Women’s yearnings for beauty (YH#3)

                                                                           Attribution: Yusuf Hashim

This is Modern Day Explorer #3
Modern Day Explorer #2 (here)

Yusuf Hashim says:

A Moroccon lady hand squeezing the rare Argan oil which are used as an effective beauty oil treatment for ladies. It seems it is an all rounder in the beauty oils department. Keeps your skin smooth and no need for botox injections 

Latest: Yusuf Hashim is planning another trip to Morocco this month of May

Check it out  (here)

Wiki says:

To extract the kernels, workers first dry argan fruit in the open air and then remove the fleshy pulp. The next stage involves cracking the argan nut to obtain the argan kernels. Attempts to mechanize this process have been unsuccessful, so workers still do it by hand—making it a time-consuming, labour-intensive process. Berber women often engage in this arduous task.

Workers gently roast kernels they will use to make culinary argan oil. After the argan kernels cool, workers grind and press them. The brown-colored mash expels pure, unfiltered argan oil. Finally, they decant unfiltered argan oil into vessels.

Cosmetic argan oil is produced almost identically, though the argan kernels are not roasted to avoid an excessively nutty scent  -  Wiki

Hank's Haiku

Timeless Berber folks

Time is measured in a thin 

line on a cat’s back  -   (Claudia)

Unlikely product

Women’s yearnings for beauty

Affects village life

Cracks in our mask

Keeping illusions complete  - (Brian)

Beauty has a price

Note: Claudia suggests to utilize extracts of  lines 

in a poem from herself or Brian to create a poem. 

Hank took on from both

For Claudia's hosting at d'Verse

Known to contribute to charity too!

                                                                                 Source: Time Magazine

Image: Al Capone on the 1930 cover (here)

The given 3WW words:
docile inflict whimper

His merry-men mainly in green
Known to be on the side of the downtrodden
Robbing the rich and helping the poor
In the late Medieval times

Popular with the ordinary folks
Who were at the mercy of tax collectors
who inflicted untold sufferings
Often times accepted without a whimper
Epitomized by the obese Sheriff
With his band of soldiers
Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest
Told amidst folklore of romances
Meeting Little John on the bridge
Friar Tuck who got him into a soaking
While docile Maid Marion provided the colors

He was not alone giving to charity though
An unlikely modern day philanthropist
Known to contribute to charity too
From ill-gotten wealth in bootlegging
But protected by the Mayor from the law

He was Scarface Al Capone
Involved in bumping off the North Side Gang
Robin Hood of Chicago
Or more appropriately
Robin the Hood of Chicago

For Thomg's hosting at 3WW #416

Saddened visage of appearance

                                                              Artist: Pier Francesco Mola (1612–1666)
Image: Alertness of the Aged (here)

MLMM's given words:
visage (the face) defunct broken bowl
curdle (to turn bad to go wrong
paper tiger (has appearance of strength but ineffectual)
altruism (unselfish concern for the welfare of others)
draught partition  
anabiosis (bringing back to conscious, reanimation after apparent death)
twinge

Saddened visage of appearance
Taut piercing
Defunct of intuition but determined
An underlying wit still apparent

Can an aged being still matter?
Broken bowled over with exhaustion
Curdled into inaction
A paper tiger garbed in pretenses

Hey! What’s the problem?
Acts of altruism in younger days
Accentuated the draught
draining much of his strength
That perhaps wedged a partition
on his being
It wore him off!

But mentally he was steadfast
That certainly was a consolation
Moving with alertness of that age
of decades ago
None of the anabiosis

Frightening just to think about it
The advent of memory loss
Of non recognition
Not even a twinge of a smile
Even of loved ones

No, not just yet
Gaunt that he was
Dementia still held off!

What a bad word
Dementia!
No not to toy with it
Don’t ever mention the word
Sacrilege!

For Yves' hosting at MindloveMisery's Menagerie
Wordle #49 and Kerry's Tues Platform at Real Toads

He is greater than the greatest! (YH#2)

                             

                                                                                         Attribution: Yusuf Hashim

Image: Courtesy of Yusuf Hashim - A Mursi boy (here)

Modern Day Explorer #2
Modern Day Explorer #1 (here)

Yusuf Hashim says:

This is a Mursi boy, who couldn't be more than 12 years old, with an AK47 Kalashnikov on his shoulder. He demanded money when I shot this photo of him. I didn't want to argue with that globally acclaimed widow-maker, so I gave him 20 Birrs for this photo. That's equivalent to about 50 cents

.

The wealth of most African tribal people is based on cattle ownership. There's lots of inter-tribal cattle stealing going on and that AK47 is being used for guarding the family's herd. An AK47 is usually part of the bridal gifts that a young man wanting to marry, has to give to the bride's family, including probably 20 to 30 cattle.

