In Between Eclipses - #XplorationChallenge #tanka #poem #poetry #poetrychallenges @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I had a wonderful visit with my parents last night. My mom is still having difficulty breathing. She's meeting with a new pulmonologist this upcoming week, so hopefully we can get some answers.

Today, I've decided to participate in Reena's Xploration Challenge #419. Reena invites us to use the theme "In Between Eclipses" in our poem. I chose to write a tanka using the phrase.

(image courtesy of Ελυαν_Νικόλαος on Pixabay)

before darkest hour

moments in between eclipses

let your light shine bright

illuminate others' hearts

show them darkness does not last

Would you like to write a poem for this prompt? Join us here.

February 2026 Book Reviews #bookreview #books #amreading #readingcommunity #paranormal #vampires #witches @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! It's been a crazy month, but I've managed to read two books. One of them was okay, but I only share the books I would recommend to others in this section. So, I'm just sharing one book with you today, and it was a great one!

Forged in Blood

by Sadie Kincaid

Genre: Polyamory Romance, Paranormal Romance

Pages: 370

Book Blurb:

A dark paranormal/ fantasy romance from bestselling author, Sadie Kincaid.

Every few millennia, a child is born.
Some say they’re marked with a curse.
Others claim they possess the power of the ages.

Meet Ophelia Hart. Lover of classic literature and unicorns. An orphan with nobody in her corner—no family, no friends. But it’s her loneliness that fuels her life’s ambition to become a social worker and help the forgotten children just like her. For a foster kid with only slightly above-average grades, it feels like a pipe dream.

Except it seems that someone is looking out for Ophelia after all. When an unexpected opportunity to attend Montridge University arises, she thinks her life is finally taking a turn for the better.

Too bad she comes to the attention of the three ruthless, arrogant commanders of the Ruby Dragon Society. Three of the most feared and powerful vampires on campus.

But Ophelia doesn’t believe in vampires. Or in witches, or magic, or ancient prophecies.

Until she has no choice. Little does she know, she’s about to have her whole world turned upside down. Because there is something about Ophelia Hart. Something that captures not only the attention of the Ruby Dragon commanders, but also their powerful, enigmatic sire—Professor Alexandros Drakos.

With no idea of the power running through her veins, Ophelia must learn to trust the very men whom all others fear. And she needs to do it fast, for there are darker forces at work than those at Montridge University. Forces that were long ago Forged in Blood.

My Review:

I picked up this book after reading a review of it by one of my favorite authors, so I knew it had to be good. And boy was it! I loved the storyline from the very beginning. That first chapter drew me in immediately - so much pain and heartache. Then, time passes and we are introduced to new characters. Ophelia is attending a college of the paranormal entity and has no idea until she runs into vampires who decide they want her as their pet. She becomes their obsession, their desire, and their lifeline.

I loved all the main characters! This book is a polyamory story, so if you are not into that, you may not enjoy this story, but if you are into it, the scenes are fantastic! I read Ophelia with such an innocent voice that I had to keep reminding myself that she was an adult during these scenes. I hated how Axl and Xavier treated her, but I understood why. Malakai was my favorite because he always seems kind to her (well, almost always). When we finally learn why they can't stay away from Ophelia, everything becomes even more intense. 

And then there's Alexandros! It's funny because I pictured him like an old professor although he's never described that way, so certain scenes were weird to me. (Then again, he's a vampire who has lived thousands of years, so there's that. Lol!) The ending and the epilogue had my heart racing, and I cannot WAIT to read the next book.

Have you read any great books lately? I would love to hear from you. :-)

Soar to New Heights - #FFFC #TankaTuesday #dVerse #rensaku #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! We are back to having a cold front in my area, but this one will luckily be short-lived. I'll be back at the beach this weekend, so I will endure the next couple of days with layered clothes. For those of you battling this snow storm, stay safe and warm.

Today, I've decided to combine three poetry challenges. This first is from Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #361 where Melissa invites us to write a poem or flash fiction for the beautiful image below. The second is dVerse's Q242: Hunger Makes the Best of Poetry. Lisa invites us to write a quadrille about a form of hunger. A quadrille is a poem of exactly 44 words.

Lastly, I've added the #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 53. Melissa invites us to write a rensaku. A rensaku is a series of haiku or tanka poems that have a unifying theme. While Melissa asked for at least three stanzas, I limited mine to two in order to combine the three prompts.

(image courtesy of Cole Keister)

avid wanderer

a deep hunger for travel

I'll use any mode

from planes to trains to road trips

from ships to hot air balloons

travel among skies

drift lazily across fields

see life at its best

nature splatters its artwork

to decorate tulip field

Would you like to join one of these prompts? Click the links below:

Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #361

dVerse's Q242: Hunger Makes the Best of Poetry

#TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 53

Sweet Self-Love - #W3 #sonnet #selflove #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! It is a beautiful day in sunny South Florida, which makes my soul soar! Before I head to the beach, I decided to participate in this week's We'ave Written Weekly (W3) prompt.

Elizabeth invites us to write a love sonnet to ourselves. A sonnet has 14 lines written in iambic pentameter (ten syllables divided into five pairs with the first syllable being soft and the second being strong). I used the following rhyming scheme: ABBAABBA CDECDE.

(image courtesy of @congerdesign on Pixabay)

Sweet Self-Love

my life was not always an easy road

it was littered with uphill climbs, potholes

a constant struggle to play many roles

suppressing my feelings, quietly stowed

supporting others was family code

making my friends happy fulfilled my goals

but doing so gave away all controls

until I discovered myself and glowed

fortified with a new understanding

seeing the beauty that resides in me

refusing to give away my powers

my strong resilience keeps me still standing

releasing conformity to be free

I rise in greatness, receive my flowers

Would you like to join us in this prompt? Click here.

