Forbidden

30th Oct 2017

Where on earth to go with the prompt today .
Oh well, here we go then:

Forbidden

She thought it was forbidden
so she always kept it hidden
and only when she'd died
did they find out

She was a quiet one they said
finding the box under the bed
who'd of guessed this was
what she was about

One and all they told their story
how they thought her grim and gory
but none had thought her
capable of this

They put the suitcase on the bed
right beside the girl  now dead
and while they pondered each
gave her a kiss.

Octpowrimo 28 and 29

29th Oct 2017

So the clocks have gone back and I lay in bed awake for a bit and now am up and it's only just gone six. How lovely to see the day break through the black  that was night. I do love to get an early start.

We are coming to the last few days of the octpowrimo challenge and although I didn't manage to write everyday I have produced the right number of poems, at least till now.
I have enjoyed reading some of the other participants work too . All so varied .

If you want to have a look go to:

www.octpowrimo.com

Day 28
The theme for today is belonging:

                                                                          A Haiku:

Ancestors

Rub between fingers

stems of lavender flowers

breathe in lost loved ones

Day 29

October 

On the ground now  leaves -russet and golden

Crispy, crunchy underfoot

The last few to surrender  remain 

On the tree, mottled green, 

Bravely hanging onto the bare skeleton 

Even they will fall before long 

Remember no more the fruitful warmth of youth

Taste of Satisfaction, Held, No Roses

28th Oct 2017

Good morning. There  is certainly an autumnal chill in the air this morning, with chimneys puffing smoke heavenward.
I went to a writing for well being workshop yesterday. It's the first time in ages that I have written with other people and I found it immensely liberating . You writers who follow my blog if you don't already meet up with fellow pen smiths, then I would highly recommend that  to do.  The creative possibilities are increased tremendously. Now , on to catching up with octpowrimo. Here's three . I'll be back later to actually write today's. Enjoy...


Day 25

Taste of Satisfaction

To love what is mortal is no easy thing
Autumn turns green leaves golden then brown
From soft and stretchy to brittle and broken
All things change , make their unavoidable departure,
So, how to love that mortal thing,
And in the process keep possession of the I that is me,
Is it in the giving up or the giving in that the I is diminished,
Or is it otherwise -
Is it that the sacrifice makes the I into the strongest
Mountain, majestic , magnificent
And is there any sacrifice at all if all is joy when given
Yes, to love what is mortal is no easy thing

Day 26

Held

Eternal
only now,  holding everything in being
you are to my I am
my soul held beneath your wings
held against your softness
held as present
held everlasting




Day 27

No Roses

Stepping into the old house into a cold wall of empty
climbing the rickety stairs slowly, each  creak magnified
peeping round the bedroom door, daring to breathe -quietly
looking at her there in the bed as if asleep
smelling the strong scent of roses  filling the room
smiling and thinking no flowers have been here.

Octpowrimo 22, 23 and 24

26th Oct 2017

The prompt for the 22nd Oct:

Purposeful Passion

You Are

When you are gone I close my eyes, I close my eyes and think of you.

My inmost substance sees you there, encounters your presence.

You are  -  the light that brightens my gloom.

When I think of you I cannot breathe, mysterious shivers cascade through me,

I tremble at your touch, am caught in your embrace, a warm flame rests within me,  I want to stay

You are  -  the Place I want to be.

I taste your words, wondrous sweet, relish every morsel, true delight, honey from the bee,

You are  -  the only sustenance for me.

I hear your gentle voice, wisdom whispering love, words I long to secrete,

Somewhere in my memory to be retrieved at times like this,

You are  -  music to my ears,

The echo of my dreams,  murmurings that comfort me.

