Hiking Road Trip Begins Now! :-)

Hello, beautiful readers! My son and I leave for our 2.5-week hiking road trip today. I will be disconnecting from technology as much as possible, though I may post a few pictures on social media. I'll miss the poetry challenges that I normally partake in, but I will definitely write poetry and my new WIP while on the road. I'm looking forward to immersing myself in nature in our beautiful national parks. I'll share highlights once I return.  

Soar High - #W3 #Monotetra #Renondilla #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! There is a large brush fire to the west of me, and it's covered my car in ash. It looks like a hundred birds lost their meals on top of it. Lol! Hopefully, they extinguish the fire soon.

Today, I'm participating in We'ave Written Weekly (W3) Prompt #216. Nancy invites us to write a poem about a time when you soared, stumbled, or did a little of both. We must use a poem with four-line stanzas with eight syllable per line. I decided to write two poems about times when I've soared to new heights, one very innocent and the other...not so much. ;-) 

She listed several examples for 8x4 poems, and I chose to use the Monotetra for the first poem. This form has four lines with eight syllables, but the fourth line repeats four syllables to make the eight. For the second poem, I went with a renondilla (or serventesios) which uses a rhyme scheme of abab for the 8x4.

(image courtesy of @Bessi on Pixabay)

heat expands within the trapped dome

balloon rises higher, higher

basket soars in the clear, blue sky

then drifts back down, then drifts back down

(image created with Gemini)

his sexy banter drew me in

his sensual lips weakened knees

his steady thrusts melted within

he knows exactly how to please

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

Escape from Reality - #dVerse #Quadrille #TankaTuesday #tankaprose #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I'm sitting in my home office with the window blinds open and just noticed it getting dark. Looking outside, I see the rain clouds have moved in and covered the sun. As I write this, rain drops are decorating my driveway like splattered art. Fortunately, I'm staying indoors today, so I can enjoy this little rain shower. 

I'm making progress on my WIP (work in progress). I'm still in the planning phase. I've sketched out the first few chapters. I'll be taking my draft journal with me on my road trip. I'm hoping to begin typing the chapters when I return.

Today, I'm participating in two poetry challenges. The first comes from dVerse's Quadrille #250 - Mything Poems. De Jackson invites us to write a quadrille (a poem with exactly 44 words) using a form of the word myth. I chose to write an experimental tanka prose.

The second challenge comes from #TankaTuesday where Robbie invites us to write a poem that features a tree. She gives bonus props from including personification, metaphors, or other figurative language in the poem. I was recently watching my author readings on YouTube, so the main character, Sofia, is on my mind. I decided to write about the willow tree in the Diasodz series since it was such a significant part in several of the books. Plus, it's my favorite tree. :-)

(image created with Gemini)

Escape from Reality

Sofia raced to her willow tree. Clutching her newest book, she looked forward to the tranquility. Leaning against the trunk, she opened to page one.

mythical portal

willow branches open arms

perfect hiding place

whistling leaves encourage nap

dreams transport to a new world

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

dVerse's Quadrille #250 - Mything Poems

#TankaTuesday

The Breakup - #W3 #haibun #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! It's a beautiful day in sunny South Florida, and I am thoroughly enjoying my summer vacation. Waking up without an alarm makes every morning a beautiful start to the day. Lol! 

Today, I am participating in Wea've Written Weekly (W3) Prompt #215. Artie invites us to use one of the following lines as a starting point for our poem. We don't necessarily need to use the quote, but it should guide us in writing our poem. Here are his two inspirations:

• "my delicious walk in the rain"
• "what is it that music is trying to say" 

I chose to write a fictional haibun for this prompt, using the first quote as inspiration.

(image created with Google AI Mode)

The Breakup

As I walked away from my five-year toxic relationship, I felt my heart crack in two as the first drop of rain hit my face. Thunder grumbled overhead as the first lightning sizzled through the sky. I had not the energy nor the desire to seek shelter. My world was shattering along with the sky, and I let the rain soak me to my core. I knew I had made the right choice in breaking up, but it did not ease the pain of losing what had become my normal or the fear of starting over. Still, I had finally found the strength to leave, and I would not go back. I stopped walking and raised my face to the sky, closing my eyes and feeling each rain drop soak me to my core. It washed over me, through me, cleansing me of the hurt, pain, anger, anxiety, and insecurity that had consumed my life for too long. My tears joined with the rain, first slowly, then like a waterfall, as if the damn that had been holding it all in finally fell away. I screamed as the next thunder clapped above me, screamed until I began to laugh through my sobs. It was over. I was free. I. Was. Free. I raised my hands to the threatening sky and twirled, smiling and embracing the rain. I had overcome my worst storm, and it had not destroyed me. Nothing ever would.

a torrential storm

a cleansing of settled grime

beauty shines again

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

Our Summer Vacation - #TankaTuesday #tankaprose #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I am hosting this week at #TankaTuesday, and with the beginning of summer, I decided we should focus on vacations. I've decided to write a tanka prose for this prompt.

(image created with Google AI)

Our Summer Vacation

Every year, my son and I take a summer vacation. Sometimes, it's a cruise. Other times, it's a road trip. With him now in college, these trips are even more special to me. This year, I let my son decide what he wanted to do for our summer experience, and he chose a hiking road trip. He selected five national parks to explore: Yosemite, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and Grand Teton. We will spend two to three days hiking the various terrains of each park. As a nature lover, this made my heart soar! Two and a half weeks of just nature, my son, and me! I can't wait! (Now, let's hope I come back in one piece!😁)

summer wanderer

seeking peace and joy in parks

avid explorer

deserts, mountains, waterfalls

making special memories

Would you like to write a poem about your favorite type of vacation? Join us here.

Nature Survives - #FFFC #haiku #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! It's a beautiful day here in South Florida. Unfortunately, I cannot take advantage of it at the beach because it is overrun with smelly seaweed. I've started planning my next novel. I am going to try to write a little bit every day this summer. The story is clear in my head. Now, it's time to get it on paper (screen...lol!).

Today, I'm participating in Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #376. She shares the image below and asks us to let it inspire us. My eyes were drawn to the lichen (or what I think is lichen) growing on the stop sign. For some weird reason, that reminded me of the COVID year when we were all stuck inside. So, I wrote the haiku below.

(image courtesy of Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash)

when the world stands still

nature makes a resurgence

life rejuvenates

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

Sunflowers - #TankaTuesday #haiku #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! School's out for summer! My alarms are turned off, and I am ready to enjoy the next two months. I have a road trip planned for a little later this month, and I will begin writing my next novel next week. Other than that, I will be resting, relaxing, spending time with friends, and writing poetry. At least, those are the plans. :-)

Today, I am participating in this week's #TankaTuesday poetry challenge where Colleen invites us to use at least two yellow things in our poem without using the word yellow. I chose to write a haiku. I've bolded and italicized my words.

(image courtesy of @niki_emmert on Pixabay)

sun rises in east

sunflowers rotate with light

darkness has no strength

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