Friday, November 12, 2021

Don't give me sight without vision

                                                                                             Author: Wolfgang Wander
Image:  A Nice to Look at Sparrow (here)

How I dream of love at first sight
Don't give me sight without vision

How I dream of a fair hearing
Not rumour-mongering that cause dissensions

How I dream of peace not sufferings and destruction
If only the perpetrators taste their own medicine

How I dream of the sweet smell of success
Not ostensibly friends that stab you in the back

How I dream of the touch of class
Where all are winners in contention

Mindful though as a given
How I dread of being a modern day dinosaur
With big body mass but 'littlest' brains
But most of all not to dream like a bird
Lest being referred to as bird-brained

Sanaa at d'Verse OLN Live - november edition

Sunday, November 7, 2021

Set to while away some sorrows

                                                                                                         Author:  anon
Image: Soft to Touch (here)

An evening out for some fun
Through the various watering holes
Outfits often full of the young ones
Set to while away some sorrows

Through with sleeping at any rate
Grand moments shared among peers
Dismissed from the minds woes of late
Strains of music soothing to the ears

Pondered around for some familiar faces
Meeting penetrating gaze of the other
Garbed in suits quiet in subdued solace
Of subdued souls hiding in one corner

Untouched round for one untried bloke
For another who broke his glass trying
One too many abound for some folks
To each his own those out for a fling

Carrie's at The Sunday Muse #185

Saturday, November 6, 2021

to never ever trust a stranger

                                                                                                      Author: Fischer.H
Image: Strange Bedfellows
can be Risky  (here)

A Trinet, a form with these specifications:
Line 1 – 2 words
Line 2 – 2 words
Line 3 – 6 words
Line 4 – 6 words
Line 5 – 2 words
Line 6 – 2 words
Line 7 – 2 words
trudging alone
sitting duck
to never ever trust a stranger
play safe trusting one's own wits
not worrying
better choice
no regrets
weejars at MLMM's Lucky Dip

Monday, November 1, 2021

it flew past others

                                                                                         Author: Peachyeung316
Image: A Gleaming Danger (here)

it flew past others
careened at the corner

a few cars behind
jammed the brakes

surely some had cursed
‘he will be a statistics
only pray for him’

hopes of change 
in behavior bodes well

defensive driving
for peace-loving  citizens
is the right answer
(44 words)

Lillian's Quadrille at d'Verse
- to include the word 'careen'

Thursday, October 28, 2021

a rare taste of love

                                                                            Author: João Silas joaosilas
Image: Happily Entangled in Love  (here)

the 11 of 12 given words:
rare, taste, love, crude, rich habitat,
ripens, heat, seed, sea survive

a rare taste of love
somewhat crude in  a rich
habitat given to an environment
strange in its make-up

love ripens to reach a crescendo
high in its intensity 
a temperament befitting 
of young lovers in heat

the seeds of matrimony
once provoked in a sea 
of expectations will withstand
an onslaught of madness
pandemic or no pandemic

the will to survive 
and fight to be heard
is supreme in young hearts

MMT at The Whirligig#342
Linda at d'Verse's OLN #302

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Lone hearts cower in silence

                                                                                                 Author: FTPPTF
Image:  An Eerie feel (here)

He thought he could discern glimpses of movements 
behind him darting across chasms of emptiness, playing 
tricks with his imagination. They were even accompanied 
with sounds. Why were there rustling leaves?

Trudging in the evening sun all alone through tall trees 
of stony silence. Fear he had to endure for his house 
was at the far end. Why must he walk alone?

He had to brave the quiet path idyllic in its structure. He 
kept asking why he was subjected to all this. No choice 
was extended to him. What did he do wrong?

Imagination
lone hearts cower in fear shows
measure of conscience

Frank's at d'Verse with Haibun Monday
to include, the word, fear

Sunday, October 24, 2021

his head kept spinning his thoughts numbed

                                                                                                  Author: CalistaZ
Image: Sleeping Soundly 
Despite Bad Dreams (here)

fragments of his memories or
just figments of his imagination

salacious episodes popping
like crackers all heavy and juicy
light and dark images dancing
in the shadows gone berserk

nothing had changed in his routines
but must dreams raucous and ravenous
keep appearing in the still of nights

he watched the clock ticking when
startled from his slumber his eyes blurry
theft of his sleeping hours would leave 
him woozy but he remained uptight
he kept asking but answers eluded him

what could he do to rid off the dilemma
he had not been thoughtless but still his
head kept spinning his thoughts numbed

not that young to be privileged with
erotic dreams he persisted to get answers
he would like to dream again tonight!