Prompt for 23rd Oct:

What is the Message

It was too late 

She was too late

If she'd come sooner maybe she would now 

know what he wanted to tell her

she kisses the cold forehead 

wipes it dry of tears

he waited for hours they said 

but death came for him 

in the dark of night 

he wanted to speak with you they said

no one else would do

what was the message she thought 

did no one know but you

Prompt for 24th Oct:

When Lovers Meet

She just a girl bringing in the sheep

He the new neighbour son of the vet

Her - hair greasy, complexion hidden in sweat and dirt

Him- bumbling along, first time sent to help with the lambing

She, sat waiting patiently a problem  with a mother

He, glanced down and in that moment loved her

She met his gaze and heart racing returned the thought 

He in that unspoken look knew he'd found the one   

Octpowrimo 19, 20, 21

25th Oct 2017

I've no idea how to respond to the prompt for the 19th Oct . So I'm going to try another acrostic.
The prompt is:

Fox or Foxy

Feeling a little heated, red .fur getting redder
One little fox wonders how he can use his cunning
X raying the seen with his eyes he finds he has to use

Other means today. He devises
Rougher ways to find his

Food. He gives it all he's got
Obstinate till the last and then,
X marks the spot
Yes, he will get to eat tonight.


 










More about remembering than desires, here's a poem I wrote a while ago and now post for the prompt for 20th Oct:

Desires and Remembering

Am I Being Clear

Am I being clear?

Things have changed around here,

Life was more peaceful, less stressful,

The three of us, Pottering about, Knew where we were.

Then you came to stay!

Didn’t realise I was so controlling,

But, three eggs for breakfast (with bacon, saved for the carbonara),

And after a large bowl of porridge and along with four slices of toast!

The budget doesn’t run to it!

Am I being clear?

Then we were told that when we were out,

The two of you , made dinner,

Used all the chicken breasts, and had a whole pizza,

Without a second thought - Too much at one time,

Am I being clear?

And the washing machine – it goes on at night-we save on the ‘ectric ,

And can you not be in the shower for more than twenty minutes?

Am I being clear?

The prompt for the 21st Oct is Nothing Remains the Same.  And I've got a little song this time:

Enjoying the Dance                                    

Embracing, Gliding likes swans on a lake,

We took to the floor, a couple to make.

Quick stepping through galaxies, up with the stars,

Fox trotting on Saturn, Jupiter and Mars.

And they said we could never be

Happy together, you and me.

But we’re still here, proving them wrong,

Enjoying the dance and singing our song,

Enjoying the dance and singing our song.

At times we twirled and danced too fast,

 Feet hardly touching the floor, such a blast.

Our feet would be bleeding our body’s sore,

But we carried on across the dance floor.

And they said we could never be

Happy together, you and me.

But we’re still here proving them wrong,

Enjoying the dance and singing our song,

Enjoying the dance and singing our song.

Our dance has slowed but we still glide,

Gently moving, side by side,

Our adventure will come to an end one day,

But we’ll move on, we know the way.

Chorus

Octpowrimo 18

23rd Oct 2017


Feeling cold today makes me so grateful
to have warm clothes
and a house to live in.
But it also brings to mind those who have
no home,
those on the streets of our towns and cities
who are
homeless and possibly sleeping
out in this inclement weather.

The prompt for Octpowrimo for 18th Oct  is 

Everyone Went on Eating.

So I think I'll leave it with the above because isn't it true that we all carry on eating
 while our bothers and sisters are cold or lonely or hungry. .

Octpowrino 15, 16 and 17

22nd Oct 2017

I am up to the 15th October and the prompt is :

Fighting The Urge to Vomit

How come the fragrance of soap,
before, so welcome after the more human bodily,
undesirable stench of patients on the surgical ward
now causes nausea
way down in the pit of my empty stomach
rising up to try and escape over the beds
I try to make, at least completing one before
going to the bathroom to be sick
this is how I knew

I cook dinner with peg on my nose
onions are the worst, seeming to penetrate
every obstacle to keep them at bay
unstoppable churning brings me again
to my knees
I decide salad in future, but still
every delicate smell adds to the urge
who is smoking in the road outside
and will they please
desist


Well that was a reflection of being in early pregnancy. In one of  those times I couldn't eat anything but fruit and uncooked veg and lost lots of weight whilst pregnant, being a stone and a lighter at the end than at the beginning.

