Books and Poetry
Ripened finally
Time for harvesting is now
All at once it comes
Way too much of a good thing
Creativity
Is required in the kitchen
A love-hate relationship
Abundance of figs
Hang heavily on the tree
A curse and reward
Consumed fresh, dried, stewed and baked
Perhaps I should learn to can
Colleen’s TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 18
Summer sun loving
Pond sliders soak up the heat
Slip into the cool
Sandee’s Awww Mondays
The sands of time
Ever shifting
Layers of useless silt
Piled in mounds
Coating reality
Strong storms brew
Ferocious dust clouds swirl
Envelop in debilitating disorientation
Time . . . passes
Stubborn sands settle anew
A few grains lost to the wind, perhaps
Unwavering truth poking through
W3 Prompt #164: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Sheila, prompts us to write a quadrille on the theme of loss and what remains.
Summer gatherings
A seaside congregation
Familiar strangers
Flocking together
Differences set aside
Summer breezes shared
A medley of feet
Dash across the scalding sand
Splashing summer sea
A variety of terns were gathered together on a South Carolina beach. They reminded me of the hoards of people that congregate together on the beach in summer — strangers gathered in close proximity for the shared enjoyment of the sea. The featured photo showcases two royal terns and a Forster’s tern. The least tern (above) is tiny by comparison and apparently more skittish. There were two assembled with the rest of the group, but they would run off as I approached.
TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 17, hosted by Selma.
I. J.’s Birds of the Week Invitation CXXI
Rest your wings
Oh, dragonfly
See them shimmer
Like prisms of morning dew
Struck by the first rays of sun
Winking at the sky
Dragonflies are voracious hunters, consuming other insects, including mosquitoes. They can fly forward, backwards and sideways, as well as hover in place. Their wings have sensory neurons that provide instant feedback to the brain for flight navigation. The neurons in dragonfly wings are a subject of study for design of more efficient aircraft. Particularly the eastern amberwing (captured above) with over 3,000 wing sensors in its four tiny wings.
These photos were taken within the last couple of weeks in the Carolinas, southeastern United States.
The featured photo is a common whitetail.
Bleak and weary
Skies of dull gray
A passing storm
Excites with booming thunder
Thrills with lightning flashes
Tired eyes awaken
To vibrant rainbows
Altered version:
Bleak and weary
Rivulets of dull gray
A passing stream
Excites with booming timber
Thrills with liquid flows
Tired falls awaken
Creating vibrant rainbows
W3 Prompt #163: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Kim, prompts us to write a poem and modify it in whole or in part, using http://www.spoonbill.org/n+7/.
Today, I hiked to “your” meadow
A place where you found beauty
A place where you found peace
A place where you could be still
I was greeted by swaying golden flowers
I was touched by swirling butterfly wings
I was hugged by the summer breeze
I found the meadow just as it was before…
Your final resting place
Where you were scattered among the wildflowers
Where you flew with the birds
Where you danced with the butterflies
Still, I had hoped to feel something more
W3 Prompt #162: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Bob, prompts us to write a poem using repetition and incorporating the word “still” at least twice. “This word connects to the poem’s themes of persistence, memory, and the tension between movement and stillness in grief.”
Finding
Summer magic
In endings that transform
To fresh beginnings and promise
New wings
Ronovan’s Cinquain Poetry Prompt 3: MAGIC
TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 15, hosted by Yvette.
Searching for dropped seed
Warblers appear ‘neath pine trees
Smiles simply summoned
I. J.’s Birds of the Week Invitation CXVIII
Eugi’s Moonwashed Weekly Prompt – May 27, 2025
Ain’t never wanted to live in the city
A country girl am I
All the sprawl is such a pity
Aches my heart and makes me cry
It ain’t so much the city folk
I find them quite alright
Irks me ‘bout the traffic though
Infernal ruckus day and night
Tore off to a meeting at the old Town Hall
To block what they call “development”
Told the investors they were in for a brawl
Those god-awful suits were hell bent
Oughtn’t repeat what next I had done
Oh, I reckon I stirred up a clamor
Obstruction, they cawed, as I made to run
Oafs had me thrown in the slammer
W3 Prompt #161: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Violet, prompts us to: “Tell a story in verse—true or imagined, rooted in memory or invention… You can let the voice guiding the poem speak in a dialect.”
dVerse Poetry Form: Trolaan, hosted by Grace.
Featured image generated with Microsoft AI
JJJ Interactive Books