Magaly's at PSU Writer's pantry#93

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

somewhere up high in the sky

                                                                           Author: Photo credit Sebastian Wahlhutter
Image: Leisurely Hammock Crossing (here)

somewhere up high in the sky
I had my short leisure in a hammock

it was there and then it moved
a slow pace like a tired red fox
along a line bridge together with many others
 
my short leisure of merriment 
has no bearing whatsoever on heights
no time to worry
it is a straight destination to the other end
to experience a rare moment in space
with a deep fall down below

but extending an alternative if it fails to move
 
all is not lost, a fulfilment of sorts somewhere 
a choice offered in jest above the Kansas Prairie
holding the key of life
against a slight wind.
 
how it offered a simple solution
the beauty of a bungee jump
with no strings attached

The Original Poem 
Lost in Plain Sight
BY PETER SCHNEIDER
Somewhere recently
I lost my short-term memory.
It was there and then it moved
like the flash of a red fox
along a line fence.
 
My short-term memory
has no address but here
no time but now.
It is a straight-man, waiting to speak
to fill in empty space
with name, date, trivia, punch line.
And then it fails to show.
 
It is lost, hiding somewhere out back
a dried ragweed stalk on the Kansas Prairie
holding the shadow of its life
against a January wind.

weejars at MLMM's Photo Challenge#387
Laura at d'Verse Poetics - lost poems
and found poetry

Monday, October 18, 2021

an ashen faced shock

                                                                                     Author: Dickinstein
Image: A Near Tragedy 
- just a Black Eye  (here)  

seemingly contrived 
bemoaned of feel
more of embarrassment 

for being careless
not physically hurt 
but it did seal
an ashen faced shock 
nonetheless
happened sudden 
in times of stress 

mouth 'masked' 
but more blinded
to woes of worry 
when the survival instinct 
is supreme
(44 words)

Shay at Sunday Muse#182
with Photo Challenge
Sarah at d'Verse's Quadrille
- to include the word 'ash' in
44 words

Monday, October 11, 2021

he was nabbed by the police subject to rigorous questioning

                                                                                       Author: DingoFilter
Image: Wrapped under an Arbuthnot Tartan plaid (here)

10 of 12 given words:
cringe freeze privacy hilltops hide escape sorrow swivel limp
miscreant (a person who has done something wrong or unlawful)
plaid (chequered or tartan twilled cloth)

he cringed to think how close it was
trying to freeze his privacy unto himself
as a way of forgetting the woes impacting
a hermit's routine ideal up the hilltops

it was not  to hide nor to escape the sorrow
to just bid his time to be alone to swivel
around without any particular reason
but he was sporting a limp the past week
when he slipped unceremoniously in the 
driveway and crumbled in a blob 

the miscreant they were looking for had
an uncanny resemblance in gait and also
headed for the hills on the last count

it was his ill-luck to have pulled the plaid
from the drawers on the way out of the house 
again a blunder

he was nabbed by the police subject to
rigorous questioning as to the colourful 
tartan plaid which appeared similar

just goes to show one cannot take lightly
anything colourful to have on one's person   

MLMM's  at Wordle #261
Lillian at d'Verse OLN LIVE 

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Nothing is static as it is all relative

                                                                                                  Author: Keven Law
Image:   Moving forward (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 constantly rattled

Rosemary at PSU Writer's Pantry#91

Saturday, October 9, 2021

more gamers with sophisticated devices now!

