Reaching The Core

Posted on March 2, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  One Woman's Quest II
VJ's Weekly Challenge

"Ponder what we find when we dig."


She knew
the truth
but her need
to prove it
became an
obsession.
She made calls,
googled people
on the internet,
even tailed them
when she could.
She knew 
the truth
but when her
suspicions
were confirmed
she wept.

https://onewomansquest.org/
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Missing

Posted on March 1, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poets and Storytellers United
Writers' Pantry #59:  Love and Loss  (posted by Magaly)

"If you have ever lost someone, you know just how true Dessen’s words are. Grief, like love, is forever—it dulls, it grows, it changes… but it never truly dies. Living, after loss, can be easier when we remember this."


Enthusiasm for holidays
wanes as we sigh,
teary-eyed at the thought
of empty seats
at the table.  Those
whose infectious 
laughter is a mere
echo in our heads.
Difficult to celebrate
at a table filled
with ghosts.

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/
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Glow for the Imagination

Posted on March 1, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poetic Bloomings2
Prompt #327 - "I'll Be Out Of The Office . . ."

"Choose an item in your “office” and wax poetic about its purpose. Could be a pair of slippers, a soup ladle, the remote control, a hand saw or… Whatever you find interesting in the space you occupy, be inspired and poeticize."


Facets glow
through cuts in this rock,
orange and
pink-toned light–
my Himalayan salt lamp
crystal ball of thoughts

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/
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Behind The Curtain

Posted on March 1, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Sunday Muse #149  (posted by Chrissa)


Behind the emerald curtain
there is a sorry sight to see-
an addlepated alien
in charge
of pulling strings.  We
are the puppets,
slave to his whims.
A change of curtain
seems in order.

http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/
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Once Proud

Posted on March 1, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Meeting The Bar: 
Middles and Turns  (posted by Peter Frankis)

"For those of you with good memories, we’ve recently covered ‘endings’ and ‘beginnings’, as well as Grace’s post on setting for poems. So tonight I thought we’d do the middle bits of a poem (a PDF of this post is available here) and particularly turns in poetry – where a poem shifts gear or opens a window as Jane Hirschfield says in her book Ten Windows"


umbrellaed branches
of proud oak split and crack
storm rips tree's ancient roots

https://dversepoets.com/
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Music of Meditation

Posted on February 26, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poets and Storytellers United
Weekly Scribblings #58:  Two Into One Will Go
(posted by Rosemary)

" . . . it’s Candy’s newly-invented form I want to focus on today: the Waltmarie Poetic Form, outlined by Robert Lee Brewer at Poetic Asides (Writers’ Digest) as:
 10 lines

 - Even lines are two syllables in length, odd lines are longer (but
   no specific syllable count)
 - Even lines make their own mini-poem if read separately 
 - No other rules for subject or rhymes.


I hear the music of meditation
clearly
Close my eyes and feel how
it calms;
Breathe in fresh air
exhale
toxins of black smoke
brings me,
Mind and body, back
to now

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/
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Holder of Sorrows

Posted on February 24, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub:  Beyond Meaning
or the Resolution of Opposites  (posted by Laura)

"From the Latin, para translates as ‘beyond’ and doxum as ‘meaning’ so paradoxum is literally ’beyond meaning’. It does not connote meaninglessness but rather unbelievable in the first instance, with its departure from received wisdom and juxtaposition of incongruous ideas. The seeming contradiction surprises the reader and enables a rethink for an unexpected insight."

"For this Poetics challenge I’m giving you choices but you can only choose ONE!!
 Here are some lines from Paul Dunbar’s The Paradox:  – select ONE and build your poem around it."
 
