In the meantime, enjoy the responses I have made to other prompts.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

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!

Monday, October 10, 2011

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.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

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



Saturday, October 1, 2011


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!

Monday, September 26, 2011

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!”

Sunday, September 25, 2011

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.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Insight


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

Sunday, September 11, 2011



9 - 11


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





Wednesday, September 7, 2011

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

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

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/

Monday, September 5, 2011

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.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

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.



Wednesday, August 31, 2011

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

Monday, August 29, 2011

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

Saturday, August 27, 2011

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

Friday, August 26, 2011

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