My Amber Girl - #W3 #FFFC #XplorationChallenge #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! School's out for summer! (yes, I sung that...lol) I am officially on summer vacation. My alarms are turned off (an absolute delight for me), and I am ready for a summer of relaxation and rejuvenation. Renovations are still taking place in my home and probably will be for a few more weeks. I have plenty of outings planned with friends, including this weekend. And next week, my sister and I are going camping for four days. So, I will be off the grid next week. I will be disconnecting from technology and absorbing all the wonderful energy nature shares with me. 

It's been a busy week, so I'm a bit behind in some of my prompts. I'm going to try to combine three different prompts today. The first one comes from Reena's Xploration Challenge #384. This week, Reena encourages us to use a question or an exclamation in our piece, not necessarily the symbols for the spirit of them. I've italicized my questions.

In this week's Wea've Written Weekly (W3), Bob asks us to write a poem inspired by his poem, "Mama's Voice in the Kitchen." In it, he explores grief, memory, and how everyday spaces hold strong emotions. Within our poem, we must use the word "still" at least twice and we must deliberately repeat a word, phrase, or sentence at least three times. I've bolded my repetitive phrase and the "still" words.

Finally, in Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge, she shares with us the image below and encourages us to let it inspire us as we write. 

I chose to write a freestyle poem for this challenge. I didn't expect to get emotional while I wrote it, but it really took me back to my Amber girl's journey. Amber was a brown, American chihuahua, not as tiny as a Mexican chihuahua, and she had none of the attitude. She was my first and only dog that I have owned on my own. She was an incredible companion. 

(image courtesy of Getty Images on Unsplash)

My Amber Girl

I remember when I first met you

apart from your brothers and sisters

the runt of the litter

giving off shy vibes

but your eyes asked me to

pick you, love you

and I did

I remember your calm nature

as if you knew I needed

something to balance the anxiety

bombarding me

you always were my calm through my storms

your tail always wagging

your licks always loving

your cuddles always comforting

I remember when you got sick

when diabetes grabbed hold of you

and wouldn't let go

was it the many times you stole

from my chocolate stash

or just the unlucky spin of fate

that made your body

betray your sweet spirit

I remember how you slowly deteriorated

even with the medicines

and my love

how you spent more and more time

lying in my lap

your favorite place

how you never left my side

as if knowing I needed

every minute I could get with you

And I remember that last day

when you lay still in my arms

licking my tears off my face

were you aware I was 

choosing to put you out of your misery

while gutting my heart 

I held you as you took your last breath

and poured my love into you

until I had to let go

I hold my memories of you

in secure, compartmentalized boxes

I open the happy ones frequently

sometimes I look down at my lap

and imagine you lying there

sleeping soundly

sweetly dreaming

it's been seventeen years

since your passing

and I love you still

and always will

my sweet, Amber girl

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

Reena's Xploration Challenge #384

Wea've Written Weekly (W3)

Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge

My Beach, My Sanctuary - #dVerse #haibun #beach #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! This week on dVerse's Poetics, Melissa Lemay is taking us to a day "At the Beach With Picasso." Melissa shared three art pieces by Pablo Picasso that focus on the beach and encouraged us to write about a day at the beach. I didn't connect with any of the three paintings she shared, but I did find another Picasso painting that I liked, so I used that one instead. I chose to write a haibun, which is a paragraph of prose and a haiku.

(Seated bather on the beach by Pablo Picasso, c1929)

My Beach, My Sanctuary

I feel deeply connected to the beach. I don't know if it's because I'm a Pisces or an empath, but being at the beach resets my soul. I am blessed to live near a beach and try to visit it every weekend, weather permitting. My friends and I take our umbrellas and create a little camp. I dig my feet in the sand, grounding and letting the earth pull all the toxic energy from my body. I swim to the buoy and back when the waters are calm enough. I walk past thirteen lifeguard stands until I reach the jetty and then back again, soaking in the sun and watching other families enjoying their day. I listen to the seagulls begging for food, waves lapping upon the shore, and friends laughing at stories shared. My friends and I share wine and treats at "tea time." And after a full day of pure relaxation and joy, we pack up our belongings and head home, already looking forward to the next weekend when we get to enjoy it all over again.

soothing, rhythmic waves

ocean breeze rejuvenates

my sanctuary

Would you like to write a poem about a day at the beach? Join us here.

