#NaPoWriMo Week 4's #Poems #poetry #poetrycommunity #haiku #tanka #senryu

 

Hello, beautiful readers! Week 4 of NaPoWriMo is complete! I successfully completed the challenge of writing a poem a day for the month of April! This week was quite challenging for me. I barely found any time to write, and I had to work on a piece for another project. Still, I managed to get a poem written every day. This week, the poems were short because of my limited time. As always, one day each week is focused on the #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenges. I hope you enjoy them.

I've broken it up by day, and if I followed a prompt, I posted a link to the prompt in case you want to try your hand at writing one.

Day 24 (haiku):

rain's pitter patter

nourishes earth, calms our soul

nature's orchestra

Day 25 (tanka):

#TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge

macramé moments

cotton chords create beauty

time with mom well spent

wise lessons woven within

the thread of life remembers

Day 26 (tanka):

sit with your sorrow

let it permeate your pores

feel grief in your soul

when ready, exhale and release

it's just one moment in time

Day 27 (haiku):

sit in the garden

observe stillness around you

meditative pause

Day 28 (haiku):

seasonal blossoms

every year brings wonder

celebrate birthdays

Day 29 (senryu?):

mark, set, go

adrenaline rush

victory

Day 30 (tanka):

challenge accepted

write a poem ev'ry day

let the mind wander

notice intricate details

awaken poetic muse

Did you write any poems this week? I'd love to hear from you. :-)

#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge - #Syllabic Form #poem #poetrycommunity #syllabicpoetry #tanka

 

Hello, beautiful readers! For today's #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge, Colleen Chesebro has asked us to write a tanka poem, which consists of five lines with a syllabic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7. They are untitled and do not rhyme.

As some of you know, I am a member of RWISA, the Rave Writers Int'l Society of Authors. Throughout the year, they ask their authors to create pieces on certain themes. So, this week I've been working on a piece for them about a memory I have of my mother and I macraméing together when I was a child. With that occupying my thoughts, I created the following tanka.

(courtesy of Canva.com)

macramé moments

cotton chords create beauty

time with mom well spent

wise lessons woven within

the thread of life remembers

Do you have special memories of a moment with a parent? I'd love to hear from you.

Would you like to try to write your own tanka? Join us here.

#NaPoWriMo Week 3's #Poems #poetry #poetrycommunity #choka #abecedarian #adorna #tanka #freeformpoetry #haiku

Hello, beautiful readers! Week 3 of NaPoWriMo is complete! I am having fun with this challenge. So far, I haven't missed a day. Some days I wrote a haiku or tanka; other days, I challenged myself and took on one of the NaPoWriMo prompts. As always, one day each week is focused on the #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenges.

I've broken it up by day, and if I followed a prompt, I posted a link to the prompt in case you want to try your hand at writing one. One more week to go! :-)

Day 17 (choka):

NaPoWriMo's Day 17 Prompt

black muscadine grapes

smooth onyx skin draws notice

craved for their juices

turned into jams and jellies

but left out to dry

they become weak, wrinkle, die

like human's lifespan

youth and vigor do not last

they become weak, wrinkle, die

life's temporary

each season filled with wonder

live in the present

enjoy life to its fullest

reminisce fondly at end

Day 18 (abecedarian poem):

NaPoWriMo's Day 18 Prompt

anger destroys all in its path

before you lose control

calm your mind

determine your trigger

evaluate your reaction

focus on releasing your angst

grasp onto a sense of peace

help your heart return to its natural rhythm

insist on putting your well-being first

journeys will sometimes present challenges

know you control how you handle them

love yourself and others, even through your anger

manifest kindness and compassion, even in tough times

negative emotions sap your spirit and strength

open yourself to receiving and giving positive energy to others

push through moments of frustration

question your words before they escape your mouth

resist the temptation to lash out

search your soul for forgiveness

treat others as you want to be treated

understand and embrace others, flaws and all

visualize positive outcomes

whispers instead of screams

xenial relationships feed your essence

yearn to surround yourself with harmony

zeal for peace can guide you

Day 19 (adorna):

#TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge

Life's Greatest Gift

a child's birth

blessing from above

miracle

joyous gift

hopes for a great future

fills the heart with love

each birthday

new milestones are met

babe to child

teenager

leaves home to start new path

her journey unfolds

each year

celebrate

trip around sun

best gift of all

living

Day 20 (tanka):

NaPoWriMo Day 19 Prompt

Tolkien Taught Me

evil arachnids

stealthily wait for next meal

eight eyes, eight legs wait

chelicerae poison you

spin a web and suck you dry

Day 21 (free form):

NaPoWriMo Day 21 Prompt

Anxiety

You live

within me,

hiding

in the

crevices

of my

dark mind.

