to fly over the clear blue waters

                                                                                  Author: Svetlana Belyaeva
Image: Look at Me! (here)

the 12 given words:
changes devour tire pill room steam 
let scream  scrawny sensual steam 

changes in her demeanour
devoured into her conscience
not to die or tire herself to swallow
the bitter pill but she secured
enough leg room to jump up
and flaunt her assets

full steam ahead to fly over
the clear blue waters to let her
scream out loud over
the calm expanse

certainly not of a scrawny
little waif trying hard to
relentlessly shed off and
overcome a plain Jane image
but a sensual and exotic self
long stifled

The Sunday Muse #71
Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #419

City life so they did say

                                                                                          Author monicker
Image: Happens daily always at the
same time and the same place (here)

"I liked the rush, I liked the crunch.

Never did look back at the fallout.”

Not cowed nor bothered

Never been shouted at nor having to shout

City life so they did say

Never felt intimidated nor threatened

Part of a daily routine

Never rattled just an inconvenience

So why all the unruly behaviour

Never wanting to show anger but a smile

Shown the middle finger

Never to trigger off a tiff but tolerance for a while

Just a nick at the fender

Never could take it like a gentleman

Rush hour madness

Never the same for everyone

Dylan's MLMM First Line Friday

brush it into oblivion right across

                                                                                                           Attribution: Ali Falak
Image:   Erasing images from the eyes (here)

woken up from a lingering dream
disturbed from images dancing in front of her eyes
wash it off from its perch
that was what grandma told her once
it worked before without promptings
but to no avail this time around

brush it into oblivion right across
small brush would do the simple job
self-fulfilling warmth of conflict resolution
set in front of the eyes

on reflection, it invoked lots of questions
why her!
which was the connection with her being
what wrong had she committed deserving of this
when was it ingrained unto her
where physically was the intrusion

it was irritating to the mind
was it punishment outright
or reward with options in the future

thinking aloud she confidently whispered to herself

get things that people favour to make them happy
not to favour people who get things yet feel unhappy

Carrie's from Sunday Muse #70
Kerry's at Real Toad's  with
Mary's Mixed Bag  -  connections

the will to survive and the pursuit of happiness

                                                                                   Author:  41ste
Image: Happiness (here)

the 14 given words:
pursuit always welcome eases other gathers seizes 
current mirrors smoke water fate face arrival 

the will to survive and the pursuit
of happiness are the basic rights
of a living creature

one will always welcome them
if they ease off other difficulties
that may come close

one gathers the strength to overcome
and seizes selfishly the opportunity
it is resolving current inconveniences
to help get over future obstacles

it mirrors good strategies and intentions
to clear the smoke when small
before it builds up
thus avoiding them from transforming
into something big which later can develop
into something insurmountable

much water can go under the bridge
when panic stations are unwittingly let loose 
but fate will play a hand in the face of
offending pleasures and enjoyment

the arrival of contending sanity can help
create a sense of purpose to make it
worthwhile to go on living the good life

MMT at Sunday's Whirligig #228
Gospel at d'Verse's Smoke and Mirrors

it seems bizarre

                                                                                               Attribution: Jacek Yerka
Image: Tea for Two, anyone? (here)

the 10 of 12 given words:
bizarre ground crash doubt 
clear entry bid offer spent weight

it seems bizarre
with her pet lying on the ground
thrown in as a gate crasher

there is no doubt
it is a clear entry
as an insurance
in a bid to safeguard her
a lion-tamer of a lady
waiting for her beau

what is on offer
tea for two
to be spent
with her beau a weight-lifter
the handsome attraction of the Big Tent

Yes, the circus is in town
Every pretty lass is hoping for
a date with the strong-man

Would a wide-eyed sweet young thing
care to grapple with a lion first?

