Friday, October 31, 2014

Long flowering shrub

                                                                                         Attribution: H Zell
Image: Round-head Bush-clover (here)

The fresh, aerial parts of blooming plants
are used in homeopathy as remedy  -  Wiki

Long flowering shrub
Bumble bee friendly but deer
haters Bush clover

Bathed in morning dew
Awaiting pollinators
For most of the year

Aerial parts used for
homeopathy remedy
Ready smiles from monks

Query: Some sources mentioned Bush clovers as
shrubs hated by deer (here) but Issa said otherwise.
Wonder which is true! In the extract below does
Issa mean the deer eats something else then and
not necessarily a Bush clover shrub?

bush clover sprouting
when people aren't looking
the deer eats    -   Issa

For Chev's CARPE DIEM #595 -  Bush clover

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Puddle on the Pavement

                                                                             Attribution: Roger McLassus
Image: An Oily Puddle (here)

Things we see or the things we miss seeing
What are those that hold our attention
Perhaps those that  personally affect our being
Or more precisely that we see more often

But there are those staring right in our face
Spied along the pathways at eye level
Still not readily ‘sighted’ and somewhat  displaced
Perhaps not stunningly pretty to be ogled

Only when a puddle is side-stepped on the pavement
Was it realized it being there as an obstacle to avoid
No one to do a Raleigh cape laying event
But reacted as a safety measure lest a slip occurred

An oily puddle can be fascinating to sketch
Needs finesse in separating the bubbly nature
An artist’s brush can depict easily a muddy patch
But not river streams or lake water features

Simple things in life
Have to be seen as a bother
To be realized
Or sorely missed as before

For Claudia's hosting at d'Verse MTB -  things we see

Was he a victim of violence?

                                                                                                  Attribution;  Aleser
Image: Bare Feet of Adult (here)

The Prompts:
3WW  -  blood  lurk cripple  
Red Wolf Poems: To include “I won’t ever come back”
Poetry Jam  -  broken

Dried blood caked his tattered shirt
Barefooted lying on his back
He must have lain there a few hours
Still warm he couldn’t have died that long
Still in one piece and hardly disturbed

Lurking in the dark a coyote
waiting to abuse his remains
Most fortunate it was discovered early

A cursory assessment told investigators
This was not self-inflicted
The injuries were rained from the rear
It looked to be a homicide

Crippled in their thinking
The post-mortem they reasoned should  help

Upon rummaging through his pockets
They found a crumpled letter
It could hardly be read
But what was clear was the last line
It said, “I won’t ever come back”
If he was the writer
He got his wish!

Was this a suicide note or one
innocently written in anger

Was he a victim of violence being
at the wrong place at the wrong time?
A broken man with a broken heart

Or simply an unlucky victim!

Thomg's hosting at 3WW shared with
Irene's at Red Wolf Poems and
Mary's at Poetry Jam

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

No surprise the ‘zing’ was piercing!

                                                                                   Attribution: John Warwick Brooke
Image: In the Trenches (here)

He crawled nearer watching forlornly
Barely a few hours ago they were reminding each other
They ought to be wary
Entering sniper territory
Meant extra risks and untold danger

It did not come too soon
‘Whoose’ silently did it come
The ‘zing’ barely 5 feet away
His squad buddy was there minutes ago
Leaning over next to him

He was still there but no more breathing
His helmet took the brunt
No surprise the ‘zing’ was piercing
It made it sound so close
The haversack with all his worldly possessions
In shreds like popcorns
His lanyard with the whistle at its end
Was still intact though
Blood still oozing from his temple
He could not look at his buddy
He was used to seeing blood
But when it was from one known to him
it made him nauseous

The medics  arrived finally
They did a leopard crawl for quite a distance
That took time but to no avail
A test of the pulse and the verdict was clear
His buddy was no more

He suddenly felt angry and weary
He felt sorry
He grew up an adult in a war zone
He felt lucky
He felt protected
By the angels above
He was!