And on to the prompt for the 16th Oct:

Losing Your Fears and Tears

My God gives me rainbows
a flood of thankful wells up
from the deep,
a river that bursts its banks
and overflows with joy.
At the beginning
a rainbow
At the end
A rainbow
There you are

And the 17th:

And The Dragon Chose

In the caves way up in the mountain
lived the Thunder of dragons called Grafeond .
They ruled the land from East to West
And were feared by all creatures around.

Fierce they looked, their wings outstretched
they commanded a fearsome sight
and when their fiery breath they breathed
others quickly took to flight.

One little whelp from this Thunder,
thinking his flying he'd practice
stepped off the mountain, spread his wings
but  landed in an terrible mess

His dear mama came to his rescue
you're not quite ready said she
and she gathered him in her wings
And took him home for his tea.





Oh well, that was that then. A bit out of my comfort zone with that one. But I gave it a try.

Octpowrimo, 13th and 14th

19th Oct 2017

The prompt for the 13th Oct :

Art In The Wayward Mind 

This wayward mind wanders
off course
an interminable inventor of wild
imaginings
remodeling, reshaping a woeful
reality
tortured until it turns again to
truth
and finds the narrow
path
and
follows

And for the 14th Oct:

Movement And Words

He gently rubs  the damp cloth over 

his trainers 

revealing a white area on the 

old canvas

one by one he slowly unravels the two

 blue laces.

Dreamily he watches a fly walk nearby on 

 grey tiles

And thinks, you have no idea how lucky 

you are 

Out on the downs he runs, runs, slowly

at first

Then, words fight inside his head, explode 

back , forth

He speeds up , they get louder, his breath

gives out 

He stops,

Falls to the floor,

Sobs softly





.

Day 12 Octpowrimo Imagination Stands In The Road

12th Oct 2017

Today I've take the prompt for the 12th Oct . See what you think. Looking out at the rain and the dull grey , It seems a good idea to imagine ....

Imagination Stands In The Road

She looks down the road

It curves,

disappears into dark trees

where maybe goblins live

and frolic with fairy friends. 

Or is there a secret, stone 

in the middle of the wood 

where lost leprechauns 

can find their way home.

She might follow that way.

She looks up the road

It leads 

on as far as the eye can see

long and straight

until it fades into the 

tall mountains

where maybe there are bears,

waterfalls and a winding trail

 that takes you  to the top 

 an adventure

Move Your Body Move Your Words

18th Oct 2017

Reading at the prompt for day 11 left me cold. I thought, right, where can I go with this? I was completely stumped and my little grey cells were snoozing away and not in the least bit interested in the problem.
But I thought I must write something as some words are better than no words. Aren't they?

Move Your Body Move your Words

I nearly missed the train this evening.

With a sea of commuters I ran for the 6.0 o'clock
train
A seat tonight was out of the question, that fact was
plain
Bodies hustled, toes trod on, shoved, not admitting to
pain
Damp smell from clothes polluting the air, all got wet in the
rain
The seated make no eye contact, arriving early was their
gain
They ignore the pregnant, the old, the infirm, eyes closed in the
main
Some are on  phones, others read books and in their seats they
remain

I am not young and with my poorly hip could do with a
rest
So when a lot get off at the next stop I feel I'm now well
blest
I take a seat in first class  in  a comfy chair like a
guest
Let's see how long I can keep my place, it's like a little
test
No one comes to remove me -  home, that's always the
best

  

Octpowrimo days 8, 9, 10,

17th Oct 2017

I can see that I might actually be able to catch up now. Maybe by the time 25th Oct comes I might be on the right day.
But, for now I'm on the 8th Oct and the prompt is:

What do You Know and How do You Know it

Is everything that  I can see, known by me 

and what of that which our eyes can't view 

yet people tell us are there and they're true

and we can see a picture of them in a book

but, for whatever reason we can't actually look

at the real thing.

Is all that is in my head, all that I have studied

and learnt since I was small and just little seed 

from all the world around real knowledge indeed 

that "how to" gleaned from father and mother too 

and then, even  years later  more gained from you

my true computer fling  

Prompt for 9th Oct :

Tapping into Your Creative Mind

It's what I would like to do if I had one, a creative mind, I mean 

it would make it so much easier to get down to the writing

something would always be there, in the depths, to be retrieved 

lurking in the recesses  , behind all the goings on of the day

I could just tap, tap, dig, dig  a little bit and be sure

 to come up with an idea or two that I could work with.