Political Overload - #MoonwashedWeeklyPrompt #dVerse #quadrille #tankaprose #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I'm combining two prompts today. The first is from Moonwashed Weekly Prompt where Eugi provides the following poem and invites us to use the words as inspiration. I've bolded and italicized the words I chose to use in my poem.

impulsive nature

lauds summer in floral dress

intoxicating

The second prompt is from dVerse's Poet's Pub - ...the sun'll come up. In this prompt, Lillian invites us to use the word sunrise in a quadrille, which is a poem with exactly 44 lines. I chose to write a tanka prose for my quadrille. 

(image created with Microsoft Bing Image Creator)

Political Overload

She missed the days when elected leaders ran the country without pomp and circumstance, when they just protected the country's values without needing constant attention.

impulsive chaos

darkens the hopes of many

summer is coming

sunrise on the horizon

new way forward is brewing

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

Moonwashed Weekly Prompt

dVerse's Poet's Pub - ...the sun'll come up

A Friendship's Journey - #TankaTuesday #GarlandCinquain #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Today is my day to host the #TankaTuesday poetry challenge, so I hope you'll stop by and visit me over there. This week, we are writing a cinquain. There are many variations to the cinquain. Each cinquain is made of five lines and has a syllabication pattern of 2-4-6-8-2. 

I decided to challenge myself this week and write my first Garland cinquain. It consists of six cinquains where the last stanza is made up of one line from each of the previous stanzas. The theme this week is focused on beginnings and endings with a bonus if we use a kigo word associated with summer. I've bolded and italicized my kigo words. I've also changed the text color of the lines that connect my Garland cinquain.

(image courtesy of @Ichigo121212 on Pixabay)

A Friendship's Journey

hello

friendly gesture

heartbeat of calming waves

beginning of a new friendship

smiles shared

sorry

one simple word

a vibrant sunrise

dispels the darkness of hurt

healed heart

strong hug

mends old mistakes

basks the soul in sunshine

allows forgiveness to heal

reset

fun times

fond adventures

watermelon moments

a bridge to future connections

true bonds

old age

sunset of life

so hard to say goodbye

frail fingers interlinked with love

special

hello

one simple word

basks the soul in sunshine

a bridge to future connections

special

Would you like to write a cinquain with us this week? Join us here.

Sea Turtles - #WDYS #haiku #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! It's the last week of school, and I'm packing up my classroom and getting ready to turn off my alarm for two months. Truly, turning off my alarm is what I most look forward to during the summer. Lol! 

For this week's What Do You See? prompt, Sadje provides us with two images and invites us to let them inspire us. I chose the image below and wrote a haiku. 

(image credit; Adam Azim at Unsplash)

weary sea turtle

journey of a thousand miles

happy to be home

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

May 2025 Book Reviews #bookreview #books #amreading #readingcommunity #BlackDaggerBrotherhood #prisoncamp @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! In just one week, the school year will be over, and I am very much looking forward to summer break. I was able to sneak in some reading this month. I am still wrapped into my vampire series. It's just SO good, and I love living in a world that exists in over twenty amazing books. Passionflix has created a mini-series for the first book (Dark Lover) and they plan to turn at least eleven of the books into shows, so my friends and I are trying to read all the books already written before the first show comes out. If you aren't into vampires or werewolves, this month's book reviews won't be too interesting for you. Anyway, here are my reviews for this month. All reviews receiving three or more stars.

The Viper (Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp Book 3)

by JR Ward

Genre: Paranormal Vampire Romance

Pages: 365 pages

Book Blurb:

A heart-wrenching tale of love and betrayal in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world from #1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward.

Framed for the grisly murder of his shellan, Kane is condemned to the notorious prison camp—unaware of the dark truth behind his arranged mating. Centuries later, when he is horribly burned while attempting to save others, he prays he’ll finally be reunited in the Fade with his mate…not knowing what revelations await him.

Nadya is a self-taught nurse who does what she can to ease the suffering of the prisoners. When Kane comes under her care, she cannot help but empathize with his condition for very personal reasons—and as the guards take him away one last time, she fears he is facing a terrible death.

After a daring rescue, Kane is offered a treatment that will change his very nature. Choosing life, for the time being, he goes back for the female who took such good care of him—but his duty to Nadya sets him on a collision course with his own past. When long-buried secrets are exposed, his self-destruction is inevitable…unless true love can save his soul.

My Review:

This story picks up where the previous one left off. Kane is taken to the wolven camp and must decide whether he wants to live or die. With thoughts of saving Nadya from the prison camp, he chooses to live. Unbeknown to him, his only way to survive is to transform into something of a hybrid. I had a little difficulty getting into the story at first because I didn't like the idea of Kane's personality and his dynamics with his friends changing. Luckily, the author made me fall in love with his character again.

Nadya is amazing, and I love the storyline she was given. I also enjoyed how Kane and Nadya's pasts collided. This story really brings a new sense of hatred for the glymera. I really loved the scenes with Callum and Apex, but I don't understand why the author hasn't written another book in this series since there are things that are unresolved. I can only imagine that she shifted this cliffhanger over to her other side series, Lair of the Wolven. So, I'm off to read those because I just have to know what happens to Callum. 

If you enjoy paranormal stories of vampires and were-animals with steamy scenes, you will love this series.

Claimed (Lair of the Wolven, Book 1)

by JR Ward

Genre: Women's Romance Fiction

Pages: 523

Book Blurb:

A heart-pounding new series set in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world, about a scientist fighting to save the gray wolves—and getting caught in a deadly trap herself...

Lydia Susi is passionate about protecting wolves in their natural habitat. When a hotel chain develops a tract of land next to the preserve, Lydia is one of the most vocal opponents of the project—and becomes a target.

One night, a shadowy figure threatens Lydia’s life in the forest, and a new hire at the Wolf Study Project comes from out of nowhere to save her. Daniel Joseph is both mysterious, and someone she intrinsically wants to trust. But is he hiding something?

As the stakes get higher, and one of Lydia’s colleagues is murdered, she must decide how far she will go to protect the wolves. Then a shocking revelation about Daniel challenges Lydia’s reality in ways she could never have predicted. Some fates demand courage, while others require even more, with no guarantees. Is she destined to have true love...or will a soul-shattering loss ruin her forever?

My Review: 

As you may already know, I am a huge fan of JR Ward's vampire series. I decided to take a chance on this wolven series, and I'm enjoying it. I love that the vampires are interwoven into this story (even though the connection isn't made until almost the end). This story follows Lydia as she tries to protect the wolves in the preserve. She's a scientist and is very passionate about her job at the Wolf Study Project. Daniel comes into her life, pretending to need a job as a handyman. The attraction between them is instant, but Lydia tries to keep her distance.

There are very few books that can throw me for a loop, but this one had such an amazing plot twist that I was stunned. For almost the whole book, I was thinking one thing, never suspecting the true hidden secret. I loved that she got me, though I wish it would have happened much sooner. This book was a bit slow-moving, but I still enjoyed it. It also ends on several cliffhangers. I know many people hate that, but I'm completely fine with it. I'm diving into book two now. 

Forever (The Lair of the Wolven, Book 2)

by JR Ward

Genre: Werewolf & Shifter Romance

Pages: 478

Book Blurb:

Lydia Susi and Daniel Joseph’s story continues in the Lair of the Wolven series from #1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward.

For Lydia Susi, there is no sweet sorrow in saying goodbye to the man she loves. As a wolven hiding among humans, she’s used to being alone—until destiny gives her the kind of love she never dared to dream about. But after a sudden devastating diagnosis, grief is the only thing she sees in her future.

As an operative for a clandestine arm of the United States government, Daniel Joseph always expected to die an early death. He just assumed it would be out in the field—not in a laboratory hospital bed. With his time running out, he refuses a potentially lifesaving treatment to focus on making sure that Lydia finds her wolven clan.

Following an attack on the lab’s compound, Daniel fears his former boss is coming after the two of them. Marshaling his strength, he must call on all of his training to protect his love…even if it means her moving on without him.

My Review:

Although this book was a much slower pace, I still enjoyed it. I'm okay with slow moving books as long as they lead somewhere, and this one definitely did. The twists and turns toward the end were fantastic! I was so happy to hear Callum mentioned, and I really hope to hear more about him in the next book. 

This story picks up where Claimed left off. Daniel is still dying and refuses to take the experimental drug that might save his life. Lydia is struggling with letting him go. C.P. Phalen is struggling with her own issues and surprises. Gus is frustrated with his situation and looking for a resolution. And everyone is his/her own ticking time bomb.

