Here are the results of the challenge, arranged in reverse chronological order. Thanks to all who contributed. These are wonderful poems (serious, humorous, whimsical), written by superb poets. We are proud to be your editors. Keep writing!




Rubaiyat Compilation

_______________
 
love you

forgive my words for being blunt tonight,
i'm blinded by your soul's amazing light...
if i could just give life to words, then maybe
they could describe my feelings at your sight...

- by Liliana Negoi
____________________

Christmas Thoughts

Dark moonlit sky and frosted field
Carolers' faces in candlelight revealed
The Christmas tree in its beauty adorned
Beneath lie presents, their contents concealed

In the hearth, a log fire burns bright
A blessing so warm on this Christmas night
Goodwill is shown, Peace on earth to us all
A story of Santa, the children excite

Mince pies and turkey, a glass of mulled wine
With those we love we sit down to dine
Sharing and caring about those whom we know
Those we now miss, we remember "Lang syne"

That this Yuletide would come to pass
Then to the New Year we will raise our glass
Our future dreams and hopes we aspire
An End to poverty, The worlds gift this Christmas

             The Myth of Mistletoe

       From Santalales womb thou grew
       With buds white as the driven snow
       Thy birth a reminder of Spring to come
       Through this winter you strive to grow

       And in the past, thy secrets lie
       Of that cross on Golgotha's slope
       Where died He the son of man
       In who's death was found new hope

       But cursed thee by such an irate God
       Thy form He took and cast aside
       That now within the Oak branches
       Thou wouldst forever hide

       And as we now celebrate His birth
       As this Christmas would come to be
       Beneath thy boughs let lovers kiss
       In remembrance to a sacred tree

NB: Some believe that the crucifix was cut from wood of the Mistletoe tree. As    such, it has now been reduced to a parasitic form requiring a true tree to give it life.

- by Liam
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Ink Asphyxiation

Asphyxiated by my own ink
down Death's murky shaft I sink
strangled by Muse that couldn't escape,
the holding hand is my Life's link.

Now up to Pen Heaven I must go
My ink is clotted, it just will not flow
words just couldn't escape from my nib,
Alas! from the desk I go to my coffin below.

- by liz munro
______________________

Evil Death Mark

The beating of her frightened heart
Consistent abuse, she's suffered from the start
Evil perpetrators, her pain is their glee,
Her soul's death, the remnants of their mark.

- by liz munro
_____________________

The Blank Page

Crumpled paper falls like snow
How can I express this tale of woe
To try my hand at a rubaiyat
I'm no Edgar Allen Poe.

Lost among the pines and firs
It's so damn cold, brrr, brrr, brrr
Rhyming to myself, on this daily walk
While snow falls like a cat's purr.

When I arrive at my destination
My words done with their gestation
I write this little lyric down
The results of much cogitation.

My verse has little to do with the season
My frustration with writing is the reason
Will Santa make an honest poet out of me?
For writer's block is surely treason.

- by Anne Westlund
______________________

Flurry's Folly

A light flurry of snowflakes fall
Happy now, the children all
But they know not of snow's true face
A flurry's truth would kids appall

Flurries hit like master's whip
Wipe life and warmth away with rip
Bring sadness with white frilly lace
Keep cold a' biting at my lip

Flurry's folly is winter's curse
The normal joy it does disperse
From hearts, with quite a sting like mace
Making days, all the worse.

- by Ducks
____________________

Winter's Chills

The winters cold and chills are here again
Harbinger of the hardship cold and pain
Of all the homeless out there in the cold
Come snow or freezing fog and icy rain

They will huddle in their makeshift bases
All with worried gaunt and grimy faces
Devour quickly food they may have scavenged
Sadly most devoid of social graces

Night time, they shelter under last weeks news
On cardboard pillows, close out night-times views
In shop door ways often under arches
Some wanting to opt out from paying dues

Others have no choice it is their fate
They wouldn't choose to live this life they hate
But have no power to change they just drift on
Put off decisions, then it is too late.

- by Pamel Brooke
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Rubaiyat of Rubies

Rubies in fiery crisp on molten jive,
Such crumpled sorrows you do not deprive
For long I wait beside your ticking hour
When simple four leaps bounding into five

Doors, how you unrelentlessly devour
My waken'd face, and yet with all your power
No movement e'er should cross my serpent glance
You represent the target of my glower

By miracle you'd fall upon my chance
Your rubies once again do me entrance
I fear I'll search for you for all of time
From lowest Turkey to the tops of France

- by weirdzarun
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Seasonal Freezonal Revisited (Rubber rat challenge)

Seasonal Freezonal rubaiyat rhymin'
Warming the frozen carolers chimin'
Singin' and sniffin, the hardy harmonists
Flushots eyedrops and voices combinin'

Off key sopranos screamin' like banshee
In red and green rhinestone Levi's dungarees
I could of sworn they were humourists
But no, they're serious, of that they guarantee!

