Waning, Gibbous moon,
Broken yet proudly shining,
Facing morning sun,
Slowly shrinking into black
Ebbing then swelling once more
Like our lives, our hopes, our dreams.
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Happy Birthday
Be safe, be happy,
Wherever you are,
Laugh like the child you were,
Smile like the woman you became,
In my memories and my dreams,
You’re always there,
Unforgettable,
Unique,
The other half of my youth,
The one who left too soon,
Be safe, be happy,
Wherever you are.
Tag Poems
Ink and Blood #Poems inspired by #Poet T. S. Elliot #Bornonthisday
Blood and Ink
You ask me why I write
And I answer, frankly,
‘To shed the excess blood
Threatening to drown me
If I stop spilling it
Wildly, mercilessly,
Over the blank, white page,
Begging to be tinted
With the secrets of my soul.
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T. S. Elliot was born on this day, 26th of September, in the year 1888. His famous quote, ‘The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink’, reminds us that writing a poem is often a painful and emotional, soul searching experience.
Find out more and read some of his wonderful poems here
By Lady Ottoline Morrell. Public Domain. Wikimedia.org
Writers translate feelings into syllables and words which are painstakingly plucked from our conscious and subconscious minds and poured onto a blank page.
As I wrote in a previous post, writing a peom is, ‘excruciating, disturbing, and always frustrating, but there’s no alternative. It’s the only option for the poet, condemned to pursue that perfect combination of phrases, sounds and emotions, she will never find.’
And yet, it is cathartic. There is peace, for a while, when a poem is completed. And then, we begin again, because the search for the perfect poem may be closer, but it is never over, is it?
#WordlessWednesday ‘Resolutions’ #Tanka #HappyNewYear
Resolutions
January sun
Teases dry, winter branches,
Like resolutions
On New Year’s Day, reminding
Dreamers there’s hope once again.
#AtoZChallenge ‘Y is for Yellowing’ #NaPoWriMo #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge
Yellowing Mist
Leafless trees witness
Silhouettes on wet pavement
Grandfather and child
Drift along telling stories
Charmed by the yellowing mist
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I took this picture of my husband and our grandson on a rainy evening a few months ago, as the sun was waning. I was amazed at the yellow light from the sun, shining through the trees and reflected on the pavement, which gave the scene a surreal, misty aura. The yellow wall to the right, on the corner also adds to the yellow tinge.
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This Tanka is part of Colleen’s Weekly Tanka Poetry Challenge. This week we were asked to write a Tanka with synonyms of ‘enchant’ and ‘shape’. I chose ‘silhouette’ and ‘figure’.
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This year is my fourth AtoZ Challenge. My theme this year is poetry once again. I’ll be writing a tanks today, instead of a haiku. I’m also adding a new hobby to the posts, photography. I will post one of my photos, or a donated photo, every day to accompany my haiku.
This April, I’ll also be sharing my poems and joining another group of poets at National Poetry Writing Month, organised since 2003 by Maureen Thorson. Write 30 poems in 30 days. I’m in! What about you?
#AtoZChallenge ‘X is for Cross’ #Haiku #NaPoWriMo #PoetryMonth
May Cross
Unexpected gift
Multicoloured life fills street
Magnificent Earth
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Carnival of spring
Honouring blossoms of May
Feast on the flowers
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I saw these beautiful May crosses on my way to work this morning and they reminded me how lucky I am to be alive.
This weekend there will be eating, drinking, dancing and singing around the beautiful crosses made of flowers and placed in squares, often by churches, on the first weekend of May in Cordoba. A feast for our eyes!
I plan to visit and take lots of photos this weekend!
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This year is my fourth AtoZ Challenge. My theme this year is poetry once again. I’ll be writing a haiku a day, but I’m also adding a new hobby to the posts, photography. I will post one of my photos, or a donated photo, every day to accompany my haiku.
This April, I’ll also be sharing my poems and joining another group of poets at National Poetry Writing Month, organised since 2003 by Maureen Thorson. Write 30 poems in 30 days. I’m in! What about you?
#AtoZChallenge ‘W is for Waterfall’ #Haiku #NaPoWriMo #PoetryMonth
Waterfall
Every single drop
Rushing down furious torrent
Causes waterfall.
Feel the water’s spray,
Dashing down steep cascade.
Inhale, energize.
