By ~Dovey
Let me convey the chilling reason
I, at all costs, avoid this season.
Though treason to those horror flicks serve --
wretched poltergeists have stretched my last nerve!
Their moans and groans and infernal tones
emitting from those dank granite stones
prove heinous sin - their presence atones.
A graven image of dark wraith sneers;
an unsettling black raven steers
my unsure steps -- in events so tense --
avoidance, it seems, is just good sense!
| Author Notes |
The image is courtesy of Pixabay.
Topic: Write an anagram poem using one of the following words as your title : gravestones, ghostliness, broomsticks, apparitions, nightmarish, sarcophagus, frightening Anagram Poem Sources: https://thebarking.com/2011/04/how-to-write-an-anagram-poem/ http://www.failbetter.com/02/Hayesnuclear.htm The Anagram Poems are adopted from the word game puzzles found in several syndicated newspapers. Here's how you do it: 1. Choose a single-word title (longer words work better; aim for eleven letters). 2. Find as many words as you can within that title that contain four letters or more (one-, two-, and three-letter words are not allowed, they're too easy). 3. Write a poem with the same number of lines as there are letters in the title. Each line must end with one of the words contained within the title word, and the poem should address the idea in the title. No two lines may end with the same word. You may not add -s or -ing or -ed or any other suffix or prefix. |
By ~Dovey
Where frigid trails and spooky tales
will chill the souls of hearty males --
a ghost town near the mine prevails;
abandoned rails, abandoned rails.
That copper mine, as it's been told
was valued like the Gold Rush gold,
and took the lives of brave and bold --
rebuild on hold, rebuild on hold.
On hiking trails tombstones appear
and just as quick they disappear.
The project workers left in fear --
the ghosts live here, the ghosts live here.
The mountains echo childrens' wails
and deaths of miners building rails,
where wraithlike figures haunt the vales --
whispered details, whispered details.
Their tools were gone, into thin air!
The ghosts, they didn't want them there.
Construction workers had a scare.
That town stayed bare, that town stayed bare.
And so it stands that way today
as buildings creak amidst decay --
and so it's haunted there, they say.
Just stay away, just stay away.
| Author Notes |
Image: Description (from Wikimedia)
A vestige of an early 20th-century copper mining camp, Kennecott represents the mining techniques of the era. The mines here were among the nation's largest and contained the last of the great high-grade copper ore deposits of the American West. (In the public domain) Date 1 January 2013, 00:00 Source Kennecott Mines Author National Park Service, Alaska Region Poetry Potlatch Challenge: Write a Monotetra poem on the topic of a spooky or scary tale or urban legend from where you live. An excerpt from the Princess Lodges Blog: https://www.princesslodges.com/blog/alaska-travel-tips/scary-mary-and-other-ghost-stories-from-alaska/ Alaska's lucrative yet precarious mineral wealth has sent many men and women to their early graves. In the case of the Kennecott Copper Mines, an entire community of ghosts worked in cahoots to prevent redevelopment of the area. Located near Wrangell St. Elias National Park, the Kennecott mines were some of the richest ever plundered in the remote Alaskan wilderness, and the railroad built to transport the harvested copper down to the coast was a monument to the crazy things that people will do for profit. Known as the Copper River & Northwestern Railway (or "Can't Run & Never Will" to skeptical locals), many men perished while creating a railroad that crossed glaciers, chasms, and required tunneling through rock. By all accounts, these men stuck around, even though no rail car has creaked over the abandoned railroad tracks in more than 70 years. After the railroad halted and the boom towns disbanded, visitors traveling along a stretch of road near Chitina bordering the railway reported tombstones appearing and disappearing on the roadside. Things got really spooky when a housing project was planned near the old tracks: workers could barely concentrate as the wraithlike voices of miners and children echoed in the mountains. They saw ghostly figures and then, to add insult to injury, tools began to fly straight out of their tool belts, never to be seen again. Soon after, work in the area ceased. My Personal Experience I have actually been to Kennecott and would love to go back and explore it further someday. Quite literally, the people in the town appear to have just left in the middle of their meals and leaving most of their belongings and just abandoned this town. I didn't see or hear any ghosts, but I do know how eerie things felt, as the man describes in the video. It is a fascinating town set in beautiful scenery. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrangell%E2%80%93St._Elias_National_Park_and_Preserve Another chilling story would be about a mass murder in the tiny town of McCarthy a few miles away - these are two tiny towns that you can't even drive into... you have to shuttle or cross the river bridge on foot to even reach them. It is quite unique. I wonder if the ghosts were responsible for driving that man mad? (He who was responsible for that heinous crime.) https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/03/02/Six-killed-in-Alaskan-shooting-spree/9659415429200/ |
By ~Dovey
Pick your friends
Pick a decade
Decade of my childhood
Decade... The Seventies
Seventies memories
Seventies songs -- now Classic Rock
Rock skipping contests
Rock Tumbler and Lite Bright
Bright colors and patterns
Bright stars lit the night
Nights of campfires and stories
Nights spent as a family
Family vacations -- Rubberneck in the car
Family together -- wherever they are
Are you picked first or last?
Are you "It" or first tagged?
Tagged playing Tag
Tagged by a Dodge ball
Balls, blocks, and marbles
Balls bounced with jacks
Jack in the box
Jack of all trades -- that was my Dad
Dad taught me to fish
Dad bought my first bike
Bike without training wheels
Bike in the puddles
Puddles splashed every time
Puddles splashed with my boots
Boots stuck in mud
Boots rubber and red
Red firetrucks
"Red Rover, Red Rover send 'someone' right over!"
Over the moon
Over and out
Out of doors all day
Out in the yard we'd play
Play "Squish the Sardine"
Play in forts that we made
Made with our hands
Made in the trees
Trees we would climb
Trees skinned our knees
Knees with Band-Aids
Knees of my Dad or Santa
Santa Claus House full of toys
Santa's town was fun!
Fun marked by the pole
Fun life way up north
North
Pole
| Author Notes |
The picture is from an old postcard of the Santa Claus House that I found on Pinterest. (Yes, I actually grew up in North Pole, Alaska. How could it not be fun to have Santa as your neighbor? lol)
Poetry Potlatch Challenge - Write a Blitz Poem on the topic of toys or games from your childhood. The Blitz Poem, a poetry form created by Robert Keim. This form of poetry is a stream of short phrases and images with repetition and rapid flow. Begin with one short phrase, it can be a clich�?�©. Begin the next line with another phrase that begins with the same first word as line 1. The first 48 lines should be short, but at least two words. The third and fourth lines are phrases that begin with the last word of the 2nd phrase, the 5th and 6th lines begin with the last word of the 4th line, and so on, continuing, with each subsequent pair beginning with the last word of the line above them, which establishes a pattern of repetition. Continue for 48 total lines with this pattern, And then the last two lines repeat the last word of line 48, then the last word of line 47. The title must be only three words, with some sort of preposition or conjunction joining the first word from the third line to the first word from the 47th line, in that order. There should be no punctuation. When reading a BLITZ, it is read very quickly, pausing only to breathe. Example #1: Bucket of Poetry Kick the can Kick the bucket Bucket of chum Bucket of worms Worms in dirt Worms in my brain Brains in my head Brains in my book Book of lies Book of secrets Secrets in the chambers of the human heart Secrets in the diary of my teenage sister Sister of mercy Sister in a habit Habit of swearing Habit of smoking Smoking gun Smoking outside Outside of the box Outside of what is normal Normal people Normal days Days and nights Days upon days Days of storms Days of no power Power to the people Power over people People who need people People on the streets Streets of Philadelphia Street sweeping Sweeping under the rug Sweeping her off her feet Feet grinding your face Feet sweating in old shoes Shoes for the homeless Shoes for rich women Women who want Women who need Need a change of scenery Need to stop Stop needing Stop reading Reading poetry Reading poetry Poetry takes Poetry gives Gives�¢?�¦ Takes�¢?�¦ Copyright �?�© 2008 Robert Keim (I noticed that Robert Keim added ellipses to the last lines in each of his examples, so I took the liberty of bending that 'no punctuation' rule ever so slightly.) |
By ~Dovey
Making decisions -- some off beat.
