FREE VERSE – WINTRYPOET

SEASONS

The vibrant hues of spring
Dance in her captivating eyes,
Reflecting the fresh greens
And delicate blossoms of the season.

The sweet fragrance of summer
Lingers in her flowing hair,
Reminiscent of sun-kissed days filled
With blooming flowers and laughter.

Her cheeks, a soft blush reminiscent
Of the fiery reds
And oranges of autumn leaves,
Radiate warmth and vitality.

Yet, beneath this beautiful exterior,
Her icy heart remains untouched,
Piercing the air around her
Like the biting chill of winter’s breath,

A thorny rose, bright and lovely,
Who tempts all the curious eyes,
Only to leave those who seek her warmth
In a state of longing and despair.

©Habib R Dabajeh

A REFLECTION OF UNREQUITED ADMIRATION

Let us acknowledge the remarkable nature of your creation,
Which embodies grace and beauty.
Although my presence may not resonate within your heart,
I find solace in the contemplation of you.

Were I to be the very ground upon which you tread,
I would relish the opportunity to experience the sensation
Of your presence; it would be a privilege to feel
The joy that remains beyond my reach.

If I had the fortune of being the comb
That gently separates your hair,
I would have the pleasure of knowing
The softness and fragrance that accompanies it.

Should I be the lipstick gracing your lips,
I would experience the bliss held dear by lovers.
The intensity of my affection would be overwhelming,
As I succumbed to an ecstasy marked by profound longing.

To witness the brilliance emanating from your eyes
Would be akin to a child nestled against its mother.
I would yearn to feel the warmth of your embrace
And be serenaded by the gentle melodies of your heartbeat.

If I were the pillow supporting your thoughts,
I would aspire to participate in your dreams of happiness.
I would subtly convey hints of my presence,
Hoping that you might acknowledge my existence.

I apologize for indulging in these reveries; I am merely an idealist.
Should I awaken from this dream, I would wish to fade into obscurity.
In your world, I perceive myself as a mere stone,
Unnoticed as you pass by.

©Habib Dabajeh

AS I WEEP

Now that you have vacated my heart,
A new dawn unfurls like the darkest of nights,
Its chill creeps into the marrow of my bones.
I find myself pondering alone
Beneath this gnarled, dying tree,
The very place where we swore—
With fervent whispers—to never part.
In that fleeting moment when our lips last met,
The world faded away, and now I can’t stop the tears
From streaming down my cheeks.

As my body trembles from the weight of sorrow,
Tears cascading like a silent waterfall,
A gentle breeze stirs around me,
Carrying with it the intoxicating scents
From a nearby rose garden.
Excitement flares within me,
Igniting hope anew,
And I leap up, wiping away the burning tears,
Believing, for a heartbeat,
That you might be walking back to me with an apology.

©Habib Dabajeh

BLISSFUL STATE

Nestled beside the crackling fireplace,
I find myself enveloped in your warmth,
My heart resting against your chest as if seeking refuge.
You pull me closer, wrapping your arms around me,
And in that moment, I long for time to stand still,
Wishing that this enchanting night could stretch on indefinitely.

There’s a childlike tremor in me,
A delicate vulnerability as I swoon against you,
Fearing the inevitable moment when I must release my grip.
The softness of your breasts presses gently into me,
Each contour of your body is a soothing balm to my soul.

The intoxicating blend of your warmth and the sweet,
Familiar scents that surround you
Seem to fan the flames of my longing heart,
Each breath I take is infused with sensations
Both thrilling and tender.

In this blissful state, enveloped by pure ecstasy,
Bittersweet tears find their way to my eyes,
Quietly spilling over as a poignant sadness washes over me.
I am acutely aware that dawn will break all too soon,
Shattering this perfect moment
And ushering in a world that demands our separation.

