Today, on LatinosUSA, we are in Mexico, Alebrijes celebrating the Day of the Dead with Brieuc Martin-Onraet.
Roberta Writes – d’Verse, Tanka Tuesday, Sunday Stills and Thursday Doors
d’Verse
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/
Bird Love (American cinquain chain)
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
Tanka Tuesday
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/
Woolly-necked stork
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
Sunday Stills and Thursday Doors
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
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.
Roberta Writes – Reblog: Famous Books and Authors: Daphne du Maurier and my review of The Birds and Others Stories
Roberta Writes – Reblog: Interview at Freyan Rites
Thank you to talented writer, Freya Pickard, for sharing this wonderful interview about my art, writing and other artistic endeavors.
Roberta Writes – Book review: A Peril in Unseen Frequencies by Teagan Riordain Geneviene
What Amazon says
All-human written. In this paranormal novelette, elderly and rich widow Etha Yates is diagnosed with a heart condition. Her doctor warns that any sudden shock or excitement could kill her — and that she needs a diversion. Her attentive nephew, Donald, who lives with her, gets her to install a new crystal set radio to keep her entertained.
.
Soon, Etha is shocked to hear a voice cutting through the broadcast. The voice claims to be her late husband, Chester. The ghostly voice warns her that soon he will come for her. Terrified but determined, Etha proceeds accordingly.
My review
This fourth novella in the A Medium’s Peril series is a little different from the previous books. Medium, Daphne Moultrie, is on the peripheral of this story and her gifted assistant, Cover Flanagan, is the star of this tale and also the narrator.
Elderly widow, Etha Yates, is diagnosed with a heart condition by her doctor. She must not get overexcited or over exert herself. Etha decides to employ Cover on a short-term basis to assist her with various tasks. Clover’s assistance is over and above that of Etha’s amiable young nephew, Donald, who is living with her and is a kind and caring companion. Etha is very fond of him so when Donald suggests she gets a ‘newfangled’ crystal set radio for entertainment, after some protests, she agrees. Etha finds herself enjoying the radio and looking forward to some of the programmes but the radio has a darker aspect, it is a channel through which her late husband can contact her. Etha turns to Clover to guidance. It was nice that Clover took a larger role in this story and stepped up with some enterprising ideas to protect Etha’s health in the strange circumstances.
Teagan Geneviene has a most entertaining and engaging writing style which draws the reader right into the tale and endears the characters quickly. I liked the character of Etha very much and appreciated her quirks and her devotion to her late husband’s memory. I also enjoyed that the condescending attitudes of her doctor and her young nephew annoyed her. Thank goodness for people like Etha who subtly led the way for gender equality.
This is a fast paced and exciting novella that I read in 90 minutes. It was an enjoyable read and I rather regretted finishing the story in one sitting.
Purchase A Peril in Unseen Frequencies by Teagan Riordain Geneviene here: https://www.amazon.com/Peril-Unseen-Frequencies-Mediums-Book-ebook/dp/B0HKPZ7TH4/
Find out more about this book
Teagan recently featured on Teri Polen’s Bad Moon Rising series. This is one of the answer’s to Teri’s fab questions:
Ghosts: believe or don’t?
I feel like such a hypocrite — I firmly believe in ghosts. Yet I’m often a skeptic whenever someone else talks about their experiences. Clover Flanagan, who narrates “A Peril in Unseen Frequencies” certainly is a believer in ghosts. Although she’s still rather new to her paranormal gifts and sometimes doubts what she’s seeing. The spirits come anyway though.
You can read the rest of Teagan’s great interview here: https://teripolen.com/2026/10/08/badmoonrising-a-peril-in-unseen-frequencies-by-teagan-riordain-geneviene-paranormal-medium-giveaway/
Make sure to visit this link and leave a comment for a chance to win a complete e-book set of A Medium’s Peril (US only)!
About Teagan Riordain Geneviene
Driven to create wondrous worlds, despite horrors of the past, Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene is certain that
“The pen is in your hand.”
After a life shaped by the tragedy of losing a sibling to Mµnchaµsen §yndr◊me by Pr◊xy, along with the abµ§e she herself survived, Teagan took that metaphorical pen into her hand. She wrote her way to a new chapter of life with a successful career authoring and editing technical documentation. With another revision that pen took her to the next chapter, working alongside highly placed Federal executives to compose their communications. However, Teagan wasn’t finished. The pen was still in her hand. In her latest chapter she is an acclaimed multi-genre author, living in a high desert town in the Southwest of the USA. Rescue cats, the §coobies — Velma and Daphne, offer unsolicited advice on all stories, as well as the book covers Teagan designs.
This author’s stories range from paranormal to high fantasy and urban fantasy, to various steampunk (and other types of punk), to mysteries with historic settings. In addition to fiction, she has created the Author Tool Chest series of non-fiction works as resources for writers and anyone who loves language. In free time she enjoys conversations with friends, singing karaoke, and playing her piano.
See her book trailer videos at Youtube.
Find Teagan on her blog here: https://teagansbooks.com/2026/10/10/am-writing-and-bad-moon-rising-a-peril-in-unseen-frequencies/
Find all of Teagan’s books on Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Teagan-Riordain-Geneviene/author/B00HHDXHVM
Roberta Writes – d’Verse and Sunday Stills
Lillian is hosting d’Verse Poetics Tuesday. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/10/06/introducing-an-eight-year-old-artist/
What is support? (freestyle poem)
What is support?
Is it imposing your view
on what constitutes
appropriate subject choices
at school and even college?
Is it deciding on suitable
extra curricular activities
that lead towards achievement
of your idea
of appropriate life goals?
Is it forcefully manipulating
your child’s career decisions
citing financial success
as the only criteria?