Faking promises I couldn't keep.
Taking furtive looks, though incomplete;
waking -- how long was I asleep?
Blue eyes that managed not to see
new cracks in aging porcelain --
true lies the mirror told to me;
few lack attachment to their skin.
| Author Notes |
Picture courtesy of Pixabay.
Poetry Potlatch: Today's form is the Lento and the topic is listed below. The topic for your Lento poem is a thing or person you see every day. A Lento consists of two quatrains with a fixed rhyme scheme of abcb, defe as the second and forth lines of each stanza must rhyme. To take it a step further, but not required, try rhyming the first and third lines as well as the second and forth lines of each stanza in this rhyming pattern: abab, cdcd. The fun part of this poem is thrown in here as all the FIRST words of each verse should rhyme. There is no fixed syllable structure to the Lento, but keeping a good, flowing rhythm is recommended. |
By ~Dovey
My garden's bounty brings a wealth of joy
with flavors meant to last the winter through --
I'll toil to blanch and freeze - and pickle, too!
A labor of love that I do employ
for the veggies grown and my husband true.
My garden's bounty brings a wealth of joy
with flavors meant to last the winter through.
To see him take a bite, just like a boy
who takes his pleasure as his given due --
in pickled cukes and beets served with a brew!
My garden's bounty brings a wealth of joy
with flavors meant to last the winter through --
I'll toil to blanch and freeze - and pickle, too!
| Author Notes |
What you see pictured has been taking up a lot of my time these past few weeks. I've made horseradish dills, jalapeno dills (experimenting with recipes to use all my veggies), sweet relish, pickled beets, (not pictured - salsa, freezer jam, and vacuum sealed peas, carrots, and beets for winter.) I'm hoping that my green beans make it for something of a harvest, there is zucchini to pick and shred for my bread and cake recipes, and possibly corn and a pumpkin or two ... the temp was in the 30's when I woke up this morning.
I have to thank Yvonne for choosing the perfect topic! lol Pickles!! The poetry potlatch challenge style this week is the English Madrigal and this is my first attempt. English Madrigal Usually written in iambic pentameter. Comprised of three stanzas: a tercet, quatrain, and sestet. All three of the lines in the opening tercet are refrains. The poem follows this rhyme pattern: Line 1: A Line 2: B1 Line 3: B2 Line 4: a Line 5: b Line 6: A Line 7: B1 Line 8: a Line 9: b Line 10: b Line 11: A Line 12: B1 Line 13: B2 Sorry I've been neglecting reviews of late... there is a lot to finish up before the snow flies! James is out moose hunting now. I'm hoping he'll be bringing home even more work for me! lol I'll be in and out as time allows! Kim |
By ~Dovey
When you take Outlander's advice
you never know what you will get --
wise characters often suffice
to stave off famine and regret.
When what you get prevents regret,
let it suffice as Claire's advice.
And so, that's what I set to do
to weather winter's wicked chill.
We'll have enough to get us through --
my family will eat their fill.
We'll beat the chill and eat our fill --
that's what we'll do to get us through.
It worked for Highland Scots back then
in seventeen and forty-five --
a time traveler's handy when
you want to keep your crew alive.
They stayed alive in '45,
'twas when The Scots, they fought back then.
For Claire, she knew their history --
I wish today that she knew ours.
She could dispel the mystery --
instead we look into the stars.
In hopes the stars will reveal ours -
history unlocks mystery.
Claire, the wise, said, "Plant potatoes.
As many as you can." Thus so,
I planted them, and tomatoes.
