If carefully nurtured to care for the fears

                                                                                             Attribution: malini-math.blogspot.com

Image: Sunflowers - intelligent                       

design in nature  (here)

the 12 given words:
steps, afternoon, twigs, wild, heart, fires,
wanting, fires living curl fasten three
starlight (the light emitted by the stars)

Taking cautionary steps on a lazy afternoon
Careful to avoid twigs and thorns all strewn
Just easy nothing wild and not to take to heart
No negative comments expected in the mud

Wanting an assurance of an impression
Would  not be lighting fires without reasons
Rather living the fast lane that of a stuntman
To curl up if caught in tight situations

'Fasten the seat belts' a good escape clause
Three reasons to feel reassured to a cause
No starlight shooting stars likely to appear
If carefully nurtured to care for the fears

MMT's at Sundays Whirligig #140
Magaly's at Real Toad's - the tuesday platform

Nothing is static as it is all relative

                                                                                   Author: Toddatkins
Image: Stages of Change  (here)

Nothing is static as it is all relative
Remaining unchanged and inactive
will not mean remaining unaffected
It is regressing when others move forward

To change is to keep pace not to falter
To innovate is to change for the better

Logically progress should be accepted
It will have to be seen as readily adhered
For resistance to change is a natural
As the comfort zone is being meddled

Paul's at d'Verse's  Poetic Tuesdays -  change

Time constraints may not be the reason.

                                                                                            Author: Black dory
Image: Empty Boat akin to
Being Short on Ideas (here)

Dark nights rocking in the boat. Nary a thought for what
was in store for the morrow. One felt the concern even the
guilt for not coming back with a decent one. Was it with full
abandon to just raise both hands and prepare to give up.

Many had walked this path. Many were familiar with the
underlying frustrations of not being satisfied with the ones
done lately. Time constraints could not be the reason. It was
perhaps to throw everything to the winds and to see what
was giving way. Building walls around one's being would
not get the desired results. It stifled growth and that was
not good at all!

Take it by the horns
Wisdom comes too late
When set to fester

Toni at d'Verse's Haibun Monday
-  what are your plans

A conflict in his mind to unravel

                                                                                                Attribution: Al Forbes
Image: A Beam of Comfort (here)

the 11 of 12 given words: 
wish simple stand puzzle still stream stolen
amble (walk or move at a slow, relaxed pace)
trim twist prize

How he had wished to turn the clock back
It appeared to be such a simple matter
It stood around a puzzle
He distinctly remembered it still
A stream of events contributed to the melee
A conflict in his mind to unravel
His reasoning was stolen
He could only amble along
disappointment written all over

He tried to limit it down to a few episodes
To trim it within a semblance of relevance
He just could not overcome
when emotions came into the equation

Running away from home was the choice
A twist of fate found him stranded at a lighthouse
It would not win a prize to guess his next move
Forget the troubles of the world
He picked the tab
An apprentice initially and later a full-fledged 'keeper
(131 words)

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #327
Sunday Photo Fiction
Mary at PU's Poetry Pantry #380

Came the big day to be jazzing across the surface walls

                                                                                     Author: Grendelkhan
Image: Rock-climbing (here)

Two sets of homophones to be used in a poem.
The first set is:
bolder – more courageous
boulder – large rock

The second set is:
flew – past tense of fly
flu – short for influenza
flue – chimney pipe

Having gone through the works
A few times the steep walls
Under the watchful eyes
of the famed rock-climber
He got to be bolder now
Mindful of loose boulders he was
appropriately warned though

Came the big day
to be jazzing across the surface walls
It should be more challenging than down the flue
Should be humming some jazz tunes
What fun it should be!

He flew into a rage when the day came
The others came back with stories of excitement
Having made their maiden climb of a lifetime
He could only listen with disgust
having to stay home
What a time to be down with the pesky flu

MLMM's Saturday Mix  -  double take
Bjorn with Amaya's at d'Verse's MTB - jazz poetry

Give it a name if it is so nameless

                                                                                                Attribution: Yashitame
Image: Beautiful Bloom in Light Hues (here)

the 12 given words:
smell softening easy spring already act
fool gloomy ache promise give cargo

Midweek Motif's - the flower Rose

The fragrance of the evening
Pleasant 'smell' so overpowering
The softening of a link-up
As easy as having a wrap-up
Of a spring morning's coolness
Already exhibiting show of alertness

Not to act a fool then as a reference
Be it gloomy in the worst of situations
An aching heart sees such promise
A flower of love that so exists
Give it a name if it is so nameless
A cargo of blooms a joy, it so manifests

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #139
Sumana's ae PU's Midweek Motif -  the flower Rose

the ingenuity of survival

                                                                                                   Author: Charlesjsharp

Image: A Giant Kingfisher with a Tilapia
( a composite of four images).(here)  Left to right:

   1. kingfisher returns to perch with fish.