You seize

upon

my fears

and worries,

waiting

for a

moment

to strike.

Your push

your thoughts

like a

broken

record,

never

ending,

on

and

on,

trying to

sap my

strength.

But I've

learned

a thing

or two,

And now

I know

I can

defeat you.

You are

not me,

just an

uninvited

pest who has

overstayed

your

welcome.

And now,

it's time

for you to

go

for I

am now in

control.

 

Day 22 (haiku):

black ravens scavenge

no longer fearful of man

beaks and claws protect

Day 23 (haiku):

cloudless day at beach

body swelters under sun

umbrella protects

Did you write any poetry this week? I'd love to hear from you. 😊

The WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures 3: Passions” Book Blog Tour - Day 5! It's MY day! :-) #poetry #poems #passions #newrelease #poetrycommunity #newbook #blogtour #booktour

Hello, beautiful readers! Today is Day 5 of the WordCrafter "Poetry Treasures 3: Passions" Book Blog Tour. Throughout the book blog tour, you will meet different poets, read their poems, and listen to the poet read a poem. Today's post shares poems by Penny Wilson and ME! 😃 You will also have a chance to win a free ebook copy! The first stop began today. Click here to follow the blog tour! 

Comments are closed. Please visit the tour to share your thoughts. :-)

 

The WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures 3: Passions” Book Blog Tour - Day 4 #poetry #poems #passions #newrelease #poetrycommunity #newbook #blogtour #booktour

 

Hello, beautiful readers! Today is Day 4 of the WordCrafter "Poetry Treasures 3: Passions" Book Blog Tour. I am honored to be one of the contributing poets. Throughout the book blog tour, you will meet different poets, read their poems, and listen to the poet read a poem. Today's post shares poems by Patty Fletcher and Willow Willers. You will also have a chance to win a free ebook copy! The first stop began today. Click here to follow the blog tour! 

Comments are closed. Please visit the tour to share your thoughts. :-)

The WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures 3: Passions” Book Blog Tour - Day 3 #poetry #poems #passions #newrelease #poetrycommunity #newbook #blogtour #booktour

 

Hello, beautiful readers! Today is Day 3 of the WordCrafter "Poetry Treasures 3: Passions" Book Blog Tour. I am honored to be one of the contributing poets. Throughout the book blog tour, you will meet different poets, read their poems, and listen to the poet read a poem. Today's post shares poems by D. Wallace Peach and Abbey Johnson Taylor. You will also have a chance to win a free ebook copy! The first stop began today. Click here to follow the blog tour! 

Comments are closed. Please visit the tour to share your thoughts. :-)

#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge - Create a Syllabic Form #poem #poetrycommunity #syllabicpoetry

 

Hello, beautiful readers! This week, Colleen Chesebro celebrated her 65th birthday, so for this week's #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge, she asked each of us to create a syllabic form with 65 syllables in it. I chose to do a variation of the shadorma. 

My new poem form is called an adorna (nod to the shadorma). It consists of three stanzas and is unrhymed. The first two stanzas have a syllabic pattern of 3/5/3/3/6/5 and the last stanza's syllabic pattern is 2/3/4/4/2. In total, there are 65 syllables. The poem should be titled.

As we are celebrating Colleen's birthday, I chose to write a poem to celebrate life. Happy birthday, Colleen! :-)

(courtesy of Canva.com)

Life's Greatest Gift

a child's birth

blessing from above

miracle

joyous gift

hopes for a great future

fills the heart with love

each birthday

new milestones are met

babe to child

teenager

leaves home to start new path

her journey unfolds

each year

celebrate

trip around sun

best gift of all

living

Would you like to try your hand at writing an adorna? I'd love to read it!

Do you want to create your own poetic form and have it published on Colleen's website? Then, join in on our fun here.

The WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures 3: Passions” Book Blog Tour - Day 2 #poetry #poems #passions #newrelease #poetrycommunity #newbook #blogtour #booktour

Hello, beautiful readers! Today is Day 2 of the WordCrafter "Poetry Treasures 3: Passions" Book Blog Tour. I am honored to be one of the contributing poets. Throughout the book blog tour, you will meet different poets, read their poems, and listen to the poet read a poem. You will also have a chance to win a free ebook copy! The first stop began today. Click here to follow the blog tour! 

Comments are closed. Please visit the tour to share your thoughts. :-)

The WordCrafter “Poetry Treasures 3: Passions” Book Blog Tour #poetry #poems #passions #newrelease #poetrycommunity #newbook #blogtour #booktour

 

Hello, beautiful readers! Today begins the WordCrafter "Poetry Treasures 3: Passions" Book Blog Tour. I am honored to be one of the contributing poets. Throughout the book blog tour, you will meet different poets, read their poems, and listen to the poet read a poem. You will also have a chance to win a free ebook copy! The first stop began today. Click here to follow the blog tour! 

Comments are closed. Please visit the tour to share your thoughts. :-)

#NaPoWriMo Week 2's #Poems #poetry #poetrycommunity #tanka #haiku #nonet #doublenonet #cinquain #mirrorcinquain #narrativepoem

 

Hello, beautiful readers! Week 2 of NaPoWriMo is complete! I've managed to write at least one poem every day. Last weekend, I took a 3-day cruise on Margaritaville at Sea, which gives free cruises to heroes (military and military families, law enforcement, fire, emergency medical, and government employees). My sister and I had a wonderfully relaxing mini-vacation, so a couple of my poems came from that experience.

I've broken it up by day, and if I followed a prompt, I posted a link to the prompt in case you want to try your hand at writing one.

Day 10 (tanka and haiku):

bon voyage I go

I leave the shore behind on

Margaritaville

worries slip away from mind

relaxation makes me smile

sea turtle

dives deep in blue sea

carefree dude

Day 11 (double nonet):

#TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge

Lilies - A Shift in Perspective

rose-colored glasses saw future bliss

heart filled with hopes of happiness

wedding bouquet of lilies

no more petals; pollen

tainted what it touched

love did not last

marriage gone

but now

whole

free

at peace

lessons learned

resolve strengthened

new lilies planted

calm and kindness prevail

hope for a better future

abundant self-care brings new love

like life, pollen creates more petals

Day 12 (mirror cinquain):

NaPoWritMo Day 12 Prompt

Dear Poem,

thank you

vibrant outlet

where my muse sings freely

emotions captured by the pen

express

transform

serenades the soul with wonder

harmonizes the heart

my therapy

with love

Day 13 (haiku):

gentle humpback whales

widespread travelers

sea's soulful singers

Day 14 (narrative poem with ABAAB rhyme scheme):

NaPoWriMo Day 14 Prompt

I chose to mimic my favorite poem, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I can't say I met the challenge's directions, but I had fun trying.

One trail split on a palm tree lined path,

And curious as to where each led,

I stared at each and did some quick math

And analyzed each of the foot paths

Then downloaded the park's map instead.

Each path's mileage was about the same,

But their journeys were nothing alike.

One passed by a bay with trails quite tame.

One was built like an obstacle game,

But both were environments I like.

And knowing I would be back someday,

I chose to push my muscles some more.

Oh, I knew one day I'd enjoy the bay!

Sit under palm trees and watch them sway,

But today I desired to explore.

I will share my story on my site

To allow my followers to see,

One path became two to my delight.

As the sun set, I knew I chose right.

Adventure sets my heart and soul free.

Day 15 (haiku):

wild dandelions

underestimated plant

sustenance for all

Day 16 (haiku):

ocean waters heal

rejuvenate body, soul

Poseidon's cure all

Have you written any poetry this week? I'd love to hear from you. :-)

#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge - Photo Prompt #Ekphrastic #poem #poetrycommunity #DoubleNonet #lilies #marriage #divorce #perspective

Hello, beautiful readers! For today's #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge, Colleen Chesebro provided us with another beautiful photo by Terri Webster Schrandt. Colleen states that lilies "symbolize purity, virtue, innocence, hope, and life." For me, they remind me of my failed marriage. 😂 

Actually, I love lilies, so much so that I chose them as my wedding flower. They are beautiful, elegant, and classy. The marriage fell apart (14 years ago), but no reason to feel sorry for me. I am happily divorced. It was the right decision for me, and I learned a lot from the experience. Plus, my marriage gave me the best gift ever - my son. So, when I saw the picture below, my eyes saw both the petals and the pollen.

