Hi everyone, it’s Robbie Cheadle here with you today with my November post in the Animal Photography section on LatinosUSA – English Edition. This month I am featuring photographs of Animals used for war purposes. I’ve decided to include the next four weeks of themes in each post so readers have more time to contribute…
Photography – Animals used for war purposes
I missed posting for Tanka Tuesday last week because TC and I were away in Cape Town for three days and then I presented training for 4 hours in the Cape Town office before flying home. I met my sister and her family on Sunday and we spent Friday with friends so this didn’t leave much time for blogging.
The first poem is a shadorma for Yvette’s ‘masks’ challenge which you can view here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/10/27/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-88-what-lies-behind-the-mask-10-27-26/
The second is a senryu for Colleen’s challenge which you can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/11/03/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-89-senryu-11-3-26/
alchol
strips away veneers
exposing
true motives
unbridling thoughts and viewpoints
often quite shocking
penguins cavorting
dipping, ducking, and diving
toddlers in the surf
We met my sister at Kirstenbosch botanical gardens in Cape Town. It is a most extraordinarily beautiful garden. One of the best in the world. The pincushion proteas are in season so I’m sharing a few of the pictures I took.
Thank you to Esther Chilton for sharing my epic poem. prophetess in Xhosaland. I’m in Cape Town on vacation this weekend so I’ll be a bit slow getting to comments.
My thanks to Kaye Lynne Booth for hosting this post.
Melissa’s challenge is to write a poem for an artwork prompt. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/10/20/a-haunting/
Pelting down
in hard, icy bullets
sheets of water
distorting
elongating
shredding fog
transforming tendrils
into shrieking banshees
swooping and circling
forlorn chimney pots
ripping at streaming hair
flowing black rivulets
while beating in anguish
at their broken hearts
***
Cowering behind
buffering door
child stands
ears covered
small, cold hands
blocking sound
holding back fear
desperate not to disturb
mother, who lies
prostrate with fever
oblivious to
devious deceptions
of storm filled night
For Dan’s Thursday Doors I’m sharing some of my photographs of doors inside Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley in France. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/10/22/more-october-doors/
This first photograph is of Chateau de Chambord on the inside as the photograph was taken inside the courtyard.
The following photographs are doors inside the chateau.
Terri is back from her travels and is hosting Sunday Stills. You can join in here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/10/18/sunday-stills-monthly-color-challenge-colors-of-lava-and-black/
Terri’s topic this week is colours of lava and black. I am sharing some of my photographs from inside the Sudwala Caves in South Africa.
This is what Wikipedia says about these caves:
The Sudwala Caves in Mpumalanga, South Africa, are set in Precambrian dolomite rock, which was first laid down about 2.8 billion years ago. The caves themselves formed about 240 million years ago. They are one of the oldest caves in the world.
Today, I am delighted to welcome Kaye Lynne Booth with her latest dark anthology, Midnight Madness: A Carnival of Nightmares.
This post highlights contributing authors Joseph Carrabis and C.R. Johansson.
Midnight Madness: A Carnival of Nightmares contains fifteen stories which explore the fears that keep us awake at night. Featuring the winning story in the 2026 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest, as well as stories by veteran story tellers, Kaye Lynne Booth, Joseph Carrabis, Chris Barili, Rebecca M. Senese, C.R. Johansson, and more. The darkness in these stories touch on that which we fear most.
From a last big college prank gone awry, to an invisible beast none-the-less deadly, to a potion which makes you move faster than the eye can see, these stories showcase humanity’s deepest, darkest fears, how they shape our behaviors and their consequences they carry.
Everyone fears something. No one is immune. A sphere that drives men insane, apocalyptic zombies filled with sparkling dust, and even what happens when an electric car short circuits in the worst way are what make this story collection one you won’t want to miss.
Purchase Midnight Madness: A Carnival of Nightmares from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Madness-Carnival-Nightmares-Anthology/dp/B0HLRV4Z4D
Joseph Carrabis is a master storyteller with a sharp sense of humor and deep linguistic expertise. Hailing from New Hampshire, USA, his passion for writing began at the age of seven while washing dishes with his older sister, Sandra. With a career deeply embedded in evolving technologies, Joseph served as Chief Research Officer, Chief Neuroscience Officer, and Senior Research Fellow at several institutions and agencies while earning numerous awards for his journalism and trade technical writing.