For Gabriella's hosting at d'Verse: Poetics  -  war poetry

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Polished stones glisten

                                                                              Attribution: Lejon Saarloos
Image: Polished River Stones (here)

Hazy afternoon
Ripples of stream water glides
Polished stones glisten

Workers wormed their way
Crowded highway jammed with cars
Back from the rat race

Extending its reach
A cicada needs only
sing sweet melody

Birds returned to roost
Sky darkened night life begins
Can the city sleep?

For Chev's CARPE DIEM GW #31 'One of a Kind' and
Magaly's hosting at Real Toad's Open Link Monday

Sunday, October 26, 2014

A speedy solution was in order

                                                                                    Attribution: Joi Ito
Image: A Police Officer on his Rounds (here)

The given words:
inklings strange epilogue gnarled frivolous speedy
poppies literally audible blue roots thirteen apocalyptic

He had no inkling of what a strange epilogue it was
It gnarled at his conscience thinking how frivolous
A speedy solution was in order though he was furious
How they acquired the poppies plants he was curious

It was literally a bad assessment with objections heard
Not so loud but audible enough to cause real concern
He was blue in the face thinking of all the muck and dirt
He had to go to the roots of the matter after so long

Thirteen officers were implicated and that’s not small
He could anticipate the consequences and was not happy
It all happened in his watch that made him vulnerable
Apocalyptic he had to accept the ultimate responsibility

For Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #184 and
Mary's at Poets United's Poetry Pantry #224


A Homecoming

                                                                                     Attribution: M Bednar
Image: Blue Ridge Parkway Farm (here)

The flight was uneventful and boring
Only fluffs of white clouds by the window
As though one is bedded where angels tread
Softly as babies on a luxurious lullaby
Mind occupied with events days ago
Of an impending Board Meeting he was to chair
More or less duplicating a similar event
Of a decade ago having arrived at the Big Apple
With visions of a being a successful trader

Acting on an e-mail from his elder sister
Hurrying him home to his roots in the country
For she is down from lots of elderly ailments
Wanting him back to see to the family property
Acres of land in the beautiful country-side
But left to the vagaries of weather these past years

Left word he should be back within days
Left everything to his deputy and off he went
He went back exactly the way he came
With lots of questions and anticipations

There he was now standing looking at old Joe’s
A cabin where he spent lots of long hours
Listening to old Joe’s yarn of his days as a farm-hand
On his family ranch tending to his grandad’s  livestock

                                                                               Attribution: M Bednar
Image: Blue Ridge Parkway Farm (here)

The poetry book is still on the table the larder undisturbed
Very unlike a well organized old Joe to leave in such a hurry
The woods behind the cabin where he used to chase rabbits
Laid bird-traps with old Joe’s insistence and skilled expertise
Reflected the same mystery as when he was a kid before

Why everyone left the ranch just a few months after him
Why no word except for a few letters in the beginning
Perhaps his sister should know and he needed to know
There’ll be lots of email to be relayed in days to come
Among the first is to his deputy who is waiting for his return
It’ll be a long wait for he decided to tend to the ranch first

He is not coming back! Not just yet!


For Margaret's hosting at Play it Again #10 at Real Toads and
my feeble attempt at trying to emulate Dylan Thomas the only choice
of the 3 offered that seems like a free verse and near enough.
Shared with Brian's hosting at d'Verse - homecoming

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Fatigued through travels

                                                                                                   Attribution: Rama
Image: Metal Beggar's Bowl (here)

Fatigued through travels
Monks came back to rest for lots
of meditation

Food in beggar's bowl
Left-overs for strays but lone
bird chirps wanting some

Karma rewards monk
Good health there for his bidding
The rich begs for same

For Chev's CARPE DIEM #589

Friday, October 24, 2014

perilous journeys in life

                                                                                               Attribution: Geo-Loge
Image: Floods on River Elbe (here)

in a desert land
stones from rivers far away
muttering dark tales                 -  MMT 
sun above bears witness of      -  Hank's
perilous journeys in life

in a desert land
stones from rivers far away
muttering dark tales                 -   MMT
beware when skies open up     -   Hank's
karma rewards the blessed few

in a desert land
stones from rivers far away
muttering dark tales                 -   MMT
inciting snowfalls sadly            -   Hank's
floods scare excuse not to act

For Chev's CARPE DIEM # 55 -  To complete MMT's
5-7-5 'River Stones' haiku with a 7-7 for a Tan Renga

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

There are demons behind the wheels!