   2. she smashes it against the post to break its spine.

   3. job done.

   4. and here's the blood to prove it.

the 11 of 12 given words:

shimmy (a jazz dance characterized by a shaking of the body)

moon monkey crime fly strap sword chop sting kiss relish 

the wonder of natural instinct
the ingenuity of survival
perfected through time

a shimmy routine for a giant kingfisher

happened on a bright moonlit night
no monkey business neither a crime
just fly in with sword drawn
out from the strap

she swooped in and emerged
with a live tilapia in between her beaks

a prized possession to be readied
bashed off with a dull chop
a stinging smash
a loving kiss and with such relish
dinner was served

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #326
Sanaa's at Real Toad's  - the tuesday platform 

dark nights rocking to a beat - a Quadrille

                                                                                  Attribution:  Carlos Quevedo
Image: Something's burning! (here)

dark nights rocking to a beat
looking for a way out of the heat
clamoring for attention
by many in contention
the bane of a targeted meat

not to worry the night is still young
slip out of it and cut out the fun
(44 words)

Nekneeraj's at MLMM's
Photo Challenge #189
Mish's at d'Verse's Quadrille #45
and to include the word 'rock'

Life's gamble so true!

Image: Straying Away from Home (here)

A Shadorma with a syllabic
count of (3/5/3/3/7/5)

Far from home
What got into him
Look-see, check!
Things to learn
May seem the same but not so
Life's gamble so true!

MLMM's Sunday Mix Lucky Dip - a shadorma
Sunday Photo Fiction
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #379

I'm a zebra. I feel out of place

                                                                                                              Author: anon
Image: A Pow-wow of Sorts (here)

the 10 of 12 given words:
light hinge iron song worm 
air blow order clangs over

Say buddy, what's up?
I'm a zebra. I feel out of place
But we are one of a kind, horses
I know but you are of varied colors
We can still be friends
But I'm striped and there's no other way for a zebra 
It is light and easy over minor matters
We are hinged on iron-clad songs
We are not wormed out nor are we putting on airs
Blow for blow we are matched to order

We are wondering though
We don't need a bell that clangs to keep in line
We don't mean that
What then is bothering you?
Your stripes!
My stripes?

Yes, the proverbial question left unanswered,
'is it white stripes over a black background
or black over a white background?'

(prompt -  consider the possibility 
of two unlikely characters meeting up and the 
conversation they might have with each other)

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #138
MLMM's Tale Weaver #145
- unlikely conversations  
Toni's at d'Verse's OLN - happy birthday

with social media available it had gone viral

                                                                                                        Author: Unknown
Image: artes de rua grafite
(graphite street art ) (here)

10 of 12 given words:
obscure whisper solicit lurid 
calyx (a whorl that encloses the petals and forms a protective layer around a flower)
espionage glisten box-cutter suede-gloves
dilettante (a person who cultivates an area of interest, without real commitment or knowledge)

obscured whispers were now ignored
rumors were of no consequence anymore

it did not solicit a response
unlike before but now with social media
available it had gone viral

it found expression occasionally
in lurid details often in calyx images
that glistened in the evening sun

it made child-play of espionage
hide and seek as it was all in the open

in the hands of a dilettante bent
on maintaining peace even with a
box-cutter protected in suede gloves
was no protection

the graffiti artists would eventually
triumph with their own brand of humor

MLMM's Wordle #178
Lillian's at d'Verse's - street view

was it a protest of sorts?

                                                                                                    Author: Unknown
Image: Beaching Whales 
as far back as 1909 (here)

the 12 given words:
war clear pay taunting fury slide test 
dirt disbelief mission body lesson 

'this is war, clear as hell!
someone must pay for this'

the taunting came in such a fury
that it came as a complete surprise
the slide was daunting
it was no more a test of nerves
the dirt flung indiscriminately

a complete disbelief at the turn of events
the mission was accomplished in some ways

a body of whales beaching themselves

was it frustrations?
was it mass suicide?
was it a protest of sorts?
or was it a call for help?

no one seems able to tell
no one seems able to confirm!

lesson learnt
animals are just as human
exhibiting tendencies
to tug at our conscience
a way of telling humans
how inhuman
we had been to animals

we did not seem to learn
what did we do wrong?

