My response to A Poem A Day prompt on WDC

If Only

If only money grew on trees 
I found in my backyard.
If only success came to me,
but not by working hard.
If only people all agreed
with what I had to say,
then I’d be rich and famous,
and I’d always get my way!

But all I grow in my backyard
are trees that produce leaves.
I’ve reached my goals in life so far
by rolling up my sleeves,
And since I’m no authority,
nor academic whiz,
I’ll forget about “if only” 
and get busy with what is!

A Triolet

Let Go

I ask myself, “Why should I care
what others think of me?”
If they don’t like the clothes I wear,
I ask myself, “Why should I care?"
I’ll sing to no one if I dare;
too insecure are we.
I ask myself, “Why should I care
what others think of me?”



A Triolet Poem. 8 lines with two rhymes. 5 of the 8 lines are repeated lines. First line repeats at the 4th and 7th lines. Second line repeats at the 8th line.

A
B
a - Rhymes with 1st line.
A - Identical to 1st line.
a - Rhymes with 1st line.
b - Rhymes with 2nd line.
A - Identical to 1st line.
B - Identical to 2nd line.

A Shadorma poem

Just Wondering


Why are we
Often reluctant
To offer
Each other
Something as free and catching
As a friendly smile?

The Shadorma poem has 6 lines. The syllable count is 3/5/3/3/7/5. Rhyme and meter are not required.


Image: http://vladimirbulgaru.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/baby-smile.jpg

Ode to Sleep

You draw the curtains on my day

And let my mind’s subconscious play,

Transposing thoughts to play a part

In dreams that look like abstract art.

Oh how I welcome your relief,

Though slow to come, and oft too brief,

As consciousness is loath to cede,

Regardless of how hard I plead.

But yield it must: give up control!

I earned the rest; I’ve paid my toll. 

Oh sleep, sweet sleep come visit me

And set my troubled psyche free!

You may ask yourself, like I did, why must there be winter? A Greek myth retold...

Blame It on Persephone!

As icicles clung to the frost-coated trees

I trudged through the snowdrifts that covered my knees,

I spoke to my mother, the wisest of all,

 “Please could you tell me why spring turns to fall?

And, pardon me Mom, I don’t mean to sound glum,

But why is it each year the winter must come?”

That’s when mother said to me,

“Blame it on Persephone!”

“Say what?”  I said, “Persefon-who?”

“Sit down; I’ll tell her tale to you…

Remember all those years ago

When Greek gods traveled to and fro?

When fathers ate their children whole,

And cousins played the spousal role?”

“Uh, sure,” I said.  I guess I knew;

I’d heard those myths a time or two.

“Demeter the mother, the fourth wife of Zeus

(She’s also his sister – those Greeks played it loose),

Gave birth to one daughter, a beautiful child

Who skipped through the fields and drove the boys wild!

The world was her playground and springtime yearlong,

With flowers a’ plenty and birds filled with song.

No mother could wish for a more perfect state

Until that one moment – when then walked in fate.

Like a fault in an earthquake, the field split in two,

And Hade’s black chariot came barreling through;

He whisked up the maiden, who’d no chance to hide,

And took her down Under to make her his bride.

Though Zeus had some inkling of what’d transpired

Demeter was clueless, distraught, and quite tired.

She traversed the earth, for days upon days,

Just hoping for news of her daughter’s lost ways.

Demeter the mother who held nature’s strings

Shut off all the water to all of earth’s springs;

The plants could not blossom; the seeds could not grow

Because poor Demeter missed Persephone so!

She sought out the sun god, who oversees all,

And asked if he’d witnessed Persephone’s fall.

‘Don’t be dismayed Queen,’ god Helios replied,

Your daughter’s quite safe in your realm’s underside.

'Hades your brother, engrossed by her charm,

Captured your daughter, yet means her no harm.

His intentions are honest; the girl could do worse,

Then a man of his stature, and a man of his purse.’

‘Don’t worry he tells me?’ Demeter bewailed,

‘My daughter’s a prisoner; in darkness she’s jailed!

And so it shall be for as long as she’s there –

The earth will be barren; we ALL will despair!’

And just when it seemed as though life were to end

Zeus intervened and chose Hermes to send,

Hermes his son, made the trek down below,

To ask if his uncle would let his wife go.

It took some convincing, but Hades concurred,

Two-thirds up in sunshine, in darkness, one third,

The reason the girl wasn’t totally freed?

Persephone ate of that cursed “apple” seed!

And so it is said, for two-thirds of the year

Demeter’s quite happy, and spreads nature’s cheer,

But for those few months when without her she’ll dwell,

It happens quite lit’rally – all spring goes to Hell!”

Thoughts after taking a walk this morning and meeting up with people I haven't seen for a while...

Like vines,

friends branch out,

but stay

connected

through their roots.

image:  http://www.tattoospot.com/data/media/79/vines-heart.jpg

Form: English Tanka - it is shorter than the Japanese Tanka but the rhythm is the same. Only 13 syllables total. No rhyme or meter required

The syllable scheme is as follows:

Line 1: 2 syllables
Line 2: 3 syllables
Line 3: 2 syllables
Line 4: 3 syllables
Line 5: 3 syllables

My attempt to deal with recent happenings in our church...

