Journey of Fulfillment

                                                                                             Attribution: Reggaeman

Image: Path to Shido-ji Temple (here)

Commencing the pilgrimage to Ryozenji Temple or Vulture Peak

the first of the 88 temples on Shikoku Island

New dawn with high hopes

trudging up Vulture Peak to

first of double eight 

Testing one’s resolve

Emulating  auspicious

journey of thousands

Voices of reasons

Emptiness of soul seeing

light and fulfillment

For Chev's CARPE DIEM #389

A Sacred Journey

                                                                                                       Author: Reggaeman
Image: View from The Iyadani-ji, one of the
88 Shikoku Pilgrimage temples (here)

A sacred journey

To temples of Shikoku

Divine benefit   -   A Haiku

Holy Land beckons

Spiritual obligations

Pilgrimage of grace

For three major religions

Solace and peaceful intents  -  A Tanka

They come from afar with a designated purpose

a desire for the fulfillment of a divine call. It is a

path of gratitude solitude and devotion. Their
mission had long been carved out in a mind clear
in their objectives just waiting for the right moment 

to answer to their beliefs of faith. A pilgrimage is a
journey of sacred significance to the 88 temples
of Shikoku. Their presence in the Holy Land are
of a quest of the three great religions It is an act
of religious worship of rituals followed for generations
of those professing Christianity Islam and Judaism.

Theirs are the pull of miracles reminiscent of Fatima
and Lourdes or the penance and purification by
the Ganges.What of religious persecutions that ended
in the colonies of Plymouth. All of a pilgrimage in quest
of religious expectations or to escape persecutions  -   A Prose

Note: Thanks Sam for being there for all of us all these years!

Written for Sam's last call at the d'Verse pub with
Form for All  -  A Prose/Poetry and Chev's
CARPE DIEM #388 with prompt - Shikoku

Vagaries of the Weather

                                                                                               User: David Bailey
Image: Dry River Bed in a Californian Drought (here)

moving slowly in circles not quite ready

eyeing outwardly for that critical moment

unsure with a rangy lean frame unsteady

eagerly to galvanize all efforts in early jaunts

must exhibit one of an affable nature

good-natured and outwardly friendly

sanguinely with the likes of a good leader

unquestioned to be accepted readily

pushing forward beaming  with confidence

proving hunger is but an incident of ills

sadly stifled by weather extremes in motion

destroying good crops still in the fields

good leaders can plan and chart a future

within his ability where humanly possible

but to grapple with vagaries of the weather

nature plays its cards for which to gamble

3WW - affable galvanize  rangy

Theme Thursday - forward

Poets United - hunger

In The Nick of Time (3)

                                                                                                      Attribution: Hank
Image:  Rahman is standing extreme right (with arms akimbo) Hank is sitting extreme left. Sham who was saved from drowning is standing 2nd from left (wearing beret) Aziz Rahman (Tan Sri) is sitting next to Hank

This poem was written by my buddy Rahman in remembrance of an episode that happened during our Kelantan River expedition way back in 1963. Rahman was the skipper of the bamboo raft christened 'The Kon Tiki'. We were then just teenagers cruising downstream.  Hank was the one who jumped into the swirling waters and saved one of our buddies Sham from drowning. A narration of the episode was posted earlier on (here)

Hank had connected with Rahman a few months back. Surprises of surprises Rahman had the inspiration to pen this poem somehow and extended a copy yesterday. Hank felt so elated and took the liberty to post it for our OpenLinkNight with Rahman as a guest poet.

A POEM FOR HANK

On a bamboo raft

Pretentious Kon Tiki

A teen’s plaything

Barely afloat

On a river of memory

So far… so long ago

Things we do

Cause we have to

Heaven knows

Hell to pay.

And you among sordid

Souls laugh at

Mortality as teens do

Swam and swam until

Fate intervenes, endures

The frailty of muscles.

Things we do

Cause we have to

Heaven knows

Hell to pay.

At once Hank jumped

“In the nick of time…”

Into waters deep

To hell, with

Fangs of denizens,

There’s a life to keep

Things we do

Cause we have to

Heaven knows

Hell to pay.

What Hank ought to do

Save his life too

Yet Hank denies

The one future soul

Then, away from Azreal

Was it for real?

That instant some dreams sank

And remain there to this day,

Perhaps the life we saved

Was our own, resurface

Today as solace to soothe

Tragedies of having grown old

Things we do

Cause we have to

Heaven knows

Hell to pay.

