Be aware of the clue-bearing Magi signs

                                                                                             Author: Begumrubina0786
Image: Present Day Astrologer (here)

“Why does the mind compose this 
music well before the words occur?”  ~  Jim Harrison

Is there an urgency to unravel the plot
Or perhaps to be prepared in case it gets hot
The mind moves fast in the blink of an eye
Waiting for the words to form at the lay-by

Be aware of the clue-bearing Magi signs
Sneaking in to tickle the inquisitive minds
Grab at its throat to ward off the blows
Then triumphantly walk away in the shadows

To duly acknowledge why the mind works
earlier before the words blurt out their quirks

Magi: an astrologer, sorcerer, 
or magician of ancient times

Jilly's 28-day Prompts Day28 -  the-magi
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #366

Flutter in the wet

                                                                                           Author:[Duncan]
Image: Sharing an Umbrella (here)

“The river can’t heal everything”  ~ Jim Harrison

Cinquain - a five-line poetic form from Adelaide
Crapsey comprising 2 syllables in the first line, 4
in the second, 6 in the third,8 in the fourth,
and 2 in the fifth.

Young hearts
Flutter in the
wet but so forgiving
Never a dull moment learning
the ropes

Better
believe in it
Water a survival
factor, yes, but not to expect
wonders

Jilly's Day 27 – Cinquain for My Love

Heavenly in the heavens

                                                                                     Attribution: ESO/A. Fitzsimmons
Image: Admiring Starry Nights Alone (here)

“On some clear nights in the country, the stars can exhaust us”  ~ Jim Harrison

Emotions enhanced
Memories took center-stage
Longings inwardly

Expanse of twinkles
Heavenly in the heavens
But warm nights turn cold

Jilly's Day 26 – Haiku ~ longing for stealth

An array of classics

                                                                                                Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Image: The Head of Leda (c. 1505 - 1507) (here)

12 given words from "Brown Penny" by W B Yeats:
young brown stars loops, hair thinking
shadows, wise begin enough crooked penny

A glimpse into history
An array of classics
Of a likely young beauty
Round brown eyes frolic

Like current stars of fame
Loops in the hair
Entangled hearts gain
In picking out a dare

Thinking of shadows of success
Wisely to begin early in life
Enough to give access
To crooked agents who thrive

On those unsuspecting lasses
Handing out pennies around
Rather than what they are worth
Measured in diamonds

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #124
Grace's at d'Verse's OLN # 201

Be more specific to allay suspicions

                                                                                              Attribution: Sam Droege
Image: Little tiny Sweat Bees (here)

Rivulets of sweat trailing slowly down
Facials moments ago now some big groans
Parking-lot heat-wave
Triggered stifled rage
Shady spots none but open to loud moans

Shades of impression written on her face
Not quite embarrassed she was in a daze
He was taking liberties
Her anxieties not appeased
Chances compromised with such forays

Shades of grey not quite apparent
Be more specific to allay suspicions
Let them be aware
Being seen as fair
To maintain credibility of positions

Lillian at d'Verse's  -  seeking some shades
Jilly's  -  war in a parking lot

A Host par Excellence

                                                                                       Attribution:  Stephen P. Weaver
Image: The Perfect Host (here)

the 11 of 12 given words:
finery hidden gain reactive 
puissant (powerful, mighty, potent)
feelings layers figment naughty imitation
gnossienne (n. a moment of awareness that someone you’ve known
for years still has a private and mysterious inner life)

Colorful finery formal attire
Nothing hidden everything to gain
Reactive to puissant feelings to aspire
To myriads of layers of fame

Without any figment of imagination
Nor naughty imitations of responsibility
There may be reflections of a gnossienne
Contending to exhibit the ability

Drawing on all of his experiences
Extending likes of a nobility
A host par excellence, preeminent
As expected of one with dignity

Marian's at Real Toad's - the tuesday platform
Jilly's Day 23 - Host

the inner self not insisting to be seen

                                                                                       Artist: Pedro Lira  (1845–1912)

