Category: Photography

July Challenge and Alien Artifacts

Jillys2016 offered a July Challenge for collaborative poetry.  One poet writes the first half of a poem and then another poet finishes it.  My four line poem “Home Tour” may be used for this challenge.  Pretend it is supposed to be an eight line poem and write the second half.

Here I try to complete Charley’s first half.  Charley’s part is in bold red.  It is a quadrille, a poem of 44 words.  He provided the first 22 words.  I have to add the next 22 words of the poem.

The bird broke
my concentration
when he pecked
the door.

“Anatomy of Melancholy”
from my fingers fell.

Closed, it hit the floor.

The bird came in.
He said, “Lenore.”

I said, “What?”

“Nevermore.”

“Never mind?”

“Anymore.”

I boot¹ the bird
and shut the door.

¹Some may argue that what I should have written is “I shoot the bird”, because it sounds better and that is what they would have done, but I will refrain from comment.

Photo: “Ever Growing” by the author linked to K’lee and Dale‘s Cosmic Photo Challenge on the topic of alien artifacts. I am hoping the pots will serve as alien artifacts where we are the invaders and plants are seeing if they can make use of our advanced technology.

Home Tour

Let us climb these well worn stairs,
Light above and peace throughout.
Heart tells mind, “Don’t worry here.
Love will show us all about.”

Linked to dVerse Open Link Night hosted by Björn.
Photo: “Going Up” by the author. Linked to jasenphoto’s Tuesday Photo Challenge where the prompt is “steps”.
I am also linking this to Jill Lyman’s July Challenge. Consider this an eight line poem of which I’ve written only the first four lines.

I’m exploring medieval lyrics.  I think the above might be called “trova romantica” with form and style related to the troubadours.  I’m trying to use the Portuguese Redondilha maior meter, a seven syllable line with the last syllable accented, but I might be missing something.

Announcement

The Spring issue (Vol 97, No 2) of The Lyric Magazine, “the oldest magazine in North America devoted to traditional poetry”, arrived in the mail.  It contains my poem, “Chutes and Ladders”.  I am grateful to the editor, Jean Mellichamp Milliken, for selecting it.

The Blessing

Any blessing we receive
May it pass on from us to you.
Every blessing should conceive
A future blessing if it’s true.
So with passing may we leave
You hope to manifest what’s new.
Forgive what we did not get right.
Arise. Be blessed with holy light.

Linked to dVerse Poetics where Paul Scribbles is hosting with the prompt “blessings”.

Midsummer Daydream

I walk toward Sunset Ridge Woods busy dreaming while this summer day is busy being beautiful.  Last night I read a fable telling about fairies guarding a forest glen.¹  They punished cutting trees in their creative ways using the imaginations of the trespasser. They were more effective than fines–and swifter. Natural retribution could take years or generations. Those fairies kept the riff-raff in line–if you believed in them.

Today governments take over guarding forest preserves. Perhaps they do permit what some might call over-harvesting where it’s out-of-sight and wild. Like beauty, one guy’s rightful use is another guy’s misuse. Governments keep the opportunists in line–if you believe they can.  I wonder how my mind would survive a trespass on a fairy glen? Maybe they still rule in these subtle ways even without my acknowledgment of their existence. If so, who could stop them?

SOUNDS OF SHRILL TRAFFIC
SUMMER WARMS THIS SUNSET TRAIL
SHELTERED BY STILL TREES

¹“The Man Who Had No Story” in Jane Yolen’s Favorite Folktales From Around the World.

Linked to dVerse Haibun Monday hosted by Grace with prompt “Summer”.
Photo: “Green Midsummer Madness” by the author linked to K’lee and Dale‘s Cosmic Photo Challenge with prompt “midsummer madness”.

Menu Filtered Reality

The menu doesn’t nourish like a meal,
But helps the heart decide on what to do.
Consider how true knowledge twists what’s real.

Words conceal whenever they reveal.
There’s always something more to struggle through.
The menu doesn’t nourish like a meal.

What’s fully true is more than we can feel
Though what we feel reveals that pure truth, too.
Our knowing turns and teases what is real.

Food may be a medicine that heals
Or poison that consumes us as we chew.
The menu doesn’t nourish like a meal.

The heart insists the brain submits and kneels
So it can help them both explore what’s new,
Obtain sure knowledge teasing what is real.

Impulsive day is eager for a deal.
May dreamy night’s correction shelter you.
The menu doesn’t nourish like a meal
Nor does true knowing circumscribe what’s real.

Linked to dVerse Meeting the Bar. I am hosting today and the form is a villanelle. You are welcome to link a villanelle you have written for this prompt.  The modification I made to the villanelle form is to not exactly repeat the second line of the couplet theme.
Photo: “Sweet Corn” by the author

Home

Perspectives are of details
That limit what we see
So what we see will benefit
Our subjectivity.

If I were walking from here
Upon adventures tossed
I’d mark this “home”,
Then go and roam
And try not to get lost.

Linked to dVerse Poetics hosted by Mish from mishunderstood.wordpress.com with the prompt being to choose a sign and write about that as a prompt. I selected a set of familiar street corner signs near where I live that included a walking guy caution sign.
Photo: “Home” by the author.

Ogres Are Awful

In the green of our valley where ogres do dwell
We think thoughts of heaven. They act like it’s hell.
If they knew all the damage they did, would they stop?
Or try one more time to go over the top?
We’ve been very rational, patient and kind,
But the ogres are beastly and out of their minds.
Our blossoms they pick and then drop to the ground.
We suffer indecency and without sound.
I could go on but my heart would seek blame.
When they cry I’m reminded we all cry the same.

Yellow and Red

Linked to dVerse Poetics hosted by Kim of writinginnorthnorfolk.com with the prompt to write a poem to save someone’s life. I picked the theme “don’t let the bastards get you down”.
Photos: “Flower on Cement” above and “Yellow and Red” below by the author. Linked to Cee’s Flower of the Day.

 

Walking on the Beach

Another storm disturbs the air.
I no longer care.
Whatever happens here or there,
The good will ever carry on.

Some of it may wash away.
Some may stay for just a day
Like a fantasy or play
That’s present even when it’s gone.

Linked to dVerse Quadrille hosted by De Jackson aka WhimsyGizmo using the word “storm”.
Photo: “Tracks and Paths” by the author. Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge with theme “stay on the path” with the bird illustrating how not to do this.