Tag Archives: poetry challenge

Wind, Friend and Foe for Rebecca’s Poetry Challenge

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Click on photos below to increase size.

The hurricanes that cause devastation on the coast merely whip our palms, turn off electricity and knock down tree limbs, but more often, the wind is our friend. It swells our sails, keeps flags, balloons and birds aloft and furnishes the electricity that it sometimes, in its excesses, switches off again.

Hurricane or breeze,
the wind does what it pleases—
both our friend and foe.

 

Rebecca’s Poetry Challenge, we are to write a Haibun on the subject of wind.

The Forgottenman Challenge. Done!!

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After seeing my mixed bouquet in Cee’s daily flower challenge, Forgottenman challenged me to write a poem making use of the name of every flower in the bouquet.  Okay F-man, here it is. I rise to every challenge!!! (The names of the flowers in the bouquet are in bold print.)

Zinnia was the fairest maid the town had ever grown.
She flirted with the mill boy and claimed him as her own.
She rose and fed their baby with a silver spoon
each morning as her husband lay abed ’til noon.
To wake him up, she lay their child well within his reaches.
He woke to that sweet baby’s breath-—just redolent of peaches.
Brushing off her flour-dusted lover, Zinnia sent him on his way
to grind more grain for townsfolk who had the means to pay,
for although her dusty miller was not the working kind,
true love will not buy Gerbers nor diaper a behind.

Here is the bouquet again:

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Bouquet of zinnias, roses, baby’s breath, dusty miller, Gerber daisies.  jdb photo

Another response to Cee’s daily flower prompt.

First Steps

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First Steps

Blushing cheeks and fluttered lashes,
cotton frocks with satin sashes.
That first dance, paired with a boy,
equal parts of fear and joy.
Sweaty palms and faltering feet.
A different style, each boy you meet.
Shyness, then—a major dose.
Terror he’ll hold you too close,
then, affronted when he doesn’t.
Wrong when he was and when he wasn’t
romantic in that pre-teen way,
as forward as that time of day
permitted, with your parents there.
Beaded foreheads, scraggly hair.
School dances never missed.
Holding hands, but never kissed.
Except one time, when cheek-to-cheek,
that butterfly kiss, furtive and meek.
Eyes met for just a moment, then,
to celebrate your mutual sin.
Oh the terrors and the joys
Of school dances and touching boys!

This is the second poetry challenge that resulted when Carol from the Relax blog posted a poem about her kittens that had an opening two lines I loved. Her poem veered off completely from those two lines, so I challenged her to write a new poem that centered around the opening lines. I did the same, but one of her images prompted a new prompt. This time I “dared” her to write a poem about butterfly kisses. She accepted the dare but said me first, so here it is. Carol, your turn. Post a link, please, after you’ve written your poem. When will this end?  If anyone else cares to join in, you are most welcome. The prompt is “butterfly kiss.” 

Premature Ingestion

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egg-1364869_960_720Christine Goodnough issued a challenge for me to download this photo and use it as a prompt so here goes.  (Permission was given to download without attribution.)

Premature Ingestion

Poached or coddled, scrambled, fried––
a potential chick has died.
You have no patience, that is clear
for the breakfast you hold dear
forestalls a lot of finger-lickin.’
This could have been a whole fried chicken!

https://pixabay.com/en/egg-fried-mourning-fun-funny-cute-1364869/

The Proposal

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  • IMG_3601
    Owen “Beleaguered” Servant provided this quote for my next poetry prompt:
    “How quick come the reasons for approving what we like.” – Jane Austen

    The Proposal

    How did you make your way into my heart?
    Quick, tell the answer before we next part.
    Come into my comfort, then comfort me back.
    The way of the pair beats the way of the pack.
    Reasons are given for all that we do–
    For the ways that we love and the ways that we woo.
    Approving my actions in loving you is
    What wins you my love and wins you this kiss.
    We swear to each other that we will be true
    Like all the lovers in storybooks do.

    Like brides and their bridegrooms and lieges and kings,
    We shall swear our obeisance and seal it with rings.
    What others have done is what we will do.
    Approving tradition will make one of two.
    For the rest of our lives, if they revile and chide us,
    Reason’s not the only thing that will guide us.
    The love we keep strong will keep us together.
    Come be my steed, and I’ll be thy tether.
    Quick, take my hand and give me thy pledge.
    How we’ll kiss in the meadow and roll in the sedge.

    (Judy’s note: If you haven’t already noticed, please look for the quote within the poem.
    Actually, it is repeated twice. Hint: Look at the bold words.)

    Listen to the Babe was the person who invited me to do this three-part prompt.  See her blog HERE.