Image: Frustrations and Boredom (here)

the 12 given words:

burst chains color surface simmered 

throat matter won label mixed nut punch

the inner self not insisting

to be seen or heard but may
burst into view unwittingly
to give itself away in chains
of color which on the surface
appeared innocent enough

Rage simmered lurking within 

smirking waiting to unleash

its ugly head on the vulnerable
to seize it by the throat in a
matter of seconds

By itself having won a label 

of a mixed nut throwing a wild

punch on all fronts all because

of the frustrations emanating

from a writer's block

Brenda's Sunday Whirl's
Wordle #311
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #365

Why were adults not talking?

                                                                                            Artist : Erte
Image:  Doves with Aphrodite
-  the ancient Greek goddess of
love and beauty   (here)

Stale bread staring back
Brackish water in a half broken cup
The best on offer
All his worldly possessions
and he was hungry

Child with a blank look
Why were adults not talking?

Much maligned
never given a chance
though opportunities recurred

An olive branch
Doves kept appearing

The absence of political will
but why?
(55 words)

Kerry's at Real Toad's  -  flash 55

Forgotten better days - A Bop

                                                                    Attribution: ŇÄĵŵÅ Ă. Мǻŗǻƒįę from KUWAIT
Image: Hot Cup of Coffee (here)

Smoke gathers round the rim of my coffee cup
remnants of the skirmish in my untouched bowl of cereal
your suitcase sits by the door, the new leather one
not the weary worn green canvas with tags from our trip
to Paris last summer
leaving me with a million
Forgotten better days and a badly written play

Blurred words seep through the wall
you on the phone with some unknown
Being aware of the intrusion where walls have ears
A scary bit rearing its ugly head nonchalantly
You ought to be in firm control you decide
You hang up the line to go on a hunting spree
Gathering dark rain clouds above a tell-tale sign
Stifle the distraction to nip it in the bud
Forgotten better days and a badly written play

You catch it by the throat to hold it tight
No way it is easy for it to take flight
Stultify the attempt by drowning its efforts
To tickle the memories of the good old days
and review the play to fluff the mistake
To triumphantly walk a victory lap with pride
Forgotten better days and a badly written play

Note:1 The given lines in italics
Note: 2 This is a Bop comprising 3 stanzas with 6 lines, 8 lines,
and 6 lines, with a refrain line repeated after each stanza. Given
are the refrain line “Forgotten better days and a badly written play”
and the first two lines of stanza two.
The development of the poem is to present a problem in stanza #1,
expand or explore it in stanza #2, and then either resolve or reveal
a failed attempt as resolution in the last stanza.

Note3 Could not post this for Day 15
Jilly's Day 15 – Bathing in Art
(eccentricity clouds the artist's creation - Saturday July 29) (here)

Jilly's Half-Poem
- forgotten-better-days-august-challenge

Peaceful and mysterious

                                                                            Attribution: Joan Fullerton
Image: Peaceful encounter (here)

Autumn days
Lakeside camouflage
Undisturbed

Sunglasses adorned
Gliding in calm waters
Up periscope
Quietly set and mysterious
Paradise was knocked senseless

Chev's at Carpe Diem #1231 - Serenity
(Mystical Threshold by intuitive artist Joan Fullerton)

its days were numbered

                                                                                          Attribution: R Loy
Image: Dinosaurs in throes of love (here) 

mooching (to borrow without intending to return)
smooch (to kiss)

1. baby dinosaur
then lost in the wilderness
its days were numbered

2. mooching for love
just a little smooch
beating the odds

Note: #1.Is a traditional 5-7-5 haiku 
while #2 as suggested by Chev is to 
be a bit of a progressive, in this case 
a 4-5-4 haiku

Chev's at Carpe Diem  - #1230 glass sculpture 

eccentricity clouds the artist's creation

                                                                                  Attribution: Eden Hills

Image: A Flower Pot  (here)