 I am thy fool in the morning, thou art my slave in the night.
 I am the mother of sorrows; I am the ender of grief;
 I am the bud and the blossom, I am the late-falling leaf


My heart holds all
your sorrows, your
losses, your pain.
In this way I hope
to protect you, to
quickly intercept
your suffering.

https://dversepoets.com/
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Deadline

Posted on February 24, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Go Dog Go Cafe
Tuesday Writing Prompt  (posted by Devereaux and Beth)

Use the phrase "a midnight sigh"


With Cinderella's shoe
missing, she is compelled
to leave it, and climb into
the carriage that will carry
her home.  It would not do
to be late.  Fate would be
her coach turning into
a pumpkin–difficult ride.
As she breathlessly sits
down, a bell rings out
the hour.  She breathes
a midnight sigh.

https://godoggocafe.com/
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“heaven’s cliché”

Posted on February 24, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  The Twiglets #215 - "heaven's cliché"


Heavens to Betsy!
The righteous go to heaven.
Betsy is righteous;
Betsy goes to heaven.


rain fell in
silver needles
when the heavens opened.


blackberry juice
runs down her chin–sweet purple
a taste of heaven


         There once was a man who baked his own bread
             Scrumptious varieties it was said.
                He baked rye, whole wheat
                 and yellow bread–sweet.
     Business flourished 'til patron discovered rat's head.

https://thetwiglets.wordpress.com/
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It Can Be An Art

Posted on February 23, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille #122
Going . . . Going . . . Gone Poeming "Go"
(posted by whimsygizmo)


 Going crazy
 is an art.  Some
 take part in this state
 of being when they lose
 control, possibly 
 a chemical imbalance.
 Others decide that going
 crazy is an easier way
 than going forward
 in reality.  Green light
 mean go, but what if
 you stay?

https://dversepoets.com/
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Crest Of A Wave

Posted on February 23, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  One Woman's Quest II
VJ's Weekly Challenge - Contemplating Waves


When you wave to someone 
from afar, you wait a beat.
Maybe they do not recognize
you.  Chances are they will
wave back anyway–polite response.

Sometimes I feel like I am
teetering on the crest
of a wave.  How long before
I lose my balance?

https://onewomansquest.org/
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Searching for Shade

Posted on February 22, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poetic Bloomings2 - Prompt #326
Day and Night

"There is a moment in each day when it becomes obvious that day has become night, light becomes dark. The difference is stark, one from the other. But there is that moment where twilight starts to set in, a gray area in between night and day. There is a balance somewhere in the middle. Today, expand your mind: Find your gray area and write it into your poem."


Forever stark in black or white,
how nice it would be to see gray
outside of clouds, shadows of night.
Forever stark in black or white
impulsive acts with no insight.
Love or hate, no pause to survey.
Forever stark in black or white,
how nice it would be to see gray.

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/

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Darkened Desire

Posted on February 22, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Sunday Muse #148
(posted by Fireblossom)

I am frozen
in place, burning
desperate desire
to feel your
touch, that touch
that prickles 
my skin, moistens
my lust.  Only,
I hesitate.
A black cat
crosses my path.

http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/

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Love Blind in Dance

Posted on February 22, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poets and Storytellers United
Weekly Scribblings #57:  Let Us Write (together)
(posted by Magaly)

"For today’s prompt, I’m sharing three of my blackout poems and inviting you to write new prose or poetry which uses one (or all 3) of the poems as inspiration. You may choose to use the exact words, or not."
an uncrushed flower

burst into constellations of dance

love can be a monster, or not

She wanted to dance
zig-zag patterns
of the constellations.
Longed to spread
her wings like petals
of peonies opening
in a sunburst.
So in love, she failed
to recognize 
the lurking monster 
behind her.

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/

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Orange Crushes

Posted on February 17, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics:  True Colors?
(posted by Mish)

"Writing from a perspective other than our own is a great challenge. We’ve had some very interesting prompts over the years where we have climbed out of our comfort zones to look through a new lens. That has usually involved looking through the eyes of another person. I’d like to float a little further into the unknown and suggest we take the perspective of a color. (or “colour’ as we spell it  in Canada)

So… let’s leave reality for awhile, slip out of our human bodies and become nothing but a color. Are you there? Great. Now write us a poem."


I am not simply
a color–not that
as a color I couldn't
stand alone.  Bite
into me, a Navel, Cara-
Cara, Satsuma, Blood.
Don't let that last one
put you off.  I am juicy-
fruity, and my peel is
appealing for cooking
and baking.

