Fine Wine Love - #W3 #villanelle #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I'm going off the grid today. My sister and I are going camping this weekend. I'm looking forward to detaching from technology and being one with nature. Before I leave, I wanted to participate in one more poetry challenge this week.

This challenge comes from Wea've Written Weekly (W3) Prompt #229. Matt Snyder invites us to explore the villanelle form while talking about our favorite beverage. I don't think I've ever used this form. It has five three-line stanzas followed by a four-line stanza. The first three stanzas have an ABA pattern while the last stanza has an ABAA pattern. The first stanza's first and third lines alternate as the closing lines of stanza's 2-5 and come back as the final two lines. So the pattern looks like this:

A1 b A2 / a b A1 / a b A2 / a b A1/ a b A2 / a b A1 A2

(image courtesy of @Alexas_Fotos on Pixabay)

Fine Wine Love

my tongue enjoys a fine, dry wine

though at times I enjoy the sweet

delectable fermented grapes of a vine

a glass or two when I go out to dine

is always a special treat

my tongue enjoys a fine, dry wine

an exhausting day is always a sign

to turn to my favorite retreat -

delectable fermented grapes of a vine

a bubbly is lovely at the shoreline

it takes the edge off the heat

my tongue enjoys a fine, dry wine

it's always nice when the stars align

when my friends and I drink when we meet

delectable fermented grapes of a vine

a glass of dark red takes me to cloud nine

when I relax and put up my feet

my tongue enjoys a fine, dry wine

delectable fermented grapes of a vine

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

American Bred, Cuban Roots - #TankaTuesday #NationalHispanicHeritageMonth #tankaprose #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! This week is flying by, probably because I leave on Friday for a four-day camping trip with my sister. I cannot wait! We will be driving five hours north to camp. We chose a place close to our sons who are in college so they can come and visit us on the weekend. I cannot wait to wrap my arms around my son and my nephew (and their girlfriends...lol!).

Today begins National Hispanic Heritage Month, and as I come from Cuban roots, I wanted to celebrate my heritage. So, since I am the host at #TankaTuesday this week, I encouraged all poets to write about their heritage. The poems are amazing, so I hope you will go to the site and read them. For my poem, I decided to write a tanka prose. 

(created with Bing Images)

American Bred, Cuban Roots

As an Army brat, I grew up on bases around the world. American pride was embedded in my upbringing. A smorgasbord of cultures blended together in each place we were stationed, I didn't really know much about my heritage. I knew my parents were Cuban, but those words were hollow. Sure, we listened to Spanish music, played dominoes, and ate rice, black beans, plantains, and churrasco, but I didn't truly understand my culture. When my dad retired and we moved to Miami, I was an Americanized teenager who wanted nothing to do with my Cuban roots. It wasn't until I had a son of my own that I realized how special my heritage is. Today, I embrace my Cuban American heritage, grateful for the beauty of both.

wide hips, thunder thighs

Latin rhythm with each sway

Cuban roots still hold

my ancestor's precious DNA

proudly connects me to home

Would you like to write a poem about your heritage? Join us here.

Rise, Queen! - #FFFC #W3 #pantoum #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Happy Saturday! The weather isn't great for the beach, so I'm focusing on pampering myself in other ways, including reading and writing.

Today, I'm combining two poetry challenges. The first comes from Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #393, where Melissa shares the image below. It's hard to see in the image, but the message on the phone says, "Social Media seriously harms your mental health."

The second challenge comes from Wea've Written Weekly (W3) Prompt #228, where Reena invites us to write a pantoum. This form creates multiple four-line stanzas, with each stanza carrying forward two lines into the next stanza. The second and fourth lines become the first and third lines, respectively, of the next stanza. The last stanza brings back the opening stanza's third line as its second line and the first lines as the closing line. Hopefully, I did this correctly!

(image courtesy of SOCIAL.CUT)

Rise, Queen!

release your inner queen from her cage

your worth needs no one's validation

embrace the beauty flowing within 

you were meant to be uniquely you

your worth needs no one's validation

peel away the layers of self-doubt

you were meant to be uniquely you

attract the energy you deserve

peel away the layers of self-doubt

embrace the beauty flowing within you

attract the energy you deserve

release your inner queen from her cage

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

Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #393

Wea've Written Weekly (W3) Prompt #228

Seasonal Pi-Ku Poems - #TankaTuesday #piku #poems #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Last weekend, I joined my friends for a weekend trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, to watch my friend's son, Cory Cubano, and his teammates play in the Cosmic Baseball League. If you have never watched their games or been to a game, I highly recommend it. It's entertainment baseball, and it is a party from beginning to end. I had such a great time and can't wait to go again. That being said, Charlotte was HOT - even hotter than Miami, if you can believe that! Mother Nature is having vertigo. Lol!

I've felt a bit drained this week. I think between the flying and partying over the weekend and trying to fight off a cold during the week, my body has been functioning at a snail's pace, so I'm just now having a moment to sit and be creative. So, I'm focusing on #TankaTuesday's poetry challenge today. 

Melissa invites us to write a Pi-Ku, which is a three-line poem created in honor of pi (3.14). So, the first line has three syllables, the second has one syllable, and the third has four syllables. She challenged us to write a Pi-Ku (or several) focused on our season (which in Florida is hot...lol!...but I also wrote about autumn).

(image courtesy of @RuslandSikunov on Pixabay)

dew glistens

white

brilliant diamonds

(image courtesy of @Suraajm20 on Pixabay)

sweltering

heat

sweat slides down skin

(image courtesy of @wal_172619 on Pixabay)

summer fades

leaves

embrace the change

Would you like to write your own Pi-Ku poems? Join us here.