Then, there's Xhex. I love that she is a part of this book, but I don't think her true purpose has been revealed yet. The scenes with her and John shredded my heart. The author really knows how to gut out the reader's heart and then mend it back together.

This story also ends on a crazy cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to see how it all gets resolved in the next book! All I know is Daniel better live!

What have you read this month? I'd love to hear from you. :-)

The End of a Nation - #XplorationChallenge #dVerse #Trolaan #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Today, I am combining two prompts again. The first comes from Reena's Xploration Challenge #383 where she shares the image below and encourages to use it for inspiration. The second challenge is from dVerse's Poets Pub - Poetry Form: Trolaan. This form is new to me, so I'm sharing the format below in case you also want to try it.

 My mind took a bit of a dark turn with this image. Here is what I created:

The End of a Nation

chaos has become the norm

causing people to be confused

corruption found in every form

constitution is being abused

harmful choices hurt communities

house and senate cower

hefty criminals given immunities

hope for future becomes dour

alarms are sounded to warn the masses

anger and resistance begin to simmer

apathy decimates the working classes

allies' hopes of unity look dimmer

loyalty to leader demanded above all

laws are no longer followed

lawlessness will lead to nation's fall

lines of constitution are hollowed

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

Reena's Xploration Challenge #383

dVerse's Poets Pub - Poetry Form: Trolaan

Overcoming Obstacles - #WDYS #senryu #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! For this week's What Do You See? prompt, Sadje provides us with two images and encourages us to let them inspire us. Since I don't have much free time today, I've chosen to write a senryu to one of her images (below).

(image credit; Dennis Yu @ Unsplash)

obstacles loom large

the hill is worth the ascent

overcome your fears

Would you like to write a poem for this image? Click here.

Sage Advice - #W3 #MoonwashedWeeklyPrompt #poem #dialect #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I'm attempting to combine two prompts today. The first is from Wea've Written Weekly (W3) where Violet asks us to tell a story in verse - true or imagined. She encourages us to let the voice guide the poem while using a dialect. The second prompt is from Moonwashed Weekly Prompt. Eugi provides us the picture below with the following poem:

a simple flower

summons smiles

calming of the day

I've chosen to write a free-verse poem of an imagined moment. It is purely fictional. I did not have this kind of relationship with my grandmother, but it would have been nice to have. I've bolded and italicized the phrase I chose to use from the poem above.

(image by @tanrica on Pixabay)

Sage Advice

my abuela always knew

her inner radar recognized my angst

she'd quietly sit beside me

take my hand in hers

and stare toward the horizon with me

calma tus nervios

she'd say

ease your fears

el diablo no puede entrar

if you don't open the door

think of a simple flower

a sunflower

she cares not for the darkness

ignores it

gives it no power

she simply finds the sun

and absorbs its energy

be a sunflower

summon your smiles
for you cannot smile and frown

at the same time

*calma tus nervios - calm your nerves

*el diablo no puede entrar - the devil cannot enter

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

Wea've Written Weekly (W3)

Moonwashed Weekly Prompt

Family - #TankaTuesday #FFFC #seox #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! The school year is starting to wrap up and my home life is chaotic with the reno, so I don't have as much time on my hands as I usually do (which is already very little...lol). Today, I'm combining two prompts. The first one comes from #TankaTuesday. Willow invites us to write a seox, which is a poem with six lines and a 3-7-6-5-4-3 syllabic pattern. The second prompt is from Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge. She provides us with the image below and asks us to let it inspire us.

(image courtesy of Daniel K Cheung on Unsplash)

family

influence on child's journey

nature versus nurture

both play vital role

life's greatest gift

or burden

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

#TankaTuesday

Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge

Muti, My Boy - #dVerse #haibun #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I spent this past weekend visiting my parents with my sister. They live two hours away in a condo on the beach, so I detached from all things electronic and just enjoyed being with them. We completed two long walks on the beach as well as one around the island. Unfortunately, the island walk landed around dusk, and I came back with thirty-nine mosquito bites. I should have turned around after the first bite, but I didn't, and now I suffer for it. Lol! I am allergic to mosquito bites, so I immediately swell up, and they feel like they are on fire until I can get some Benadryl cream on them. Then, they continue to flare up for days afterward. And I am a serious magnet for the suckers! Oh, well! I still enjoyed my time up there.

