Spring Sijo

White flowers billow like cloud mass, our neighbor's wall a sight feast.
What equals this in our life, bids us break through in beauty?
Spring buoys us, blows lightness about, bestows fine'ry in search of awe.

Offered for open link night at dVerse Poets Pub using a fascinating Korean form of poetry called Sijo introduced by Samuel Peralta of Semaphore last week over at the Pub. Took me a while to get the hang of it. My neighbor's flowering tree that I pass on my runs inspired me.

I Am Turtle

I bear the world on my back
but not as burden, shell strength
shared as old ones do. I'm keeper
of the doors between land
and water; shores are doorways to
other realms. Slow to earth's
pace, meet primal mother.
Feminine marks my body,
grounded, skilled
to survive, ancient
beyond remembering,
all I need
available.

In response to Shay's Fireblossom Friday challenge at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads to make an inner transformation to an animal. And for G-man for Friday Flash 55. Photo by my friend, Annee Delaware taken in Madrid.

DragonVale

Buy Islands in the sky, build
habitats of earth, air, and fire; breed
comely dragons in caves then feed,
decorate to widely appeal, wield

a touch of magic with wands, a wizard
or two, princesses who time- travel,
a hint of humor to enchant, couple
with all celestial events, forward

gems and coins as bonus:
a DragonVale synopsis.

This is in response to the prompt from Izy over at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads to pick our favorite story, TV show or video game and give the Cliffs Notes version in ten lines or less. My favorite video game by far is DragonVale which, if you haven't discovered, you must. It's a rich, imaginary world to delight the eyes and provide a ready topic of conversation with young people.

"The Talk" - Friday Flash 55

Mother was having 'the talk' with me, she
made some vague reference to a little room
beneath my heart where a baby would grow some day.

What, I puzzled, A little room in my body? That grows
babies? Only years later did it occur to me that
she was naming a womb, not a room.

This is for the G man for Friday Flash 55 to tell a story in 55 words.

Be The Best You Can Be

Be the best you can be,
do the best you can do,
Seuss says there's no one youer than you,
so it's vital to give every bit of that you,
the whole world awaits just what you can do.

Take heart as you go through your day,
be lighter than light as you go on your way,
give your help without asking wherever you may,
offer friendship when needed and offer to stay,
walk in kindness, my friend, and keep yourself free,

and know that I'm trying to be the best me.

In an effort to lighten up and respond to the prompt of Susie over at Imaginary gardens with Real Toads to offer words of encouragement. Is that a great prompt or what?

Hazardous Acts - A Double Dactyl

Yesterday, a smoldering rage
turned a fanciful race hazardous.
One life view became totalitarian.
His name is Notyetknown

nor are his motives on the world stage
despite numerous speculations. Thus
fear spreads, brings response authoritarian
while children watch, their innocence flown.

This is in response to Aprille's prompt at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads to go for the double dactyl. A dactyl has three feet and, of course, the double has six as well a verse contains a person's name. I'm not sure I got the stresses right but the topic comes from my ongoing concern for my hometown, Boston.

Find The Words - A Roundel

Find the words for this sad stirring, but of
what? Losing heart, another context gone,
innocent sport stripped from us like a glove?
We must find words for this

and try to understand what can't be known,
murderous rage chosen instead of love,
aimed at children who wait for parents done

this race now strewn with blood from bombs above
them and below. Their eyes forever open'd,
childhood gone as shrapnel blasts mean loss of
how to find words for this.

This is in response to the prompt from Marian at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads to use the form of Roundel and her excellent explanation. It's also an attempt to try to find words to describe my horror in the aftermath of the bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon yesterday. Boston is where I'm from, a city I love, a city that hosts this international marathon for 117 years now and celebrates the runners wholeheartedly. I'm at a loss to understand.

A Day's Run

It's the moment in a run
when warm up is done,
resistance abandoned,
muscles move in rhythm
slinky under my skin,
a cadence kicks in,
my body thrums,
finds the day's hum.

Day 2 of NaPoWriMo and a prompt from Fireblossom at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads to go back to the afternoon of Sept. 9, 1958, the portal suggested in Stephen King's novel "11/22/63" and say what you would do. I was 12 and I loved to run. I rediscovered this love in my 60's and the poem speaks of this and an experience I had during this morning's run. Also, it's Open Link Night at dVerse Poets Pub. There's some great poetry happening over there so check it out.

Spring's Story

Sun and earth collude
to rescind winter's hold.
Stiff earth relents, succumbs
to new shoots that flirt
at first, slip through unnoticed,
then flaunt themselves, awash
with life, called to it.
Tendril scouts surf the earth,
tumble willy-nilly here and there
toasted by all who see, marshalled
by warmer, longer days to prevail.
Earth sheds its minimalist image, waxes
abundant, riotous, anarchic,
a cryptographer to tell spring's story
once again.

Day 1 of NaPoWriMo that challenges us to write a poem a day in April. Kerry O'Connor over at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads announced yesterday that they will provide 30 prompts in 30 days to aid the process. Her first prompt was about April which marks the beginning of the astrological calendar and life beginning in spring. I've not done this before and don't know if I can do it now but I'm bound to write more poetry than I would without this support. I hope to accompany each poem with one of my photographs. Looking for inspiration? Check out the imaginary garden.