with deep sleep seemed far-fetched

                                                                                Attribution Christopher Hilton

Image: Socially distance shopping (here)

F for Feasibility

we are all fated not so much 

by any voluntary insistence 

but by order of the day

we are still shadowed

by the horrors seen on

social media

nonchalantly depicted

body bags strewn on the floor

haphazardly arranged and disarrayed

the front-liners were stressed out

exhausted and plainly 'out cold'

unsung heroes who themselves were

also haphazardly found
on the floor, couch,chairs
dozed off trying 

to catch some sleep

the desire for a respite 

left to one's own initiative

the feasibility of  being rewarded

with deep sleep seemed far-fetched

A to Z April Challenge  F

The Eagle's Nest

                                                                                              Author: Florian S.

Image:1 The Eagle's Nest (here)

                                                                          Author U.S. Army soldier 

Image: 2 The Entrance from the Bottom. It shows the 

Tunnel to go up the Elevator that goes thru solid rock.(here)

E for Eagle's Nest

The Eagle's Nest atop the summit of the Kehistein Used 

exclusively by the Nazi Party for government and social meetings.

Visited on 14 documented instances by Hitler.Today it is a 

restaurant,beer garden, and tourist site

A Tanka

seems Hitler not too 

happy with its location

rarefied mountain

air and the tunnel entrance

was an abhorrence to him

A to Z April Challenge E for Eagle's Nest

Much to be thankful for!

                                                                                            Author: Khairat Ibrahim
Image: Happiness in the Open (here)

D for Delightful

Much to be thankful for
Being safe within confines
Of one's own home knowing
All those who matter are home

Delightfully together
Feeling good none too well
To be waiting anxiously
For the day to be out there
To do what is conjured in mind

With much gusto
Anticipating to give all
What sedentary living
Had fed much ideas
In one's mind an arsenal
Of productive living

A to Z April Challenge  D for Delightful

We are as yet to be relevant

                                                                                            Author:Simon Burchell
Image: Social distancing Upon
completion of Purchases  (here)

C for Communications                            

We are as yet to be spared
We are as yet to be given leeway
We are as yet to be relevant

No way to be given the normal
No way to be acknowledged like before
Even abruptly face to face on the grocery hunt
Yes, communicating unlike before
Social distancing whoever heard of it

It was something like it
But that was in 1918

Now it is the new awareness in fashion
One just can't fathom all of its contending difficulties
More of inconvenience which is accepted
Unless one chooses to look death in the face
An unlikely choice of an alternative
So it is!
Unfriendly as it appears
But very necessary
Not overly in communication but still communicating!

A to Z Challenge C for Communications
Grace's at d'Verse OLN #263

Way back to 2014 and later the Theme that Rocks

                                                       Author:Демяненко Юлиана Александровна
Image: Beginnings of a Love Story (here)

B for Beginnings

It was way back to 2014
That was the Beginning
not of Hank's blogging but
of Hank's participation
in the A to Z April Challenge

Nothing spectacular
Submissions were made
like everybody else
through out the year

But the following year in 2015
The unexpected happened
Hank's theme, The Modern Day Explorer
earned Alex's coveted title of the Theme that Rocks
conferred in May 2016 
with an Interview (here) 
and a Badge at the side-bar 
on your right!

Take a peek at some of the postings:
YH#1(here) , YH#2(here)  YH#3(here)
YH#7(here),  YH#10 (here) YH#11 (here)

Hank is humbled and thrilled
and had since continued
for every year right up till 2019
2020 being the 7th glorious year
Thanks everyone for the wonderful company!