The Hunt for True Love - #TankaTuesday #dVerse #hexastitch #prosery #poem #poetry #poetrychallenge @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Last night, my power went out for about half an hour. I cannot remember the last time we had a power outage not related to a hurricane, so it felt quite odd. I immediately grabbed my kindle to read for a bit. It helped the time pass quickly enough. Luckily, it came back on before I had to shower and go to bed. I was not looking forward to a cold shower. Lol!

Today, I am combining two poetry challenges. The first challenge is #TankaTuesday's Poetry Challenge where Colleen invites us to write a hexastich. This form of poetry has six lines with a 8-6-10-6-8-2 syllabic pattern with a rhyme scheme of axbaxb.

The second challenge is dVerse's Prosery: Toni Morrison. Mish invites us to write a prosery using the following quote from Toni Morrison: "Lips forget what they have kissed." A prosery is a piece of prose of 144 words.

As I did with my previous poetry challenge, I'm stretching the rules just a bit. I've combined the prose with the hexastitch, like a modified haibun.

(courtesy of @Bingodesigns on Pixabay)

The Hunt for True Love

I've kissed a lot of frogs in my lifetime. Recently, a friend and I went down memory lane, and I realized my memory has blurred the details of my past. Were they insignificant or did they cause such heartbreak that it is best I don't remember? Whatever the reason, I trust that my brain is taking care of me in a way the heart cannot. The heart wants to feel and clings to hope like static on freshly dried clothes. It focuses on pretty petals, ignoring the poison within until it's too late. So, I will keep searching for my imperfect prince. Hopefully, his kiss will be worth remembering.

my lips forget what they have kissed

soul needs such protection

when the heart wants love to fit like a glove

but love's a 'hit or miss'

until I kiss the perfect lips...

real love

Would you like to join in on one of these challenges? Click the links below:

#TankaTuesday's Poetry Challenge

dVerse's Prosery: Toni Morrison

False Murals - #FFFC #tanka #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Today is a holiday for me, so I'm enjoying a relaxing day at home and catching up on my 'to do' list. For this week's Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #360, Melissa provided us the image below. There was such a contrast in the background and foreground, and I felt such melancholy. So, I wrote a tanka for it.

(image courtesy of @Takashi Sakamoto)

wishful images

happy murals decorate

rundown town's falsehoods

why dream of a better life?

time will fade away the lies

Would you like to write a poem for this prompt? Join us here.

The Immortal Changing Seasons - #XplorationChallenge #W3 #haiga #poetry #poem #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I hope you are all well. I was finally able to make it to the beach yesterday. It was a bit chilly when the sun hid behind the clouds, but it felt so great to be there again.

Today, I'm combining two prompts. Reena's Xploration Challenge #417 asks us to write a poem about immortality. W3 Prompt #198: Wea've Written Weekly asks us to write a haiga, which is a hiaku or senryu with a visual art form. Svenja encourages us to "reflect the long-awaited shift from winter to spring." I stretched the idea a bit, I know, but the seasons are immortal. They happen every year without fail (so far), and some of us enjoy one season while despising another. So, this is what I created:

(image courtesy of @ciaorioris on Pixabay)

Would you like to write a poem to one of these themes? Click the links below:

Reena's Xploration Challenge #417

W3 Prompt #198: Wea've Written Weekly

Sweet Endearment - #FFFC #TankaTuesday #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #love @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! The weather is finally behaving appropriately in my area. It's still chilly in the mornings (50s), but it jumps up to the 70s by mid-day, so I'll take it. 

As this is Kindness Week and the week of love, I've decided to combine two prompts focused on love. The first is Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge which provides the image below. The second is #TankaTuesday's challenge where Willow invites us to write a poem using a synonym of love or passion. I've bolded and italicized my synonym.

(image courtesy of Birgith Roosipuu)

coffee made for me

sweet receipts of endearment

his little love notes

Would you like to write a poem for either of these challenges? Click the links below:

Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge

#TankaTuesday

One with Nature - #W3 #erasurepoem #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I hope you are all well. I spent the weekend surrounded by different friend groups, celebrating life and companionship. And then I enjoyed a great Super Bowl game and halftime show. It was wonderful watching the Hispanic culture, my heritage, be celebrated in such a beautiful way. 

My mother is receiving excellent home health care. A nurse visits twice a day, and she has access to an online medical team at all hours. There is very little improvement, but healing takes time.

Today, I chose to participate in Wea've Written Weekly's prompt. Shaun invites us to write an erasure poem. I chose to use my favorite poem, Two Roads in a Yellow Wood by Robert Frost to create my poem. I have always loved this poem, and I'm happy with the new meaning I've created with my erasure poem.

Here is the original poem:

(image taken from Poetry Foundation)

Here is my erasure:

And finally, here is my new poem, a haiku:

in a yellow wood

one traveler leads with a sigh

a wood and I - one

Would you like to write an erasure poem? Join us here.

Octopus Love - #dVerse #FFFC #simile #poem #tanka #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! We are still dealing with abnormally cold weather in Miami. It should be warming up soon but not soon enough for me. I need my beach weather back! Lol!

Today, I've combined two different prompts. The first is dVerse's Poetics: The Smile in the Simile where we are asked to include a simile in our poem. The second is Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #358, which provided the image below. I chose to write a tanka.

(image courtesy of Sigmund)

tentacle suctions

like a clingy boyfriend's arms

an iron-clad grip

holds on tight to what it wants

interests wane; he lets go

Would you like to participate in either of these challenges? Click the links below:

dVerse's Poetics: The Smile in the Simile

Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #358