Tuesday, December 31, 2013

'Cracked Pot' Resolutions

                                                                                   Attribution: Einsamer Schutze
Image: A Broken Pot Patched Together
(may hold water but some)
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Tedious close to a
troubled year where many
gave sighs of relief

Radiance of new dawn
Heralds discourse of hope
Amidst trying times

Groggy hysteria
Conflicts and social woes still
casting long shadows

Resolutions of
Cracked Pot kind meeting part of
still deemed successful

Note: This relates to a story from  a reader to Pakcik (here) where
a cracked pot of water carried a distance arriving half full was still better.
Half of resolutions met was better than no resolutions to target for in
the first place

Written for Kerry’s hosting at Real Toads with  - let's make a few resolutions

Across the Wilderness

                                                                                                      User: Kneiphof
Image: The Trans-Siberian Railway in 1903
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Travelling across
the Siberian wilderness
in spiritual bliss

Coldness I feel out
there but warmness exudes from
just her mere presence

Aleph, I proceed
Jubilance in feel for I
am pensive in mood

Note: Retracing the footsteps of Paulo Coelho who writes in
the first person of his journey in Russia in his novel, Aleph

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM #363 with  -  Aleph, the journey begins..


Sunday, December 29, 2013

A Treasured Black and White

                                                                           Self Portrait by Francis Bacon
Image: Courtesy of Tess' Mag

A fulfillment of yearnings
Caught between the eyes
A gaze of wonder triggered
A feeling full of amazement
A moment in time laced with
Memories of days long gone

Unpretentious as a reindeer
Careening across the sky
Just days before
Traversing the universe
With all the festivities

Now the lull before the storm
The quiet
Before festivities started again
Recording more snapshots
Squinting behind the lens
To focus on things mundane
Undisturbed in the house
This was what he had captured
Many years ago
Of himself
In precious black and white

Tattered at the edges
There are not many of these anymore
Now treasured for posterity

Written for Tess' Mag #200 and shared with Open Link Mondays
at Real Toads

It Worked All the Time!


Image: Courtesy of the Sunday Whirl

The words are:
answer blast chance  integral map softly
synchronize think tincture tint tip

A blast from the past
By chance prompted him
To map out a strategy

An integral part
of the answer
Was in his ability
To synchronize
All of the visual tints
A tincture of hope
In life’s offerings

A tip he held on dear to
Was to face up to problems
To nip them in the bud
Before they became
insurmountable

Softly about it!
It worked all time!

Written for Brenda’s Sunday Whirl’s Wordle #141

A Wish List

                                                                                     Attribution: DFID UK      
Image: A Ray of Hope
(a green-house project to enhance food production in Kenya)
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Great Expectations!
What the dickens, what is the
wish for the New Year?

Abundance of food
for the world’s hunger and no
more missing children

Mankind is pleading
to search the conscience and no
more drones incursions

Finality of
the elusive peace and no
more calamities

For Leo's Haiku Heights #315 - expectations shared
with Poets United's Poetry Pantry #182

Saturday, December 28, 2013

To Your Future


Image: Courtesy of Grandma's Goulash

Blowing his own trumpet
To herald his journey into the future
on his own strength
No necessity to outwit anyone
Friends can come in handy!

(140 characters)

Linda at Grandma's Succinctly Yours week #145 provided the above image for
a Micro Fiction of not exceeding 140 characters and to include the word  -  outwit

The Cowboy in Him

                                                                                 Photo: Erwin E Smith
Image: Bronco on the Open Range
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

He dug into his heels
The stirrups impacted deeper
The stallion lunged forward

It had been a long day
But he got his wish
Sitting pretty as cowboys would
The mount acted in unison
It transformed its pace
And progressed faster

How he loved to be back
On familiar territory
He questioned his wisdom though
Of trying to relive a page of his past

He was a lone cowboy
In the big country
He had his buddies then
And they roamed the plains

His fortunes took a turn for the better
A rich uncle upon his demise
Bequeathed large sums of wealth
And an ongoing outfit bearing the family name
That brought him to the Big Apple
Expecting him to dwell in high finance
To rescue and sustain the business
Of which he had no clue whatsoever