You need to go to Africa to see how much the cow is revered in rural Africa. Wealth is measured by the number of cows one has. Among the Surmas and the Mursis and Suris, cows are seldom slaughtered for meat. Instead, they drink cow's blood mixed with meat. Cow poo is sacred and not unclean. Fresh cow poo is often smeared over the face and body for medicinal purposes. Prior to milking a cow, the hands are often washed with fresh cow urine.

The given words:

tiny perched uncut umbrella delicate

post river petals blue yearning hopeless

He’s the greatest

Unlike Muhammad Ali

He’s tiny not  muscular nor a fighter

But with an AK47 perched on his shoulders

He is greater than the greatest

Uncut diamond barely 12 years of age

He provides the umbrella

To safeguard his family’s wealth

A man’s job entrusted into delicate hands

He’ll be at his post by the river

Petals of flowers red and blue

Surrounding the country-side

Provide the color besides

the body and facial decoration

This is a man’s job

for the future man of the household

His yearning for 20 heads of cattle

is not a hopeless cause

Not at all!

For Brenda's hosting at Sunday Whirl
Wordle #200 with the given words
and Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #240

Little creatures do not bite!

                                                                                                Attribution: Panoshaf

Image: Honey Bee making its rounds (here)

Nothing the matter

Little creatures do not bite

Not unless provoked

Just leave them alone

Give them space without border

To do their own thing

Beautiful flowers
Opening up to the sky
Invaders welcomed

Daily adventure

Yellow pollen all over

Stocking the larder

For Chev's CARPE DIEM  Little creatures #18

Gateway to Heaven

                                                                               Attribution: Diego Delso (CC-BY-SA)

Image: Balcón del Mediterráneo, Benidorm, Spain (here)

A Shadorma

A non-rhyming form of 3-5-3-3-7-5 syllables

Balcony

or viewing platform

glimse of wealth

faraway

opens opportunities

to those who are brave

A Fibonacci

with syllable count of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…

Steps

kind

dainty

friendly ones

Gateway to Heaven

Care to seek forgiveness before

doors closed for born-again sinners seeking redemption?

For Georgia's hosting at MLMM BJ's
Shadorma and Beyond - fibonacci

Stood out in hues of yellow

                                                                                               Artist: Van Gogh.  1888

Image: Langlois Bridge at Arles with Women Washing (here)

Van Gogh’s Langlois Bridge

Stood out in hues of yellow

A striking color

A likely background

Congregation of housewives

With stories to tell

Whatever season

Held steadfast to its blessings

Snows or greenery

For Paloma's hosting at Chev's CARPE DIEM
Time Machine #4  - yellow

extending his reach mindful not to miss

                                                                                            Photo Attribution: Francis

Image: Castle of Burg Eltz (here)

Real Toads: given words:

miss / remiss

deem / redeem

wager / dowager

pulse / repulse

file / defile

peat / repeat

sent / absent

Shakespearean sonnet structure:

abab, cdcd, efef, gg

extending his reach mindful not to miss

wayward persistence taken to have deemed

languid in form struggling much in remiss

strong resolve to take it through to redeem

in his mind fair bunkum of a wager

in a sinister way to test the pulse

to invoke strength of lady dowager

careful not to trigger off a repulse

they might just come in droves in single file

across meadows moors marshes and peat

to unwittingly get themselves defiled

happily even going for repeats

but the hand of Providence was God-sent

demise at night was why he was absent

Note: Conveniently combining the Get Listed list
at Real Toads and writing in a Shakespearean sonnet
form with the volta 

For Bjorn's hosting at d'Verse MTB - twist and shout
and grapeling's at Feb's Get Listed at Real Toads

Springy ride every time

                                                                                Attribution: JJ Harrison
Image: Bennett's Wallaby (here)

3WW given words:
content evolve sober
Poetry Jam:
loneliness /solitude

From a blob of a new-born
no larger than a puppy
just as unsure groping
moving upwards eyes unopened
stumbling into the ‘pocket’

Discovering by instinct
life-giving udders
in the warmth of the inner
reaches of the same pocket

Life can never be better
as a start for a start

Content with life
Springy ride every time
Sober and protected
To always be welcomed
back by Mama without tears
To jump into the sanctuary
when danger sensed

Joey a privileged off-spring
Some loneliness while inside
But ‘who cares’
Safe and sound and abundant food
But ‘who cares’

But wait up, just a minute Joey-boy
There is One who cares
If your Mama was not evolved
with a convenient pouch
You would have been left a pink blob
on the grass like every other babies