                                                                                                   Attribution: Morio
Image: F1 Racing on Proper Tracks (here)

The given words: fertile defensive needy

If one is to observe on the road
It's a game to some inconsiderate few
The law abiding who follow the rules
Contrary to what is expected
Are the ones most open to risks
The irony of it all

There are demons behind the wheels
Very much taken by the F1 driving mood
Who choose to show their prowess
Whose fertile minds are working overtime
Testing and experimenting with their skills
Nipping into and switching lanes
All at great speed

The danger is extreme provocation
This may invoke a negative reaction
The law abiding may refuse to budge
The tendency is to react in a like manner
of offending those who offended

There is nothing like defensive driving
The demons be left to their quirks
One is not to react but to give way
The demons are the 'needy' who need to learn
They will learn the hard way one day
That is, if they live long enough!

For 3WW #398

Monday, October 20, 2014

Granted they were just neighbors

                                                                                                   Attribution: Tess
Image: Courtesy of Tess' Mag (here)

MM Wordle #31 given words:
murder slope currency dismiss crunch 
lichen invisible neighbors recede enamel 

He cried murder when told of his mother
The slope of his mind gained currency
As they seemed unaware of his sentiments
And he had not dismissed them at all

His mother was the world of his life
He had not detracted from these thoughts
The crunch was the recent black out in the area
She was all alone and none came to her aid
Granted the lichen was thick around the house

How could his mother be invisible to them
Granted they were just neighbors
How could they recede to their private corners

Groping in the dark guided by enamel panels
She managed to make her way out of the house
Whisked to the hospital she made quick recovery
She was lucky some boys found her in the open
She was shivering and blue from the cold
He decided to stay and be directly responsible
He had the task of getting a job in the vicinity

For Tess' Magpie Tales #242
Mindlovemisery's Menagerie Wordle  #31 and
Kerry's hosting at Open Link Mondays at Real Toads

Sunday, October 19, 2014

A Grain of Imagination

                                                                                    Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Image: Three Sunflowers (here)

It just takes a little time
Quiet moment of splendor
In some seconds sublime
To lovingly dream in wonder

Far away let it just wander
In likes of heaven’s expanse
Surfing timeless fervor
Akin to free falling sense

Creating pictures captured
Of one’s yearnings anew
Something better enraptured
Even of kaleidoscopic few

Let the imagination run wild
Little grain transforms into silos
A masterpiece easily profiled
Of reputation sans minnows

For Mary's hosting at Poets United's Poetry Pantry #223 and
Kerry's Sunday's Mini Challenge at Real Toads

With childhood friends one shares laughter

                                                                                     Author: Vincenzo Canuccinici
Image: The Death of Caesar (here)

Sunday Whirl words:
crazy shadow childhood laughter stranger
secret diamond shines prisoner steel

“A good friend will always stab you in
the front”  -  Oscar Wilde

What crazy thoughts shadow crazy ideas
With childhood friends one shares laughter
Not a real stranger or someone unknown
But betrays one’s trust in a way blatant

Nothing secretive but a diamond that shines
Sharing what is mine is yours and yours mine
Not a prisoner restricted in all of his dealings
Of steel in character and warmth in feelings

But mindful of the wise words of Oscar Wilde
For friends create trust easily devoid of wiles
Then without warning one gets the full brunt
 “A good friend will always stab you in the front”

For Mindlovemisery's Menagery  - to create
a verse inspired by quotes of Oscar Wilde and
Brenda's Sunday Whirl Wordle #183

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Diana ever so sweet!