I chose to write a double nonet. This form consists of two nonets, one inverted and the other reversed. Each nonet has nine lines with a syllabication pattern either ascending or descending in a 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 pattern. Nonets are titled.

(photo from secondwindleisure.com)

Lilies - A Shift in Perspective

rose-colored glasses saw future bliss

heart filled with hopes of happiness

wedding bouquet of lilies

no more petals; pollen

tainted what it touched

love did not last

marriage gone

but now

whole

free

at peace

lessons learned

resolve strengthened

new lilies planted

calm and kindness prevail

hope for a better future

abundant self-care brings new love

like life, pollen creates more petals

Has your perspective of an event ever shifted? I'd love to hear from you.

Would you like to create your own poem for this picture? Click here and join us.

#NaPoWriMo Week 1's #Poems #poetry #poetrycommunity #haiku #tanka #senryu #triolet #shadorma

Hello, beautiful readers! Week 1 of NaPoWriMo is complete! I've managed to write at least one poem every day, which is a pleasant surprise to me. I've broken it up by day, and if I followed a prompt, I posted a link to the prompt in case you want to try your hand at writing one.

Day 1 (haiku/senryu):

NaPoWriMo Day One Prompt

opposites repel

revealed secrets create bond

shared mission gives strength

lost in the forest

dangers lurk in the shadows

gravitate to light

Day 2 (senryu):

teenager's first love

exhilarated allure

now unrequited

Day 3 (haiku):

protective willows

provides shelter for many

mother nature's arms

Day 4 (triolet):

NaPoWriMo Day Four Prompt

You have shown all your true colors

And now I know what you're about

I should've listened to others

You have shown all your true colors

Made my reputation suffer

All so you could garnish more clout

You have shown all your true colors

And now I know what you're about

Day 5 (tanka):

sit in your silence

listen for what resonates

let breath follow breath

feel earth's energy connect

become whole through acceptance

Day 6 (shadorma):

#TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge

Rejuvenation

a short walk

sink into hot springs

clouds float by

provide shade

toxins escape my body

healing waters work

Day 7 (senryu?):

symbiotic love

you purr against me; I sigh

'till death do us part

Day 8 (haiku):

feet through sifting sands

body absorbs energy

empowers lifeline

Day 9 (haiku):

seagulls squawk for food

traditions replaced by man

nature falls apart

Did you write any poetry this week? I'd love for you to share it.

#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge - Specific Word Challenge #Shadorma #poem #poetrycommunity

Hello, beautiful readers! For this week's #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge, Colleen Chesebro provided us with a list of words and asked us to use 3-5 words from the list to create a shadorma. A shadorma is a six-line poem with the syllabic pattern of 3-5-3-3-7-5. 

(courtesy of Canva)

Rejuvenation

a short walk

sink into hot springs

clouds float by

provide shade

toxins escape my body

healing waters work

Would you like to see the list of words and make your own poem? Click here.

Have you ever enjoyed hot springs? I'd love to hear about your experience.

Happy Poetry Month! #NaPoWriMo Begins Today! #poetry #poems #poetrycommunity

Hello, beautiful readers! Happy April! Today starts National Poetry Month, and thanks to a wonderful poet, Selma, I've learned about NaPoWriMo. Their goal is to promote writing a poem a day for the month of April. You can learn more about it here. 

As if I'm not busy enough (cue the studio laughter), I'm joining the challenge because why not! I may or may not make it until the end, but I will definitely write more poems trying the challenge than simply being a bystander. I've never participated before, but I already like that NaPoWriMo has given an optional prompt to spark writing. 

Today's prompt was to write a poem about a book cover. While at the beach today, I came up with two poems based on two of my book covers. I believe one is a haiku and the other a senryu, but I'm still learning so I could be wrong. (If the poem intrigues you, click on the book cover to learn more about the book.) 😉

opposites repel

revealed secrets create bond

shared mission gives strength

lost in the forest

dangers lurk in the shadows

gravitate to light

So, that's day one! 😊 I won't post every day because I honestly don't have the time. My goal is to post the poems I write at the end of every week. I hope you join me on my journey.

Did you write a poem today? I'd love for you to share it with me.