Rahman Daud

Kuala Lumpur;

26 Jan 2014.

Submitted for d'Verse OpenLinkNight week #130

He Wanted Answers!

Image: Courtesy of We Write Poems (here)

The 20 words chosen:

harsh, hurt, humiliation,rendering, rules

ridicule, crowd, caught, changing, brazen,

 platitudes, sacrifice, obvious,  asking, answers,

desire, darkness, deeply, lunatic, lived

Harsh humiliations unwittingly provoked

Without a cause that made it hurt most

Happy to be back instead ridiculed and mocked

In platitudes of brazen and consistent doses

It set him thinking asking deeply into fondness

He made and lived for, a desire for actions

Maturity as a guide but caught in the darkness

He could only despair in obvious frustrations

He wanted answers for sacrifices he had made

Changing rules an option that would suffice

Rendering some assistance to the crowd could help

Only a lunatic failed to appreciate his sacrifices

We Write Poems Wordle #4 and
Kerry's hosting at Open Link Monday at Real Toads

Extreme Weather Change! Why?

                                                                     The Mill. 1964 by Andrew Wyeth
Image: Courtesy of Tess' Mag (here)

The mill sits forlornly, cold and alone

It had seen better days in its heyday

Activities within but now abandoned

Overtaken by myriads of changes at play

Coldness  out the window belies change

Weather acting weird and playing havoc

Unwieldy, unexpected and acting strange

Global shift in extremes somewhat ad hoc

Global warming seem a logical explanation

But advocates had long lost their credibility

What to offer an excuse for the dereliction

Mankind to  account for sinful acts lately?

Written for Tess' Magpie Tales #204

Not All are Happy!

                                                                                              Attribution: Wilfredor

Image: I'm the Boss! I decide! (here)

Sunday Whirl Wordle #145 with words:

aspect country embrace facilitate juggling

plans sent state strands sustain  time write

There are various aspects in the country

That embrace the aspirations pursuant to

Good governance benefiting all and sundry

But there are elements with different views

In order to facilitate the desire to communicate

Some juggling of plans need be sent to minions

With strands of imagination so as to sustain a state

Of affairs readily acceptable going by general opinions

To write for the connivance of the many affected

The powers that be must through valiant deals

Appease those likely to oppose such ideas suggested

By a middle road where agreements are sealed

Written for Brenda's hosting of Sunday Whirl and
Mary's hosting at Poets United Poetry Pantry #186

Clawing for Survival

                                                                                                       Author: Lilaac
Image: Swooping Eagle (here)

flight of the eagle

stepping into the world of dreams

a silent cry                                              -   Chev’s

flight of the eagle

stepping into the world of dreams

a silent cry

Scampering prey’s death sentence

Targets chosen at random

 flight of the eagle

stepping into the world of dreams

a silent cry

Survival skillfully led

Through nature’s will and prowess      -     Hank

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM  #28 -  to complete Chev's Tan Renga with a 7-7

Nature of Wild Dreams

                                                                                       Author:  Michael Jastremski

Image: Cumulus Clouds in Fair Weather (here)

Turbulence of slumber worrying the soul

Stressful in nature building up to a storm

Tussle in a bedstead not as bad as sold

Simmering bleary eyes spewing venom

Sleep fast quit quibbling on trivial matters

Lullaby through strains of moving clouds above

Extending a probe to calm nerves disturbed

Repulsive to stomach best not be involved

Cut out the bad intentions cast to the winds

Malevolent in thoughts scavenging for victims

Poetic justice has a way to redirect consequences

Perpetrators can expect misdeeds to be seen

3WW     -   Malevolent Repulsive Probe

Poetry Jam  -   Look at the Clouds

Real Toads    -  Eyes

Locked in Embrace

                                                                                   Artist: Anders Zorn (1882)
Image: Embrace, a water-color masterpiece  (here)

Shiny slow ripples

Everlasting in movements

So also my heart

Extending love’s touch

When safely in my arms warmth

Of untold pleasure

Sharp tingling vibrates

Binding souls lost in heaven’s

Embrace stoutly firm

Submitted for Chev's CARPE DIEM #380 - Chita
Grace's hosting at d'Verse's OpenLinkNight week #129 and
Leo's Haiku Heights #318 with  -  sharp

Yearnings for Love

                                                                           Attribution: Pithecanthropus4152

Image: Kite Cut Yellow Topaz (here)

The chosen 13 words:
fractured  illusory topaz  tones moon ebb  scales
fluttering  signals goddesses  fame breath words