©H. Dabajeh

DRIVEN FROM YOUR HEART

As I lay there,
Lost in a fog of confusion and surrounded by chaos,
I couldn’t help but feel frightened and distraught.
Tears streamed down my face
As I yearned to hold you close again.
Memories flooded my mind,
Bringing me back to the rose garden
Where we used to play in the rain.

I can still feel the sweetness of your kisses
Mingling with the raindrops,
And I remember how you would tease me playfully,
Only to burst into laughter that echoed joyfully.
You captivated me with your beauty,
And I was humbled by the love you shared so freely.
I existed solely for your warmth and those gentle kisses.

Your radiant smile, your angelic features,
And even your witty, childlike frowns are etched in my heart.
But with those sweet memories
Came the sharp pang of loneliness,
A reminder of your absence that stings deeply.
Oh, fairest of all maidens,
My world feels incomplete without you.
My heart yearns to sing your praises endlessly.

Once, I was your cherished falcon,
But I felt the cruelty of losing my wings
When you drove me away
From the nest of your heart,
Urging me to find my own way to soar.
I can only hope you understand
Just how much you mean to me
And the void your departure has left in my soul.

©Habib Dabajeh

LAST NIGHT

I approached with soft, careful steps,
Eager to behold your presence.
As I gazed upon you,
An overwhelming sense of beauty
And tranquility enveloped you,
Prompting a deep sense of reverence within me.
You lay there, deeply immersed in your dreams,
And I hesitated, reluctant to disturb your peaceful slumber.
Gently, I lowered my head to rest upon your chest,
Captivated by the rhythmic rise and fall of your breath,
Which resonated like a soothing melody
In the stillness of the room.

In my attempt to convey the depth of my emotions
And to capture the essence of your appearance,
I found myself at a loss for words;
They seemed to vanish into thin air.
In that moment of longing,
I leaned in and pressed a tender kiss upon your cheek,
Accompanied by a whimsical wish
That felt both absurd and essential.
As I closed my eyes, I allowed myself to drift,
Yearning to step into the enchanting world of your dreams.

©Habib Dabajeh 2/10

LEAFLESS TREE

A gnarled, leafless tree stands
Amid a vibrant landscape,
Its twisted branches reaching out
Like fragile arms yearning for one final embrace.
Beneath the azure sky,
The tree sways gently in the cool breeze,
Attempting one last dance despite its frailty and age.
The bark, worn and weathered by countless seasons,
Tells a story of resilience,
Yet its strength has long since diminished.

Around it, a chorus of birds gathers,
Their melodious calls rang through the air
As they pay tribute to an old companion,
Each note is infused with memory and nostalgia.
Their vibrant plumage contrasts sharply
With the tree’s stark silhouette,
Creating a poignant atmosphere of reverence.

As the sun begins to set,
Casting golden hues across the landscape,
A plaintive wind sweeps in,
Rustling through the remaining branches
As if trying to whisper words of comfort.
Yet, despite its gentle caress,
The breeze brings little solace,
Leaving only the melancholic echo of what once was.

©Habib Dabajeh

PENSIVE MOOD

I stepped out into the desolate twilight,
My footsteps echoed in the solitude of the evening.
It felt as though all hope had slipped through my fingers,
Leaving a vacant space where light once thrived.
The cold wind brushed against my skin,
Sending shivers down my spine,
While the ground was littered with damp,
Withered leaves that crunched softly beneath my feet.
From the depths of a distant forest,
A solitary bird weeps mournfully for the lost warmth of spring,
Its delicate notes rise and fall like a distant memory.
Yet, the wind howled around me,
Its fierce breath drowned out the bird’s lament,
Transforming into a tempest that seemed to rage at the world itself.

Torn by confusion and sorrow,
Tears began to escape the corners of my eyes,
Only to merge with the chill of the air.
A cacophony of annoying crows cawed harshly from their perch,
Their shrieks sliced through the quietude like a knife.
Darkness enveloped me;
There was no ray of light to ease the heaviness of my heart.
Despair seeped into the very marrow of my being,
Invading my spirit like a creeping fog.
The sense of my frailty grew ever more apparent,
As if the weight of the years was pushing me toward the Ground.
Youth, once a vibrant dream,
Now, it felt like a distant echo,
Fading away into the shadows of the past.