Have you seen me as
a Tiger Lily swaying
willy-nilly in a breeze?
A tulip, a pumpkin, or a 
glowing bell pepper out
-shining the reds and greens.

Don me as a sweatshirt
or bathing suit.  You will
be a flame for all eyes.

I accept, encourage, and
am always enthusiastic.
I am not simply a color.

https://dversepoets.com/

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we have more

Posted on February 17, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  The Twiglets #124 - "we have more"


We have more vaccine
coming in next week.
Sorry, no appointments
are available, but
we have more vaccine
coming in next week.


No more wine left?
No, but I know where
you can buy some.


beaded in crystal
opened peony petals
stripped of sequins in sun


There once was a stand-up comedian
whose routine was nothing but tedium.
When booed, he implored,
wait,wait, I have more!
The audience fled; it was bedlam.

https://thetwiglets.wordpress.com/
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See You Soon

Posted on February 11, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Hi All,

Due to some family issues, I have to take several days
off from writing and reading.

Hope to be back soon.

Sara

Posted in Purple's Home | 1 Comment

Solving Time

Posted on February 9, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  One Woman's Quest II
VJ's Weekly Challenge

"Urge is the prompt this week. While it is not necessary to use the word in your creation, you should capture the essence."


I could clean,
I could cook,
check my credit
purchases, or
practice silly
looks in the mirror
without a mask.  But
there it sits in black
and white–empty little
squares crying out 
for letters to fill
them up.  I must cozy
on the couch with a dog
or two.  Pick up that 
Sunday puzzle,
and solve it!

VJ’s Weekly Challenge: Urge
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Hug-less

Posted on February 9, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille #121
Let's Embrace  (posted by Merrill)

"In this time of global pandemic, most of us are not hugging people who are not in our bubble, and most of us are not going out and socializing. You might be embracing a loved one you are with, or you might be missing the embrace of one you’re not able to be with. Some people may be embracing new ideas, routines, or hobbies.

 So, today I’m asking you to use the word “embrace” in a quadrille. The word can be used as a noun, verb, or a modifier."


 I embrace
 the concept
 of unity.  Every
 person needs
 a hug.  Do not
 shrug off the
 importance
 of touch.  It
 makes you feel
 warm, and loved.
 In this time of
 non-embrace,
 I am sad I cannot
 hug someone
 nor can they
 hug me.

https://dversepoets.com/
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A Piece of Pie

Posted on February 8, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poetic Bloomings2 - Prompt #324
"Just One Word"

"Take the title of another poet's poem, changing
just one word to write a completely different poem.


I wish I had a piece of pie,
lemon meringue, smooth and tangy,
or graham cracker-crusted key lime.
I wish I had a piece of pie.
Southern pecan would be sublime.
Warm peach A la mode could be dandy.
I wish I had a piece of pie,
lemon meringue, smooth and tangy.

(taken from "A Piece of Mind" by Benjamin Thomas)

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/
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The Gleaming

Posted on February 7, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Sunday Muse #146
“Natural Woman” Digital Collage Art “Covid Creations” by Susie Clevenger
Through each phase
of the moon, fireflies
gleaming like drops
of gold stained glass
circle fabric of the
skies.  Free floaters
weave themselves into
her hair, listening 
to trill of songbirds,
watching dance of
wildflowers.

http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/

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Love Behind The Armor

Posted on February 6, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  Poets and Storytellers United
Weekly Scribblings #55 - "What You Resist You Become"

"Write about turning into one of your parents or about 
resisting such a fate."  (posted by Rosemary)


Mom was intelligent, attractive,
and funny.  Yet, to this day 
I battle against becoming her
even as I yield to the fact 
that she was instrumental
in setting my moral compass, my
sarcastic sense of humor,
and love of reading.

What I armor myself against
was her constant sense
of disappointment 
and bitterness with 
her life.  Her green eyes 
envied everyone else who 
she decided had a better life, 
than she.  So far, I have been
successful in that regard.