Fractured mind illusory in nature
Shining like topaz in tones unflattering
Fleetingly akin to goddesses’  overtures
Of moon ebbing in its shine fuming

Scales of measure signals lack of words
To describe the true feelings and emotions
A  breath of fame in keeping with a thought
With a  fluttering of anger and innocence

Venturing onwards it can only be proverbial
A provocative proposal awaiting consideration
A twinge of fate can lead to a likely tussle
To yearn for a love seemingly out of turn

Written for We Write Poems Wordle #3 and
Open Link Mondays at Real Toads

Dicing with Bad Weather

                                                              Musician in the Rain by Robert Doisneau

Image: Courtesy of Tess' Mag

The weather was at its best

He could not have asked for better

The cool of the morning breeze

Strutted slowly to usher a day of reckoning

His fortunes took a turn for the better

Blessed with mounting sales

Startled him for the past week

Buoyed by the sudden surge of good income

Never to fall on his laps never this good

He smacked his lips looking satisfied

He had doubled the load this morning

Especially for the abstract paintings

Not just his regular customers were drawn in

Like ants to sugar even strangers had a penchant

How he had wished the favorable trend was to persist

But sadly today it was not to be

The weather suddenly came with vengeance

A sudden downpour without warning

His lovely paintings took a beating a brutal onslaught

They were but practically spoilt and destroyed

Not even for a consolation fire sale

He had to take it and it was a bitter lesson learned

He should have not brought too many even allowing

For the sudden good sales of the past week

The euphoria ought to have been tempered

He must know the vagaries of the weather

Extended its benevolence without discrimination

He should do more to anticipate and gauge

Good fortune came with myriads of contending issues

The ups and downs subject to uncertainties

The life of a street painter and musician

For Tess' Mag #203

A Near Miss

                                                                                           Attribution: Prabhupj
Image: Deep-sea Diver (here)

Sunday Whirl Wordle with words:

back bend conjure cap carry curl

neglect nest spirits sigh trinkets twine

back from the brink of destruction

saved from bends the underwater curse

it conjures a case of bad experience

feelings of animosity to cap a day of nerves

he can only curl up in nothingness

to question and reflect on the consequences

of neglect in ensuring safety measures

in his mistaken desire for his quest

resting in his nest not lacking in spirits

he let out a long sigh of relief of thoughts

that twine around his conscience albeit

he had stashed those lucky charms trinkets

as they often do though not to be overly

dependant on superstitions he believes

is bunkum with a faraway look smiling wryly

of winsome feel whence staring at his near demise

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #144

The Salix Babylonica

                                                                                               Attribution:  Oroussei
Image: The catkins of the weeping willow flowers which are
dioecious where the male and female are on separate trees (here)

An air of sadness and outright dejection

Drooping nonchalantly in throes of laziness

Taking the slightly moving light breeze

Not wanting to indicate urgency of any kind

That is the picture etched very often

But from a distance a contrasting sight of welcome

Air of relaxation flowing leisurely in the breeze

Such is the attraction of the weeping willow

Very much commonly seen benefiting landscapes

Around those of pools lagoons and brooks

Where water source provides the lifeline

And often used to advantage to strengthen

Water control and preventing the river

Banks from being washed away easily

Mindful though water looks beautiful above

But treacherous root formation below can cause

Untold damage if planted next to drains and

Water pipes as propensity for water is an attraction

To its desire to cause blockages of roots appearing

Innocently from below the ground.

Grown from cuttings easily rooted in an instant

Apparently the choice of getting the base of 

the best charcoal and the supple twigs are easy

on basket weavers.

Its versatility of uses matching

its beauty of appearance

Written for Bjorn's hosting at d"Verse: Under
the canopy with Poetics on - trees! and shared
with Poets United's Poetry Pantry #185

Siberian Irkutsk

                                                                                                 Attribution: fylynx

Image: Industrial Panorama of Irkutsk (here)

Blessed with influx of

intellectuals and blooming

of arts and culture

Irkutsk prospered fast

Borders  opened with China

brought developments

For Chev's CARPE DIEM #378  -  Irkutsk

Succulent and Juicy

                                                                                    Pic by Hank
Image: One not quite ripe taken at the backyard

Succulent by nature
Initially greenish
Pick when ripened and reddish
Of various denominations
Elongated apple-like
elliptical or round

Have your fix!
Slice top and bottom
leaving the seed to be thrown
Scoop a mouthful at a time

Better yet
Blend it to good use
Drink some mango juice
Quenching parched throats
Slurping and wanting more!

