"RESTLESS SOUL" Resonance of the spirit within Beyond bourne destiny profound Inner wain of soul such adage Resound ascertain in abeyance Journey commence persistence Confound, abound as equitant Dearth may vibrate, may swain Yet, like restless soul astound As melody voyage after image Horizon alight in resemblance Sounds may rife in difference Barren passage within reverant Restless soul, world as appertain Fallen dreams thou in surround Dimness abound thine envisage Sphere of animation utterance Yearn descend thine existence Restless soul, destiny corposant. © JOEL ABERNASOR
Philippines
"SIN OF WAR" I have no home for me Driven away by tyranny A stranger in my own land Buried deeper in the wain of sand Decades of living in prison Hated for no other reason Consumed by anger like a poison The world has become silent in unison Bombs came relentlessly raining Innocent children, women, and old Nobody is for everyone to get hold I run, I scream, I hide War is so rife for a ride Along the piles of rubble and dust Rummage for supplies so dearth and scarce But among the scorned, I rise Stop the fear and don't be nice No more silence in the night and day Resilience, defiance, resistance; The key You cut the pillars just for today We will spread like mushrooms day by day Son, when the time comes, I will die alone Bourne everything in the tablets of your bone We will be free! Someday the blood that has been poured A swain will sprout like a new day that unfolds The sound of the guns will be silenced And bombs will be flushed and get drenched I am going to sit on a couch Broken arms, bleeding profusely I slouch In my last breath, I will laugh I will throw a stick in my hand versus their tanks Dignified, resisted, and tough. © FLOYD GALE CABUS Philippines "THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS" Passing through the rugged high mountains of Tanzania I could only hold my breath and gasp Looking down from the edge of the narrow roads Holding my pen for a moment in sheer shock I watched astonishingly down the deep abyss And through my journey of remarkable words I paused to wonder at the beauty of my verses For here I was enchanted at the end of my bourne As I sat on this very slow going wain Unable to jot my words any further As the dearth of the English grammar words hit me hard And as I moved on the unbelievable ravine nestled on the next curve of the road A swain over a half-naked lass having a romantic affair, I swayed my torch away from this unholy sight And made my wain move harder down the mountain road And I could now no longer hold my pen any more As I settled aside on the narrow rough road Holding the torch in one hand while the other held the pen My wandering thoughts were all jotted down and all the essentials seen, put to rest on verses With all that summed the rife activities murmured about reporting on the local news by a final journey of truthful words, a captivating journey through the mountains of Tanzania. © SHABBIRHUSEIN K. JAMNAGERWALLA Tanzania "THE WAYFARER" Here I am, about to head this way To where the path is untrodden Alone, heading toward a realm of choices Of a gripping intent to unearth the enigma Rife with the onset of life's occurrences Of a bewildering crossroad Perplex, like the mysticism of riddle. Here I am, embroiled in a dizzying ripple Grappling for the bourne to invigorate and pacify The frantic motion of a merry-go-round With a wain of burdens to slow down Disoriented, lost, entangled in a silky web of emotions The spirited mindset of a swain Vehement in his resolve to cross The labyrinth of confusion and uncertainties The twists and turns of this journey. I am a traveler, traversing across the pitfalls and abysses Over plateaus, valleys and deserts Amidst a dearth of purpose and reasons My feet are pained and calloused By this journey's wear and tear It's still a long, winding trek, far and away Until I finally reach my rainbow's end. © GUS PEREZ AMIO Philippines
"WHEN THE STARS ARE BOURNE OF DEARTH" I will ride on this wain - wailing in my veins; I'll fly to the stars, hushing laybrinthine Mars. I'll stay by my swain: joyful sorrow, steeped in pain - When the stars are bourne of dearth. I will pull death from dearth - dying in disdain; I'll hum howling hymns to hostile, gentle rife. I will echo eerie embrace - etching my dark wain - When the stars are bourne of dearth. I will sigh in this thigh of
crocodile tears - extra mile; I'll laugh in the lush, loquacious lyrics - a frowning smile. I will fain feelings fully - a fathom, furtive force - When the stars, when the stars are bourne of dearth. © EMMANUEL CHIMEZIE
Nigeria
