Poetry – Page 20 – Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

Zip – Décima

To give in once may seem OK.
It’s not like we’re addicted so
around the carousel we go.
“Hey, you could leave, but why today?”
Around again we go. We stay
to win the prize, a precious rag.
Our anxious minds want more. They nag
us with new offers: “Want a sip?”
“OK.” “OK?” They now can zip
us tightly in the body bag.

Ronovan Hester offers the rhyme word “zip” to be used in a D line of a décima having rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC for this week’s Décima Poetry Challenge.

I was thinking of C.S. Lewis’s Pilgrim’s Regress where the pilgrim almost at the end of his journey sees a witch offer a deformed creature a brief sip of pleasure which the creature knows would only increase its deformation. After it agrees to drink she turns to the pilgrim and offers him a sip as well.

Ronovan's Decima Poetry Challenge Image — Ronovan’s Decima Poetry Challenge Image

Celebration

In faded denim, rosy blush,
he offers her a polished stone
from water where the rivers rush.
She knows that she is not alone.
In greens and yellow, alpine light,
Today the festive way is bright.

Eugenia offers the word “celebration” for this week’s Thursday Prompt. Linda Kruschke offers these paint chip phrases, “mystical, faded denim, lipstick, halo, blush, polished stone, and alpine“. At least four should be used in a sixain stanza.

Blow – Décima

Lot didn’t want to leave that day,
but angels dragged them by the hand.
His daughters didn’t understand.
His wife looked back. She’d have to stay.

“I drifted slowly from the way
through sweet deception. What a blow:
I thought I knew; I didn’t know.
That’s why we’re rushing out of there.
We heard the screaming in the air,
but it has stopped. We have to go.”

Ronovan Hester offers the rhyme word “blow” to be used in a C line of a décima having rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC in this week’s challenge. I was thinking about Lot and Sodom from Genesis 19.

On the Coast

Dale offers the theme “on the coast” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge. Here are some views of the Atlantic Ocean in southern Florida.

Eugenia offers the prompt “nature” for this week’s Thursday Prompt.

Nature

Sunrise yellow, orange and blue –
rain may entertain us, too.

Wake

He checks off tasks as they are done.
Tomorrow there’s another wake.
Today he wonders should he take
those profits his investments won?

While counting on the routine sun
productively he wastes his day.
Tonight in Sodom there’s a play.
He’ll miss that wake. The dead don’t mind.
He wonders if he’ll ever find
the reason why. No time to pray.

Ronovan Hester offers the rhyme word “wake” to be used in a B line of a décima having rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC for this week’s Décima Poetry Challenge.

Two Challenges

Dale offers the theme “in bloom” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.

Linda Kruschke’s Paint Chip Challenge this past week requires us to use ten of the following:

sunflower, watermelon, pool, in your eyes, clear skies, before the rain, margarita, hot sauce, zest for life, heavenly, sunshine, total eclipse, out of the blue, the whole enchilada, and yellow brick road

Loss

In your eyes I saw clear skies
before the rain that day.
All left at once out of the blue,
the sunshine and the sunflower, too,
the hot sauce zest for life I knew.
Our margarita laughing pool
shut down. You went away.

Meadows

An open space, low vegetation,
and sunny day to see
the beauties of a troubled nation,
under God are we.

Eugenia offers “meadows” as this week’s prompt.

Noisy Deception

Then came a tap upon the cheek.
“Awake! Recall what you were taught.
The lying folk will all be caught.
The earth is for the just and meek.”

Did I forget what I should seek?
The fingers aiming everywhere
spit words like buckshot in the air.
The noise is great. I cannot hear
if that’s a friend who’s coming near
or folly dancing to a dare.

Ronovan Hester offers the rhyme word “cheek” once more to be used in an A line of a décima having rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC for this week’s Décima Poetry Challenge. I was thinking of Matthew 24, especially verse 4: “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.”

Mingle – Relationships

A drop of water doesn’t mingle.
It has no name to stand alone.
But we have names. We each are single.
We are, and we are not, our own.

As the prompt this week Eugenia offers the word “mingle”. I got the idea for the poem from David Pawson’s lecture, Unlocking the Bible, Genesis, Part 4. Hopefully I didn’t distort it too much.

Cheek

The victory is God’s we know.
Before that there is much to do.
Some details haven’t been worked through.
True. Tragedies will come and go
and cancers ever want to grow
and dragons want a bit of fun.
They’ll run their mouths. Their lies will stun
like fists that crush into a cheek
confounding those who try to speak,
but lies will end and then they’re done.

Ronovan Hester offers the rhyme word “cheek” to be used in a D line of a décima having rhyme pattern ABBAACCDDC for this week’s Décima Poetry Challenge. The idea of assured victory in the midst of tribulation comes from Revelation.