Author: Gypsie-Ami Offenbacher-Ferris

Arms encircle to say hello
voices coo and nurses too
when the lucky ones are born
into a happy loving home

Same is true when in the end
within a loving circle of family and friends
with hushed and reverent goodbyes
they send one back to where it began

Not true for those brought into
a family of strife discordance
with little thought to what they wrought
with their angry words and thoughtlessness

For this one birthed without the love
of parents following the flock
In the end as in the beginning
she entered this life very alone
and will leave the same way in kind

Arms encircle to say hello
voices coo and nurses too
when the lucky ones are born
into a happy loving home

Same is true when in the end
within a loving circle of family and friends
with hushed and reverent goodbyes
they send one back to where it began

Not true for those brought into
a family of strife discordance
with little thought to what they wrought
with their angry words and thoughtlessness

For this one birthed without the love
of parents following the flock
In the end as in the beginning
she entered this turbulent life alone
and will leave the same way in kind

Hearts scattered down the long trail
red turns to crimson and yellow
streak behind three forgotten mantras

Respect, Integrity, Honor
twirl above the abyss
limbs bend beneath the onslaught

Faint quivers rock the nation
innocence howls in protest
while bags of deceit are counted

Can’t sleep
without your arms
around me

Can’t walk
without you
by my side

Can’t stand
the lonely coldness
days running into night

Can’t think
of the long tomorrows
forever and always alone

Can’t eat
tasteless dinners
need your luscious fare

Can’t drink
a single drop
wine’s lost it’s fragrant air

Can’t remember
how to live my life now
that you are gone away

Quadrille #208 – Undead to the World
Hosted by dorahak

(Instructions: Welcome to dVersian votaries of the quadrille form, a 44-word poem original to dVerse whose only requirement other than word count is that you must include the word provided – VAMPIRE.)

He walks by day,
enters by night.
His bite not to your neck,
but tears right through your heart.

Beware the one with the piercing eyes,
a gentleman, a courtier, a polished man.
‘Til the lights go out and then you meet –
your doom!

She fell slowly, gracefully,
never giving in.
Never letting go,
her roots embedded deep.

Her roots embedded deep,
into the soil
of Mother Earth,
holding on to life.

Holding on to life,
defying deaths grip.
Relinquishing nothing
into the cloying arms of nothingness.

The cloying arms of nothingness
ate arduously at her thick roots.
Severing the tiny tendrils and outshoots
before going in for the killing blow.

The killing blow hit fast and hard,
the way hurricanes and bad weather do.
Where once the stately old tree stood proud,
now only her skeleton can be seen.

A whispering breath
utters cruel words
sorrow spreads
devouring dreams
rendering golden promises
into dust licked away by the wind

A mother stands motionless
a window in her kitchen
faces the raging river
rapids spin dangerous whirlpools
offering no escape except one
she watches the white gown descend

A flash of vanishing happiness
a soul blind with yearning and fear

A trip back along the vine of time
to the beginning where it once was strong

A tap to the tip of a turned up nose
a sigh of relief and it’s gone

Spin us a poem of precisely 44 words (not counting the title), containing some form or other of the word spin. In response to – dVerse Quadrille #204, hosted by De Jackson aka WhimzyGizmo, this week.

Be sure to make the popular choice
not loosing your hierarchical liberties
We can’t allow the power of greed
to turn back the wheels of time
Spinning all we have gained,
all we have built to spin reversed
by a swipe of his pen

She was sturdy and loyal and sure
for much longer than anyone knew
Age crept upon her body so slowly
adventurous miles kept her young

A rare model made with care and skill
not like the new ones of this time
Her body heavy and solid and sure
but still a lovely sweeping design

Her color once a vibrant blue
washed out by the sun and the rain
Had turned a worn sort of faded hue
the only sign of her extended years

A sputter here and a stall there
foretold the arrival of her impending end
A tune-up, some oil and little grease
kept her going another few miles

The day came when her engine went still
the mechanic shook his head and said
It’s the end for your old blue jeep I fear
watched her go with tears streaming down

Time crawls by
minutes drip slowly
into hours

Endless loops of waiting
aching for the rejoining
the return of life

No end in sight
hopeless days fade
into distraught nights

Awaiting the light
the return of warmth
the security of strong arms