                                                                           'Diana'  by Hiram Powers
Image: Courtesy of Margaret Bednar (here)

Diana ever so sweet
With a Mona Lisa smile
Certainly a special treat
Fluttering heart awhile

So humanly realistic
Even in marble form
Caught in some mystics
Keeping rightly warm

Margaret's hosting at Real Toads with Poetic marbles

Friday, October 17, 2014

Perspective

                                                                                              Attribution: Florstein
Image: Kuznechny Market (here)

Perspective in art first
path to understanding
Pen or brush in hand with
paper to know basic
points of Depth of Field to
ponder reality
Perfecting the less known

Note: One of the first lessons in art
is to be aware of ' Perspective' which
shows the effects of Depth of Field
to make the sketch realistic

For Vandana's hosting at d'Verse
MTB on the form pleiades

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Size had its advantages

                                                                                     Attribution: Algirdas Svid
Image: One of Oldest Oak Tree (here)

Imposing presence
Strong oak stood its grounds letting
little acorns sprout

Largely unhindered
Size had its advantages
Enlarged its enclave

Join them to beat them
Fun music among the leaves
Lively ensemble

Susan's hosting at Poets United's Midweek Motif  -  trees and
Chev's CARPE DIEM #112  -  oak deep in the woods

Providence that determined, we only proposed

                                                                                                Attribution: Jebulon
Image: The 24 hr Clock (here)

3WW the given words:
gifted intense rot

Intense yearnings provided the impetus
In spite of all the restrictions imposed
Targets set pushed his luck regardless
Providence that determined, we only proposed

Gifted in ways of life's expectations
Priorities recognized outwardly accepted
Failure pushed aside and not an option
Chances of success could be predicted

Mindful of the rot many had to contend
Hands-on management the rule of the day
Never to be distracted by over confidence
Blessed be good leadership held sway

For Thomg's hosting at 3WW week #397

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Heavens above smiled

                                                                                 Attribution: Alexander Vujadinovic
Image: Cool and peaceful - Isfalls glaciers Sweden (here)

Magical moments
Of evenings shared with loved ones
Heavens above smiled

Eloquence of thoughts
Magic in changing seasons
Memories evoked

With nature's blessings
Man's intrusion cushioned with
softened interludes

For Chev's CARPE DIEM # 583 -  magic fields

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Would they unashamedly accept infamy?

                                                                            Artist: John Alunan  -  'Crashing Cranes'
Image: Courtesy of Mindlovemisery (here)

Paper cranes crowding milling around
Floating clouding an antagonized mind
Fair proposition to a disturbed frown?
Rights to peaceful privacy was divine

Accord space to one tortured unfairly
Legacy of noble intentions in the open
How one yearned to bask in rare ecstasy
If only one dared to seek for assistance

Friends were there and ever willing
Would they unashamedly accept infamy
To be seen with those discarded beings
Down and out their unsolicited destiny

For Mindlovemisery's Menagerie
Photo Challenge #30

Monday, October 13, 2014

Trapped with his eloquence

                                                                                          Author: Eddie Green
Image: The Cover of Music Sheet

The given words:
maverick nimble march cadence 
eel turf waxen goad hew vise

Maverick of his own making
Nimble as a young gibbon
From tree to tree swinging
Marching on in confidence

Smooth talker in cadence
Slippery as an eel on turf
Waxen for quick appearance
Goaded for a kill for love

Irresistible to innocents
Who were hewed big time
Into a vise grip unopened
Trapped with his eloquence

Ladies won devoid of a ploy
Deserting their man willingly
Under the spell of a playboy
They succumbed unwittingly

For Mindlovemisery's Menagerie #30 and
Magaly's Open Link Mondays at Real Toads

Sunday, October 12, 2014

We used to call it 'self portrait'

                                                                                       Self-Portrait by Vivian Maier
Image: Courtesy of Tess' Mag (here)

Selfie selfie selfie!
Sects sects sects!
sex sex sex!

