Sunday, June 28, 2015

796 - Tears

Haiku Horizons has the prompt “Tear”.

A quick decision.
Spontaneous.  Regretted.
We shed salty tears.
 .
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
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795 - Jerk

Mad Kane has a weekly limerick challenge.
She provides the rhyme word, this week it is “jerk”.
The rest is up to us.

She had a few drinks after work
And then slept in the arms of a clerk.
She then dreamed of a life
As a happy young wife
But, alas, woke up with a jerk.
 .
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
---
Apologies to those who pronounce 'clerk', 'clark'.
Call it poetic license.
You could replace 'clerk with 'berk' but it weakens the jerk ending.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

794 - That man Todd

Three Word Wednesday requires participants
to use the three words of the week in a composition.
The words this week were: nervous, puzzled, and lump.


That man Todd.

The nervous will oft close their eyes
As the barber deftly applies
The edge of the blade
To the lather he’s made
And to move is considered unwise.

But one barber with a habit most odd
Would dispatch all his clients to God.
He would then disguise
Their bodies in pies
Which puzzled the homicide squad.

To his credit, the cops all confessed
That his pies were considered the best.
What brought them up trumps
Was the absence of lumps
And a sauce that always impressed.
 .
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
---

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

793 - Daintree


A potted haiku summary of a brief but very pleasant 
visit to the Daintree region of northern Queensland.


Daintree.

Wheels leave the tarmac,
The plane defies gravity
As we hold our breath.

The louvered windows
Of the tropical villa—
Quaint yet comforting.

It smells different
When rain falls in the forest:
Earthy.  Primal. Close.

An electric blue.
The brief but colourful life 
Of a butterfly. (1)

A walk on the beach
Followed by a lazy beer—
Could get used to this.

Let go of your home:
When in Rome (or Daintree)
Drink the local beer.

Warm cuddles in bed,
No need for any nightwear,
A gecko tut-tuts. (2)

The morning chorus:
The birds, the rain, the children.
I go back to sleep. (3)

Ancient wilderness:
Diversity worth a look…
What’s a little rain? (4)

The boat glides along.
On the bank, a crocodile
Pays close attention.

The cassowary:
A large lumpy sort of bird
That hides in the wild.

Cassowary plum
Betray the odd bird’s passing:
Fowl bowel graffiti. (5)

Unusual sounds
Of the unseen bush dwellers,
Oddly comforting.

Cape Tribulation.
The place an early Cook’s tour
Came stuck.  And unstuck. (6)

Holiday chaos—
That fateful, distant message:
“Gone into labour”. 

Technology beats
The tyranny of distance:
The coming of Grace. (7)

Good travel advice:
Take nothing but photographs,
Leave only footprints.

Dinner in the trees—
The jungle meets fine dining,
Daintree à la carte. (8)

The final packing.
I wonder what will be left?
There’s always something.

Familiar smells 
Welcome us back to our home.
The kettle goes on.

I know I am home
When I can kick off my shoes,
Order a pizza.
 .
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
---

1. Ulysses Butterfly
2. Geckos, a type of lizard, makes an odd clicking noise at night.
3. Neighbours had a crying child.  Felt sorry for them.  Nothing more.
4. No rain, no rainforest.  But warm rain.
5. The plum needs the cassowary to eat and pass its seeds for them to germinate.
6. Captain James Cook got stuck on a coral reef in 1770.
7. Grand-daughter, Grace.
8. Nautilus restaurant.


Thursday, June 11, 2015

792 - Relationships

Three Word Wednesday requires participants
to use the three words of the week in a composition.
The words this week were: Erect, Blemish, Lop-sided.


Relationships

Multi-sided
No relationship
Is a pairing of equals:
Different talents.

Lop-sided
Two unequal halves,
Although perfectly aligned,
Asymmetrical.

Open-sided
Life is like a dance—
Not a tango, more awkward,
Like a three-legged race.

