Picnic in Park

Posted on May 18, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  One Woman's Quest II
VJ's Weekly Challenge

"I have this fantasy, that we all meet – money and COVID not being an issue. I ponder the how and where, imagining animated conversations and unexpected bondings.

Won’t you join me this week with a little fantasy. Help me fill in the details.

Can’t wait to see what you come up with. Could be a setting, a preview of the agenda, an imagined conversation, or even a guest list. Have fun."


Select a rural space,
a place in which to have 
a picnic.  Jot down
what you would like
to bring.  It is Spring,
so we can spread out
large blankets. Suggestions:
cheese, crackers, wine, etc.
We chat, laugh, tell tales,
and eat our repast.  Then,
someone begins a story,
and each subsequent
person writes the next
line. We will get to know
each other, eat, drink,
and have a finished
piece of writing in
which everyone takes a
portion of the credit.

https://onewomansquest.org/2021/05/17/vjs-weekly-challenge-read-on/
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Stay Calm

Posted on May 17, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille

What's In a Word?  (posted by Lillian)

"SO WHAT IS THE EXACT WORD REQUIRED FOR TODAY’S QUADRILLE?
It’s WOUND. How did you just pronounce the word in your head when you read it? It can be pronounced in two different ways, each with its own meaning. It is indeed a homograph!"

"Want to make today’s prompt a bit tougher?  Instead of just using one pronunciation/meaning of WOUND as one of the 44 words, include the word WOUND twice – as two of the 44 words – using both of its meanings/pronunciations and thus including the homographic pair. Whether you use the word “wound” once or twice in the body of the poem, the poem must be exactly 44 words in length- not including the title."


I am wounded, bleeding.
Please call for an
ambulance, but take no
chances.  Wrap my leg
up first.  Don’t curse,
Do you want me
to lose my leg?  Yes,
you can.  Do not get 
all wound up; use your 
shirt, and tie it tightly.

https://dversepoets.com/
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Not Happening

Posted on May 17, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poetic Bloomings2
Prompt #334 - It Happens

"What has happened?  What would you like to happen?"


Consistency continues
day after day.  In
my gut, I feel like
I am stuck in a rut.
Oh, to be at a beach, away

from thoughts that linger
in the forefront of my brain.
Afternoons lolling on sand,
evenings dining on seafood.  No
appointments, temporarily sane.

I need no European vacation,
nor formal clothes of any kind.
A mere change of scenery
would be refreshing with soaring
birds, and scent of ocean brine.

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/
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Spring Break

Posted on May 17, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Sunday Whirl, Wordle #502

Words:  Florida, news, middle, lie, run, fun, girls, unify,
        scandal, hard, second, spray


Spring break school girls
are unified in their decision
to take Spring break in 
Florida.  What fun to lie
on soft sand, jet-ski, 
and not have to run 
on a schedule.  On-line
schooling made concentration
hard.  Stealing away 
from bad news that sprayed
on them like acid rain.  
Escape being caught 
in the middle of local 
scandals, and not,
for a second, think of
returning home.

https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/
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Party of Hunters

Posted on May 16, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poets and Storytellers United
Weekly Scribblings #69:  Of The Hunt  (posted by Magaly)

"I invite you to write poetry or prose from the point of view of a character or speaker who is hunting, being hunted, or both."


I am six years old 
today.  We are playing
Treasure Hunt.  My friends
spread out among trees
and bushes.  I search 
grass and flowers.  Starts
to seem like hours of hunting.
We are looking for a large 
gold coin.  Hope someone
finds it soon so we can have
my birthday cake.

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/
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Pink Sand Castles

Posted on May 16, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Sunday Muse #160  (posted by Shay)


I lean against 
these tenement bars,
cold steel, like
this city.  While holding
my face up to the sun, I
close my eyes, and dream 
of an island life, friends
gathered around me, teal
pools, green seas,
and pink sand castles
that never crumble.

http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/
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This Poem is Blues

Posted on May 12, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics:  Blue Tuesday
(posted by sarahsouthwest)

"In March last year, I asked you to write some red poems. Tonight, I want you to write me some blue poems.

