Harmony Kent's Blog, page 25
May 10, 2022
#TANKATUESDAY Weekly #POETRYCHALLENGE #273 #SpecificForm @ColleenChesebro #ButterflyCinquain
Hi everyone! 
Today, I’ve joined Colleen’s weekly TankaTuesday challenge, which asks for us to create a specific syllabic poem based on the Butterfly Cinquain.
As ever, we need to avoid ‘ing’ ending words if at all possible.
You can find Colleen’s post HERE.
For this week’s challenge, Colleen asked Sally Cronin to select a syllabic form for us to learn more about. Her choice was the Butterfly Cinquain.
FAST FACTSDid you know the Butterfly Cinquain isn’t, actually, a Cinquain? It’s a nine-line poem. The Butterfly Cinquain uses the syllable count of the Crapsey Cinquain and then reverses it. The name comes from the butterfly shape it creates when centred on the page.
The Butterfly Cinquain is an unrhymed, nine-line syllabic poem with 2-4-6-8-2-8-6-4-2 syllables per line.
Broken Wings
cocooned
dead or damaged?
I barely made it here
our emotional wounds can kill
the same
as the most-deadly of weapons
when will I know it’s safe
to bare my soul
once more?
I hope you enjoyed today’s poetry. Because of the subject I’ve written on, I’m also adding that I’m doing fine. The poem isn’t from a current event. Have a lovely day!
© Harmony Kent 2022
May 4, 2022
#BookReview: The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell @Caroline_writes
Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for an author new to me. I saw this book in quite a few places around the blogosphere and had to check it out. I downloaded this read via my Kindle Unlimited subscription, and I am glad I gave this read a go. I shall be checking out more reads by Caroline Mitchell >>>
About the Book:
From number one bestselling author Caroline Mitchell, comes the first chilling Slayton thriller for fans of C. J. Tudor and Stephen King.
If you open your door to the Midnight Man, hide with a candle wherever you can. Try not to scream as he draws near, because one of you won’t be leaving here…
On Halloween night in Slayton, five girls go to Blackhall Manor to play the Midnight Game. They write their names on a piece of paper and prick their fingers to soak it in blood. At exactly midnight they knock on the door twenty-two times – they have invited the Midnight Man in.
It was supposed to be a game, but only four girls come home.
Detective Sarah Noble has just returned to the force, and no one knows more about Blackhall Manor than her. It’s a case that will take Sarah back to everything she’s been running from, and shake her to the core.
Will she be ready to meet the Midnight Man?
My Review:
Suspenseful and Entertaining
Having heard so much about this book on the blogosphere, I had to give it a look. I loved the cover and blurb so much that I picked this up on my Kindle Unlimited subscription. This author is new to me, and I’ll be taking a look at her other works.
“If you open your door to the Midnight Man, Hide with a candle wherever you can. Try not to scream as he draws near, Because one of you won’t be leaving here …” … from this fantastic opening quote, we’re taken into a vivid and terrifying ordeal as a heretofore loving husband and father goes on a rampage with a shotgun and massacres his whole family. We’re led to believe everyone died.
Then the narrative jumps ahead roughly 25 years, and we find that the eldest child, a girl, lived. She moved away to stay with her maternal grandparents and adopted her mother’s maiden name. Her life has been full of trauma and betrayal, and now she is faced with having to return to work in the local CID.
The plot and pacing started brilliantly and gripped me. I mean, what can be better than a thriller which also contains plenty of the apparent supernatural? That kind of stuff is right up my street. By about the three-quarter mark I felt the book had slowed down a lot and got a bit bogged in the mud. However, even by 80%, I couldn’t be sure who the killer was, so the red-herrings and misleading clues were done excellently.
The world-building and characterisation were written well and felt real and believable. The descriptive writing was also great. Here are a few of the lines I most loved …
“Sometimes I’d wake in the middle of the night, my sheets damp from sweat as apprehension swallowed me whole.”
