Of this and that (NaPoWriMo)

“Poetry is the lifeblood of rebellion, revolution, and the raising of consciousness.” – Alice Walker.

Poetry courses through my veins unhindered
is giving words to thoughts not a primordial urge!
the words gush forth on their own
lifeblood they are of my very existence
of pain and joy, of this and that, of protest and
rebellion I do sing
revolution I may not have wrought with my pen
and may be no tyrant has quailed before
the hand wielding the quill
raising voice and concerns is my calling
of course poetry is the tremulous yet persistent voice of
consciousness; that sometimes gets waylaid by perception.

Today’s challenge is to write a variation of an acrostic poem. But rather than spelling out a word with the first letters of each line, write a poem that reproduces a phrase with the first words of each line. Perhaps you could write a poem in which the first words of each line, read together, reproduce a treasured line of poetry? You could even try using a newspaper headline or something from a magazine article.

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Labour of love

Poetry is a labour of love, dare I say
it starts in the mind but then the heart holds sway
Words start stringing themselves prettily in the mind
lustrous they are, when with heart they are entwined
Words woven with the warm threads of emotions
myriad colours expressing all notions
Gradually through words heart begins to unravel
sometimes it snivels and sometimes it can dazzle
I hide behind the images that I create
but disrobing of soul is what I abominate
Poetry is a labour of love, dare I say
It starts in the mind but then the heart holds sway.

Words start stringing themselves prettily in the mind
lustrous they are, when with heart they are entwined
My words and I become one when through them I speak
whether I write of joys untold or of sorrows bleak
I lay bare my self all naked and vulnerable
sharing my pains and what makes me miserable
Anger finds release through sharp, stinging, staccato words
as my heart releases these tormented caged birds
Storm clouds darken my heart when atrocities it suffers
viscous black ink spills forth without any buffers
Poetry is a labour of love, dare I say
it starts in the mind but then the heart holds sway

Words woven with the warm threads of emotions
myriad colours expressing all notions
Mending, healing, becoming whole happens organically
through the pen, when words flow unchecked and free
My broken heart heals when sutured with verse
it is often a blessing but also a curse
The language of souls speaks in a common tongue
all hearts in a common thread are strung
I am filled with diffidence with every verse I write
though even the most nondescript one fills me with delight
Poetry is a labour of love, dare I say
It starts in the mind but then the heart holds sway.

Sharing at OLN dVerse.

Do come in

Come in

don’t stand dithering at the doorway

I leave the door ajar for friends

who knows when one might want to drop in

I can offer a shoulder to cry on

an ear for gossip

a cup of tea to soothe frayed nerves

a meal to satisfy stomach and soul

and some lame jokes to make you laugh.

Don’t

be dismayed by the clutter around

nor if the beds are unmade

and the laundry all piled up

I am taking a break

from being presentable all the time

I prefer to be present these days.

I know

dropping in is not easy always

so you can call me any time

one can always drop everything for friends

at times all one needs is a listener

or to listen to a voice that cares.

And

of course there is always social media

to get in touch with

or when you just want to know

that reaching out is possible

although you are not in a mood

to do so right then.

But

I will still keep my door ajar

it is the doorway to kinship

for I don’t want to miss the opportunity

that I might have with you.

For

at the end of the day

It is friends who make

intangible difference to life

so don’t hesitate at the doorway

come right in.

https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2021/11/15/what-do-you-see-108-november-15-2021/

Sadje, another one for you.

Ode to gooey indulgence (OctPoWriMo)

Day 12

Prompt: Ode to something you love

Form: Ode

Thou oozy overload of sweetness,
Thou sisterhood of deliciousness and lusciousness.
A mere gourmand can’t thus express,
A flowery tale more sweetly than my rhyme:
What perfect torus is thy shape;
No mortal, nor immortal can be immune to thy charms.
In the confectionery shops dotted across the worlde,
What pâtisserie chef worked magic with simple dough?
What piece of baked goody art thou?
What gustatory gratification you generate?

