he was immaculately dressed

                                                                     Artist :Pompeo Batoni  (1708–1787)
Image: A Gentleman of Old (here)

11 of 12 given words:
father choose shirt tie  closet come
years cloth, blue, buttons, sure, 

a father accorded the privilege
of choosing his own shirts and ties
now found it a challenge

his closet had never been left  hungry
well stocked with the latest new finds
he would come home in the early years
with an array of clothes of loud colours

weakness for shades of blue and brass buttons
for his blazer, he was immaculately dressed
and sure on his choices but not lately

not particular in matching colors anymore
and his sense of pride in dressing took a dip
he was pleasantly happy all the time though

his minders were still trying to determine
what ill-wind was brewing but it was futile

not much difference either way as it would
have the same effect dementia or Alzheimer

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig Wordle #151

ever so assured ready to do her job for the day

                                                                Artist: Helene Schjerfbeck  (1862–1946)
Image:  Girl Friday (here)

10 of 12 given words:
assure transparent granite fairy bleach far-fetched cancer 
chamomile (a flowering plant with daisy-like flowers)
autophobia (morbid fear of being alone or isolated )
layogenic (a person who appears attractive from a distance but not up close)

like a chamomile, she would dance like the wind
to glide gracefully her long skirts trailing in disarray
that was how at the office she arrived every morning
ever so assured ready to do her job for the day

transparent in outlook stoic as a boulder of granite
standing against any intrusion from near and afar
a reliable 'gatekeeper' for her boss as of right
gregarious by nature not restricted by autophobia

envy of her peers blessed with beauty to appear
fairy-like in demeanour nothing layogenic
but bleached of restraints in her character
far-fetched from any cancer of office politics

MLMM's Wordle #186

a crescendo of silence had proven to be absurd

                                                                                                Author: © Mike Vor
Image:   Ghostly and Winding Boardwalk  (here)

11 of 12 given words:
bare blood gravity crescendo rattle 
honey shatter birds blue electrify teeth

having bared his soul where blood had shivered
gravity of the situation could easily be discerned
a crescendo of silence had proven to be absurd
just not to be rattled by honey-coated reasons

myth was shattered in an eerie looking place
a distant boardwalk far off deep in the valley
spied by little birds then were blue in the face
hauntingly winding not anywhere that friendly

hibernating little creatures electrified with fright
teeth unmoving and barely a sound to be heard
what had become of a utopia sunny and bright
now ghostly and intimidating causing much hurt

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #340
Sunday  Photo Fiction  Feb 25th
Sanaa's at Real Toad's -  the tuesday platform

For these Boots are Made for Walking

                                                                         Author: user: Safedom
Image: Being fashionable (here)

Is there a necessity to laze around?
Staring at a blank wall with nothing
Inspiration out of reach none are found
Excepting perhaps for lively songs to sing

One is blessed certainly  for bigger things
There are reasons aplenty for existing
Need not create excuses just musings
For these Boots are Made for Walking

Get off the butt and make oneself lighter
Do your own thing and feel dead happy
Remember a blessed soul is a fighter
Nothing owed anyone but glad to be free

MLMM's Music Challenge #23:
inspired with Nancy Sinatra's
“These Boots Are Made For Walking”
Mary at PU's Poetry Pantry #392

courting a distant song

                                                                                             Author: NASA
Image: Targeting it Higher
and Further (here)

counting one's blessings
courting a distant song
what of it that keeps moving
arresting a progress when wrong

two steps forward and one back
that seems the pattern
must set the sights correct
reasons seem uncertain

the truth of the matter
is to discipline the thinking
to target it higher and further
chances are more fulfilling

pinch yourself a little pain
to get back in line again

Grace at d'Verse's OLN #214

to wage a device of balance in life

:

                                                                                               Attribution: Alin Dev
Image: A Loving Couple (here)

the 12 given words:
point loving loneliness nowhere knowing
crumbs wage device balance standing map mall

a point of loving and loneliness
will go a long way to entail
a feeling of not being nowhere

knowing the crumbs from the whole
is to wage a device of a balance in life

one can then be standing tall having
mapped a way out of the maze

it is no more that feeling of being
lost in a mall of uncertainties but
of having a voice to find a way out

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #150
Susan's at PU's Midweek Motif - voice

peaceful rolling plains

                                                                                           Author Murray Foubister
Image: Before Sunrise over
Desert Sands (here)

peaceful rolling plains
desolation written all
over, undisturbed

Chev's Carpe Diem  - #1373
Syrian Desert (Southern Route) 

she contended to outshine the other pupils

                                                                      Artist :Alexei Harlamov  (1840–1925)
Image: She was just eight going to nine
(oil on canvas) (here)

the 12 given words:
pupils sultry fragile  eyelashes whispers 
sway close butterflies sweat veranda 
mocha (a high quality type of coffee)
Moment of Tangency (a glimpse of what might have been)

she contended to outshine the other pupils
sultry much to the point of being fragile
with eyelashes accentuating doe-like eyes
speaking in whispers in flagrant sexiness
born to be on the catwalk

held sway against all competition
'keep your feet close to the ground'
that she had been told
lest she had designs of her own

with butterflies tingling in her stomach
she had to sweat it out
careful not open to view at the veranda

'avoid mocha' she was advised
caffeine was a bad word

she had her Moment of Tangency
when a beauty pageant was staged in town
she just could not wait
but her time would come

MLMM's -  Bonus wordle 
- moment of tangency 
Rommy's at Real Toad's  - the tuesday platform

hailed from a strong Chilean upbringing

                                                                                    Attribution: Sascha Darlington

Image: Private Property (here)

The 2 homophone sets are:
hail – frozen rain
hale– robust health
and
Chile – South American country
chili – dried pod of red pepper
chilly – uncomfortably cool

hale and hearty
attributed to a generous diet
of chili so it seemed

hailed from a strong Chilean upbringing
from high on the Andes
chilly in the cold months but tolerable
often subjected though
to blizzards of hail-stones

through sheer hard work and frugality
he managed to amass
wealth beyond his wildest dreams
invested heavily in landed property
acres and acres of rolling plains
greenery as far as the eyes could see

but what happened that day got him mad

on his inspection rounds but his assistant
had forgotten to bring the keys to the gates

he summoned his workers who were
on the field at the other side to bring
the pick-up close to the fencing

though appearing ungentlemanly
he had to do it accentuating full justice
to his Chilean stock

he had no time to waste
he had to climb over!
(143 words)

MLMM's Saturday Mix Double Take
Saturday Photo Fiction
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #391

Got us wondering why the need to be fast

                                                                                                     Author: old bacon
Image: Sadly Smashed not after an
Accident but After an Earthquake (here)

Chased by the wind and they zoomed pass
Got us wondering why the need to be fast
We might just meet them
At the very next turn
Curled and smashed for they just don't last

Frank's at d'Verse's MTB  -  brevity

So rich in bright yellow spurts of Spring

                                                                     Attribution: Adventures in the Wild     
                                                                                            (Used with Permission)
Image: Insisting to Show Itself (here)

10 of 12 given words:
wrong, know one strength, rich 
makes long measures length love 

It is not wrong to know one's strength
So rich in bright yellow spurts of spring
It makes long measures of wanting to extend
The season's beauty to flaunt its bidding

Length of words to hide the blushes
The young gallivanting with their innocence
The main players snapping up red roses
Love pushing its luck for the occasion

Hoping to get out of the dark
To invoke love's annual exuberance
Happy Valentine!