Shay's at Sunday Muse #69
Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #417
Sherry's at PU's Poetry Pantry #490

Tourists Go the Extra Mile

                                                                                              Author Daniel Case
Image: Tourists Would Endevour to See
as Much  (here)

the capitol grew rank in the summer heat
the humid streets clogged with sweating tourists and rats.
all looking to relay pain and sufferings in their bids
unlike a freshened bed of tulips colourfully bred

shoved their beings to create a defensive line of fire
adapting well when finding themselves targeted
the beauty of humankind when called up their ire
thumbed the occasions without much regret

unpredictable elements could be unduly unkind
but migrating birds found their mark year after year
would it then be prudent to be aligned in the mind
to be enjoying perfect surroundings of ideal weather

careful planning certainly was a prerequisite
but uncertainties were welcomed if not too testing
water-logged lanes bore risks but God forbid
as long as tired bones were not too telling

Dylan's at MLMM's  - first line Fridays (the first
line is given and we are to continue)
Sherry's at Real Toad's Weekend Mini Challenge 
messages in water

young lovers had better learn

                                                                                            Author Mihail.Ivanov.25
Image: Young Lovers who Least Suspect (here)

the 12 given words:
fighting chance  love  fragile spoke light
gardens strength fragrant hearing pass things,

there was a fighting chance
that love could be unduly fragile
it spoke of light in the gardens
but its televised strengths beguiled

lost times devoid of a fragrant
when hearing evaporated to pass
was there a way to enhance
in as much as to make things last

love neglected would react
energy waned in unsettled bids
buoyed in situations of suspect
far from an ability to succeed

young lovers had better learn
sincerity and trust had to be earned

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #227
Sumana's at PU's Midweek Motif - televised

more effective if relayed in silence ?

                                                                       Author Wellcome Library, London

                                                                                  licensed under the Creative Commons 

                                                                                  Attribution 4.0 International license

Image: A Man Screaming Evokes
Fear and is Largely Avoided (here)

Can a voice be deemed more
effective if relayed in silence but
accentuated with deeds

Can it be accepted genuine
if accompanied by unspoken
words of its good intentions

Invariably it works better as
the tendency is to give it more
emphasis and attention
(44 words)

De Jackson at d'Verse's Quadrille 85
- raising our poetic voice

blessed with varieties imposed

                                                                                            Author Mokkie
Image: Yellow Canna Lily (here)

Just fascinating
both on the kitchen table
or out in the field
Reeling with colors gardens
blessed with varieties imposed

Yellow stands out from
greenery tenaciously
stuck akin on groom's lapels

Chevrefeuilles' Carpe Diem #1721 - canna lily

now that it managed to escape

                                                                                            Attribution: Julien Tabet
Image: Escaping is the beginning
not the end of its problems (here)

the 10 of 12 given words:
feral (an animal in a wild state, especially after escape from captivity)
surveillance gurgling grudge  
wiggle (to move up and down or from side to side with small rapid movements.)
enforce chills wash separation upcoming

feral in its efforts
now that it managed to escape
very much under surveillance
until the guard took time off
gurgling with happiness
more with a grudge
that was just minutes ago

but now engulfed with
a smokescreen for some reasons
when it wiggled through
the electrified fencing

it brought enforced chills all over
its body for which a wash could be helpful
a separation would thwart off
the ease of visual detection from afar

but how to get rid of it
upcoming prospects seemed futile
what could it do?

Sanaa's at Real Toad's -  tuesday platform
MLMM's Wordle #145
NEKNEERAJ at  MLMM's Photo Challenge #275

Still life masterpiece

                                                                                    Artist: Vincent Van Gogh 
Image:  Three Sunflowers(here)

The somonka is a Japanese form.
It’s basically two tankas.

Van Gogh masterpiece
From two series of still life
Classic depiction
Pity life span is short but
time enough to appreciate

Laid out to be seen
In rows of flower beds but
static movements
Imposed by the sun's influence
Amidst blue canal waters

Chevrefeuille's Carpe Diem 1717 - sunflowers

Who could have guessed!

                                                                                                       Quincy Washington

:                                                                                             https://www.instagram.com/albanusdesign/

Image: Emperor of the Dawn (here)

Eyeing from a vantage point

Camouflaged conveniently

To peek at them unannounced

To catch details rightly

A spyglass was but a nuisance

Who could have guessed

Enough distractions in the confusion

A bit more imagination no less

Infinity of distance was a rot

Concentrate on those seemingly hot

One would get away without a shot 

(55 words)

Kerry's at Real Toad's - art flash 55

I know you were smiling!