Is support achieving
your own aspirations
through your child?
***
What is unconditional love?
Is it guiding your child
towards the safe option?
Wrapping him in cotton wool
keeping him protected
from all of life’s knocks?
Is it ensuring
he doesn’t make your mistakes
or any of his own either?
Is unconditional love
letting him go?
Allowing him the freedom
to make his own choices
learn from his own experiences
rise with the highs and
plunge with the lows?
Is unconditional love
providing the tools
for him to build his own life
and live it
the way he chooses to?
Sunday Stills
Hugh is standing in for Terri while she is abroad on vacation. Hugh’s theme for this week is ephemeral. You can join in here: https://hughsviewsandnews.com/2026/10/04/sunday-stills-photo-challenge-capturing-ephemeral-moments/
The four photographs in the gallery below are animal shots taken at sunset in two different game reserves in South Africa.
The photographs below are some of my favourite animal and other captures during the day time.
Roberta Writes – d’Verse, Thursday Doors and The Flower Hour
Sanaa’s prompt is ‘Through the eyes of John Atkinson Grimshaw’. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/09/29/poetics-through-the-eyes-of-john-atkinson-grimshaw/
Watercolour city
new-to-me city
shimmering and dancing
under its mantle
of soft cloud and rain
droplets run
water condenses
on taxi window
excitement thrums
to the gentle rhythm
of pattering ran
outside colours
mix and run
on the filmed canvas
of the busy street
mystery and delight
captured in
swirls and swishes
of patternless blurs
on which golden splashes
of enchanting light
beckon comfortingly
Thursday Doors
Below are some doors from inside the Louvre in Paris.
You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/10/01/armenian-room-happy-birthday-cathy/
The Flower Hour
For Terri’s The Flower Hour, I am sharing the first yellow rose of the season. You can join in The Flower Hour here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/09/29/the-flower-hour-50-the-floral-abcs-exploring-w-xy-and-z/
Roberta Writes – Tanka Tuesday and CFFC
This is my poem for Willow’s Tanka Tuesday poem which you can read here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/09/29/tanka-tuesday84-feelings-end-or-beginnings-9-29-26/
Spring
buds blooming, birds constructing, hadeda ahead – brooding
bright birds, colourful flowers, creating, spring kaleidoscope
shredded petals, beheaded flowers, weaver – most destructive!
CFFC
Dan’s challenge is to share pictures of places people work. I looked for photographs of work places that are very different from my own office. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/09/28/where-what-when-we-work-cffc/
Roberta Writes – d’Verse & W3, Sunday Stills and CFFC
Bjorn’s d’Verse challenge is to write above a pilgrimage. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/09/22/poetics-pilgrimage-revisiting-your-journey/
Heather’s W3 challenge this week is to write an ode to something in nature. You can join in here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2026/09/23/w3-prompt-230-weave-written-weekly/
The two challenges fitted together naturally for me this week.
Ode to a Giraffe
My spirit rejoices, sense of well being restored
Enthusiasm, returning as though never misplaced
Patience a virtue that brings its own reward
Anxiety and stress with peacefulness replaced
I bask in the liquid depths of your calm gaze
Silent queen who uses her voice so rarely
Chewing thoughtfully as if
Viewing life through a rose coloured haze
How I wish I could see the world so clearly
Instead, change has always scared me stiff
***
Oh, that I could derive such simple pleasure
From the action of consuming my daily bread
Absorbing the sun’s warmth as golden treasure
Grateful for nature’s bounty that keep’s me fed
Your gentle expression and swaying grace
Neck swinging in rhythm with your amble
Unworried and totally at ease
In you, trouble and strife find no place
Watching you, my thoughts unscramble
Floating away on grace’s mellow breeze
***
Within the borders of this manmade sanctuary
You are free to follow your natural instincts
No familial burdens to make you weary
Societal expectations, wordless but succinct
Within the boundaries you are free to roam
Unimpeded by responsibilities choker chain
That always pulls me up short
Despite the fact we ultimately walk alone
It is necessary for us to share other’s pain
Obligation and duty not easy to thwart
***
Your environment artificially maintained
By humans who are deemed more intelligent
Yet, it seems our hands and feet are chained
To the way of life that’s our inheritance
I seek out your environment as my escape
From a frantic world spinning ever faster
Core central pillar
Pivotal in the wild and untamed landscape
My soul temporarily heals, avoiding disaster
Nature acts as my life’s tiller
Sunday Stills and CFFC
Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge is animals with antlers, horns and hooves. I am featuring the giraffe that inspired my poem above. Giraffes have hooves. Giraffes do not have horns. They have ossicones which are horn-like, skin-and-fur-covered bone structures on top of a their head’s that develop from hardened cartilage. You can join in here: http://secondwindleisure.com/2026/09/20/sunday-stills-animal-of-the-month-antlers-horns-and-hooves/
Dan’s challenge is where/what/when we vacation. Naturally, I mainly vacation in the bush either at a safari lodge or some other facility that is close to animals and nature. You can join in Dan’s challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/09/21/where-what-when-we-vacation-cffc/
Isn’t this just the most beautiful giraffe you ever saw?
This is a portrait photograph of the same giraffe. These photographs were taken at Welgevonden Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
This photograph is of TC and I celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary at Welgevonden Private Game Reserve in February this year. There is a herd of elephants in the background.
The above photograph is of a Cape buffalo. Cape buffalo have large, heavy horns that typically curve downward and then sweep upward. In mature Cape buffalo bulls, the bases of the horns fuse together across the forehead to form a heavy, hard bone shield called a “boss”.
Roberta Writes – Reblog: In Touch with Nature – Sonic blast carpenter bees
Thank you for Kaye Lynne Book for hosting this post about carpenter bees.