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #149 - Valentine Day's Edition
MLMM's Tale Weaver – #159 –
February 14th – The Coming of Spring
Sumana's at PU's  Midweek Motif  - words
Rommy's at Real Toad's  -  love hurts

was a better bet to win over

                                                                                                    Author:Clay Heaton
Image: Always so Alert (here)

the 10 of 12 given words:
process transfix urge twist visitor
profane (deeply offensive and lack of respect for someone's religious beliefs
smirk (smile in an irritating conceited or silly way)
compunction (a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety) .
updraft (the movement upward of air or gas)
Wabi Sabi- In traditional Japanese aesthetics jt is sometimes described
as one of beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete”

a process transfixed
in minds of those who hate
preaching to a selected mix
wishing damage so great

invoked with profane intensity
sporting a smirk so plain
instead not urging common courtesy
brought a twist of expectations in vain

a visitor with compunction
was a better bet to win over
an updraft of sympathetic concern
facilitated a Wabi Sabi of wonder

MLMM's Wordle #186
Sanaa's at Real Toad's - the tuesday platform

a home without windows

                                                                                  Author: J Hardy Carroll
Image: House of Many Doors (here)

The 12 given words:
earth frozen home hazy crazy 
poverty rope folded saint holy gusts
rasping (a harsh, scratchy sound)

what on earth could it be
an intrusion frozen in time
a home without windows
it was hazy
it was crazy

but he remembered it well
poverty imposed certain restrictions
and he learnt the ropes fast

folded into a saint, a holy soul
he stayed put in a house of many doors
gusts of wind had no say
but to bid their time

only rasping noises in the night
convinced him that the wind
was bent on escape

Sunday's Photo Fiction February
Brenda's Sunday's Whirl Wordle 338
Mary at PU's Poetry Pantry #390

a person must heave with such big shoulders

                                                                                                    Author: Artaxerxes
Image: A Fascinating Red Big Harley (here)

Terza Rima -  interlocking three-line stanzas in
which the end rhyme in the second line provides
the rhyme for the first and third lines of the next,
ie  A-B-A, B-C-B, C-D-C

memories of those days still lingered on
when I chanced upon the red two-wheeler
never did I think one was still around

but there it was parked  beside the boulder
wonder who would want to own big machines
a person must heave with such big shoulders

how i loved it cruising with the young thing
lucky none riding pillion wihen I fell
those were the days of freedom of being

Marian's at Real Toad's  -  fuzzy little forms
the Terza Rima

Why must conscience be abandoned?

                                                                                            Attribution: Dillon Davis
Image: Feeding an Abandoned kitten (here)

What had become of life
Moments together all happy
But amid whispers brought by the wind
Of human weaknesses
Of human unfaithfulness
Not believing these were true

Rumors invoked of ulterior motives it seemed
Could not possibly be gulped down at face value

She stood him up once, only once
He felt slighted, all smiles, all forgotten
Contrary to expectations all not forgiven
Why must conscience be abandoned?

So relationships were always on the line
Forgiveness sold but not bought

Hurt stabbed hard on the jugular
Potent and fatal
No turning back

It was that easy to have it all ended

MLMM's Tale Weaver #158  -  abandonment
Kim's at d'Verse's OLN #213

A pretty face was envisaged as of good assets

                                                                                                   Author: Alvesgaspar
Image:  Granite stairway in the
Castle of Monsanto, Portugal (here)

A stairway was seen as a visual challenge
The way up would engage on many perspectives
Touching on lots of nerves way up to heaven
Audacity of back-stabbing even among cronies

Where one was perceived as a stumbling block
Targetted as easy meat by those ambitious elements
Walking dead could be the balance expected
Staying alive would draw on having good friends

A pretty face was envisaged as of good assets
Same-sex would hardly make a difference
Culture shock before but now readily accepted
At expense of fairness and human development

The stairway towards  rightful achievements
Wound through a maze of winding permutations