Red is pretty straightforward. It’s out there – fiery, passionate, dangerous! Blue is different. It’s a little cooler, a little stranger, a little more mysterious.

Let’s think about blue for a bit. Blue is the sky and the sea, obviously, so we associate it with calm and peacefulness. Other than that, there’s not much of it in nature. Most of the flowers we call “blue” are actually purple, there are few blue birds and lizards, a handful of butterflies, and a couple of fish. We recoil from blue food, because we associate the colour with blue mould."


that get you on indigo nights-
that wails, weeps, leaves
you sleepless.

This poem shivers-quivers you
like Alaska's ice floes.

This poem is music crying
tears.

This poem is Bluebeard,
infamous pirate.

This poem is a pool
to drown sorrows in.

This poem is an ocean
to clean-sheen you
washed of blues
and whole again.

https://dversepoets.com/
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Erosion of Earth

Posted on May 12, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Go Dog Go Cafe  (posted by Devereaux and Beth)
"Write a poem using the words: negative, balance, erosion."


erosion of earth
will leave us all 
with a negative balance

https://godoggocafe.com/2021/05/11/tuesday-writing-prompt-challenge-tuesday-may-11-2021/
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“hope rides the air”

Posted on May 12, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  The Twiglets #226 - "hope rides the air"


The time of despair has lifted
as new hope rides the air.


A glimmer of hope
sails through the air.


baby robins wait
cozy but hungry in nest
watch mom carry food


        There once was a woman named Hope
        Most people thought she was a mope
            She always looked down
            viewing only the ground
     When found she could write, her gaze strays to light

https://thetwiglets.wordpress.com/

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Maine Misadventures

Posted on May 11, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  One Woman's Quest II
VJ's Weekly Challenge 

"What could you talk about for 30 minutes without any preparation?"


There was that time we followed recommendation
of a friend to rent a cabin on the lake in Maine.

Omen 1:  Rental car breaks down on the way, begins
changing lanes at will.

Omen 2:  We arrive quite late.  Exhausted, we enter
the cabin for four, and discover it's barely
adequate for two.  Oh, and did I mention, the bathroom
was separated from the kitchen by a rather flimsy
curtain.

Omen 3:  Our friends decide to take a row boat
out on the lake at twilight.  We hear screams;
boat overturns.

Omen 4:  We decide to visit Mt. Washington.
We are in a van, Japanese tourists in the
front, four of us in the back.  The climb
up is treacherous.  My girlfriend and I
shriek in terror–no rails.  The Japanese
tourists–non-English speaking–turn around
laughing and pointing out the window, 
mistaking our emotions for sheer joy.
We reach the top, vowing never to descend.
The spectacular view is obscured
by thick fog.  

We never return.  We do not own T-shirts
claiming "I climbed Mt. Washington."

https://onewomansquest.org/
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All In Your Own Definition

Posted on May 10, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poetic Bloomings2
PROMPT #333 – SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS

"Consider this quote to inspire your poem."

“Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to.” ~Unknown Author

What is your notion of success?
There is no magic
potion or spell.  Sell yourself
to you.  If you like writing
poetry you can share with
others, and are pleased with 
the flow of your words,
that is quite enough
to say you have
the stuff required
for success.

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/
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Cold Cases

Posted on May 10, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  The Sunday Whirl, Wordle #501

Words:  scan, traces, cases, stories, catastrophe, created, 
        risk, contain, places, premonition, silently, peace


If you scan
through the cold
cases, you will find,
contained within, traces
of premonitions not
given a place of
importance in 
the original catastrophic
stories.  Long span
of silence–no new 
evidence–created a
slowdown in investigations.
You have to wonder why 
the first detectives
to receive the case
did not risk using
other avenues of pursuit.
If a case remains cold,
there is no peace
for the families.

https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/
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Continuation of Purple Cow

Posted on May 9, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub  (posted by Grace)
Meeting The Bar:  Palinode

"A palinode or palinody is an ode or song that retracts or recants a view or sentiment to what the poet wrote in a previous poem."