But he had to do it
The family honor was at stake
He tried to lead the team
There were initial sniggers
But he managed
The trick was to put his money
On a whiz-kid to run the show
But not to let his guard down
Keeping tabs every inch of the way

Now he is able to give a sigh of relief
To spend the festive holidays on the ranch
Where he rightly belongs
And forget Wall Street for the moment

Written for Marian’s hosting of World's End at Real Toads
to show an episode of the past

Circle of life

                                                                                                    Attribution: Burim
Image: Flowers in Spring
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Comes the time nature’s
swing moods clamoring towards
beauty of spring-time

Riding high buoyant
circle of life about to
accord fresh upsurge

Steadfast in splendor
Greenery and flowers rule
Drab cold forgotten

Written for Chev’s CARPE DIEM #360 with  -  circle of life

Friday, December 27, 2013

Up the Ante

                                                                                              Attribution : Heptagon
Image: Going for it!
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Caught by the call to
improve image and nurture
success for glory

Credible restraints
Magnanimous in actions
Graceful in honor

Reaping benefits
Jockeying for positions 
Go.. up the ante

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM Special #69 with Hando's - caught by the call

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Change For the Better!

                                                                                      Attribution: Ton Rulkens
Image: Pink Crab Spider
(Changed color overnight upon shedding its skin)
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Festivities over been through almost
Just a few more days to the ensuing year
On reflection how luxuriant had it been?

New year resolutions that malfunctioned
Getting on in years slowly but surely
Nothing macabre maimed the thinking
Still writing and magnanimous in attitudes
Healthy but provocative in thoughts

Change! wrench away on the brains!

( A 55 for the G-Man)

Tenacity of Wild Flowers

                                                                                             Attribution: Famartin
Image: Of varied colors
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Dancing in the winds
Provocatively bidding
Of youthful vigor

Of varied colors
Ubiquitously bathing
The wild countryside

Squirming sheepishly
Upon nightfall and slowly
shriveled in the cold

Assuming vigil
in the morning unflinching
innocence of youth

For Chev's CARPE DIEM #359  -  wild flowers.  Shared with
Mrsupole's Theme Thursday  -  youth

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Softly music treads...

                                                                                                Photo: Tobias Helfrich
Image: The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
(Southern view with Liscannor Bay)
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Swaying in the breeze
Soothing to the savage breast
Softly music treads

Up over the cliffs
Unrelenting  in pursuit
Penchant for the ears

Celtic endeavors
Rounding up of enthusiasts
Over the waters

Written for Chev's at CARPE DIEM # 358  -  Cliffs of Moher

Elegance of Being

                                                                                          Attribution: James Steakley
Image: Elegance in Nature
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

3WW with:
Crisp Exquisite Magnificent

Crisp in a manner of speaking
Exquisite and of charming substance
Magnificent in make-up of elegance
Can one be faulted?

For thinking of having intruded
Against the odds of discovery
Eyeing with eagerness the likes
Of maidens in all innocence

Where then it was ingenuity
Of the highest order to win a favor
Of a charming lady of leisure

But now with the preponderance
Of predators one is looked upon
As  a pedophile on the sly
Can one be faulted?

Written for Thomg's 3-Word Wednesdays

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas - A Haiku and A Kyrielle Sonnet

                                                                           Attribution: Marlene Thyssen
Image: A Christmas Tree with Lighted Candles and Presents
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

A Haiku for Real Toads
Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas to all Toads
Hail to Yuletide cheer!

A Kyrielle Sonnet for Christmas
A Kyrielle Sonnet consists of 14 lines . It comprises three rhyming quatrain 
stanzas and a couplet. Just like the traditional Kyrielle, the Kyrielle Sonnet 
also has a repeating line as a refrain. It appears as the last line of each 
stanza. I've maintained within each line the eight syllables.
The rhyming scheme is AabB ccbB ddbB AB 

Wishing everyone Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Drive safely!