God God Gretchen!! Where are my earplugs
These wretched carollers must be on drugs
What could be worse than tone deaf evangelists
I'd go back to bed if it weren't for the bedbugs!

- by Jeherico C
_____________________

Seasonal Freezonal rubaiyat rhymin'

I get so sick of the friggin' snow
I sniff and snivel, wishin' it'd go
You'd think maybe it'd take a hint
But noooooooooooooooooooooo!!

The flippin' sky is full of flakes
The stores are full of fruit nut cakes
Some so old they're covered in lint
Now Santa's got a bag of snakes

Old tannenbaum is full of spiders
Santa's full of apple cider
Drunken sleighride? How delinquent
Better make the highway wider

Winter sucks! Bring on spring
Out with Wences and Cold Nat King
Let them suffer the consequence
I'm tired of all this freezing

- by Jeherico C
________________________

A white Christmas, You're Dreaming.

The weather here is so hot
It's sapping away what strength I've got
A white Christmas I've never seen,
His thongs to bring Santa forgot.

On the BBQ there's a snag or two
Come join in, there's room for you
Quick! get the spray, bloody flies
Later there is caroling to do.

In front of the television we now sit
Better turn it on real quick
The carols are on and we join in,
It's here your off-key singing's a hit.

- by liz munro
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Vex Of Lost Compassion

Your emotional toll comes at my cost
My sensibility's numbed by your frost
Oh how your idiosyncrasies vex me,
Your compassion really seems lost.

You seemed so caring at the start
Your big size appeared to match your heart
But picky and bitchy you have become,
Your words now are like a poison dart.

From your friendship I'm thinking of walking away
For your careless actions ruin my day
I had really hoped it wouldn't come to that,
But for my temper's sake I just can't stay.

- by liz munro
_______________________

How could you forget

How can I make my farewell tear
to become something more than a naive fear?
I wish you could see what you mean to me.
Think if we could visit the coast of Tangier . . .

Outside, still away from you, snowflakes dance
The hidden sun laughs and you are in trance
Love's daze . . . What a maze! A cat's cradle it has become!
Love at first sight . . . we lost ourselves in advance

The forgotten dream of spring lives on
Underneath the frozen ground flowers move on
slowly grow, anticipating to spread their scent on the wind
The reality of winter still lingers on . . .

- by night soul woman
_______________________

Birth of Death

On your horse ride neatly
But do not forget sweetly,
My young rider of death,
As I shall be with thy shortly.

My handsome young rider,
Do not forget her neither,
My young rider of death,
That I forbid you to have-her.

Remove all hope,
And please do note,
That I am watching;
Grasping at my throat.

Deaths arrival is nearly here,
Remove all that you hold dear,
And I shall wait a thousand waits;
I will be waiting for you to be near.

- by Ryker-Lei Glasgow
________________________

A Season of Christmas

Winter comes and Winter goes
Leaving slushy icy snows.
Carolers walk on snow-white streets
Singing of a Babe in swaddling clothes.

Christmas bells on sleighs jingle
As the horse trots lonely, single
Pulling rosy apple cheek folk
Who gather eagerly warm to mingle.

Hot cider offered with cakes and pies
Bring a thaw as twinkling bright eyes
Enjoy the sights of lights on the tree
Where the Holy Crèche beneath it lies.

Seasons have their different flavor;
Each created for us to savor
The uniqueness of changes made
While Earth turns- its natural behavior.

The senses are tickled, excited; it's true
And Winter comes bringing all five too.
But during this chilly time of year,
A Birth is celebrated by those who...

Have the belief in God's Holy Trinity:
The Father, The Son, The Spirit, three.
For we who are of the Christian faith,
See this season with partiality.

Though winter comes and winter goes
The Story continues to be told
Of how a virgin came to give birth
To God Incarnate, the Savior of souls.

Ride the sleighs and sing the psalm.
Snow comes falling on evergreen balm.
The beauty of a Christmas morn
Makes silent the night when all is calm.

- by Kathy Lockhart
_____________________________

A big barrister

the winter snow I do not bash
for each downfall will bring me cash
as drivers on the wetted roads
often cause their cars to crash

while in my office I await
a spider that negotiates
unless my demands they spuriously spurn
with offers not commensurate

then into a fighter I will turn
and litigate 'til all Hell burns
so don't blame me for this situation
as some sad lessons are never learned

the summer rain I do not bash
as each downfall will bring me cash
as drivers on the wetted roads
often cause their cars to crash

- by John Lambremont, Sr.
_____________________________

Merry Christmas
and a f_ _ _ing good new year to you all

I wrote to you a Christmas Carol
and I rhyme with a name (LOL) Carol
neither I know any with that name
this Christmas Carol seems to be insane

 . . . waiter hold the airplane!!!
- What? Would you know my name?
you lousy flagrant ZXXXgrrr m m m
you are just like NITRO in my vein

Give me a ticket to any place
or I smack you right in your face
- What place??? You are a S_ N of an AS _ _LE
I am going to Santa's place!