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/
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It Was Not A Conflict

Posted on February 4, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics:  War Poetry
(posted by Bjorn)

"War poetry has a long history going back to Homer and before. Actually the oldest piece of literature, the Gilgamesh epos, is at least partly about war. For many years the focus was telling the tale about heroism and (perhaps) victories. Poetry was about writing for the winner. For me, the charge of the light brigade represents something new, the heroic loss, which paves the way for later perspectives into the soldier’s view rather than the victorious general." 


"Write a war poem."


Why were we going
to war?  Why would
we want to kill
one half of a country
having nothing to do 
with us?  The Draft
was passed.  Like a
lottery, you either had 
a high number (less chance 
to be called up) or a lower
number.  No college,
no reprieve.

Protests proliferated
throughout the country;
some moved to Canada.
Our youth was tossed
into Hell.  Friends
were blown up
in plain sight.  Drugs
were rife–for some, 
the only way to make
it through without
being able to justify
it.  Thousands wounded
or dead.

For those who returned,
desperate for help, their
government turned a blind
eye.  Now that ignorance
comes home to roost.  Flash-
backs, Agent Orange, PTSD,
suicides.  Saddest of all
is the fact that nothing
was won on either side.
We should never have
been there at all.

https://dversepoets.com/

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“we lie close”

Posted on February 3, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  The Twiglets #212 - "we lie close"


A lie is not
close to the truth


Lying close
we each dream
our own dreams


lying close
to ocean waves silver crest
in noon day sun


          A powerful man bent truth to lie
          the facts were his own, no alibi.
             When people spoke their minds
             he fought, raged, and whined.
       Now he's out on his ass, wond'ring why


https://thetwiglets.wordpress.com/
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Four Years

Posted on February 3, 2021 by purplepeninportland 
Written for:  One Woman's Quest II
VJ's Weekly Challenge - Repercussions


Four years of fear,
watchful eyes and ears.
All the truths we thought 
we knew, shatter into
lies, and hatred.  We wait,
bated breath.  Can we heal,
unify, feel compassion for all
people?  Can we obliterate both
virus and vice?

https://onewomansquest.org/

							

	
			

									
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His Majesty


			

				Posted on February 3, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Haibun Monday "Eagle"
(posted by Frank Tassone)

Write a haibun that references the Eagle.


Over there!  As a king on his throne, a bald eagle
perches.  A park of varied paths with neighboring
creek.  We walk the dogs, admire teal-headed ducks
swimming past lily pads, and kids trying their luck
with fishing poles.

Suddenly everyone looks up yelling, and pointing
to the top of a gleaming steel pole.  As if a UFO is
hovering, we all crane our necks at once
to watch this majestic bird.

         sunshine ripples creek
         in Summer.  Ducks swim and squawk
         water shades wings

https://dversepoets.com/

							

	
			

									
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Your Life


			

				Posted on February 1, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Poetic Bloomings2 - Prompt #323
Playing Favorites #6

'“Playing Favorites” is as simple as choosing a favorite poet/poem (world famous or just famous in our own little garden) and picking a line or title of one of their poems and using it as an inspiration for your new piece. Incorporate the line/title into your poem (remembering to credit the source and poet always).'


What do you do
with the light
in your life–
the glimmer or
belief?  Maybe
you not recognize
it.  Are you in self-
imposed darkness?  You
can't beat death, but
you can beat death
in life.

(Taken from Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski)

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/2021/01/31/prompt-323-playing-favorites-6/comment-page-1/#comment-237562


							

	
			

									
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Glass-Bottom Runway


			

				Posted on February 1, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Sunday Whirl, Wordle #493

Words:  color, glass, unity, flow, rhythm, fiery,
        catwalk, casualty, hand, blow, three, furnace


Rhythm and flow
of colors, fiery
as a furnace
sashayed down
glass catwalk in
unified sets of three
models.  Hands
and bodies so razor-
thin, looked like 
a breeze could blow
them away–weight, 
a casualty of their
profession.

https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/

							

	
			

									
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Pattern


			

				Posted on January 31, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Sunday Muse #145  (posted by Chrissa)












late afternoon sun
pattern of writing on snow
filters through the trees

http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/






							

	
			

									
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And Then . . .