A            Bright star surveying down below
a             Colorful lights and mistletoe
b             Stand below it,‘care for a kiss’
B            Hail to the Yuletide cheer and more

c             Standing a pine tree green and lean
c             From Wal Mart gramps carried it in
b            Tinsel swaying in a slight breeze
B            Hail to the Yuletide cheer and more

d             Santa sneaks in with the presents          
d             Demands from young hearts more brazen
b             Expensive items are their wish
B            Hail to the Yuletide cheer and more

A             Parents relent expenses soar
B             Merry Christmas Happy New Year

Note: I had no place to link the above Kyrielle which I had written earlier.
I'll make it legit by linking it with a hurriedly done haiku at Real Toads

For Real Toads with Mama Zen's Words Count

Cry Long Forgotten

                                                                                   Attribution: Manuel Gonzalez
Image: A Red Sunset
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Forlornly a red
sun sets reclining atop
the high mountain range

A Tibetan cry
Yearnings for freedom of thought
Gift of expression

Submissive but strength
of purpose belies will to
survive undisturbed

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM #357, A Red Sun Sets

Monday, December 23, 2013

Movements in the Desert

                                                                                                Attribution: E Cury

Image: Camel Caravan (oil on canvas)
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Caravans headed
towards blooms of paradise
With joys of music

Desert oasis
Extending hand to precious
life with challenges

Survival assured
Fabric of activity
Amidst searing heat

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM # 356 - silent sentinel - of 
caravans plying the desert

He was not Indispensable!

                                                                                Attribution: Justin Martinez
Image: Trudging along
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

He ambled along trudging in guarded paces
His injured leg dragged slowly trailing behind
Created a light trail which quickly filled with water
The ground was soft it had rained hours before
They had unwittingly left him not realizing
He must have dozed off leaning behind the tree

There was no way anyone would come back for him
That would botch up the whole operation
They had taken great pains to keep it under wraps
Coming back for him would waste precious hours
He would have to make it on his own to catch up

Why he should be there in the first place
 He reflected on the events of the previous week
They said there were riches some buried treasures
They were looking for able-bodied men to join in
He thought this was going to be easy money
He was behind in payments for his mounting bills
This was the easy way out he thought to himself

How he regretted it now as there seemed to be none
They had no qualms of leaving him behind
He had to fend for himself for the rest of the way

How was he so gullible but there was no turning back
He had only to be on guard to stay relevant and alive
He was beginning to lose his faith by the minute
Had to be alert his wits around him when he caught up

He now sadly realized
He was not indispensable 
He felt he was being used
They might even decide
To bump him off!

Written for Kerry's hosting at Real Toad's Open Link Monday

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Strength of Character

                                                   Madonna With the Milk Soup, 1510, Gerard David
Image: Courtesy of Tess’ Mag

Sunday Whirl with Wordle #140
attend clear echo follow fly intact level
listen means pulverize shuttle spider split

To echo yet another prayer
Intent on a level of culture
To listen with the means of a
split-second strike

Reminiscent of a spider about
to pulverize its prey 
an ingenuity to shuttle by or fly
intact with a slow movement
A clear strength of character
Also Madonna and a soup of milk

Affections to attend to their young
A reflection of survival

A vicious spider or motherly instinct
will necessarily follow a similar
pattern to feed young mouths

Shared with Tess's Mag #199, Brenda’s Sunday Whirl Wordle #140
and Mary's at Poets United's Poetry Pantry #181

Dark Shadows


Image: Courtesy of Grandma's Goulash

Dark shadows darting
from house to house in
the cool of the night
Noted for their quick
movements but are they
of suspicious intentions?