©Habib Dabajeh

SYMMETRY

When God heard my prayer for a companion,
He consulted His blueprints of spring and summer.
He used rose petals to shape my lover’s lips,
And from soft lilies, He formed her cheeks.

The light He ordained to greet the day,
And the softer light to bless the night;
That mixture of light He gave her a radiant face.

Through a sunlit sky, He sends the rains
And causes a sweet rainbow to appear.
He took those beautiful colors, and mixed them,
He painted the brilliance of her eyes.

He gathered feathers from every angel,
Mingled them with fine silk,
He added jasmine and crafted her hair.

Into her ears, He softly whispered
The songs of morning birds,
The dialogue of night crickets,
And she came to understand the language of nature.

From rustling trees to tender songbirds,
And Cherubim glorifying with the sweetest voices;
That mixture of sounds He gave to her.

He then placed her in a lovely rose garden
So she may be among her kind.
He waited, and He is most patient,
Until she absorbed the scent of every rose.

And what a rose she turned out to be!
She smiles, and I abandon all beliefs
And swear upon her peerless grace.

She has silenced my poetic tongue
And caused my verses to falter.
She transformed a lover into a madman
Who babbles words without meaning.

I gaze upon my love now
And relinquish all creeds and beliefs.
All my hopes and dreams rest upon her lips.

WINTRY NIGHT

On a bitterly cold and rain-soaked winter night,
As the chill seeped through the walls,
Each drop of rain fell like a relentless reminder of my despair;
I sought refuge beneath my warm blanket,
Nestled against my tear-stained pillow,
Damp with the weight of sorrow.
In the silence, hope flickered like a candle in the wind,
Though I knew deep down that all hope seemed to have fled.
I lay there, trapped in my yearning, wishing fervently,
Longing to close my weary, heavy eyelids finally,
To drift away into a brief, peaceful slumber,
And wander through a blissful dream,
And to envision what may never come to pass.

©Habib Dabajeh

THE GARDENER

I find myself gazing out toward the garden,
Envisioning him there, kneeling on the soft earth,
Tenderly tending to the tomatoes, with soil dusting his hands.
Yet here I stand, engulfed in a profound solitude,
My heart shattered into countless fragments,
While my mind cruelly torments me with echoes of what was.

In my dreams, I often wander back
In that once-vibrant garden,
Recalling the vibrant colors and fragrant scents,
Where laughter once danced on the breeze,
And the old pear tree stood majestic and tall,
Its boughs were heavy with fruit that glimmered in the sun.

Desperation clings to me, as I long for a final glimpse,
Hoping for one more vision of the Gardener at work,
Yet in this tranquil yet haunting space,
I see only the empty patches and shadows,
And the Gardener so dearly missed,
Is nowhere to be found.

©Habib Dabajeh

BYGONE YEARS

As ominous dark clouds
Begin to unfurl across the sky,
An irritating crow caws from a distant perch,
Its harsh call sliced through the silence,
And I feel more chided than flattered.
The chill in the air intensifies
As the wind picks up, whipping around me
And piercing through my skin.
The leaves are wet and scattered
Upon the damp and frozen ground.
In this strange and unsettling scene,
The once dauntless boy stands,
His courage eroded, now overshadowed
By a sense of trepidation.

As I stand there,
Enveloped in a heavy silence,
My gaze sweeps the gloomy surroundings,
Revealing that things now
Are often more complex than they appear.
The vibrant light and beauty of life
Have faded into shadows,
Drowned in an eerie stillness;
Gone are the familiar sounds of joy and laughter,
Replaced by an uncomfortable void.
I search in vain for a guiding voice
Or a comforting hand,
And in this moment of reflection,
I realize: that youth was but a fleeting dream.