Contestation

         Whirlwinds race

                       snatching
                                                  pieces
                                shifting
                                        sands
                                    chaos

         children cower.

                louder
                        LOUDER

         The Voices

         shake the foundation
                                                of life.

Night Falls

Sapphire skies bid the day adieu
As Robin Redbreast settles in
A cozy harbor in the hedge;
He’s safe from wind and rain and cats.

And from their den, the bunnies watch
Sapphire skies bid the day adieu.
The silver stars all twinkle bright
Their message: Sleep well lil’ cottontails.

The creatures of the day all know
The nighttime beasts start stirring once
Sapphire skies bid the day adieu,
So don’t be caught afield past dark.

The yellow eyes and mournful cries
Send shivers through the darkened yards,
But Fluffy won’t appear until
Sapphire skies bid the day adieu.

Another quatern, this one is new, fresh off the presses.
Is there such a thing as sarcastic childrens poetry?

Sister

This is an old poem. The form is called a quatern and one I played with a good deal a few years back. The very first line repeats in each stanza, moving down one place so that in the fourth stanza it becomes the concluding line. There is line length and rhyme to consider as well.
For a diagram and description look here.

Sister

Sister’s staring out the window
seeing none of the passing sights.
Her destiny chosen for her
a life of simple piety.

The train rolling further afield
Sister’s staring out the window.
She doffs her cap in defiance
setting free hair, too long confined.

The whistle blows, another town,
a platform beckons trav’lers home.
Sister’s staring out the window
past the present to brighter days.

A mother spies this lonely face
A single tear rolls down her cheek.
Not her daughter, but so alike,
Sister’s staring out the window.

Strolling

Down the winding path I trod
Over misty morning sod,
And when I had a choice to make
Should the lesser path I take?
I chose instead the wider street,
For I knew a friend I’d meet.