(140 characters)

A Micro Fiction of not exceeding 140 characters for
Grandmas Goulash's Succinctly Yours week #144 and
to include the word - noted

Gift of Good Health

                                                                               Attribution: geschenkhamster
Image: Wrapped up gifts
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Gift of a lifetime
Savor the good life, healthy
in body and mind

Pray to Providence
Extend a climate of love
To all and sundry

Peaceful,  devoid of
natural calamities
without blood and tears

Blessed with a good year
Accomplished with fine results
Better yet next year

Written for Leo's Haiku Heights #314 with  -  gifts

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Expectations Abound

                                                                      Attribution: Roger McLassus
Image: Puddles on the Pavement
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Upon reflection
Of puddles on the pavement
A mirror image

Kaleidoscopic
Reminiscent of what had
been and what will be

Incoherent but
Expectations abound as
blessed as a new-born

Hando's 4th,  "puddles on the pavement"

Ideal Peace On Earth

                                                                                       Attribution: ceridwen
Image: A Peaceful Day
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

An adventure often withheld
Clambering in heavens shrouded
Likened to a gazelle ensnared
Across leaps of many white clouds

Peering down below wondering
Skipping through whims of fantasy
In guarded joys of blessed wailings
A pleasant surprise unlikely

Where are all the violence and fights
None are perceived no untoward signs
Conflict resolution questioning rights
To dispossess nations and all of mankind

Having their fortune in their hands
Are bared as an open book to see
Wealth and expanse of good lands
Blessed with food for the needy

Chunks of greenbacks aplenty
Not grabbed nor fought but to hold
Thrown to the winds extravagantly
And no takers for the bags of gold

If only Paradise is staged unabashedly
On earth with such ideal settings 
The world is a safe place to live in truly
Not to be but no end to hoping

Written for Mrsupole's Theme Thursday -  Fantasy

Friday, December 20, 2013

Alvae - a Forest Tribe

                                                                                               Artist:  Paul Cezanne
Image: Interior of a Forest
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Lost in innocence
Not expected to save the
world but surviving

Given to tests of
strength meted on tribes who showed
resolve of purpose

Rally around their
leader to mark not just a
presence but a pride

Note: The Alvae is a forest tribe in a fantasy novel by Adrian von Zieglar

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM #354  -  Alvae

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Dreamy Dreams

                                                                           Attribution: Todd Schaffer
Image: Dreamy Eyes
Wikimedia Commons (here)

Awake in a dream
Treading softly on thin air
A bed of roses

Some unfortunates
Wake up in cold sweat deprived 
of such luxury

Trick is to be nice
Mindful on retiring
with good intentions

Written for Chev’s CARPE DIEM # 353
with  -  ‘awake in a dream’

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Blessings in Disguise

                                                                                                   Attribution: Usien
Image : Youth Football in Germany
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

3WW:  Combative  Represent  Sluggish
Poets United:  Gifts and Blessings

There appeared to be something telling
A very drastic change was taking shape
Barely two weeks ago it was panic stations
when everything was all in the doldrums
The tongue lashing from the coach
was still ringing loud and clear
They deserved it after such a sluggish display
Skills for which they were known and feared
Were terribly missing

What came over them
It was not something worrisome now
something for the better though but
the coach had wanted answers
There were certainly learning points
It could be invoked the next time
In similar circumstances

So what was right?
What contributed to the change

They were suddenly more combative
Playing well as a team
Their coordination improved
And their cross-passings  perfect
They represented a pack of a wallop
They were themselves as a new team

He was not complaining
As a Manager such blessings were rare
He must have a word with the coach
It was a gift of the season
He was overwhelmed!

Written for Thomg's 3WW and shared with Kim's at Poets United - Verse First


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Sacred Earth

                                                                                               Attribution: Rrinsindika
Image; Mother Earth seen from Outer Space
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Paradise on earth?
No comparison but a
human sanctuary

Greed and self interests
To meet human wants had forced
earth into conflicts

Law of the jungle
in tempered form remains to
give semblance of peace 

Monday, December 16, 2013

A Holiday Break - A Tetractys

                                                                                             Artist: Charles Conder
Image: Holiday on the Beach
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Tetractys is a poetic form invented by Ray Stebbing. It consists of 5 lines 
of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10 syllables (a total of 20). A Tetractys can be written as a 
Double Tetractys with 2 verses, but must  be in an inverted form

Gone
Away
Team d’Verse
Pub is now closed
For a well deserving rest and leisure
Have a wonderful holiday for all
A bit quiet
Over here
Life goes
On!

Note: The d'Verse Pub is closed for a holiday break. It'll be open again at the
beginning of the year. Happy Holidays everyone!