                                                                                      Thiago Matos from Pexel                                            

Image: Imagination Ran Wild (here)

Missing you much with feelings of despair
Imagined your image in unlikely spaces
Running through endless encounters in my mind
Even registered on shards of transparent glass
It struck me as being unobtrusively naive
Could wild longings put one off tangent
Perhaps but it ran counter to reality
I was pretty sure you were there
Looking and observing but nothing behind me
What could it be
Where could you be

I felt mystified
You might not show it
I know you were triumphantly smiling!

Carrie's at Sunday Muse #67

striking out with an air of confidence

                                                                                                            Author Ross
Image: A Rich Man's plaything,
a 54-meter mega yacht (here)

striking out with an air of confidence
one could detect a superior being

shadow of himself detected often
now an entirely different person seen
what transformation that one was asking

in economic terms a fulfillment
walking in style a perfect gentleman
in bad times prevailing he proved a point
he struck gold that literally confounds
made it he boasted dealing in bitcoins

Frank's at d'Verse  - more dizain

dancing merrily down silvery drops

                                                                                                 Author Mohamed rila
Image: Unexpected but most welcomed Summer rain  (here)

10 of 12 given words:
dancing, silver breaking parking 
library bee café, wings table barely

dancing merrily down silvery drops
breaking a lingering Summer heat
the weather adamant on being hot
Summer rain came late
not unexpected but anticipated
a tolerance level accepted

made it from the parking lot
drenched but blessed to be seated
crowds rushed to the library
some a bee-line to the cafe exhausted

waiting in the wings patiently
moments ago all so quiet
tables then barely taken
now struck by  happy elements
so sudden to extend a welcome

Lilian's at d'Verse - temperature
MMT's Sunday's Whirligig # 225
Toni's The Wednesday Muse - summer rain

blinded not by glaring lights

                                                                                                  Hayley Roberts
Image: "One Day I'll Fly Away" (here)
(by Hayley Roberts a creative photographer)

never had it good
twisting maze in a hood
the day not rightly blasphemous
but sauntering directed by the nose
blinded not by glaring lights
but just ill-prepared for the sights

what is life not given a chance
perhaps a night to recover a balance
boy's night out with the guys
boisterously inclined and alive
never had it so good

a quieter and sane nightly choice
may even be an alternative to rejoice
cuddled in the arms of a loved one
minus the fun

but certainly a life worth living
to counter madness of the mornings

Carrie's Sunday Muse #66
Kim's at Real Toad's Weekend Mini Challenge
- let evening come

not to damage brilliance in any form

                                                                                                        Author SD Dirk
Image: Incredible 'dance' atop the bar (here)

the 12 given words:
twice  flame thought bright angel allow 
wear pure shapeless work ask flesh 

twice his flame of thoughts sprang bright
ever tireless angels allow them the pride
wear-and-tear pure and simple was a norm
better not to damage brilliance in any form

shapeless and knocked shamelessly about
work its way up high so decisively with a clout
ask for power warm flesh was expecting
to knock some sense into a stubborn being

accepting a mediocre element was a disaster
but not putting a stop to it was a worse blunder

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #224
Sumana's at PU's Midweek Motif - dance

it could have been swell

                                                                                         Author  Carlosdisogra
Image:   Vanilla sponge cake with
whipped cream and peaches (here)

11 of 12 given words:
Who are you scream break apart shovel converge specific
barmecidal (giving only the illusion of plenty; illusory)
station help water
anosmic (absence or loss of the sense of smell)

who are you to scream that we break apart
we shoveled hard to create the big mole-hill
we converged on specific issues despite bad starts
at times barmecidal but we managed the feel

secured in our station without help of others
are we to throw these sacrifices to the winds
lots of water gone under the bridge and rafters
through sincere efforts and small beginnings

let us not act anosmic but look forward to smell
the success that we strived with so much at stake
it had been a long night it could have been swell
if not for my mother's wry smile for your burnt cake

MLMM's Wordle #143
Sherry's at PU's Poetry Pantry #487

the Perfumed Garden is intense

                                                                       Author Muhammad al-Nafzawi
Image: The Perfumed Garden of Sensual Delight (here)
(Translator Richard Francis Burton)

the 10 of 12 given words:
blame, fear wait games everything 
sing humiliation smokes, blur dizzy

never to blame
not to be named
exhorting a ring of fire
to explore and not to fear

the Perfumed Garden is intense
not to wait nor to play games
but for real and everything's
described erotically to sing
worthy of praise
for man and women engaged

with no intent of humiliation
but to tell and duly inform
as Kama Sutra did expound
smokes of fire
did away with the blur
clearly defined
to dizzying heights refined
adoring sex but for mankind