(55 words)

For Victoria's hosting at d'Verse with  Banish
Boredom Rx.verbs shared with the G-Man's 55

The Deprived Many

                                                                                   Attribution: Sabrina Wade
Image: Sailors helping out for the homeless (here)

3WW - Anxious Devoted Scrawny

Theme Thurs  -  Doubts

Unstable unwieldy

lean in stature and scrawny in thinking

Waiting in line anxious for handouts

on one side

Charity givers devoted to humanity

Wanting to extend alms to the needy

on the other

Combination of two sets of folks

A fabric of a community

The deprived can never be eradicated

Of progeny in droves in poor countries

The bigger a family the more

future contributors

But forgetting the constraints

Of raising many mouths to feed

Not restrained by doubts

They venture on with resolve

They scrape along

Quality of life sacrificed

In contention of survival

There are the deprived in

prosperous societies though

But awareness is of a higher level

givers aplenty and are better organized

The society is different

But the problem is the same!

Written for Thomg's hosting at 3WW and
Mrsupole's at Theme Thursday

Equality in Treatment

                                                                                                  Attribution:  PcChip
Image: Ford Mustang GT (here)

The 5 chosen words:

tongues wild garments bald door

Bared fangs and shrieks of many tongues

It went berserk

It went wild kicking and lashing

A bother to tame a wild mustang

though much less for an Alsatian
But it still draws much out of the minders

Basic ingredients of courage and strength

Skills and animal sophistications

are of prime importance

to animal trainers

But the bald truth is too sick to stomach

The door to understanding animal

behavior is not easy to comprehend

Garments of truth in colorful forms

Discoveries Pavlov in nature

Conditioning behavior to sounds

were classic experiments

and classic examples

Elements of rewards to accomplishments

Depicted in animal shows

A fish thrown into the mouths of seals

Upon completing a routine

Tell us volumes to understanding them

Communicating is a constrain

Known and tested methods of

breaking resistance are

nurtured in very subtle ways

To get at winning over with the right means

is where equality is supreme in treatment

Whatever animals are not relevant

Equality of treatment in varying circumstances

would save the day

Written for Get Listed with Brendan at Real Toads and
shared with Susan's at  Poets United's Mid-Week Motif

Melting Snowflakes

                                                                                     Attribution: Mary Irene Lang

Image: Melting Snow flakes on Leaves (here)

first snowflakes!

I love them too much to think

they'll melt by noon           -          Alexey Andreyev

the snowflakes return

prayers met with much relief

timely happenings

unseen hands working

global warming results in

weather confusion             -          Hank's

Note:  The goal of this Carpe Diem Special is to write

a new haiku inspired by that of Alexey Andreyev’s above

Written for Chev’s CARPE DIEM #72 and
d'Verse OpenLinkNight week#128

Throes of Bad Dreams

                                                                                          Attribution: Pierre Dalous

Image: A Griffon Vulture (here)

The chosen 10 of 30 given words:

Whisper  mood  thunder  storm  hissing 

rattling  stirs  floats  scrubbed  sun

It was almost in a whisper

The mood was set

Missing was the thunder

But they got away with it

They cooked up a storm

Hissing and rattling to no end

Stirred lots of macabre forms

Of zombies and fiends

Kept floating on his mind

Endearment of his loved one

Designed as a provocation 

Go away vultures! Such annoyance

Scrubbed clean he yearned

Bad dreams were such nuisance

Waiting cringed in a baby position

Impatiently for the morning sun

Written for Miskey's We Write Poems Wordle#2
and shared with Open Link Monday at Real Toads

Ob River Russia

                                                                                     Attribution: Andrew Kudrin

Image: Placid Evening at the Ob River  (here)

Extending its reach

Impinged on various peoples

of many regions

No surprise then the

Ob River known by many

names of endearment

Over calm waters

The Moon grimaced a little

for rain was then due

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM #373 -  Ob River 
and Leo's Haiku Heights #317  -  grimace

Confinement by Choice

                                                                                        Attribution: Jean Guichard

Image: Off The Brittany Coast
(Courtesy of Tess's Mag)

Who says a quiet life

Solitary figure manning the gate

Lonely yes, no vice

But made the grade!