Written for Open Link Monday at Real Toads

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Wild Dreams

Image: Courtesy of Brenda's

Wordle #139 with words:
angel  apart  box  clay  cover  fix  lies 
moon  pair simple snatch  waves

A hovering  angel over him ever watching
With immense desire wanting to please
But his conscience was a cover thwarting
All attempts to relate to him with ease

He tried to fix a typical line of defense
Offering lies between reality and fantasy
He gave  mild responses  in idyllic resistance
Waves of distraction caught his fancy

Apart from some fanciful footwork
To deflect attention from the ever seeing
He tried to snatch some hours to mock
The prowess of those spiritual beings

A simple endeavor  using a box of clay
And with wild dreams of sorcerers of old
A pair of gloves on a moon lit night he did pray
Believing that clay would be turned to gold

Only blessed gloves needed to be worn
To receive the converted gold he so desired
But with an empty look far into the horizon
He could only bid his time as expected

Writtten for Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #139

A Special Guest - MF

Image: Courtesy of Linda at Grandma's Goulash

In search of tenants
short or life term young
or old. Under protection
umbrella.Free board and
lodgings.Expect good
service.Call anytime

(140 characters)

Linda challenged us at Succinctly Yours week #143 to write a Micro Fiction based
on the image provided in not more than 140 characters and to include the word  -  umbrella

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Angelic Candle-lights

                                                                                           Attribution: Gowri Sankar
Image: Blessings of Angelic Candle-lights
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

In the run-up to the impending festivities
Of keeping the wonderful Christmas spirits alive
The flickering lights swaying in slight breeze
The ever ubiquitous colorful candles do survive

Since times in memory of long days past
More than anything else in faraway abodes
Never had candle-lights been appreciated to last
Where not connected to lighting modes

A partner in illuminating life’s restricted moves
Of groping in the dark as a consequence otherwise
Offering security and reassurance lest darkness
Creates feelings of bodily fright lurking nights

‘Let there be light’ blessings to the good souls
The assurance of Providence to all and sundry
It is a right to all living things extended so bold
Goodness of life’s existence is plain to see

Written for Mary's hosting at d’Verse, Poetics: Candles and lights

Friday, December 13, 2013

Preference for Flowers - a Cinquain

                                                                                        Attribution: Andre Karwath
Image: Primula
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

A Cinquian is a poem of 5 lines with a syllable count of 2, 4, 6, 8, 2.
In its restrictive form it may even be expected to be as follows:

First line: a one-word subject or title.
Second line: two adjectives which describe the subject.
Third line: three verbs relating to the subject.
Fourth line: four words forming a phrase, sentence,
or set of feelings relating to the subject.
Fifth line: one word which summarizes the poem or restates the subject.

But I’ve chosen the easier option of maintaining just the syllable count

Conflicts
Ever present
Found in line of fire
Women and children young and old
Pity

Flowers
Soothing effects
Nature's wonder of peace
Colors do propagate beauty
Dainty

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM Little Ones #8 a --Cinquain

Thursday, December 12, 2013

'because it's there!...'

                                                                                 Attribution: David Medcalf
Image: Cliff Climbing
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Written for:
3WW:  highlight  instruct  submit
Theme Thursday:  fate

Something to be said.
Of tempting fate
Thrill for the seekers.
Peril for the others
Not conniving.
But just bidding

Highlight the stunts.
Knievel for one
No bones unbroken.
Beyond redemption
Instruct a charge.
Against one so large  
Many dead.
The Light Brigade. 
Atop Everest, spectacular fare. 
Why? ‘because it is there’

But something’s got to give
For the elements of risks
Snuffed out brilliant careers
Dean,Walker and some others

Why? Why?Why?

