POETRY DAY IRELAND 2023: MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

Hey folks! Just to let ye know that today is Poetry Day Ireland here in the Emerald Isle, an annual celebration of poetry in both the spoken & written form! This year’s theme is MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE and features many poetry events, both online and live, taking place around the country. So check out what’s going on in your area and support it if you can! 🙏🤞😁📖 In Tullamore, a couple of miles from where I live, we had a poetry workshop with Simon Costello in our brand spanking new Arts Centre: Esker Arts Centre on Saturday gone by. And tonight, in the same venue, there’ll be an open mic taking place for anyone brave enough to do a bit of spoken word. So be sure to check that out if you’re near the area & at a loose end for something creative to entertain you!

With our rich poetic heritage & traditions, we’ve a lot of bards & poets to celebrate & draw inspiration from such as William Butler Yeats; Patrick Kavanagh; Seamus Heaney; Oscar Wilde; James Joyce; Brendan Behan & Katherine Tynan to name but a few. And that’s not forgetting our current; contemporary crop of wordsmiths & spoken word artists who have ventured or are venturing to make poetry relevant & fresh by forging their own poetic path: Eavan Boland; Paul Muldoon; Paul Durcan; Stephen James Smith; MissElayneous; David Hynes; Eileen Casey; David Mallaghan & Cormac Lally etc. And I’m only just scratching the surface on the level of talent here!

And later on today, I hope to have a new poem with today’s: “Message In A Bottle” theme ready to share with you on here. So, please tune in for that. Until then, take care of yourself & have a very rhythmical; creative & poetic day! 🙏🤞😁📖

ROCK CLIMBING FUN; CLOUD COVERED ABYSS Sadje’s #WhatDoYouSee #WDYS Poetry Image Prompt #183

For this week’s #WDYS #WHATDOYOUSEE Poetry Image Prompt, #Sadje has provided us with the image above which shows a young woman lying on the edge of a precipice. She is holding out her hand and on the edge of the image, we see a hand extended toward her. Below lies my contribution to the prompt: 👇👇😁😁

ROCK CLIMBING FUN; CLOUD COVERED ABYSS

“Go rock climbing”, they said.
“It’ll be fun”, they said.
“Look into my eyes”, I demanded!
“Does it look like I’m having fun?”
“Any more fun & I’ll be dead!
“Now reach out your hand & pull me up
Before I fall into the cloud covered abyss!”

Should you wish to participate in the prompt then you can access it through the following link below: 👇👇😁😁

https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2023/04/24/what-do-you-see-183/

YEARNING FOR SERENITY: Ragtag Daily Prompt Friday; Moonwashed Weekly Prompt #139

Hey folks! Welcome to my latest poetic offering titled: written in response to this week’s Moonwashed Weekly Prompt (Serene) & Friday’s Ragtag Daily Prompt (Yearn) . Hope that ye enjoy the read! 🙏🤞😁📖 P. S. You can substitute the he for she throughout the poem. It applies either way. 👍😁

YEARNING FOR SERENITY

The deepest longings of his heart
Was for peace and quiet
Where he could hear himself think
Process things and
Break them down one by one

He yearned for the serene surroundings
Of the open road on an early morning run
Where he could blow off the cobwebs
And pound his worries deep into the pavement

The golden; sandy terrain
Of a near desolate beach
The crashing waves of the vast ocean
Stilling his racing mind
Allowing him to breathe

Or the eerily quiet ambience
Of a childless house
Post morning school drop off
Sipping carefully; slowly savouring
His 2nd coffee of the day

Should you wish to participate in the prompt then you can access them through the following links below: 👇👇😁😁

https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2023/04/21/rdp-friday-yearn/

https://amanpan.blog/2023/04/18/moonwashed-weekly-prompt-139-4-18-23-serene/

WINDOW TO YOUR SOUL: DOUBLE GLAZED – d’Verse Poetics Prompt: (Window Gazing)

For this week’s d’Verse Poetics Prompt, merrildsmith from WordPress has been musing on “Window gazing” & encouraging us to do the same. Below lies my contribution to the prompt, hope ye enjoy the read! 🤞🙏😁📖

WINDOW TO YOUR SOUL; DOUBLE GLAZED

Window gazing,
Didn’t you know?!
It’s a prerequisite
If us scribes
Want to write exquisite
Poetry… In motion
As the world passes by
Witnessing interactions
Of people playing
On the stage of life
Then, we begin
Jotting down our observations
And framing them into a poem
Indulge in some caffeination
To get the juices flow-ing
All it takes is…
Sitting down or standing still
Quiet yourself for a little bit
Take out a paper & a pen
Now gaze into my eyes
They’re the window to my soul
Nothing double glazed or tinted
Watch my dreams unfold

Should you wish to participate in the prompt then you can access it through the following link below: 👇👇😁😁

https://dversepoets.com/2023/04/18/poetics-window-gazing/

BEWITCHING WORDCRAFT: Colleen’s 65th Birthday

For this week’s Tanka Tuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge we have a special prompt celebrating Colleen’s 65th Birthday which was yesterday. Below lies my contribution to the prompt & celebration of Colleen’s 65th Birthday: 👇👇😁😁

BEWITCHING WORDCRAFT

For 3 score years and 5
On this earth she’s been alive.
In her writing there is a well
Of knowledge
Where she casts her syllabic spell
Upon her followers & readers
With her poetic teasers
On her Tanka Tuesday
To keep us amused, play
With words & syllables
Help us be more formidable
As poets and wordsmiths
Make sure that they fit
In the right place & verse
Make our poetry more diverse
Encouraging & playful
Hope you had a day full
Of poetry & creativity
Presents and festivities
Thank you for all the time
You give
To help us compose a rhyme
Teaching us how to write & graft
Bewitching us with your WordCraft