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #325
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #378

Ode to an Experienced Victim

                                                                                                        Author Fletcher6
Image: Elevators (here)

“He’s terrified of small spaces, didn’t you know?” 
to think he had to go through it, all over again!
But he fared very well, the second time around!

The day started off innocent enough
Short on provisions so a bee-line to the Mall
Perhaps a bite too. He was famished

A leisurely ride parked his car
and confidently into the elevator he went
without even a second look
to press the right buttons

It moved a few floors and suddenly a jerk
Then nothing happened and he was alone
.
Claustrophobia, the bad word!
Stultified he went into a frenzy
The next minute he was subdued
He remembered the previous episode
when he panicked and was incoherent

This time he listened well, made himself understood
Took instructions and was communicating
with rescuers outside

He was out in a jiffy!
Lesson learnt, not to panic and enjoy some
testing times even at hard moments!

MLMM's First line Friday
Frank's st d'Verse's  -  odes poems of praise 

a placid evening sky ebony black

                                                          Credit: ESA/Hubble; Raghvendra Sahai and John Trauger 
                                                                     (JPL), the WFPC2 science team, and NASA/ESA 
Image: Relayed Hubble picture (here)

the 12 given words:
searching, door, story,
placid (serenely free of interruption or disturbance)
ebony waiting beneath hoping palm asleep powder cake

searching the conscience
the door to myriads of possibilities
with lots of stories to tell

a placid evening sky ebony black
darkly in shadows of guilt
not really aware
but waiting beneath heaven's
care hoping with all sincerity

can feelings of guilt be palmed down
by a mere utterance of denial?

one may be asleep in powdered
dreams caked in protective garb

still, it was no way to treat a lady
she deserved a fair hearing!

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #137
Lillian's at d'Verse -  looking up

works of art, a real creation

                                                                                     Attribution: Quino Al on Unsplash
Image: Artisan at Work (here)

early morning before sunrise
getting ready for tasks ahead
trudging through the mist
to some dilapidated shacks

an old spinning wheel was given
a once-over before leaving the night
before now eager to continue

works of art, a real creation
very cleverly moulded by
knobbly fingers, skills handed
down through the generations

Alas, a dying trade was overtaken
by modern technology, reduction
in skilled hands and fall in demand

The passion and desire to preserve
a heritage giving way to the perennial
struggles to survive on a pittance

MLMM's Photo Challenge #187

to blossom as a flower fresh

                                                                                             Author: Brennyboy2000
Image: Blissful innocence (here)

11 of 12 given words:  

child blossom deny fate closet
smile weave sly bellow decline drop  

as a young child

of an innocence unstained
to blossom as a flower fresh
never to be denied
imbued with a good upbringing

a fate everyone would face
wrenched from out of the closet

bombarded with all sorts of distractions
accomplished with a wicked smile
weaved around a maze
by a stream of troublemakers
of seemingly helpful 'friends'

mostly on the sly

having parents liberal in make-up
who refused to bellow at the right moments
to have them enlightened towards a good future
but allowing unfettered freeway and freedom
to develop and simultaneously decline
in the face of innocent trysts and gadgets
to drop in spirals into an abyss
even with criminal intents
plummeting in a free-fall

such were often the scenario
a danger strong-willed parents
who refused to acknowledge the danger
to arrest the tell-tale signs
especially of drug abuse
who ended not just with a tinge of regret
but much more.

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #324
Sanaa's at Real Toad's -  the tuesday platform

What a blessing, golden locks!

                                                                         Attribution: Man Ray (1929)
Image: Woman with Long Hair (here)

What a blessing, golden locks!
A treasured wonder any way you see it
Hung upside down symmetrically perfect
Or viewed by those admirers a few steps behind

Mind-boggling to those unaccustomed
To think it was detested outright
By those who had not the patience
to accord loving care deserving

Yes, a passion deep down
Meticulously nurtured
A slight purring strangely felt
Every time the comb found it
unruffled to immediately
extend its attention

It was not even insured!

Kerry's at Real Toad's - camera flash

enduring and displayed freely for all to see

                                                                                          Author: SimonP
Image: A Bookcase of Knowledge (here)

11 of 12 given words:
guarded whispering, enduring displayed  fear 
stoop barge twice slides stroke bookcase

guarded in extending its
comments a whispering
campaign was undertaken
against them

it exhibits great courage
it is enduring and displayed
freely for all to see but does
not invoke the fear intended

twice it slides down a stroke
but no reason to stoop so low
or to barge into action

even a bookcase of famed
literature is no match for the
computer games now
preferred by the youngsters

MMT's at Sunday Whirl #136
Grace at d'Verse's OLN #207