Left Behind - #dVerse #prosery #XplorationChallenge #FFFC #prosery #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Today, I'll be combining three prompts. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was a bit busy this weekend, so I'm catching up with some of my favorite sites for prompts. 

Over at dVerse's Prosery: Making a Parka, Ms. JadeLi invites us to write a prosery, which is a prose story, that uses the phrase "make of it a parka for your soul" by Alice Walker, from Before you knew you owned it. We also had a word limit of 144. My original version had 347 words, so I whittled it down to fit the word limit.

Reena's Xploration Challenge #368 challenges us to use metonymy and pleonasm in our piece. I had never heard of either word before this challenge. Metonymy is "a literary device in which a word or object stands for a closely related word or object." For example, one could use the word suit for a business executive. Pleonasm is when you use more words that needed to convey a meaning.

Melissa's Flash Fiction Challenge provides us with the interesting and cute photo below and encourages us to use it as inspiration.

(image courtesy of Matt McCarthy)

Left Behind

Sofia shut the door to her apartment, drained from the funeral. She felt an empty void. Despite the dishes left by family, she couldn’t eat.

Meow

Their newest edition poked his head out of the tunnel of her toddler's train set. After finding out the chemo wasn't working, her husband had come home with him. Seeing the kitten, she said, "He's beautiful, my love. What made you get him?"

"I won't be here much longer. I hope he’ll fill your lives with love. Make of it a parka for your soul.  Every time you see him, know my love's still here."

Sofia kissed Mittens on the head as she felt a loving warmth embrace her. "Come on, Mittens. It's time to wake Jake Junior from his nap. We've got some living to do."

never-ending change

learn to adapt to seasons

accept small blessings

 

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

dVerse's Prosery: Making a Parka

Reena's Xploration Challenge #368

Melissa's Flash Fiction Challenge

Haiku - #72JapaneseMicroSeasons #haiku #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! This week, Colleen Chesebro introduces us the Japanese micro-season of Uo kōri o izuru, which represents the seasons of "fish emerge from the ice." 

I decided to write a haiku, which is three lines with a 5-7-5 syllabic pattern. It also must include a kigo word (representing the season).

(image created by Microsoft Copilot)

spring's warming sun rays

winter's grip begins to thaw

fish emerge from ice

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

Resilience - #senryu #WDYS #SpinTheBottleprompt #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! It has been a busy weekend for me. My son and I went up to his university to sign a lease for the upcoming school year. It was a 10+ hour road trip in one day, so I felt drained emotionally and physically, but I also felt relief to have that task completed. Yesterday, I worked my part-time online job, went to the gym, and spent some time with a friend. Today is a holiday for me, so I'm finally finding my way back to poetry.

For this week's What Do You See? prompt, Sadje provides us with the picture below and encourages us to write an original story, poem, or caption. 

Robbie's Spin the Bottle prompt encourages us to write a senryu, which is a poem with 3 or more lines with a short-long-short syllabication pattern. Senryu poems focus on emotions such as "anything that touches on the pain we experience through sorrow, prejudice, oppression, anger, and frustration." Humor and sarcasm as also popular elements in senryu poems.

(Image credit; Leandra Rieger @Unsplash)

new babe brought to life

uncertain world creates fear

practice resilience

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

What Do You See? prompt

Robbie's Spin the Bottle prompt 

Love Potion - #ReverseEtheree #MoonwashedWeeklyPrompt #dVerse #Poetics #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and dVerse's Poetics invites us to write a piece related to the holiday in their "From Your Valentine" prompt. Sanaarizvi invites us to choose one of three prompts: 1) Love Potions and Concoctions, 2) Love Letters Through Time, or 3) Love in a Digital Age. Over at Moonwashed Weekly Prompt, Eugi encourages us to write a poem using the word luster, so I decided to combine the two prompts.

I decided to write a poem for option 1. I chose an Reverse Etheree form, which is a poem of ten lines with each line losing a syllable (10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1).

(courtesy of @madenme on Pixabay)

Love Potion

clear your mind of all past admirations

envision perfect imperfections

pour a base of solid friendship

stir in sexual desire

mix 'till full of luster

sprinkle with laughter

add honesty

and patience

create

love

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

dVerse's Poetics: From Your Valentine

Moonwashed Weekly Prompt

The Struggle Within - #CreativePerspectiveChallenge #W3 #tankaprose #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! For this week's Creative Perspective Challenge, D.L. Finn provided us with the eerie picture below and encouraged us to write a poem or flash fiction inspired by it. Also, Svenja at W3: Wea've Written Weekly encouraged us to write a poem of eleven lines focused on not giving up, urging the reader "to persevere, try again, or push forward for just one more time or day." Originally, I wrote this for D.L. Finn's prompt, but it fits perfectly for W3 and has exactly eleven "lines," so I've included that challenge here as well.

I decided to write a tanka prose. This poetry form consists of one paragraph of prose and one tanka, which is a five-line poem with a syllabic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7. 

(courtesy of Canva)

The Struggle Within

I take a hesitant step onto the narrow bridge meant for one traveler: me. Though it is reinforced with fortitude and resilience, patches have crumbled into the depths below. The path on the other side is even more treacherous. Steep climbs and risky ledges litter the ominous mountain's edge. Vultures fly overhead, eagerly encouraging me to give up. Darkness attempts to swallow me, but I keep my gaze on the shimmer of light from the other side of the mountain. Failure is not an option.

negative voice screams

resolve threatens to shatter

anxieties rise

don't give up, says inner strength

embrace greatness within you

Would you like to write about this picture or about persevering? Click the links below:

Creative Perspective Challenge

W3: Wea've Written Weekly

Love Because... - #FFFC #WDYS #dVerse #poem #poetry #poetrychallenge #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Valentine's Day is right around the corner and both Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge and Sadje's What Do You See? prompt shared images related to love, so I've decided to combine the prompts. I also combined dVerse's Quadrille #217: Poems with Zing! which asks us to write a quadrille poem incorporating the word zing, and it seemed to just fit right in! (A quadrille should only have 44 words. Originally, I had more, so I revised it.)

This holiday tends to focus on romantic love, but there are so many forms of love which tend to be forgotten. There is the love between friends, bringing joy and laughter for years. There is the love of family, providing comfort and security. There is the love and zest for life, adding excitement and adventure into our days. Most importantly, there is the love of self. Sadly, this is the one most people forget to nurture. It is for these other forms of love that I chose to write my poem.

(image credit; Bilal Karim @ Unsplash)

Love Because...

without love,

life’s an endless stream 

of monochromatic gray

an empty ravine

thirsting for water

without reprieve

with love,

each sunrise's radiant glory

infuses the spirit with zing

full of wonder

vibrant

 

love

freely

 

because

everyone deserves to feel loved

most of all

you

 

(image credit; Susn Matthiessen @ Unsplash)

Would you like to write a poem or flash fiction piece for either of these prompts? Click the links below:

Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge

Sadje's What Do You See? prompt

dVerse's Quadrille #217: Poems with Zing!

Bush Warbler's Song - #72JapaneseMicroSeasons #haiku #syllabicpoetry #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! For this second week in the 72 Micro-Seasons of Japan, Colleen Chesebro introduces us to the micro-season of kenkan su, or bush warblers start singing in the mountains. She shared a fascinating link to learn more about the Japanese bush warbler. It even includes audio examples of the bird's beautiful songs. 

I decided to write a haiku, which is a poem of three lines with a syllabic pattern of 5-7-5.

(courtesy of @Erik_Karits on Pixabay)

a bush warbler smiles

winter retreats, spring begins

mountains echo songs

Would you like to write a poem for this Japanese micro-season? Join us here.

Star-Crossed Lovers - #abhanga #spinthebottlepoetry #starcrossedlovers #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! For this week's Syllabic Poetry Spin the Bottle challenge, Robbie encourages us to write an abhanga, which is a poem of four lines with a 6-6-6-4 pattern, where lines two and three rhyme. Robbie also mentioned Esther Chilton's writing challenge prompt provided the word secret, so I decided to incorporate that as well.

I have always loved waterfalls. They are magnificent and majestic, and the energy surrounding them infuses my soul with harmony and wonder. When my family and I took road trips across the USA, we always searched for national parks and waterfalls we could explore. I could sit and listen to them for hours if I had the time to do so. 