“Art often isn’t [nice] though it scrubs the soul fresh”~ Jim Harrison

(Day 15) (here)

MLMM's the 11 of 12 given words:

foolish figment entangle  

willow-wacks (A wooded or uninhabited area)

eccentric hood glint need jump circle

myrmidon (n.)) a person who executes without question or scruple 

a master’s commands)

how foolish to view Art

without a figment of imagination as

one may get entangled in a web as 

mystifying as being in willow-wacks

though in many instances 

eccentricity clouds the artist's creation

but it is not hooded from view

it is there for all to see

it may seem without reasons 

and may be understood only by him

there is still a glint of hope

and a need not to jump to conclusion

the ancient masters had within them

a rare hold on a myrmidon who may

also later be a celebrated artist of fame

they group themselves into their own 

inner circles into known periods typified 

by a specific style and the Art World is all 

the more richer with their contributions

Jilly's Day 15 – Bathing in Art

MLMM's Wordle #166

Kerry's at Real Toad's - the tuesday platform

Refusal to admit, a cause so lame

                                                                                         Attribution: Bill Inglais
Image: Space Shuttle under a Full Moon (here)

“The moon is to blame.  I am innocent”  -  Jim Harrison from Songs of Unreason 
(Day 14)

To extract a confession
Is not difficult so to speak
No necessity to 'force' on their conscience
Nor waving threateningly a big stick

When they take a defensive stance
Pushed to the wall
They go into fancy footwork as in a dance
Trying hard to convince all

Blame liberally assigned to others
Finger pointing to them a fair game
Sense of responsibility blurs with excuses
Refusal to admit, a cause so lame

Jilly's Day 14 -  Proverb of Unreason in
28 DAYS OF UNREASON, POETRY
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #364

why was he there right among books?

                                                                                      Attribution: Brigitte N. Brantley
Image: Engrossed in Reading (here)

immersed in his own world
in one corner far from the crowd
realities of life spinning all in a whirl
in a way he was clothed in a shroud

why was he there right among books
the library barely opened minutes ago
his domain away from suspicious looks
known to be right there until time to go

surveying the ceiling for inspiration
often times left high and dry and empty
but when ideas did drop in abundance
tickled to realize a way to his sanctuary

Sumana's at PU's - Midweek Motif - finding a sanctuary
Gayle's at d'Verse - OLN #200

the joys of innocence

                                                                                             Attribution: pexel photos

Image: The First Kiss  (here)

Sunday's Whiligig 12 given words:

joys best surprise someone sweet laugh

girls  hair think alike deceit only

the joys of innocence

best times of our life

it was no surprise

with someone so sweet

we did laugh together

the girls with shiny hair

the boys unkempt a little

we would think alike

that was all that mattered

no deceit no sulking

only the heart thumping

awkward in the beginning

slivers all over but we did it
yay!

we sealed our first kiss

MMT's Sunday Whirligig Wordle #122

MLMM's Tale Weaver #129  -  kiss
Paul's at Real Toad's Scribble it -  the first time

born to carry the burden - a Haibun

                                                                                    Attribution MKA Photography

Image: A Sad Outcome (here)

Sunday Whirl's 12 given words:

beam born carry mean nothing pick

post poor shake string trigger sea

the prose

beaming with laughter but not anymore

born to carry the burden of choice of a mean

father and that of a good-for-nothing beau

to pick the pieces and be first past the post

is a tall order a poor option to say the least

how to shake off the strings of conscience

lest it triggers off a sea of retributions?

the haiku

sins of the father

left in the lurch facing the
music all alone

Clarification: Apologies to Toni
The above meets the conditions of 3 tight paras and a haiku for a Haibun
but not the conditions of # (2) Containing kigo and kireji words (3) Must 
be true (4) Must have actually happened to you.

