#TankaTuesday #Poetry Challenge #SpecificForm #ButterflyCinquain @ColleenChesebro #poetry #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #poems #diversity #travel #explore #spices

Hello, beautiful readers! Colleen's #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge focused on writing a specific form of poetry this week. Colleen asked Sally Cronin to choose a form, and she chose the Butterfly Cinquain.

Last week, I wrote a Butterfly Cinquain for the #TastetheRainbow challenge. For those of you who missed it, this form is a nine-line poem with a syllabic pattern of 2-4-6-8-2-8-6-4-2. Colleen explains to us that it is technically not a cinquain but rather borrows the Crapsey Cinquain form and then reverses it. Since its form looks like a butterfly's wings, it was given the name Butterfly Cinquain.

This week, I've struggled a bit with how single-minded, closed-minded, selfish, and high-and-mighty some people in our world are and how they don't care how their words and actions affect others. It's made my soul feel heavy, and I've spent many a moment meditating on it.

As an Army brat, I was privileged to live in different countries on various continents because of my father's assignments. I experienced vastly unique cultures and loved them all. I met people from all walks of life, and each setting taught me something new and helped me grow as a person. Even within the USA, each state is unique and beautiful with its different food, music, accents, and landscapes.

Because of my experiences, I've made it my mission to take my son on road trips to every state in our country so that he, too, can understand and appreciate the beauty, wonder, and richness of each place. I want him to realize that people have different viewpoints and experiences which shape them into the people they are. I want him to understand and accept that there is no "one way" that fits all people.

So, when I started contemplating this week's poem, I started off with indignation, but I took a few cleansing breaths and chose to focus on spreading a message of diversity and wonder. Once I changed my mindset, two poems came to me. So, I hope you enjoy them both.

(courtesy of @MimmiDieLesemaus on Pixabay)

Cultural Expressions

spices

tasty rainbow

some sweet, some savory

each region tantalizes tongues

cuisine

as eccentric as the country

soulful, vibrant, sundry

delicious blends

flourish

(courtesy of @JoshuaWoroniecki on Pixabay)

Wanderlust

wander

to the unknown

see life through new lenses

it's time to add spice to your life

travel

learn from cultures around the world

embrace diversity

open your mind

explore

 

I'd love to hear about some of your travels and what you've learned from them. Share in the comments below. :-)

Join me at Valentina Expressions today! @ValentinaDesign #spring #books #beauty

 

Hello, beautiful readers! Today, I'm being featured as part of Valentina Cirasola's Spring, Beauty, and Books series! While you're there, check out her beautiful site. I'd love it if you could leave a comment and show her (and me) some support. Thanks! :-)

#TankaTuesday #Poetry Challenge #TastetheRainbow #ButterflyCinquain @ColleenChesebro #poetry #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #poems

G'morning, beautiful readers! For this week's #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge, Colleen Chesebro has asked us to choose a color to emulate in our poem. She encouraged us to think of the symbolism and psychology behind the colors' meanings. One of her links contained this:

I felt a smile form as images of my childhood decorated my mind, and I knew I had to write about this color. As I scrolled through the various poetry forms on Colleen's poetry cheat sheet, the Butterfly Cinquain called to me. I mean, what better way to relish one's youth than with butterflies! For those who are not familiar with this form, it consists of nine lines using a syllabic pattern of 2-4-6-8-2-8-6-4-2. So, here is what I wrote:

(courtesy of @Shlomaster on Pixabay)

hopscotch

merry-go-round

fly a kite in the wind

squeeze juice from a salted orange

and smile

remember the joy from your youth

release stress and relish

the simple things

today

What childhood memories make you smile? How can you incorporate that happiness into your life today?

#TankaTuesday #Poetry Challenge #ThemePrompt #Choka #Tanka @ColleenChesebro #poetry #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #poems #themes

Hello, beautiful readers! During last month's #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge on theme prompts, Colleen Chesebro chose my poem to highlight, giving me the honor of choosing the next theme. After playing with a few themes, I chose to go with beginnings and endings. I knew the poets who participate in her challenges would each bring his/her own perspective to this theme, and they did not disappoint. You can read their poems here. 

Even though it was my theme, it took me a while to sit down and allow the words to flow onto a page. Since the pandemic began, I've found myself on a journey of healing and growth. Part of that journey has been about shifting perspectives. For as long as I can remember, I've had a strong negative inner voice. I used to try to suppress and ignore her, which only made her stronger. So, now I listen and then offer myself a new way of seeing things. It isn't always easy, but I'm celebrating my successes. So, I chose to focus on the beginnings that come after the endings.

This week, I tried my hand at a choka poem. In her poetry cheat sheet, Colleen explains that a choka uses couplets of an alternating 5-7 syllabic pattern with the last two lines having seven syllables each. She also explains that they were followed by a shorter poem called a hanka. For my hanka, I've added a tanka poem. Enjoy! :-)

(courtesy of @JoshuaWoroniecki at Pixabay)

Mother Nature sheds

old skin and begins again

each and every spring

after sunset comes sunrise

new moons bring full moons

raging fires foster growth

matter finds a way

nothing is gone forever

even love will be reborn

  

how do you see it?

perspective is everything

one must choose whether

to focus on loss and grieve

or to celebrate the new

#TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge #EkphrasticPoetry #poems #poetry #PhotoPrompt #Tanka #dolphins @SyllabicPoetry @ColleenChesebro

Hello, beautiful readers! It's been a busy week for me, and it looks to be an even busier weekend. I'm just getting around to Colleen Chesebro's #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge. I didn't want the weekend to arrive without having participated in this week's prompt. 

