Quadrille

Giraffe Dreams ~ quadrille

/ Ken / rivrvlogr / 32 Comments

Giraffe Dreams

Come lay your head on my shoulder
and I will tell you all the things
you can look forward to as you sleep

All of the leaves in the trees
will hang low for you
and be as many as stars in the night

This is my response to Quadrille night! Sleepy times, the prompt from Sarah at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which s to use a form of the word sleep in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme. This poem uses 2 stanzas (slightly revised from my poem Giraffe Lullaby, which was written years ago for my daughter.

Image: Griffis Sculpture Park, East Otto, New York

Chalk It up to Love ~ quadrille

/ Ken / rivrvlogr / 36 Comments

Chalk It up to Love

Moments that were stellar?
Of course.
I have three beautiful souls in my life.
Life without them?
Unimaginable.

Moments that were not?
Unfortunately.

This time,  I am getting it right.
Some might chalk it up to experience,
but another beautiful soul is the key.

This poem is my response to Quadrille #150 – Chalk it up to Poetry, the prompt from Lillian at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word chalk in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.

Image source: peakpx.com

Savor the Moment ~ quadrille

/ Ken / rivrvlogr / 38 Comments

Savor the Moment

Given the chance, would I season our time
any differently, remove sweetness
in the quiet moments, or add spice,
raise the heat, in those moments
when two souls are so tightly wound?
Why tamper with a love
as fine as ours with a recipe?

This poem is my response to dVerse – Monday Quadrille #149 – ‘Tis the Season, the prompt from Lisa at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word season in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.

This is off prompt, but I’m sharing it with Day 5 at napowrimo.net.

Image source: clipartkey.com

Whispers Without Words~ quadrille ~ with audio

/ Ken / rivrvlogr / 41 Comments

 

Whispers Without Words

Listen, and you will hear
soft whispers without words
in the hush of wings lighter
than the light that shines
through them. Just as light,
their homes of paper
that will never know ink,
nor hold the words
you were not meant to hear.

This poem is my response to Quadrille #148: Papered Poems, the prompt from De Jackson at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word paper in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.

Image source: MorgueFile

Listen ~ quadrille

/ Ken / rivrvlogr / 24 Comments

Listen

A voice carries, soft
as the words it holds,
edged when they demand.
You want to know more.

Look into the poet’s eyes,
and see the weight of the words?
Or look away, and feel them
float through you?

Listen, and you will know.

I attended the Open Mic Poetry Reading at Gumbo Bottoms Alehouse, last night.
(photo from Jan. 10 reading)

This poem is my response to Eyeing the Quadrille #147, the prompt from Björn at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word eye in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.

A Heart That Swells ~ quadrille

/ Ken / rivrvlogr / 36 Comments

A Heart That Swells

Sorrow.

Joy.

What is their measure?
Cheeks with traces of salty trails?

I have shed enough tears to fill an ocean,
yet still carry each within me.
Waves of sorrow balanced by waves of joy.
Swells that swallow my heart, yet set it free.

This poem is my response to Quadrille #146: Let’s Get Salty, the prompt from De Jackson at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word salt in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.

Shivering Brief(ly) ~ quadrille ~ video poem

/ Ken / rivrvlogr / 40 Comments

 

Shivering Brief(ly)

The wind blowing across the river
whips my face with a cold spray.
My monthly weather report
and update for those I love complete
and my camera safely stowed,
I turn my red cheeks towards
home, warmth returning
with each stroke of the paddle.

Today was not a typical cold January day. But hey! That’s winter in Missouri!

This poem is my response to Quadrille #144: Shivering, the prompt from Merril at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word shiver in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.

 

Embrace the Beauty ~ quadrille

/ Ken / rivrvlogr / 24 Comments

Embrace the Beauty

Within the beauty of your golden crown
lies no concern for loss or thoughts
laid bare by harsh truths. Though winter
will surely come, hope never leaves us.
Spring will follow, again and again,
until we embrace the beauty
of our own bare branches.

This poem is my response to Quadrille #141: Heady is the Poem That Wears the Crown, the prompt from De Jackson at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word crown in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.

Image: Maple at Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Missouri
                    (click for larger view in new tab)

Fear Not Faced ~ quadrille

/ Ken / rivrvlogr / 16 Comments

Fear Not Faced

Climate change cannot be reversed unless we face it head-on. Ignoring it offers little hope for the future. How can we expect that to change if we continue to bury our heads in the sand?

fair weather
nothing but a dream
fears not faced

This haibun (of sorts) is my second response to Quadrille #140: Let’s Go to the Fair!, the prompt from Linda Lee Lyberg at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word fair in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.

Image source: clipartmax.com

Fairly Well ~ quadrille

/ Ken / rivrvlogr / 43 Comments

Fairly Well

Fallen leaves and sunshine
hike with me, up hills and down,
along bluffs with a broad view
of a narrow river, past turkeys
with no interest in fair weather
or health, mine, much improved
over last year’s near collapse
on this very same trail.

This poem is my response to Quadrille #140: Let’s Go to the Fair!, the prompt from Linda Lee Lyberg at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to use a form of the word fair in a 44-word poem (excluding title), with no required meter or rhyme.

Contrary to my thoughts last year, stamina is no longer an issue for me. In October 2020, I hiked a 6.1 mile trail in The Mark Twain National Forest. The hike should have taken 3 hours or less, but took 5 hours for me to complete. I was so winded that I needed to stop every 100 feet or so each time I climbed a hill – and there are a lot of hills and inclines on this trail. It turned out I had iron deficiency anemia. Two iron infusions in March of this year corrected that. I hiked the same trail this afternoon – in fact I hiked nearly 9 miles in 3 ½ hours — with no difficulty. It was a beautiful day for a hike, but most of the leaves have already fallen. Here’s a link to a blog about last years hike, with some colorful fall photos.

Image: Smith Creek in the Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri
~~ click image for larger view in new tab ~~