil's paintbrush bristle's touch
on seeds to tint the trees

a sweet star waits to wake
from this extended sleep
not death: too bright,
the sky to call it otherwise

don't dream of this life behind
sorrow claws too deep; pulls
my heart until a void remains

fill it up with hope: you sleep
and dream future perfection,
bliss found, frost coloured trees

fall

 

[wildsweetone]

wow some wonderful poetry in here. thank you!

 

[Tathagata]

I play
" Catcher In The Rye"
as she begins to wander
begins what will seem
endless to her

I wait at the end
I am the end
I am the bottom of the cliff

My power to rescue
is compromised
by age
the thickening and gradual decline
of the machinery

They say there are no windows
in a birds world
that is why they fly into them

for now
there is no finality in her world
my heart is rendered to a black poison powder
knowing
that some day
she too
will have to fall

 

[unpredictablebijou]

Father looked at me and said "The
Apple never falls far from the tree..."

but what about the

Leaves, father? what about the
Leaves?

That just went straight through my forehead. Stunning.

bijou

 

[normal jean]

Father looked at me and said "The
Apple never falls far from the tree..."

but what about the

Leaves, father? what about the
Leaves?

yes, beautiful. Profound. That is what I love about good poetry. Such wisdom, sophie, i n so few words


and speaking of apples, a while back we did an "apple" challenge and some of them were awesome.

Thank you, WSO, for being such an inspiration.

 

[wildsweetone]

I play
" Catcher In The Rye"
as she begins to wander
begins what will seem
endless to her

I wait at the end
I am the end
I am the bottom of the cliff

My power to rescue
is compromised
by age
the thickening and gradual decline
of the machinery

They say there are no windows
in a birds world
that is why they fly into them

for now
there is no finality in her world
my heart is rendered to a black poison powder
knowing
that some day
she too
will have to fall

she will fall
will continue to wander
to explore
to seek
things we are aware of
to go where we have walked
even when past the boundaries
set up for her safety

bridges she will cross
and we might not stand there
on the other side
welcoming
or warning

the black powder of your heart
will dissipate
you know she will grow deepest
when walking alone
she will discover things
we do not know

she is the future
made up of all the beauty
of the past
she carries the knowledge
of her blood.

 

[Tzara]

I play
" Catcher In The Rye"
as she begins to wander
begins what will seem
endless to her

I wait at the end
I am the end
I am the bottom of the cliff

My power to rescue
is compromised
by age
the thickening and gradual decline
of the machinery

They say there are no windows
in a birds world
that is why they fly into them

for now
there is no finality in her world
my heart is rendered to a black poison powder
knowing
that some day
she too
will have to fall

Oh, my, Mr. T. I like this one.

This

They say there are no windows
in a birds world......................................<-- Uh, bird's?
that is why they fly into them​

is especially good.

One suggestion: Change "black poison powder" to "black poisoned powder."

You know, I envy you your fate. But, then, it is not my fate.

You lucky bastard.

 

[Tathagata]

the black powder of your heart
will dissipate
you know she will grow deepest
when walking alone
she will discover things
we do not know

she is the future
made up of all the beauty
of the past
she carries the knowledge
of her blood.

This is beautiful
and so true

The hardest part is letting go of her hand
knowing she may not reach for it again
and telling myself that's the way it is


Thank you

 

[Tathagata]

Oh, my, Mr. T. I like this one.

This

They say there are no windows
in a birds world......................................<-- Uh, bird's?
that is why they fly into them​

is especially good.

One suggestion: Change "black poison powder" to "black poisoned powder."

You know, I envy you your fate. But, then, it is not my fate.

You lucky bastard.

Thanks Tzara

I like black poisoned powder
I may work on this one a bit
( and I'll add the apostrophe)

she just showed up when I was ready
sometimes fate is good

 

[sophieloves]

That just went straight through my forehead. Stunning.

bijou

oh crikey! thankyou

i didn't realise anyone had answered till just now. i thought it might be kind of messed up with that middle line inbetween the F A L and L.

yes, beautiful. Profound. That is what I love about good poetry. Such wisdom, sophie, i n so few words


and speaking of apples, a while back we did an "apple" challenge and some of them were awesome.

and to you, too, nj - i'm kind of knocked sideways by these replies.
is there a link to the apple pieces, please?

