24 Seasons #Syllabic #Poetry #Challenge, No. 7 #poetrycommunity #tanka #nature

Before the rain arrived, I took a walk downtown. Now the colors are visiting our house too.

Here is Colleen Chesebro’s 24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge #7. I used In the Sky words from the season list for my tanka poem 5/7/5/7/7:  autumn wind and ice or icy.

Beautiful fall colors in our town 🙂 Nevada City, CA

icy autumn wind
ahead of winter’s visit
stripes the tree’s glow
carelessly tosses those leaves
where gleeful children frolic

24 Seasons #Syllabic #Poetry #Challenge No. 5. #poetrycommunity #poem #haiku #micropoetry #blackcats

Here’s Colleen Chesebro’s 24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge No. 5. This is what I’m using from the list, “Black Cats as Symbols of Good Luck,” since I have two beautiful black cats, Coco and Luna. I used the haiku format or micro poetry of 5/7/5.
Black Cat in space and new moon
sweet purring black cat
furry muse rests on my lap
warms my chilled old bones

Halloween Creativity #Challenge @teagangeneviene #writingcommunity #halloween #writingchallenge

Hi,

I decided to do a second challenge today. This is Teagan R. Geneviene’s Halloween Creativity Challenge. We were asked to write a story, poem, advertisement, song, or whatever we liked.  There was a chart and we were to go by the letter of our first name and get: a Halloween thing, a hero, and a costume. Mine for D were: Horror Movies, Postman, and Ninja. Although, I never mentioned horror movies, but I felt it read like one. I started out as a short haibun but it grew. Here is my story that ends with micro poetry or a really long haibun 🙂

A Halloween Walk Through the Woods

The wind’s chill cut through my ninja costume. My black boots clicked against the icy cement path that took me through the dark forest. The only light came from my cell phone flashlight. Why did I think taking a shortcut from my house to my neighbor’s Halloween party was a good idea? A loud crack came from behind me, and my heart took off like my heavy feet wanted to do. It sounded like something large had stepped on a tree branch. A bear or… No, that’s a question I shouldn’t ask.

My step quickened, and I wished I had the actual weapons of a ninja. A laugh vibrated through the trees. Unless someone dressed as the wicked witch was behind me and was perfecting their cackle, I was in trouble. At least I had on all black. I shut the flashlight off and made a run for it as fast as my old heart would allow. The laughter crept closer, and I veered off the exposed path into the thick trees.

Then I hid behind the biggest cedar, or maybe it was a pine. I didn’t care. I took a deep breath and slowed down my haggard breathing. My eyes adjusted to the darkness as the laughter and a dark figure were right where I had just been.

A baritone voice called out, “Are we playing hide and go seek tiny ninja? What a fun game you’ve given me on Hallowed Eve. It will make your blood taste all the better, little human.”

I remained silent. It was my only chance. Right then, the heavy cloud cover parted. Moonlight hit the thing directly as its laughter grew louder, echoing off my soul. His pale skin was jagged, like an alligator. Nothing is that tall, nothing human, that is. That was no costume. I had to close my eyes, or what I was seeing would drive me mad.

The next part is unbelievable, but it happened. A woman wearing a light button-up shirt and black pants carrying the same bag as our mailman with a pulsing blue wand marched right up to the monster.

“I surrender.” The thing fell to its knees and held up his arms.

Four letters on the bag glowed in yellow that brightly lit the scene: USPS. The woman with dark curly hair nodded and opened her bag. The creature dissipated into spinning green sparkles that flowed into the bag’s mouth.

“You are safe now,” she said and waved in my direction. “Time to make a delivery.”

Before I could decide how to respond, the evil and the woman were gone.

mail carrier hero

possessed a magical bag

saved me in the woods

24 Seasons #Syllabic #Poetry #Challenge, No. 2 #TankaTuesday. #tanka #nature #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #poems

I chose from the list of words provided this week and went with apple bee. After some research, I found it was a wasp. It is like our very active ground wasps that have earned the name meat bee here. They enjoy apples but also any meat. They make eating outside impossible and football BBQs a challenge. I have talked about them before in a previous post.

They are at the doors. The moment I step outside, they are already bumping against me in a warning I take seriously. This has been the worst year I can remember. Their attacks usually increase this time of year before their ground hives die down, leaving a queen and some workers for next spring. Many people I’ve talked to have been stung, that includes me. It isn’t just one sting, but several at once. Not sure what made it such a terrible year for them, but it sure is.

I keep my eye on the outdoor temperature, so far we’ve gotten down to 39 degrees at night, but not the 32 degrees that will solve this problem. Until then I wait.
This is a tanka poem 5/7/5/7/7.
aggressive meat bees
waiting for me at the door
safe inside I hide
until falls first welcomed chill
clears the air of painful stings

24 Seasons Syllabic #Poetry Challenge, No. 1 #TankaTuesday #tanka #poetrycommunity

Here is the very first of Colleen Chesebro’s 24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge, No. 1 Tanka Tuesday.

We are to write poetry using the current season words. A list was provided.  I decided to use “harvest moon,” and this is a tanka 5/7/5/7/7.

moon and clouds over forest

parched forest’s rapture
beneath autumn’s harvest moon
nimbus clouds emerge
sparkling stars disappear
Mother Nature’s magic trick

Embrace your inner child with poetry. D. L. Finn

Special Birthday Prompt #TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge No. 316 #senyrus #poems #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity

I didn’t plan on extra posts during my blog tour, but I couldn’t pass this up. Here’s Colleen Chesebro’s Special Birthday Prompt #TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge No. 316. The prompt was:  Create a syllabic form with 65 syllables, or a combination of words that amount to 65.

I went with 65 syllables. I combined three senyru 5/7/5 poems with two repeat seven-syllable lines that connected them. I used a “birth” and “faerie”  theme 🙂 Title not included in count.

CELEBRATION

dazzling sage eyes

captivating windswept smile

loving elation

forest faeries celebrate

magical moment

nestled amongst mighty redwoods

under the mushrooms

forest faeries celebrate

food, presents, balloons…

welcome the baby princess’

first enchanted breath

#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry #Challenge No. 307 #haiku #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #poems #senryu

Here is this week’s Colleen Chesebro Tanka Tuesday Weekly Challenge No. 307. It is Synonyms Only and the words to work from are: change & grow.

the shift was subtle

as the world nurtured our years

sprouting our wisdom

#TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge No. 306 #photoprompt #tanka #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity

This week’s Colleen Chesebro Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge # 306 is Colleen Chesebro Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge # 306—a photo prompt.

red rose
“This is a filtered version of a rose I photographed at the International Rose Test Garden in Portland.” Photographer, Terri Webster Schrandt, from secondwindleisure.com

The blood-red petals

beguiled the barren landscape

beacon of beauty

pollinates life sorrows

Bringing forth love’s healing blooms

Stop by and say hi! #shortstory “When Walls Talk” @vocal_creators #writingcommunity #readersoftwitter #challenge #horror #paranormal

Hi,
Today I submitted a short story of 1300 words over on Vocal. The Challenge was to start the story with “If walls could talk…” and then write it from their point of view. It is a mixture of the paranormal and a touch of horror.  Stop by and offer a like, share, or comment if you can.

LINK