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #309

Nekneeraj's at MLMM's Photo Challenge #175

Toni's at d'Verse Haibun Monday - free for all

Holding out and not nervous in any way

                                                                                               Attribution: Eden Hill
Image: Standing its Grounds (here)

10 of 12 given words:
vacant permeates read clip shine 
abash (v)) to destroy the self-confidence make ashamed or embarrassed)
salvage sag nervous
trenchancy (adj.)) incisive or caustic vigorous; effective; energetic)

You may detect a vacant look
That permeates a fertile cow's mind
May have read in a familiar book
Clipping on an outright shine

Unabashed in its intentions
To salvage a sagging intensity
Nowhere its self-confidence
Lacks the much-touted sincerity

Its static and forthright demeanour
Standing tall against attempts to portray
A trenchancy animal has known before
Holding out and not nervous in any way

MLMM's Wordle #165
MLMM's Saturday's Mix 22 July
Marian's at Real Toad's - the tuesday platform

or to fatten up the middle

                                                                                   Attribution: Eden Hills
Image: Given Extra attention
for a Reason (here)

spoilt given extra attention
not to mention
garbed with warmers
ego boosters

livened up and so it would seem
nice and loving
not to intrude
even from broods

or to fatten up the middle
not to cuddle
gave them the creeps
to end dead meat

Frank's at d'Verse's MTB  -  the minute poem
MLMM's Saturday's Mix

our brethren perished at the end of gun barrels

                                                                                                   Author: PRAB1988
Image: A Lone Tusker (here)

11 of 12 given words:
climb pangs offhand vague sadness our perish reappear
sallow (adj) of a sickly, yellowish or lightish brown color
nepenthe (n.) anything inducing a pleasurable sensation of forgetfulness,
abdicate (v)) to relinquish a right, power, claim,

slow climb with pangs of regret at the sallow picture
offhand it masked vague reminiscences of sadness
our brethren perished at the end of gun barrels
such soulful images would reappear again and again

it triggered off a nepenthe of feelings to readily forget
we tried to push back those sad moments into oblivion
not to abdicate the sense of pride in the animal world
of enormity strength and beauty of ivory within us

MlMM's Wordle #164
Susan's at PU's Midweek Motif  -  mask

A need for them to counter the scorn

                                                                                      Attribution: Fritz Geller-Grimm

Image: Opening Up to Counter (here)

11 of 12 given words:
see cream brutally face need 
scorn poet flee skin storm mask 

To see the cream of the talented souls
Brutally kissed off from a lofty perch
Scions of society bidding for a hold
A face-up was in the works to emerge

A need for them to counter the scorn
A poet not to flee but to stake a claim
By the skin of their teeth they rode the storm
Avoided putting any one of them to shame

A convenient tool to mask their efforts
That struggles were not seen as failures
Talented writers could progress in spurts
To showcase creations of their endeavors

Brenda's Sunday Whirl #308
Kerry's at Real Toad's -  the tuesday platform

a vacation in the wilderness

                                                                                          Attribution:  Edward Aspera Jr.
Image: When lightning strikes (here)

the 12 given words:
wife bamboo stirring bath leafless hanging 
skin blackbird monk fire dirty painting

musing and lovingly eyeing his wife
hidden behind the bamboo makeshift wall
upper half of her body still very much visible
supple and stirring having a leisurely bath

a vacation in the wilderness among greeneries
a homestay nestled close to nature by the forest
he regretted not having discovered this earlier
she waving inviting him over to bathe together

against a backdrop of a leafless mango tree
with branches hanging menacingly from above
her fair skin gleamed under the morning sun
not unlike a blackbird ready to pounce on a prey

debating if he should come running to the rescue
remembering how not to be caught flat-footed
reminiscent to a monk under fire for slow response
dirty in thoughts, painting a picture of doom

MMT's Sunday's Whiligig #120
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #362