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Today I’d like to thank another of my best friends, Elena, for these two beautiful photos which she recently took while she was in Argentina, visiting the Iguazu Falls.
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This year is my fourth AtoZ Challenge. My theme this year is poetry once again. I’ll be writing a haiku a day, but I’m also adding a new hobby to the posts, photography. I will post one of my photos, or a donated photo, every day to accompany my haiku.
This April, I’ll also be sharing my poems and joining another group of poets at National Poetry Writing Month, organised since 2003 by Maureen Thorson. Write 30 poems in 30 days. I’m in! What about you?
#AtoZChallenge ‘V is for Vault’ #Tanka #NaPoWriMo #PoetryMonth
Gothic Vaults
Double arches hold
Gothic vaults pointing to sky.
Carved stone capitals
On proud marble columns guard
Centuries of synergy.
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The Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, was originally a Visigothic Catholic Church, shared with Muslim invaders for religious rites until 784, when it was solely used as a Muslim place of worship, until 1236, when it was again used as a Catholic church.
In 1523, Emperor Charles I, approved a project to refurbish the now fragile Mosque-Church and integrate a Christian Cathedral within its walls.
The architect, Hernán Ruiz (believed to have been born in Cordoba in 1514), integrated existing elements of the original Mosque with late Gothic architecture.
The Cathedral was inserted with great architectural precision and artistry. Both Muslim and Christian spaces merge beautifully in two seemingly opposing places.
In the first picture you can see the lateral nave. New Gothic vaults are supported by double arches, and below marble columns, many of which are of Roman origin.
A magnificent building which houses the synergy of well over a thousand years of history, art, culture and religions.
If any of you ever visit Cordoba, let me know. I’d love to show you around the Old Town!
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This year is my fourth AtoZ Challenge. My theme this year is poetry once again. I’ll be writing a haiku a day, but I’m also adding a new hobby to the posts, photography. I will post one of my photos, or a donated photo, every day to accompany my haiku (today I’ve posted a Tanka instead of a Haiku).
This April, I’ll also be sharing my poems and joining another group of poets at National Poetry Writing Month, organised since 2003 by Maureen Thorson. Write 30 poems in 30 days. I’m in! What about you?
#AtoZChallenge ‘U is for Umbrella’ #Haiku #NaPoWriMo #PoetryMonth
This photo was lent by my friend and colleague Mari Carmen Rios.
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Umbrella
Cracked wall, weathered door
Multicoloured umbrella
Both sides of our coins
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This year is my fourth AtoZ Challenge. My theme this year is poetry once again. I’ll be writing a haiku a day, but I’m also adding a new hobby to the posts, photography. I will post one of my photos, or a donated photo, every day to accompany my haiku.
This April, I’ll also be sharing my poems and joining another group of poets at National Poetry Writing Month, organised since 2003 by Maureen Thorson. Write 30 poems in 30 days. I’m in! What about you?
#AtoZChallenge ‘T is for Three Trees’ #Haiku #NaPoWriMo #PoetryMonth
Tree 1
Tired branches twist
While sun breaks through dangling leaves
Proud tree weeps alone
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Tree 2
Buttercups look up
Weary olive tree recalls
When it bloomed in spring
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Tree 3
Lofty palm tree sways
Leaves scrape salmon tinged dusk sky
A feast for my eyes
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This year is my fourth AtoZ Challenge. My theme this year is poetry once again. I’ll be writing a haiku a day, but I’m also adding a new hobby to the posts, photography. I will post one of my photos, or a donated photo, every day to accompany my haiku.
This April, I’ll also be sharing my poems and joining another group of poets at National Poetry Writing Month, organised since 2003 by Maureen Thorson. Write 30 poems in 30 days. I’m in! What about you?
#AtoZChallenge ‘R is for Rainbow’ #Haiku #NaPoWriMo #PoetryMonth
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Rainbow
Under the rainbow
Somewhere a wish is granted
Bluebird sings love song
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This year is my fourth AtoZ Challenge. My theme this year is poetry once again. I’ll be writing a haiku a day, but I’m also adding a new hobby to the posts, photography. I will post one of my photos, or a donated photo, every day to accompany my haiku.
This April, I’ll also be sharing my poems and joining another grou of poets at National Poetry Writing Month, organised since 2003 by Maureen Thorson. Write 30 poems in 30 days. I’m in! What about you?
Rereading Jane Eyre 