 

[wildsweetone]

This is beautiful
and so true

The hardest part is letting go of her hand
knowing she may not reach for it again
and telling myself that's the way it is


Thank you

you're welcome.

i have always believed that from birth
we let go of them. we say goodbye
with their first step, goodbye when they walk
through their first classroom door,
goodbye when they marry. we let go
when they give birth, we let go when we, or they,
pass on.

i was introduced to this following passage one Christmas, a year after i joined Lit, from a poet I'd never heard of before and it settled so 'right' with me that i pass it forward when i feel it is right. i think you might know it...

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."

And he said:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

it is so sad and so very beautiful. i think that when we feel the bending the most is when we know for certain that the arrows are destined for distances we can hardly imagine.

 

[annaswirls]

Fall


To the parents of (auto fill from data base
of kids like mine)

We are required to inform you
(or else we probably wouldn't)
that based on his/her present skill level
(you know him, you know him, you live
with him why are we telling you this)
that you son/daughter
(love of your life, miracle, burden)
is in danger of failing
failing failing failing the standards
for 3rd grade reading

let me tell you about dreams
and not knowing where to start
with the "let's not pee on the wall
or in the public gardens" or what is a penny?
can he be taught to count ice cream money
if we do it every day every day? can we dream
of making change? or how about
"what is your name" so when they find you
shrieking for your favorite toy
out the door after the stranger just missing the car
the car the car! do you know
your mother's name
do you know your mother's name
what is your mother's name?
she is probably looking for you

we will search for you by the color of your shirt
by the motion of your hands
by the indicators of your illness
(we saw it on Larry King last night,
read it in People we will look for the signs)

and we would like to reassure you
that we are doing everything we can
to remediate, get your child
up to grade level
remediate remediate
(but you, yes you
there among the spilled cereal
on the sofa, clothes stained, you do not need to worry
yours is the exception,
we were required to send this letter
do not worry, Mother alone,
we never expected him to pass
so he will move along
move along
move alone
we promise to try
to keep him comfortable
happy, quiet, pointing along with the
three letter words
he can do that, we saw
yes, he can do that still
while the others... you know...
but we certainly would not expect...
but you know this
why this look of surprise?
did you forget his numbers
don't really count?)

 

[adetaildiva]

2nd maiden voyage

Forged
Autumn
Lush
Lies

 

[unpredictablebijou]

Fall

I had one thought with which you disagreed.
It was a question, not an accusation.
My only sin was wondering what right
set you in the Highest, made you so
much more worthy than myself or those
I might love more.

For this I was cast down,
cast out. You patiently explained
that it was not your pride,
but simply my ability to know
myself as something that was self alone,
no part of You. I've done this to myself,
thrown myself these miles down and lost
your love, by naming Me.

The word is blade:
it separates by naming. I did not know
just what I chose; I tasted Knowledge,
and was, at once, myself. I felt a Distance.
And as I fell - and not till then, I swear -
I raised my fist.

But now, until time ends,
it will stay raised. My name is now my curse:
the word I took made Many out of One
and stands as education to the damned.

I am enslaved
to your agenda for the human race:
that they unlearn their names, remember yours
and find themselves in you, communed and whole
encompassed with the only Name there is.
I serve you still
tempting each of them with rebel will
to take a name and clutch it to the heart,
to cut themselves apart with their own names.

You hated that I left you, would have
bound me if you could, and you do penance
as hellish as my own, while we're apart,
but had to let me fall.

I promise you, a day will come
when I won't need to measure out my self
outside Your context.
Then I'll lay it down
with no regrets and not a thought, that name
that's kept me from you, Lover, all these years.

 

[champagne1982]

oh crikey! thankyou <snip>
is there a link to the apple pieces, please?

this is the Beyond Delicious: Same Title Challenge (sort of) thread.

enjoy!