Even a touch is out of the question

                                                                            Author: Charles Darwin 1872
Image: Expression of emotions (here)

The Sunday Whirl's 11 of 12 given words:
cross dream kiss touch bell enough 
jump run threat mist scarlet 

If it should cross your mind
To dream of showing your passion
It is not a kiss so kind
Even a touch is out of the question

It should ring a bell remember?
Once was enough strife
You may have to jump like before
To run for it for dear life

This is no threat
The mist may offer a cover
But you may turn scarlet
For blood will be all over

So beat it while you still can
For do not count me as a friend

Note: This may appear gory but Hank 
meant it to be a humor write. Chuckles! 

For Brenda's The Sunday Whirl Wordle #240 and
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #291

Take me to the ocean to savor the unseen

Image: Sunrise - Courtesy of Sanaa's (here)

Yearnings and fancies dance in unison
Take me to the ocean to savor the unseen
Heard say there were pirates so fearsome
Walking the plank a thrill seeking whim

Buccaneers of old chronicled in romances
Dashing and daring in exploits of adventure
In reality robbers and killers in many instances
Acting bravely only when in a big number

Rather take me to oceans serene and peaceful
Wildlife gliding in the deep in friendly gestures
Smaller ones food for predators if not careful
Otherwise beauty of movements of sea creatures

Above waters rapport of sunrise and sunsets seen
Presenting kaleidoscopic array of colors any day
Lighthouse in the distance of a nocturnal pristine
Take me to oceans uncharitable but unbridled in play

For Sanaa's Prompt Nights #7  -  take me to the ocean

Taking too much liberty

                                                                                     Attribution: Brocken Inaglory
Image: Perhaps Learn a Thing or Two (here)

Pull love by the ear
Why provoke and instigate
They are still too young

Do not mess with love
Taking too much liberty
Contending favors

Love a joint-venture
Young hearts give rather than take
Bites hard when betrayed

For Chev's CARPE DIEM #925 - love

sleek in perfumed light lavender

                                                                         Attribution: Xuan Zheng
Image: A Beautiful Oriental (here)

MlMM's 9 of 12 given words:
sleek (stylish and attractive)
perfume lavender bundle wry falter clear 
elocution (a person’s manner of speaking or reading aloud)
feckless (ineffective futile having no sense of responsibility.)

3WW given words:
marvel hateful limp 

sleek in perfumed light lavender
chic bundle wry but without a falter
clear winner of perfect elocution
to marvel at an Oriental specimen

no feckless hateful speeches
no limp endeavors but features
lavish of sheer grit and guile
tempered with a captivating smile

For MMT's at MLMM's Wordle #98
Thomg's 3WW week #468

Bubbling with enthusiasm - a Quadrille

                                                                                         Attribution: Nevit Dilmen
Image: Bubbles in a Drinking Glass (here)

Bubbling with enthusiasm
Bubbly baby born to please
Gregarious and an extrovert
by nature out to garner
support for fun and laughter

With infectious smiles wry
on occasions but reaching
out to all and sundry

Can one be faulted not to be
won over?
(44 words)

For De's Quadrille 3 at d'Verse, a Micro Fiction of not
exceeding 44 words and to include the word 'bubbles' and
Marian's The Tuesday Platform at Real Toads

The morning after he had the occasion to witness

                                                                              Attribution: Maximilien Luce (1890)
mage: The Usual Morning After (here)

11 of 12 given words:
attack rage truth free start sun 
still two crispy yearning volume 

The morning after he had the occasion to witness
They were under attack holding onto their heads
Splitting headache they complained often in a rage
In truth they had one too many the night before
Not used to being free from shackles of poverty
More so from the horrors of human conflict back home
They drowned their sorrows forgetting it was forbidden

They forgot the good fortune of having escaped the war
They braved the high seas in makeshift boats and were
rescued from perils of a watery grave only months ago

Few had a good start earning their keeps under the hot
sun but still one or two succumbed to 'the good life'