D.L. Finn honored us with a beautiful picture of majestic dolphins for this week's photo prompt. I have always loved dolphins and have seen them often in the ocean. I've ridden on boats many times in South Florida, and dolphins will sometimes swim alongside the boat. They always seem so jovial and playful. They exude positive energy every time I've seen them. 

I chose to write a Tanka poem this week. I've become more comfortable with this form after using it a few times. Since I haven't had much time to write, this felt like an easy fit for this week.

oh, to be carefree!

to twirl and dance with laughter

to hear and be heard

if only people could be

as light-hearted as dolphins

Have you ever seen dolphins in the ocean? What was the experience like for you?

#TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge #SpecificForm #TankaProse @SyllabicPoetry @ColleenChesebro #trackandfield #athletes #perseverance #race #races

Hello, beautiful readers! Today's #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge is all about the Tanka prose. This format includes a prose paragraph and a Tanka poem with the syllabic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7. You can learn more about it here.

I decided to write about my son's athleticism. He has been playing sports since he was three years old. He started with peewee soccer and t-ball. He played soccer for three years and baseball for nine years before moving on to flag football, which he played for six years. This year, he joined his school's track team and will begin tackle football in a few weeks. He was born to play sports. In fact, 23-and-Me says he has the muscle composition of elite athletes (a fact he's quite proud of...lol!). Recently, he pulled his groin in an event, but that isn't keeping him from pushing himself to be his best. So, this poem is for him.

(My son is in the center on the right, wearing black and white.)

I stretch my fingers across the track, placing them perfectly along the starting line. My spikes wait restlessly, eager to tear up the synthetic rubber digging into my knee. The official calls for us to ready ourselves. Every muscle is taut; electrical impulses race through my veins waiting to explode. The blast from the gun ricochets off the stands, but it's already a distant memory because my body and mind are hyper focused on the lane in front of me. They have one singular desire - cross the winning line first.

adrenaline rush

carries me past opponents

until my groin pulls

I won't give up - I'll prevail

perseverance breeds winners

Have you ever played sports? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.

To join us in the fun, check out Colleen Chesebro's page here.

#TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge #TastetheRainbow #ColorPoetry @SyllabicPoetry @ColleenChesebro #Inchworm #gray #poetry #poems #poetrycommunity

Hello, beautiful readers! This week's #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge asks us to choose a color and a syllabic form to write a poem. Immediately when I saw this prompt, the color gray popped into my head, so I went with it. 

I chose to a new form by Jules Page called Inchworm. This form consists of any number of stanzas with four lines each, following a syllabic count of 2-4-6-8.

(courtesy of @Pexels on Pixabay)

A Life of Gray

have you

ever noticed

diversities in gray?

the in between - not bright or dark

not fixed

but flexible

where most see black and white

I want to live in worlds of gray

What color resonates with you?

If you'd like to have some fun writing poetry, you can join us at Colleen Chesebro's page for weekly challenges. I'd love to see what you create! :-)

#TankaTuesday #Poetry Challenge #ShareYourDay #haiku #fire #campfire @ColleenChesebro @WestgateRanch

Hi, beautiful readers! Colleen Chesebro's #TankaTuesday poetry challenge for this past week asked us to share a photo we have taken and write a syllabic poem. It's been a busy week for me, so I'm just getting around to this. I decided to share a picture (and video) from last weekend's camping trip.

My sister and I love to take our kids (now teens) tent camping twice a year. It's a time for us to reset and rejuvenate our souls, get the kids to detach from technology, and just enjoy nature and family for a bit. We tend to go to state parks, but this time, we went to Westgate River Ranch. They have a ton of great activities like skeet shooting, an Escape Room, a rodeo, horseback riding, archery, swamp buggy rides, and a jungle queen ride. There are plenty of ways to glamp (glamorous camping) on site, but we prefer our tents. 

We tend to spend the day bike riding. This past trip, we rode bikes for 12 miles on Saturday and around 8 miles on Sunday. The boys enjoyed some basketball time, and we all played card games. But at the end of the day, we love to sit around a fire, make s'mores, and enjoy the calmness of the night.

And that leads me to my poem for this week's challenge. I chose to write a haiku, using a 5-7-5 pattern.

flames crackle, flicker

capable of destroying

provides warmth instead

Thanks for joining me today. Have you ever gone camping? What is your favorite part? I'd love to hear from you. :-)

If you'd like to participate in the poetry fun, click here.

AllAuthor Cover of the Month Contest #bookcover #bookcovercontest #allauthor @YvetteMCalleiro #RRBC #RWISA

Hi, beautiful readers! I'm excited to share with you that the cover of HYPE was selected by AllAuthor to be a part of their Cover of the Month contest for April 2022. There are four different rounds of voting. The first round has already started and lasts until April 7th. I'd love for you to show some love to HYPE's cover by voting and sharing it with everyone you know. Click here to vote! And thank you for helping me out! :-)

#TankaTuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 266 #Shadorma #ThemePrompt #fire #water @ColleenChesebro

Hello, beautiful readers! I wasn't sure I'd be able to participate in this week's #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge because I'm about to leave for a four-day camping trip, but an idea came to me and I ran with it. :-) 

This week's theme is fire and water. I chose the form of a Shadorma from Colleen's Poetry Cheat Sheet. This form has six lines with a syllabication pattern of 3-5-3-3-7-5. It doesn't state whether a picture can be used or not, so I chose to add one. Hope you like it! 

(courtesy of @Broesis from Pixabay)

Lust

quench my thirst

or set me aflame

with your touch

satisfy

my urges - please, don't leave me

drenched in cold water