And now my coffers overflow.
With overflow we'll make it - so
eat tomatoes and potatoes!
We'll feast on salsa with our fries,
and bake, and roast, and stew, and mash --
when stomachs lament too big eyes,
we'll be full up on moose and hash.
Hash of moose and potato mash
fries in the pan -- feast for my eyes.
| Author Notes |
Picture is of our potato harvest which we've been working on since last weekend.
Poetry Potlatch topic - Your favorite book (I chose Outlander - small excerpt to follow.) Inverted refrain (examples cited can be found under Poetry Types - Inverted Refrain at Shadow Poetry) Rhyme scheme per stanza: Lines #1-4 are abab; Lines #5 and #6, the two inverted refrain lines, can be a,b or b,a. Meter: 8 syllables in every line. The first four lines of a stanza create a statement from which the last 2 lines extract the meaning, and invert the way it was said (see Example #1 below, Finding Faeries). The last two lines of each stanza, which are the "inverted refrain", are indented as a couplet. As a variation, the couplets in each stanza can reorganize the information in the previous four lines in a summarized manner, and can add further description. (See Example #2 below, Surrender.) Outlander Excerpt and article recommendation: http://outlanderplants.blogspot.com/2014/05/potatoes-story-of-feast-famine-and.html (the following is an excerpt from this article) "'Plant potatoes,' I said. Jenny's mouth dropped slightly open, then she firmed her jaw and nodded briskly. 'Potatoes. Aye. There's none closer than Edinburgh, but I'll send for them. How many?' 'As many as you can. They're not planted in the Highlands now, but they will be. They're a root crop that will keep for a long time, and the yield is better than wheat. Put as much in the ground as you can into crops that can be stored. There's going to be a famine, a bad one, in two years.'" -- From OUTLANDER, by Diana Gabaldon, Chapter 33 As a time-traveler, Claire knew what a calamity The Rising would be. She advised Jenny to plant potatoes so the residents of Lallybroch would have a better chance of surviving the coming disaster. |
By ~Dovey
Amidst the tinkle of wind chimes
this poet sought inspiration --
through her tireless dedication
amidst the tinkle of wind chimes.
This poet sought inspiration
to master the pen and the page;
exploring emotions -- fear, rage.
This poet sought inspiration.
To master the pen and the page,
engaged in artful eloquence --
earned literary relevance
to master the pen and the page.
Engaged in artful eloquence --
left breathless by exposition
and an eager disposition.
Engaged in artful eloquence.
Left breathless by exposition
as words inspired and excited --
poet/nature reunited,
left breathless by exposition.
As words inspired and excited
amidst the tinkle of wind chimes
the poet embraced her rhymes,
as words inspired and excited.
Amidst the tinkle of wind chimes
this poet sought inspiration --
through her tireless dedication
amidst the tinkle of wind chimes.
| Author Notes |
I wrote this one a couple of days ago. I've been so busy with the garden and such that I forgot to get it posted. This is my tardy poetry potlatch offering for last Saturday.
Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Motivation: Poetry Potlatch Challenge as listed below - Today I'm not going to give topic but words to include in the CANTENA RONDO form, and, they are - BREATHLESS.....FEAR......WIND CHIMES... Good luck and I hope you enjoy the challenge, cheers. CANTENA RONDO - This form is the brainchild of Robin Skelton, academic, writer, poet and anthologist. It is a Quatrain, and the second line forms a rhyming couplet with the third line and is also used as the first and fourth line of the following stanza. Any number of stanzas can be created this way and the final stanza is a repeat of the first. This gives a rhyme scheme of; A. B. b. A..... B. C. c B...... C. D. d. C.....etc and finally..... F. A. a. F...... A. B. b. A..... There is no set meter. |
By ~Dovey
It's the simple things I savor the most --
memories evoked eating toast with jam,
blackberries infused you with who I am.
It's the simple things I savor the most.
Memories evoked eating toast with jam,
us in the kitchen where we packed each jar
with laughter and love -- it's just who we are.