Eaten goodies are sweet but those uneaten,
Are sweeter; therefore ye sight for sore eyes, stay on;
I pray, play with my senses no more!
Sugar dressed beauty, I canst leave thee alone,
Thy allure is beyond compare!
How do I count the ways that I yearn for you?
Fathom no one can, the depth of my longing.
My bold lips yearn to kiss thy scrumptious skin
The untold bliss that you have coated my soul with;
Is unparalleled elsewhere in this universe!

Ah! Delirious do I feel as I bite into
The pillowy softness of perfection!
My eyes close on their own with ecstasy;
As a cavalcade of flavours dances on my tongue.
The unselfish gooey creaminess is something to die for!
I care not if death knocks at my door in this moment of indulgence.
Fie! I say to anyone who tries to warn me about your so called imperfections!
Jealousy is known drive man to unknown nadir;
I dare anyone to make perfidious or calumnious claims against you!
I worship the altar on which you sit queen like;
My day incomplete without a visit to my majesty,
Long live your exuberant voluptuousness!

https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2021/10/11/what-do-you-see-103-october-11-2021/

(Inspired by Keats’ odes)

Change of season (OctPoWriMo)

(From Pexel)

Day 4

Prompt: Autumn

Form: Pantoum

The day hurries by, ceding place to the longer night
Yet the heat refuses to mellow to a coolness
Not all leaves brown and fall, some are still bright
But it sure is the season of fruitfulness!

Though the heat refuses to mellow to a coolness
Disinterested in going into a decline
It sure is the season of fruitfulness
Despite the uncertainty of changing times.

Disinterested in going into a decline
Summer persists with hot, humid days
Maybe because of uncertainty of changing times
Seasons seem to overlap in many ways.

Summer persists with hot, humid days
They say it’s a sign of global warming
Seasons seem to overlap in many ways
Why don’t we heed the global warning!

They say it’s a sign of global warming
That not all leaves brown and fall and some are still bright
Why don’t we heed the global warning
Alas! the day hurries by, ceding place to warm night.

(I will be posting a poem or maybe two everyday this entire month. I look forward to your support and encouragement, at the same time I understand that reading every blog is not possible! Drop in whenever you can.)

Fantastical journey (OctPoWriMo)

Day 2

Prompt: Explore

Form: Decastich (a poem in ten lines)

Perfunctory air-kisses under the watchful eyes of curious kids
Our awkward hugs were always at the doorway
Craning over the overstuffed portmanteaus and backpacks
Though inside I was coming all undone!
Your wanderlust making you restless
These past two years with the world going topsy-turvy
Your heart longing for the deep secrets of sea
We embarked on a fantastical journey
Our contraption, in all its splendour, ready to take off with clangs and bangs
Hey world! Here we come!

https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2021/10/04/what-do-you-see-102-october-4-2021/

(I will be posting a poem or maybe two everyday this entire month. I look forward to your support and encouragement, at the same time I understand that reading every blog is not possible! Drop in whenever you can.)

Finally, it begins…(OctPoWriMo)

(From Pexel)

Day 1

Prompt: Anticipate

Form: Cascade

My spine atingle as I prepare to start
A festival of poetry that excites me most
A poem a day I commit to write.

I hope to keep my resolve to participate
I need my readers’ support as I embark
My spine atingle as I prepare to start.

I do write poems, most everyday
But there’s something so motivating about this month
A festival of poetry that excites me most!

I take a deep breath as my fingers are poised
No going back or stopping once I begin
A poem a day I commit to write.

(I will be posting a poem or maybe two everyday this entire month. I look forward to your support and encouragement, at the same time I understand that reading every blog is not possible! Drop in whenever you can.)

Nothing but the truth

A commodity considered archaic in the present times
relegated to being rarest of rare
truth these days is an experimental drug.

As dazzling artifice and pretence become lucrative
plain truth is no longer regarded attractive
a commodity considered archaic in the present times.

Lies need no passport, traversing the world
truth plods on, barefoot and sore
relegated to being rarest of rare.

Deception artfully camouflages flaws
honesty almost always gives you a spine
truth these days is an experimental drug.

For OLN at dVerse being hosted by Lisa.