And … “But this wasn’t a nightmare I woke up from. It was a nightmare I woke up to.”
And … “She was more of a lame dog than a lone wolf.”
And … “But the world was so big, and Elliott’s voice was so small.”
While I enjoyed this read, it felt more like a suspense than a thriller. Some aspects bogged it down, but on the whole, I found it entertaining. The Midnight Man gets a solid four stars from me.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by
For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …
May 3, 2022
#TANKATUESDAY Weekly #POETRYCHALLENGE #272 #TasteTheRainbow @ColleenChesebro #Diablo
Hi everyone!
Today, I’ve joined Colleen’s weekly TankaTuesday challenge, which asks for us to create a syllabic poem based on colour.
As ever, we need to avoid ‘ing’ ending words if at all possible.
You can find Colleen’s post HERE.
I chose to try a Diablo. I haven’t attempted this kind of poetry before, so this is new territory for me. Diabolo is a poetry form invented by Dennis William Turner, writing on All Poetry as Dennisturner19. His specifications and an example:
A poem of two, six-line, iambic stanzas.Each stanza:Lines 1,2,4 and 5, iambic tetrameter with rhymes at syllables 6 and 8.Lines 3 and 6, iambic Dimeter with rhymes at syllables 2 and 4.Rhyme scheme:(a,b,)(a,b,)(c,d,)(e,f,)(e,f,)(c,d, )(g,h,)(g,h,)(i,j,)(k,l,)(k,l,)(i,j, )
Many thanks to https://poetscollective.org/poetryforms/tag/rhymed/ for their great explanation and example of a Diablo. Here’s my effort:
Push and Pull
The boaster and the braggart do
All destroy peace, and gag and spew
Hate and disdain.
Even though they do wish for love,
Their need makes them selfish and rough,
Lone, shunned, in pain.
Whereas those who give love and life,
Find sustenance enough and rife.
All they could wish.
Peace and empathy change the world,
Give the freedom to range unfurled,
Free, gay, affiche.
I followed one of Colleen’s links about the symbolism of colour, and perhaps, it’s no coincidence that Turquoise is one of my absolute favourite shades of all time. Here’s what Colour Meanings has to say about Turquoise:
“The color of calmness and clarity. Turquoise stabilizes emotions and increases empathy and compassion. It emits a cool calming peace, gives us a boost of positive mental energy that improves concentration and clarifies our mind, and creates a balance that clears the path to spiritual growth.”
I hope you enjoyed today’s poetry. I learnt a new word with this too: Affiche, which in its verb form, means “To parade, to advertise, publicise; to display, show.” Have a lovely day!
© Harmony Kent 2022
April 30, 2022
#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 30
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Hi everyone! Today is day Thirty of the national poetry month competition and the final day!
Here’s my offering >>>
DAY THIRTY:
[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Thirty … Write a Cento. A Cento is a poem that is made up of lines taken from other poems.
Love Sublime
If ever two were one, then surely we
I do forgive thy robb’ry, gentle thief
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
My heart has left it’s dwelling place
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun
Struck dumb I was
After all, there’s no need to say anything
For verily love knows not ‘mine’ or ‘thine’
I thank you, kind and best beloved friend
Today’s poetic prompt is perfect for me to choose from among some of the great love poets on the weekend of my 3rd wedding anniversary. I hope you enjoyed what I cobbled together. Here are the poets I borrowed from …
To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet
Sonnet 40 by William Shakespeare
Song: To Celia by Ben Johnson
First Love by John Clare
A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns
Struck Dumb by Sunday Yemi Akinbamido
Flirtation by Rita Dove
I loved you first: but afterwards your love by Christina Rossetti
Sonnet: I Thank You by Henry Timrod
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support throughout the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge
© Harmony Kent 2022
April 29, 2022
#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 29
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Hi everyone! Today is day Twenty-Nine of the national poetry month competition and the penultimate day!
