Harmony Kent's Blog, page 26

#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 22

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Hi everyone! Today is day Twenty-Two of the national poetry month competition. Two-thirds of the way through, already!

Here’s my offering >>>

DAY  TWENTY-TWO:

[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-Two … In honour of today’s being the 22nd day of Na/GloPoWriMo 2022, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that uses repetition. You can repeat a sound, a word, a phrase, or an image, or any combination of things.

 

Image courtesy of Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/photos/leaf-maple...

 

Leaves of Absence

 

by your leave

I’ll take my leave

leave me be

leave no legacy

 

stains of love you left

stains of loss you left

left me in the lurch

left me all alone

 

by your leave

I’ll take my leave

leave me be

leave no legacy

 

what you left

other than your earthly remains

remains to be seen

I search up, down, right, ‘n left

 

by your leave

I’ll take my leave

leave me be

leave no legacy

 

bitter leaves of memory

litter leaves of the mind

leaves everywhere foggy

leaves all in shades of grey

 

by your leave

I’ll take my leave

leave me be

leave no legacy

 

leave no legacy

 

For today’s prompt asking for repetition, I chose to try an Antanaclasis. Antanaclasis is wordplay characterised by the repetition of the same word in a poem or specific line, but having a different meaning each time. I had fun playing with the many meanings of “leave” and it’s variations. Interesting that I’ve come up with a down-beat poem on a morning I’m feeling upbeat. I hope you enjoy today’s poem, which I left free-style for a change.

Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Twenty-Three on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge  

 

© Harmony Kent 2022

 

#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 21

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Hi everyone! Today is day Twenty-One of the national poetry month competition. Two-thirds of the way through, already!

Here’s my offering >>>

DAY  TWENTY-ONE:

[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Twenty-One … Write a poem in which you first recall someone you used to know closely but are no longer in touch with, then a job you used to have but no longer do, and then a piece of art that you saw once and that has stuck with you over time. Finally, close the poem with an unanswerable question.

 

Image courtesy of Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-girl...

A Set of Haikus

 

 

intimate we used to be

shadow stalked constant

’til I shone light on you—shame

 

a hat, dress, and uniform

don’t forget the mask

nurse’s emotions hidden

 

the picture you painted stuck

changed my entire life

though only words in a book

 

from birth we commence a course

but never do know

do we live or do we die?

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my efforts to address these questions poetically. Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Twenty-Two on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge  

 

© Harmony Kent 2022

 

#BookReview: Between the Vines by Staci Troilo @stacitroilo

Hi everyone! Today, I have a book review for fellow friend and one of my favourite authors, Staci Troilo. This is the third book in her Keystone Couples series >>>

About the Book:

When you grow up on a vineyard, you learn the grapevine can’t always be trusted.

Elena Santucci is one of the best wedding planners in the Keystone state—ironic, as she doesn’t believe in love. Why should she? Rumors cost her all meaningful relationships, sending her into the arms of one loser after another until she swore off men entirely. Now she spends her days helping brides put together dream days… even though she suspects they’ll all lead to nightmares.

Aaron Kennedy looks like a tough-as-nails cop, but he’s got a marshmallow for a heart. One that’s recently been roasted over the coals by Heather, his former fiancée. After discovering her affair with his best friend, he broke off his engagement and swore off women—at least for a while. When his sister asks for help with her wedding plans, he can’t say no. Then he learns the wedding is at Blooming Valley Vineyards, and his former crush is the event planner. Maybe this is fate telling him not to give up so quickly.

Just when Aaron starts to break through Elena’s icy shell, Heather comes back into his life with an unbelievable story—one Elena seems to support. Rumors travel the grapevine faster than he can make sense of them. He needs to discover the truth before his one chance at happiness withers on the vine.

My Review:

Laugh Aloud Funny

Having read the first two books in this series and enjoyed them, I snapped up this book as soon as it released, and the author has delivered a quick and fun read yet again. The writer delivers memorable characters with relatable flaws that immediately pull you in. In Between the Vines we meet Elena Santucci, who has sworn off romance since high-school bullies spread false rumours about her, and every guy in the school made some damaging assumptions about her. Even all these years later, those who should have be grown-ups perpetuate Elena’s misery. “As Elena approached the veranda, she considered walking around to the front of the residence. Her cousin and his girlfriend were sharing a private moment, and she didn’t want to intrude.” … This opening line gives the perfect set-up and takes the reader straight into the lonely life that is Elena’s.

