1899 - Unplanned

 

Poets & Storytellers have the following prompt: We will invite you to find inspiration in the following quote, by C. S. Lewis, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” 

Most of the wondrous things in my life have been surprises, totally unplanned.

(Ironically C.S.Lewis wrote a book called “Surprised by Joy”, presumably undreamed of.)

So, I went a bit contrary to the prompt:

Unplanned

The joys of my life—

All my greatest treasures,

Were all surprises.

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1866 - The Madness

 What's Going On invites us to reflect on the current madness going on.

The Madness

Is it happening?

The dogs of war are baying—

Have they forgotten?

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What are they thinking?

The message is quite simple—

No-one wins a war.

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They glorify it—

The have never been to war.

It is not Hollywood.

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Old men sit at home

Nursing bone spurs in their feet,

Send others to die.

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No goal in sight—

What do they hope to achieve?

Hard to fathom it.

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Home front is a mess—

Distraction is the idea:

Go bomb someone else.

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1847 - A Senryu Cluster

 

Image by ChatGPT

The Sunday Whirl presented these twelve words for us to use in a creative writing piece.  

bound slip swells fan luring fence cracks bone tower frosted trap grasps

Not seeing a single topic that I felt that I could fit the words to, 

I used each as a prompt for an individual Senryu.

A Cluster of Senryu

bound

Overseas travel.

Like having your second child—

You forget the pain.

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luring

"We can sell your house."

You don’t have to want to sell—

Just give us free rein.

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Bone

They are so eager—

These keen real estate agents.

Don’t throw them a bone.

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fence

Life has compartments.

We must know where our place is.

Boundaries are good.

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cracks

With the right outlook

We are all kintsugi bowls

With gold on our cracks.

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tower

The storms come and go.

I weather all of them—

I am the lighthouse.

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trap

Life is not a trap.

You can move to where you want—

You are not a tree.

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swells

The tide ebbs and flows

But we are in the same sea—

Waves wash over us.

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slip

They slip in between—

Fingers meshing with fingers.

Hearts then follow suit.

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fan

The fingers fan out—

Long sweeping touches follow:

Sensations of love.

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grasps

She touches my hand

(Sitting in a cinema)

Quickly I grasp hers.

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frosted

Frost sits on the leaves,

Sits on the branches, the buds—

A Spring time icing.

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1392 - Patience

 

Patience

"thump...thump...thump..."

A dog, 2025.

A quiet retreat

Is sometimes necessary.

That's okay.  I'll wait.

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1376 - Magic

 

Image by ChatGPT

dVerse - Poet's Pub had the prompt 

"to consider...magical moments of intimacy you’ve experienced."

Magic

Her head on my lap—

I run fingers though her hair.

Both feel the magic.

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1324 - The Stranger

 

The Sunday Whirl presents twelve words for us to use in a creative writing piece.  

This weeks words are: 

scratch, bones, branches, gathered, blow, words, stone, stranger, keep, tilt, feathered, we.

I played with Haiku.  Probably Senryu, in truth.

The Stranger

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: 

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.  

– Hebrews 13:2

The wind was blowing.

Branches screeched on the windows.

It was a bleak night.

A scratch at the door.

A dark figure stood outside.

He offered no words.

Barely skin and bones.

A coat gathered around him,

To keep the wind out.

“What brings you, stranger?”

But it garners no response.

He stands like a stone.

“Come in, have some soup”.

He tilted his head, thinking.

Then nods and enters.

The coat slips open.

A glimpse of something feathered.

No answers offered.

Fed and most grateful,

He silently leaves again.

We may never know.

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1600 - Patchwork

 

The Sunday Whirl presents the following words for us to use:

flesh sand clay scarce drifted pearl page split pick veil rose gem

I opted for a medley of Senryu.

The touch of warm flesh—

A very human pleasure;

I miss that contact.

The relentless sand.

The hourglass drains

And life flows away.

Life can be mucky:

Surrounded by swamps and clay.

A trap for your feet.

True friends are quite scarce.

Promises are made and kept

By those you can trust.

How did I come here?

What was I even thinking?

In truth, I drifted.

It’s a metaphor:

Layers upon more layers—

My life as a pearl.

The pages will turn

But what we write upon them?

That is the question.

Opinions are split.

The conundrum of our time.

Add milk first? Or tea?

So much to choose from—

What is good and what is bad?

You can take your pick.

An erotic show:

The dance of the seven veils.

Or so I am told.

I planted a rose

On the day she became ill.

Just the rose remains.

Life can seem dirty

But beneath the dust and filth

The gems are still there.

1595 - Two Handles

 

Two Handles

There are two handles.

We can choose which one we grasp.

One rough and one smooth.

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Some people choose rough.

They are itching for a fight:

Fractious and feisty.

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The wise will choose smooth.

Life's a battle already,

Why make it harder?

.

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© 2023  J Cosmo Newbery

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1594 - Together

 

A log-fire burning.

Two people are sitting there.

Reading, side by side.

.

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© 2023  J Cosmo Newbery

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1587 - Running out

 

Running Out

They said that it would—

The system is shutting down.

No miracles here.

 .

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© 2023  J Cosmo Newbery

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1586 - That much

 

That much.

Does your mother drink?
Just half a glass when I do.
Oh.  Really?  That much.
 .
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© 2023  J Cosmo Newbery
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1585 - Relative appointment

 

Relative appointment

Doctor's waiting rooms.

Time is different there.

Einstein understood.

 .

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© 2023  J Cosmo Newbery

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1584 - Demons

 

Those recurring thoughts,

The demons of the darkness,

Rob me of my sleep.

 .

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© 2023  J Cosmo Newbery

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1583 - Check the Feet

 

Check the Feet

How am I doing?

There are no easy answers—

I really don't know.

 .

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© 2023  J Cosmo Newbery

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1580 - Didn't skip a beat

 

Before & After

The normal treatment,

Chemo and radiation—

Didn't skip a beat.

 .

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© 2023  J Cosmo Newbery

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1565 - Lack of proficiency

 Tossed a job to do.
Not given any support—
An awkward meeting.
 .
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© 2012   J Cosmo Newbery
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1564 - Not my job

 Push back on Spanky.
Why should I write the letter?
Not doing her job.
 .
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© 2012   J Cosmo Newbery
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1563 - Follow the Crowds

Against the odds
I won the football tipping.
With the odds, perhaps.
 .
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© 2012   J Cosmo Newbery
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1562 - Size does matter?

 The Tigers and Cats—
Two football adversaries.
The Tigers prevailed.
 .
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© 2012   J Cosmo Newbery
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1561 - A little rain must fall

 It's going to rain.
You can smell it in the air.
No tea leaves needed.
 .
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© 2012   J Cosmo Newbery
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