Here’s my offering >>>
DAY TWENTY-NINE:
[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Nine … In certain versions of the classic fairytale Sleeping Beauty, various fairies or witches are invited to a princess’s christening, and bring her gifts. One fairy/witch, however, is not invited, and in revenge for the insult, lays a curse on the princess. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem in which you muse on the gifts you received at birth — whether they are actual presents, like a teddy bear, or talents – like a good singing voice – or circumstances – like a kind older brother, as well as a “curse” you’ve lived with (your grandmother’s insistence on giving you a new and completely creepy porcelain doll for every birthday, a bad singing voice, etc.). I hope you find this to be an inspiring avenue for poetic and self-exploration.
Choices
The cursed child
Who feels the need
To cry “Wish I were
Never born”
So forlorn
The parents
Who struggle
And blame
Heap the burden on the child
Of sacrifice and a life reviled
The woman
Self-reliant
First weak
Now strong
Finds a place to belong
The blessing
Inherent in each
And every existence
Cherish this gift
With a life well lived
Talent
good looks
Are all well and good
Of greater import
Is how you comport
Succour
Kindness
Empathy
These truest blessings
allow all to spread their wings
Come what may
Gifted
Or cursed
Free your soul
Live life whole
Today’s poetic prompt is one I struggled with hugely. I almost gave it a miss, but I’ve come this far and only have today and tomorrow to go. In the end, I went with a broader viewpoint rather than dealing with specifics.
Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Thirty on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge
© Harmony Kent 2022
April 28, 2022
#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 28
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Hi everyone! Today is day Twenty-Eight of the national poetry month competition. Only two more days to go!
Here’s my offering >>>
DAY TWENTY-EIGHT:
[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Eight … Write a concrete poem. Like acrostic poems, concrete poems are a favourite for grade-school writing assignments, so this may not be your first time at the concrete-poem rodeo. In brief, a concrete poem is one in which the lines are shaped in a way that mimics the topic of the poem. For example, May Swenson’s poem “Women” mimics curves, reinforcing the poem’s references to motion, rocking horses, and even the shape of a woman’s body. George Starbuck’s “Sonnet in the Shape of a Potted Christmas Tree” is – you guessed it – a sonnet in the shape of a potted Christmas tree. Your concrete poem could be complexly-shaped, but relatively simple strategies can also be “concrete” — like a poem involving a staircase where the length of the lines grows or shrinks over time, like an ascending (or descending) set of stairs.
Image courtesy of Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/vectors/drop-rain... and CANVA
Today’s poem was inspired by a thoughtless response to yesterday’s poem and wedding picture on Twitter overnight. I should thank the guy, as he made today’s creative efforts pretty easy! If any of you are curious to see the thread, here’s the Twitter link: https://twitter.com/MathisenSteve/status/1519403298331144193. You might need to click on “show replies” to see my response under the man’s final comment of “he looks much older…”
As you’ll see, I laughed it off and made a joke about my youthful looks; however, what the guy doesn’t realise is he’s holding up the mirror of himself and showing the world his inner life, how he sees and interacts with the world around him, and that has nothing whatsoever to do with my life. A long time ago, I learnt that if people judge me, that’s their problem, not mine. I can only ever be responsible for myself, and what everyone else does is their business. I wanted to”reflect” some of that in my poem, which I hope you’ll agree is shaped like a teardrop. The teardrop is because all of this is so unutterably sad.
Thank you to Beem Weeks for answering the guy and trying to give some perspective. And thank you to all of you for your outstanding support and cheering me on this whole month! 
Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Twenty-Nine on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge
© Harmony Kent 2022
April 27, 2022
#BookReview: 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard @cathryanhoward @BorrowBox
Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for an author I enjoy. I saw this book on my local library’s list, and I was able to download it for free, using an app called Borrowbox. I am so pleased I gave this read a go, and I shall be checking out yet more reads by Catherine Ryan Howard >>>
About the Book:
No one knew they’d moved in together. Now one of them is dead. Could this be the perfect murder?