The descriptive narrative is great, and here are some lines I loved … 

“The sun kissed the horizon, setting the sky aglow with shades of apricot, raspberry, and plum …” 

And … 

“Elena Santucci–Fake Smiler Extraordinaire. Time to put her skills to use.” 

And … [this whole set-up is brilliant for some great humour] … “I don’t remember you being such a pain when we were young.”

“I’m like fine wine. I’ve matured.”

“You’re more like a sour pickle.”  

I could go on, but instead, I’ll urge you to go and read this series. If you like fun, quick romance reads, the Keystone Couples series is for you. Between the Vines gets five 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 …

 

UK … https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

US … https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R8XRTB2/

#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 20

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Hi everyone! Today is day Twenty of the national poetry month competition. Two-thirds of the way through, already!

Here’s my offering >>>

DAY  TWENTY:

[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Twenty … Write a poem that anthropomorphises a kind of food. It could be a favourite food of yours, or maybe one you feel conflicted about. 

 

https://pixabay.com/vectors/pizza-pep...

 

Today’s poem is a PALINDROME POEM. The words are mirrored around a central reversal point, and read the same backwards and forwards.

I watch you

salivate greedily

stare, hungry

hidden killer lights eye

lips licked

leap taken

-devoured-

taken leap

licked lips

eye lights killer hidden

hungry, stare

greedily salivate

you watch I

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of fun, which expresses the stand-off/stare-off oft encountered between Pizza and I! Honestly, we bring out the worst in each other

Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Twenty-One on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge  

 

© Harmony Kent 2022

 

#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 19 and #TankaTuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 270 #Colleen’s #PhotoPrompt #TankaProse @ColleenChesebro

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Hi everyone! Today is day nineteen of the national poetry month competition, and also Colleen’s weekly Tanka Tuesday challenge. Today, I’ve combined the two challenges into one.

Here’s my offering >>>

DAY  NINETEEN:

[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Nineteen … write a poem that starts with a command. It could be as uncomplicated as “Look,” as plaintive as “Come back,” or as silly as “Don’t you even think about putting that hot sauce in your hair.” Whatever command you choose, I hope you have fun ordering your readers around. And from Colleen’s Weekly Tanka Tuesday challenge … This week’s form: Ekphrastic Poetry. This challenge explores Ekphrastic poetry, inspired by visual art or photographs. D. L. Finn provided the photo for this month’s challenge:

 

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In You-niversal, I Lose Me

 

Don’t just do something, sit there and reflect.

Explore the calm beneath the raging storm.

The dolphins of the deep play and connect

with the divine universe as art form.

Quiescent until it’s time to upswarm.

As one in complete and utter accord.

And quite individual in freeform.

To peace and quietude they swim toward.

Esse leaves no avenue unexplored.

Ever at peace, unruffled, calm, serene

these clever, kind mammals protect and ward

all those ever lost at sea, nice or mean.

Depower the mainsail of your ego.

Live, love, and merge into life’s deathless flow.

 

After writing my first ever sonnet for Day Sixteen, which was a Curtal Sonnet, I wanted to try my hand at another sonnet. This time, I chose  a Spenserian Sonnet. The Spenserian Sonnet is a 14-line poem developed by Edmund Spenser in his Amoretti, that varies the English form by interlocking the three quatrains (ABAB BCBC CDCD EE).

Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Twenty on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge  

 

© Harmony Kent 2022

 

#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 18

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Hi everyone! Today is day eighteen of the national poetry month competition.

Here’s my offering >>>

DAY  EIGHTEEN:

[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Eighteen … This prompt is based on Faisal Mohyuddin’s poem “Five Answers to the Same Question.” Today, I’d like to challenge you to write your own poem that provides five answers to the same question – without ever specifically identifying the question that is being answered.

Five Haikus

i 

you’re ever alert

to my every tiny flinch

watchful for my pain

 

ii 

kind, generous, love

shines from your eyes, bares your soul

actions speak louder

 

iii

we share a sweet love

of books, music, and movies

soul companionship

 

iv 

your sense of humour

is second to none, risqué 

laughs at life’s follies

 

v

lost and found, our souls

connected before we met

life’s love eternal

 

Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Nineteen on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge  

 

© Harmony Kent 2022

 

#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 17

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Hi everyone! Today is day seventeen of the national poetry month competition.

Here’s my offering >>>

DAY  SEVENTEEN:

[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Seventeen … This prompt was developed by the comic artist Lynda Barry, and it asks you to think about dogs you have known, seen, or heard about, and then use them as a springboard into wherever they take you.