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #223
Sanaa's at PU's Midweek Motif - perfume

there are strings of stories of lost opportunities

                                                 Attribution: Rajasekharan Parameswaran at English Wikipedia

Image: Regret, an oil painting (here)

the 12 given words:
change grow humility seven listen
string stories plate where sits rain still

change for the better
grow in stature
in all humility
exhorting oneself to move forward

but there is so much on the plate
tugging at one's conscience
seven sisters as potential brides
suitors aplenty
but aren't you moving forward
to stake your bid?

listen hard young man
there are strings of stories
of lost opportunities
where one sits in the rain
not wanting to make the first move

upon knowing later
still gloating!
that sitting still is a decision
indecisive but still a decision

you have the right to it
in not making a move!
it leaves a bitter taste for most times
but one is happy to wait for the next round

not quite
for better or for worse
indecision kills the initiative
isn't it better to decide
and not succeeding
a lesson learned
but instead to sit pretty
happy in fool's paradise

many had decided so
taking pride in being decisive
in not making a decision

Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #412
Sherry's at PU's Poetry Pantry #486

listen up, here I am all bound

                                                                                    Attribution: Alexander Technique
Image: Weed Through Pavement (here)

10 of the 12 given words:
listen velvet wrinkles prowl 
doddering (tremble or totter, typically because of old age)
inscrutable (impossible to understand or interpret)
blathering (the action of talking long-windedly)
fifteen daughter alone
junkets (a dish of sweetened and flavoured curds of milk)

listen up, here I am all bound
out of a velvet surface in wrinkled grounds
extending cover from prowling elements
incessantly doddering
through their inscrutable blatherings

are there reasons to believe seeing
a fifteen-year-old daughter
is to be left alone and open to danger
I may be stuck in open space
but my presence is not misplaced
bravely weathering the storm
for young innocents are known
to be open to manipulations
they may fall for even little trinkets
exploited to the fullest with cheap junkets
parents hope and pray for salvation
to court and cover for divine intervention

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #222
The Sunday Muse for the image - break this week
Marian's at Real Toad's - trinkets

With bird's eye view keenly

                                                                                          Attribution: Anarhla

Image: Formidable pair (here)

Two of a kind

Contending to be commonly refined

Roaming outwardly 

With bird's eye view keenly

Bidding to pick on doomed victims

Ruling the heavens deemed

As a right a show of force no less

Divinely blessed

Appropriately extended 

Ability of one so wicked

With sharp claws to ensure

Tearing apart at leisure

Be forewarned

(55 words)

Kerry's at Real Toad's -  Art Flash 55

rarely one is spared

                                                                               Author Pankaj Purohit
Image: Unknown Shadows (here)

11 of 12 given words:
rarely, spared, greasy swirling delivering, 
knuckles wanting curb news note
finches (a songbird with a colorful plumage)

rarely one is spared the bother
greasy it may seem swirling in the mind
delivering gestures wither
fears of the unknown in shadows defined

perhaps a knock at the knuckles
to remind the wandering lust to refrain
from wanting ideas for helping to unravel
and curb news that impinges a cluttered brain

just note it down and not to be unduly disturbed
finches flap their wings to register their presence
managing it very well unperturbed
gains to plunder with untold abundance 

MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #221 
Susan's at PU's Midweek Motif  - uncertain times

The designs would just turn ballistic

                                                                                                       Artist: Boudin
Image: Incredible sunset  (here)

She liked art as a medium of expression
It provoked her mind to no end
That was the only way she felt the liaison
There was a start so she would not lament
And not bothering on the consequence

She picked a theme to start with the show
It would trigger the process unwittingly
Otherwise she would be stumped to know
A compelling desire for the veracity
It just could not be explained in the flow
Once it got off the ground without a clawback
There was just no turning back

Today it was wriggling in her head like magic
It came in brilliance of something psychedelic
Another time it was colorful and kaleidoscopic
It was easy once the cob-webs cleared up the logic