In 1895, Gelett Burgess wrote his famous poem, the Purple Cow:

I never saw a purple cow.
I never hope to see one.
But I can tell you anyhow
I’d rather see than be one.

Later in his life, he followed it with this palinode:

Ah yes, I wrote the purple cow!
I’m sorry now I wrote it!
But I can tell you anyhow,
I’ll kill you if you quote it!


(second palinode to Purple Cow)

I want to see a purple cow
before I die, anyhow. 
If that cow does greet with bow
I'll have new friend, I avow.

https://dversepoets.com/
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Forest Rules

Posted on May 9, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Sunday Muse #159
“Forest Traffic!” Digital Art by Pulkit Kudiwal
We brake for ducks
in a row.  Originally
we were on our way
to see the Wizard.  Found
out its been done before,
so we decided to stroll
through the forest.  Did
not expect a traffic light.
Red is red though, and we
do like to follow rules. 
See ya next time on the
path.  Walk safely.

http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/

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Hidden Art

Posted on May 7, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poets and Storytellers United
Weekly Scribblings #68:  Where Are You Placed?
(posted by Rosemary)

"Think about places which are special to you for
any reason, and bring them to life for us in
whatever way you choose."


Extraordinary beauty for all
to see.  Driving in this valley
named Brandywine.

A walk leads us to a tree-
shrouded structure where 
we are greeted by a statue
of a pig.  Hmm.  Looks
familiar.  We enter the
Wyeth Museum.  There,
adorning the walls 
and hallways, are all 
those famous paintings
I had never seen
in person.

Next we stroll through
Longwood Gardens, losing
ourselves in a wonderland
of flowers, trees, and 
fountains–reminiscent of
those in Italy.  At night,
lights of red, blue, and green
spray their colors on flowing
fountains, tie-dying our
fascinated faces.  This is
a place we will visit many times.

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/
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Alice Tells A Tale

Posted on May 6, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub:  Exploring the Narrative Voice
(guest host:  Ingrid)

"Write a poem in the voice of a fictional character."


My wish for adventure
turns bizarre for as
far as you can see.  It
is most confounding to me.
I seem to be the only child
here–unless I'm there.  A

stately white rabbit checks
his pocket watch and frowns.
I meet a cat that can vanish
at will.  Gives me a chill.  We
have nothing like this at 
home.  I stumble-bumble into
an unusual tea party where
everyone is mad, except
the dormouse who is tipsy.
There is a nasty Red Queen,
and two oafs known as
Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum.
Hard to tell the difference.
A cloud-surrounded caterpillar
speaks words in blown smoke–
no joke.  He is arrogant
toward me but quickly loses
interest.  

This whole place is becoming 
all too dreadfully
annoying.  I am toying with
the idea of returning to
my mundane existence 
of learning lessons 
under a tree.

https://dversepoets.com/
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Moment of Destruction

Posted on May 6, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Go Dog Go Cafe  (posted by Devereaux and Beth)
Write a poem that starts with "before this moment".


Before this moment
in my life, there was
coziness, glass of wine,
and dinner.  Then, news
comes on the air–four
shootings in one night,
three attacks on Asians,
fires, floods, disasters.
The peace before this
moment is now heartburn.

https://godoggocafe.com/2021/05/04/tuesday-writing-prompt-challenge-tuesday-may-4/
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“white china”

Posted on May 5, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  The Twiglets #225 - "white china"


Although I know of
Red China, I have never
heard of White China.