Who’s to Blame?

Though priests are known as men of God,

on sin they trod;

Some filled with lust

Betray our trust.

If chosen by the faith they show,

we have to know:

how could God make

this grave mistake?

In time, when wounded try to heal

God will reveal:

He does not plan

the will of man.

For Poet's United Thursday Think Tank

Purification

I want to wash my cares away,
To take the pressure off my brain,
To live with peace for just a day,
By dancing naked in the rain.

I want to cleanse my soul of sin,
To clean out ev’ry guilty stain,
With restored heart I will begin
By dancing naked in the rain.

I no more want myself to hide;
In holding back there is no gain.
In who I am I will take pride
By dancing naked in the rain.

I want to wash my cares away
By dancing naked in the rain.





Image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBaxxlwvLaSHWdNbbip1x6Hu8moItt_-hwsET6vjMrNHQbB6Zx7QdIwRaMJe4-ojObpCTtMvc7VRiNLEfVbcrGbV_LOdj7IjgqLdMUoG2usBLRHrx9Qoa58jnTV9F62B66H1uVvbUL8EX/s400/raindrops.jpg



The Kyrielle Sonnet was once a very popular French form of poetry starting back in the middle ages. It normally has fourteen lines. It consists of three rhyming quatrain stanzas and a non-rhyming couplet at the end. The sonnet has a repeating line or phrase as a refrain in the last line of each stanza, which must rhyme with the preceding line. Each line within the sonnet consists of eight syllables. The sonnet was first used by the French with the first and last line of the first quatrain normally as the ending couplet. This process reinforces the refrain within the sonnet. The rhyming scheme for the Kyrielle Sonnet normally is consists of the following pattern: AabB, ccbB, ddbB, AB -or- AbaB, cbcB, dbdB, AB. Each quatrain normally ends with the same phrase, word or line. Normally, French poetry forms link back to the beginning of the poem; as a result, a standard practice is to use the first and last line of the first quatrain as the ending couplet. This serves as a reinforcement of the refrain in each stanza.

Insight


When I look into your eyes
I see beyond your thin disguise
And learn the truth behind your lies.

9 - 11


The date
The devastation
The names
The stories
The tears
The courage.

My thoughts, in a Minute poem, after the first few days of being back in school...

From a Teacher’s Perspective The trend is all about mainstream To raise esteem, But that will fail For those who flail. We throw them in without the tools To swim in pools. Then say we know Their skills will grow. For learning math and English too, It’s just not true. Their future’s grim If they can’t swim. The Minute Poem consists of three 4-lined stanza (12 lines total) The syllabic scheme is 8444; 8444; 8444 The rhyme scheme is aabb, ccdd, eeff

Response to Carry on Tuesday prompt, "Home is where the heart is."

Relocation

You ask me

where I live.

I say, “Within myself.”

“Nonsense!” you reply.

“I mean, where is your house?”

“It’s here,

within my heart;

it beats

inside of me.”

You shake your head

and laugh.

“How silly

can you be?”

I smile

and reply,

“The walls I had

burnt down.

I built it from

my memories;

it’s built on

solid ground.

And though I may need

shelter,

my home will

always be

a place

within my heart

that beats

inside of me.”






Note: I have not lost my house to fire.  This is just where my mind went when I started thinking about what the prompt meant.

Image: http://local.realestatebook.com/providence-ri/2011/01/25/home-is-where-the-heart-is/

A Sevenling

Extra helpings,

birthday parties,

fairies taking flight

Empty bellies,

drive-by shootings,

shivers in the night

The child knows; it’s not right.

Explanation of the form (much longer than the poem itself ☺).

The first three lines should contain an element of three - three connected or contrasting statements, or a list of three details, names or possibilities. This can take up all of the three lines or be contained anywhere within them. Then, lines four to six should similarly contain an element of three, connected directly or indirectly or not at all. The seventh line should act as a narrative summary or punchline or as an unusual juxtaposition. There are no set metrical rules, but being such as short form, some rhythm, meter or rhyme is desirable. To give the form a recognizable shape, it should be set out in two stanzas of three lines, with a solitary seventh, last line. Titles are not required. A sevenling should be titled Sevenling followed by the first few words in parentheses The tone of the sevenling should be mysterious, offbeat or disturbing, giving a feeling that only part of the story is being told. The poem should have a certain ambiance which invites guesswork from the reader.

A Little Levity...I hope

Dear Therapist,

Several years ago

When our last session ended,

Despite your advice

That it should be extended,

You said keep in touch,

Let you know how I do,

So I’m writing it down

In this letter to you:

My children disowned me

My husband left town,

My boss sent a pink slip

So I colored it brown.

I wear my shirts backwards –

The ones stained with wine,

My socks smell like lunchmeat,

Besides that, I feel fine.

