Skull Necklace

That smile of yours was infectious
Your eagerness to please
A waste

Your life on earth was so precious
Shattered by your disease
In haste

You rushed full speed into reckless
With toxic remedies
The weight

Of winter leaves our lungs breathless 
We sink upon our knees
The date

Worn heavy like your skull necklace
Choking us in degrees
Pain great

W3 Prompt #195: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week , Marion, challenges us to write a Memento. I modified the form slightly to make it my own, as prompted by Melissa, hosting this week’s TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 48.

Featured image created with ChatGPT

Land & Monkeys

French vegan delights
Leave the sweet tooth craving more
No monkeys observed

Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt #450 – Sweet (12 words)

We visited two different Land & Monkeys at least three times in as many days for lunch and pastries. One would never know the pastries are vegan! Even the mayonnaise on the sandwiches was quite convincing. The featured photo displays our late morning bounty atop a sidewalk cafe table just outside the entrance to the beautiful Père Lachaise Cemetery.

This Year

Some more memorable than others
Days of the year run together
Will this year be noteworthy?
Camellias bloom in cold
Bees visit when warm
Tentative sniff
A new year –
Mirth and
Sting

W3 Prompt #193: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Carol Anne, prompts us to write a Nonet about the new year.

The Flower Hour #12 by Terri

Perhaps

An old railcar
Sulks upon broken tracks
Never to ride again
The cars it once carried
Consigned to scrap piles
Although, perhaps…
a few survivors remain?
Lovingly restored
A spark of hope ignites
Possibilities imagined

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge by Dan on the theme of full or empty.

An Unexpected Guest

His head and shoulders protrude through a frame
Directly above our table he hangs 
A burst of strong wind had driven him so 
But the restaurant owner will not let him go
As he must make amends for the vandalization
And it seems that he is quite a hit with the patrons
Business is booming — a line down the hall
All waiting to dine with the man in the wall

W3 Prompt #191: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Nolcha, prompts us to: “Write a poem of 10 lines or fewer that places someone—or something—in a delightfully improbable location.”

Not Worth It

A boost of dopamine
Bought through retail therapy
A moment of bliss that quickly fades
Searching for the next shiny new thing
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers
Drowning in cortisol
When the credit card bill arrives
No fighting or fleeing accrued debt
Lasting joy comes from connection
To others and ourselves
Leave that gadget on the shelf

W3 Prompt #190: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Sally, prompts us to: “Choose one phrase from [Wordsworth’s Sonnet ‘The World is Too Much With Us’] and steal it.” I have incorporated the line “[g]etting and spending, we lay waste our powers.”

Wrapped in Love

Gifts under the tree
Temporary joy they bring
Cluttered surfaces
Mass produced decorations
Quick to end up in landfills

Hand crafted items 
Cherished adornments hung with
Family photos
Remind of the departed
And the children now grown up

Warm meals made with love
Served on hand-me-down dishes
To the near and dear
Old tales and new encounters
Cherished moments created

Heartfelt gratitude –
To those who are suffering
May you find the gifts
Of love, peace and contentment 
For this moment and beyond

TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 42, hosted by Yvette.

Aquatic

Delicate creatures
Peak our curiosity
We destroy their natural habitats
Offer our protection
Attempt to educate the public

Axolotl

Vietnamese Mossy Frog

Sandee’s Awww Mondays

Belted Kingfisher

I wait in silence
Certain of my advantage
A little patience
Delivers delicious fish
Exuberantly gobbled

W3 Prompt #188: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Indira, prompts us to write in any form and on any subject, adding a “comic touch.”

Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt #445 – Wait (16 words)

I. J.’s Birds of the Week Invitation CXLV

Reading Glasses

They hide themselves 
when needed most 
Lost then found 
and set upon my nose

Smudges smeared further
Cursory rub with shirt cloth
before sprayed and polished
by microfiber swath

Blurs turn to clarity
For a while at least
Until glasses laid down
and the cycle repeats

W3 Prompt #186: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Dennis, prompts us to write a 12 line poem about an object that “simply is.”