A to Z April Challenge # 2 'B' for Beginnings

A time to reflect on remembrances

                                                                                             Author ForestWander
Image: Fishing in the Shades (here)

A for Anamnesis :Remembrance and reminiscences

A time to reflect on remembrances and reminiscences
We used to be free when young, I remember all those days
Barely into our teens we used to make disappearing acts
To be with all of our buddies with time on our side

Out in the morning to be with all the neighborhood kids
Whoever were free most of them were all eager to join in
Cycling around or under a shady tree with the line and tackle
With some luck there would be some catch to be shared

Then back home for lunch our absence not felt or missed
We did our own thing literally, we fashioned our own playthings
A cart with the wheels of a discarded perambulator for one
There was no end to the ingenuity of a deprived lot

It is not foreign to be stuck within the four walls of home
Improvise and time to catch up on those that had been put off
Family members now surprised at having completed many things
It has been that number of days all locked up in a lockdown

A to Z April Challenge for 'A' 

Jambu aka Water Apples

                                                                                                        Hank's
Image: These were snapped this morning

Hank managed to grow some fruit trees in the backyard.
Not overly blessed with green fingers they turned out ok
considering the climate is conducive to growth in this
part of the world.

Hank took a peek this morning and snapped the picture
above. These are not fully matured yet. The water apple
 (jambu) not being seasonal continually provide succulent
fruits. It was abundant for the initial few years but it has
tapered down lately but still able to make the mouth waters

It can be taken raw like an apple, tastes like one too but
sweeter. Some prefer to take it as a salad dipped in soya
sauce with some  cut chillies for lunch, more appetizing
on a hot day.(more info in the original posting here)

fruiting all year round
eaten raw like an apple
and just as crunchy

Kim's at d'Verse's Haibun Monday

You! You! You! I will write it down!

                                                                Image Source: Sunday Muse (fair use) 

Image: I am angry! (here)

You! You! You! I will write it down

Frail as I am I will endeavor to make it known

A matter to condemn not just with a frown 

Life and death the absolute right of Providence

To treat the ill to the best of one's ability

Have they forgotten the Oath solemnly taken?

Hippocrates will turn in his grave bodily

Life and soul gravely shaken

Death can occur at any age a divine choice

The aged may not be the first to go in life

Doctors to sustain and care not to appear lost

The aged are not to be an easy sacrifice

Carrie's at Sunday Muse #101

but how long the lockdown?

                                                                                       Author Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie
Image: The Downtown Provider (here)

he moved ever so slowly no sense of urgency
what a blessed soul to be still able
to move about within his own confines

he was basking in wealth only recently
it fizzled with the downward plunge
of the stocks and he gathered
it had not seen the worst

now housed in a cubicle of a shelter
he got along he survived

turned eccentric purchasing
items not readily needed
stacked them away in one corner

that he did often times
when he saw the signs
the shop proprietor could just observe
when he made his purchases
shaking his head not really stopping him

his prices had seen to rise lately though
but man must earn a living too, right?

Frank's at  d'Verse MTB - the final couplet

one would not see if not so desired

                                                                                              Author Ermell
Image: One would not see
if not so desired (here)

the 12 given words:
watch outside window possum opening inclined 
share world nibble foraging almond change

to relate to the quotation
"Barn’s burnt down, now I can see the moon.”  - Mizuta Masahide

to watch peering outside  the window
was not there but now very apparent
the moon playing possum until recently
now no more hidden from view

dark clouds bough of the oak
even the tattered curtains
all could shut out the view

not having noticed it before
but an opening inclined
to let it share a whole new world
but only when the barriers were uprooted

every setback was a step nearer to a comeback
perhaps to nibble or better yet foraging
relentlessly through almond eyes

one could detect the change
one would not see if not so desired
but one would see if impassioned inside

Mish's at d'Verse Poetics :now I can see

fascinating transformation

                                                                                                          Author Rina.sl
Image: Colorful tulips of Spring (here)

fascinating transformation
right before your eyes
white cold restrictive
to sudden pleasantness
greenery and freedom
it is magical!
enticing to the little creatures
scurrying along from inactivity
as if joy is meant to be seen
in support of changes above
a relief for nature
(44 words)

Linda's at d'Verse: Quadrille 100: Abracadabra!

but life should not be at a stand-still

                                                                                            Photo courtesy of Pixabay
Image: Lockdown blues (here)   

the 10 of 12 given words:
distance face lock restricts hands
home hug calls count times

peering intently towards the distance
with the faraway look face quizzical
lockdown blues to restrict movements
hands gripped hard at a barrier baffled

home bound but vying for the friends
missed the playground with lots of laughter
but to hug gramps is strictly forbidden
calls to vulnerable oldies count better

keeping social distance is best remedy
times of personal sacrifice to be instilled
brave front liners bear the brunt initially
but for life should not be at a stand-still

