Memory's Burden - #W3 #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. Mine has been filled with different events with friends. I am blessed to have several different friend groups that enjoy getting together and having fun. It refills my energy cup after an exhausting week.

Today, I am participating in Wea've Written Weekly's Prompt #235. Dennis invites us to write a poem about an abstraction as if it could think, speak, and act for itself. He asked us to consider what it might say or how might it behave. I decided to personify memory. I read once that teachers have over 1,000 thoughts a day while teaching. It's exhausting. I also know that my memory is faulty. So, I thought it would be fun to give my memory her own personality.

(image courtesy of @johnhain on Pixabay)

Memory's Burden

exhausted

that's what I am

your constant input of 

unimportant information

makes keeping my filing cabinet

neat and organized

impossible

I attempted to keep moments

preciously grouped by

date and importance

but you overwhelm my synapses with

useless details

I tried going digital

to keep up with the times

to increase my space

but that made things worse

now information is being lost

to the deep crevices of our brain

before I can tag the file

for easy retrieval

I can't keep up

and you blame me for your inability

to remember past events

you show no gratitude

for my exhausting efforts

to keep you functioning

to the best of my ability

At this point

I give up

I'm going on vacation

and the new files can find their own

happy place to land

most of the input will be

useless, random crap

not worthy of filing anyway

so good luck

figuring it all out without me

maybe when I get back

you'll appreciate me a bit more

that is,

if you even notice

I've left

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

October 2026 Book Reviews #bookreview #books #amreading #readingcommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! October was full of so many fun activities. Every weekend was busy and fun, so my reading was limited. Still, I was able to finish reading one book. Here is my review:

Book Club Confidential: A Novel

by Julie Hatcher

Genre: Women's Humorous Fiction

Pages: 328

Book Blurb:

Once upon a time, friends Tessa, Kate, and Hallie dreamed big. Now they’re all that’s left of a once-thriving book club, meeting weekly to drink wine, talk novels, and quietly wonder how their lives got so small.

Tessa, a lifelong people pleaser, excels at a corporate job she hates, while influencer Kate grows weary of chasing false perfection and true love. Meanwhile, independent Hallie drifts toward a wedding she never really wanted—nursing feelings she’s too afraid to name.

But out of their growing regret comes a decisive pact: For one month, they’ll make every choice boldly, like they’re the protagonists of their own stories. The results are immediate, transformative…and chaotic. Careers stumble. Relationships fumble. Carefully crafted images start to crack.

It turns out, having agency is easier said than done. But with their friendship intact, they each come to grips with their new character arc—and discover what they’ll risk to find their happy ending.

My Review:

Although this book is not fantasy, I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of my two friends and I who have our own book club and get together to talk about the books, bond, and create memories. This book follows three women who are not satisfied with their lives. One of them suggests they transform their lives by become the protagonist of their own life story. At first, everything falls apart for each of them, but slowly, they start creating the lives that truly make them happy.

This book has plenty of feel-good moments and truly celebrates friendships and pursuing one's dreams. I definitely would recommend this book to others.

Have you read any great books lately? I'd love to hear about them below.

What Lies Beneath - #TankaTuesday #Etheree #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Happy day before Halloween! My son is off in college, so my days of trick-or-treating are done (until the grandkids come many, many, MANY moons from now...lol!). Still, I get to enjoy seeing my students come in their costumes today and embrace their creativity and imagination.

For this week's #TankaTuesday, we are focusing on what lies behind the mask. What do we keep hidden from others? I decided to write a stacked/double Etheree with a syllabication pattern of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

(image courtesy of @Loveandiofficial on Pixabay)

What Lies Beneath

the

real me

hides in the

darkest shadows

away from judgement

sheltering hidden truths

only the most trusted friends

catch a glimpse of the rawest me

past rejections, humiliations

have taught me to guard my most precious parts

to protect my heart from bad intentions

maybe one day I'll feel brave enough

strong enough to no longer care

about other's opinions

stand proud of who I am

to reveal what lies

behind my mask

uncover

my true

self

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

Drifting Apart - #FFFC #TankaTuesday #cinquain #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I am feeling much better, but I still have a lingering cough. It hasn't stopped me from enjoying life. This past weekend was full of fun activities, and the upcoming weekend looks like it will be a repeat. The weather has finally dropped from the 90s to the 80s, and I'm loving it. And today, I'm finally able to make some time to write poetry. 

Today, I'm combining two poetry challenges. The first is Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #399, where Melissa shares the beautiful photo below. The second is #TankaTuesday in which Colleen invites us to write a cinquain and/or a cinquain variation. She asks us to create at least two stanzas, so I wrote a mirror cinquain, which consists of an American cinquain form (2-4-6-8-2) in the first stanza and a reverse cinquain form (2-8-6-4-2) in the second stanza.

(image courtesy of Kaiwen Sun)

Drifting Apart

head high

pure confidence

approval not needed

owning the space with inner strength

fearless

withdrawn

eyes lowered to avoid others

desires no attention

seeks solitude

alone

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

Melissa's Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge #399

#TankaTuesday

Birthday Wishes - #W3 #TankaTuesday #Urdu #Abhanga #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! It's been a crazy couple of weeks for me, so I've missed out on some poetry. Last weekend, I went with two friends to Cinci '26, JR Ward's book convention. We met some of the actors in the Passionflix series of the book and watched the first episode of season two, which was amazing! We met the author (again) and were able to take pictures with her and the actors. We met other fabulous readers/fans and danced the night away with them and the author on the last night there. It was truly an incredible experience! 

Unfortunately, after three trips last month and being nonstop on the weekends in between, my body has given me a cold to force me to slow down (it hasn't worked well). I'm still busy. Lol!

I went to a brunch with my girl friends this afternoon and have been resting since then, so I thought I'd try to participate in two of my favorite challenges.

The first challenge is the Wea've Written Weekly Prompt #232, where Destiny asks us to incorporate an Urdu word into our poem. I chose to go with Qaraar, which means "a quiet sense of peace - something that steadies you and helps you feel settled." Our poem has to have twelve or fewer lines.

The second challenge is from #TankaTuesday, where Willow asks us to write an Abhanga, which is four lines with a 6-6-6-4 syllabic pattern. Lines 2 and 3 need to rhyme, so the rhyme scheme is abbc. The poem must focus on a specific day in October that is memorable to us.

I decided to write about my mom's birthday. My sister and I went to visit her and my dad this past Saturday to celebrate her 78th birthday. She has had a tough few years with surgeries and auto-immune issues, but she keeps making the best of life, and I admire her for that.

Birthday Wishes

a new year of life, hope

may qaraar fill your days

may you feel loved always

many blessings

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

Wea've Written Weekly Prompt #232

#TankaTuesday