I’ve a crush on Jay Leno

He’s the first man I see

When I crawl out of bed

And turn on the T.V.

I started a fan club

With member count one

So I meet with myself—

Besides that, my life’s fun.

When I open the icebox

The smell makes me gag

I eat cans of food

From a brown paper bag.

There’s a wide range of choice

Since the cat ran away.

(I still sleep with his toys)

Besides that, I’m okay.

When I walk in my room

I just follow the path

Through the mountains of clothes

And the piles of trash

I’d give you a call

But the bill’s six months late

So the phone line’s cut-off—

Besides that, I feel great!

I’ve a question to ask –

‘Cause I’ve wondered a lot

If the fuzz in my tub

Should be watered or not?

It glows in the dark

When I turn out the light

So I bathe in the sink—

Besides that, I’m alright.

There’s no cause for concern,

From this note you can tell

That I’ve conquered my fears

And I’m doing quite well;

Know I made the right choice

When I bid you adieu

I’ve no cares in this world…

Well…except for a few.

A Response To Sunday's Scribblings prompt "tomorrow."

ALMOST

I almost put my sneakers on

To go out for a run,

But then decided watching sports

Would be a lot more fun.

I almost chose to ride my bike

When I went to the mall,

But then decided driving there

Was faster after all.

I almost bought a healthy lunch

When I went to the store,

But tasted German sausages

And knew I wanted more.

I almost took three flights of stairs

When I went to go home,

But then the elevator came,

As did my friend Jerome.

I almost parked my car last week

The farthest space away,

But then the forecast called for rain

Which made it a bad day.

I almost put the ice cream back

Before I went to bed,

But said I’d start that plan next week

And ate two scoops instead.

I had a major heart attack

Last night I almost died. 

I almost made excuses but –

The truth won’t be denied.

Unsettled

Worry gnaws within my soul;
I try to pray,
but even God can’t fill this hole,
I have to say.

I thought that I would be okay,
unlike the rest,
when my two daughters went away,
no empty nest.

Their newfound wings, with strength possessed,
took well to flight,
which ought to tell me in their quest
they’ll be alright.

But ought is not within my might,
I have to know
to soothe the thoughts that rage at night.
those thoughts must go.

If only you could make it so;
Send stress away.
Please find a crystal ball to show
they’ll be okay.

A Virelay Response to Gooseberry Garden's "The Kiss"

Your Kiss

For months I watched your lips and thought

how sweet your kiss would be.

A nectar to compare could not

exist on earth for me. 

When we hooked up I knew I’d see

a flash of dazzling light.

No potion-mix in chemistry

Could offer such a sight!

I also knew I’d have to fight

to keep my feet on ground.

The surge from your charisma might

Propel me heaven-bound!

And then at last, you came around

to set my passion free.

But nautiousness was all I found

when my lips locked with thee.

The Virelay has no fixed meter, but does have a rhyming scheme and is written in interlinking quatrains.

It alternates, first line is long, second line is short all the way through the poem.

There is no limit of the number of stanzas but the last stanza’s 2nd and 4th lines must rhyme with the first stanza’s 2nd and 4th lines.

Pattern of a Virelay:

a,b,a,b

b,c,b,c

c,d,c,d

d,b,d,b




image: http://www.clipartclipart.com/pages/110127-136161-044009.html

Response to Sunday Scribblings prompt about our muse

Come Out; Come Out!

My muse, she oft’ plays hide-and-seek.

(I think she moonlights now and then.)

I find her once or twice a week;

Then next I look, she’s gone again!

I really wish she’d stay with me;

I know how great we two could be.

I also know, when she’s not there,

My inspiration cupboard’s bare!

Explanation of form:  A Rispetto Poem.

The poem contains two quatrains (4 lines each), 8 lines total.

The meter is iambic tetrameter: da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM

The rhyme scheme is abab ccdd


image: http://katiestew.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/bear-hiding1.jpg

A Hexaduad

Go Forth!

Prevail.

Set sail.

Take hold of the notion

the world is your ocean

Filled with a promise deep and wide.

Sometimes you’ll rock; sometimes you’ll glide.

Push off the shore;

Start to explore.

To test the horizon

You must raise the mizen.

With chance, be bold.

Of life, take hold.

The hexaduad consist of 12 lines.

The syllable count is 2,2,6,6,8,8,4,4,6,6,4,4

The rhyme scheme is aa, bb, cc, dd, ee, ff.


image:http://jcim.net/Images/CCImages/OceanSunrise.jpg

A Quinzaine

Do They Come True?

Dreams, their ships sail us through life.

How many of us

reach the shore?

A quinzaine is an unrhymed verse of fifteen syllables distributed in three lines.  The first line makes a statement. The next two lines ask a question relating to that statement.  Here is the pattern:

Line 1: Statement of 7 syllables

Line 2: Beginning of question with 5 syllables

Line 3: End of question with 3 syllables


image: http://wlp.wharton.upenn.edu/MBA/tall-ship-sea.cfm