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #448
Donna's Sunday Photo Fiction -  mar 22nd

courage in good company

                                                                       Author Dietmar Rabich  (1962–)
Image: Ferris wheel Existence
of moving round and round (here)

heavenly am staying home
weekend feel on a week day
never had it good
courage in good company
forget  the war zone outside

not forgetting the army
of brave workers giving time
at risks of their life
divine intervention for
improper human failings?

weejars at MLMM's Saturday Mix
- a Somonka (2 tankas)

Emotional insight into his frame of mind

                                                                                   Author Martin Falbisoner  (1978–)
Image: It is Beginning to Feel
Insurmountable (here)

Emotional insight into his frame of mind
Revealed a tendency to court disaster
Insisting to run the gauntlet out in the open
To rival the virus itself of a silent killer

Felt safe in numbers he sought to secure
A  part in the crowd he sought to  join in
Out on the highway wages of sin to endure
'Stay at home' advice gone to the winds

To realize at a later date of the ingratitude
A statistics added to the growing number
The world had not seen such magnitude
Where would it all end we frightfully wonder

Grace at d'Verse's OLN #262

never contending to be devoid of sounds

                                                                                             Author Philippe Alès
Image: A Singing Bird  (here)

the 10 of 12 given words:
top below hill station smoke-drenched
worn store bars polished stand

top of the table in line with a great speech
below down the hill gathered with the rest
to later run along the length of the beach

to bask in the sun out rightly set in a way
never contending to be devoid of sounds
staying put in the station sited at the bay

in smoke-drenched clothes without a word
worn in dire consequence with bated breath
not wanting to scare the wits that of a bird

stored in bars to rally around songs to be sung
with polished sounds softly from their lips
a stand-off to unruly blabber from their tongue

MMT's Sunday Whirligig #258
Laura's at d'Verse's Poetics: - three 
from the Welsh speaking sea

I could draw the sunlight to leverage my good intentions

                                                                                  Author: Rakicevic Nenad

Image: Patience is the Byword  (here)

the 10 of 12 given words:
intensity soft tongue 1980 
hypethral (adj. wholly or partly open to the sky,
especially of a classical building; having no roof)
realized shoulder draw sunlight leverage 

I don’t know why I was surprised every time love started or ended especially when
I was the one at the receiving end.

I checked my intensity of responses. Its gluttony overwhelmed my soft intentions.
My tongue was in its best of behavior. Wagging yes, but too unruly perhaps. Even
way back in 1980, younger in experience there hardly was any laughter

Somehow like a hypethral structure I was exposed. The malevolence of judgement
against my nature preceded my helpful spirits that I always had to apologize.

Invariably that would be the time I realized I needed a shoulder to cry on. A few
failures brought the penitence to the fore and enhanced my self-restraint into full gear.
Patience was the by-word coupled with some flattery.It worked as I could draw the
sunlight to leverage my good intentions to score a number of successes
(144 words)

Merril's at d'Verse  - Prosery - surprised or not
MLMM's Wordle #181-2
Nekneeraj's at MLMM's Photo Challence #307

a scramble to stock up

                                                                                                Courtesy of Sunday Muse
Image:  A Slice of Goodness (here)

a quarter sliced off
is not good enough a protection
used to be an apple a day
to keep the doctor away
not any more that holds sway
now that many doctors
have all gone bananas!

yes, bananas!
vitamin B6 laden
to boost the immune system

a scramble to stock up
the answer to the corona virus
in the absence of a potent serum
bananas to exert confidence
face masks not enough protection

mindful of a new-found insistence
a banana a day
to keep the pesky corona virus away

Fireblossom's at Sunday Muse #99

that faraway look

                                                                                                 Author Charles J Sharp
Image: To reflect on moments (here)

the 11 of 12 given words:
faraway important safe sleep
chardonnay (a type of white wine)
drink candlelight fine water 
rescue someone

that faraway look
not to deny the elements
important not to overlook
but to reflect on moments

on safe driving
deprived of sleep unwittingly
nor to have a chardonnay drink
preceding a journey

candlelight dinner is fine
in courtship or as seniors prefer
ideally the way to dine
even downed with plain water

not having to rescue someone
on the way home after a dine
in a mishap unwisely undone
by one too many at dinner time

Process Note: The list is provided by MMT as a prompt
Hank developed a poem based on them but with no
additional list to enhance the number of words
Does it count?