For an elegant table
she used 
a scarlet cloth 
laid with white china
place settings.


she enters the room
skin fine as bone white china
centerpiece of ball


          There once was a woman from China
          who only ate food from a diner.
             When she was asked why
                she said, Oh my
    vast menu allows me new foods each time I dine!

https://thetwiglets.wordpress.com/
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Mighty Sunflower

Posted on May 4, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille #127
Planting Seeds  (posted by Merrill)


Hoping against hope,
I plant seeds of
my favorite flower,
sunflower.  Seems
unfathomable
that a mighty
giant could grow
from a tiny seed.
I watch in awe,
as seed turns
to stem,  leaves
unfurl.  Yellow 
bonnet appears.  At
season’s end,  there
are sunflower seeds.

https://dversepoets.com/
Posted in Purple's Home | Tagged , , , | 27 Comments

Perils of East to West

Posted on May 4, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  One Woman's Quest II
VJ's Weekly Challenge

"Not all roads lead to a desired destination."


My parents were snow-birding
on the east coast of Florida.
My sister-in-law and niece
were residing on the west
coast side.  Well, you could not
visit one and not the other.  So
here we are truckin' from east
to west over the infamous
Alligator Alley.  About halfway
across, the deranged GPS woman
says, 'Make a right turn now.'
Happily, we didn't listen to her.

https://onewomansquest.org/
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Time Off From Life

Posted on May 4, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poetic Bloomings2 - Prompt #332
"Starting Over, And Over (And Over Again)

"Write a resume poem."


I do not want to resume
my life by reading all
my work–oh, the strife–
created in April.  My mind
is in a bind at this
time.  Meditate to free
it from a sudden slowdown.
I frown.  Now all the monkey
chatter will begin again.
How will I start easing
myself, preparing myself
to resume that life I had?

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/
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Mid-Point

Posted on May 2, 2021 by purplepeninportland

Written for: Sunday Muse #158 (posted by Carrie)

Fishnets and dance shoes
acrobatic wishes
one foot in front
of the other.  Keep
going, never look
down; never look
back.  I've got
the knack, they
tell me.  I have
reached the middle,
and do not want
to be riddled with
fear of failing,
fear of falling.
There's a strange
voice calling, but
I must not listen.
Keep going.  Never
look down; never 
look up.

http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/
Posted in Purple's Home | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

The Summer In-Between

Posted on May 1, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poets and Storytellers United
Weekly Scribblings #67:  Liminal Space  (posted by Rommy)
"Dive into the idea of 'liminal space'".

"Those are times and places where things are not strictly one thing or another. Merriam-Webster defines it as 1: of, relating to, or situated at a sensory threshold : barely perceptible or capable of eliciting a response 2: of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition : in-between, transitional."


Her little girl is ready for college–
only a summer at home intervenes.
No worries, she says, I am not nervous,
impervious to her mother's fears.

In mid-Summer, she slowly begins 
packing.  She gazes at her stuffed
animals, sadly watching her
furry friends she held–now worn.
She is torn about what to take,
and what to leave behind.  She is
going to start a brand new life,
and tries to clear her mind.

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/
Posted in Purple's Home | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Packing

Posted on April 30, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Go Dog Go Cafe
Tuesday Writing Prompt  (by Devereax and Beth)
Write a poem using the words: key, travel, choices


Keep packing choices at a minimum
when traveling.  That is key.  Think:
What do you absolutely need?  Plane
travel is miserable all by itself.  
Do not compound it by wearing watches,
heavy necklaces, and leaving coins to jangle
in your pockets.  Now you have emptied
out and reassembled, but have yet to
board the plane.  Bags?  Check them.
Start your vacation carefree and unburdened.

https://godoggocafe.com/
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Possibilities of Evening

Posted on April 30, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April 2021 PAD Challenge - Day 29
"Write an evening poem."


I love that interim time before
those violets and roses pull back their doors.
A thread of color 'fore brush of black.
My eyes await the silver splendor

of stars in shapes that always come back.
A clearer time is evening.  No lack
of dreams and possibilities
which, at dawn, may start your brand new track.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-29
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Wedding Woes

Posted on April 29, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April 2021 PAD Challenge - Day 28
Write a remix poem.  Pick one of your poems and change
format.