Had seen these happenings, 'crispy' initially but wasted life
He would have nothing of it for he had yearnings to fulfill
Had been there a few years longer than the new arrivals
His siblings were still back home desiring to join him

His 'morning after' was to faithfully be at his workplace to
earn volumes of euros to make a difference to his struggles

For Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #239 and
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #290

Wide expanse of this white sea

                                                                                        Attribution: Dean Molyneaux
Image: Blanket of Snow at a Fenced-up
Cricket Pitch (here)

Looking out of the window
Wide expanse of this white sea
Smoothly blanketing the meadow
Had designs of a cross-country

But how he regretted it this day
If only he had been more careful
Jumping over the fence was child-play
But he didn't count on the handful

Of loose pebbles where he landed
Now his face all puffed and battered

For Kerry's Micro-poetry of not more than 10
lines on 'one this snow-flake' at Real Toads

Shocked but not dismayed

                                                                            Attribution: The Photographer
Image:  Injured finger (here)

Shocked but not dismayed
On the contrary he was thrilled
He tried once before
perhaps not hard enough
This time he had to do it
He had no other options
Lamenting the misfortune
When the right hand finger was struck
It was unbearable
He could not do a thing
It was painful when he tried
He had no other choice
but gave it a shot, gingerly
A right-hander now forced
to use his left hand
It worked!
(77 words)

Mama Zen's Words Count at Real Toads -  To
shock with a verse of not exceeding 77 words

His resolve was not broken the very least

                                                                                                    Attribution: 0x010C
Image: A kayaker playboating but takes a tumble  (here)

Sunday's Whirligig 12 given words:
chasing jagged remains sheared swims missing 
wise keep basket broken pilgrim sorrow 

Excitement of chasing a dream
Jagged as it might seem
But it remained with a flourish
Sheared of glamour that he had wished

Still getting in the drink
Was not a whim
He took to water for lots of swims
A skilled life-saver nothing was missing

Wise move to be a kayaker playboating
One of the ways to keep himself trim
Enhanced his prowess in his basket of fancies
His resolve was not broken the very least

A pilgrim of his desires he chose to undergo
To be a fresh-water sportsman to discard the sorrow

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #47 and
Bjorn's at d'Verse's OpenLinkNight #166

engulfed in the warmth of courtship

                                                                                          Attribution: Ryzhkov Sergey
Image: Courtship Transcends Across
to All Living Creatures (here)

3WW given words:
engulf fearful grimace

He was engulfed in the warmth of courtship
Heated to no end wanting to be near her always
She was fearful in extending her friendship
Just met she preferred to be given more grace

They managed to find time to be together
To let the moon vie for the attractive star
Playing to human traits she made it appear
interested but prospects still remained far

Unperturbed he ventured on regardless
As all male specie would normally react
She gleefully enjoyed it with a grimace
She could hold the trump card to great effect

For Thomg's 3WW week #467

Perhaps a subtle hint

                                                                       Attribution: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Image: A Desert Scene, Dry and Hot but
can still be Habitable and Beneficial  (here)

Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift - Mary Oliver

Was it a learning process innocently prescribed but misunderstood
Perhaps a subtle hint.It might get a matured response. It had a lot to
do with the intentions before the subsequent reaction. A positive
attitude could well reap some benefits.
.
Why should anyone care to bother us. Why should anyone intrude
to create doubts?. If bad intentions were the motives it was still not
too bad.

Whatever disagreements would be just confined to two persons.
 It was not public knowledge

If we were to take a positive attitude it could end up as something
beneficial as long as there was no great damage. Some adverse effects
could be taken as just an irritant. One should then be thankful as it
opened up an awareness which otherwise might not be discovered

Perhaps unsettling initially but beneficial no less, somewhat a favor
not intended, a gift in reality

Divine hands set in
Living things enjoy good form
Nature takes its course

For Grace's Haibun Monday #7 at d'Verse

Sporting a feel good halcyon sense

                                                                                   Attribution: Photo by KLS Club

Image: 1)  The Under-14 Rugby Team of KLS Club with Coach Andy Baker

(standing extreme right) and Kobe as Captain (an American youngster standing

3rd from the right) and Kimie, Hank's grandson (standing 7th from the left)