Memories evoked eating toast with jam.
Us in the kitchen where we packed each jar --
with the mother/daughter moments we shared.
In this time you taught me how much you cared;
us in the kitchen where we packed each jar.
A sweet memory of last year and more --
it's the simple things I savor the most
a moment relived with jam on my toast.
A sweet memory of last year and more.
It's the simple things I savor the most --
memories evoked eating toast with jam,
blackberries infused you with who I am.
It's the simple things I savor the most.
| Author Notes |
This week let's give the 'Catena Rondo' a go.
As found on The Poets Garrett This form is the brainchild of Robin Skelton, academic, writer, poet and anthologist. It is a Quatrain, and the second line forms a rhyming couplet with the third line and is also used as the first and fourth line of the following stanza. Any number of stanzas can be created this way and the final stanza is a repeat of the first. This gives a rhyme scheme of; A. B. b. A..... B. C. c B...... C. D. d. C.....finally..... F. A. a. F...... A. B. b. A..... |
By ~Dovey
Invisible beauty
in the realm of Gaia -
Perspective of power
presented in the intangible
interactions of a gracious
yet formidable
Goddess
Heed her daughter, Gale -
The most tempestuous
of Gaia's offspring,
delightful or destructive
at her own whim -
Unpredictable
Pondering
Gale's pleasure is a warm breeze -
Butterflies float in wordless perfection
leaves rustle, rubbing each other in affection
next to a murmuring mountain stream
the pulse of the forest is calm.
Birds twitter
contented conversation
communicating love -
Her caress is silent,
gentle on my cheek
Like my grandmother's kiss -
Reassuring
Seasons change -
Her breath grows cool.
I wonder what I've done
to draw the reprimand
of her icy tongue
lashing at me unmercifully
in an acerbic, Arctic blast.
I did not heed the warnings
of snowfall and darkness.
Persistent in my willfulness,
I would not be
pent in by frigid
infringement on my freedoms -
I ventured foolishly
I now yield to the realization --
Gale's power is infinite.
Invisible in her interactions,
yet, all powerful in her realm.
The chants of the elders
meander through my mind
like leaden footsteps
leaving a lasting impression.
Revere and respect
that which you cannot see.
Epiphany
Her displeasure is dynamic --
whirling out of control
in dust clouds of destruction
debilitating all in her path.
Unequivocal fury
Awaiting deliverance from my
own irresponsibility and obstinacy
I contemplate rescue -
Seeking protection
from her reproach
at the base of a
stalwart Spruce -
I dream once again
of Gale's kiss
upon my cheek -
I'm humbled
| Author Notes |
In this week's Poetry Potlatch we were challenged by Phyllis Stewart to create a "Myth of the Wind". Mine is the imagined tale of a headstrong girl learning to respect the words of her elders and the forces of nature.
This headstrong author reserved the right to limited punctuation and unorthodox capitalization in honor of Gale's unpredictability ;) Picture courtesy of pixabay |
By ~Dovey
When all is said and done in school -
Educated, or still a fool,
Life is about to begin, with
Challenges to be met, no myth
Or regret, though may be scary,
Might be hard, or just contrary,
Expectations will often seem
To impede pursuit of your dream -
Oh, some days you'll just want to scream!
This is the best advice for you,
Heed what I say, my promise true -
Expect to work to get you through.
Rule of thumb will be your treasure,
Ev'ry man will weigh and measure,
Success for one may not be yours,
There will be time for play and chores.
Once you have set a steadfast goal,
Friends may not play a wholesome role,
You must choose wisely what is best,
Opt for yourself and not the rest.
Until you know what you will be,
Respect responsibility -
Live your full life accordingly.
It's not about the lottery!
For ev'ry goal in life you choose
Expect that you will pay your dues!
| Author Notes |
Poetry Potlatch Acrostic challenge topic: Give advice to someone who is graduating...
Picture courtesy of Pixabay |
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