Oh, preparations for a wedding
so many details need attention.
Kosher and Vegan dishes needed,
Mo and Saul not speaking, did I mention?

Then arguments over bridesmaids dresses.
Ten women want ten different hues.
Brenda says she's out of it's pink they choose.
Spent far over budget; I am not amused.

(Mine is remixed from Day 11 - "Wedding Math")

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-28
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“moon rises”

Posted on April 28, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  The Twiglets #224 - moon rises


When a pink moon
rises, earth is a rose.


Stars shimmer silver
at moon's rise.


he lies on his back
in the glow of full moon light
counting the stars


         There once was a legend about a man.
         He was ever kind and meek as a lamb.
             But when a bad moon rose,
             from his head to his toes,
         he sprouted hair, howled, and people ran.

https://thetwiglets.wordpress.com/
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Never Again

Posted on April 28, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April 2021 PAD Challenge - Day 27
"Write a Believe and/or Don't Believe poem."


Don't you
know I can no longer
believe what you say is true?
I have become stronger.
adieu.

You took
me for granted often;
I could write a whole book.
This time I won't soften,
off hook.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-27
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Morning Moment

Posted on April 27, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub
Haibun Monday:  The Present Moment  
   (posted by Frank J. Tassone)

"Write a haibun that expresses the present moment."


My coffee tepid, I as dream-gaze out the window,
where bright April-red foliage mixes with spring
green.

One dog curls in corner of couch, paws over face.
The other dog–with arthritic limp–lies on cushy
mat, rubber band-stretched with belly against couch.
Gray morning.

         pale, pewter clouds
         brush sky in solemn paint
         washes color from earth

https://dversepoets.com/
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Tunnel Vision

Posted on April 27, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  One Woman's Quest II
VJ's Weekly Writing Challenge

                   I was a peripheral visionary. I could see the
                    future, but only way off to the side.
                         ~STEVEN WRIGHT~

"What’s niggling at your periphery, or it is you, standing on the peripheral edge of change waiting for your opening?"


My peripheral vision
has narrowed.  Maybe I am
too uneasy to glimpse
what might be coming
or what is already
out there.  Living
more internally, I
am too focused, 
too caught up 
in my own head.

https://onewomansquest.org/2021/04/26/vjs-weekly-challenge-peripheral/
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Shallow World

Posted on April 27, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April 2021 PAD Challenge - Day 26
"Write a (--------) World poem."


where money grants you power
where malls count more than housing
where nature is sacrificed.
Time for animals to save our surroundings.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-26
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The Plan

Posted on April 26, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  The Sunday Whirl, Wordle #500

Words:  leader, grow, plan, read, four, edge, feather,
        send, release, demands, days, force


The Leader's plan
is more of a demand,
forcing them to give
up all reading by
4:00 PM today.  He has
been on edge for days,
skin feeling sensitive
as if tickled with 
a feather.  We need growth–
larger office buildings, 
factories, skyscrapers,
he shouts, not a country 
of intellects.  Release
only those who are willing
to put in manual labor
and stay loyal.

https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/2021/04/25/wordle-500/#comment-8795
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Memory In Jeopardy

Posted on April 25, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April 2021 PAD Challenge - Day 25
"Write a thought poem."


I just had the most amazing thought,
must write it down soon as I can.
Now it's forgotten, leaving me fraught.

Lately I can remember nought.
Does that mean I need to eat more bran?
Seems I'm forgetting all I was taught.

Jeopardy is on; I am distraught.
The answer is stuck like a closed clam.
My brain is not working as it ought.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-25
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Knowing Where The Cracks Are

Posted on April 25, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Sunday Muse #157  (posted by Carrie)
Tough town,
cemented over
with buildings
and busyness.
You have to 
find the cracks
to be seen.

http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/
Posted in Purple's Home | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

Why Did You Leave?

Posted on April 25, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April 2021 PAD Challenge - Day 24
"Write a question poem."


How can it be that I'm so cold?
Your absence.

Why can't I listen to music?
Makes me blue.