                             
                                                                                             Author: Carrie
Image:  Your move! (here)

on adjacent squares to the Black King
the two Queens menacingly facing up
the timer keeps ticking
a critical moment thinking hard
your move!

such is the beauty of the game
strategy, planning, moves
all in the head within split seconds
with two Generals trying to outwit
in battle in the most 
sterile moment in time

brought to its highest level
during the Fischer and Spassky era
which captured the attention
of the enthusiasts and players
Grandmasters' openings 
on everyone's lips

in the meantime having to tolerate 
Fischer's strategic antics
the ever-patient Spassky 
tested and provoked to the fullest

there are players now, yet
but there are more gamers
with sophisticated devices

gone are the days
that used to get every enthusiast 
transfixed and hypnotized

Carrie at The Sunday Muse #181

Monday, October 4, 2021

power comes with responsibility

                                                                                       Author: Michael Törnqvist
Image:  Menacingly Huge (here)

Power thrust unto them
Politicians, newspaper editors
Pray uphold for the many
who are weak, helpless and lost
Not to further make life
miserable for the deprived

Those powerful seem to forget
power entrusted upon them
comes with responsibility not
stoned with drunken fervour
(44 words)

De at d'Verse's Quadrille Monday
for a poem of 44 words and to 
include the word - stone

Saturday, October 2, 2021

to love and be loved

                                                                                              Author: Carrie
Image: Two in One (here)

the 12 given Wordle words:
find make faces father men bitter became 
beard buying mends bowed blocks

never had it so good
to find it all in one
a make-up on faces
for a father's child
now fully grown
men's privilege
to adore and forget
bitter encounters and
other unpleasant memories

what became of women's
tenderness in turn for
mustache and beard
to love and be loved
looking for the blessings

buying for time
that mends the heartache
with heads bowed
both looking forward
minus the mental blocks
to hug each other again

MMT's The Whirligig Wordle #338
Carrie's The Sunday Muse #180

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

set to move

                                                             Author: Kyle Green
Image:  Waiting for the Signal (here)

set to move
for a winning streak
waiting to break loose
hungry beaks

get out of the groove
why so to speak
to be no more a recluse
from a duck retreat

so yearning for a boost
but still on their feet
so what is the juice?
realism an untiring feat

Rosemary at PSU Weekly Scribblings#89
- keeping it real
weejars at MLMM's Photo Challenge#384

Monday, September 27, 2021

clear blue skies above

                                                                                        Author: Manal Qayum

Image:  Clear Blue Sky (here)

the 10 of 12 given words:
clear blue grace open seek room 
spacious waves simple plains 

clear blue skies above
with the grace of Providence
in all of His benevolence 
and love all in the open 
being evidence 
of the care for all of us

seek rooms spaciously
in the comfort of freedom
like waves across the sea 

simple pleasures to roam
the plains across borders
so as to overcome the distress
of the lockdown

all in the spirit 
of awareness and sharing 
long-absent
viciously imposed
for many months

stay safe people
for all the simple joys together
even though under siege 
to huddle for now 
with hopes for the better
 
Brenda's Sunday Whirl  Wordle#520
Marie's Poetic Blooming: Take comfort 
Prompt #353
Lisa at d'Verse OLN #293

Sunday, September 26, 2021

for the love of a friend

                                                                                                              Author: Pixoos
Image:  A Dignified Persian (here)

A cat generally is quite a friend
Just need to stroke below its neck
It'll purr and stretch to no end
It'll  brush your legs or lie on its back

Can accomplish togetherness happily
A walk around with a celebrated kitty

But wait up you got to still clean up
Rightly sieving through the sand
To take it and stomach all the muck
All for the bother and love of a friend

Regular wash necessary to avoid ticks
Clean hygiene ought to be uppermost
Lots of fun then with their playful tricks
Never to regret precious time to play host

Rommy at PSU Writer's Pantry #89: 
Ghost Walk

due now for a serious makeover

                                                                                                                 Author: Carrie
Image: Abandoned and Neglected  (here)

At a glance it was rather obvious
That a kiss of life was well in order
The state of neglect was preposterous
Was it due now for a serious makeover?

The French window could well remain
A new coat of paint to liven things up
With hues of red to rightly regain
Its stature of an abode of higher-ups

To heal the hurt of the previous occupants
Right to have some extra rooms for their pets
Was it their parakeet then that had sadly flown
Or its fate sealed after a brush with the Tomcat 

Should the new house look spectacular
To incorporate elements of functionality
A cross of the old and modern to feature
Only then it would fulfill its individuality

Carrie at Sunday Muse #179

Friday, September 24, 2021

happiness is a matter of style

                                                                              Author:Pedro Ribeiro Simões
Image: Happy being together  (here)

Poetry Form Zejel:  with a syllable
scheme of aaa bbba ccca at eight
syllables per line

no telling what I desire?
should be on what I aspire
I need more than I require?