Confinement by choice

Once awhile a biggie wave

Provocative testing the resolve

No big deal perhaps a little dazed

Imagined one is pacified

Seagulls, wayward birds make pit stops

Life of deprivation outright

A trivia but an upshot

Longings for a companion

Devoid of a form

But steadfast and strong
Protection of Providence

Written for Tess' Mag #202

Territorial Rivalry

                                                                                         Attribution: Reg McKenna
Image: A Wild Cat (here)

The 12 words are:

haunt  impact  illuminates  lifeless  litter 

need  one  pool  price  remote  scenes  storm

The scenes would haunt him

The litter were lifeless

It could have happened

before the big storm

They were found at different

locations near to each other

He thought it quite remote

But it did happen.

The litter might have been 

strays but it was still gory

They were all in a

pool of blood

The impact was nauseating

It illuminated the need for

one to be aware of animal

sensitivities

A price to pay for assuming

the neighbor’s Tom Cat would

readily accept rivals

within  its territory

Written for Brenda’s Sunday Whirl Wordle #143 and
shared with Mary's at Poets United's Poetry Pantry #184

Meant to be Used! - MF

Image: Courtesy of Grandma's Goulash

The shoes will erode
naturally with use
You can safely step on
the floor.Jumping will
not help.It will not
mean you are using them less

(140 characters)

Linda at Grandma's Goulash, Succinctly Yours week #147
provides the  image above for a Micro Fiction of not exceeding
140 characters and we are to include the word - erode

Augurs Well for the Year or Not?

Image:  The lily in bloom just outside Hank's window in the backyard 

Slumped awkwardly snug on the cushion chair

Peering out innocently without a care eyes gazing

A magpie with uncanny accuracy dived from mid-air

Caught an insect and settled on a branch tail wagging

A spectacle enacted in a quiet corner of the backyard

Mid-morning the sun was up and had him squinting

The far distance appeared undisturbed best to disregard

Could perceive above more accurately fluffy clouds forming

The hedges nicely trimmed at the edge of the compound

Allowing the sounds of moving vehicles that passed by

Gaze now lowered towards the blue tint in the distance

How peaceful a day it could develop later he could sigh

Not possibly be the same in regions of the West

Where vagaries of the weather took to the extreme

Blinding snow lashed its worst in many parts of the US

While in contrast Down Under was searing at the brim

It may signal too a dismal outcome on the economic front

The greenback may even be under pressure in the first quarter

Roll up the sleeves be prepared for somewhat a bad run

The ‘soothsayers’ not eagerly happy for the rest of the year (here)

Note: Only days ago we were generously wishing for good 

times ahead but apparently it may not be too exciting.

Written for Shanyn's hosting at d'Verse 'Poetics: out the window' 
where one is to look out the window and write in any form

Being Onion Lovers

                                                                            Attribution: Deborah Glassner

Image: Onion Orb
Source: D Glassner's Lark Photography (here)

Layers upon layers thinly veiled

Lucid in form but round unwittingly

Peeling each piece to reveal

Pungent that waters the eyes freely

Upon cutting vapors escape
The idea is to contain the upward surge
A simple solution can be made
Cut under water and no vapors emerge

A bulb soft but crunchy

Burns the lips when taken raw

Not as bad as peppers be

Tolerable munching by the jaw

Presented here as an orb

Blend  of cut onions

Of  green hues atop

Salads, anyone?

For Margaret's hosting at Real Toads on Orbs Interpetations
Mrsupole's Theme Thursday with -  lucid

Leaving for Tyumen

                                                                                           Author: Romuald A Nagaev

Image: The Tyumen Rail Station
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Strains of violin

On leaving for Tyumen

East of the Urals

Still forging ahead

Across the cold divide with

Shadows of Aleph

Enhanced crescendo 

of train journey romantics 

city turbulence

Note: Tyumen is the administrative center of Asian Russia

For Chev's CARPE DIEM #370  -  Tyumen

Trivia most needed!

                                                                                                       Author: Ross
Image: Mobile Ads
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Trivia most needed
Trivia most welcomed
No strings attached

Who needs pop-ups unsolicited?
Adverts that question intelligence?
Abundance on prime time
Diversion of thoughts!

No to time wasters
New implements and gadgets?
Enough of these planned obsolescence!

Why re-invent the wheels
For keeping up with the Jones?

No! what we have now give excellent performance!

(55 words)

Written for G-Man's Friday Flash 55 and shared with Tony's at d'Verse
Meeting the Bar:  Looking back Looking Ahead

Tinge of Sadness

                                                                                       Attribution: Benson Kua

Image: Empty Swings
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Alexey Andreyev’s haiku 'Empty Swing'

for inspiration:

summer evening -

empty swing swaying slightly

forward … back …                 -  Alexey

Wishful thinking chills

of waning of winter belies

thoughts of lovely spring

Spring permeates point-blank

Knocking at the door perplexed

Are colors abhorred?