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #257
Bjorn's at d'Verse MTB  -  listen to lists

having tried hard but failed tearfully

                                                                                                    Artist: Robin Isely
Image: Failed umpteen times to project
a true Mona Lisa smile (here)

so captivating to many for centuries
the fascination of a kind so sustained
extending it to the male species
the enigmatic smile so proclaimed

yearnings for all the pleasures to find
what could be so specific to accentuate
a hold on the natural inquisitive mind
that a Mona Lisa wannabe could equate

all the thoughts of times erstwhile
such was the magic of da Vinci
that one succumbed just to a smile
to showcase a mortal's sensuality

driven many to tears failing to emulate
wanting to stamp its mysterious simplicity
instead dubbed a sly and remote duplicate
having tried hard but failed tearfully

Carrie's Sunday Muse #98

sentiments expressed in light terms

                                                                   Anon, reproduction by Palauenc05
Image: Portrait of Paul Trappen,
the world's strongest man (c. 1915)  (here)

sentiments expressed in light terms

sought to share his happiness and laughter

his good upbringing evidently an attraction

sentiments expressed in light terms

invoked a buoyant self not easily learnt

a personality commanding respect with such wonder

sentiments expressed in light terms

sought to share his happiness and laughter

Frank's at d'Verse's MTB - almost a triolet

abundantly misty cloudy all in awe

 

                                                                                                           Author: Colin

Image: Peeled and Unfriendly to the Eyes (here)

is it clearing the cobwebs of time
abundantly misty cloudy all in awe
what is it that bothers the mind
best to get rid of them out the door

peeling them off the surface painstakingly
as onions do tell us to patiently care
(44 words)

Mish's at d'Verse   - quadrille #98 nothing more

I will give it a pass!

                                                                                                   Author:Sarolta Ban
Image:She stood her Ground (here)

the 11 of 12 given words:
child fine line lace green design 
relish bite chase mine  trace

now, what have we here?
she is no more a child
nor is there the familiar red hood
she looks to be too sophisticated
dressed in a fine line of clothing
lace with coverings of green
not red like before

complicated designs whet my appetite
it offers a challenge
for it reveals a highly strung
and a clever sort of person
unlike the innocent little girl
in the simple Riding Hood

she appears too confident though
I relish a bite and here
I can do it even without a chase

a pretty head is an attraction
but not a quick mind
a polished and intelligent
woman is unpalatable
it may not be a clean job

mine is more of a quick one
no arguments no quarrels
and ends without a trace

not likely with this lady
she'll struggle and shout
it'll be a din
for she'll make a scene

I'll be a gentleman
she is a lucky lady
I will give it a pass!

Carrie's Sunday Muse #96
Brenda's Sunday's Whirl Wordle #444

to turn a key on an event

                                                                                                   Author Daniel Fehr

Image: Nursing the Loneliness (here)

the 11 of 12 given words: 
feel for move left limit turn 
blood side lost air ease

a feel for a move
left on the outer limits
to turn a key on an event 
blood siblings separated
for a long while

but through sheer luck
they found themselves
sitting next to each other
side by side on a day to remember

very much unplanned
but good fortune played a hand
lost and flabbergasted
at an unlikely encounter
but there was an air of relief

they felt the ease in their favor                                           
divine intervention always forthcoming
when prompted with good intentions

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #443
Nekneeraj's at MLMM's Photo Challenge #303
Lillian's at d'Verse's OLN - from San Diego

a new DSLR daring for a challenge

                                                                          Author: Unknown (fair use)
Image: Using a DSLR camera near white smoke  (here)

enthusiast called upon for a tryout
a new DSLR daring for a challenge
spectacular surroundings sought
though used to capture conflagration

insisting on less of shock explosions
interspersed with a soft background
what better than billowing sections
snatched on grounds of innocence

rising white smoke on moving platform
made for slow belly dancing swirls
wrought with unending wild forms
still a picture of sexy twists and twirls

creations amidst changing blue lights
smoke screens pushed by a slight draft
reminiscent of skies with clouds in flight
migrating birds in formation flying pass

a chosen picture of poetry in motion

Fireblossom's's Sunday Muse #95
Smoke Background images

We went camping a long time ago...

                                                                                   Author Evan-Amos
Image:  A Big Mac - Very Unlike Ours  (here)

We went camping a long time ago
stocked with lots of raw and  tinned stuff
but none which we discovered
later had cooking skills
that prompted me to try my hand
seeing many male chefs who made good
and it seemed easy enough
but not so when the burger meat was crusted dark,
hard as a rock very unlike a real McDonnell's
that we civilized teens had to improvise
by soaking them then later topping them
with a generous mixture of ketchup
honey even vinegar
to gobble at them with eyes closed
pretending them to be a real Big Mac
after having burnt all that we brought along
after some two hours of cooking tryouts

Amaya at d'Verse's MTB  - the death sentence

Winter Yellow

                                                                                            Attribution: Archive Team
Image:  Winter yellow   (here)

winter chrysanthemum,
wearing nothing
but its own light                              Mizuhara Shūōshi

not too much in a hurry
to flaunt its sweet memories            Hank

Chevrefeuille's Carpe Diem  - tan renga

it works the opposite way when one tries too hard

                                                                                                    Author Isiwal
Image: She kept on Trying (here)

paradoxically it works the opposite
way when one tries too hard
to fill the gap

but as a natural reaction
it works itself to maintain
a semblance of balance

a strange phenomena that pulls back
to ensure matters may not be
beyond damage control
(44 words)

De Jackson's at d'Verse's  -
Quadrille #97 – filling the page

showered her with all loving care

                            Attribution: Pinterest

Image: Happiness on finding a partner (here)

10 of 12 given words:
demons breath murmurs scored 
shower fire future sigh smirk churn

the demons in him with bated breath
invoked the urging of the savage breast
no more murmurs but reality was supreme
scored a future partner what a scream

showered her with all loving care
all fired up to create a lineage of polar bears
with a sigh and a smirk to the eavesdropping moon
determined to churn out youngsters ever so soon

the cold North now blended with all warmth
with love in the air that could well happen

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #442
Carrie's Sunday Muse #94

Of happenings beyond reason

                                                                                                Author:Lara Zankoul
Image: A nightmare in daylight (here)

the 10 of 12 given words
arm sign rope cringe gawk  
mind mist chopped form across

What could have happened
Arms holding on tight at the window
Forces beyond comprehension
Being airborne and being pulled up
With no sign of a rope from above
One would cringe if a supernatural
power was involved
Of happenings beyond reason

A rage conniving
against the human kind
Behind closed doors
No one to gawk at the phenomena
But the human mind trudged through the mist
It chopped at imagined foes
of whatever form across the divide
It came and went but was still intact

Perhaps just the end of an era
of peace and quiet
So they rationalized, unperturbed
Being airborne seemed all right
It was not over yet!

Nekneeraj at MLMM's Photo Challenge #301

In all of its mysterious intentions insisting

                                                                            Attribution: Ben Heine Art Photography
Image: Impending Danger Appeared to be (here)

Strangely enough a key was offered to me
In all of its mysterious intentions insisting
Searched the heavens for what it meant to be
No clues nothing untoward and found wanting

Puffed up emotions filled her belly
To register a rationale and tone down the impact
Caught on the wrong foot a rebuff to her ability
So unsettling to her ego for a fact

In all goodness any intention to accept?
Not on her life it further enhanced her anger
Restrained of the pent-up feelings that she felt
But an honorable sidestep to avert untold danger

Carrie's Sunday Muse #93
Magaly's at Poets and Storyteller United
- writer's pantry #5