                                                                                      Attribution: Kimie
Image: 2) The Coveted Medal with
the front and the reverse images

the 12 given words:
ethereal (extremely delicate, heavenly)
light smiles good  
halcyon (calm, peaceful, tranquil)
sympathy purity divine 
absolution (act of absolving, a freeing from blame or guilt)
altruistic (unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others)
ally
hallow (to make holy, considered sacred)

Note: An earlier posting of Kimie during practice (here)

It happened two weeks ago
January 30th it was to be exact
Ethereal and light when he came home
From the Under-14, 10-a-side Rugby tournament
Kimie was all smiles
Sporting a feel good halcyon sense

He needed no sympathy
But an absolution in dignity
A purity of purpose when he flashed
the medal the team secured

His first, very first medal
hanging from his neck
It was divine!

Never mind if it was a Runner-up medal
To Kimie it was a winner's medal
Altruistic an ally for all the team spirit

And during one of the games
The icing on the cake
Kimie even managed to score a 'try'
His hallowed very first! Yay!

MLMM's Wordle Bonus  -  good and
Kerry's at The Tuesday Platform at Real Toads

a close call was not an option

                                                                                          Attribution: Nick Hobgood
Image:  An Octopus in Deep Ocean (here)
(it used the two shells as protection by pulling
them around itself when it sensed danger).

the 11 of 12 given words:
case place hit key match threat 
fine top room close cost 

A case of survival in a hostile world
Ignited a superb kind of imagination
Placed in defense outside its realm of
purported ability it hit a high note where
a low life creature was found to be just
as intelligent in its bid to stay alive

Key to its decision was to match threats
to its fine well-being to stay on top

No room for errors even a close call was
not an option for it could cost it its life

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #238 and
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry # 289

leeway to develop own emotions

                                                                        Artist: Pierre Auguste Cot
Image: Love -  Reminiscent of innocence (here)

sublime (tending to inspire awe usually because of
elevated quality as of beauty, nobility, or grandeur)

Catching it with a basket of nerves
Love falling down on a wild run
An implored show of manly verve
The untested could well start with fun

Reminiscent of innocence of the young
Given leeway to develop own emotions
Raised to a higher level of one so sublime
Complete with tags of outright devotion

Falling in love conjured measures of desire
Head over heels madly rushing in blindly
Falling out of love reflected stated failures
Could get second chance out of sympathy

For Sanaa's Prompt Nights #6:  -
to love would be sublime

The Lady in Red

                                                                           Attribution: David Brogan
Image: The Mysterious Lady in Red (here)

So much depends upon the seriousness of efforts
Throwing his weight in full support of the cause
He could only defy his conscience as a last resort
Couldn't reconcile his stand with those who had lost

So much depends on the relationship among the crowd
Opening up to a barrage of pressure against the grain
He could barely take it without the defense he sought
A desire to alleviate the impending sense of pain

So much depends on strength derived from the savior
He had for survival to search his conscience instead
To look for her through friends who were familiar
The elusive lady to unlock the mystery the lady in red

For Fireblossom Friday at Real Toads
-  To start with  'So much depends upon....'

Bidding for just a fleeting glimpse

                                                                                            Attribution: Tony Webster 
Image: Twinkling Stars just After Sunset (here)

Twinkling stars above of night's warmth
Bidding for just a fleeting glimpse
Time stood still his return turned dim
There she was whining all forlorn

Never in her thoughts she would dream
Sitting under the swaying fronds
Twinkling stars above of night's warmth
Bidding for just a fleeting glimpse

When missing her beau so profound
Alone stifling the loudest screams
And not anywhere on the brink
But now by herself she had sworn
Twinkling stars above of night's warmth