56 DAYS AGO
Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin the same week Covid-19 reaches Irish shores.
35 DAYS AGO
When lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests that Ciara move in with him. She sees a unique opportunity for a new relationship to flourish without the pressure of scrutiny of family and friends. He sees it as an opportunity to hide who – and what – he really is.
TODAY
Detectives arrive at Oliver’s apartment to discover a decomposing body inside.
Will they be able to determine what really happened, or has lockdown provided someone with the opportunity to commit the perfect crime?
My Review:
A Slow Burn but Gripping
Usually, a book that even dares to mention “Covid” once will send me running for the hills and screaming my lungs out. However, the pretext of lockdowns was used so skillfully, and the whole subject dealt with so sensitively, that I hardly realised I was reading about a time-period which bracketed the unmentionable virus. There was no belabouring the point at all, and the plot and premise most definitely took centre stage in this entertaining read. For me, this is a wonderfully imaginative take on the whole concept of lockdown and how that can be used to further your own nefarious ends.
“It’s like one of those viral videos taken inside some swanky apartment complex, where all the slim and fit thirty-something residents are doing star jumps behind the glass railings of their balconies while the world burns.” From this lengthy yet intriguing opening line, we are dragged–quite compellingly–into the world of Ciara and Oliver, where nothing and nobody is what they seem. The world building, characterisation, and plot building were all well done, and I found myself able to believe the set-up and fall into the story.
While the pacing is at a slow burn, it’s a gripping read nonetheless, and I did not want to have to put it down. Here are some lines I loved … “
The residents are used to living above and below and beside other people’s entire lives while pretending to be utterly unaware of them; hearing each other’s TVs and smelling each other’s cooking but never learning each other’s names.” … A sad but true observation of modern-day life.
And … “Which was bad, because he couldn’t afford to feel good. That was always when bad things started to happen.”
And … “Everything he’s wearing is fit so snugly that she fears she could be committing a sex crime just by looking at him.”
And, finally, … “The stench feels like it’s got so thick that it’s taken on a solid shape, and that shape is coiling around Lee’s neck like a deadly python, slithering and tightening, making her windpipe dangerously small.”
As you can see, I enjoyed this book immensely. The main reason this read didn’t get five stars was due to the frequent overuse of unnecessary words such as “practically”, “literally” and “really”, which I find so totally off-putting and which detract from the enjoyment of the read. Time and again, this sort of stuff pulled me out of the fiction, and I had to work to get back into the tension of the story. As it is, I did enjoy this book and will most definitely check out the writer’s other books. 56 Days gets a solid four stars from me.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by
For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …
#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 27
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Hi everyone! Today is day Twenty-Seven of the national poetry month competition. Only three more days to go!
Here’s my offering >>>
DAY TWENTY-SEVEN:
[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Seven …Write a “duplex.” A “duplex” is a variation on the sonnet, developed by the poet Jericho Brown. Here’s one of his first “Duplex” poems, and here is a duplex written by the poet I.S. Jones. Like a typical sonnet, a duplex has fourteen lines. It’s organized into seven, two-line stanzas. The second line of the first stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the second stanza, the second line of the second stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the third stanza, and so on. The last line of the poem is the same as the first.
To start you off on my tongue-in-cheek mood today, here’s a cheeky pic from the big day …
1st job as groom!
Marry In May
Marry in May and rue the day
We missed that bit of sage advice
Nobody offered that bit of sage advice
Now we’re four days from three years wed
With sorrows and joys we’re four days from three years wed
Surely it’s not all down to fate
Do we have a choice or is it all down to fate?
They say the next hurdle is the seven-year itch
We’d best stock up on ointment for that seven-year itch
Cos, you know, I take forever seriously
Forever means forever, seriously
Or is this jest?
Do I joke or do I jest?
