Lost and found

 by an exact spot in the sky,
I witness a shift of light,
breaking where no sun shines

Why am I traveling
where really there is no road
the forest road was shut many moons ago

in gangrene hues, over a pyramid
in the desert, life is distilled;
I fear water

It’s so easy to get lost and disappear,
into the  nothingness of despair
I feel relief at the abandonment

where the wind and dust travel easily along my skin,
leaving trails of of the journey thus far
I am ready for something called home.

Written for dVerse. Today’s host Laura says: Select ONE of the above ‘lost poems’ (or one of your own finding where something or someone is lost ) and re-write is as a ‘Found poem’. It does not have to be as rigid as an erasure poem for you can add in some of your own words or even reorder it.

I have used the following poem. The phrases/lines used by me are in bold.

(Lost By Way of Tchin-Tabarden by Susan Rich

Republic of Niger

Nomads are said to know their way by an exact spot in the sky,

the touch of sand to their fingers, granules on the tongue.

But sometimes a system breaks down. I witness a shift of light,

study the irregular shadings of dunes. Why am I traveling

this road to Zinder, where really there is no road? No service station

at this check point, just one commercant hawking Fanta

in gangrene hues. C’est formidable! he gestures — staring ahead

over a pyramid of foreign orange juice.

In the desert life is distilled to an angle of wind, camel droppings,

salted food. How long has this man been here, how long

can I stay contemplating a route home?

It’s so easy to get lost and disappear, die of thirst and longing

as the Sultan’s three wives did last year. Found in their Mercedes,

the chauffeur at the wheel, how did they fail to return home

to Ágadez, retrace a landscape they’d always believed?

No cross-streets, no broken yellow lines; I feel relief at the abandonment

of my own geography. I know there’s no surveyor but want to imagine

the aerial map that will send me above flame trees, snaking

through knots of basalt. I’ll mark the exact site for a lean-to

where the wind and dust travel easily along my skin,

and I’m no longer satiated by the scent of gasoline. I’ll arrive there

out of balance, untaught; ready for something called home.)

I have made peace with pain

(From Pexel)

Pain visited me occasionally
like a migratory bird;
it was seasonal.
I never liked her visits but
she threw joy in sharp relief.

Then her visits became more frequent
she liked to perch on my soul
trilling her melancholy song
the deep ache in my heart burgeoned taking roots there.

These days pain and I are inseparable
she lurks behind my smiles
she tinges my happiness with grey
she stays awake with me on moonless nights.

I have learnt to savour
each single slivers of happiness more
no longer immersing myself
completely in exultation
I live on the periphery of jubilation
with pain shining a light on
little pleasures to be lived to the fullest.

Written for dVerse. Today’s host Ingrid says: What I would like you to do for this challenge is a kind of therapeutic exercise. I do NOT want you to open any old wounds which are too painful to approach, or torment yourself by reliving painful moments. Let’s always keep in mind Wordsworth’s definition of poetry as ’emotion recollected in tranquillity.’ If you are able to, I want you to revisit a time in your life when you have felt pain (emotional or physical, acute or chronic) and come out on the other side stronger. As hard as it is to go through, we learn from our pain and grow as a result of it. So let’s examine the personal and artistic growth which can be achieved by finding the silver lining behind the cloud of suffering.

To my readers

(From Pexel)

All humans desire fame
I too want to make my name
frenetically I write verses everyday
to become famous one fine day
finally I have found an audience
who do not consider me a nuisance
who applaud each verse I post
to every poem they raise a toast
they effusively praise and warmly support
don’t ever stop writing, they exhort
magnanimously they overlook grammatical errors
the wrong syntax and occasional spelling terrors
benevolently attributing it to auto check
they allow my mistakes to flourish unchecked
let me extend heartfelt thanks to one and all
who very kindly and patiently read and don’t bawl
Very sweetly they have bitten their tongue or stubbed their finger
never do they on my shallow thoughts linger
now ain’t that the mark of great hallowed saints!
I bow my head in reverence to this practice quaint
mutual respect is the name of the game
and we have all excelled at it for a few minutes’ fame
let publishers turn down my work at will
they know not what gives me thrills
I am an uncut gem they cannot recognise
only if like my readers they were wise
to be published and famous is the ultimate goal
I will self publish, I sure can play that role!

Written for dVerse. Today’s host Sanaa says: let’s have fun while writing a Panegyric poem. It doesn’t necessarily have to be very long. For purposes of the prompt as well as everybody’s ease, I am leaving the length up to the discretion of the Poet.

The theme can be anything, as it’s a poem of “effusive praise,” go ahead and explore where the idea takes you. Feel free to write about nature or perhaps a favorite author, artist or poet. The possibilities are endless.

(I took inspiration from Dryden’s Mac Flecknoe and Henry Carey’s Namby Pamby which are satirical.)

A lyrical love story

(From Pexel)

The first time I ever saw your face
Getting off the morning train
My hear went boom boom pow!
I may not have been a pretty flamingo
You too were no puppet on a string!
I remember that Monday
Monday when you told my mom
Mrs. Brown you’ ve got a lovely daughter
Honestly that was somethin’ stupid to do
But we were addicted to love
And against all odds just beat it
All I can say we are as happy as we can be.

Written for dVerse. Today’s host Lillian says: For today’s prompt I’d like you to go to the website https://mybirthdayhits.com and plug in your birthday. There’s a spot in the upper right-hand corner of the site for you to enter your birthdate. Have fun scrolling down the years, seeing what the #1 tune was on each of your birthdays. Pick at least one of the song titles that hit the charts at #1 on your birthday – one that resonates with you – and use it in its exact wording within your poem. Of course you’re free to choose more than 1 title and see where the muse takes you on putting them into one poem! Be sure to give credit to the song titles and the artist at the end of your post – and, if you’d like, share your birthdate with us too! Take a moment and listen to the songs as well! Have fun with this one, grooving down memory lane.

