Month: May 2022

Frenzy

~ paeansunplugged ~ 63 Comments

Hush! I tell my weary heart not to cry
as mayhem is unleashed in a flurry
I sip life slowly; the world jostles by
the time has come for us all to worry

as mayhem is unleashed in a flurry
wonder if people ponder their time here
the time has come for us all to worry
I frown, as I try to blink back a tear

wonder if people ponder their time here
a frenzied rush leading no where
I frown, as I try to blink back a tear
as I hear of killings here and there

a frenzied rush leading no where
I sip life slowly, the world jostles by
as I hear of killings here and there
hush! I tell my weary heart not to cry

Written in response to POW Kerfe’s prompt for W3 challenge run by David. Her prompt guidelines are:

  • 16 lines or less;
  • the first and last lines must be the same.

Also sharing at dVerse OLN.

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Just so common

~ paeansunplugged ~ 66 Comments
The common crow

Cawing crow-chorus announces the morn
sitting in my balcony, the one eyed crow, greets the dawn


neither a murderer nor treacherous
but very inquisitive and raucous


it scolds pigeons eyeing its favourite perch
calumnious criticism it cares not for much


oblivious to long told ludicrous lores
eats carrion, leaving eyes*, as flesh it scores.

*(O Raven, you have searched my skeleton, and eaten all my flesh. But please do not touch these eyes as I hope to behold my Beloved.)

The above is a very famous couplet by Baba Farid.

Written for dVerse poetics. Today’s host, Ingrid says : For this week’s Poetics, I would like you to choose a member of the corvid family, and (taking inspiration from the examples above if you wish) write a poem (or even a song) about it.

I have written corvid poems earlier too. You can read one of those here.

Being sizzled

~ paeansunplugged ~ 77 Comments

As I start hanging the laundry, I can feel the scorching sun burning my skin. By the time I hang the last piece of cloth, the first one is already dry and my hands slightly tanned. My potted plants look droopy and withered. No amount of water quenches their thirst or mine.

Scalding tap water
groans and gurgles grudgingly
bathing no relief

The only place to provide some kind of relie, through the season, are the hills. But with most city dwellers making a beeline for hill stations, they have become over crowded, noisy and water deficit. The summers of my childhood were spent outdoors, my kids beat the heat with air conditioning. 

Indulging self in
luscious, juicy summer fruits
cool vacation dreams

Written for dVerse. Today’s host, Frank, says: Let’s join in the celebration of Summer! Write a haibun that alludes to this hottest of seasons.

Persuasion

~ paeansunplugged ~ 71 Comments

The bitter tempest smashed against the window
hissing and pushing all night
tossing up things like straw
driving the lonely moon away

The faint morn treads in softly
the trees at the bend in the path
dressed in glorious greenery
persuade to enjoy and join their dance.

Written for Sadje’s wdys and Jane’s random word poetry.

(In the early hours today we had thunderstorm and rain bringing respite from brutal heat.)

Being with self

~ paeansunplugged ~ 78 Comments

Silence drowned by brash noise and sound
when mind wallows in shallows of din
’tis best then to retreat within

in nature’s lap inner peace I found
gentle murmur of rustling leaves
birdsong a soothing refrain weaves

quietude; nothingness around
breathe deep, relax, calm your senses
let go of all mental fences

gratitude and deep bliss abound
no intrigue, no suspense; just calm
accepting flaws without a qualm

being alone, a feeling profound
solitude is the place to be
when I am in touch with just me.

Silence drowned by brash noise and sound
in nature’s lap inner peace I found
quietude; nothingness around
gratitude and deep bliss abound
being alone, a feeling profound!

Written for dVerse MTB. Today’s host, Björn has asked us to write a Constanza.

Beclouded

~ paeansunplugged ~ 78 Comments

A smattering of wispy, delicate clouds
hide the brooding blood moon
light dims, air stills
comets whizz past softly
lest they step on the nebula cart

wheel gently past all the stars
waiting for the clouds to part
in awe watches the earth
quake in anticipation all earthlings
perfectly aligned moon, earth and sun

burn all the books proclaiming
sun has been swallowed by the beasts
if the end of the world seems nigh any day
time to go back to history books.

Written for dVerse poetics. Today’s host, Lillian says:  I want you to choose at least one compound word from the list below to use in your poem. You may choose to use more.
AND

FOR EACH COMPOUND WORD YOU DO USE, I want you to take apart the compound word within your poem. You can do that by a) putting the first half of the compound word at the end of a line and the second half of the compound word immediately at the beginning of the next line OR b) by separating the two halves of the compound word with punctuation. You MUST separate the two root words that make up the compound word.

You may  NOT put additional words between the two root words, and you may NOT add a letter to either of the root words.

In other words, the root words must be used exactly as they appear in the compound word!

Here’s the list you can choose from:
crosswalk
handshake
armpit
underestimate
goodnight
honeydew
earthquake
cartwheel
moonlight
showoff
waterproof
moonwalk
nightlight
midnight
hotdog
daytime
starfish
sunburn

(I used words in bold italics.)

Morpheus eludes

~ paeansunplugged ~ 83 Comments
Morpheus

These parched eyes do crave
the cooling dew drops of dreams
but stay sleep deprived

the night is sleepless
and the morn is still sleeping
the lone moon loiters

my eyes dodge sly sleep
I fill the space betwixt lids
with your loving thoughts

Written for dVerse. Today’s host, Sarah, says: give me your sleepy poems! Your poems of rest and relaxation, of drifting off into the golden haze of slumber! Your spiky poems of lying awake while your lover snores beside you! Your forty winks on a sunny afternoon!

A set of three haiku on elusive sleep.

That thingamajig

~ paeansunplugged ~ 57 Comments

The time is upon us of those hot, long days

everything moving at such a slow pace

I think I can hear the footsteps of my mind

though it seems to find itself in a bind

that thingamajig which kept it ticking and going

has vamoosed completely and gone into hiding

playing peekaboo with precipitous peeks and glimpses

like a novice I fail when within a few inches

is it roaming like a nomad in search of greener pastures

am I no longer a good, clever master

has it has been lured by someone else

for I can see in the vicinity a jealous elf

all these years of practice at writing

gone to waste with that thing flying!

I enveigle it, as one would an errant young one

with treats of likes and comments well spun

I chew quills, tear empty page after page

raging at being so unfairly caged

if you see my thingamajig lurking somewhere

just show it the path to my aboutwhere.

An old poem reworked for dVerse OLN being hosted by Sanaa.