But, alas, it's not to be , for I only have the mind I have

I'm afraid that'll have to do for me.

Prompt for 10th Oct:

Power and Control

In  letting go lies the power
giving control of every hour
of our life

Octpowrimo Days 4, 5, 6 and 7

16th Oct 2017

The Prompt for 4th Oct ( will I ever catch up?) is:

"Between the Clouds and the Water." Trying an acrostic with that then...

By
Eleven on
That day people gathered,
Waiting
Eagerly for the sign.
Everyone
Nudging

Their way through
Heaving,
Endless

Crowds
Looking
Out for anything
Unusual. What would she
Do? What had
She in mind?

And
Now  they were
Drenched

Then they
Heard a sound as of angels
Everyone saw the clouds part and

With their eyes wide and all at once dry,
At least one hundred
Thousand witnesses
Experienced the miracle happening in
Reality before them, of the dancing of the sun

Hope you liked that little story. If you want to know what actually happened look up Fatima, the miracle of the sun.


The prompt for the 5th Oct:

"Finally I Understand"

I would like to be able to say that I am at an age,
a time in my life when I can say
finally, I understand.

But , no matter how many seconds I spend
pondering the ups and downs
I'm no nearer to this end

There are, I've just worked out, eighty six thousand,
four hundred seconds in each
twenty four hour day

So, it's possible that, with a lot more thinking and study
I will finally understand
what do you say?


Prompt for Oct 6:

While I Was Pacing The Floor

In the early hours, dark shadows told stories
that are only understood in the night
as my eyes tried to construct some meaning.

Her cries welled up inside me, a waterfall of loving
I took her in arms that ached to calm,
that wanted to make her cease screaming

What is it little one , what's the matter, what's wrong
come let me give you a cuddle
I'll  whisper in your ear a gentle song

So, on those nights, while I was pacing the floor
a connection was made between us
a bond that will last for ever more.


 Prompt for 7th Oct

Then I Went too Far

Reds, yellows, oranges, crunched underfoot
hot breath met the chill autumn air, misting glasses.
And on she walked, mindless among trees and bracken,
trudging through brambles, off the main track .
Would he even notice ? How had they come to this ?
Standing in a clearing, too many ways to choose
which way to go, where was she anyway?
She had gone too far
Too far to retrace her steps
Any path would do

Octpowrimo Days 1, 2, 3

15th Oct 2017

So, yes, it's been ages since I posted anything on the blog . To be honest it's been a fraught few weeks with family needing my attention .
I had intended to join the OCTPOWRIMO challenge of a poem  a day for the month of October but here we are on the 15th of the month and i haven't even made a start.
So, what to do?
Shall I just pick it up from here and write to  today's prompt?
Shall I go to the prompts from the very beginning and try to catch up?
Shall I not bother and go do something else?

Trying to catch up seems like a mammoth task, but ....
So the prompt for the 1st Oct:

How did I get here...

Look at her tiny, chubby fingers
holding her grandad's thumb.
Look at her bright blue eyes
searching the face of her mum.

Look at her whispy,  fair curls
like many of our grandbabies had.
I wonder, how did I get here
great grandmother-proud and glad


And the prompt for 2nd Oct:

We Write Because We Must...

How many times I wished we didn't have to.
She never had a problem , writing
came easy to her.
I would stare at my white, clean page,
maybe put a heading at the top,
copied from the board,
always with mistakes, but she would have
half a page written before I looked up.
I would steal her rubber and hide it under
my bag,
I would move my pencil case around
on my desk
putting it in her way
She would get cross and push it back
She was concentrating
I would doodle in the corner of the page
She would turn over
and start a new one...
and then the teacher would notice me
and tell me to get on.
So I tried and sometimes the page
was half filled with words by the end
of the lesson.

And the prompt for 3rd Oct:

Taste Of Metal...

It was always one of the first signs
that metallic taste in the mouth.
All nine times, it brought the joyous
expectation  of new life.