Testing one’s luck.
To self destruct
Nor to submit.
For the timid
But thrills for sure.
Fun and adventure
Some fun and games.
No refrains nor restraints
Forgetting the pain.
Thrown to the winds

Shared with Thomg's 3WW and  Mrsupole's Theme Thursday

Monday, December 9, 2013

Dastardly Delinquent - A Huitain

                                                                      Attribution: Wieke de Rijk
Image: Ferocity in the Eyes
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

The original huitain is a single verse, eight line poem with eight 
syllables per line. The rhyme scheme is a b a b b c b c. When 
it was adapted in English, the same rhyme scheme was retained 
but 10 or 8 syllables were used per line. There was no alternation 
between the syllable count. The huitain was all of 10 or all of 8 syllables

I’ve chosen to do the 10 syllable count. And I also tried to be a 
little naughty by employing alliterations with  letters d and b

a           dreaded dreary disorientated
b           definitely dastardly delinquent
a           dislodged dismantled and dissipated
b           dwindled to defenseless delirium
b           but balanced boldness brought benevolence
c           besieged bondage but bizarre bravado
b           began to beat and bash those beholden
c           brutal beastly barrage like a bronco

Note: The above revolved around a delinquent
Tom cat that was ill-treated but later fought back

Written for d'Verse OpenLinkNight week 126

Unsure and Unfaltering

                                                                     Attribution: Philip Halling
Image: Footprints to Nowhere
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

footprints in the sand
to here and there and nowhere
and the gull flying   -   Hando's

Footprints in the sand
Sadly leading to nowhere
Unfathomable

Sitting begrudging
a better alternative?
Undemonstrative

Seagulls up circling
Eyeing targets down below
Unmitigated

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM Special #66  -  footprints in the sand

On Being Nice - Terza Rima Sonnet

                                                                                       Attribution: Adriano
Image: Being Nice Together
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

a     Never in his wildest dreams had he known
b     Destined to be witness of vanity
a     Demonstrated by the sullen who frowned

b    Though devoid of acts of indignity
c    Startled and intensely incoherent
b    Blabbering to no end unashamedly

c   Why insist to willfully abandon
d   politeness and sense of good upbringing
c   and forgetting judicious indulgence

d   Shouts of 'simpleton' just kept on ringing
e   Much to embarrassment of those present
d   Ethics and etiquette thrown to the winds

e   Painful and sorely it was a lesson
e   To be enlightened  sane and elegant

A  Terza Rima sonnet is a rhyming poetry written in tercets – ie three-line stanzas
and ends with a couplet. It has a strict rhyming structure of   aba bcb cdc ded ee.
Here I’ve maintained the 10-syllable count in each of the 14 lines

Written for Marian's hosting at Open Link Monday at Real Toads

Sunday, December 8, 2013

A Secret Rendezvous

                                                                 Photo: from The Guardian Eyewitnesses
Image: Courtesy of Tess' Mag

How he loved the sounds
Never had he felt so excited
It was all by accident
It only happened
barely a week ago
Now he is here
Practically every waking hour
Sometimes three  times in a day

They craved for him
The familiar engine sound
Of his old jalopy was enough
They swooped, they shrieked
To readily indicate their welcome

Seagulls have that uncanny
ability to recognize car sounds
And like Pavlov’s canine came
back again knowing
there was bread for the picking

He had profusely thanked
the bread-vendor
One  who let it be  known
of this secret rendezvous
when he had only desired
for a loaf of bread
Yes, that was barely a week ago
He had not looked back since

Written for Tess' Mag #197 and Poetry Pantry #179

Underworld Betrayal

                                                                                 Attribution: denizen24
Image: The 1970 Lincoln Continental - the
most featured car in gangster movies
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

The given words:
become beloved cruel cloak cash  
prison skirt wild pursuit Venus goods

Jostling for positions everyone
were there putting up their case
Was not sure what had become
of his beloved missing without a trace

A cruel twist of fate with bad results
Shrouded under a cloak of mystery
There were questions left unanswered
Wherefore were the cash and money

The spoils were hidden but where
Mastermind in prison but not others
One a known skirt chaser all were aware
In wild pursuit in keeping with his prowess

The object of his love Venus by name
Loot and goods stashed securely in his hands
Made for life he thought without conscience
He had no qualms betraying his friends

Written for Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #138

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Alice in Wonderland

                                                                                Attribution: Public Domain
Image: With the Various Characters
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Down the rabbit hole to a garden
Doors in her way too small to enter
Shrunk in size after drinking a potion
Cried flooding the hallway with tears