			

				Posted on January 29, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub  (posted by Peter Frankis)
Meeting The Bar:  Opening lines . . . beginnings

"So tonight, I thought we’d start on beginnings – particularly that all-important first line:

‘Let us go then, you and I,’ from T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
 ‘I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,’ from Allen Ginsberg’s Howl
 ‘Because I could not stop for Death,’ from Emily Dickinson’s verse 479
 ‘He came home. Said nothing.’ from Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska’s Going Home

"So come on poets, join me at the beginning. Let’s find that best first line."


I opened the door
and heard d
           r
          i
           p
         
           d
            r
           i
            p

            d
            r
           i
            p

https://dversepoets.com/







							

	
			

									
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After The End


			

				Posted on January 29, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub
Poetics:  Beginning at the End  (posted by Laura B.)

"For this Poetics prompt I’ve selected some final lines of poetry. Choose ONE and write your poem as continuation where the poet left off, thematically, in the same mood, rather than literally. Give special thought to your own final lines:-

 “As if we could hear music inside the words” Gail Newman ~ Trust

 “Airless and unloved, in the dank basement of the mind” L. Igloria ~ A Reparation

 “Call me to lie down in fragrance.” D. Margoshes ~ Season of Lilac

 “So close that your sea rises with my heat” C.Perez ~ Love in a Time of Climate Change

 “The clear vowels rise like balloons” S.Plath ~ Morning Song

 “You fling it open for the first time/ but I’m gone” M Kahf ~ Wall

 Preferably DO NOT use the lines as title or within your writing but either cite the reference at the end OR place the quote as distinct Epigraph at the top of your poem."


“You fling it open for the first time/ but I’m gone” M Kahf ~ Wall

Letters, back and forth
across an ocean
of promises.  You
were on your way
home, you said, but
I am not that home
anymore.

https://dversepoets.com/2021/01/26/poetics-beginning-at-the-end/


							

	
			

									
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Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda


			

				Posted on January 28, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Poets and Storytellers United
Weekly Scribblings #54 - Hindsight is Rather Tricky
(posted by Magaly)

"If I Knew Then What I Know Now"


In thinking about hurtful
endings in particular
periods of my life, would I
not want to prevent ensuing
pain?  After the struggles
and joys, the learning
and loving, at some point
life ends.  Knowing that,
I still choose to live.

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/


							

	
			

									
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Thinking Through a Blizzard


			

				Posted on January 27, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Go Dog Go Cafe (posted by Devereaux and Beth)
"Use "blizzard of thoughts" in a piece of poetry."


He pictured her
in his mind,
this goddess
he met at his
job one day,
when too many 
hours of work
collided with
lack of sleep,
and his recent
divorce was still 
an open wound.
Is it too soon?
he wondered,
for me to venture
forth.  His mind
snowed a blizzard
of thoughts, 
blurring his vision 
of the goddess.

https://godoggocafe.com/

							

	
			

									
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“at close range”


			

				Posted on January 27, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  The Twiglets #211 - "at close range"


at close range
her makeup
appeared garish



The baseball player
had lost
his range of motion


meadow flowers dance
colors whirl in Summer breeze
at close range


              A man who sent for a mail-order bride
             waited on front porch for her to arrive.
                 She stepped out of the car
                 and had not walked too far
       when he noticed buck teeth and crossed eyes.

https://thetwiglets.wordpress.com/

							

	
			

									
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Which Way?


			

				Posted on January 26, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Quadrille #120
(aka #119, part 2) - No way.  Way!
(posted by msjadeli)

"Way" feels active to me, whether it is a path that is traveled on, something you travel to, or that you bring up close. It can be a template to follow, a style to be adopted or an opportunity that increases one’s options. Whether it’s a universal template or an individual’s choices and behaviors, the dots are plotted on a map; or maybe it’s just a faint sound of trickling water heard just beyond the trees."