Providence cared and had the pocket
‘stitched on’ so you can ride
while other babies had to run
and be chased by dingoes

For Thomg's hosting at 3WW #415
And Sumana's at Poetry Jam

Pebbles strewn along the track

Image: Courtesy of Tess' Mag (here)

Wordle #199, the given words:

angel cue crack empty wrestle held

memory acts pebbles track saintly 

Angel in disguise waiting for a cue

To crack empty promises

To wrestle off images

Held in memory of acts of betrayal

Pebbles strewn along the track

Often led them on a wild goose chase

Unwittingly causing impediments

Slowing to  a saintly progress

But mindful not to breathe a word

Broken leg accepted

As long as secrets were not spilled out

Sanctity of oath upheld

Justice came swift and silent

A mild reminder a severed ear

Or unseen pulled off finger nails

But more grisly trussed into oil drums

Perhaps found years after

A body in concrete

A consolation though

Heard say victims given freedom

To choose how best they wished

to be discovered later
when left for dead

For Brenda's hosting at Sunday Whirl Wordle # 199
And Tess' Magpie Tales # 258

It came in spurts!

                                                                        Attribution: Cpl Russ Nolan RLC/MOD

Image: Grenade Machine-gun fire (here)

What a word!

It came in spurts

Many thought the world was round
Their meager survival was safe and sound

Many sincerely believed but found
they were wrong
A grim discovery
The rude ills of a bully

It came in a din

Not in any ordinary scene

But one of wanton destruction

Meted devoid of compassion

Change of tactics

Made them slick

It was before on the ground

But now the use of drones

Brought it to a higher level

Resulting in upheavals

Fire-power against man

Sufferings that remained

Brushed aside as collateral damage

Lame justification no less

Faulted for consorting

Or so it would seem

With enemies who were cursed

They could not escape the bursts

It came in spurts

Staccato was the word

For Adele's hosting at Music in It  - to write on a word 
one loves or hate and Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #239

Love is and love is not

                                                                        Artist: Pierre Auguste Cot
Image: In All of its Innocence (here)

3WW given words:
frown devious venomous

Love is and love is not
A greeting card so beautifully woven
not something to be frowned on

Love is and love is not
To be taken lightly
without the overriding emotions

Love is and love is not
To be left in the wrong hands
mishandled and devious

Love is and love is not
To be let loose
with venomous onslaughts

So what then is love?
Search me!

For Susan's hosting at PU's Midweek Motif and
Thomg's 3WW #414

a fruit and a color

                                                                              Attribution: Danny Gregory
Image: Two of a Kind (here)

Fruits of the citrus kind
Grapefruits lemons limes and oranges
Sharing commonality to the taste-buds
of sour bitter and sweetness
Balanced hybrid catering to all

Given to certain specifics though
They are cultivated for a certain good

Bitter oranges for marmalades
Bergamot oranges grown for its peel
A contribution to aromatic adventures
A primary essence for perfumes
Trifoliate oranges the hardy ones
That can withstand the sub-freezing cold
Mandarins the sweet offerings
Taken fresh taken raw
Munches or juices

The saga of an orange
A fruit and a color
Lauded as one
convenient in a fruit basket
Readily to be peeled
Taken as a fruit to munch or
to be taken to quench
a thirsty palate

For Gabriella's hosting at d'Verse Poetics:
Writing tothe Art of Danny Gregory

blessings of nature’s beauty!

                                                                                                  Attribution: Concord
Image: Sunset over the Rostock Harbor (here)

Few minutes ago

Stark contrast of harbor's lot

Confusing bedlam

Colorful backdrop

Blessings of nature’s beauty

Now peaceful quiet

Impending darkness

Spectacle hidden from view

A way of giving

For Chev's CARPE DIEM  #665  - sunset (over harbor)

Star-Lord swung into action!

                                                                                                          Attribution: Norman Hazrin

Sketch of Star-Lord: 

Done by Hank’s grandson, Norman. Looking at the sketch 

Norman could have detected that it was not balanced. He by 

instinct must have included a quadrant on the right-hand 

corner to correct the defect, not quite but just.