Songs in the verse:

The first time ever…. Roberta Flack

Morning Train… Sheena Easton

Boom boom pow…The Black Eyed Peas

Pretty Flamingo..Manfred Mann

Puppet on a string…Sandie Shaw

Monday Monday…Mamas and Papas

Mrs. Brown you’ve got a lovely daughter…. Herman’s Hermits

Somethin’ stupid… Frank and Nancy Sinatra

Addicted to love…Robert Palmer

Against all odds…Phil Collins

Beat it …. Michael Jackson

Happy…. Pharrell Williams

Words (a zéjel)

(From Pexel)

Words too often play games with me
Pirouetting away quickly
To appear with alacrity!

Refusing to be strung just so
Treating me almost like a foe
Then sweetly falling in a row
Without them, what our life would be!

Mostly same words are used by all
Some fly, others falter and fall
Can writing be everyone’s call?
Of success there’s no guarantee!

Yet words do entice everyone
Coaxing hidden poets and some
write earnestly, others for fun
Words sure are public property.

Written for dVerse. Today’s host Grace says: write a poem in Zéjel poetry form as described above. There are 2 rhyme scheme variations which you can choose from, and the theme is your choice.

Read more about Zéjel here.

My favourite fruit

(from Pexel)

There is nothing mellow

about that burst of taste

and a riot of flavours

(which engage all the senses)

of the luscious, juicy,
forbidden

and much coveted

fruit of fantasy.

Written for dVerse. Today’s host Mish says: Write about an emotion or abstract concept. What does it taste like?

Common homebody

(From Pexel)

In troth ma’am I understand not your shrieks
on spying my lissome self on your beloved
painting! I serenade my squeeze with chirps and squeaks
But you stamp your foot and want me culled!

My pale, pasty skin may put you off
Believe me, my beady eyes are focussed
My usefulness, trust me, you just cannot scoff
Gulping insects, I try to remain unnoticed.

I like your precious china cabinet to rest
Your porch light, magnet for my preys,
doth attract my varied winged dinner best
On your rooftop I truly enjoy my summer stays.

Methinks, milady doth protest too much
Here take my tail, though you don’t like to touch!

Written for dVerse. Today’s host Sarah says: Write a poem about creepy crawlies or insects, preferably from their own viewpoint.

Mine is from the viewpoint of a lizard.

In the still of the night

In the still of that fateful night
as drowsy stars twinkled
dimly in the background
the moon was busy playing hide and seek
with cotton-white cheeky cumulus clouds.

Ever so tenderly tracing the lifeline with a calloused thumb
in the still of that love soaked night
our hearts to primordial beat did thrum
raging fires of passion burned bright.

The promises that we made to each other
soft whispers carried on the wings of zephyr
in the still of that life changing night
vibrant and throbbing forever and ever.

You said, “put jasmine blossoms in your hair and impale your bosom on the sword of faith
joining forces against the world’s might
so we may be warriors of love till eternity”
beautiful vows exchanged in the still of night.

Today again in the still of the night
with jasmine in hair I wait by the moonlight
my eyelids bear the weight of loneliness
with longing in my heart your return I await, my knight.

Written for dVerse poetics. Sanaa, today’s host says:

For today’s Poetics I invite you all to play a poetry game called, “Dungeons and Derivatives.”

The idea here is to select one (from a list of eight sentences) and to change at least one word or more by replacing it with a derivative. Once you are done, unlock the muse from its dungeon and write a poem with the existing sentence.

I have chosen this sentence :

(Image from Pinterest)

Grey skies

Listen to Rain memories by User 952730347 on #SoundCloud https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/W9mHv

As I stand under the grey skies
Raindrops pelting my face
I miss your arms wrapped around me
Rains always bring back your memories.

The sweet tea lingers on my tongue
Reminding of your voice so sweet
Strained ears hear only your footsteps
Rains always bring back your memories.

Saltiness on my lips
Tastes of regrets buried deep
What ifs torment my tortured soul
Rains always bring back your memories.

I long for the frosty embrace of winter
My feelings back in the deep freeze
Hibernate my achy heart will
Gosh! I don’t want rains to bring back your memories.

Written for dVerse. Ingrid says: Begin to compose a poem without putting pen to paper: you can say the words in your head, or repeat them out loud. Record them, if you wish, as an aid to memory. Try to complete the poem as far as possible without writing it down. Think about the devices discussed above: regular rhythms, repeated phrases or ‘motifs’, alliteration and rhyme schemes – anything to aid the memory and help the words to flow. Alternatively, why not compose a stream-of-consciousness poem orally, recording the words as they come to you?

Guest Emotion

Gung-ho, attractive and daring
Unexpectedly arriving with an overflowing portmanteau
Eager to occupy the vacant space
Stealthily making way to the heart on the bias
Tricky love puzzled mind also does abduct!

Making its arrival known with a lot of fanfarE
The lips flutter in a smile like a blooM
The silly heart dances with gustO
Tattooing only one name in the chesT
Then suddenly it leaves without an alibI
The mind again feels like a stupid bozO
Taken on the same old ride once agaiN.

Written for dVerse.

Lillian says:  I challenge you to either write a poem that in some way relates to a puzzle you’ve been faced with, or includes the word “puzzle”; or try your hand at an Acrostic; or extra points if you write an Acrostic Plus!

A double acrostic and acrostic plus.