Brevette Chain

danger

p r o v I d e s

opportunity

opportunity

y i e l d s

serendipity

serendipity

o p e n s

vistas

vistas

b r e a t h e

beauty

beauty

c o m p e l s

meditation

meditation 

p r o d u c e s

peace

peace

f I n d s

gardens

gardens

g r o w

flowers

flowers

e n h a n c e

love 

love

b r o u g h t

you

© 2017 david w palmer

Lissome (Inverted Hexaduad)

O Sprite

O Sprite
Lissome dancing delight
How you tease me in your chassé
Then turn chaînés
Into my waiting arms
Without alarms
Your entrechat
Weaves our souls without flaw
Tomorrow’s hope
Is bright in its widening scope
Lissome dancing delight
O Sprite.

© 2017 david w palmer
(inverted hexaduad)

French Ballet Terms used:

Chassé – (sha-SAY) the chase
Chaînés (sheh-NAY) chains, links, turns
Entrechat (ahn-truh-SHAH) – interweaving or braiding

What the Mirror Said

This was written as part of a group collaboration initiated by Skylark Hattee. I wrote at the invitation of Marilyn Ward and Maricris Cabrera

What the Mirror Said

I see you staring back at me
Your shine darkens with age.
Or, is that me, who doesn't see well now?

The mirror said, since I was formed
With silver backing long ago
I've only told the truth to one and all

I've seen them cry, and heard them curse
But magic's beyond my power
 I'll tell you now what surely is
Beyond that, all is in your choice this hour

O mirror, cried I, unhappy you make me
But to point the blame at you would be
Me avoiding responsibility.  I thank you
And so now choose to take on a better view.

(C) 20l7, David W. Palmer

Apricity (A Hexaduad)

APRICITY (a Hexaduad)

Pale wane
Sun fain
Would ever warm my heart
Cold love so soon departs
See it silver sheening gleaming
Radiant promise simulating
When love’s away
The devil plays
Apricity alone
My heart’s a sinking stone
Cold dreary pane
Day so pale, wain.

© 2017 David W. Palmer

The Hexaduad form features six pairs of rhyming lines with the following syllable lengths per line:  l/2 – 2 syllable; 3/4 – 6; 5/6 – 8; 7/8 – 4; 9/l0 – 6; ll/l2 – 4.  Give it a try.

Omaha (Sonnet #501)

Omaha (Sonnet #501)

His young eyes, frightened, scanned the beach ahead
Rough sea made him nauseous; he vomited;
Either cause, wave, or fear, neither mattered
For on that beach, death or devil cast dread.
When bullets rip your flesh, does dying hurt,
Or do you slip in peace toward dazzling light?
Will Mama know I served with noble might?
Oh, God, I’m young! Bury me not ‘neath dirt.
Transport’s gate dropp’d; now’s the time, seeing red
Buddy Jake fell into a crimson wave
He carried on determined to be brave
Across that beach into hell’s show’r of lead
Gaining the crest, into that box he tossed
Grenades; it fell silent; this day not lost.

© 2017 David W. Palmer

Yours (Sonnet #500)

SONNET 500: Yours

I’ve never fallen short, O Beauty, mine
Finding new ways to say how my heart skips
Helen of Troy’s face launch’d one thousand ships
Yet you’ve inspir’d my verse, sev’n-thousand lines.
Why do you keep writing, O Poet, mine?
I touch transcendent grace when I reach you
Thus, leave too much unsaid, My Love, so true
So now, again, with pen, I pray, “Divine
Master, help me to reach her heart today
Hamartia, I’ve missed that mark again
When she deserves beyond my best to gain
Now, this poor fool seeks loving words to say.
As long as God’s Ruah dwells in my breast
I promise every day, you’ll have my best.

© 2017 David W. Palmer

Hamartia (pronounced ha-mar-TEE-uh) Greek – sin (defined as missing the mark)
Ruah (pronounced Roo-ach [a hard “h” like a “ch”]) Hebrew – spirit or breath, the soul

Zephyr (Sonnet #499)

Written originally for the Word Prompt presented on the Beautiful Minds Community by Maricris Cabrera

Zephyr (Sonnet #499)

Playful little zephyrs tease us faster
Across our course, our deep secrets whisper
And rough my hair that seagulls try to nest
So naughty, they excel at playfulness
A wish, a prayer, our hopes, sweet dreams; so nice
And borne upon their breath sweet distant spice
So thrilled am I to see it tease your hair
You are so beautiful beyond compare
These vessels of delight enhance our sails
A serendipitous surprise prevails
Closer, closer, leading we two homeward
To our Elysian Field, upward, onward
We’ll turn to say farewell to our device
Then, hand in hand, enter our Paradise.

© 2017 David W. Palmer