no, I have enough to come by
there were occasions I would vie
for it is a matter of style
deciding what to acquire

not more than I would need to spend
living on limited stipend
would come a long way not so grand
not to unwisely perspire

would it be something luxurious
and should not be that hilarious
and certainly nothing spurious
good for all of its entire

Grace at d'Verse on Poetry Form : Zejel

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Water Apples aka Jambu

                                                                                                    Author:Tu7uh
Image:  Succulent and Sweet (here)

crunchy and sweet
blessed fruit of the East
to parched lips
a most welcomed 'feast'

the nature of its beauty 
can be eaten raw in many ways
best plucked direct from the tree
to quench dry lips in the day

better yet cut a small piece
to be dipped in thick soya sauce
a mouth-watering bliss
a mouthful of a kick
with some crushed chilies 
at a midday meal 
and it is always in season

Note: More of above in 
an earlier poem (here)

Mish at d'Verse  Poetics: always in season

Monday, September 20, 2021

a man's dilemma

                                                                                                 Author:Juliescribbles

Image: Easy does it! (here)

the ring safely in his grips
but still in his pocket!
to think this is the second attempt

long in coming and slow to end
lingering doubts are disturbing
man's dilemma

why is it so difficult to pop the
question and slip it on?.
(44 words)

Linda at d'Verse's Quadrille Monday#136

Sunday, September 19, 2021

relationships valued with dignity

                                                                                    Author: Andrew Welch
Image: Clear Measure of Good Feelings (here)

the 10 of 12 given words:
daily fray line nothing moths seeks rights free streaming 
sheen (a soft lustre on a surface)

a daily fray into the line of nothingness
a moth that seeks its rights during the day
free from interference but still streaming
on its own in a lost world of clear daylight

what can a crushed velvet in a slight sheen
beg of a lover not responding to her pleas
driving a hard bargain is always a slight joy
wry on the surface at risk of wrong intentions

losing face smack at the ego goes a long way
not a good idea to fooling around on emotions
when relationships valued with dignity by both
will provide good dividends to young hearts

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle#519

Saturday, September 18, 2021

tedious to the close of a troubled year

                                                                      Author:  Alan Rickman at Pinterest
Image: Worries and Helplessness (here)

homophone sets are:
accept – welcome
except – leave out, exclude
and
coarse – rough
course – path, route

tedious to the close of a troubled year 
where many could not accept the varied 
outcomes but to cry among hungry mouths

except for the radiance of the new year
that heralded a discourse of expectations
it gave only a glimmer of hope to some 

course thinking with impending hysteria 
still under wraps social woes on course
casting long shadows behind the scene

amusing oneself with a host of resolutions
and staying alive with strategies of survival
would wear out fast the air of steadfastness 

being alive and kicking is already a blessing

Fireblossom's at Sunday Muse#178
weejar's at MLMM's Double Take
Saturday Mix -  homophone

Thursday, September 16, 2021

only a luminous streak of imagination

                 
                                                                                                          Photo credit Pobble365
Image: Desiring a Reality (here)

the 11  of 12 Wordle given words:
basking last maybe lifetime luminous pretend mix original 
proprioception (is the body’s ability to sense movement, action, and location)
cicatrix (the scar of a healed wound or a scar on the bark of a tree)
tongue

not basking in the limelight
prospects of being caged
to last maybe for a lifetime
and not being able to engage 
with the outside world

only a luminous streak 
of imagination to pretend 
a mix of the original desire 
of being free as well as being
contained against roving freely 
without proprioception

the cicatrix is freely visible 
to those who are emphatic enough
to care but tongue-tied to do more

MLMM's at Wordle#257
weejars at MLMM's Photo Challenge#382

Saturday, September 11, 2021

given to fine grooming

                                                                                               Author: anon
Image: Fine grooming 
in the morning (here)

given to fine grooming
cutting off the shackles loose
first thing in the morning
made to scare off the blues
to present a sophistication
expected of a lady of fashion
finely braided still within reasons

given to fine living
matured in good surroundings
 
you young gentlemen
she's a lady
and you are lucky
if you must find it special
there are a few essentials

yes, you got it
it's plain to see
if you must know
yes.....a rich widow

Carrie's at Sunday Muse Wordle#177
weejar's at MLMM Saturday Mix - to write an Epigram
-  a bit of a cliche at the close hopefully an acceptable epigram