 I am a way’s away.
 Search for the right way
 to my location by following 
 a yellow brick road, or 
 a secret path by way of
 a rabbit hole.  Choose
 either way, and you will
 find me, and experience
 a fantasy, somewhere
 far away.

https://dversepoets.com/


 

							

	
			

									
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Three by Three


			

				Posted on January 26, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  One Woman's Quest II
VJ's Weekly Challenge:  Threes

"Sum up a situation in three words or three lines."


waiting
anxious
vaccine


stomach riled up
no vaccine appointment
long wait ahead

https://onewomansquest.org/2021/01/25/vjs-weekly-challenge-threes/

							

	
			

									
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Blue-eyed Ocean


			

				Posted on January 25, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Poetic Bloomings2 - Prompt #322
Bits and Pieces

"Think of your situation as bits and pieces and how they had influenced you. To take Hampton’s quote, what places have you been, who have you loved? What song best describes you? Or book quote? Have any interesting adventure or had a very meaningful late night conversation? (We don’t need the juicy details!) Are you mesmerized by the moonlight, touched by starlight? 

You see, we are all a little of everything we’ve encountered. Your poetic voice is another piece. Use it to cover this prompt."


Blue of my eyes
reflect the ocean
I love.  I used to
think I could fix
broken people, 
because no one else 
would choose me.  
I wander in my Alice
fantasy where all things
are possible.  Moonlight
is my inner color, yet
the tranquility I count
on, is not attainable.
I have moved to various
cities and states, 
but keep coming back
to the same old me.
My eyes are the ocean's
salty blue.

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/
 






							

	
			

									
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Bribed


			

				Posted on January 25, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for: Sunday Whirl, Wordle #492

Words:  web, settle, justice, vicious, chain, call, shelf, tell,
        send, cheers, sway, month





vicious web
justice on a shelf.
Calls for chains
swayed by cheers
proud boy settlers tell judge, send
him out, it's one month.

https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/







							

	
			

									
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Animal Affair


			

				Posted on January 24, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Sunday Muse #144

















Upon emerging from
the ark, the animals
were parched.  Two
by two they met
at a fresh water
pool.  Tigers,
pandas, giraffes,
zebras, and more.
Slurping, neighing,
and hooting sounds
echoed 'round.  It
was an astronomic
animal affair, where
all were welcome,
and thirsts 
were quenched.

http://thesundaymuse.blogspot.com/ 

							

	
			

									
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Monet


			

				Posted on January 22, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics:  Connections
(posted by Merrill)

"Think about connecting or connections in any sense."


I remember that special
room in the Museum of
Modern Art.  The first
time I entered a hush,
a quiet beyond silence.
All walls were adorned
in Monet's works.  Little
leather benches, sans backs,
allowed you to sit and grow
dizzy looking from wall
to wall.  The scope of work 
pulled me into a pond
of floating lily pads
and lotus blossoms.  A
special room of special peace.

https://dversepoets.com/2021/01/19/poetics-connections/

							

	
			

									
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I Call His Smile


			

				Posted on January 21, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Poets and Storytellers United
Weekly Scribblings #53 - Beautiful Words
(Posted by Rommy)

"Hello Word Artists and Admirers! In Japanese tea ceremony, it is customary to give your tools special poetic names. Part of the ceremony usually includes sharing the names of any special objects with your guests. The tea scoop used should have a name that reflects the season or time of year.

 Since many of us students don’t have fancy scoops with special names, we’ll often just pick a name that works. For instance, in my last lesson of 2020, I called my tea scoop toshiwasure, which means ‘forget the year’.

For this week’s prompt, I’ve selected a few poetic names from Bruce Hamana Sosei’s book, 100 Beautiful Words in The Way of Tea. Pick the English version of one (or more if the mood hits you) to shape your words around."

 Zuiun – clouds that predict good fortune
 Shitamoe – plants sprouting under last year’s dried grass or under
            the snow
 Hatsuyume – the first dream of the new year
 Uzumibi – buried fire
 Ryokuin – green shadows (sunlight filtering through green leaves)
 Hotaru-gari – go searching for fireflies
 Tsuki-koru – the moon freezes


He walks and talks
smile.  People see
a happy man sharing
joy with the world.
No one see the effort,
purposeful stretching
of his mouth to lock it
into position.  No one
knows the rage he carries
in his heart.  I call
his smile Buried Fire.