Why did you leave without a word?
Come home.

I meditate with one word–Ohm
Then I'm instantly distracted.
Feel like my heart was extracted.
You absence makes me blue, come home.


https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-24
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Indecisive

Posted on April 24, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poets and Storytellers United
Weekly Scribblings #66:  All About April  
(posted by Rosemary)

"I invite you to be inspired by any or all of these: a line or phrase, an idea, a mood, a whole poem … I’ve given you a variety to choose from.  

And there's the song, sad yet achingly beautiful, which you may also (or instead) use as  inspiration.

You may take issue with something said, if you like.

Or if you’d rather, ignore them all and scribble for us your own story about April."


April is an addlepated elder.  Cannot
make a decision and stick to it.  Daffodils
open, then hang their heads from gusty
winds more like November.  Sometimes a river
runs down the street, garbage cans take off
for parts unknown, and night is chilly.  Then,
tiny puddles top budding tulips, weeping
cherries, and the sun glints rainbows.
Do not rely on weather reports from 
as near as one hour ago.  Look out, step
out, and decide for yourself if it's
light jacket, thin sweater or shorts.
What can you do?  April is an addlepated elder.

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/
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Afternoon Tea

Posted on April 24, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April 2021 PAD Challenge - Day 23
"Write an appointment poem."


I must not tarry and risk being late,
this special afternoon tea's delightful.
A table is set for twelve who won't wait.
We laugh, we argue, and have some trifle.

little cakes
frosted, sprinkled
teacups move 'round
cream and sugar

With no invitation, here comes Alice 
in blue as usual.  She is welcome.
The dormouse possibly will be awake,
I must not tarry and risk being late.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-23
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A Cento of Nature

Posted on April 23, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April 2021 PAD Challenge - Day 22
"Write a nature poem."


Hope is the thing with feathers
who moves his soft velvety head.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air
call to you, harsh and exciting.

I want to listen to the enormous waterfalls of the sun
on this fresh morning.  See the peonies heavy and pink
as '80s bridesmaid dresses.

Inhale, exhale–since the beginning of time,
trees have created clean, fresh air.
Trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky
in whispered songs through the leaves.

Who will sing it then
after they are gone?

(Line of poetry taken from:  Emily Dickenson, Mary Oliver,
 Katherine Riegel, Andrea Sarrubi Fereshteh, Rumi, Wildgypsypoet)

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-22
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Crows Calling At Night

Posted on April 22, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics:  
China-Kingdom of the Poem  (posted by Laura Bloomsbury)

"The Poetics’ Challenge here is: Select any ONE of the above poems and with as many re-reads as you need, imagine what the poet has painted, what impressions are conveyed. Then:-

reinterpret the poem in your own style
OR for those of you who prefer a classical form then:-
  re-interpret the poem in the Chinese LUSHI style.


Smoke-shadowed walls, hint of blackbird's nest
Soft song of male will soon vanish
Piano music plays, her fingers too gentle.
The melody is lost as is her love.
She brushes her palms along the keys
Her tears are in sync with April rain.

(I used "Crows Calling At Night by Li bai)

https://dversepoets.com/
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Trust Me

Posted on April 22, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April 2021 PAD - Day 21
"Write a (      ) Me poem."


I want us to get married
he said to reluctant me.
Wore me down; I acquiesced.
He found someone else.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-21
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What is Peace

Posted on April 21, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Go Dog Go Cafe - Tuesday Writing Prompt
(posted by Devereaux and Beth)

"Write a poem on what peace means to you."


There is world peace,
there is inner peace.
If wars end forever,
would we declare a 
State of Peace?
Struggle for peace
of heart and mind
is a personal challenge.
We can work at it all
our lives–this living
in the moment.

https://godoggocafe.com/
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“bleak as gravel”

Posted on April 20, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  The Twiglets #223 - "bleak as gravel"


Her outlook on life
was bleak as the color
of gravel.