(image created by Microsoft Bing Image Creator)

Star-Crossed Lovers

secret words of true love

lost in waterfall's roar

passion captured on shore

forbidden tryst

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

Syllabic Poetry Spin the Bottle Challenge

Esther Chilton's Writing Challenge

Banyan Trees - #haiku #XplorationChallenge #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! This week's Reena's Xploration Challenge #367 focused on banyan trees. We could choose any format we wanted.

Here in South Florida, we have plenty of banyan trees. I have always found them to be majestic. When I was little, between moving from one place to another (my dad was in the Army), we would stop in Miami and visit family. I have a great memory of my sister, half-brother, and half-sister hanging upside down from the banyan tree's roots that had yet to reach the ground. My son, niece, and nephew have also had fun swinging from them back when they were little. 

Reena shared with us some folklore as well as how a banyan tree grows. You can read about it here. Suddenly, my view of banyan trees shifted. I had no idea they begin their lives by hitching a ride on trees that already exist, eventually killing the host trees. I've been admiring a murderer all this time! LOL!

So, I've chosen to write two haiku - one for my adoration of the banyan trees and one for the horrific truth of them. 

glorious banyans

provide shelter for us all

from sweltering sun

monstrous banyan trees

survival of the fittest

magnificent beasts

Are you inspired to write about the banyan trees? Join us here.

Spring's Arrival - #JapaneseMicroSeasons #BadgersHexastich #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Colleen Chesebro invites us to join her in following the 72 Japanese Micro-Seasons for poetic inspiration. This week's micro-season is in the season of 東風解凍 Harukaze kōri o toku, which means east wind melts the ice. 

I've decided to write a Badger's Hexastich. This poetry form contains six lines with a syllabic pattern of 2-4-6-6-4-2. 

(created with Microsoft Bing Image Creator)

Spring's Arrival

east wind

melts the cold ice

keeping my heart hostage

waves on shore shatter chains

signs of spring bring

new hope

Would you like to write a poem about this season? Join us here.

No Regrets - #MTB #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! For this week's dVerse MTB: The Sparrow as Starlet, Laura Bloomsbury encourages us to write "an invented stanzaic form created by Kathrine Sparrow that she calls a variation of the Swap Quatrain." This form contains a stanza of six lines. Each line must have eight syllables with an end rhyme scheme of BbabaA. Line 1 and line 6 it written in two hemistichs, which means the line splits in two with commas and are inverted versions of each other.

(image created by Microsoft Bing Image Creator)

No Regrets

have no regrets, just lessons learned

consequences were all well earned

idyllic dreams, changing mindsets

experience can't be returned

wisdom comes through many vignettes

just lessons learned, have no regrets

Would you like to write a poem for this week's MTB: The Sparrow at Starlet? If so, click here.

Never Truly Gone - #W3 #Wea'veWrittenWeekly #dVerse #Poetics #MoonwashedWeeklyPrompt #EchoPoem #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I'm prompt-combining again, but this one was a doozy as two of the prompts are concepts I've never worked with, so it was a bit of a struggle. Still, with limited time, I wanted to see if I could manage to combine the prompts and create something worthwhile. I'm not sure if I did (lol), but I definitely tried. 

For dVerse's Poetics: Reimagining the Familiar, Dora encouraged us to take a common object or a habit and reimagine it in some way. So, I chose to take a sunset and imagine a lost loved one painting the sky.

For Eugi's Moonwashed Weekly Prompt, she provided us with a beautiful image and the following lines and asked us to use any word or line (or the image) as inspiration. Her phrases were:

popsicle skypage

a scenic masterpiece

brushstrokes by nature

For W3 #145: Wea've Written Weekly, David introduced us to Echo Verse and asked us to write a poem using it. The only rule is that the sound of the end syllable of each line must repeat at the end of that line. I struggled with this form, but hopefully, I used it correctly below.

Never Truly Gone

Staring at the colorful sky, I

watch the clouds begin to dance, dance

the sunset's rays begin to paint ~ paint

brushstrokes by nature, heaven sent

sent

by you to remind me of your love ~ of

nature's scenic masterpiece ~

peace

fills my lonely heart ~ art

colors the sky in your favorite color ~ or

what's become mine, too ~ to

remind me of you, 

you

are there, painting magnificent hues ~ hues

that make a statement ~ meant

to let me know you are still here ~ here

with me in spirit forever

forever

my artist, forever my love

love

Would you like to try out one of these challenges? Click the links below:

dVerse's Poetics: Reimagining the Familiar

Eugi's Moonwashed Weekly Prompt

W3 #145: Wea've Written Weekly

Joke's on Him - #dVerse #HaibunMonday #haibun #GroundhogDay #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! This Monday's dVerse Haibun Monday challenge is hosted by Frank J. Tassone. He encouraged us to focus on Groundhog Day, which was celebrated this past weekend. For those of you outside of the USA, this is a tradition where a celebration is held to see if a groundhog sees his shadow. If he does, he predicts six more weeks of winter. If he does not, it predicts an early spring. 