Swam with Mouse but it was offended
Alice enquired about her Cat was the offense
Animals and birds swept by in the flood
But raced in circles to dry up on the banks

White Rabbit looking for Duchess’ things
Mistook Alice for a maid and ordered indoors
Alice grew and crowd outside threw pebbles in
became cakes when taken made her smaller

Was with the Hatter at Mad Tea Party
Stormed off when bombarded with riddles
The Queen of Hearts difficult to please
‘Off with his Head’ she often quibbled

Called as witness in proceedings in a daze
Swarmed all over her were the pack of cards
Alice’s sister then dusted leaves from her face
That was the instance when Alice woke up

Not nearly a similar story line to that of the original
But near enough in some parts not entirely a ramble

Written for Claudia's hosting at d"Verse: Poetics:  Alice and Advent

Ashes to Ashes

                                                                          Attribution: Public Domain
Image: The Phoenix
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Rising from ashes
Purple in hues from the dead
A new life reborn

Bird of a kind yet
again extending a long
reach beyond borders

Written for Chev’s CARPE DIEM #343 with  - ashes

Friday, December 6, 2013

Contrast in Nature

                                                                                               Attribution: Ivar Leidus
Image: Light and Shadows, Day or Night
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

In light and darkness
One seeks solace of purpose
Bidding all are well

Putrid and freshness
One maintains sanity to
Shackle exposure

Enjoy or detest
One is goaded to persist
In all innocence

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM #342  -  in light and darkness

Thursday, December 5, 2013

A Burning Question

                                                                                        Attribution: Bijay Acharya
Image: In Search of Brilliance
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Trying to be smart is not easy
Many have tried and have succeeded
But those who failed are just as many
So how to emulate and get to be feted?

Burning question tickles the mind
Are there easy answers through shortcuts?
Reflect a moment is a good sign
Or sadly one ends in a rut

(55 words)

Written for Sam' hosting at d'Verse Forms for All:  55 shades of grey

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

A Beautiful Dream

                                                                                                       Attribution: Tuxyso
Image: Sand Dunes in Death Valley
(such a beautiful scene, a dream but in a dangerous place)

Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Bedlam of madness
Illusions of a sane night
Wrought with nature’s ills

Come peace and quiet
Medley of good images
Begins to make sense

Beautiful dreams in
meager forms now taking shape
Blessed the chosen ones

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM #340 with   -  beautiful dreams

Gift of a Lifetime

                                                                                 Attribution: West Midlands Police
Image: Seized cannabis
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

3WW with words   -  brief  expose  insist
Poetry Jam with prompt   -   gift

A brief moment of laughter
Enthralled with a gift of a lifetime
But unknowingly thrown to the dogs
Sad instances of lost opportunities
Revealing man to be vulnerable

An expose’ of strange happenings
Bane of the lost and the wayward
Many caught in a vicious web
Salivating at the mouth and wanting more
Nervous wrecks found in street corners

Law enforcement do insist
That parental guidance be enhanced
Formative years sweet and enchanting
Attraction to base and idle needs
Young people easily led astray
Ensnared into bouts of blissful ecstasy
At its best the rampant drug scene

Written for Mary's hosting at Poetry Jam and shared with ThomG's hosting at 3WW 

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Being Thankful - Shakespearian Sonnet

                                                             Attribution: Jon Ashcroft                         
Image Being Thankful Icon
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

a             Creating desire to be thankful
b             Many are taken with such noble thoughts
a             They make a real effort to be grateful
b             and to register very well their lot

c             Sadly ingrates persist not to bother
d             Begged for help to later disappear
c             No conscience and took it as small matter
d             Favors from others do not register

e             Is it a weakness of one’s character
f              To succumb to sob stories easily
e             Only to realize being duped later
f              By the unscrupulous and paid dearly
 
g             It may hurt but for poetic justice
g             is an equalizer without malice

A Shakespearian sonnet of 14 lines with end rhymes of
a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g while maintaining the 10-syllable
count for each line

Written for Tony's hosting at d’Verse’s OpenLinkNight week 125