Show and tell
Anything and everything are game

Everyone wants to have a say
Not enough to be heard
but also to be seen

It used to be 'have gun will travel'
Now it is the other way around

It is go 'travel and have a selfie'
Next minute splash it on FB
It is for the whole world to see!

We used to rightly call it 'self portrait'
Elegantly done with a reflect camera
Not even a modern day compact
With the flash gun at the ready
It was an 'ancient' selfie
Silently done but appreciated gratefully

No one cared and no one bothered
It was to be shown only
to family and friends
Taken with finesse
and proudly passed around

Why a selfie on FB?
One followed by another by the day
To show how one had aged gracefully?

Ok no talking of selfie!
Neither about 'sects' inviting controversy
Nor of sex best discussed privately

Care for a time-out?

For Tess' Magpie Tales #241

of a fat reduction endeavor

                                                                                      Attribution: Joseph Boomhower
Image: Gym Workout (here)

The given words:
brains gimmick hypnotizing liquor chickens flesh
lotion torture uniform machine tease trains

He was the brains behind the
gimmick of hypnotizing the liquor
store operator into making chicken
flesh into a thick lotion as a way
of a fat reduction endeavor

How the chubby and over-weight
freaks had been torturing themselves
through sophisticated weight reducing
machines but being frustrated in
their vain efforts to a uniform body-
builder figure

Just grease their bodies during gym
workouts to tease the fats to burn
the lust and crazed to a trim structure
This would be enough motivation
to push the market 
Not to talk of the manly 
and sweaty aroma of
chicken permeating when
they proudly present their he-man
muscle toned torsos for scrutiny
upon finishing training

Can be a great idea to complement
all the steroid based muscle enhancing
banned drugs that are flooding
the market which may bring early death

Successful business ventures had
been known to have beginnings
from crazy ideas!

Most likely though this chicken
lotion appears way too crazy and 
may not see the light of day!

For Brenda's hosting at Sunday Whirl Wordle 
#182 and  Mary's at Poetry Pantry #222

Friday, October 10, 2014

Kept the flames alight - Shadorma

                                                                Artist:  Van Gogh  - la Courtisane
Image: Courtesy of Bastet's Photo shadorma (here)


A Shadorma:
It’s a 6-line poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5
syllables per lines respectively

Courtesan
Dedication to
their calling
A future
sacrificed, time stood still but
kept the flames alight

For Mindlovemisery's Menagerie

walk across the deep lake waters

                                                                                          Attribution: Heino Ruiso
Image: Deep lake waters (here)

How lucky it was to have finally arrived
A long walk across the deep lake waters
Watched intensely by an elephant in the sky
Not given any quarters holding the diapers
But made good an escape from the moon

Thirst quenched drinking sands of the desert
Skipping over the sun in the still of the night
Observed crocodiles on the stage in a concert
Satisfied with all the snows on the pyramids
But made good an escape from the moon

Trailing behind the tortoise around the bend
A polar bear astride a camel under the sun’s heat
Lions turned vegetarian with gazelles as friends
Never a bother for pizza or any kind of meat
But made good an escape from the moon

Note: Not really sure whom am I kidding!
Hopefully this fits the bill

For Bjorn's hosting at d'Verse Verbal cubism - writing
nonsensical poems

Thursday, October 9, 2014

A library is sacred!

                                                                                    Attribution: Gottscho-Schleisner
Image: The Brooklyn Public Library (here)

The given words from:
Red Wolf Poems: stranger mud-streaked
library illuminations October
3WW: arrogant supple crude
Poets United: exploring

Stranger than fiction
A mud-streaked library?
Mistaken illuminations
Seems somewhat funny

Or users who are arrogant
Insisting to be allowed in
Crude way of wanting to learn
Not the usual thing

Cannot be true
Not in October anyway
There’s so much to do
In many different ways

A library is sacred
‘ Net exploring and surfing
Pleasing and quiet
Not just book lending

Through the years
Supple and alert
Young library members
Had benefited

There’s no saying
That libraries are abused
The smart and hardworking
Have put them to good use!