Note: For the fun of it Hank maintained 
an 8-syllable count throughout

For Gayle's at d'Verse MTB  -  the rondel

Urban dwellers missed out

                                                                                      Attribution: Didier Descouens
Image: Inanimate objects of Veined
Rapa Whelk Seashells (here)

Sunday's Whirligig 12 given words:
urban friends going pleasant misfortune 
languages smell leaf tree waiting porches flowed

3WW given words:
cheapen backbone dangle

Poets United's Midweek Motif
inanimate (not living: not capable of life)

Urban dwellers missed out on the quality of life
They had friends and activities going and all the rest
Pleasant and free to do their own thing without strife
But fell through by way of misfortune of nature's best

In languages of the fortunates of country-side living
They were denied the peculiar smell of a freshly cut lawn
Sight of a young green leaf on bare tree branches sprouting
But instead in the concrete jungle waiting with a yawn

No quaint country dwellings with front porches well floored
Streams that leisurely flowed at the backyard well-trimmed
They felt cheapened to escape to the seaside when bored
To seek solace in inanimate sea-shells other flotsam and things

Backbones tortured in sedentary posture in front of the screen
Or they fell for the tourist paradise dangled by holiday groups
Such were the laments of limited choices of modern living
One could just laugh it off perhaps hoping for something good

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #46
Thomg's 3WW #446
Sumana's at PU's Midweek Motif  -
the inanimate and the non-human

'Whenever possible keep it simple'

                                                           Attribution: Piotrus GFDLCC-BY-SA-3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0

Image: Unopened Fortune Cookies (here)

'Whenever possible keep it simple' 
(inspired by above quotation 
from a Fortune Cookie)

Whether one ever got entangled in polemics
Each contending theirs were a lot better
All impatiently looking for that quick fix
Problem solving solution vainly wished for

Beating around the bush a costly mistake
Mistaken belief quantity was better than quality
Wouldn't be long before exposed as fakes
In the process quality time was wasted sadly

Invariably a smart guy would make a declaration
'Enough had been said at this marathon meeting'
Going back to basics was of prime consideration
'Let's wrap it up and hopefully resolve everything'

Irrelevance took time and just could not be helped
Should 'keep it simple sanely' K.I.S.S as a guide
There would be fast moving run of things perhaps
Or K.I.S.S 'keep it simple, stupid!' was better yet

For Toni's at d'Verse - As the Cookies Crumble
to write inspired by a chosen fortune cookie quote

Set with dignity

                                                                        Attribution: Dick Thomas Johnson
Image: Pretty actress Adachi Yumi from
'A Courtesan with Flowered Skin' (here)

Not in the shadows
Courtesans for known clients in
selected enclaves

Set with dignity
Geisha girls schooled in pleasure
Tired bones in tow

Respected calling
Moon and stars in unison
Perfect parnership

For Chev's CARPE DIEM Special #196
Hamish Gunn's 2nd 'on the street corner' and
Marian's The Tuesday Platform at Real Toads

The Lull before the Storm - a Quadrille

                                                                              Attribution: Herbert Basedow (1919)
Image: False sense of security
for the deprived (here)

Lulling himself to sleep
Lulled in all softness
Beauty of innocence
Lulled into a false
sense of security

Not stressful nor uncommon
The lull before the storm
Blessings for a good being
but as a deprived soul he would
be jolted into cruel reality
(44 words)

For Bjorn's Quadrill at d'Verse  -
to include the word  lull

To syncopate an insane shout

                                                                                     Attribution: M L Haen                                   

Image: Looking shocked (here)

MLMM's 12 given words:
electroshock twirl foggy feeble 
visceral (coming from strong emotions and not from logic)
syncopate (to cut short)
cleanse elastic 
tincture (a substance that colors, dyes, or stains .)
avocado timepiece sleep

Shell-shocked or an electroshocked expression
It worked both ways to onlookers
Twirl of a foggy realization was telling of confusion
Subject to a visceral onslaught it was too feeble 
for a fight back though it seemed obvious to do so

To syncopate an insane shout to a gasp helped
temporarily but it needed to cleanse its conscience
An elastic judgement could be created
Perhaps it could be a way out