 

rat-a-tat-tat at the door

there’s nobody there

dog learnt to use letterbox

 

Today’s poem is a Senryu in a 7-5-7 syllable count. I’ll never forget our  clever German Shepherd, Elsa. She used to have a bed in the front porch. After watching visitors use the letterbox to rap at our door and get let inside, this highly intelligent and loving dog learnt to lift the flap with her nose and let it drop in the same pattern as the humans would use. This was her way of saying, “Let me in to play!”

Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Eighteen on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge  

 

© Harmony Kent 2022

 

#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 16

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Hi everyone! Today is day sixteen of the national poetry month competition.

Here’s my offering >>>

DAY  SIXTEEN:

[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Sixteen … Write a curtal sonnet. This is a variation on the classic 14-line sonnet. The curtal sonnet form was developed by Gerard Manley Hopkins, and he used it for what is probably his most famous poem, “Pied Beauty.” A curtal sonnet has eleven lines, instead of the usual fourteen, and the last line is shorter than the ten that precede it. Here are two other examples of Hopkins’ curtal sonnets: “Ash Boughs,” and “Peace.”

 

Image courtesy of ‘the fairy path’ via Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/cro...

 

The Caged Bird Won’t Sing

 

A flare of white as you take to the air.

A solitary cry follows the down

draft as you glide over souls crouched in fright.

Through my window I peer against the glare

but see only a pale reflected frown.

The utter blackness has robbed me of sight.

 

Numbed fingers grip unyielding prison bars

I’ve lived and laboured behind since lockdown

put me in this lone cage that shields—airtight.

Owl in flight taunts this lonely, caged nightjar.

Such things aren’t right.

 

I’ve never written any kind of sonnet before, so this is a first for me

Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Seventeen on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge  

 

© Harmony Kent 2022

 

#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 15

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Hi everyone! Today is day fifteen of the national poetry month competition.

Here’s my offering >>>

DAY  FIFTEEN:

[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Fifteen … This one may seem counter-intuitive, but today I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about something you have absolutely no interest in. This isn’t quite the same, I think, as something you’re indifferent to. For example, I have absolutely no interest in investment strategy. Anytime anyone tries to tell me about it, I want to put my fingers in my ears and go “lalalalalala.” My brain tries to shut down! This is honestly kind of funny, and I think this prompt has value precisely because it invites you to investigate some of the “why” behind resolutely not giving two hoots about something.

I have absolutely no interest in … making friends with spiders!

 

Hairy legs

All eight of the things

Make me cringe

Sticky webs

Gossamer thin—catch

Hair and skin

Quiet now

You bide your time—wait

For nightfall

In the dark

You creep—prowl for prey

While I sleep

My skin crawls

At the mere thought

Of spiders!

 

Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Sixteen on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge  

 

© Harmony Kent 2022

 

#NaPoWriMo: A Poem A Day – Day 14

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Hi everyone! Today is day fourteen of the national poetry month competition.

Here’s my offering >>>

DAY  FOURTEEN:

[Instructions:] From NaPoWriMo Day Fourteen … Today’s challenge is a fun one: write a poem that takes the form of the opening scene of the movie of your life. Does it open with a car chase? A musical number? A long scene panning across a verdant plain? You’re the director (and also the producer, the actors, the set designer, the cinematographer, and the lowly assistant that buys doughnuts for the crew) – so it’s all up to you!

Today’s poem is a Double Etheree. A Double Etheree is 2 Etherees back to back, which make up one poem. The syllable count is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

 

mud

covered

a struggle

to push aside

this horrible weight

piled high on top of me

breathe, fight, don’t give up, go on

only I can prevail right now

folly to trust in some unknown knight

who rides a chariot of red and blue

sirens scream and make a lot of vain noise

gawpers come out to stare but won’t help

me in my miserable plight

to survive the tough trials and

tribulations of life

and brush off the filth

to uncover

the jewel

in the

mud

 

I thought this form perfect to show the diamond (or jewel) in the mud of life, which only by persistence, perseverance, and patient endurance can we uncover for ourselves.

Today’s poem is a Double Etheree. A Double Etheree is 2 Etherees back to back, which make up one poem. The syllable count is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

For all syllable-counted poetry forms, I use the SodaCoffee Syllable Counter.

Have a wonderful day, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow with Day Fifteen on the NaPoWriMo 30 Day Poetry Challenge  

 

© Harmony Kent 2022