A Crack in Concrete - #TankaTuesday #Xploration #reversecinquain #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! My parents are coming into town to celebrate my birthday, and I am looking forward spending time with them. Although my birthday is Saturday, I have a different celebration with a different group every day this weekend, starting today with my family. It's going to be a busy but very fun few days.

Today, I'm combining two challenges. The first is #TankaTuesday, where Robbie invites us to write an imagist poem. This form focuses on the poet describing a specific object in an image. I chose to write a two reverse cinquains with a syllabic pattern of 2-8-6-4-2-2-8-6-4-2.

The second challenge is Reena's Xploration Challenge #420. Reena shares several quotes and invites us to use one of the quotes as a theme to our poem. I chose to go with the following quote: "Resilience is the green shoot breaking through the stone."

(image created by Gemini)

A Crack in Concrete

rigid

chaos causes cracks in concrete

winds scatter dropped seedlings

sunshine seeps in

seeds grow

firm stem

golden face and petals seek sun

no permission needed

bright sunflower

stands strong

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

#TankaTuesday

Reena's Xploration Challenge #420

Stuck in Space - #FFFC #dVerse #haibun #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Today, I'm combining two prompts which, on the surface, don't really go together, but in my head, it makes perfect sense. Lol!

The first prompt comes from Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #362. Melissa provides the image below, and I see a girl who gets all glam on the outside while drowning her sorrows in mind-altering numbness.

The second prompt comes from dVerse's Haibun Monday 3-2-26: A "Life on Mars" Tribute. Frank Tassone invites us to write a haibun focused on the theme of Tracy K. Smith's "Life on Mars." He shares two quotes that focus on mourning a parent. I resonated with the second quote, but zoomed out of the loss of a parent and focused on a different kind of loss.

(image courtesy of Taina Bernard)

Stuck in Space

Your energy called to me before I even saw you, awakening dormant cells in my heart who sought you out like a nomad glimpsing an oasis. Your magnetism drew me in so powerfully and consumed so much of me that I knew not where you ended and I began. A whirlwind of love and passion spinning me round and round euphorically until you suddenly left without a word, leaving me to drift in the darkest vacuum in space, confused and alone. My heart still searches for you like a lost ship seeking its lighthouse, but my head knows your shores are too rocky and seeks a safer harbor. 

uninhabited

spinning alone in space

seeking companion

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

Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #362

dVerse's Haibun Monday 3-2-26: A "Life on Mars" Tribute

February Japanese Micro Seasons Challenge - #TankaTuesday #haiku #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

 

Hello, beautiful readers! Colleen Chesebro at #TankaTuesday shared the February 2026 Micro-Seasons Challenge earlier this month. I have shared my haikus using the micro-season phrases as well as a few of the others I've written this month.

February 4-8

icicles on trees

winter's trophy starts to crack

east wind melts the ice

~~~

February 9-13

ten bush warblers

start singing in the mountains

peaceful orchestra

~~~

February 14-18

opaque lake turns clear

bright fish emerge from the ice

a welcomed rainbow

~~~

February 19-23

rain moistens the soil

seedlings begin to waken

winter's goodbye kiss

~~~

February 24-28

seasonal dance starts

mists start to linger on lakes

fox comes out of den

Here are a few of the other haikus I wrote this month:

frozen drops of rain

crystallized leaves on palm trees

unexpected sights

~~~

cotton candy sky

from pastels to vibrant hues

night's golden glory

~~~

lighthouse in the dark

sanctuary among thieves

home away from home

~~~

palm trees sway in breeze

small ripples caress calm lake

sweet serenity

~~~

feet pitter patter

vibrant green grass tickles him

joyous burst of glee

~~~

buzzing bumblebee

flits from flower to flower

sweet, delightful job

~~~

chilled flowing waters

trapped just beneath the surface

awaits to break free

~~~

farmland grapes talk

releasing secrets from past

drunken truths revealed

~~~

a bird caws in tree

sun slowly rises in east

cat stretches front legs

Would you like to follow the Japanese micro-seasons? Join us here.

Love Gone Wrong - #W3 #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Happy March! My birthday is just days away, and I am looking forward to another wonderful year around the sun. As normally happens around my birthday, I become reflective and look back at moments from my past to celebrate how far I've come. I love where I am in my life and look forward to many happy new experiences.

For this week's Wea've Written Weekly (W3) challenge, Christine invites us to write a poem with 26 words, each word using a different letter of the alphabet. Surprisingly, it wasn't too hard.

(image courtesy of @TheDigitalArtist on Pixabay)

a zealous tryst

heart quivered from caresses

didn't believe in love

until joy permeated everywhere

romance grew voraciously

you were my Xanadu

now...only know sorrow

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

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.