"PATHWAYS THROUGH SILENCE" Along the ancient road where thoughts are rife, I wander lost, a swain who seeks his truth, as memories of love reclaim their youth, and sorrow grips the fragile edge of life. A weary wain rolls on through paths uncharted, its wooden wheels groan under time's great dearth, while silence binds the vast and distant earth, and every hope feels cold, dim - hearted, parted. Yet somewhere far, a brighter light is bourne, a glimmer through the fog where dreams ascend, where language blooms, unbound by loss or scorn. I journey forward, drawn to find the end, where words like stars break free from night's forlorn, and each step taken lets the darkness bend © CONCETTA PIPIA U.S. "WHEN WILL I LEARN TO SAY NO" The swain in me waits for the dawn to break To rise from this rife darkness muscles do not relax bones do not bend the earth beneath my feet, shakes. I wet the hands with flood of eyes to wipe the fog from the old mirror chain of customs chokes my chest. the world to me is a box of lies. Longing for the day I can say no and dust the burden off my head Dearth of emotions cast a spell all is dark wain, I have no bourne to go. © RAFIYA SAYEED Jammu/Kashmir, India "MY BOURNE" Despite the death of supporters, I take on every opportunity To reach my long-term bourne. I load the lessons I learn along the way Into my horse drawn wain, Strengthening my mind with wisdom. Writing into the language of the soul Can be hard most of the time, But rewarding to the souls seeking love's wings, To those seeking solace to heal their broken heart To those struggling to break free from fear's chains, To the travelers needing guidance as to which way to take To reach their destination or achieve their own goals. every little success fills my heart with joy Like the maiden's kiss does to the swain despite the many obstacles I have overcome, I have to admit that every step I make Gets me closer to reaching my bourne, Now that I found out that there are souls out there Considering my work to be a beacon of light Helping to dispel darkness little by little From a world where envy and hate seem to be rife. © GHEORGHE LAURA Romania "UNTITLED" Their sweet love has blossomed Rife with love and care Bourne into eternity No dearth or lack of flair The young swain found his rose Wain hitched to the stars True love, its destination The universe composed. © TONY CARTY Ireland "WORD'S BOURNE" The journey taken with each letter, Syllable, utterance, string of words, Sentences, questions, better Than any book or movie bringing A scene, rife with action, Tone, expression, wonders, Stain the bourne with a soup, an affliction of the swain's love as he conquers. His love's heart is an expressive word Melting a heart or breaking it. Enemies having 'words' lead to a flood Of hate transcends the bit Of love, empathy, compassion Belonging in hearts carried in wain Transporting over adulation Imposed in forced social media that'll rain. Down subjugation in words, a dearth of confusion Decrying the need for love, laughter, Cheer, and compulsion to integrate As you stay true to your power Words used carefully or they hurt Artfully in ways that leave behind trauma That you wish to avoid, as you flirt With how you and the other are impacted. © MALAK KALMONI CHEHAB Canada "JOURNEY OF WORDS" When will my mind's hullabaloo come to a halt? The creaking sound of a wain
Journeying train of thoughts Traversing all terrain quagmired in disharmony A path littered with acute shards of dearth Daily cravings for oyster sauce Lingering pale shadows of joy Your silhouette cameo On the city's muted roaring silence. A script written to set free, From the fetters of sombre state. When to sit still? To distill essence of existential void, The deep ontological question, As entropic forces are rife at work. The pilgrim's wayfarers, Unruffle the peacock's feathers A posture of pride, prejudice. The swain in cosmic connection, Tickles the inner man to love. The universe suffers more in attachment Breaking free from attachment, the ultimate bourne of faith. A deep-flow from within, Saturating, spiraling, overflowing Benign paradox of polarity, and tonic-gusto mindset The aeonic presence to enlighten, the dark side of the moon Pervading stillness, in sounds of leaking silence. © DAVID MAZONDA Zimbabwe "THE LONE WANDERER" With intense wanderlust I live like a gypsy Sometimes I am sobre At times I am tipsy I started my journey In quest of unknown bourne A passage rife with woes Has made me so forlorn I need a companion A swain to be precise, To ease my uphill trek In search of paradise It's bliss to walk as twain Holding each other's hands Passing through hills and vales Enjoying sun and sands But I'm a lonely lass There's a dearth of passion In me for I have lost A sense of elation No charm remained sans you In travel, on each turn I had contemplated, Why should I not return? My wain is full of goods Needed for mind and soul They'll help me to achieve My predominant goal. © DR. SUDHA DIXIT India