Had a crack at wanting to be a superhero

                                                                                      Attribution: Mizrraim
Image: Sad Looking but Clowning (here)

the 6 given words (here):
crack ramble wince festoon hiccup pest

Had a crack at wanting to be a superhero
His mind wandered on what form it should take
Rambled on with choices galore so he thought
Some ideas about being airborne one that could float
A slight start though but he winced and made faces
How could he see himself sailing in the air
Festooned perhaps with ribbons as headgear
His movement restricted his reach stunted
but still, he managed a laugh

Moving on it gave him hiccups just thinking about it
Not forgetting goosebumps that suddenly appeared
No, not to be seen as a clown but acting tough
Ending like a pest in the eyes of the young ones
The target group that he was set to entertain

Could he muster the courage to be good at playacting
To move in a different direction and make a mess of it
With the prospects of being mocked and laughed at?

He thought to be a macho superhero would be a breeze
No, it would seem far easier to act silly and be a clown
Where mistakes could be covered up to be seen
as part of the act and to still end up as successful
as playing in a serious role

Yes, 'Bozo' had been taken
what to call himself he wondered

Sumana's at PU's Midweek Motif  -  movement

Love is in the air

                                                                                    Attribution:  VaporFi
Image: Strawberry Chill Vape Juice (here)

(fair use of image)

the 12 given words:

sheets chill rhythm shot 
shimmering (a quivering or image produced by reflecting faint light)
plume (featherlike cover, or adorn with)
stars foolish prophet caravans vent pick

Love is in the air
On reflection, fun to be with
A new love on his mind
Sitting alone he is happy

Sheets of smoke twirling
It goes well while sipping
Strawberry Chill Vape Juice
Rhythm of dancing smoke screen
Shots of shimmering cover in the air
Brilliance of peacock plumes
Hallucinations of stars beyond

How foolish are the prophets of doom
Throwing caravans of humbug at him
Lining up to vent their anger

It is his own choice his own pick
They have no right to impose their will
He is set with his new love, vaping!

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #307
Marian's at Real Toad's - the tuesday platform

Beautiful whorls in flaming red

                                                              Attribution: Robert Draves (@draves.robert)
Image: 1 Red Poppies (here)

Beautiful whorls in flaming red
Hidden existence one rarely sees
Surreptitiously cultivated, its fate
found credence with the junkies

                                                                         Attribution :Mjpresson
Image: 2  Pressed cannabis (here)

Enhanced by the unscrupulous
Its deathly effects with new variants
Hash has come a long way known
before as herbal cannabis or marijuana
Then with innocent sounding grass
Later weed pot fix ice and what have you
Shedding tears of the innocents to the wild
escapades and deathly experiences of them
ending in stupors of the vanquished

Its potency increasing in tandem with
its THC content as the years ahead loomed
'Fragile things' are not to be meddled with
lest the fragile minds are frighteningly doomed

Note: The intoxicating chemical in marijuana is 
tetrahydracannabinol, or THC.It has soared from 
less than 1 percent in 1972, to 3 to 4 percent in 
the 1990s, to nearly 13 percent in 2010. Today, 
some retail fix has 30 percent THC  -  wiki

Magaly at Real Toad's  Fragile, Natural, Wild
and to include the phrase - fragile things
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #361

the heat of summer dulls the initiative

                                                                                         Attribution: Ozizo
Image: Cola float (here)

11 of 12 given words:
heat, bird fling bright easy cricket 
dusk ice cream pass float sweat

the heat of summer dulls the initiative
but birds are ever-present singing in unison
having a fling, bright and easy with relief
about the only sounds sustaining so brazen

a lone cricket may well get into the act
its melodious rebuke right through the dusk
insisting on shrill cries where others dread
with no other significant sounds that last

perhaps sounds of slurping ice-cream
more apparent to quench parched lips
to pass off  better with floats at the brim
with sweat at the brow in between sips

For grapeling's at Real Toad's  -  get listed

Sake to his lips

                                                                        Author: María de las Nieves Sande
Image: Renown Japanese drink - sake (here)

Sake to his lips
The pot now already empty
Glassy- eyed he burped

It did not take long
Belching sign of full tummy
The host was happy

Note: Hank and family went
Japanese in an earlier posting (here)