Winter's blustery bleakness
blows through trees,
displacing gravel.


gray-speckled gravel
she sifts it through her fingers
bits of her life


               He was a man who loved to travel
              To his enjoyment, it was essential
                 His best friend was fearful
                   and he got an earful–
          Start to live; your life is bleak as gravel.

https://thetwiglets.wordpress.com/
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Magazine Mishap

Posted on April 20, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub-Quadrille #126
'Come "bother" up a poem.  (Posted by whimsygizmo)


To:  U.B. Thick
       Gun Magazine

If you had bothered
to read my email–
letter following–of
April 1, 2021,
you would know
that I have no interest
in your magazine.  Please
unsubscribe me.  If this
is too bothersome, 
I will contact Consumer
Affairs.

https://dversepoets.com/2021/04/19/quadrille-126-come-bother-up-a-poem/
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Sally’s Alley

Posted on April 20, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Life After Fifty-
              Sadje's "What Do You See?"
              (luna's on line)


Smokers come to 
Sally's Alley, where
tables are set wide
apart, nondescript 
white ashtrays on
each.  A rustic sea-
side restaurant of
limited menu choices
making decisions 
easier.  Regulars
know that the little
drawer inside their
table contains matches,
bottle opener, and dessert
list for that evening.
By the way, bring your
own bottle.

  https://Sadje's What do You See #78
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Dealing With Boredom

Posted on April 20, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  One Woman's Quest II
VJ's Weekly Challenge


"How are you dealing with boredom in your
 corner of the world?"


Varying my walks changes up
the scenery.  The local park
has trails around a lake
with ducks, geese, and turtles
sunning on rocks.  The playground
is open, and bike riders 
have returned.

Walking along the blocks
of shops is heartening.  Slowly
doors are opening for indoor
dining.  I look forward to
seeing friends after this
tough years.

https://onewomansquest.org/
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They Call It Love

Posted on April 20, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April 2021 PAD - Day 20
"Write a love and/or anti-love poem."


this idea of love
their eyes fixed on each other
heartbeats like bass drum
tune often heard together
now they have a secret song

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-20
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Elephant

Posted on April 20, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April PAD - Day 19
"Write an animal title poem."


Elephants never forget,
that is what they say.
It is not always true for me.

I love when people bring peanuts for me,
the scent of those people I never forget.
Do not feed the elephants, some say.

If I were to have my say,
I would ask you to bring spicy peanuts to me
but you would probably just forget

An elephant can never forget,
the scent stays is what they say.
Please come back and visit me.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-19
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Drifting Firefly

Posted on April 19, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  The Sunday Whirl, Wordle #499

Words:  drift, hearth, arm, prowl, pressure, spring,
        design, night, flicker, ponder, fly, virus


On a chilly Spring night
while light flickers
in the hearth, I drift,
flit as a firefly, designed
to delight children
and adults.  My arm lies
languidly; my wings are enough 
to prowl through the evening
air, no pressure, out of reach
of a virus that falls like
an invisible poison powder,
killing.

https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/
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Living In Between

Posted on April 19, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Sunday Muse #156



He wears camera
lenses with filters
to change ranges
of light.  Living
mostly in darkness,
his hands are inky 
fingers, his black, 
bushy mustache grows
unruly.  He has a
choice to make.

http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/
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In Harvest Gold Grass

Posted on April 18, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  April 2021 PAD - Day 18
"Write an ekphrastic poem"  (from a work of art)


I linger in harvest gold grass,
my mind far from a farm's many chores.
Feel a part of this field, alas
field lies at home; mine behind doors.

My mind far from a farm's many chores.
Life is lonesome for a farmer's wife.
Field lies at home; mine behind doors.
Here I am free in my secret life.

Life is lonesome for a farmer's wife,
tending to tasks from sunrise on.
Here I am free in my secret life.
I dream of dancing or gliding like a swan.

Tending to tasks from sunrise on,
feel a part of this field, alas
I dream of dancing or gliding like a swan.
I linger in harvest gold grass.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-18
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