Yearnings of summer

Novelty imagined as

yet to be realized                     -  Hank’s

Written for Chev’s CARPE DIEM Haiku Kai Special #71  -  Empty Swing

Friendly Fire Warmth

                                                                                       Attribution: Murphy Karen
Image: Unfriendly Bush Fire at Sunset
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

3WW  -  faithful, isolate, scrutinize

In the heat of play

Fire away

It had never been

That many a day

Fire can grip the attention

Of that many situations

A faithful an element

Snugly giving warmth

Food and eating such a delight

In the kitchen everything’s right

Pardon me your slip’s showing

Fire not a plaything

To scrutinize proper

A dangerous venture

Or a glitch and inferno

The San Diego fiasco (here)

Fourth of July blow-up remember?

The ground shook

Only 15 seconds it took!

To isolate is healthy

Be in good company

Fire is a friend

Don’t buck the trend

Written for alan's at Poetry Jam with  - fire 

to be shared with Thomg's at

3WW  -  faithful, isolate, scrutinize

Get on With Newness!

                                                                                               Attribution: Kgriff92
Image: Striving Ahead
Wikimedia Commons (here)

Newness is being blown away
Head above water wondering
What holds gripping in play
Attention that knocks and scaling

Loosen the grasp on the old
Venture out on sparkling new
Loving it first grab in the mold
Though initially choices are few

Hey, does it matter to bother
It is not to be unjustly restrained
As if there are not many other
Certainly no fun for the untrained

Get on with it
Just go on!

(75 words)
Note: One is to write a 75 word poem in PU's new challenge

Susan's hosting at Poets United's Mid-week motifs  -  newness

The Prodigal Son

                                                                                           Attribution: Name Invalid

Image: A Homeless
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

The 9 words:
Presentable, Tramping, Specimen, Sleek, Bygone
Hollow, Upright, Seething, Groomed

The son was last heard tramping in lost frontiers

Somewhere hitch-hiking with seedy friends

His was a sad picture of a dream gone awry

Groomed from the cradle in trappings of wealth

Upright and presentable when he reached of age

Good upbringing and of Ivy League specimen

He was to head the thriving organization

Managed of astute business acumen tendencies

Founded by his grandfather, nurtured by his father

He was only expected to provide corporate leadership

For the prosperous and successful conglomerate

It now sounded hollow of unbridled extravagance

Reckless in his ways typical of the third generation

Lavish in his taste a sleek spendthrift squandering

Bygone of days unrestrained and wasteful

Seething with the uncanny desire to impress

Goaded on by the bevy of beauties trailing

His father had designs of the son to be back

With sheer tenacity he had overcome all odds

He steered back the outfit from the brink of disaster

Will the son come back to answer the call?

Written for grapeling's hosting at Real Toads where we are to choose
9 words taken from DH Lawrence's sources and shared with
d'Verse's OpenLinkNIght week #127

Catching Some Sleep

                                                                                        Author: S P Gorsky
Image: Metal Truss Railroad Bridge (Kama River, near Perm city).
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Massive bridge ahead

Scenic Perm joy from an

exhaustive journey

Leaving upon nightfall

Rumble of thousand horses

Sleep is elusive

Carriage shakes and noise

Compounded from passing trains

Lullaby wanting

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM #368  -  Perm

At the Broadway

                                                                   Photo: New York at Night by Vivienne Gucwa 

Source: Courtesy of Tess' Mag

Typical of a small city street

Very unlike those one sees

Old fashioned cobblestones

Outskirts of NYC perhaps

NYC  is not that sane and quiet

Big Apple is what Times Square is

The sophistication of Broadway

But barely half a block away

The third rate movie theaters

Reeking of weed smokers

And sudden blurting of curses

Interspersed with the F-word

Makes one sick to the bones

The one and only experience

Was just about enough to know

Instead in stark contrast

Just nip over to any of Broadway’s

Overcoats at the cloak-room

Upon arrival and once inside

Not a whisper or a pin drop

Silence observed except

The voice from the stage

An intermission half-way

For light refreshments

All in all a most satisfying

evening with formal trappings

But informal in all instances

These are the NYC theaters

Broadway for one's bidding!

Written for Tess' Magpie Tales at Mag #201 and shared with
Marian's hosting at Real Toad's Open Link Monday