Subsided
Just one small blemish
Can block out all the good points;
Out of proportion

Blind-sided
Fearing the unknown,
And sometimes knowing the known,
We erect fences.
 .
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
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Tuesday, June 09, 2015

791 - The Woods

Photo by Oer Wout



The Woods.

Life is seldom
A straight path
Through a copse of trees
To the light.

Reality meanders.
Shadows call.
Enticing sounds call you
Through the mists,
From the trees,
To come and visit,
Come…come…
Come away from the path,
Away with me…
Come…

Curiosity 
Abhors the normal.
Sirens of the woods,
Ulysses would understand.
 .
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
---

Monday, June 08, 2015

790 - Trust


Haiku Horizons has the prompt "Trust".

Trust only yourself.
All others must be suspect,
Experience shows.
 .
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
---

789 - Erectile Dysfunction


Mad Kane has a weekly limerick challenge.
She provides the rhyme word, this week it is “pad”.
The rest is up to us.


Erectile Dysfunction

They thought that the Rajah was mad
For building a solid gold pad.
This golden emporium
And fornicatorium
Used all of the money they had.

The place was built to rehearse
Karma Sutra, chapter and verse,
But the exertion required
Meant that the Rajah expired:
Premature ejaculation, 
Only worse.
 .
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
---

Sunday, June 07, 2015

787 - Drama Queen



Drama Queen
(to the tune of Dancing Queen - Abba)

You can flounce, you can pout, always having your nose put out,
See that show, watch that scene, mocking the poor Drama Queen.

Every night and the swoons are fake
Looking for some offence to take
It doesn’t matter what they say, interpret it the other way,
You come to create an affray
Anyone can cop that flack
If they don’t protect their back
With a few mocking words, sarcastic too
You have your sights upon your prey 
With any sense they will slip away…

You’re the Drama Queen, ruddy faced, like a tangerine
Drama Queen, feel the heat of your venting spleen,
You can flounce, you can pout, always having your nose put out,
See that show, watch that scene, mocking the poor Drama Queen.

You’re a teaser, then turn on them
Leave them stinging with your venom
Looking out for another, anyone will do
You have your sights upon your prey 
With any sense they will slip away…

You’re the Drama Queen, ruddy faced, like a tangerine
Drama Queen, feel the heat of your venting spleen,
You can flounce, you can pout, always having your nose put out,
See that show, watch that scene, mocking the poor Drama Queen.

[fade]

 .
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
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786 - Pond

Haiku Horizons has the prompt “Pond”.


Pond

Darkness, lying still,
A pool of tranquility—
To reflect upon.

◊◊◊

Lilies, frogs and reeds,
Hidden from the broader view
Lives another world

 .
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
---

Repost: Cups of Joy

Sunday Scribblings 2 has the prompt “Teacups”.
Here’s one I prepared earlier:


Cups of Joy

Seldom in the daily rush of life
Do you meet with such perfection;
Beautifully displayed, with love and care,
They arouse a deep affection.

Such vessels are a joy to hold
And warm the cockles of your heart.
Lovingly filled, sweet and warm and milky,
They are a most wond’rous piece of art.

O glorious porcelain saucer and cup
I swoon, en route to fainting,
Now, if the woman will kindly step away,
I can look more closely at the painting.

---
© J Cosmo Newbery
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Wednesday, June 03, 2015

785 - Deeply Distressing

Three Word Wednesday requires participants
to use the three words of the week in a composition.
The words this week were: Absorbed, Deeply, Frantic.


Deeply Distressing

Leaking, 
Sinking, 
Far too much 
Weight.
Frantic 
Scrambling 
Follows.
There is no 
Stopping 
Its demise
The ocean 
Always 
Swallows
The scared
The unprepared
Their cries
Absorbed 
By their watery graves.
A small child 
Resigns to its fate
And slips 
Beneath 
The waves.
 .
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2015
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