Chev's Carpe Diem  #1215
cold sake (hiyazake)

nary a moment true without their poems

                                                                                              Author Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick
Image: A Culture of regular Meetings (here)

the 11 of 12 given words:
walked shades together poems fruit wore 
favorite listened wine before festival:

walked the shades shadowed together
nary a moment true without their poems
fruit of their labour tucked safely under
it wore on a favorite of their own intrusions

they listened amidst wine and festivities
a gathering of like-minded souls as before
tagging along also members of their family
making it a convention of sorts and more

independence of people, a festival of culture
a meeting of fertile minds bandied about
in a fighting atmosphere of friendly banter
progressive poets' outing with big shouts

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #119
Susan's at PU's Midweek Motif  -  independence

munching session to begin

                                                                                 Author : Sippakorn Yamkasikorn
Image: Ready to Eat Pasta! (here)

plateful of pasta
munching session to begin
but tummy is full

wanting to run wild
too bad it hurts his parents
mischief on his mind

Note: This is the first tryout of the
"fragment and phrase" way of writing  a haiku
(hope it works)

Chev's Carpe Diem - 1214 dawn

It is demeaning what is the meaning?

                                                                    Photographer: Didier Descouens
Image: 1 The Moth's dorsal view (here)

                                                                       Photographer: Didier Descouens
Image:2 The shock of seeing a Death-head
when the thorax is amplified (here)

the 32 given words:
meaning wheel name inkling unconscious perception limit amplification
faint threshold frail dissociated control evasive tender oscillate tension impulse
penumbra (a shadowy, indefinite, or marginal area)
fetish stiff irrational precise trigger primitive
cryptic (mysterious in meaning; puzzling; ambiguous)
jump boundaries deflected forgetting collective disguise

It is demeaning what is the meaning?
To be wheeled into a realm of name
calling, mystifying with no inkling but
of an unconscious perception

There is a limit to amplification, a faint
threshold of reality to a frail attempt at
a dissociated control evasive by nature

A tender oscillating movement may help
to ease tension on impulse hidden within
the penumbra of fetish tendencies stiff
and irrational but precise

However, it might trigger off a primitive
and cryptic message in a confused mind

The danger is to jump to conclusion
across boundaries deflected from its
purpose for forgetting a collective agenda
under disguise

Note: 1) Hank had used the word list in its
entirety and in the given sequence to test 
whether it is possible to create something sensible
2) To make it easier it is related to the shock of 
seeing a morbid amplification of the moth's thorax 

Clarification: This was created this morning and
linked earlier to Real Toad's - for Hedgewitch's -
Get listed.  It was late in the day for anyone to read
so Hank decided to link it here again for
Kerry's at Real Toad's  -  the tuesday platform
(apologies!)

Happy birthday, Naqip!

                                                                                                  Attribution: Qaty

Image:1 The Confident Birthday Boy!
(Naqip was born on July 02, 2010)

Remember Naqip? He had everyone on tenterhook
before (here) He turned seven today. He brought
his buddies to the kiddies' skating rink and showed
his prowess at his own brand of ice hockey. Mum
Qaty and Dad Hafi had him to be skating savvy
just for this day. He did not disappoint!

Happy birthday, Naqip!
(55 words)

                                                                                                        Attribution: Hank

Image:2 Getting ready! Socks and gloves are mandatory

With elder sister Ayesha (holding on to him) and elder

brother Nabil (4th from left)

                                                                                                 Attribution: Hank

Image: 3 Naqip shows his prowess. He has good ball control

                                                                                            Attribution: Hank

Image: 4 Nabil keeping goal

(He said he hadn't let in any!)

                                                                                                      Attribution: Hank

Image: 5 After such a hectic day,
time to blow out the candles

Kerry's at Real Toad's  -  Flash 55 (to write in 55 words)
- in play it again, toads 
Mary's at PU's Poetry Pantry #360