For those unfamiliar with a haibun, it is a poem that consists of prose and a haiku. The prose is usually written in the present tense and focuses on an experience. Haiku are always nature-based and should use a kigo word (connected to nature or seasons). I decided to have a little fun with it.

(created with Microsoft Copilot)

Joke's on Him

As I lounge here, watching this overweight fur ball get pulled out of a fake tree trunk, I can't help but wonder what all the hoopla is about. Those men in cosplay top hats and tuxedoes pull him out of that hole full of hay to raise him up in the freezing air. And all those people cheering for him! What a joke! That fatso lay on a carpet without getting up off his belly. Then those men tried to say he predicted more winter by seeing his shadow. Puh-leeze! I see my shadow every day, and we almost never have cold weather! That fur ball needs to find a way to escape and come down here, so I can get him in shape.

traditions abound

winter will give way to spring

Gaia will decide

Want to write a haibun about Groundhog Day? Join us here.

Consequential Choices - #FFFC #haibun #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! This week, Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge provides us with the photo below and encourages us to write flash fiction or poetry based on it. I chose to write a haibun, which is a combination of a paragraph of prose and a haiku. The prose tends to be non-fictional or autobiographical, but mine is definitely fictional.

(image credit; Toa Heftiba on Unsplash)

Consequential Choices

He stands frozen in place, staring at a woman's purse, with its scattered belongings. The paramedics hoist the dead woman's body into the back of the ambulance. His brain says to collect the purse and give it to them so her family can have it. But he can't move, can't stop staring at the purse, a purse that belongs to a young woman. A woman that will never hold it again because he was too busy sending a text instead of watching the road.

tragic distractions

tornadic consequences

treasured life destroyed

Are you inspired to create a piece for this photo? Join us here.

Green - #WDYS #whatdoyousee #haiku #weeklypromptscolourchallenge #green #poetry #poem #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Today, I am combining two prompts that mesh well together. The first is from Sadje's What Do You See? prompt, where she provides an image to inspire us to write. The second is from Sue W and Gerry C's Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge. This week's color is green.

I decided to write a haiku. A haiku is a three-lined poem with a syllabication pattern of short-long-short. In my case, I used 5-7-5. Haiku are written about nature in some manner.

(image credit; Aditya Chinchure @Unsplash)

such sparse greenery

nature struggles to survive

among concrete blocks

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

What Do You See? Prompt

Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge

A Mother's Joy - #reverseetheree #etheree #son #motherslove #corruptleaders #spinthebottlepoetry #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #writer #writingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Today, Robbie invites us to write a reverse Etheree for her Spin the Bottle syllabic poetry challenge. A reverse Etheree has ten lines with a syllabic pattern of 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. We could choose any topic we wanted.

My first thoughts were of my son. He is taking online classes at his university for this first year as a way to save money by living at home. In August, he will move to campus to get the full college experience. I am beyond proud of the young man he has become, and I am excited for his journey, but I am also going to miss having him around.

(image created by Microsoft Bing Image Creator)

A Mother's Joy

sound of first cry filled my heart with love

his monkey crawl showed innovation

his laughter made sound waves of joy

discipline brought excellence

life's lessons made him strong

now, ready to go

on own journey

leaves nest but

always

son

My other thought went dark. There are many benefits to stronger technology and AI, but when put in the wrong hands, it is destructive. We are living in a time where the powerful and greedy want full control, and their vision of the world only enriches themselves. 

(created by Microsoft Copilot)

Corrupt Leaders

manipulation controls narrative

deceit, half-truths litter the airwaves

lack of fact-checking hurts nation

greed and need for power reign

civil servants serve selves

chaos, lies resume

trust distinguished

uncertain

future

now

Would you like to write a reverse Etheree? Join us here.