Star-Lord aka Peter Jason Quill
A fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books
published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Englehart and
Steve Gan, the character first appeared in Marvel Preview #4
(Jan. 1976). The son of a human mother and alien father,
Quill assumes the mantle of Star-Lord, an interplanetary
policeman  -  Wiki

The given words:

burst emit fleece fill sound clown tumble

instill seal wound glass another

A stab of high powered fire-power

appeared out of nowhere

A burst emitting noxious fumes

with a blinding flash

The townspeople had been fleeced dry

But they were still expected to fill the coffers

of the ugly bully who demanded payment

His henchmen sent yet a repeat

Fumes filled the air

amid staccato sounds of gun-fire

No more clowning

Star-Lord swung into action

He tumbled out into the open

He ought to instill discipline

His resolve was set

Just one rapid fire from his bazooka

Sealed the fate of the bully’s men

The dying and wounded laid moaning

amid shrapnels of glass and acrid smoke

Made short work of his intentions

Just another day of action

Law and order triumphed 

For Brenda's Sunday Whirl wordle # 198 and
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry # 238

Step on it when the going is good!

 Image: Courtesy of Georgia (here)

Step on it when the going is good

Given to good times in life

What of those on the factory floor

Safety boots to whet the confidence

Together with a safety helmet

Life's like that for one to feel assured

Perhaps army boots tied in a peculiar manner

Smart and shiny where one's image

discerned as through a mirror

But no match for a pair of soccer boots

So upmarket in trend and pricing

Not just functional but show and tell

To be in league with soccer greats

Who flaunt more than just boots

Of their affluence with fast cars 

and a bevy of beauties

Life's like that!

Some have it some don't!

Vying for the limelight!
Commercialism at its best

For Georgia's hosting at Mindlovemisery's 
Menagerie with a picture prompt

Ah..ha! A twitch of the eye again!

                                  
                                                                                        Attribution: Nvineeth
Image: A National flower (here)

Reeling, thumbed on the head

Looking blankly at the ceiling

A twitch of the eye 

A scratch on the nose

Sitting back and stretched fully

Ah..ha! A twitch of the eye again

Only then it came

It must be preceded with an ah..ha

Then think of something beautiful

Perhaps a hibiscus 

with hues of pink and purple

The first word was followed by another

Then another, then another

It would then proceed

Sometimes kinks in between

At other times smooth sailing

Three lines most times

Then another line

But it would stop after the first stanza

Then another ah..ha

So it went on

Completion of at least three stanzas

was a must

For it was only considered enough

Even if it was a haiku

A three set haiku was most desirable

Enough fodder to come to a finality

Instead of just seventeen syllables

Note! To include something of home, 
in this case a hibiscus

For Ella's hosting at Real Toads: Poetic Eye:
Kumulipo - Preceding the birth of a Poem

Adverse conditions will impinge adversely

                                                                                          Attribution: Anna Kucsma
Image: Snow on Trees (here)

3WW given words:

desire  shiver  wilt

Desire to do good is a journey of fulfillment

It takes a long while just to create awareness

let alone to achieve some kind of success

In an environment of heavy snow weighing

on the branches one can expect divergent opinions as

visibility is scant and the cold is debilitating

adverse conditions will impinge adversely

How does one measure up to the intended target

so that a designated path is carved out

To plan is to play host to one’s ideals

opening up to the shivers of intrusion

for one’s inclination is often questioned

It is not so much to ridicule but more of wanting to understand

For this same reason is the necessity of making it known

The ultimate aim will conjure a picture of the likely pattern

in every participants’ imagination of difficulties to surmount

It can help if a visual adaptation is presented

This will impose the responsibility on those leading the show

to give a good briefing with lots of multi-media components

It can bring divergent assumptions to a realistic assessment

Good leadership is essential to avoid wilting under pressure

The journey’s end is the satisfaction gained with no expectations

of monetary implications hidden within

Only then the satisfaction is fulfilled

For Marina's hosting at d'Verse with  - snowed under iced in 

Thomg's at 3WW # 413 with the given words and

Mary's at Poetry Jam  -  journey

Warmth of foxtrot and grace of tango

Image: Courtesy of Tess' Mag  (here)

The given words:
blustery (windy) imprint refractive 
warmth grind foam retro (designating
the style of an earlier time) sip cocoa 
nacreous (resembling mother of pearl)

The blustery winds of the northern star

Was an imprint of the resounding sixties

Refractive and reflective of doors ajar

Allowing a new dance craze through swiftly

Righteous warmth of  foxtrot and grace of tango

Foaming at the mouth and grinding to a halt

Not to bother with slow slow quick quick slow

Rather turn and tumble of Rock and Roll's assault

The Twist later brought some semblance of control

But the backbreaking Limbo brought back a retro

A lone contender expected to slip under the pole

Egged on by a boisterous crowd with 'how low can you go'

A teenager's crowd more of dance steps just learning 

Sipping beer hot chocolate or cocoa but still having a ball

None of those that delved into the hot hard drug scene

But all sane nacreous of value often with parental approval 

For Tess' Magpie Tales # 256  -  picture prompt and
Yves' hosting at Mindlovemisery's Menagerie # 46