It could be so hopelessly a chore to fix
That dampened the creative juices
The designs would just turn ballistic
in the mind all confusing and listless
She had been through many times like this
The hazardous recalls of an impressionist artist

Sanaa's at Real Toad's Tuesday's Platform

Never thought it was a reward

Image: Fighting to Preserve theirTurfs (here)

Gingerly he stepped forward
Steps he took with measured ease
Never thought it was a reward
Doing adult things as they please

Growing up was not easy
Youngsters craved independence
Rules were broken readily
Elders considered a nuisance

Frank's at d'Verse's  - Quatrain

Two hearts locked in place exquisitely beautiful

                                                                          Author Alice Donovan Rouse (@alicekat)
Image: Two Hearts Locked In Place (here)

What of it?
Reflecting on good fortune snug on a pedestal
When life was of prophetic indications pulsating
Looking to the sky clouds bidding as palatable
A tussle to recollect images of a pretty plaything

What of sweet recollections?
Gracious imaginations with mutual feelings of awe
Boy and girl whispering sweet nothings manifold
Insisting on a sacrifice towards a future together
Warm memories nostalgic in  part but put on hold

What of uncanny acquiesce?
The winter of their life together devoid of fears
Meant for each other a relationship so blissful
What kept alive little anecdotes of yesteryears
Two hearts locked in place exquisitely beautiful

Sherry at PU's Poetry Pantry #483

there is a lull in a man's wants

                                                                        Attribution: Chris 73 / Wikimedia Commons
Image:    Desire for Food is a Fulfilment (here)

the 12 given words:
lull, swirling, reflection, grateful, lips 
tastes certain, give table, fried, chicken  stews,

there is a lull in a man's wants
amidst swirling waters racing under the bridge
on reflection grateful that his lips are sealed
where tastes begin to sweeten
but an uncanny reluctance to push the door open
puts a damper on his initiative

perhaps a certain twist in reality is in order
given the choice right on the table
a fried chicken or pumpkin stews
something savory or something sweet

a decisive take is asked for
a tune for a burning feel
a man's desire needs fulfillment
only a loving wife understands
a straying heart is caught dead in its tracks

Sumana's at PU's Midweek Motif  -  bridge
MMT's Sunday's Whirligig #218

he plopped down hard with such delight

                                                                                             Author: Carlo Pautasso
Image: Stressed out Needing Refreshment
Upon Arriving Home (here)

the three onomatopoeia words are:
plop howl munch 

it had been such a hard day's night
trudging in slowly through the door
he plopped down hard with such delight
onto the padded chair minus the roar

most times it accompanied the walk
when arriving home usually beaming
very much unlike a fallen rose stalk
worn out then pending sweet dreams

howls of laughter earlier were the mood
munching chomp, chomp at the goodies
the live-wire at the party now subdued
the fast lane could end in such drudgeries

Carrie's the Sunday Muse #59
Sherry's at PU's Poetry Pantry #482

withstand static electricity cancel reactive foresight announce dirty
finial (a relatively small, ornamental, terminal feature at the top of a gable, pinnacle, etc.)
lese majesty (an attack on any custom, institution, belief, etc., held sacred by numbers of people)
crevice (a narrow opening or fissure, especially in a rock or wall.)
stairwell (a shaft in a building in which a staircase is built).

1. "the stairwell echoed with the sounds of pounding feet

MLMM's Wordle #136

staring into the barrel of a gun is set to threaten

                                                                                       Author: leosaumurejr
Image: Staring down the barrel of a gun (here)

it may not even be flowing smoothly
nor in the violent nature of a personality
the tread of time is so ruthless that it 
tramples even the kings under its feet

why the necessity to nurse it with care
when it tramples all opposition who dare
is it not all too glaring in the midday sun
to offer none of an excuse to meekly run?

hey! is it not all too obvious seeing the act
of abandoning a cause trussed in a sack?
to accept responsibility is none of a bother
but to win accolades even at risks of murder?

not something to be tolerated in life's blessings
even if clearly caught in the cross-hair fuming
staring into the barrel of a gun is set to threaten
impacting as innocently as a kind of a challenge

MLMM's Saturday Mix – Unique Personality