Carnival.
The mere word brings shivers of horror to some. While I admit modern day carnivals possess an eerie creepiness, I’m drawn to the mysterious aura surrounding 15th and 16th century traveling Romani groups. An enigmatic group of people who never revealed the details about their life. They traveled from town to town, earning a living by singing, performing, selling homemade goods and crafts, and engaging in the practice of soothsaying, exercising, and selling spells and potions intended to curse or heal. Often, they arrived and disappeared quickly hidden beneath the darkness of night.
In my short story “Sphere Of Solss”, a rugged space cowboy’s insatiable curiosity becomes his undoing when he chooses to gaze into the forbidden depths of a gypsy’s Sphere of Solss.
C.R. Johansson writes gripping thriller, science fiction, fantasy, and even horror stories with a genetic twist. Her characters explore universes where the unknown prevails and the impossible is possible akin to her life with congenital heart disease. She works and plays in the Pacific Northwest with her husband. When not writing, she enjoys listening to the nearby river and communing with nature and the world around her. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.
Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment at each stop you visit, for a chance to win.
Three lucky readers will receive a free digital copy of Midnight Madness: A Carnival of Nightmares, volume 4 in the Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series.
Winners are chosen in a random drawing after the tour is over and will be announced in the “WordCrafter News” post on Monday, October 26, here ib “Writing to be Read”.
Mon. 10/19 – Writing to be Read – Interview with Mark Milstead & Guest post from Christian De Matteo & promo for “Shadowmancer”
Tues. 10/20 – Poetry by Mich, Hotel by Masticadores, Masticadores Phillipines – guest post from Robb T. White & Reading from Kaye Lynne Booth
Wed. 10/21 – Writing to be Read – Reading from “Headmaster Burns” & guest post from Lindsey Martin-Bowen & Promo for “L’Bonhomme Sept Heures”
Thurs. 10/22 – Roberta Writes – Reading from Joseph Carrabis & guest post from C.R. Johannson
Fri. 10/23 – Writing to be Read – Guest Post by Abe Margel & promo for “The Shape of Denial” & Promo for “Apocalypse Family”
Today, on LatinosUSA, we are in Mexico, Alebrijes celebrating the Day of the Dead with Brieuc Martin-Onraet.
Laura’s prompt is for poets to write a Cadralor. I’m not sure if I got it quite right but I had a go at it below. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/10/15/mtb-imagism-in-5/
yellow
fluttering wings
hovering around nests
seeking positive attention
weaver
***
lilac
breasted roller
amazing acrobat
attired in dramatic colour
palette
***
sitting
silhouetted
against vivid blue sky
yellow billed toucan surveys its
surrounds
***
blending
into background
pair of spotted thick knees
prominent yellow eyes darting
around
***
watching
courtship rituals
birds soaring and swooping
my heart yearns for perceived freedom
of wings
Melissa’s challenge is to write an Alouette. You can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/10/13/tankatuesday-no-86-alouette-10-13-26/
black skullcap adorns
wig-style woolly neck
atop black judicial suit
reminiscent of
criminal court judge
handing down a death sentence
***
slow, silent hunters
shy and secretive
living alone or in pairs
round water sources
in arid areas
occasionally soaring
Below are my two photographs of a woolly-necked stork
Hugh is hosting Sunday Stills on behalf of Terri here: https://hughsviewsandnews.com/2026/10/11/sunday-stills-photo-challenge-steps-stairs/
Dan is hosting Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/10/15/october-doors/
My photographs are of Chateau du Chambord in the Loire Valley in France.
The double helix staircase is believed to have been designed by Leonard da Vinci and is the most striking architectural featuring of the Chateau de Chambord. Positioned in the centre of the immense square-shaped keep, the celebrated staircase comprises of two sets of staircases twisting one above the other to get to the main floors of the building. When two people climb the stairs at the same time, they can see each other at intervals but will never meet. The stairs were intended to be used by each of the King’s wife and his mistresses.
The two pictures below are my photograph of the staircase as drawn by an artist and my photograph of the staircase from my visit to Chambord.
Thank you to talented writer, Freya Pickard, for sharing this wonderful interview about my art, writing and other artistic endeavors.