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/

							

	
			

									
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unclear


			

				Posted on January 20, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Go Dog Go Cafe - Tuesday Writing Prompt
(posted by Devereaux and Beth)

Write a haiku about being lost, without using "lost".


new growth in forest
lush green in mid-summer light
paths no longer clear

https://godoggocafe.com/






							

	
			

									
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“up for grabs”


			

				Posted on January 20, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  The Twiglets #210 - "up for grabs"


What am I bid
for this classic set
of Fiesta ware?


Making a declaration–
I have had enough.  If you
want to date her, 
you have my blessing 
and my pity.


engagement ring
blue diamond, square cut setting
pawnbroker's window


An infamous gold-digger was she,
moved around from county to county.
One day she met her match,
man she thought a great catch,
was detective.  She's in jail, no bail, not free.

https://thetwiglets.wordpress.com/

							

	
			

									
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P is for Punctuality


			

				Posted on January 20, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  One Woman's Quest II
VJ’S WEEKLY CHALLENGE: THE OTHER SIDE

"This week, I am challenging myself to consider the other side. Through creative writing or visualization, to imagine a dialogue with an opposing force. If I am so inspired, I may write from the perspective of other, putting ego-self into the third person.

The key is to allow your imagination free rein. Let the other speak. Don’t worry about whether it makes sense or fits with your ego-perception. Just go with the flow."


You finally made it last night.

Well you know how unorganized I am.  At least we
didn't miss anything.

Glad it wasn't a dinner invitation.  I have learned
not to cook anything until you arrive.

I'm always losing track of time, and personal objects
in the house.  Guess I'm just hopeless.

No, you are not hopeless.  The point is with all
the therapy you've had, you could never reach
the root of this behavior.

Maybe in another ten years.

(Both laughing)

https://onewomansquest.org/2021/01/18/vjs-weekly-challenge-the-other-side/

							

	
			

									
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Climbing


			

				Posted on January 19, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Poetic Bloomings2
Prompt #321 - Looking for Direction

"Direction is direction. I’m talking compass direction. Choose one and use that as your inspiration for this week’s poem. It could be a direction away from someplace or toward somewhere. It could be something incorporated into a song or book or movie title. Wherever you want to be, there you go!"


Let us grow upward and tall,
leave the smallness of mind behind.
Let us grow our hearts to fit all,
let us grow upward and tall.
Dry those tears; heed laughter's call.
Into the future, a steep climb.
Let us grow upward and tall,
leave the smallness of mind behind.

https://poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com/

							

	
			

									
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Tilted World


			

				Posted on January 19, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Sunday Whirl, Wordle #491

Words:  untethered, speak, plan, future, text, play,
        world, travelers, fresh, divide, hurt, clothes


The untethered world
has tumbling travelers
in tattered clothing
playing with their 
future.  Fresh turns
stale like rock-hard
donuts left uncovered.
When the travelers speak
of division you can feel
their hurt.  It spurts
like blood from every
pore.  The only solution
is come up with a rational
plan.  For now, the travelers
tilt and tumble.


https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/

							

	
			

									
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Finding Space


			

				Posted on January 17, 2021 by purplepeninportland			


					

				

Written for:  Poets and Storytellers United
Weekly Scribblings #52:  Something About Mary
(posted by Rosemary)

"One of the things I did in the break was lots and lots of reading. And one of the things I read, cover to cover, was Dream Work by Mary Oliver – many people’s favourite poet, and definitely one of my favourites. I don’t think there could be a Mary Oliver poem I would dislike, just not possible!
 
 "This is one I like especially:"











Prompt:

 I invite you to choose a line or phrase from this poem and use it to inspire a new piece of your own writing.

 You don’t have to use those actual words in your piece, though you certainly may. 



I wonder how much
the heart can hold,
bold as it's beating
may sound.  Sometimes
room seems stretched
to capacity.  May all
the beauty of nature 
be easily accommodated.

(Line I used:  ("if the doors of my heart ever close . . .")

https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/







							

	
			

									
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