For this week's dVerse: Haibun Monday, Frank J Tassone invites us to focus on Momento Mori. He encourages us to write a haibun that memorializes someone we have loved and lost. My first brush with death (or at least, the one I remember) wasn't actually a person, and still it had a lasting effect on me, so I chose to write my haibun about him. I was hoping to use a picture of him, but everything is in storage as my house is still under construction. I may update this post later once I can get to my old photos. Until then, I'll use a generic picture.

(image courtesy of @MissKarin on Pixabay)

Muti, My Boy

He was my second mom. My parents named him Muti, a variation of mother in German, when they got him as a puppy two years before I was born. He truly lived up to the name. He was my protector, my guardian. When my mom took me out of my crib, he'd jump in to keep it warm. When I slept in the crib, he would lay on the floor beside me. As I grew up, he became my confidant and my cuddler. He'd play soccer with me. He was a better player than I. When I gave him a kiss and hug that morning as I left for my fifth grade class, I did not know it would be the last time I would see him. It's been decades since his passing, and my heart still misses him.

treasured memories

immortalized in my heart

after winter's end

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

Captives #FFFC #MoonwashedWeeklyPrompt #haiku #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I'm combining prompts again. In this week's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge, Melissa provides us with the image below and encourages us to use it for inspiration. In this week's Moonwashed Weekly Prompt, Eugi provides us with an image and a poem and asks us to use part of it in our own piece. I've bolded and italicized the words I chose to use. Here is her poem:

gentle eye perceives

melodies of ideal worlds

through a magic lens

I chose to write a senryu for today. It's a little morbid, but it's what came to me.

(image courtesy of Jessica Smith on Unsplash)

gentle eye perceives

fascination of captors

dreams of freedom die

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

Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge

Moonwashed Weekly Prompt

Choose Happiness #W3 #TankaTuesday #ReverseEtheree #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Today, I am combining two challenges. The first one comes from #TankaTuesday, where Selma invites us to write a syllabic poem focused on joy. Within the poem, we need to include a kigo (seasonal) word within the poem. I've bolded and italiziced my kigo words. I chose to write a Reverse Etheree, which is a poem with ten lines and a syllabication pattern of 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

 Coincidentally, Wea've Written Weekly also lent itself to the theme of joy. Dennis Johnstone invited us to write a poem that invites the reader toward a single abstract noun, in my case - joy. The poem cannot mention the noun until the final line. Each line should describe the noun, leading the reader to the revelation at the end.

(image courtesy of @JillWellington on Pixabay)

Choose Happiness

because hearts feel lighter with ev'ry smile

the spring's warmth chases away the cold

a baby's laughter ricochets

because dancing lifts the soul

trips create memories

kisses make hearts skip

and just because

it matters

embrace

joy

Would you like to write a poem for one of these two challenges? Click the link(s) below:

#TankaTuesday

Wea've Written Weekly

Yesteryears - #quadrille #haibun #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Today, I am combining two prompts. The first comes from Creative Perspective Challenge, where Denise provides us with the photo below and encourages us to allow it to inspire us. The second prompt is from dVerse's Quadrille #224 - Walk Quietly in my Dreams. In this challenge, we are encouraged to use quiet or a word associated with it in our quadrille. I've bolded and italicized the words I've used. A quadrille is a poem with exactly 44 words. I decided to write a haibun that also qualifies as a quadrille.

(image credit; moonlight by vernonwiley from Getty Images Signature)

Yesteryears

In the soft stillness of a peaceful lavender sky, I gaze across the serene lake and reminisce of a life of parties and adventures, each experience molding me into the person I've become.

life's great memories

summer's glory days wind down

quieter days come

Would you like to join one of these challenges? Click the link(s) below:

 Creative Perspective Challenge

dVerse's Quadrille #224 - Walk Quietly in my Dreams

Weathered Wanderer - #tanka #WDYS #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! For this week's What Do You See? prompt, Sadje provided us with two photos to inspire our writing. I chose the photo below and wrote a tanka to go along with it.

(image credit; Maksym Mazur @ Unsplash)

weathered wanderer

contemplations pass like clouds

days turn to seasons

cute companion at his feet

lonely but never alone

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