Friday, January 31, 2014

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


Thursday, January 30, 2014

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

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

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

Monday, January 27, 2014

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

Sunday, January 26, 2014

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

Friday, January 24, 2014

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

Thursday, January 23, 2014

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

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

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

Monday, January 20, 2014

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

Sunday, January 19, 2014

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


Saturday, January 18, 2014

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

Thursday, January 16, 2014

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

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

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

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

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

Monday, January 13, 2014

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

Sunday, January 12, 2014

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

Saturday, January 11, 2014

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

Friday, January 10, 2014

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

Thursday, January 9, 2014

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

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

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

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The Prodigal Son

                                                                                           Attribution: Name Invalid
Image: A Homeless
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

The 9 words:
Presentable, Tramping, Specimen, SleekBygone
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

Monday, January 6, 2014

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

Sunday, January 5, 2014

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

A Chet Atkins Wannabe!


Image: Courtesy of Grandma's Goulash

In theory it was to play bass
But ever since we got the
Chet Atkins album it was
plain melody all the way
a reincarnation of the old
master!

(140 characters)

Linda at Grandma's Goulash Succinctly Yours week 146 provided
the above picture prompt for a Micro Fiction not exceeding 140 characters
and to include the word - theory

The Volga Basin

                                                                                            Attribution: I, Untifler
Image: The Volga Waterway
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Moving leisurely
Large expanse of water-way
A nation’s life-line

Volga romantics
With cities along its length
Coming into spring

National treasure
A wonder to appreciate
Of scenic beauty

Written for Chev's CARPE DIEM #366 the Volga River

Saturday, January 4, 2014

A Near Disaster

                                                                                        Attribution: Albert Herring
Image: Rising Flood Waters
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

Wordle #142 with words: 
behind bit caress expect first might
pair save scarlet sky spare struck

Amidst the scarlet hues of the evening sky
A slight breeze caressing carelessly her cheeks
Wisps of hair floating across her face
A pair of innocent souls yearning for oneness
At that moment when disaster struck

Save for chirpings of birds that broke the silence
There was barely a movement in the thickets
It scared them to think what could have been
All were behind them now

The first onslaught might have been the worst
But still they were spared what had befallen others
A bit disorientated but they managed

The aftermath of the worst floods in recent years
They still have themselves they reckoned

They had expected to survive and they did!


Note: Serious floods struck our East Coast Region
recently. Many were spared as the authorities had
forewarned them and they were prepared

Brenda's hosting of Sunday Whirl Wordle #142 shared with
Poets United's Poetry Pantry #183 

Google Glasses - A Haibun

  
                                                                               Picture:  Ines Williamson
Image:  A Lighted Bridge
Ese provided the picture prompt above for us to write a haibun
in which ever way our imagination takes (a haibun is a haiku and
a prose combined) Talking about pictures at this juncture my
inclination is to touch on the Google Glass currently being perfected.

                                                                              Attribution: Antonio Zugaldia
Image: Google Glasses
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

The Haiku
Moonless night, a bridge
captured by ubiquitous
hand-phone camera

The Prose
The hand-phone is a handy device. Its camera is readily available to be used to
record events in an instance. A versatile hand-phone can be useful in many ways.
Besides the camera it incorporates a watch function and its mobility keeps one connected.

It is now brought to another level with the advent of the Google Glass. It boasts of a
miniature computer on the bridge of the nose. Worn like eye glasses with a tiny screen
but allows one to surf online, send messages and converse.

There are reservations though as too much is expected on what it can do.It may even
go the way of the Android watch which did not pick up following its launch. Its functions
ran short and found wanting.

The Google Glass is similarly destined to be doomed. It should not be seen as just
a novelty with functions of a hand-phone. It ought to have more functions. That seems to
be the consensus of the initial review. Some more innovative technological advancements
not available now may provide the attraction in say, 5 year’s time. Launched then would
ensure it to be able to sustain itself.

That aside of more importance are the safety aspects which should not be compromised
especially while driving. Taking a cue from those texting with their hand-phones ending in
disasters there are those who still take chances In the case of the Google Glasses it'll be
an absolute no-no, it's suicidal!

Written for Ese