For Irene's hosting at Red Wolf Poems Wordle #28
Thomg's at 3WW #396 and Susan's at Poets United
Midweek motif

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

threw a challenge in his mind

                                                                                          Attribution: Kenneth Allen
Image: Joggers on the Road  (here)

Feeling satiated having had his evening meal
There he was sitting pretty lounging on his chair
Contemplating life’s excesses affecting his zeal
To just rest and not stress himself silly in his lair

Had not noticed as he had done most evenings
The kitten pushing a rubber ball across the floor
But this time from the corner of his eyes seeing
It being chased and pushed that he missed before

Happenings revolve around him he mused quietly
Lots of fun if he had time to be rightly involved
Joggers outside passing along the road leisurely
If only he was young enough and had the resolve

Setting a target he told himself of his new plans
Being young at heart would be a good option
Fair to himself he threw a challenge in his mind
Emulating the joggers he should be in the open

For Marina's hosting at d'Verse Poetics:
in the corner of your eyes

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

not to be fooled by my smile

                                                                                       Attribution: Ianare
Image: A Smiling Fighting Machine(here)

No castle needed
Perhaps a moat and not to
be fooled by my smile

Sharp teeth not needed
Strong jaws good enough for vice
grip and you are dead

Ancient specie but
still can jump high to grab at
dead chickens at shows

For Chev's CARPE DIEM # 577 -  castle

Sunday, October 5, 2014

should sustain this way but..

                                                            Attribution: Couple Riding Wassily Kandinsky
Image: Courtesy of Georgia's

A shadorma:
it’s a 6-line poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5
syllables per lines respectively

Cuddly in
his arms safe from all
How she wished
forever
it should sustain this way but
alas  -  just a dream

For Bastet's hosting at
Mindlovemisery's Menagerie
with above photo prompt shared
with Mary's at Poetry Pantry # 221

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Just croaking all night

                                                                                  Attribution: Chef Sean Christopher
Image: French cuisine - fried frog legs (here)

Just croaking all night
Medley of sweet melody 
Fun in frog lingo

Out of old pond can
jump in but will stick around
rather for the kiss

Nice legs, pond your home?
Yes but rather curious you
are not French are you?

(42 words)
Note: Personifying a potential
prince in second stanza

For Chev's CARPE DIEM Little Creatures #7
Sokan's - reciting frogs and shared with
Mama Zen's hosting at Real Toads - personification
not exceeding 53 words

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Braving the rough seas

                                                                                    Artist: Christoffer W Eckersberg
Image: The corvette Najaden in rough seas (here)

Walls of water, waves
lashing the sides of the ship
Braving the rough seas

Hidden sun dark clouds
and stormy seas all vying
to make presence felt

Far from shore, sailors
cowered in safety of bunks
Silent in prayers

For Chev's CARPE DIEM #573  -  rough seas

Not owing anyone for a living

                                                                                            Attribution: Ruta Badina
Image: Steadfastly Straight and Confident (here)

3WW -  the given words: 
barren intense worry
Poetry Jam: 
magic

Barren of ideas and intentions
Not wanting to appear deprived
Invoked an actor’s pretensions
To rightly appear to have arrived

Intense lobbying to gain acceptance
To impress but thick skinned to the core
Standing in line waiting for a response
Not one’s cup of tea to care nor bother

Since not owing anyone for a living
Not expecting handouts not a care
‘What Me Worry’magical of standing
One’s confidence is rightly laid bare

Who is there to make an issue
One’s own strength is a strong factor
Not anyone can knock one blue
Despite the fact one is a good actor

For Thomg's hosting at 3WW and
Sumana's at Poetry Jam -  magic