Marry in May and rue the day
I hope you enjoyed this bit of anniversary fun! Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Twenty-Eight on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge
© Harmony Kent 2022
April 26, 2022
#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 26 and #TankaTuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 271 #Colleen’s #THEMEPROMPT #TankaProse @ColleenChesebro
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Hi everyone! Today is day twenty-six of the national poetry month competition, and also Colleen’s weekly Tanka Tuesday challenge #271. Today, I’ve combined the two challenges into one.
Here’s my offering >>>
DAY TWENTY-SIX:
[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Six … And now for our daily prompt (optional, as always). A couple of days ago, we played around with hard-boiled similes. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that contains at least one of a different kind of simile – an epic simile. Also known as Homeric similes, these are basically extended similes that develop over multiple lines. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they have mainly been used in epic poems, typically as decorative elements that emphasize the dramatic nature of the subject (see, by way of illustration, this example from Milton’s Paradise Lost). But you could write a complete poem that is just one lengthy, epic simile, relying on the surprising comparison of unlike things to carry the poem across. And if you’re feeling especially cheeky, you could even write a poem in which the epic simile spends lines heroically and dramatically describing something that turns out to be quite prosaic. Whatever you decide to compare, I hope you have fun extending your simile(s) to epic lengths.
And from Colleen’s Weekly Tanka Tuesday challenge … This week’s form: Theme Prompt. This challenge explores poetry based on the theme of ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS. Yvette M Calleiro provided the theme for this month’s challenge.
Scattered Like Leaves
leaves
scattered
in the streets
the green all gone
camouflaged beneath
the stains of life and death
that continuous cycle
of beginnings, middles, endings
are we no more than mulch of dead growth?
squishy return to that from whence we came?
once vibrant hues muted, faded to greys
not any thing as it was stays true
where gone?—promises of dances
in spring’s jade-speckled palaces
storms come, cover our land
thunder, flame, and blood
fallen bodies
fill streets like
scattered
leaves
Today, I’ve chosen a double (stacked) Etheree with a syllable count of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. The cyclic, wave-like form of this seemed perfect for the theme. An Etheree is usually titled.
With the first blush of teasing green in our hedgerows, my mind went to when they will turn and fall, and—perhaps unsurprisingly, at the moment—to fallen heroes and loved ones. I’ve used SodaCoffee Syllable counter so that we’re all on the same counting tool for Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday challenge.
Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Twenty-Seven on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge
© Harmony Kent 2022
April 25, 2022
#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 25
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Hi everyone! Today is day Twenty-Five of the national poetry month competition.
Here’s my offering >>>
DAY TWENTY-FIVE:
[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Five … Today’s (optional) prompt is based on the aisling, a poetic form that developed in Ireland. An aislingrecounts a dream or vision featuring a woman who represents the land or country on/in which the poet lives, and who speaks to the poet about it. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that recounts a dream or vision, and in which a woman appears who represents or reflects the area in which you live. Perhaps she will be the Madonna of the Traffic Lights, or the Mysterious Spirit of Bus Stops. Or maybe you will be addressed by the Lost Lady of the Stony Coves. Whatever form your dream-visitor takes, happy writing!
Image courtesy of Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/wom...
take these seeds so
when you die here
sunflowers will grow
in extremis
Clytie watches near
ever golden optimist
in hopes for peace
she shines her light
on wishes for war’s surcease
o’er fields crushed
barren in her plight
face crumpled in disgust
oh but what a sight
yon sunflower goddess’s
determined fight
her golden glow
seeds offered in open palm
e’en mongst mud, blood, ‘n snow
soft tones hide
the hard harm
when she cried
enemy, take these seeds so
when you die here
sunflowers will grow
sunflowers will grow
With today’s prompt, I couldn’t write about any other than Clytie, the goddess of sunflowers, and Ukraine’s brave fight.
Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Twenty-Six on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge
© Harmony Kent 2022