- by Dan Cederholm
_____________________

rubaiyat

Is it only I that draw the line of dark falling
while gifted gems of short notice calling
exhales temper and wild goose chase mirth?
Is it only I, the poet, busy with installing

A glimpse of what some might call appalling
and others just another way of crawling
or just a dreadful way of giving birth.
Look at it now, all garish and sprawling.

- by Bob
___________________

Frageulogy!

Rubaiyat challenges are fine and dandy
and A-A-B-A is almost handy
but one hundred and one friggin' verses
Would ask the patience of Ghandi

Maybe a couple, maybe three or four
Maybe even ten, but no more
But one hundred and one is a friggin' curse
And we'll soon all be running towards the door

Some folks don't know that enough is enough
Too many verses is like too much stuff
You don't need more'n'll fit in the hearse
To the mourners, past ten'll all be fluff

Well, here's number four..done at last
Got writers cramp and fingers in a cast
But still, you know things could be worse
Than a Rubaiyat eulogy for a bas....
Tard!

(oops, offed with my own petard!)

- by Jeherico C
__________________

For the love of Winter

And I can smell the windswept pine
Warmly holding hands, yours in mine
We move against the coming night
Our aching bodies drawing the line

Through the snow we lightly play
Laughing madly, in love we stay
Back to our cabin of logs and love
As the sun dwindles to a single ray

Bathed in firelight, glistened in sweat
We roll and writhe and love and yet
We two stripped and licked by flame
Fuelled by amore and desirous inset

These presents we give each our hearts
Bound together we lay upon fiery hearth
As winters coat enwraps this self bounty
We shall never be alone or torn apart

- by A_R_Glasgow
__________________

Chill

Christmas comes but once a year
But always in my heart strikes fear
Of crowds and lights and jolly St. Nick
Of eggnog pressed upon me with good cheer.

I don't remember when it first began
The Salvation Army bell rang and I ran
To hide among the Christmas trees
Yelling, "This holiday should be banned!"

These panic attacks are frightful as hell
With the chiming of chimes, the ringing of bells
A Christmas choir singing carols
Flashing red and green lights, you never can tell.

Last Christmas Eve, it got really bad
Presents left unopened, my family so mad
The emergency room, where I was dropped off
Empty and quiet, I was alone and so sad.

This year is different, for propriety's sake
While my pulse quickens and my jaws ache
From this frozen smile plastered upon my face
Celebrating His birth, though it seems more like a wake.

- by Anne Westlund
______________________

Egg Thief Rubaiyat

He pinches eggs from nests in tree tops green;
The speckled ones, especially grande cuisine.
He plucks, with care, the rarest he can find,
So's not to tempt the scourge of his latrine.

O, pilferer, thou art a foolish crook.
You'd think you'd know not to be such a schnook.
A devilled egg is more than just a dish;
With caviar, it cannot be mistook.

So, take thy wizened self from off those leaves;
In supermarkets wilt thou best achieve
What others long before have come to know.
Unwise, it is, for else thee to believe.

Let's fry ‘em, poach ‘em, boil ‘em, eat ‘em raw!
Don't wait until the feasts of Mardi Gras.
That's much too late to catch the ‘prior to' date;
Besides, it might be too petit bourgeois.

Oh, Tabernac! Et, je suis désolé.
The yolks are getting hard, to our dismay;
We much prefer the fluid kind, you know,
The ones that make us shout, ‘Callooh! Callay!'

Remove that purple cap atop thy head;
Adorn thyself with Santa clothes instead.
No purple robes! They make thee wiffle so;
And, we so much commend a jolly red.

So, off to culinary school, you sleaze!
It's time you learned to cook with expertise;
And, when you're done, we'll have some of those eggs,
With cheese and mushrooms, scrambled, if you please.

- by nepenthes





Poetry by Editorial Team The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 1010 times
Written on 2008-12-21 at 01:08

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Pamel Brooke
I have so enjoyed reading all these wonderful poems and also very happy to have learned a new style of writing poetry, thank you to everyone involved.
2009-01-03


Dan Cederholm
*********************************

A GREAT CHALLENGE FROM A GREAT TEAM!

THANKS TO YOU!!!

*********************************
2008-12-21


liz munro The PoetBay support member heart!
It was a GREAT challenge
and I loved learning
a new form of poetry.

Thanks for letting me contribute
and thanks to the editors for
the time and patience to
run PB :)

~L.~
2008-12-21


weirdzarun
What an honor it is to be poetically ensnared with some of the finest talents I will ever know. God bless all of you, and have a wonderful holiday time.
2008-12-21