A tincture of an awareness coloring its vision
added more to an immediate concern
Was it the avocado it found on the jungle path
It was lying like a timepiece undisturbed
It looked too good to pass off and had
gobbled the goodness

The wise thing to do then perhaps was to take
a rest and not to lose sleep worrying

MLMM's Wordle #97 with the given words
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #288

sitting in the shade

Image: Courtesy of Abraham's highlighting
sketches of foreign words with no specific
English translation at twentytwowords.com
(here)

A dry spell is most telling
The sun's rays run smack onto the face
Beads of sweat slowly turn into streams
of rivulets down the cheeks

Make a bee-line for the trees in the park
Sunlight that filters through the leaves is
a komorebi blessing to the unaccustomed
now getting the best of both worlds
(55 words)

For Kerry's Flash 55 PLUS
at Real Toads

Running battle seen

                                                                                                Artist: David Koninck
Image: When Sworn Enemies Met (here)

Running battle seen
They scratched and snarled all their might
When cats and dogs fight

Self defense movements
Graceful dance-like steps invoked
Ju-jit-su tumbles

Stormy winter nights
Swaying trees crackled and snapped
Snow fast piling up

For Chev's CARPE DIEM #912  -  
Movement/Propriocept​ion

Dreams Beyond A Rainbow - A Short Story

                                                                         Attribution: Wing-Chi Poon
Image: It shows the point
where the rainbow rises (here)

'What do you see in a rainbow? Tell me!'

He was taken aback! He was pleasantly surprised. Just taking
a morning walk a few minutes ago, he stopped at the sidewalk
The al Fresco shaded by the big umbrellas was inviting.He seated
himself at an empty table. Not in the mood to talk to anyone so
he thought. Then just as suddenly a pretty lady walked past his
table. She hesitated. Turned around and joined him.

She smiled, he smiled back. Nothing special in him, he thought.
But she smiled! What got into her? And what a way to start a 
conversation!

'A rainbow? I see colors, lots of colors!' he said
'Yes, seven in all' she added, 'do you know them?'
'I cannot possibly recall' he said pointedly embarrassed
'Just remember, Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain'
Oh yes, that's the mnemonic, I remember now!
'Yes, and it goes in that order, red, orange, yellow, green, blue
indigo and violet. And that's not all! she quipped.
'Why, are there other new colors to add?'
'Not really, but yes! Not really colors but they are there!' she appeared
triumphant with a wisp of a smile
.
He was beginning to get uncomfortable. He was now into some
serious conversation and she had only been seated a few minutes.
And they were not even properly introduced and she was making
him look stupid

'There's infrared after red, and ultra-violet beyond violet, she continued.
.And they influenced certain situations.......'
'Ok, he interjected. ' I would rather see rainbow in a different light!'
'Oh.....!
'Yes', he said, cutting her off midway 'I see dreams beyond rainbow,' 
he said with an intellectual grin. What one feels in oneself, 
the inner self so to speak!'
'I had designs of such a feeling too, but I cannot place them' she confessed
'I'm an artist and a poet and I see them in a totally different context. It
floats in wavy psychedelic colors and invites.......'
'And kaleidoscopic too, perhaps....' she implored.
'Yes, perhaps too!' 

'Hey, we've not even ordered coffee and this is going
to take all day!' he suddenly blurted out.
Yes, but I think I'll better be going now' she said rather abruptly
.
He was stunned for a moment. He had mentally prepared 
himself to have her to stay longer. Some refreshments would 
be in order. But she apparently took it as a hint to 
chill out from there. 

Just as she had appeared on the scene earlier she left in a jiffy. 
She had the courtesy to give him a parting smile though and 
off she went, without coffee.