Susie at Real Toad's Bits
of Inspiration  -  stairs

creativity would necessarily draw on talents

                                                                     Artist: Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky  (1868–1945

Image: Portrait of Artist Konstantin-korovin 

at Work In the Wilderness (here)

the 12 given words:
numb longer soften still coffee mountains 
buildings sad painting each hand even

Midweek Motif  -  shoes

Numb with fear he no longer cared
Softened his attitude but not by choice
Was still caught in a web ensnared
Sipped his coffee devoid of voice

Would it be 'mountains' or 'buildings'?
To get a general theme decidedly hard
Debating on a rural or urban setting
Sadly a dilemma for a painting to start

Each would impose peculiar restrictions
Ideas and colors hand in hand ran counter
Saving device was modern art and 'impressions'
'Writer's block' for an artist was less of a bother

To be in the shoes of a poet would make it even
As creativity would necessarily draw on talents

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #148
Susan's at PU's Midweek Motif   -  shoes

a lonely figure not quite vanquished

                                                                                       Attribution: Justin Peters
Image: A Ritual before Dawn (here)

11 of 12 given words:
lonely vanquish before dawn glass wall city safeguard fly
malefactor (n.)) a person who violates the law who causes harm to another)
prevaricate (v.)) to speak falsely or misleadingly)
peccadillo (n)) a minor offence, a trifling fault)

a lonely figure not quite vanquished
but subdued found contemplating
on the beach alone

a ritual before dawn freely drawn
not confined within glass walls

sought solace outside city limits
accompanied only by a lighted globe

with safeguards compromised
open to dragons with fiery breath
ghosts with fangs and sneaky
malefactor elements who could
easily prevaricate to gain access

what peccadillo faults
contributed to this state of affairs
- to let fly caution to the winds
perhaps a jilted lover

MLMM's Bonus Wordle - super heroes
Magaly's at PU's Real Toad's- the tuesday platform

Retracing old steps

                                                                                                   Author: Axaqamer3
Image: The dark black line
is the Old Silk Route linking
Indo-Pak to China. (here)

Retracing old steps
Through some countless trading routes
Push for Buddhism
Old Silk Road convenient way
Salvation for the masses

Chev's Carpe Diem1362 -
gansu-northern-route

a good rest in manageable poverty mode

                                                                                             Attribution: Dawn Miller

Image: Toils of the Farmer (here)

the 11 of 12 given words:

bend post missing sense  spectacle 
gentle inject message ink mint spin 

force of habit at the bend of the road
a breather mindful of the inner voice
a good rest in manageable poverty mode
and deserving of the luxury of choice

reminiscing on the strong oak post
used to be there guarding the gate
now gone missing otherwise as host
now not comforting to visitors of late

a spectacle, a gentle intermission
not witnessed by any soul each morning
to inject a message of satisfaction
a lone farmer inked a ritual pleading

a similar episode minted the next day
a spin of wry feelings to the farmer
blessed him in many different ways
grace of Providence provided the honor

Sunday Photo Fiction - Feb 2018
Brenda's Sunday's Whirl  Wordle #337
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #389

Waiting to be enticed by the Prince wannabe

                                                                                                 Author: Charlesjsharp
Image: Prince Wannabe - Before the Transformation (here)

the 12 given words:
beauty, pretend, stars, moonlight, sing 
pass frog flashing,see, taste, clear, air

A thing of beauty, the sleeping beauty
To pretend anxiously waiting in the wings
Waiting to be enticed by the Prince wannabe
A great pretender a star in the making

Blue Moon eclipsed coyly by the clouds
Rare encounter reputed 150 years in waiting
A stranger in the sky anticipating a shout-out
Moonlight bright open for a sing

To pass off as a gentleman, frogs galore
To see flashing in attire a novelty in action
A taste of the Prince in all of its wonder
To clear the air invoke the transformation

Prompt: Pick one stranger and write their eulogy. 
Imagine their triumphs, the funny little stories

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #147
Isadora's at Real Toad's -
eulogy for a stranger