Thursday, September 9, 2021

divine strength the propensity of whims

                                                                                              Author: AJ.iitm
Image: Poetry in Motion (here)

Note: A Novelinee - is a nine-line stanza poem of 
10 syllables for each line with a rhyme sequence 
of a,b,a,b,c,d,c,d,d  
.
you came by from nowhere just like magic    - a
twirled around so fast making me dizzy    -  b    
makings of superhuman angelic   -  a                   
movements of the world pretty as can be    -  b     
a chosen one and it was such a thrill     -   c          
divine strength the propensity of whims     -  d    
talents showcased with none of the perils    -   c                                   
to match a primadonna, what a scream     -   d                                           
but alas, it was only just a dream    -   d          

Laura's at d'Verse MTB - something novel-in-lines

it has a lot to do with the heart


                                                                                      Author: AdinaVoicu
Image: In Deep Thoughts (here)

the 11 of 12 given words:
wonder navigate clear detours light 
breaks far delays wreck art split

a few wonders do come to bear
when a mind navigates with thoughts
have clear detours, but nice to be aware
for it gets to be therapeutic of sorts

in the light of those that persist
reading it happily as a healthy sign
with breaks in between to insist
while still having it fresh in the mind

far from thinking of any delays
to wreck the thought unnecessarily
meeting it head-on is an art at play
half the battle is won quite easily

it has a lot to do with the heart
not to appear split but act with pride
the mind has a way of being smart
to take it all within its stride

MMT's Whirligig Wordle#335

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

conformity to rules is a mean thing

                                                                                  Author: Jonny Joo, One Big Photo.
Image:  the luxury of choice offers 
less like that of  a narrow beam (here)

“Perhaps we are reading the shadows wrong; 
forever cannot draw a conclusion.” Sanaa: Petals of the Sun

“Perhaps we are reading the shadows wrong; 
forever cannot draw a circle.” – Winter Moon ~ Part Three: Petals of the Sun
(original quote)

conformity to rules is a mean thing
it reduces the options to venture out
it likely narrows parameters of whims
very much losing its expected clout

open-ended flight of fancy a fringe benefit
already ingrained in many youngsters
expected with doses of medicine to bid
for the love of a caring parent that bothers

perceived as visible of a simple practice
one is often led astray to wrongly regulate
to form good habits but at times sadly missed
by not setting a pattern for them to emulate

such are specimens of good upbringing
on a generation engrossed in the current rave
of the social media and gamers existing
unwittingly not given enough space

in reality conclusions lacked the advantage
by elders not given to technological advancement
who are being deprived of the privilege
relied just on common sense of life's experience

Sanaa's at d'Verse Poetics: Dungeons and Derivatives
weejars at MLMM's Photo Challenge #381

Monday, September 6, 2021

unshackled post lockdown

                                                                                         Author: subhamshome28
Image: Aftermath of forced
'hibernation'   (here)  

smooth talker 
unshackled post lockdown
hello, world! 
sporting a groovy bushy chin
and craving a haircut
and to make up for lost time

happy hours
babbled-mouthed buddies
where are you holed up
missed you guys

yearning the old normal
no holds barred
show yourself!
(44 words)

De at d'Verse - Quadrille of 44 words
and to include the word 'groovy'

Sunday, September 5, 2021

Viva Las Vegas!

                                                                                                          Author: anon
Image: High Hopes in Vegas, Woweee!  (here)

Synonyms: to take the five challenge 
words and NOT use them in the write-up. 
hello - greetings hi howdy welcome
good - excellent exceptional marvelous
happy - cheerful delighted elated thrilled
red - crimson flaming maroon
plant  - shrub herb vine bush

welcome to Las Vegas 
so says the signboard
and also says the King
how very inviting, marvelous
a grand entrance to heaven's name
we are having fun and we are thrilled
Viva Las Vegas!

a jalopy to take me there
in bright orange when new
could still remember the smell
a new car brings 
if we play our cards right
we might just come back home
in place of the old faithful of a jalopy
in a new flaming Ferrari 
Viva Las Vegas!

driving through shrub country
nice and easy
one can never know 
lady luck may shine!
this time!

Carrie's at Sunday Muse #176