Should you wish to participate in the prompt then you can access it through the following link below: 😁😁👇👇

https://wordcraftpoetry.com/2023/04/18/special-birthday-prompt-tankatuesday-weekly-poetry-challenge-no-316-4-18-2023/

REVOLUTION IN KINDNESS – d’Verse Quadrille: You Say You Want A Revolution

Welcome to this week’s d’Verse Quadrille folks hosted by Kim from Writing in North Norfolk. She challenges us to compose a Quadrille (44 word poem) on the subject/idea of revolutions in it’s various meanings & forms. Below lies my contribution to the prompt, hope ye enjoy the read! 🤞😁🙏📖👇👇

REVOLUTION IN KINDNESS

Here’s a revolutionary idea.
How about we learn how to be kind to each other?
Instead of taking up arms to fight
Let’s wrap them around each other tight
Squeeze out the anxiety & loneliness
Instead of squeezing the trigger
A revolution of love!

Should you wish to participate in the prompt then you can access it through the following link below: 👇👇😁😁

https://dversepoets.com/2023/04/17/quadrille-174-you-say-you-want-a/

THE GREAT TREE: #WhatDoYouSee #WDYS Poetry Image Prompt #

Image credit; Tasos Mansour @ Unsplash

For the visually challenged reader, this image shows a crooked tree with bare branches. In the background stars in the sky can be seen forming streaks in a circular fashion.

I knew I remembered seeing this image before, from a previous #WDYS #WHATDOYOUSEE prompt back on the 10th of May 2022 so I opted for the easy/lazy route by reposting my response to that prompt. Hope that ye enjoy the read! 🤞😁🙏📖

THE GREAT TREE

Swirls of light
In the night sky
(Multicoloured
With orange; grey & black
Forming a foreboding
Yet enchanting backdrop)
Swoosh around
In rapid circular motions
Forming a vortex
With the aim of lifting
The solitary remaining tree
(The last bastion of life
In this barren landscape)
Out of it’s deeply embedded roots
By sucking it into
An alternate universe
But it would not be moved.
It was taking it’s final stand.
It’s long; sinewy roots
Digging deep into the soil
Clawing; clinging
On for survival
It’s bare; leafless branches
Stretching backwards
To form a twig shaped cape
Protecting it from the elements
The sun bleached rocks,
Surrounding the great tree
Bowed down in worship
Offering their silent; stoic support

Should you wish to participate in the prompt then you can access it through the following link below: 👇👇😁😁

https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2023/04/17/what-do-you-see-182/

SANCTUARY ON THE OPEN ROAD

SANCTUARY ON THE OPEN ROAD

Out there running on the roads
It’s my sacred space
My outdoor abode
My place of worship
A home from home
Where I can wander freely
And atone
For time wasted
When I was young
Promises made
To go for a run
That I always talked about
But never done
Now there’s no more excuses
Just opportunities
For progress-ion
Self-improvement
To clear my head
And have some fun
Embrace the experience
On this race around the sun

UPBEAT UPTURN; MARKEDLY SO: Ragtag Daily Prompt Moonwashed Weekly Prompt

In response to this week’s Moonwashed Weekly Prompt (Upbeat) & today’s (Thursday) Ragtag Daily Prompt (Markedly), I was inspired to write the following poem below: 👇👇😁😁

UPBEAT UPTURN; MARKEDLY SO

Since spring has sprung
There’s been a welcome upturn
In the extra sunshine rays
From the welcome longer days
Folk have grown markedly upbeat
As they walk down the street
Buzzing with happy anticipation
Having come out of hibernation
There’s a bounce in their step
As new plans are being set
Folk have grown markedly upbeat
With arms wide open to greet
The next chapter.

Should you wish to participate in the prompts then you can access them through the following links below: 👇👇😁😁

https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2023/04/13/rdp-thursday-upbeat/

https://amanpan.blog/2023/04/11/moonwashed-weekly-prompt-140-4-11-23-markedly/

MELLOW YELLOW; SOUR POWER: d’Verse Poetics Prompt (Everything Yellow)

For this week’s d’Verse Poetics Prompt: sarahsouthwest has encouraged to colour our poetry with “Yellow” in whatever form or shade you want. And she has given us a whole list of those to chose from which you can find over on this week’s d’Verse Poetics page. Below lies my contribution to the prompt, hope that ye enjoy the read!

MELLOW YELLOW; SOUR POWER

We begin to emerge from
The yellow submarine of winter
To feel the welcome glare
Of the yellow spring sun
Shining down upon us
Tween heavy April showers
Leaves us feeling mellow
And renews our powers
With this change of weather
Comes head colds
And other shades of yellow
To the fore
Like the bittersweet taste
Of hot lemon & honey
In unmown gardens
See the dande-lions roar!
Witness the primroses come alive
In the woodlands
And by the roadside
Spread the butter; put on loads
Melting; yellow milky fat
Disappearing into your toast
A spicy saffron curry
With a glass of chardonnay
To wash it all down
At the end of a long day
With some custard & cream
For dessert
It would seem
There’s more yellows on the way.
With lights dimmed
Beeswax candles lit
Mind your business
I’m having none of it
Earwax too
How does it fit?
Haven’t you heard
That cows & sheep
Eat straw as a herd
Speaking of which
That’s the last straw
The yellow of autumn
Will be the next to fall

Should you wish to participate in the prompt then you can access it through the following link below: 👇👇😁😁

https://dversepoets.com/2023/04/11/everything-yellow/