He laid back on the chair with a tinge of regret and watched her go silently!
(450 words)

For Grace's at d'Verse Open Link Night #165 and
Sheila's BlueBell Books Short Story Slam Week #38  -   
dreams beyond rainbow sky

Tearful experience

                                                                      Attribution: Joaquim Alves Gaspar

                                                                             

Image: Walking through the Underpass (here)

Sunday Whirligig's 11 of 12 given words:
swaying carrying suitcases envelope fever 
memory scissors sharp hiding cake germs

3WW given words:
tearful unsteady
abrasive (causing damage or wear by rubbing, grinding, or scraping)

There he was alone swaying side to side
a little unsteady Chaplin like
Walking through the dark underpass 
Not carrying anything, no suitcases
nothing except for a camera and a cane

Fear enveloped his mind fever-pitched
But his memory was intact, scissors sharp
He was not hiding nor running away
from anyone. That he prided himself

Tearful, yes but not abrasive enough
to cause concern, perhaps his attire

Yes, perhaps his attire caked with
mud with enough germs to  kill everyone
around him. Unperturbed he soldiered
on, alone and very much ostracized
his identity suspect

He kept reminding himself though
Of immediate concern he had
a cleansing job to do unto himself

Note: Help! Apologies to Sanaa, Colleen and 
Cheryl. Hank's comments could not get through 
at your blogs. May have to use email 

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #45
Thomg's 3WW # 465
Sumana's at PU's Midweek Motif  -  identity

Remnants on the boughs

                                                                                                       Attribution: Diliff
Image: Enjoying the Brief Winter's Sun (here)

Remnants on the boughs
Snows keep falling in the nights
Squirrels unsettled

Stuck in time destined
for peaceful night encounters
Alertness maintained

For Chev's CARPE DIEM Special #195
- full snow moon

Found and Lost and Found Again

Image: A Younger Hank Many Years Ago.

It was like any other day
Opened up to a cool bright morning
There were a few on the T-box
Warming up to take on the day
Slowly the crowd built up
Just as slowly it thinned off again
as each flight left the T-box
for their day of fun

As the minutes progressed only
four were then left including Hank
As it turned out later we were all
strangers to each other but bent
on having our golf game.

We introduced ourselves and decided
to play in one flight of four which
was the normal and ideal number
That was how it began and we had been
playing as a foursome for many years

Five years ago it came about suddenly
Two were afflicted with back pains
One had moved away and Hank was alone
Though there were rare occasions of play
It was not the same anymore

But lo and behold! One fine day last month
it happened again just like before
We bumped into each other and made a foursome again
This time though it was at the Terrace where
golfers congregate for refreshments

There were no more golf though
We had ‘hung’ our clubs and now retired
Instead we hung around for a yarn over
a ‘cuppa’ enjoying each other’s company

It is now a daily routine for long-time buddies
A yarn over breakfast and then off again
It is just amazing there is so much to talk about
Found and lost and found again!

For Arlee's Lost and Found - The Valentine's Edition
Kerry's The Tuesday Platform at Real Toads

If there’s no bridge then get in the drink - A Haibun

Image: Courtesy of Sunday Photo Fiction (here)

The Prose
Survival is not just an art. It is a science replete with technical details
There are certain norms when detected will immediately trigger off
certain acts. Survival tactics and techniques are really going back to
basics. One does not even have to think hard in a way. It is an automatic
appraisal initially and then spring into action right away. The ingredients
have all been set. They are all compartmentalized for the convenience
of immediate reaction. The Quarterback will know exactly where to
throw as he expects the Receiver will be there just as they had agreed
earlier. Each will be aware of what others are supposed to do. In times
of conflicts, each one in the group should be able to read the signs and
react just the way they had been trained. There is no time to think or
to ask questions or they'll be dead.

The Free Verse
If there's no bridge then get in the drink
Then not to fall back but get in line
Following behind each other
That is the right spell
A sure sign of getting it tight
Spare no efforts
A flair for being a good follower
Is a prerequisite for being a good leader
(200 words)

Sunday Whirl 11 of 12 given words:
bridge drink fall line following 
right spell sign tight spare flair

For Sunday Photo Fiction - To write in about
200 words inspired by the given image.
Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #236
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #287